Need some opinionated help

It wasn't me!

My current axe is a Korean made Ibanez RG270DX. Fine guitar for me since I've only been playing about a year and a half. I want to do two things:

1. I want to modify the RG. New pick-ups, original Floyd Rose, For the pick-ups I want a really good set of metal pick-ups. I'll probably replace the full set (HSH) so if anyone has any opinions they'd be welcome. I was thinking of DiMarzios personally.

2. I'm in the market for a second guitar. Another electric. This would need to be warmer than the Ibanez as I intend to use this for punk and lighter material than the Ibanez. I had in mind something like a Cort M- series, a Santana SE, a good Epiphone, a Mexican Fat strat or Mex Tele standard. An idea that might also work is to save up for an extra year and get a Gibson SG Special.

I'm looking for interesting opinions on the guitars, pickups, any modifications I should make to the RG or any I should make to the second guitar. Suggestions not mentioned above are also welcome as long as they are constructive and don't go above say a grand (I intended to get the SG second-hand). I'd be looking for something to handle both clean and light-to-mid distortion.

Some of the bands I'd be playing stuff from would be GreenDay, Distillers, Less Than Jake, Soundgarden, Nirvana, Dropkick Murphys, Rancid, NOFX, Fugazi, Bad Religion, stuff like that. I know there'll be people around here who can help. Thanks in advance guys.

Doctor J

For the pickups, I's recommend Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge and a Seymour Duncan 59 in the neck. Scrap the single coil in the middle

However, I'd say for the money you're going to spend, sell the Ibanez and buy a fundamentally better guitar overall.

Just my opinion.

It wasn't me!

I'm kind of attached to my Ibanez though. It was my first electric and I love it. I was going to use it as kind of an experiment too as regards "How many modifications can I put on this without giving it legs?" kind of thing. I might sell it if all comes to all but at the moment I don't want to. I had planned to use it as a backup whenever I'm gigging as well, which I intend to be once the good old Junior Cert is out of the way.:rolleyes:

Any suggestions on the second guitar btw? I like the Cort, but I haven't played one as much as the others.

gzdamien

i can barely afford that kind of stuff now and my junior cert has been out of the way for nigh on eight years!

as for the second guitar, i would save up for two years and get an SG standard

It wasn't me!

I can't afford it now either. That's why I have to get a "job" next year.:rolleyes: Ah well, can't be helped. I can't see me getting an SG standard and still being able to afford the modifications on my other guitar. So unless someone around here wants to give me an extravagant amount of money in the near future I'm looking at a special. Doubt I'll get the SG anyway. I could use the guitar next year.

turnback

forget all that
buy a good strat and you wont need to arse around with anything else
find out the guitar kurt liked
twas a strat
and all the rest

Eoin Madsen

Yeah, but a good strat will set you back at least 2 grand. I'd recommend the Les Paul Studio for any application. It's about 1200 euro if you buy online, and is twice as good as any other guitar in the price range.

I have a Mex Strat. I thought it was good at the time I bought it, but over the years I've come to loathe it. You should probably try and get something second-hand on Ebay.

Doctor J

Originally posted by Eoin Madsen
the Les Paul Studio. It's about 1200 euro if you buy online, and is twice as good as any other guitar in the price range.

That's seriously a matter of opinion, Eoin. I can think of plenty of guitars in that price range I'd pick before the Les Paul studio. They're good, but if you put in a bit of work you can get much better quality guitars for the same money or less.

It wasn't me!

I played the Les Paul Studio in Musician Inc. It wasn't properly set up but I got the feeling that if it was it'd be a nice piece of gear. I might try it but I never really thought very seriously about getting a Gibson. I've got my eye on a few nice pedals as well and they'll need to be financed somehow as well. Just a whammy and a wah I'm looking at are going to cost me 450 quid on their own! :dunno: I can't deny I'd love the Gibson but that'd be a very serious purchase if I made it. Definitely wouldn't leave much money left over for anything else.

What problems with the mex strat did you have anyway? I've played quite a few and they always seemed up to very nearly the same quality as the American ones. I liked the rawer, more unpolished sound to be honest. Really nice feel to it distorted.

I don't think a Les Studio is better than say, the McCarty Dabhoys picked up for 900. I think even the Highway1 strats, which are under a grand, are much nicer guitars playability-wise, even if they're nowhere near as solid as the Les Paul.

ferdi

man for the stuff your playing (which i listen to alot by the way)

you need a nice versitile guitar - ie strat

but my advice is to buy some weird ass guitar so your sound is totally unique, nothing worse than sounding like everyone else.

luckily i've a sort of strange way of playing so i can use a bog standard jazz bass and still sound a bit different

It wasn't me!

Yeah I was thinking of being just a bit original and getting maybe a Japanese Jaguar and putting a humbucker in the bridge. What's the difference between the Mexican Fenders and the Japanese ones? And does anyone have any experience with the Jap Jags? I've only played an American one.

Doctor J

The Japanese ones are better built than the USA ones. Seriously. Check out Ishibashi.co.jp and get them real cheap.

dabhoys

The Japanese are amazing!!