Thinking about a new guitar....any players get in here, need some opinions.....

[turbo96z28]

i'm finally ready to step up from off the shelf buying and get a custom. what do you think:

YOUR CUSTOM QUOTE


GENERAL INFORMATION
Guitar or Bass:
Guitar
Right or Left Handed: Right Handed
Scale Length: 24.75"
BODY SPECIFICATIONS
Body Shape: M
Construction: Neck-Thru
Material: Mahagony
Quilted Maple Top: No
Flame Maple Top: No
Binding: No
Binding Color: N/A
Routing: Back
Pickup Configuration: Bridge: Hum Middle: N/A Neck: SC
Finish: Blue Satin
Custom Graphic: No
NECK SPECIFICATIONS
Headstock Shape: ESP Pointed
Reverse: Yes
Tilt: Yes
Headstock Finish: Match Body Finish
Neck Finish: Natural Satin
Fingerboard: Ebony
Number of Frets: 24
Fret Size: Medium
Inlays: None
Custom Inlays: No
ESP Inlay at 12th Fret: No
Fingerboard End: Round
Fingerboard Binding: No
Headstock Binding: No
Binding Color: N/A
Nut: Locking
Nut Width: 1 5/8"
Neck Contour: Thin "U"
Headstock Logo: ESP Custom
PART SPECIFICATIONS
Hardware Color: Black
Bridge System: Original Floyd Rose Locking Tremolo System
Recessed Tremolo: Yes
Pickguard: No
Pickguard Color:
Tuning Machines: Grover
Input Jack: Deep Dish
Pickups: EMG
Pickup Model: Bridge: EMG-81 Middle: Neck: EMG-SA
Control Pattern: single push/pull volume control.
Suggested Retail Estimate Including Case:$4,550.00

[V]

holy crap..my drum set was only around a grand.. but I dont know anything about guitars... i could my my ATI kit for that amount, lol

[turbo96z28]

that's actually cheap for a custom.

it's built exactly how i order it....totally one of a kind.



think of the guitar from the Jet City Woman video Chris Degarmo was playing (if you're old enough :smile:), it'll be something like that.

[turbo96z28]

kinda like this, but in satin black (think primer):
http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/4469/degarmo3id.png

[Ian]

:drool:

ESP's are nice ax's man. Either wait for curt86iroc to chime in or pm him. he's a guitar player.

[Rob WS6]

Have you looked into Jackson? Ive played just about every guitar out there, and Jacksons are my favorites by far. Jacksons custom shop is nothing short of amazing, and cheaper than ESP as well.

As far as specs go... I prefer:
-Maple or Ebony fretboard
-25.5 scale
-Recessed Origonal Floyd Rose
-1 11/16" nut
-Bridge Hum, Neck Hum or SC
-12/14-16" compound radius fretboard

For the basics that is.

[69BirdX]

i want a jackson in the worse way...........they play so nice
________
EXPERT INSURANCE (http://xpertinsurance.com/)

[turbo96z28]

Have you looked into Jackson? Ive played just about every guitar out there, and Jacksons are my favorites by far. Jacksons custom shop is nothing short of amazing, and cheaper than ESP as well.

As far as specs go... I prefer:
-Maple or Ebony fretboard
-25.5 scale
-Recessed Origonal Floyd Rose
-1 11/16" nut
-Bridge Hum, Neck Hum or SC
-12/14-16" compound radius fretboard

For the basics that is.


i thought about a Jackson, but i wasn't too thrilled with the neck on the last one i played. and it was a custom. that's why i'm leaning towards the ESP. it's gonna be more of a shredder than anything else, and the ESP necks always felt the fastest.

right now i have a Fender Mexican Fat-Strat, an early 80s Charvel Randy Rhodes V with an orig Rose, locking nut, SC neck/Hum bridge and 5 way switch, a no-name Tele, Fender Squire P-Bass, and a no-name Les Paul.

the Fat-Strat is my main player, the Charvel doesn't see much action anymore, the Tele and LP are beaters to just jam on when i need to get rid of some tension.

