Having a really hard time deciding between these three guitars, help?

[soldierkahn]

Well ive been stewing about this one for a while and still cant make my mind uo here so i thought you guys could help. to let you know the kind of tone im going for, think Sevendust meets Creed (spare me the mockery, i AM only talking about tone here).

as for my knowledge in tones, i have played damn near every wood combo out there, and have found that the tone i like the best comes from a Mahogany Bodied guitar with either a Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge (for passive tone) and a mahogany bodied guitar with a maple top with a Seymour Duncan Blackout AHB-3 EMTY in the bridge (for my active tone). With that being said, i know that i would be happy with the PRS and the MTM2, becuz i would just toss in a JB or EMTY in it and call it good, but neither of those two are extended range, which i have been dying for an extended scale 6er ever since i saw they made a lil brother to the 1077XL (the 970XL).... but here lays the problem. I have been playing with basswood rgs for years now and i know that i can get a good tone from it if i use an EMG81 18v modded, but ive always thought that the tone was just missing "something", which i believe is the high mid crunch that i get with mahogany. What I mean is that when i do alefthand mute to produce that "chukk-ah" sound, it always sounds so much crunchier coming from a mahogany body than basswood.

so heres where i need your guys' expert advice. Ill list the three i want to get, and why, and then you tell me which one you think id be happier with.... or just simply, are there any pickups out there that would make the RGD6 sound the way im looking for? i REALLY REALLY REALLY wanna get the RGD6 but just dont wanna end up sellin it like i have all my other basswood 6ers...

Ibanez RGD2120Z:
PROS: has the best trem ever IMO, has the exact neck carve that i like, has the body shape thats most comfortable for me, simplistic controls

CONS: has those gay dot inlays, body is basswood

Ibanez MTM2:
PROS: mahogany RG, fixed trem (smartest idea EVER, tho i prefer the EDGE FX instead since its based off the Edge LoPro), no inlays, reverse headstock

CONS: has a wizard II neck which means lots of sanding

PRS SE NICK CATANESE MODEL:
PROS: best looking SE singlecut since the tremonti SE, mahogany body, blank ebony fretboard, red binding, already comes with EMGs

CONS: wide fat neck carve which means lots of sanding, only has 22 frets, is only 25" scale, has a tonepros adjustable stoptail bridge (not a fan)





Any help suggestions on how to get that RGD to sound as awesome as those mahogany guitars would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

[splinter8451]

Those RGDs are ridiculously nice man. I have played the model you are thinking about a few times now and it made me stop wanting a JP6 which has been my dream 6 string for a few years now

The new body carves feel really nice and the neck is great.

I say go for the RGD.

 

[soldierkahn]

but im talking about tone here because thats what really matters to me, that and scale length... how can i get the basswood guitar that i want and get thetone that i want too?

 

[jaretthale78]

well if its tone u want u can always swap out the pickups, i say go for the rgd and get a BKP miracle man set..its a prestige, u cant loose really..

 

[splinter8451]

but im talking about tone here because thats what really matters to me, that and scale length... how can i get the basswood guitar that i want and get thetone that i want too?

Like Jarett said, you can always swap pickups to drastically alter the tone.

Feel is more important then the body wood for me I know I would prefer the RGD body and neck over the other 2 you posted. The 26.5 inch scale is great.

I played the RGD through an ENGL Invader and a Diezel Herbert and it sounded beastly through both those, granted they are very very nice amps.

 

[teqnick]

I think going with the RGD is a wise choice. There's more than an abundance of pickup choices out there to suit the type of tone you're seeking. It's definitely the coolest looking of the bunch and if you don't like it ..

YOU WILL PM ME AND I WILL BUY IT


.02

 

[MaKo´s Tethan]

I love SE necks...are wide, but really nice...you have played one? I guess you did, well, is your taste, I can`t say anything against that.

 

[jl-austin]

Well, the highest quality will be the RGD, without question it is better than the other 2. I would put the indo Ibanez and the Korean PRS SE in the same league construction wise, and playability wise.

I am right there with you though, I thought for sure the RGD would be mahogany when I first saw the pictures of it. In fact it is still hard for me to think of it as a basswood guitar, I know this sounds silly, but it still looks like a mahogany body guitar to me.

