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

[vilk]

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

Same thing happened to me. I had a DKMG Dinky that I loved until it was stolen, then years later I got the SLSMG assuming that it would have a similar feel to the neck, but it's not even close. When you look up the differences between a dinky and a soloist, usually all you see is the glaringly obvious bolt on vs neck-thru, maybe someone talking about how the dinky body is 7/8 the size of a soloist, but I had never realized that their necks are totally different shapes. My SLSMG neck profile was super "shouldery".


Just curious is anyone knows, is that the way all soloists will feel as compared to a dinky? Are they like officially different neck profiles? Because I love my dinky but I also love a neck-thru guitar, so I always see soloists and think I want that!! but then I remember that it might not be anything like my Japanese dinky...

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Same thing happened to me. I had a DKMG Dinky that I loved until it was stolen, then years later I got the SLSMG assuming that it would have a similar feel to the neck, but it's not even close. When you look up the differences between a dinky and a soloist, usually all you see is the glaringly obvious bolt on vs neck-thru, maybe someone talking about how the dinky body is 7/8 the size of a soloist, but I had never realized that their necks are totally different shapes. My SLSMG neck profile was super "shouldery".


Just curious is anyone knows, is that the way all soloists will feel as compared to a dinky? Are they like officially different neck profiles? Because I love my dinky but I also love a neck-thru guitar, so I always see soloists and think I want that!! but then I remember that it might not be anything like my Japanese dinky...

Just about every Dinky I've encountered has had a thinner neck than nearly every Soloist I've had my hands on.

There are exceptions, especially when speaking of older USA Soloists and some of the cheaper Dinkys which tend to flip that dynamic around.

 

[fitroturbo]

I'm use to the older MIJ dinky neck ,early to mid 90's ,really thin and wide .ID say that the newer SOLIST are an in between of the DINKY'S and THE SLSMG as neck thicknes,to me that is

 

[TunedToB]

Around 8 years ago I was in college and came across a BC Rich Exotic Series Mockingbird for a steal price. Me being the "buy now, think later" college student that I was, I bought it with the intent of making it my main Drop C guitar.

Boy, did it look goooood with its spalted maple top and (I believe) 13-piece neck-through neck. But I quickly learned it played like ass and was riddled with lots of really bad problems like a warped neck, faulty wiring, and the WORST fret and nut job I've ever experienced in a guitar. Shame, coz it actually sounded really thick and chunky but I couldn't get rid of it fast enough.

 

[MrBouleDeBowling]

My Dean Razorback V 255. I was 17, it was the most badass guitar I had ever seen and HAD to get it. I had to sell a lot of my gear to be able to afford it.

I got ripped off. The paintjob was an absolute mess and had waves formed under it. I don't get how a guitar like that could pass quality control. The guys that worked there must have been drunk or something. The soft V neck took time to get used to. It played good but became really unconfortable after an injury to the left index finger that never healed right. The licensed Floyd Rose was a disaster to maintain. I got it blocked. I should've got a refund at day 1, but the dumbass 17 year old that I was wanted to keep it no matter what.

I always had a soft spot for it nonetheless because out of any guitar I have ever owned, it was by far the one that sounded the best. To this day, none of the guitars I bought since could beat it. My ESP EX is close, tho.

I sold it last year. I "kinda" miss it because of the nostalgia and the tone it had, but every guitar I own now plays a hundred times better and had an almost flawless quality control.

 

[ThePhilosopher]

The old Jackson DR7 always had a cheap feel to it.

 

[Mega-Mads]

I absolutely love superstrats and i've owned several. There's just a thing about them combined with my anatomy, which gives me pain in my picking-arms elbow.

 

[mlp187]

An original RG550, a long tine ago when i was young and even more ignorant. It was probably my fault. The neck would move quite a bit, and i never checked anything other than the mounting screws being tight. I sold it.

On the flip side, i recently played a used RG1XXV, expected it to be garbage. I took it home and it’s now my primary six string, and set the bar for playability for new acquisitions.

 

[jl-austin]

Godin Redline, the body just isn't comfortable. Back to Ibanez.

 

[canuck brian]

My steinberger GM felt like a lifeless rock.

 

[Velokki]

Let's revive this thread shall we?

I'll start with my ESP SV II. The one from 08 with the golden hardware and all? I bought one of those in serious GAS... aand meh. Floyd was stiff and uncomfortable, even though I changed the springs to much lighter ones and dropped the string gauge. The neck was also way fatter than I expected. I like fatter style necks, but it was just not comfy to play, especially on the higher register. Aaaaaand it's a V... so forget the comforts of a superstrat.

