Am I being silly?

VellaJ

So tell me... Am I the only one out there that looks at what a guitar looks like before I play it?

Yes, I know that many people shall "shun the non-believer," telling me that a guitar that feels right and is technically good is the main thing. However, I just feel like I want to be different...

Some may remember that I was recently looking around at Strats, to find a guitar that would last me for my entire music career. However, some may agree that it isn't exactly... original. Yes, it's a great guitar, and I love it. Similarly with the the Gibson LP's, good guitars, but I'm not fond of the shape. But then I came across one or two guitars that I think look pretty sexy...

The Ibanez RGA32, in Mahogany Oil finish

The Schecter Omen 6, in Walnut finish

The Washburn RX 80, Rosewood finish

Now these look amazing, in my humble opinion. I'm a big fan of the dark woods. But the Ibanez fretboard and neck don't agree with me, I'm not a big fan of the Schecter's sound, and I can't find the Washburn to try out. So back to square one!

Am I being overly fussy? Anybody out there have any suggestions for a poor, struggling musician-wannabe? ?

guidothepimmp

IMO i reckon is tough to find a great feeling guit if your mind isnt telling you that you like it.

So are you being fussy, nope.

Youre in pursuit of happiness ?

Hammeron

Yea, no you are not being silly at all in my humble opinion.

Wizard

The Washburn is the nicest looking of that collection ?

Tom

There are a lot of people that talk on internation forums about ordering guitars that look amazing on paper and in photos that cost a rediculous amount. My advice would be, fly to london for a week, go to a nice festival ? and sit in guitar shops playing as many as you can find till you find one that you agree with. More selection + actually playing it and testing properly will result in a better suited guitar to your needs than what's amazing on paper. There are few people that can tell whether one has a slight inperfection in the wood which makes a certain frequency not ring out as brightly as the others and again, if you did find something you really loved, this might not be such an issue.

My friend is the owner of the 4th made Maingard acoustic and its got one dead note from a problem in construction in the body, the C on the 14th fret of the 2nd string, but he prefers it to his 70's Martin D18.

ryanguit

Tom wrote: ...the C on the 14th fret of the 2nd string, but...

Solution:
Your friend should just play in standard tuning, then he'd have a great C at 13th fret! ? (kidding)

stu

I read the title and I wanted to be all like, YES!!
But then I had to go and read the rest of it....

I get what you saying dude. If your going to fork out 15k on the guitar you want to spend the rest of your life with then it has to be the right one.
A guitar isn't just a guitar, its another part of you. It needs to be the right one for you and you need to connect with it. And not in just letting your fingers touch the fretboard. Is so much deeper then that.

So I dont think your being silly at all. This is probably one of the most important decisions of your life so you need to take your time and make the right choose.

By the way, the Ibanez is the prettiest ?

Wizard

stu wrote: By the way, the Ibanez is the prettiest ?

Nooooooooooooooo .... ?

singemonkey

You care what they look like? How superficial. The rest of us just bought Steinbergers. We're above those concerns.

Bob-Dubery

There's no one right answer to this question. We all have different motivations for owning the guitars that we own, and we all weigh different factors differently.

My 5c worth is that if the guitar plays good and sounds good I tend to end up liking the way it looks.

If you want a guitar that's going to last your entire musical career then
a) You'll need more than looks.
b) Good luck! If guys like Clapton with access to makers and money can't crack that one then what chance do the rest of us have? Even if you find the guitar that has it all, eventually things will start to crap out on it and you'll have to fix or modify or, depending on the wear and fatigue, replace that magic axe.

pbrizzolari

My advice is to go to a couple of the big shops and play different guitars until you find the basic construction that you like, then start looking at the range to see finishes etc. Shops I use for this are toms, Marshall music and music connection because they normally have a decent range of guitars.

Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk

AlanRatcliffe

No, you're not being silly. While not as important as sound and feel, the look and finish is part of it - it's an outward display of your personality to the audience.

What you need to do is isolate what you don't like about the Ibanez neck and what makes you like the ones you do. Play everything you can get your hands on and educate yourself about all the features you like. Then start looking around... If you know enough about what you like it becomes possible to order something sight unseen (from a decent manufacturer, so the chances are better of getting a good one).

