OK, here's the deal. I plan to get a new ax pretty soon and I am torn between these three. They all look like pretty good deals but I have not had experience with neither company nor have I ever played the damn things.

Here's the first link:
http://www.rondomusic.net/gg1sup.html

This LP knockoff looks sweet. I love the finish, it is the nicest of the three. Everything about it sounds good, even though I'd probably have to slap new pickups in it. That all depends on how the stock pu's sound. I really like the sharp cutaway, it looks badass, but am not too thrilled with the part opposite the cutaway, the way it kinda arches inward doesn't exactly give me a boner. The ESP Eclipse really pulls off the look this guitar is going for, but I am not looking to shell out that kind of dough.

Here's the second one:
http://www.rondomusic.net/product407.html

An LP knockoff as well, this is one sweet axe. I like the finish a lot, though I like the previous guitar's finish even better. The specs sound good and all, and the price is sweet, but I would really like it if the cutaway wasn't so rounded, but more like the cutaway on the prevous guitar.

And last but not least:
http://www.rondomusic.net/product409.html

This little V looks badass. It's dirt cheap, especially for a string thru, set neck axe. The finish is allright, but I don't think it is befitting a Flying V. It looks too vintage and shit. It would be awesome if this thing was black.
Nice specs, cool looking axe, but like I said, not sure about the color, and also not too sure about the pickups. I was thinking about buying it and putting a SD LiveWire in the bridge, heard those blow the EMGs out of the water. I don't like EMGs, the way they sound just does absolutely nothing for me. Anyway, I like this guitar, but right now I don't think it's very practical for me. I am not doing any gigging, so most of my playing is done sitting down. A lot of you guys play Vs, so you know how uncomfortable and unpractical those are for sitting down.
This is the only 24 fret out of the three, which doesn't really mean a damn thing to me, since I currently play rhythm and hardly any leads. Plus I think that Vs are made for shredding, and since I play rhythm, it would be kinda like heavy metal sacrilege for me to play a V shaped guitar.

Any advice would be very much appreciated. I have not played any of these guitars, and know nothing about their respective makers. I am currently leaning towards the LPs, kinda cooled off on the V, but it's not out of the running yet.

In the name of all that is unholly and evil, help please!!!

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Ill probably start a nice little arguement by saying this...

Bodystyle -
LP > V

I never liked V's.
That first LP looks mint, i really like the cut away, that top one looks fine if you ask me, i like the black pickgaurd more too.
If you are playing rhythm, and dont do all that much high-end playing i dont see the need in a 24 fretter, as long as the lead guitarist has one.

LP's have to be one of the styliest looking guitars.
Im not too keen on the finish of the V either.

And before anyone says "LP's arent metal guitars" a lot of bands do in fact use LP's in metal, so that cant be that bad in terms of reaching frets and neck width.

I would go with the first LP, it looks as though you were leaning toward that anyway.
If you replace the pups it will sound mint, but it may already sound fine.

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Yeah, I just don't need a 24 fret V right now. Maybe down the road if I start playing lead, than sure, as I love the V body style.
I also love the LPs, they sure are classy as fuck. The thing that is kinda worrying me about that first one is that I heard someone on these forums say that SX guitars are pure shit. That's why I'm looking for a little more feedback.
BTW, thanks for your input.

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I like the second one the most.

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I'd have to say I like the first one the most the V is way too wide. And also Happy Birthday man.

Thanks, Dude.

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for lead, i would go with the V... 24 frets, and easier acces on the upper fretboard than an LP.

if you play rythm, go with one of the Lp's.. i would pick the first one.
I prefer mahogany over basswood personaly.

I am the only one that thinks sunburst guitars look ugly?

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that first guitar is a tank. Has noone else noticed how big it is?

I think it's just the angle of the photo. Both LPs weigh the same.
Plus its scale length is 24.75' vs. 24.7' on the other one.
Still I see your point, as in the pictures of the back of the guitars it looks like the neck is much smaller in comparison to the body.
This may not necessarily be that bad of a thing, though, as bigger body usually equals more sustain.

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a V is easy to sit with , You put in between your legs ,and presto. As much as I love pauls , Vs are bad assed too.

Agreed with the comment on the V, and on the sunburst finish

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I disagree, there is no where that says that LP's are better for rhythm or that V's are better for leads. The fret access on the V's are maybe better, but I find V's extremely uncomfortable to play when sitting down.

I see alot of these WHAT SHOULD I BUY threads, there should be an official one. And your just gonna get what your leaning toward anyway no matter what feedback you get. My advice is do research on what your buying & decide for yourself. No disrespect

Get the Les Paul copy on the top.

I find V's really nice to play sitting down, do you have your guitars high or low when you play? I find that when sitting down with a V, i get really nice access to the upper frets, due to the whole body of the guitar being high up. I find my V more comfortable to play sitting down than my Charvel

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V's are suprisingly comfortable to play sitting down ... they force you to hold the instrument properly.

None taken. The thing is, I'm torn between the Pauls. I'm not gonna get the V because I'm not really too crazy about the finish on it, and I really love the shape of the Les Pauls. I already have an LTD Explorer and a Warlock, so I don't need another pointy weird looking fucking guitar. I might even get rid of the Warlock because it's not as comfortable to play as my LTD.

The first one I rreally like because of the quilt pattern and the badass inlays. It looks fukcing expensive and is less than $200. The problem with this one is that, like Rapture pointed out earlier, the body is freakin huge. It may be the pics, I don't know, I'm gonna do a bit more research.

