Best lead guitars in the world?

[Holy Katana]

ESPs are supposed to be great, but nobody sells them around here, except Sam Ash, which I've never even been to.

[GAZ]

Originally Posted by robbie_down_under

I have been through a few Ibanez guitars so far and tried various others. The best Ibanez I had was a Jem 77FP but I must admit that I believe you end up paying that little bit extra for the Vai tag. I been doing heaps of research from quality guitarists who have been there and done that, I wanted to get some opinions on guitars that are best suited to soloing with nice sustain and yet have that option of being able to play rock and maybe metal as well. What are the BC rich, ESP, Caparison, Washburn nuno, Jackson, Gibson Zakk custom guitars like?
Or other brand names that are highly underrated out there.

Ask 10 guitarists and you'll get 10 different answers. There isn't a best, only a best for you. If you want opinions on those other makes go to their forums and they'll all tell you they're the best !! I still say your amp is more important in getting a great tone. A cheap guitar through a top line amp can still sound amazing. Put a J Custom through a cheap tranny practise amp and it'll sound amazingly crap. Technique and setting up your gear correctly are critical too.

[screamndemon69]

Originally Posted by elcid

Classic

[waylay00]

As mi2tom said, any well setup guitar is good.

HOWEVER, I assume you mean the types of guitars with the Floyds, etc, etc.

TBH, the best one I've tried is a Tom Anderson Pro Am. THAT thing kicks.

[screamndemon69]

I have an older ESP Mirage that rocks and fits "bad-a$$ lead guitar" bill as well as my Jems and the USA N6 Nuno guitars that is a VERY well-rounded guitar. I would have a seriously hard time deciding on which I would have if I could only have one "shredder".

For the "bang for the buck" ticket I would say the new RG20ths or a used original RG550 is hard to beat in versatility and playability. I play my RG20ths more than anything else right now onstage (Elvis[7VWH], Blackie[777VBK] and T$[USA N6] are sitting home quite a bit lately ).

[HeavyMetal4Ever]

I think the only way to get a feel for which guitar is best for you is to play as many as possible!

I understand that this isn't always possible, but you are much better off checking them out for yourself than relying on someone elses opinion, as what suits one person may not appeal to others.

Personally, I own Ibanez, Charvel and Esp guitars, and love them all like my children. They all have their own character, and I can't really bring myself to find a favourite amongst them.

Forget brand names and play everything, then choose the guitar you like best.

And remember that the majority of your tone comes from your fingers and how you play. Practice, practice and more practice will make any decent guitar you play shine

Rock on!