I have a hankering for what id consider a big treat on the guitar front due to my dad leaving me some money.
He was a carpenter and he had planned to make me one but sadly never got the chance… ive inherited his tools but with none of the skills to do them justice so buying one is the only option

i think its fitting to buy something beautiful made from wood and as a fiddler of guitars it seems fitting to go the guitar route.

my musings are Electric V accoustic..

i have two cheap guitars one is a Les Paul Style Vintage V100 and a Fender accoustic which was about £180 15 years ago not sure of the model.

I will never be in a band or a public player so wonder really what benefit a proper less paul will be if i play it generally, quiet through an amp or with headphones on..will i get any real benefit from its quality if its not being played loud through a proper amp.

Which leads me to the accoustic side are they really better sounding/better in general/maybe easier to play than the cheaper offerings.

price wise im thinking tops £3k..

Gibsons seem to appeal to me and i like the Hummingbird accoustic and the les paul standard both around that price..but am i just paying for Gibson name.

I know i will have to try them out but shop exitement would probably have me believing they sound and feel way better, so an opinion from the guitarists on here would be great.

Ta

or any other standout Guitars

TA

If you’re really looking to spend that much money then try something like Moon Guitars for acoustic. Something a bit special. Plenty of other guitar makers out there but buying something made in UK and with a great track record has got to be worth checking out.

If I had 3K I’d buy a well kept Les Paul (or Strat if I were of that preference) as old as I could find for the money. Bit of luck on classifieds / EBay might get a 1970s Gold Top for that.

A thing of beauty to own, look at, play and will never devalue (as long as you don’t drop it). I have slightly less posh 70s SG and a 1964 AC30 and they never fail to give me joy, and aren’t a bad investment. The intention was to hand them on to a sprog if any of them learn to play, as I have a Yamaha SG, fender Jag, and an Ovation to console myself with.

I have considered selling the lot and buying a gold top!

Have you thought about Terry Pack Acoustics?

I have one of these, for me it’s excellent.

Of course there are so many craftsmen out there, but Lowden, Waghorn, Flyde etc all spring to mind.

Obviously you’ll need to try them out before you buy, so pick a decent stockist specialising in those brands you’re interested in.

thanks brassneck..i am torn as i do love les pauls they make my knees wobble but as i said above will i then need to be be playing it through a top end amp to really hear and feel its greatness..

that one above is very nice.. i also have the whole cutaway none cutaway decision to make too..arghhhh

I have a Gibson Les Paul Gold Top – its noticeably a better instrument in terms of touch and tone compared to my Epiphone even at bedroom levels. It really reacts to the nuances of your playing.

This is both a good and bad thing depending on how well you are playing that day.

Interesting that..thanks.

on a totally different note looking around i came across this,i know i shouldnt but i like the Ibanez below..if only they had stopped the ageing before the gauges where put in..its an interesting looking thing and at Under £500..

TBH guitars aren’t something you should buy based on forum posts imo, you really need to go and play loads and see what you attach to- looks and sound and feel and weight, it might be something totally unexpected. I don’t play much these days but I had a few and played a ridiculous number when I was in the business, and the one I liked the most and the one I’ve kept, is a silver series Tele. It just worked for me from the moment I picked it up. Cost me £100, I put about another £200 of parts in it, lovely. Do like that Ibanez…

(do miss my SG but it was just a great guitar, it wasn’t a right guitar. And my BC Rich but we passed peak 7-string…)

totally agree northwind and i will indeed have good feel first , just interested in having a discussion about it which is where forum posts are great…will be fascinating if i actually just prefer the cheap one i have already…

New Gibsons are really nicely made.
A lot of older ones look half finished.

Sod the old guitar myth, I’d buy a nice new one.
🙂

Edit, if you’re really not that fussed about genuine Gibbos, the nicest LP style guitar I’ve seen is the Cort Custom.
Again, about £500 and absolutely beautiful.

For £3kish I’d either get something very nice that will hold its value and potentially become an heirloom, a custom buil from a great luthier (maybe go on a guitar building course?) or bit of an odd one, get a nice hollowbody. Proper classic jazz style archtop? Like a quieter acoustic unplugged with beautiful time plugged in. These things can be a real thing of beauty with a carved top!

it has crossed my mind to try and up grade the stock pickups in the V100 i have which is like the one below

I’ve always fancied a PRS, you can pick up the an SE series for less than £400.

If i were to go acoustic one of the Faith Naked series, lovely tones and action.

IMHO ofcourse

jimbobo is that possible at that price range..i thought it would be way more for something custom..

@rusty aye , i often wonder if this old guitar is better thing is indeed just a myth..

With that budget, I’d have to audition one of theseD28

If your dad was going to make you one, why don’t you consider commissioning a good luthier to make one to your own spec rather than off the peg?

Someone like Jim Fleeting in Stockport http://jimfleetingguitars.com for example? Some very good luthiers out there would make a guitar for your budget.

Whilst I agree with Rusty and Northwind on much of that, if you really want to spend 3K you want something that makes you go wobbly when you pick it up, and you question whether its safe to gig (IMHO). My Yamaha SG is by far a better guitar that the Gibson (it’s an 80s SG2000s) but doesn’t quite have that X factor and the sound is a little anonymous in comparison. This is a positive advantage when you’re gigging in dubious pubs and playing covers for a bit of spare cash (Yammy plus modelling amp = close enough for 99% of the population, 99% of the time).

A lovely small luthier acoustic would be a wonderful thing to buy, own and play. I could probably spend that 4 times over without thinking too hard…

A Lowden acoustic gets my vote. My O32c is about 15 years old and it just keeps getting better with age… and the quality & detail of the new ones is even better. They are true heirloom quality instruments (and very good value if you compare to top tier American luthiers). You simply cannot say that about any modern mass produced electric unfortunately.

