Ok, so what $1000 guitar would you buy?

[devastone]

You could get this for $1000 if you let me know ASAP.

https://forum.seymourduncan.com/forum/the-trading-post

[devastone]

I'm looking at Les Pauls and have the Limba/Wenge version. this one is a one off proto, MIK, ash body, lacewood top, baked maple neck, SS jumbo frets, 1500 series Floyd (1000 series with SS hardware).

[Hsb]

You could also look at some of the Sterling by Ernie Ball, some of those come in just shy or just over 1k.

If you are taller, like I am, 6'4" may not fit you well, deeper set necks and some have a smaller body, but those are some really great guitars as well.

[Rex_Rocker]

Goth teenagers. I don't like the blacked out and dire look of many schecters.

I believe Shecters and LTDs made in same factories.

Of course, you're not going to buy a guitar just because I like it if you don't like, but I don't see that one I shared as particularly teen-angst-looking.

But in general, yeah. I agree. Schecters are just LTD's for crabcore kids, LOL.

[Top-L]

Crabcore lol. I forgot that word.

Its sad, I really just don't like the look of almost any of the schecters, while I admit they are well specced.

The headstock, finishes, fretboards on LTDs are generally better for me. That is not to say I like all the LTDs either. There are some head scratching things going on.

But if I wanted a LesPaul with a fast neck and a Floyd, LTD is the first place I would look. And they also have a good range of superstrats, neckthrough and bolton, in traditional finishes.

[devastone]

I don't like the look of a lot of the Schecters either, especially 3 on a side headstocks on "strat" type bodies, yes, it's a personal thing. But, the one I posted is none of those things. The only niggle I have with it is the black binding on the fretboard. I also have a black Solo II Custom taht is a great guitar, I'm just looking for a "real" LP at this point that says "G" on the headstock.

[Rex_Rocker]

https://www.schecterguitars.com/Reap...aster_list=629

How about this? It's just a black guitar with slightly off-putting (althought, not attrocious) inlays. Many other things make it attractive to me, personally. And it doesn't look edgy.

Discounted, even. Not THAT high over budget either.

[Top-L]

I'm confident I will never own a Schecter.

[Rex_Rocker]

I'm confident I will never own a Schecter.

Honestly, as much as I get where you're coming from, that kinda limits your options just because some of them look kinda "edgy".

In that price range, Schecter is one of the safer bets as far as quality goes. Because well, you've tested your luck with some of the other "major" competitors, and you know how it went.

Honestly, IME, you have Schecter and LTD, and then everyone else as far as quality is in that price range.

The other option, then, is maybe save up a bit more since even LTD has left a bad taste in your mouth, and you're unwilling to try your luck with Schecter.

[Top-L]

Honestly, as much as I get where you're coming from, that kinda limits your options just because some of them look kinda "edgy".

In that price range, Schecter is one of the safer bets as far as quality goes. Because well, you've tested your luck with some of the other "major" competitors, and you know how it went.

I still have two really nice LTDs I bought a few years back, so I haven't given up on the brand.

I think the LTD I recently returned was B-stock. It didn't have inspection stickers and I feel like they were trying to unload B-stock. ESP has something they call "player grade" which are scratch/dent/returns that they sell as new. Again, I can't imagine that guitar would pass ESP inspection.

I really do think that right now, the shelves are clogged with a bunch of bad stock they are trying to flip. Stuff that gets returned, sent to the factory, repackaged, and sent to some other store to sell. The last four guitars were all absolute stinkers with serious manufacturing defects. Maybe the last guitar shipment from China unloaded 12 months ago and now all that is left is companies trying to re-sell leftover junk.

[Rex_Rocker]

I have two Fugijen Ibanez s540s that in today's dollars would be 2K guitars. Its kinda amazing that the lo pro edges still have perfect return to zero after 30 years. They are both a bit bashed up, the necks are not perfectly straight, but recently leveled they are currently my best players.

But do I like them more than my M400 and M1000? Not really. The original finish quality and fretboard materials were 10/10, where the LTDs are more in the 8.5/10 range. Put another way, I would rather have three 1000 series LTDs than one E-II.

What I'm looking for now is another neck through in the 1K range. I liked the painted neck on the M1, probably because I don't have any other painted necks. I don't think that jump up to 3K gets much extra. If I was making a 3K purchase it would be a new Uberschall or UFX III.

I used to have an Ibanez RG570 from '98 (Fujigen-made, not Prestige), and a RGA121 from like 2005 or 6 (Fujigen-made, Prestige), and the Prestige was definitely a step up in quality of woods, and, most importantly, attention to detail and craftsmanship.

I agree. The RG570 wasn't really better than an LTD. Just with a better-regarded trem (which I didn't really love, personally) and a much nicer neck than any LTD I've ever owned had, but not really "better". Especially, not better-sounding.

But the RGA121 was.

[Rex_Rocker]

I still have two really nice LTDs I bought a few years back, so I haven't given up on the brand.

I think the LTD I recently returned was B-stock. It didn't have inspection stickers and I feel like they were trying to unload B-stock. ESP has something they call "player grade" which are scratch/dent/returns that they sell as new. Again, I can't imagine that guitar would pass ESP inspection.

I really do think that right now, the shelves are clogged with a bunch of bad stock they are trying to flip. Stuff that gets returned, sent to the factory, repackaged, and sent to some other store to sell. The last four guitars were all absolute stinkers with serious manufacturing defects. Maybe the last guitar shipment from China unloaded 12 months ago and now all that is left is companies trying to re-sell leftover junk.

Like I said in my edited post before, maybe what you're looking for is a higher-end guitar, then. And sadly, these days, 1K doesn't really buy you a high-end guitar. So maybe keep saving up for a Japanese or American Jackson?

[ArtieToo]

I'd like to put another Gretsch in my stable. Then again, I'd love a Yamaha Revstar.

[Top-L]

I used to have an Ibanez RG570 from '98 (Fujigen-made, not Prestige), and a RGA121 from like 2005 or 6 (Fujigen-made, Prestige), and the Prestige was definitely a step up in quality of woods, and, most importantly, attention to detail and craftsmanship.

I agree. The RG570 wasn't really better than an LTD. Just with a better-regarded trem (which I didn't really love, personally) and a much nicer neck than any LTD I've ever owned had, but not really "better". Especially, not better-sounding.

But the RGA121 was.

I had an RG565 and it was Fujigen, but not Prestige quality. The s540s are considerably higher quality than the RG565 was. Nicer fretboard material, inlays, binding, metal pickup rings, body, pickups. Everything really. The 565 was bare bones like the genesis reissues. Didn't even have AANJ. The japanese 565/570s weren't prestige.

[Phantasmagoria]

What about these. A bit over your budget but not by a whole lot. They seem to tick most of your boxes specs wise. RG Premium (I guess Indo made) neck through- maple neck/basswood wings, stainless frets, Edge trems. fretboard is ebony, if I remember correctly you had some gripe w/ that....not sure if it's a deal breaker.



I was looking at buying one of these myself (the blingy one w/ the gold hardware ) a while ago but they were'nt in stock yet locally...they may be now. I'm torn between this one and the even blingy-er (is that a word?) S series with the fanned frets/chameleon finish & gold hardware .