The Ultimate Guide To Metal Guitar
Having played Guitars for over 15 years in which mostly I played metal and also associated with some bands, I deduced that it matters much what the player considers the best metal guitar to be like.
Though there are certain guitars that absolutely seem near to perfect for majority of the players playing metal.
All the guitars included in this list are exceptionally famous as all of them are priced less and deliver lots for the price.
This is the recent update and I have taken into account all the genres in metal so that whichever style of metal is your preference, there is surely going to be something for all to chip on.
What makes a superb metal guitar?
How playable the neck is? (fret board, radius, finishing)
When deciding to buy the best metal guitar, two most essential parts that must be paid attention to are the neck and the pickups.
This is all the more essential for the metal guitar players, as they require a quick and playable neck and fine humbucker pickups that shall give a rich metal tone that slits through the mix, and gives passionate sound.
What makes a good neck?
If you are a metal guitar player, having a superior and swift neck is an important factor.
The perfect neck should give the comfortable feel and play swiftly in your hands.
Nearly every style of metal music will require you to utilize the entire neck while playing and be really quick.
Though you aren’t mangling that much on the fret board but the possibility of your riffs being fast are still there, and a comfortable neck can ease this.
A good and playable guitar neck has :
Let us have a closer look at each point,
Perfect Finishing
While selecting any category of guitar, it’s necessary that the finishing of the neck and the fret board give you the best feel.
There are some sorts of finishing where your fingers get stuck and gives a restraining feel.
Something which isn’t good at all for the metal guitar players who needs to make quick movements on the neck and the fret board.
You should aim to find a neck that is quick and swift and neither should it deliver any sticky feeling, so that you are able to have an easy and fast play.
We can have further discussions regarding all the other categories of finishing, and the distinction among them for really long, but we must keep things to the point and relevant.
Notable Points :
You basically need to keep in mind that the satin necks and raw necks are the best you can spend on.
Though I guess you shall derive great satisfaction by choosing the gloss neck.
Lots of guitarists play with the guitars having glossy neck and in case it seems sticky to you, you can simply treat or polish it with sandpaper.
There are numerous tutorials online that teach you how to do it. For more in depth information you can go through the online videos available.
Fingerboard Radius
Fingerboard Radius refers to the measure of the arc of the finger board across the breadth.
Maximum fingerboards of the guitars aren’t flat rather curvaceous, though the flat fingerboards allow easies shredding.
The very first thing that you take notice of when you lift up a new guitar and start playing it, is the radius of the fret board and hoe comfortable is it in playing.
As stated before, the flatter the fret board you can shred easily and the reason for it quite basic.
You can set the radius of the flat fret boards with lower action as compared to the curved fret boards.
When you do it with lower action you save lots of time and efforts as you do not have to press down each string and lift and press down again.
You may think that it isn’t such a great deal, yet with low action it not just improves the pace of your playing but also improves your longevity of playing time without depreciation.
Thin Neck
Much like the other parts this one too is according to one’s taste.
Maximum metal guitar players agree to the fact that you can play really fast on guitars that have thin neck and that’s the reality.
Yet there are a handful of metal guitarists who opt for the guitars having thick neck and the reason is unknown.
As per my personal taste I cannot withstand a thick neck and playing fast on them is really a tough task.
For more ease, you can just select one of them in any local store and try them to understand what suits you well as you have to play it frequently the comfort of the neck matters a lot.
Good Tone Wood
Selecting the correct wood for the guitar isn’t that grave decision, yet it does require your adequate attention.
The tone of your guitar is mostly affected by the pickup and amp that you select.
Though, it doesn’t imply that you won’t pay heed to the wood type of the guitar.
There may be doubts in your mind that what difference does the type of wood bring in any guitar?
Well, this doubt pops up in many heads and you are not only the one.
After watching some of the online videos I assure that you shall take note of the slight distinct tone of each.
There are also some woods that destroy the sound.
There are certain types of woods that the metal guitarists classify as perfect with the Mahogany wood being the most popular one.
All sorts of dense woods tend to be superb as it delivers dark and intense tone.
Each guitar that is mentioned in the list has woods that works great for metal music.
Scale length of Guitar
Usually the metal guitar players prefer longer scale length for their guitars.
When the scale length is long you have more space between each fret. Isn’t it a good thing?
The answer to this question is related to your choice.
Mostly the longer scale length causes increased tension, plus you also get extra room while you are playing the higher notes.
Such variances have a great influence on faster playing.
When the scale length is long, there is greater tension in the strings that brings the notes to pitch.
Guitars that have short scale length bend easily.
Have this in your mind while down tuning and this will not be an issue.
Do not consider the string tension as an inferior thing, as it is required for low action.
In case the string is not held tightly in position, they shall not collaborate with the fret board and buzz.
Though you do not need to have greater tension in a guitar having longer scale length.
The scale length isn’t the only deciding factor regarding tension.
For decreasing the tension one can shift to a lighter string gauge.
However, many metal guitarists opt for larger strings, to achieve the dark metal tone.