[WayFast84]

I played started playing the bass in fith grade learned a few songs then in like 6th grade I said screw it..Now I want to get a dean and then learn how to play the guitar

[HardcoreZ28]

ESP is great for playing metal. Hetfield plays one...nuff said.
On a side note, I'm still steaming....I missed buying a Killswitch Engage autographed guitar this week by $1....got out bid with like 5 seconds left!

[jims69camaro]

ESP is great for playing metal. Hetfield plays one...nuff said.
On a side note, I'm still steaming....I missed buying a Killswitch Engage autographed guitar this week by $1....got out bid with like 5 seconds left!

you got sniped.

i think 5k is way overboard for a custom. i would look around and pick up one that's close to the specs you want for like half of the retail (easily half) on ebay or one of the musician boards. what you want in a guitar has most likely already been done and that guy might want to get rid of his stuff...

the only bass i bought retail was the yamaha bx-1. i've never needed another bass and have only needed minor tweaking to it since i bought it. it was "off the shelf" but i have yet to find a bass with its ability or versatility.

think real hard about this purchase. like i said, you may be able to get someone else's custom for far less.

[turbo96z28]

i've been looking for awhile now. all the auction sites, classifieds, etc.

the problem is what i want, set-up wise and sound wise, hasn't been done since the late 80s, and even then in low numbers from what i've been told. i'd love to just be able to order something and never have to swap out anything on it unless it's broken. i know the price seems high, but it's just the MSRP. figure about a thousand less or so for transaction price.

the only one i found used is a mid 80s BC Rich Gunslinger i'm bidding on now.

the Gunslinger is close to what i want. the only thing i'd change out at first is the bridge to an original Floyd Rose. it has a new liscensed on it now and i am not a fan.

[PBodyGT87]

I play bass, and right now I'm looking into getting either a Fodera, Alembic, or a Sadowsky, but most likely going with sadowsky after playing one. They may not look like much but they are custom built, however you want it, and it plays and sounds the best of any yet.

as far as your custom idea of a guitar goes, it looks like you pretty much know what you want. Any custom guitar or bass is upwards of 3k or more now, so the price you've come up with seems about right, but you might be able to find one for a grand less. My teacher has found some really good deals on custom basses on ebay, i know you're looking for a guitar, but you could find decent deal. But of course, having one built for you is always the best cuz you know exactly what you are getting.

Start looking up companies and the places that will actually take you in to order up what you want. Stay away from the Guitar Center and such. Go factory direct. And also, I suggest going to a guitar show convention. There's a lot of old stuff there but some new companies new that have pretty good stuff, that way, you get to see and play a lot of what is out there.

Word of advice. DO NOT buy anything from Warrior guitars and basses, they will screw you over.

[turbo96z28]

that's not the first time i heard to stay away from Warrior.

and the ESP will be staright from the factory.

i hit up some conventions a few years back. i don't think anything made after 1992 caught my eye.

the one i'm looking at on ebay seems like it's in the lead as of right now, seeign as how it's not going for too much and is close enough to what i want i can mod it a bit and be happy with it, but i still want to get a custom down the road, just because i know it'll be set up EXACTLY the way i need it to be.

[PBodyGT87]

you can get a really great custom from Carvin, and build it right on the website, down to every nitpicking bit of it, and it'll probably cost less that the 4500 you are looking at now.

BC Rich makes really heavy guitars, and most of the material they use produces really thick heavy tones, when you want something more clear and vibrant. Unless of course you have already played the gunslinger and thats the sound you like. But i'd say building a custom from Carvin may be your best bet. IMHO

[turbo96z28]

i played a Gunslinger way back when i was 12. it was my friend's father's. i never forgot that guitar.

a few years ago i had an NJ Warlock and loved it. they aren't hard to get good highs out of if they are set up right. and the necks are pretty fast.

i sold that one and a 7 string Ibanez for money for xmas gifts a few years ago for my folks, befor emy mom passed away. i'll never forget the look on her face when i told her i pawned those 2 for her and my dad's gifts. she almost fell over.

i did the build on that ESP right off their website. check it out if you get a chance, the options they give you are unlimited, just like Carvin.

i looked at the Carvins, they're still in my top 5 of customs.

i'm having such a hard time deciding, the choices are just so good :D . but if i get the Gunslinger, i can hold off on a custom for awhile.

