Evening all,
I’ve been learning on and off for a while now. But I’ve got the bug and putting more time in.
I’m after a ESP
But is it worth the punt with me not being good and upgrading?
I guess the question is what are you upgrading from? What are you hoping for out of a new guitar?
From a Harley Benton, and might sound daft but the upgrade would give me the drive to practice more and get better
If it inspires you to play more, then it’s probably worth it.
But I wouldn’t bank on that if it’s primarily based on seeing it online.
If you haven’t actually seen it in the flesh and, preferably, held it and played it then I wouldn’t count on it being such an inspiration in reality.
I’ve lost count of stories I’ve seen where someone has gone into a guitar store hell-bent on a particular model, only to walk out with something else completely once they had the opportunity to try it out.
If you are going to buy online, and don’t have the opportunity to try it out before you buy, I suggest you make sure the company you are buying from has a good returns policy.
Cheers,
Keith
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Can’t say fairer than that 
I would also question whether a £200 ESP will be any better than your HB… at that price point it’s going to be pot luck and as Keith suggests it would be better if you could actually try one. Don’t get me wrong, anyone can benefit from having a nice guitar that makes them want to play.
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A good set up Harley Benton will likely out perform most mid range budget guitars, Thomann have a reputation to uphold, even if its at the lower end of the market. I have 2 HB basses and buying a “known” brand or model bass will not make me a better player.
I’ll tag @DarrellW who may have something to say here. Some times a $100 set up will be better than spending more on a new guitar.
Having said that I should add I have 14 other guitars and a 4 string cigar box and those 2 basses. So best pay me no heed ! 
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What do you have now?
ESP the brand is well liked but a ÂŁ200 guitar isnt going to be a big upgrade to anything unless you are playing a shed now.
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Playing a Harley Benton at present. I know an upgraded guitar isn’t going to make me a better player. I’m going keep my other one
You have to figure out what you want out of an upgrade.
Is it a change in neck profile, fretboard width, radius, frets, general fit and finish, weight, pickups/sound?
What when you are holding and playing the HB do you thin could be better, and do those ESP’s offer that
Having multiple guitars is fine, its useful even esp with different tuning, but you are better off with a bigger step up than a HB to ÂŁ200 guitar
Yes, exactly. It’s not an “upgrade”. It’s new guitar, and nothing wrong with that, but it is, at best a sideways move and, possibly, even a downgrade on the HB if you are considering quality as a benchmark.
As I say, nothing wrong with getting another guitar, but if you expect it to inspire you, make sure it’s something that is truly inspirational.
I’m going to disagree slightly with Rob here: inspirational doesn’t have to mean a better spec guitar. It could be a different style of guitar from the one you already have. For instance, if you currently have a strat-style HB and fancy a LP style, then the ESP may inspire you.
But if you already have an HB LP style guitar, I’m not sure why you think a different brand of LP with a similar spec. and quality level would be inspirational.
In which case, I total agree with Rob: a better specification/quality guitar would be more sensible.
Or, like @TheMadman_tobyjenner suggests, get the one you have set up nicely, and it will will leave an out-of-the-box ESP in the dust.
Cheers,
Keith
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I would argue a LP style guitar is indeed a better spec guitar than a strat style.
But a different guitar giving you different options ( in terms of scale length, pickup style etc) is a useful addition.
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You might also consider a lateral move to a different style of guitar in the same price range.
My first electric was a budget Epiphone Les Paul. I tried to play it for a year, with very little success. (Looking back, the action was probably way too high, but I didn’t know enough then to recognize the problem).
Then a friend let me play his Strat…and the difference was night and day. Not only was it set up better, but the Strat was just way more ergonomic, and “fit” me better.
So I traded in my LP for a similarly priced Made in Mexico Strat, and my progress immediately improved.
So it might be worth trying a Strat, or a Tele, or a semi - hollow Epi 335, etc and see how they feel. You might find something that you like a lot better.
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Not sure where you are in the country Chris, but I would say if you want to be inspired and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, I would go to a big guitar store and tell them what you want to do. Tell them what you’ve got and yes, tell them you are looking to be inspired!
