Which 80's style hard rock and metal super strats should I consider?

Man they are wide at the 12th fret. If I left the Pia outside, I worry that one of F14s from the airbase up the road would try to land on it. :tearsofjoy:
Maybe the particular models you have? I've got about 20 Ibanez guitars from the golden late '80s era and I don't find the to be the case at all. And they aren't much different width-wise than my Suhr Modern or Charvel DK-24 or PRS CE-24.
 
Maybe the particular models you have? I've got about 20 Ibanez guitars from the golden late '80s era and I don't find the to be the case at all. And they aren't much different width-wise than my Suhr Modern or Charvel DK-24 or PRS CE-24.
A few Jems and a Pia, which are Wizard 5, plus an new Indonesian RG which has a Wizard 3.

This is all subjective in the end I guess (I have pretty big hands), but the Wizard 5 feels like a shallow C with a flattened bottom to me, and that extra width from the nearly 16 inch radius occasional makes me cramp up when I'm trying to dig in around the E blues box. Compounds like the Suhrs and Charvels play easier to me. Not that I would change the Jems: when you play Steve licks on them, it kinda all makes sense. Plus Steve has loooong fingers, so you have to live in his world when you go Jem/Pia, maybe.

The joy of the Cali is that middle ground - it has that flat, high speed shredder's fretboard, but is round enough at the back the you can play SRV riffs and not feel like you should be doing it thumb behind the neck!
 
A few Jems and a Pia, which are Wizard 5, plus an new Indonesian RG which has a Wizard 3.

This is all subjective in the end I guess (I have pretty big hands), but the Wizard 5 feels like a shallow C with a flattened bottom to me, and that extra width from the nearly 16 inch radius occasional makes me cramp up when I'm trying to dig in around the E blues box. Compounds like the Suhrs and Charvels play easier to me. Not that I would change the Jems: when you play Steve licks on them, it kinda all makes sense. Plus Steve has loooong fingers, so you have to live in his world when you go Jem/Pia, maybe.

The joy of the Cali is that middle ground - it has that flat, high speed shredder's fretboard, but is round enough at the back the you can play SRV riffs and not feel like you should be doing it thumb behind the neck!
what extra width 0.000000001mm:tearsofjoy:
 
Wonder how the Hamer Cali would compare to this limited edition Jackson?
https://www.jacksonguitars.com/gear...s-soloist-arch-top-extreme-sl27-ex/2918329557
2918329557_gtr_frt_01_rr.png
 
A few Jems and a Pia, which are Wizard 5, plus an new Indonesian RG which has a Wizard 3.

This is all subjective in the end I guess (I have pretty big hands), but the Wizard 5 feels like a shallow C with a flattened bottom to me, and that extra width from the nearly 16 inch radius occasional makes me cramp up when I'm trying to dig in around the E blues box. Compounds like the Suhrs and Charvels play easier to me. Not that I would change the Jems: when you play Steve licks on them, it kinda all makes sense. Plus Steve has loooong fingers, so you have to live in his world when you go Jem/Pia, maybe.

The joy of the Cali is that middle ground - it has that flat, high speed shredder's fretboard, but is round enough at the back the you can play SRV riffs and not feel like you should be doing it thumb behind the neck!
Well to be fair, the Ibanez necks are quite a bit wider than the Suhr Moderns. 1.1 mm at the nut and about the same all the way to the last fret. I'd argue that's enough for the player to notice the extra width. Compared to my Music Mans, my Suhrs are 0.7 mm wider at the nut and 1.1 mm at the last fret, and it's immediately apparent when you compare them.

Btw, the Pia actually sports a 17 radius, and the Jems are 15.75.
 
177DC9CA-D6ED-4365-8B43-648198871658.jpegAndersons are fantastic. I usually put different pickups in them though.

This Grosh Sunset is my E flat, Floyd drop-only guitar for when I’m in an EVH mood. Really really love it. Has Thornbucker and Thornbucker+ pickups.
 
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I picked up an 80s "HM Strat" locally off craigslist for $800.

Pickups aren't original, and the mini-toggle switch does nothing, but def scratches that itch for me.

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One thing I forgot to mention: I'd try a Caparison if you can find one. Their upper fret access looks fantastic, especially the Horus, and everything I read about their quality sounds second to none.
 
One thing I forgot to mention: I'd try a Caparison if you can find one. Their upper fret access looks fantastic, especially the Horus, and everything I read about their quality sounds second to none.
I’ve wanted to check out one of their neck through designs for ages, but have yet to see one in the wild....
 
I’ve wanted to check out one of their neck through designs for ages, but have yet to see one in the wild....
I don't like supporting Guitar Center, but you could always order from their website then return the guitar to a store in person for free if you didn't like it. I ended up doing that with one of the new Mockingbirds with the Neal Moser wiring.
 
When I think of 80's metal/rock I think of Charvel.
I wonder what the most played guitar brand and model was in the 80s rock/metal? I always though Jackson when I thought 80s.

I ended up getting this Neon Pink Jackson Pro Dinky. When compared to the others I was looking at I like its wood and pickup configuration the best. I will eventually get a H-S-S guitar someday I'm sure but of all the ones I found I decided on the Dinky. I'm going to get the ESP Mirage 87 next. They are out of stock now.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PDK2NP--jackson-pro-series-dinky-dk2-neon-pink

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