Ive been playing guitar for 3 years running, and I've decided to upgrade my electric guitar to something with more bang. The guitar I have right now is a Greg Bennett, not really well known compared to the other giants.
I was thinking about getting an Ibanez, but I heard they make better acoustics than electric. I'm looking for a heavy rock sound similar to that of AC/DC or 80's hair bands. What are some good guitar recommendations?
I have a CRATE 10 watt amp, a beginner's one, but I decided already on the amp to get. (Marshall)
Guitarists
Have a look at Epiphone. They are basically the same as the Gibsons but use cheaper components. I hear they (the SG / Les Paul which I was looking at) sound almost as good as the real Gibsons. I think Gibson make these too.
http://www.epiphone.com/default.asp?Pro ... ectionID=6
http://www.epiphone.com/default.asp?Pro ... ectionID=6
-
Underpants?
- Posts: 4755
- Joined: Mon Oct 22, 2001 7:00 am
Ibanez guitars generally have more of a new-ish metal-type of sound.
An Epi might actually be what you're looking for, depending on how much you're filling to fork out.
P.S. for the most part there aren't better or worse brands, there are brands with different typical sounds and guitars that cost less and ones that cost more.
I have a hard time believing an Ibanez JS1000, RG1570 or a Jem would suck too bad.
An Epi might actually be what you're looking for, depending on how much you're filling to fork out.
P.S. for the most part there aren't better or worse brands, there are brands with different typical sounds and guitars that cost less and ones that cost more.
I have a hard time believing an Ibanez JS1000, RG1570 or a Jem would suck too bad.
If you're looking for a brand name then you'll be spending $$$. There are knock-off brands like epiphone and Hamer that do a pretty decent job of replicating the large names. Frankly, it doesnt matter what brand of guitar you get, but rather the pickups and material.GreXican wrote:I wanted a Gibson SG, but aren't they very expensive? I know Gibson makes excellent guitars, but I heard most of them cost 500+
The materials add tonal qualities, with denser woods like Ash giving a brighter sounding tone and also longer sustain.
The hardware (besides the pickups) is also a factor. In a guitar you've got the options of a tremolo or not, and various forms of bridge design. Basically, the more anchored the bridge the more sustain you'll get out of it. Tremolos generally dampen the sustain of a guitar, but the payoff is the extra effects from the tremolo.
The way the neck connects is also very important. There are glue-on necks, bolt-on necks, and neck-thru designs. The glue-on necks can be touchy with cheap guitars, because what's desired is a full connection between the neck and the body so there's no room for the vibration energy to be lost. If a glue-on neck is done right, this can be great, and many top-end guitar makers use this technique, however its easy and cheap, so cheap guitars have this as well. The problem is when someone's not done it right, and you lose tonal quality as a result. The same goes for bolt-on necks, where if its not done just right, tonal quality can be lost. The good thing about bolt-ons is they're adjustable to a degree. The best option is a neck-thru design, where the body and neck are the same piece of wood (or at least the part of the body containing the bridge and neck are the same piece). This design has no joints where vibration energy can be lost, so it results in brighter sounds and longer sustain, two qualities that are quite desirable in a guitar. However, neck-thru designs are more expensive because they're harder to manufacture.
The pickups are the key element to an electical guitar. In general there are two main types: Single Coil and Humbucking. Single coils are noisier (they buzz and hiss more) but give a sharper and more cutting sound (Pink Floyd, SRV, Clapton, etc). Humbuckers give a more mellow, "fat" sound in general (AC/DC, Metallica, BB King). They're noise-canceling because they have two magnets that are paired negative to positive and thus have a magnetic field that's less sensitive to external magnetic fields. Things close up will cause the proper interference (the strings) but stuff like TVs and other electrical equipment wont disturb the field as much unless you're really close. They also cover more area of string so their tone is less tempermental. These pickups are favored among heavy rock guitarists who want a big sound to pump through a large amplifier.
Still, the overall tone depends on what system you're connecting to your guitar. If you've got a BOSS Metal Zone pedal, it really wont matter what guitar you connect up to it if you're looking for that gritty, nails-on-the-chalkboard, buzz-like, metal wail. However, if you're connecting into a blues amp or are playing clean you'll notice quite a difference.
For heavy rock and metal sounds, you'll want a "Hot" pickup, meaning it has high output in comparison to other pickups. This will help you drive an amp more, and get that biting distortion that heavy rockers love. In pickups there are several types of magnets used, but generally the two types are Alcino and Ceramic magnets. Alcino magnets give a warmer sound, whereas Ceramic gives a brighter and more cutting sound. These magnets are in both passive and active pickups, where active means the pickup is driven with a battery. In active pickups, the magnet is smaller so there's less gain at the pickup itself, resulting in less noise. The signal is brought back up to standard output levels with the battery power. These pickups generally have higher output, and are therefore favored by some of the big names in heavy metal (Metallica, Zakk Wylde from ozzy osbourne, etc.).
Last edited by Canis on Thu Jun 29, 2006 10:31 pm, edited 4 times in total.
-
Underpants?
- Posts: 4755
- Joined: Mon Oct 22, 2001 7:00 am
-
JulesWinnfield
- Posts: 625
- Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2005 12:09 pm
