Official buying advice thread

Ibanez are fucking awesome. Agreed, a lot of people who play them are considered "shredders" but that doesn't mean you can't use them for anything else. From experience, RG's have wonderful playability and sound. I play a large array of music styles and find ibanez fits the bill every time. Only thing some people dislike is the ibanez edge pro bridges, but personally, I have no beef with them. I'd recommend an RG550, RG770DX, RG505 or RG750; although saying that, all those models are actually discontinued :lol:
 
Ibanez have a reputation for shredders, yes. They also have a reputation for being a company that offers a guitar to suit anyone's needs, anyone's budget, and more often than not a guitar that will be equal to or greater than the average guitar in that price range. Ibanez is a more than solid company with a great consistency for making fine guitars, no matter the price range. I'd say Ibanez is the better choice, especially for a metal player. PRS is great and all, but I personally find their sound to be more classic or vintage-based, and doesn't suit metal too well. Plus, the SE series guitars aren't that great for the price, anyways.

Not everyone who uses Ibanez is a shredder type player, but there is a reason lots of shredders play Ibanez. ;)
 
fuck PRS! over priced CNC'd pieces of shit. they are the same quality as everything else mass produced, but way more exspensive. you could probably cut the price of a PRS in half and get close to what it actually should cost, given its features. and that SE is pretty pathetic

go for the ibanez
~gR~
 
RG's are usually a reasonable default. But then, they're just a reasonable default.
I think you should figure out what you're looking for in a guitar. Tone, playability, and whether or not you really need a trem bar. I'm not saying Ibanez RG or PRS are bad, but it would be a good idea for you to just go into a guitar shop and try out everything you can afford until you find what you like.

I currently play one of these and it's pretty solid. I heard good things and ordered one from ebay out of blind experimentation. No regrets.
Mine has a custom finish/color-scheme body on it though though, because I'm more of a badass than the standardized shit Musician's Friend carries.
I get a little bit of low-E buzz in some spots, but that can generally be adjusted.
The tone is great. I had to raise the neck pickup a little to get a reasonable volume out of it, but now it sounds great.
One of the selling points Washburn tries to make is the Buzz Feinten tuning system they use. It does stay in tune really well, it's just that the tuning pegs are pretty sensitive.
Very versatile. Plays well. Washburn Idols are wonderful guitars.

Anyway...
I dig the RG series by Ibanez.
They're a good standard mid-level guitar if you're not too picky about what you're looking for, and if you just want to play Metal. They're not very versatile, but they work.
Great action, a locking trem on most models, and reasonable tone (although personally, I would replace the pickups).
Jackson Dinkys are solid guitars too. I don't care what anyone says. Maybe just switch the pickups and you're good.
Don't get a Warlock. I'm biased and you can't convince me otherwise, but I don't like BC Rich Warlocks. They don't play well, their tone sucks, they're heavy, the cool looking body shape actually feels very uncomfortable, and every other retarded amateur out there has one. Do you want to look and sound like a retarded amateur? I didn't think so.
Micheal Kelly guitars are another fantastic option. They need no explanation. If you see one, play it. They sound and look beautiful.

Even take the time to look at semi-hollows.
They always sound great if you have the right amp. Yes, even for Metal... potentially--just different.
 
I'm looking for amps.
Combo amps, heads+cabs, or stacks. Any or all.

My first idea is just to go into a guitar shop and try shit out until I find something I like.
That said, the only thing I know to look for is tone.
I don't know shit about hardware, and I doubt tone is the only important thing to look for in an amp.

Another thing I'm interested in is modding and customization.
Does anyone have any links or know any for books that I can check out to learn more about modding an amp?
Guitar tech shit in general?

Aside from this, just generally talk about amps and shit. There's a lot about equipment that I don't know.
Here's what I have now, and have been on since I started playing over 2 and 1/2 years ago. It's pretty killer.
It's pretty loud for 65w. At really low volumes it sounds tolerable--when I turn it up it sounds badass. And it has the transtube feature, to add to the sound.
But, despite sounding great on both the lead and clean channel, it's not what I'm looking for. And I've been using it for over 2 and a half years. I've grown as a musician, and need to try new things.

EDIT:
If anyone has any suggestions for what kind of amps I should look at... I'm looking for versatility. Even a modeling amp might be cool, like a fancy Line 6 or something.
I don't really play Metal. I make for a great Metal guitarist, but I opt for diversity and virtuosity. I'm a very adventurous musician, and I need the equipment that can take me where I want to go.
I'm also looking at multi-effects pedals.
 
price range would be nice...
if you're looking for a practice amp, vox makes some nice cheap solid states that have great versatility. Line 6 amps also have some good versatility. But if you also want to get a multi effects pedal, then I don't know what to tell you...
marshalls are good for a hard rockin' sound - ac/dc, iron maiden, and hammerfall use them
kranks are good for a badass metal tone - i believe amon amarth and megadeth use them
ac30s give a good rock/blues tone
oranges give a good rock/metal tone
etc...

but those would be pretty expensive, so it's important that you let us know your budget...
 
Elimist said:
My first idea is just to go into a guitar shop and try shit out until I find something I like.
That said, the only thing I know to look for is tone.
Click to expand...

stop there.

that is exactly what you should do, and tone is the only thing that matters
~gR~
 
I'll say I have a $1000 budget. Maybe a little over. Probably nothing over $1200, unless I did some very smart ebaying.
I don't have money now, because I'm in college, but after working all summer break I might be able to pick something up.
 
WeAreInFlames said:
ooh, that too...what else do you care about besides tone?
well, i guess if it isn't loud enough...aside from volume and tone, though, there's really nothing.
Click to expand...

on a guitar amp? id prolly pick somthing with reverb. but my primary concern is good tone.
~gR~
 
Fancy Line 6? Vetta II head is quite "fancy", but id say fuck solid states. I myself Use a ENGL head for my metal and then a Dr.Z for country, blue etc, and other amps as well
 
Yeah they are fairly in the pricey range. Wonderful amps though, super clean and clear.

Also, for any fans of the nice overdriven sound ( blues, rock, country?), I would greatly recommend Dr.z amps. They can become quite saturated at tines, but a beautiful effect.
 
Drums are going to make noise...
He could wrap something around the heads of the drumsticks, I believe this would muffle the sound. He could go in the basement, assuming they have one.

(pointless closing remark:)
But last time I checked, rock and roll was about making some noise, ffs.
 
Yeah, an electronic drumset would be nice. It looks kinda silly, though. I've also heard that its a little bit easier to play (no personal experience, just rumour). Would probably be enough til he is 18 and moves out (assuming he does).
 
I'm thinking I need a guitar, as keys (my main instrument) are only so useful in metal. My budget isn't too much; $300 max probably. This makes me think one of those kits with a guitar, amp and a bunch of other shit would be what I need. But which kits actually come with stuff that's decent for metal?

Thanks
 
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