| Best Choices for a New Guitar | | | | feature here is the ability to directly control a |
| Most instruments have at least a few moving | | | | Roland GR Series or Axon AX100 guitar synth |
| parts. Guitar is no exception. What can often | | | | and determine just how much of your acoustic |
| make purchasing a guitar so tricky is the fact that | | | | sound is blended into that; essentially three |
| some romance & intrigue is sometimes attached | | | | instruments in one. The Taylor T5 Standard is |
| to a few of those moving parts, complicating the | | | | another fantastic choice. In addition to the |
| purchase process. While Saxophonists may | | | | top-notch craftsmanship of this stunning |
| certainly debate about the best reed for a certain | | | | instrument, there are five pickup combinations |
| purpose, or Trumpet players about the best | | | | that yield some seriously impressive tones. |
| mouth piece, guitarists have many variables to | | | | Best Budget Electric Guitar |
| ponder and much of that is truly a matter of | | | | Even if your absolute main priority is lowest |
| opinion. | | | | possible price, you still need a guitar that is |
| For example, while most would agree that | | | | playable and offers at least some kind of tonal |
| plywood is perhaps not the best material for | | | | options. While you can't expect to find one model |
| guitar construction, some may feel that Ash | | | | that will "Do it all..." it certainly is possible to find |
| always sounds best, others Mahogany, some | | | | one that, depending on your preferred genre, |
| even sing the praises of exotic woods such as | | | | offers some pretty decent features for such a |
| Koa. And then there is the topic of pickups, and | | | | low price. Although it is a bit of a "Shredder's" |
| then there are the strings, and fret-size, and | | | | guitar, the Ibanez GRG170DX brings the most to |
| many other decision points. With the exception of | | | | the table in this price category. A two-octave |
| the very wealthy, a typical guitarist in search of a | | | | neck gives you the widest possible harmonic |
| new instrument will look to strike a balance | | | | range and the two-point floating trem bridge |
| between their wish-list of features and cost. | | | | provides much better dive-bomb performance |
| Luckily, many guitar makers are more than happy | | | | than the traditional vintage-style six-screw bridge. |
| to cater to you, offering instruments that provide | | | | Most "T-Style" knockoffs in this price range fail to |
| this kind of balance, sometimes surprisingly well. | | | | really deliver the "Twang". Fortunately, for |
| Best Acoustic Electric Guitar | | | | Tele-Lovers, the Squier Affinity Series Telecaster |
| In the old days, when you wanted to amplify an | | | | Special Butterscotch Blonde is a great pick. This |
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| front of it and then spend precious sound-check | | | | really nail the vibe of such master as Arlen Roth, |
| time wrestling with feedback. Fortunately, the old | | | | Roy Buchanan, Steve Cropper or Danny Gatton, |
| days are gone and current technology allows for | | | | right down to the most-cherished flavor of finish; |
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| Acoustic Electric Guitar all around is the Godin | | | | choice as just like the aforementioned squire, |
| Multiac Spectrum SA Cutaway. The feature-set | | | | you've got the basic feature set that gives you |
| accompanied by the very reasonable price tag | | | | that classic guitar that you are dreaming of at an |
| make it a can't-miss purchase. The real standout | | | | affordable price. |