Searching for a new guitar

[Turumbar82]

Well, awhile ago i planned on ordering an LTD MH400NT. I went to my local guitar store and played on some Jacksons and Ibanez's and really liked them. So I didn't order anything. I've come to the realization that my best bet is to actually sit down and play the guitars instead of ordering one. I want to make sure that I get something I really love and not settle for something less.


As of now, I am looking at Jacksons and Ibanez's in the $1k and up range, ESP's, and today I remembered how much I liked PRS CE models and possibly the John Petrucci Music Man. I know most people here would probably say..."go for the PRS".

Specifically I'm looking for a guitar that will do heavy music great! I'm looking for 24 frets, humbuckers. I'm not picky about the bridge. The key with the bridge is I want comfortability.

If anyone has any suggestions on guitars I should try let me know.

It's all going to come down to me actually sitting down and playing the actual instruments I'm interested in before I buy but I would love to hear any recommendations of guitars that are definitely worth spending some time on to see if I like them.

Let me know what you guys think.

thanks alot

 

[Turumbar82]

bump

 

[Lou]

I have a Schecter s1+ diamond series that i put in SD sh-1 jazz in the neck and SD pearly gates in the bridge.
gold TOM bridge and Schaller gold tuners

this guitar has not only sick tone but the variation between the two positions is amazing. Plays much like a PRS with the wide flat fat neck and set up is has.

double cut away see through red wine.

hmmm.....I think i'll pop this in the classifides!

 

[espmaster1]

Since you mentioned ESP, I custom ordered an ESP HORIZON III and this thing is heavy as f***. I love it, I put in active EMG's in the bridge, an active EMG in the neck, along with an Air Norton, (Don't ask, I had some odd wiring done to see what would happen). And I love it, along with all my friends. So give a shot at the Horizon's they are relatively affordable and they have the thinness of the neck for shredding and at the same time they have the thickness of the neck to lay down some serious crunch. It's the real deal!

 

[EvoLove 34]

the EBMM petruccis...have you played one?


try one out. the neck is kind of interesting.

they have a compensated nut, piezo option, a great wilky trem. 24 frets. they are comfortable to hold. and there are several models, which basically changes the finishes.

they can get pricey. but have just about all features most people would want.

 

[Turumbar82]

I have played on a EBMMM Petrucci model. The neck was a little different but I liked it. I didn't play on it that long though.

Next friday my stimulus check comes in and I've got a special savings account for my new guitar so I will be going out and shopping all the guitar stores in Orlando until I find something I love.

When I'm at the store I will just go around and feel the necks on all of the guitars until I feel a neck I like. I won't even pick the guitars up unless the neck feel just right. I know it's weird but the neck is the most important thing to me.

If I like the way the neck feels from first touch then I will pick it up and try it out and then I evaluate how the bridge feels under my right hand.

I've played on quiet a few Ibanez's, LTD's, ESP's, and Jackson's already. Just the one Petrucci model. I'm not ruling out any other company though.

 

[BTC-Ax20]

I have played on a EBMMM Petrucci model. The neck was a little different but I liked it. I didn't play on it that long though.

Next friday my stimulus check comes in and I've got a special savings account for my new guitar so I will be going out and shopping all the guitar stores in Orlando until I find something I love.

When I'm at the store I will just go around and feel the necks on all of the guitars until I feel a neck I like. I won't even pick the guitars up unless the neck feel just right. I know it's weird but the neck is the most important thing to me.

If I like the way the neck feels from first touch then I will pick it up and try it out and then I evaluate how the bridge feels under my right hand.

I've played on quiet a few Ibanez's, LTD's, ESP's, and Jackson's already. Just the one Petrucci model. I'm not ruling out any other company though.

