rate your guitars....

[allbutromeo]

Re: rate your guitars....

I can't rank all of them or it will be a two page post, but I'll do the few.

#1. 2013 Gibson Les Paul Traditional Pro II 60's neck. This is one of the few with both stock pickups in it Super 57/57 Classic. It sounds and plays amazing and it's not too light or too heavy.
#2 2008 Gibson Les Paul Studio. Has Demon/Sh2n, probably going to swap to a Slash set soon. Great sound, 50's neck is almost too fat though. light and comfortable
#3 2008 Gibson SG Special Faded. Demon/490R pickups. This guitar sounds like the Demon was designed for it, can do classic through modern sounds and plays incredibly smooth.
#4 2012 Fender Telecaster Standard. MIM, Stock pups for now. Sounds. Very thick for a tele with standard single coils, great tones from all switch positions.
#5 1981 Gibson Les Paul Custom. Slash set, love this guitar, but it's really heavy, and the combination of maple neck and ebony fretboard make it incredibly bright sounding Otherwise it would probably rank much higher. Thinking of doing a a Custom Custom and APH1 under antique Gold covers.

 

[BriGuy1968]

Re: rate your guitars....

I love my acoustics just as much as my electrics, but it was too hard to put them in the same list... like comparing apples to oranges really. So...

Electric:

1. 1985 Westone Spectrum LX - This guitar and I have history, but it also plays so easy and sounds so sweet with the pickup upgrades (SD of course). It's also pretty versatile with the three hums and all the coil splits, etc.
2. 2005 Ibanez AS83 - Newest acquisition, my only semi-hollow and my only 24.75" scale guitar. Stock ACH pickups sound pretty good, but will probably be switched out at some point. Definitely the prettiest of my electrics and the neck is freakin' sweet! Considering adding a parallel switch for the neck HB for some added versatility and rewiring it to '50s style because the whole Les-Paul-style-volume-controls-that-affect-one-another thing just doesn't make any sense to me!
3. 2010 Ibanez RG3EXFM1 - Nice player and backup, not crazy about the jumbo frets and the bridge humbucker is a little thin, but hey... it's a backup! Best thing about it is the super-thin nick... would play really easy if those gigantic jumbo frets weren't in the way!

Acoustic:

1. 2002 Ovation Celebrity Deluxe CS257 - Plays like a dream and really shines when amplified. Gorgeous (and unique) flamed maple green burst finish. This guitar has the shallowest bowl that Ovation offers, so it doesn't stick out so far from your body. Also has the 15-soundhole setup. It sounds really nice unplugged, but it's kinda quiet (hence the reason I think it sounds better amplified).
2. 2011 Ovation Celebrity GC057M - This is my "around-the-house" or "sitting-on-my-front-porch" player. It's the full-depth bowl so it really projects, but the neck is nowhere near as fast as my CS257. Great for practicing on too... I think the tougher neck makes me play better when I get on the good one.
3. 2005 Ovation Celebrity Standard CC045HB 12-String - Nicest playing 12-string I ever played, and it stays in tune like a rock. I still don't play it very often, though. It's one of those guitars that is really more of a specialized tool than a day-to-day player.

All my others are almost never played (except my bass, which I use for recording and sometimes for church).

 

[some_dude]

Re: rate your guitars....

#1: Gibson Les Paul Standard (stock Burstbucker 1 & 2) - This guitar is f*cking awesome. I bought it wanting something that produced a classic Les Paul sound and it blew my expectations out of the water. I had this sound in my head of what I wanted and it not only did that, but went way beyond and produced sounds I didn't even know I wanted but have come to love. This is the one guitar I own that both sounds and feels perfect and I never need to fight to get what I want out of it.

#2: Gibson Les Paul (stock P90s) - This was my #1 guitar for a number of years. Those big single coils are awesome. On the neck I can get these big piano like tones while the bridge will give me a quasi acoustic sound. Kick on the gain and it's raw and rude and will take me right up to yet just shy of where a good PAF will go. It's the perfect compliment to #1.

