Pick my next guitar!!

  • Thread starter Thread starter Aaron Cheney
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Aaron Cheney

Aaron Cheney

Favorite Chord: C 6/9
Here are my criteria:
budget up to around $1500
I want 2 humbuckers, no single coils
I don't want a Gibson
Must be available with rosewood or ebony board
I want a trem, but absolutely not a locking trem
No pointy guitars

I'm thinking an Ernie Ball Axis Sport. I might consider a used PRS, but I think they are way overpriced. I prefer guitars in the Strat family, and I would really like a Don Grosh, but they are way out of my budget.

Options?

Aaron
http://www.voodoovibe.com
 
Aaron-

Before you make your decision, please play an older PRS ce-22 or ce-24...say pre 1995....with a trem. (After 1994 they were changed to Mahogany bodies instead of alder, and got different trems and tuners) You can find them for under $1000 if you look hard enough. My personal choice (especially if you're used to a strat) is a CE-22. Alot of people say bad things about the bolt-on PRS's, but after a recommendation from none other than Ed Roman, I tried one out and never looked back. No one has ever said anything bad about mine after they played it. Ask Treeline or PG Lewis they both played it. Treeline commented it was the only electric guitar he had ever liked.

If not, then a Parker Fly is my second recommendation for my next favorite...unless that is too pointy for ya :) I've recently seen used ones for $900.

H2H
 
Reverend Guitar

Check out the reverend guitars. http://www.reverendguitars.com It's a bit pointy but not in the 'pointy' league of BC Rich etc. Finding double humbuckers and have to be in a Strat family is a bit difficult but the first thing that came to mind with your description is the Rocco or the Slingshot (with 2 P90s).

It's the sound as well as the vibe thing. You'll have to play as many as you possible can to really know what you are really looking for.
 
I would say Peavey Wolfgang, but i think its either a standard bridge or a locking Floyd......
 
I know you said you don't want a Gibson, but you might want to take a look at their Firebirds. Nothing else like 'em.
 
64Firebird said:
I know you said you don't want a Gibson, but you might want to take a look at their Firebirds. Nothing else like 'em.
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I'll agree with that.
They're sweet guitars.
 
Hard2Hear,
I actually owned a '91 CE-24 for quite a while and I must agree that it was a great sounding guitar, perhaps the best I've owned. I eventually sold it because it was starting to go. I could hear a strange "creaking" in the neck, like something shifting in the truss-rod cavity, and every time I picked it up I felt like I had to hold it so gingerly or it was going to fall apart. That, combined with the "collectability" factor of a pre- '95 PRS made me feel like I couldn't really man-handle it. I'm not rough with my guitars by any means, but I don't want to fear them. :eek:

Wolfgang: considering it, maybe the non-trem version, it's very close to the Axis Sport, which comes with non-locking trem.

Reverend: considered it, but leary of the non-traditional materials

Parker: mmmmmm.... just not my bag. Too modern.

Firebird: I'll have to try one. I'll try to ignore my anti-Gibson bias and approach it with an open mind. I've also been thinking about trying an SG again. I've never had a good experience with Gibson though. I must unlearn what I have learned.......

Just to clarify, I am no stranger to guitars. I've been at it quite a while now, and I've played durn near everything. But like most guitarists, I'm looking for that elusive cool thing I might have missed.... that tone I have somehow overlooked.....

Aaron
http://www.voodoovibe.com
 
For 1500 you could easily get a custom made Master Series guitar from Route 101 guitars (http://route101guitars.com/). They have lower-end models that are great, but but fairly cheap. But their Master Series custom stuff you have to get quoted over the phone. However, they make great guitars, I've played 3 of their "cheap" ones, and they hold their tuning better than any other guitars I've played, play great, and sound great. Plus the wiring/shielding is impeccable, and they can wire up a bunch of cool options including pretty much any pickups you want, coil taps, and interesting pickup combos. I heard about them from www.guitarnuts.com, they guy there is a wiring fanatic...
 
Take a look at the price sheet for the Quicksilver.
$1,500 is the base price for the basic "el strippo" model.

They charge a small fortune for each add-on, and EVERYTHING is an "add-on" on that guitar.

For $450 you can buy a Samick UM-4 (PRS copy) that has Grovers, a Wilkinson Tremolo, a beautiful flametop, and Duncan designed humbuckers.
With less than $200 in modifications (REAL Duncans and an upgraded input jack and wiring) you have a total PRS killer for under $700 with a case.
I have a UM-4 and everyone who's played it so far has fallen in love with it. Two other players at the jam nite I go to every week have ordered the same guitar after playing my Samick. It's THAT good! Both of these guys own top-notch American-made Strats and Les Pauls and have decades of playing experience... these aren't "beginners".

