Is this Guitar customization best for Rock under $1200?

[John Eppstein]

Originally Posted by agentguitarstar

I have thought of this combination for Rock,Punk rock and Metal for home recording..
I need to know if this is fine or you may suggest better match..
PRS Tremonti SE with EMG 81 pickups
Zoom g5
Scarlett 2i2 Audio interface

Thanks in advance!

EMG pickups suck at anything except shred metal. The main reason that metal players love them is that they're very quiet even with extreme amounts of gain - and most thrash metal players use such excessive gain and distortion that it totally obliterates the fact the the "tone" of EMGs sucks dog balls.

For punk you can't beat P-90s (unless they're PRS P-90s, as for some reason PRS makes the wimpiest P-90 in existance). For non-metal rock either P-90s or standard humbuckers.

I'd also advise using a real amp.

[agentguitarstar]

Originally Posted by John Eppstein

EMG pickups suck at anything except shred metal. The main reason that metal players love them is that they're very quiet even with extreme amounts of gain - and most thrash metal players use such excessive gain and distortion that it totally obliterates the fact the the "tone" of EMGs sucks dog balls.

For punk you can't beat P-90s (unless they're PRS P-90s, as for some reason PRS makes the wimpiest P-90 in existance). For non-metal rock either P-90s or standard humbuckers.

I'd also advise using a real amp.

Thanks for your reply and good to know about the EMG pickups.

Do you rather suggest I should go for some other brand such as ESP or Epiphone to achieve the tones?

I just like the way PRS sounds and thats why i took that into consideration in the first place.
The fact that i will not be specefically sticking to one genre makes me wonder so much.

[Given To Fly]

EMG's are probably the most controversial pickup on the market. People love them or hate them. The X series by EMG (I play 808x's) are more or less the best active pickups available. They can do everything a player would need them to do and cover any style. And if you like how the PRS sounds, then make life simple and get the guitar you like. Pickups can always be changed too.

[Larry Mal]

Just find a guitar that you find easy to play. There's so many ways to change out pickups- if you have to- that it's more important to have an instrument that feels good in your hands.

For that matter, there's so many ways to change the sound of the guitar what with all the pedals and amplifiers out there that it's not worth beating yourself up for at this point.

Get a guitar that feels good in your hands, that's easy and fun for you to play. The rest will follow.

[agentguitarstar]

Thank you everyone for your input.

[John Eppstein]

Originally Posted by agentguitarstar

Thanks for your reply and good to know about the EMG pickups.

Do you rather suggest I should go for some other brand such as ESP or Epiphone to achieve the tones?

I just like the way PRS sounds and thats why i took that into consideration in the first place.
The fact that i will not be specefically sticking to one genre makes me wonder so much.

If you like the way it sounds, buy it. I'm not you, you're not me, and neither of is is somebody else.

Guitars are very personal things. To me, EMG pickups are generally pretty soulless. I like a pickup with, for lack of a better term, more personality.

PRS makes a lot of different guitars with a lot of pickup options - I'd play as many as possible and see what fits what you do. I'm not a huge PRS fan myself but some of my friends definitely are and to me their most versatile guitars are the ones with passive humbuckers.

I will say though that I'm a bit dubious about the idea of "one guitar fits all", especially if one of the things you want to do is punk. Punk is something I have a good deal of background in (I was heavily involved in the late '70s/early '80s punk scene in San Francisco as a player, sound engineer, and guitar tech) and you really can't beat the sound of single coil pickups for that kind of rawness. I'm currently doing country, with a bit of blues and '60s rock for seasoning. Go figure......

[FFTT]

For $1200.00 I'd go for an American Standard Tele or Strat.

[Silent Sound]

Yeah, I don't care for the EMG's either. It's a personal thing. They're too clean and precise for me, and don't have enough of that bluesy growl that I like. Still, I know a lot of very talented players that love them because they really allow the intricacy of complex parts to shine through.

But it's your guitar, and your sound. I'd get whatever you like best, because no one else knows the sounds in your head better than you. And if you can get a sound to go into your ear that sounds exactly like the one inside your head, then you're doing better than most people.

As for your Zoom G5, I hate multi effects pedals. They are loaded with a ton of sounds, but none of them ever sound any good. To me, they're only good for one thing, and that's if you don't have much experience with effects in general, and don't know which individual pedals that you may be interested in until you've had an opportunity to play around with a few. So I'm not recommending against buying a multi effects pedal, but I would recommend against sinking a bunch of money into one, because I'd bet you'll be wanting to replace it with individual pedals within a year.

I'd also suggest getting a good amp. You can record without one, but there's just something visceral and compelling about a cranked up tube amp! These days there are so many great options for low powered tube amps at a good price, it'd be a shame not to get one!

[FFTT]

I think either Fender Gold Lace Sensors or high quality vintage style Fralins
are the way to go in single coils.

Fralin or Lollar P-90's if you want P-90s

[John Eppstein]

Pick up an Epiphone Valve Junior. Great little 5 watt recording amp.

[skinnypete]

I recently played a LTD Les Paul copy through a Marshal DSL1.

It was a great metal sound for recording. The LTD held its own against a Les Paul Studio. The PRS are really light, and part of the whole Les Paul thing is that its a heavy slab of mahogany. You cant get that same sound with swamp ash or whatever.

I don't like otb digital stuff like Zoom or Line-6. Might as well use plug ins if youre not using an actual amp.

Ymmv

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

[mcgruff]

Egnater Tweaker ($600-700), Epiphone Les Paul Custom / Epiphone SG 400 Pro.