#3: Gibson SG (stock '57 Classics) - I always wanted an SG but it wasn't enough of a priority for me to actually spend the money, then this one practically dropped into my lap for cheap. You can't see it in the photos but in person it looks like a previous owner's girlfriend chucked it down several flights of concrete steps. Anyway, tonally I wanted the sound I'd heard on a Tom Petty track and this SG had it.

#4: Gibson Les Paul Deluxe (Lollar Imperials) - This was my first Gibson guitar, and as such it was my #1 for a number of years before I got the GT w/ P90s. It's a 1960 Deluxe that I got it cheap as it's a road dog that's been modified several times over the years (re-routed for humbuckers, tuners, coil split, etc) and doesn't really hold any collectors value. What makes it #4 on my list is that it's not as playable as the newer Les Pauls and it has a bit of a honky midrange that I've never been able to dial out through various pickup swaps. One of these days I'm going to treat it to new frets and try swapping the saddles & stoptail to see what effect that'll have tonally.

#5: Gibson Explorer (EMG 81, 60) - I got this one when I was going through a bit of a phase. At the time I wanted an Explorer and a V and found this one reasonably cheap. Quite frankly, it's at the bottom of the list due to the pickups. When I was younger I used to use EMGs in all my guitars so playing this guitar was second nature to me, but over the years I've gotten more and more used to the compression inherent in alnico 2 pickups that I now have a fairly difficult time dealing with the unforgivingness of EMGs.

 

[RStabler]

Re: rate your guitars....

#1 ESP Eclipse II Snow White w/ EMG 57/66 set. Standard Tuning

#2 ESP LTD GUS 600NT (Liquifire in the bridge, Air Norton in the neck). Standard tuning

#3 ESP LTD M-302 (Air Zone in the bridge, Air Classic in the neck). C Standard tuning

 

[Agileguy_101]

Re: rate your guitars....

One thing every guitarist should do in their lifetime is play on an unfinished Indian rosewood neck once in their life.

I wholeheartedly agree. That (and many other reasons) is why this is my number one guitar:

Custom made to my specs, although Mike (the builder) threw quite a few suggestions at me that made it in to the end result you see here. Just an amazing guitar in every regard. 11/10 would bang

I'll just use a family pic for the rest of them as I've not got the patience to find individual pictures of each guitar.

#2 is a tie between two guitars, the neck thru HH strat and the green PRS CE24. They're similar in many ways but also quite different. Both have a lot of sentimental value to me - one is pretty much one of a kind and the other is a guitar I've lusted after since before I even had my first axe.

#3 is the Japanese 62 RI. It's an awesome guitar and the best sub-$1500 Strat I've played. I'm not feeling the pickups as much lately though (Strabro90 set) so I think I'm going to get a Zhangbucker set or something similar. It also really needs a refinish, but whatever.

#4 is the PRS McCarty. A great guitar all around, especially with the WLH set, but it doesn't play as nice as the previous guitars. I might put 9's on it as the tension is surprisingly high, especially since I use 10's most of the time and 11s on a few guitars.

Lastly is the PRS Mushok. It's a great guitar, but I don't play baritone much. I got it for $320 though and I keep it around just for those moment when I want to play some REEEEEEEEELEY heavy stuff.

Guitars:

 

[JOLLY]

Re: rate your guitars....