Congrats on the stimulus check buying gear decision. I used mine on a Dual Rectifier Solo Head. Thanks Uncle Sam.
The biggest issues for me when selecting a new guitar are, stability/tuning reliability, pick-ups/sound, feel, and finally finish. I see a lot of great looking guitars in stores, that I'd love to have. But a lot of them don't measure up in terms of playability. There are tons of amazing finish guitars around 500-1000 bucks but, but sometimes most of that money went into the finish alone and not into the guts (pick-ups, electronics, tremolo) Example: LTD and ESP. You really have to get a more expensive one in order to get best stuff. Great finishes, but I've never been a fan of the sound or basic feel. Jackson's are nice, but you'll spend a bit more. I don't see as many of them around anymore. The EBMM Petrucci is an awesome guitar. Even the OLP cheaper version is pretty good for the price. If I $1,000, I'd probably get another Ibanez though. For me, it's about value. I'm obviously a little biased towards to Ibanez because I think they are a great deal (or at least they used to be), thus I have a bunch of them. I think their late 90's early 2000's prestige level guitars are simply awesome. I think they've watered down the Prestige line a bit in recent years, but I also think the base level guitars have improved. You can get a lot of a $300-500 Ibanez. For 1,000 try a Prestige.

I think PRS's are great guitars, I just haven't had enough money to drop on one. In my opinion, besides the expensive materials, they aren't that much different than an Ibanez of half the cost. Les Pauls and Strats, to me, have been more about image and prestige than playability. Don't get me wrong, they are the classics in Rock music, but you can't tell me that a $5,000 or $10,000 Strat, plays that much better that the $1,500 model.

So what type of neck are you looking for? Flatter, rounder? I agree with your stance and the neck feel. For me, I just the prefer Wizard necks from Ibanez. They come on most RG's, JEM's, etc... That's the main reason I never really got into Les Pauls. Way too thick for me.

Satriani's and Petrucci are going to be a bit rounder. They both prefer the "vintage" feel of strat-type necks. Vai loved the flat neck, thus the JEMs and subsequent RG are in this style.

I also always pay attention to the type of finish on the back of the neck. I don't like glossy because that tends to get sticky. My '87 RG550 has a Maple Neck which is "raw" on the back side. I take very fine sandpaper (around 200 grit or higher) and smooth the back about once a year. Sounds strange, but the smoother the neck, the easier it is to play.

That's just my take, I'm sure most people on here have some pretty strong opinions as well.

Good luck and Happy Guitar shopping (is there a more satisfiying shopping experience)?

 

[Turumbar82]

I have played on a EBMMM Petrucci model. The neck was a little different but I liked it. I didn't play on it that long though.

Next friday my stimulus check comes in and I've got a special savings account for my new guitar so I will be going out and shopping all the guitar stores in Orlando until I find something I love.

When I'm at the store I will just go around and feel the necks on all of the guitars until I feel a neck I like. I won't even pick the guitars up unless the neck feel just right. I know it's weird but the neck is the most important thing to me.

If I like the way the neck feels from first touch then I will pick it up and try it out and then I evaluate how the bridge feels under my right hand.

I've played on quiet a few Ibanez's, LTD's, ESP's, and Jackson's already. Just the one Petrucci model. I'm not ruling out any other company though.

Congrats on the stimulus check buying gear decision. I used mine on a Dual Rectifier Solo Head. Thanks Uncle Sam.
The biggest issues for me when selecting a new guitar are, stability/tuning reliability, pick-ups/sound, feel, and finally finish. I see a lot of great looking guitars in stores, that I'd love to have. But a lot of them don't measure up in terms of playability. There are tons of amazing finish guitars around 500-1000 bucks but, but sometimes most of that money went into the finish alone and not into the guts (pick-ups, electronics, tremolo) Example: LTD and ESP. You really have to get a more expensive one in order to get best stuff. Great finishes, but I've never been a fan of the sound or basic feel. Jackson's are nice, but you'll spend a bit more. I don't see as many of them around anymore. The EBMM Petrucci is an awesome guitar. Even the OLP cheaper version is pretty good for the price. If I $1,000, I'd probably get another Ibanez though. For me, it's about value. I'm obviously a little biased towards to Ibanez because I think they are a great deal (or at least they used to be), thus I have a bunch of them. I think their late 90's early 2000's prestige level guitars are simply awesome. I think they've watered down the Prestige line a bit in recent years, but I also think the base level guitars have improved. You can get a lot of a $300-500 Ibanez. For 1,000 try a Prestige.

I think PRS's are great guitars, I just haven't had enough money to drop on one. In my opinion, besides the expensive materials, they aren't that much different than an Ibanez of half the cost. Les Pauls and Strats, to me, have been more about image and prestige than playability. Don't get me wrong, they are the classics in Rock music, but you can't tell me that a $5,000 or $10,000 Strat, plays that much better that the $1,500 model.

