Squire Stratocaster or Gibson Les Paul?

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Alright. I've been thinking about this for the past 2 days or so. I'm looking to buy an electric guitar for about half a year now, and now I'm serious about it. I'm not sure which one I should take. I found a deal on a Gibson Les Paul for €50 less than the Squire Stratocaster I was looking to buy originally, but I haven't gotten the chance to try it out yet. I've tried the Stratocaster though, and despite people saying that it's a piece of ****, it still sounds awesome to me. Played Paranoid on it and it sounds almost like the real thing. And basically Black Sabbath-like music is all I'll be interested in, in the near future.

But I heard that the Gibson Les Paul has a much clearer tone and that I should maybe reconsider to buying it. But unless I can find a left-handed one, it's no use. The guitar isn't symmetrical, so while I could remove the strings and put them in the opposite order, therefore making a left-handed guitar out of it, I'd still have trouble reaching the higher frets. The stratocaster was built for lefties, so now I'm stumped. Should I try to find a Les Paul for lefties, or stick with the Stratocaster? I heard that the Les Paul was usually used in Jazz, and I'm not interested in Jazz. I'm basically stumped. Which should I take considering my taste in music?

EDIT: Let me add that I'm not exceptionally good at playing the guitar. I'm around average, maybe a BIT above average, only a bit.
 
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It isn't because a guitar is used to play jazz, that it's meant to be for jazz only. A Les Paul is a very versatile guitar, I don't even think they more versatile than a Les Paul, apart from maybe Telecasters.

To be honest, Squiers are ****, not because they sound like **** (sound is mostly amp) but because they're of poor quality. The electronics are cheap and the whole guitar feels like a toy.

But, a real Gibson LP for €50 sounds like a massive ripoff, something I wouldn't trust.


Either way, I'll give you the advice I once received: be willing to spend money on your first electric guitar (I spent €250 on my first one, and even that is rather cheap)
 
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It isn't because a guitar is used to play jazz, that it's meant to be for jazz only. A Les Paul is a very versatile guitar, I don't even think they more versatile than a Les Paul.

To be honest, Squiers are ****, not because they sound like **** (sounds is mostly amp) but because they're of poor quality. The electronics are cheap and the whole guitar feels like a toy.

But, a real Gibson LP for €50 sounds like a massive ripoff, something I wouldn't trust.


Either way, I'll give you the advice I once received: be willing to spend money on your first electric guitar.
No no, what I'm saying is that it's €50 cheaper than the stratocaster, so it's around €110. So you think I should go for LP?
 
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Oh, ah OK, I'm rather tired, so I missread that part.

€110 still sounds like a ripoff for a Gibson LP, though. New Gibson LPs go for €1200+, new Epiphone LPs go for €300+.. So I guess the one you're after, is a second-hand Epiphone.. Or a second-hand Gibson, sold by a complete idiot. (possible though, I once saw a vintage American Jazzmaster on eBay, not painted, golden hardware, it was of a special batch with limited supply, only a few of them around.. The dude managed to screw up the original arm, so he replaced it with an unfinished (fretless) Stratocaster arm and replaced the typical pickups with modified humbuckers.. So basicly, he raped a ****ing rare and expensive guitar.. He put it on eBay for $7 >_>)
 
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Oh, ah OK, I'm rather tired, so I missread that part.

€110 still sounds like a ripoff for a Gibson LP, though. New Gibson LPs go for €1200+, new Epiphone LPs go for €300+.. So I guess the one you're after, is a second-hand Epiphone.. Or a second-hand Gibson, sold by a complete idiot. (possible though, I once saw a vintage American Jazzmaster on eBay, not painted, golden hardware, it was of a special batch with limited supply, only a few of them around.. The dude managed to screw up the original arm, so he replaced it with an unfinished (fretless) Stratocaster arm and replaced the typical pickups with modified humbuckers.. So absicly, he raped a ****ing rare and expensive guitar.. He put it on eBay for $7 >_>)
LOL. Now that's something you don't see every day. I'll think about it more, but I can't actually decide until I've heard and felt the Gibson first-hand. So I'll see in a few days.

And this is Serbia after all dude, some things come cheap :p
 
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If you do go for a LP, I advice you to start with a lefty Epiphone LP.. They're rather nice.. They're just extremely heavy..
 
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Go with the LP if you're choosing between those 2. I personally like more modern guitars like Ibanez, Schechter, or ESP/LTDs and they're better for metal styles IMO also since they're mostly made for the bands that play that style.
 
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I've played an Epiphone LP, it's pretty nice, but not especially better than my Starcaster (Chinese made Strat Clone).

If you like using a whammy, go with the squire, as I'm pretty sure the LP doesn't have a tremolo bar.
 