I'll just rate mine like this:


Gibson Les Paul Classic Plus Custom Shop Peacock - Custom 5/Jazz - Badass

Gibson Les Paul Classic Premium Plus Cherry Sunburst - Duncan Custom/59 - Badass

Gibson Les Paul Junior Special Alpine White - Stock P90's - Badass

Gibson Explorer Natural Mahogany - Phat Cat/Phat Cat - Badass

Gibson Flying V Natural Mahogany - Seth Lover/Seth Lover - Badass

Gibson SG Junior Black - Stock P90 - No Frills Gibson That Plays and Sounds Great - Fantastic Little Guitar

Gibson SG Junior Cherry - Stock P90 - No Frills Gibson That Plays and Sounds Great - Fantastic Little Guitar

Epiphone Les Paul Goldtop - Jazz/Jazz - Badass - Sounds Amazing - One of the best necks that I've ever played on any guitar - You wouldn't know the difference between it and a Gibson on a recording

Epiphone Les Paul Blue Sparkle - Custom Custom/Pearly Gates - Really good guitar. Sounds great, but doesn't blow me away with its playability - You wouldn't know the difference between it and a Gibson on a recording

Charvel San Dimas Style 2 2H Candy Purple - AHB1 Blackout/AHB1 Blackout. Unbelievably Badass Guitar For What I Paid For It New - All Three Of The Charvels Are My New #1

Charvel San Dimas Style 1 2H Candy Blue - Soon To Have Dimarzio Titan/Dimarzio Titan - Unbelievably Badass Guitar For What I Paid For It New - All Three Of The Charvels Are My New #1

Charvel San Dimas Style 1 2H Black - JB/59 - Unbelievably Badass Guitar For What I Paid For It New - All Three Of The Charvels Are My New #1

Mid 90's ESP Vintage Plus Telecaster Translucent Blue - Not a LTD Model!! - Vintage 54/STR-1 Vintage Rhythm - Badass - I'll put it up against any top of the line USA Made Fender

Brian Moore i.88.13 Black - Stock Pickups - Fantastic Guitar For What All It Does - I Only Play It With My Roland GR-33 Guitar Synthesizer

Schecter PT Elite Vintage Honeyburst - Full Shred/Full Shred - It is what it is. Surprisingly Fantastic. Plays and sounds great.

Schecter PT Custom Black Cherry - 59/59 - It is what it is. Surprisingly Fantastic. Plays and sounds great.

Schecter S-1 Elite Vintage Honeyburst - Stock Pickups - It is what it is. Surprisingly Fantastic. Plays and sounds great.

Squier Telecaster Lake Placid Blue - Quarter Pound/Quarter Pound - Late 90's Mexican Made - This is the sleeper of the bunch. If you played it blindfolded, you'd never know it was a Squier. It honestly blows me away everytime that I play it, and it has for the past 16 years. Unbelievably BADASS guitar that I paid $149 new and stuck some Duncans in that I paid $50 for.

Taylor 314CE - 30th Anniversary Model - Bought from Jeff H - Plays and Sounds Amazing - Badass

Yamaha FGX-412CE - Cheap little 12 string Acoustic/Electric - Nothing amazing, but not crap either - Plays and Sounds Great

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: rate your guitars....

Ibanez RG2EX1 - Jewel Blue - hardtail with JB/Jazz and Triple-shots
versatile, light, sounds great for everything, neck feels like home from the very first time I picked it up in GC

MIM Strat - 3 Tone Sunburst - only mods are black pickguard and black metal knobs
nothing says strat like the bridge single coil, a clean amp sounds divine with this one

Ibanez RG4EXFM1 - Blue Flame - with Carvin S22J and S22B and a Fender Vintage Noiseless center
the Carvins make this a thick wooly tone monster, slightly heavier than its hardtail counterpart but
has that wonderfully comfortable neck

Squire Standard Strat - Candy Apple Red - no mods, is as purchased from Acension
straty goodness, lowest action of all my guitars, plays well, sounds good
still debating putting a Warmoth neck on it as discussed in my other thread.

Do Acoustics count?

if so the Martin 000CE1 goes first
and the Yamaha APX500III goes third

but that's because I generally just play the acoustic when sitting round the house

 

[80's_Metal]

Re: rate your guitars....

Great lists guys! I am thinking BTMN is still wrapping up his novel...

 

[Johtosotku]

Re: rate your guitars....

1: Fender strat 50th anniversary strat. Plays effortlessly. It has had plenty of pickups in it and all have sounded good. Now has a JB and a CS'54.

