Quote:
Originally posted by platypus
Neil's guitar appears to be his '56 Gibson Les Paul that he named 'Old Black'.
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Yeah, great guitar. Only a few hundred of the Black Beauty's were made. Rare guitar. Jimmy Page had one stolen in Winnipeg during Zeppelins 1st or 2nd tour.
Yamaha makes some nice guitars for the money. My advice would be to buy something you can afford and if you progress, upgrade with quality instruments. Get good cables or else you will live to regret it. Also go to a quality music store where people who are musicians can offer the best advise. Mom and pop stores don't give a shit as long as you buy something and usually it is way overpriced.
Try an amp (for you I would go with a combo amp, amp and speaker in one rather than seperate head and speaker) that produces the tones you like with whatever combination of pedals, if any, you are likely to use. Find a guitar that works well to your liking with the tones you get.
I prefer Les Pauls for several reasons but one of the main reasons is the location of the toggle switch. On Strats, PRS and copies thereof, the toggle switch is located downward from the strings on the guitar so when I get agressive I always hit the damn toggle switch to another setting. Poor placement for my needs and thats why I don't play them.
Also ask if the store you go to, if you buy everything at one, to cut a deal and give you a free setup. Usually a setup is about 40-50 bucks. A setup entails lowering or raising the strings to your liking, adjusting the saddles, making sure there is no fretbuzz etc,...and do your homework before you get involved. People in music shops will bend over backward to help but be prepared to ask questions about the products you are interested in. These people aren't mind readers and are usual very busy. It will also help in building a good repetoire with the store over time. I've been going to the same store for over 20 years and as a result, can get stuff over the phone quickly because they know me which is good. Some people have to wait for custom orders just because the store doesn't know them. Good luck.