Good hard rock/metal guitar for under 1000$?

Chuck_Norris

Chuck_Norris

New member
I'm looking for a reasonably priced guitar for hard rock and metal but before spending my cash, I'd like to ask for your opinions.

What I'm looking for in the instrument itself (pickups aside) is authoritative punch, warmth and top end sizzle. I love to hear the woods come through. Is it true that the same components that make a guitar sound good on classic rock settings (AC/DC and similar) are responsible for a good metal sound?

I love the tone of good Les Pauls but dislike 'em for shredding. The access to the upper register is too limitad for me. Plus I use the 24th fret quite often so I'm looking for something more shredder-friendly.

What woods should I look for and why?

Are there any guitars out there that combine the massive punch, sweetness and top end sizzle of a good Les Paul with great playability for fast lead work or should I go for the real deal?
 
Re: Good hard rock/metal guitar for under 1000$?

One of the LTD Eclipse's?
 
Re: Good hard rock/metal guitar for under 1000$?

Schecter C1? A few things come to mind, but very few things match all your criteria. A guitar that would be perfect but probably hard to get would be a Washburn MG130
 
Re: Good hard rock/metal guitar for under 1000$?

What about a SG Special faded?
I may have mentioned that because you mentioned AC/DC :)
I would think that alot of your requirements can be produced from pickups also.
 
Re: Good hard rock/metal guitar for under 1000$?

Used PRS Mira? I don't know man, that is a lot to ask from a affordable guitar. If you like the way the Mira feels, it is probably the closest thing you could get to a les paul with good access and 24 frets.

front.jpg
 
Re: Good hard rock/metal guitar for under 1000$?

Chuck_Norris said:
What I'm looking for in the instrument itself (pickups aside) is authoritative punch, warmth and top end sizzle. I love to hear the woods come through. Is it true that the same components that make a guitar sound good on classic rock settings (AC/DC and similar) are responsible for a good metal sound?

I love the tone of good Les Pauls but dislike 'em for shredding.

Are there any guitars out there that combine the massive punch, sweetness and top end sizzle of a good Les Paul with great playability?
Click to expand...
new?
http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/gibson-sgs-new-pricing-508/
or used:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?rt=n...ssories&_fln=1&_ssov=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m1539
 
Last edited:
Re: Good hard rock/metal guitar for under 1000$?

How about one of them PRS SE Custom 24's? At ~700 bucks that leaves room for pickup swapping.

200610_1_prs_electric_guitar_se_custom_24_grey_black_cm4gb.jpg
 
Re: Good hard rock/metal guitar for under 1000$?

Schecter Hellraiser Solo 6 (EMG + rosewood fretboard)?
DV016_Jpg_Large_580155.001_black_body.jpg


or Schecter Blackjack ATX Solo 6 (SD Blackout + ebony fretboard)?
DV016_Jpg_Large_583255.974_aged_black_body_closeup.jpg


All have neck heel like this:
DV016_Jpg_Large_580155.001_black_neck_joint.jpg
 
Re: Good hard rock/metal guitar for under 1000$?

BloodRose said:
Schecter C1?
Click to expand...

I was thinking that, too. I've played a few of these, and I was surprised at how well they do sweet, vintage-y tones and metal. I personally felt more comfortable doing revved-up soloing on them than I usually do on a Les Paul, but the guitar also felt and sounded much meatier than the typical Strat-type rock/metal guitar. It seems like a design that bridges the two worlds nicely.

http://www.schecterguitars.com/Products/Guitar/C-1-Standard.aspx

schecter_0.jpg


There's also a C-1 Custom, with some fancier cosmetic stuff, an ebony fretboard, and Seymour Duncan Custom Custom and '59 pickups.

http://www.schecterguitars.com/Products/Guitar/C-1-Custom.aspx

schecter_10.jpg


They also do the obligatory translucent black, among others:

schecter_C1_cust_trans-black.jpg
 
Last edited:
Re: Good hard rock/metal guitar for under 1000$?

The Schecter C-1 series also gets a huge thumbs up in my book!

Thick bodied Mahogany warmth with the snap of a Maple top and neck-thru construction (i.e. no neck heel to restrict upper-fret access) on most models.

They have great neck profiles that are comfortable, but fast, 24 jumbo frets and there are versions in both 24.75" and 25.5" scale, fixed bridge and trem alike.

Plus, you'd have enough left over for pickups and a trip to Disneyland!
 
Last edited:
Re: Good hard rock/metal guitar for under 1000$?

An LTD EC-1000 has a 24 fret neck and it has much better lower fret access than a traditional Les Paul.
 
Re: Good hard rock/metal guitar for under 1000$?

Those Schecters look delicious! Are the maple caps massive or just thin veneers? Or thin veneers on top of a thick maple caps? Same question goes to the PRS SE series.

Are there good LTDs that are comparable to the suggested Schecters or are those Schecters superior?

General question: Trem or no trem?
 
Re: Good hard rock/metal guitar for under 1000$?

I agree with those that said LTD Eclipse and Schecter C-1.
Plenty of those on the used market too, if you wanna save some cash
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

M
59 was awesome for metal. What next?
Replies
15
Views
405
metalmachine1983
M
beaubrummels
Need recommendations for learner guitar / headphone amp setup
2
Replies
27
Views
1K
quadquadquadquad
Q
S
Humbuckers for Mahogany Maple top HH Strat
Replies
4
Views
386
jeremy
jeremy
A
Humbucker advice for PRS
Replies
11
Views
959
CK71
C
Phantasmagoria
NAD: Bonafide shred-stick w/a Floyd....sky blue 80's-style shred machine!
2
Replies
22
Views
887
Ascension
Ascension
Back
Top