Guitars you really wanted, but turned out to be a disappointment

[NotDonVito]

Only one that I've kinda had problems was my Fender Jim Root Tele. Nothing really wrong with the guitar itself. I was just too stupid to set it up correctly so it always played kinda wonky. Also, not really a fan of the combination of mahogany and EMGs. It sounded pretty dark and flat. Great for speed metal, probably but I mostly played some metalcore on it and it didn't have the crunch I was going for at the time.

Dude my old Schecter C7 had a mahogany body and neck with an EMG 707 in the bridge. Every chug was a wet fart of disappointment.

 

[Ordacleaphobia]

Ormsby.

my Goliath was just drunk
piss poor customer service
banned from ever buying another

I guess that's a win for me.

Wow, they actually banned you from the books?
That must have been a spicy phone call

 

[diagrammatiks]

Wow, they actually banned you from the books?
That must have been a spicy phone call

You can look up my thread there was no phone call or really any communication of any kind. Returned the guitar. Kicked out of the Facebook group.

 

[crowbar1115]

I wanted a USA Custom Shop BC Rich 7 String Virgin in Purple for years!! Then by magic that exact guitar showed up on eBay and it was signed by Kerry King!!

I owned it for a total of 10 days. It was a gorgeous, unplayable hunk of absolute trash with the least sustain of any guitar I've ever owned. It even smelled awful. Haha

 

[odibrom]

EDIT: sorry, never mind... carry on...

 

[Lepinkäinen]

My first PRS Custom 24. Everything was perfect except it had total deadspot at G-string octave and same note at B-string was harmonic overtone only. Sometimes woods just don't resonate. Learned valuable lesson that even high-end stuff is subject to variance in material. Now I always test hi-gain sustain on every note slowly in addition to random noodling.

 

[Velokki]

Now I always test hi-gain sustain on every note slowly in addition to random noodling.

This is great advice.

Scientifically though, should every note ring as long and as loud as another? Or is it physics that, for example, the fret 14 on the high E string shouldn't resonate nearly as much as for example, the 5th fret on the A string?

 

[cwhitey2]

This is great advice.

Scientifically though, should every note ring as long and as loud as another? Or is it physics that, for example, the fret 14 on the high E string shouldn't resonate nearly as much as for example, the 5th fret on the A string?

The shorter the length the less continuous motion/ vibration an object can have.

#notascientist

 

[Flappydoodle]

Just an FYI, artists like Mustaine and Amott aren't *actually* playing the shitty signature guitars that are for sale...

 

[Lepinkäinen]

This is great advice.

Scientifically though, should every note ring as long and as loud as another? Or is it physics that, for example, the fret 14 on the high E string shouldn't resonate nearly as much as for example, the 5th fret on the A string?

I'm don’t know about physics in this subject, but wood is inconsistent material and different notes sustain differently even on guitars that have no obvius deadspots, still some notes sound better than others on almost any guitar.

Easy way to find out if the note is deadspot is to push guitar neck gently directly against wall. That will change the resonance of the neck and suddenly note rings differently.

And of course notes from way different position sound different, I'm talking about notes close to each other on fretboard that can have massive difference.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Just an FYI, artists like Mustaine and Amott aren't *actually* playing the shitty signature guitars that are for sale...

Not sure what Amott is using now exactly, but when Carcass was going out on their first reunion tour I bought the expensive backstage/side stage package and was able to see both his and Steer's guitars up close.

Half of Amott's were just Korean built Deans. He had a few USA ones, but half the show he used a MIK Schenker black and white V.

Steer had a couple of ESPs, but also a few LTDs. All Eclipse II/EC1000 Vintage models.

 

[mpexus]

Eric from Testament said he prefers the Sig Korean Import to the Custom Shop he has... He says its sounds better to him. Cant find the interview now.

 

[laxu]

Funny thing that people are mentioning the PRS Holcomb.
...And based on a hundred accounts from different people, the nut must be the worst nut ever put into a guitar of that price range.
Gladly I could return it.

Also, I had a PRS SE Custom 24, which had amazing pickups, but the nut was horrible there as well.

Cheap nut has been a staple of pretty much every cheaper guitar for as long as I have been playing. Thankfully it's also a cheap thing to upgrade to bone or Graphtech, even the preslotted ones will usually fit very well.

So I would not rule a guitar out just based on that, I fully expected cheaper guitars to need some work. As long as they don't need to have the frets leveled right out of the box then it's acceptable for the money saved.