Sold it forward a month later :/

 

[mpexus]

Have a cheap Wolfgang Standard HT that cost me new 280€ and I totally felt in love with the Neck, Pickups and all the Ergonomic attached to it. Always wanted a Bumblebee so when I saw the Bumblebee Wolfgang Special Hard tail at a store I asked to try it out and was ready to take it home. What a disappointment... Neck is much fatter and the lack of contours on the Body makes it a nightmare for me and Im not even a fat person... I was so let down even my wife noted

In fact from that day on guitars without a belly cut are a no no to me, then add not having an Arm rest and...

 

[The Mirror]

Got one.

As some may know around here I am pretty much a PRS only player for at least 10 years now.

Thing is that with my metal band I play usually in Open C (on 6 String) and Bb tuning (on 7 string), so I though: Well fuck it. Imma gonna get myself the PRS 277.

The logic was clear for me. I play almost exclusively in baritone range anyways and I really don't need the top string of my 7 that often (We don't really do many solos and if they exist then it is always possible to transcribe them without the top string). Getting one (or even two) baritones should help with tension.

Turns out that the guitar is fantastic. I just hate baritone scales. Longest guitar I own has a 26.5 scale and as I found out that is as high as I can go without feeling uncomfortable.

I tried it for 3 months but it never felt in any way good playing the thing. I went back to a 25.5 6 string and a 26.5 7 string and I do perfectly fine with that.

In the end it turned out great nevertheless: The second guitar player in my band was formerly a bass player. He absolutely loves the baritone as regular guitars still feel tiny to him. Gave him the thing for a nice discount. Win-Win.

 

[Alex79]

I absolutely love superstrats and i've owned several. There's just a thing about them combined with my anatomy, which gives me pain in my picking-arms elbow.

Me as well! I had an Ibanez RG550 and a ESP Vintage Plus. Both are fine to play while sitting, but a pain when standing.

 

[Choop]

I used to own a couple Gibson LP studios, and eventually picked up an LP Traditional thinking I would like it more than the studios, but it turned out that playing it just made me miss the old studios more haha. The neck profile wasn't as nice for me, the pickups weren't as usable for the kind of stuff I play, and honestly I like the weight relieved feel of the studio. I guess it was mostly disappointing because the guitar didn't really play or sound like a guitar that costs twice as much as the studios it replaced, even if it was still a relatively nice guitar.

 

[Carl Kolchak]

MIJ Prestige.

 

[mbardu]

MIJ Prestige.

Dude, this is SSO, do you want to get banned

 

[Metropolis]

MIJ Prestige.

Why, and which model? I get always back to Ibanez, don't know what it is. Maybe it's just some weird familiar feeling, ergonomy and weight that fits to my hands, and I like their snappy tone which is due to bolt on neck. 17" neck radius is easy to shred on, but not as comfy in low register. My RGR652 is just a simple straight forward metal machine with DiMarzio D Activators.

Solar A2.6 was bit of a disappointment. Bridge was meh, fretboard wood had still moisture and shrunk against frets, which led to small cracks in it. Didn't care the neck shape too much, which was also little bit too thick for me. At least more expensive models have better hardware and Hipshot hardtail should be a drop in replacement. Weight and balance were not too good for me, overall finish was fine for the price. Maybe @Ola Englund should release some models with different neck profile...

 

[Carl Kolchak]

Why, and which model? I get always back to Ibanez, don't know what it is. Maybe it's just some weird familiar feeling, ergonomy and weight that fits to my hands, and I like their snappy tone which is due to bolt on neck. 17" neck radius is easy to shred on, but not as comfy in low register. My RGR652 is just a simple straight forward metal machine with DiMarzio D Activators.

Solar A2.6 was bit of a disappointment. Bridge was meh, fretboard wood had still moisture and shrunk against frets, which led to small cracks in it. Didn't care the neck shape too much, which was also little bit too thick for me. At least more expensive models have better hardware and Hipshot hardtail should be a drop in replacement. Weight and balance were not too good for me, overall finish was fine for the price. Maybe @Ola Englund should release some models with different neck profile...

https://www.sevenstring.org/threads/ibanez-rg5328-total-failure-disappointment.341767/

 

[Cabinet]

Ibanez RG Prestige 3770z (MIJ). It was my first big budget guitar I got around 2010. Great hardware, but I was not impressed with the basswood body/rosewood fret board combination. At the time, I did not know enough about wood types to accurately assess how it might have sounded, so buyer error was very real. Additionally, the paint has scratched off over the years with my playing (on the back, where it rests against my body) and the wood has been exposed.