Tell Me About Pointy Guitars

[Roberteaux]

...and why I need one.

I've been watching a lot of music vids lately, and see that there are a lot of pointy guitars that sound really cool. I'm talking about Hamers, Jacksons, Charvels (to a lesser extent) and even that old workhorse, the Gibson Flying V.

Tell me what your favorite pointy guitars are, post 'em up if you've got 'em, and tell me what you like about them!

Thanks in advance!

--R

[Shred Astaire]

I've got a flying V....its really comfortable to play...even sitting down. I love the neck on it and it sounds like a f'n beast!!!



But pointy guitars ain't for everyone....so I wouldn't say you need one. Go play some and decide if you need one!

[Roberteaux]

Thanks, Shred...

Looks like a friend of mine is going to bring a Gibson V over to my house early next week. He loves his, and I've heard a local band whose guitarist uses one... sounds very nice through a Marshall!

--R

[Skintaster]

I don't have a lot of particularly "pointy" guitars, but do prefer 80's style superstrats, and that's mostly what I play.

They just work best for the kind of playing I mostly do, and are really adaptable to almost any style.

Here's one:



I guess my 1978 Iceman is "sort of" pointy, but I think of it as having more of a "sensual curve", vintage 70's porno kind of vibe:



I do really liek some of the more extreme looking metal axes though.

[diceman]

Yes on the Iceman - I loosely associate mine with being in the SG/LP realm as opposed to the Strat realm (which most pointy guitars fall into)

My '81...

[Skintaster]

Originally Posted by diceman

Yes on the Iceman - I loosely associate mine with being in the SG/LP realm as opposed to the Strat realm (which most pointy guitars fall into)

My '81...

Beauty!

[benjammin420]

I used to have an Epiphone Flying V, it was a sweet guitar with lots of "mojo". I got bored with it though and sold it. I've been GASing for an Explorer lately, similar in tone, but a bit more beefy, and it is a much more balanced instrument, which makes it a hell of a lot more comfortable to play

[Malikon]

Originally Posted by Shred Astaire

I've got a flying V....its really comfortable to play...even sitting down. I love the neck on it and it sounds like a f'n beast!!!



But pointy guitars ain't for everyone....so I wouldn't say you need one. Go play some and decide if you need one!

rounded edges, not pointy. You're safe.

Don't even look at the Pointy Guitars Rob. ...... don't even look at them.


But if you must, check out the Dean V's, Razorbacks, the BCRich Warlocks/Warbeasts. Those seem to be the most popular ones.

I grew up playing them in my teens, I think it's why I don't care for them now. Nothing to me feels or sounds like an LP.

Like it or not my first real electric was an LP,...guess it got in the blood and I had to come back to them someday. I played a ton of gits in the meantime but I always seem to come back to the LP.

It's 'the one',...even on days I wish it weren't.

[Lyrica]

I don't currently own one, but I started on Ibanez guitars. And they are some of the pointiest. I forget the model numbers, but one was like a 500 dollar yellow one with floyd rose, and the next one was a 900 dollar one that was purple and had a higher grade floyd rose. both those guitars would stay in tune like crazy no matter what i did with hte whammy bar. dive bombs were soooo easy. and the necks were a lot like my goddess' 60's neck but more so, slim trim and fast like lighting. too bad my fingers couldn't keep up hahahahaha. i may get myself anotehr ibanez at some point. i think eventuallly i'm going to learn to shred and i wanna pointy guitar for that.

[diceman]

Originally Posted by Skintaster

Beauty!

Thanks - yours too!

[River]

Steve Miller made the Iceman famous.

River will make the Melody Maker "V" famous, just like Grandma Moses made, uh, wait, lemme think...old lady painters famous. Yeah, that's the ticket.



Zakk Wylde single-handedly pretty much ruined the Les Paul. Ted Nugent is doing the same to big, honking, hollow-bodies. If I were Roberteaux, I'd stick with elegantly-finished Strats.

[Skintaster]

Originally Posted by Nicole Rose

I don't currently own one, but I started on Ibanez guitars. And they are some of the pointiest. I forget the model numbers, but one was like a 500 dollar yellow one with floyd rose, and the next one was a 900 dollar one that was purple and had a higher grade floyd rose. both those guitars would stay in tune like crazy no matter what i did with hte whammy bar. dive bombs were soooo easy. and the necks were a lot like my goddess' 60's neck but more so, slim trim and fast like lighting. too bad my fingers couldn't keep up hahahahaha. i may get myself anotehr ibanez at some point. i think eventuallly i'm going to learn to shred and i wanna pointy guitar for that.

I have a older Ibanez RG550, with the "wizard neck", and it's hard for me to conceive of a a "faster" neck for hard rock or metal playing styles.

They tend to break REALLY easily too... Easier than the famous Les Paul headstock breaks.

[Skintaster]

Originally Posted by River

Steve Miller made the Iceman famous.

River will make the Melody Maker "V" famous, just like Grandma Moses made, uh, wait, lemme think...old lady painters famous. Yeah, that's the ticket.



Zakk Wylde single-handedly pretty much ruined the Les Paul. Ted Nugent is doing the same to big, honking, hollow-bodies. If I were Roberteaux, I'd stick with elegantly-finished Strats.

