Help with choosing next guitar!

[edlamb0306]

Hi Guys!

I am soon to have a nice inheritance from my late grandmother, a small amount of which I plan to use towards a new guitar to upgrade from the cheap-ish starter one I've been using for the past 3 years.

I've pretty much narrowed it down to 3 guitars, and everyone here seems much more sensible than all the kids on Ultimate-guitar etc so I thought I'd post here.  Plus, Bareknuckle are awesome so...  :D

Here are the 3 I'm considering, any other suggestions welcome, I have a serious budget of £700 and it can't have a trem (I see them as unnecessary, I don't need them and I use a few different tunings which would make things tricky. I guess I could block it but I can't really be bothered  8) ).

Jackson DKMGT.  The guitar I am replacing is a Jackson, I absolutely LOVE the size of the necks on Jacksons, thin necks seem to suit me much more.  Would swap the EMGs out in time for Bareknuckles as I don't like the sound of actives.

ESP H-1001 FM SD.  I've heard goods things about ESP, this one seems like the best bet for me.

Schecter C-1 Custom.  This has pretty good specs but I've heard tell that Schecter necks are quite large, which wouldn't really suit me, otherwise seems like a pretty awesome deal.

Sorry for the long post, thanks in advance :)

I'll be swapping the pickups in whatever one I get for Bareknuckles so don't take the pickups into account too much.

[dave_mc]

i'm sorta biased against the dkmgt at that price, because i picked up a new one in the oxford guitar gallery's sale a while back for just over £300 :lol: It is a nice guitar, but I wouldn't want to pay £700 for it.

That being said, it's MIJ (I like MIJ), and the other two aren't, and to me they'd sound pretty dear at £700 too.

what about an ibanez rga121? you can still find some new (they're discontinued, so more like new old stock), and might be worth considering as you're willing to swap the pups.

EDIT: just to clarify- most prices have gone up, so it's possible i'm harking back to some long-gone halcyon day regarding the prices. But still, when i see guitars now that cost £800 when they cost £400 a couple of years back... plus if you know what you're doing you can often still get guitars at close to the old prices.

[edlamb0306]

i'm sorta biased against the dkmgt at that price, because i picked up a new one in the oxford guitar gallery's sale a while back for just over £300 :lol: It is a nice guitar, but I wouldn't want to pay £700 for it.

That being said, it's MIJ (I like MIJ), and the other two aren't, and to me they'd sound pretty dear at £700 too.

what about an ibanez rga121? you can still find some new (they're discontinued, so more like new old stock), and might be worth considering as you're willing to swap the pups.

EDIT: just to clarify- most prices have gone up, so it's possible i'm harking back to some long-gone halcyon day regarding the prices. But still, when i see guitars now that cost £800 when they cost £400 a couple of years back... plus if you know what you're doing you can often still get guitars at close to the old prices.

Possibly the DKMGT is more expensive because it has better pickups now, maybe overall quality as well?

The RGA121 looks nice.  Theres one on 'Sound great Music' for 499 with Mules already in but I can't get on the site :( don't have the money right now either, lets hope it doesn't sell so soon!

EDIT: <Facepalm> I forgot PRS!  Their models below £700 look pretty awesome.

[dave_mc]

(a) Possibly the DKMGT is more expensive because it has better pickups now, maybe overall quality as well?

(b) The RGA121 looks nice.  Theres one on 'Sound great Music' for 499 with Mules already in but I can't get on the site :( don't have the money right now either, lets hope it doesn't sell so soon!

EDIT: <Facepalm> I forgot PRS!  Their models below £700 look pretty awesome.

(a) nope. exact same thing. Granted I got a deal on mine (one of those OGG killer sales, keep an eye out for them :D), but at that time it was going new for around the £500 mark, and they've since gone up more. :( The pre-2006 models (i think) had the passive EMGs, but mine has the full-blown active ones, just like the current model.

(b) interesting. (don't worry, i won't snipe it... of course, that doesn't mean someone else won't :lol:

(c) I dunno... I've never been all that fussed. Certainly the more recent ones i've tried in the shops here in NI were pretty meh... maybe we get the rejects, I dunno, but I didn't think they were worth it at £300, and (like most other guitars) they're a lot more now. Up to you, of course. And maybe I just tried bad ones.

