Guitar for Rock/ Metal?

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Guitar for Rock/ Metal?
Topic Started: Jan 27 2009, 01:32 PM (517 Views)
180Turbo	Jan 27 2009, 01:32 PM Post #1
Newbie Posts: 4 Group: Members Member #9,178 Joined: January 27, 2009	Hi Folks, I've been looking into buying a new electric guitar but i'm a little confused as to what to buy. I was particularly after a Fender Strat as i do really like the look of them. The music styles i like are really metal and rock but i've spoken to a nice guy at my local guitar shop who has said that Ibanez (RG) are good for that type of music. Would a strat be no good for rock/ metal music? If no then why not? I've been reading up a little on pickups (single coil/ humbuckers etc), but not sure what would be good for me needs. I don't mind spending a little on a proper strat (don't really want a squire), but was hoping that if i did end up selling it in the future i would get back roughly what i paid for it. Do they hold their money at all? They did have a nice mexican strat, i think it was around Ł520, but i wouldn't know if it was a good deal or not. I did once have an encore strat copy which i guess was 15 years ago or more, but generally buy decent goods nowadays that will last. With the recession on and all, is it possible to get a good deal nowadays? Any help/ comments appreciated.



monwobobbo	Jan 27 2009, 03:23 PM Post #2
Posts: 1,032 Group: Moderator Member #8,625 Joined: June 23, 2008	hey turbo. first off Strats are great and very versitile guitars capable of doing any style of music. of course its better suited to some styles than others. if you're trying to do things like death metal it may not be the best choice as single coil pickups don't have the low end crunch of a humbucker. for say judas priest or iron maiden style metal its fine. as for other types of rock well you'll find that many players have used them over the years so it'll be fine for that. MIM strats are decent guitars however they don't retain value like you want. actually its not a very doable request. high end guitars do hold their value fairly well but you're talking guitars that would cost you L1000 or more and then its usually the american made fenders or gibsons. i play a Vineyard strat-style guitar for a variety of types of music and have been very happy with the results. oh.. ibanez does make some good guitars that are more metal oriiented but still suitable for rock. i would play as many different guitars as i could and see which feels the best in your hands and sound the best to your ears.
	and now for something completely different


180Turbo	Jan 27 2009, 05:15 PM Post #3
Newbie Posts: 4 Group: Members Member #9,178 Joined: January 27, 2009	Thanks for the info. Yes the music would be something like Iron Maiden etc, but also Metallica and Anthrax/ Slayer, so thats going towards thrash metal. On the opposite side of the coin i'd like to play AC/DC etc, a bit different from Slayer! I thought you may say that about MIM fenders, i'm quite surprised they where around Ł500, when he had an american fender strat for about Ł970 i think it was. Do USA starts start around this price? Are Ibanez thought of as a cheap brand, (or cheaper, than fender anyway)? Problem for me in playing them is that i can't really play anyway yet, i know it probably sounds a bit daft to spend a lot on a first guitar, but i don't want to buy something that won't let me enjoy it if you know what i mean...



bensidlehands	Jan 27 2009, 05:45 PM Post #4
Member Posts: 23 Group: Members Member #9,116 Joined: January 8, 2009	Iron Maiden use strats regularly, though they are fitted with humbuckers. It sounds like a fat strat would suit you well. Generally though, you shouldn't go by what other people use. Try out a few different guitars and see which you like best. If you find the strat feels best, try out both one with single coils and one with humbuckers, and see which you think sounds best. It's true what they say; the guitar chooses you. I can vouch that the MIMs are very nice guitars. That seems a little pricey though. When I bought mine it was Ł330. I've heard with the current economic climate a lot of guitars are going up in price. It might be it's like that everywhere, but you should still shop around a little to be sure.
	MIM Strat (Vintage Noiseless) Yamaha FG433S Peavey Classic 30 Yamaha P-60