That's true. Steve Miller famously though the Les Pauls of the period were garbage, and played early Icemans instead. I can only say that the 78 I own has a really special feel, and is an extremely high quality guitar. It was the budget Iceman too, and I'd put it up against much more expensive instruments, including my Les Pauls. The neck on it is amazing.

And yes. Whenever I think of blue V Melody Makers, I'll think of you Riv.

[diceman]

Originally Posted by Skintaster

...I can only say that the 78 I own has a really special feel, and is an extremely high quality guitar. It was the budget Iceman too, and I'd put it up against much more expensive instruments, including my Les Pauls. The neck on it is amazing.

And yes. Whenever I think of blue V Melody Makers, I'll think of you Riv.

Agreed on all points (changing 78 to 81).

[nbeersiii]

The SG is as pointy as I get but in the world of companies that make pointy guitars the Jackson Dominion is really cool. Has that sorta classic guitar look and comes with Duncan 59s. Its some dudes sig guitar and I think they are pretty heavy but he still uses 59s. Those are NOT metal pickups but this dude seems to make them work. Its probrably more the amps that will get you that sound rather a pointy guitar. A pawnshop that I buy alot of stuff from GAVE me a Randell 2x12 combo. I cant remeber the model but it had celestions in it and it was a metal amp for sure. Any guitar I played through it sounded like pantera.

[Phil-E the G-Shizzle]

This is about as pointy as I like

[Skintaster]

To me (Just my opinion) "pointy guitars" are kind of embodied by instruments like the Jackson King V:



And yes, I want one of those some day.

[TKOjams]

I've had a few, but never really bonded with some of them.

long gone


file photo, I have no picts of the one I had
Long gone


do pointy headstocks count?

I still own it, but never play it, I hate maple fret boards.
A gift from my Wife, before se was my wife



Loved this guitar, but traded it in on my first les paul.
Been looking for another one for years.



Bought this one with a seperated neck joint.
haven't played it much.

[Hairless_Ape]

Pointy guitars, you say? The perfect guitar, I say.

[northernguitarguy]

My SG has pointy horns and is a beast, but I sure would like to play River's V and Skin's Iceman

[Hairless_Ape]

That is one sweet PacMan guitar, northernguitarguy.

[benjammin420]

SGs are great guitars too (albeit less pointy than some others), it was getting mine that made me bored with the V (more comfortable to play too)

[Roberteaux]

Thanks, y'all... lots of great guitar pr0n here!

Originally Posted by Skintaster

I do really like some of the more extreme looking metal axes though.

Some of them are very interesting to behold, that's for sure...

Originally Posted by Malikon

rounded edges, not pointy. You're safe.

Don't even look at the Pointy Guitars Rob. ...... don't even look at them.


But if you must, check out the Dean V's, Razorbacks, the BCRich Warlocks/Warbeasts. Those seem to be the most popular ones.

I looked!

Man, some of those guitars are... wild as hell!

This thread came about as a result of me watching videos of the band Living Colour all day today... and I thought Vernon Reid's Hamer looked cool... but then realized I know nothing about such guitars. All mine are very old school and traditional...

Originally Posted by River

Steve Miller made the Iceman famous.

River will make the Melody Maker "V" famous, just like Grandma Moses made, uh, wait, lemme think...old lady painters famous. Yeah, that's the ticket.

You already made it famous with me, anyway. I never knew there was such an instrument!

If I were Roberteaux, I'd stick with elegantly-finished Strats.

That, I think, is precisely what I am gonna do. Really, this wasn't a GAS thread anyway-- I've got the ones I really want. But again: I know very, very little about some of the alternative instruments, and figured this thread would be a cool way for me to learn a bit more about them.

Between the Martin, my 339, and my Strat, I really figured I have what I need. The LP and 335 are just gravy... can't see myself ever buying another guitar.

Cool lookin' Melody Maker V, though!

--R

[Malikon]

agreed I will always think of blue MM V's as "Rivers Guitar."

[cooljuk]

Wait, you've been watching MUSIC VIDEOS and assuming that the guitars you see are what's actually played in the recording? Wowboy.

Videos:





Recording:

[dave1234]

they are fun to look at and usually play like butter. im a real sucker for hamer standards and charvrel model 2's. some days i just get the urge to crank the gain and rock out to some dokken, ratt,what have you.. this dkm2 is the closest thing i have to a pointy guitar currently...

[Roberteaux]

Originally Posted by cooljuk

Wait, you've been watching MUSIC VIDEOS and assuming that the guitars you see are what's actually played in the recording? Wowboy.

Well, when I'm watching a video of them playing live, I do tend to assume that the guitar they're playing is the one I am hearing... unless it's Milli Vanilli, anyway.

Great pics! Thanks!

--R

[Mr Insane]

Explorers are the only really pointy guitars I like(unless you're counting the SG).

I don't really consider guitars like the sg, strats, etc. to be pointy guitars.

[River]

Originally Posted by Malikon

agreed I will always think of blue MM V's as "Rivers Guitar."

[Roberteaux]

Originally Posted by Mr Insane

I don't really consider guitars like the sg, strats, etc. to be pointy guitars.

They weren't the ones I was thinking of when I created this thread. But that was kind of me just sort of overlooking the ones I am used to seeing.

--R

ETA: although the pointy headstock on Vernon Reid's Hamer did put it into the "pointy" realm. Mainly, though, I was interested in the newer models that I know nothing about...