Recommend me a new shredder guitar!

jbandy10 · #1 10-13-2009, 08:33 PM

Help me out here guys. Hopefully you won't be TOO biased towards Iby's...lol

Shredder might be a little misleading... I already have an RG550 with EMG's. It slays! But I want something with the same playability yet a little more mellow. Maybe dimarzio's or even...gasp.... bare knuckles?

Right now I'm thinking maybe a Carvin C66 or an Ibanez J custom. I have $1200-$1500 to spend. Open to ideas.

Some things to consider...

-I want a quilt or flame top, and a maple fretboard.

-I'm fairly sure I want a floating trem. In a perfect world I would get a hardtail for the sustain, but I like the way floyd roses stay in tune plus I love those sick harmonic dives.

Here's some examples of stuff I like.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com.....5927cb.jpg
http://www.geocities.jp/fumio949/P4010015.jpg

I'm tempted to go with Carvin. I did a mock up of a custom shop and it came to $1200, which is about $400 cheaper than what a j custom or a Jackson PC1 would cost me used.

But like I said, I wouldn't be posting this if I didn't want ideas.

fyi: I use an Axe-fx with a dcm600 into a VHT 4x12.

Yousef · #2 10-13-2009, 09:18 PM

Go with the Carvin man! Everyone loves their Carvins.

Nahguavkire · #3 10-13-2009, 09:19 PM

Shredder is a bit of an odd term realistically... I'd say a good bet for you and it would look sick would be to build a Warmoth Stratocaster the way you like it... Maple top, Bareknuckle 'buckers (Though I'd get the Bareknuckle Irish Tour Rory Gallagher singlecoils myself), AAA Maple neck w/ 'board... You'll build a hell of a guitar for the money...

I'd also definitely recommend going for an old school pickup, never been a fan of high gain "shred" pickups myself and if you look at the stuff a lot of the really really heavy bands are playing you'll mostly see standard Gibson/ Fender/ PRS pickups...

The other option I'd recommend is a PRS Mira or used Custom...

jbandy10 · #4 10-13-2009, 09:27 PM

One thing I noticed was that a custom guitar from warmoth would cost $300 less if I bought the same guitar from carvin.

So the real question I have is...are carvin and warmoth differing in quality?

Magical Muffin · #5 10-14-2009, 12:38 AM

Carvin's are real nice, but I doubt you'll get an Ibby or Jackson thin neck...

Nahguavkire · #6 10-14-2009, 04:56 AM

I don't know enough about Carvin to say but I know Warmoth quality is epic Win! Do you know anybody who has one you could try? Equally if you keep an eye on Warmoth and they're showcase bodies you'll probably see something that fits the bill cheaper than a fully custom one...

i.e. Showcase Body

Or even something from their bargain bucket... $195?

Screamin' Deals

ColinMmmmm · #7 10-14-2009, 11:09 AM

I just checked out a warmoth bass they had at a local guitar shop - and the thing was sweeeeet. That's what I'd do. The neck pocket was toight! Mmmmmmm.

**jim777** · #8 10-14-2009, 11:25 AM

Carvin necks aren't as thin as Ibanez necks, they're closer to standard Jacksons, not the Jackson 'speed neck'. They are very comfortable though, especially the oiled ones. Some companies have painted necks that I find very easy to play, like Jackson, EBMM, and PRS, but in my opinion Carvin really isn't one of them.

If I were you I'd get a VWH

IbanezDaemon · #9 10-14-2009, 11:51 AM

I'd be looking at the following brands/models: JEM, J Custom, Caparison, ESP, Suhr, Hamer.

shreddersymphony · #10 10-14-2009, 01:20 PM

I've got both a warmoth guitar and a Carvin and I'd say the Carvin is higher quality. Jbandy, I'd probably go with a Carvin in your case. Customization ftw.

jbandy10 · #11 10-14-2009, 05:05 PM

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I'm leaning towards Carvin because of price. Seems like they have best bang for buck in terms of custom options.

So unless I find a J custom or something I like for a good price...eh...

Gilberto99 · #12 10-16-2009, 09:54 AM

Definitely check into the Carvin. For max shredability I'd recommend trying out the 20" fretboard radius! It's amazing.

Yousef · #13 10-16-2009, 07:00 PM

Whats the fretboard radius for an Ibanez Wizard I? I always wondered...

Maybe you should call them up and be like I want the neck of a Wizard I on my Carvin! On the carvin forums people get away with other cool stuff on their guitars that are not mentioned on the site just by calling them. Who knows?

jbandy10 · #14 10-17-2009, 09:43 AM

The wizard is roughly 17" so I think Carvin's 14" would be just fine for me.

Neoclasiccl · #15 10-17-2009, 09:29 PM

the PC-1 is a great guitar with an oil finished neck. The only down side is the neck might be a little thick for most. Also access to the 24th fret is a little lacking.
I love mine thou