Review your Guitars here!

[Fragle]

hey guys,

i thought it would be a cool idea to write a few words about the guitars you've owned/still own, explicitly highlighting pro's and con's for each guitar etc.

i'll start:

1)
Dean Vendetta 4 in see-thru blue
Neck-Through construction, tune-o-matic bridge, currently equipped with a dimarzio tonezone (bridge) and air norton (neck).
this guitar plays REALLY well. the neck is rather slim, and fret access to high frets is very easy due to the neck through construction. the finish looks great, and build quality is very good too. it has heaps of sustain and punch, but doesn't quite sound as sharp as a bolt-on guitar would.
cons: the stock pickups are shit. with the new pickups, the sound is full, lots of lows and highs, detailed midrange. it's a great rhythm axe and plays very well for lead work, but the tone zone isn't the best lead pickup.
overall very recommended!
price: 500 euro new, plus 200 for the pickups

2)
Jackson DKMGT, black.
bolt-on, fixed bridge, 2 EMG pickups (81 bridge 85 neck).
this guitar really benefits from the EMGs. it seems to me as if the wood quality is inferior to the dean's....it has a very sharp attack and a pronounced midrange, but doesn't resonate as well as the dean.
the neck is medium sized i'd say, high fret access is OK for being a bolt-on guitar. build quality is decent, but lately the volume pot has been acting strange.
soundwise it's great for lead work, and solid as a rhythm axe. nothing amazing, but an overall solid axe.
price: around 800 euro new, i paid 300 used.

3)
peavey v-type limited edition, black-grey-ish finish.
gotoh tuners, 2 unknown pickups (probably peavey made), 24 frets, bolt-on, licensed floyd rose tremolo.
this guitar is a BEAST. it's very cheap, but the acoustic sound, the resonance, everything is right up there with the high end stuff. the unplugged sound and feel for example kicks my other guitar players ESP M II out of the water. it plays very fast, great fret access, very stable tremolo, very good build quality.
the only downside are the stock pickups. they're OK....good for thrash stuff, but can't handle low tunings and fast picking very well. i might swap them out sometime but as it is it works perfectly in my thrash band.
price: i don't know for sure....i think the limited editions used to go for around 700 euro, but they're discontinued. i bought it from a friend for 150 euro


4)
Charvel Model 3, blue finish
22 frets, bolt on, licensed floyd tremolo (IIRC), H-S-S configuration.
very heavy axe. weighs a ton. the stock pickups suck beyond belief, i replaced the bridge with a dimarzio steves special i had lying around. still doesn't impress me. the tremolo build quality also is no match to the peavey.
with the right bridge pickup and blocked tremolo, it's a decent rhythm axe. nothing amazing though.
price paid: 250 euro used...they're long discontinued

5)
ESP LTD m 207 seven string, translucent black
7 string, 2 duncan designed humbuckers, licensed floyd rose, bolt on
where to start..... the acoustic sound is a bit flat and uninspiring. the pickups SUCK. the tremolo doesn't stay in tune very well.
the playability though is outstanding. very fast neck, very comfortable to play. i guess with some emg 81-7 and replaced tremolo this could be a kickass axe, but right now i don't have a band that needs a 7string so i'm only noodling nevermore on this axe...
price paid: can't remember....350 euro used i think.


that's it for me....i could write a few sentences about my friend's guitars (inculding caparison, ESP custom shop, lots of LTD range, high end Jacksons) but i don't have a lot of first hand experience with these......just as a quick note, the caparison is great, the esp custom shops are nothing outstanding for the price, the ltd mh-400something is a great axe for the price, and the jackson kv-2 is killer.

 

[updog]

Ibanez RGR321EX

INF1 & INF2 pickups, basswood body, reverse headstock, fixed bridge (thank god), bolt on of course.

This guitar plays and sounds surprisingly good. There's a more meaty low end to it than a LTD MMV we tried and it sounds as good or even better than an EMG-equipped Maverick, so we ended up tracking our whole demo with it. Sure, the pickups are passive and probably quite shitty, but I'm honestly more than surprised by the results we got. The quality of the DI's wasn't really good, in fact it produces some of the shittiest DI's I've ever heard, but somehow through an amp simulation it doesn't sound half bad.

Plays as well as a 300€ guitar can. Not too well, but you couldn't really expect any better. The reverse headstock was surprisingly easy to get used to.