As for Dean, I had a MIK Dean EVO doubleneck that sounded great and played but of course was an unwieldy beast. Stupid purchase but I genuinely liked the guitar. Thought about cutting it in half and building two guitars out of it. Should have done that instead of selling it.

The old Czech made Dean EVOs were also really good. I also really liked the aesthetics of the Dean Hardtail but could never find neither the US or MIK version to try.

 

[Bdtunn]

Eric from Testament said he prefers the Sig Korean Import to the Custom Shop he has... He says its sounds better to him. Cant find the interview now.

Willey g (Mustaine’s tech) said he takes a few Korean models on the road as he finds them lighter.
Butttttt personally I’m not sold that they are really telling the truth. It’s a great add to sell that level guitar. Buttttt that’s just my opinion.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Willey g (Mustaine’s tech) said he takes a few Korean models on the road as he finds them lighter.
Butttttt personally I’m not sold that they are really telling the truth. It’s a great add to sell that level guitar. Buttttt that’s just my opinion.

It's not really a new concept, taking cheaper guitars on the road.

Steve Vai would take a number of RG350 and RG450 models on the road to thrash and give away or donate. Satch would do the same. Or all the touring artists who take LTDs on the road instead of ESPs.

You don't need some super high end guitar to play a show. If anything it's better to subject something more disposable to the risks of the road. Especially when you have your own tech to set them up and a rack full of backups in case something doesn't work.

Most artists who came to fame before the 00's cut their teeth playing guitars that, compared to even entry-level stuff today, was pretty awful.

 

[Bdtunn]

It's not really a new concept, taking cheaper guitars on the road.

Steve Vai would take a number of RG350 and RG450 models on the road to thrash and give away or donate. Satch would do the same. Or all the touring artists who take LTDs on the road instead of ESPs.

You don't need some super high end guitar to play a show. If anything it's better to subject something more disposable to the risks of the road. Especially when you have your own tech to set them up and a rack full of backups in case something doesn't work.

Most artists who came to fame before the 00's cut their teeth playing guitars that, compared to even entry-level stuff today, was pretty awful.

I should have said if they do I’m sure their tech has hot rodded the living hell out of them. I’ve had a Mustaine dean and it fell apart (like actually fell apart hahaha....but seriously it did)
Same way Hammett used to beat the hell out of the Ibanez back in the black album days.
Thinking it over I’m pretty wrong with my above post haha weird someone on this forum admitting that

 

[MaxOfMetal]

I should have said if they do I’m sure their tech has hot rodded the living hell out of them. I’ve had a Mustaine dean and it fell apart (like actually fell apart hahaha....but seriously it did)
Same way Hammett used to beat the hell out of the Ibanez back in the black album days.
Thinking it over I’m pretty wrong with my above post haha weird someone on this forum admitting that

If "hot rodded the living hell out of" means, a good setup, then yes.

I'm sure they pick the better examples, they're not just buying blind on Amazon or going into some random Guitar Center in Ohio. But it's not like they need something special to belt out a couple of tracks they've been playing for 25+ years live.

 

[Flappydoodle]

Not sure what Amott is using now exactly, but when Carcass was going out on their first reunion tour I bought the expensive backstage/side stage package and was able to see both his and Steer's guitars up close.

Half of Amott's were just Korean built Deans. He had a few USA ones, but half the show he used a MIK Schenker black and white V.

Steer had a couple of ESPs, but also a few LTDs. All Eclipse II/EC1000 Vintage models.

If "hot rodded the living hell out of" means, a good setup, then yes.

I'm sure they pick the better examples, they're not just buying blind on Amazon or going into some random Guitar Center in Ohio. But it's not like they need something special to belt out a couple of tracks they've been playing for 25+ years live.

I'm being even more direct than that. I have it on VERY good authority from an artist with a big guitar manufacturer. They make a guitar in the custom shop and slap an LTD/SE/etc logo on it. Can't say much more than that.

 

[Velokki]

I'm being even more direct than that. I have it on VERY good authority from an artist with a big guitar manufacturer. They make a guitar in the custom shop and slap an LTD/SE/etc logo on it. Can't say much more than that.

That's the reality I expected, but not one I wanted to hear!

 

[fitroturbo]

For me it was a JACKSON SLSMG MIJ,wanted one for the longest time (6-7years)finaly find one this year for 300$ CAD and just never felt it ,sounds really good ,but the neck profile was not weath i was used with other MIJ JACKSONa little to thick for my taste