I want a new electric guitar to move on between beginner and intermediate. This will be my second electric. My first was the Jackson JS1. I liked the price, fast action, the heavy sound of the 2 humbuckers, and the (inverted!) bad-ass scroll. I didn't like the kind of shoddy build (cable jack and knobs always needed screwing) and the fact that it kind of always had the same sound. Here is what's important to me, sort of in order of importance:
- Easy to play (low action)
- Versatile
- Light
- Solid construction
- Cool-looking scroll (i don't really like rounded shapes)
Here are some restrictions:
- NO floating tremelo
- NO tuning lock
- NO neck-thru construction (I dunno, feels weird to me)
- NO active pickups
- Price range aroudn 500-800ish
I used to like hard rock a lot, but now I'm playing more bluesy stuff. So, hit me with recommendations!
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If you do go for strat or tele, try to get a HSS one, so you have the versatillity to use both single coils or humbuckers.
Oski mentioned Fender axes, but you might find them not to your liking if low action is a priority. Fenders tend to have 9.5" fretboard radii, which means you'll never be able to get the action as low as with the 12" radius on your jackson. That being said, if you're into bluesy stuff, super-low action might be detrimental to the sound.
Also, for versatility you can't really beat a strat! Strats are used in every kind of music... ever.
I'm not sure what you'd say is too light or too heavy. Frankly, with the exception of Les Pauls which rightfully have a reputation for weighing a ton, and some disgusting BC Rich instruments which I had the bad judgment to actually try once, I've never felt a guitar was much heavier than any other.
Unfortunately, I don't know of any specific axes in your price range since I haven't looked for a guitar in that price range in a long time.
If I were you, I'd start by looking at the guitarists you really dig, and finding out what instruments they're playing, then go to music stores and try those out.
check out an Epiphone DOT hollow body then put like, p90 p'ups on it and call it a day. I know these things can seem a little bulky in theory, but in practice they might feel very comfortable for you.
DOT will run you ~$400 the p90s will be no more than $300 for the set, probably more like $220 to $250.
that leaves you with between $100-$150 wiggle room, which you could use to get a nice blues overdrive pedal or something.
No.
*slaps wrist*
No!
Some recommendations:
Schecter Stargazer
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ESP LTD Viper
Link
Anyone have experience with http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Jackson-DK2-Dinky-Electric-Guitar?sku=511668 ? I feel like playing another Jackson will be a really easy transition. I just wish the headstock was inverted like my JS1! (yes, that is what I meant by "scroll"... I think they're called scrolls on violins, right?)
I'll definitely check out the stuff you guys mentioned if it's in the store. I'll get back to you all on that.
I fucking love the thing. Real thin neck so I can play forever with no cramp, actions really easy. Les Paul body but a lot lighter. And then it has my favorite thing in the world: Coil tap switch. It's HH, but the coil tap takes the humbucking coils out, making it SS. It sounds beautiful, especially for jazz things. I only have two complaints. One is that the tone range is more limited than, say, a Gibson. The other is that the volume and tone knobs are just silver textured knobs with no numbers. I'm about to take off my Epiphones old knobs and throw them on this one.
I'd recommend asking at least about one. There are parts of it that I prefer over my dads Gibson SG.
What's your rationale here? DOTs aren't bad for the money.
At the end of the day, this is the one I had the most fun with: http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Schecter-C1-Hellraiser-Electric-Guitar?sku=518451
even though it violates a lot of the restrictions I had, haha. I always thought my dream guitar would be a Jackson DK (DKMG, DK2, even DXMG) but compared to this Schecter they just sounded... boring. This one felt really great, and it has 2 coil taps (one for each humbucker). What do you guys think of it?
And for anyone else considering the DK2, I've played my friend's extensively and it was pretty great. Nice, thin neck, but not too thin like an Ibanez. The whole guitar is super comfortable, and the stock Seymour Duncans are great.
what's wrong with them? They'll be way better than stock, that's for sure.