New Guitar Suggestions($400-$500)

[InfinatyBPS]

I'm in the market for a new guitar right now. I got an Ibanez Acoustic/Electric for my bday in december, I returned it becaus the fret bars were slicing the crap outa my fingers. I traded it for an Ibanez Semi-Hollow. Traded that in because it didn't really fit my style of playing and I couldn't use a whammy bar. Then I got a B.C. Rich Dagger Semi Hollow because it looked hella cool in all the pictures, but when I got it, it didn't have the cool widow headstock that it should have so I returned it. Now I have like $460 in store credit at guitar center and I'm wondering if anyone can suggest a good electric. I mostly play metal and play in dropped tunings often, and I'm looking for something that just looks out of the ordinary, I don't want a $500 fender that looks exactly the same as the $120 fender. So anyone have any reccomendations? I'm kinda thinking about finding a NICE Used or Cheap Warlock, but ya still open to ideas.

[personman]

When I was looking into guitars, I looked into epiphones alot, then I went to guitar center, tried out a bunch of guitars, and landed with a gibson SG faded for $600. It's great.

[GA Devil]

I'm in the market for a new guitar right now. I got an Ibanez Acoustic/Electric for my bday in december, I returned it becaus the fret bars were slicing the crap outa my fingers. I traded it for an Ibanez Semi-Hollow. Traded that in because it didn't really fit my style of playing and I couldn't use a whammy bar. Then I got a B.C. Rich Dagger Semi Hollow because it looked hella cool in all the pictures, but when I got it, it didn't have the cool widow headstock that it should have so I returned it. Now I have like $460 in store credit at guitar center and I'm wondering if anyone can suggest a good electric. I mostly play metal and play in dropped tunings often, and I'm looking for something that just looks out of the ordinary, I don't want a $500 fender that looks exactly the same as the $120 fender. So anyone have any reccomendations? I'm kinda thinking about finding a NICE Used or Cheap Warlock, but ya still open to ideas.

You seem to be more into the looks then the sound. The $500 fender may look like the $120 fender but believe me they arent. Im a les paul player myself so I would suggest lookign into the epiphone Les paul for your price range. PLay the guitar and go for sound..not looks. Looks will get you no where in guitar playing and be a waste of time and money. Guitar may look real nice but sounding like crap might as well just be a room decoration

[gamarada717]

Schecter.

[ojhspyro89]

Or get a double necked guitar like zeppelin used lol.

I play a cheaper alvarez for now, it sounds good to me. Just make sure to put fresh strings. It makes the world of difference. Buy a 12 string, they are sweet to play. A friend of mine has a 12 string electric, its soooo wierd. Not sure what kind but its real nice.

[gimp]

I don't know how it plays, but I love the body of the BC Rich Mockingbirds.

You could try out an Ibanez RG570 (The newer models are called something else I think, but they're all basically the same). That's what I play and I really like it.

[thereal_JT]

i play a hamer slammer which is a strat copy and it plays well, i have no complaints, fairly low action and smooth neck. also play a stinger made by cf martin and co it plays really smooth, if the action were any lower you would just have to think of where you wanted your fingers.

but i love my fender acoustic the most.

jt

[InfinatyBPS]

You seem to be more into the looks then the sound. The $500 fender may look like the $120 fender but believe me they arent. Im a les paul player myself so I would suggest lookign into the epiphone Les paul for your price range. PLay the guitar and go for sound..not looks. Looks will get you no where in guitar playing and be a waste of time and money. Guitar may look real nice but sounding like crap might as well just be a room decoration

Not at all. Thats one reason why I returned the dagger. It had really nice action and felt comfortable to play and looked sick(except i wanted that damn widow headstock). But it sounded really vibratish when played unplugged and not clean at all, and when it was hooked to the amp is sounded like it was slightly more distorted than it sould have been. The Ibanez hollow body sounded and looked really nice, but it was too big and clunky and wasn't comfortable for me to play. Also I have a Memphis(Yamaha) Les Paul Replica, so I don't really want to get another les paul because, I don't want 2 almost identical guitars, but I have been very tempted to get another les paul becuase I've heard only good things. But ya, when I'm asking for suggestions I'm not asking just for looks, it should be a given that I want it to sound good. Sound does matter to me, thats why when I goto guitar center I would hook it to the amp and play around with it and see if I like it, but I'm just asking for ideas for what I should look into.

[The JOE]

Look into the SZ series from Ibanez. I play an SZ320 and (with heavier strings) it sound great when dropped really low.

I'd say "Look into the RG series as well." but since you're apparently not much into a whammy bar I guess it's got a feature you wouldn't use much. That and I've not had much experience with the RG's anyhow.

Course, these are all just my suggestions. Feel free to disregard them at your leisure.

(Oh, and my final suggestion - stay far, far away from B.C. Rich. Unless it's one of the slightly higher-end ones. Even then...)

[Jakedubbleya]

pawn shop.

See what you run into.

[frop]

Check out Carvin, it's good stuff. I love my DC400 to death.

[Chipper]

Check out the Parker guitars, they look pretty sweet. I am either going to get a new computer or one of those.

[dave p]

bc rich anything just aint that good. find a used charvel if you are into metal and want something a little different. or a hamer or maybe a dean. at least you have half a shot at one of those sounding decent.

and there is a reason everyone plays the strats that all look alike. and it aint the looks. although i like the look of the strat.

and gadevil has a good point. i had a 81 rickenbacker 4001, white with black binding and mother of toilet seat fret inlays. the action was perfect, it looked like pure sex but after doing 100 gigs with it it still sounded like crap. i replaced it with a 5 string fender jazz(american) and never looked back. ok i still miss it sometimes cuz it was hot, and will be 25 years old, and was stained the perfect shade of yellow from ciggarette smoke. CRAP WHY DID I SELL IT!

nevermind

[mcveighr]

Epiphone Les Paul, IMO.

[CKY_Alliance]

Actually B.C Rich makes some decent stuff you just gotta get the platinum series.Well if you are into looks and sound of guitar check out ibanez Iceman...its almost in your price range if you like a short guitar there is the Ice man X (ibanez has X series now there smaller) and its a good bit cheaper but its a good looking guitar and sounds good to. B.C Rich bich is nice also.Course pretty much all B.C's look good and there gonna sound pretty much the same as IBANEZ they both use humbuckers.

I noticed someoen mentioned parker...yea the nitefly is badass Deron of CKY plays one they were recently bought out by somone i wanna say fender maybe?? someone correct me.
But there guitars are pricey.