These are my first impressions, because I've only logged about 10 hours of playing time on this thing.
Edit: Forgot to mention, thanks to Goliath for introducing me to this guitar via this
threadI'm kind of dissapointed at this point. I do believe I can get to the point where I'm not dissapointed, but comparing this to the les paul Im used to playing... I guess I set myself up for failure.
Dissapointments:
1. The sustain is far less than my les paul. I was expecting less sustain, but this is a dramatic change.
2. I have to push the strings down much harder than what I'm used to (maybe this has to do with the action or whatever, im not sure).
3. The EMG's (81/85) sound only a fraction hotter than the stock LP's with regards to distortion. Hopefully this is just a problem with my amp (Line 6 Spider III).
2 and 3 don't bother me much, because I'm sure I can find its groove and make the guitar work for me. But the sustain issue... This is bad me thinks.
The Pros:
1. Floyd rose baby! The dive bombs, squeals, and just incredible wacky noises you can make are awesome!
2. Looks great, the black cherry finish is fantastic. No picture does it justice
3. Its light, and thin, and the frets that are hard to reach on the LP are very easy reach on the Hellraiser
4. Contrary to popular "interwebz" beliefs... the cleans from the EMG on the neck are great (atleast on this particular guitar), much better sounding than my LP. They are warm and full, and even sound good when your aggressive with the pick on them.
So heres a few questions I'd like to ask.
I want this guitar to be in Drop C, locked in... and never change the tuning really. Only time I would even unlock it would be to change strings. Looking around the net, I've read numerous articles citing that you need to adjust springs, widen screw holes (?), block the bridge etc... What do you guys suggest?
Should I get this thing professionally set up? Should I take it somewhere, and list my problems, and see if a professional could help me out?
Here's a picture of the 2 ladies, vying for my attention now.