2: Schecter C7FR. Emg 707s. It took me longer than I expected to get used to the longer scale and bigger neck but nowadays it plays well. I mostly use it for the heaviest stuff but it's probably my most versatile guitar.

3: Tokai LC85. Emg Xs. A good LP all around. No complaints, apart from it being an LP.

4 & 5 go to two 90s mij Jacksons. Good guitars, especially for the price.

 

[JOLLY]

Re: rate your guitars....

Oh Yeah, I forgot about this guitar. I knew I was missing and Epiphone. Epiphone Les Paul Classic - Totally Badass - Plays and sounds great!! Alnico II Pro/Alnico II Pro

 

[JOLLY]

Re: rate your guitars....

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand, my basses that I have here at the house. I have a couple of other Kramers, but they are at some friends' houses so they can jam. Emerald Green Carvin LB70 with stock active electronics and pickups, Carvin LB 70 Pearl Red with stock active electronics and pickups, double stereo jack, Hamer 12 String Chapparrel with stock crap EMG's - all of them are unbelievable basses - I played live for many years with the Carvins -

 

[JOLLY]

Re: rate your guitars....

And just for the hell of it.................View attachment 63356

 

[treyhaislip]

Re: rate your guitars....

Electrics:

#1 Musikraft Walnut San Dimas Style with a Dimebucker and Screamin' Demon, loud and proud with super great sustain, definitely a tone monster here

View attachment 63361

#2 Warmoth Basswood Strat with a Screamin' Demon, Lil Screamin' Demon, and Liquifire (just finished this project but I think it will become my new #1) I love the Roasted Quartersawn Maple neck...just an amazing neck by Warmoth! Gets super great clean tones and takes any amount of dirt you throw at it.

View attachment 63360

Acoustics

#1 Eastman E8D - Basically a HD28, amazing response both strumming and finger picking

View attachment 63359

#2 A 1979 Guild F212XL, this thing is a classic 12 string...I don't think words can justify the tone

View attachment 63358

 

[RStabler]

Re: rate your guitars....

One thing every guitarist should do in their lifetime is play on an unfinished Indian rosewood neck once in their life. The feel is smooth as silk and the tone is even smoother.

I'll do you one better. How about an unfinished Tasmanian Blackwood neck? Very similar but a tad lighter and faster.

 

[daan]

Re: rate your guitars....

I went thru a crazy guitar modding phase, I have a dozen hacked-up guitars that I keep thinking "This one, this is gonna be my LAST guitar, I'll never need another guitar again!" Aaaaaand, a week later, I'm back to playing THIS

90% of the time.
(Mid-90's MIM body, 80's "JB Player" neck, big brass block tremolo, has had a dozen different pups in it over the years, currently has GFS "Brass Bottom" pups, just sounds like a Strat to me...)
Don't get me wrong, I've had a bunch of fun planning/building my junk, but they never seem to turn out "better" than this thing does. It just feels like that pair of perfectly worn-in boots, or something.

 

[daan]

Re: rate your guitars....

Please tell me about this neck-thru Strat! DId you make it, where did you get it, what is it? I have a thing for neck-thru guitars, I have an 80's neck-thru Strat I'm working on, yours looks really cool.

 

[Agileguy_101]

Re: rate your guitars....

I don't know too much about it except that it's a Mighty Mite assembled by some luthier in the UK about 40 years ago. It's one of my favorite guitars. I've never seen another one like it. It originally was routed for single coils and a vintage strat bridge, but when I got it it had the Wilkinson 2 point and I had it routed for humbuckers.

 

[daan]

Re: rate your guitars....

That's cool. In doing my research on WTH "JB Player" is/was, apparently the guys who started that company went on to start MM, so maybe our guitars are related. Is the neck joint on yours shaped like the pic I posted? Mine is routed SSS, but the bridge is routed for a stupid fake Kahler. Oh yeah, it's all maple, too. WHat is yours, Mahogany? Does the "stripe" go all the way thru it, or only on the top? (Sorry for all the dumb Q's, I just really like these guitars.) I saw a P-bass that looked just like your Strat (same wood combo and dark stripe on the headstock) and the guy said his was a "luthier-built" bass from MM parts, so there are a couple more out there.

