i have an epiphone special model (one of those cheap ass les paul looking guitars), got it for christmas a while ago in one of those guitar/amp packages. i've been playing on and off for about 5 years, spent about 2 1/2 years either not playing or just sitting around playing bar chords lol. i've beet getting a little more serious about playing in the past year or so and have actually improved after sitting around doing nothing with it. i want to buy a new guitar so i'm doing some research online, but no user reviews are helpful at ALL. every single one is just "OMGEZ this guitar looks cool and i don't know what the fuck i'm talking about but i'm gonna give it 5 stars!"
every single fucking guitar i see has a 5 star rating... can i get some help from anybody on here who really knows what they are talking about?

looking to spend up to $800, so i can't afford anything too fancy . i play mostly hard rock/metal

I could probably recommend some very decent guitars in that price range.

Pm me with some specifics about what you are looking for in a guitar (types of sound, feel of the neck etc etc)

What kinds of music are you looking to play? I have some ideas in mind but I'd need to hear some more about what you're looking for.

ESP (just about any model in your price range with emgs)
Jacksons
Epiphone sg (I prefer epi sgs over gibson o_O

I don't really agree entirely. I have some ideas for you, depending on your preference:

Ibanez RG1570: http://www.guitarcenter.com/Ibanez-RG1570-Electric-Guitar-519965-i1150869.gc
Schecter c-1 Classic: http://www.guitarcenter.com/Schecter-C-1-Classic-Electric-Guitar-102121936-i1147972.gc
American Standard strat: http://www.guitarcenter.com/Fender-American-Standard-Stratocaster-Electric-Guitar-104785266-i1385900.gc
DKMG Dinky: http://www.guitarcenter.com/Jackson-DKMG-Dinky-512231-i1147614.gc

I dont know if you have played that ibanez but I have and wasnt impressed and im kind of a fan of ibanez guitars

and totally dont agree on a fender strat for metal...or anything really

but then again guitar is all preference

N1 on the schecter and jackson ^^

True, the strat isn't very good for metal itself, but it's one of the most versatile guitars that exists. Despite my dislike for them, many people like them because they're actually very well made.

the rg1570 is one of the best guitars in its price range - it's possible that the one you played was poorly setup, or that you weren't used to the feel of a floyd rose. Then again, it's all about preference.

I'm gonna say RG1570, amazing feel, just tried one out today. Great hardware, highly recommended.

to tell you the truth i really don't know much about guitars
i've only ever played 2 electrics in my life before, the guitar i have now and a friend's epiphone sg for about 2 minutes. all i remember is i tried playing my friend's guitar and thinking, wow this is really nice, so much easier to play

This post was edited by STANUL on Sep 25 2008 05:28pm

it's all about preference. i would recommend going to your local music store and playing everything in your price range to see which one you like the feel of best. for instance, i prefer the feel of fenders over gibsons, so if someone gave me a $3,000+ gibson les paul to play, i'd probably choose a tele or strat over it. that's just me. find what you feel suits you best ;D