The "VS" Thread (Having trouble choosing between two or three guitars? Post here!)

[TedEH]

I guess the only way I'll know for sure is if I buy them both.

 

[Neon_Knight_]

I've been looking at a Jackson I've got here with a floyd in it, and it's.... ok? There's something about the way my hand rests on the bridge, where mutes on the heaviest string just don't have as much weight to them as they have on other bridges, but I can't figure out why that is. Maybe the angle the string enters the saddle? Maybe the shape of the individual bridge saddles? Maybe it's not actually the bridge, but the board radius that's throwing me off? I don't know.

Okay, maybe I just figured it out: With the S, with the ZR, my palm rests on the raised pivot point. That pivot, and the low-b saddle, form a sort of little valley that my wrist lands in, and it's just a natural resting spot where chugs happen. The floyd is missing this, so my wrist doesn't land anywhere naturally, other than trying to sit in the gap where the string meets the saddle, but of course that's a very shallow space, so you don't "feel" i t. I could probably get used to it, but it's an adjustment.

The Edge Zero is basically a hybrid of the ZR and the Lo-Pro Edge. All three models are different to an Original Floyd Rose (OFR), so disliking an OFR n a Jackson doesn't really tell you whether you'd like / dislike any of the Ibanez bridges.

Left-right: ZR, Edge Zero, Lo-Pro Edge

 

[TedEH]

I've gotten very familiar with that ZR over the years. Maybe my comfort level is just from familiarity.

I messaged the guy with the 3127, since it's newer, and the orange is rad. However, I noticed that ad's been up for a long time, so we'll see if it's actually still available. If he doesn't answer shortly or something seems sketchy, I'll message the other guy.

 

[Rynphos]

Trying to decide between these 2 very similar guitars:

Guitar #1 - Cort X700 Triality
Pros:
- Fishman pickups in HSS with coil split on the bridge
- Roasted maple neck and fretboard
- Stainless steel frets
- Thin c-shape neck, which I'm familiar with
- Comes with gig bag
Cons:
- Weird pickup placement. Bridge pickup looks too far from the bridge and neck pickup too far from fretboard. I'm worried sound will be too muddy on the bridge and not muddy enough on the neck.

Guitar #2 - ESP Ltd SN 1000fr
Pros:
- SD Pegasus Bridge pickup
- Roasted maple neck and fretboard
- Stainless steel frets
- Thin neck, but U-shape, which I'm not so familiar with
- Floyd Rose 1000 series, has better tuning stability
- Proper pickup placement near neck and bridge
Cons:
- Single coil pickups (SD SSL-3) are said to not be very strat-like and similar characteristics to a humbucker
- Coil split on the humbucker isn't a true single coil sound
- People say the body feels like plastic? I'm not so sure this is relevant at all

I'm mainly looking for a guitar which has a HSS configuration, roasted maple neck and fretboard and a good trem system, which both of these have. I'm also chasing after a versatile guitar, which I think both are, but the Cort clearly is more diverse.

I'd have pulled the trigger on the Cort already, if not for the weird pickup placement as shown in pictures. I'm not sure if it will affect the sound negatively.

 

[ArtDecade]

Trying to decide between these 2 very similar guitars:

LTD. The Cort is already more expensive and will have very, very limited resale if you decide to move on from it.

 

[Neon_Knight_]

Trying to decide between these 2 very similar guitars:

Guitar #1 - Cort X700 Triality
Pros:
- Fishman pickups in HSS with coil split on the bridge
- Roasted maple neck and fretboard
- Stainless steel frets
- Thin c-shape neck, which I'm familiar with
- Comes with gig bag
Cons:
- Weird pickup placement. Bridge pickup looks too far from the bridge and neck pickup too far from fretboard. I'm worried sound will be too muddy on the bridge and not muddy enough on the neck.

Guitar #2 - ESP Ltd SN 1000fr
Pros:
- SD Pegasus Bridge pickup
- Roasted maple neck and fretboard
- Stainless steel frets
- Thin neck, but U-shape, which I'm not so familiar with
- Floyd Rose 1000 series, has better tuning stability
- Proper pickup placement near neck and bridge
Cons:
- Single coil pickups (SD SSL-3) are said to not be very strat-like and similar characteristics to a humbucker
- Coil split on the humbucker isn't a true single coil sound
- People say the body feels like plastic? I'm not so sure this is relevant at all

I'm mainly looking for a guitar which has a HSS configuration, roasted maple neck and fretboard and a good trem system, which both of these have. I'm also chasing after a versatile guitar, which I think both are, but the Cort clearly is more diverse.

