Can not decide among these 4, if I decide to buy any ...

[Vladan]

Which one you think is the best ... in whatever sense ...

(in brackets are relative prices I can get them for)

yamaha rgx420dzii (720)
http://www.yamaha.com.sg/eshop/en/yamaha/rgx420dzii

squier-j5-telecaster (590)
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/squier-j5-telecaster-electric-guitar#productDetail

cort evl k6 for (450)
http://stringsite.com/en/electric-15/cort-evl-k-6-black-metallic-satin-p3465


Cort PW H2 for (520)
https://www.sweelee.com.sg/parkwood-pw-h2-bk-acoustic-electric-guitar-w-case-rosewood-neck-black.html

[zagatron1]

Well, I know you have a Tele an' I'm not sure how you feel about havin' another, but......havin' sald that (and I have two Teles) the J5 Tele is a nice one tho'.

Me? I'd go for that Parkwood. I'll bet you'd like th' sound of that one yourself. Those other two appear identical with their "High gain metal" look. I know one mustn't judge a book by it's cover, but it's hard not to in this case.  I don't know about you, but I hate locking tremolos.

[Vladan]

Thank you Zag.

In the meantime things changed a bit. I eliminated Cort due stupid inlays and also a Tele as, I don't know why, really ...
So 2 are out of the game, but there are 2- 3 new contestants ...

HH seam to be it. Also, I think I'd prefer shorter scale, but it's not a must.
Definitely rosewood. Preferably at least 12" radius.
Whammy bar would be welcome option.

http://www.voxshowroom.com/us/guitar/55_series.html
Very interesting take on PUs on this VOX, 3 in 1, P90 + Single coil + humbacker.
I'm only discouraged by "Vox" branding. It's also a bit more expensive than what I planned, but is on a sale, so came in "reachable" zone.

http://www.ibanez.com/products/eg_detail17.php?year=2017&area_id=3&cat_id=1&series_id=8&data_id=260&color=CL01
Probably not a really in this racer. It is a beauty, but too flashy.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/RevStar420FR
I'm kinda starting to fetishize Yamahas. not to mention that it's a good deal cheaper than all the others, except Parkwood.

Parkwood will probably lose due it's hollowness translated into supposed acoustical loudness. I mean I only play late at night, before going to sleep (wife can't stand my playing anyway). it's still in the game, though.

It's all likely to translate into ... short scale (Yamaha) vs. interesting PUs (VOX) vs. whammy bar (Yamaha) with possible last lap sprint by piezzo hollowness (Parkwood).

[zagatron1]

Oh, my.....ya gotta love that Ibanez AR-325!!! I was lookin' at those myself,
except I was leanin' more towards that AR-420. I just love all of those....325, 420, 620, 725, etc.....
you get my drift haha!

Actually, these contestants you got here are pretty cool. The Yamaha's thin neck profile don't do it for me,
but I gotta remember, you're th' one on this journey for guitar-ing contentment.

The Vox "55" series! Well, I've played th' single cut version before and it too (like th' Yamaha) has that
thin neck profile. You may prefer that, I dunno.

They're all good choices tho'.

[Vladan]

Zag, thanks for being so helpful!

I'm coming close ... I've tried them all and more ...

1. Parkwood with piezzo ... did not like it. It is solid in feel and everything, but does not ring with me. BTW, as per salesman, if I understood him correctly, Parkwood is kind of Cort's exclusive sub-brand, class above Cort (X) Custom.

2. Two other Corts, one of a LP kind, the other HM type ... maybe it was due set up, factory strings ... the salesman told me at least one of them was top of the custom line, the most expensive Cort(s) ... they were not bad, far from it, but something was not right there. even the binding on the neck was uneven and spotty.

3. Vox hdc77, was buzzing and fretting ... I could not be bothered ...

...

4. Vox SSC55, absolutely the best guitar of all mentioned in this post. Made well, plays well. It would be my  choice, if only ... please read further...

5. Yamaha Revstar 420. Excellent little thing. It is smallish though. When I said I was after shorter scale it was based on my X-155, but this 420 feels even smaller. Nevertheless, I'm willing to adapt to it. The cost is approximately 75% of VOX

6. Yamaha Revstar 820, excellent thing. Like 420 with fatter/ chunkier neck. The appearance of quality is the same as of the VOX, maybe even better, + it's Yamaha, which is IMO way above VOX in the world of brands and reselling value.  If it cost the same as 420, I'd buy it immediately, unfortunately it cost exactly 2x as much (that is 150% of a VOX).

7. Yamaha RGX 420 DZ II, very good guitar, much better feel than similarly looking and priced above mentioned HM Cort. BTW, Cort was on 20%-30% sale. Meaning, IMO, Yamaha is comparatively better than 30% more expensive Cort. The Price of RGX is about 90% of a VOX.

8. CHARVEL Desolation DC-1, well made, compound neck 12-16, whammy bar ... IMO, not any worse than RGX at 80% cost (90% of Yamaha 420, 70% of VOX). http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/charvel-desolation-double-cutaway-1-electric-guitar

................................................

So, why am I not buying VOX, at least as per current state I am not?

Well, after some negotiation, my good wife actually said YES for letting digital drums into our flat. YEAH!!!

Yeah, yeah, YEAH!!!

