Guitar advice

[Doadman]

At the moment I play an Ibanez RGT42 and generally speaking I love it but it has to be said that at my age I'm never going to be a shred player so I think I need to concentrate on developing more melodic solos and working on my vibrato technique. It's this that has prompted my question. Vibrato is OK but using vibrato while the string is being bent I find very difficult. Last night I was at a friend's house and I tried a few of his guitars. Being used to a thin neck I found most of them (he has 37) like baseball bats but a few things did stand out. Firstly, I discovered that a slightly lighter gauge of string made things easier so last night I ordered some GHS Boomer Custom Lights to replace my usual Elixir 10's. It also seemed that a slightly higher action made things easier so I will probably adjust that by about 1mm. The two guitars that I found very useable were both Strats. One was a Shadows model, which had a slightly asymetrical neck and the other was a Deluxe Players Strat, which has a modern 'C' shaped neck. Of the two I prefered the Deluxe Player's Strat as it had the bigger radius fingerboard. It seemed thin enough that it was useable but there was enough wood there to make the vibrato more comfortable and the action could remain relatively low. The question now is, if I were to change my guitar, what do I change it to? The Strat is the obvious choice but I really don't like the upper fret access on it. I'd like the following features:


1) Ideally, a thru-neck but certainly very good upper fret access.
2) Ideally a mahogany body.
3) A humbucker in the bridge position at least.
4) A good quality locking trem.
5) The neck that fits the details I've given above.

I'm flexible on price. Obviously I'm not in a rush to spend more than I have to but I do want a quality instrument. I'd go as high as £1500 if I had to but beyond that I think I'd look more at a custom build. Any suggestions?

[AndyR]

If you're happy to go up to £1500, that's putting you in the ball-park of custom build for guitars with flat-tops (ie not carved top like a les paul or whatever). If you start getting interested in "pretty" looking woods, fancy finishes, etc, that'll start adding on top, but that will be up to you...

Over what to get off the shelf, I can't really help - I tend to buy what feels right in my hands and meets my aspirations at the time! So, other than "get out there and try stuff...", which you're already doing,  I've not got much else to add on that line.

Anyway, I have a feeling that custom might be your best route, given the following:
a) the ideas you have already (ie you have a good idea of what you want)
b) you don't seem to be tied in to a "name" or specific "guitar" (eg Fender/Gibson)
c) your possible budget for off-the-shelf already puts you in to "talking to builders without being embarrassed" territory :lol:

[MDV]

With such specific requirements and a clear idea of what you need plus a healthy budget I also think that you should go custom.

Bob Johnson at legra would be my call (not to malign or exclude the other luthiers on the board, who are no doubt great, but I havent worked with them and havent played their guitars so I cant say anything one way or the other, save that I know that many people here are as happy with them as I am with Legra/Bob). He'll work with you on the design, every detail of it, with great patience and....accomodatability? Is that a word? He'll get you what you want if its possible/practicable (which it seems to be) and I'm guessing from your requirements it would be in the ballpark of 1500; maybe a little more maybe a little less; his prices for moderately conventional guitars are of that order - depends on the detail of the spec of course.

Anyway, I have 2 and they kill everything else I've played and bobs a pleasure to work with, so I advise that.

[MrBump]

Custom sounds like it's the way to go.

[Dazza1004]

I have thought about going custom a few times but the lack of re-sale value always puts me off. My tastes / style of playing has changed so much over the years.

[hunter]

I think this would be pretty awesome: http://www.themusiczoo.com/product/3664/Charvel-Custom-Shop-Dinky-Mahogany-Natural-HumSingle-Floyd-Rose/

The Dinkys also have better upper fret access.

A bit different but a cool alternative (why not): http://www.guitars4you.co.uk/guitars/2996.htm
Not a looking trem but locking tuners and a good trem. Killer price also for the looks of that guitar.

