I'm debating whether to give Vanguard a shot and what it really comes down to for me is whether or not there is a new-player friendly community for an east-coaster in the US to hop into a server without any friends and get the ball rolling with a group. Or even any soloing ability in the game.

I played UO from it's inception for about five years before finally giving up, coming back once in a awhile, I've tryed all sorts of different MMO's and none of them really live up to what UO was for me. But I've decided maybe I just need to step back and look for something new in gameplay. So like I said, the only thing thats really holding me back from this game is the fear that I won't be able to progress at all. I don't have any RL friends that are into the MMO scene so I'm all alone on this one. Thanks..

Since this is a month old I figure you are either in the game or decided not to play, but I'll give my perspective anyway.
I've ben back for a few weeks now and I find the in-game community to be second to none. Everyone seems eager to help and I usually get quick responses to questions I ask in general chat.
I made several toons and I find the ranger to be very good at soloing. The necro is too, however, the monk and warrior don't solo well at all in my opinion.