Conference napalm::guitar

    Jeez, I just asked the same question about 2 weeks ago. Check out
    the Ibanez Sabre line. Me, I just bought as '66 ES-335. Modern
    features? No. Lovely? yes!

    
    I played one PRS and fell in love, but the prices are out of my
    league.  Try Hamer, maybe.  The lowest action you've ever seen.
    Only thing, some of them sound *really different*.  Make sure you
    plug it in, and don't just go by feel.
    
    Or maybe a Carvin?  Talk to db.
    
    Good luck
    
    Ashley

    Would you consider buying components and assembling your own
    instrument.If you buy the body and neck pre-finished, all that you
    would need is a screw driver and a soldering iron, and you could
    configure exactly what you want, no trade-offs. 
    
    If you are interested in going this route, I would suggest Warmouth
    bodies and necks. They offer compound radius necks. Bodies are
    custom routed to your specs. $1000 would probably be more than
    enough to get exactly what you want in fairly exotic woods.
                                 
    Just a thought.
    
    Mark Jacques
    

    As mentioned Hamer might be an alternative.  The few that I have
    seen and heard are very fine instruments.  What about Schon?  I'm
    not sure of prices.  Some of the new Gibsons seem pretty nice (e.g.
    the '62 reissue SG was really cool, can't remember if it had a whammy
    or not).  The PRS instruments are *awesome*.
    
    Hey Dave, you've got to come down and let me hear the 335.  One
    of my top five favorites of all time.
    
    joe.

    About those Paul Reed Smiths....
    
    Does anyone know if they come with a Maple neck?
    
    Anybody care to venture on price of such a beauty?
    
    Ben.

    
    Re: Larry is such a slave to guitar fashion!
    
    ;^)

    The Carvin I have meets all the criteria except price.  However there
    are Carvins that are probably under $1k.
    
    Still haven't found any guitar that I felt was as versatile.  Not
    even my Steve Morse model with its 4 pickups and 3 pickup selectors!
    
    There's now a place in Milford NH that sells Carvin.  Or you're welcome
    to come up and check mine out.
    
    	db

    
    re: .10
    
    You mean you DON'T???
    
    Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

    IMO strats have the most comfortable body design for the active
    musician....
    
    I thought PRS guitars were overpriced, nice but overpriced and the
    tremelo is ancient history...they do not stay in tune anywhere near
    as well as a Rose or Kahler, despite the claims made by all the
    dealers and the PRS ads I've seen...the finish on them is by far
    the finest in the business though....
    
    again all opinion, wouldnt trade my strat for the world...
    
    dbII

    RE: .9  ...come up and check mine out...
    
    I'd love to, but it's about 2000 miles (from Co. Springs).  Curious,
    I've heard really good things about Carvin guitars, but I am really
    hesitant to buy something as personal and subjective as a guitar
    without trying it out first.  I hate to order up one just to give
    it a casual test.
    
    Also, what fretboard radius does Carvin use?  Do you have your option
    of trems, of is is Kahler only?
    
    Greg

    Well, some people love carvins, and others don't like them.  There's
    actually a pretty wide disparity in opinions on this guitar.
    
    I recommend that you call Carvin and ask if there's a dealer in your
    area.  They are mostly mail-order but it would seem that they HAVE
    granted a few dealerships here and there.
    
    I wouldn't blame you for not ordering one on a try out basis.  A friend
    of mine got the same model as mine (before me).  I tried it out, and
    ordered the exact same model (DC 200 Koa).   Obviously it made a big
    impression on me.
    
    Carvin's are not the great deal that they used to be.  It would seem
    that they started out with not much of a name, and sold them fairly
    cheap (I got mine for about $700).    Last I look (year ago), the same
    model went for around $1200!!!  However, if mine ever broke, you can
    bet I'd replace it with the same model.
    
    I'm trying hard not to sound like yet another guitar player raving
    about his axe, but... well... I really like the Carvin.  It's not
    the end-all of guitars, but it's the most versatile I've played
    (it's got a very intelligent electronics design) and very playable.
    
    I've tried other guitars with better sustain, higher output pickups,
    greats tones the Carvin doesn't have, etc., but the Carvin seems
    to score high in most catagories and that's why I got it.
    
