The Pointy Guitar Thread...

[Katastrophe]

All right, let's talk pointy guitars!

I have three.

The first is an ESP MII deluxe, made in the ESP Custom Shop, back in the early 90s. It has a bucker in the bridge, and a single coil sized bucker in the neck. Thin, D shaped neck with a rosewood FB, and monster frets. I had them install a tune-o-matic style bridge and tail piece, instead of the Floyds that everyone was using at the time. Reverse, pointy headstock. It was my #1 guitar for about 12 years, until I got my Strat. It needs a new nut, pickup selector switch, and probably a new jack. It's black, and worn.

Next is a Charvel, but I'm unsure of the model. I picked this one up at Musicmaker's in Austin a few months before I got the ESP. I didn't care what it cost as it was solid and played great. Turns out that it was a cheapie, and on sale, so I got a good deal. Strat style body, Single coil in the neck, humbucker in the bridge and a Floyd. Thin, C shaped shredder style neck with rosewood FB. Pickups sound kind of thin, but was my backup on stage, and never let me down. Built like a tank. It, too, is a black guitar.

Next is my first "real" electric guitar, a blue Ibanez RG 570, with a matching blue headstock. HSH configuration, with a Floyd. Maple neck, with a rosewood FB. Basswood body. The most beautiful blue in person that I have ever seen, to this day. It was one of those moments where I walked into Austin City Music and saw it hanging there, calling to me. Grandmother got it for my birthday. I swapped the bridge HB with a Duncan Invader, and it became a screaming, metal machine. Unfortunately, the ultra thin neck began twisting on me over time, and it is becoming harder and harder to set up correctly. The Floyd has become a serious pain in the butt to deal with. The basswood body is soft, and small dings turned into chunks of paint falling off. Still, I'll never get rid of it. My guitar teacher at the time said that he told his other students that I had the best guitar in school.

I'll have pics up eventually. I just wanted to start the discussion off first.

If you have, or had, a pointy guitar, talk about it! If there is a pointy guitar that is on your mind, talk about it here!

[just strum]

Define pointy. I have a Strat, but I don't consider it pointy. I had an SG, that I considered pointy in a devilish way.

If my Strat is considered pointy, then it's for sale.

[Katastrophe]

SGs to me are the first pointies, IMO. Metal wouldn't be metal without 'em and Tony Iommi.

I'm mainly talking about ESPs, Jackson/Charvel, Kramers, Ibanez and other brands that mainly had pointed bodies and/or headstocks. Used primarily for 80s and current metal.

Strats, while important to the genre, don't count as "pointy" IMO.

[Kazz]

I think you have to include the Gibson Flying V in the pointy guitar clique too. As well as the Washburn and Dean Dime style guitars.

[Katastrophe]

You bet, Kazz, let's talk about 'em all!

[tot_Ou_tard]

Here's one from Rev:

http://www.reverendguitars.com/reverend/guitars/set_neck_series/ron_asheton.html

If it had a pointy headstock, that would be more pointy.

What guitar wins the "None More Pointy" award?

[duhvoodooman]

What guitar wins the "None More Pointy" award?
"Officer, I accidentally impaled our bass player."

http://www.kxkguitars.com/pic_nile_guitar.html

This is right up there, too. I'd be afraid of hurting myself with this guitar:

http://www.deanguitars.com/Dean05/dime/large/RazorbackShards-01a.jpg

[Andy]

My esp M1

A reverse, pointy :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/stymye/Les%20Paul/ESPM1NTB.jpg

[duhvoodooman]

Check out some of the links on this thread. Some of these are just so bizarre that it's comical:

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/archive/index.php/t-1500761.html

[just strum]

I'm an anti-point guy

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h16/auroraohio/Guitars/JonesVox.gif

Brian Jone's Vox Teardrop

[hubberjub]

My only foray into pointy guitars was in 1993. I bought an Ibanez Jem for $400 and kept it for about two months. I just wasn't manly enough to pull it off. I Googled this picture but mine was exactly like it. I kind of wish I would have kept it. Original Jems fetch a decent price today.
http://www.khriskrunch.com/weapons/ibanez_steve_vai.jpg

[oldguy]

Well here's mine.....I gave it a quick wipe down and took some pics.
http://www.thefret.net/imagehosting/thum_115494eb838251ba.jpg (http://www.thefret.net/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=871)http://www.thefret.net/imagehosting/thum_115494eb8384bae4.jpg (http://www.thefret.net/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=872)http://www.thefret.net/imagehosting/thum_115494eb838c30cb.jpg (http://www.thefret.net/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=873)http://www.thefret.net/imagehosting/thum_115494eb83947286.jpg (http://www.thefret.net/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=874)

[tot_Ou_tard]

Vood I do believe that's a winner.

Most of the guitars posted here really just have pointy headstocks & maybe a slightly sleeker strat-shape. Although the Jem's horns are quite sharp.

Izzat all it takes to make a guitar pointy?

[oldguy]

Vood I do believe that's a winner.

Most of the guitars posted here really just have pointy headstocks & maybe a slightly sleeker strat-shape. Although the Jem's horns are quite sharp.

Izzat all it takes to make a guitar pointy?

I guess.....although mine has some pointy things laid in the fretboard, too.:pancake:

[tot_Ou_tard]

I guess.....although mine has some pointy things laid in the fretboard, too.:pancake:
Youch! Talk about bleedin' fingertips.

