Trems and necks (and other things) that kick ass...but aren't ibanez.

[GuitarBizarre]

Thread title is the main point, but heres some detail.

I'm sure that at one point we have all played at least one neck or bridge that made us think 'holy ****'

I'm also equally sure that a lot of people here are swayed on their opinions of neck profiles by the masses. Frankly, there is absolutely NO ****ING WAY everyone here has played a Wizard 1 or an original Edge who claims to have done so, or who reccomends them right off the bat.

Sadly, a lot of people are probably just going with the crowd. Its no secret that on ibanez related forums like vai's, here, and ibanez itself, theres a bit of cult following going on around those necks and trems.

So this thread is here for those of us who know that however good something is, theres always a better or at least DIFFERENT option out there.



Heres my contribution:

The Wizard I neck:

Reputation - Super thin fantastically easy to play and unheard of tone to rival the gods.
My experience - (Wizard 1 Neck on a 90's S model. I forget the exact model. It had the ZR trem, wizard I neck, and a trans blue/green flameburst.)
My impression - Too thin. Chordal playing is a freaking strain on the hands because its the same radius all the way down. Sustain isn't fantastic to my ears, but that may be down to the trem also.

My Alternative - The necks from ESP's Alexi series guitars. I played the cheapy, bolt on LTD Alexi-200 model, and even that for down the range the profile of that neck is unbelievable. Its easy to play chordal passages, but its flat enough to shred the hell out of. And that guitar sustained forever, even with the cheapy floyd. I came away wishing I could buy the guitar for that neck alone, despite me hating every other aspect of the guitar.

But my god, that neck was tasty. If I ever get a true custom build, I am buying one of those 200's beforehand just so the neck profile can be copied. And I'm specifying a compound radius too.


TL;DR - I don't think the wizard I neck is worth the hype it gets, and i gave examples. Who else can give similar examples and stories about gear they thought was awesome?

[CityofBlindingLights]

I'm a guy who likes slightly thicker necks, yet still thin, if that makes sense.

My favorite necks so far have been the Fender Jeff Beck, Fender Eric Johnson, Fender Custom Shop '65, Gretsch 6120T Duo Jet, and I thought the neck on the Ibanez JS was halfway decent.

To me, a neck is what makes or breaks the guitar. It's the most important thing, along with the body, in terms of playability. It can't be changed, while action, pickups, intonation, etc. can always be swapped out. So the neck to me is the most important part of the guitar.

[guitarsalad14]

The neck on my squier is actually really good. I've abused it for 4 years and it has never buzzed, bowed or any of that bad stuff. It plays like a dream too

[Big Job]

The tremolo on the parker nitefly/fly guitars is a really really good trem. You can use it and it stays almost still so you can do pedal steel bends and they stay in tune. But you can also really 'use' it and it stays in tune really well indeed.

I also have to give a shout out to Yamaha Pacifica guitars - they're just so well built!

Chris

[Riverdragon]

For me the best neck I have ever played is my Caparison Horus. I far prefer it to any Ibanez I have ever played and I have played the Jems and UV's from the early 90's and LOVE those necks. For trems I love the original edge and the Lo Pro even more so, but still prefer the OFR and Shaller to any of the Gotoh made ibby bridges. As for the Alexi I had the 600 series neckthrough and the neck was pretty damn nice, although it was painted. That kinda kills it for me.

[Accio Recto]

The most awesome neck I have ever played was an original EBMM Eddie Van Halen model, at NAMM back in '94 when they were new. My God! The thing practically played itself, I did NOT want to put it down. I wonder if the new Axis necks are the same...

[Myst and rain]

The neck of a Yamaha Pacifica. That's just a wonderful thing.

Also, the Gotoh Wilkinson tremolo is fantastic. Combine that with a self-lubricating nut and you've got a winner. The only downside is that it's dive only.

[mrjakob69]

i liek my wizard II and my edge III i have played 1000000 80's jacksons kramers and ibanez's and i dont care for the old **** i like what i have and thats that. i have a jackson dinky that i enjoy the neck profile on.

[Ingraman]

Seconding Yamaha Pacifica. If you ever find one of the older Pacificas (1221/etc), their necks are as thin as a Wizard 1, but more comfortable (to me at least).

[mi2tom]

The best neck I've ever played beside my Jem77 BFP is the neck on my cheap yamaha, damn fast and comfortable neck at the same time it's easy to bend the string with.