ThatBlueFluffyDude

I've been a guitar player for just one year and a half now, I'm getting really good, I've been learning Gary Moore, Metallica, Megadeth and Thin Lizzy. But I want to do some more Metal things and get into that area more. I'm currently using a Squire Stratocaster, which is more of a nice clean Blues sound, which I want to do later on in my learning, but at the moment I need a second guitar for Metal. I was going to go for an Epiphone Les Paul or maybe an Explorer of some sort? Any Help please?

GuitarBizarre

Few questions:

1 - What's your budget? If you can only spend £200 or so I'd say save more. If you're spending £1000 that might even be too much.

2 - Post some videos of guitar tones you like. Not songs! TONES! Whose guitar sound do you like, no matter what they play? Metal comes in lots of forms, and Metallica and Megadeth's guitar sounds are very different, to say nothing of Lizzy and Moore!

3 - Your strat has a medium neck. Do you feel like you want something thinner, to be able to reach notes more easily, or do you find yourself getting tired as you play, and want something fuller to give your hand more support?

4 - What amp do you have? No point having a beastly metal guitar if you're running it through a Fender Twin - it's just never gonna roar through that amp!

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Necromancer

The ESP LTD James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett signature series guitars seem to be popular with a lot of metal players. Of course ESP LTD has cheaper guitars to choose from besides their signature series.

The 7-string guitars eliminate tuning down of the E-string and adds that extra low end most metal guitarist are looking for.

If your budget can handle it, Fender and Gibson have famous names popular with metal players as well, some other good brands are B.C. Rich, DBZ, Dean, ESP, Jackson, and Ibanez. A lot of heavy metal guitars tend to have "active pickups" (Changing your pickups on the current guitar you own might be the remedy your looking for) and a lot cheaper at the same time.

Good Luck! finding the guitar that is right for you.

GuitarBizarre

The hell?

LTD esp are a metal oriented company. So are Ibanez, Schecter, and tons of others. Don't just recommend a brand, the specs and build are what matters.

Second, 7 string guitars aren't really about eliminating downtuning, they're about having an extended range and more potential for long runs, chords voicings, etc. Most 7 strings are only 25.5" scale, which is the same as most 6 strings. If it were about being lower tuned, they'd have longer scales, like 27" and 28.625", to compensate for the lack of tension by having a longer length of string.

The last thing you'd use a 7 for is to eliminate downtuning because most downtunes in metal are drop tunings, and the low B is a 4th below the low E, whereas a drop tuning uses an interval of a 5th.

As for active pickups, a lot of metal players use them, but just as many don't, and many metal players HATE them. Please try and look into things before you recommend - Its important to say "WHY" do you want these features or brands, rather than just saying "Metal players tend to like these brands" - particularly since most metalheads are dumb as a box of rocks and just throw money at their favourite bands choice of gear instead of buying what they want or need.

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Necromancer

Well I sure didn't mean to rock your boat there GB.

I just thought he wanted a recommendation for a guitar, I never assumed this was some form of "Rocket Science".

So please proceed .. with "GB's school of purchasing a guitar".

GuitarBizarre

There's recommending, and there's talking bollocks - A lot of what you said simply isn't good advice, and some of it is just incorrect.

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FRED HALE SR.

Actually ESP does have a really great metal sound at a reasonable price. I don't see the problem. The KH-2 model seems well suited for people that want a great crunchy sound. GB is absolutely right in saying that every great sound comes with both a great guitar and a great amp. I'd even go as far as to say you should experiment with some pedals before re-upping on another guitar. You may find that you can get a semblance of a metal sound by adding the right pedals to your current setup.

Plankton

Absolutely. I use to have a DOD Death Metal pedal that was VERY versatile. Wish I still had it.

FX86 Death Metal Distortion Review | DOD | Guitar Effects | Reviews @ Ultimate-Guitar.Com

Also, look into not only "Active" pick-ups (which can be a pain because they require a battery), but better pickups, since you have a low end Strat and the pickups as well as electronics are sub-par at best.

JB Model™ SH-4 and TB-4 - Seymour Duncan High Output

As far as a guitar... well there's quite a few people with quite a few opinions on that. A good safe way to go would be the Schecter route. Great guitars for the money.

Schecter Guitar Research | Guitar Center

Good luck on your quest.

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Necromancer

I could contradict every point you tried to make in your prior statement little brother, I just don't really feel like "playing" today.

anathematized_one

Well it depends. Ignoring models and brands, there are many factors to look at. Realistically, any guitar can be, and has been, used for metal.

Speed
This is where you look into neck profiles. You can get a more u shape or a more v shape, both of which can have thicker or thinner curvatures. Typically thinner = faster, but go with what is comfortable. Thinner also can reduce sustain.

Tone
Nearly every aspect affects the tone. If you want a darker/warmer tone, you will want to go with a mahogany body, but it is going to significantly increase the weight. Other woods have brighter tones. You can also get a "top wood" to alter the tone, say getting a mahogany body with a 1/8" maple top wood would give you a warm and dark tone but also will brighten up some of the highs.

Sustain
This is heavily influenced by what type of fretboard you have. Rosewood is your typical fretboard, bit ebony provides much morw sustain, but also costs quite a bit.

Other factors are down-tuning. I typically tune to D standard. Even in E standard though, I use relatively thick strings (easier and more comfortable to me). Thicker strings are easier tto use in lower tunings, but in higher tunings, they can be more difficult to tune. Many people also don't like thicker strings. This can affect the neck width you decide on, though more than likely it will not.

You also have options of a tromolo or whammy bar. I personally don't like them. To have one, you must have a floating bridge. For me, I like the feel of a fixed bridge and the trem bar just gets in my way. Another option is a locking nut, which helps to hold tuning, but is almost a waste on a fixed bridge.

If you are shopping in a guitar store, try to find an amp that has a similar sound and type to the one you use and test the guitars through there. Some guitars sound better on certain amps/setups than others do.

Another factor are pickups. Active require a batter so there is that which you have to replace when it dies but you get additional power, so you have to weigh that out. You alo have to decide on the type, single or double coil, humbucker, etc for each pickup (neck and bridge). If you customise a guitar, you may even mix brands/types of pickups.

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Sardonicus
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