The JB is NOT the pickup to use in a basswood body guitar, WAY to much mids. Basswood is supposed to be a scooped sounding wood, however a pickup with a lot of mids sounds horrible in it (in my opinion). I prefer a scooped pickup in basswood. But to your question. Mahogany and a JB is going to have a smooth midrange. I have yet to find a pickup with a smooth midrange in basswood, it is just not that kind of wood. Which is why people do not like it, it is just not going to have that same smoothness as mahogany. There is just no way around it.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

I'm going have to agree with Jarret, Splinter, and Nick. There's a myriad of pickups out there that will turn that basswood frown upside down. It seems you're going to be changing the pickups no matter what, so I don't see any great loss.

Go for the RGD, it'll have the best hardware, fretwork, and quality (nothing to do with species) of wood out of the three. Not to mention no sanding and shaping of the neck.

If you're that set against basswood and don't feel like trying out other pickups, then go for the MTM2. The only thing you seem to have against it (it's only con) is the neck.

As for the SE, nothing is going to fix that fact it's got 22-frets and a 25" scale. You can sand the neck all you want, but those two things which you consider cons will never change.

 

[Philligan]

Wouldn't that extra inch of scale length help your tone a lot, too? That and a BKP should do it

 

[blister7321]

he is right tho
different woods have different sounds
for the sound he wants
the rgd wont do without alteration
the mick might
and the prs will because both bands sounds come from mahogany prs' they use passive pups tho

i see what your saying but when you want mahogany get mahogany
or actually get a torero it combines all of the three guitars above


trem
emgs
neck through
mahogany
24 frets
25.5" scale
and great access

 

[thesimo]

that 3rd one is the uglyest guitar known to ban, besides the wangcaster. Definitely DO NOT get that one

 

[M3CHK1LLA]

easy call - i would get whats behind door #1

***a brand new ibby rgd***

 

[CrushingAnvil]

RGD.

But don't do to the RGD what you did to your RG7620

 

[CrushingAnvil]

he is right tho
different woods have different sounds
for the sound he wants
the rgd wont do without alteration
the mick might
and the prs will because both bands sounds come from mahogany prs' they use passive pups tho

i see what your saying but when you want mahogany get mahogany
or actually get a torero it combines all of the three guitars above


trem
emgs
neck through
mahogany
24 frets
25.5" scale
and great access

You'd be altering the RGD anyway.

 

[screamindaemon]

Absolutely RGD. ZR/EZ trems are the only trems I'll use from now on.
Prestige Ibanez are far better than your other options.

 

[soldierkahn]

he is right tho
different woods have different sounds
for the sound he wants
the rgd wont do without alteration
the mick might
and the prs will because both bands sounds come from mahogany prs' they use passive pups tho

i see what your saying but when you want mahogany get mahogany
or actually get a torero it combines all of the three guitars above


trem
emgs
neck through
mahogany
24 frets
25.5" scale
and great access

see thats where i made a huge mistake before. most neckthrus are maple, and that means 90% of your tone comes from the maple, and very little characteristics of the mahogany wings... i had an RGT42DXFM which was a 5pc maple neckthru and the only thing that sounded good thru it was the Blackout EMTY's cuz they were built specifically for maple neckthrus.

so i take it that theres no pickup out there then thatll at least get me close tothat mahogany + JB tone?

 

[Andromalia]

The MTM2 I tried at the shop where I live was awful. I know it was badly setup, with strings too thin for the tuning it was in, but even then. So-so frets, mandatory pickup change, overall "cheapo" feel of the hardware etc.
Some low budget Ibanez are good deals but I don't feel this is the case with the MTM2.
Go with the RGD, the PRS is very nice but will require neck carving, has a bridge you don't like and 22 frets. Not a guitar for you.

 

[potatohead]

Why don't yuo just buy an RG321MH and mod that a bit... If you're going to buy Korean it might as well go cheap and then modify. Heck you can pick up RGR421's on Ebay which is even better for like $300, assuming you don't want a trem of course.

Otherwise the RGD is the only way, but if you are worried about Basswood and don't need a trem or the scale length, what's the point? If you're going to spend that much, buy a Carvin or something and get exactly what you want.

 

[soldierkahn]

what I was thinkin about this morning was that i should get the RGD, throwin the SD Blackout AHB-3 EMTY pickups in it, and then play it for a while to make sure that i really dig the playability and feel of it. if after a month or so I am still unhappy with the basswood tone, i can send the whole guitar doen to Ernie at ET Guitars to have him build me a replacement mahogany body for it what do you guys think?