Cutaways
This simply refers to the indent in the lower portion of the guitar that provides easier access to the higher parts of the fret board of your guitar.
There isn’t any guitar included in the article that does not have cutaways as without them playing in the high range is quite difficult.
The Pickups
As we have already discussed about the components essential for a perfect guitar neck, let’s focus on the next essential part that is the guitar pickups.
They are a really major part of any guitar as these manage a huge part of the tone prior to them hitting your remaining signal chain.
Good pickups are required to create superb metal tone though you can create typical metal tones with not so good metal tones.
For a standard metal guitar you will definitely require the humbucker pickups.
We have multiple humbucker alternatives from which we can select, yet initially we shall discover what does a humbucker means.
Note:
In the earlier times, bands such as Metallica, Sabbath and many such brands used the single coils.
Checklist as to why the humbuckers are the supreme pickup option for the metal:
As we know now, that humbuckers are the best pickup choice, let us know which all are the best ones?
The answer to this again basically depends on your taste and preference.
Though I am thankful that there aren’t that many options for you to select from, as then the decision making would be really tough.
Another good stuff about the pickups is that you can swap them out, which means that in case you don’t like your original choice, it can be easily replaced.
The difficulty in doing this is related to your setup and can vary.
The Humbuckers preferred by me are:
- EMG 81
- Duncan Blackouts
- Fishman Fluence KSE
- Seymour Duncan Black Winter
These are some of the most renowned humbuckers and delivers what they promise.
Till now being used to playing frequent guitars, you all may be having some knowledge that as the amp creates majority of the sounds.
The pickup you opt to use isn’t that great deal and in reality the fact is true to a large extent.
Yet, you must opt for the best that you can acquire within your budget, as the low cost budgets aren’t that good as the high price ones.
The low cost ones also tend to create barriers regarding the feedback and poor quality builds which can at times stop functioning.
You must have in mind that to accomplish good tones, they must be well-made and brands that do not lay stress on this factor will end up producing not so good products.
Which Guitar Brands Are Best For Metal ?
Does The Brand Matter ?
To provide you an actual view, I should let you know that the brands are basically not worth much.
Most of the profits that I make are by purchasing and re-selling the stuffs on eBay and on having known the quality of the branded goods and the non-branded ones.
I can assure you that maximum non-branded stuffs are equally good as the branded ones.
Talking of guitars though, I prefer going with the top brands and suggest the same to avoid the non- branded guitars.
It is so because guitars are an exceptional product.
Let Us See Why ?
The guitar manufacturing companies are basically required to produce standard guitars so as to stay in the competition, and maintain their share of business in the market.
Like, there are certain brands the guitars of whom guitarists purchase due to the look of the guitar, or due to the brand value and name.
I do not have any intentions to criticize the brands that are gradually destroying their goodwill and image by removing the corners recently.
By searching online you shall discover about these brands and shall definitely not mention any of them in my article.
Just give a think and you will see that maintaining the stature is highly essential for the guitar companies as their guitars are sold based on this factor.
With utmost efforts and convincing a guitar gets sold in a store and within seconds someone from the surrounding informs you that the particular guitar isn’t worth purchasing.
The guitar producing companies must always maintain their brand image as failure in doing it results in people losing their faith with the brand at a faster pace.
It isn’t absolutely that we do not have numerous new producers in the market producing to die for guitars that will prove their mettle and are sufficient to compete with rival brands and will mark their presence in the market over time.
Yet we have so many new manufacturers, I would not advise you to buy one of them if you have ample budget for one that has been ruling the market for a long time.
The new products carry a greater risk as despite the reviews being good on the internet, you can have a basket of issues.
There may be problems regarding the guitar’s manufacturing, related to the refund policy if the quality of the guitar isn’t up to the mark or in accordance to your expectations.
Yet, if you have enough experience regarding how a guitar is built, then the complications are reduced as you know very well which factors must be focused on.
To the least, in case you opt for buying a guitar from a recent manufacturer, ensure that you test the guitar well personally and do the maximum research you can do.
Important Accessories (Floyd roses, extra tone knobs, kill switches, etc.)
Floyd Rose Tremelo
As stated before, a metal guitar that gives you the perfect feel, is the best for you.
There isn’t any one guitar that can be considered as the best and with much dismay there maybe circumstances wherein you are required to give up some specific qualities that you may wish to have in your guitar if you are tight on budget.
Till now, whatever I have stated as the best in each segment is according to the usual consensus of the people as they consider them to be the best.
Extra Tone - Knob
Like people agree that mahogany is the best tone wood to opt for, same way satin and raw necks are best type of guitar necks and also that thin necks are good as compared to the thick necks.
But talking about the especial accessories, your choice matters the most.
We do not have any universal choice in this segment and you individually decide whether you want a particular accessory on the guitar or not.
Extra Tone - Knob
Few accessories are quite common that rest, like the Floyd roses is one of my favorite.
I quite a lot, enjoy performing the Floyd tricks, as they are simple fun though it’s painful that I cannot just alter the tunings with much ease.
Do your share of research work prior to buying any of them, as it is easy to understand the good and bad by reading about them.
