[blueshadow_33]

Probably a loaded question in an Ibanez forum I have my heart pretty much set on a JS1200 but I was at the local GC and the salesguy was really pushing a PRS Mira. He went on and on about the flexibility of the Mira and how I would never have to buy another guitar. I must admit it was a bit intriguing!

Anyone played both and willing to comment?

 

[jb4674]

Get the 1200. The mira is a completely different guitar and in no way comparable to the JS. The guy @ GC has no idea what he's talking about. If you decide to go for the JS, get it from Rich.

Jimmy:smile:

 

[blueshadow_33]

...The mira is a completely different guitar and in no way comparable to the JS....

Please say more - I've only played each them through radically different amps for a few minutes each so I don't have a good comparison. Hoping to go test them later today

 

[GuitarGuru]

They must have been told to get rid of them. It's like Walmart. He has to be an idiot. Get the JS.

 

[Homebake]

the mira looks like one of those "junior" les paul things (i forget the name).

the JS has a quality trem which sells it for me.

 

[blueshadow_33]

They must have been told to get rid of them. It's like Walmart. He has to be an idiot. Get the JS.

Actually, Mira's are pretty hard to find - I called around to other GC and Sam Ash's to try to find a store that had both a JS and Mira and most said they don't carry alot of Miras.

I'm not sure what his motivation was - he showed me their internal markup screen on the computer - with the 15% of sale they are running, they were making $3 on the Mira (~$1500).

 

[fractionallz]

I say if your intrigued by the Mira, then take some time and play it. Thats the only way your going to know. If you just buy one of them without playing them then your going to wonder if you bought the "right" one. Spend some time with both and then make your decision. I own Prs and Ibbys, there both high quality guitars its just a matter of preference. Anyone who doesnt think that Prs makes high quality guitars has never played one. Just my 2 cents.

 

[SeizeTheDave]

My opinion, and please take it as such, is that the JS1000 looks 100 times better. The Mira looks like a bottom line PRS. If I was going to get a PRS, I'd wait another year and save up so I could afford the $2500 models with a beautiful piece of wood on top instead of a questionable looking pick guard. I look at that guitar and think "If I owned a guitar store I'd try like hell to get someone to buy this and only make $3. It's making my other guitars look bad."

They're just trying to get rid of it because they've realized that nobody wants it for the money they want sell it for. They're just trying to break even with it and get if off their shelves.

Buy the JS1000. It's more versatile anyways. I own a S1625 which is similar to JS models (body shape, floating bridge, pickups HH pickups). It is my most versatile guitar of everything that I have. There's no way in the world the Mira could do all that it does.

 

[blueshadow_33]

I just got back from demo'ing both again - had to go to two different stores to find them!

The Mira is a bit neck-heavy - think that the JS has better weight distribution. I always do a little fit test on the neck by how comfortable it is to stretch the first 4 frets and play chords in that area. Even though the Mira has a shorter scale length, I think the different shape and thinner neck of the JS felt better in my small hands (no smart aleck comments!).

Unfortunately, I couldn't play through the exact same amp - intentionally played them on basic amps (Roland Cubes and Line 6 Spider) as I wanted to evaluate the "feel" of the guitar more than anything. My wife who is more musically inclined than me liked the sound of the JS over the Mira

Looks-wise - I agree with one of the other posters - the JS looks 1000X better than the Mira. I'm not a big fan of the SG look. I really like the black pearl JS1000 but the JS1200 candy apple is over the top....

So I think (unless I analyze it too much), I've made my decision....Appreciate all the input!

 

[Darin]

GC sales guys are commissioned sales people. Know what you want BEFORE you go there. They are trained to "sell" and will tell you anything it takes to get the sale. Period.

 

[Mufaza]

I tried out many types of guitars, and PRSs were in the batch. I have to say that I am very satisifed with my 1200, that I got from Rich. It sounds and plays like a dream. And I have been able to play any thing from sweet blues, to ranging metal on it, and it handles it all in spades. The articulation of the sound of the 1200 is just down right awe inspiring. When you hit chords, you can hear each string in the chord. Its were I would put my money. And yes, I would get it from Rich, as you will have it set up properly and playing like a champ, not like GC, where they have a quick over, and collect dust before you play. My 1200 plays soooo much better than any other guitar I have picked up at GC to demo. And I have only had it a little over a month, so its not like the feel is engrained yet.