Back in the early 90’s, I had a similar dilemma, and was torn between a late 50’s Fender Jazzmaster or a brand new Rickenbacker 330. Well… I went for the player, the one I’d be most likely to use, the one I wouldn’t be terrified of dinging and devaluing, the one that really didn’t have a far eastern budget “copy”/”tribute”/”reproduction” option available. I don’t play it so much these days – hell, I don’t play any of the guitars so much these days – but when I do, that Rickenbacker is still one hell of a guitar.

…New Gibsons are really nicely made…

😯 Seriously? And I say this as someone who owns a couple of Les Pauls from the last 10 years or so…

Where are you? Forumites might be able to recommend shops near you that have an amazing selection of older acoustics that you might fall in love with, but never see if you were trawling what the internet.

If you’re anywhere Farnham, SW Surrey, Guitar Village is well worth a visit.

Edit: to disprove my comment above, here’s their website: https://guitarvillage.co.uk/ 🙂

If you can up your budget by a factor of 4:

http://guitarvillage.co.uk/products/gibson-sj-200-sunburst-pre-owned-1948-ec

😯

All pre-owned:

http://guitarvillage.co.uk/categories/guitars/acoustic-guitars?filter-by=pre_owned

Seriously? And I say this as someone who owns a couple of Les Pauls from the last 10 years or so…

They really seem to have upped their game over the last couple of years.
Nicer binding, better lacquer, no rough edges, Pleked.

Some of the 80’s and 90’s ones my mates own are a bit shonky.

thanks all very interesting..im in County Durham, so any recomendations welcome

Had the same quandry this time last year, and decided to go for a gibson custom shop les paul goldtop. Took a lot of hunting but found one on ebay that some old guy had got from new and not touched it for 7 years. New price for these is £3k plus. I offere 1899 cash and got the deal. I knew what to look for and am amazed at the quality, playability and sound. Itll likely increase in value and is a beautiful thing to look at.

Moon Guitars. The Glasgow Rose is a thing of beauty.

I can verify that a stroll around somewhere like Guitar Village is a great experience and will certainly give you some ideas. As above (and posters above are clearly a millions time better players than I – like you I have a £200 Fender) you need to see how a guitar feels and whether it works for you. As a special purchase buy what “calls to you” it does not have to be a “sensible” buy. If you want a Les Paul buy one and practice more or take some lessons. If you are concerned about whether its “worth it” for you

Happy hunting. Let us know how it goes

A Lowden acoustic gets my vote

and they are back making them in NI 🙂 , but as you know – go and try loads. It’s a great excuse

Ive played some of the new 2015 gibsons and to be honest the quality is not there.

I thought the general opinion on new Gibsons was avoid as they’d got rid of their luthiers and replaced them with guitar assemblers….

For that money I’d be going secondhand/vintage, rather than new.

But, really, what do I know. I lusted after a Gold Top LP but ended up with a £650 MIJ Tokai (in cherry red) and upgraded the pups with BKP Mules and caps set. A mate lent me his ’05 LP to compare and I can honestly say I prefer the Tokai…

if it was me……

I’d be looking at a high end electric. I’d love a les Paul. I’m not bothered I’d never gig it. It’d be lovely to have.
PRS would be worth a look and I think your in the territory of custom shop strats to.

Do you have a decent amp? Possibly have a think about 2/3 on guitar and 1/3 on amp. £1000 should get you a very lovely valve thing.

£200 Squier Tele, three chords and a tin ear.
🙂

The best made guitar I’ve ever owned was a Rickenbacker 330. If I had the cash is have another in a heart beat, or a 360 for better finishing. If you like the looks (they are a bit marmite I think) then really lovely to play and sound different to Gibson/fender.

this come in under budget, just 🙂
yamaha sg1820A

bought a black mexican strat and a vintage v100 slash model over recent years. not high end guitars by any stretch, but the v100 is the better guitar imo, needs some setup love from a pro, but sound wise it blows the strat out of the water. the wlkinson pickups in it are superb. 🙂 that was 430 v 160 quid, so money isn’t everything in a guitar. I’d also never pay full whack for a new guitar again..

Anyhow, with your budget i’mnot recomending either, just giving you the lesson that money and new are the be and end all. It’s all about how it feels and plays to you. 🙂

ps, I’d also never buy a 3k guitar anyhow, I destroy things! 😆 If it’s not getting marked and dinged up, it’s not getting used properly is my philosophy!

This is my current love. I would go for the best acoustic you can afford. Something like a Martin if they do one within your budget.

thanks all very interesting..im in County Durham, so any recomendations welcome

I’m not a guitarist so might well be way out in suggesting but there’s a luthier and guitar maker in the village just down the road from me; Steve Agnew. Having spoken to him I think your budget is agreeable!

I know him through my interest in woodwork and local arts and crafts. Seeing as you’re in Co Durham his workshop in Fife would be manageable for a day trip. He doesn’t have a working website – the one Google comes up with was actually set up by a fan, not Steve himself.

There’s a load of incredibly talented luthiers on the UK and at that price point and you could get something lovely and unique.

I really like what James Collins is doing

HOME

…and here’s a list of British Luthiers – they’ll someone near you

http://www.britishmadeguitars.co.uk/british-guitar-makers-index/

£3000 is decent amount. For that you could get a nice PRS or custom shop fender. You could get a nice vintage strat or les paul. Or for that money why not get a hand built to your spec lots of good uk guitar builders out there.

It really depends on what style you play to what you want. So many great guitars, go and play some and then decide