GregP Posted February 20, 2007 Report Share Posted February 20, 2007 I have a fairly modern girlfriend. We have agreed that we would like to be married. She feels that I shouldn't have to get her a ring with nothing in return, and has pretty much bluntly stated that I'll be getting an "engagement guitar" in place of a ring. However, she has also equally as bluntly stated that I have to pick, because she refused to take a guess on something like a guitar. She wants me to have one that I'm going to love. We're not wealthy. I'm giving myself a $2000 CDN ballpark figure. I'm not asking all y'all to make up my mind for me, cause it's a pretty personal thing... but it simply struck me as an interesting question because it is posing a dilemna to me. I can think of dozens of guitars in that price range that I would be happy with. So it's not a matter of, "can I get a good guitar for $2000." There are PRS guitars in that range. Fender American strats with noiseless pickups. Nice Telecasters. Some G&Ls. Ibanez makes buckets full of guitars in that price range, as do hundreds of other manufacturers. The rub is this: what guitar would I ask for that I would happily relate to the engagement? It's not gonna be an EMG- and Floyd-equipped metal "pointy-thing" y'know? Though I'd certainly like one of those in my arsenal, it doesn't seem "right" for the occasion. The first guitars that came to mind were a Myka Dragonfly or a Gibson 335, but not based on price-- rather, just as an intuitive reaction to what I consider "classy" guitars. Little bit out of my price range. Godin LGXT is in the right price category, so that's one that I'm considering. Makes me curious about what y'all would get. And if it jogs my guitar-memory into thinking about ones that aren't occurring to me, that's cool, too. Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marksound Posted February 20, 2007 Report Share Posted February 20, 2007 Add a couple hundred and get a Jem7VWH. You get a (sorta-) pointy guitar, and she gets a pretty white vine-inlaid thing to look at. "She wanted to get a cat. I didn't want to get a cat. So we compromised and got a cat." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verhoevenc Posted February 20, 2007 Report Share Posted February 20, 2007 (edited) Nope, for sure wait around on ebay and get one of the old-school JEM 777BSBs (burst stained blue), or if you can get one for under $2000 canadian, a JEM 777 BFP (blue floral pattern). Those two are my fav. Jems of all time! Can't see why they weren't made for longer!? The BFPs tend to not come up so much, and when they do they're the more pricey of the two however. But WELL worth it IMO. In all honesty, those two guitars, and Parker's are the only real factory guitars I still would buy, and still drool over. Well... the PRS private stocks... but those are technically "custom shop" so I don't lump them into the real factory stuff. Chris PS: Also, you could get a good used parker for that. Man NOTHING plays like a parker, and I wouldn't give up my Parker Fly Classic for anything!!! I play twice as fast on that neck! PPS: I htink the important thing is that you get something you can't personally build. IE: Parker for the crazy tech, and one of those Jems for the collector/historical/history value. Edited February 20, 2007 by verhoevenc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prs man Posted February 20, 2007 Report Share Posted February 20, 2007 here is my thought if I was asked that question I would say prs all way but that is me. ask your self what you want in a special guitar. nice playing nice woods looks awesome. hard tail string through body or a Floyd rose kind of guitar. possibly a nice fender strat or tele [ single coil] or a humbucker guitar PRS with dragon pickups. I would think this has to be a guitar you will never sell or trade away. again if it was me I like the feel of a PRS custom 22 with a wrap around bridge. carvin make a nice carve top guitar that sound good and they play great for less then you might spend on a Prs or a JEM 777. 2000.00 can buy you a nice guitar if you shop around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted February 20, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2007 Yeah. I don't want a pointy Floyd thing for this particular occasion, that's for sure. Though a Jem would be sweet at some point in time in my life. The California carved top isn't a bad option. You can customize, too, so you get that "one of a kind" (though, not likely TRULY one of a kind) feel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted February 20, 2007 Report Share Posted February 20, 2007 Well, I think the whole engagement ring thing is silly. Maybe they made sense back when women were objects that guys had to buy, and since the couldn't put the ring through their nose (not in our culture, anyway), they settled for the next best thing, just to keep the next guy from jumping on her. But nowadays, it's just throwback nonsense. Luckily my wife agreed with me, or I agreed with her, actually. Besides, most engagement rings are gaudy, ugly things. We also bought $15 silver wedding bands from a lil' Mexican shop down the street...we didn't have much money then, but even if we did these were perfect, we couldn't have found anything better. We've got the money now, and there's no way we'll ever change the rings. Sorry, I'm not trying to take the fun out of this. And you know I really do believe in marriage, I think it's a great thing, a wonderful thing that two people can say to each other. It's the 'engagement' part I just don't get. So if you take the 'engagement' out of the guitar, doesn't that make it a lot easier for you? I agree with the Myka ...or a Scott French comes to mind too....his latest are really something--you'd get your zero fret too. Personally, I'd be hunting down a nice vintage LP Jr or Telecaster. But buying a new guitar off the rack doesn't make any sense at all. Not for an occasion like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crafty Posted February 20, 2007 Report Share Posted February 20, 2007 A couple of years ago my parents offered to buy a new guitar for me as a gift for graduating from law school. I narrowed it down to either a Gibson Les Paul or PRS Custom 22. Both are heirloom quality instruments and the pinnacle of production guitar quality. I chose a Les Paul Classic because it had the look and feel of what I wanted