Pardon my forthcoming long post, I need some help!!

[Dre180]

Hey All,

I'm new to forums. A little background about me to help with what I am looking for. I last played guitar about 12 years ago as a teenager. (I know, I'm an A-hole for ever stopping)! That being said, I never really took the time to get good. But I plan to change all that.

I'm gonna be purchasing a guitar within the next two weeks. The only thing I know is that whatever it is, it's going to have BKP's in them, without a doubt. I was amazed listening to clips of these guys on youtube (compression and all). The reason for the long rant is I want to make sure I'm making the right decision on a guitar and pickups of course. First off the music I like most is without a doubt hard rock. Alter Bridge (NOT creed!!), Alice in Chains, Metallica, Foo Fighters, Wolfmother, RATM, STP, GNR etc. But at the same time I love softer/Indie stuff as well. Gaslight anthem, Cage the elephant, Chili peppers, counting crows, as well as a bunch of classic rock. I would also love to learn how to play the blues..

My Budget for a guitar is about $1500. I know that seems outrageous for a beginner but I have some extra cash and want to learn on some quality equipment this time out. I thought Am Std. HSS strat for versatility. Would that be a good decision for me or should i go with something like an SG standard? Love LP's sound but they are out of my price range at the moment. I've already put money down on one to secure it but can change to something else if i want. Played it, this thing felt unbelievable in my hands. I couldn't put it down. My only concern is that everyone says strats aren't for hard rock/metal tone. Now I don't care what anyone says, my question is can it be done? (I know it can, but will it sound as good as a full on HB guitar is my question) That is how I stumbled upon these pickups while doing some research. If I do go with the HSS strat, I'm looking at the Mother's Milk and crawler HSS set. I was blown away by the Milks. That is the sound i hear in my head when I think of a clean. Perfect for me! Can the crawler Handle the harder stuff I mentioned earlier? If not can I mix something Harder with the , and what do you recommend? Will that throw the balance of the pickups off if I do? I'm looking for a really crunchy rhythm tone from the bridge but not muddy.

I apologize for the long rant. I just cannot research any more I'm driving myself nuts! If not the HSS  strat What do you guys recommend? Many thanks in advance for bearing with this long rant and any suggestions/advice you can give me.

[Cpt_Gonzo]

How about a Tokai Les Paul and Abraxas Humbuckers?

These Tokais are made in Japan and the craftsmanship is better than the stuff Gibson USA puts out atm.
Of course, the custom shop is another story, but even there...I mean, I played a Gibson CS Les Paul that had the binding installed incorrectly, sprayover everywhere, uneven Lacquer and whatnot. Never seen that on a Tokai.

If it's a brand issue, get a decent SG (maybe even a used one?) and Riff Raffs.

[Telerocker]

Of course you can use a HSS-strat for hardrock/metal, but I would go for a Holy Diver/Irish Tour set to keep things balanced. The IT's can get close to Mothers Milks if you turn the guitarvol.knob a tad down. IT's are more or less overwound MM's, with more bass and a bit bolder tone. They handle gain very well.

That said: I have a Crawler/IT combo in my HSS-strat and the Crawler is a fat PAF-ish rockpickup with big mids and a round, but not dull topend. The bass of the Crawler has a softer approach then the Holy Diver, which sounds a bit more modern and tighter and therefore more suitable for metal. Like the Crawler the HD has the mids to beef up a strat.

Choiche of the guitar depends on what you like. LP's and strats are two different worlds. Think what kind of neck, what tones (the warmer timbre of mahogany or the brighter and more percussive ash/alder) and what shape you prefer. If you like a LP there are good copies to be modified. Think Japanese copies like Tokai and Edwards, or a used but good Gibson Les Paul Studio. I would look at the PRS SE singlecut too. For a LP you might want to look at RiffRaffs or Cold Sweats.

[ericsabbath]

a used les paul classic ie around $1300
you could find a prs mccarty for the price too
with $1500, a les paul standard or prs singlecut

then you gotta figure out the output range you prefer
the riff raff excels in most of the stuff you mentioned, with the heaviest influences requiring a booster
of course something like a ceramic nailbomb would be better for alter bridge, holy diver for alice in chains, and miracle man for metallica, but everything else screams riff raff

[TheyCallMeVolume]

Yeah honestly man, a Strat would do decent, but it won't be in it's comfort zone as much as an SG or LP or something of that sort. I've always found it's a whole lot easier to , get a LP to sound close to a Strat than vice versa. With some volume/tone knob tweaking of course! That said, I see Riff Raffs mentioned a couple times, those would work great for all this stuff, and maybe a Rebel Yell if you want it to handle the heavy stuff a little easier.

[Mr. Air]

I would suggest a LP/LP-clone or something in a similar ballpark and like the others said Riff Raffs would be a good choice. I also think the VHII could work for you. Defenitely for the rockier tones.

[Cpt_Gonzo]

I just got a calibrated set of Holydivers for my Les Paul and really can't recommend them enough. Be sure to put them on your list, they have to fulfill similar tasks in the band I play in.

[Dre180]

Thanks for all the suggestions, I really do appreciate it! i'm glad to have found these forums, everyone here is awesome! I'm obviously a complete novice to guitar and all the feedback im getting has been really helpful.

So here is what I think i've decided on. An Hss strat for now. A les Paul for later. Being a newbie, I don't think I yet warrant an expensive luxury at the moment like a les paul. Not that the strat isn't one, but it is much cheaper and can be justified easier. Also, I think learning on the thinner satin neck will also be easier for me. Granted the Les Paul is probably more "my sound" especially for harder rock, but so be it. I plan to have both when i get good enough. Problem solved.

As for the pickups, I also emailed Tim, and he recommended I go with the '63 veneers with a Holydiver in the bridge. Said it will give me a nice versatile blues/hard rock setup that will handle gain well when I want it. I'm leaning that way, as I've listened to the samples. They sound fantastic. Do you guys agree with that mix? Are Mothers Milk and a Holydiver a bad mix?

[Telerocker]

You can follow Tim's advice. He knows his pickups best. The 63 veneer board and Mother's Milk are quite close in sound and character. It's about details and taste. Especially if you choose an ash/swampash-strat I would not take a very bright singlecoil. My idea of IT's are that they will have enough beef and clean up nicely. I have MM's in another ash strat (paired with a VHII) and these sound woodier, snappier en brighter with less bass. Genuine Frusciante-tones, where tjhe IT's are smokier and grittier at max. guitarvolume.