Haha, I switched from the Jazz III to the Tortex Jazz. I think the Tortex Jazz is just a wee bit bigger than the Jazz III. I prefer the Tortex Jazz because I find that the grip is better (the Jazz III tends to slip if I play for more than half-an-hour).

Jazz III, especially the red one, is a bit too plasticky feeling for my taste...

Yeah, crush Dunlop's name with your thumb!

Wah... nice looking bass. Any idea what brand/model?

Yeah, the balance on the RR3 is a bit top heavy. But you get used to it after a while and you'll learn how to compensate for it sub-consciously...

I agree with Blacktrix, it's gonna be hard to avoid knocking the pointy end into things when you first get it. I smacked my pointy end into the wall on like the 2nd day I got the thing, and it got chipped.

bolt-on, as skydancer says. The joint is a bit on the bulky side, though. 20th fret is easy to access, but the 22nd fret can be a difficult if you're playing fast. Hehe, I'm ditching my RR3 for an Ibanez with 24 frets and the AANJ joint, so I won't have to worry about upper fret access any more.

The tuning-stability is good, if you have the trem set up properly and you know how to install strings correctly. I don't use the whammy much so I'm not sure if it can keep in tune after some serious dive-bombing...

My RR3 is the 2004 model, I think... the one which came with Duncan-Designed Detonators (horrible imitations of the SD Invader). Swapped them with EMG81/85 and never looked back.

The sound? Bloody high output (read- ub3rmassive amounts of gain), trebley (the 85 is a bit less bright than the 81 tho) and "mechanical". The 81 is great for metal-chainsaw-massacre riffing... hehe... yet the 85 can sound very sweet as a neck pup on the RR3.

Seriously, I thought EMG passives are supposed to be quite crappy?

You're bringing your RR3 for the Gathering right? Would love to hear how the JB sounds like in it.

And bloody hell, yours is the one with transparent black finish right? Mine has the flat black finish... Bentley didn't have the transparent finishes back then...

Errr... I doubt it if you got yours with the SDs. This was back in Jan 2004 if I'm not mistaken. The RR3s came with chrome hardware and DD Detonators - I don't think Jackson had released the RR3s with real SDs yet back then.

Anyway, since you're bringing yours too, guess we can do a comparison between RR3+SD and RR3+81/85...

Really depends on your style... having only one pickup (a bloody 81 in the bridge some more!) may limit what you can play... the 81 in the bridge is not very forgiving for lead playing - way too much gain and very very bright.

IMHO, not a very versatile guitar.. but if you're an Laiho-wh0r3, then go for it!

automotive paint + airbrush - skill = die mou!


eh, you're not gonna paint your RG1527 are you?!


No! It's about crushing soft furry things with STEEL!

Nice neo-classical songs that are not too difficult?

Gee, isn't that a contradiction in terms?

Yeah, and since you'll probably be able to get it at bargain-basement price, there's really no harm in trying it out.

Like what EQ777 says, it could be your springs. There are very many reasons why your tuning may run:

1. old strings don't keep in tune very well
2. the strings may not have been stretched properly when installed
3. your locking nuts are not properly locked (seriously... )
4. no offence, but remember that Vai's JEMs cost like a billion bucks and the EDGE there is really really top-notch... ...errr, unless you're using a JEM too in which case it's time to get a refund! hehe...

Bottom line is that locking trems give better , and not 100%, tuning stability...

Haha... RG Prestige... ok, then it's not likely to be a bridge problem unless you have a defective bridge...

And MetalZone, thanks for the clarification about the JEM/Prestige bridges...

yeah, it's along the McD row... facing MetroJaya (or whatever mall it is now)...

I don't think the tuner and the tone knob should cost you that much... was there any severe body/neck damage?

yeah lah... he forgot the most important variable:

I thought the quad guitar got stolen or something? Maybe Dean is finally making a new one for him...

But nothing beats KG's triple-necked guitar... siap come with 2 extra pairs of arms! lolz....

Who? Kyle Gass or Michael Angelo?

Erm, I thought they just complain about his playing?

+1 to that... I used to be a die-hard Hammett fan last time and I thought he was like the most awesome, fastest, most technical and yet melodic lead guitarist around. That was, of course, before I began listening to Eurometal where every other guitarist was a budding virtuoso...

I'm not gonna start a feel vs technique debate (coz I think they're both sides of the same coin), but I have to say that after recently re-listening to 80s Metallica songs (Master, Creeping Death, Fade To Black, One), I feel that even at his peak in the 80s, his playing was mediocre compared to other 80s guitarists like Akira Takasaki, Marty Friedman etc (let's not even mention Vai/Gilbert/Malmsteen!). Ok, maybe that was putting the bar too high...

and I'm not sure if "he doesn't show it much these days" because his approach to playing guitar has changed, or if he's realized that there's not much to show in the first place! heck, if your band members cut out your solos from the album... hmmm....

I have to say though that I was inspired to learn lead-playing because of Hammett. On hindsight, that was probably a bad choice because my conception of lead guitar was pretty much defined by what Hammett could play, which wasn't much beyond bend-bend-bend-pull-off-hammer-on-pull-off-<insert descending triplet run @ 100 bpm>...

He had probably one or two shining moments, but I think in Metallica, the true metal "god" was Hetfield (and maybe Trujillo(sp?) and Burton as demi-gods)... Ulrich, Hammett, Newsted were just along for the ride...