Can't decide.. Wasburn N4 or Adrian Smith JAckson signature

[Kapo_Polenton]

Anyone have any experience with either of these or both? I 'm in the mood for a floyd and an ebony board on the neck. I remember playing the N4 and loving it back in the 90's but I never owned one. My playing style is along the lines of the nuno's, John Norum, Demartini, Shenker type playing so I thought both these are versatile. (and yeah Adrian Smith was my fav. Maiden guitarist.. smokes Gers and Murray for me but that is a whole diff convo) Does the N4 come stock with split coils so you can get some twang out of it in addition to the humbucker growl? Anyone have the Jackson? Anything you don't like? As the canuck dollar is at a good place right now, I'm thinking now is the time to buy seeing as i have the funds..

[Punch Drunk]

I used to have an N4 and I really liked it. It doesn't come with a coil tap but you can easily put one in using a push/pull knob. It can get a little twangy in the middle position if you clean up your amp a little.
I'd say the only down side to the N4 is the size. It's a little smaller than a standard strat size so if you're a bigger dude then the guitar will look tiny on ya.
I've never played the Maiden strat but they do look nice.

[KazJY]

The Nuno's got bigger frets (and a chunkier neck than I was used to - ). I'd have one of it weren't for that. If you haven't played one, make sure this is comfy for you.

[Dave L]

The N4 never felt right to me, which the Smith definitely does. But I´ve played a SL1 for ten years, so I´m pretty familiar with the Jackson USA feel... the radius, frets, the way they do the neck shapes and so on.

I also dislike the Lawrence humbucker in the Nunos, to me those 500XL´s are cold and fizzy. The Super Distortion is a lot better to my ears, even if it is a bit too midrange centered.

To be honest I think that the USA Washburns I have tried are overpriced, I just don´t get that warm and fuzzy feeling of smooth quality that other alternatives in that market give me.

[Kapo_Polenton]

What are some of the other alternatives? Also the jackson is virtually impossible to find around here so i am not sure i can try one out. What is the neck like?Thick? I am not a fan of really thin necks..

[shasha]

Originally Posted by Kapo_Polenton

What are some of the other alternatives? Also the jackson is virtually impossible to find around here so i am not sure i can try one out. What is the neck like?Thick? I am not a fan of really thin necks..

I'm not real sure about the profile on the Adrian Smith version, but if it's like a Soloist it's fairly thin. Not quite Ibanez Wizard thin; perhaps between a 60's Gibson profile and a Wizard. The fretboard has a very flat radius too.

Oh yeah and the frets are huge. It's not really what I go for, but it's a fun guitar and does what it's supposed to pretty well.

Originally Posted by Dave L

The N4 never felt right to me, which the Smith definitely does. But I´ve played a SL1 for ten years, so I´m pretty familiar with the Jackson USA feel... the radius, frets, the way they do the neck shapes and so on.

I also dislike the Lawrence humbucker in the Nunos, to me those 500XL´s are cold and fizzy. The Super Distortion is a lot better to my ears, even if it is a bit too midrange centered.

To be honest I think that the USA Washburns I have tried are overpriced, I just don´t get that warm and fuzzy feeling of smooth quality that other alternatives in that market give me.

How close is the Super Distortion to a Duncan JB? The Super Distortion is on my short list of pickups to swap with my JB and if it's really mid heavy and bassless I'm going to cross it off.