and I replaced the ceramic pickups with a pair of PAF-style pickups more suited to my style of playing. Opinion time: the question you need to ask yourself is, what could possibly equal the gift of endless unconditional love for the rest of my life? No guitar can ever reflect that. No guitar could ever match the gift of my parents supporting and encouraging my quest for understanding and education over 20 straight years of formal education. The ring you give your wife for the engagement and marriage, and the ring she gives you on your wedding day, reflects the infinite circle of love being shared between the two of you. A tit-for-tat gift of a guitar in return does not represent anything but an attempt to match a "gift" you have given her in an engagement ring. An engagement ring is NOT a gift, even in the traditional eyes of the law, but a symbol of a promise to share your life and love with hers to you. I'm not trying to be disrespectful or judgemental, and I hope you don't take it as such, but I think an engagement "guitar" is a poor choice of use of resources and stewardship for your nuptials. Of course, this is all coming from a pathetically single, 27-year-old criminal defense attorney living in a brown hole of a small town in the bootheel of Misery, so YMMV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoads56 Posted February 21, 2007 Report Share Posted February 21, 2007 An off the shelf guitar, to symbolise a loving relationship? Nah... it has to be custom built, with features to suit both of you. Just make sure the builder can finish it before the wedding! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verhoevenc Posted February 21, 2007 Report Share Posted February 21, 2007 For once I'll agree with Perry. This guitar has to be something unique like ya'll's love. Not something everyone else has (hence my suggestion of collector's status JEMs). But the Myka/Scott French is a hot one as well! However, I'm pretty sure both are over $2000 Canadian, but you may be closer with Scott. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted February 21, 2007 Report Share Posted February 21, 2007 I don't know, but I'm moving to Canada. Where the females are modern and reasonable! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted February 21, 2007 Report Share Posted February 21, 2007 Well, I think the whole engagement ring thing is silly. Maybe they made sense back when women were objects that guys had to buy, and since the couldn't put the ring through their nose (not in our culture, anyway), they settled for the next best thing, just to keep the next guy from jumping on her. But nowadays, it's just throwback nonsense. Luckily my wife agreed with me, or I agreed with her, actually. Besides, most engagement rings are gaudy, ugly things. not to burst your bubble...but the ring is not for the guy...it's a symbol of commitment. but anyway...an engagement ring does not have to be a huge,gaudy thing... but the guitar...if you decide to go with a production guitar,look at the rgt prestige series...they have some very nice,versatile,classy instruments in that pricerange.i have played a few,and they were allvery sophisticated guitars esp also has a "standard" line with some very nice instruments..japanese made,not ltd korean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ooten2 Posted February 21, 2007 Report Share Posted February 21, 2007 Way huge congratulations on your engagement! Dragonfly...Dragonfly...Dragonfly... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted February 21, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2007 It's mainly her idea... I described her as modern, but there's actually a fairly complicated psychology behind it all... coming to terms with being a modern woman while having been raised as a relatively traditional Catholic... in any event, I'm back on the fence about allowing her to get me a guitar at ALL, but she's been insisting that I at least tell her which one I want. If nothing else, it makes a great excuse to revisit all the guitars that I esteem. Parker is a good one! Waiting list, though, no? To answer another question: if "engagement" wasn't attached to it, I would be spending the money to get a Soulmate neck-through, some wood for "wings", a Kahler trem, and some electronics and building a guitar. <chuckle> In terms of off-the-shelf, I've been pleasantly surprised and completely satisfied with my Cort Pagelli. As it turns out, THAT one is really special to me despite having been a fairly inexpensive purchase. We agreed to have small budgets for Christmas this year (not because we're COMPLETELY broke or anything, but just because we tend to go overboard), but she knows I'd been wanting a guitar. So she took her small portion, added it to the amount she would've spent on my birthday (Dec 29) and also collected the money her family and my sister would've spent on socks, sweaters 'n stuff. Even though they were all humble amounts and the guitar is humble, it really meant a lot to me and I love that axe. In some ways, an "engagement" guitar loses a bit of its appeal by comparison to the effort she put into organizing the Pagelli purchase and getting it for me to my complete surprise! The big picture: she rocks for humouring my love of guitars. Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitefly SA Posted February 21, 2007 Report Share Posted February 21, 2007 you should get like an engraved electronics cover or something to commemorate the occasion, instead of it being an otherwise stock guitar. If you go the custom route, I say have something cool done to it while it's being made. I Don't want to assume you and you fiance are as odd as Angelina Jolie and Billie Bob Thorton but, you could have blood drawn and mixed into the paint like a DNA. THis is a little extreme but think how you'll always be connected to your future wife through this guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted February 21, 2007 Report Share Posted February 21, 2007 not to burst your bubble...but the ring is not for the guy...it's a symbol of commitment. No, the wedding ring is a symbol of commitment, that's why both partners wear one, and preferably the same ring. The engagement ring is a symbol of ownership --if she were a cow, you'd put the ring through her nose. Well, okay, if 'ownership' seems too extreme to you, then substitute 'staking your claim' --it's just a way of chasing off the other bulls until you get yer seed in...that's why the size of the rock is so important. Greg, I think the Cort thing already fills this bill. On the other hand, bet you're needing a new amplifier... For once I'll agree with Perry. This one made me wonder...if you did a search, how many times would this phrase come up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoads56 Posted February 21, 2007 Report Share Posted February 21, 2007 For once I'll agree with Perry. This one made me wonder...if you did a search, how many times would this phrase come up? you beat me to it I believe this is Chris's third time now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biliousfrog Posted February 21, 2007 Report Share Posted February 21, 2007 I'd also go with a custom guitar, something very personal & unique. Maybe even get the missus to write a message before it's clear coated or in the neck pocket or something....