Any ideas for a late life crisis shred guitar

nikolas7333

I think I've found the answer, although it might be a little over budget

https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/200121354478008--ibanez-js1cr-joe-satriani-chrome-boy

stratman3142

Some beautiful guitars suggested.

I'm tending towards 
Brand new. 
HSH. A pickup configuration I don't have.
Quilt Maple Top. I've already got guitars with flame tops.
Blue or Green. Colours I don't have.

sweepy

Never too old for a Jem

ThePrettyDamned

https://www.peachguitars.com/namm-2019/schecter-reaper-6-floyd-rose-charcoal-burst.htm

ThePrettyDamned

Ooo this looks sick 

https://www.peachguitars.com/esp-ltd-mh-1000-hs-qm-black-cherry-fade.htm

https://www.peachguitars.com/esp-ltd-mh-1000-hs-qm-violet-shadow-fade.htm

stratman3142

ThePrettyDamned said:

Ooo this looks sick 


https://www.peachguitars.com/esp-ltd-mh-1000-hs-qm-violet-shadow-fade.htm

I really like the look of the one in your final link. Just needs to be HSH.

nikolas7333

Tbh, I think that you're going to struggle to find anything that meets your criteria better than the ibanez that you mention at the top of the thread.

digitalscream

Just to throw something else in the mix...second-hand Washburn N4?

stratman3142

digitalscream said:

Just to throw something else in the mix...second-hand Washburn N4?

That's definitely an interesting suggestion. I'm a huge fan of Nuno, but I'm not sure an N4 is for me.

stratman3142

nikolas7333 said:

Tbh, I think that you're going to struggle to find anything that meets your criteria better than the ibanez that you mention at the top of the thread.

I think you might be right so far.

hollywoodrox

I miss my old one 

ThePrettyDamned

stratman3142 said:

ThePrettyDamned said:

Ooo this looks sick 


https://www.peachguitars.com/esp-ltd-mh-1000-hs-qm-violet-shadow-fade.htm

I really like the look of the one in your final link. Just needs to be HSH.

It has coil taps... Not quite hsh but I must say, hot rails are fantastic pickups (extremely high output, but fantastic sounding nonetheless) and from demos the tap gives good variation of sound. You won't get the HS sounds, though, and if that's what you want it won't do. I've never played a pegasus pickup, but apparently it's good for the rawk. 

I must say though, when I've had hsh guitars, I've wound up using the 5 position switch as a 3 pos - in between sounds were not for me. 

grungebob

ICBM said:

grungebob said:

Don’t forget some of the Maverick guitars, for peanuts you can get a very nicely built and great playing guitar. I had the hardtail model below  but they did loads with Floyd’s too.

I can't get on with the controls on those at all. The switch is in totally the wrong place for me and I don't find the roller knobs at all easy to use.

The switch was easy to adapt to but yes the controls took effort. However I find on these types of guitars it’s usually a “set it and forget it” type of affair. 

The necks and fretwork are great, their built well and you can pick one up for around £250, what’s not to like?

ICBM

grungebob said:

The necks and fretwork are great, their built well and you can pick one up for around £250, what’s not to like?

The controls . I agree about the build quality, which is why they're so frustrating - I found them unusable.

I'm not even a 'volume control rider' - although I do use the tone control a fair amount - but I found it impossible to go from full up to full down in one movement, and you can't see where they're set*. An innovation that was possibly worth trying once, but after an initial field test it should have been consigned to the bin.

(*Even standard Tele knobs can be, if you're as OCD as me and fit them so the set screw is always facing you when the control is full up.)

TINMAN82

It ain’t dayglo and the look has probably worn thin as it was in production for 35yrs...however this is the most versatile guitar I have. 

Purchased shortly before MIJ production ceased. Much prefer its looks to the Pia.

dilbert

stratman3142 said:

Some beautiful guitars suggested.

I'm tending towards 
Brand new. 
HSH. A pickup configuration I don't have.
Quilt Maple Top. I've already got guitars with flame tops.
Blue or Green. Colours I don't have.

My mid life crisis Shred 'pacifier' is an RG350(?) and despite some reservations when it arrived minus some paintwork courtesy of Yodel, I had it set up and it really does play well. I'm not going to claim it's my #1 or that string changing is pure  catharsis for the over 50's like me, it damn well ain't but it feels really nice in the hands, bends, vibrato and legato are a pleasure and it really has grown on me. At £100, I think I got a bargain quite frankly.      

dindude

You can be too sensible about these things, I’d quite like to go all out on a shredder - I LOVE the look of the newly announced Ibanez RG565 reissue from their Genesis collections. I hate locking trems and the super skinny neck wouldn’t be for me, but just look at it!

https://i.imgur.com/FqqpfoT.jpg

stratman3142

Vibetronic said:

...
The AZs are definitely worth considering - they don't come with an HSH configuration, but with the switching options you don't need it as you can get all of those sounds (for comparison I have a floral Jem too, and I can get all the sounds I want from the AZ that I can from the Jem). The Jems are very nice - much skinnier neck though. As you can tell I'm completely sold on the AZ - a chance trade last year and it hasn't really left my hands. 

...

You're more than welcome to try my Jem/AZs for comparison (I have both a Prestige and a Premium AZ) when we're actually allowed to meet 

Having looked at the examples on this thread and doing more research, I'm starting to like the idea of the Ibanez AZ series. If they're OK for Martin Miller, Tom Quayle and Polyphia, I guess they qualify as a shred guitar combined with a less flashy, more conventional appearance.

Pity there's no HSH option, although the HSS offers the neck and middle in series as an option, which is what I've got with the S1 switching on my HSS Strat. Now I'm torn between the HH (with 24 frets) and the HSS.

ICBM

stratman3142 said:

Pity there's no HSH option, although the HSS offers the neck and middle in series as an option, which is what I've got with the S1 switching on my HSS Strat. Now I'm torn between the HH (with 24 frets) and the HSS.

If it matters, a 24-fret HH with the right split switching - to the inner coils - will get close to the 'Strat' sound that you use positions 2 and 4 for on a HSH, without the useless (to most people, although I like it!) middle pickup sound. The 24 frets matters because a 22 doesn't usually have the pickups close enough together for it to work as well.

NelsonP

How about this?
https://www.andertons.co.uk/guitar-dept/electric-guitars/modern-body-guitars/ibanez-s671alb-bcm-axion-label-electric-guitar-blue-chameleon

Or save £100 on an ex demo
https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/191223353096008-4944899--ibanez-axion-label-s671alb-bcm-blue-chameleon-ex-demo-2

Or...
https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/180627329012008--charvel-pro-mod-dk24-hsh-satin-orange-crush