Your next guitar?

[susiwong]

So...what's the best fixed bridge geetar for around $1k?

We're currently blowing out Viper 1000's for $359 each:

http://www.jrrshop.com/catalog/advanced ... viper-1000

Mahogany bodies, killer pickups, Tone Pros hardware, Earvana nuts, locking tuners, etc. If you ask the Seymour Duncan forum, the Custom 5/'59 pickup combo in the white one is generally considered to be the very best for this type of guitar. It's what I've got in my own Les Paul, as well, and I love it.

Aside from that, Gibson had a series of SG's and Les Paul Jr's that weren't properly finished, only stained, that was killer for the money. For around $800, you could get a proper, American made Gibson that was even more resonant than a higher-end model thanks to the light finish. I always wanted one of those.

Very good suggestions, Eric !
Keep in mind the Viper has 24 frets which might be good for you or not.
The "worn" Gibsons are still available in several flavours, SGs, Vs, Explorers, even LP Studios.
Those Doublecut LP Specials (not Jrs afair) you mention were killer guitars indeed, I was so close to buying one, but I already have a Historic TV Special and a real 1960 Jr, so ...
The biggest difference was the separate bridge and tailpiece and the unbound neck afair.

On the Fender side I can completely recommend the upmarket mexican models, upgrade the PUs and you have a fine guitar. I play my Deluxe Nashville Power Tele (with Fender Noiseless) every day, my bedroom guitar and the grab-and-go one as well, around 4 or 5 colleagues got one, too, after playing mine, nobody was disappointed.

Let others (Dean ?) comment about the metal axes, I think the current Schecters are decent (not comparable to the US ones though), Ibanez, ESP, Charvel ...
The only thing I can contribute is: make sure to get one with a quality steel Floyd, the cheaper lookalikes are complete crap and replacing them with a Schaller is too expensive in most cases.

Ymmv,
susiwong

[robogone]

metal axes, I think the current Schecters, Ibanez, ESP, Charvel ...

I'd stop the list there I think too. I have yet to play any of those weird shaped things that appeal to zit faced metalhead teens and think they're anything other than a piece of shit.

Avoid anything by Dean like the plague, even anything with a high price tag on.

[JediMind]

Sorry for being a total slacker earlier, susiwong.

- 24 frets (good bending space)
- lightweight
- decent sustain
- will last a long long time. Not necessarily live use/abuse, just in the studio. Some truss rod adjustments from time to time, some fret maintenance and that's all.
- inclined towards passive pick-ups. Would love to try some actives, though.
- versatile (aka anything BUT metal. Jazz, hard rock and mellow stuff as well. Not a big fan of harsh or very bright tones.)
- comfortable neck. Not necessarily lightning-fast.

I like floyds but I'm bad at maintaining them. Plus I experiment with different tunings. Often.

That ESP Viper looks really nice!

[susiwong]

Avoid anything by Dean like the plague, even anything with a high price tag on.

Rotfl !

I was talking about our Dean the nekrotic machine, not the guitar brand.

The only thing that rings a bell for me with Dean guitars is vintage Kansas, and both Livgren and Williams got some great Gibson tones out of them.
Never played one myself though.

Ymmv,
susiwong

[robogone]

Avoid anything by Dean like the plague, even anything with a high price tag on.

Rotfl !

I was talking about our Dean the nekrotic machine, not the guitar brand.

I know.

[susiwong]

Sorry for being a total slacker earlier, susiwong.

- 24 frets (good bending space)
- lightweight
- decent sustain
- will last a long long time. Not necessarily live use/abuse, just in the studio. Some truss rod adjustments from time to time, some fret maintenance and that's all.
- inclined towards passive pick-ups. Would love to try some actives, though.
- versatile (aka anything BUT metal. Jazz, hard rock and mellow stuff as well. Not a big fan of harsh or very bright tones.)
- comfortable neck. Not necessarily lightning-fast.

I like floyds but I'm bad at maintaining them. Plus I experiment with different tunings. Often.

That ESP Viper looks really nice!

Ok, now we can try and give some real recommendations.