[Katastrophe]

Youch! Talk about bleedin' fingertips.

Gotta reinforce proper shredder technique somehow!

Andy, tell me more about your ESP. When did you acquire it?

Vood, you posted some amazing extremes in the pointy guitar world. I think that one model, with the spike for a headstock, should be dubbed "Italian Goth Metal Model #1."

Strum, you crack me up.

oldguy, my Charvel looks similar to yours, except mine doesn't have the middle pickup. Nice!

hubberjub, I've always liked JEMs. How did yours play?
Marnold, Jimi, y'all have to chime in here!

[oldguy]

Gotta reinforce proper shredder technique somehow!

Andy, tell me more about your ESP. When did you acquire it?

Vood, you posted some amazing extremes in the pointy guitar world. I think that one model, with the spike for a headstock, should be dubbed "Italian Goth Metal Model #1."

Strum, you crack me up.

oldguy, my Charvel looks similar to yours, except mine doesn't have the middle pickup. Nice!

hubberjub, I've always liked JEMs. How did yours play?
Marnold, Jimi, y'all have to chime in here!

All the Charvels I've seen/played from that era seemed like really good instruments. Nowadays it seems like the Korean instruments in that price range are really good.

[marnold]

I'm ashamed to admit that I don't own a pointy guitar! The closest I came was my old Charvel Model 7 which actually has a Tele body but a pointy Jackson/Charvel headstock.

The man who makes the pointiest guitars has to be Neil Moser (http://www.mosercustomshop.com/), the original designer of the B.C. Rich Bich guitar. My favorite pointy, of course, is the Jackson Randy Rhoads (http://www.jacksonguitars.com/products/products.php?page=3&product=2913003503).

I've toyed with the idea of getting a Jackson DK2M (http://www.jacksonguitars.com/products/products.php?page=1&product=2911005503) in Inferno Red. The only thing really pointy about it is the headstock. The "only" issue is that if I were to get it I'd have to sell my current guitars and I'm not sure I'm ready to do that--especially not for what I would get for them.

[Andy]

Gotta reinforce proper shredder technique somehow!

Andy, tell me more about your ESP. When did you acquire it?

The ESP is only 2-3 months old.
I had a Jackson with wigglestick and emg's that I sold a while back, but it wasn't long before I was gassing for annother superstrat and had to fill the need with the ESP. I wanted a shred axe without the wigglestick hassles and the esp fit the bill.

It's simplicity with the single volume knob and string thru appeals to me.
plus I have been woodshedding alot in an attempt to recapture some of the
ability I had back in the 80's. I thought it would be easy but it's not.
I look at old videos and listen to tapes and wonder how did I do that? !!:thwap:

back in the 80's I went thru a few superstrats including a Dean and Ibanez.
I also had an Ibanez destroyer(exporer body) that I really miss.
so I replaced it with my Hamer.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/stymye/Les%20Paul/hamerstd.jpg

[Andy]

Heres annother pointy blast from the past.

The singer in one of my bands ,,his father worked at Gibson as a designer.
he had a guitar built and even designed an ad for it,I no longer have a copy of the ad or guitar .I contacted Gibson and sent them pictures but they had no record of it. I guess The full story will never be clear on this odd shaped model.

He called it the silver bullet and it played like a dream. I have a few pics of me playing it around 1983-84 period. I think it falls into the pointy realm.
this was back in my metal/shredder days ,we had smoke and flame pots, all the (very)loud and crazy stuff that comes with that period... lol

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/stymye/Les%20Paul/gig1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/stymye/Les%20Paul/rehearsal1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/stymye/Les%20Paul/rehearsal2.jpg

[Andy]

I didn't mean to scare anybody off with my pics, hey it was atleast 25 yrs ago...parachute pants,tight jeans,hankeys and sweatbands were the norm for rockin and rollin.

it took some nerve to even post these snapshots of my long lost past..

[tot_Ou_tard]

You're not gonna scare us off with parachute pants & guitar faces...we've seen worse.

That's a very cool looking guitar, what's the body made of?

[Andy]

I don't know, possibly mahogany.
I played the guitar for a couple years, took care of it ,but it ultimately belonged to the singer.I havent seen either one in ages now.
I don't know what happened to the singer, or the guitar.

The bass player worked(s) for a radio station in Datona Florida, last I heard

The drummer has worked as a roadie for a good 20 years now , the last time I heard from him he was working with aerosmith ,and motley crue.

[tot_Ou_tard]

so I replaced it with my Hamer.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/stymye/Les%20Paul/hamerstd.jpg
I missed this pic. That is beautiful in an off-kilter asteroid-belt sort-of way.

[Andy]

thanks it's like playing a Les Paul, same neck, pickups, sound.
...just pointy heh

[markb]

Pointy, kiwi style. Perfect for that metal haka :)

http://images.trademe.co.nz/photoserver/16/82953016_full.jpg

[Ascension]

Me loves POINTIES :rockon:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v27/rutledri/DSC00799.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v27/rutledri/IM000577.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v27/rutledri/Broke%20ST-3/DSCF0061.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v27/rutledri/Broke%20ST-3/DSC01333.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v27/rutledri/Broke%20ST-3/DSCF0066.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v27/rutledri/My%20stuff/IM000370.jpg
:master: :rockon: :AOK: