[MontyW]

Hi,

I'm after some advice on getting together a shortlist of possible guitars for me try out.

I currently play an HSS Fender Strat with BareKnuckle Painkiller (bridge) and Trilogy Suite. The Fender is the only guitar I have played since learning the guitar five years ago. I changed the pups to get me closer to the metal tones I've looking for.

I guess what trigger my search for a different guitar was I got to play an ESP M-II ntb with active EMGs. I particularly liked the profile of the neck as it felt almost as it it 'fitted' me perfectly and the tones I got from the EMG's sounded great.

So what other guitars should I look into if I found the M-II to my liking?

My budget is around £1500 GBPs - so any advice?


Cheers,

Monty

 

[Zero]

Why not an M-II, then? ESP makes a lot of really nice guitars.

If you liked the M-II, try out a Jackson Soloist, too.

 

[MontyW]

Yeah you are right - why not the ESP, but I'm looking to try as many different guitars as I can, as this is an investment for me.

I will look into the Soloist - so thanks for the recommendation.

 

[James]

Do you want a guitar off the shelf now, or are you willing to wait? For that kind of money you could get a custom guitar made by any number of luthiers. I've personally had good experience with KXK (I only sold them due to having to fund a house move) and Nolly here is having a beautiful guitar built by Deamoness, but there's a huge number of really good builders out there. My advice would be go and try as many different guitars as you can of all types, work out what really works for you and commission a build.

 

[Josh]

If he's only played his Fender, it's probably best for him to try a bunch of production models to see what he likes before going custom.

 

[eleven59]

If he's only played his Fender, it's probably best for him to try a bunch of production models to see what he likes before going custom.

:agreed: Try out a bit of everything, would be my recommendation, because there's a lot out there, and it's all different.

 

[MontyW]

Man I would have no idea where to start with a custom guitar, but thanks for the links - very interesting.

Yep I've played nothing but my Fender, but I've just had a quick look at the Jackson Soloist and that looks great, but they are sort of coming up at around £2k which is a bit over my budget.

 

[Leona]

MII. one of the few guitars that i've wanted for about 5 years that i never got the chance to get :lol:

 

[Blankplank]

Wirelessly posted (Useless fucking piece of shit: Opera/9.80 (S60; SymbOS; Opera Mobi/448; U; en-GB) Presto/2.4.18 Version/10.00)

If you want neckthru, EMG's, trem, alot less than £1500, try the Ibanez RGT series. I LOVED the RGT6EXFX I played with the Gibraltar bridge (granted that's fixed bridge).

 

[budda]

Schecter C-1 hellraiser, ESP Horizon, Jackson Dinky, Caparison?

 

[James]

If he's only played his Fender, it's probably best for him to try a bunch of production models to see what he likes before going custom.

Yes, hence why the end of my post says:

My advice would be go and try as many different guitars as you can of all types, work out what really works for you and commission a build.

In absolute seriousness Monty does need to tour some guitar shops and try out as many different axes as possible, but I really think for the money he's talking about that he'd be best spending that on a custom to his specs, once he knows what he wants.

Monty - one other thought: Once you're tried a few guitars in shops, buy used versions of the ones that take your fancy at sensible prices from Ebay/classified ads, try them for a while to see how you get on long term, them sell them for what you paid for them. Give it 6 months and a few buy/try/sell sessions and you'll probably have a good idea of what floats your boat.

 

[MontyW]

James,

You are absolutely right - I need to get out there and play as many axes as I can. I'm no rush to go out there and buy the first one I see. My problem is I'm like a kid in a candy store with so many goodies to choose from.

Great tip on buying a used guitar from the classifieds, so not to loose a load of money if I decide to sell it on.

When I started getting into all this I spent and lost far too much money on buying new amps and then selling them on until I found amps that I liked.

Thanks for the advice.

Monty

 

[Blankplank]

Wirelessly posted (Useless fucking piece of shit: Opera/9.80 (S60; SymbOS; Opera Mobi/448; U; en-GB) Presto/2.4.18 Version/10.00)

James,

You are absolutely right - I need to get out there and play as many axes as I can. I'm no rush to go out there and buy the first one I see. My problem is I'm like a kid in a candy store with so many goodies to choose from.

Great tip on buying a used guitar from the classifieds, so not to loose a load of money if I decide to sell it on.

When I started getting into all this I spent and lost far too much money on buying new amps and then selling them on until I found amps that I liked.

Thanks for the advice.

Monty

Where abouts in Lancashire are you from dude? There's Promenade Music in Morcambe

 

[MontyW]

I'm in Bury so not too far away from Morcambe - thanks for the tip!

 

[James]

Monty, I've been playing for 9 years and I'm still like a kid in a candy store in guitar shops :lol:

I warn you now though, being a member here will induced two diseases in you. GAS (Gear Aquisition Syndrome), the desire to own lots of guitars/amp/effects which will then mutate into Gearwhoredom, leading to rapid buying & selling of gear :lol:

[action=James]is on the gearwhore wagon, but teetering on the edge[/action]

 

[MontyW]

It's a dangerous game chasing tone... I'm happy with my amps, but seriously 'want' something other than Strats.

I've played the ESP M-II and loved it for rock and metal and even some nice Blues tones - but what got to me was how the guitar felt and played in my hands. I've sort have come to the conclusion that a flat fast neck is what made it feel so different from my Strat.

I've also only ever owned a Strat from day one of learning the guitar to today.

I'm going to get off my butt and try as many different guitars before I pull the trigger.

 

[budda]

it's easy enough to swap parts to get the tone - if you don't like how it plays, keep looking.

I think the reason guitar shops exist is that you're supposed to feel like a kid in a candy store - or else why would you want to go except for strings picks and cables?

 

[MontyW]

it's easy enough to swap parts to get the tone - if you don't like how it plays, keep looking.

I think the reason guitar shops exist is that you're supposed to feel like a kid in a candy store - or else why would you want to go except for strings picks and cables?

Yeah I think you've hit on a good point.. swapping pickups etc... and changing effects you can get 'tones'. It's not until recently that I've started to notice differences in how a guitar feels. I was surprised at how much easier it is for me to play a ntb guitar than it is my Fender.

So the hunt for a replacement for my Strat starts in ernest. I do like the look of the spec for the Jacksons - especially the Soloist. I'll let you all know how I get on!

 

[Josh]

Different neck profiles can make a world of difference. The ESP will have a thinner flatter neck than your Fender. I myself prefer chunkier C- or V-profiled necks, but it's a very personal thing and everyone likes slightly different things.

Also, check out the Jackson SLSMG. A slim yet rounded neck, neck through body, all-mahogany, and incredibly lightweight and comfortable carved body.

 

[bulletbass man]

Definitely would suggest trying out some of the prestige Ibanez Models. The RGA series in particular kicks ass. Definitely pay attention to the body woods used in the models. You'll definitely find a huge difference in tone and the dynamics of the guitar.