The Viper is really tempting at that price, and JRR are great to deal with.

If you can live with 22 frets however I'd also closely look at one of those budget "worn" Gibsons, going between 600€ and 900€ new.
Some of the best deals for pro league guitars atm, but don't tell Hink !

Also check out Schecters and the PRS SE line, possibly with a pickup upgrade.

Definitely consider buying s/h, don't know if Eric bought hibidy's beautiful SE Singlecut, if not, that one's a steal !

Can you visit a bigger store to play some of these and come back with a few impressions ?

Take your time to find the right one, the search already is a lot of fun !

Cheers,
susiwong

Btw, experiments with tunings require a strong neck !

[Uncle E]

- 24 frets (good bending space)
- lightweight
- decent sustain
- will last a long long time. Not necessarily live use/abuse, just in the studio. Some truss rod adjustments from time to time, some fret maintenance and that's all.
- inclined towards passive pick-ups. Would love to try some actives, though.
- versatile (aka anything BUT metal. Jazz, hard rock and mellow stuff as well. Not a big fan of harsh or very bright tones.)
- comfortable neck. Not necessarily lightning-fast.

I like floyds but I'm bad at maintaining them. Plus I experiment with different tunings. Often.

That ESP Viper looks really nice!

It's fairly heavy, unfortunately, like a Les Paul. The body is thick like a Les Paul so it's good for someone who wants the Les Paul sound but with the SG look. If you want lighter, get an SG or a Les Paul Special, both of which fit all your requirements.

[Hink]

- 24 frets (good bending space)
- lightweight
- decent sustain
- will last a long long time. Not necessarily live use/abuse, just in the studio. Some truss rod adjustments from time to time, some fret maintenance and that's all.
- inclined towards passive pick-ups. Would love to try some actives, though.
- versatile (aka anything BUT metal. Jazz, hard rock and mellow stuff as well. Not a big fan of harsh or very bright tones.)
- comfortable neck. Not necessarily lightning-fast.

I like floyds but I'm bad at maintaining them. Plus I experiment with different tunings. Often.

That ESP Viper looks really nice!

It's fairly heavy, unfortunately, like a Les Paul. The body is thick like a Les Paul so it's good for someone who wants the Les Paul sound but with the SG look. If you want lighter, get an SG or a Les Paul Special, both of which fit all your requirements.

as much as I rag on Gibson the truth is I would never own a Les Paul because of two reasons and the weight is one. I still will never forget the day when I was like 22 and my best friend decided to play guitar so he bought a brand new Gibson Les Paul Goldtop 30th anniversary edition (and a polytone amp). The first time he sat down with it he didn't hold the neck, bent over to plug the cable in and the neck kicked up and gave him a fat lip.

Writing, I want a guitar that will sit and stay in my lap and I do not want to fight it. If I had a Les Paul I would be too damn lazy to pick it up to play it. (my baritone is that way but it 'sits' nicely, but I groan every time I pick it up)

The other thing is the stop bar tail piece, I simply hate it. There really is nothing wrong with it besides the sustain lost (but bolt on necks, floyd rose systems do not help sustain either...only my daion with the neck through really benefits sustain wise from strings through the body)

I've given this a lot of thought recently as to why and it's as simple as my right hand just not being comfortable and almost being lost. No doubt if I played a stop bar more often that would go away but I honestly believe it comes down to palm muting and the 'feel' for where I'm going to pick at (I change that a lot because of pinch harmonics, it's second nature with a rose or a hardtail style bridge that anchors through the body)

The stop bar just isn't for me and it's more than just Gibson though an SG bugs the hell out of me because the strings look in my eyes to be too high which of course they're not

[tapper mike]

If I ever win the powerball I'm hiring suzi to be my procurator. She'll be in charge of aquiring instruments and maintaing the guitar wing of my estate.

[hibidy]

awkward.

[susiwong]

If I ever win the powerball I'm hiring suzi to be my procurator. She'll be in charge of aquiring instruments and maintaing the guitar wing of my estate.