    BTW, if you do order one on a trial basis, be sure to find out who
    pays for the shipping and insurance if you decide to send it back.
    I wouldn't be surprised if they would pay for it all.  As has been
    said, my experience with the company has been excellent.  They even
    volunteered to make a modification (no charge) I suggested that they liked
    and may incorporate into the guitar, but I never took them up on it,
    mainly because I didn't want to be without the guitar for a couple of
    weeks (I have another guitar, but I guess I'm very used to the Carvin
    cause I can't play my other guitar nearly as well).
    
    Hope this has been helpful.
    
    	db
    	db

    by the way, do any stores in the central New England area carry
    PRS? I've never seen one.

    
    
    lucky me, Hollywood has a Carvin factory store right on sunset.
    
    Re: whatever
    
    You can get Floyd Rose or Kahlers factory installed on the carvins.
    Lowest action of any guitar I've ever seen, except for Hamer.
    
    And all Carvin products have a 10 day trial period.  If you don't
    like it for *any* reason, ship it back.
    
    Only thing that bugs me about 'em is that 5 years ago they said
    how their separate bridge and saddle assembly gave better sustain
    and better tone than anything on the market.  Now they make only
    1 piecers.  Same with glued necks, now they're all neck thru body.
    
    And you can get some really ugly colors too!  Pink and Loch Ness
    Green, just like Dweezil and Steve!

    RE: .16  fretboard radius
    
    Not to be persistantly stupid or anything, but...
    
    You said it had a 'nice radius', is that a nice radius like a Jackson
    (almost flat) or a nice radius like a Strat (almost round), or
    something in between like a Les Paul?

    Thanks to all for the responses,
        
    Greg

    .15
    
    	Greg, I have a Carvin DC150, maple body, neck and fret board.
    This is one of the best guitars I have ever owed and I have both
    Gibsons and Fenders. The workmanship on the Carvins is very good
    and the electronics are excellent. If you would like to give mine
    a try, I'm located at the Forge Road R&D facillity. Give me a call
    at 590-6108 or send mail. 
    	The DC150 ran about $450.00 when I bought it in 86'. It has
    two SM22 humbuckers, 3 way pickup switch, phase switch for each
    pickup, and and the delux bridge with fine tuners. The guitar is
    stereo as well, same as db's. If there is any problem with the 
    guitar when you receive it, the factory is willing to bend over
    backwards to make it right. The factory also does an excellent job of
    setting up the guitars before they are shipped.      
    
    DonH

    Friendly River Music carries PRS guitars.
    
    RE: PRS tremelo...you must not be as hard on trems as I am....the
    PRS I tried at FRM didn't stand a chance...out of tune within 3 min.
    Personally, I don't believe you can get a non-locking system to
    work anywhere near as well as a locking system. Again..opinion..also
    you can't pull a PRS tremelo, at least not the one I tried since
    it rests on the body when not in use...loss of half of the
    functionality of the bar there.
    
    dbII

    re: .20
    
    Yeah, everyone I know who's ended up with a Carvin (about 5 people)
    have RAISED the action, rather than (the typical thing which is to..)
    lower the action set at the factory.
    
    It's definitely a very "fast" guitar.  I have trouble playing other
    guitars because of that, including my Steve Morse guitar which has
    spent much of its life in the case for this reason.
    
    I agree completely about the Carvin worksmanship.  Even though their
    prices are higher now, I still consider Carvin to be a sorta
    undiscovered, underrated guitar maker.  Most folks don't take them
    seriously as guitar makers.
    
    Actually I kinda like the idea that at these DECjams
    there are typically 28 Fenders, 18 Gibsons, 4 Charvels, Jacksons,
    Kramers, etc. but never more than one Carvin.
    
    	db

    Any opinions on the "roller nut" that the new Fender Strat+
    has?  This (along with a good set of tuners) is supposed to
    solve the tuning problems associated with non locking tremelos.

    btw, the new Fender American Standard and Strat+ plus are the best
    Strats to come out of that company in a long time, maybe the best
    ever.
    
    /rick

    re: .27 interesting...I pull very little...but I do use it a bit...
    certainly not a P4 though...
    
    as far as string breakage goes, my strings usually last three weeks
    (not too fussy since I'm not gigging or recording right now) and
    that's about as good as one can expect anyway...in the 6-8 months
    it's been on the guitar I've broken all of two high e strings...about
    average for me anyway...
    
    the PRS tremelo is identical to the original fender system as near as I
    could tell, except that it rides flush with the body when not being
    pressed on, I tried this with my strat once with better than nothing
    but not too great results, the addition of the locking tuners helps a
    great deal in comparison to an old strat without them...
    