If you hadn't said "metal" I'd also have mentioned a Squier Custom Vibe Tele and an Epiphone 339 (coil taps, very versatile - see vid about 12:00 in).

The best Epiphones are good guitars and great value. They even come with half-decent pickups these days.

I personally like dynamic, low output pickups. You can always add some clean boost if you need to drive an amp harder but one of those horrible, high-output sledgehammers will only do one thing.

The amp is really important and the Tweaker is a great little tube amp. Very... tweakable which is good when you're recording.

[agentguitarstar]

Well after hearing u guys i may as well shift to ESP or Epiphone.. n may proceed with Line 6 HD500 after researching a bit.
Also i'm considering this Fender amp called Mustang III which produces some great tones of what i perceived.
Recently launched Steinberg UR-22 audio interface is also on my list replacing Focusrite.
Need more input guys.. Thanks a lot

[implant]

What about new 70's Tribute Les Paul from Gibson with Dirtyfingers pick-ups? It looks cool...you could change one humbucker for something with less output if you want more versatility and still have enough money left for interface.

Sent from my HTC Wildfire using Gearslutz App

[mcgruff]

Originally Posted by agentguitarstar

Well after hearing u guys i may as well shift to ESP or Epiphone.. n may proceed with Line 6 HD500 after researching a bit.
Also i'm considering this Fender amp called Mustang III which produces some great tones of what i perceived.
Recently launched Steinberg UR-22 audio interface is also on my list replacing Focusrite.
Need more input guys.. Thanks a lot

I wouldn't recommend modelling on the grounds that you won't learn anything if all your sounds are preset. You won't have the opportunity to explore the tonal possibilities of valve & guitar or maybe even develop your own, new sound.

If you go for an Epiphone SG, the Egnater is in budget. It's a very, very good little amp with a lot of versatility (I'd get a separate head & cab for versatility but that's up to you). If you need to practice or record silently, get a load box from Weber or Palmer later on.

Another nice little tube amp, although not in the same league, is the Blackstar HT5R. It has a line out for practicing.

[Inverted314]

Ibanez RG3 with real Dimarzio's.


Ibanez RG3XXV 25th Anniversary Limited Edition (Candy Apple) | Sweetwater.com

Yamaha THR10X all high gain amps and uses USB right into your computer for recording.

Yamaha THR10X High-Gain Modeling Combo Amp | GuitarCenter

Total price $1000

[John Eppstein]

I've never heard a modeling amp I really liked. They're very versatile and they can sound OK by themselves but they just don't cut it come mix time.

[Inverted314]

Originally Posted by John Eppstein

I've never heard a modeling amp I really liked. They're very versatile and they can sound OK by themselves but they just don't cut it come mix time.

Check out the Yamahas, they are in a league above other cheap modeling amps. Yamaha models the circuits instead of just the tone. They are great for the money, and very versatile.

[Gretsch 6120]

That Ibanez looks nice.

I like things that are different and off the beaten path, so-to-speak. I also love my American Fender Strat and Tele, BUT here’s my suggestion in your price range, which comes from about 26 years of experience:

Charvel DS-1 with your choice of a fixed bridge or a Floyd Rose. Mine is a fixed bridge, but I love this guitar so much I want one with a FR now too, just to have two. This will run you $600 on average, but I was able to score mine from musiciansfriend with a $100 discount when I asked for a coupon code. This is a sweet guitar, and I won’t go into detail right now. Just look it up, and if you have any question I’m very happy to help. I can’t say enough about how absolutely cool these guitars are.

As for an amp, I like that Yamaha deal above. It’s gotten some great reviews over the past few months, and I’ve periodically kept up with it. Yet, if you’re playing live, as well as recording, I’d look at the following options:
VOX Valvetronix……have one and like it a lot…have had it for about 7 years now…the new ones are even better IMO
Another option would be something from Egnater. The Rebel or Tweaker models may be good choices.

Also, keep an eye out for the old Crate Vintage series amps. These are all tube amps that can be had for a ridiculous price. I’ve had one since 2000 and still use it. The going rate on one of these is between $200 and $300. Put an OD or distortion pedal in front of it,, and you’re ready to rock n’roll. It also has an FX loop send, which is handy for loop based effects.

I would recommend Bugera amps too, in terms of their overall sound and versatility, but I just can’t, given their questionable quality control.

Anyway, those are just some options to consider. Do yourself a huge favor by checking out the DS line of Charvels. Mine is phenomenally good. I haven’t seen or played anything like this in this price range. What’s more, it can do almost anything and do it well…..Yes, it has active pickups….No, they don’t suck…Once you learn the pickups they’re easy to dial in.

Chris

[John Eppstein]

Originally Posted by Inverted314

Check out the Yamahas, they are in a league above other cheap modeling amps. Yamaha models the circuits instead of just the tone. They are great for the money, and very versatile.

I've never met a Yamaha amp I really liked, either. Or a Yamaha EQ section, for that matter.

They make great drums, nice keyboards, decent saxophones, and OK guitars. Motorcycles aren't bad, either.

[mcgruff]

And good flutes

[Inverted314]

Originally Posted by John Eppstein

I've never met a Yamaha amp I really liked, either. Or a Yamaha EQ section, for that matter.

They make great drums, nice keyboards, decent saxophones, and OK guitars. Motorcycles aren't bad, either.

Yamaha frequently wins in motogp so yes, their motorcyles are great.

Al I'm saying, is try it out. I don't like other yamaha amps either but these are great for the money. It can't be compared to their older stuff.