Hello Fello IGTians, Well, this is my first ever post in IGT. I have been lurking around for sometime. So, after some 5yrs of on-n-off playing/learning on acoustic, I have decided to buy an electric. And here I am seeking some advice. I have been researching the internet/talking to people for over a month and have come up with below inclinations (if you want to call them that) Guitar- I have always longed for the les paul shape, but off late digging the strat/double-cuts too. Have heard a lot about the versatility of Ibanez guitars and hence the inclination. Especially, the slick S/SA/SR series. I have small hands so again the wizard neck would be a plus. I would prefer a fixed bridge. I am also looking at some PRS SE models (if there's one which fits in my budget with an Amp). Finally, the looks of the instrument are uber important to me. Some wise man said this to me once - "If you love the looks of your guitar, it will make you pick it up and play". Something that is stuck like glue in my head. Amplifier/Cabinet- I am leaning towards the Orange Micro Terror Head. It is tube-solidstate hybrid and have got great reviews both on the internet and first hand. And a compatible 1x10 or 1x12 cabinet (may be Orange PPC108/112). What kind of music I listen to/would like myself playing with this gear? Anything heavy with distortion. Rock, metal, melo-death, industrial. (Bands ranging from the like of Metallica, Iron Maiden, Pink Floyd, Led Zep, Nirvana, LP to hardcore melo-death bands like Insomnium, Kalmah, Be'lakor, Kryptos, CoB) Budget - Around 50K (kind of a one-time dealio, until I venture in to pedals in future) So, if you guys can suggest me, it would be a great help! Cheers!
Try the Ibanez RG, S series guitars. Worth the money In your budget you can try out Godin guitars too. I own a Freeway classic and its as good infact better than my Ibanez RG420. As far as amp is concerned. Get something like Peavey vypyr or what @tirtha2chester suggested. And seriously dont pick up a guitar based on looks....
1. You don't really have any preference for a particular shape. Remember, guitarists are the most cliched lot of musicians on this earth, and we have only 4 basic shapes - Strat (and super strat), Les Paul (and PRS too), V, Explorer (and other X shaped guitars). Out of this you like the first two. Most guitars made on this earth confirm to the first two shapes. And it cannot be a wise man who says to go by looks. Instead, go by the playing comfort. I am quite sure you ain't that n00b that you wouldn't know what fits your hand, arm and leg (if you play while sitting) better than others. Once you sit and play, you will realize that the guitar shape that gives you wet dreams is perhaps not as comfortable. If it ain't comfy - I can assure you that, in future, it will only be used as a wall decoration piece. 2. Going by your musical preferences, Orange tiny terror, or for that matter most of the t00b amps in the budget will never get your there. You WILL have to use a pedal and/or processor to reach the versatility of the tone that you may seek. Since you would be pressed to buy pedals or processor, why not cut back on guitar amp and get a basic clean tone sounding one. Something as downmarket as Stranger. Splurge on the pedals (if you don't mind 10 different pedals) or processor (if you want more convenience) Also keep in mind t00b/solidstate hybrid = SOLID STATE amp. The t00b is there just to jack the price up. 3. Musical preference is personal and opinion based. But objectively Metallica and death metal will require heavy distortion (not really achievable from most t00b ones), Iron Maiden will require medium distortion (achievable from t00b amps). Nirvana will require a rough distortion, but medium gain one. Pink Floyd will require mild distortion with Fuzz and lots of delays, chorus etc. Led Zep will require medium distortion with fuzz. Your budget is 50K TOTAL? or 50K for guitar?