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

Ok I'll go for this:

I only own 2 at the moment:

Ibanez MMM1 Mushok sig Baritone 6 string $500 used 8 years ago:
Here is a pic of one, mine is darker and more played in at this point:

The stock pickups were terrible, as to be expected with no name ibanez stocks. I threw in some burstbucker pros and it cleared up. This guitar's output level is hotter than my other guitar. It plays well, easy to dig right in on lower tunings while the string tension stays tight. Playing in B tuneing is like playing in standard E tuning on a normal guitar. Solid construction, if it were ever stolen or broken I would try like hell to find another one (they don't make it anymore). Machine heads kind of suck, and it's hard to get the first 2 as a replacement because they have a thicker post that the string winds on (a good thing IMO, but bad since you can't just go pick up any machine head you like).

Agile 8 string septor ash body maple neck $450 used 4 months ago used

Stock pickups are again crap, I have not had any extra cash laying around to swap them out. I'm thinking EMG since my options are so limited. Guitar is solid, I actually dig the bolt on design (this is my first bolt on neck guitar). Machine heads are good for a cheaper guitar. I like the neck a lot, not as thin as the ibanez 8 but that's actually a plus to me.


EDIT (apparently we can do guitars we have owned?):

Ibanez starter something with the number 20 in the name (HH configuration):
Well, for a starter guitar it worked. I dumped it for $60 when I did around 15 years ago and all the frets were wrecked. It sounded like a piece. It was a piece. But I can't complain, it was ok for a $200 starter.

Epiphone Les Paul Custom vintage white (or aged white or whatever than terrible yellow color was):
A rather ugly guitar, but I snagged it for $400 on sale as the color was pretty undesirable and most people went for the black or alpine white at the time. This guitar ruined gold hardware for me. It actually played really well and given the chance I actually wouldn't mind having another in a different color with different pickups.

Epiphone SG-400
I think I snagged this for $300 new. I actually didn't mind playing on it that bad and I kind of like the SG body type more than the les paul body type. This guitar was horrible when it came to being balanced. Let go of the neck and it's going to head for the earth. Stock pickups sucked (of course). But surprisingly this guitar played well for a cheapo.

Ibanez some sort of S shaped body
So I can't remember the model but it was a HSS configuration, low profile floyd knockoff, blueburst, black hardware. I will give this guitar high marks for being pretty. However the floyd knockoff is what really killed this thing and the reason I refuse to dick with floyds ever again. I put some duncans in it (a couple stacked humbuckers in the S and S positions and a custom custom in the bridge H) and it was probably one of the nicest guitars I have owned sans the shitty bridge.

 

[motomoto]

1. ESP Horizon NT II (not in my collection now)

Neck through construction, JB/59 pup's. Didn't like the sound very much, although pretty versatile with the stock pup's.Changed them to 85 bridge and 81 neck.Not that versatile but suited my style more and sounded more tight and metal. Very very easy access to higher frets due to the neck through construction.Truly a shred guitar.Very fast neck.Built quality and finish is top notch.An axe that is bang for the buck.Sold it because i'm not much of a shredder, the fretboard felt a bit ''stiff'', and the feeling of the painted neck was not really my thing. But i strongly recommend it especially for live use cause of it's light weight.



2. Jackson USA KV2T (not in my collection now)
Pros: construction quality.Big difference from the jap Jacksons out there(and i've played a lot of them).That thing is perfect from any angle you look at it.
Sounded like shit with the JB/59.Muffled, no note definition at all.Maybe cause it was an all mahogany guitar(neck and body).Quite fast neck but on the chubby side. Finnish is top notch.
Sold it cause i'm not much of a V person after all and i got a trade deal for the following axe....


3. PRS Custom 24(still here)
This is the tits. Can't say much cause this thing is perfect from every aspect(imo of course).
Built quality, finish, playability, sound, all perfect.Birds rule.Regular neck feels very comfortable and plays fast.I don't understand why many people say they don't like the pup's.I find them well defined,ballanced and with a very wide range of sounds.Big + for the coil tap. The slightly shorter 25'' scale is not a problem to get used to.I easily go from my 25,5'' axes to this and back.


4. PRS Singlecut trem(still here)
Same as the above in quality and finish. Wide fat neck feels great,not as fast as the regular but still very comfortable.The pup's are the #7.Not very good for metal, but for blues/jazz/rock/heavy rock tone are pretty good.
Birds rule once more.


