Versatile expensive guitar vs multiple inexpensive guitars

[Willy25]

My guitar skills are improving, so Im saving for an Ibanez 7 string prestige ( 25,5). Reasons: can get diferent tones, can play some heavy stuff on that low B, it's made in JAPAN! Lol, motivation etc..

I know having multiple guitars are for different tunings, but won't it be easier to just transpose everything? Like from drop c to drop d?

What you guys think? And also going from 6 to a 7 string

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Versatile expensive guitar vs multiple inexpensive guitars

I have lots of mid range inexpensive heavily modded guitars
Expensive one have some of the features you want
But not all unless you custom order it

If you can mod them yourself, pickup and hardware are simple enough
Neck shape and radius are not

Weigh it out

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Versatile expensive guitar vs multiple inexpensive guitars

I'd rather have one nice guitar than 3 crap ones that offer more versatility. How good have you gotten? Your rig won't start to make you sound good until you stop making it sound bad (Not you personally). Another thing to consider is price isn't what makes a guitar good or bad. Don't judge the quality of a guitar based on its price alone, that's a marketing trick Gibson has used throughout it's long history.

And lastly, get a versatile amp and just about any guitar you plug into it will be versatile. My theory has always been that the purpose of buying a guitar is for how it makes you feel, and buy the amp/cab for the sound.

 

[some_dude]

Re: Versatile expensive guitar vs multiple inexpensive guitars

If you've never owned a 7 string I'd start with a lower end 7 first to see if you actually like it.

I'm all for buying the best guitar you can afford, but I think it's worthwhile to experiment a bit with less expensive guitars until you settle on a design that really suits yourself and your playstyle. Then, once you've decided what it is you really like/dislike in a guitar you can start upgrading with a reasonable chance of getting it right the first time.

 

[Willy25]

Re: Versatile expensive guitar vs multiple inexpensive guitars

I know gear won't make me sound good, I'm going for it's quality. I don't think Ibanez will do that marketing trick, I don't see people talking crap about Ibanez online like Gibson

But yeah your right on feel it's important!

 

[metalspider]

Re: Versatile expensive guitar vs multiple inexpensive guitars

first you need to define just how versatile do you mean? are you playing very different styles of music? in that case maybe you really will need a few guitars to get all the sounds you want.
however if you just play a little clean stuff and then overdrive/distortion i think you will find that most guitars after a certain price point give very subtle differences in tone.

i for example am a classic metal and occasional rock player,most metal guitars can clean up quite nicely and i found that even though i used to have a few different guitars i was always trying to dial in the same kind of tones.
eventually after trying many things i decided i like maple fingerboards and just a single hot humbucker in the bridge,all the additional options were just novelties and i didnt use them much.

a pickup like the L500-XL for example has a reputation as a very high gain pickup but it actually has a very nice clean tone too and sounds great in parallel or split mode as well.

 

[Willy25]

Re: Versatile expensive guitar vs multiple inexpensive guitars

I like all styles, mainly metal. I like that strat tone and Gibson tone.

I will want a guitar with: a neck through, s body or artchtop, slim wizard neck type, flat radius, a good fixed bridge, good tuners, and versatile pickups ( single coil tones)

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Versatile expensive guitar vs multiple inexpensive guitars

A nice Ibanez with Humbuckers with cool splits would probably make you happy. Alternatively two cheaper Ibanez guitars with different pickup configurations may also do the trick.

 

[CaptainWhizz]

Re: Versatile expensive guitar vs multiple inexpensive guitars

If I had no guitars, and was given a £3000 budget to spend just on guitars, I would buy three £1000 guitars rather than one £3000 guitar. In fact, even with a lower budget of £2000, I would probably go for three guitars. Just for the versatility in tones and features.

 

[dave74]

Re: Versatile expensive guitar vs multiple inexpensive guitars

I know gear won't make me sound good, I'm going for it's quality. I don't think Ibanez will do that marketing trick, I don't see people talking crap about Ibanez online like Gibson

But yeah your right on feel it's important!

Japanese Ibanez are a great value, and an even better value when you find them almost brand-new but "used",,,,,,,,,and they are everywhere so it doesn't take forever to find a minty unit.

Korean/Indo Ibanez can go from suckage to OK,,,,,,but either way they'll have very crappy fret-alloys and the trems are IMO below the mid-grade Korean OFRs found on mid-level units from other brands.

I have multiple Ibbys from both price-points and I like them all as far as feel and performance, but the "imports" (even the old RGTs) really do use crap metals for frets and trems.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Versatile expensive guitar vs multiple inexpensive guitars

If I had no guitars, and was given a £3000 budget to spend just on guitars, I would buy three £1000 guitars rather than one £3000 guitar. In fact, even with a lower budget of £2000, I would probably go for three guitars. Just for the versatility in tones and features.