I'd have pulled the trigger on the Cort already, if not for the weird pickup placement as shown in pictures. I'm not sure if it will affect the sound negatively.

The Cort neck pickup is maybe 5mm further from the fretboard than you'd expect, but the difference in stock pickups between the two guitars will make a more significant difference than the proximity of them to the fretboard imo.
The Cort bridge pickup looks to be positioned very normally to me.

 

[Neon_Knight_]

LTD. The Cort is already more expensive and will have very, very limited resale if you decide to move on from it.

I'd rather play the Cort, but agree that the LTD would be easier to move on.

 

[Rynphos]

Got the LTD!
This thing is great

 

[nightsprinter]

That thing have scalloped frets up top?

 

[Rynphos]

Yeah, from 17-24

That thing have scalloped frets up top?

 

[Pippo]

I want to buy a pointy Jackson guitar and have especially been looking at the Warrior shape lately.

Regarding the following two models:

JS32 Warrior 349€
WRX24 739€

The only differences I see are the neck joint (bolt-on vs neck-thru), fretboard (amaranthe vs laurel) and place of origin (China vs Indonesia). Everything else seems to be identical.
The Jackson by Floyd is rumored to be a rebranded Special, so no difference here.
QC could be better in Indonesia, but judging from what I’ve heard lately, China seems to be on par and both are hit or miss essentially.

Is there something else I’m missing, that explains the higher price for the X series model other than marketing it as a higher tier?

I’ve yet to try both models and check how much difference the neck joint will make, but I have no problem reaching the 24th fret on my JS22-7.

Right now I’m tending more to the JS Warrior, since I actually like the amaranthe fretboard better than the laurel one.

 

[Rynphos]

The JS has a Jackson Licenced floyd rose while the WRX has a Floyd Rose Special. That's the only difference I can see, apart from possible QC due to the lower pricing.

Both trems seem to be made out of really cheap material, so I'd personally get the JS and upgrade to a Gotoh trem.

 

[StringPunk]

Trying to decide between these two for my first seven string, with a tuning like Drop F# or Double Drop G

Guitar #1 - John Browne Tao-7 Azure
Passive Schecter pickups
27"
Bolt-on
No inlays
Luminlay glow in the dark side dots
Flat top

I like the solid color, flat top, thin pointy shape, and no battery required for pickups
No inlays looks cleaner, but not sure if side dots only will be harder to play




Guitar #2 - C-7 Multiscale SLS Elite
Active Fishman Fluence Modern pickups
Neck-thru
25.5" - 27"
Arched top
Abalone offset inlays and side dots

I like the multiscale
The pickups might sound better? Don't like that battery is required, but could install Fishman's rechargeable battery pack.
Don't like the little piece of fretboard behind the nut, but would use a fret wrap anyway.

 

[Neon_Knight_]

Trying to decide between these two for my first seven string, with a tuning like Drop F# or Double Drop G

Guitar #1 - John Browne Tao-7 Azure
Passive Schecter pickups
27"
Bolt-on
No inlays
Luminlay glow in the dark side dots
Flat top

I like the solid color, flat top, thin pointy shape, and no battery required for pickups
No inlays looks cleaner, but not sure if side dots only will be harder to play

View attachment 148472


Guitar #2 - C-7 Multiscale SLS Elite
Active Fishman Fluence Modern pickups
Neck-thru
25.5" - 27"
Arched top
Abalone offset inlays and side dots

I like the multiscale
The pickups might sound better? Don't like that battery is required, but could install Fishman's rechargeable battery pack.
Don't like the little piece of fretboard behind the nut, but would use a fret wrap anyway.

View attachment 148473

Replacing the battery is a minor inconvenience, once or twice per year at most, so that probably shouldn't be a significant factor in your decision.
If you don't know what pickups you want (tone, feel, output etc.), my advice would be to go with passives, because they'd only take a matter of minutes to swap out for any of the other thousands of passive pickups on the market. Swapping out Fishmans for passives would require a complete rewire and the variety of active pickups available on the market is far more limited (plus if you don't bond with the Fishamns it could be that you won't bond with actives in general).

Arched top vs. flat top is personal preference. Some people are strongly in favour of one over the other, while others barely notice it. Experience is the only way to answer this for yourself.

The scales (multiscale vs. 27") will feel significantly different to anyone. You'll only know by trying them. If you haven't tried either scale-length yet, this raises the question of why you have already ruled out models with a 25.5" or 26.5" scale.

Side dots only shouldn't be an issue. If you're in a position where you can see the (lack of) fretboard inlays, but not the side dots, you're probably a spectator rather than the person playing.