Your Top 3 Guitar Brands?

[gclef]

Companies i love that i have stuff from:
Ibanez
Ltd
Yamaha

3 I like and want from:
Vola
Strandberg
?????

 

[Marked Man]

1)
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2)
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3)
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Bonus:
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A Charvel 650 AND a 750...nice. That will be me one day....

Already have a 650, two 475s, and a '92 (aka real) Soloist Pro.

 

[M3CHK1LLA]

A Charvel 650 AND a 750...nice. That will be me one day....

Already have a 650, two 475s, and a '92 (aka real) Soloist Pro.

Pics please

 

[Nobody]

Schecter because I love Avenged Sevenfold.

Ibanez because an old co-worker pushed the 90s Japan stuff onto me

Third is headless guitars in general if that’s fair. I can’t really think of a third brand I follow.

 

[Jeremud]

Top 3 Guitar Brands I Love:

1. Ibanez
   • Why: I've always been a fan of Ibanez because of their amazing playability. The Wizard necks, in particular, are super fast and comfortable, making them perfect for my style of playing. Plus, they have a great range of models that cater to both classic and modern tastes, with pickups that really deliver for metal and rock.
2. PRS (Paul Reed Smith)
   • Why: PRS guitars are just beautiful to look at and to play. The craftsmanship is top-notch, with high-quality tonewoods that give a rich, versatile sound. I also love their stunning finishes and elegant designs. Every time I pick up a PRS, it feels special.
3. ESP
   • Why: ESP is my go-to for heavier music. They build guitars that are perfect for metal and hard rock, with a sound that’s aggressive yet clear. The build quality is consistently excellent, and they have some of the coolest designs around. Plus, they just feel solid and reliable every time I play one.

Brands I'd Like to Try:

1. Mayones
   • Reason: I’ve heard so many good things about Mayones. Their custom builds are supposed to be amazing, with top-notch craftsmanship and modern, sleek designs. I’m really curious to see how they play and sound.
2. Kiesel
   • Reason: Kiesel guitars have a great reputation for being super customizable. I love the idea of getting a guitar built to my exact specifications, and their use of high-quality materials and innovative features is really appealing to me.

Brands I'm Avoiding:

1. Gibson
   • Reason: Even though Gibson has a legendary history, I’ve been put off by some of the recent quality control issues and the high prices. I also find their neck profiles less comfortable compared to other brands, which is a big deal for me.
2. BC Rich
   • Reason: BC Rich has some iconic designs, but I’ve had mixed experiences with their build quality. Sometimes the playability and setup straight out of the box aren’t up to par, which has made me hesitant to invest in them again.

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Hope this gives a good overview of my thoughts and preferences on different guitar brands!

 

[Fenriswolf]

Fender is up there for me as well. My US telecaster is my favorite guitar right now. The neck is comfortable. I think Fender fingerboards also just really suit me, I like a little less string spacing. My Ibanez Prestige is great but I always feel like the fingers need to move more than they should. A lot of Fenders are just consistent reissues but that gives the customer a lot of room for variety for basically 3 types of guitars. Their effects pedals can be pretty underrated too, and are very affordable. I'd like to see a little more innovation for their pickups, though.

My one actual Fender is the Dave Murray Strat with the hot rails and the Floyd. I kinda like and I kinda don't. Shocker, sounds great for 80s metal, but doesn't sound as Straty as I want it to. As far as reissues, the one I want them to do, and I have no idea what the actual model is, is my dad's Strat. It was some late 80s early 90s Strat, had Fender-Lace pickups in it, some weird nut with rollers in it so the strings don't hang up like a normal Strat nut and decent, flat saddles on the bridge, not the old school bent metal ones with the height adjustment screws sticking out of them.

It's not like a hot rodded Strat, like when you stick a humbucker and a floyd, and all the Van Halen shit, it's just liked a souped up Strat.

