Need advice on good cheap drop tune Guitar

Hi,
My band is doing more with drop D tuning on a 6 string..and I love my floyd rose eqiuped guitars..but they arent right for this genre.
The tuning is always a little off,,,and Id rather have a tigher,qiucker axe with no spring noise.
because I dont have alot of money...what do you recomend???
The emg (85 and SA are working for me)...just need that stop tailpiece axe that sounds good, isnt expensive and doesnt weigh to much..and if it looks reasonable thats a plus.
Thanks for any advice.

Whats your budget?

I had an ESP ec400 for awhile and it was a great value les paul drop d machine- super fast action, great looks....solid tone, not quite gibson thick, but much better playability and intonation

The schecters are a good sounding reliable git-fiddle and a good value too.
They have string thru models too

My budget is under 400 USD.
I saw an Ibanez ART100 in white and it looked good...was nice and light (despit supposed mahogany body and neck). Sound? Couldnt tell...didnt have an amp handy. But I can get it for $300 new.
The Schecters and ESP will cost more..are they worth it? Does string thru body REALLY make any difference in tone?
I would think the pickups have most of the influence.
Any advice appreciatted.
GtrGeorge

say anybody hear the Ibanez active pickups on the ART400? Heard a guy playin em at a store..seemd real nice thru a Satriani amp. Am I nuts?

My second guitar i use in D standard tuning is a ESP LTD MH-400NT. i got it set up in 10-52 so i could do drop C when i want and i love it. the quality is there for the price. used can run from $400-500. Plus the 18v EMG mod made it killer sounding.

LTD 400 series and up, i've had good experiences with. i used to own the FX-400 and EC-2005.

hope it helps

ever thought about grabbing 1 of your guitars and just blocking the trem?

easy and cheap way of getting a Floyd equipped guitar to a stable drop tuning
piece of wood and some glue/screws, thicker strings if prefered, done!

i had a schecter omen once( ran it over with my car ) i think i payed like 300 bucks maybe, but with an emg 81 it killed i couldn't beleive it. it had some passive stocker in it and it wasn't all that bad either, but big sound with the emg in it, you can't go wrong with a schecter

I thought about blocking a trem...but its a hassle..and the Fr will still probably suck tone and add spring noises.
I tried an Ibanez AR100..in white..looked great but the pegs sucked, the nut was cut poorly and it wouldnt hold its tune...oh yeah and the pickups wuld need replacing. For $300, it seemed nice till I actaully A/Bd it against my Strat with emgs...not good enuff to make me buy the Ar100.
The better version of the AR seems usable..but anoth200-300 more in price.
PS: I saw a used ESP EC-100 the other ..NICE..but it was already owned.
******!

How do you feel about explorer shapes?
http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/ESP-LTD-FX260-Spalted-Maple?sku=512886#new
MF has them used as well, and you'll occasionally find a used one on eBay.

Then there's the EC 256
http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/ESP-LTD-FX260-Spalted-Maple?sku=512886#new

Both will need a switch to actives, but are great values, especially used.

MorgMetal666 said:

LTD 400 series and up, i've had good experiences with. i used to own the FX-400 and EC-2005.

Click to expand...

Agreed, if you go LTD, make sure to get 400 series or up.

If you don't mind, try going used and you'll get great deals

For EMG's, check Jackson MG series, Schecter Damien series (passive EMGs), some Schecter Hellraiser series, lots of ESP/LTD (400 series and up! ) and Cort (passive EMGs).

For non-EMG's, check PRS SE series, Ibanez RG fixed series or Epiphone.

I've probably forgotten tons of other brands, but it's early, please excuse me.

I plan on buying used. And so far I am not gonna go with anything pointy. They won't sit on a stand...you cant play em in bed, and you cant find a small case for them.
I love my 1976 Ibanez destroyer..but one pointy beast is enough.

This time I thnk Im gonna get an ESP shaped like a Paul, or an Ibanez of similar shape. I just wish the Ibanez sounded better..the AR100 really sucked..the on that I played.
be aware, Im just dropping to Drop D...nothing to crazy, doing the EMG type thing (or similar pickups).
GtrGeorge

LTD EC 400 with EMGs it is, then?

Cheap is the quality of a product, not its price.

I'm sure he meant to type "Affordable"

yes, I meant affordable.

The LTD EC-400 is a discontinued model that has been replaced by the 401. Any 400's you see in stores have been around a while and they probably want to move them, so you could snag one for within your budget.

Oh, the Viper 400 will be less. Same scale, 81/85 pickups.

I wouldn't worry about the scale that much for drop D. I've got a 24" scale in drop C. No problems.

Julia said:

The LTD EC-400 is a discontinued model that has been replaced by the 401. Any 400's you see in stores have been around a while and they probably want to move them, so you could snag one for within your budget.

Oh, the Viper 400 will be less. Same scale, 81/85 pickups.

I wouldn't worry about the scale that much for drop D. I've got a 24" scale in drop C. No problems.

Click to expand...

Amon Amarth tune their Gibsons to B standard Anything lower though, you'll need a longer scale, especially to play faster stuff.

Shinozoku said:

Julia said:

The LTD EC-400 is a discontinued model that has been replaced by the 401. Any 400's you see in stores have been around a while and they probably want to move them, so you could snag one for within your budget.

Oh, the Viper 400 will be less. Same scale, 81/85 pickups.

I wouldn't worry about the scale that much for drop D. I've got a 24" scale in drop C. No problems.

Click to expand...

Amon Amarth tune their Gibsons to B standard Anything lower though, you'll need a longer scale, especially to play faster stuff.

Click to expand...

Sorry, but Sunn0))) has got them beat. They tune down to E with Gibsons. Then again they only play 1 note per millenium so the flub doesnt bug them.