What guitar am I describing?

[deeaa]

Just in case I wanted to BUY the best guitar I could imagine, money no option but not considering custom made ones...what guitar would come as close as possible to my specs:

- Normal, good quality and lightweight body woods, don't care what
- rather small-frame than large
- fixed bridge, preferably gibson-style with possibility for fine-tuning
- stainless steel or other great quality jumbo frets
- Two bucker pups, or bucker+single, but I'd likely put in EMGs anyway
- semi-flat but not shredder flat fretboard
- rather thin, preferably V neck
- 24 frets

Now that I read what I've written, it looks like I'd want kinda like a Les Paul, chambered and with 24 frets and a more modern neck, from a manufacturer that uses best quality frets. Gibson probably doesn't make a guitar like this...what are the BFG's like?

Just thinking out loud I guess....

[cebreez]

Looks more like your describing an Ibanez (The higher end ones). Though I still think my Peavey T-60 has everything but the small lightweight body. Are you into rosewood or maple for the fretboard?

[deeaa]

Both work for me rather OK...I kind of like maple for leads but rosewood is a bit more stable feeling.

Ibanez, eh? Maybe. I never really looked into those very much, maybe I should!

[hubberjub]

Not a V shaped neck, but Parker fits a lot of the bill. They can be had with a hard tail (not a TOM) or their tremolo has a locking position. Most come with two humbuckers (you'd probably have to install EMGs). You don't know what lightweight is until you've played a fly. They come with SS frets and 24 frets. Small, comfortable body.

[deeaa]

Yeah, Parker just doesn't look too appealing to me...

Ibanez seems to have a HELL of a lot of models, I never knew how much selection they actually have...I'm trying to see what models come with EMGs already, OR the Ibanez's own actives, and have a fixed bridge AND are closer to top than lower end models...hard...

[Spudman]

Charvel Desolation maybe?
http://www.charvel.com/guitars//search.php?partno=2931011590
http://media.fmicdirect.com/charvel/images/products/guitars/2931011590_frt_wlg_001.png

[deeaa]

Whoa. That's it...looks like exactly what I like. Could even take a schaller fine-tune stop I'm sure. Looks a bit smaller than LP, 24 jumbos and active, and the best part is...it's not exactly expensive even. Under 600€...sadly only seems like black & white available here.

I now have GAS, officially. Wonder if I could sell some of my axes for nuff money...THANKS!

[NWBasser]

Carvin offers much of what you're looking for too.

You can get stainless frets, various fingerboard radii, single-cut or double-cut, 24 frets, bridge options, etc.

[Eric]

Carvin offers much of what you're looking for too..
Yeah, the two guitars that popped into my head were a Carvin of some sort and maybe a Schecter Tempest or something along those lines.

[Tig]

EVH Wolfgang USA Custom's have hard tails and stainless frets, a 12” to 16” compound radius fretboard. They run about $3600 US.

"1/2” AA solid flame top maple and seven-ply binding, Bound mahogany set neck 24.75” scale length, compound radius (12”-16”) ebony or rosewood fingerboard, 22 vintage stainless steel frets, seven-ply headstock binding, dual Wolfgang® Custom nickel-covered humbucking pickups, Stop-tail bridge with fine tuners, EVH custom tuners, dual EVH custom low-friction 500k volume pots, dual EVH custom high-friction 250k tone pots"

http://www.evhgear.com/wolfgangcustom/

http://cf.mp-cdn.net/e1/7f/5f365a2b874bec71ef954edcf79d.jpg
http://cf.mp-cdn.net/f2/97/44c91a04ffc5d2c65f93e5a4d3cb.jpg
http://cf.mp-cdn.net/fd/c8/25c65640ec2bddb3328c2bb2e58c.jpg

[deeaa]

Loads of good guitars! Thanks for all the suggestions!

Carvin isn't readily available here, and for some reason I can't relate to their looks very well.
The EVH looks pretty decent and the last one even has the Schaller fine-tuner, but to me they look somehow 'fat' and are also expensive and no EMG's.
I also looked at the Gibson Nighthawk which seems like a great guitar on paper but I just find it ugly.

The Les Paul BFG could be really nice, and I was already developing some GAS for one, but the Desolation makes the BFG look big and clumsy somehow.
I also saw an Indie guitar with actives, kind of PRS/Les Paul combo, and it seemed pretty...but...anyway, now that I look at the options, the Desolation indeed looks like something I could seriously consider getting some day. That, and I'll have to keep an eye out and an open mind for Ibanezes. There's a local dealer in my town who always carries a dozen Ibanezes in the minimum, very good spread of models too, but I have never really looked at them with any real interest, they always somehow felt very metal type axes to me when I've tried them (a bit wide and flat necks to my taste) but I'll look at 'em just for interest. I hope I'll get to test a Charvel Desolation too some day!