So what type of neck are you looking for? Flatter, rounder? I agree with your stance and the neck feel. For me, I just the prefer Wizard necks from Ibanez. They come on most RG's, JEM's, etc... That's the main reason I never really got into Les Pauls. Way too thick for me.

Satriani's and Petrucci are going to be a bit rounder. They both prefer the "vintage" feel of strat-type necks. Vai loved the flat neck, thus the JEMs and subsequent RG are in this style.

I also always pay attention to the type of finish on the back of the neck. I don't like glossy because that tends to get sticky. My '87 RG550 has a Maple Neck which is "raw" on the back side. I take very fine sandpaper (around 200 grit or higher) and smooth the back about once a year. Sounds strange, but the smoother the neck, the easier it is to play.

That's just my take, I'm sure most people on here have some pretty strong opinions as well.

Good luck and Happy Guitar shopping (is there a more satisfiying shopping experience)?

Yeah, I'm leaning heavily toward ibanez too. Like you said, even their $300 guitars are pretty decent. I like a flatter neck and I've played on a lot of RG's that I liked but I don't care for Ibanez stock pickups that much on their lower end guitars so I would have to go with a model with dimarzio's in it.

I think in list of priority for what is most important to me
Feel
Tuning,stability
and then sound.
The look is last because, like you said, a guitar with a great finish could sound and play like crap

I definitely don't want a guitar that I will have to upgrade later though.

 

[disassembled]

I am going to throw my vote in for the high end Ibanez guitars. The only one i can comment on is the Prestige S5470 because I own it but you should look in the Prestige RG's as well. The new Prestiges come with a redesigned locking bridge and tremsetter built in. When played next to a good LP or Strat most Ibanez guitars really don't hold a candle to what I consider the grandfather guitars of tone. What they do provide is a jack of all trades but master of none type of setup with the 3 pickup config and locking bridge.

The older Ibanez guitars (made in Japan) are good but the rest of today's stuff is Junk IMO (besides the prestige, custom, or artist models). Anything made in Korea should be avoided and anything made with the Lo Pro II bridge is complete junk compared to the original Edge bridge.


Greg

 

[Turumbar82]

thanks for the post. I'll definitely try some Prestige's.

When I'm about to spend this much money I try to as prepared as possible with lots of stuff to weigh in my mind.

I don't want to throw money down the drain on a guitar that I will end up not liking.

 

[BTC-Ax20]

I am going to throw my vote in for the high end Ibanez guitars. The only one i can comment on is the Prestige S5470 because I own it but you should look in the Prestige RG's as well. The new Prestiges come with a redesigned locking bridge and tremsetter built in. When played next to a good LP or Strat most Ibanez guitars really don't hold a candle to what I consider the grandfather guitars of tone. What they do provide is a jack of all trades but master of none type of setup with the 3 pickup config and locking bridge.

The older Ibanez guitars (made in Japan) are good but the rest of today's stuff is Junk IMO (besides the prestige, custom, or artist models). Anything made in Korea should be avoided and anything made with the Lo Pro II bridge is complete junk compared to the original Edge bridge.

Greg

Yup, the high end S-series is great too. I pay a lot of attention to the tremolos as well. I like the original Edge compared to the new ones.You get a lot of movement with reasonable tune stability. The first run of the Lo Pro Edge is very stable as well. My 99 Rg3120TW has the Lo Pro and it always stays in tune, not how many dive bombs and trills I throw at it. Overall, Ibanez licensed Floyd Rose tremolos are head and shoulders above their similarly priced competitors. The hardware alone is of much better quality. The newer cheaper models do tend to suck though.

I agree on the pick-ups. I have the most experience with DiMarzios (the Tone Zone and the PAF Pro). I've played some Seymor Duncans and EMG's and they are probably quite nice as well. Upgraded pick-ups are certainly bonus, but if the guitar is a good enough deal, they could always be swapped out pretty easily. Could cost around $200 though.

A good rule of thumb for guitar shopping is to ignore the ground dwellers and try the ones you need a ladder to reach, those are the normally the most expensive. They keep the crap down low.

Cheers, let us know what you get.

