Ideal Planks

Thought this might be a good topic to start. Share your ideal planks.

Planks you have. Planks you want. Planks you can't afford yet... Planks you AREN'T WORTHY OF (Bijimaster obviously excluded, skilled bastard)(!), YET [Practicing?] the lot.

Tried to keep all the images under 600x pixels.





^ Minus holes obviously.











Couple of interesting eccentrics:





Couple of headstocks I thought were interesting:





Interesting to I tawk about that.

I don't wanna say the 7-8 string djenty "modern" bullshet like I did to the brown bear but,... I am the real champween Iron Ducky,... I make them djenty modern bullshet if I want.

I have a Jackson, but I want to change to a Dean.

Hmm the images aren't appearing for me

Anyhow this is a great thread indeed.

As for planks I've had :

Ibanez RG270DX
- Great for general shreddage and a mess around

Charvel Randy Rhoads
- This was an awesome guitar that I recorded the original journeys EP on. Duly modified to accomodate 24 fret shreddage! I added some more frets and was happy to hell with the high gain Seymour Duncans (accompanied many a headbanging bedroom moment)

Charvel Star
- Again just a "chuck about and abuse machine"

Peavey Predator 7 string
- Also modified for oober 24 fret tappage (Thankfully my dads workshop enabled some really cool carpentry to forge new frets). Not overly happy with the sound of this guitar. It needed the pickups boosting to appease the dark lord below......

Ibanez UV777
- One of the easiest necks i've ever owned. Loveley straight down the line tappage and riffage with extra chug and awe thrown in!

Ibanez 77 Jem
- Again an easy guitar to spider shred and act like Paul Gilbert. Even with a drill!

Custom Dark Knight cheap shat!
- Bought one of these as a spare guitar and slapped some Dimarzio Blaze pickups in it. Actually I really like the way this guitar plays. It ticks all the boxes and has a nice chunky neck ! Unlike me.

Hohner Les Paul
- Cool for jazzy licks and general musical buffoonery

Squire Strat
- C'mon ! what budding guitarist didn't stand in front of the mirror naked with their hair gelled rockin out with one of these !  

Ibanez UV7BK (Customised)
- This troops is the Orbethian plank of planks. It's a 1990 UV7BK that I've customised over the years with newer Dimarzios and carbon graphics. This guitar is the one that I feel connected to and when played makes me sound like I can sort of play!   I love it. It is my baby and feels like no other guitar I've ever played. Obviously this is the guitar that features on all of the Orbeth records including Space Themes (it sounds best on this one)

Thats about it for Electric guitars. I also own a few acoustics, banjos, Chapmans and Krappy's etc.

As for guitars that i'd love to have a go on I was at the NEC guitar show a few years back and they had all the KISS guitars there. One had a massive exhaust pipe attached to it.......They wouldn't let me play it the bastards!.

Great thread Gaia. I'm not a die hard Djent fan either. I like Animals As Leaders in small doses. That said Tosin Abasi is amazing!

I also don't yet have the need to play an 8 or 9 string guitar. (Unless some extreme Mortician covers are in order ........ haha piano strings on the bass)

Cool  

I know Quorthon played an Ibanez, so I've always wanted to give em a bash, but sadly I can only go second hand.

As for the gelled back hair with the Strat, thanks to the Robinson genes, I have very little hair to gel .

Optimus Prime wrote:

I know Quorthon played an Ibanez, so I've always wanted to give em a bash, but sadly I can only go second hand.

As for the gelled back hair with the Strat, thanks to the Robinson genes, I have very little hair to gel .

HAHA! Thanks to the Robinson genes you're into Orbeth! Kerry King has no hair either and he's badass!

Nowt wrong with second hand sir! The sacred Orbethian pUniverse came from the USA second hand! ..... believe it or not I actually paid £666 for it ! LMAO! I shit you not this is true .....

Hehe true. Well my mam liked listening to Winds so...

And 666 is probably the best price in the Carlsberg.

Pics should be working / visible to all now.

Thanks for the detailed list Ben. Animals As Leaders is pretty damn good, have some of their CD's. First questions:

1) Is that literally every guitar you've ever had, or just the main ones?

2) What are your thoughts on the Gibson/Les Paul shape ones for shredding?

As for playing skills - interesting Bi-Polar style thought-process? One minute he's Superhero, the next he can't play. People say I can play - which I can't-ish. So if I can't play (yet), yet can convince plenty that I can... it's safe to say Ben most definitely can.

