I'm looking to buy a new guitar over summer and some cool pedals. I'm pretty stupid when it comes to this stuff so yeh. I want to play Pantera and Metallica and all the class rock stuff so would and ESP guitar be good. I've looked at the Dime Dean's which are cool but their just to flashy. Also what would be some cool pedals to get for metal. Another question I have would be does my guitar playing sound crappy because I own a generic epiphone that I bought from a friend. I play it on a Roland 30x Cube, and I'l play the pink floyd- mother solo for example. Then I will go to youtube and watch other people and the sound alone sound so much better than mine. Is it my guitar, or amp, or do I just simply need a good pedal or something. Also if I bought a Strat would that sound bad for playing metal. Or if I bought a more metal guitar would that sound bad for playing ex. Pink Floyd and Lynyrd Skynryd , because I like all genres.I really have no idea what to get so some input would be great thanks.

You're caring too much. If the Dean ML looks and feels good to you, why does it matter how flashy it is? Your playing affects your sound the most. You can get a decent sound out of your epiphone and Roland if you just tweak with it. A distortion pedal is generally useless.

Any guitar can play any genre. Just because a guitar has been associated with metal doesn't mean that it can't play Robert Johnson or Queen. Most of the guitar's tone comes from the amp so in my opinion, a guitar should be about comfort.

Find a comfortable, and decent to good sounding guitar. I haven't tried any of the low-end LTD guitars but the cheap Deans are absolutely terrible. Epiphone isn't such a bad starting guitar.

I don't think this is entirely correct. Sure, an Ibanez could play blues, but from my experience it sounds crap. Most of the guitar's tone comes from...the guitar!

Most of a guitar's tone comes from the amp.

This man is correct, about 80% of tone is derived from the amp. An Ibanez on a Fender twin will sound quite different from one on a 6505. So basically, if you think your guitar tone is awful then chances are you need a better amp. Of course, a shitty guitar will still sound shitty through almost anything, because it'll be made of cheap materials, will go out of tune constantly, etc. Go for an ESP Ltd, they are solid low-mid level guitars that don't have that cardboard feel in your hands like Ibanez.

Strange, I get that feel with LTDs instead. It's either taste or people haven't discovered the S series yet.

I love the LTD range. The M10 is my personal favorite out of all low-end guitars.

Actually, most of your sound and tone comes from... you, sure, it can sound much better with better equipment, and the more you're comfortable with it the better it will sound, but high end equipment won't magically make you sound great.

From my experience Roland cube is a great amp for it's price and level, I wouldn't advise buying anything more expensive unless it's a Marshall tube amp. If all you've got is a cheap Epiphone and you feel like it's bad then it's a good idea to buy an actual guitar. Just try several guitars in your price range (what is it btw?) and go with what feels good to you when playing, especially check out the sustain, because that's almost entirely to do with the guitar.

"If you don't feel comfortable playing a "flashy" guitar, DEFINITELY don't buy one. That's the kind of thing that will keep you from ever really bonding with an instrument, no matter how great it might sound. Maybe it shouldn't matter, but it does. There's enough of a variety out there that you should be able to find a good-sounding guitar that also looks how you want it to look. For example: I don't like white guitars with gold hardware. No specific reason, I just don't like the way they look. Someone could give me one for free and I doubt I'd ever really appreciate it. Is that stupid? Probably, but that's the way it is.

I really like Epiphones. I think they're great guitars in general, and not just great guitars "for the price". But I don't like the pickups they come with. I'd try and find a used set of humbuckers I like and swap 'em. I also loved the Roland Cube I used to own, good little amp.

If you're going to play different styles, ranging from Pink Floyd to Death Metal, a strat isn't a terrible choice, but it wouldn't be my first. At least not a classic style Strat. You can get guitars that are identical to a strat as far as body-shape goes, but with more versatile appointments which will allow you to cover a wider range a styles. Preferably something with a Humbucker and SingleCoils.

If you go for an Ibanez make sure you go for the mid to high range models. Lower line Ibanez guitars are lousy quality in my opinion; anything under a 1550 (that's in the current lineup, mind you) is going to have the build quality of a Jackson DK2 (shit, in other words.).

In many but not all cases. I have 3 cheap Ibanezes (Korean RG321 and 7321, Indonesian S320) and they were all subject to rigorous quality control, the only things that tended to fuck up were pots and jacks, which are easily replaceable. Talking of which, Jackson are much worse with that, even on the RR24 some people have experienced knobs going all shitty.

Look no further than Euronymous and his Les Paul.

And as to what you should buy. BUY WHAT YOU LIKE. A guitar's tone (I'm pretty sure) is mostly dependent on the pickups (which you can change), and the amp. Pick whatever feels and looks best for you. If you like playing diverse genres a Line 6 Spider Amp may be good for you also, due to all the amp models and what not (I have a Low Down for my bass and it works great IMO).