 

[d1dsj]

Re: rate your guitars....

#1. Gibson LP JP - Brobucker/ PG A4n
#1. Gibson LP '57 Black Beauty R.I - Brobucker/ 59 A4n
#1. Gordon Smith SG - Brobucker/ AP2 A4n
#1. PRS Modern Eagle - Brobucker/ stock RPn
#1. Wayne Super T type - Crazy 8/ PA STK1n/ lil'59n
#1. G&L Legacy - WLH/ Suhr/ Suhr
#1. Tyler classic BW - SD 10k secret humbucker/ SSL2/ SSL2

Honestly all of these are #1's and when we gig it's a bloody nightmare deciding which to take.

 

[omg81]

Re: rate your guitars....

I live in a crappy room and have only a smartphone cam, so sorry for bad image quality.

1. and 1.: Charvel So-Cal and modified Jackson DK6

The Charvel is clearly the best guitar I own, it has a Floyd and a Duncan Distortion set. A thrash metal beast, perfect for Slayer and Sodom and stuff. Extremely responsive and it has a pretty powerful strat snap. The Jackson Dinky DK6 COW is actually a Fear Factory (Christian Olde Wolbers) signature, but I couldn't care less. All I care about is that it is an all-black, no-frills, 1-pup-1-volume shred beast. It came with an EMG-81, which made it a very limited, but ok guitar. I installed my first Black Winter in it, and that made it really awesome. Currently I installed a P/P coil split pot, but since I almost never use the coil split, I think I'm going to make it a volume bypass switch instead. Anyway, a perfect black metal guitar--one nasty pup in one all-black guitar. And more than that, I'm still amazed just how versatile the BW is.

Both have the typical Jackson/Charvel 12-16 compund neck with jumbo frets which plays like pure butter. The Charvel takes the lead with its maple neck, the Jackson has a more sweaty black finish. The Charvel will outclass the Jackson once it gets the Black Winter treatment too.

3. and 4.: Epiphone G-400 with Phat Cats and Gibson SG Raw Power

The Epiphone (left) was my first electric guitar some 17 years back, so it has emotional value. With the Phat Cats, it's a really nice blues rock guitar. I changed the wiring to master volume and tone (never found any use for the separate vol & tone). It has two mini switches, one is a vol+tone bypass that gives maximum output and can also act as either a rhythm/lead switch (tone to 0 and just flick the switch for mellow leads) or a kill switch (vol to 0). The other is a series switch that puts both Phat Cats in series and makes them a virtual humbucker. Nice, balanced, fat sound. The SG is still the most badass guitar design in history, and it plays nicely, aside from the small frets compared to the jumbos in the Jackson and Charvel. The Gibson SG Raw Power is a special ALL maple series. It sure is raw, almost too harsh, but certainly cutting. I also installed that bypass switch which makes it even a tad harsher, but no series switch. So one of the three pots is just a dummy that covers a hole. It would be an awesome guitar if it hadn't that awfully fat 50s neck. It was my main guitar for a while, but after I got accustomed to Jackson and Charvel I just can't play on that tree trunk anymore. Hence, it's 4th.

5.: Framus Panthera Studio Custom

My most expensive, and also least favourite guitar. It has three Duncans, 16 different pickup combinations, it has a lot of different sounds, but it's a jack of all trades, no setting convinces me 100%. It's got the best quality of all my guitars, it has spectacular sustain, but... something lacks. When I want to play blues, I pick up the Epiphone, when I want to play metal, Jackson or Charvel. The Framus also has small, very low frets, which I don't like at all. Also, like the Gibson, the neck is too fat.

This sounds harsher than I want it to, it is a fantastic guitar, but... not really what I want.