[Charvelman]

I decided I wanted a new guitar that didn't scream 'Metal' too much and I was all set on a Charvel Pro Mod So Cal Style 1 in Snow White. The problem is that I went to try one today and although it sounds great, after two neck-thru guitars and four PRS SE Custom 24 guitars, the upper fret access felt awful due to the thick neck joint. Back to the drawing board!!!

I want a guitar that's naturally brighter than my set-neck PRS guitars so I was thinking a bolt-on. I'd also prefer the body wood to be Alder with a maple neck, like the So Cal but mahogany might be OK. I don't know much about other woods but the bottom line is that it should be a relatively bright guitar, like the So Cal. I'm not too bothered if it's 22 or 24 frets but it needs to have a Floyd Rose 1000, not a Special. I'm also looking for an HH configuration or maybe HSH at a push.

The two alternatives that immediately leap to mind would be the Charvel Pro Mod DK24 HH FR or the Jackson Pro Dinky, as they're essentially the same guitar. I like the Charvel DK24 but the quilted amber top and gold hardware isn't exactly subtle. I also like the Jackson Pro Dinky but while I like the So Cal in white due to the black pickguard, I'm less keen on the Jackson in all white and in an ideal world, I'd like to avoid a pointy headstock.

What other options would be good for me to try?

If it's an Ibanez, it would need a locking bridge that is at least as good and reliable as a Floyd Rose and as I don't know which Ibanez trems are really good and which are poor, I've avoided the entire brand so far. Some information on the Edge bridges would be very useful.

There seems to be various neck-thru options around and I love the upper fret access on them but when I had my SL3 Soloist from Japan, I found it a very hard guitar to get pickups for due to the dominance of maple running throughout the guitar. This was of course the days when the maple from the neck went right through the body and the body was essentially just wings glued onto the neck, perhaps they're different now.

Any suggestions?

[buddroyce]

Give some of the ESP stuff a shot. I love my ESP Vintage Plus S. It's basically a strat with a better neck joint for improved upper fret access. I don't think they make the Vintage Plus series anymore but there are newer models that are pretty much the same.

With regards to Ibanez, I love the Ibanez J Custom line myself but pretty much any of their Prestige line RG's would still be good. For Ibanez locking trems, the Lo-Pro Edge was like the gold standard for many years but the Edge Pro is also decent. The Edge-Zero is ok. I got a guitar with one of those but I still prefer the Lo-Pro.

If you liked the Japanese Jackson models, you might also want to consider Caparison Guitars. They're a brand that was effectively spawned off from the Jackson Professional Models from the 90's. Most of their trem models feature a Schaller floyd which is as good as an OFR since Schaller makes the OFRs.

[Charvelman]

Caparisons are beautiful but sadly too expensive for me. I have made some progress from my list so some are now discounted.

RG370 - Looks great value but I'm not used to ash and as I'm prepared to spend more - why not?
Hellraiser C-1 - It looks like a great guitar, even though I dislike the abalone binding and the stock pickups but I eventually concluded that if I was to end up with a mahogany guitar with a set-neck, I might as well have just stuck with my PRS.
LTD H1001FR - Much the same as the Schecter but more expensive.
Jackson Pro Dinky - Other than the colour options and silly headstock, I love it.
Charvel DK24 - My feelings are similar to the Jackson but without the objection to the headstock.

That leaves the JIVA10 and I'm in a real quandary about that one. This is where I need very specific advice. I've always had a soft spot for the 'S' series, even though I've never owned one. This one looks fantastic and I may even pay that much money, even though I'd still want to change the pickups. Being made in Indonesia was initially a concern but so far every review I've read rates the guitar very highly. The bridge, however, still worries me. Saying the Edge-Zero is 'OK' is hardly a ringing endorsement and someone else told me to avoid Ibanez bridges that have numbers in them. The bridge on the JIVA10 is an Edge-Zero II so presumably it doesn't even rate as 'OK' and that's concerning. As much as I really like the JIVA10, I'm not keen on spending the extra unless someone is able to assure me that an Edge-Zero II is at least as good as a Floyd Rose 1000. So far that doesn't appear to be the case but if anyone has experience of both, please let me know.

[buddroyce]

Don't get me wrong, the Edge-Zero is a good trem but I just love the feel of a Lo-Pro Edge more mostly because that's what I'm most comfortable with.

Personally, when compared to the Floyd Rose 1000 series, I'd say the Edge-Zero II on par if not better as I do find it more comfortable. The Floyd Rose 1000 series does have the benefit that an OFR is pretty much a drop in replacement in case you ever plan on upgrading the bridge, but aside from that I wouldn't worry too much.

[Guitar74]

I have more than one Floyd original in more than on guitar along with more than one Ibanez with stock trem (Edge, lopro, edge zero). I have found none of them to be inferior to a Floyd Rose. In fact, I think the Edge series of trems is actually very comfortable, along with being a ERY stable double locking platform. I have an RG450 that has one of the non edge Floyd licensed Ibanez trems. It works as well as any Floyd I have, contrary to what you see others post in various forums and reviews. One thing to keep in mind is that not all reviews are posted by people who actually have an instrument, etc. Sometime they are brand loyal people with nothing better to do than to slag anything that isn't their brand. I know that I am posting this on the internet, but I am going to tell you to not believe everything that people post on forums. There is a lot of bad info.

I would check out the ESP offerings, as well as the Ibanez, or Shecter stuff. I can't really fault any of them as far as their mid line to higher line stuff. i have a couple of LTD offerings (GL200-k because I can't afford the ESP Kamikaze, and an MH1000) as well as Ibanez (RG 550, 450, and 220), and can testify that both are pretty good (except for the pickups in the 220) guitars for the money, and are light years over what you could get in a mid line back in the day. Alot of the metal instrumentals I record are on a Big Apple Strat. But..... I had to spend some extra time, and coin installing an LSR roller nut and locking tuners to keep it from falling out of tune from just hand bends and vibrato, much less using the trem. That being said, with the Beck treatment, it is as stabile as a double locking guitar. But with that guitar, you would be back in the same universe as the Charvel with the big chunky neck heel. Even still, once you are used to it, you adapt. It took me time to get used to the smaller heel after growing up with guitars that had the big chunky neck heel.

If you like the Shava Ibby, then go for it. You won't be disappointed.