5. Caparison Dellinger II(still here)
The best neck i've ever played.Not too thin, not too thick.Goes from a flatten U to a flatten C. Fret board is an A+. Ebony that feels slightly softer than the ESP's ebony, but still harder than a rosewood.Very comfortable.
Bit heavy guitar, but with a MASSIVE sound. Stock pup's are shit.Had problems with the jack and pots and replaced all of them by putting a nice set of 85 bridge and 60 neck.Also tried several BK pup's on this one, and i have to say that the warpig is pure win.
My favourite guitar by far.
But... it's just not worth paying that much for a new capa. Yes the neck is amazing, but all electrics are shit and need to be replaced(and that's not just my opinion).

Get a used one instead


6. Warmoth LP(still here)
A bolt on LP . Go figure
Guys from the US. Just get one.Any warmoth, any shape. The quality of the finish is amazing.Mine has a maple top to die for
Some of you might remember it.
The neck is very fast, on the thin side, bit thicker than an Ibanez.Very comfortable.Nut could de better though.It's quality is fine but the one who made the slots is a dick.Had to file the slots again.Still for what you pay the axe kicks major ass.
Neck is VERY stiff.It can handle any gauge strings you're gonna put on this baby and it probably won't even move, or it'll just need minor adjustments.
The body is thick, and as result it sounds like a beast.I'm not a fan of 81's put i have one in this baby and it bloody roars



Soon to get...a Stinnett

 

[GMFx]

cool idea.

I´ll go from when I got these:

1)BC Rich Beast Pro Platinum Black 2003
Floyd Rose licensed tremolo, which is just ok. It´s a bolt on guitar. ebony fretboard, painted neck. Replaced the bridge pick up with an EMG 81. I never use the neck pick up for this one so I kept the BDSM humbucker which sounds like shit. Playability is great imo. the unusual body brings some inabilities, for example having it rest on your knees is painful after a while and after quiet a few years of using it some edges are busted up. The sound is punchy, compressed, sterile and modern. neither deep, bassy nor brilliantly high. I dig it for writing straight forward riffs. I´d also use it for recording. never had any issues with the craftsmanship. I think it was 550€?

2)Schecter Blackjack ATX C-7 aged white satin
first of all I love this guitar with passion. so don´t expect an objective review. It has two seymour duncan black outs on neck and bridge position. seperate volume nobs for both pickups and a tone pickup and lets u choose between both humbuckers or mixing them. It´s a string through body construction (>TonePros TOM Bridge). both neck and body are mahagony, fretboard is ebony and it´s a neck through.
playing is great, but don´t expect an ibanez feeling. it´s a thick neck, not as thick as on the jeff loomis signature but still thick. the only "problem" which is none for me cause I got big hands is that it´s not perfectly easy to reach the highest frets. body is a classic stratocaster type.
now the most important part - it´s sound. It´s heavy as fuck, almost percussive in the lower sections. very bassy deep but also brilliant if you use the neck pick up. I wouldn´t recommend this guitar for sterile modern productions but if you want soul - go for this. I´ve compared this guitar with every all other models schecter has in the 7 string segment(as well as Ibanez xiphos, carpenter signature etc.)and I prefer it much to the hellraiser models and even the jeff loomis. It might not be the perfect sound for recording cause the black outs produce a lot of gain and distortion and the guitar sounds wild and moody but WHAT A WALL OF SOUND. the pressure this guitar puts on is amazing. btw - it looks very classy, yet modern. bought this new of thomann for 740€. the price for the exact same guitar is now at 1040€. lucky me.

3)Jackson Christian Olde Wolbers Signature 7-String Dinky™ Arch Top, black
yeah fear factory I know. haha. It´s bolt on, mahagony, ebony fretboard, one EMG 707, one gain nob. "JT390-7 Adjustable Bridge with Strings-Through-Body" + Diecast Tuners. that´s it. plain and simple. This guitar sounds very balanced and modern but still delivers low end. I would totally recommend this guitar for recording purposes. It plays almost like a six string and the 707 kills of a lot of side noise. clean, cuts through and is heavy. it´s as simple as that. I dig it. Paid 400€ on ebay had to renew the poti and input jack which was about 50€.