Yet, it’s best if you try yourself in a store before actually purchasing it.
Note: According to me special accessories are things that aren’t usually present on a guitar.
Low action
I have already touched upon this subject, yet I intend to elaborate some of the pros and cons of low action guitars and also the reason as to why maximum metal guitarists are inclined towards the low action guitars.
Low action is apt for the metal guitarists and for ones who require quick playing and licks as it needs minimum efforts.
Note: Action refers to the measure between the fret board and the strings.
By low action it means that the strings are near to the fret board and similarly higher action implies that they are at a distant.
Let us take a glance at the key merits and demerits of low action, for metal nearly all prefer the low action.
You must also bear in mind that few guitars don’t have the action accurately adjusted and it is possible that you will have to do it yourself.
Good
Not So Good
The basics have already been covered properly now, and with all these information you will be surely able to select a perfect metal guitar for yourself.
Though, there are still few things about which I would like to elaborate all of which plays some role in the designing and playing of a good metal guitar.
Strings
As for now, strings aren’t your main focus, as they are easily replaceable once you have your guitar, yet it’s beneficial to bear in mind that the strings affect the tone of your guitar and similarly the playability of your guitar too.
There are numerous online videos that assist in what type of strings are worth buying.
As per my suggestion, you should keep this in mind too while buying the guitar.
Bridge design
The foremost thing to notice about your bridge is the feel you get while playing.
It is possible that you may dislike palm muting on Floyd rose, each bridge is distinct and has separate pros and cons.
According to me, the perfect bridges are those that eliminate crosstalk.
Go for a guitar you will continue with
This advice is worth considering prior to purchasing a guitar, it may sound certain but you must think that will you require the guitar in future too.
For example, few years ago, I bought an Ibanez S series 7-string which was an amazing guitar, but it wasn’t really the one that was perfect for me.
Jumbo Frets
These frets are composed of thick wires rather than the normal ones due to which fret is at a distance from the fret board.
It is feasible for the metal guitar players as jumbo frets produce fleshy tone.
It elevates the sustain too and plus support the bending notes.
Frets also provide a scalloped feel ( by scalloped guitar neck we mean where the neck is bended down until U shape is formed) to the guitar.
Scalloped feel gives a bit of advantage to quick playing as you do not need to touch the fret board again and again while shifting your fingers from one note to another.
Best 7 guitars under 500$
As we have gone through the pointers that makeup a standard metal guitar, now we present before you a list of best guitars under 500$ that best deserve your time and money.
I haven’t specified the prices, as the guitar prices have fluctuations every now and then though I assume that none of them should cross the 500$ mark until it is one such that I mentioned as the borderline product.
The article has a variety of guitars in their basket because it’s curated keeping in mind the taste of every type of metal guitarists.
This also implies that there is something in store for all of you.
Some key point of every guitar in this list are specified over here and also the specifications.
Apart from this all the guitars included in this list are brand new guitars, in case you wish to have a used guitar, we have a segment very next after this one that includes such options too.
Let us now start,
Shecter Omen Extreme 6
Dual cutaways
Mahogany wood body
Scale length- 25- ½ “
Rosewood fingerboard
Vast frets
It uses Schecter diamond plus high-output alnico humbuckers
Tune-o-matic-type bridge
Jackson Soloist SLX
Twin cutaway
Basswood body
Glossy neck and body finish
Great frets
Duncan structured humbuckers
Floyd rose
Ibanez RG6003FM
Maple “wizard III” swift neck
Mahogany body
Heavy frets
Firm bridge
Vast pickups
Jackson JS32TQ – body
Basswood body
Large frets
Rosewood fret board
Satiny neck and glossy body finishes
25.5” scale length
Jackson high output humbuckers
Ibanez RG470ahm
Wizard III maple neck
Ash body
Maple fret board
Vast frets
Quantum neck pickup(H)
Quantum middle pickup(S)
Quantum bridge pickup(H)
Dual lock tremolo bridge
Cosmo black hardware
Separate case
ESP LTD- 401QM
Cutaways
Mahogany body
Glossy neck and body finishes
24.75” scale length
Large frets
EMG pickups, bridge-81 and neck-60
Secured bridge
Schecter guitar research C-1 Platinum
Mahogany body
Rosewood fingerboard
Jumbo frets
EMG81/85 humbuckers
Tune-o-matic bridge
25.5” scale length
ESP LTD EC-1000-body
Cutaways
Mahogany wood body
Satiny neck and body finishes
24.75” scale length
Great frets
Seymour Duncan pickups
Rooted bridge
ESP LTD MH-103
Vast frets
Basswood body
Floyd rose
25.5” scale length
ESP exclusive pickups
Final Words
Let us now have a quick summary of the points that contribute in making a good metal guitar.
I put in my best efforts to make this Ultimate Metal Guitar Guide as useful as I could have for you and deliver essential information avoiding the extra and not that useful stuffs.
I expect that it is handy to you too.
If you feel like I should make some changes, or don't agree with any of my points or want to share your experience feel free to let us know in the comments below.
