Guitarists.... Please take a second................ (1 Viewer)

[JonZ]

....I know there are a few of you that play guitar here. Im currently looking for "The One". Please tell me what type of guitar your using(as well as others you may own or played).

Let me know the pros,cons,and so forth.

I have:

BC Rich Warlock: (Just sold it actually)Late 80s model,USA made, bolt on neck, thin neck good for metal bad for acoustic playing,Floyd Rose tremelo I hate. Made of Alder.Dimarzio pickups. Great metal sound through a Crate 1/2 stack,small fretboard. I like this guitar, but hate the Floyd Rose and want neck thru construction.Heavy crunch sounding.Great for speed metal.

89 Gibson Explorer:Lovely, stop tail piece,mahogany, sustains forever(like Spinal Tap, you can go get a bite and come back and its still sustaining),not sure what pickups are in it,more midrange but can get more bass out of it with EQ.Need to change the tuners to Sperzel tuners.Good for metal(although u have to work harder or change the pickups to get Pantera type sounds out of it),classic rock, ska,punk u name it.

Im interested if anyone out there owns a Carvin, as Ive heard good things about them.Also thinking of a BC Rich Mockingbird.

Thanks

 

[Jack Gilvey]

What's yer budget? The Carvin I played felt great, and sounded even better.

I recently played a Jackson Soloist (SL1?), and it was simply astounding.

 

[Joe D]

I have a Gibson Les Paul, which is quite nice.

The guitar that I want is a Ibanez Jem, Steve Vai model with Evolution pickups, not the Breed Pickups. This is a sweet guitar. Try it out, I'm sure you'll love it.

 

[RicP]

Well, it seems that you're interested in "metal" type guitars, in which case I'd recommend Ibanez. They're realtively inexpensive and built very well.

I play a Les Paul and a myriad of Acoustics.

 

[Tim Hoover]

Well, I own a Carvin bass, so I can definitely second their build and sound quality. These guys know how to make an instrument!

Also, check out some of Schecter's current line of electric guitars. The 006 is quite a guitar for the money.

Parker is making some lower-priced instruments now. I'm not sure if the P38 and P41 can compete with their Fly Deluxe or any other high-end models, but they're worth looking into. The Fly is one of the sweetest guitars I have ever played!

PRS's new Santana model is also quite nice. I checked one of these out just a few days ago. VERY well put together and sounds great. The fingerboard is a little wide for some tastes, however.

Let us know what kind of tone you like, and also the neck shape and size you feel most comfortable with. That would make it easier for us to offer you choices.

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

What sound are you going for? For metal, pretty much anything with an Dimarzio X2N in it will shred. I just picked up another Charvel for $150, of course, I love the Floyd...

Les Paul Classics have pretty hot pickups, and unlike most guitars, actually have tone - which you pay for. Scale length is shorter than a Fender (which I also like, though prefer the Mexicans to the Japanese or US models), so is less work to play.

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

Schecter is the only guitar I'll play these days. I don't like their mass produced stuff (the now have facorty built models for under $500 called Diamond)-- Their custom built guitars are simply the best. Don't know your budget, but they're not too bad- under $2000.
Simply feel perfect in your hands, weighted well-- and sound like butter for almost any style of music. Mostly good for rock, especially rock with subtle edge and complexity.
S-series, Hellcat, Korina, Sunset all are recommended!
Drop by their site and check out their custom jobs (like the Prince guitars, Smashing Pumpkins, Beck and the White Zombie stuff). Also check their custom paint shop work, all cool stuff.

I also like Guild. I had a S-100 up until recently, and loved it. Same guitar Kim from Soundgarden played- teamed with the Mesa Dual or Triple Rectifier, did not mess around. Lots to think gutteral rock- low mid tone without wubby tub sound. Listen to a Soundgarden record, you'll get the picture.
I had the guitar below, only a more neutral "natural" finish.

