Decent, Cheap HH Guitar?

[B'Lark]

Hey guys,

So I'm potentially having a look around for a fairly cheap dual Bucker guitar, primarily something to put a spare set of pickups that I have to use, and I'm just wondering what sort of things anyone else has played that fits what I'm looking for. Ideally am looking in the sub-300 range I think, might have a little wiggle room with that.

Not looking for anything amazing, just something that plays reasonably, and won't fall apart on me or malfunction etc I'm open to second-hand stuff, so if anyone has any suggestions for any places online other than Gumtree or Ebay let me know.

I am also a bit picky with necks (but in general, narrow nut width, chunky neck thicknesses are my general preference) so expect return questions about that too

[stan]

Get a kit from here
if you want off the shelf, I'd get a second hand epiphone SG or Les Paul off ebay

[wazkelly]

I'm with Stan and reckon SG might be the way to go either as a kit or a 2nd hand Epi as they seem to be going for less coin than similar spec LP.

[Simon Barden]

SGs tend to have quite slim necks though, not really chunky. Most of the Epis LP will also have more generic slimmer necks (compared to a '58/'59 LP style one). You may struggle with getting a thick neck at that price point, as most lower-price guitars do have necks that aren't particularly thick with a fairly standard C-section rather than a D-section. You may find an older PRS SE , but those neck tend to feel chunky because they are almost all 'wide and thick', and you don't want the 'wide'.

Some of the basic ESP LTDs are very well made guitars (and should certainly be found in that price range used), but are (IMO) desperately in need of a pickup replacement - which is ideal for you. But the necks are still that generic C shape.

[B'Lark]

Kits are definitely on the table as a possibility, and the SG was the one that I was eyeing off in that respect. Just trying to get a complete idea of what my options are though. I've never been big on the LP body tbh.

But also yea the Epi/Gibson LPs and SGs I've played in the past have had pretty bad necks (for me I mean :P ) so I'd been shying away from them in my research...

Ahh the LTDs, that's a series to consider. I'm not 100% sure how the necks would agree with me long term (I think the Thin U is right on the borderline of what I can/can't play), but I'd look in to it.

Also, I'm not expecting a super duper chunky neck, cos I know I won't find that at this price range, just one that I can comfortably play. Fender's C and Modern C are sort of the thing that I'm looking for.

[dave.king1]

Maybe a PBG ST-A mine "The Count" is now a few years old and has a thick neck but still Fender narrow.

My latest PBG kit is a TL1-Q and it has a modern C neck that is very similar in profile to my Squier CVC Thinline, speaking of Squier I believe one of their series has a baseball bat neck but don't remember which, check over on TDPRI.COM

[G-Axe]

I'd go for an Artist Guitar - https://www.artistguitars.com.au/sho...ric-guitars/12 - they're cheap, Chinese made but have a lot going for them. Free shipping, free, no questions asked returns for 100 days, 3 year warranty and occasionally some really cheap factory seconds, if you don't mind a less than perfect finish. I've bought some other gear from them, and had a play around with some of their showroom guitars and was very pleasantly surprised. I imagine that like any other cheap brand there's a bigger variation in quality from guitar to guitar, but that's what the return policy is there for.

But if you're after something really cheap, Gumtree is the way to go. I spotted a Washburn A-20 (80s vintage, neck-through, good working order) last year for $20! I think the owner might have been revenge selling some of her ex's things or something.

[dave.king1]

Maybe a Chibson from Aliexpress, also cheap and cheerful

[B'Lark]

The Artists are on my radar. I definitely like the look of the Gnosis, and I'm about to send off a message to ask about neck specs. I didn't know about that returns policy though, that'd be super nice to have. Am keeping an eye out on Gumtree and a couple of Facebook groups too in case anything pops up

Never been keen on the Aliexpress stuff, but I might do a bit of investigation there, they do seem to occasionally have interesting, weird stuff (which I am all for frankly haha)

The other ones I've got my eyes on are the finished PBGs (even if we're in the non-PBG forum right now.) The Blue PBG-6 and EXG-1 look pretty nice, so they're in the pool of choices too.

[Andy40]

Hey B'lark, Artist guitars are great for the price. I've got 6 of them and modded one. I am pretty sure the only show room they have is in Sydney, so you can always take a trip and try out the necks.

another option, and one I am currently doing now, I picked up a cheap squier ($50) and have ordered a HH scratch plate ($14) from China.