The Complete Idiot's Guide To: Buying Guitars

[BrandonS]

I am the complete idiot.

I would really like these features in a guitar:

- Noiseless recording, no static.
- Whammy Bar!
- Stays in tune while playing and using whammy..
- Good for playing live AND recording in the studio.

And I also want a good acoustic guitar with a nice, full sound.
But I have no idea how to find the right guitars with the features I want, and without making me sell my house and car to afford it. I need to buy a good electric, and also an acoustic. Sound quality means a lot to me!

Can someone help a complete idiot?

 

[Progbass]

You might want to check out Ibanez or ESP.

 

[NoSoup4you]

Whammy bars SUCK unless they're on really expensive guitars.

 

[the_satanic_rabbit]

Whammy bars SUCK unless they're on really expensive guitars.

Depends on what you consider to be really expensive. You can get LTD models with an original floyd rose on them, that's one of the best trems out there. As I always say check out Carvin. Top quality instruments that don't do too much damage to your wallet. If you like the feel of an ESP or upper level LTD (with EMG's) that's a good choice. It will be great for recording and they are built like a tank so they are great for live settings too. I couldn't deal with the painted neck, but that's just me.

In reality there is no idiot's guide for buying guitars. It's all trial and error. What's great for you could be completely unplayable for me. Don't get wrapped up in brandnames too much. Just buy something that feels good to you, sounds good, and appears to be well built.

 

[ElPredicador]

I have a low-end Ibanez, and I just hate the Floyd Rose it came with... I'd just say stay away from double-sided (i.e. bends both ways) whammys unless (as you said) you want to sell your car . I'd focus on getting a good nut and machine heads, so they won't screw your tuning (there are some machine heads with a blocking mechanism). That would eliminate the tuning problem. Pointing to a specific guitar is kind of difficult, though. I am planning to buy a Fender Stratocaster, in case you're interested

 

[karelrulez]

I have the Ibanez GSA60, really cheap model. All the reviews on the internet were raving, but this thing just SUCKS. It seemed good, it was the first time I was going to look for a guitar, and bought it. It goes out of tune within minutes and you can practically forget about using the tremolo bar.

 

[Progbass]

I have the Ibanez GSA60, really cheap model. All the reviews on the internet were raving, but this thing just SUCKS. It seemed good, it was the first time I was going to look for a guitar, and bought it. It goes out of tune within minutes and you can practically forget about using the tremolo bar.

Yep, the low end Ibanez are really not that good but for example S470 or RG350 and models up from those got pretty good tremolo and pickups I think.

 

[zakk_hate_me_666]

i have a jackson kellystar ks2 with a liscensed floyd and it never slips out of tune.

pic here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33044&item=7311704787&rd=1&tc=photo

 

[ABQShredHead]

My first guitar was an old Aria Pro Stray Cat RS I bought at the mall in 1984. I upgraded it through the years with a Kahler flat mount and EMG pick ups. I paid $230 for the guitar (money from my paper route) and a Fender Sidekick 10 amp. Even though it was a cheap guitar, everybody who plays it wants to keep it. My guitar teacher wanted to trade his strat for it. I'd have to say from that experience there is nothing wrong with a cheap guitar. Upgrade it. Just like you'd buy a beater from the junkyard and drop in a 502 long block and take it to the strip, do the same with your guitar.

The original post mentioned desiring "noiseless recording, no static". If you're getting static on the output, I would look through your wiring for a bad ground connection. Guitars aren't supposed to put out static noises.

For tremolo units, it's hard to beat the Ibanez EDGE. I've also like the Lo-TRS on the seven string - my palm rests on it very well and it's comfortable for my playing. I haven't had either unit go out of tune easily. But, keeping a tremolo unit in tune is largely a part of proper string installation. When you put on a new string, tune it to pitch, lock in the tremolo, and then wank the hell out if for a while to ensure the new string is properly stretched. Then unlock, detune that string, and bring it back to pitch. You shouldn't have any tuning problems with a double-locking system (i.e., anything Floyd Rose licensed).