 

[pattonfreak1]

1) Musicyo Kramer Striker custom 424
Paid $180 for this on a year end clearance deal. Lucked out and got a decent one that prolly actually PASSED qc. Quadrail pups are beefy as fuck and dead quiet.
HSH config (which I prefer) with a push/pull pot for mini hum/dual mini hum tones. Tune-o-matic bridge.
Plays like a guitar costing 4x as much. Easily one of the fastest necks I've ever played. Flame maple top on an alder body I think. Sounds niiiice and is my main axe.
2) Ibanez RG7321 7 string
$400. String thru bridge. Replaced bridge pup w/ DiMarzio D-sonic. Wizard II neck. Basswood body.
Not bad for my first 7 string. The D-sonic compliments the basswood body pretty nicely. Gets real brutal depending on the amp its used with. Also does cleans Neck is surprisingly thin and fast but tuning lower than B produces fret buzz that I can't seem to get rid of. Overall I'm satisfied.
3) Yamaha Pacifica 921S
$180 used from pawn shop. Apparently these are kind of a sought after guitar. From what I understand: Warmoth neck and body. HsH pup config with DiMarzio PAF Pro humbuckers and an SH2 (?) single coil. The neck is flat out awesome. Has some sort of vapor lock like it was specifically molded to my hand. Lisc FR that doesn't stay in tune very well but if you tune it down to C# it holds up nicely. The PAFs sound great but are a little too noisy for me. Don't think I'd switch them though. Needs to be played a lot more. It deserves it.

 

[exoslime]

good idea,

here are some of mine:
Gibson SG Standard
10/10 overall rating

my first "real-quality" guitar, i bought it around 15 years ago, heavy used and abused her, and its one of my fav. guitars still, it feels like the guitar and i got somehow connected together, in terms of resonance, tone, etc.
i feel very good when i play this guitar, everything matches

a few years ago i swapped the stock pu out and replaced them with häussel..for good.
pro: very light weight, good resonance, very good value.
cons: none?

ESP Eclipse I CTM
07/10 overall rating

a really nice guitar, plays extremly well, the first years i had some rattling on some frets on E and Eb tuning, then i changed to F tuning an lighter strings, since then the rattling has dissapeard,
its now my main guitar for our F-based songs, instead of using a capo.

i changed the pickups from EMG 81/60 to 81TW and 89.

pros: good value, amazing look, very good resonance, build quality, weight is lighter then a standard les paul,
con: rattling on some frets, the neck sometimes feels a bit plastic too me (subjectiv)

Haar Stratocaster
08/10 overall rating

my one and only strat,
the neck feels amazing, and the whole guitar is very resonant!!! and plays very very good
the neck is very thick though, but it feels great.. i´m sure its not everybodys taste.

pros: good value, nice look,
cons: thick neck, sometimes i feel sad that it dont got a hb in neck position, lol , , trussrod-access is in the heel of the neck, you need to screw of the neck to adjust it, very annoying

James Trussart Steelcaster Deluxe
08/10 overall rating

i got a love / hate relationship with here.. sometimes she sounds like the most amazing guitar on earth, and sometimes she sounds so damn ugly that i want to put her on waste..
i need to learn in which context i play that guitar

pro: look, the neck feels very good, sounds good for clean, crunch, vintage orientated rock sounds
cons: very expensive, not really a good price/value, but exclusive.., vintage tele bridge -> setup in someways a compromise, trussrod-access is in the heel of the neck, you need to screw of the neck to adjust it, very annoying

Ran Rhandy Rhoads
07/10 overall rating

Thrash Metal Monster, this guitar needed very much to be played, i remember the first days i got her, the setup was terrible, the wood was not that resonating as i had expected, the tone was quite ok though,
back then, it was not that expensive.. and i wanted to try out a few things with a custom guitar, so i didnt regret it.

after 2 years of playing, i felt that the tone and resonance got bigger and better with everyday playing.
then i changed the pu for a bareknuckle and since then i´m complettly happy with it

pros: very light weight, look
cons: bad factory setup, need alot of time playing the guitar to get a better tone and resonance

Frank Hartung Embrace
10/10 overall rating

Modern Les Paul Style Guitar.

Today my main axe, nothing much to say about it except that i plan do get another one
Frank Hartung is a really nice person, the communication with him is very good,

pro: look, sounds, tone, resonance, feel of the neck. contact with frank hartung
con: price?, trussrod access is in the fretboard (but thats the only possibillty because of the design of the headstock)

Nik Huber Krautster
08/10 overall rating

my lastest GAS Purchase, lol

this guitar is almost as loud as an acoustic guitar, its amazing.
very resonating, extremly nice tone
sometimes i wish i would had a hb in the bridge and a p90 in th neck, maybe i get another one in that configuration.
it has a P90 in the bridge postion (Häussel HOT), and this one really rocks it all, very in you face, raw punk / rock attitude.

pros: tone, resonance, setup, price, neck, look
cons: one trick pony

Bernie Rico Jr, Mr Hyde Custom
09/10 overall rating

Metal Axe, looks ugly, sounds amazing
(for sale: http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/8971102-post1.html)

pros: tone and resonance, very good playabiliity, feel of the neck
cons: heavy weight, look

cheers
exoslime

 

[motomoto]

DUDE, tell me that's maple binding on the Hartung's fretboard

 

[AHChris]

Wow a nice collection mr. exoslime! Congrats!

