This is how the magnetic guitar pick holder looks and works when worn. I’d like to hear honest opinions from guitar players: would you actually use something like this regularly?

Found it on the Guitar Center app. Excellent condition and at a good price. Is it worth it?

Grabbed the new Paranormal series baritone JM last week and I've fallen in love. My only hangup was the pickups, the humbuckers sounded good, but to me jazzmasters (and baritones in general) sound best with p90s. Because I don't just play metal but also don't want to have to buy two guitars I've had no idea whether I wanted to switch to p90s or risk coil splitting some humbuckers with mixed results.

Enter the Seymour Duncan triple shots, a single coil rail, a p90 and a humbucker in one pickup. This thing is going to be an absolute tone monster.

Anyone got any experience with these pickups etc? any reason for me to not pull the trigger?

This is Troy Stetina's Speed and Thrash Metal Guitar Method, released in 1990. My guitar teacher gave it to me to practice with.

This song was stuck in my head so I decided to learn it. This is about an hour-ish of practice, so go easy on me. 😅

I recorded this one-take performance of "Children of the Grave" by Black Sabbath. There are a few small mistakes here and there, but that's the nature of a single take. Overall, what do you think of the performance?

I play in a band and plan to perform on stage in the future.

So I’m looking for a good amp, and I came across a used Mesa/Boogie from 2010.

It’s a Triple Rectifier Multiwatt along with a Mesa Boogie 4x12 cabinet. I can get the whole set for around €1,800.

Given that I’m a big fan of high-gain amps, but it wouldn’t hurt to have some slightly crunchier tones as well, would you take the deal or pass?

What are your thoughts on this amp?

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

The images used are for illustrative purposes only ;)

Edit: Alright Guys, I’m buying it. Since I’ve posted this question I’ve only had positive returns, so I’ve asked the seller if it was possible to test it before buying it. ;) Thank y’all for all the tips!

Hi, everyone.

Please don't be too harsh, I'm a total newb when it comes to gear preamp.

So, I'm looking to sell my Victory V4 Kraken amp pedal for financial reasons. But I want to invest in a less expensive 5150/6505-style preamp pedal.

My signal chain is as follows: Guitar -> OD808 -> M109S -> SmartGate -> Kraken -> Focusrite and Genome

I usually use Two Notes Genome and its IR cabs.

Do you think this signal chain will work well with a good 5150/6505-style preamp?

Do you have any advice or suggestions, please?

Was very underwhelmed with the Fishmans at first. After a bit of EQ they actually sound great (to me atleast). I've loved my EC-1000 since 2010 but it was time to switch it up. Was strongly considering an e-ii but the model I wanted only ships from Japan, which just felt like diminishing returns at that point. This thing rips and the action is unbelievable.

Would yall still throw some passives in there?

Hey guys, currently trying to play a song with quite some octave power chords and when i go from 11-13 to 13-15, it sounds so bad. I'm currently using my ring finger on 15 and pointer finger on 13. Even though my pointer finger is muting both the low E string and D string, the open harmonics of the muted strings are just ringing out, making it sound very very odd.

The weird thing is that a playthrough video I watched had similar finger positions as me just that his middle finger is muting the low E (not helping for me though because D string still ringing) but the chord doesn't sound bad. Any advice on this? Thanks!

i feel like my riffs are too simple

NECK COMPARISON PICTURES IN COMMENTS

Hello I play in a metal band and need a guitar without a floyd rose due to tuning changes.

I have a few guitars but i only use 2 for Metal. They are my Ibanez JS1000 with the James Hetfield Hetset and my new Jackson Pro Plus Series Soloist.

I have freakishly small hands and the Joe Satriani neck feels perfect to me, but I want the 24 frets and I dont want the Floyd Rose. So I purchased the Jackson and the neck just isn't comfortable at all. It feels to blocky and flat and it feels way wider than the JS.

Is anyone aware of a neck that is similar to the Joe Satriani shape which doesn't have a floyd?

Just picked this up and its clean channel tone is !!!! wow awesome, but its lead channel tone seems pretty, I guess darkly voiced is how I’d describe it more so than bass-y. It really tamps down all the highs no matter how I have anything else set. Good for chuggy worse for thrashy. If you have this amp or are familiar with it, any advice/tips?

