Instrument Talk

I think there may have been a thread before, but then again I think it was more for just guitars...

Anyway, I have been playing bass for a little bit, but I want to try electric guitar now. I'm a bit frustrated as to what I want in the sound of a guitar, though...

I had an order on the ESP Ltd F-50 but I cancelled due to a shoddy place I ordered from, but...it may have been for the best because I never actually tried it before purchasing. Instead, I plan to visit some stores around town and test some guitars out, but I'm trying to narrow my list down somewhat, as I don't want to end up trying every single one and then get more confused.

Maybe it will help if I describe the sound I want. Basically, I want to be able to play rock and metal music. Bands that really inspire me guitar-wise are Pantera, Metallica, Nightwish, Dream Theater, Stratovarious, and Versailles. I really like the sound of Teru's guitar, but I am not willing to spend thousands for his custom ESP. As for the lighter stuff, for example something like in Vidoll.

I'm not sure if I should stick to ESP's Ltd line or not. I was thinking of Ibanez as a possibility....but I don't know. Something like Fender I'm not so sure of, because when I listen to samples on their website they sound for suitable for blues, jazz and country, and possibly light-rock, but not so much metal.

Oh yes and one last thing, do you know if it would be a huge disadvantage for me doing certain chords with pinky fingers that are slightly bent towards the ring finger?

Hmm, any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

You don't want an Ibanez, you don't! XD


an ESP would work for the sound you want


Metallica = ESP, for example xP

Fenders are awesome, just try one, I mean... most people asociates fender with that shitty music [OK, is not like I bah, whatever, just don't get mad at what I said xD], but you have Iron Maiden and Yngwie Malmsteen too!


I think it's more cause of the aesthetics.. they don't look metal xP


so, that's my advise... no Ibanez, both Fender and ESP are good choices x)

oh, Yamaha's Pacifica is awesome too ;D, RGX is fine [my main bass is an RBX]

boi de memoire wrote:

You don't want an Ibanez, you don't! XD


an ESP would work for the sound you want


Metallica = ESP, for example xP

Fenders are awesome, just try one, I mean... most people asociates fender with that shitty music [OK, is not like I bah, whatever, just don't get mad at what I said xD], but you have Iron Maiden and Yngwie Malmsteen too!


I think it's more cause of the aesthetics.. they don't look metal xP


so, that's my advise... no Ibanez, both Fender and ESP are good choices x)

oh, Yamaha's Pacifica is awesome too ;D, RGX is fine [my main bass is an RBX]

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Thanks for your help! I was watching many videos on youtube of people covering different songs using different guitars. A lot of the people using ibanez guitars sounded aweful (not the way they play but the sound of the guitar, very buzzy). Hmm, I guess I'll give Fender a shot. I don't really want a guitar that looks very metal (for example Teru's doesn't scream metal either, but I like it)

Also, I forgot about Yamaha, so I'll keep an eye out for those, as well.

Ibanez is overrated, in my opinion.
I don't know too much about the sound you want, but I use semi-hollow Gibson or Gretsch guitars. I prefer the warmer tone.

oh, Gibson too, I'd try them, but not Gretsch, that's definetively not what Monophobia's looking for [I think]


@Monophobia: and yeah, you're welcome ^^

I find there's nothing wrong with an Ibanez, and there's nothing wrong with Fender, and in fact I'd usually just ignore boi's more outrageous statements.


If anything's over-rated it's the ESP line--part (not all) of the reason it's so prevalent in VK is the sponsorship deals.

Honestly, for the short term, just stick with the cheaper stuff for now and you can worry about buying a nice expensive guitar once you've gotten your chops up. (i.e. Epiphone, Edwards, etc)

I have Kaoru's Ganesa but it's the Edwards model instead of the ESP because no guitar should cost a bajillion dollars.

My bass is an Ibanez 5-string I got for a steal in Ochanomizu. I have so much control over the tone and I love it.

I actually like the tone Fender has on it's guitars, more particularly the Telecasters. It's fresh and clean, but can really get gritty and awesome. My bass is a Fender.

Thanks to everyone who has replied so far! Elec, I was going to PM this to you at first, but it became so long that I didn't want to bore/annoy you with it. ^^; Thanks so much for your response!

I'm thinking of getting something with two single coils and a humbucking pickup, also. The Yamaha Pacifica series is not too expensive at all, and they have what I seem to be looking for. Once I start improving I will probably upgrade the humbucking pickup to an EMG 81.

http://www.yamaha.ca/content/guitar/pro ... ations.jsp

I'm thinking of checking this one out.

I'm definately sticking with the cheaper guitars, though. I pretty-much refuse to overspend on something I suck at right now.

P.S. Fender basses kick ass. I need to get myself a jazz bass, too. D: I was actually considering just getting one of these and continuing my bass efforts instead. We'll see.

Honestly, every bassist should have a J or P bass handy. They are unparalleled.


