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View Full Version : BEST CHEAP METAL GUITARS?


aneurysm
2004-07-27, 20:28
hey i've currently got an old classic sg (64 or 63 standard i think) i love it, even though it's beat to hell (snapped neck, worn down frets, removed finish, stratches everywhere). anyway i recently bought an esp ltd m-1000 with emg 81 pick ups. i like the floyd but i'm not satisfied with the tone. so i'd like some suggestions for good metal guitars, with a nice warm, thick brutal distortion. under $1000.

DeathCS
2004-07-27, 20:39
Go 4 the BC rich bronze series. AWESOME g33tars.

younguitarist
2004-07-27, 21:17
schecter guitars are pretty good and the prize is affordable.Some schecters come with seymour duncan jb in the bridge and a 59 in the neck.

Sam Hudson
2004-07-27, 21:24
Most Ibanez aren't really expensive,so try one but not a gio,since those suck ass.

Deathmaster213
2004-07-28, 12:58
But the Gio series is REALLY cheap, so if that was the word he was looking for, might be a good idea to check them out. That kind of axe usually only takes a pickup and or a bridge upgrade to be quite a lot better anyway.

obrien20
2004-07-28, 13:12
Buy Kramer.......

I have one an its pretty badass...\m/.\m/.\m/.\m/...hehehe.


cheers..... :beer: :beer: :o :o :o

Frozen Guardian
2004-07-28, 13:14
Roughly how much do the forementioned guitars actually cost? I could do with a good metal guitar. :)

aneurysm
2004-07-28, 21:03
thanks everyone. yeah it would be helpful if you could tell me the general price range. and also maybe the reasons why you like it.

BLS
2004-07-28, 21:18
your willing to spend $1000??? Thats not cheap... Get a custom Ran

Ranguitars.com

DeathCS
2004-07-28, 21:20
For your price range, you can pickup a nice jackson neck-thru. Im unsure of the model and whatnot but I played one at a Guitar Center and it ruled. Only like $900. BUT for just a couple hundred bucks more you can have your own custom Ran guitar made. (Im not entirely sure on how much a custom ran will cost but I know theyre reasonable)

aneurysm
2004-07-29, 18:48
ok thanks everyone. any other guitars people think have a nice feel and tone? by the way 1000 is like the complete MAX i could spend. basically i could sell my esp ltd m-1000 hopefully get like 600-700 for that and then add my 300 i have from doin work. but ha cheaper is better of course but i want quality as well. i want value :)

lamb_of_god
2004-07-29, 21:01
I think my SG has a nice feel. The tone could use a little improvement (i wish it sounded tight, know what I mean?), but it's really comfy. I played a Jackson Kelly once. It was weird playing sitting down but it had a nice tone. It was like $450.

Mordor
2004-07-31, 07:09
I think u should get a Jackson Warrior, they fucking rock. The other guitarist in my band uses a warrior and it plays real nice, but it would sound a hell of a lot better with a pickup change

younguitarist
2004-07-31, 14:31
I think u should get a Jackson Warrior, they fucking rock. The other guitarist in my band uses a warrior and it plays real nice, but it would sound a hell of a lot better with a pickup change

The warrior that i tried had one of those jt double-locking tremolos :sickface:

aneurysm
2004-07-31, 21:03
The warrior that i tried had one of those jt double-locking tremolos :sickface:

people keep talkin about good or bad tremelos. i never really understood how they judged if it was good or not. what are the factors? tuning stability, feel, what else? also how do lockin tremelos differ from regular ones?

BLS
2004-07-31, 21:07
The JT isent that bad, its ALOT better than that crappy Ibanez Trs

younguitarist
2004-07-31, 22:33
people keep talkin about good or bad tremelos. i never really understood how they judged if it was good or not. what are the factors? tuning stability, feel, what else? also how do lockin tremelos differ from regular ones?

before you quote me its TREMOLOS.I never really liked the JT580LP double locking trems.I tried to dive bomb on the warrior that i tried at the store and it got out of tune.The regular tremolo still requires using the ball ends of the strings.Ill stick with my OFR.I did not answer some of questions because i dont want to go off topic so ask here.


http://metaltabs.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9629

mctriple
2004-07-31, 23:21
how can you guys suggest bc rich and the likes? lol.

the best cheap guitar is a used Ibanez RG 570, period.

