clubsandwich

Hello UG.

(This is my first time posting so sorry if I'm in the wrong section of the forums)

I was hoping to get your advice on if I should purchase an Ibanez Halberd ([forbidden link]) or a LTD f50 ([forbidden link])

First of all, let me say that I'm VERY new to playing guitar (I can only play a few select rifs from A7X and In Flames). I'm so new that I can't even hear the difference between a neck or a bridge pickup >.>. I do currently own a Gio Ibanez, but that was a hand me down from my brother and I really want my own new guitar. I've pretty much narrowed it down to these two, buy I'm not sure which one is better. I've fooled around a bit with each guitar, and I really like how they both sound, feel, play, and look. The only thing tipping the scales either way is that the Escape The Fate guitarist uses the Halberd. I was hoping to get an expert opinion on which of these guitars would be better to buy.

tl;dr Ibanez Halberd or LTD f50?

RJH11

The Ibanez will get you farther and is better quality in my opinion and im no expert just my
thought.

halfj06

I had a very poor experience with an f 50 .. it was used so ill give it the benifit of doubt that others are better.. id go with the ibanez though.. all that being said, if you don't have a decent amp upgrade that first.. gio's aren't awful

W4RP1G

I had an F50. It had a dead note(high fret), terrible pickups, and a bad tuner. I upgraded the pickups and tuners and leveled the frets. It was a killer guitar after that, but I wouldn't recommend one to someone who's not going to be doing those upgrades. Also, agathis isn't a body wood that I would recommend that to someone that wants a guitar with a crisp attack(not sure if they still use agathis though).

I don't know anything about that Ibanez Halberd, but I'm willing to bet that the F50 isn't an upgrade from a Gio. You ought to try and find a used Korean guitar. Samick, Ibanez, LTD, Schecter, ect., just something made in Korea instead of China.

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clubsandwich

Thanks for the advice! Yeah I wasn't planing on doing any sort of upgrading to either my amp or guitar (at least not yet). I've also heard that Ibanez is a very good company, looks like I'll be going with that one!

clubsandwich

Would you consider the F50 to be a "cheap" guitar? Not in terms of price, but in terms of breakability?

W4RP1G

I don't think it will break in half or anything. But it does feel cheaply made.

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Homemade pickup winder!

halfj06

When I played the used f50 at guitar center the input jack pushed in the body, I cut myself enough to bleed on a fret sticking out and their was a crack in the neck pocket.. hands.down the worst guitar I've ever touched

clubsandwich

Damn. That guitar is just sounding worse and worse.

halfj06

Are you 100% stuck on those two? To be honest , unless you have alot of cash to spend typically extreme.shapped guitars kinda suck.. there exceptions and I've never played a halberd.

clubsandwich

Well I don't like "normal" shaped guitars very much (SG's, RG's and the like). But I also don't like super extremely shaped ones because I'm afraid of growing out of those shapes. But I feel like the Halberd and the f50 are both a good medium in-between normal and extreme shaped guitars.

I'm not 100% stuck on these two, but I do really like them both, and they've both gotten good reviews from what I've read.

But as I read more peoples responses in this thread, it seems like the Halberd is the better choice.

halfj06

Ibanez does make some of the better guitars in almost any price range

clubsandwich

Has anyone here ever tried and/or owned a Halberd?

Offworld92

They just came out... so not likely.

In my experience, Ibanez is a safer bet in the lower price ranges. I've only played an F-50 once for a minute or so, but I used to own a V-50, and I wouldn't recommend it. It had a poor fretjob and less case by case, the block neck heel on LTDs is awful. Not sure if they've changed it recently or anything.

Most people grow out of the want for extreme shapes. Years ago I was considering getting a Warlock, Jackson Warrior or even an Ibanez XPT, and now I am extremely glad that I didn't. They're a pain in the ass to find cases for and the whole flashiness is just extremely opposite from my personality.

You may be different, but it's pretty generally a new guitarist phase. Obviously you should get whatever appeals to you now, but if you do, all I can recommend is that you buy used, so if you ever want to, you can sell and break even financially. That advice really applies to everything gear related though, as we all grow and change in tastes and tone. That said, I also do understand the desire to buy new, and for me at least, that was also a phase.

Not really trying to convince you or change your mind, just giving you the experiences from someone who has been a guitarist for a little while (7 years).

__________________
In your mind, you can fly.

HUMANIZER

This isn't 1968. Use the volume knob.

Main Rig
Ibanez | S420 |
LTD | EC-1000 |
Peavey | 6505 | MS412 |
Boss | TU-3 | CS-3 | GT-10 | SD-1 | NS-2 |

clubsandwich

Yeah, I figured I would grow out of the Warlock/Explorer shapes as I got older. I figured the Halberd was a less extreme shape. I've also heard that it can play other genres besides metal well (like blues) so if/when I get tired of that kind of music I can still use the guitar to play whatever new music I may be into. I appreciate the advice though, especially coming from someone with a lot of experience.

Dayn

I used to be into 'extreme' shapes like many, and like many I grew out of them.

But the Halberd still kicks so much arse. Look at it! It's 'extreme', but it looks so damn classy in white! I'm aching for one myself.

As for what you can play on it, that mostly depends on how you shape your tone. With some tweaking, you can get good tones out of almost anything for everything.

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Ibanez RG2228 w/ EMG808Xs | Line 6 POD HD500 | Mackie HD1221

Offworld92

Any guitar can play any genre. The player and the amp dictate the genre. The guitar is just there to facilitate that interaction (basically it's job is to be comfortable, and aesthetically motivating).

__________________
In your mind, you can fly.

HUMANIZER

This isn't 1968. Use the volume knob.

Main Rig
Ibanez | S420 |
LTD | EC-1000 |
Peavey | 6505 | MS412 |
Boss | TU-3 | CS-3 | GT-10 | SD-1 | NS-2 |