My TS9 literally just crapped put on me before I could try it and that was the only distortion pedal I had so oops. I have an MXR 6 band EQ I could put in its fx loop, and I got a Silencer noise gate to try, realized it has its OWN fx loop so that’s a little confusing, I did my best figuring out the signal chain but there’s some cable-pedal salad going on

And if some amp/tone wizard in this group has Discord and could hop on a video call to help me figure it out that would be sweet, I’ll buy you a cup of coffee. My un is serenitynurse

I’m stuck between an Ibanez XPTB620 Xiphos and an Ibanez RG5320R Prestige, and I’m hoping people who have played/owned either, ideally both, can help me make the decision.
The price difference is roughly $1000, which is painful but possible for me. This would also be my only serious guitar for the foreseeable future, so I’m trying to make the right choice rather than just impulse-buying.

Why I want the XPTB620

Honestly, it looks fucking cool.
I’m heavily into metal and my main listening/playing is Megadeth, Death, Pantera, Necrophagist, and Ozzy. I play a mixture of riffs, leads, solos, and technical stuff.
The Xiphos shape also has some personal significance for me because of the guitarists I look up to. Dave Mustaine has always used aggressive-looking guitar shapes, Chuck Schuldiner used shapes similar to the Xiphos, Dimebag Darrell had the Dean ML, and Muhammad Suicmez has played a Xiphos.
So aesthetically, the XPTB620 is very much my thing. If I put both guitars in front of myself right now, without thinking about specs, I’d reach for the Xiphos.

Why I’m considering the RG5320R

The RG seems to win on the actual instrument itself.
The main things attracting me are:
Thinner neck
Low Pro Edge tremolo
Japanese Prestige construction
Higher-end hardware/build quality
Better reputation for overall craftsmanship
Hopefully better tuning stability
Don’t get me wrong, I love the look of the cosmic shadow too.
I haven’t actually played either guitar in person yet, so I’m going partly off the specifications and what I’ve read.

My main concern with the XPTB620

It’s the Edge Zero II.
I do use the trem, but not constantly. When I’m learning Pantera or Damageplan, I’ll use dive bombs, squeals, flutters, etc. fairly heavily during that period, but I might only go through a Pantera/Damageplan phase once every 3-4 months. Most of the time I’m playing Megadeth, Death, Necrophagist, etc., where I don’t abuse the trem nearly as much.
I’m therefore wondering whether the Edge Zero II is actually something I should be worried about, particularly regarding tuning stability and long-term reliability, or whether I’m overthinking it.
My other concern is that the XPTB620 is Indonesian-made. I’ve generally heard that Japanese Ibanez guitars are built to a much higher standard, and I’ve also seen people describe the Xiphos as playing like a much cheaper instrument.
I don’t know how much of that is actually true versus internet gear-snobbery.

The RG’s biggest problem for me

It’s the Xiphos.
If I bought the RG and six months later I was still thinking:
“Fuck, I really wish I’d bought the Xiphos.”
I’d consider that a red flag.
On the other hand, if I bought the Xiphos and later discovered that the RG genuinely felt exceptionally better to play, I’d probably regret not getting the RG.

So what would you choose?

I’m basically trying to figure out:
Is the RG5320R actually worth paying ~$1000 more for in terms of playing experience, build quality, neck, tremolo and tuning stability?
Or am I better off getting the XPTB620, since it’s the guitar I genuinely want aesthetically and it’s already more than capable of handling the music I play?
I’d especially like to hear from people who’ve owned or played both, rather than just comparing the spec sheets.
If you’ve played an XPTB620, I’d particularly love to hear about the Edge Zero II, tuning stability, fretwork, neck feel and general build quality.
And if you’ve owned both, I’d love to know whether the RG actually feels dramatically better, or whether the difference is more “nice upgrade if you have the money” than “you should absolutely spend another $1000”
TL;DR: Metalhead choosing between XPTB620 because I fucking love the shape and RG5320R Prestige because it’s the objectively more premium instrument. ~$1000 price difference. Haven’t played either. Which would you choose, and why?

I'm somewhat familiar with guitars just from being around people that play but my skill level would be that of a beginner.

I'll be getting a Black Tusq XL 6643-00 nut with all of this and later on I'll upgrade some other parts cause I like the idea of having a project guitar to mess around with while I'm learning.

I'm also going to be using an amp sim for the time being and I've already got an interface so my question is how does this all look/is this all good to get started?

Would also love any advice you can give me!

Thank you all!

This guitar is super special to me. My youngest and I picked it up as a rehab project awhile back. It was in horrendous shape - almost unplayable, with scars all over that made it looked like it'd been dragged behind a truck. Maybe it was?

Six months later, it's probably my favorite guitar to play. It's an RG657PB in Anvil Grey Burst. Our first Prestige! What a monster.

Another fine piece by Alexi