First Post and New Gear Decision making.

[AStarlitNathan]

Hi guys, long time lurker first time post and what not.
Anywhoo, I've been playing Drop G on my trusty LTD MH400 and M400fm. They handle it alright with the set up I have, but I know for the safety of my gear (and to add the higher string) I need a 7 string, preferably 27" scale.

My buddy and bandmate recently got a higher end agile 727 (with a floyd, i love floyds, but I do hate them sometime). I like it, so I've put thought into Rondo music. My initial plan was to get a Douglas (maybe even a little B-stock one that has just a knick on it.) and supe it up (adding some BKP aftermaths and if it has a floyd, sustain block and trem stopper) for the same price as an Agile.

Well, after some e-Bay diving (because Rondo is out of stock of any douglas i'd buy) I found a LTD SC-607B, that is being marked down by $250 (and into my price range) for a smudge on the tip-top of the headstock that isn't really visible.

I'm not a fan of Tune-o-Matic bridges (was aiming for a hipshot or floyd) and not really a fan of black...and since my other LTD's have EMG's, and I know what I'm in for (and would like a change, unless it's an EMG x series or something) I'd like to have some good passives.

I'm kind of stuck on what to do, my love for ESP/LTD is drawing me toward some of their only baritone models... but I just some knowledgeable gents to bounce ideas with.

[Heroin]

in my opinion I think drop G would sound fine on a 25.5, even though it would sound better on a 27" there are lots of guitarists (born of osiris for example) that still prefer a smaller fretboard. but it's entirely up to you what you should feel comfortable with

edit: though anything lower than G, it's a no go haha

[Sam MJ]

if your going to buy a cheap guitar and put a ton of expensive upgrades on it, wouldn't you be better off actually just getting a decent guitar in the first place?

a $200 guitar + $300's of upgrades does not equal a $500 guitar.

[wespaul]

Originally Posted by Sam MJ

if your going to buy a cheap guitar and put a ton of expensive upgrades on it, wouldn't you be better off actually just getting a decent guitar in the first place?

a $200 guitar + $300's of upgrades does not equal a $500 guitar.

There's something to be said about putting in upgrades yourself. You not only get the upgrades that suit your own personal style and sound, but you also get the knowledge that comes with doing the work yourself.

[allshallperishfan]

check out guitar center used, theres a lot of good deals on 7s. my friend got a flawless hellraiser 7 for 400 bucks

[AStarlitNathan]

Originally Posted by Sam MJ

if your going to buy a cheap guitar and put a ton of expensive upgrades on it, wouldn't you be better off actually just getting a decent guitar in the first place?

a $200 guitar + $300's of upgrades does not equal a $500 guitar.

Well, I think that with rondo a lot of the 'cheapness' comes from the electronics and factory. so long as i have a a decent body to put my upgrades in, it would fit what I wanted instead of say getting a $700 agile, that i would still end up replacing pick-ups and adding upgrades too... i'm really looking for a cheap/half ass decent guitar body and then add all my own stuff too. haha.

[AStarlitNathan]

Originally Posted by allshallperishfan

check out guitar center used, theres a lot of good deals on 7s. my friend got a flawless hellraiser 7 for 400 bucks

I'll check it out for sure, right now I'm just back on the prowl until I find something that catches my eye again.

[AStarlitNathan]

Originally Posted by Heroin

in my opinion I think drop G would sound fine on a 25.5, even though it would sound better on a 27" there are lots of guitarists (born of osiris for example) that still prefer a smaller fretboard. but it's entirely up to you what you should feel comfortable with

edit: though anything lower than G, it's a no go haha

25.5" is working, but it's on the verge of being weird because of the Floyd. and I can't completely intonate the low G with it, so I'd like to go to 27".

Though with a fixed (or atleast non-floating) bridge, 25.5" would work.

[Sam MJ]

Yeah i see your point, im definitely not saying that upgrades are a bad thing, on the contrary, there great but only on guitars that have a good base to work on.

on the douglas i would imagine most of the money has been spent on the tuners, body and neck. that leaves you with frets that will probably need work, a cheap trem, that i have serious doubts about it staying in tune, pickups and pots and switches that could do with replacing.

now also, because of the price of actually having a licenced trem and brand name tuners the amount spent on the body and neck materials goes down.

honestly my advice to you is to look for either a second hand agile or an ibanez XL/RGD then upgrade the pickups. that way you will have a reliable and solid axe you can use for years to come .

[AStarlitNathan]

Originally Posted by Sam MJ

Yeah i see your point, im definitely not saying that upgrades are a bad thing, on the contrary, there great but only on guitars that have a good base to work on.

on the douglas i would imagine most of the money has been spent on the tuners, body and neck. that leaves you with frets that will probably need work, a cheap trem, that i have serious doubts about it staying in tune, pickups and pots and switches that could do with replacing.

now also, because of the price of actually having a licenced trem and brand name tuners the amount spent on the body and neck materials goes down.

honestly my advice to you is to look for either a second hand agile or an ibanez XL/RGD then upgrade the pickups. that way you will have a reliable and solid axe you can use for years to come .

good point.

I think I will have to go for secondhand good stuffs. especially since the douglas I wanted is sold out temporarily.

[asilayamazing]

i have g standard 25.5 works fine with a .72 or .74 i cant remember .70 was not enough to hold the intonation right for me.