[Rob WS6]

Jackson necks are usually very thin... almost Ibanez Wizard thin, but they do have thicker profiles which can be ordered. Most Jackson players prefer thin necks.

I just built this on about a month ago... was my first Jackson, the only origonal parts left are the trem and body. This is pretty much the FASTEST neck Ive ever played, very thin and VERY slick. Pickups are Duncan JB TB4 and a Duncan Jazz 2 1kohm CTS vol pots, no tone. Not too thrilled with the Jazz though, probably going to swap it out for a '59.

http://home.comcast.net/~rpperformance/files/dr35.jpg

Then theres my DKMG... Also very fast, super low action, not as fast as the maple one though, great for riffing. EMG 85 and 89 installed with push/pull pot to split the 89, tone pot, and EMG Active 20db Afterburner. Origonal Floyd Rose Bridge as well.

http://home.comcast.net/~rpperformance/files/dkmg1.jpg


I dont buy custom shops... I build em. Wait till the new project gets finished... :D

[enRo]

I got 2 guitars that ive garbage picked that look in great shape. One is red, the other is black and white, both electric. Dunno if they work cuz I dont have an amp, so if anybody wants them, take them for free :-P

[WayFast84]

I got 2 guitars that ive garbage picked that look in great shape. One is red, the other is black and white, both electric. Dunno if they work cuz I dont have an amp, so if anybody wants them, take them for free :-P
Ill take that deal! :-o I want to learn to play before I get my dean plus I have an amp and everything over hear :mrgreen:

[enRo]

Ive tried the guitar for like 3 months. Im no good at it. The only 2 songs I can play are Bulls on Parade and Know Your Enemy (RATM) :-\







No stairway.... DENIED!

[jims69camaro]

you gotta wonder what kind of guitar ends up in the garbage. unless it was an evil, sadistic girlfriend/wife, throwing her hubby's carvin in the circular file...

i lied. i do have one other bass, it's a hybrid fretless that i built from parts of other basses that i had: a p-bass body, no-name maple neck with the frets removed and dean markleys all around (neck, p-bass and bridge). yes, the unused parts did end up in the trash. :mrgreen:

so i guess i can see the value of a factory building you exactly what you want. just not 5 grand worth.

[bitchincamaro]

i started playing guitar about a year ago, (looking for an activity to fill the void, once i am forced to stop skateboarding). i bought a Ibanez GAX. this is my first guitar and i am just noticing alof of fret buzz, especially playing around the 7th and 9th frets. i tried raising the bridge in the back a little bit and still get it. the guitar is always put away in a stand and is in my room at all times, so its not like its being exposed to a serious change of tempertures. do you think think the truss(sp*) rod could use a little tweaking? i would take it to a shop to get it done, but could use a little input before i spend any money. this question is just directed to anyone who can possibly help me out.

[PBodyGT87]

i started playing guitar about a year ago, (looking for an activity to fill the void, once i am forced to stop skateboarding). i bought a Ibanez GAX. this is my first guitar and i am just noticing alof of fret buzz, especially playing around the 7th and 9th frets. i tried raising the bridge in the back a little bit and still get it. the guitar is always put away in a stand and is in my room at all times, so its not like its being exposed to a serious change of tempertures. do you think think the truss(sp*) rod could use a little tweaking? i would take it to a shop to get it done, but could use a little input before i spend any money. this question is just directed to anyone who can possibly help me out.

