Torment Leaves Scars
Hero Member
- Messages
- 1,343
So, I have a story to tell.
I've had this Ibanez EX180 from at least 15 years ago, which was sort of inherited when an ex-girlfriend left it over my house, and forgot about it.
Anyway, I liked the guitar, and it played nicely, but everything else was...crap, to say the least. It was just chintzy. The parts sucked, it buzzed, didn't have any sustain, wouldn't stay in tune to save its own life, etc.
I started kicking around the idea of ditching this thing a while back, and while waiting for my guitar lesson last night, I sat down with a few guitars; a few Squier Strats, a few MIM Fender Strats, a Schecter (which I actually kinda liked), and an Epiphone LP (which I actually kinda liked). I was surprised that I liked the way the Schecter and LP played, because I've actually never found one that I liked.
I drove home last night thinking about replacing this Ibanez with the LP. Today, I drove to the store to see if they'd take a trade, and they don't take trades. The guy suggested a store that did, so off I went with the Ibanez.
I came across the store, and they had a ton of stuff, to say the least, and they took trades. I found an Epiphone Standard LP for sale (used), and it was in really nice shape, and stickered $325. I spent a few minutes with it, and told the salesperson, "I'll hold the thought and look around." I scoured the store and came across a line of Jacksons, and while I've never played one that I've particularly liked, I figured I'd try'em out while I was there. I really liked the body design of the Jackson Kelly, so I tried it out. I really liked the way it played. I looked at the price, and it was on sale for $399.
After sitting with the Jackson Kelly, I returned to the lineup, and spotted a black Jackson that looked really "Metal." I had no idea what it was, but it was the shape of the Ibanez Xiphos, so I picked it up. I connected with it the moment I plugged it in. At this point, I couldn't make up my mind between this strange guitar (which turned out to be a Jackson Warrior) and the Kelly. After swapping them back and forth and comparing, I decided on the Warrior.
I wound up getting $95 for the trade on the crappy Ibanez, and it as more than I expected to get for it. I was just happy to be rid of it, really. I forked over the difference in cash and a credit card, and I was on my merry way with my new Warrior. :cool01:
I'm not sure which trim level it is, but it retailed for around $530-$550. It has a "licensed by Floyd Rose" tremolo on it, and in comparison with the unit on my Warmoth, it's about half as thick; clearly not the high-end Schaller unit I have on my Warmoth.
The moment I got home, we left for my parents' house for the weekend, so I didn't have a chance to spend time with it until this evening. The string action is a tad high, which I haven't figured out how to change, and the strings are fairly tight to bend. Bends are much easier on my Warmoth, and the strings feel "slinky." These feel like tightrope. :sad1: The set-up of the tremolo was a bit off, so I adjusted the claw in the rear, and got that straightened out, and it lowered the action slightly. It also seemed to slightly loosen up some of the tension of the strings, however, I'd still like to get them a little bit looser.
Anyway, it's a great upgrade from the Ibanez, and it's a guitar I'll actually enjoy playing, so, without further ado, here she is! :headbang1:
I've had this Ibanez EX180 from at least 15 years ago, which was sort of inherited when an ex-girlfriend left it over my house, and forgot about it.
Anyway, I liked the guitar, and it played nicely, but everything else was...crap, to say the least. It was just chintzy. The parts sucked, it buzzed, didn't have any sustain, wouldn't stay in tune to save its own life, etc.
I started kicking around the idea of ditching this thing a while back, and while waiting for my guitar lesson last night, I sat down with a few guitars; a few Squier Strats, a few MIM Fender Strats, a Schecter (which I actually kinda liked), and an Epiphone LP (which I actually kinda liked). I was surprised that I liked the way the Schecter and LP played, because I've actually never found one that I liked.
I drove home last night thinking about replacing this Ibanez with the LP. Today, I drove to the store to see if they'd take a trade, and they don't take trades. The guy suggested a store that did, so off I went with the Ibanez.
I came across the store, and they had a ton of stuff, to say the least, and they took trades. I found an Epiphone Standard LP for sale (used), and it was in really nice shape, and stickered $325. I spent a few minutes with it, and told the salesperson, "I'll hold the thought and look around." I scoured the store and came across a line of Jacksons, and while I've never played one that I've particularly liked, I figured I'd try'em out while I was there. I really liked the body design of the Jackson Kelly, so I tried it out. I really liked the way it played. I looked at the price, and it was on sale for $399.
After sitting with the Jackson Kelly, I returned to the lineup, and spotted a black Jackson that looked really "Metal." I had no idea what it was, but it was the shape of the Ibanez Xiphos, so I picked it up. I connected with it the moment I plugged it in. At this point, I couldn't make up my mind between this strange guitar (which turned out to be a Jackson Warrior) and the Kelly. After swapping them back and forth and comparing, I decided on the Warrior.
I wound up getting $95 for the trade on the crappy Ibanez, and it as more than I expected to get for it. I was just happy to be rid of it, really. I forked over the difference in cash and a credit card, and I was on my merry way with my new Warrior. :cool01:
I'm not sure which trim level it is, but it retailed for around $530-$550. It has a "licensed by Floyd Rose" tremolo on it, and in comparison with the unit on my Warmoth, it's about half as thick; clearly not the high-end Schaller unit I have on my Warmoth.
The moment I got home, we left for my parents' house for the weekend, so I didn't have a chance to spend time with it until this evening. The string action is a tad high, which I haven't figured out how to change, and the strings are fairly tight to bend. Bends are much easier on my Warmoth, and the strings feel "slinky." These feel like tightrope. :sad1: The set-up of the tremolo was a bit off, so I adjusted the claw in the rear, and got that straightened out, and it lowered the action slightly. It also seemed to slightly loosen up some of the tension of the strings, however, I'd still like to get them a little bit looser.
Anyway, it's a great upgrade from the Ibanez, and it's a guitar I'll actually enjoy playing, so, without further ado, here she is! :headbang1:
