Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: lasersailor184 on April 15, 2008, 09:50:24 AM
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Currently I'm hacking away with a borrowed Fender Squire. However, I would like to get my hands on some humbuckers soon. What I've been looking at is ESP guitars. Anyone have any experience with them?
More specifically, I've been looking at these two guitars:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/ESP-LTD-EC100QM-Electric-Guitar?sku=516637
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/ESP-LTD-EC400VF?sku=512884
Money is a little bit of an issue. I can possibly stretch to get the 400, but the 100 is definately in my range. Given that I have about a years worth of experience, would it make much of a difference?
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Ah, the troubles of selecting what guitar to go with!
If you're keen on sticking with guitar then you will definitely be better off going with the 400 for this sole reason:
Pickups: Seymour Duncan JB (B) / '59 set
The 400 has Seymour Duncan pickups and this is where you will get most of your sound from. The quality of the body will give you good sustain and increase the fullness of the sound, the quality and shape of the neck will enhance playing comfort (based only playing style and preference) etc etc. At the end of the day it's the pick-ups that give you much of your tone and if you want a decent humbucking sound... Seymour Duncan make fine pickups.
My brother is currently using one for his bridge pickup in his Epiphone Les Paul and it has a very impressive all around tone quality. It covers many styles nicely, giving a good rock, jazz, blues and even heavy metal sound when required (in combination with the quality of the amp you're using and any effects you might be using).
My theory on most purchases is to put the right money down first and get a quality product as opposed to paying less and upgrading later.
Having said all of that... You could have the greatest guitar in the world and it wouldn't matter one little bit if you're playing it through a piece of watermelon amp.
I would recommend spending the extra cash and getting the guitar with the better pickups provided you have (or plan on getting) a decent amp.
One thing I will say is that all cheap guitars are pretty much the same... the thing that truly sets them apart is the pickups. A good pickup selection will make a cheap guitar sound much better and give you more versatility with your sound.... which is always important for a beginner.
I currently use the following for live performances and recordings:
Guitars:
BC Rich Ironbird (Platinum Series)
Fender Telecaster
Effects:
BOSS ME-50 Guitar Effects pedal. (Good selection of distortion, effects and delay with a master control pedal and in-built silent tuner)
Amp:
Laney VH 100R head (all tube, made in England)
Marshall 4x speaker cab.
The amp in particular is a bit pricey... It's a real monster but both guitars were under $1000 and the effects pedal was under $200.
You can pick up much cheaper effects pedals but the ME-50 has a good selection of things you need, which saves you potato peeling about on stage with 5 different pedals.
Also... I didn't buy a chitty, cheap guitar when I started playing. I knew I wanted to play guitar and I knew what guitar I wanted. I saved my cash (I was still in school at the time) and went out and bought the exact guitar that I wanted, which cost me $1000. An expensive first guitar, to be sure, but I loved it from the moment I got it and I still love it to this day. It is still my main guitar and it has served me faithfully and reliably over the years. Don't be affraid of splashing the cash and getting what you want right out of the gate. If you know your heart is in it, hold off for a couple of months or whatever you need to do and get the guitar that will make you happy.
Money = quality and quality = sound so my advice would be to get the better guitar.
If nothing else it will have a higher re-sale value if you quit.
Good luck mate
<S>
-Arch
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I like the 400, better pickups and, less important, better tuners. Is it worth the difference in price to you? Best way is to play both and see.
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Well, I do have a crap amp. I don't expect to be able to get a new one til the beginning of next year.
Just to make sure (because no one has explained it yet), sustain is how long the guitar holds a note or chord?
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Personally, I'd go with the 400 fella - better pickups, better body wood (nothing against basswood, but mahogany rules imo)
Amp plays a critical part in your playing - the better the amp, the better your tone/sound. (That said, I practise through a marshall ss 15w thing...which is actually pretty nice sounding)
Sustain is the length of time a note/chord sounds without you having to restrike the strings etc.........you can increase sustain utilising feedback from a tube amp........which is a favourite trick..lol...
I'd be trying them both first in your local shop, finding out which one appeals to the way you play - every guitar feels and hangs different - some of my best players are from the "less" expensive ranges - going up to a custom built JD Bluesville with twin fralin buckers.........which has a yummy tone.
Hope you get what you want fella, and keep playing, excellent way to get rid of the stresses and strains of modern life.
Wurzel
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id suggest go hang out at guitar center or pawn shop and play them 1st.. but if that isnt an option ..
I myself are more partial to the Aria and tokia LP copys over the esp's or epi's .
mahogany is better thats for shure.
after playing a fender you may find you hate the LP's .
Sustain is how long the wood in the guitar rings , turn the amp off to test this.
<--my arsonal
old Aria LP set neck long tenion (my fav)
LP studio
08 JP custom BB
Vox AD15vt amp (great practice amp )
fender twin rev amp
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if you know your price limit, go to a store, diddly around with everything inside that limit, and buy what you like. if you cant stand the feel of even the best made, best sounding guitar in the world, you wont want to play it.
The LTDs are decent guitars, and you wouldnt go wrong with a 400. its something that you'll be able to play for a long while yet.
the 100 would probably make a decent starter but isnt going to be any better than a squier. if you buy it, you'll be wanting a better guitar as soon as you get a good amp.
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Currently I'm hacking away with a borrowed Fender Squire. However, I would like to get my hands on some humbuckers soon. What I've been looking at is ESP guitars. Anyone have any experience with them?
More specifically, I've been looking at these two guitars:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/ESP-LTD-EC100QM-Electric-Guitar?sku=516637
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/ESP-LTD-EC400VF?sku=512884
Money is a little bit of an issue. I can possibly stretch to get the 400, but the 100 is definately in my range. Given that I have about a years worth of experience, would it make much of a difference?
Ahem.....
Go Dean guitars!!!!! They are really good quality and very cheap. I got a 400$ Mini Flying V. Never had a problem with it the 3 years I've had it. I've never even broken a string yet. But that's just cuz I change them frequently.
But, at guitarcenter.com you can find one for about 90$. Cannot tell you the quality of that, but the minis are great. They are full length but with a 3/4 size body. They are lighter, and they have sorta a jazzy/bass sound to them. :aok
If I got any pics of mine, I'll show ya.
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alright, found some older pictures. :D
(http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh71/1pLUs44/100_1030.jpg)
(http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh71/1pLUs44/100_0991.jpg)
2nd page has my other 2 guitars, (except my newest one)
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Guitars with a solid body helps the sustain. Meaning the neck is made of the same piece of wood as the body of the guitar, with the fretboard made of ebony or something similar. Whammy bars hurt sustain, anything that interferes with the sound waves from the nut to the bridge hurts sustain. Seymour Duncan are really nice pickups. If you're serious about playing, get the best you can afford.
Old Fender amps are great if you can find one. Mesa Boogie and Marshall are great amps. Crate makes a good amp for its price range. Silver tipped cords also help with the quality of the signal from the guitar to the amp, and don't let the length of the cord be longer then it needs to be.
P.S. I'm no expert though, I ended up giving over $5000 worth of equipment to my nephew because I stopped playing.
P.P.S. If you get a true tube amp, you need to let it cool down after playing before you move it. Otherwise you'll be going through a lot of tubes.
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the 100 would probably make a decent starter but isnt going to be any better than a squier. if you buy it, you'll be wanting a better guitar as soon as you get a good amp.
Vorticon has hit the nail right on the head there.
If you're going to buy a new guitar you might as well make it a decent upgrade. That 100 will essentially be exactly the same as your Squire Telecaster.... just with with different pickups. The cheapness of the guitar will really kill that humbucking effect that you want.
I completely understand your position... I have a Fender Telecaster and it has an absolutely beautiful sound... It is an absolute pleasure on the ears. It has no balls, though, and it is not supposed to. It has a delicious sound but it is a distinct sound you just can't do some things with a Tele. I bought my Telecaster after wanting to explore things that I simply could not do with a guitar with humbuckers. So, I did the same thing you want to do... just in reverse order.
Xargos is right about the tube amps.... they're very sensitive. My tube amp currently needs at least one replacement tube. The 'tube' sound is worth it though, it's absolutely diabolical (and I mean that in a good way).
Since we're being bananas and posting photos:
(http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i253/plague_06/Archaius3.jpg)
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I hope that isn't you in the picture :lol
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Why is that?
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The 400 is one fine guitar. There is no way to go wrong with it. It is well made and sounds as good as a $3000 guitar. I would definitely go with the 400 though. :aok
:rock :rock :rock
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as with all guitars, if you plan on using it for 20 years, play out or anything semi-serious you probably want to spend the dough on a good guitar. it is all about the craftsmanship.
Fender: buy only full American made Startocaster, never a squire.
Gibson / Epiphone: years ago there were good epiphones, but now-a-days I wouldn't bother. years ago Gibson wouldn't make less than a $1500 hand made USA model, now there are asian versions under $500.
Ibanez: again used to make some quality USA models, I am a bit out of touch with them lately.
ESP: they have been around, up and down.
Basically buy only full American made guitars, much higher quality, and they will last you 30 years and more.
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I disagree with Dave. Made in Mexico Fenders can be a nice bargain. I've done away with all of my American made Strats and only have the MIM's now.
Epiphones, IMHO, have come a long way. I have a Sheraton II that plays as well as it's Gibson ES-335 counterpart at 25% of the cost.
Laser, since it's a Squier it already has the huge humbucker routing under the pickguard. Just get a new humbucker and pickguard and drop it in. Probably ~$200 or less.
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I was considering doing that as well. But would a squire strat be worth it to drop in some new humbuckers? Or would it be more worth it to have two guitars to use?