    I find the FR to be no big deal as far as hassel goes, I rarely
    break strings (but know many who do break alot more), cutting them
    has never caused a noticable change in sound or longevity of the
    strings...
    
    I also like Kahlers, except that the spring tension is too loose,
    I like the stiffness of the FR/fender spring system..
    
    takes all types...
    
    dbII

    Status of the search so far: 

    Well, I've had a chance to try out a few different things and thought
    some of you might be interested in my opinion on the guitars I've
    tested so far.   I also have a bit of commentary which perhaps you can
    help me with, and I'm still open to suggestions.  My current plan is to
    make my purchase within a couple of months or so. 

    I'm writing a short paragraph on each, so it's a little long (and very
    subjective), in case you want to skip it. 

    I have tried at this point, 1) a Charval model 1, 2) a Paul Reed Smith,
    3) an Ibanez RG340, 4) a Charval model 4, and 5) a Carvin DC150 stereo
    (thanks, Don).  All the guitars I tried appeared to have superior
    workmanship and fitting.  Any of them would be a fine instrument for
    someone.  I'll also list the approx. local asking price (prior to
    negotiations) for the instruments, as I'm curious whether these seem
    good to you. 

    Here's what I thought of them individually.  Please refute me, if
    you've had different experiences then I have.  I would also like to
    know what you think of the prices. 

    1) The Charval model 1.  A nice guitar, the neck was wider and flatter
    than I'm accustomed to (my main is currently a late 70s Strat), but it
    grew on me rather quickly.  The pickup sounded good, not much variety
    in sound. I liked the Jackson trem for the most part, however it didn't
    seem to allow much pitch raising (see the recent Floyd R. discussion
    note).  I really like to do that.  Perhaps this can be adjusted to
    better suit my needs.  Asking price $500. 

    2) The Paul Reed Smith.  Note: I didn't get to play this one too long,
    see other note for the story.  Not their top of the line, this was the
    model with the dot inlays.  I didn't see or get any model designation.
    Finish and fitting extremely nice.  The action was absolutely
    fantastic.  The tone was very good overall, but seemed to lack
    versitility.  I was quite impressed, a truely fine instrument.  As
    previously mentioned, it does not have a locknut (looks like a
    graphite) and the trem won't raise the pitch.  Asking price $1250. 

    3) The Ibanez RG340.  This is basically a nice feeling instrument. The
    neck radius is almost flat and the back seems to be unfinished. Has the
    2 single coil, one humbucking w/ coil tap pickup configuration. The
    trem is a Floyd (lic. clone) and the body is routed to allow it to
    radically raise the string pitch. I didn't play too much with that as
    it was in a store and I was afraid of breaking strings (I've done this
    before, pretty embarrasing).  It didn't seem to stay in tune well when
    using the bar, but that could have been strings or maybe the nut wasn't
    tight. 

    One thing, the bridge pickup was set up high enough on this demo that
    when you pulled up enough on the bar, the strings would hit the pickup.
    If your touch was light as it brushed it'd produce this wild harmonic
    squeal.  I probably wouldn't leave it that way, but I got a kick outta
    it then. 

    4) The Charval model 4.  Absolutely one of the finest guitars I've ever
    played.  The neck had a very slight finish to it and the radius ( I'm
    told they are using a conical radius now) made playing very pleasant.
    The Jackson trem stayed in tune very well.  The craftsmanship seemed
    very good.  The Jackson electronics were capable of producing quite a
    variety of sounds.  I especially liked the midrange boost control.  The
    tone (and midrange) did a great job of varying the sound without making
    it muddy when the highs were rolled off, one of my pet peaves.  So far,
    this is the one I'd buy.  Asking price $750. 

    5) The Carvin DC150.  I was able to get more varied sounds from it than
    any guitar I've ever played.  The M22 pickups and electronics were
    surpurb.  It didn't have a trem so I can't rate that.  The guitars neck
    has a shorter scale (seemed like) and was much thicker (seemed almost
    1/2 round) than I am accustomed to.  This made it difficult for me to
    play.  It also had a thick glossy finish on the (maple) neck to which
    my hands stuck.  For these reasons, I don't think I'd buy one, unless
    they could assure me a thinner neck.  Don't remember what the catalog
    price was, it's not available in this exact configuration anymore
    anyway, so I'd be a little more hesitant, as this one was a very good
    combination. 

    Thanks, 
    Greg 
    
    

    Greg,
    
    Hi, FWIW, I just invested in a Charvel Model 6. 
    
