Sludge/Noise Rock Guitars?

[ancientbones]

So I'm joining a band that's playing heavy stuff. Sludge/Noise Rock. I'd really like a better guitar for this kind of stuff like with a stop tail.

Right now I have a cheap mexican jazzmaster that's alright but I'd rather keep it as a spare than have it be my main guitar. It has a humbucker in the bridge that I replaced with a cheap GFS PAF but it's just not a great playing guitar.

I'm trying to stick in the $600 - $850 range. Here are my ideas:

1. Charcoal Frost Jazzmaster body, thicker neck, stop tail, humbuckers or mini-hums? I like the jazzmaster shape but I also kind of want to try something different for a change.

2. Japanese Les Paul Custom. Probably an Edwards? If I don't like the stock humbuckers I'd probably go with phat cats ala Kowloon Walled City or just something for the bridge. I can't afford a real les paul custom and none of the studios I've ever played really felt worth the price. I've heard great things about the japanese copies. I'd feel a little cliche playing a les paul custom but I like the style and the sound is probably great for both noise rock and sludge stuff.

I'm a really big fan of the old Yamaha SG shape that's like the thickness of the les paul but double cut like an SG, but all of the ones I've seen on ebay are usually a little more than I want to pay or just beat to hell and have chipped necks and stuff. Things I couldn't easily fix or deal with. There are some guitars like the Reverend Sensei that look similar but none of them really do it for me.

What do you guys think?

[van_muddlestein]

I've never been a fan of les paul style guitars, but if you're into it, do it.

Fender guitars of any kind or EGC/Travis Bean guitars seem to be go to's in the genre, but you do see lots of LP's and SG's. Get what you want and fuck shit up, dude. There is no wrong answer.

[whiskey_face]

Sg. Best guitar ever.

[ancientbones]

I've never been a fan of les paul style guitars, but if you're into it, do it.

Fender guitars of any kind or EGC/Travis Bean guitars seem to be go to's in the genre, but you do see lots of LP's and SG's. Get what you want and fuck shit up, dude. There is no wrong answer.

EGCs are nice but I don't really want to wait a year. Plus the standard neck on those is waaaaay too slim for me. I like chunky necks. I guess that's my main gripe with the cheaper Les Pauls. They all have what feel like really slim necks to me.

Sg. Best guitar ever.

I do like the SG. There's a few standards on craigslist near me for $700-$750. I've never played a standard so maybe the neck's a little thicker than stuff like the SGJ? The SGJ felt really wide and really slim to me.

[odontophobia]

Long live the Telecaster.

[Kacey Y]

Long live the Telecaster.

+1, Telecaster is the bee's knees for noise rock. If it's too thin for the sludgy parts, through a rails pickup in the bridge position. No problem with the neck profile being too slim there and there's a huge inventory of affordably priced used models out there.

[t-rey]

I mean, it's nearly impossible to go wrong with a good Les Paul or SG. Having said that, when I think sludge/noise rock, I think something with p90s.

[grindonomicon]

I've got a pair of Fender 1951 Pawn Shops, that or the Squier version would make a good project guitar, the Squier has a fatter neck, the Japanese ones are so comfy. Humbucker bridge so you can Phat Cat. Neck pickups in both are good to go.

Another vote for whatever you like best, though. Noise rock bands used everything guitar-wise, those were the primo days of cheap used Fenders, Gibsons, and all the Japanese copies. Plenty of overseas bands would come to tour just to take two or three guitars home with them. All those guitars are more expensive, but you have another 20+ years of guitars added to your choices.

Heavier sludge stuff; humbuckers all the way. Find a good used guitar with good replacements, and you can sell or swap out them if you don't like them to get what you want!

[waltdogg]

Plexiglas.

[Mudfuzz]

Sg. Best guitar ever.

[rustywire]

Sludge & noise rock occupy 2 different sonic spaces in my mind.
I gotta echo the SG & Tele recs for the latter. Also anything aluminum.
Baritone Jazzmaster HH for the former.

But really...anything for anything. Effects to great effect.

[KaosCill8r]

Long live the Telecaster.

+1, Telecaster is the bee's knees for noise rock. If it's too thin for the sludgy parts, through a rails pickup in the bridge position. No problem with the neck profile being too slim there and there's a huge inventory of affordably priced used models out there.

I use a modded 71 Ibanez Tele lawsuit copy as my noise guitar. Baseball bat thick neck that feels so good. Has the original single coil pickups that I've melted the wax off for more feedback and I can also scream into them for fucked up vocal effects. Also fitted with a momentary stompswitch as a kill/stutter and a toggle switch for selecting bright and dark tone caps. I call it the slut because it's dirty and blond like Pamela Anderson or Sharon Stone.
Some would say I've ruined the resale value by modding it but to me it's a keeper so resale value is irrelevant.

[ancientbones]

Long live the Telecaster.

+1, Telecaster is the bee's knees for noise rock. If it's too thin for the sludgy parts, through a rails pickup in the bridge position. No problem with the neck profile being too slim there and there's a huge inventory of affordably priced used models out there.

I use a modded 71 Ibanez Tele lawsuit copy as my noise guitar. Baseball bat thick neck that feels so good. Has the original single coil pickups that I've melted the wax off for more feedback and I can also scream into them for fucked up vocal effects. Also fitted with a momentary stompswitch as a kill/stutter and a toggle switch for selecting bright and dark tone caps. I call it the slut because it's dirty and blond like Pamela Anderson or Sharon Stone.
Some would say I've ruined the resale value by modding it but to me it's a keeper so resale value is irrelevant.

Damn. That sounds sick. I guess I'll keep trying out guitars until I find one I like. I tried out a '71 Les Paul Deluxe yesterday that felt really good. It had a great neck but the body weighed a ton. Easily like 13 pounds. I'll try to find a good SG to play next. I suppose if that doesn't do it for me I'll shoot for a tele.

[NoLA-Riffft]

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[christianatl]

Get a Tele Deluxe or Custom.