You can get a Fender Squier for decently cheap (was my first guitar); I'd recommend switching out a couple of the single coils though. I shoulda done that years ago.


On the flipside of things, I wouldn't go TOO cheap, as it starts to show after a certain priceline...

It's all about the pickups

Anyways, schecter's diamond series guitars are great for the price. I have the c1 elite and the neck pickup is sweet. I replaced the bridge with a dimebucker and it sounds amazing. You can get so many different tones just by playing around with the pickup settings. Just try out whatever you can until you find something you really like. One day I'd like to have a Caparison, but before I buy a new guitar I'm going to get a new amp (I've been playing through a bass amp).

BTW I have a fender jazz bass and it's pretty rad but I find it harder to play on than other basses I've tried. I think it's mainly due to the distance between the strings and also the distance between the frets. I really love the sound but I can play so much faster and cleaner on my dad's starfire ii, plus semi hollow bodied basses are kickass.

So to completely un-bias this thread. Just about anything, will do anything. Sound really is in the amp you use, and what you can dial out of it. A good amp= good tone. From amp, it dials down to guitar, and lastly pickups really, though active and passive pickups will make a huge difference too. Active pickups are going to be more of the sound from the pickups, then the guitar, and guitar tone woods, etc. Really, go out and try stuff, see what feels right for you, neck wise, etc. See what you like for body woods (Mahogany, Alder, Ash, etc.). Cheap guitars are going to sound like cheap guitars, enough said. Some will sound better than others, though, and some will feel better than others too, though for the most part feel is really a preference thing.

So, to put everything simple and answer as many upcoming questions you may have, and sort of sum up and add to the post

1. Cheap guitars are going to sound like cheap guitars. End.

2. Amp is a lot of your tone

3. Humbuckers are probably going to sound better than single coil pickups for meatier guitar work. Nothing says you couldn't get a fat distortion out of a single coil, with a good amp and the right dialed in tone.

4. Epiphones aren't expensive. When you can get a Gibson Les Paul Studio for $1200 (max, if you know a dealer well, probably $1000) there is no reason to have an Epiphone if you're looking for a pricey good quality guitar. Unless it's an Epiphone Elitist, in which case, it's about LP Studio quality. Sort of hard to find though.

5. With all the talk of amps, I'd suggest going Line 6 (The Spider III's are sick) and the Spider II's are great amps for the money. If not, Epiphone Valve Juniors (when modded, maybe with a pedal in front of it) sound great too. Cubes and stuff for cheaper prices are wonderful too. If not, you could just buy a cheap solid state and a Line 6 POD.

Oh yes and one last thing, do you know if it would be a huge disadvantage for me doing certain chords with pinky fingers that are slightly bent towards the ring finger?

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Can you please explain what you mean there a little more? I'm a bit confused.

Who's talking up the gear they own? We're just musicians discussing instruments. That's it. No boasting going on here.

9,000$ goes a very short way when you're talking gear, though.

DixSerina wrote:

Can you please explain what you mean there a little more? I'm a bit confused.

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http://www.jbhs.k12.nf.ca/biology/photos/mvc-006f.jpg

Here's a picture of some people with it. It's called something, but I forget the term. Anyway, some of my other fingers are like this, too. It's pretty common, but a lot of guitar players have really straight fingers I noticed. I read about some guitar problems with them and some people said it was difficult to play in Drop-D Tuning or something.

EDIT: Also, I do realize that about cheap guitars sounding cheap, but I can't really afford anything over $300-$400 at the moment. I realize it's going to be difficult to find something bang-on to what I want at that price probably, but hey.

Also, I'd be playing it on a bass amp because that's all I have at the moment.

DixSerina wrote:

Just about anything, will do anything.

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I know this is good advice for beginners, but I'm curious as to how you can say this and "cheap = cheap" in the same breath.

3. Humbuckers are probably going to sound better than single coil pickups for meatier guitar work. Nothing says you couldn't get a fat distortion out of a single coil, with a good amp and the right dialed in tone.

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On every single-coil pickup I've played through my ideal effects sounds there has been a tremendous amount of buzz when not playing. I have toyed with other possible causes but unless I'm wrong the humbuckers reduce or nearly nullify a lot of that problem.

4. Epiphones aren't expensive. When you can get a Gibson Les Paul Studio for $1200 (max, if you know a dealer well, probably $1000) there is no reason to have an Epiphone if you're looking for a pricey good quality guitar. Unless it's an Epiphone Elitist, in which case, it's about LP Studio quality. Sort of hard to find though.

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Agreed on the Epiphone; I've had my eye on an SG style for a long time.

I also like Line 6.

Lastly, this thread is kind of gross. It's half smart, but the other half of it is like "lets talk up the gear I own". If you want to talk gear, you're on, I have about $9,000 worth of it in my house, I'll talk for days.

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LOL it's not some sort of contest! Talking about the gear one owns is mostly about explaining why they chose that gear. That said, if you've got some personal recommendations, go right ahead and "throw down".

