# Talking me down from drooling over a new guitar **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 15, 2008, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-me-down-from-drooling-over-a-new-guitar/456603 "2008-07-15T21:01:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2008, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-me-down-from-drooling-over-a-new-guitar/456603/21 "2008-07-18T20:57:18Z")
[QUOTE=acsenray] What about [this one?](http://www.guitarcenter.com/Epiphone-Dot-Electric-Guitar-100077365-i1149955.gc) It looks eerily like my current one. [/QUOTE] I’ve heard good things about Epi’s. If you didn’t know, Epiphone is Gibson’s “value” line; assume what you like about that, but I do hear good things from people. I’m told they’re made in China. I don’t think that guitar looks at all like your current one when you look over the details. Note the different f-hole positions; a real bridge and tailpiece; humbuckers vs your (I presume) single-coils pickups; a toggle pickup switch instead of those hokey flat switches; a smaller and much more attractive pickguard (well, I could do without the ‘e’); better high fret access on the neck; four knobs, a tone/volume for each pickup; Grover tuners, which are old reliables. I have a small personal objection to the plug being on the top instead of the side, but that can be nice if you want to be able to lay the guitar flat in its case and not need to unplug when you do. Anyway, it looks like a pretty serviceable guitar. Get thee to Guitar Center! Playing it is the way tell if you’ll love it and it’ll love you back. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2008, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-me-down-from-drooling-over-a-new-guitar/456603/22 "2008-07-19T01:45:24Z")
[Here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7o7iv0veTk)’s a guy playing both a Gibson ES-335 and an “Epiphone Dot”, which I think may be the guitar you’re looking at, but its unclear – Epiphone seems to have several semi-hollows named “dot”. ---
**Author:** ![diggleblop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@diggleblop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggleblop)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2008, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-me-down-from-drooling-over-a-new-guitar/456603/23 "2008-07-19T03:44:39Z")
Buy an Epiphone Dot. Great beginner guitar and looks like what you want. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2008, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-me-down-from-drooling-over-a-new-guitar/456603/24 "2008-07-21T00:15:34Z")
I went to the Guitar Center today. The salesman showed me [this](http://www.guitarcenter.com/Ibanez-Artcore-AS73-Electric-Guitar-102457306-i1150605.gc) Ibanez AS 73. I immediately felt how it was much easier on my fingertips. Doing some Googling gets me some very high praise for the Ibanez. Any thoughts? Overall comparisons between the Gretsch, the Epiphone, and the Ibanez? Unfortunately the Ibanez doesn’t seem to come in a black finish. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2008, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-me-down-from-drooling-over-a-new-guitar/456603/25 "2008-07-21T00:59:45Z")
[QUOTE=acsenray] I went to the Guitar Center today. The salesman showed me [this](http://www.guitarcenter.com/Ibanez-Artcore-AS73-Electric-Guitar-102457306-i1150605.gc) Ibanez AS 73. I immediately felt how it was much easier on my fingertips. Doing some Googling gets me some very high praise for the Ibanez. Any thoughts? Overall comparisons between the Gretsch, the Epiphone, and the Ibanez? Unfortunately the Ibanez doesn’t seem to come in a black finish. [/QUOTE] The Artcore series are also a well-made guitar at a reasonable price, like the Epi Dot. If you like the feel of one over the other, I suspect either would do the job nicely. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2008, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-me-down-from-drooling-over-a-new-guitar/456603/26 "2008-09-14T16:01:00Z")
I got the Gretsch double cutout hollow-body electric a couple of weeks ago (black – and it has a 125th anniversary label on it) and today will be my third private lesson. I already like practising so much more. Even when it’s unplugged, which is usually how I practise, the Gretsch sounds pretty good. I was disappointed to see it didn’t come with an instruction booklet – I guess guitarists don’t need a manual! My teacher went over the various dials and settings, but I didn’t quite catch them, and so I don’t really understand what they do. When I plug it into my amp, I just randomly twirl dials until a sound comes out. ---
**Author:** ![Mojo\_Pin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mojo\_Pin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mojo_Pin)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2008, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-me-down-from-drooling-over-a-new-guitar/456603/27 "2008-09-14T16:28:48Z")
No other way to play a guitar (fuck around till sounds come out…and never turn down:p) Enjoy your new guitar man ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-me-down-from-drooling-over-a-new-guitar/456603/28 "2008-09-15T00:10:16Z")
Happy new guitar, **ascenray**!!! > [@acsenray](#): > > I was disappointed to see it didn’t come with an instruction booklet Yeah, so was I – I bought a $1300 Telecaster, and it came with a hardshell case and some marketing & “inspected by” tags strung on the headstock. My $700 Schecter came with even less, not even a case. You’d think for this kind of money, you’d get a paper manual & other tangibles. FWIW, [here](http://www.gretschguitars.com/resources/) are the guitar manuals and other guides (scroll down a bit) on the Gretsch site. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-me-down-from-drooling-over-a-new-guitar/456603.md?page=1)