From this we can also conclude that Shawn Lane was simply a figment of everyones imagination.

Optimus Prime wrote:

I have a Jackson, but I want to change to a Dean.

Any particular reason why?

Gaia wrote:

Optimus Prime wrote:

I have a Jackson, but I want to change to a Dean

Any particular reason why?

I like the way they sound, and I'm after the ML series, as the Jackson RR I have is a pain in the arse on the leg because of the V shape and I can't stand for long, so sitting down is a must.

I could have had a second hand ML for £199, but by the time I got the money, it had sold :boourns:.

Gaia wrote:

Pics should be working / visible to all now.

Thanks for the detailed list Ben. Animals As Leaders is pretty damn good, have some of their CD's.  First questions:

1) Is that literally every guitar you've ever had, or just the main ones?

2) What are your thoughts on the Gibson/Les Paul shape ones for shredding?

As for playing skills - interesting Bi-Polar style thought-process? One minute he's Superhero, the next he can't play. People say I can play - which I can't-ish. So if I can't play (yet), yet can convince plenty that I can... it's safe to say Ben most definitely can.

From this we can also conclude that Shawn Lane was simply a figment of everyones imagination.

Optimus Prime wrote:

I have a Jackson, but I want to change to a Dean.

Any particular reason why?

1. That's pretty much it for guitars I've owned. Basically Ibanez just seem to do it for me so I've stuck with them.

2. The Les Pauls I've played have been one of the "easiest" guitars to play IMO. Super smooth necks and a perfect fret depth for easy accuracy. For shredding though I find the neck sit slightly too far to the left so you feel like your'e playing "off center" compared to an Ibanez.

Bi-Polar! MWUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUH! Like Smeagol ............ With a 7 string.

Optimus Prime wrote:

I like the way they sound, and I'm after the ML series, as the Jackson RR I have is a pain in the arse on the leg because of the V shape

Thanks for this bit of info, I've never owned any particularly odd shapes because of that exact reason.

Bijimitsu wrote:

1. That's pretty much it for guitars I've owned. Basically Ibanez just seem to do it for me so I've stuck with them.

2. The Les Pauls I've played have been one of the "easiest" guitars to play IMO. Super smooth necks and a perfect fret depth for easy accuracy. For shredding though I find the neck sit slightly too far to the left so you feel like your'e playing "off center" compared to an Ibanez.

Thanks for the info Ben.
I'm slightly surprised you don't have more standard super-strat type shapes for guitars.

Another probie one I'd appreciate thoughts on whilst I think of it if you don't mind chief: - Pinched harmonics and guitar shape/timbre/quality?

Can you share any insight/experience with harmonics specifically on different body shapes/types (as opposed to hardware, pickups etc). How much of an effect do you put on the timbre/shape for them?

I have 2 very similar shape and build quality Superstrats but, I get harmonics much easier out of the other one - and it has little or nothing to do with the electronics, as I can literally feel and hear the harmonics much better on the good one played unplugged (acoustically). So something is going on with the layout/timbre/shape surely?

Aye once I found the Universe I've never really needed anything else. My playing style is suited to that guitar and hath been shaped thus!

RE pinch harmonics/harmonics in general......interesting !

It's mostly down to technique I think. One should be able to pinch harmonic on pretty much any guitar if done correctly. I can get some beast pinches out of my acoustic. That said if you're struggling more on a specific guitar you could try playing around with action and scale length as these might be out.

I find that 'plugged in' pinch harmonics are in slightly different positions in relation to the pickups on different guitars. If you're struggling with "normal" harmonics (F5 F7 F12 etc) then it would indicate that the scale length is out or there is something wrong with the neck/body.

Hell I can get pinch harmonics out of my lawnmower throttle cable!



We'll have to jump on skype sometime Gaia so I can see and hear exactly what you mean. Some guitars are built crapper as you already know.

Thanks for that info Ben!  Skyping is definitely to be done in future! Just need to get a decent new ISP/setup sorted. LoL @ Lawnmower cable harmonics. Here's another cool rare one I found:



I think I prefer the Fender headstocks. No idea if those buggers are actually any good to play but it looks alright to me!

Ah yes ! ^ These with scalloped frets are ace for Malmsteeny sweep picking! Just a shame they aren't 24 fret ......Although with the correct gauge strings you can bend up to the double octave!

Cool! Aye hit me up when you're sorted with ISP and we can jam!

I like the black marbled paint job.