Therefore, it will be either...
- Yamaha Revstar 420 + Alesis Compact Kit 7, or ...
- Charvel Desolation + Yamaha DD65, or ...
- Charvel + Alesis + a little more money for someone to do (re)fret(ing) job on my Squier Tele.

...Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum! ...

[robert]

I have not tried most of those. I'd go for a Yamaha though.

[Vladan]

Yes, Yamahas are really really good and pretty looking. It seams like they could not make it bad even if they tried. If I was anything serious into music business I'd buy
Yamaha.

However, my 11 years old daughter preferred Charvel, so now I have it.

BTW, Alesis they did not have on stock. I wanted to buy DD65 in spite of the price difference, but then they asked additional $50 more for power supply which I did not want to pay.
Therefore, I asked a friend to bring me Millenia 90 from Germany. It's almost exactly the same as Alesis only 30%-40% cheaper. October is not that far away. I'll be at the seaside waiting ...

[zagatron1]

Zag, thanks for being so helpful!

I'm coming close ... I've tried them all and more ...

1. Parkwood with piezzo ... did not like it. It is solid in feel and everything, but does not ring with me. BTW, as per salesman, if I understood him correctly, Parkwood is kind of Cort's exclusive sub-brand, class above Cort (X) Custom.

2. Two other Corts, one of a LP kind, the other HM type ... maybe it was due set up, factory strings ... the salesman told me at least one of them was top of the custom line, the most expensive Cort(s) ... they were not bad, far from it, but something was not right there. even the binding on the neck was uneven and spotty.

3. Vox hdc77, was buzzing and fretting ... I could not be bothered ...

...

4. Vox SSC55, absolutely the best guitar of all mentioned in this post. Made well, plays well. It would be my  choice, if only ... please read further...

5. Yamaha Revstar 420. Excellent little thing. It is smallish though. When I said I was after shorter scale it was based on my X-155, but this 420 feels even smaller. Nevertheless, I'm willing to adapt to it. The cost is approximately 75% of VOX

6. Yamaha Revstar 820, excellent thing. Like 420 with fatter/ chunkier neck. The appearance of quality is the same as of the VOX, maybe even better, + it's Yamaha, which is IMO way above VOX in the world of brands and reselling value.  If it cost the same as 420, I'd buy it immediately, unfortunately it cost exactly 2x as much (that is 150% of a VOX).

7. Yamaha RGX 420 DZ II, very good guitar, much better feel than similarly looking and priced above mentioned HM Cort. BTW, Cort was on 20%-30% sale. Meaning, IMO, Yamaha is comparatively better than 30% more expensive Cort. The Price of RGX is about 90% of a VOX.

8. CHARVEL Desolation DC-1, well made, compound neck 12-16, whammy bar ... IMO, not any worse than RGX at 80% cost (90% of Yamaha 420, 70% of VOX). http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/charvel-desolation-double-cutaway-1-electric-guitar

................................................

So, why am I not buying VOX, at least as per current state I am not?

Well, after some negotiation, my good wife actually said YES for letting digital drums into our flat. YEAH!!!

Yeah, yeah, YEAH!!!

Therefore, it will be either...
- Yamaha Revstar 420 + Alesis Compact Kit 7, or ...
- Charvel Desolation + Yamaha DD65, or ...
- Charvel + Alesis + a little more money for someone to do (re)fret(ing) job on my Squier Tele.

...Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum! ...

I know that's your baby an' y'all go way back, but you'd be better off replacing that $quier neck, rather than a re-fret. I did that with
my Squier before simply lettin' it go. As decent as they are, they simply don't hold up in th' fret department. I wound up replacing
my 2009 Squier Classic Vibe 50s Tele I had since new, been turned into a parts-caster an' is now gone, replaced by a used Fender American Vintage '52 Tele. I needed something that'll last, as much as I been playing lately.
Tele

[Vladan]

I know that's your baby an' y'all go way back, but you'd be better off replacing that $quier neck, rather than a re-fret. I did that with
my Squier before simply lettin' it go. As decent as they are, they simply don't hold up in th' fret department. I wound up replacing
my 2009 Squier Classic Vibe 50s Tele I had since new, been turned into a parts-caster an' is now gone, replaced by a used Fender American Vintage '52 Tele. I needed something that'll last, as much as I been playing lately.
Tele

Thenk you Zag,

I'm just back from vacation, haven't touched guitar for more than a month, completely forgot about refreting issue.

Ever since I got Charvel, Tele is sitting in a case. I'm getting used to these tiny thin strings, they must be 10s, maybe even 9s ... not to mention the use of whammy bar and learning to ignore that "reverb" coming from it's springs. 

Just before I put Tele away, I forced a bit on the truss rod (I was always afraid to do that before) and it got kind of better, IMO.
I always played safe, letting some relief, but now it's almost completely flat (hope it won't snap, or twist). About a year ago, after couple of years on 11s, I switched to T1 Be-Bop 12s. Heavy strings almost cured all the problems. In addition to physical and mechanical considerations, some people say that since Tele was designed when 13s were the thinnest you could get, heavy strings are needed for it to work properly. Tightening truss rod helped some more, so I think I won't fix anything for time being.

Now I'm waiting for those drums. Hopefully this friend of mine will come from Germany within next couple of weeks.