& maybe have a gold (engagement) pickup ring Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted February 21, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2007 Mick, you're actually right that I need an amp more than I need a guitar. I don't gig, though, so it would mainly be used for recording... and I don't know any "recording"-level amps that would make me particularly thrilled. I'm sure they're out there, I just don't know of them. Nitefly: The truss rod cover or metal pickup cover (assuming one could get a decent enough cover) would be the place to put a little inlay or engraving, methinks. A USA Steinberger "Broom" (not the Synapse, the original) actually comes in pretty cheap. I love those things. Kind of the opposite of what I had in mind, though. <chuckle> As for custom... there aren't many custom builders who will be able to do much with $2,000 CDN, unfortunately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Sorbera Posted February 21, 2007 Report Share Posted February 21, 2007 (edited) link Godin LGXT is IMO one of the best production guitars in that price range. Also a nice high end strat would be a good use of your money. I'd buy This one for sure Edited February 21, 2007 by Godin SD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoads56 Posted February 21, 2007 Report Share Posted February 21, 2007 As for custom... there aren't many custom builders who will be able to do much with $2,000 CDN, unfortunately. By the time any reputable builder gets even half way to completion, you should be able to save another $500-1000 surely. This is a symbol of love, caring, etc, why skimp now? You can only really do this once, so do it right. You didnt pick your girlfriend off a rack (i hope), so why pick the guitar that symbolises that relationship, from a catalogue? Know what i mean? If you skimp now, to save a few bucks, you'll regret it later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted February 21, 2007 Report Share Posted February 21, 2007 I agree with Perry. But I'm going to go one step further....because I know you abandoned your attempt to build your own guitar...how about this idea: take that money and pay for one of those guitar-building camps, where you'll work with trained luthiers/builders to see you through each step of the process....including the inlay with HER name on it! I know there's one in England, there must be one not to far from you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
another doug Posted February 21, 2007 Report Share Posted February 21, 2007 If I were you, I'd be looking at two options. I'd be leaning toward a custom guitar, even if it's just a bunch of Warmoth parts. My other thought would be to look for a vintage guitar that would fall into your price range. Either way, it should definitely be something with a timeless quality. And guys, lay off the engagement ring! He's getting a guitar out of the deal! If she agrees to no ring, he'll have to agree to no guitar! Just my 2 cents (canadian, in this case) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmarlin Posted February 21, 2007 Report Share Posted February 21, 2007 I would get one of Perry's customs because he adds those hidden personal touches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoads56 Posted February 21, 2007 Report Share Posted February 21, 2007 I would get one of Perry's customs because he adds those hidden personal touches. They'd be married before i could finish it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherokee6 Posted February 21, 2007 Report Share Posted February 21, 2007 A couple of years ago my parents offered to buy a new guitar for me as a gift for graduating from law school. I narrowed it down to either a Gibson Les Paul or PRS Custom 22. Both are heirloom quality instruments and the pinnacle of production guitar quality. I chose a Les Paul Classic because it had the look and feel of what I wanted and I replaced the ceramic pickups with a pair of PAF-style pickups more suited to my style of playing. Opinion time: the question you need to ask yourself is, what could possibly equal the gift of endless unconditional love for the rest of my life? No guitar can ever reflect that. No guitar could ever match the gift of my parents supporting and encouraging my quest for understanding and education over 20 straight years of formal education. The ring you give your wife for the engagement and marriage, and the ring she gives you on your wedding day, reflects the infinite circle of love being shared between the two of you. A tit-for-tat gift of a guitar in return does not represent anything but an attempt to match a "gift" you have given her in an engagement ring. An engagement ring is NOT a gift, even in the traditional eyes of the law, but a symbol of a promise to share your life and love with hers to you. I'm not trying to be disrespectful or judgemental, and I hope you don't take it as such, but I think an engagement "guitar" is a poor choice of use of resources and stewardship for your nuptials. Of course, this is all coming from a pathetically single, 27-year-old criminal defense attorney living in a brown hole of a small town in the bootheel of Misery, so YMMV. YOU GOT A CLASSIC GIT FOR GRADUATION FROM LAW SCHOOL??!! I got a handshake, a dinner and a diamond tie tack!! And I've been in practice for 19 years!! (Actually it was a bit more- but no git!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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