You're truss rod may need tweaking, but a lot of the fret buzz may have to do with the wood itself beginning to warp. stand the guitar up on it's end and look straight down along the strings from the headstock down to the bridge, and see if the strings appear to be grazing the frets or if the fingerboard has a strange curve to it. Either way, taking it to a shop they should just be able to figure out exactly what is buzzing it. there are all sorts of little adjustments they can make.

[Ian]

I still have to take my guitar to a shop to get it tuned. I have a Fender Performer. It's a weird thing. they only made them in 84 or something like that. to tell you the truth, I dont know much about it at all. :lol:

[stevethepirate]

my primary guitar is an ibanez FG, my baby. i dont play it enough, considering how much i paid for it...

my first guitar was an ibanez gax, still have it and mess around with it every once in a while, i cant play on it after playing on the fg though, world of difference.

i suck though

[bitchincamaro]

You're truss rod may need tweaking, but a lot of the fret buzz may have to do with the wood itself beginning to warp. stand the guitar up on it's end and look straight down along the strings from the headstock down to the bridge, and see if the strings appear to be grazing the frets or if the fingerboard has a strange curve to it. Either way, taking it to a shop they should just be able to figure out exactly what is buzzing it. there are all sorts of little adjustments they can make.

i looked down the fingerboard everything looks nice and true, doesnt seem to be warped or anything. i am probably going to take it to a shop and let them take a look at it.

[curt86iroc]

im rockin an 01 fender deluxe strat. it gets the job done...

[LS1Hawk]

If you're going to drop that many berries on a guitar, why not look at a PRS or an Ernie Ball? Last guitar I bought was my Martin acoustic (have an old strat, but it's beat to hell). I also have a Musicman bass that I love.

[jims69camaro]

i looked down the fingerboard everything looks nice and true, doesnt seem to be warped or anything. i am probably going to take it to a shop and let them take a look at it.

they can set it up for you, if they know what they are doing. it's usually best to not mess with the truss rod, as you can put it out and never get it back to where it needs to be. i used to take my basses to get them set-up with a guy i knew up north. he had one of those spectrographs (or whatever they are called) that analyzed the tone with what looked like green sine waves on a round screen. way out of my league.

i can do a basic set-up, like getting all of the open string harmonics in tune (12th, 24th and 36th) so when you fret a note you are fairly certain that the note is true. outside of that, i leave it to the professionals.

[Ian]

im rockin an 01 fender deluxe strat. it gets the job done...

Curt hath spoken!!!

[turbo96z28]

sorry for the late reply, been away all weekend.

i'm surprised there are so many players here!!!!!!


anyway, afetr thinking about the advice i got, i'm holding off on the custom (might just build one, thanks for the idea Rob ;-) )

anyway, i got the BC Rich i was talking about.

it's a pre-87 USA made Gunslinger. right now it has a liscensed Floyd Rose (it's getting swapped for an original shortly after i get it), EMG-81 at the bridge. just been tuned up (strings, truss rod adjusted, action set low). the body used to be painted, but was sanded down and coated with an oil sealer. the neck might need a finally sanding with 1000 grit and steel wool (have to see how it feels when it gets here). it's almost exactly what i was gonna custom order but only cost me $700.

thanks so much again everyone for throwing some advice out for me to consider.
here's some pics of the new one(gonna get some of the rest of my gear up this week):
http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/2480/7511pq.jpg
http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/1770/3510al.jpg
http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/9711/0418or.jpg
http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/8911/6617az.jpg

[turbo96z28]

im rockin an 01 fender deluxe strat. it gets the job done...


my main right now is a 2000 Mexican Fat Strat in brandywine red.

[Rob WS6]

Ahh, when BC Rich acually made decent guitars... those were the days. Good score! I just scored something special myself tonight... Will post some pics when it gets here. :D

[curt86iroc]

my main right now is a 2000 Mexican Fat Strat in brandywine red.


I also had a cherry red late 80's mexican strat that i gave to my brother.

