Guitar question

So I'm looking to buy an electric guitar in the next year or so - I play at church.


I really like Ibanez, especially the RG series. I found one with and HSH setup and it sounds great clean and of course it growls on the bridge pickup with distortion.


My concern is the tremolo bar. EVery guitar I've played with one (which isn't many) has tuning issues with the tremolo.


Any thoughts?

You should get one of these!



Starting at the low price of $1200!

http://www.gmwguitars.com/Stryper.html

Played guitar off and on (as an amateur) for over 25 years.  Played acoustic and electric guitar in my church band for about 3 years.  I have never (ever) had any luck with guitars with tremolo systems.  I dislike them so much I will pretty much refuse to play a guitar with one.

What kind of tremolo is it?  If it's a floater like a Floyd Rose then you'll definitely need a lock nut.  If it's the kind that sits in the correct tune position that you can't pull back on, then just don't use the whammy bar.  If you're going to use the tremolo then a lock nut is definitely a must.

My brother somehow bought a guitar that has a near perfect Floyd Rose bridge, a guitar which is a Schecter Hellraiser. I have his old Schecter Damien which also has a FR but is not as robust.

I like Ibanez basses, but I'm not sure how their guitars are. My only other electric is a Hamer Californian, which is decent but not a great or legendary guitar. I wouldn't recommend it because of the headstock being very impractical (it goes out of tune pretty easily because of its shape).

Some Ibanez have a "locking" tremolo - is that what you mean Xid?

Yes!  The locking tremolo allows you to tune the guitar and then lock the strings down so when you use the tremolo the tension isn't changed on the tuning pegs thus alleviating the going out of tune issue.

So if I understand you, with the locking tremolo, I can tune it, play and maybe even use the tremolo and still be in tune for the next 4 songs in our worship set?

Yes.  That is the function of a locking system.  You can jam the tremolo as low as it will go and when it comes back to its resting position you'll still be in tune.

Just get one with three strings.  I am loving my cigar box guitar and plan to use it a lot on the soon to be started blues album.

For me, I will probably never pay big money for a guitar again.  My favorite guitars I have bought are both from Rondo Music.  I have an SX semi-hollow body and a 7 string Douglas.  Neither cost over $230.  Both play and sound great.  Neither have a tremolo and I like it that way.  I have not had any luck with trems even if they had the locking Floyd Rose.

I hear ya alldat. I've always wanted a Les Paul or a Telecaster but when a friend bought an Ibanez and another bought an Ibanez acoustic, I started checking them out. They certainly have more expensive models, but the two or three I'm looking at are under $250.

I love my Les Paul.

I owned an Ibanez Rg series guitar once a few years ago..could never keep it in tune.. So I went back to my trusty old Stratocaster and an old late 80s Charvel....

I've heard that complaint about Ibanez. I'm looking at a telecaster with a humbucker in the bridge that's coil tapped now. I just don't know. When the time comes I may get a regular old tele.

I want a Shat-O-Caster!

What is that, you might ask?  It is a guitar made from an antique bedpan!

I love my old wooden Peavey and my Epiphone Les Paul.

Quote :

I'm looking at a telecaster with a humbucker in the bridge that's coil tapped now.

If you look around you can get good deals on tele's.. One with a humbucker and coil tap would be nice..I would like to get a semi-hollowbody tele thinline with humbuckers...

Take a look at Rondo Music.  While not a name brand, some of their guitars are just awesome....and inexpensive.  I have an SX semi hollow body with the big soapbar pickups.  It has a great clean and distorted tone.  My SX GG-5 looks like BB King's Lucille but snarls more like Ted Nugent's axes from the 70's.

My other Rondo purchase was a Douglas 7 string.  I went without a tremolo as I don't do much lead.  It's got great tone and the action was super low.  The pickups are more than ample for metal and have a killer tone.  I would rather have these two than my Epiphone.  I am seriously thinking of selling the Epiphone.

Actually, I am thinking of selling TWO Epiphones.  I have an Epi 4 string fretless bass that I just don't use.  It sounds good live but sucks when you try to record it.  The cool part of it is that it has a pole you can screw into it to play as an electric upright.  It was good for a few acoustic gigs I did at one time.

I really like the concept of your fretless bass… I'd buy it, except for how much it would be to ship it.

I'd really like to have a real upright bass, but the cost is too great.

I love my Gibson Les Paul Studio.  By far the finest guitar I've ever owned.

Really? I had an Epiphone Les Paul Jr. for a while and it was okay. The action was high and I couldn't afford to get it lowered. It also had some tuning issues, mainly that it wouldn't stay that way long.

Really, really!  The action on mine is nice.

alldatndensum wrote:

Take a look at Rondo Music.  While not a name brand, some of their guitars are just awesome....and inexpensive.  I have an SX semi hollow body with the big soapbar pickups.  It has a great clean and distorted tone.  My SX GG-5 looks like BB King's Lucille but snarls more like Ted Nugent's axes from the 70's.

My other Rondo purchase was a Douglas 7 string.  I went without a tremolo as I don't do much lead.  It's got great tone and the action was super low.  The pickups are more than ample for metal and have a killer tone.  I would rather have these two than my Epiphone.  I am seriously thinking of selling the Epiphone.

Actually, I am thinking of selling TWO Epiphones.  I have an Epi 4 string fretless bass that I just don't use.  It sounds good live but sucks when you try to record it.  The cool part of it is that it has a pole you can screw into it to play as an electric upright.  It was good for a few acoustic gigs I did at one time.

Did you just order those from Rondo? Their website says they are the only seller in the US but that Amazon sells them online and they show up on eBay.

I found two I really like but... I'm hesitant about ordering one.

I've had the SX guitar for a number of years now.  The Douglas I have had for around a year.  Yes, I did order them direct from Rondo.

They seem to be pretty well set up right out of the box.