Gordon Smith as you're in the UK, they have brass nuts and coil taps as standard - from about £350 to 600 , 600 would get you an LP "Copy", 350 a "junior"- I have never heard anyone say a really bad word against them,in print or in person. Heard 'em up close in local bands...ferkin nice.


KimBob has one ,if he's around to ask....

Yamaha are very good, don't get many bads either (i've got one-OK it's a Pac112-but still nice) .Of course the Venerable SbG and the Aex502 -has great ratings on Harmony central-may have to order it sight unseen -to get a decent price- as they're quite rare.

Do a search on google for the GSs best price.


GS home - http://www.fairplay.demon.co.uk/

Good price example for GS http://www.guitarstrings.co.uk/

Yamies from Germany, top prices http://www.netzmarkt.de/thomann/artikel-133208.html?ARTTEXTSPRACHE=E&WAEHRUNG=GBP&PRL=GB&sn=d2d1dc18b001fe2453a4d14dbe179993. - that's 270 quid plus 12 p@p Guv....... is mail order too much of a risk? - not decided myself yet.

I haven't seen an Epi recently with good build quality, but they vary greatly.


Justification - most of the above have coil tapped humbuckers which give you a variety of sounds,they are well built mid range instruments which will last,should stay in tune and not give too many problems plus have the ,shorter, Gibson scale, which makes string bending (etc,etc)easier,plus the pickups will lend themselves to most stlyes of music bar XTREME mental.

Mind you I also like the MIM Teles from Germany at about £250 ;)

Have fun in your search.