[jims69camaro]

dunno if you ordered it yet, but you might consider this (http://www.f-body.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15800) that i found on f-body.com, then got back here to find out it was posted here (http://www.njfboa.org/forums/showthread.php?t=15702&highlight=guitar) on our site, as well. sounds like a decent axe.

[turbo96z28]

thanks for looking out Jim, but i already got the BC Rich.

and as an update, that thing plays incredible (especially for being about 20 years old!!!!)

pics are a few posts up. should bring back some memories for you Jim 8)

and i just ordered a new acoustic 12 string too. check it out here...

http://www.olpguitars.com/olp_guitar/musicman/mmao12guitar.htm

[WayFast84]

Im going to be building a guitar in wood shop, modeled from the dean raxor back! i would have a guitar but im flat broke and they would only give me like 20 bucks for my bass...efff that!! but heres a pic of what it looks like http://www.deanguitars.com/dean_winter_06/images/usa_rebel_razorback_med.jpg if I cant make that ill make a dimeblade or a baby!!! i cant wait all I have to do is build a bird house and turn a bat on the lathe and i can make it!!

[turbo96z28]

you better do alot of research into wood types and what not Wayfast.

building a guitar isn't as easy as you think. trust me, i've done it before.




what kind of bass do you have?????

[WayFast84]

ibanez beginer package thing..they wouldve given me more for the amp then the guitar but it made a noise or some ****. but my bass is discontinued and has alot of scratches and nicks cause my sister threw it once...

[turbo96z28]

i'll PM you after work.....i got a few extra guitars laying around, might be willing to trade for that bass.

PM me some pics if you can.

[jims69camaro]

yeah, i see that. nice score. i didn't even read the rest of the thread, just located it and posted. my bad.

[turbo96z28]

no prob Jim.

BTW, that bass you had in your pic in the other thread is sweet.

you still got any of your old gear left?????

[helgrind]

Anything, as long as its a Jackson :D I love the standard Les Paul's too, nothing's freekin' heavier \,,/

[jims69camaro]

i have two axes, a hybrid fretless that i put together from the things i like about several basses (instant custom!) and the one in the pic, which is an Ibanex bx-1, composite body,neck is part of the body, p-bass and jazz bass pickups with active onboard EQ pot either in single or double coil mode. pretty sophisticated when i bought it, now all of the knockoffs have stuff like that. and a peavey microbass amp, although i've been plugging into the computer recently for some session work i picked up. i'm trying to get something going with some of the heavier names on there, and there is nothing in the music biz better than an audio resume.

[turbo96z28]

what are you going into the comp with?

[WayFast84]

you better do alot of research into wood types and what not Wayfast.

building a guitar isn't as easy as you think. trust me, i've done it before.




what kind of bass do you have?????
O yeah the reason why I want to do a guitar is because when I was looking for a book, for my bird castle(****ing awsome!) I saw how to build electric guitar and i looked like this :twisted:

[jims69camaro]

what are you going into the comp with?

straight into my sound card.

[turbo96z28]

the last time i had a chance to go into a comp, i ran through a Line 6 Pod.

sounded pretty good.

[Rob WS6]

Try the Line6 Guitar Port or the new Tone Port... literally the best $100 Ive EVER spent on guitar related stuff.

[bitchincamaro]

can you guys post something of you playing? i'd like to hear it

[turbo96z28]

can you guys post something of you playing? i'd like to hear it


maybe in a few weeks, when i get my new gear all set up.


if you're lucky, i'll play The Incomparable Mr. Flannery ;-)

[bokey]

for pick-up i'd go with gibson classic '57 ;)

[WayFast84]

Well I got a guitar down from the attic and....I suck....

edit

and frank still has tail lights...play paranoid!! lol

[bitchincamaro]

maybe in a few weeks, when i get my new gear all set up.


if you're lucky, i'll play The Incomparable Mr. Flannery ;-)


that funny i was wondering if anyone got it. deff. post whatever you have

[turbo96z28]

that funny i was wondering if anyone got it. deff. post whatever you have


it's Clutch :bow: .....who can miss it :-D