Haha, sorry, I guess it's one specific post that got me really. Elec, you already mentioned. I went off a bit.

I know this is good advice for beginners, but I'm curious as to how you can say this and "cheap = cheap" in the same breath.

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Just as to say, expect what you pay for in simpler terms, I guess. Grab something and go with it really, and if you know you want to do it and when the funds come, go for it. I guess just saying don't get your hopes up, and nothing at a lower price range is going to be that different.

On every single-coil pickup I've played through my ideal effects sounds there has been a tremendous amount of buzz when not playing. I have toyed with other possible causes but unless I'm wrong the humbuckers reduce or nearly nullify a lot of that problem.

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Right, but nothing says you couldn't play around a lot, and work something out. There's a lot of cross-wound noise cancelling single coils out there, and active single coils reduce sound too. Humbuckers do just what they say....buck hum, or eliminate it. As said though, there's silencing pedals etc. I just wanted to clarify you can really crank out a lot of good tones just based on amps. I don't necisarily see why you'd use single coils, but it floats some peoples boats. Sugizo, for example.

LOL it's not some sort of contest! Talking about the gear one owns is mostly about explaining why they chose that gear. That said, if you've got some personal recommendations, go right ahead and "throw down". Smile

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That came off kind of bad too, I guess, and that was kind of related to said post that I first stated about. I don't know, it kind of got to me.

Who's talking up the gear they own? We're just musicians discussing instruments. That's it. No boasting going on here.

9,000$ goes a very short way when you're talking gear, though. Razz

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Refer to previous. And eh, depends on how we're talking $9000 of gear and how we stake it.



Sorry if I brought you down there (my bad), you'll still get something decent for that price. And while you're in that price range, if I may suggest www.rondomusic.com, and one of their Agiles. I've never personally played one, but they're good looking, decent quality woods and hardware, and one hell of a price. I do know many people that have played them though, and have been extremly satisfied.

Again, I apologize, one said post kind of set me off.

Here's a picture of some people with it. It's called something, but I forget the term. Anyway, some of my other fingers are like this, too. It's pretty common, but a lot of guitar players have really straight fingers I noticed. I read about some guitar problems with them and some people said it was difficult to play in Drop-D Tuning or something.

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I don't see why you'd have a problem, or a problem playing in different tuning either really. My fingers are really straight, but you should be able to move your fingers just the same anyway, and as long as you fret a chord normal.

many interesting responses


but one thing is for sure

Yamaha sells cheap but the quality is superior, price/quality balance is great when it comes to Yamaha.


I Think you Should get the Yamaha






I do not recomend Squier at ALL, unless it's korean or japanese, but that would be rare, stick to an American (Fender) if you test them and like them



Fender Jazz Bass is THE BEST, I NEED one so bad u__U, Einherjer said it was difficult to play, but I find it so playeable XD, I can play anything I want on it so easy and comfy!!


EDIT PS: it's not ALL about the pickups, TRUST ME xP

weird question @monophobia: have your crooked pinky fingers actually given you any difficulty while playing? I played violin/viola for years and now you've got me wondering if the extreme displeasure I got from trying to reach high notes may have been somewhat due to my seriously hooked pinkies and not just because I was being whiny.

Kame wrote:

weird question @monophobia: have your crooked pinky fingers actually given you any difficulty while playing? I played violin/viola for years and now you've got me wondering if the extreme displeasure I got from trying to reach high notes may have been somewhat due to my seriously hooked pinkies and not just because I was being whiny.

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With bass it was a little difficult to stretch my pinky out to the first four frets, but it got easier with time. It hasn't caused me that much difficulty thus far, but I haven't played much electric guitar so I don't know about that. I've never played a violin/viola before though, so I can't really say in your case, and it may depend on how bent they are.

Luckily my one pinky I use for fretting isn't as bent as the other, so that's always decent, I suppose. Anyway, while watching Malice Mizer live, when Yu~ki raises his hand during chikasui myako no meiro, you can clearly see he has crooked fingers as well, and he's fantastic on bass (IMO) so I think it just takes time and practice to overcome it.

I was worried about my fingers for a while...but I eventually just said "screw this, I'll practice hard anyway, surely I'll be just as good as any straight fingered person, possibly even better." /lifestory

Kame wrote:

weird question @monophobia: have your crooked pinky fingers actually given you any difficulty while playing? I played violin/viola for years and now you've got me wondering if the extreme displeasure I got from trying to reach high notes may have been somewhat due to my seriously hooked pinkies and not just because I was being whiny.

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It's hard to get used to fretting, and especially with the pinky. The pinky is such a weak finger, so it takes a long time to get used to using them.

My guitar came today! After trying many out, I decided on a gloss white Schecter C-1 with a floyd rose for my first guitar. I love it, though I'm trying to figure it all out...since I first started playing it like a bass by accident. ^^;

Tomorrow I'm going to book some lessons~