I also like the Gibson SG. Older models- late 1970s/Early 80's Standard with double humbucker- oddly I love them but they seem to be the "bad" years for SG to some... The made a model called "THE SG" in 78/79, and it rocks (EMG 81 active pickups).
Teamed with Marshall JCM800 or 900, this has a more aggressive edgy sound to it. Not as edgy as fender- but some nice uppermids without being harsh.
-Vince

 

[JonZ]

I play lots of stuff. Everything from Death to The Beatles. Im basically trying to find a guitar that could play any and every type of music - I know,that may be a bit unrealistic
As for Carvin, I heard theyre midrange sounding but you can always change the pickups or tweak your system. Ive read reviews where people raved over the acoustic sound Carvin guitars have. And I definitely want a guitar with neck thru construction.
The Warlock is fantastic, for Death,Slayer or the like, but its made for that type of music, Id have to plug in the Explorer to play a Stones tune.
Ive played Ibanez and didnt care for the feel of the guitar much. The Paul Reed Smith was nice,but theyre way over priced especially since they arent really "handmade" anymore. I played a friends Les Paul and SG(which Im interested in trying out) but that was so long ago. I dont remebering ever playing a ESP.
As for my budget, I guess I would willing to spend up to $1000. Basically, Im gonna be very picky and try as many as I can during the winter and buy a guitar around March.
Thanks for the suggestions, I do enjoy guitar talk.

 

[Dave Morton]

I have a 1983 stratocaster that plays great. Something about that sound that I really like. If I were to buy another guitar today, I would get a G&L or a PRS. Those guitars play great. Also, I would stay away from the mass produced guitars that are made overseas or in Mexico. I would get a custom made one. I will probably make my next electric as soon as I finish a couple of acoustics I'm currently working on.

 

[Jack Gilvey]

. I don't like their mass produced stuff (the now have facorty built models for under $500 called Diamond)-

I really wanted to like that new line, because some of them are gorgeous, but I've been unimpressed.

 

[John Besse]

Here's what I have owned at one point:
Jackson - Soloists
Gibson - Les Pauls
Fender - Strats American and Jap
Fender - Telecaster
Ibanez - RG series
Ovation acoustics
Epiphone acoustics
Currently I own:
Fender 1988 Strat
Gibson Epiphone USA PRO
Parker Nite Fly
Takamine EF381C 12 String acoustic
Takamine 360SC acoustic
Torres Valencia 60 (Made is Spain) Mylon acoustic
Epiphone small bodied acoustic (before owned by Gibson)
I would never play any other electric guitar that does not have a Piezo acoustic pick-up in the bridge. It gives the best clean tone sound and is great on the ears. My next purchase will be a John Petrucci signature series Ernie Ball with the Piezo pick-up.
So, acoustics I stick with Takamine as my main guitars and electics I'm very fond of Parker. If I was going to only have two guitars. I would keep my Parker and invest in a newer Takamine 6 string as mine is a bit beat up from excesive playing.

 

[Chuck Parker]

Don't know if I can recommend "The One", as it's different for everyone, but here's what I'm playing at the moment:
'63 Gibson SG Special - my first guitar (passed down from dad), I got spoiled, love the P-90s.
'89 Peavey Tracer Custom - from my metal years; hot pink, Kahler trem, surprisingly good clean sound, though kicking myself since 92 or so for not buying a nice American Fat Strat instead. Still, I can't bring myself to part with it.
'99 Fender Telecaster (mexican) - my current favorite. Nice and twangy. Proved to me that you can definitely find nice instruments in the low to mid-level price range.
Kramer Focus VT111S - the dubious $69 dollar strat clone (made in Korea by the Gibson/Epi folks) from musicyo.com - Curiousity got the better of me. very basic, but a steal at the price. Plays better than any number of Squier strats I've played.
add to the mix various acoustics and a mid-eighties Ibanez bass, and I still haven't found "THE ONE", but hold out hope that I'll cross paths with it one day. I imagine it'll probably be some variation on the Telecaster- I've really learned to love those instruments...
-chuck

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

I really wanted to like that new line, because some of them are gorgeous, but I've been unimpressed.

Absolutely. Since Schecter is the guitar god to which I owe my love, I was really hoping the units would be great. It would be nice for the world to discover schecter, but for $1500 a pop- it probably won't happen anytime soon. So when i saw these diamond series things, I thought it might just be the answer- fabricated in factory, but hand assembled.
But I've had 2 and they weren't that good. Maybe my expectations were too high- but they disappointed me.
-Vince