Advice for first (sorta) guitar?

[DalyTek]

I am trying to find a good starter guitar for my nephew. He currently has a crappy Epoch Les Paul, which he hates, and he wants to try to sell it to get a better guitar. He stayed at our place this past weekend, and he fell in love with my Kelly, but unfortunately, since that's my only guitar and I am out of work, I can't hook him up.

He plays metal (Disturbed, Slipknot, etc.) and has only been playing about 2 months, but in my opinion he's already better than I am. The shorter scale of the Les Paul he's got really chokes him up.

His fundage is very limited, as he's going to only have what he gets out of his Epoch (or maybe a little more if he gets Christmas money or something.) So I'm trying to think of a good (preferably Jackson) guitar for him to learn on that will work on a tight budget.

So I'm turning to the experts for advice.
What's a good choice for a kid on a budget? Where's a good place to look for one? Been keeping my eye on local Craigslist and of course the classifieds here, but not finding that super-cheap "gem" for him. Any help is appreciated. Thanks guys!

[Mikey2201]

What is his budget?

[DalyTek]

I would probably guess around $100, possibly $150.
(Technically, his budget right now is $0, because he needs to sell that Epoch first...)

[Musician78]

Keep your eye on the local Craigslist.

[RacerX]

Keep your eye on the local Craigslist.

For what, though? There's a lotta junk on CL.

[Cygnus X1]

Japanese Jacksons are great bang for the buck and sometimes can be had for less than 200.
Performer series, Concept, DK, DX...etc.

[Musician78]

For what, though? There's a lotta junk on CL.

Well if the budget is 150....

[BRADSTANG]

if you have good hands on ability look to find a parts project, maybe find a loaded body like a dk or something similar and find a cheap neck. you can get a ultra cheap floyd(taiwan special for like 30 bucks on ebay) cheap pick ups can aways be found, buy one component at time as money permits if needed

[DonP]

Getting to the $200-$250 range might be able to score a Charvel Model series.

KE3's used to go for around $200 on ebay (I bought one). Have they gone up?

[DalyTek]

Yeah, the only Jacksons I have seen on CL lately have been way over his price range, with the exception of one, but it sold quick. People here in Tucson, AZ are trying to get $150-$200 out of Squiers! I wouldn't mind assembling a parts mutt for him at all, but the parts aren't even very easy to find without resorting to eBay (which I want to avoid at all costs!) Most of the Jackson necks alone are selling for more than his budget. But really, I would love to do that for him. Plus, as an added bonus, I love to assemble stuff, so I'd have a blast putting it together for him.

I know the $200-$250 price range would give him more options and is still low-budget guitars, but bear in mind that's about double what he will have available (his parents just split up.)

If anyone stumbles across some killer deals on parts, or has some extra parts they're willing to part with dirt cheap, let me know. That may be a good route to go...

[DalyTek]

That's really weird. This thread disappeared from the list. Had to do a search to see if still existed. Could it be because I edited the title?

[VitaminG]

an admin moved it

[DalyTek]

lol oh ok, that makes sense. Sorry admins, if I posted it in the wrong section.

[Flatpicker]

I'd recommend a MIM strat used.
New, you can get them sub $400.00. Used should be within his budget.

[DonP]

I picked up a Classic 50s for $250 + tax. Most MIM Strats don't get this low unless on ebay with a shady seller.

I still say a late 80s/90s Charvel with a JT590 trem.