Peavey HPsignature EXP vs Ibanez SZ520

[Eddie J.]

Hi guys. It`s been a while...

Well, I`m buying a new guitar and i narrowed it to this two babies:

Peavey HP signature EXP

Ibanez SZ520

I almost bought SZ520, and then i discovered this Peavey. Very similar guitars, but I like the ebony fretboard and a little bit smaller body, so i`m in doubt now.

Anybody here have some good or bad stuff to point at?

:thanks:

 

[Eddie J.]

Re: Peavey HPsignature EXP vs Ibanez SZ520

One more detailed question:

I see that the neck pickup on Peavey is evidentaly pulled closer to the bridge than the one on Ibanez, and i`m wondering how`s the neck sound affected by that?

I am aware that Peavey has shorter scale but still i`m not clear about this.

 

[theodie]

Re: Peavey HPsignature EXP vs Ibanez SZ520

One more detailed question:

I see that the neck pickup on Peavey is evidentaly pulled closer to the bridge than the one on Ibanez, and i`m wondering how`s the neck sound affected by that?

I am aware that Peavey has shorter scale but still i`m not clear about this.

Its becasue the Peavey has 24 frets instead of 22 frets on the Ibanez. The pickup needs to be located closer to the bridge to compensate for the extra 2 frets. Personally, the neck position will be brighter in a 24 fret axe and it will have a little less sweetness. I LOVE the HP all except the 24 frets. I like a traditional neck pickup myself. I will say it is a VERY well made guitar and every HP I have ever laid hands on is butter! Its up to you and it really boils down to the neck pickup sounds vs. having the 2 extra frets. BTW, those Ibanezs are great guitars for the dollar also.

 

[Eddie J.]

Re: Peavey HPsignature EXP vs Ibanez SZ520

Oh my god 24 frets. I didn`t notice that at all.
I saw the short scale and automatically thought it is a 22 fret guitar.

Thanks theodie

So, i guess it would be best to use very articulate neck pickup, like fullshred neck or X500c to balance it, probably pushed up bit more than usual.

 

[theodie]

Re: Peavey HPsignature EXP vs Ibanez SZ520

Oh my god 24 frets. I didn`t notice that at all.
I saw the short scale and automatically thought it is a 22 fret guitar.

Thanks theodie

So, i guess it would be best to use very articulate neck pickup, like fullshred neck or X500c to balance it, probably pushed up bit more than usual.

In a 24 fret you would probally want something thicker like a Seth Lover or a APH becasue the neck bucker is going to be brighter unless, you like bright neck pickups? The further you move a pickup back (or twords the bridge), the less output it has and the brighter it is. It all depends on what exactly you are looking for in tone. IMO, a full shred neck or a L-500C is going to be too bright in a 24 fret axe unless, you are a straight metal player (low tuning, lots of gain) or, like very bright neck pickups.

 

[Eddie J.]

Re: Peavey HPsignature EXP vs Ibanez SZ520

Oh boy. Yes, i managed to confuse my self and go into wrong direction. No i don`t like too bright neck pickups, i just thought that the articulate pickup could restore back the smooth resonance, and now when i think twice i see i was wrong.

Actually when you ask, I aim for a sound between ballsy and smoothly saturated. That warm classic LP neck sound that could be usefull for chords and riffage too, not just for soloing, with just enough clarity to offer some healthy dynamics instead of total mush, but not more clear and dry then that reasonable treshold. I like metal, and there are times when i play a lot of it, but this days I play more stuff like Rush, so i need some healthy growl to my sound.

No matter what guitar i`ll buy, i will stick a BLX500XL in it`s bridge cause it`s something i wanna do for a year or more. I never played it and i heard only praises about it.
Do you think X500R could offer mi that neck sound or is is too bright? SethLover you say? Would it blend ok with 500xl in the bridge? I know that 500xl could be too strong for some stuff, but i`m thinking about taming it with volume pot when playing classic rock and hard rock and give it a full power when i`m in the moshpit mood.

Actually I`m a old hardrock school guy with a strong love to thrash and 80`s metal, and i`m trying to fit it all in one axe as much as it is possible.

Thanks very much :wink:

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Peavey HPsignature EXP vs Ibanez SZ520

I've played the Peaveys, and just got an SZ320, and I say go for the Ibanez. The SZ is probably my favorite guitar I've played in a long time.

 

[Eddie J.]

Re: Peavey HPsignature EXP vs Ibanez SZ520

Can you tell what did you liked over Peavey`s?

I have a "not on stock" problem with this guitars, i hope you`ll understand why i`m asking so many questions.

 

[theodie]

Re: Peavey HPsignature EXP vs Ibanez SZ520

Oh boy. Yes, i managed to confuse my self and go into wrong direction. No i don`t like too bright neck pickups, i just thought that the articulate pickup could restore back the smooth resonance, and now when i think twice i see i was wrong.

Actually when you ask, I aim for a sound between ballsy and smoothly saturated. That warm classic LP neck sound that could be usefull for chords and riffage too, not just for soloing, with just enough clarity to offer some healthy dynamics instead of total mush, but not more clear and dry then that reasonable treshold. I like metal, and there are times when i play a lot of it, but this days I play more stuff like Rush, so i need some healthy growl to my sound.