I got mine in mint condition for $305 including a hard case. It's THE metal guitar for playability and functional trems.

of course there's no "best", everybody has their different needs in a guitar.. but the wizard neck and edge bridges are fantastic.. very, very good for metal.

ibanez has terrible resale value compared to fender, gibson, prs, etc.. but their japanese guitars are high quality!

mctriple
2004-07-31, 23:24
ultimately, what makes a good tremolo different than a bad one is that it doesn't go out of tune. that's all that really matters. you can change the feel (# of springs, etc) on any of them.

what makes some stay in tune? the materials that they're made out of, mostly, but also the design. the good ones are much, much more durable, so the blades don't get all crappy, the pivot posts don't start to bend over time, the saddles don't wear down, the nuts stay tight.

mctriple
2004-07-31, 23:29
oh.. i didn't mean *just* the rg 570.. rg 520, 560, 565, 550, etc.. anything 500 or above!

if it has a lo-trs or lo-trs 2 trem on it.. DON'T GET IT! they're far worse than the lower-end trems on the 300s nowadays. they just sucked big time back then.

the current 300s are solid guitars.. the edge pro 2 is a good bridge. but on ebay or other used methods, you'll find a 5xx for the same money.. and you can find them basically unplayed before!

my $305 rg 570 still had the plastic on the truss rod cover. the locking nuts hadn't worn the paint off the inside where you put the wrench to tighten/loosen them.. it was brand new! i popped in a tone zone and air norton, and for $430 or so, i have a metal axe that is extremely, extremely good.. with a hard shell case too.

BLS
2004-08-01, 00:39
the best cheap guitar is a used Ibanez RG 570, period.


Hardly

mctriple
2004-08-01, 06:10
for $300 you get a trem that beats the crap out of ANY other one.. it's even better than OFRs, hate to say it. and the neck is extremely good for metal playing.

you name something better for $300, new or used.





ANYWAY, if your problem is the tone frmo a guitar with EMG 81s.. get different pickups. those have a tone all their own, and any guitar with them will sound very, very similar.

you might even want to keep the ESP (it's a nice guitar!) and put some different pickups in. i definitely recommend dimarzios for metal.. they're awesome. a duncan jb/screamin demon is pretty sweet too, though.

the biggest part of your sound is going to be your pickups and your amp, really.

younguitarist
2004-08-01, 12:29
for $300 you get a trem that beats the crap out of ANY other one.. it's even better than OFRs, hate to say it. and the neck is extremely good for metal playing.

you name something better for $300, new or used.








Yes the edge pro bridge is great but common its not better than a OFR. A lot of people say kahlers are the best bridges but i havent tried one :bawling: .But i do agree with you that the RG 570 has a great neck.

mctriple
2004-08-01, 21:08
they're roughly the same as an OFR as far as quality, but they're slimmer. the lo-pro edge is awesome.. i want an rg 3120 or 770 at some point.

TheDreadfulHoroscope
2004-08-02, 01:20
What exactly do you mean by a "metal guitar"? I see alot of you mention ibanez, and it can be used as a metal guitar effectively, but the key users are popular rock bands, so its really a "metal guitar".

Well, the best guitar i can think of under a grand of cash that would work well for metal is a fender strat. No im serious, it did have an element of that feeling when ive played it and very good for blues and jazz, which is alot of what metal solos are....

skcoffan
2004-08-07, 12:48
go with an esp h-1000, its the same guitar u hav just w/o the trem :)
and u can choose emg 81s or duncan 59/jb
there about 700$

DeadnightWarrior
2004-08-08, 02:29
hey i've currently got an old classic sg (64 or 63 standard i think) i love it, even though it's beat to hell (snapped neck, worn down frets, removed finish, stratches everywhere). anyway i recently bought an esp ltd m-1000 with emg 81 pick ups. i like the floyd but i'm not satisfied with the tone. so i'd like some suggestions for good metal guitars, with a nice warm, thick brutal distortion. under $1000.
I play a Schecter c1+ for $550 with a 5150 120watt head and a marshall 1960a/b cab 300watts, i put in new pick ups, a EMG 81 in the bridge and a 85 in the neck. Sounds so heavy, i can get the sound alexi laiho, from children of bodom, makes from his Jackson/ new ESP RR and his rack, and also the heavy as shit sound from Mikael Akerfeldt, from Opeth, his PRS and his Laney.
Shecters with EMGs are the way to go! Also 5150s!
cheers

mctriple
2004-08-11, 18:04
any guitar that feels the way you like it is good with emgs. they'll all sound very, very, painfully similar. but that emg sound is pretty cool! one of these days i'll get a spare RG and pop in emgs.

Bed-of-Razors
2004-08-24, 07:32
I got a new ibanez RG270, and 3 emg pickups for under $600 USD. Plan was to swap the cheap powersound pickups, and replace the trs2 with a FRO once it starts to wear (they actually are pretty nice when they're new).


I see alot of you mention ibanez, and it can be used as a metal guitar effectively, but the key users are popular rock bands, so its really a "metal guitar".

