Members LGK_Dude Posted June 11, 2012 Members Share Posted June 11, 2012 I just read this review on the PRS 245 and the reviewer mentioned this guitar is "not brilliantly suited to shredders," & "shredders should move along," etc, which got me thinking, what exactly makes a guitar good for a shredder? And are there really guitars that can make you "faster?" Would this PRS SE 245 really make you "slower?" Granted I'm a new guitarist and looking at the PRS SE 245 as my first guitar, so I'm no where near a shredder, but I do want to play decent fast lead lines, thus the question. Thanks in advance for the reply! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members billybilly Posted June 11, 2012 Members Share Posted June 11, 2012 Playing fast has nothing to do with what type of guitar it is. They are probably referring to the neck not being paper thin or the radius really flat which is more common amongst the "shredder" style of guitar. Plenty of fast players have used fat Les Paul necks and the like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Canadian Jeff Posted June 11, 2012 Members Share Posted June 11, 2012 Don't believe 99% of what you read online when it comes to gear. You can shred on anything so long as you like the way it feels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members budalash Posted June 11, 2012 Members Share Posted June 11, 2012 If you can shred, you can shred, simple as...Regardless of the guitar. Except for the YJM Fender. I tried that guitar in Frankfurt at the Fender booth, and I honestly have no idea how that guy can play anything on that guitar... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members honeyiscool Posted June 11, 2012 Members Share Posted June 11, 2012 Any competent guitar can be used for any style, but some guitars are built for more fancy guitar pyrotechnics. "Shredder" "features" include: 1. Streamlined, thin, often pointy bodies, often with gaudy finishes. 2. A flatter neck radius and usually slimmer neck profile. 3. A locking vibrato bridge (or a hardtail bridge). 4. High output pickups, often active pickups such as EMG 81/85. 5. Often made of lightweight woods, such as basswood. So a guitar like this (which has all of the above): That said, plenty of people shred on vintage Stratocasters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AxAxSxS Posted June 11, 2012 Members Share Posted June 11, 2012 Shredder is one of those misused terms used by players of limited ability to describe playing they feel they cannot master. I've been called a "shredder" by band mates and I consider myself a mediocre player. The only thing that might stop a solo intensive player fro liking a prs is if they like to abuse their trem. A guitar equipped with a floyd would hold tune better under heavy use Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundcreation Posted June 11, 2012 Members Share Posted June 11, 2012 there is a vid somewhere of michael angelo batio shredding on every model dean makes....les paul style, prs style etc..... Yngwie shreds better than anyone on a strat someone who can shred well can shred well on any guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitar_face Posted June 11, 2012 Members Share Posted June 11, 2012 If people like John McLaughlin and Al Di Meola can play the way they play on steel strings and nylons/classicals then 'shred-related' guitar qualities are superfluous as far as I care. Plus a 245 looks infinitely better than a JEM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members primemover12 Posted June 11, 2012 Members Share Posted June 11, 2012 what exactly makes a guitar good for a shredder? And are there really guitars that can make you "faster?" Would this PRS SE 245 really make you "slower?" Mike Keneally convinced me a long time ago that, if you're good enough, you can shred on just about any guitar if it's decently set up. In my experience, it is a bit easier to play "shred" on super-strat than on other guitars. I'd compare it to the difference between wearing shoes made for walking and shoes made for track running. Can you run in regular old "sneakers"? Of course. But you might be faster and a bit more comfortable in shoes built for the job of running track. Honeyiscool nailed the description of a "shred guitar" pretty well. By the same token, "shred" guitars are not well suited to other tasks. That wide flat fretboard for sweep picking and tapping runs is not as comfortable for chording. Those high output pickups are great for artificial harmonics and really pushing the amp, but they may be {censored} for jazz or blues. The double-locking bridge requires a bit more labor when restringing and tuning and may cost you sustain and stability if you like to rest your hand on the bridge while playing. I personally gave up on PRS guitars because they felt like a one-size-fits-all guitar that was ok at a lot but great at very little. The necks aren't as fast and the pickups aren't as good as the ones you find on the high end super-strats (USA Jacksons, J-Custom Ibanez), and I still prefer a Les Paul for slower blues/rock stuff. That said, I guarantee you can play fast on a PRS if you want to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rand-O-Monium Posted June 11, 2012 Members Share Posted June 11, 2012 By the same token, "shred" guitars are not well suited to other tasks. That wide flat fretboard for sweep picking and tapping runs is not as comfortable for chording. Those high output pickups are great for artificial harmonics and really pushing the amp, but they may be shit for jazz or blues. The double-locking bridge requires a bit more labor when restringing and tuning and may cost you sustain and stability if you like to rest your hand on the bridge while playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Help!I'maRock! Posted June 11, 2012 Members Share Posted June 11, 2012 this is my "shred" guitar: i have never shredded a day on it, it has low output pups, and sounds great clean. i just like the way it plays. this is my PRS: it has the same neck pickup as on the Ibanez. the neck is fuller, the scale is slightly shorter, and the fretboard has a rounder radius. both guitars are pretty interchangeable and sound great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kayd_mon Posted June 11, 2012 Members Share Posted June 11, 2012 Any competent guitar can be used for any style, but some guitars are built for more fancy guitar pyrotechnics. "Shredder" "features" include: 1. Streamlined, thin, often pointy bodies, often with gaudy finishes. 2. A flatter neck radius and usually slimmer neck profile. 3. A locking vibrato bridge (or a hardtail bridge). 4. High output pickups, often active pickups such as EMG 81/85. 5. Often made of lightweight woods, such as basswood. So a guitar like this (which has all of the above): That said, plenty of people shred on vintage Stratocasters. Best description, right here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members primemover12 Posted June 11, 2012 Members Share Posted June 11, 2012 Pretty sure that abortion in your avatar disqualifies you from facepalming in all non-malt-liquor-related threads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cheezit66 Posted June 11, 2012 Members Share Posted June 11, 2012 Any competent guitar can be used for any style, but some guitars are built for more fancy guitar pyrotechnics. "Shredder" "features" include:1. Streamlined, thin, often pointy bodies, often with gaudy finishes.2. A flatter neck radius and usually slimmer neck profile.3. A locking vibrato bridge (or a hardtail bridge).4. High output pickups, often active pickups such as EMG 81/85.5. Often made of lightweight woods, such as basswood. I'd add that the natural voice of typical 'shredder' guitars is usually biased toward the fundamental (rather than complex overtones) and has a quick attack. And in my experience that's a great recipe for clean jazz tone as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rand-O-Monium Posted June 11, 2012 Members Share Posted June 11, 2012 Pretty sure that abortion in your avatar disqualifies you from facepalming in all non-malt-liquor-related threads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LGK_Dude Posted June 11, 2012 Author Members Share Posted June 11, 2012 Thanks guys. So starting out any decent guitar will do, and there are plenty of fast players playing all sorts of guitars (which is always a great reminder - its not the gear but the player) but I do like primemovers analogy of running shoes. I felt this way when I moved from my first saxophone to a professional sax. All of a sudden my playing speed went up due to the action of the horn, not to mention the tone of the older brass, etc. I would imagine its the same experience for guitars, and if I ever get to the point when I want to really "shred" I'll look at another guitar. Maybe one of these? http://www.epiphone.com/Products/Les-Paul/Prophecy-Les-Paul-Custom-Plus-GX.aspx Thanks for listing the features of a shred guitar honeyiscool! I'll keep those in mind when I go window shopping. It will actually be really fun to compare different style guitars and see if I, in my beginning stage, notice any difference at all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members honeyiscool Posted June 11, 2012 Members Share Posted June 11, 2012 I think there are plenty of fast playing Les Pauls out there. The key, usually, is a slim neck profile, a good slim Gibson-style neck is a wonder to play. A good Les Paul has everything you need to play fast, just that it's usually a bit heavier guitar, but that's not a bad thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jds22 Posted June 11, 2012 Members Share Posted June 11, 2012 Shredding has nothing to do with the type of guitar. Pick up a classical guitar. The necks are huge, the strings are far apart, and the frets are small but good classical players can shred like nobody's business. My advice, get a decent quality guitar that feels comfortable in your hands and ignore labels like "shredder" or "blues" guitar etc. The SE 245 would be a great guitar for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Brewski Posted June 12, 2012 Members Share Posted June 12, 2012 Mr. Les Paul was an original electric Guitarist Shredder!! that said - I think a shred guitar needs 24 frets for 2 octave areas but Brad Paisley Shreds like a beast on a Tele. Shredding is a style but truth is guitars with articulation and even toned output pickups are best so you can go ferom low notes thru high E 24th fret with pinch harmonics and even note tone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LGK_Dude Posted June 12, 2012 Author Members Share Posted June 12, 2012 guitars with articulation and even toned output pickups... I dont understand what this means? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JRicoC Posted June 12, 2012 Members Share Posted June 12, 2012 Pretty sure that abortion in your avatar disqualifies you from facepalming in all non-malt-liquor-related threads... I didn't understand most of the discourse in this thread, and I have nothing to advance the thread, but I have to say: that's a great line ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 1001gear Posted June 12, 2012 Members Share Posted June 12, 2012 I dont understand what this means? I think he means pick ups with sensitive response to articulation like hamonics and other inflection yet have uniform frequency response. IE pre fancied for fancy playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tonyb300 Posted November 25, 2015 Members Share Posted November 25, 2015 Long time PRS player and fusion shredder fan and I have to go against the grain here, most have replied that it doesn't matter what axe you play, if you can shred, you can shred. While this may be true to some extent, top notch players can make any guitar sound good, some guitars lend to ripping around on the fretboard better than others. I have a PRS hollobody that I can solo on but it's more of a jazzy/bluesy instrument that produces great chording tones and clean jazz lines, and I have PRS 408 that although it play chords well and has spot on intonation, but when I pick it up I just peel out with fusion chops. Jds22 gives good advice with "quality guitar that feels good in your hands", the better it feels to you the more you will play it.....and the better you'll get at shredding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jtr654 Posted November 26, 2015 Members Share Posted November 26, 2015 It's the player NOT the guitar! Any guitar can be used for any type of music when talking about electric guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AJ6stringsting Posted November 27, 2015 Members Share Posted November 27, 2015 A few years back, I sat in with a band, the guitarist was kind enough to let me use his beautiful PRS 24 fret custom to do faithful covers of Yngwie Malsteen's , "I' ll See The Light Tonight", " Deja Vu" and Ozzy's " Bark at the Moon" .... Any guitar will take you anywhere you need to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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