gassin for a new guitar

The_Kid said:
quonsar, i understand the comment, but i bought them both when I was younger, and didnt expect to be where I am today. So, with that in mind, I can only shine something so far... i'm looking to upgrade the final pieces of my rig and to take care of them properly...so please keep that in mind kindly.
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Some kind of misunderstanding appears to be in play. Do you really have 600 guitars?
 
CHECK CRAIGSLIST!!! I have been watching the music instruments section for the last couple months. WOW. I have seen some INSANE guitars. Last week, a totally custom Fender Strat called "Frankenstrat"...Dimarzio Crunch Lab in the bridge, scalloped fretboard, all black with rosewood...$375....Charvel Model 6 in fire crackle with sharkfin inlays....$400....Official ESP KH-2 Kirk Hammet...$900....I have a KH-2...Sick guitar. And then the holy grail of modern guitars....The EBMM BFR JP6 Island Burst with Ebony...NEED IT!!
 
How much are you looking to spend? You can get a nice Carvin used for around $1000...maybe a little more or little less depending on what you want. They are GREAT guitars.
 
yes it was a mistype/misunderstand, i only have 2 guitars, but they were in the $400-600 range. Sorry for the issue.

I do watch craigslist, but I'm not sure i like the pressure of playing someone else's guitar and deciding on the spot with someone standing right there. I'd prefer to bring my axe fx rig to gc or whatever store and plug in and hear it with my rig...and really sit with the guitar(s).

When looking at guitars...being that I've never really 'shopped' for them. what should I look at/for in regards to what is quality and what isnt?
 
I've played guitar for over 30 years and have tried pretty much every guitar out there... with the exception of some of the newer models. I can sit here and tell you that I don't like Les Paul's or Ibanez and that you should get a PRS or a Suhr but that isn't going to do you any good. The only person who knows what's right for you... is YOU. The best thing you can do is to go to a store and try a whole bunch out and find what suits YOU.
 
The_Kid said:
When looking at guitars...being that I've never really 'shopped' for them. what should I look at/for in regards to what is quality and what isnt?
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Mmm, that can turn into a pretty long list :) And it's not necessarily a question of quality, but preference. Starting at the headstock so:

* Tuners - good locking tuners gives you better tuning stability and makes changing strings alot easier. Preferably staggered tuners.
* Nut - Hard to tell just by looking at it, but a good quality nut is also essential for tuning stability. Bone and graphite nuts are good.
* Fretboard woodtype - Ebony, rosewood, maple etc. Has a minor influence on the sound of the guitar (so it's said at least :D). I prefer maple on mine, simply because it looks best to me :)
* Frets, size - Ask what kind of frets are on it, as in stainless steel frets etc. They also come in different sizes like super jumbo, medium jumbo etc, try them and see what you prefer. All my guitars have had super jumbos, except my latest one, the Am. Dlx. Strat, which has medium jumbo. And as it turns out, I actually much prefer the medium jumbo frets :)
* Fretboard radius - this relates to the curvature of the fretboard. A larger radius like for instance 14" means the fretboard is flatter, which makes it easier to bend the string without having them fret out. But then again, a smaller radius like 9.5" (more curvature) makes chordwork easier. Alot of modern guitars have 'compound radius' which means they start off at 9.5" at the nut and end up at 14" at the top fret, giving you the best of both worlds. I prefer it like that :)
* Neck shape, finish - some necks are thicker, some are thinner, and they vary in shape (c-style, v-style etc). Again, try a variety if you can and see what you like. Check the finish on the back side of the neck and see if it feels comfortable. Some guitars (like my JEM7V) has a somewhat sticky gloss finish on the back of the neck, I actually don't like that very much.
* Neck joint, cutaway - check and see if it's easy to access the top frets. Some bolt-on necks have a 'micro-tilt' adjustment, which can be handy when finetuning your action.
* Body shape, type of wood - Again, has some impact on the sound of the guitar.
* Pickups - Tons of choices, not much to say, 100% preference :)
* Knobs, switches - Are they comfortably located for you, easy to get to without moving your hand too far?
* Trem system, again lots of choices and mostly down to preference.

And ofc, finish and appearance, a nice axe should look good as well :)

Quick and dirty, but should give some idea about what to look for I hope.
 
Thank you Kitty for your knowledge and experience you shared. I have some experience, regarding what I like and dont like so far, but I may not know the specs of what I'm playing. I really only have experience on 5 guitars total, and thats including my two.