Really? That equates to about $4200 in real money and with that I could buy a used Marshall JVM410 full stack and use the left over money to by a Classic Vibe Squier. This set up would be more versatile than the three more expensive guitars with whatever amp you happen to not have (after all, since in this simulation you had no guitars you'd have no reason to have an amp)

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Versatile expensive guitar vs multiple inexpensive guitars

I like the Ibanez necks as well
The Epiphone slim 60s neck feels really similar
The Gibson slim D neck realy doesn't

What you described may be a custom built Kiesel
Those can be pricey depending on the options you choose
Stainless frets are awesome
And really don't change the tone of the guitar as some would make you think
At least not to my ears

 

[Mincer]

Re: Versatile expensive guitar vs multiple inexpensive guitars

I dig a good versatile guitar. I hate switching guitars for different sounds. I do, however, like coming up with new sounds (or 'different ones' ) and getting those different sounds from one guitar.

 

[chadd]

Re: Versatile expensive guitar vs multiple inexpensive guitars

I find that trying to turn a guitar into a swiss army knife results in a compromise on just about everything. When I gig, I take a strat, a les paul and something to serve as a backup for both. There are some songs where I just need a strat neck tone and you aren't going to get that from a Les Paul. There are a couple songs where I absolutely need the higher output and thicker tone of my Les Paul. Outside of three or four songs for each, I can get by with any guitar and have used my 335 and Les Paul with coil taps as my third option or alternate tuning guitar.

I don't see a need for three HH style guitars or three superstrats at a gig. Unless you have them set up for very, very different tones, most people won't notice the difference. I could probably get away with one guitar and a backup, but one extra guitar isn't all that much extra gear to drag to a gig.

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Versatile expensive guitar vs multiple inexpensive guitars

My Ibanez RG2 EX1 with the triple shot rings and JB and Jazz pickups
Is a Swiss army knife guitar
I can get strat tones , Tele sounds and thick humbucker growl
Combined with the 5 way super switch with pickups in series at position 2
And out of phase and in series in position 4
I can mimic almost anything but an acoustic

And it is a beautiful jewel blue

It wasn't expensive, after locking tuners and pickups and rings and initial cost
Under 600 bucks

Did it make me stop wanting new gear
Nope

Did it click all my boxes
Yep

You will never stop.wanting new gear

Don't go broke doing it

They don't make good investments
You can't resell them in a bind to get what you have invested back

Like kids
Love them for what they are

 

[Lucius Paisley]

Re: Versatile expensive guitar vs multiple inexpensive guitars

Like kids
Love them for what they are

Or just try selling them in Facebook sales groups, some idiot will end up buying them :laughing:

 

[Nagisa]

Re: Versatile expensive guitar vs multiple inexpensive guitars

I like all styles, mainly metal. I like that strat tone and Gibson tone.

I will want a guitar with: a neck through, s body or artchtop, slim wizard neck type, flat radius, a good fixed bridge, good tuners, and versatile pickups ( single coil tones)

Sounds like an Ibanez S with hsh, plus a coil tap. Done and done.

Honestly difficult to go wrong with this type of guitar - high playability and versatility. I think only hardcore heavy LP fans would dislike an Ibanez s.

As for quality - yes, one Prestige > 3 crap guitars. Get a used prestige without too much corrosion on the frets or hardware and get a pro setup. I did that before. I'm now buying another prestige (az) new.

 

[Silver]

Re: Versatile expensive guitar vs multiple inexpensive guitars

I think versatility is the red herring here.

Wanting different stereotypical tones (strat, Tele, Les Paul, etc.) is not the same as wanting versatility. If that's what you want, then for sure you'd be better off with four $500 guitars than one $2000 guitar.

But if what you mean be versatility is that you want a good clean sound, a good overdriven sound, a good heavy sound, etc... And you want to play a variety of styles. Well, you can do that with a single guitar and would probably be better off buying one real nice one that you enjoy playing and that brings out the best in your technique.

The Stratocaster for example, with 3 standard single coils, have been used on a very vast array of music from country to blues to rock to metal.

The same for the Tele, SG and Les Paul.

I even saw a blues band once where the guitarist has an Ibanez JEM and as you came through the door of the club you'd have not realised it was a shred-stick because his tone was real vintage.

You can make a guitar work for you, and therein lies the secret to finding your own sound.

 

[Ben1962]

Re: Versatile expensive guitar vs multiple inexpensive guitars

More Gibson hate? Where can I buy any AMERICAN set neck guitar for less money? You show me who has em? ESP? SCHECTER? Nope How about Japan? Europe? How much for a bolt on Suhr? Caparison? It will never end. Do any of the other brands hold their value like a Gibson? EBMM? PRS? NOPE

 

[Ben1962]

Re: Versatile expensive guitar vs multiple inexpensive guitars

I say get more good guitars that play well and sound good. If you buy an expensive guitar, dont think for one second it will be the end of your search. You will want another eventually and more importantly, if you play out live, do you want that guitar to be lost, stolen or damaged? My opinion is the more guitar route or better yet, a decent inexpensive guitar and a really good amp