That would leave a nice chunk of change to buy other stuff. ;)
 
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Buck62 said:
Take a look at the price sheet for the Quicksilver.
$1,500 is the base price for the basic "el strippo" model.

They charge a small fortune for each add-on, and EVERYTHING is an "add-on" on that guitar.

For $450 you can buy a Samick UM-4 (PRS copy) that has Grovers, a Wilkinson Tremolo, a beautiful flametop, and Duncan designed humbuckers.
With less than $200 in modifications (REAL Duncans and an upgraded input jack and wiring) you have a total PRS killer for under $700 with a case.
I have a UM-4 and everyone who's played it so far has fallen in love with it. Two other players at the jam nite I go to every week have ordered the same guitar after playing my Samick. It's THAT good! Both of these guys own top-notch American-made Strats and Les Pauls and have decades of playing experience... these aren't "beginners".

That would leave a nice chunk of change to buy other stuff. ;)
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I personally dislike the Samick UM-4. It's still a mass produced guitar. Of course you're going to pay more for a hand-made guitar. The design and playability of the Quicksilver exceeds that of the Samick UM-4. It has a bolt-in neck like PRS but 24 frets with the neck pickup bolted right on to the neck. The bridge pickup is bolted to the top. The Quicksilver's "el-stripo" model has REAL Duncans good input and wiring right off the bat. Keep in mind that the add-on's aren't photo-flames or veneers and you can SUPPLY YOUR OWN PARTS. That includes woods. If you can find it used at a lower price it can be put on the guitar. It has a Tone Pros hardtail bridge (the best hardtail you can get).

After the modifications to the Samick UM-4, the fact remains that the Quicksilver is still a better guitar. You get what you pay for.

The question is, what do you want, a better guitar or more money in your wallet?
 
Well, the UM-4 isn't a bolt-on or bolt-in, it's a set neck.
The sustain on it hangs for days, it's incredible!
The design and playability of the Quicksilver exceeds that of the Samick UM-4.
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C'mon, you know better than that.
That's completely subjective to each individual player and just YOUR opinion.
I'm sure the Quicksilver is a wonderful guitar in every aspect.
I just can't justify forking over $2,000 (or more) for a hand-built guitar, neither can the average Joe for the most part.
Granted, it's a foto-flame on the Samick, but it looks damned good and will still get all the "ooh's" and "ah's" that a real flametop gets... but for a third of the price.
The question is, what do you want, a better guitar or more money in your wallet?
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More money!

If I can get a guitar that's 90 to 95% as good as an original PRS in playability, tone & looks, yet costs a third of the price... I WANT IT!!!!
The Ultramatic UM-4 delivers when it comes to value.
The mods are an easy, low-cost alternative to shelling out big $$$ for a real PRS. Besides, what your paying for is mostly labor costs anyway. The union-employees at PRS probably make triple or quadruple what the Koreans make in wages. I won't argue with the statement that "you get what you pay for". But every now and then a product comes along that breaks that rule.

The Samick UM-4 is one of those rule-breakers.

Don't take my word for it, read the reviews of those who own them....
http://www.harmony-central.com/Guitar/Data4/Samick/2023-Ultramatic-01.html
 
Well, with a bit of patience and searching, you can probably find a used Anderson in great shape for around $1500.

Or you can call Tommy at USA Custom Guitars and order a body and neck to your own specs and put it together yourself. :)

By the way, I would NEVER order anything from Ed Roman, after hearing a LOT of negative things about his customer service. Yeah, it's all second hand, but it's enough to scare me off.
 
Hey Buck, don't fret about the G man. He's never played any of those guitars he's talking about. He won't even shell out $400.00 for a jap Strat.
 
Buck62 said:
Well, the UM-4 isn't a bolt-on or bolt-in, it's a set neck.
The sustain on it hangs for days, it's incredible!

C'mon, you know better than that.
That's completely subjective to each individual player and just YOUR opinion.
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Structurally, the Quicksilver beats the UM-4, but yes, as far as playability and sound goes that just my opinion.

When I played the UM-4 it didn't sustain all that well. It felt kinda stiff and unnatural. One of the cuts in the body was pretty bad and I couldn't get a decent jazz tone out of the thing. It might have been one of the lemons but i've played Schecter's that I liked better.

Just my opinion though...

I haven't heard anything about bad customer service from Ed Roman but it's possible. You could easily get screwed at a superstore as well but people still buy guitars there...
 
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