[Sancho]

If you like a thin neck, the Jackson is the way to go.
Both Schecter and ESP generally have fairly bulky necks.
I will advise against Ibanez because my track record with them isn't good. Not a guitar for me...

[Crunch]

I have always hated ESP. They're inconsistent and the necks feel boxy and uncomfortable, to me.

Jacksons are good, but only when you get the real deal axes for $1k+.

Schecters have pretty big necks. If you prefer a Jackson neck, stay away.

Ibanez has never done me wrong. You're bound to find something that appeals to you, for cheap, with them. Nasty pickup selection.

The PRS SE line has some amazing guitars. The "wide-fat" neck shape still feels insanely comfortable. There are a few models with "wide-thin," but are either gay as Hell or have a tremolo (the PRS-branded trem is one of two trems I would bother dealing with). Stock pickups are whack.

[edlamb0306]

Screw you Google shopping!  That RGA121 doesn't exist on the site, only on google.  Must have been sold :(

Interesting stuff guys.  From those comments, it looks like it would be a little better for me to avoid the ESP and the Schecter.

I'll take a closer look at the Jackson & Ibanez line.  I know Ibanez have pretty awful stock pups' but that doesn't bother me as I'll be installing some Bareknuckles in whatever I get.  PRS also looks like a pretty good bet as well.

Thanks for the advice all, and if anyone has some specific guitar recommendations that would be welcome :D

[Transcend]

look into the RGA42 its a great guitar

mahogany body maple top maple neck

the pickups arent terrible either but an upgrade is always welcome

theyre around £350 too

great value guitars.

factor in some BKPs and you are well within your budget and you can get some extra bits and pieces

[edlamb0306]

look into the RGA42 its a great guitar

mahogany body maple top maple neck

the pickups arent terrible either but an upgrade is always welcome

theyre around £350 too

great value guitars.

factor in some BKPs and you are well within your budget and you can get some extra bits and pieces

Looks nice!  I guess by bits and piece you mean locking tuners, new nut, maybe even new bridge?  I'll take a closer look at that one, thanks  :D

[Transcend]

i have one and i havent had to upgrade anything at all other than the pickups.

I have considered a new nut but i probably wont replace it until i find an issue with the existing one.

i was thinking more fx or a hardcase or something.

Then again ive found most shops will throw in a hardcase for about £25 if you seem undecided

[Kiichi]

What I definetly recommend you is not doing too much internet shopping. It´s great for getting a view of the whole spectrum but in the end, do yourself a favor and go to a store to hold the guitars in hand.
That is very important, cause maybe you have heard of a great 3000 buck gibson, that everyone loves and when you hold it in hands you think: 3000 for what? I don´t like this, it does not feel good to me.

So go to a store and try guitars, (preferably the ones you are interrested in of course) and do 2 things:
1. Feel them. Do you like the way the neck feels? The way your hand rests on the bridge? The way you can move across the fretboard? Really take some time to play them and try and figure out if you like what you have in hands.
2. Play them unplugged and listen. How do they sound? Do they have a nice sustain or do they sound dull and dead.
This is important cause you can (and probably will) switch the pickups (and hardware), but you cannot change the wood. Of couse BKPs on shiteety wood will still sound ok, but you loose a lot (!) if you do that. So listen.

When I wanne buy a guitar I basecally do not bother with plugging it in before I buy it (only to check how it does harmonics maybe, but even that can be tried unplugged). I just sit there and play and get looked at strangly.
I just feel and listen to the guitar, raw and as it is. Cause that is what counts. The rest can be changed.

[edlamb0306]

What I definetly recommend you is not doing too much internet shopping. It´s great for getting a view of the whole spectrum but in the end, do yourself a favor and go to a store to hold the guitars in hand.
That is very important, cause maybe you have heard of a great 3000 buck gibson, that everyone loves and when you hold it in hands you think: 3000 for what? I don´t like this, it does not feel good to me.

So go to a store and try guitars, (preferably the ones you are interrested in of course) and do 2 things:
1. Feel them. Do you like the way the neck feels? The way your hand rests on the bridge? The way you can move across the fretboard? Really take some time to play them and try and figure out if you like what you have in hands.
2. Play them unplugged and listen. How do they sound? Do they have a nice sustain or do they sound dull and dead.
This is important cause you can (and probably will) switch the pickups (and hardware), but you cannot change the wood. Of couse BKPs on shiteeety wood will still sound ok, but you loose a lot (!) if you do that. So listen.