No matter what guitar i`ll buy, i will stick a BLX500XL in it`s bridge cause it`s something i wanna do for a year or more. I never played it and i heard only praises about it.
Do you think X500R could offer mi that neck sound or is is too bright? SethLover you say? Would it blend ok with 500xl in the bridge? I know that 500xl could be too strong for some stuff, but i`m thinking about taming it with volume pot when playing classic rock and hard rock and give it a full power when i`m in the moshpit mood.

Actually I`m a old hardrock school guy with a strong love to thrash and 80`s metal, and i`m trying to fit it all in one axe as much as it is possible.

Thanks very much :wink:

The Bill Lawrences are slightly on the bright side of the spectrum. If You want to go for them, I would say possibly a XL-500 and a L-500L. It should mix well but, it will depend on which guitar you go with as to what you should do.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Peavey HPsignature EXP vs Ibanez SZ520

The few times I've tried the Peaveys, they just didn't really speak to me, I guess. Nothing really wrong with them.... well, some aesthetic stuff. I dislike gold hardware, cream pickup rings/binding and stuff like that. Also, I'm ok with quilt tops, but I HATE it when the headstock matches. It's cool if it's the same color, but the quilt veneer really turns me off.

 

[theodie]

Re: Peavey HPsignature EXP vs Ibanez SZ520

IMO, you really cant go wrong with either guitar.

 

[Eddie J.]

Re: Peavey HPsignature EXP vs Ibanez SZ520

IMO, you really cant go wrong with either guitar.

Strong finals, that`s nice to hear.
OK, clearly i made a good choice and won`t go anal anymore about it, but...
You mention L-500L in the neck? I always thought it would be too strong for a neck pickup. Actually, I saw a lot of people always using it in bridge.

But I know that you know this stuff much better than average, did you tried that combo? Mahogany will be the wood for sure.

The few times I've tried the Peaveys, they just didn't really speak to me, I guess. Nothing really wrong with them.... well, some aesthetic stuff. I dislike gold hardware, cream pickup rings/binding and stuff like that. Also, I'm ok with quilt tops, but I HATE it when the headstock matches. It's cool if it's the same color, but the quilt veneer really turns me off.

I get you. Thanks for posting

 

[theodie]

Re: Peavey HPsignature EXP vs Ibanez SZ520

Strong finals, that`s nice to hear.
OK, clearly i made a good choice and won`t go anal anymore about it, but...
You mention L-500L in the neck? I always thought it would be too strong for a neck pickup. Actually, I saw a lot of people always using it in bridge.

But I know that you know this stuff much better than average, did you tried that combo? Mahogany will be the wood for sure.


I get you. Thanks for posting

No I havent tried it but, I know it will work. Like I said, it will depend on which axe you choose. Alot of people use the L in the neck with the bridge XL. Buy an axe and come back here and we will figure it all out.

 

[Eddie J.]

Re: Peavey HPsignature EXP vs Ibanez SZ520

I`ll sure do.
Thanks man.

 

[Binnerscot]

Re: Peavey HPsignature EXP vs Ibanez SZ520

....I haven't gathered which guitar you have chosen, but I have found Peavey's to make some pretty nice guitars, even the lowest end Peavey's play and sound great. The one you are deciding on is one of the nicer ones, but either guitar is a good choice. Good luck...

 

[Eddie J.]

Re: Peavey HPsignature EXP vs Ibanez SZ520

Thanks. I didn`t decided yet, but i did decided to grab a full mahogany axe. So, if it`s going to be ibanez i`ll take a SZ320 instead, and this Peavey`s maple cap is just a veneer, so im ok with it.

I decided that cause I`m sure about ordering BL 500 pickups. Even all second bests on my list are actually brighter pickups, so they would sure sound more balanced and growly in full mahogany.

I`ll try to find Peavey this week, play it and then finally order one or another.

When I nail it, I`ll post here what have i done.

 

[Eddie J.]

Re: Peavey HPsignature EXP vs Ibanez SZ520

Finally I found Peavey`s on stock in a shop near me and wow.

All I can say that EXP really is a great guitar. Everything you said, i can confirm, it is really easy to play and it sustains for ages, and not dark at all being a full mahogany guitar. I liked it more than a SZ. Both are great guitars, but Peavey`s body kinda suits me more and i found it a bit more easier to play .

But here is a twist!
In the same day when i started counting my money for Peavey, i became aware that i totally forgot about Dean. So i opened Dean website to check the offerings and got totally blown away by a Hardtail select.

I never saw it before, and it looks that Hardtail select kinda have everything i need with almost zero compromise:

22 frets, short scale, set neck, good wood, nice headstock, great design, comes coil tapped, two tone controls, reasonable price, beutiful guitar. Great!

Now i`m pretty sure i checked every single one MIK option and it really comes down to Peavey HP EXP or Hardtail select.
I searched through forum and found a lot of infos, but there is few things I can`t figure out so I`ll maybe open a new thread about hardtail.

Thanks to everybody who gave me any useful information here. Maybe i won`t end up with peavey, but it`s all a process...