Also, and not to be rude, but I'm going to make a guess that if your guitar playing sounds like crap, its your fault. (This coming from the guy that is only starting guitar lessons next week. )

A guitar's tone comes from the pickups, the woods used, the materials the bridge and nut are made out of, the gauge of the strings on it, and the amplifier. A guitar made of of particle ply (as some BC Riches used to be and how many guitars with "Solid wood" bodies are) will still sound like shit with bad pickups. Basswood will have a bad tone but will still have all the annoying little nuances about it that it did before you changed the pickups (like squeaky sounding upper frets). Pay attention to what you're paying for.

This doesn't even make sense. If you play poorly, of course its your fault, not your amplifier, your guitar, or your mother.

Well, the OP asked. I was just being a bit sarcastic.

I meant in the sense that Ibanez guitars feel like they have 1" thick necks and incredibly light bodies, but it's all about preference. I love my Ltd!

It depends what style of music you're playing, honestly. The ultra thin Wizard necks found on older Ibanez RGs are perfect for instrumental shred. Also, many Ibanez RGs are made of basswood, which is a very light wood. My JEM is made of alder and it is significantly heavier.

Well you do have a JEM, I really can't say anything bad about that guitar. I'm mostly talking as far as low-mid range models go. I personally like the sound of a basswood body, even if it's usually cheaper material that dings very easily.

I've played the S prestige and I own a Edwards. I really liked the S but I just find the Edwards to be much more comfortable. The Ibanez S is honestly their best model IMO.

Buy an Ibanez S or Herman Ri will shit on your head!

imo, epiphones are good... even the budgetest ones... i own LP junior, and it has pretty nice sound, if you play around with pedal and/or amp

you can really play any music on any guitar... friend of mine did cover of dunkelheit with strat

Ah, in that case I agree with you. A friend of mine recently purchased an RG350DX, and I just didn't have the heart to tell him that it would probably be worn out in a few years (the trem, anyway). I own several higher end RGs myself and the build quality is far superior.

Opinions differ. My 450S rarely ever gets played, I much prefer my JEM and RGs. I'm not too fond of the newer S models, the combination of the Wizard II neck and ZR trem (which I hate) just turns me off.

check out Carvin product too!!!lol

Definitely. The Carvin Legacy is an awesome and very versatile amp. I wouldn't advise it for extreme metal, however. More suitable for shred, jazz and 80s hard rock/metal.

And possibly his own hair too.

Have an ESP or a Gibson. LTD by ESP guitars and Epiphone are also ok. Dean could be a good guitar, but I don't like it so much

i have an ESP LTD EC-50, and my god is it great for its value. i picked it up for 500 aussie dollars .. thats probably around 350-400 dollars US, and it is great. the only problem i have is the pick-ups. they generate a TON of feedback, but i guess thats always cool =)

I will also put my vote behind the ESP LTD line. Amazing guitars.

I had an LTD EX-50 for a few months (I quickly sold it as a down payment at a pawn shop for an Ibanez S470), but for what it was and the time I had it it was a very solid mid-low end instrument, I don't remember how much I paid.

everyone has different experienced with different brands, ussually it's just quality control for low end models, there are some really good ones, some shit ones. i play a lower model ibanez iceman which i got at a clearance sale brand new for 150 bucks, i haven't changed a thing on it since 2005 when i bought it, and it sounds incredible through every amp i play it through. i just boought an early 70's musicman 65 head with 140 watt 2x12 cabinet with jensen mod speakers in it. i can play anything with that setup from blues-death metal.

someone mentioned the low end deans being terrible quality, i disagree completely. at least the ones i've played were good, my other guitarist uses one, it plays great, is made of good wood (or at least not particle board, since it's a wood finish) and has a nice fat tone. i would suggest those, i can get them brand new around here for 179, i was playing a dean flying v yesterday at guitar center and it was great. i actually agree with most low end ibanez guitars being fairly crappy, though i love my iceman, lower model rg series are ussually cheaply made. also stay away from low end bc rich, crappy wood, crappy pickups.

the line 6 spider III series amp like someone mentioned would probably be the best way to go, they're fairly inexpensive, are extremely versatile, and although im an all tube person, and ussually HATE anything digital sounding, the spider III can get some pretty good sounds

I owned a ESP/LTD EX50 and still own an entry-level Ibanez (my first guitar) and to be honest, at the time of owning both I'm not sure I could tell a noticeable difference between the two due to my lack of experience. Now that I think back the EX50 had a better feel than the Ibanez. So ESP gets my vote. I've never heard anything good about Dean's regardless of price range. If it has a licensed Floyd Rose take note of who makes it as some are better than others. Also, don't forget about Carvin stuff, it may seem expensive to you but really it's probably the best bang for the buck of any guitar you can get. As far as amps go, I don't think you could go wrong with a Line 6 spider III. It's no Engl, but its a lot better than most amps in its price range.

when it comes to guitars it dependes on what you whant to get out of it and what feels good but im not to framilear with alot of them myself but when it comes to pedals try Boss mobels.