 

[Marked Man]

My one actual Fender is the Dave Murray Strat with the hot rails and the Floyd. I kinda like and I kinda don't. Shocker, sounds great for 80s metal, but doesn't sound as Straty as I want it to. As far as reissues, the one I want them to do, and I have no idea what the actual model is, is my dad's Strat. It was some late 80s early 90s Strat, had Fender-Lace pickups in it, some weird nut with rollers in it so the strings don't hang up like a normal Strat nut and decent, flat saddles on the bridge, not the old school bent metal ones with the height adjustment screws sticking out of them.

It's not like a hot rodded Strat, like when you stick a humbucker and a floyd, and all the Van Halen shit, it's just liked a souped up Strat.

Duncan rails in general fall a bit short on the Strat side and could be improved there. Lacking in glass. But they are very cool for something different for mid to higher gain. I had the Murray Strat partially in mind when I designed my Warmoth. Speaking of which, "Warmoth" is also one of my favorite brands.





Overall, I think Dimarzio pulls off the rail concept better for keeping more twang, and will go that route next time I do rails.

 

[slippityslaps]

My one actual Fender is the Dave Murray Strat with the hot rails and the Floyd. I kinda like and I kinda don't. Shocker, sounds great for 80s metal, but doesn't sound as Straty as I want it to. As far as reissues, the one I want them to do, and I have no idea what the actual model is, is my dad's Strat. It was some late 80s early 90s Strat, had Fender-Lace pickups in it, some weird nut with rollers in it so the strings don't hang up like a normal Strat nut and decent, flat saddles on the bridge, not the old school bent metal ones with the height adjustment screws sticking out of them.

It's not like a hot rodded Strat, like when you stick a humbucker and a floyd, and all the Van Halen shit, it's just liked a souped up Strat.

That strat sounds pretty gnarly. The first real exposure to single coils was trying out an Andy Timmons signature in guitar center like 15 years ago. That was likely the pivotal moment that migrated my preferences to single coils.

 

[groverj3]

Jackson/Charvel - Love the necks. When they're good, they're goooooood. Also, best headstock.

Ibanez - Close 1b, but I don't like the dimensions of their bodies as much as the Soloist/Dinky. Sometimes the aesthetics.just don't do it for me.

Suhr - Do we count boutique stuff here? Their pricing is less stupid now that ESP and J/C raised all their prices to exceed them. Great players, and feel very much like a J/C had a baby with Ibanez. The Modern is my favorite super strat shape, and I love their pickups. I just wish they were a bit more attainable in combinations of specs I like without going custom.

 

[jaxadam]

Ibanez RG570s
Ibanez Jems
Ibanez Universes

 

[Church2224]

Ugh, I have a top 5 actually


1. Tie: Schecter and ESP
2. Ibanez
3. Jackson and Charvel ( I consider them pretty much the same)
4. Tie: Fender and Gibson
5. PRS

 

[jco5055]

I'm going to list brands/builders that are not like single builders, aka there's really no chance you get screwed by them at least in terms of receiving a guitar (in no order):

1) Anderson- I think in terms of reliable, semi-custom, boutique quality in guitars you get in ~6 months there's no one better. Every Anderson I've played is like 95% of the way there for my dream guitar, I'm just like too many here that are "chasing the dragon"/spec whores to fully commit to them.

2) ESP- Every custom shop/original series I play is basically magic, it's like they put some kinda secret sauce in there. Again the spec whores thing stops me from fully committing to them either (talking Orignal Series as I don't want to wait 2 years and pay $7k for even a basic spec change of a stock instrument custom)

3) Caparison- Seem to be a love/hate brand but I'm totally in the love camp with their thicker neck profiles, angled necks; and I love the designs/aesthetic including the headstock, clock inlays etc. I will say they probably are a bit overpriced since a new non-custom is what like $5k (and the new semi custom stuff is starting at $6k or so).

Runner ups are Aristides (amazing people/customer service), Schecter (similar to ESP but the USA production is amazing for $3k, steal of the century), Ibanez, and Yamaha (only missing out since they aren't making new blinged out superstrats).