 

[sick-boy]

I'm not knocking PRS, but comparing the two guitars sounds like apples and oranges. As someone who has worked in sales, he was probably just pushing a guitar that he really liked. Lord knows that I've sold certain brands of things to people just because in my experience they were the best value.
I think you should just go for whatever guitar you like best, man. People here will still oogle over pics of your PRS, I assure you.

 

[smooth55]

Just out of curiousity, how did the salesman go from the JS to the Mira? It seems like they're so totally different stylistically that I can't figure why he'd even bring that up? I mean, it seems like the only things they've got in common are 22 frets (albeit with different scales) and humbuckers and dot inlays...

 

[blueshadow_33]

Just out of curiousity, how did the salesman go from the JS to the Mira? It seems like they're so totally different stylistically that I can't figure why he'd even bring that up? I mean, it seems like the only things they've got in common are 22 frets (albeit with different scales) and humbuckers and dot inlays...

I'm the one that was doing the comparison - I had my heart set on a JS but walked into my local GC to play around. I was oogling their section of expensive guitars and he started pushing the Mira. He had never played a JS (most GC's don't carry them) so he couldn't make a comparison. He thought the Mira would satisfy a couple of my concerns around short scale length and weight as well as being a "flexible" sounding guitar.

 

[satchmo72]

He thought the Mira would satisfy a couple of my concerns around short scale length and weight as well as being a "flexible" sounding guitar.

He has his thoughts turned around, the JS is one of the most comfortable and "flexible" guitars I have ever owned. I can play anything with this guitar and wear it all day long. The Fred is aggressive enough for the Satriani style rhythms and leads but then the flick of a switch to the PAF Pro neck turns it soft and clean, not muddy. I use a POD XT and every tone I want, I can get from the combo of the JS and POD.

Hit the coil tap and it "quacks" like a strat.

The only downfall of the JS is that it is kind of a "middy" guitar, you know what your playing on. Very distinctive sound but manageable.

I have had strats, low end RG's, high end RG's, an LP and have tested out a bunch of other Gibbys' and PRS', Teles, other "shredders" and nothing comes close to the versatility and comfort of the JS.

If you are used to a strat style neck, you can fly on the JS. Get a good setup on it and keep the 9's on there and you will not be disappointed.

It IS like comparing apples and oranges, two totally diffferent guitars.

 

[blueshadow_33]

...the JS is one of the most comfortable and "flexible" guitars I have ever owned. I can play anything with this guitar and wear it all day long...

That's exactly what I was looking for...

 

[smooth55]

I see. I must have misread the way you wrote it because it sounded to me like the salesguy pointed you in that direction but your explanation makes sense.
I agree with Satchmo that the JS is one of the most flexible guitars around. It definitely has a distinctive mid-range but that's managable and it's off-set by being able to get almost any sound.
The only thing it doesn't do well is metal, and with enough eq, you can still get a passable 80's metal tone. It'll never do the chug palm mutes, but it nails just about anything else.

 

[blueshadow_33]

Actually there is a guy out of australia on Youtube (guitarnoize) doing Metallica, etc. on a JS1000 - doesn't sound too bad to me.

 

[Dino]

I see. I must have misread the way you wrote it because it sounded to me like the salesguy pointed you in that direction but your explanation makes sense.
I agree with Satchmo that the JS is one of the most flexible guitars around. It definitely has a distinctive mid-range but that's managable and it's off-set by being able to get almost any sound.
The only thing it doesn't do well is metal, and with enough eq, you can still get a passable 80's metal tone. It'll never do the chug palm mutes, but it nails just about anything else.

The JS sounds good for metal. Smooth tight sound. You can always scoop the mids a little but I don't really hear that with high gain. I chug on mine all the time.

 

[smooth55]

I'm just trying to say that it's a very versitile guitar but, in my personal experience, if you're looking to do death metal, there are probably better options to consider. It'll do everything else just fine.