new guitar

I'm thinking about buying a new guitar. I have a fender strat currently. It was only $300 but it sounds great. I wnat to buy a new guitar, one a little more expensive. Prolly ranging from $800-$2600.I was gonna get a floyd rose cuz of the bridge, speed loader system, and you know it was a good brand. But then my guitar teacher told me how the speed loader system really works, and its not so speedy, he also told me it was more for metal, things where you had to play quickly. He said he liked ibanez with floyd rose bridge, cuz the kind he has the string are flat on the neck, so their not like floating, he said they can help you play faster. Which would help on solos. How does that work, just asking? But I was wondering how you pick out a guitar. I usually go by sound, like if its good for rock. My guitar now is good for rock and for nice little acoustic sounding things like Stolen by dashboard confessional. But I'm sure there is more to picking out a guitar than sound. So I was wondering how I pick out a new guitar, and please elaborate on the flat strings thing. thx

Not too sure what you mean by flat strings. Do you mean the strings are closer to the fretboard? This is called the "action". A high action guitar will have strings further from the fretboard. Having a low action on a gutiar means to opposite, the strings are close to the fretboard.

Low action guitar sometimes have more buzzing sound on the first few frets. So if you are looking for a low action guitar, play some E5 and F5 chords, if it buzz, the action is too low.

I can only speak for me here but it is often harder to do bends on a low action guitar. I play a lot faster on it but I won't do much bends. Good for rhythm guitar. High action guitar gives me more control over bends and so I be more expressive in my solos. This is my take on low/high action. By the way, the action can be modified later on too. Just make sure that if it's a low action guitar, there's no buzzing on lower frets.

As far as what to look when trying out a guitar, be sure the neck is straight and look for dents and scratches. Try the toughest chord you know, the one that gives you the most problem, this should give you a good feel for the neck (width, thickness). Is it easier of thougher to play than on your current guitar? Look for any loose frets and signs of dryness of the freboard. Bring YOUR amp, play thru YOUR gear, not theirs. You want to hear how it's going to sound with your stuff.

But how does it allow you to play faster?

Since the action is lower, you don't need to lift your fingers off the fretboard as high as on a high action fretboard. This means less movement. If you have less movement then you can play faster.

Everytime I heard someone someone says a guitar had a fast neck the guitar had a very low action and low frets. Low frets makes it easier to slides so you can go around the fretboard faster with less restrictions. In other words, your fingers don't bump as much on the frets.

But it's not like it automatically makes you play faster, nothing in this world will make you play faster without putting in hours and hours of practice. Don't go and buy a new guitar just because you wanna play faster, that won't happen. Some guitars will "help" you play faster if you already know and apply correctly the different guitar techniques, it won't "make" you play faster.

Hope that clarifies things a little more.

He might be referring to the fretboard radius (the arc of the fretboard). Ibanez fretboards are quite flat which allows for lower action and easier bending, however curved fretboards allow for easier chording.

With regards to the speedloader system, im not a huge fan of it. A mate of mine had one and we just could not intonate it. Suffice to say it was returned to the shop for a refund.

If you are looking at Ibanez's you should wait for the 2008 models to hit the shops. The New S series prestige guitars look incredible, and they have arguably the best tremolo system on the market;



mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

I second the Ibanez Prestige (the 2008 model above looks particularly tastey) and also nominate the Ibanez Jem models (they come either loaded with Breeds or Evolution pups).
If its purely speed and shred you are looking at, check out the soon to be released Dean RC7G - Rusty Cooley's new signature model. It has a massive cut away and the lower horn is one of the few that actually gives total and easy access to the 24th fret (you won't get that on Ibanez or Jackson guitars). Comes with a Floyd TRS trem (Floyds are good but the Ibanez Edge Pro trem on the Jems and some Prestige's is superior IMO), 7 strings, 25.5" scale, massive Dunlop 6000 jumbo frets, no tone control, just volume and two EMG 707 active pups. You can get them for a street price of about $1800 too - absolutely killer graphics on them too.

For what it is worth. I have had several brands over the years. And now there are many to choose from. If sound is not a high priority. You might take a look at Carvin. They produce several models, and they have the best over all action of any guitar I have played. From the price range you have stated you can get some very fine guitars, Gibson, Carvin, the list is long. I like a guitar that is versital, with rich tone and playablity. Right now I have a Gibson les Paul, and two SGs. All have been adjusted once I had them for while.

I adjust the action so I don't have fatigue from hold the strings down. high actions take more effort. If you like the fell of a guitar but the fret are two rounded it costs very little to have the frets polished down.

Mike

Originally Posted by: oib111I'm thinking about buying a new guitar. I have a fender strat currently. It was only $300 but it sounds great. I wnat to buy a new guitar, one a little more expensive. Prolly ranging from $800-$2600.I was gonna get a floyd rose cuz of the bridge, speed loader system, and you know it was a good brand. But then my guitar teacher told me how the speed loader system really works, and its not so speedy, he also told me it was more for metal, things where you had to play quickly. He said he liked ibanez with floyd rose bridge, cuz the kind he has the string are flat on the neck, so their not like floating, he said they can help you play faster. Which would help on solos. How does that work, just asking? But I was wondering how you pick out a guitar. I usually go by sound, like if its good for rock. My guitar now is good for rock and for nice little acoustic sounding things like Stolen by dashboard confessional. But I'm sure there is more to picking out a guitar than sound. So I was wondering how I pick out a new guitar, and please elaborate on the flat strings thing. thx

You have a pretty nice price range. I would say go with a Gibson Les Paul standard, or an SG. Both are wonderful. I have and Ibanez RG, and I much prefer my Epiphone Les Paul. Double locking tremolos are a pain in the ass IMO. But whatever floats your boat.

I was thinking of getting a les paul. I know sgs cost like 12-1300. Vintage cost 1500. But how much do les pauls cost? Cuz I always wanted a les paul.

I got a Gibson Les Paul Goldtop '57 reissue for about $2200 (I think). I bought it for colectability more than anything else, beautifull looking guitar but when it comes to playing its not my style at all - it has a very thick neck and a not so wide fretboard, fixed bridge and burstbucker pickups - not very high output. It all comes down to feel - no matter what guitar you get make sure you try one out before you buy it especially if you are going via ebay or an online shop.

The best thing to do is to go to a lot of different guitar stores and play a lot of different guitars and look for the one that works best for you. With the budget you're working with, there's not a lot that's going to be out of your price range, and you should be able to get one that's almost perfect for you.

I'd suggest playing a Music Man Axis among the candidates. They run between $1,500-$2,000, slightly less for the Super Sport model. I'll admit that I haven't played every guitar out there, but the first time I picked up an Axis, it was like a lightning bolt hit me. In 20 years, that's only happened with two guitars that I've ever played. To me, it's got the sweetest neck in the business.

Of course, that's just me. Your preferences may be different. I'd say just play, play and play some more until you find the one.