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If you ever compare Gibson to an Epiphone knock-off again, I might track you down and break your fingers. Just kidding! Although it is a silly thing to do.

Anyway, I think you should get the Squier, as that cheap knock-off of an Epiphone (not saying the Epiphone is a knock-off, although it is, but at that price, you're likely not getting an Epiphone LP). The Squier Strat is fairly reliable from what I've heard, and the Strat is in general a nice all-round. If you can get it in HSH set up, you'll get a better tone variety as well, and it'll be more suited for metal/stuff like that.
 
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Avenger, we've pretty much narrowed down the fact that there is no way in hell he is getting a GLP for that money. It's a butchered and gutted GLP or a Epiphone.

And good luck breaking my fingers.
 
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The problem with Squiers is: if the factory makes 1000 Squiers, 999 will suck massive dong, and 1 will be as awesome as a true Fender.

Epiphone is to Gibson what Squier is to Fender, the major difference being that Epiphone are made to be decent (but cheaper) guitars, whereas Squiers are just made to give Fender some more money on the backs of poor kids that want to play guitar and buy the first all-in-one pack they can find.
 
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...Uhm, Bolteh? Epiphone = Medium quality, Squier = Low quality, Gibson = Luxury, Fender = High quality. In Norway anyway, an Epiphone costs four times that of a Squier.

Either way, I suggest you scrap both of those choices and go for a Yamaha Pacifica 112, because it has good reviews and is apparently a good guitar although it's cheap (I think one costs around 200 euros if you buy it in a store). A friend of mine recommended this for my first electric, but I got a loan and got a Standard Telecaster instead. If I had to pay right away, I'd have gone for the Yamaha, no doubt.

@Cuc: Everything isn't about you ;p I was aiming that at Dan, and I added white text next to it so he would understand it was a joke. I have no intention of breaking anyone's fingers, because then they couldn't play kick-ass guitar.
 
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Gibson hasn't been luxury for a long time now.. Gibson's quality has been decreasing over the past few years, LP Studios are hardly any different from their Epiphone replicas. You might just call Gibson high quality these days. Fender on the other hand, has been showing better craftsmanship and quality has increased.. Even mexican/japanese Fenders have been showing an increase of quality.

The days Gibson ruled the lands for having the best (yet most expensive) guitars are over.
 
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I agree that Gibson are lowering their standards, but they're still a "luxury" brand. Fender are increasing in quality, but not in price, and they're not going for being "luxurious" with prettyness - they're going for being awesome.
 
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You guys wanna know something funny? My dad actually has a Gibson, I don't think it's an SG or a LP, it's some kind of rare mark that's been sold around 100 times until it was pulled from production (he got it from some poor guy who had to sell it to feed his family, who apparently bought it in Switzerland). Now that thing sounds awesome. Problem is, it's right-handed and he still plays it actively, even if I turned the strings opposite, the guitar isn't symmetrical, so I'd have a hard time reaching the higher frets.

Aaanyways, I just heard from a friend that a new Gibson LP is around €2000, which is WAY above my standards. So a used one might be around €800 at the least, probably around €1000.

And if squiers are low quality, in which context do you mean it? Is the sound poor (I have a good amp), or are the electronics cheap and break easily? I'm very careful with this sort of thing so I'll never ****ing drop it or anything similar, so what's the problem?
 
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Although, I'd still recommend screwing the cheap Squier and getting a Yamaha Pacifica 112, which is basically a Squier Strat, but better (reliable, great sound for the price).
 
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I've played an Epiphone LP, it's pretty nice, but not especially better than my Starcaster (Chinese made Strat Clone).

If you like using a whammy, go with the squire, as I'm pretty sure the LP doesn't have a tremolo bar.

it's my opinion, that Les Pauls, and Strats, a VERY personal guitars...

i've been to hundreds of guitar shops around the country, and europe, and EVERY strat/les paul, is different, every single one.

i've played so many ibanez guitars, and thought "meh, it's an ibanez", the same with ESP. but man, i'm waiting for the les paul that jumps off the shelf and screams "buy me now!", cos when it does, i'll do it without hesitation.

my advice, as with any guitar, is buy the one you play. walk into a store, play it, if you like it, buy it. if you don't, go look for another one. because no two instruments are the same, so if you play one, like it, and order one from somewhere else. it could be an entirely different animal.

oh and avenger is right, the pacifica is ****ing AMAZING for the price. made of solid wood as well, isntead of laminate like most fenders/squiers at that price.
 
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my advice, as with any guitar, is buy the one you play. walk into a store, play it, if you like it, buy it. if you don't, go look for another one. because no two instruments are the same, so if you play one, like it, and order one from somewhere else. it could be an entirely different animal.
This man wins the thread. I know what I'm getting.
 

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