voodoorider	Jan 27 2009, 06:54 PM Post #5
Garry Posts: 673 Group: Members Member #8,964 Joined: November 3, 2008	Those prices sound odd turbo.. A standard USA strat in the UK, for a good deal is around Ł650.. a signature series or one of their more deluxe models (they have dozens it can be pretty confusing as to what the differences are so i won't explain) get toward Ł1000 and then their custom shop and relic stuff is Ł2000 - 4000 ish. One thing i will say is that you'd struggle find a second hand USA strat in reasonable condition for less than Ł500.. which is a pretty good price retention as guitars go. A MIM strat shouldn't be more than about Ł330 like bensidlehands said. Now as for the type of guitar you might want, try out as many as possible like mentioned, although i know that when you have your eye set on something, as like most people you'd be unhappy choosing something else. So if it came down to strat and Ibanez, the Ibanez would be better suited to your music in my opinion, it is more toned toward the higher gain stuff, and i find strats can tend to get a little messy and lose clarity quite badly. But you might not like the way one of them feels and might not even like the way it sounds! So that's why it's best to try them, they are 2 very very different necks..
	Guitars: PRS CU 22 R/W neck \| Organic Classic \| Heritage H-150 \| Fender Eric Clapton Strat \| Fender Deluxe Ash strat, scalloped \| 2001 USA std Telecaster \| 2008 USA std Telecaster \| 1996 Gibson Les Paul standard \| PRS Santana SE \| Maverick X1 \| Epiphone SG \| Freshman FA400J Amps: Orange Rockerverb 50 \| Mesa Boogie Electradyne \| Traynor YCV40T \| VOX AD60VT \| Fender Pro 185 \| Zoom Fire 15


mynameisDavid	Jan 27 2009, 09:20 PM Post #6
Member Posts: 1,102 Group: Moderator Member #294 Joined: March 2, 2007	Get an Ibanez Humbucker/single coil/Humbucker guitar.
	CHECK OUT MY BAND! Bands we've shared the stage with: TBD! (for now...) http://www.reverbnation.com/newasylum


jimbob	Jan 27 2009, 09:22 PM Post #7
Member Posts: 30 Group: Members Member #9,054 Joined: December 9, 2008	i picked up an ibanez rg550 for 200 pound. Cheap as chips, sounds perfect, the edge "floyd rose" bridge stays in tune no problem. Best metal guitar for under a grand i think. rrp new is about 700. i would stay clear of any ibanez models under the 550 (470, 350, 120 etc etc) they are just not made right, cheap out of tune trems and bad pickups. The 550 is the cheapest that is made in Japans high end factory (unlike the lower numbers from Taiwan and Indonesia). The must haves are V7 and V8 pickups and Edge trem. Checkout JemSite for specialist ibanez advice. Oh... and 99% of them are black. Mine was cheap enough i stripped it and didn't feel bad



monwobobbo	Jan 28 2009, 02:11 AM Post #8
Posts: 1,032 Group: Moderator Member #8,625 Joined: June 23, 2008	voodoorider Jan 27 2009, 06:54 PM Those prices sound odd turbo.. A standard USA strat in the UK, for a good deal is around Ł650.. a signature series or one of their more deluxe models (they have dozens it can be pretty confusing as to what the differences are so i won't explain) get toward Ł1000 and then their custom shop and relic stuff is Ł2000 - 4000 ish. One thing i will say is that you'd struggle find a second hand USA strat in reasonable condition for less than Ł500.. which is a pretty good price retention as guitars go. A MIM strat shouldn't be more than about Ł330 like bensidlehands said. Now as for the type of guitar you might want, try out as many as possible like mentioned, although i know that when you have your eye set on something, as like most people you'd be unhappy choosing something else. So if it came down to strat and Ibanez, the Ibanez would be better suited to your music in my opinion, it is more toned toward the higher gain stuff, and i find strats can tend to get a little messy and lose clarity quite badly. But you might not like the way one of them feels and might not even like the way it sounds! So that's why it's best to try them, they are 2 very very different necks.. hmmm... interesting take on Strats. i've never found that they loose clarity at all its one of their strong suites. you do have to work a little harder with strats in high gain situations as the clarity is there so your mistakes or bad picking habits tend to show more. once you get it going though the notes ring clearly and have more character about them. turbo there are many strat style guitar sout other than fender. as i mentioned i play a Vineyard strat that will make mince meat out of any MIM strat. Washburn makes a cool strat style model that can be had for about the same price as a MIM strat. as previously mentioned explore your options. no guitar does it all perfectly so some compromises are needed. just figure out what your priorities sound wise are and go from there.
	and now for something completely different