The second one I really like the finish on as well. It's real classy/vintage looking. I don't like how the cutaway is so damn rounded, and I like the first one's inlays and headstock better.

The reason I'm posting here is mainly to see if anyone has had any experience with any of the aforementioned guitars. I still need to get in touch with the people at Rondo Music and see if they'll let me test the guitar of my choice, and if I don't like the sound/feel/playability return it. I hear really good things about their customer service, so I'm pretty sure that they would, but you can never be too sure.

Thanks everyone for your feedback, and I agree, let's make one of these a sticky.

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personally, i'd go V... the weighting of them forces you to have a higher angle on the neck... less hurt in the fret hand wrist. AND you dont have to really reach your picking arm around the body, which means less shoulder pain... if you ever get that.


oh... and its aesthetically pleasing to the eyes however high you wear it on the strap... you could wear it up to your nipples and it would probably still look decent.... just an opinion though

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The V for sure.. if you were me that is.

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im not the guy to ask because: I. HATE. LES PAULS.

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Me too, they're fucking ugly guitars

Get the V. It has been said several times, Vs are perfectly comfortable to play sitting down, it just makes you hold it sort of 'classical style'.

I love the fret access on Vs, it makes playing much more comfortable, even if you're not planning on shredding on it.

You could always go to a shop and try out a V shaped guitar, obviously it won't play exactly like the one you're thinking of getting, but you will be able to tell if you hate playing them sitting down. You could always practice standing up, you lazy bugger...

To the guys who hate pauls , have you really ever played one , a real one with the 60s neck is a great guitar.I love pauls. I can rip it up with them .I got my first one a 75 LP custom for a high school graduatiion present.
True its harder to get higher fret access , not impossible but harder. I also love explorers and Vs. But guys give a paul , not a imitation Piece of shit , The customs , Classic , Faded and standards are bad assed and you can metal up

Oh I'm sure they play very nicely, I just think they look shit

fox, just because some people don't share the same oppinions and preferences mean they haven't experienced whatever the topic is.

I just kinda noticed this...

and before another flamewar is started, I didn't call you names in this post, k?

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Did you really have to pick him up on that? It was a fair question.

Round 1... FIGHT!

Nah no flames. I just asked because I notice alot of guys thrash shit without trying it , If you tried it and hated it thats cool. Look its cool A LP isnt for every one ,I hate BC Richs , Not crazee bout PRS. So its def a individual taste.
Im not saying the LP is the holy grail its all opinion anyone
So brainsy

a friend of mine is a huge gibson fan and has several les pauls. They all play great. But I also hate them all. I can't stand the way they look

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Les Pauls are very easy to play, but for me they sound too 'sweet'.

I love that V

heh, i like playing les pauls, but still, the v. now only if v's came in archtops, then we'd be in total business. Best of both sides... though it would look ugly as shit

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If you haven't already ordered it you may want to consider this one.
http://www.rondomusic.net/al2000nat.html

Or this one!:
http://www.rondomusic.net/sitar.html
If you haven't already ordered it you may want to consider this one. Nothing says metal like an electric sitar. Great for Cryptopsy, Slayer, Nile and don't forget Cannibal Corpse!

That Paul looks pretty cool. The finish is allright, but I like the sunburst quilt top a lot better. The specs on it are stellar, though. When I do a bit more research and get some more opinnions, I will contact the guys at Rondo and see if they have any other finishes available other than the ones shown on the site.
It would only make sense to have a couple of other alternative pain jobs on hand, just in case.
I haven't ordered anything yet, it's gonna be a little while before I do, I"m not in a hurry. I've pretty much got the financial part of it figured out. I'm gonna sell my Warlock to my lead guitarist for a hundred bucks, which is about half of what I paid for it, but oh well, and I'll add to that my quarterly bonus which is about $120 or something like that. So it shouldn't be long before I make the big purchase.
As for that sitar, shit, I can't even play my six string that well yet, why the hell would I want more strings?
It does look like a pretty cool little number, though, and I'll probably end up getting one sooner or later, just to fuck with it, plus I heard you can get some really cool sounds out of those things. I just don't know what I'm gonna do if I pop a string. I mean, it's not like Guitar Center has sitar strings in stock on a daily basis. Then agian, maybe they do.
As for what I'd play on it, out of all the bands you listed, I only listen to Slayer, and only when I'm in the mood for that shit, and I doubt that I'd be playing Raining Blood on a sitar. It might be worth a shot, though, cause you never know.
Bottom line: Not getting the V right now, maybe at some point down the road when I need the features of the V, ie higher fret count and access, plus badass shredder looks. Will almost definitely be getting a LP knock off pretty soon, so look out for that, as I'll snap some pics of it with my friend's digicam, as well as all my other shit, and I'll post it on here somewhere for you all to ogle and admire.
Until then, to quote Jerry Springsr, take care of yourselves. And each other.

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I love the look of LP's, and im sure that they would be a lot harder to shred on that guitars designed for it. But when i watch a video of Slash playing November rain, Or Jimmy Page ripping through something, i honestly cant believe that they could be horrible guitars to play, plus they have an amazing tone.
For me, i really dont see whats so great about the V shape, they arent bad, theres definately worse shapes. I just love the more 'classical' guitar look. I think thats why V's suit metal so well.
I would still love to have a go on one, i can immagine how much of a breeze it would be to play on some of those lovely RAN's i have seen posted.

But yeah, no point in an arguement, each to his own.

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