Good quality cheapies

57Deluxe

5 students at different times bought Pacificas and all of them were horrid sounding and had sharp frets and planky/buzzy necks.

Andertons push them hard to beginners...

Schnozz

I haven't found anything that takes my fancy yet - I don't the neck profile on Pacificas unfortunately (too wide and thin front to back)

Doodlegame

Dunno if it's been mentioned but there is a Epiphone LP special style thing with 2 single coils in, it's £98.  Never played it so couldn't comment on quality but otherwise, but an encore strat on eBay for £20 and deck the term if it's a problem.

5redlights

See if you can get a G&L fallout tribute second hand somewhere, that'll be around £200 used. Excellent guitar. Humbucker in the bridge so you could either split it or swap in a HB sized P90. 

stimpsonslostson

Doodlegame said:

Dunno if it's been mentioned but there is a Epiphone LP special style thing with 2 single coils in, it's £98.  Never played it so couldn't comment on quality but otherwise, but an encore strat on eBay for £20 and deck the term if it's a problem.

Please tell me you're joking. 
I started out on an Encore Strat & it ALMOST put me off playing guitar entirely. Buzzy, wouldn't hold tune, sounded thin... Just awful. Even a proper set up merely elevated it to "crap". 

In 2019 there's simply no reason to subject yourself to that when a decent guitar has never been so affordable. 

Buy a Vintage/Harley Benton/Squier and save yourself a lot of disappointment. 

mbe

Encores just need setting up properly with new strings and a pickup swap, then they are every bit as good as Masterbuilt Custom Shop Fender (allegedly). 

OilCityPickups

I remember trying to 'set up' an Encore 'Strat' for a student when I taught guitar. It has a dreadful locking Floyd style ... super cheap pot metal bridge similar to those fitted to Marlin guitars ... a horrible plywood body, nasty ceramic pickups ... it was about the most disgusting pile of junk I've ever worked on. Blurgggghhhh

crunchman

OilCityPickups said:

I remember trying to 'set up' an Encore 'Strat' for a student when I taught guitar. It has a dreadful locking Floyd style ... super cheap pot metal bridge similar to those fitted to Marlin guitars ... a horrible plywood body, nasty ceramic pickups ... it was about the most disgusting pile of junk I've ever worked on. Blurgggghhhh

I picked up a 3/4 sized Encore for my daughter.  Played alright when I first got it.  Little later everything has moved around.  Had to shim the neck, shim the nut, and the first fret has lifted so it buzzes something chronic.  Think the bridge is in the wrong place as well.  From memory, I couldn't get the intonation right.

They are awful things.

igotgas

I'd say a Pacifica is a good solid single coil guitar for the money.  Well put together.  Also the Squires, just watch the Affinity series (I think that is the one).  There is one model that has incredibly thin frets.

thegummy

stimpsonslostson said:

Doodlegame said:

Dunno if it's been mentioned but there is a Epiphone LP special style thing with 2 single coils in, it's £98.  Never played it so couldn't comment on quality but otherwise, but an encore strat on eBay for £20 and deck the term if it's a problem.

Please tell me you're joking. 
I started out on an Encore Strat & it ALMOST put me off playing guitar entirely. Buzzy, wouldn't hold tune, sounded thin... Just awful. Even a proper set up merely elevated it to "crap". 

In 2019 there's simply no reason to subject yourself to that when a decent guitar has never been so affordable. 

Buy a Vintage/Harley Benton/Squier and save yourself a lot of disappointment. 

I can't remember if it was Encore or a brand from the same price range, but I tried to set up someone's guitar and it literally didn't have a truss rod so couldn't even set it up properly.

thegummy

57Deluxe said:

5 students at different times bought Pacificas and all of them were horrid sounding and had sharp frets and planky/buzzy necks.

Andertons push them hard to beginners...

Is there any guitar in that price range that wouldn't have problems like that?

I wonder what the lowest price a guitar is that can be free of any problems.