azraelscorn wrote: Hey everyone..i need help...
I want to upgrade from my ibanez sa260fm which has served me well,but will be better as a backup guitar from now on..
I play metal lead and I drop to D and C often..
I like the rg range,especially the HR Giger Model RG(The new one), but my heart has been set on an iceman for a long time since I became a fan of Daron Malakian(from SOAD) about 5years ago..
I want Warm, Fat sound and we do alot of palmmuted distortion and tremolo picking..
Which do u think is Better?

If you want "Warm, Fat" sound with pickups that complement heavy chugging palm mutes and 16th note picking.

Aim for a Mahogany bodied guitar preferably a neck through for extra sustain, and EMG 81 in the bridge as it will brighten up and give more bite to your picking.

Example: MH-400NT

A friend of mine got that exact one for R 6 500 First hand
or
H-1001 w/EMGs

I'm sure you can get either for under 10k

If you like RG's and you're going for a ibanez, aim for a Prestige RG model with mahogany body because most ibanez's come with Basswood which makes your Rhythm playing thinner than you might like, I'd suggest a basswood guitar with an 85 in the bridge as it will fatten it up a bit. It's quite rare to find an 85 in the bridge stock though so you might have to get one with 81/85 and swop them.
Another cool Ibanez that could give you that sound you're looking for is:
http://ibanez.com/eg/guitar.aspx?m=MTM2
Lol just because it's Mick Thomson's doesn't mean it will make your sound as poop as Slipknots ?

Try stay away from Tremolo Bridges (with the exception of Kahler) like Floyd rose as it means missing wood in the back counter spring cavity, and wood = tone ?

I'm not really sure what you're plugging into but, also it's pointless getting a really good guitar and plugging it into a Distortion pedal ??? eg. Metalzone's, distortion factories, basically EVERY distortion pedal into a clean channel. Use your amps tone ? it's why you bought it.

EDIT: Just checked, your current guitar is Mahogany but it's so thin which means less wood which means thin tone. So for a cheaper or temporary solution, I'd suggest just swapping out the bridge pickup for EMG 85 bridge. Thats my opinion at least.

Good post Dean, but being as anal as I am about wood,I want to clear up a few points:

most ibanez's come with Basswood which makes your Rhythm playing thinner than you might like,

In the same guitar, Basswood is actually fatter sounding, having a strong lower midrange and a reduced top end. Mahogany is more balanced in the mids and stronger in the high frequencies. The reason many basswood Ibbys sound thin is they usually have double-locking trems, which kill lows and low mids - basswood actually compensates for this quite a bit.

Try stay away from Tremolo Bridges (with the exception of Kahler) like Floyd rose as it means missing wood in the back counter spring cavity, and wood = tone

Not always. More related to the bridge design than the loss of wood.

your current guitar is Mahogany but it's so thin which means less wood which means thin tone.

Thinner or lighter bodies generally have better low end, or rather less highs, which make them sound fatter.

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: Being as anal as I am about wood,I want to clear up a few points:

I am so not letting you know how wrong that sounds.

Oh wait ?

LMAO! ?

@ Alan:

I've never owned an ibanez or any guitar with a FR so that was just from my research. (should have mentioned that)
The reason I say FR's are bad compared to Kahler is that with Kahler you're only shaving out about 2cm from the top of the body, compared to FR where there's a whole recessed cavity.

Basswood is actually fatter sounding, having a strong lower midrange and a reduced top end.

Yes thats correct but why I say thin, is that the lower midrange is often bad in a guitar tone as it competes with bass and in high end studio's often gets filtered with a multi-band comp.

Mahogany is more balanced in the mids and stronger in the high frequencies.

Indeed that's why most of these new signature guitars (Lamb of god, Arch enemy, BFMV etc) come with neck through mahogany bodies. These guys know that their key range is the mids which is what most kids destroy by using distortion pedals.

..which kill lows and low mids - basswood actually compensates for this quite a bit.

Aah never knew that part thanks ?

with Kahler you're only shaving out about 2cm from the top of the body, compared to FR where there's a whole recessed cavity.

That's just the manufacturer's choice. No-one used to recess the FRs - they were all surface mounted until The JEMs, that was because Vai wanted more pullback.

I should mention that I can't stand FRs - I'm a hardtail man myself (don't get too excited by that statement scratchy ?). I'm not a huge fan of basswood either (about 4lbs of ash is my poison of preference), but it works with FRs to balance the tone better and is actually quite bitchin' with a maple cap on a hardtail. There is also a HUGE difference between the basswood from the US and the stuff grown in Asia.

the lower midrange is often bad in a guitar tone

Absolutely! ...and don't you love it when you get bands with two guitarists both with radical smiley faces on their EQs? The whole band is all low end whoomph! and mosquito buzz.

Alan Ratcliffe wrote:

the lower midrange is often bad in a guitar tone

Absolutely! ...and don't you love it when you get bands with two guitarists both with radical smiley faces on their EQs? The whole band is all low end whoomph! and mosquito buzz.

Haha yeah funny that it's those guys that complain about their live sound sucking ?

deanBailey wrote: Haha yeah funny that it's those guys that complain about their live sound sucking ?

..and if you're doing the sound, it is of course all your fault! ???

Wow guys..Thanx a million!uve been a great help!

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