Wizard I neck, the elusive profile?!?

[GAZ]

It's the quality of the neck/body fit that matters not the size of the heel !!! It's all in the mind guys !! Or just variation between guitars. Neck thrus don't have a heel at all, so explain that one.....
All the top guys use bolt ons. They don't suffer from lack of sustain. Nuff said.

[Matheau]

Originally Posted by GAZ

All the top guys use bolt ons. They don't suffer from lack of sustain. Nuff said.

All the top guys tend to be older people, back when neck thrus were far less common. I wouldn't say all of them either. Randy Rhoads used set necks and neck thrus, for example.

Besides according to that logic, set thrus must be terrible neck joints because virtually no one uses them. However, more likely the reason nobody uses them is because they are only on a handful of guitars, since they've been around for maybe 4-5 years.

[Scali]

Originally Posted by GAZ

All the top guys use bolt ons. They don't suffer from lack of sustain. Nuff said.

I've seen Joe Satriani struggling with his sustain... When he plays certain notes from Flying In A Blue Dream, he repeatedly picks them in time with the beat and his vibrato. Notes that I can do with just picking them once on my Gibson M3.

Aside from that, there are ofcourse plenty of artists that play neck-through or set-neck... You can start by naming all Gibson/PRS players for example. Most ESPs and Jacksons are also neck-through, and these guitars are quite common among metal bands for example.

[jono]

Originally Posted by Scali

I've seen Joe Satriani struggling with his sustain... When he plays certain notes from Flying In A Blue Dream, he repeatedly picks them in time with the beat and his vibrato. Notes that I can do with just picking them once on my Gibson M3.

Doesn't Joe have a silly-low action to better accomodate his legato technique? I bet that plays more of a role in the sustain (or perceived lack thereof) than the bolt on construction of the JS?

[bringer of torture]

Originally Posted by dark_void86

I am hell bent on getting me an Ibanez with a neck that has a profile true to the wizard/super wizard dimensions. In one of the other threads i have been informed that J-customs no longer really come with the dimensions that Ibanez advertises on their website. The neck should be 17mm at the first fret and apparently they are more like 18.5mm which makes it a halfway house between a Japanese wizard II (18mm) and an American wizard II (19mm). UNACCEPTABLE (makes petulant face)

So it seems i have only one option! And that is to buy second hand! I may have overlooked a section on this website which may give me all the information i need, but i couldn't quite find what i wanted. I basically want to scour **** and any other source for second hand ibanez's with the wizard I profile but obviously i need model numbers. If anyone could be so nice as to list all RG models with the wizard I neck profile and are HH configuration. I hear that the one piece necks were extremely prone to warping so if its cool, could models that are listed be three piece or more, (unless someone can persuade me otherwise), i would be eternally grateful and sing your praises well into the afterlife. (i kid you not, i will be there at heaven's gates upon your arrival doing the most insane appreciation dance with the rest of the welcoming party)

Enough of my rambling! Anyways i really hope someone can help me out.

Ian.

I've got a '98 550DY with a super wizard neck (original Wizard profile); trade you for a JEM777DY .

[GAZ]

Originally Posted by Scali

I've seen Joe Satriani struggling with his sustain... When he plays certain notes from Flying In A Blue Dream, he repeatedly picks them in time with the beat and his vibrato. Notes that I can do with just picking them once on my Gibson M3.

Aside from that, there are ofcourse plenty of artists that play neck-through or set-neck... You can start by naming all Gibson/PRS players for example. Most ESPs and Jacksons are also neck-through, and these guitars are quite common among metal bands for example.

What top players play PRS ????!!!! Lol !!!! Alex Lifeson preferred the bolt ons I know that. But I digress. I'm talking Vai, Satriani, Petrucci, Gilbert, Johnson, Malmsteen etc. Exceptional players not yer average popular metal guitarists. Most of these guys I mention have signature models where they can have whatever they like, bolt on, set neck, neck thru etc..they choose ....!!
What on earth is a Gibson M3 anyway ?? Just kidding ! Certain notes will hold forever, others won't and using the vibrato at the same time doesn't help. Repicking the note accents it and guarantees the note can be heard consistently, without relying on the sweet spots on stage for instance.

[Scali]

Originally Posted by GAZ

What top players play PRS ????!!!! Lol !!!!

What's so funny? Guthrie Govan often used a PRS, can't get much more 'top player' than him.

Originally Posted by GAZ

What on earth is a Gibson M3 anyway ??

A superstrat with set-neck.

Originally Posted by GAZ

Certain notes will hold forever, others won't and using the vibrato at the same time doesn't help. Repicking the note accents it and guarantees the note can be heard consistently, without relying on the sweet spots on stage for instance.

I know how it works. I'm just saying that my M3 can carry those notes on its natural sustain, without even having to rely on feedback. I don't need to repick to 'guarantee' that my note sustains or sounds consistently. The construction and wood quality of my guitar is enough guarantee for that.

