first electric

[bgracie]

hi guys- i'm looking for a electric somewhere in the $500-800 (CAD) range. i mostly play indie and alternative rock, with some blues now and then. later, i'm hoping to get into jazz more. any ideas?

[Bellringer]

Hey bgracie, The most important things to think about will be pick-ups/tone, feel, and versatility. You mention indie and alternative. If you need to switch between single and double coil tones, I would suggest a Strat with an HSS pick-up configuration. They have a humbucker in the bridge position to thicken the tone when necessary and the usual brighter single coil sound. If you like a thick/warmer tone most the time, I'd go with a Les Paul Studio. It sounds good clean and dirty (and has nice controllable feedback). You also get a nice bright tone with the bridge pickup. The mid priced Epiphone models sound great and will save you a few $'s.
If you are looking for something that will work for jazz blues, and rock;the Epiphone Casino or Dot have a great warm tone and are a preferred taste for many guitarists. Ibanez have some similar models like the Artcore models.
Really, it would be best if you could try out each style to see how they feel and sound to you. The neck, pick-ups, body weight, even looks, (guitarists are vain!) are all important in choosing your main axe.
You might check out 4-5 of your favorite guitarists and see what they play. It will also help with your decision (don't forget to see what they use for effects too cause that is a big part of some guitarist's sound). Good Luck!

[GregP]

I agree that you really should try before you buy.

I can't lie, though, a guitar immediately sprung to mind: The Godin LG. It's not much on the "Jazzy" side, to be honest (though, Alex Skolnik played some jazz with an Ibanez shreddy guitar!) but it's a rock and blues workhorse that could be used for occasional jazz.

There are HB and P-90 flavours. I like the P-90s, but I can't stand the hum of single coils anymore. If you have a relatively quiety environment (you're not near a cellular network node and so forth) you could get away with the P90s. Otherwise, the HB model should do just fine.

It's not a guitar to everyone's liking, though. The neck is medium (not slim), and the body shape is an aquired taste (I love it now, but not at first!). But the worksmanship is superb in that price range.

Some of the PRS SE models look compelling, too. Again, not so much for the jazz, though they have a new thinline model that apparently apes jazz tones fairly convincingly.

If you're MORE into jazz and the blues and rock will be the music "on the side", the artcore recommendation is one to really pay attention to.

Final note: if you're just learning, anything with 6 strings will do, really. For your first guitar, you shouldn't be after "the tone holy grail" that will cover every musical style ever. You should just be after something that's inspiring and comfortable to play at your price range and have at'er.

Greg

[pixystick202]

I recommend getting a Fender Stratocaster. The ones made in mexico are around $500 and an American one would be about $900. There great for blues and can play all around. Just an idea.