Originally posted by Pako
No problems... Well not quite sure what my US dollar suggestions are going to do for ya, and to be quite honest, I know very little of Guitars. Sounds like a questions for Gil, our resident "tone" man.
For the money...
I would probably check out
Carvin. (
www.carvin.com) I have gained a huge respect for their guitars because I have only seen
one used one in my "hunts". It was a lower end Strat-style. Sounded very nice thru every amp I hooked it up to.
I've seen many people play thru Carvin gear but that was the only one I've ever seen hanging in a store.
I figure that any guitar that can manage to stay in someone's collection, while other guitars get sold/traded has to be very good, Guitar players being the fickle people they are. I looked at their site just a minute ago and they have "in stock" guitars starting just under $800.
The Cobalt Guitars are even more affordable. They start just under $400.
I also have a soft spot for the
Seagull line (
www.lasido.com). The straight acoustic goes for around $500 (300-350 pounds, I believe). The acoustic electric goes for $750 and up. They are solid wood construction with the exception of the sides, I believe, and they have an awesome tone. Seagull will be the "next big thing" in guitars very soon. I predict the prices will eventually shoot up on them like they did on Tacoma Guitars.
If your friend wants 2 guitars in one,
Fender makes a Telecaster, The Nashville Tele plus, that also has a Fishman acoustic pickup that sounds credible enough to pass for the real thing to everyone but picky guitar players. Check out
www.musiciansfriend.com. I believe that they are going for about $650-700.
I have nothing against the
Ibanez. But you have to get out of the low-end lines to get a really good sound. They sound too "brash" for me. I like a really warm tone. Another option is
Epiphone. The PR-5 and the J-18CE are not too expensive and sound very sweet. The J-18 is a good copy of the Gibson of the same model.
Hope that helps a bit.