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This is what I would do. I'm assuming you have a laptop? Get Line6's GuitarPort and you will have all you will need for any kind of guitar sound. Plug it directly into the PA. Also slave whatever pedal you still want to use. Dropping in a humbucker is a very cheap solution. Even better yet get a Seymour Duncan mini-humbucker that's the size of a regular single coil, have the repair guy install a splitter switch so you can still get that single coil spank at the bridge, and presto! You'll have a guitar that looks like it has 3 single-coils but will really have a humbucker in it.
http://line6.com/guitarport/
http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/stratocaster/cutting-edge/cool_rails_for/
http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/stratocaster/progressive/duckbuckers_sdb/
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I'd buy the first one, and slap one of these http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Seymour-Duncan-SH13-Dimebucker-Pickup?sku=300131
in the bridge.
You said you were playing punk, and you'll probably progress to some metal. That pickup with a good effects processor like a Pod Pro 2.0, through any clean amp, or p.a. will give you excellent sound. If in a few years your still playing, then i'd invest in a more expensive guitar.
:rock
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I disagree with Dave. Made in Mexico Fenders can be a nice bargain. I've done away with all of my American made Strats and only have the MIM's now.
Epiphones, IMHO, have come a long way. I have a Sheraton II that plays as well as it's Gibson ES-335 counterpart at 25% of the cost.
Laser, since it's a Squier it already has the huge humbucker routing under the pickguard. Just get a new humbucker and pickguard and drop it in. Probably ~$200 or less.
disagree? you bet your booty.
the wood in the body, position of the neck, wood and machine parts of the neck <AHEM>truss rod<AHEM> and many other parts are so inferior I can't even believe they put their name on those products. I've seen truss rods literally snap just setting the initial action, and forget getting a real luthier to set it for you, they will not even bother.
if any of you don't know how to set your action don't bother trying on a mexi-strat... a mexi-tele fuggedaboutit. you think the 12th-14th fret buzz is bad bending a high E on a quality tele?
I'd pay money to see a mexi-strat set to 1/16th or below, hold a tune with the neck bow, and keep solid action. don't bother with 1/32 action just play all your notes slightly off key like that ultra melon "White" guy.
Honestly I own a "top end" mexi-squire, gold Schaller tuners and all, but the neck was actually "wedged" with plastic shims to get close for the action from the shoddy routing in the body on the neck insert. yeah it looks pretty (blueburst with gold hardware and pearl pickguard) but plays like crap. right now I have the action above 1/8 just to get no buzz with a 1/2 step down tune.
(http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z125/JB73Mustaine/IMAG0008.jpg)
I paid $425 for that back in 2000.
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Mustaine, check this out.
This is Curt Mitchell, you may have heard of him. You'd see him in the back of guitar mags back in the late 80's/early 90's with his video tapes of "in the style of" hot guitar licks.
In this video he's playing a late 60's MIM Strat that I sold him in 2005. I had had it since '98 but had to sell it for personal reasons. It was one of the best Strats I have ever owned. But I had to get rid of it and Curt wanted a new Strat. He did this video at my request to explain why blues is an easy form of music to learn but it's damn near impossible to master. Anyway, you'll see him explain the MIM that he got from me and how simple his rig is. Good stuff.
(http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g308/txflood77598/th_Video-Riff-10.jpg) (http://s59.photobucket.com/albums/g308/txflood77598/?action=view¤t=Video-Riff-10.flv)
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I was considering doing that as well. But would a squire strat be worth it to drop in some new humbuckers? Or would it be more worth it to have two guitars to use?
i'd drop in a "loaded" pick guard with 1 or more humbuckers . it just depends on your playing style as for which ones to chose .
Check your local Craigslist ...
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I was considering doing that as well. But would a squire strat be worth it to drop in some new humbuckers? Or would it be more worth it to have two guitars to use?
In my opinion this would be a serious waste of money.
Don't spend a cent more than you need to on a Squire.
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Yes you should buy a guitar. And then rock that mother.
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For what it's worth, which is probly around $.02, NEVER buy a guitar online. Unless there's a special piece your looking for, just go to a store and start playing. If you don't care for any of 'em just go to a different store. Eventually one will follow you home.
My first electric was a '76-'77 Japanese Aria. Outstanding instrument for a strat copy. Had no idea what a nice player it was until 10 years passed and I got to the point where I could tell the difference. Still have it. Since I've gotten into Gibsons, I hardly give a "copy" guitar a second look and it's a shame cause there are a lot of decent and even excellent axes that can be had for little $$. My loss.
B.T.W. There are no import Gibsons. All are made in U.S.A. Epi's (which are mostly produced overseas) can be fine instruments. I've got 1 and for the money it can't be beat. As far as MIM strats, again, you gotta play the guitar. No matter what the headstock says, once it's in your hands you'll know if it's "THE ONE".
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In my experience, modding the ol' guitbox isn't worth the trouble... If you want the humbucker sound, buy a *well made* Les Paul. I've had a Gibson LP studio for about 11 years now, and I won't bother with anything else for that tone.
I've got an American made Tele that I've modded, but basically I dropped in some vintage pickups and set the neck pickup position up like the '59 Tele (Pre-set Bassy Tone). Boy was that ever a pain in arse... I won't mess with any of my guitar electronics again!
Btw, I play both electrics through a Fender 65' Deluxe. Tubes are definitely the way to go.