Well, the best guitar i can think of under a grand of cash that would work well for metal is a fender strat.

For me the wizard neck and basswood body (most RG's) is what makes them metal. This is mine before the pickup swap:

RG 270SP (http://users.bigpond.net.au/kamix/rg_2.jpg)

Dissection
2004-08-24, 07:36
Don't call 570s "cheap." If I'm not mistaken, thats what Def has.

I've got a 370 dx with Dimarzio. If I had've gotten to you first, I would have suggested putting Dimarzio instead of EMG.

Dimarzio's work best with Ibanez. Well, its an Ibanez. I'm happy for you. :)

Oh, and what is with the neck? Is that custom work?

Bed-of-Razors
2004-08-24, 18:05
If you talking to me Dissection, it's a RG "special". They put custom inlays and different colour schemes on in the factory.

BLS
2004-08-24, 18:16
Don't call 570s "cheap." If I'm not mistaken, thats what Def has.

I've got a 370 dx with Dimarzio. If I had've gotten to you first, I would have suggested putting Dimarzio instead of EMG.

Dimarzio's work best with Ibanez. Well, its an Ibanez. I'm happy for you. :)

Oh, and what is with the neck? Is that custom work?

Wow.. def has one, it cant be cheap!!

:rolleyes:

he has the RG 750 which is basically the 80's version of the 570.

And no pickup works best with an ibanez... its just satriani and vai use dimarzio's and ibanez guitars so a dumbass like you would think so.

Bed-of-Razors
2004-08-24, 19:40
And no pickup works best with an ibanez... its just satriani and vai use dimarzio's and ibanez guitars so a dumbass like you would think so.

\m/

kidikaspoginagogin
2004-08-24, 21:41
anuerysm, i think a great metal guitar and for reasonable money would be any jackson. theyre great guitars with aesome tone. i recomend buying a set of emg 81/85 pickups and probably upgrading to an original floyd rose too if nessisary

MetallicaESPa5
2004-08-24, 21:46
shutup robbie you don't know what your talking about...jk

a cheap ESP would be good, or a jackson.

Chris Rezendes
2004-08-24, 22:22
Go 4 the BC rich bronze series. AWESOME g33tars.

H3LL YA THOZE R BR002L & HEVY

Seriously, though, what you said made me laugh so hard I had to stare at my wall for a couple seconds just to clear my head.

mctriple
2004-08-25, 04:46
who called rg 570s cheap? they are - as far as price goes. i got a mint one with hard case for $305. but they are awesome guitars for metal. the super thin neck, flat fretboard radius, long scale, and jumbo frets are great for fast playing. the edge will take a lot more abuse than any other trem you'll find on a guitar for $300-500. they're awesome.

and dimarzios work very well in ibanez, but just as well as dimarzios work in any other guitar, and just as well as any other pickup works in an ibanez. dimarzio makes a lot of pickups designed for metal-type sounds, and rgs are typically designed for shredding, so it is a fairly good combination. the rg's basswood has good tonality (somewhat deep, mohagany-ish), so passive pickups are recommended! i put a tone zone at the bridge and an air norton at the neck, and it's killer. PAF Pro and Evo Neck are also great for the neck. A Duncan JB is also great at the bridge.

Bed-of-Razors
2004-08-25, 19:07
Only thing with the cheapo jacksons... the painted necks on the cheap jacksons suck ass man. Friend has one and I can only play about half the speed on that as on my RG.

mctriple
2004-08-25, 23:15
the trems suck on the lower end jacksons, too.

BLS
2004-08-26, 05:33
The JT-1000 trems (somethign like that) arent bad at all. Dunno which model your talking about though

metalpro
2004-08-26, 09:07
u can get really good jacksons, ibanez, schecter, and kramers for under a grand, some really good ones. and theres custom esp models that u could get pretty cheap.

x2xAtreyux2x
2004-08-26, 23:33
But the Gio series is REALLY cheap, so if that was the word he was looking for, might be a good idea to check them out. That kind of axe usually only takes a pickup and or a bridge upgrade to be quite a lot better anyway.

Better watch out. Might strip tension screws before it's out. Worst hardware I've ever seen. Godins are really nice.

HailAngelo
2004-08-29, 16:34
I never think of Ibanez as good metal guitars because the only people I know/see that use them are nu-metal bands and kids that want new guitars. I have heard one that this kid i know has and its really heavy sounding, but I know there is so much more to get from other brands...

Final Answere, Get a Schecter and put EMG's in it. The tone will rip your head off... :behead:

BLS
2004-08-29, 17:11
Yeh buy a Schecter which msot likely already has quality Passive Pickups in it such as the JB and Jazz... then completley wreck it and put EMG's in it!!

:rolleyes: