Question about ESP's

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Phlipbak
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Ok, currently I am using the PRS Custom 22 in my sig with the Framus head and Mesa Cab. I love the sound I get from this setup, but I need a secondary guitar. I am in a metalcore/hardcore band. We play in Drop C and I have Ernie Ball Skinny Top Heavy Bottoms (10-52) on my PRS right now. I LOVE ESP's and want something that sounds a lot like my PRS, with a real crunchy, heavy, ballsy low-end and tight highs for use with my high-gain Framus Dragon (might be going to Krank, undecided as of now) for music with influences like Hatebreed, Bury Your Dead, Killswitch Engage, As I Lay Dying, etc.

1. I like the ESP Viper's and Eclipse's, but how is that 24.75" scale going to hold up in lower tunings?

2. What kind of pickups am I looking for? SeyDun or EMG? What model?

3. I like the Horizon's and models like that, like the H-1000 LTD, but how do LTD's hold up to ESP's?

4. What in the WORLD is with the Xtone cause Slim from Bury Your Dead plays one in Drop A#, but isn't that sort of a strange choice of guitar for hardcore/moshcore?

5. How are guys playing in like Drop A and B (and in between... hint: A#, ha ha) C with 24.75" scale guitars like the Viper and Eclipse, because I have tried my PRS in just drop B with Beefy Slinky's (11-54) and they were rattling something crazy even with action raise and that's a 25" scale?

6. Not too relevant, but should I keep my Framus Dragon or move to a Krank Revolution for my head playing this type of music?

Any and all help, comments (positive), and suggestions will be greatly appreciated!
 
1. Think about it, the different is .25 of an inch. The difference will be very minimal. At worst you might have to up the string gauge a bit, but that's unlikely.

2. EMGs won't get you anywhere near a Custom 22 sound, but they should certainly work for what you described. The 81 or 85 are decent choices. You could also look at the SD Distortion.

3. LTD are generally just lower quality instruments compared to ESP. The H-1000 is a Deluxe model though, which are the highest of the LTD range. It's definitely worth going for an ESP in the long run.

4. ?

5. Try 13-56 or 12-56 if you want it nice and tight in Drop B. I play C standard with 10-52 quite often though, and with the right setup it doesn't rattle.

6. Framus Dragon is a good head. I don't see why it couldn't achieve the tones you're after. You'll hear a lot of negative things about Krank. I'm not familiar with them though.
 
try a D'Addario XL 7-string set (.10-.59), and drop the high E string...that is, if you can stand to have a wound 3rd. point is, you want at least a .56 for a B, and even that can be too floppy on a 25.5" scale guitar....the shorter scales would be even moreso.
 
yea...youd need a 12-56 or heavier for a PRS. i tried B standard (B-B that is) with 11-54 and it didnt work well. however, 11-54 in B Standard on my RR3 works exceptionally well, and that 1/2 inch of scale difference is noticeable when tuning to B, just like standard on a 25.5 scale and 24.75 with the same gauges is noticeable (to me anyways...a Paul plays different than a Strat with the same gauges!)
 
I'm using Everly X-Rocker strings on my PRS Custom 22. We play in Drop B and Drop A#. I use the 11-56 gauge strings. They're tight on the lows, and on the treble strings, they are loose enough for comfortable leads. Our other guitarist plays a Les Paul Studio, and he uses the Everly 12-60 gauge sets. He prefer's heavier strings though. I tried the 12-60's on the PRS, and they were just too stiff for me. I have my action very low, and there's minimal fret buzz. They are also nice string sets if you dont like wound g strings. I cannot stand a wound g!
 
Thanks a lot for the help guys, I have heard about those everly strings before I think I will give them a try, another concern I have is strictly the well-being of my guitar.. I play in C for our band but I play in the school's band as well and I play standard E there, if I put fat strings on there, it's gonna be impossible to play in E like that plus constantly going from such lax tension on the strings in that low of a tuning to pulling them a lot tighter in E isn't good for my neck is it? Or is it ok? My 10-52 strings don't seem to hurt my neck doing that, but what about strings like 11-56 and 12-60?

P.S. Anyone know of a reliable website to get x-rockers off of?
 
i've tuned 24.75" guitars to B with 11-54's and it worked just fine...i had to adjust my pick attack a bit, but it sounded pretty good thru my 5150

one thing i really don't dig about ESP is that they don't offer just a few more colors, and pickup options

i think the horizon looks great and like the duncan set it comes with, but i can't stand that sunburst finish

the higher end LTD's are great guitars, not up to par with esp definitely but they're very solid guitars in their own right...i own 5 ltd's

i like the eclipse, and think the trans. red one looks great, but i don't want the 81/60 pickup set

pickups you'll have to decide on for yourself, everyone wants to hear a certain something when they plug in a guitar...and it's different for everyone

i like the duncan JB and emg 81 for bridge pickups, they're clear and cutting...i also use kinda dark sounding guitars, that match well with those pickups because they can be a bit bright

i'm having a gutierrez built the way i want for $1600 tho :mrgreen:

as far as your rig goes...if you're happy with the tone you're getting then stick with it, if not then definitely explore other options; don't limit yourself to krank or any one amp tho
 
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