What guitar plays like an Ibanez JS, but sounds like a PRS?

[MonstaTone]

Hey guys, 1st post here.
I have been hanging out on the Boogie Board for years, but just recently found this place. I bought a Rivera S120, which caused me to sell all of my Boogies, so I had to find a new place......

I have the following 2 guitars. I love both of them for different reasons, but am very unhappy with both of them for different reasons as well.
I have tendonitis and have found that flatter radii necks (and super thin neck profiles) cause me great discomfort, also guitars with necks that hang low are hard for me to play.

1998 Ibanez JS-1000
Edge Lo-Pro tremolo
PAF Pro in the neck, Tone Zone (alnico 8 magnet) in the bridge
Likes: It plays like a dream! The neck is super comfortable and the radius is just right! It also hangs at just the perfect angle for me. Pretty nice sustain, but not as nice as I would like. Harmonics and feedback (controlled feedback) are incredible with this guitar! The tremolo is freakishly amazing! I can beat the hell out of it and never go out of tune.
Dislikes: The body is basswood, it picks up every little noise, like the strap locks moving. It is prone to feed back in a bad way at higher gain levels. It also sounds very thin and small next to my PRS CE-22.

1994 PRS CE-22
Mahogany body w/maple top
maple bolt on neck w/rosewood fretboard
Original Dragon pickups
PRS tremolo w/aluminum block - apparently, they only made the aluminum blocks for about a year
Likes: Incredible sustain! The tone on this guitar just cuts through the band mix like a chainsaw! It plays very nicely, although not as nice as my JS. The pickups sound very good as well. This is the 1st guitar that I have owned where I did not want to change the stock pickups in some way.
Dislikes: The upper part of the body carve cuts off circulation in my right hand. No locking tremolo. I have been tempted to sand the corner edge off of the body contour and add a Floyd Rose, then I would love this guitar! The aluminum block on the stock tremolo has a very odd "Ping" sound on some notes. The trem does seem to resonate much more freely than all of my previous PRS, all of which had brass blocks.


I am hoping that someone can recommend a guitar to me that is sort of a mixture of the 2 guitars I have now.
I either need a JS style guitar, with a mahogany body, or a PRS with rounded edges and a locking tremolo.
I live on an island, so heading to my local store is out of the question. Bounty Music only carries crap import guitars and ukuleles.
I can't afford to fly to the Mainland just to find a great guitar.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[A-Bone]

Welcome to TGP!

Have you checked out Suhr guitars? You can have a guitar custom made so there is a variety of neck carves to choose from (they can even digitize and reproduce your favorite neck if you are willing to pay for it and to send them the guitar to get the specs). You can select the body wood, and they offer several silhouettes. They have a variety of pick-ups from which to choose. The build quality is superb, and John Suhr and company are great when it comes to customer service.

Perhaps more importantly, do you have a definite price range? People here can suggest all sorts of great instruments, but that won't do you any good if those instruments are well outside your range.

 

[Honk]

Is the locking trem a must? The JS6 is a rarish mahogany JS with a fixed bridge. I used to jones for one pretty bad. One was for sale here recently.

I suppose a Les Paul Axcess would sound a bit like a PRS with a locking trem, but I don't think they have the forearm contour you're looking for.

Several people of course make mahogany super strats.

 

[Defendant]

PRS with floyd and forearm contour?

http://www.prsguitars.com/setorero/

 

[luafcm]

Put the pickups from the PRS into the JS. Worth a try, no?

 

[Kaka's]

Take off the PRS pickups and put them in a new body (I'm sure you can buy an S body online of any wood you like). Then just put all the things together! You only spend the body's money.

http://www.edroman.com/guitars/ibanez/better.htm

 

[luafcm]

 

[ScottySevins]

its called paul reed ibanez' the spanish luthier

 

[bsahin]

There's a guy named Nate Perle who makes nice looking bodies like this;

http://www.perleguitars.com/custombodies.html

Order a Js body made of mahogany with "lo pro edge" trem cavity. And gather the other parts. It will be a nice journey...

 

[MonstaTone]

Right on, thanks guys!
I have been in contact with Nate Perle about a mahogany body for my JS. I love the guitar, but it just seems to me that basswood bodies sound thinner than other woods do and they tend to feed back at super high gain a little more than other guitars I have owned.

I really like the neck on the PRS as well, but the JS just seems to be the most comfortable guitar I have ever owned.

Maybe a Perle body and a Warmoth neck? Can't afford a Suhr, but after piecing a guitar together, it just might cost a small fortune as well.
I think trying the mahogany body is the most cost effective.

If you had an older PRS bolt-on neck guitar and loved the tone, but thought it needed a few changes, would you make them? I guess we never know if any piece of gear is going to be worth anything in the future, maybe it's worth a gamble.
A locking trem is not vital, but it is needed for the music that my band plays. The PRS trem bottoms out pretty easily. Maybe just a tiny route so that it can go higher?

I know it sounds erratic, but living on an island makes GAS a mother! I have to pay about $100 to ship a guitar in. If I don't like the guitar, then I sell it, but loose the shipping money, or send it back and loose shipping both ways. Either way, it adds up quickly.
Usually I try to make the most of what I find on island.

 

[sahhas]

is this even possible?
they seem like 2 entirely different guitars...
good luck!

 

[AParrotLooksAt4O]

Schecter?

 

[batsbrew]

try a carvin carved top

 

[MonstaTone]

Schecter?

I have a Schecter C-1 Classic, neck through. It is very beautiful! I hardly play it because of the flatter radius. My mechanic really wants it, so I will probably trade it for some work on my wife's car.
If it had a Floyd, I would keep it.

try a carvin carved top

I was wondering about these. Wish I could try before I buy though.

 

[snowblind56]

I was wondering about these. Wish I could try before I buy though.

You kind of can. Carvin has a 10 day return window.

 

[MonstaTone]

I almost pulled the trigger on one of the 24 fret models with a Floyd, but ended up getting my neighbor's PRS instead.
If I don't like it, I am out $200 for shipping to and from Hawaii.
Plus, I would still be tempted to sand the upper carve down a little.
I did that on my McCarty, thinking that I would never want to sell it. Now, I want to sell it and am stuck with it.......

What do you guys think about the Carvin's quality?
Is it on the same level as modern PRS?
Is it on the same level as imported PRS (SE Torero)?
Is it on the same level as an older CE (bolt-on neck) model PRS?

Is it on the same level as the "Prestige" Ibanez?

 

[batsbrew]

I have a Schecter C-1 Classic, neck through. It is very beautiful! I hardly play it because of the flatter radius. My mechanic really wants it, so I will probably trade it for some work on my wife's car.
If it had a Floyd, I would keep it.


I was wondering about these. Wish I could try before I buy though.

yep, with their return policy, it's dirt easy.

and totally worth it.
and you can get dozens of configurations, the carved top CT624 model is probably closest to a PRS, and they have single cuts as well


i prefer their DC series ( i have an older DC200K )

and if you like bolt ons, look at their contour series
http://www.carvinguitars.com/catalog/guitars/c66