Guitars

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Sandman2000

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I have $400 to spend on a new guitar.Im upgrading from my piece of ultra hot garbage Rogue Squier(Fender knockoff).Iv'e been looking at the Ibanez's and Jacksons,something with a himbucker.A friend recommend a standard strat, would that be good.I want something that's really vesitile.I play rock,reggae,blues,funk basically everything.After I get the new guitar I was planning on getting a new amp(a tube) and a Roland Gt-5.Im using a Rogue amp now.Another thing ,it has to have good action,the action on my Rogue is terrible.Do any of you have any suggestions? Holla.
 
Save up another couple of hundred and buy a used US Strat.

You may be able to find a 57/62 reissue.

Happy hunting!

foo
 
Best try before you buy. There should be a Fender in your future... But try them all. Get a knowledgeable friend to go with you - playing and listening are different.
 
Would agree on the strat. Also on the US made. When you try them out, check all that interest you first by playing them unplugged. The best guitars I've ever played just felt alive in my hands. If it sounds and feels good unamplified, then its just a matter of electronics after that, and pickups and pots can always be changed.

peace.
 
I bought a guitar Friday night. I had a Fender standard Strat in one hand ($550 used, already have 2) and the new Parker P-38 in the other ($599 new, very different). I bought the Parker. It has great strat tones from the neck and middle Alnico pickups, maybe even sweeter than my Strat with Texas Specials. The bridge is a very hot pickup, so you have a wider range of sound than on a normal Strat. Also, it has a Fishman Powerbridge, so you can get acoustic sounds out of it, or blend with the electric sounds.

Don't get me wrong, I really like Fender, but I love my Parkers.

H2H
 
What are you going to do with the guitar? Strats are nice but they can't take what I dish out so I use Jacksons. Two humbuckers and a Floyd with all the durability in the world. I use a Soloist Custom when I'm not abusing the whammy and other lower line Jackson Strat style guitars when I'm smacking the thing around. They all play and sound fantastic.
 
I'm an ex Jackson factory tech and will recommend them highly(Soloist,King V,Rhodes,Kelly),except for the $200 entry level stuff where the QC is iffy.This would work well if you are a more high-gain type of guy.
Strats are unexcelled at more traditional "roots" tones.I would avoid the CBS-owned years of '68 to '82 when they weren't so hot.Modern Strats are just as good as the "PreBS" ones without the vintage price tag.
Good luck on picking a new ax.

Tom
 
whatever you do, don't buy the ibanez. the only thing they make that's worth anything is a low end acoustic (for beginners who don't know how to play). other than that, ibanez pretty much sucks.

~the turtle
 
I wonder if Joe Satriani and Steve Vai would agree with that analysis.
 
seriousturtle said:
whatever you do, don't buy the ibanez. the only thing they make that's worth anything is a low end acoustic (for beginners who don't know how to play). other than that, ibanez pretty much sucks.

~the turtle
Click to expand...
Hmmm... as far as "Ibanez sucking" and the fact that Satriani and Vai both use them. You can bet that neither are using the $200 models... if you're paying $3000++ for a guitar, regardless of the manufacturer, the guitar just ISN'T going to "suck"...........

Kinda silly to make a blanket statement about a company's products based solely on their low-end offerings, don'cha think there Turtle??

Bruce
Blue Bear Sound
 
I have a Jem 555 and although it is only one of Ibanez's middle of the range offerings and the fact that owners of "proper" jems rag on it I can tell you that it does not come anywhere near sucking! In fact, I love it. Id probably marry it if I could, I love it that much!

And someone with as much money and talent as Vai is NOT going to be playing guitars that suck!

In fact turtle, I'd like to know what you have based your statement on. What models have you actually tried out?
 
Just to throw in my 2 cents about Ibanez guitars.

I bought a Ritenour prototype in 1979 from the Nevada rep in a store in Las Vegas - it was a magnificent guitar - although the pickups were way too hot for my taste, and I immediately changed them for Seymour Duncan's.

Great guitar, though, and I've also played many of the 'George Benson' models, and without exception, they have all been wonderful.

foo
 
I'll chime in... I think the Ibanez is just about the best ping on the penny if you are going to buy used. It seems the whole world has this odd conception of them so the resale prices suck (too bad for sellers-great for buyers). I scored a lame little EX series for a simple $100. Some simple tweaking and fine tuning and it does a fine job. For that matter I have an Ibanez electric12 that plays smoother than most 6's.
As far as the initial question "what guitar to upgrade" just play a mess of them. I have played shitty Taylors and amazing Deans. One never knows for sure until it is in your hands. Avoid mail order for that reason alone. And don't be afraid to pop into pawn shops. Theres an awful lot of fallen dreams hanging up in those places. You can often score a jewel that the owner is clueless about.
 
The most used and longest owned guitar I ever had was an Ibenez Artist model from the early 1980's. A hell of a guitar for the money I paid. Served me well. Like a big dumbass I sold it awhile back. I regret it still. Besides Satriani and Vai, there's also John Petrucci and host of other players Like Jazz greats (George Benson,Pat Metheny for instance) who can afford to play anything. There are other guitars to consider, but Ibenez is a good place to start.
 
I'd check out everything youc an try, and trust your easr more then what any of us might say. The styles you play might be suited more torwards a strat tone, but Ibanez's are good for all that too. I'd stay away from the RG's, they give more of a "high gain" tone. I personally own 2 of the S Series. The S470, and SV420. The S470 is about to go, already been sold on eBay, but thats just cause I'm sick of the damb double-locking trem. Theys oudn and play great. Neither is that expensive (both are in the $300-$600) I got the SV420 for $355 used (and thats a beauty). I'd also check out the Epiphone Les Pauls. I know they are kinda slack on quality control and other such things, but most of the ones I've played were great to me. I liked 'em and they played smooth. I think a real Gibson is a little out of your price range. Definately try out everything you can, and make your own decision.

Jake
 
let me clear my name here (if i can). granted, i haven't played many ibanez guitars, only because of the few that i played, i thought that the playability was awful. have you ever played a guitar that sounded great, but you didn't like the feel? well, that's what i thought. the frets were too sharp, you know, poking a little over the fretboard, so you scratch your hand up and stuff. and this was right when i started out playing guitars years ago. guess it's bout time to try em out again. sorry for the "blanket statement"

~the turtle
 
Turtle.. don't feel alone! I really don't like the Ibanez guits either. I was a huge Yamaha fan for the longest time because their low end guitars were still made well, until i played a new one!! The low E was buzy, the whammy wouldn't stay in tune, and the switches sucked..... why is buying a low end guitar such a gamble???

argh.... next guit I buy will be an ESP LTD.
 
Remember, a lot of that can be fixed with a decent setup. Switches and wiring - well, that's a problem, isn't it? I'm still looking for an Epi jazzbox. Someday I'll find one with decent wiring and then I'll have some serious explaining to do at home...
 
I COULD do a setup on a brand new guitar... or I COULD buy one that was set up well out of the box. My experience shows that some guitars cannot be set up well, so I buy ones that are set up nice and don't have a buzz in the low E.
 
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