    I started out looking at the Model 3, got hooked by the active
    electronics of the Model 4 and ended up being seduced by the Model 6.
    It's a heavy investment but I got it on interest-free credit, with a
    flight case thrown in, and got a good trade-in ( for an ancient Ibanez )
    to ease the pain ( ABC Music in Slough, England ! ).
    
    The Model 6 has identical electronics and hardware to the Model 4 but
    the construction is quite different. The body is of poplar rather than
    basswood and the neck ( 24 frets for the Model 6 ) is thru-body rather
    than bolt-on so access to those extra frets is easy. Also, the
    fingerboard is bound on the Model 6. It's quite a few extra pennies but
    you get a lot of versatility and if you like thru-body designs ( I do )
    it makes a lot of difference. 
    
    Design and Build are of the very highest standards. Balance is spot-on,
    standing or sitting, and all switches and knobs are out of harms way but
    not out of reach ( volume knob is accessible for 'Cathedral' effects
    though it's close to the tremolo ). The Jackson Tremolo is a Floyd Rose
    design and stays right in tune but, as you mentioned, can't 'raise'
    pitch more than about 1/2 semitones ; I'm not sure if it can be adjusted
    ( I'll look more closely tonight ).
    
    The sound is simply the best ; I'm still finding my way round the
    controls ( the three micro-switches give you seven pickup permutations
    to start with !!! ) but the mid-range boost is really versatile ; you
    can back it off for a thin and funky sound or wind it up for creamy
    smooth overdrive without changing pickup ! 
    
    Mine's finished in "Black Cherry" ( deep, metallic purple colour that
    looks nicer than you'd expect - especially under strong lights ! ) and
    is flawless. Action and intonation are faultless ( all UK models are set
    up by the distributors - John Hornby Skewes ). 

    The range of finishes is a little limited ( Black, Red, Pearl White,
    Cobalt Blue or Black Cherry for Models 4 and 6 ) but if one of those
    suits you ( the last two are quite tasty metallic shades and white looks
    good ) you're OK. But the guitars are superb whatever the colour ! 
    
    Let us know what you decide.
    
    Dave.

    Well, I finally got one.  I went for a Charvel Model 4.  This fit my
    needs and budget well and I expect to be very happy with it. 
    
    I was never able to find a store to try out the high end Ibanezes,
    which is unfortunate, but that's life.
    
    I wanted to thank everyone who offered advice and encouragement
    here.  This is much appreciated.            
                                     
    Greg

    Re .31
    
    Nice choice, beautiful guitar, you'll be very happy together...
    
    How's the honeymoon going ?
    
    
    Dave.
    
    P.S. What colour did you go for in the end ?

    Well, now I've got new guitar fever.  I've been looking at:
    
    	o Ibanez RG550 -- p/u configuration like the Vai model (bridge
    and neck position humbuckers w/single coil in the middle); Vai super
    whammy (routed for *serious* string breaking); 24-fret *flat* finger-
    board (maple or rosewood); nice feeling neck (satin-type finish);
    5-position switch.  $549 w/case list price.
    
    	This is an awesome guitar for the money.  The only things I
    don't like are:  The humbuckers can't be tapped to single-coil,
    and; I don't think the "looks" are that great (I personally don't
    like the pickguard).
    
    	o Ibanez RG560 -- Same as the RG550 except that it's got a bucker
    in the bridge position and two single-coils, no pickguard, and a
    different body shape.  Also the bucker isn't tappable.  Same price
    as above.
    
    	o Ibanez RG440 -- This is like a pre-Satriani model.  Nice shape,
    same p/u config. as the RG560, no super whammy though (it's routed
    a little bit, but not as radically as the above), but it'll still
    raise the tone about a P4th, 22-fret rosewood fingerboard, neck
    and fingerboard are more like a strat., 5-position switch, and the
    humbucker is "tappable" (I think, although it might just be a in/out
    of phase type thing) by pushing down on the tone control.  Only
    two left in stock at an unbelievable $350 w/case.  These could be
    gone for all I know.
    
    	Now, Greg, tell me all about your Charvel Model 4...I really
    like the looks of this guit, but haven't tried one yet.
    
    	Also, I've fallen deeply in love with an ESP Eclipse Custom
    neck-through model, but haven't played it yet either.  Anybody out
    there in guitar land know anything about ESP's or this model???
    
    	Anybody got any other suggestions???
    
    	I'm a sick, sick man...				joe.

    
    ESP's are great!!  But only if you have the $800-1100 to shell out
    for one!
    
