Apparently Gibson and PRS guitars are far superior to Jackson, Charvel, ESP etc...

[Dog Boy]

There is room for any guitar at my place if its a good instrument. The fact that some at TGP dismiss J/C without a fair shake is their loss. Hey, more for me...

[DonP]

my gibo is badly made

Why did you buy it?

What's badly made about it?

[asix]

Why did you buy it?

What's badly made about it?

it was cheap ($600) new and it sounds amazing but the fret board isnt on straight and the fret work is iffy on the edges of some frets.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

The fretboard isn't on straight? :think:

[mjtripper]

Ya man. I don't care if someone likes some Gibson's/ Fender's, as they used to be really good, but to say the Gibosn's made today are in a different class than JAckson, ESP, PRS.....lol what a joke.

I think they are in a different class - but that doesn't necessarily mean a BETTER class!!

[DonP]

it was cheap ($600) new and it sounds amazing but the fret board isnt on straight and the fret work is iffy on the edges of some frets.

I've never heard of a new Explorer being $600 unless you bought it ages ago. Is it a Norlin?

Post some picks of the issues.

Still pondering why you bought it if it's a badly made guitar. $600 gets you into Jackson PRO territory.

[asix]

i got it in 2000 at guitar centre in Chicago. they had an argument with Gibson and were selling all there Gibson off very cheap. i was a little shop soiled it had sat in the shop for 3 years. i said it was going to the uk 2 days back. no case though they gave me a scabby bass case for it. I wanted a fender tele but this was half price and i was blinded by the badge. I do like playing it just that’s its flawed.


i was not a jackson man back then but ive seen the error of my ways now.

[4koa]

I like Les PAuls and some explorers, but Gibsons are somehow more over-priced than American Jacksons.


And PRS sucks. Let's build a company aorund the Gibson double-cutaway, give it a shitty neck joint, and sell it as a class-A boutique guitar! I never played a PRS I liked or couldn't have gotten a nicer Gibson version for less money

Not that this is a knock towards Charvels..I dig them... these are just the 2 guitar style i had handy at the moment.....

But your comments led to a little experiment on my part... Out came my PRS Mcarty with so called longer "heel from hell" and a charvel inspired instrument with your normal Charvel/fender type heel... Funny thing.the heel starts at exactly the same fret on both guitars ( around the 15th fret) honestly the PRS heel is actually a tad bit smaller and more contoured to your hand and not as squared off and blocky like the normal fender/ charvel heel... Now it pretty much fact that the fender style heel is way more comfortable getting to the upper frets then the bulky Gibson LP style ...especially when your hand hits the body and you have to shift your your entire fretting arm to get the higher frets

So I can't really see how you can make a statement that the PRS neck joint is crappy??
Doesn't make sense at all.......

[hippietim]

As someone that's owned a lot of Jackson/Charvel/Gibson/Fender guitars, I can honestly say I like my PRS's better. That's why I've sold off all but one Jackson, one Gibson, one Charvel, and one Fender. The Charvel and Fender are currently for sale and I could be talked out of the Jackson - the Gibson is a beater Melody Maker that I don't want to sell and nobody would buy it anyhow.

But who the fuck cares either way? All of these companies have made plenty of great guitars.

Quality issues? There are pages and pages of threads here bitching about JC QC issues for Custom Shop and production guitars. There are many more reports of Gibson quality issues because they make and sell a LOT more guitars than Jackson. I've never personally seen a fucked up brand new PRS but I've received fucked up brand new Jacksons and Charvels. At least the USA Fenders seem to be of generally high quality - I rarely see an issue with them.

As for price point, where are these Jackson/Charvel guitars that are so much cheaper than Gibson and PRS? A lot of Jackson/Charvel imports cost a good bit more than an import PRS or Epiphone. And the quality of most of the import J/C guitars in recent years has been unimpressive. For US made guitars, you can get a plain Gibson for like $700 new and a solid color PRS like a Mira for probably $1200. Where can I get a USA Jackson for that price? The production Charvels are a decent value at a little over a grand though. I can get a flame top PRS easily in the low $2000s. How much does a flamed carved top Jackson cost? Custom shop stuff is where PRS gets insanely expensive.

[Mazrim]

I really like PRS and I've owned a couple of customs (22 &24). They play and sound great although I'm bored with how they look now.
Its just not me. If they made a wicked looking shredder I'd be all over it like white on rice but that's not their market and never will be.
I will get one again at some point though, if I see a good deal.

I wouldn't put them above Suhr or Jackson Custom though.

[1994]

As a long-term Jackson/Ibanez player I previously wrote off PRS guitars as too flashy and too expensive. Then about three years ago I played a CE24 (the thin neck version). Solid purple, no bird inlays and a bolt-on neck. The neck was awesome and the sound was huge. I was very impressed and could easily play one of these day in day out. Alas the said guitar was an ex-demo rascal with no case and the shop would not budge on the price (which was just out of my budget). However, I would happily buy one of these second hand and recommend PRS as a Jackson/Ibanez/ESP alternative that does the rocking business.

[markD]

as an owner of different guitars, i kind of think that exclusive brand loyalty is silly. each guitar maker has their niche. i own guitars from:

fender
EB/MM
jackson
PRS
gibson
hamer
ESP
brian moore
ibanez

for many of these brands i have multiple models. each guitar offers me a "color" that another doesn't. it may be a different scale length, a different fretboard radius, fret size, number of frets, pickup type....you get the idea.

as far as one being better than another....well, that is a load of poop. i am NOT a gibson fan, but yesterday i bought an SG JUST because i needed a 24 3/4" inch guitar with 2 pickups to play a song my band just added to the set. i went through all my guitars looking for one that allowed me to play a weird chord modulation/progression based around a Baug to a B7maj5. the 25.5" scale length was causing my hand to cramp as i made the stretch. on the SG, i can play the progression effortlessly. the SG is a tool, as are most guitars.

as far as the original debate, i personally have a love/hate relationship with my PRS. no other guitar sounds like it. the sound is a good sound. the sound is very useful. but sometimes it annoys me. i have NO issue with the playability. the heel is easy to work around.

are my jacksons nice to play? yes, but they were built for a different purpose (obviously). are my jacksons well built? yes. i have always bought my USA jacksons after seeing them in person, so i don't have any that are flawed. i don't own any import jacksons so i can't comment. is the jackson better made than the PRS? no. the build quality is on par - both are fine USA made guitars. each is made for a different type of player.

IMHO, any player that is totally limited to only one type of guitar is short-changing himself on becoming a "better" player. back i played ONLY shred guitars i was a limited player. i NEEDED a flat radius, hot pickups and an amp that was close to meltdown in order to play. best thing i ever did as a player was FORCE myself to use a stock vintage fender stratocaster. no change to anything on that guitar.

what i learned was to be adaptable and use my hands more to get the "tone". it helped me get more session jobs too, because - as dumb as it may be - a lot of producers and/or artists want to have certain types of guitars on their songs. NOT something that is "strat-like" but something that IS a strat....if they want e "les paul sound" they aren't talking about a 2 humbucker soloist - they want a REAL les paul....it goes down the line with the classics.

the ONLY way i have found that you can bring something else to the table in a session is if it is something like a PRS (with the old 5 way rotary you can nail cool tones). i have brought an EB/MM silhouette (HSS) to a session that called for a strat and it was okay with the producer. i got a call from the same producer a couple of months later and brought my modded PC-1 (no sustainer or middle pickup, wired w/a 3 way blade), and he was NOT pleased. the guitar just didn't give the "tone' he was looking for on the song. thankfully i had another guitar with me.

ironically, while i use jacksons live MOST of the time, i RARELY record with them. that goes for my own bands productions or session work. my holoflake soloist has never been recorded. my PC1s have been used, but only if i need the sustainer - which i only use for feedback effects in overdubs (usually with heavy echo and reverb, and buried pretty deep in the mix). i regularly record with telecasters - they are capable of sounding SO raunchy and heavy, even with stock pickups. (try a '52 tele reissue through a bogner or modded marshall and you will see what i mean) i also use the LP jr a lot in the studio. again, the single coil P90 sounds ferocious!! strats or PRS for solos...again, every guitar has it's place.

now, would MY choices work for a death metal band playing 32nd notes and sweep arpeggios in a minor 3rd harmony? nope. the thinner sounding guitars work better for that stuff. so, taking THAT into account, a jackson, ESP or ibanez would be better.

anyway, i think every guitar has its place. i am glad that i can adapt to just about all of them.

[Grim]

as an owner of different guitars, i kind of think that exclusive brand loyalty is silly. each guitar maker has their niche. i own guitars from:

fender
EB/MM
jackson
PRS
gibson
hamer
ESP
brian moore
ibanez

for many of these brands i have multiple models. each guitar offers me a "color" that another doesn't. it may be a different scale length, a different fretboard radius, fret size, number of frets, pickup type....you get the idea.

as far as one being better than another....well, that is a load of poop. i am NOT a gibson fan, but yesterday i bought an SG JUST because i needed a 24 3/4" inch guitar with 2 pickups to play a song my band just added to the set. i went through all my guitars looking for one that allowed me to play a weird chord modulation/progression based around a Baug to a B7maj5. the 25.5" scale length was causing my hand to cramp as i made the stretch. on the SG, i can play the progression effortlessly. the SG is a tool, as are most guitars.

as far as the original debate, i personally have a love/hate relationship with my PRS. no other guitar sounds like it. the sound is a good sound. the sound is very useful. but sometimes it annoys me. i have NO issue with the playability. the heel is easy to work around.

are my jacksons nice to play? yes, but they were built for a different purpose (obviously). are my jacksons well built? yes. i have always bought my USA jacksons after seeing them in person, so i don't have any that are flawed. i don't own any import jacksons so i can't comment. is the jackson better made than the PRS? no. the build quality is on par - both are fine USA made guitars. each is made for a different type of player.

IMHO, any player that is totally limited to only one type of guitar is short-changing himself on becoming a "better" player. back i played ONLY shred guitars i was a limited player. i NEEDED a flat radius, hot pickups and an amp that was close to meltdown in order to play. best thing i ever did as a player was FORCE myself to use a stock vintage fender stratocaster. no change to anything on that guitar.

what i learned was to be adaptable and use my hands more to get the "tone". it helped me get more session jobs too, because - as dumb as it may be - a lot of producers and/or artists want to have certain types of guitars on their songs. NOT something that is "strat-like" but something that IS a strat....if they want e "les paul sound" they aren't talking about a 2 humbucker soloist - they want a REAL les paul....it goes down the line with the classics.

the ONLY way i have found that you can bring something else to the table in a session is if it is something like a PRS (with the old 5 way rotary you can nail cool tones). i have brought an EB/MM silhouette (HSS) to a session that called for a strat and it was okay with the producer. i got a call from the same producer a couple of months later and brought my modded PC-1 (no sustainer or middle pickup, wired w/a 3 way blade), and he was NOT pleased. the guitar just didn't give the "tone' he was looking for on the song. thankfully i had another guitar with me.

ironically, while i use jacksons live MOST of the time, i RARELY record with them. that goes for my own bands productions or session work. my holoflake soloist has never been recorded. my PC1s have been used, but only if i need the sustainer - which i only use for feedback effects in overdubs (usually with heavy echo and reverb, and buried pretty deep in the mix). i regularly record with telecasters - they are capable of sounding SO raunchy and heavy, even with stock pickups. (try a '52 tele reissue through a bogner or modded marshall and you will see what i mean) i also use the LP jr a lot in the studio. again, the single coil P90 sounds ferocious!! strats or PRS for solos...again, every guitar has it's place.

now, would MY choices work for a death metal band playing 32nd notes and sweep arpeggios in a minor 3rd harmony? nope. the thinner sounding guitars work better for that stuff. so, taking THAT into account, a jackson, ESP or ibanez would be better.

anyway, i think every guitar has its place. i am glad that i can adapt to just about all of them.

Enjoy the SG That is one guitar I didn't know I needed until I got one. My favourite Gibson model hands down, and the price is actually reasonable!

[markD]

thanks! so far i am really digging it. it is weird because i find myself wearing it higher than other guitars, but that just makes it easier to play. the neck dive is crazy too, but at least it doesn't hurt my lower back the way some other guitars have!!

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

I really want to drill my SG's upper horn for a strap button like Tony Iommi... Can't get myself to bust out the drill quite yet, though.