The one "New wave of british heavy metal" guitar?

[Jappse]

Now I wonder, which guitar is the ultimate NWOBHM guitar?

Will strat win, because of maiden? Les paul, cause Campbell in motorhead is a known LP player?

I leave this up to you, come with your suggestion/s? Ill later make a poll using YOUR suggestions. So, come on, take the challenge.


Cheers, and a six pack of beers.

Jappse

[Elliot]

HSS strat gets my vote

[maliciousteve]

Gibson Flying V

[Tricalibur]

^ +1

[Crazy_Joe]

Flying V all the way.

[Davey]

Dave Murrays black strat & Adrians LP goldtop

then it moves to ibanez destroyers :D

[FELINEGUITARS]

If we are talking genuine NWOBHM which really means 1978-1984, then I would say the following:

Strat with single coils - (maybe except Dave Murray)
Les paul
SG
Flying V
Explorer
Ibanez Destroyer (and maybe Iceman and Vee)

HSS strats didnt really exist until about 1985 onwards- maybe a few did in the states but their influence didnt get to the UK till later.

Bands that would have pioneered the movement may have included Maiden, Samson, Budgie, Tygers of Pan Tang, Saxon, Def Leppard, Judas Priest, Whitesnake, Venom, Diamond Head, Sweet Savage, Jaguar and Motorhead (with Fast Eddie on guitar), Girlschool, etc etc

[jt]

:D Disagree Johnathon !

HSS strats were all the rage in my neck of the woods circa `81
Saxon
Maiden
Silverwing
Jaguar
Whitespirit
Motorhead
Judas Priest
 The list is endless to be honest. The reason was that Strats were far cheaper even with the cost of "Modding" `em than LP`s. Yamaha`s SG range was also very highly regarded by many guitar players. And was certainly the favoured swap for Gibbo`s. There`s also the Richie Blackmore factor to take into consideration as well. Oh & then we all heard VH !

 :D  8)

[FELINEGUITARS]

Oops - we may have to agree to differ as i didnt see any till later
Maiden's dave had one as did Sweet's Andy Scott
Most just had fat single coils at the bridge i thought

Happy to be proven wrong - not a big deal either way really
Just interested to see it

players like KK Downing and Fast Eddie seemed to have regular strats

Damn right about Blackmore though!!

What about UFO & MSG - would you count them as NWOBHM - or too old for that?

[jt]

:D UFO were around pre NWOBHM but i`m happy to include `em & MSG  rule Schenker is God !! LOL

As for Strats i come from & live around N.E.London so Maiden were a local band. So putting H/B`s in Strats may have been a more local thing. I no that many players who couldn`t aford LP`s certainly went out & bought Yamaha SG`s. Which are actually better than LP`s imho.
 
Actually your right about Fast Eddie he did use singles as did KK but Glen Tipton used a HSS Strat.

What side are you on The Schenker Side OR Blackmore side ?
[ Yes i liked both but Schenker is my fav ]

 :D  8)

[Jappse]

Thanks for all of the great answers, and I hope more are coming. Certainly nobody missed with the suggestions so far. And by my knowledge, it looks like nearly all of the guitars are pretty much said and done for (at least the most popular ones).

Tomorrow I will sum it all up and start the poll.


Thanks

Jappse

[_tom_]

What kinda guitars/pickups/amps did Diamondhead use? Sounds like Iommi's tone a bit to me so I guess P90s and a treble booster into Laney? I really like the tone on 'Am I Evil?' Listened to that for the first time in ages today and I love it again (hate that Metallica version)!

Schenker's tone and playing is always one of my favourites though :D

Thinking about it, the NWOBHM contains most of my favourite bands :)

[Philly Q]

HSS strats were all the rage in my neck of the woods circa `81

Oops - we may have to agree to differ as i didnt see any till later

I think you're both right, sort of.  But I agree more with Jonathan.    

There were definitely players putting humbuckers in Strats around 81, but Glenn Tipton had 2 humbuckers, Dave Murray had 2 HBs plus one single.  Gary Pepperd from Jaguar did have an HSS Strat, but in the beginning he was mostly using Les Pauls I think.

A lot of the other guys had Strats with regular single coils - Janick Gers (no Hot Rails until after the Gillan days), Bernie Torme, Paul Quinn (also had a couple of one-pickup HB Strats).  Fast Eddie had singles but also a Strat with a HB in the middle position.

There probably were other guys with HSS setups, but I suspect they only really used the humbuckers.  I don't think people started specifically choosing HSS - because they actually wanted to use that particular configuration - until later in the 80s.

An awful lot of people had SGs, Les Pauls, Vs.  Don't remember many Explorer guys, apart from Pete Willis (edit: I think Robb Weir from TOPT had one).

What kinda guitars/pickups/amps did Diamondhead use?

On the original white label album (I'm a proud owner!  8) ), Brian Tatler used a white V!  Later on I think he used LPs, then Strat-types.  No idea about the amps.

What side are you on The Schenker Side OR Blackmore side ?

BOTH!  My two favourite players, circa 79/80.  I had posters of them both in my room at University (and one of Kate Bush in a leotard, to prove I was a red-blooded hetero.  And that tennis girl scratching her arse.).

As for the definitive NWOBHM guitars, I agree with Davey.  Maiden all the way - Dave Murray's black Strat, Adrian Smith's goldtop and red Destroyer.  :D

Sorry, long post.  :oops:

[Ratrod]

I'm going for the Explorer including the Ibanez Destroyer, Hamer Standard, Dean Z etc.

It's all a bit before my time but these guitars are seen in plenty of those old videos.

Some bands I know that used them: Maiden, Motorhead, Scorpions. There are more but I can't remember the names.

[jt]

:D Yer i would agree that noone was particuly using strats for a HSS configureation but as i said strats were far cheaper & it was amazing how easy guitar techs found `em to modify. There`s also the fact that many guitarists changed around or were photographed with different guitars. As you said the guy in Jaguar used both Strats & LP`s . I no in my neck of the woods that most if not all the "Rock" players had there Strats modified with H/B`s in the bridge. Dimarzio Super Distortions. Mainly to get a more Crunching Powerfull sound. But your right it wasn`t because they specifically wanted a HSS config.

I`ve also seen Praying Mantis use both Strats & LP`s as well.  Infact AC/DC are the only band i can remember seeing that had 2 guitars & neither was a Strat Or LP !

 :D  8)

Oh yer i forgot Johnathon allthough i loved Schenker the truth is i think "The Wild The Willing & THe Innocent " is UFO`s best album  :!: loved "Tonka" Chapmans playing, very different from Schenker but good nontheless.