* Tuners - What makes staggered tuners better? Both my guitars have a 3/3 combination. I dont have use for a Floyd setup, so anything 'locking' isnt needed, unless i'm missing something in that setup.
* Nut - I know I had my Dime guitar's nut replaced with a graphite one when it broke while restringing once...so I get the bone/graphite thing here.
* Fretboard woodtype - I'm not sure what my guitars have here, its either ebony or rosewood. I'm guessing rosewood, because i think its a less expensive wood to use (i could be wrong). I'm not partial to the wood, but from a looks perspective there are a few of each that I do like so i'm open here.
* Frets, size - I really have no idea what kind of frets I have on my guitars, so I will have to go on what I feel at the stores. I can probably ask my buddy who has 2 PRS guitars and compare...but I always see 'jumbo SS' frets advertised. Am i incorrect that the bigger the frets, the more it would feel like running your fingers over railroad ties when I doing a slide, lol? I dont have a better way to describe it...I guess I picture jumbo frets having a larger profile on the neck....
* Fretboard radius - This is something that I know what I like, but again have no specs to attach to what I feel. Both my guitars seem to have a feel i've gotten used to. This is also tied into the next topic....
* Neck shape, finish - neck shape...again no real specs to speak of, only feel. I played on a LP and it was like a small bat...was ok, but too small and too small of a radius it felt. An Ibanez style, of all Ibanez's i've played, I dont care for the necks. they feel too straight and the top/bottom are uncomfortable on my hand. My buddy's PRS are ok, but I was so focused on right hand technique, my new patch sounds that I didnt get a good evaluation. Scale length isnt much of an importance either, but I again have no specs to compare. My Dime is longer than my Squire, but i'm ok with either. Tension on the Dime is better at E tuning.
* Neck joint, cutaway - I have more access with my Dime, my squire is fine, but I have a hard time reaching fret 21 and I have some solo's that reach that so that is important to me.
* Body shape, type of wood - not a big concern...open to strat/tele/LP, not sure what woods my guitars are Dime is pretty dark sounding, my Squire LP style guitar is pretty bright.
* Pickups - stock pickups are ok, I'm assuming at the pricepoint in my head I have, pups should be decent for my use. I have swapped pups before and have no issues improving the sound later if needed.
* Knobs, switches - I like the LP stype of 2/2 setup for vol/tone. I dont need a 5 way switch like strat styles have, my guitars have a 3 way, and I'm ok and like these options with decent pups.
* Trem system, not really into the trem/floyd thing...

I hope that helps a bit...lol...I am learning as I go and appreciate all your help/time....thanks again.
 
My favourite bang vs bucks buy, has to be my epiphone Joe Bonamassa les Paul gold top which comes with burstbucker pickups and as its from the epiphone custom shop, its done to an excelent standard,I have zero complaints on the finish or the setup from factory!!
Had a few LP's over the years and as a working guitar this certainly takes the Pepsi challenge!
 
You're welcome, happy to help :) I see you've already got a good idea what you like and that's good, will make it alot easier for you to choose the right one for you.

About the tuners, I'd still recommend locking tuners. The reason being they make string changes alot easier, and greatly improves tuning stability since you won't have alot of windings around the peg. When you put on a new string on a non-locking tuner, it takes a while longer for the string to remain in tune since the tension has to settle through multiple wraps around the post. With a locking tuner, you just pull the string taut through the peg and wind it up, and usually end up having 1/2 to 1 wind around the peg when you're tuned up, so there's nothing there that requires time to settle. This is not the same as a locking nut, which is typically associated with a Floyd Rose :) Staggered tuners gives better tension distribution across the nut, and usually removes the need for a string tree on the top B and E strings, which is another friction point removed from the equation towards good tuning stability.

The fret size relates to how high above the fretboard the top of the wire sits. The deciding factor here is personal playstyle, since it alters the feel of the guitar in regards to how much tension you have to put on the string to properly fret it. I play with a lighter touch and slide alot, so the medium frets suit me better :)

Fretboard wood choice is debatable I suppose. It has a minor impact on tone, but there are so many other factors that influence tone in a much greater degree, I feel this doesn't really matter much. I pick mine purely on looks and feel :)
The body wood is more important, and one of the reasons why some guitars are alot more expensive, since they use rarer and select wood types that work better as a whole with the rest of the guitar. It's that extra 5% of mojo magic :)

Just shoot away if you have anything else on your mind :)

Edit: Btw, it can also be handy to take a look at the intonation system on the bridge, since some are easier to deal with. My Strat has a very nice and elegant setup, all I need for intonation is a Philips screwdriver and the screws are easily accessible. The Gotoh bridge on my AT100CL is a bit more fiddly to intonate, I have to insert a special tension screw into it and loosen a locking bolt to move the saddle. And already after just a few intonations, the head of the locking bolt is starting to wear, so it's a less than ideal method if you ask me :)
 
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Thanks again guys, I think you have all provided me with a much better base of knowledge for me to start looking...now just time to get out there and start getting a feel for some of them.
 
Try to get out to some music stores and try every guitar they have in your price range.

I like to listen without it plugged in first but some folks say that has nothing to do with the plugged in sound.

You are likely to bond with one or more guitars with this approach. You will know. You will just feel "this is the one".
 
The Schecters are pretty cool. I have a C1 Elite and with the humbuckers that are split able, you can get a huge variety of sounds. High gain to bluesy...especially when teamed with an axefx!! Lol. And the access to all 24 frets is great.

But like everyone said, if you can try them out that would be best. but at least you have some ideas instead of aimlessly looking.
 
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