 

[Bchewdown]

Here's a cheap alternative...Ibanez S320 w/ aftermarket DiMarzio X2n's
sounds awesome on most amps...

L8!!!

 

[Turumbar82]

Well, I am heading down to the guitar store after work today to try all that I can and see what I like. I'm excited. Thanks everyone for your suggestions. Thankfully during the summer my job has half friday's so I have the rest of the day to play!!!! I'll post pictures of whatever I get

BTW, does anyone have any experience with the Ibanez Xiphos? neck through, dimarzio pickups, it looks pretty cool...i don't know about the edge III though. If I do get anything with a trem I'm getting a tremolno for sure.

 

[disassembled]

The new Prestige S5470 and new Prestige RGXXXX have Ibanez's tremsetter installed and the S series without floyd has a tremelno type device installed from the factory.


GReg

 

[disassembled]

Oh and the Edge III is definitely not on par with their past Edge bridge or the Prestige models and I wouldn't waste my time with it.

Greg

 

[Lou]

I have a '78 Artist
sounds like it would/might/could meet your needs

 

[Nitrobattery]

I LOVE the Ibanez Prestige stuff. Amazing guitars, and they won't break the piggy bank. I've had Gibsons, Fenders, Jacksons, Paul Reed Smith's etc etc and I'm crazy about my RGA's and loved my 2550E

Even my old Korean RGT6EXFX was pretty cool

 

[Turumbar82]

Well my tax stimulus ended up not being 600 and was 300. Apparently my tax income liability was too low. So I was unable to spend as much as I wanted.

I got an Ibanez Xiphos. I know some will probably say crap guitar but I like it a lot. It's 24 frets 25.5 scale, neck through body two dimarzio d activator pickups, edge III tremolo. I was leary about the edge III because of a lot of people talking sh!t about it but I also read a bunch of people saying that it's a good budget tremolo and is fine if you aren't wanking on it a lot which I don't do. I got it in the blue chameleon color. I'm really happy with it and like it a lot.

This is my first double locking tremolo. I've had only fixed bridges for the 12 years I've been playing. I broke my high E string first thing! lol So I ran down to the closest guitar store and got 6 packs because I figured I might be breaking a lot of strings trying to learn a double locking tremolo.

I will post pictures of it this afternoon when I get home from work. I love the color. The color changing finish looks so awesome. I love the neck, the pickups are really hot and sound great distorted and pretty good clean for such high output pickups. This is definitely my all out metal guitar.

 

[BTC-Ax20]

I LOVE the Ibanez Prestige stuff. Amazing guitars, and they won't break the piggy bank. I've had Gibsons, Fenders, Jacksons, Paul Reed Smith's etc etc and I'm crazy about my RGA's and loved my 2550E

Love this one, freaking awesome finish. Wow. Is that a Custom Shop, I've never seen that purple finish before. :!:

 

[BTC-Ax20]

Well my tax stimulus ended up not being 600 and was 300. Apparently my tax income liability was too low. So I was unable to spend as much as I wanted.

I got an Ibanez Xiphos. I know some will probably say crap guitar but I like it a lot. It's 24 frets 25.5 scale, neck through body two dimarzio d activator pickups, edge III tremolo. I was leary about the edge III because of a lot of people talking sh!t about it but I also read a bunch of people saying that it's a good budget tremolo and is fine if you aren't wanking on it a lot which I don't do. I got it in the blue chameleon color. I'm really happy with it and like it a lot.

This is my first double locking tremolo. I've had only fixed bridges for the 12 years I've been playing. I broke my high E string first thing! lol So I ran down to the closest guitar store and got 6 packs because I figured I might be breaking a lot of strings trying to learn a double locking tremolo.

I will post pictures of it this afternoon when I get home from work. I love the color. The color changing finish looks so awesome. I love the neck, the pickups are really hot and sound great distorted and pretty good clean for such high output pickups. This is definitely my all out metal guitar.

If you got a good deal and you're happy, that's all that matters. I checked them out on GuitarCenter.com, they do have some cool finishes. Yes the double-locking to going to take some getting used to if you've always had fixed, once you get it, you'll really enjoy it. It may take a bit of tinkering to get the action and tension set right where you want it. But, in my experience Ibanez tremolos (even the cheaper ones) are pretty darn good compared to similarly priced brands. Good luck and Rock on.