[eleven59]

Alright, so my drummer and I were bored so we went browsing local music stores and checking out gear, and now I really want to sell my Tascam US-122 to fund a new guitar. (I should mention that everything I tried was set up great because the guitar guy at that store is an Ibanez freak too ) I tried out these and loved them all:


(felt decent, sounded great, those Duncan/Ibanez pickups were better than I expected, not as versatile as I'd like from a guitar though)


(didn't play this one plugged in, but it felt great, amazing upper fret access, but I never use those anyways and the next one was cheaper and mahogany, and I've never had a mahogany guitar before )


(I prefer the look of the weathered black ones, but this is what is in stock and it looks great too, played great, sounded great, and very versatile, can't wait to buy one and swap the pickups this will probably be my next guitar)

And I saw these two (but didn't get a chance to play them), which were dirt cheap, had great feeling necks, and seemed like they'd be fun to mod (new pickup + sustainer anyone?) and beat the hell out of:


(simple and effective, what more do you need?)


(ugly as sin, but I'd love to beat the hell out of one )

(I also tried out one of those Hello Kitty guitars, and it played pretty well, though I don't think I'd ever buy one )

[darren]

I've been majorly GASsing for one of those Squier '51s for a while. I don't know what it is about it, but it just screams "beat me to hell". And for less than CAD$200, it looks like it could be a load of fun.

[eleven59]

Originally Posted by darren

I've been majorly GASsing for one of those Squier '51s for a while. I don't know what it is about it, but it just screams "beat me to hell". And for less than CAD$200, it looks like it could be a load of fun.

Yeah, that's exactly what I thought when I first saw one in a Guitar World review. And then seeing one in person just confirmed it. If nothing else, it'd be a good backup, and great for the really energetic songs in our set when I might feel the urge to throw it or thrash violently until my strap gives way

Especially since I'm thinking of starting a ska/punk band with my drummer and some friends for fun.

[nyck]

I'd say go for a RG321MH. They are great guitars after a pickup change. They play well and fell great. Definetly look great too. It could benefit from locking tuners, but if you just want something to mess around on, the tuners are alright. Pure mahogany tone, I recommend an X2N in the bridge spot.

[giannifive]

Originally Posted by nyck

I'd say go for a RG321MH. They are great guitars after a pickup change. They play well and fell great. Definetly look great too. It could benefit from locking tuners, but if you just want something to mess around on, the tuners are alright. Pure mahogany tone, I recommend an X2N in the bridge spot.

+1 on the RG321MH. They're a great buy for a mahogany RG. I played one for about an hour in a guitar store once. Everything about it felt great: the neck, the freboard radius, the lightness of the body. The only thing it needed was new pickups and locking tuners. (And maybe a better nut.)

By the way, I have an Ibanez SC (the precursor to the SZ in your first pic). Not very versatile, as you mention, but it's so resonant it sometimes freaks out my fretting hand.

[eleven59]

Originally Posted by nyck

I'd say go for a RG321MH. They are great guitars after a pickup change. They play well and fell great. Definetly look great too. It could benefit from locking tuners, but if you just want something to mess around on, the tuners are alright. Pure mahogany tone, I recommend an X2N in the bridge spot.

That's what I'm thinking I'll go with. It's the cheapest other than the Squiers, it almost feels better than the other RG I tried (though that's a personal preference for the neck), it's mahogany , and I'll probably throw my DiMarzio Super Distortion in the bridge spot for now (swap bridge pickups with my Squier), which would probably sound great in the mahogany since it seems almost too bright in the Squier (especially compared to my Blaze equipped basswood Schecter).

[Mind Riot]

I have a Squier '51. It's a really fun guitar with a unique vibe to it. Just makes me want to play and play, for some reason. And I know most people assume they'll have to swap the pickups out in cheap guitars, but the stocks in the Squier '51s are very cool and I'm not the only one who feels that way. The neck single coil is really spanky and punchy, and the bridge bucker actually squeals in a really cool way. It can't really do metal, but it's got great crunch and midrange to it. The coil split is a cool feature on a guitar this cheap, and the neck single along with the split bridge is this really sweet, mellow chimey low output sound.

The bad though, is that a lot of them have some fret ends sticking out that may need to be filed down, and the fret work in general can be sketchy. The bridge isn't too hot either, some of them buzz and you can't find the cause, but GFS has a great inexpensive top loading bridge for $12 you can put on it to upgrade. Or you can do some drilling and such and put on the string through bridge of your choice.

After all this praise, I'm going to be a complete hypocrite and tell you that I may be swapping the pickups out in mine for some humbucker sized P-90s. Why? I have a cheap SX Strat copy on the way that should satisfy my single coil needs and my Schecter covers humbucker territory quite thoroughly, so I though I'd see what I can do with some P-90 goodness.

Very cool guitar though. Just try it out to make sure you get a good one.

[Mastodon]

Wow, that neck looks like butter.

[eleven59]

Originally Posted by Mind Riot

I have a Squier '51. It's a really fun guitar with a unique vibe to it. Just makes me want to play and play, for some reason. And I know most people assume they'll have to swap the pickups out in cheap guitars, but the stocks in the Squier '51s are very cool and I'm not the only one who feels that way. The neck single coil is really spanky and punchy, and the bridge bucker actually squeals in a really cool way. It can't really do metal, but it's got great crunch and midrange to it. The coil split is a cool feature on a guitar this cheap, and the neck single along with the split bridge is this really sweet, mellow chimey low output sound.

The bad though, is that a lot of them have some fret ends sticking out that may need to be filed down, and the fret work in general can be sketchy. The bridge isn't too hot either, some of them buzz and you can't find the cause, but GFS has a great inexpensive top loading bridge for $12 you can put on it to upgrade. Or you can do some drilling and such and put on the string through bridge of your choice.

After all this praise, I'm going to be a complete hypocrite and tell you that I may be swapping the pickups out in mine for some humbucker sized P-90s. Why? I have a cheap SX Strat copy on the way that should satisfy my single coil needs and my Schecter covers humbucker territory quite thoroughly, so I though I'd see what I can do with some P-90 goodness.

Very cool guitar though. Just try it out to make sure you get a good one.

Damn, not helping my GAS I may have to pick one of these up if it plays nice and doesn't buzz, just to have those different sounds. And from the sounds of it, it's got the kinds of sounds I'm leaning towards for all the stuff I'm doing outside of my band.

[theunforgiven246]

yea my guitar teacher has one of those squiers and they are pretty nice. i need to get a good hardtail 6 string cause i will be his substitute when he leaves town and all i have are 7 strings and tremolo equiped 6ers... i was thinking about and ibby like one of those with the flame maple tops... i dont know hoe much but i think its cheap... anyone know where that link went that had a pic of them, i think they are a guitar centar only guitar but i'm no sure...