Guitar advice

[penfold]

Couple of questions for those in the know.

Vs - any good at home? I like the idea of the fast fret and love the shape but just how awkward is it to sit down with?   

Any good places that i can import a guitar from? If I dont go to a luthier, I like the Jackson USAs.. custom or select depending on budget (some nice ones here.) These arent available in the UK, and even if they were there would be some kind of massive price hike (ESP Horizon here = £1400, in the US £900) I think even with shipping costs and possible import duty at this end its cheaper than getting a shop here to import one. If they do that is ive heard official ESP dealers wont ship here.

Any other recommendations? I'm after something more suited to metal, been looking at ESPs, Jacksons, some Ibanez that type of thing. Its very difficult for me to try before i buy which is not ideal but i just can't find them over here.  Ive looked into a few luthiers (KXK looked nice) but kinda overwhelmed by info. If it doesnt come with them I'll put some EMGs in.. probably 81/85s, but open to suggestions regarding other pickups.

Yes, I know a custom shop is a bit extravagant for someone who can barely play yet :) I just like the idea of owning a nice item like a good guitar, and get a kick out of good craftsmanship amongst other things.

[Miguel]

Take a look at Cort Guitars.

They are supported internationally.

In terms of fit and finish, they are made in the same factory as Heritage/Gibson, and feature a lot of the same craftsmanship at very reasonable prices.  Not many big stores carry them however.

ESP's sound good and record well, however the necks are a bit thin for my tastes.

[HaemishM]

Vs - any good at home? I like the idea of the fast fret and love the shape but just how awkward is it to sit down with?

I had a Flying V for a little while (a Peavey I think). I hated it. It looked great, but it's only playable if you are standing up, IMO. It was awkward as shit to play, and I think the one I had was just really cheaply made as it never seemed to tune the strings well. I was much more comfortable when I got my Telecaster copy a few years later.

[Sky]

I broke my V in a drunken stupor. It was great for shows, but hell at home. For metal, Jacksons were the shizzy back when, and Ibanez. Our guitarist had 2 Ibbies and a Jackson, I didn't really care for either. When I was playing guitar (in the band's early years), I had a strat knock-off and a couple BC Rich Biches, really wanted a BC Rich Warlock, too. They scream metal :)

My bass is from the ESP custom shop in Hollywood, it's a great piece of wood (I like thinner necks). My Cort guitar is friggin' trash. Ymwdv. You live in the UK? It's totally worth taking a day trip or even an overnight and going to a city that has some decent guitar shops. You won't know what you want until you do, period. I had no idea I would end up with a Gibson SG (made in USA)!

When I'm dreaming about gear, I use musiciansfriend.com to browse. I buy locally, though. Make a quest of it and hunt down some guitar shops and lay thy hands on wood!

(New avatar - Peter Green, been listening to a 1970 show (Live in Boston) with Fleetwood Mac, good stuff)

[penfold]

From my searches on google and ebay and trips to the main cluster of guitar shops in london (denmark st), it looks as if US made Jackson are not available officially with none for sale outside of ebay. One of the shops had a handful of new Japanese ESPs. There are US Fenders & Gibson, Japanese Ibanez, but not much else, no US made Deans, BC Rich, Washburns or the like. I've found 2 custom artwork/shop Jackson examples in Europe, and it would be cheaper to pay the 20.5% import duties or actually fly out to NY for a weekend trip than get from there.  It's just the sorry state of the guiitar market over here i think, unless Ive missed something.
At least resale value is a bit better as they are so rare.

Anyway, i will get to try a V in 3-5 days, a friends been looking into same thing, and has gone for a Jackson KV2 King V and is having it UPS'd over from Nevada.

[Nebu]

Ok... I'm going to necro this thread for some advice as well. 

I have a vintage Telecaster (ok, if you consider early 1970's vintage) and have been considering buying a Les Paul Studio.  I asked you guys a month or so ago what you thought as I almost bought a double cutaway that I fell in love with and Sky even suggested the 61 SG reissue.  Well, I went to a local store and played a Schecter and actually found it to be a versatile enough instrument for a lot less cash. 

LINK

I've been considering the S1 elite or custom but thought I'd see if any of you have had some time with a Schecter instrument.  I've played many gibsons over the years (ES335, 325, SG's, Les Paul, Explorer) and a few strats.  I even gigged a while as a backup guitarist with some older Ibanez guitars.  I don't mind spending around $1k for a guitar, but the Schecter at about $600 seemed like a lot of guitar for the money.  Keep in mind that I'm a bassist by trade and my focus is mostly just chording.  I'm a hack lead player and don't intend to be anything but backup. 

So... if you have some anecdotes, please share.

[Sky]

Hmm, wonder what happened to Stray. We talked about Schecter in the original Guitar thread. There was a Schecter in the second-to-last round of my guitar buying (the final round was the 61 SG vs an american Strat).

edit: That looks alot like the Schecter I was playing at the guitar shop.

