Epiphones are more than fine IF and ONLY IF you replace the crap stock pickups. They are built very well.

Champion Rabbit wrote:You can get a Tokai rosewood tele for £600.

Want one, want one.

http://www.jam.se/images/tokaiATE70sm.jpg

that does indeed look nice

what about an sg of a 73 tele deluxe?

I'm not a big Fender fan. But, I would recommend any fender with single coils to you. A new Mexican Strat or Tele would be nice, or a secondhand American Strat or Tele would be even nicer. G+L also make nice equivalents (they were owned by Leo Fender).

You tend to be safe sticking with big brand names. You can never really go wrong.

G&L Tribute geetars.
The very short version: guitars that look mostly like Fenders, designed by Leo Fender as improvements on his original line after he left Fender. G&L started a Korean built range of their hand-built American models BUT using the same electronics and the same heavy woods too, with EXTREMELY high QC. They piss all over Mex/Jap Fenders.
I own a ASAT Special which cost me just over £400, and it's at least as good as my friends all-US 90s Tele, and I think is more tonally flexible. Silky maple neck, huge thick output, very nicely finished too.

If you are after a Fender or Fender sound, and you don't mind the headstock not actually saying Fender, I think these are by a loooong way the best value for money guitars available.

From what I've heard of them, Ibanez Artists are very good value for money too. Someone I know owns at least 2 of them, and swears by them. Some within your price range on eBay:

http://search.ebay.co.uk/ibanez-artist_W0QQfkrZ1QQfromZR8

tipcat wrote:Epiphones are more than fine IF and ONLY IF you replace the crap stock pickups. They are built very well.

I think it's pretty impossible to find much consensus of opinions on Epiphones. The only thing I can say, based on my own experience, is if you're thinking about getting one, try it out first, and be aware that you're very likely going to have to replace something on it before long.

For the past two years, I have been playing an Epiphone AlleyKat, which I happen to love despite its shortcomings, and the best thing about it, next to it being a short-scaled archtop that weighs a third of a Les Paul, is the pick-ups (which are a little different than most of Epi stock pickups). I don't know about it being built well, though. Maybe the neck, which is no different to my hands than my Les Paul of yesteryear, and body are, seeing overall, this guitar's stood up to my abuse and neglect thus far. It also didn't cry when I put .12's on it. However pretty much everything else seems to be of questionable quality and/or workmanship. I already have had problems with the pickup toggle, the volume pot, and the input jack - all easily resolved, but still, I'm a guitarist, not a tech. I hate wasting my time with that stuff. On the other hand, I only paid $400 for it new, I can play Wes Montgomery and Gang of Four effortlessly on it, it's verstile tone-wise, and it hasn't spontaneously deconstructed itself yet (although it's a gnawing fear I have). I could definitely be fussier, but for the time being, it works for me.