There are so many options and if you spend a couple of hours trying out a few different makes and styles you will find one that suddenly you think “wow”
You might well walk out of the store without a guitar but with a lot of ideas and options for your next inspirational purchase.
There is no substitute for trying s few out though.
Cheers
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Like a few other suggested already, if it’s an option, you oughta go in a store and try out a few guitars for yourself. I recently got the guitar and amp I’ve wanted for a while, but I only bought them after spending 3 hours in the guitar store.
I tried out half their stock that was on display I think xP but that’s just how these things go, you gotta play it yourself and hear it first hand, really get a feel for the instrument, and one of them is bound to “click” and you’ll know that it’s the kind of instrument that will make you want to play it everyday.
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Hi Chris & welcome!!!
I’m going to add my vote for trying out more guitars in a store…
BUT…
will add that if uou have a price “ceiling” that you can’t go above, don’t play anything more expensive!!!
I did this once… played several instruments within my budget, decided which one I liked but then played a few high-end guitars. Big Mistake!!! I bought the one that I could afford but was really disappointed in it and ended up returning it!!! Also the store had a restocking fee so I lost money, spent a lot of time & felt kinda stupid about the whole thing!
Tod
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A new guitar can really inspire you to play and practice more. Part of this is you need to like the look of the guitar and want to pick it up and then it has to feel good and right when you pick it up and play. Once you pick it up, if it feels good you won’t want to put it down. You can see well what the guitar looks like on websites, although sometimes they look better / worse in real life. But you cannot know how it will feel. I bought 2 online and was lucky but I think a trip to a big music shop is worth it if possible. It’s probably worth the money and effort to travel to a shop even if it’s a long way away because you will spend hours/days/ months/ years playing the guitar afterwards. It’s probably worth that bit of extra effort to find something you really like. I won’t buy another guitar online.
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If you have a recent Harley Benton, chances are a £200 LTD isn’t really an upgrade.
I have several guitars in different price ranges and they inspire me to do different things. It’s like racing cars. All will get me from A to B but one is built for the track, the other is an off-road vehicle,…
Soundwise, it’s probably not all that different but it might have different handling (playability) and that you needto try. Comfort could be different. The different paint job gives you a different vibe.
If you aren’t too happy with your current sound:
You amp (and speaker) do a lot more to your sound than your guitar.
I can plug in every electric I have, turn on my metal setup and I can do our bands music on all of my guitars just the same. Except from some tone shiping, sound gets close. Even the humbucker/single coil difference starts to fade on real high gain settings:D
As soon as I change amp and ESPECIALLY I change speaker emulation, THAT’s when the whole tone and flavour changes.
as said above:
At this pricepoint, you need to try different guitars or make ure it’s an easy return policy.
If playability is an issue today; have somebody check it for a more comfortable setup. Even my cheapest frankenstein guitar benefits from some tweaking.
I would consider looking at amps first and try to compare them to what you currently have.
If you wnt another guitar because you want some variation in your inspiration, sure, why not.
I wouldn’t consider this a real upgrade though.
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Can’t say fairer than that. I’m looking at around £300 to £400 as my top end. I can’t afford anything like a Gibson or proper high end. I don’t like the strat headstock on my current guitar, as I started on acoustic and the tuners were 3 top and bottom.
This may sound like I’m being fussy but it’s what I’m use to on a acoustic. I’m wanting to learn, punk, ska and some metal over time. As that’s the music I listen to and would like to learn.
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I see you are in Doncaster. There is, apparently, a small guitar shop with good reviews there called " Fret - Don’t Fret". There’s also Wizard Guitars in Sheffield.
If you can, I would suggest going over to one (or both) of these and trying a few guitars in your price range out. Don’t be pressured to buy anything if you aren’t ready though.
But then, when you are ready, if they have helped you and you find a guitar you like there, please buy it from them, so that stores like this where you can go and try guitars out in person can exist in the future.
Cheers,
Keith
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