Mid-range electric guitar recommendations?

Klorgnum

I received a nice amount of money this Christmas, and I'd like to put it towards a decent electric guitar. I started out learning on an electric, but I haven't seriously played one in years. I mostly play acoustic fingerstyle stuff (Antoine Dufour, Tommy Emmanuel, etc) these days, so I don't know too much that's really appropriate for an electric. I'm looking for something in the neighbourhood of $500 - $550 Canadian. I already have a decent amp (Vox AC30), so I don't need to worry about getting one. I've already looked at some other threads here on this topic.

I'm not too interested in a Strat-type guitar or anything with a tremolo, since I'll probably be doing some alternate tuning stuff with it and it'd be annoying to get in tune. I'm mostly into classic-rock type stuff, like Zeppelin, Rush, Queen, etc. I'd like something that sounds really smooth, sort of like the tone in the guitar solos for Comfortably Numb or Killer Queen.

I've already looked into Godins, but the only place around here that carries them has them all priced > $650

Thanks

wmelon

I really like my Godin, but they are fairly expensive. Perhaps something like an Ibanez ArtCore. I think Gretsch has some in that range as well.

Klorgnum

Thanks for mentioning the Artcores. I've avoided Ibanez in the past because I associated them purely with metal guitars for some reason, but after checking out Artcore videos on youtube, I'm intrigued.

Six

The Ibanez Artcores are really pretty good for the money. If you're looking for that style of guitar, definitely play a few to see if one clicks.

wasted pixels

What part of Canada are you in? I don't want to start rattling off cool stuff I've seen recently around Ontario if you're out west.

I really recommend hitting guitar shops and just seeing what feels right, but if you're looking at importing, Rondo Music's Agile line has some amazing guitars in the $500 to $550 CAD range -- $450ish, then $75 shipping (which includes duty/brokerage). Their AL (Les Paul clone) 3000/3100 series is just fantastic for the money. It was incredibly depressing seeing how close the craftsmanship was to the $2,500 Gibson LP I was using in-studio a while back, and the tone is great too (a bit "brighter" than the real McCoy, but not in a bad way). I played a couple that belonged to a friend, and I'm definitely getting one for myself soon. I've also heard nothing but glowing praise for their AS (semi-hollow) series.

Klorgnum

I'm in the Kitchener-Waterloo area of Ontario. I was in the two closest shops to me today and didn't have much luck.

I've read good things about Rondos on these forums before, but I don't think I'd consider ordering an instrument without playing it first.

i n c u b u s

I HIGHLY recommend the Fender Nashville Telecaster especially since your still into both acoustic and electric. I'd have to admit that I hated the tele style body before I got this guitar but it really has grown on me after playing it for two years. It is a fully electric guitar but also comes with a very good acoustic simulating pickup so you can switch between excellent acoustic sounds and full on hard rock on the same amp within seconds. Color-wise they're pretty great especially since a lot of them come with turtoise pickguards which are a bit harder to find in the lower price ranges. The wood on the neck is terrific and very easy to play on and the three pickups which gives you the choices between the tele twang, acoustic, and an actual strat pickup sounds. I got mine in excellent condition off of eBay for 500 US and I believe you can get one for less than that nowadays.

As for the Rondo instruments, I own a bass made by them and it really has been great. I paid 150 for the quality of something worth at least twice that amount. The thing about rondo is that you cant try them out before buying so you really have to rely on word of mouth. While my experience with them has been awesome I would still suggest going to a shop and trying out a bunch of guitars (including the one I suggested btw) before commiting to buying anything. You really need to look for something that can deliver great performance for the amount of cash your putting in here so that it will last you years and years to come.