 

[theunforgiven246]

i have an ibanez rg 350dx and i think its awsome. the tremolo is good but the arm holder isnt that good (its loose in there and i cant do trem flutters with it lke that but the tremolo as a whole is awsome and stays in tune very well). now for me to hijack the thread.... my trem on it makes a very small amount of static when i'm no playing anything and the bar hits the metal surrounding the trem holder. its not interfering with the sound and can only be heard when not playing anything and even then its quiet but its just a little annoying. now onto more important matters! just play the guitar and see how you like it. i'm also not really brand loyal but i do love the way ibanez necks feel but esp are good too.

 

[SyXified]

Parker Fly. Nuff Said. Those are the best guitars ever made, hands down.

In terms of your desires
-Parkers hold perfect tune. I did a 3 week recording and it stayed in perfect tune the whole time, I checked constantly on a digital tuner, didn't slip a bit. Sperzel locking tuners and the Fishman bridge
-Whammy bar control is brilliant. You can really bend to a specific pitch. Doesn't knock you out of tune.
-Comfortable live? They weigh 3 to 5 pounds and are designed to balance perfectly, you don't have to hold them, they just stay where they should.
-recording? www.myspace.com/unholymothers

Also, carbon neck (never gets warped) stainless steel frets, piezo acoustic simulation channel. Custom dimarzio pickups. NOTHING beats parker.

 

[Progbass]

NOTHING beats parker.

Maybe so, but Parker will beat your wallet

 

[SyXified]

Maybe so, but Parker will beat your wallet

Yeah... but you can snag one on ebay for around $800 if you are patient enough. And considering that you'll never have to get a fret level, truss adjustment, action adjustment, pickup replacement, pot replacement, etc it isn't too bad. The Nightfly M's with the mahogany bodies originally went for $500 for some reason, those were the days.

 

[Valgeir]

ESPs are pretty nice. The mid-range LTD stuff would be good if you wanted to save money, but putting in a few extra bucks might be a good idea. I don't think you can go wrong with an LTD 200 series or over.

 

[Romeo.jr]

I think your best bet would be an Ibanez with the Double Edge Trem. I think if you go to guitarasylum.com you can get a 1280x for about $900. This is a great all around guitar... the piezo bridge is especially useful if you want something that is actually comparable to an acoustic guitar.

 

[Horus]

O.K. Here's my philosophy on buying guitars, in multiple points.
1: Good and cheap? Either an LTD or a cheaper Jackson. With those 2 companies, it's pretty hard to go wrong. Not too cheap, because then it's not worth it.
2: Whammy bar? Not necessary. Nice, but you don't need it. A bunch of cheaper guitars are usually stop-bar or string thru + tune-o-matic, so forget it.
3. Many LTD's stay in tune really good. they get knocked out occasionally, but you'll just have to deal with that. It happens to everybody, except people who actually do sell their houses and cars to buy custom shop guitars.
4.Get something with EMG or Seymour Duncan pickups. They are 2 of the best sounding pickup companies out there. Duncan Designed pickups are o.k. but good if you're on a horribly tight budget. EMG's are really good for high gain heavy distortion and Seymour Duncans are just really versatile and are good for everything.
5. What's my point, you ask? This all adds up to a select few guitars:

The LTD 400 series, or the DV8-R.
They're all good guitars. They all feel nice, and they're really cool on stage, but above all, they all sound great. I own the DV8-R, and i love it. It was worth every penny.I love it and so do my friends...A little bit too much.

 

[BalanceofPower]

I would say Ibanez RG models. I have a RG 470DX, you probably don't want to go lower than that model number. They are pretty fairly priced, and will hold up the torture of playing metal really well hahaha. You can easily set it up so it will stay in tune if you are using the whammy bar.

 

[BrandonS]

Anything would be better than what I have now!
I do have crappy cords but there is still static, always static coming from inside the guitar. Not like the loud static when you have a bad cord and you move it around, but the kind of low static that you can notice on recordings, its pretty annoying.

 

[Progbass]

Anything would be better than what I have now!
I do have crappy cords but there is still static, always static coming from inside the guitar. Not like the loud static when you have a bad cord and you move it around, but the kind of low static that you can notice on recordings, its pretty annoying.

You might want to check that you aren't recording too close to the monitor, if you are, turn the monitor off, since it can cause pretty annoying static.

 

[Magian]

For my money the Ibanez ZR bridges are a fantastic choice that stay in tune quite well. I have one on my S470DX and it is by far the best bridge I have ever owned.