Guitar wing - sounds like a plan !
In fact I'm planning something remotely similar - not quite as big - a very guitar-centric little studio for folks who have fun working with real guitar tone .
I have a humble collection of classic gear myself and can quickly borrow lots of additional good stuff on request.
Currently all I really need is 2 or 3 good rooms for the studio.
First I have to find a suitable house - much harder than I thought unfortunately.
Lol,
susiwong

[james0tucson]

- 24 frets (good bending space)
- lightweight
- decent sustain
- will last a long long time. Not necessarily live use/abuse, just in the studio. Some truss rod adjustments from time to time, some fret maintenance and that's all.
- inclined towards passive pick-ups. Would love to try some actives, though.
- versatile (aka anything BUT metal. Jazz, hard rock and mellow stuff as well. Not a big fan of harsh or very bright tones.)
- comfortable neck. Not necessarily lightning-fast.

I like floyds but I'm bad at maintaining them. Plus I experiment with different tunings. Often.

That ESP Viper looks really nice!

It's fairly heavy, unfortunately, like a Les Paul. The body is thick like a Les Paul so it's good for someone who wants the Les Paul sound but with the SG look. If you want lighter, get an SG or a Les Paul Special, both of which fit all your requirements.

as much as I rag on Gibson the truth is I would never own a Les Paul because of two reasons and the weight is one. I still will never forget the day when I was like 22 and my best friend decided to play guitar so he bought a brand new Gibson Les Paul Goldtop 30th anniversary edition (and a polytone amp). The first time he sat down with it he didn't hold the neck, bent over to plug the cable in and the neck kicked up and gave him a fat lip.

Writing, I want a guitar that will sit and stay in my lap and I do not want to fight it. If I had a Les Paul I would be too damn lazy to pick it up to play it. (my baritone is that way but it 'sits' nicely, but I groan every time I pick it up)

The other thing is the stop bar tail piece, I simply hate it. There really is nothing wrong with it besides the sustain lost (but bolt on necks, floyd rose systems do not help sustain either...only my daion with the neck through really benefits sustain wise from strings through the body)

I've given this a lot of thought recently as to why and it's as simple as my right hand just not being comfortable and almost being lost. No doubt if I played a stop bar more often that would go away but I honestly believe it comes down to palm muting and the 'feel' for where I'm going to pick at (I change that a lot because of pinch harmonics, it's second nature with a rose or a hardtail style bridge that anchors through the body)

The stop bar just isn't for me and it's more than just Gibson though an SG bugs the hell out of me because the strings look in my eyes to be too high which of course they're not

I don't disagree with you, Hink, but some Les Pauls are incredibly well balanced. Others will definitely give that fat lip.

I don't necessarily see the tailpiece as a sustain loss, since my SG sustains just about forever. But then, it's a set-neck. Most people hate playing my guitars because I set them up for heavy strings and a really high action. Besides, I'm a woodwind player, not a guitarist

[james0tucson]

If you can live with 22 frets however I'd also closely look at one of those budget "worn" Gibsons, going between 600€ and 900€ new.

You mean "distressed" or whatever? Ah, "relic" they call it.

I can't do anything but laugh when I see those. I'm sure some of them are fine instruments, but fine instruments for poseurs.

[Dean Aka Nekro]

Hi Dean,
still up or already ?
Lol,
susiwong

Both...I don't sleep much mate and nor do the kids (well Luke mainly so i usually keep him company when he wakes). They go off alright but then wake up at around 12am/1am and just go all night and i am used to it now/have to adapt

I hear you.
Even over here.
No wonder the kids can't sleep.
Yawn,
susiwong
off to bed

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=303905

The opposite, I'm afraid.
In Dean's case it's more like black noise.
Cheers,
susiwong

I guess i could try recording the subtle buzz of the Marshall in standby mode, if i could record the smell of the local music store when they have all the amps fired up - I would sleep like a baby

[Dean Aka Nekro]

Avoid anything by Dean like the plague, even anything with a high price tag on.

Rotfl !

I was talking about our Dean the nekrotic machine, not the guitar brand.

I know.

PMSL