bensidlehands	Jan 28 2009, 02:31 AM Post #9
Member Posts: 23 Group: Members Member #9,116 Joined: January 8, 2009	monwobobbo Jan 28 2009, 02:11 AM i've never found that they loose clarity at all its one of their strong suites. you do have to work a little harder with strats in high gain situations as the clarity is there so your mistakes or bad picking habits tend to show more. once you get it going though the notes ring clearly and have more character about them. I've found the bridge pickup gets a bit muddy with high gain. But for either of the parallel settings (bridge + middle, middle + neck) you can chuck the gain on as high as you want and it just gets creamier and creamier. If there was a HB that gave the same parallel sounds as a SSS (they've tried, and I've tried them, but they don't really work), I'd go for a HSS in a shot (I don't really find much use for the bridge pickup on its own to be honest). Oh, and Turbo, be sure about the look of the thing. The only complaint I have about my MIM is that I didn't get it in sunburst. That's been bugging me ever since I bought it.
	MIM Strat (Vintage Noiseless) Yamaha FG433S Peavey Classic 30 Yamaha P-60


180Turbo	Jan 28 2009, 08:29 AM Post #10
Newbie Posts: 4 Group: Members Member #9,178 Joined: January 27, 2009	Well thanks chaps for all of the responses. I'll definitely shop around. I only visited our local guitar shop when in town to see what they had in. I imagine that they are really selling them for retail price, which i wouldn't pay anyway. I'd normally look on the net and see what the prices are going for. I'll be after a nice amp too to go with it, nothing huge to start with though.



Metallon	Apr 6 2009, 12:53 PM Post #11
Member Posts: 56 Group: Members Member #8,784 Joined: August 30, 2008	Fender Stratocasters work just fine for metal. A friend of mine has his uncle's Stratocaster now and he likes for example Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, just like you. No problems playing metal! Alternatives to a fender strat could be a Jackson Dinky or an Ibanez strat, both play good and feel nice, and both come with both humbuckers and single coils (H/S/S).
	I express my emotions musically to impress people with music emotionally.


ghstofperdition	Jun 4 2009, 06:33 AM Post #12
Member Posts: 25 Group: Members Member #9,211 Joined: June 4, 2009	Strats are great guitars, but might not be suited for thrash metal as the single coils just don't handle the low end as well. Especially in Slayer type music, you need some serious thundering low end I just don't find that in a strat. I suggest jackson or ibanez guitars. Ibanez is more versatile imo as you can get the great low end through the humbuckers, but they also have the single coils for great blues and jazz sounds. The real selling point for the ibanez though is their amazing wizard II necks. Never have I played a guitar with a neck that is as fast or as smooth as a wizard II neck. It's like a flat c shape. Very comfortable on the thumb/palm (if you hook your thumb over the fretboard like I do) It all comes down to you trying one out and seeing if you like it though. In the end it's your opinion that matters.



shoot2thrill	Jun 4 2009, 07:46 PM Post #13
Newbie Posts: 18 Group: Members Member #9,166 Joined: January 24, 2009	An MIM HSS strat might work...you got a humbucker in the bridge and single coils in the middle and neck positions. You could get the low end crunch with the humbucker and the single coils add to the versatility. Ibanez's and Jacksons are probably your best bet Metal wise.
	My Gear: Fender Strat MIM, Charvel Model 2, Peavey Classic 30, Digitech Hardwire Mtal Distortion, Boss DS-1, Digitech Whammy/Wah, Boss GE-7 EQ


StratsRock	Dec 30 2009, 05:16 AM Post #14
Newbie Posts: 3 Group: Members Member #9,279 Joined: December 29, 2009	If you like Strats and want something for metal take a look at G&L guitars, www.glguitars.com - It is the company that Leo Fender and George Fullerton started after they sold Fender to CBS. The G&L Invader XL is a Super Strat dual humbucker model made in the USA. They also offer a less expensive model called the Tribute Invader which is made in Indonesia but the electronics are installed at the US facility. An example is at www.guitaradoptions.com. Of course you can sometimes find a deal on eBay as well. I have 2 G&L's and the quality is impeccable. Cheers!
	G&L Invader XL Super Strat G&L S500 Larrivee RS4 - GoldTop

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