Necks

[bombershredder]

Hi i'm going to be buying a guitar soon and i have to choose which one.

I'm having difficulty choosing a guitar. I don't care much about it's shape and colour. I want a guitar which will play well.

[Nitefly SA]

ibanez

[Gemm012]

I concur. An early 90's late 80's RG 550 or 570 is a great guitar that can be gotten cheap.

Galen.

[BLADE RH4]

Depends on how much you want to spend....

I think the necks on the Levinson Blade guitars are better than anything out there..... As are the guitars.

[exafro]

Is this your first guitar? It sounds like it. I don't know if you really need a RG550 or one of those Blades(don't know what it is, sounds expensive). If you are looking to play hard rock or metal or punk I would look into one of those Ibanez starter packs, otherwise look into a Squire starter pack. They have everything you need to get started. Plus if you don't stick with it, or only play occasionally you won't have an expensive paper weight on your hands. Once you learn the ropes then upgrade. Hope this helps.

[JPL]

Do you like the neck on your RG? Have you went out and played every guitar in the shops? No one can tell you what kind of neck is going to work for you. I like fat necks, others like thin. I like a 12" radius or compound, some want it damn near flat. Get out there and put your paws on them all till you find a shape that you like.

[Stickmangumby]

How much have you got to spend?

What kind of music do like listening to?

What kind of music do you want to play?

How serious are you about playing guitar?

[Jester700]

There are SO many choices. I'd say get something cheap that is usually accepted as decent quality and "looks" good to you. Everything else is a taste call, and you haven't developed a taste yet. This is why I say go cheap. IF you stick with guitar, in a year or two you'll have a better idea of what you like & what's available, and can spend more money on one that fits YOU.

Really, I'd find a friend who's familiar with guitars to pick a good first axe. Plus, he may be able to adjust whatever you get to make it better than it is at first - this happens a LOT with cheap guitars.

[crafty]

Fender Standard Strat or Tele. I'd suggest the new mexican Buddy Guy strat because it has the medium jumbo frets and the flatter radius, but the regular Standard is still a great guitar.

Here's why I recommend those axes:

1. Excellent value and construction.

2. Near bulletproof hardware and materials.

3. Easy to setup and maintain.

4. Good resale--most used ones can still be found for around $300, new ones are $349-400.

5. Really easy to modify--you can switch out the stock singles for humbuckers, actives, anything. You can also find a plethora of necks, tuners, bridges, pickguards, etc. made for the Fenders.

Ibanez makes great guitars, but I think their value isn't that great for what you get. Used ones, especially the ones you'll find CHEAP, usually have major issues with parts that can be difficult to find and expensive to replace.

I love my little Strat. If you click on my username you'll see a bigger picture of it in my profile. The neck, body, and bridge are the only original parts, too. I've made it MINE over the years and it's as comfortable as a nice pair of broken-in loafers. You can buy a Honda or a Yamaha motorcycle, but it's not going to have the same attitude or feel as an old Harley.

[Supernova9]

I always laugh at completely vague and ambiguous threads like this one. Completely lacking in any information that would help us give you a better suggestion. For example, If you want a great playing guitar, I hear Tom Anderson guitars are great for that. Of course, I wonder if you've got $2000+ to spend?

Tell us what music you want to play and your general budget, would help people make far better suggestions for you.

Also, I can't believe the number of people in this thread that made suggestions without even asking those questions.

[Guitarfrenzy]

Like others have already said, it's really just a personally preference. Go to a local music store and have fun playing all the guitars, and find one that's a fit for you. I personally like a thin neck, with jumbo frets, but that's not for everyone. Since everyone has their own views on what is the perfect guitar, you'll get tons of opinions on this one. That's not a bad thing, but you should still do yourself a favor and go out and try them for yourself so you can see if they are comfortable to you.

Good luck

Matt Vinson

[Pr3Va1L]

a neck too thin could really make life miserable for a starter trying to do chords...

[SoundAt11]

If you like Fenders, it's hard to go wrong with the Made in Mexico versions. They're good quality instruments that many of us have gigged with reliably. Once you learn more, you can start doing pickup swaps or installing better tuners or a new pickguard, they're a good platform to learn on.

If you like the Gibson's, you may want to save up for a used Les Paul Studio or Faded SG model. Both are good solid instruments that should last you a long time without needing upgrades (except maybe the tuners) and should keep their value if you decide to sell them.

[bombershredder]

Anything that is good for Sweeping Arpeggios and tech metal(rythm stuff).

Influences - Paul Gilbert, Michael Angelo, Rusty Cooley etc.

I don't want to spend much. I just want a Floyd on the guitar a decent amp and a decent pedal or sumthin for a nice tone so atleast i sound nice.

I don't wanna play any cover songs. I wanna do this full time, music/tar etc.

I plan to jam along with songs and stuff, for the purpose of learning and learning from stuff that influences me. So if I wanna jam to Mother War(Decapitated) and stuff I wanna have a decent sound, prolly a metal tone so i can be happy jamming along.

That's just the tone and music and amps and pedals and stuff.

The reason i started this thread is because I have played on a RG370dx, and man sitting here on the internet i could never have known how it would play but RG's with wizard2 necks seemed like decent guitars, until i played one. I guess I like a slightly thicker neck but since i'm into stuff that requires speed and stuff, shredding and stuff i guess a thick neckk would suck, but as a beginner i prolly won't be becoming blinding fast anytime soon, so i don't know what to go for.

I've been trying to read and see which is good, for radiuses and neck thicknessed, but i can't relly say with measurements, but i know for sure the thin necks are crap for me, and i'll prolly know which tars good once i pick it up and play on it, like i knew that i didn't like the ibanez.

If you have any suggestions i'd like to hear them also for the amp and tone and stuff and also for what pickup combination pedal etc.

Thank you.

[Primal]

I would just suggest you go and try out different guitars and find one that is comfortable to you. And for tone, get a guitar with humbuckers.

[thegarehanman]

Don't be fooled into thinking that you can't play quickly on a fatter(than wizards, that is) neck. Get something you feel comfortable with as far as neck profile and action goes, and in time, you'll adjust your playing style and action, and possibly find that you're more comfortable on a different neck. First perfect your playing, then worry about perfecting the instrument. my $.02.

[Mattia]

Don't be fooled into thinking that you can't play quickly on a fatter(than wizards, that is) neck. Get something you feel comfortable with as far as neck profile and action goes, and in time, you'll adjust your playing style and action, and possibly find that you're more comfortable on a different neck. First perfect your playing, then worry about perfecting the instrument. my $.02.

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+1

I can't stand super skinny, tiny, thinnest necks EVAR. Gets my hands feeling a bit cramped. Give me normal low action, a nice medium sized (and asymetrically carved) neck, and I'm happy. Mostly, I figured this out by playing the few guitars I bought, and then carving necks for my own instruments, ending up with something I'm comfortable with. As for pickups, single coils, humbuckers, all can sound great, just depends on what music you're going for.