Good guitar for metal (lead playing, soloing) under 1000$?

[phantom81]

Hi,
So I've been struggling to choose a guitar under, let's say, 1000$.
I'm stuck with Sterling JP60 SBK, Ibanez RGAIX6FM and Solar S2.6C (I've heard that Solars have pretty thick neck, not a fast one. idk)
As said I play metal mainly. Shredding is my goal~
Can anyone tell me the pros/cons about these guitars? I really like them but damn, it's been a long time and I have to pick one. Sterling's my favorite but i've heard it has some meh pickups, it's basswood and stuff...

Answering the upcoming question - no, there's no way I can try them out in local stores here.

Hope to get some advice from you Maybe suggestions?

 

[Wolfhorsky]

Get used soloist or used Ibanez prestige. Really.

 

[budda]

Thick necks dont mean you cant play fast though.

Basswood doesnt mean bad. You can buy a $5000 basswood bodied guitar. Pickups are easy to swap.

If you like the sterling already, get that one.

 

[gunch]

Specs? Of those I really like how the RGAIX6FM looks in white but I would try to get one from a place that does setups and inspections in-house like thomann or sweetwater

Solars are good, there isn't much news of duds going out and the ones that have Ola has been on top of.

I have bad personal experiences with Sterling but you might not, I'd pick them last though.

My own personal recommendations: (I don't know if you want trem or no-trem)

Schecter Banshee Elite passive or FR
Charvel DK24, hardtail or 2-point
Jackson SLSMG or Jackson Stealth (used market)
Ibanez S Classic, S540 or SV, SZ or SF (used market)
PRS SE Cu22 or Cu24 with the cool sandblasted finishes or the new poplar burl ones
PRS S2 satin series (used)

 

[phantom81]

Specs? Of those I really like how the RGAIX6FM looks in white but I would try to get one from a place that does setups and inspections in-house like thomann or sweetwater

Solars are good, there isn't much news of duds going out and the ones that have Ola has been on top of.

I have bad personal experiences with Sterling but you might not, I'd pick them last though.

My own personal recommendations: (I don't know if you want trem or no-trem)

Schecter Banshee Elite passive or FR
Charvel DK24, hardtail or 2-point
Jackson SLSMG or Jackson Stealth (used market)
Ibanez S Classic, S540 or SV, SZ or SF (used market)
PRS SE Cu22 or Cu24 with the cool sandblasted finishes or the new poplar burl ones
PRS S2 satin series (used)

What do you mean? What kind of bad experiences?
I don't really want to struggle with tremolo - wouldn't use it anyway, although I really like Sterling's JP60 which has it.
I was willing to buy that Ibanez but then I read some bad reviews about it that discouraged me. I mean, there always will be bad and good reviews, I think. It just set up my mind.

Yup, gotta buy one from thomann.

Thick necks dont mean you cant play fast though.

Basswood doesnt mean bad. You can buy a $5000 basswood bodied guitar. Pickups are easy to swap.

If you like the sterling already, get that one.

I have like no knowledge about guitars. Sorry, I'm still a newbie in this type of things.
Just heard from the store-guy that I should look for a guitar with mahogany body. Just because I should.

 

[spudmunkey]

At this point in your guitar playing journey, wood species should be on the bottom of your list of requirements. Once a guitar goes above, like, $300, you've weeded out most any objectively "bad" woods, and any wood used at this level will just be a matter of preferences...if you can even detect them, and most can't. Except for aesthetics.

 

[phantom81]

At this point in your guitar playing journey, wood species should be on the bottom of your list of requirements. Once a guitar goes above, like, $300, you've weeded out most any objectively "bad" woods, and any wood used at this level will just be a matter of preferences...if you can even detect them, and most can't. Except for aesthetics.

That's what I needed to hear. Thank you for the response

 

[gunch]

What do you mean? What kind of bad experiences?
I don't really want to struggle with tremolo - wouldn't use it anyway, although I really like Sterling's JP60 which has it.
I was willing to buy that Ibanez but then I read some bad reviews about it that discouraged me. I mean, there always will be bad and good reviews, I think. It just set up my mind.

Yup, gotta buy one from thomann.




I have like no knowledge about guitars. Sorry, I'm still a newbie in this type of things.
Just heard from the store-guy that I should look for a guitar with mahogany body. Just because I should.

I bought a Sterling Albert Lee that had really bad structural body cracks in the tremolo cavity from poorly installed tremolo posts that I only discovered when I went to do my first string change. I really liked the guitar otherwise but it had to go back.

 

[Adieu]

What do you mean? What kind of bad experiences?
I don't really want to struggle with tremolo - wouldn't use it anyway, although I really like Sterling's JP60 which has it.
I was willing to buy that Ibanez but then I read some bad reviews about it that discouraged me. I mean, there always will be bad and good reviews, I think. It just set up my mind.

Yup, gotta buy one from thomann.




I have like no knowledge about guitars. Sorry, I'm still a newbie in this type of things.
Just heard from the store-guy that I should look for a guitar with mahogany body. Just because I should.

To SHRED?

Mahogany is almost-taboo.

Basswood is the accepted standard. maybe alder... uncapped mahogany is your typical numetal chugga-chugga choice.

 

[Andromalia]

To SHRED?

Mahogany is almost-taboo.

Basswood is the accepted standard. maybe alder... uncapped mahogany is your typical numetal chugga-chugga choice.

Not again... *sigh*

Wood doesnt matter for a beginner. If it even matters at all, but I won't start this here.

@OP: my advice would be, if you are a beginner with no technical knowledge about guitars, to go try some in stores and note which guitars are comfortable and which aren't. Among those who are, buy the one who looks best so you enjoy playing it. Or come back here and say "I enjoyed X, what's available with the same specs ?" and we'll find something

I do approve of your choice of not getting a tremolo, too.

 

[Viginez]

rg521
fixed bridge, thin neck, prestige-quailty under 1000

 

[_MonSTeR_]

rg521 fixed bridge, thin neck, prestige-quailty under 1000

Came here to suggest an RG550, but the OP doesn’t seem to care about a Floyd Rose, as such the RG521 is probably the right answer

 

[phantom81]

Not again... *sigh*

Wood doesnt matter for a beginner. If it even matters at all, but I won't start this here.

@OP: my advice would be, if you are a beginner with no technical knowledge about guitars, to go try some in stores and note which guitars are comfortable and which aren't. Among those who are, buy the one who looks best so you enjoy playing it. Or come back here and say "I enjoyed X, what's available with the same specs ?" and we'll find something

I do approve of your choice of not getting a tremolo, too.

That should be the best thing to do..Well, gotta go try some asap, huh

 

[gunch]

whoops delete

 

[spudmunkey]

That should be the best thing to do..Well, gotta go try some asap, huh

Even when I had been playing guitar for 20 years and was about to order a customized guitar, I still spent lots if time trying everything out I could, to really understand not only what I liked, but what I didnt. When you find guitars that have what you like, look up and compare the specs. One can learn a lot when you put math/numbers behind the "why" yo do or dont like something.

 

[bzhang9]

I don't know how sterling is still in business. You can find older EBMM JP6s for around 1k

 

[phantom81]

Just to let you know - I just bought Solar S2.6C from thomann.
Hope it'll arrive asap

 

[A-Branger]

which guitar?

the one YOU like the looks best, play best in YOUR hands and it has humbuckers

....also the one that has specs that you "need" like a floating trem or what not