Tomo Fujita Guitar Wisdom

Hi tomo, what guitar would you recommend for a not so pricy around 1300, that'll be great for all styles and generes or would you do a video on recommendations like so (I do know you have got videos like why I love les paul), but it's not easy to choose for someone who want to jump into electric guitar from acoustic

thankssssss

Hi Raymond,

I’m sure you will get many responses to this question with an array of thoughts.

I’ll share mine here…

That’s a nice budget for your first guitar and I think depending on the sound and versatility you are going for you will have many excellent options.

When I was getting my 2nd electric guitar last year I really spent time in independent guitar stores (not just the big box ones) to find the one I really liked.

My first guitar from 20 years ago was an entry level Ibanez G10 which is a decent starter guitar but had some deficiencies if you want something more versatile. That and the Trem snapped off because it had a screw in mount system which was made of cheaper metal.

All that to say I really fell in love with PRS guitars which have an excellent and uncompromising SE line which can generally be had for under what you are looking to spend.

So my first guitar was a PRS Paul’s Guitar SE, named for the founder. Now, their Core line guitars are expensive to be fair but it’s because of the craftsmanship. So if I wanted a core Paul’s guitar it would have been like $4000+ 🤯. But with the SE the guitar has all the same hardware as the Core line with the differences being that the SE’s are made in Indonesia and the Core line in Maryland. The other difference would be the wood itself, ie one solid piece of wood vs 2 pieces.

Honestly you can’t really hear a difference.

With that said you mentioned the Les Paul, and I would say you might want to consider the PRS McCarty 594 in either single cut or double cut away which Gibson sued PRS over since it’s an identical neck scale length as a Les Paul and which has a similar body shape.

For me the playability and consistency of the SE stuff PRS make is amazing. In fact other manufacturers like Fender have recently begun building some of their guitars in Indonesia as well which says something.

There is no degradation in my view to the SE line as well.

Consider also if you want a more Strat style guitar John Mayer partnered with PRS to bring forward his signature PRS Silver Sky model. It’s an awesome Strat type guitar easily had for like $600-700 bucks.

If you want the Les Paul body type with a trem then look at PRS DGT SE which is kind of identical to the 594 with the addition of the trem system.

Also this year is their 40th anniversary so they have some really amazing special finishes and models they are releasing.

More than anything I think it’s about the time you want to achieve because something like a Telecaster has really snappy / barky twang type sounds. Strats can have a real glassy quality that is kind of signature as well just like a Les Paul, ultimately you have to get what you like but I would definitely look at the PRS stuff for the array they have and the value. Very hard to beat.

Good to consider comfort and durability. Comfort could be different for everyone. The Telecaster and Stratocaster have a classic look and comfort. As Tomo says if you drop them on the ground they are still ok…My son recently grabbed my Strat and it fell off the stand flat on the floor. Bang.. Ended up being fine couldn’t find a scratch or anything.

Reds a nice color

Hi Raymond,
here is my non-expert idea. I can't tell personally if a guitar is good for me or not quickly. I got two guitars, one of them is AZES40 which I didn't know I wanted until I got influenced by Tomo-san. When I got it, it felt really different from the other one I had (Ibanez semi-hollow) and that felt really different from another one I owned earlier. I got to used to both of them and like them both but it took some time to know they felt good for me. If I played 10 guitars at a store, which isn't a real option anyway for me as a lefty, 1 hour each or even a week each, I probably could not tell which one is best for me, like how the neck feels, if I like the sound, or how the body feels against you even if I might have some emotional connection to certain shapes or colors or whatever. I think experienced people can tell many things quickly even if they play a very short time, and that isn't the case for many of us. So, I think it is good to spend time to find what you like/want since it is fun, but you might need to go through some cycles to find what you really like. Happy shopping!
Yuji