The ESP Guitar Company

Id concider a Les Paul with the mods that SSHS suggested, but another one id throw in the mix is a PRS CE, posibly with duncans and the mods SSHS said, as id say to get a vast aray of ones youll need a trem of some sort as well, thats the same reason im gonna throw the Ibanes SA and SV prestiges in there with some Di Marzios in them im shure those yould do you very nicely for a studio guitar.

The problem id say you have is you want a studio guitar, you should have 2 studio quality axes imo, either 2 of the 3 following; Tele/Strat/Les Paul.

It doesn't have to be super-playable,

oh noe whey! yes it does.

doesn't need to be all that comfortable,

oh noe whey! yes it does.

doesn't need any uneccesary bling, just tone.

agreed.

i myself wouldn't get an lp studio because i find their fret edges usually crappy and that adversely affects my playing.

since it's for studio recording i'd go with something easy to play seated, i wouldn't care about it being easy to play standing; but most guitars will be easier to play sitting than standing, already.

i'd want something with easy high fret access, no les paul will give you this.

as for versatile / many sounds out of one axe, jmo but i feel that's good for live gigs so you don't have to carry as many guitars, don't have to switch between songs, can cover 2 common sounds (tele and les paul ) with one guitar so can switch sound mid-song,
but the guitar won't do either sound great.
so for recording i say use the exact right tool for the job,
and that means multiple guitars.

whenever you read inteviews of bands, they may use only a few guitars on stage but then say they used so-and-so's massive collection in the studio, looking for just the right sound for each part, etc.
then live they just simulate/emulate what they'd done in the studio, because of realities/logistics/etc.

so i dunno, i couldn't recommend one guitar for studio work; i'd use all the guitars you have in the studio; if you wanna buy a new guitar to get a sound you don't yet have, then do exactly that, and add it to what you use in the studio.

all is jmo, and i have never been in a professional studio ever :p :)
i'm just a home hobbyist.

Hmm I get what you're saying.

I guess I should be a little more specific...

What I'd use this for is to get a sweeter sound for clean and distorted parts. I love the tone my EMG's get, but on recordings I still feel that nothing beats a nice pair of passive humbuckers, low output and low gain. For distortion I'd probably double track it alongside one of my usual guitars, so I get the saturation from one and then the added thickness from the other.

Its also for sweeter cleans - whilst I'm an advocate for the EMG 60's tone, I still personally think that for neck pickups, nothing beats a passive '59 or PAF style pickup. As I don't use many other sounds for what I do at the moment, the LP style guitar is mostly what I'm after. Remember, I have a Jem for single coil tones :p

About the comfort and fret access - I wouldn't use this guitar to play any solos or anything, my M1000 and Jem can handle those very happily. I'd just like a wider selection of mahogany/bucker tones at my disposal, something more vintage voiced and much thicker sounding to compliment and contrast with the modern tones my Eclipse gives me.

Does that help? Sorry, I have a habit of being vague when I'm after a specific thing. :p

Based on this new info, a LP or PRS is right up your alley. The PRS 513 might be ideal, it has a shitload of pickup combos that will yeild tones otherwise impossible.

Well I think the conclusion is:

I need to save up a lot more money.

...after all, the fanboy in me still wants a green Custom 22 with gold hardware :lol

I'd highly recommend Fender Custom Shop stuff, just go to a dealer that stocks loads of it and just keep trying guitars until you find the right one. Also, a Les Paul Custom, preferably a slightly older one, but I have no idea what Gibsons QC standards are like these days. Also, yeah, a PRS. Those guitars are just lush class and sound the business.

Try stuff out man!

-Chris

Recommend it yourself, why do you expect me to do all the work?!