[jono]

Originally Posted by Scali

What's so funny? Guthrie Govan often used a PRS, can't get much more 'top player' than him.

And swapped to ... a bolt on Suhr

[Scali]

Originally Posted by jono

And swapped to ... a bolt on Suhr

Yes, he played a Tele aswell. Why should anyone be limited to a single guitar (I pick bolt-ons for certain tasks aswell... maximum sustain just isn't one of them)?
Point is that Govan is one of the best players on the planet, and he has used various PRS guitars. I don't get what is so what is so funny about a top player playing a PRS?
Or a set-neck or neck-through in general?

[Matheau]

Originally Posted by GAZ

What top players play PRS ????!!!! Lol !!!! Alex Lifeson preferred the bolt ons I know that. But I digress. I'm talking Vai, Satriani, Petrucci, Gilbert, Johnson, Malmsteen etc. Exceptional players not yer average popular metal guitarists. Most of these guys I mention have signature models where they can have whatever they like, bolt on, set neck, neck thru etc..they choose ....!!

Still skipping over Rhoads, who given the choice had a custom set neck and designed a neck thru. Vai's first real guitar was a Strat and Malmsteen was probably emulating Blackmore. They started with bolt-ons are are used to it, that doesn't mean they sat down and put a great deal of thought into what neck joint they used.

[Scali]

Some other 'top players' that play or played on set-neck/neck-through:
- Neal Schon
- Gary Moore
- Buckethead
- Shawn Lane
- Eric Johnson
- Danny Danzi
- Stanley Jordan
- Steve Lukather
- Brian May
- Slash
- Richie Sambora
- Carlos Santana
- Jeff Beck
- Eric Clapton
- Adrian Vandenberg
- Paul Gilbert

.. just off the top of my head.

[jono]

Originally Posted by Scali

Yes, he played a Tele aswell. Why should anyone be limited to a single guitar (I pick bolt-ons for certain tasks aswell... maximum sustain just isn't one of them)?
Point is that Govan is one of the best players on the planet, and he has used various PRS guitars. I don't get what is so what is so funny about a top player playing a PRS?
Or a set-neck or neck-through in general?

Or is the point that he now is seen with Suhr guitars, which are bolt ons? Implying either he's either a corporate sell out, or he prefers bolt ons these days. Just a bad example, given his current squeeze, to demonstrate your case, nothing serious meeant by it

Loads of folks choose both constructions, Satch is fond of vintage Gibsons. It's all good

[GAZ]

Originally Posted by Scali

Some other 'top players' that play or played on set-neck/neck-through:
- Neal Schon
- Gary Moore
- Buckethead
- Shawn Lane
- Eric Johnson
- Danny Danzi
- Stanley Jordan
- Steve Lukather
- Brian May
- Slash
- Richie Sambora
- Carlos Santana
- Jeff Beck
- Eric Clapton
- Adrian Vandenberg
- Paul Gilbert

.. just off the top of my head.

Yeah, but most of them play bolt ons too, some more than their set necks. Way off topic now, back to the real question....erm what was it again ?!?!?!

PS: EJ, SL,RS,JB, EC and PG all have Signature guitars that are bolt ons !

[Scali]

Originally Posted by jono

Loads of folks choose both constructions, Satch is fond of vintage Gibsons. It's all good

My point exactly, so I don't see why someone should 'lol' at Guthrie Govan playing a PRS.
Someone mistakenly thought that a PRS can't sound good for that sort of music, or that it would be unplayable or something? Pfft.

[Scali]

Originally Posted by GAZ

Yeah, but most of them play bolt ons too, some more than their set necks. Way off topic now, back to the real question....erm what was it again ?!?!?!

PS: EJ, SL,RS,JB, EC and PG all have Signature guitars that are bolt ons !

Yes, and?
The EJ signature is complete and utter BS. They just made a replica of the vintage Strat that Eric Johnson had been using for years. It has nothing to do with design. The guitar was designed in the 50s by Leo Fender. Eric Johnson just happened to get famous while using one, and Fender wanted to cash in on that.
The exact same story applies to Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton.

Paul Gilbert has had multiple signature guitars, some of which were bolt-on, some weren't (the violin guitar and the reverse Iceman for example). He's also a big fan of the lawsuit Ibanezes, but these cannot be made into production models for obvious reasons.

As for Steve Lukather... well what were they going to do, make a series-reproduction of his legendary '59 Les Paul?
His current signature is little more than a standard MM Silhouette with his custom EMG set. I doubt he had a lot of input in the design. MM simply doesn't make anything other than bolt-ons.

Most signatures just aren't designed by the artist at all, they're just off-the-shelf designs with some special specs, that don't go much further than custom pickups, hardware and paintjob. And even if they do have some input in the design, they're often limited by what the luthier can mass-produce at an affordable price.

Even Les Paul didn't have all that much input in the design of the guitar.