[Jimbo]

My Gibson Corvus still rocks  :-D  My son and I dug it out last weekend and plinked around on it and the keyboard he has, was a lot of fun, and heck we may buy a PS2 just to get guitar hero.

I've allways wanted to know if anyone has bought and/or played Carvin guitars?  I had a buddy in the Air Force who swore by their basses, but haven't played one.

[Miguel]

I've allways wanted to know if anyone has bought and/or played Carvin guitars?  I had a buddy in the Air Force who swore by their basses, but haven't played one.

I own two of their basses, and one of their guitars.

Their electric basses are SOLID.  The first one I bought was their 'bolt' kit, which I ordered as a 5 string fretless.  I gigged with it for 3 years, around one or two shows per week, and I tuned it maybe THREE times.  The wood was excellent, and the fit and finish were outstanding (most of it is CNC cut).  All you have to do is sand and finish it, and screw everything together.

The second bass I purchased from them was an acoustic hollow body (acoustic/electric).  It sounded good, but it played like ass, and it was really finicky about the strings you used.  I'm also quite certain the neck was warped because there was an annoying buzz I couldn't get out of the action around the 11th fret.

I also purchased one of their 7 string guitars, and it was excellent as well.  Great action, very nice finish.  My only complaint was that the stock pickups are kind of anemic, and when I get the chance I'll switch them over to EMG's.  I ordered it when they started offering guitars in swamp ash bodies, and I was shocked how light and comfortable this axe was to play.  This was not a kit, it was completely finished.

If you like building kit guitars, you can save an assload of cash and build one yourself.  The kits are very inexpensive and extremely high quality.

[stray]

Hmm, wonder what happened to Stray. We talked about Schecter in the original Guitar thread. There was a Schecter in the second-to-last round of my guitar buying (the final round was the 61 SG vs an american Strat).

edit: That looks alot like the Schecter I was playing at the guitar shop.

I decided to be a doucebag and exorcise myself from the "community". Err....So to speak.

....

Or rather, I got tired of games, man. Especially the political and religious ones.

Other than that, I've just been jamming with friends.......As a bass player 


I got rid of that Schecter btw. It was a baritone, but it's scale was about 2 inches off most other baritones. It was kind of a hassle to set up (plus, the pickups were too hot for my tastes). I'm looking for something which produces better clean sounds (like the old Jaguar Bass VI, but nothing so outrageously expensive).

If I was to recommend something though, the regular C model Schecter guitars kick ass. Especially for the price (kind of a poor man's PRS). Just the seal in necks though, not the bolt ons.

I'm still a Fender guy all the way (I still have this setup that I posted awhile back), but I wouldn't recommend much of anything by them under $500.


[EDIT]

Fuck man, I still have more posts than you. 

Anyways, take care...

[Sky]

Bah, just stay out of politics, like I usually do! :) Good to hear from you, man.

I'd love a baritone Jag. I was shopping for a nice nylon string acoustic, but the local shops have crap. I might actually buy the $40 walmart special because it's the best I've played 

I just got my grandfathers cheap Silvertone banjo, looking to get that set up. It has very high action, but when I took the little bridge piece out, it played pretty good, just a minor buzz. I think I'll shave the bridge piece down, clean up the neck and get to pickin'. Funny thing about banjo, there are a gajillion 'standard' tunings! I just tuned it in fifths and played some blues at my birfday party last weekend, I love the banjo sound.

[Raph]

I want a banjo. I don't know why, because I know that they have very limited tone, but... I still kinda want one.

My beloved Baby Taylor has developed a crack in the top, right at the bookmatching join, below the bridge. I don't know whether it's humidity changes that did it or what. :( I don't know if it makes financial sense to have a Baby Taylor repaired. Sigh.

[Shockeye]

I want a banjo. I don't know why, because I know that they have very limited tone, but... I still kinda want one.

Steve Martin made the banjo sexy.

[Nebu]

Steve Martin made the banjo sexy.

Those were the days. 

I'm always impressed by banjo players and people that fingerpick well.  I've always played bass with my fingers, but it's just not nearly as technical.  If I could somehow manage to get a handle on that skill, I know I'd love to give banjo a try. I guess I'm just a closet bluegrass fan at heart.

[Sky]

Once I get the banjo restrung, I'm going to harass my mandolin-playing buddy to give me bluegrass lessons, he kicks so much ass (his band is Woodenspoon, a bit jambandy, but great at bluegrass). It should be fun applying my (poor) classical fingerpicking right hand and blues-bendy/shreddy left hand to a totally different instrument than my instructor uses.

I love bluegrass, it's incredible live music.

And I need a Baby Taylor, I keep forgetting. I should make a list.