Advice on a fast-playing, not-Les Paul-but-close guitar?

[StoRMiE]

Re: Advice on a fast-playing, not-Les Paul-but-close guitar?

No love for Kramer?


Mahogany body and neck, 25 1/2 scale.
http://www.kramerguitars.com/Products/Assault/Assault-220.aspx

 

[StoRMiE]

Re: Advice on a fast-playing, not-Les Paul-but-close guitar?

Continued.

 

[B2D]

Re: Advice on a fast-playing, not-Les Paul-but-close guitar?

Another vote for the ESP Eclipse / LTD EC1000 family.

I've got one of the latter and it's my favorite "Les Paul" guitar. I wouldn't turn down a Les Paul Classic or Standard Faded with the 60's neck, but I'd take a full-up Eclipse with Duncans over that.

Here's mine, by the way. Currently sporting pickups from an EBMM Axis. I also put Gibson speed knobs on it.

 

[audiocheck]

Re: Advice on a fast-playing, not-Les Paul-but-close guitar?

Maybe a Carvin california carve top Single Cut?

 

[Ahpook]

Re: Advice on a fast-playing, not-Les Paul-but-close guitar?

You could try an RG3120 http://ibanez.wikia.com/wiki/RG3120F Same body woods with a fast neck.

I picked one up on a whim and quite pleased with this guitar.

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: Advice on a fast-playing, not-Les Paul-but-close guitar?

For like $200-300 ...the AXL Badwater 1216 is hard to beat (I got mine for $150 off evil bay lol)

....and me noodling around with mine.

...just a room recording with a hand-held recorder....so not exactly pro quality....but you can tell it's got a nice chunky/meaty sound & killer sweet lead-tones/highs...definitely a typical LP-type tone. The neck is pretty slim..by any standards (My main guitar is a '94 Ibanez saber with the super slim wizard neck..so I know what I'm talking about lol). Mine weighs 9.5 lbs..so it's maybe not super lightweight if that's a problem.



The stock pickups are fantastic & it's very well put together (finish/set-up/frets etc). Plus I love the way it looks...:smokin:

 

[Dr. Vegetable]

Re: Advice on a fast-playing, not-Les Paul-but-close guitar?

Another vote for the Ibanez ART series here.

You also could consider a few non-LP type guitars. The Destroyer is very shreddy, yet has great tone.

Not to be overlooked, the Michael Kelly Patriot will hit all the checkboxes for you at a very reasonable price. http://www.michaelkellyguitars.com/en/electric-guitars/patriot

 

[nikosteph]

Re: Advice on a fast-playing, not-Les Paul-but-close guitar?

More great suggestions, thanks everyone! And I also actually quite like the double-cutaway style, so no need to constrain suggestions to "LP lookalike" guitars, though I am totally fine with a single cutaway if that's the best option...

 

[greekdude]

Re: Advice on a fast-playing, not-Les Paul-but-close guitar?

Another vote for the Ibanez ART series here.

You also could consider a few non-LP type guitars. The Destroyer is very shreddy, yet has great tone.

Not to be overlooked, the Michael Kelly Patriot will hit all the checkboxes for you at a very reasonable price. http://www.michaelkellyguitars.com/en/electric-guitars/patriot

+1
Ibanez ARZ800 (now discontinued) :

The new ARZ IR Series must be even meaner! :

I have played with the LTD EC1000 but its neck was nowhere near :

 

[Jeff5]

Re: Advice on a fast-playing, not-Les Paul-but-close guitar?

I'm kind of looking at something in this vein too so this is a great thread! I played a lower end Ibanez ARZ at GC a few months back and that neck is simply awesome! Every EC-1000 I've played too has been really good.

I also just picked up a PRS Tremonti (base model, no custom/trem) for $250 at GC. I use it for C# standard. My expectations were not high, but man it plays like a dream. Just another option.

 

[LesStrat]

Re: Advice on a fast-playing, not-Les Paul-but-close guitar?

Three words:

Parker

Fly

Mojo

The Parker Vernon Reid model might deserve a nod, but I have not played one.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Advice on a fast-playing, not-Les Paul-but-close guitar?

One PRS that amazes me is the 22 fret Starla with tune o matic bridge. Normally, I'm straight Gibson and Fender, but I also love the most classic PRS designs. The McCarty, Singlecut, and now the Starla. I think the Starla would be a hip new guitar to own.

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Advice on a fast-playing, not-Les Paul-but-close guitar?

Too bad this is a myth... Want a nice case in point? The neck on Jimmy pages 59 les paul has been shaved extremely thin. I remember playing Ibanez S540s years ago and ever thought they were any thinner in tone than any other floyded guitar. If you subscribe to the theory (and i dont necessarily do) that the more vibrations the more tone a larger piece will absorb more and a smaller piece will be able to vibrate more.

I was going simply based on what I've noticed, especially in this thread. He tried a PRS and the neck was thinner and so was the tone. He tried an Ibanez and the neck was super thin along with the tone.

 

[uOpt]

Re: Advice on a fast-playing, not-Les Paul-but-close guitar?

How thin it is isn't all.

One of my best sounding basses is an old AVRI and the neck is very flat, but also very wide. And the truss rod is light. The whole thing flexes pretty much like a bow would.

My theory about good sounding necks is:
- no heavy truss rods. I don't know and don't care whether the problem is the mass or the amount of wood removed. Just don't do it
- enough total mass, thickness and flexibility that it isn't too stiff from the wood
- but the fibers have to run through the neck. If you make it very thing you don't have enough fibers running though

So depending on your specific piece of wood there would be an optimum thickness but it isn't the same for all pieces.

Really, I think it is like a good English longbow. You want it to balance the strings very nicely, be flexible but absorb nothing.

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Advice on a fast-playing, not-Les Paul-but-close guitar?

I was going simply based on what I've noticed, especially in this thread. He tried a PRS and the neck was thinner and so was the tone. He tried an Ibanez and the neck was super thin along with the tone.

But how can you compare such different guitars based solely on neck thickness? maybe the thin tone came from the bridge used? maybe it was the particular piece of wood? Hell look at all the jangly telecasters out there with big fat boat necks.

 

[tombogiri]

Re: Advice on a fast-playing, not-Les Paul-but-close guitar?

Gonna go out a limb and put in a vote for the Charvel ds-1 desolation with blackouts. Love mine. I was truly surprised.

 

[Brian Griffin]

Re: Advice on a fast-playing, not-Les Paul-but-close guitar?

Nobody remembers Charvel Desolation? You have the option of a bolt on vs set neck, active vs passive, transparent vs solid finish.

 

[soulforger]

Re: Advice on a fast-playing, not-Les Paul-but-close guitar?

Also look at the Charvel Desolation series guitars and the Dean Deceiver, both come with or without a Floyd as well.

 

[Dayeeeve]

Re: Advice on a fast-playing, not-Les Paul-but-close guitar?

LTD EC1000 - Definite contender! I was very impressed by this.
Ibanez ART Series - Will suite your needs like above too.

I'd also check out Chapman Guitars ML2 models. They seem to tick the right boxes for your needs too.

 

[soulforger]

Re: Advice on a fast-playing, not-Les Paul-but-close guitar?

Jackson Mark Morton Dominion, G&L Jerry Cantrell Superhawk, EVH (or Peavey) Wolfgang, PRS Tremonti or SE Tremonti Custom...SE Mikael Akerfeldt...