I ask this because I was on the phone with Guitar Center and they want me to bring the Ibanez in tomorrow so the tech can look at it. They said it sounds like it is setup fine by how I described the settings to them. If this is how it is supposed to be than I definitely am returning it. I was just curious what you guys would recommend in a similar price range that could handle good metal and clean blues as well? Maybe a good ol' Fender Strat? (probably used for that money right?)

One more thing...I would like to find a guitar that doesn't need anything replaced as soon as I take it out of the box. What I mean is, I have been told that the pickups on the Ibanez I bought are junk and should be replaced. My wife will KILL me if I tell her I need to put another couple hundred bucks worth of pickups in a guitar I just paid $350 for!

I can only say.....Try your way to it

Ibanez is good for Metal also stratocaster + humbucker pickups much better

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Ibanez-RG3EXQM...156-i1167869.gc

How about this one? I can guarantee that it's great for metal, and the pickups are more than good enough. It's well worth the money.
But i'm not so sure how fitting it would be for blues though....

Ibanez and strats are good, you may also want to look at Epiphone, maybe the SG 400 model or one of the les paul models, they are decent guitars with humbuckers and can sound quite nice for blues as well imo.

Trond,

That is quite funny that you put up that link! That is the exact guitar I got from Guitar Center yesterday! The one that i was speaking about in another thread about some problems I am having with it.

Never played one but I think this is a helleva lot of guitar for the money. I would certainly try one. Set-neck and humbeckers. Also a string-thru body that I promise you will wish you had the first string change. Schecter C-1

http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-SCE-C1LL-LIST


Now I play Jacksons and love mine but this is a little lower line that you still check out. I'm not a fan of the EMG-HZ's though (passive)

http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-JAC-2910103-LIST


And you could always go with old faithful. Need I say more, Fender

http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-FEN-134602-LIST


I think all of these are good quality guitars within your budget but you are going to have to choose what feels good to You.

Aha! Must have missed that post Found it now

www.schecterguitars.com

nuff said

couple of hundred bucks for pickups? Man, I think you can find a bridge JB pickup for like 70$. If that is a lot than I really don't know! You can even change the pickup yourself if you already did some soldering - it's not a rocket science.

wow guitars are cheap in the US, you couldnt get a strat that cheap in the UK

Ok, so I would recommened stay clear of anything with cheap EMG's (hell i dont like any EMG's but thats my personal taste ).

Fender Strat or Epiphone Les Paul would be a safe bet. Both different but great tone!! If they have an Ibanez with traditional style pickups that would be great.

Of course you need to try them first though!

If you wanna play metal I would stay out of most strats tho...

Iron Maiden use strats.....

*nods*

if i had the money id buy this one... its about a hundred more than youre wanting to spend, but its limited in this color and its a les paul... I would buy this one and put emgs 81/85 in it

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Epi...stom?sku=519391