When I wanne buy a guitar I basecally do not bother with plugging it in before I buy it (only to check how it does harmonics maybe, but even that can be tried unplugged). I just sit there and play and get looked at strangly.
I just feel and listen to the guitar, raw and as it is. Cause that is what counts. The rest can be changed.

Good info.  It can be a little tricky sometimes as getting to my nearest shop and back can be a bit of a hassle but I guess it's worth it.  I think I'd prefer to decide what guitars I'm considering first, thats just me though :).

[Crunch]

Screw you Google shopping!  That RGA121 doesn't exist on the site, only on google.  Must have been sold :(

Interesting stuff guys.  From those comments, it looks like it would be a little better for me to avoid the ESP and the Schecter.

I'll take a closer look at the Jackson & Ibanez line.  I know Ibanez have pretty awful stock pups' but that doesn't bother me as I'll be installing some Bareknuckles in whatever I get.  PRS also looks like a pretty good bet as well.

Thanks for the advice all, and if anyone has some specific guitar recommendations that would be welcome :D

I absolutely loved the feel, tone, and price of my Xiphos. I had a hard time getting used to the chameleon finish and crazy X design (comfy, though it was). As far as Jackson-esque guitars go, I haven't played a better one (for under $1k).
Since I bought mine, they started making hard-tail models and an Iceman ICT700, that I'm still particularly interested in. The DiMarzio D Activator pickups they come with aren't bad, either.

[Philly Q]

When I wanne buy a guitar I basecally do not bother with plugging it in before I buy it (only to check how it does harmonics maybe, but even that can be tried unplugged). I just sit there and play and get looked at strangly.
I just feel and listen to the guitar, raw and as it is. Cause that is what counts. The rest can be changed.

Likewise!  I'm interested in the feel of the neck, the weight, the balance, the resonance, the acoustic tone/sustain - I can judge much better that way.  Chances are I'm going to change the pickups and at least some of the hardware anyway.

That said, I will often buy things online, but only if it's a brand/model I'm already familiar with.  Which is probably why I've never given in to that GAS for a BC Rich Mockingbird, because I've never actually had a chance to try one.

[Kiichi]

Yeah, edlamb0306 as I said the internet is great for narrowing your choice down beforehand, I do that too (but when you are at a store you should always just enjoy yourself and try all kinds of things still, you might stumble upon something great).

Little story:
I once wanted to buy a steel string accoustic and did my homework online (I was pretty much set on one). Went to the store and as soon as I walked in I saw this one guitar....no description, no price...nothing. Looked far to expensive for me though so I let it slide without even trying it. Tried some other ones and mostly the ones I looked up online and got good reviews for what I (thought I) needed, but I did not like any of them. They all sounded brittle, cheap, generic and  just bad. Felt bad too. Even tried some 2k bucks guitars for fun...still nothing.
Then I asked a store clerk how much the one I looked at first was and what it was at all. He told me it´s the Satriani Signature, 400 bucks (my max at the time). So I tried it and....wow that was a revelation. It had so much character, fullness, warmth, definition, etc...and the feel, great playability (rather E-Guitar esque), great upper fret acces,...
It was the one and it really was love at first sight.
Would I have just done everything online, I would not have been happy with the result, I would never have been able to make a connection to the guitar, hell not even really like it, even if it was like a 3000 bucks Gibson Hummingbird.
But now I have my Yuna (as I call her lovingly) and I have returned to that store many times since, although it is a total of an hours drive (there and back). Thomann is great for the little things you need, but when you get out the big bucks, nothing beats hands on for me.

And what Philly said is also true. I can for example say that I am confortable with ibbys with wizzard necks, cause I already have one and all. But you need quite some experience (or luck) to make good buys online I reckon.

I once really landed on my nose with one, lucky for me it only was ebay for like 60 bucks, but I don´t like the feel of that axe...still looks nice on display though, but when I get he chance I will get rid of it. Or I´ll try to save a bit by switching hardware and all...but alone the shorter scale totally screws with me.