    Hey, I plan on getting an Ibanez RG550.  You can always mod. the
    electronics to include coil taps for the humbuckers (by replacing
    the pots with push/pull pots, etc).  Hampshire Music is selling
    the RG550 for $475. w/case...hey!
    
    Buck

    re: .34  Thanks a *lot* there, Buck  :^)               
    
    Seriously, I've heard nothing but good thing about these Ibanez models.
    I've been very pleased with the ones I've had in the past (St55 & Les
    Paul copy).  I just couldn't find any place around here that stocked
    'em.  I tried two stores in Denver who listed Ibanez in the Yellows,
    and neither on had any of the new stuff.  The third, well, my wife was
    afraid to get out of the car there, so I didn't go in. 
    
    re: .33  I know exactly how ya feel, Joe, I've been the same way for
    about a month now.  Such a relief! 
    
    re: .32  Dave,  I ended up with the Candy Apple Red color.  It's very
    striking. 
    
    Fyi:  Joe, I played an ESP (don't remember the model) but it was a neck
    thru with a Floyd and really HUGE frets.  I liked it, but it didn't
    feel nearly as nice as some of the other stuff I demoed. I also noticed
    some flaws in the workmanship.  Perhaps this one was not typical of the
    line, but it wasn't worth the $1000 IMO. 
    
    The Charvel, I *love* it.  It's hardly left my hand, when I'm at home,
    since I got it.  I'm getting COOL sounds outta it that I've never
    gotten from other guitars.  The Models 4-6 have an active electronic
    setup with a midrange boost that really give ya a lot of flexability in
    the tones/sounds you can get from it.  Has a 9v battery in the body
    cavity.  I personally prefer the 4s & 6s which have the humbucker in
    the bridge position and two single coils in in the neck and center.
    Gives more variety of sounds IMO.  The model 4 has 22 frets and a bolt
    on neck and the 5/6 has 24, neck-thru body. The 5/6s also have a
    slightly smaller more defined body which I like a lot.  The Jackson
    trem is supurb.  The only thing which I wish it had was some
    backrouting around the trem so you could pull it up a long ways, but
    then I'd have to raise the action some, 'cause it just buzzes on the
    high frets when I pull up to the max now.  Then again, it doesn't seem
    to break strings, and I've been pretty hard on it.  Price was around
    $700, with case & strap locks. 
    
    Greg

    re: .33
    
    Joe, my man, did you see my personal name, or did I subconsciously
    see yours???
    
    Ashley

    Re .35 ( Greg )...  Charvel Models 4 and 6...
    
    They may l��k like single coils in the neck and middle positions but in
    fact they are... 
    
                "J-200 dual coil bi-level humbucking pickups"
    
    ...which translates to "stacked" humbuckers ; they actually contain two
    coils per pickup but stacked one on the other rather than side by
    side...so they give you the hum-cancelling effect without putting your
    amp into overdrive. 
    
    Dave. 

    Hmm, vedy interesting...humbuckers in disguise.  Thanks for the
    info. I'm still lookin' at all the different stuff out there --
    there's like so much y'know?  I'm leaning toward WJB's suggestion.
    
    (Ashley, I saw your personal name, figured I'd add the next line and see
    who picked up on it  ;^)
    
    joe.

    I'm glad we're thinking on the same lines...the weekend I was afraid
    everyone would think I was calling you a jerk....:^)
    
    Ashley

    Actually, I thought you were calling ME a jerk.  Couldn't figure
    out why.
    
    gh (No, REALLY, I'm NOT a jerk)

    Hi,
    
    I have had new guitar fever for sometime now and I think it is just
    about time to get one (or two -- 8^) -- ).  Is $2047.00 a good price
    for a new Paul Reed Smith Signature Series with flight case?  How
    about $499.00 for a new Fender American STRAT Plus?
    
    Scott

    $499 sounds like a good price for the strat, but $2K for the PRS
    seems insane.  Maybe it's just me, but I would have serious reser-
    vations about spending two thousand dollars on a guitar.  I mean
    if I could afford such a thing, I'd have a real problem with taking
    it out of my house, let alone using it at a gig.  One "bump" into
    a mic stand and I'd be shattered...
    
    I believe you can get PRS guitars for around $1300; maybe not top
    o' the line, but it'd still be a fine instrument.  If you're into
    making an investment, then look into the vintage guitar market.
    You know, 1950's Les Pauls, Strat's, etc.
    
    Just MHO,
    joe.