But please for the love of god, don´t lay your guitars with angled headstocks on the floor... this gets me goosebumps lol

 

[exoslime]

DUDE, tell me that's maple binding on the Hartung's fretboard

exactly, it is maple

Wow a nice collection mr. exoslime! Congrats!

But please for the love of god, don´t lay your guitars with angled headstocks on the floor... this gets me goosebumps lol

thank you!!! lol, i know what you mean (this reminds me on a particular scene in the movie "American History X", boardwalk, uuuu, ouch.
i´m very carefully with my guitars, this was only for the photosession
i have them all secure in guitars-stands or hardcase

 

[Pot]

very nice indeed

 

[AHChris]

I´ll soon post some pics and a review of my pimped out RG2550... I ordered a custom made flame maple pickguard and trussrod cover + EMG 81 and 85

 

[guitarguru777]

Harmony Strat -

5/10

Just a knock around strat I picked up a few years ago for $35 off Craigslist. The neck is a great shape and its super playable. Tough keeping it in tune. have used it on a few recordings for clean strat sound and its decent. Nothing to rave about really. just a guitar for screwing around in the house really.

Squire M80 -

9/10

In the mid 90s Fender / Squire put out a series of guitars that were made to higher quality standards and this is one of them. Mahogany set neck body with a maple neck and high quality rosewood board. Seymore Duncan "Duncan Design" JB style pickups. Guitar sound GREAT and the playability is superb. One of my favorite guitars in my collection. She sustains for days and just plays like a champ. Scored this baby for $149 at Sam Ash.

71 - Memphis (Lawsuit) Les Paul

10/10

Everyone knows the lawsuit story but not many people know what an actual Lawsuit guitar is. This is one of the real lawsuit guitars made by Ibanez that was re-branded and sold after the settlement. This guitar SLAYS any Les Paul I have ever played be it a vintage model or something more current. The quality and playability is AMAZING. Slim 60's style set neck, high quality 40:1 ratio tuners that hold tuning like crazy. Upgraded electronics include bone nit, 2 Bare Knuckle Miracle man pickups. All Dimarzio pots and electronics. This guitar SCREAMS! Total metal machine with an amazing buttery sound in the neck position. She is currently in the shop getting a re-fret. Should have her back in about 2 weeks.

Custom 7 String

9/10

I built this guitar myself and put a shit ton of work into it so that that it feels exactly how i wanted it too. The neck particularly was a lot of work. The neck is a cut down and re-trussed 6 string Warmoth bass neck. there was a particular string spacing I wanted on this guitar that was wider then a standard Universe 7 string and the only way to get it at the time was to build a custom neck. I found a really nice section of the bass neck that felt right cut her off and had it re-trussed, new fretboard, and re-fretted with 24 6100 Dunlops. Body is made of Ash and it has this really open and airy tone. Very different from most 7 strings. Pickups are Bare Knuckle Miracle Man 7s. Again all Dimarzio electronics and pots. Total cost $850

Jackson Dinky -

7/10

Another knock around guitar that I picked up for around the house and live gigs. Needed a 2nd guitar with a Floyd in case of string breakage and this one sound great for what it is. Duncan Design JB's, Reverse head that's metal as fuck!

Schecter 006 Deluxe - (Sold)

6/10

Just sold this guitar to a forum member. EMG 81/85, Mahogany Body, Maple neck. Was an impulse buy at GC, and just wound up not liking the sound or the neck.

Ibanez RG-350DX

10/10

This is my baby. I love this guitar more then any other guitar in my collection. She just plays amazing, sounds amazing and shes totally stock! Edge III bridge, V1 ibanez pickups (Dimarzios basically) 24 ex jumbo frets. I was a Jem collector for many years and this guitar plays as well if not better then any Jem I ever owned. Shes the ultimate shred machine, but she also does blues and rock very very well. Love it to death, and looks hot with the maple board and black sharktooth! Another sick Craigslist find at $200