Well you could do what i did, had the exactly same budget and almost same requirement. Get an S series fixed bridge with a peavey vypyr. Also i saw an used RG321MH for sale on facebook for 13k, but this guitar is in delhi. I wish it was at sale when i bought mine. The vypyr can achieve a range of tones and is good for all sorts of stuff. Tube amps at your price point wont be able to do all the stuff you mentioned. The fixes s series: Electric Guitars - S421 | Ibanez guitars This is a good guitar but a bit expensive: Electric Guitars - RG921QM | Ibanez guitars The fixed RG: Electric Guitars - RGR321EX | Ibanez guitars
First of... you guys are wonderful! I really appreciate your deep insights... it shed light on some of the stuff I took for granted! @tirtha2chester Thanks for leading me to Blackstar amps! If I think about it now, I seem to have too hung up with Orange. But Blackstar seems like an obvious choice. I am now considering the HT1 or HT1R. Love the compact size of the combo and since I will be in the early learning phase with an electric, would mostly be confined to my bedroom. @mymusicmyguitar For now have my eyes set on Ibanez S series. May be I will check out Godins when I visit the store. @alpha1 Dude! there was some really important things you brought up. But I guess you read too much in to that quote. I totally understand and agree the playability factor you are emphasizing here. I recently experienced it myself when a friend took me along for buying his acoustic. There were all these guitars around at the store but then I picked up a Cort and it felt so good. So, what I meant was would love to get a finish/body i dig but of course only next to the playability. As far as Amp is concerned, I intentionally want something simple and clean. And that's why prefer tube amps. Don't want the bells and whistles (atleast not now, when I don't have much skills yet). So I think I will stick to that. For budget its 50K total for both guitar + amp. @ayu135 I read your electric guitar buying guide. nicely done. reps shall be added! And S series it is, unless something else fancies me. How do you find your 570. I was looking at the black version. Also S420 you suggest lacks inlays (only on 12th fret). I am still pretty used to inlays for positioning/locating. I was also looking at the Ibanez 1XXV 25th Anniversary edition guitars. But it comes in fluorescent yellow/green. Colors I dont fancy much. Also, can you tell me how the Hum-Single-Hum compares with two Humbuckers on the S models you suggested? Cheers!
Well one thing, do you have sufficiently strong reasons to only favor the s series? The reason i suggested the S421(not 420) is because it is the only fixed bridge s series, rest all have floating bridges. Though ZR has good tuning stability it soon becomes a hassle if dont use the trem in your playing. Especially when you are new floating bridges can be a pain to tune and are equally painful when you want to experiment with altered tunings. That being said i love the wizard necks of Ibanez they are extremely comfortable for me while playing. The RG921qm is an exceptionally good guitar. Though it is a bit pricy, the price is justified as it has dimarzio pickups in it. Plus it is of the premium line and i have heard nothing but praise for them. Added bonus is the fixed bridge. Trust me on this one, but you do not want a trem unless you know for sure that you are going to really use it in your playing. Now for the amp, remember that if you buy a tube amp you will need to buy pedals to go along with it. According to me in the formative stages of your playing you should not have to worry too much about tone and stuff just concentrate on improving your technique, the tone comes automatically with experience. And i have some reasons why you should not go for the HT1, firstly the HT1 has very limited eq settings. Secondly it has no effects loop. Lastly 1w might not suffice if you need to play in louder environs like say with a loud drummer or so. I suggest you go for the HT-5r if you have to. But still i would recommend you buy a modelling amp like the peavey vypyr because it will be the more versatile option and will give you more range of tones. This is especially good for first timers because you are not usually sure about what kind of tone you desire. ps:If you really want a great S series guitar check out the iron label.
NGD: Ibanez RG1520A PBM So after months of research, mulling over and saving mullah (and obv the valuable insights from you guys), I made my first guitar purchase. I went with Ibanez RG 1520 after trying it out at the store. It just felt right. It has set me back by a whopping 67k but worth for a prestige series. And loving every bit of it. RG1520A - Ibanez Wiki I have been using this baby with my laptop and amplitube3. After playing around a bit with several software emulations I now understand why everyone suggested not to go for a tube amp as a beginner. (yes I have learnt.. brownies to you folks above) Its high time that I now invest in a good bedroom practice amp and here is my new list (not in any particular order) - 1. Roland Cube 20 GX (this is the new GX series) 2. VOX Valvetronix VT15/30 3. BlackStar ID : 15TVP (just too impressive for a SS amp - but not yet available in India) And yeah I did try out Fender Mustang, Vyper and Spiders in the store and didnt like them to my taste. Take this comment with a sack of salt as I did NOT spend hours with each of these. Any thoughts? Cheers!