It might be as simple as taking a guitar like the Ibanez RGA32 and swapping the neck for another Ibanez model.

If nothing fits your criteria, have one built. There are lots of guys out there who can build or assemble your "dream guitar" - as long as you know exactly what it is you want. Options range from getting Carvin to build a guitar to your specs to finding a custom luthier who will build you something from scratch. I got into repairing and modding basically because, while I found lots of nice guitars, there was always a "but...". I was poor/cheap, so I learned to do it myself.

Dingwall

I too was a strat man, in my teens, wanting one more than air and food! Then one day I got an opportunity to play a vintage reissue US strat at SA Entertainment in Hillbrow (anyone remember that?!). Anyway I was so dissapointed, it was my first go of a 'proper' strat and it sounded nothing like what I wanted in my head, or indeed how I had heard strats sounding on record! Then I was handed an alternative guitar to try and at first I fought very hard as it was the most replusive thing I had every seen, but as soon as it was plugged in everything in my little world changed. I fell madly in love with it in a way that I have not since fallen for any guitar. Not because it was the 'best' guitar in the world but because it was exactly where I was at that stage of my life. Anyway it got sold, I cried, I went to army and saved my little army salary, 2 months before I finished my year it miraculously re-appeared in SA Entertainment. I got my chance to get it and I did!

And here is the punchline - this is what it looked like:

This thread could be linked to the evolution thread elsewhere on this forum because since then I have had all sorts of guitars and guess what my main guitar is now ---- yep a strat!

PS they are all good looking guitars....but how do they sound....? (Washburn for me tho...)

Charlie4

You need a guitar you want to spend time with, hold, work the neck etc. ? Otherwise the honeymoon effect will wear off like in my case -
My jem 555 is not such a jem to me anymore unfortunately (Damn you Edge III !) Work horse or looker? The ibby's are workers more than lookers with the exception of a few - RGA32 etc.
So I'd say try out as many guitars as possible, you're bound to find the right one out there...

chris77

Naah, not silly. Looks are important, even if we don't feel comfortable to admit it sometimes. Personality and all things practical are the big logs that keep the fire burning through the cold, but looks are the small sticks that gets it started in the first place.

Aaaand another vote for the Ibby btw... ?

singemonkey

I first wanted a Les Paul purely because they looked cooler to me than strats. Strats were for Mike and the Mechanics and Bryan Adams, and Les Pauls were for freakin' Jimmy Page and Slash.

I still love Les Pauls today and love the way they play and the particular sounds they make. But it all started with the looks.

I've seen some of the threads about SA luthiers and I was really surprised at what custom solid electrics can be had for in SA. So +1 to Alan's "roll-yer-own" suggestion.

p.s. The headstock on the Washburn sucks. ?

guidothepimmp

Dingwall...

That guityou posted is the one Ive been after for years now...

Love those charvies!

VellaJ

Thanks guys, at least now I know I'm not the only one ?

I have been thinking about getting a guitar made up for me, so thanks Alan for mentioning that possibility. Up 'til now I haven't inquired further about this, mainly because I don't know who does it, and secondly because I'm scared about what I may be looking at in terms of price. Does anyone know roughly what that sort of thing would cost? I know it depends on what I'm getting done and what options I use, but a ballpark figure would be nice...

And yes, that Ibby looks good... but that rosewood on the Washburn looks hot 8)

guidothepimmp

VellaJ wrote: Thanks guys, at least now I know I'm not the only one ?

I have been thinking about getting a guitar made up for me, so thanks Alan for mentioning that possibility. Up 'til now I haven't inquired further about this, mainly because I don't know who does it, and secondly because I'm scared about what I may be looking at in terms of price. Does anyone know roughly what that sort of thing would cost? I know it depends on what I'm getting done and what options I use, but a ballpark figure would be nice...

And yes, that Ibby looks good... but that rosewood on the Washburn looks hot 8)

Vella,

Gonna PM you

guidothepimmp

pm'd ?