Amazing axe, high budget

sup, this is my first time posting. i've been feverishly working and saving money for years for the chance to get a new electric. as such, i want to make sure i get something sweet. and who better to ask than the knowledgable ppl here?

The Situation:

Spending Limit - $5,000 (wow, can't believe i had that much fiscal discipline :eek: )
Playing style - metal a la metallica, megadeth, etc. (pretty mainstream, i know)

I've been looking at the ESP line, esp. the "Axxion" and the perhaps overrated KH2, but gimme some more suggestions. aesthetics are pretty important too for me.
Thanks. Look forward to the responses. Glad I found this amazing site.

iIts not about a guitar its the way you play if you sux you will sux with a cheap guitar or with an expenssive one.
just ask the question to you . Man you can get a good guitar for a 1000 bucks like prs ibanez jem ernie ball petrucci jackson esp any one and buy some video lessons or amps or fx

Originally Posted by: majestyciIts not about a guitar its the way you play if you sux you will sux with a cheap guitar or with an expenssive one.
just ask the question to you . Man you can get a good guitar for a 1000 bucks like prs ibanez jem ernie ball petrucci jackson esp any one and buy some video lessons or amps or fx

hey majestyc, 100% agree if you can't play, you can't play any better on a sweet guitar. that said, i've been playing for over 10 yrs with lessons you recommend along the way. i'm just looking to feed my guitar addiction b/c i don't buy anything else and this is my reward for various things. in terms of electric guitars, the one i use most is a custom color gibson sg as well as my trusty fender strat.

i also understand that there's an opportunity cost to getting a new guitar (you mention spend money on fx, amps, etc.), but i'm ok in that dept. i just want a new guitar, nothing wrong w/ that, but appreciate your caution.

finally, not saying i'm have to only buy a 5grand guitar, but that's my spending limit/parameter.

peace

Why not get two axes like a Jackson Soloist and a PRS Custom 24 ?

Are you more of a rythm player, or a lead player, and do you prefer a hardtail/stoptail, or a trem, or a Floyd Rose talepiece?

Also, when playing high gain metal, a $5000 guitar isn't going to sound any better than an $800 guitar. It might play better, but that's about it. I've got a Schecter Blackjack ($600) that does the metal thing better than my PRS Custom 22 ($1800), but the PRS is a bit more versatile, and play's a lot better (at least to me).

My suggestion would be, find a guitar that when you pick it up, you just can't stop playing it, because it feels soooo good. Then if it doesn't quite sound like you want, swap out the pick ups.

I played the Steve Vai signature JEM Ibanez in guitar center a few times. It plays like a damn DREAM! You may want to check that one out.

[font=trebuchet ms]For that kind of money, why putz around with off-the-shelf stuff? You've been playing long enough to be able to specify your exact requirements to a luthier who can custom-build a one-of-a-kind instrument for you. This beauty belongs to our own Azrael. It cost 3500 Euros a year ago. You can read about it >>>here<<<.






... kinda opens your mind to some new possibilities, don't it ?[/font] :D

You might want to check this guy's work out.

In a lot of respects, his guitars look like PRS knock-offs, but he does a very unique neck joint and having heard a couple of them in person, they're INCREDIBLE instruments. Outlandish tone and sustain.

Also, for the money you're looking to spend, I'm pretty sure he'll make whatever you want.