The guitar part is pretty easy. I'm torn between a Highway Series Strat from Fender, and a Gibson Les Paul. I bum a friend's Squier Strat all the time to mess around, so I'm pretty familiar with how they feel, and I'm pretty comfortable playing one. On the other hand, I've gotten a chance to play a Les Paul down at Guitar Center here in town, and I was impressed. I like the looks of the Les Paul a bit better, but the price tag is a bit high. 
Can anyone here a bit more experienced than myself give me some advice? Not just testimonials, but things I should look for when I go out browsing again.
As far as an amp goes, though, I'm pretty much clueless. The only one I've ever played with is my Pignose, and it's got no drive, no effects... pretty much nothing. I've only got an apartment, so whatever I end up picking up doesn't need to be mind numbingly loud. I'd really appreciate it if one of y'all could point me in the right direction on this one.
Thanks!
Amp-wise... look at a Mesa-Boogie in any tube-driven flavor, or a Fender Champ... those get great, full sound at low levels, something that's really rare.
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Get an Epiphone Les Paul, not a Gibson - they sound damn near identical, and feel about the same too. But the Epiphone costs much less.Amp-wise... look at a Mesa-Boogie in any tube-driven flavor, or a Fender Champ... those get great, full sound at low levels, something that's really rare.
That's a thought. If the Epiphone is significantly kinder to my wallet, that might be the way to go.
I'll have to check into those amps too. Thanks, dude.
As for amp, Ive only played through crappy 15watt practice amps so I wouldnt know.
I went down to Guitar Center last night and played around with a few guitars. Tried out a Highway Series Strat like the one I was looking at, an Epiphone Les Paul, and a couple of Schecters that they had there. At the end of the night, the Les Paul followed me home. What kind of guy would I be if I turned it away? 
Unfortunately, it seems to have been set up by a retarded monkey. The first and sixth strings are fretting out, so I'm probably going to have to go back down tomorrow to see if I can get it set up there. If not, I'm not sure what I'm going to do. Maybe if I buy some '59 pickups from the Gibson Custom Shop, they'll be nice enough to install them and set up my guitar for me.
...Boy, that's a dangerous thought. Spend more money on a guitar I just got...
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ACES! Another post by Arttemis:
Update!I went down to Guitar Center last night and played around with a few guitars. Tried out a Highway Series Strat like the one I was looking at, an Epiphone Les Paul, and a couple of Schecters that they had there. At the end of the night, the Les Paul followed me home. What kind of guy would I be if I turned it away?
Unfortunately, it seems to have been set up by a retarded monkey. The first and sixth strings are fretting out, so I'm probably going to have to go back down tomorrow to see if I can get it set up there. If not, I'm not sure what I'm going to do. Maybe if I buy some '59 pickups from the Gibson Custom Shop, they'll be nice enough to install them and set up my guitar for me.
...Boy, that's a dangerous thought. Spend more money on a guitar I just got...
Don't replace humbuckers unless you're really sure you want the different sound.
It can be a lot of money gone for nothing if you do.
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Vorbis had this to say about pies:
Don't replace humbuckers unless you're really sure you want the different sound.It can be a lot of money gone for nothing if you do.
Yeah, I like the humbucking sound, which is one of the main reasons I got the Les Paul in the first place.
The only thing I would replace the current pickups with is another set of humbuckers, but that seems kinda silly.