[Doadman]

Perhaps I should clarify. It's not that I have £1500 sitting around waiting to be spent (I wish!), it's more that if I needed to keep my existing guitar until I had that money, I would. Alternatively, if something suitable was available for closer to the £500 mark then I would also look at that and probably upgrade the pups on it. I'd honestly look at anything in that price range, I'm very open minded. I reason that quality will probably be too heavily compromised below £500 but the difference between a £500 guitar and one costing £1000 isn't always as much as you might suppose. I'll obviously need to try a few out but I do have some initial thoughts:

Some sort of Jackson soloist may be an idea. It has the thru-neck and the neck is relatively slim, though not Ibanez slim. What's more, the compound radius neck would necessitate a slightly higher action. I know USA series guitars are the best but is the Pro series also a good instrument?

Caparison guitars may be good, though that bit more expensive.


PRS may be worth a look as a few people have suggested them. No locking trems sadly and no thru-neck so I'd have to be convinced.

I wondered about a Schecter Hellraiser but they're difficult to try around here and I've heard some people say it's quite a thick neck.

What about a Music Man or a Godin Redline?

None of these guitars are that easy to try locally, which is why I'm looking for advice to start narrowing it down.

[Stevepage]

Carvin? Could sell mine for the right price.

[MDV]

Well this is a whole different ballpark then

I'll spare you my usual sermon on the avaiablity of cheap, good guitars (like £300-400 cheap), suffice to say that variations in wood quality and manufacturing tolerances mean they can be found quite easily, but buy the guitar you play - dont get the same model off the net. If you like the very guitar youre testing, buy that guitar, one of the same model may well not (indeed probably wont) be the same. Sometimes the variation is quite remarkable, in tone and quality.

On the other side of that coin, you mention caparison - I've only played one, but from its build quality and acoustic performance, its £1500 tag was an insult - I wouldnt have paid 300 for it; I've played pacifica 112s that were better performers.

Jackson pros - I have had a pro series jackson (albiet the top end pro of the time - a DX1) for about 10 years now and its a great guitar, still in my top tier. They can be very good. With a gotoh trem and c-bomb and trillogies mine slays. That said I recently had a pro series in for work (dont know the exact model, but it was a 2hb dinky that apparently cost about 450) that was absolutely spot on except for a lump in the board on the plain side from about 17th to 24th where it wasnt planed correctly that forced the guitar to have 2.5mm action or higher on the high E! It was the only flaw with the guitar, but its a big flaw (corrected by lowering those frets so they were level even if the board wasnt). This is one of many experiences that reinforces my "Any brand or model can be a jem or lemon, buy the guitar you play" mantra.

[LazyNinja]

What about a BC Rich Mockingbird ST?



or the new PRS Torero?

[MDV]

PRS jackson dinky?

Now I'm scared and confused.

[LazyNinja]

PRS jackson dinky?

Now I'm scared and confused.

http://www.prsguitars.com/setorero/index.html

The SE Torero features several firsts for PRS — a Floyd Rose bridge, EMG pickups, and neck through body construction among them — that should appeal to both the existing PRS player and a new audience and musician. The minimal/unpronounced heel smoothly blends into the body and the deeper, lower cutaway gives easier and smoother accessibility to the upper frets while the pick-ups provide power, clarity, and definition. These features all contribute to the Torero’s notable sustain, and the bound ebony fretboard with jumbo frets and no inlays paired with a mahogany body and flame-maple veneer give this guitar a very distinct look.

[Twinfan]

The Torero sounds like a good option?

[MDV]

"give this guitar a very distinct look"

It distinctly looks like a jackson dinky

The specs and description look like a soloist. Soloists and dinkys do look much alike.

http://www.jacksonguitars.com/products/products.php?group=Select-Series&page=1&product=2803072815

[MDV]

Ah, clicking the link one sees that its a subtly different body shape. It looks like a

http://www.legraguitars.co.uk/mdv602.htm

http://www.legraguitars.co.uk/mg602f.htm

But not as pointy :lol:

Bob beat PRS to it (that was a pre-existing shape, I chose it, didnt design it/ask for it)