NGD: The most ss.org guitar I own edition

[Vegetta]

Orangey goodness!!!!

 

[TedEH]

Is it polite of me to ask you how much it cost?

I think it's safe to say it wasn't the best deal I've found on a guitar - it was pretty much 2k CAD, which according to google is very close to your 1300€ (1,927.96 CAD according to google).

coming from an 7 string S series, how does it feel? Build quality is surely different and the LoPro Edge does make a substancial difference...

The bridge is actually one of the least noticeable things (other than the lack of the ZPS, which I'm a fan of). The biggest thing might be the weight, 'cause the S is very light, and the RGD is not. The neck is not the same shape at all. It might be the same thickness "on paper", but in the hand it's chunkier. It's not a baseball bat by any stretch, but it's not the slim shredder I had expected. The S neck is maybe the most sleek neck I've ever played, but the RGD neck is chunkier in feel for sure. In exchange it's SOLID though. The S was susceptible to pitch fluctuating from gravity or just pushing on the neck, but the RGD neck feels like I could stand on it and it would stay in tune, but it's not "dead" sounding - it still resonates just fine, it just doesn't bend.

Realistically, I don't think S and RDG are very comparable at all. It might be more fair to say the RGD is closer to an RG with bevels than a thicker S, which, I mean, that's what it is, I think.

I still need to get my hands on something like an S5527 - I think I'd really enjoy one of those.

 

[odibrom]

I think it's safe to say it wasn't the best deal I've found on a guitar - it was pretty much 2k CAD, which according to google is very close to your 1300€ (1,927.96 CAD according to google).


The bridge is actually one of the least noticeable things (other than the lack of the ZPS, which I'm a fan of). The biggest thing might be the weight, 'cause the S is very light, and the RGD is not. The neck is not the same shape at all. It might be the same thickness "on paper", but in the hand it's chunkier. It's not a baseball bat by any stretch, but it's not the slim shredder I had expected. The S neck is maybe the most sleek neck I've ever played, but the RGD neck is chunkier in feel for sure. In exchange it's SOLID though. The S was susceptible to pitch fluctuating from gravity or just pushing on the neck, but the RGD neck feels like I could stand on it and it would stay in tune, but it's not "dead" sounding - it still resonates just fine, it just doesn't bend.

Realistically, I don't think S and RDG are very comparable at all. It might be more fair to say the RGD is closer to an RG with bevels than a thicker S, which, I mean, that's what it is, I think.

I still need to get my hands on something like an S5527 - I think I'd really enjoy one of those.

Thanks for the comparison, this really helps to keep the wallet in check. I think I'll pass for the time being. The S5527s are superb, or at least, mine is.close, but with a different bridge, you can also look at / for the S5427, with a ZR trem... their specs are equal minus the bridge model.

 

[TedEH]

The S5527s are superb, or at least, mine is.close, but with a different bridge, you can also look at / for the S5427, with a ZR trem... their specs are equal minus the bridge model.

IbanezRules had a 5527 a while back and I missed it. I've been watching reverb and local ads, etc., but prestige S 7s are rare enough, and folks seem to like to hold onto them, so I've not had a chance at one yet. I'll scoop one up some day. The list of guitars I want is pretty short, but this is on it.

 

[odibrom]

(...) The list of guitars I want is pretty short, but this is on it.

... is this the way to happiness?... I approve, having lots of guitars might be fun, but also requires a lot of time to keep them in shape and in tune and what not. May your guitar hunt be short... huummm this could be a new SSO moto...

 

[TedEH]

Took the new orange thing to jam this week. At jam volume, the pickup difference is much less noticeable. The very aggressive nature of them kinda works in that context, but I don't know if that's because it's so loud in that room that harsh high end just blends into the mess of high end and cymbals, etc. They're still also much more hot - so volume swells or rolling back the volume to get a mid-gain sound doesn't quite do the same thing.

Is it possible that the RGD lacking a tone knob is just a bad combination with such a bright pickup?

 

[Crungy]

Took the new orange thing to jam this week. At jam volume, the pickup difference is much less noticeable. The very aggressive nature of them kinda works in that context, but I don't know if that's because it's so loud in that room that harsh high end just blends into the mess of high end and cymbals, etc. They're still also much more hot - so volume swells or rolling back the volume to get a mid-gain sound doesn't quite do the same thing.

Is it possible that the RGD lacking a tone knob is just a bad combination with such a bright pickup?

Do you know what value the volume pot is?

 

[TedEH]

I think it's a 500k alpha pot.

 

[odibrom]

Super hot pickups are harder to get cleaner tones. That was one of the reasons for my dislike of DiMarzio's DA7 pickups. Blazes are ok, but the DAs were too much for me. Super hot pickups feel also super compressed, like always barking at any volume. Replace said pickups for some with lower output...?

 

[TedEH]

I think the best way to articulate the quality that bothers me is - someone years ago, in another thread, described the M7s as "hifi" sounding, and I think that hits the nail on the head. I think I don't like "hifi" sounding pickups. Coupled with the lack of a treble knob making things a touch brighter, and the treble bleed was pushing that effect even farther.

I sat down for a bit yesterday, plugged in my 7420, and the difference is night and day at home volume. It's definitely a darker sound, thicker. It's not "tight" per-se. But the CL/LF sings where the Lundgrens scream like an unruly toddler. Then swapped over to a 6er I have with a JB/59 set. These seem to let the character of the instrument through more than either of the others, brighter than the CL/LF but they still have a basic sense of balance. It's not 11/10 all the time. They chug when I want to, and they play more mellow when I want to.

I'm a "smooth" player. Lundgrens are not "smooth" pickups. I think it's just a matter of time before I break down and order some replacements.

 

[groverj3]

Garsh dats purrdy

 

[TedEH]

An update - I jammed a Crunchlab in there. It did what I expected it to do. It's less djent and more cronch. It's still brighter than the same pickup in my S7420, but 95% of that harshness that was driving me nuts is gone. The M7 didn't like high notes or big chords, and they made every amp you played through djent. The CL is a lot less agressive sounding so when you want to bring the broots you have to really work for it, but I was used to that already and in exchange, leads and chords are 1000x more sing-y instead of harsh. As a bonus, the Lundgren tabs are juuuuuuust a tiny bit too big so they kinda just scrape in there, but the Dimarzio tabs fit exactly right. The matching Liquifire is backordered so I'm expecting to wait a month or so before it shows up. Then the Lundgrens are going for sale 'cause I'm never gonna use em. While I'm messing with wiring, it's tempting to stick a push-pull switch in there for coil taps or something. Buuuut I might just leave it alone.