You really need to put down the crack pipe. I don't think Frank Zappa sounds anything like AC/DC. And I don't think Derek Trucks - the greatest young man to pick up a slide since Duane Allman - sounds anything like AC/DC either. Not to mention Clapton while he was playing with Cream. And countless others. One dimensional my ass. I get some VERY nice clean tones out of my SG. Even with the volume knob dimed. I use a stompbox to add dirt, 'cause it's just that clean. I suggest getting off the stereotyping of guitars. I used to think Ibanez were the "heavy metal" guitars until I saw guys like John Scofield & Pat Metheny playing them. The SG is a good guitar. It's basically a Les Paul with a double cutaway. It's a little lighter than the Les Paul, which means it doesn't have quite as full of a sound, but it's also easier on your shoulder. One thing about Gibson vs. Fender/G&L (besides the pickups) is the neck. Typically, your Gibson neck will be a little fatter and will more closely resemble an acoustic guitar's neck. A Fender's neck will be more thin. The strings are well spaced so you can reach them all individually without the others interfering. You'll also want to check the tone wood the guitars you're looking at are made out of. A Gibson around your price range will PROBABLY be mohagany body & neck with a rosewood fretboard. A Fender in that price range might be alder or ash body with a maple neck & maple or rosewood fretboard. The wood selections also contribute to the guitar's tone - mohagany being more full/dark vs. maple adding brightness/airy tones. It's really a matter of what feels better in your hands and what has the sound you're trying to achieve. It's not at all a matter of what "genre" of music you want to play. Contrary to what other people have said here, the guitars you're looking at aren't designed for heavy metal or for jazz or for funk or for blues. They're built to inspire. (For what it's worth, I'd go for a G&L before Fender, but I'm more of a Gibson man myself.)
Oh, and one other good resource for finding good gear online (used, vintage, or new). It has a great search engine across lots of gear stores: www.gbase.com And for gear review, go to harmony central... take the reviews at face value though... you have some good detailed ones and some crappy "written by a 10-year old" ones... http://www.harmony-central.com/User_Reviews
With that kind of budget, you can get a VERY nice used guitar. Gibsons, Fenders, Ricks and G&Ls have been pretty well covered, so here are some other dark horse possibilities: Hamer - Fantastic, well-built Gibson-inspired guitars that come with Seymour Duncan pickups and high quality hardware. Make sure you get an American-made one, though. I play a Hamer Newport, and love it. 70s Japanese knockoffs - Back in the 70s, Ibanez, Greco, Tokai, Burny/Fernandes, Orville and Fender Japan made some outstanding recreations of classic 50s and 60s Fenders and Gibsons. For examples, go to www.guitargai.com. Hagstrom - The Hagstrom Swede model is supposed to be a really great (albeit heavy) Les Paul-style guitar. Guild - Their Starfire and SG copies are very good guitars (with pickups that are considerably more airy that your standard humbucker). Finally, if you're going to consider a Gibson, look at an old Firebird with mini-humbuckers. If you are primarily a rhythm player, these are as good as it gets.
Good call on the Firebird... If I were to get a Gibson, that's what I'd go for... Of course the nicest one I've played was a '60s non-reverse with 3 P-90s... hard to find those for under $3k though... http://www.gbase.com/Stores/Gear/GearDetails.aspx?Item=776279 drool...
Oh, hell, if you're taking other requests, I have a couple that you should jump on: Guild Bluesbird: Hamer Artist:
Whatever you buy your stuck with so choose wisely! I've been wanting to buy a guitar for a long time now. However, I just cannot make up my mind because everyone has a different opinion and there are so many selections. It's hard even to narrow down the brand let alone a specific model. It's funny that I have read a ton of reviews over at Musician's Friend and 90% of them are favorable regardless of how the guitar actually is. I think if someone bought it...their more likely to give it a good review just because it's what they ended up with. Then, you have those who just chime in who doesn't own one but has played one. But, then, are all these people experts? I think it's been stated that you can make a piece of crap guitar sound great with the right amp. But, that's another story... . Buy this...buy that. I don't...give a crap.
