electric guitar

[m21]

hi guys. i am looking for some electric guitar around 150-250 $. i have never played electric guitar but got some experience with acoustic. i want to use it with my audio interface and cakewalk. i would love to play songs from linkin park, marylin manson,  bmth, architects, slipknot, sleep token and also do some own stuff. so i want to play some soft ballads and some heavy stuff.  there are some interesting guitars i found online: 

Schecter C-6 Deluxe
Ibanez PGMM21
Epiphone Les Paul Special Satin E1
Epiphone Les Paul Special VE
ESP LTD MH-10 Kit BLK
ESP LTD EC-10 BLK Kit
Ibanez PGMM31

if you know some of them and could say what would fit me the best or you know some other model then tell me for which i should go for. i listened these guitars on yt and i think what sounds the best for me is Epiphone Les Paul Special VE and ESP LTD EC-10 BLK Kit but epiphone is cheaper so it looks more interesting for me. also if you could add some advices about what cable i should look for it'd be cool.

[TheSteven]

If there are any music stores in your area check out the models that you're interested in and find one that speaks to you (feels right).
The rest is a couple of plugins and/or pedals and 10,000 hours of practice.
Try to avoid going down the rabbit hole of equipment or plugins - it's too easy to end up spending all your time chasing gear at the expense of mastering your instrument. 

Re: Cables - Monoprice or Musicians Friend Stupid Deal of the Day.  At your stage anything fancy & expensive is a waste of funds.
 

Edited January 8, 2022 by TheSteven

[Byron Dickens]

I gotta disagree somewhat about the cables. A good guitar cable is not that expensive and will save endless headaches.

The overpriced snake oil ones are a waste of money for anyone.

Edited January 8, 2022 by bdickens

[Bajan Blue]

I would echo Steven - you need to try them.

I have many Les Paul's (Gibson) and even these differ a lot.

I have never tried a Epiphone Les Paul, but I do have other Epiphone Guitars and in many instances they can be very nearly as good as a Gibson.

Personally I don't think the different styles of music you mention are that important at this stage - making sure you are comfortable using the Guitar is the most important thing  when you start. Then as Steven says "The rest is a couple of plugins and/or pedals and 10,000 hours of practice."!!!!!

After many many years of playing Guitar, I finally designed a Guitar with everything I wanted and built it (with some help from a friendly luthier!) the most important thing for me was the control of tone, so it has a unique switching system - i have posted a picture below

Hope you get sorted - happy to help anytime

Nigel

 

[Douglas Kirby]

I think the Epiphone Les Pauls and SGs sound pretty good for the money - I've played both at GC.

[AndyB01]

Yamaha Pacifica range - may be a touch over your price point - but well worth checking out. Back in the day I had a Yamaha AES620 (what a crime that they no longer make it) which was a cracking solid body guitar. Check out some reviews on YouTube - this is my fave UK guitar store and they review loads of guitars. Admittedly, some are the price of your average kidney or other major organ ? but they do cover a fair range.  

Good luck with your search and don't dismiss pre-loved guitars - often some real bargains to be had.

Andy

[Sheens]

personally did cope with bolt on neck on Gibson style guitar (as ESP LTD 10), trying to get 70's classic rock sound.

i was suprised how a fitting of the neck to the body could make such a difference......just my cents....and a bolt on Gibson style guitar might be great for metal or other genres.    Just 1 opinion / don't shoot

any of the guitars on your list are decent guitars probably,  I would recommend spending 100to200 on a good guitar tech/luthier to do a pro setup incl. fret levelling, nut height adjustment etc.   

Edited January 21, 2022 by Sheens

[Kevin Walsh]

There are  certainly lot of choices online. Epiphone, SX, Harley Benton, Squier, Reverend, Cort, and many others, all brands with very good beginner offerings. I am partial to Epiphones and Squiers since those are what I started with and they have very well-built guitars based on iconic designs for very reasonable prices. Unlike many folks here I like online shopping for guitars, mostly because for the longest time there weren't many brick and mortar choices available. If you stick to well-respected retailers such as Sweetwater or GC/Musicians Friend or Zzounds the return policies are very liberal. I've shipped back quite a few guitars that didn't make the grade and always ended up with a good one.

Have fun finding your first axe! Mine was a Squier Affinity Strat (circa 1999). I had it for many years and it went through all kinds of mod projects great and small as I learned what tones I liked and what I didn't.  The neck and body on those guitars are usually first rate, so mine were still original when I donated it to a church about two years ago. Loved that guitar.