[Eric]

Do you care whether it's bolt-on or set neck? I'm not sure, but I thought all Ibanez guitars were bolt-on.

[deeaa]

Not really...bolt-ons are easier to mod & repair if need be...but can have a nasty heel to hinder top fret access in some cases. I have no preference to either, as long as it's well done and sturdy in any case.

[Awfulquiet]

I've got a BFG Gary Moore, it's got a 50's style neck, so it's on the thicker side. It's incredibly light though.

Sound is fantastic, and it has what can only be described as 'power'.. Sustain is not as good as on a LP Standard though.

[deeaa]

Those are SWEEEET looking axes. Love the colour&the idea! I'd switch the pup selector to trad. position however, and install an EMG 85 +60A pickups, and a fine-tune tailpiece and a Schaller bridge. If the neck is really sturdy I'd likely sand it to a V shape too.

But, that would probably make much sense on a $2K axe...would come to cost closer to 3K and ruin the resale value too.
I have seen a BFG on sale, some basic model, for well under 1K and that would have been a great platform for modding.

[deeaa]

http://media.fmicdirect.com/charvel/images/products/guitars/2931011586_frt_wlg_001.png

THIS guitar, in this color, is now my official GAS object. There is nothing I would change about the guitar, only I could likely add a Schaller fine-tuning system stopbar and maybe roller saddle. Other than that, seems like a perfect blend of properties and sweet looks and also priced quite nicely at just 650 or so. That is pretty much for a guitar to make it to my GAS list, but doable, if I could find one readily and could muster the cash by maybe selling a few others.

[Eric]

THIS guitar, in this color, is now my official GAS object. There is nothing I would change about the guitar, only I could likely add a Schaller fine-tuning system stopbar and maybe roller saddle. Other than that, seems like a perfect blend of properties and sweet looks and also priced quite nicely at just 650 or so. That is pretty much for a guitar to make it to my GAS list, but doable, if I could find one readily and could muster the cash by maybe selling a few others.
You did see that these are 25.5" scale length, right? With all of your recent postings on scale, I thought you were headed in the 24.75" direction. Also, are you actually looking for a V profile neck or are you just assuming you'd shape it after the fact, 'cause I'm not sure what the neck profile is on these.

Just sayin'.

[deeaa]

Good point! Well my recent findings on how I find the scale probably dictates some of the basic sound qualities of a guitar were just notions...I can dig both scales quite equally. My main axe is and likely remains to be the Davette which is 25.5".

It is not the scale per se - I have two electrics with 24.75" and the rest are 25.5" and I like 'em all equally; the shorter scale makes for easier bending merely - but it's a question of where is the neck in relation to your body when you're playing. That has to be closely enough the same between the guitars I play.

That's because I don't look at my hands/neck when I play, and in some guitars (like Flying-V, Explorer) the guitar sits way more 'forward' from the body, and that means when I go for a 5th string barre for instance, I'll likely end up more like on 8th fret even...so I like my guitars to be so shaped & balanced that when I hit a fret blind, I will not miss it by a step or so :-)

The V or more like combined V/C neck is a preference, yes, but I currently only have two -neck guitars, Davette & one of the strats...but others are just fine too, as long as they aren't too thick from the thumb to the center of the fretboard - the only things I don't go for are baseball bats and then those wide and flat U shapes, or ultra-thin flat ones, the two first forcing the distance between the thumb and fingers to be too great when playing, and the wide flats making the hand position very tiring for rhythm playing. Although some Charvels I've played have had quite wide U shapes, these are reported to have a rather slim C type neck, and in addition a compound radius board, which should work just fine. For instance the CV strat has a great basic Fender C neck that is very pleasant as is.

But, ultimately, I'd have to try one for size...I'd hate to get one sight unseen only to find out the neck is too thin and / or the guitar sits completely differently when played.

[otaypanky]

The Les Paul 50's and 60's Tribute models are chambered, pretty light weight, and sound great with those P-90's. The 60's has a slimmer neck profile and I think they have a 12" radius. They sell around $849. I saw one recently at one of the big box sites that must have been a blem or a return priced around $650.
My 50's version is my favorite guitar

[deeaa]

Yep those are looking pretty good...but I'd hate to get one just to mod the hell out of it with new pups and all... :-)