Which one is the best superstrat-style guitar? (Music Man Hamer, Suhr, PRS)

[spychocyco]

My favorite super strat is my HM Strat. Checks all of the boxes for me. My favorite guitar (obvious from my tag line) is the EBMM Axis.

I only really have one rule. If I like it, I play it. On one end, I've got a Squier HM I paid $179 for at a pawn shop in the early '90s, and on the other, I have a BFR Axis. Both get played regularly (the BFR daily and the Squier at least weekly), and my regular players fall at all price points between.

Feel is king for me, though. I'll never be a great, or even good, guitar player, so I play what's comfortable and sounds good to me. No other guitar I've ever tried is more comfortable than pretty much any of the EBMM models I've played. That's why I keep buying them.

 

[dnr666]

I for one get tired of the heavily overdriven sound that many players use these days. I have been rethinking my whole idea about what makes a good sound. To this end I have gravitated to less powerful pickups. I now use PAF type humbuckers and an overdrive that I can easily control with the volume control on the guitar. I do like to hear how the guitar sounds.But then I like the kind of sound that players like Robben Ford, Larry Carlton and Jon Herington use. Hence my love for my modified Silhouette with House of Tone PAFs. I was interested that the video had no clean sounds. Unfortunately, I have come to the conclusion that brute force is the antithesis of musicality.

 

[belensky]

there is clean parts, and timecodes, so you can go to needed part of video.

 

[belensky]

To the point re: playability being the only thing that matters...

I don’t currently own any MMs (perhaps again in the future), but I have an OLP MM4 (Silhouette Special licensed copy) that I thoroughly enjoy 10x more than my R9....seriously.

I don't get this thing with playability... either I like how guitar sounds or I don't, if guitar sounds dead, none super easy high fret access, or other ergonomic features or fancy pickups will convince me otherwise. I have R9 and its hard to me imagine that somebody would prefer OLP, Sterling and other asian guitars over good LP

 

[Wahoonc]

I have R9 and its hard to me imagine that somebody would prefer OLP, Sterling and other asian guitars over good LP

You don't have to imagine: a person's preference is just that. It's not yours to question.

While I love some of the quality tones a LP can produce, it doesn't work for me. I've tried my best to like them and it is just a completely uncomfortable experience for me. It is what it is.

 

[Magic Jason]

I once owned a Les Paul Premium +++. Top of the line. Expeeeensive. Best top ever. Better looking than my Tom Anderson. But was far from sounding as good as a black $150 Epiphone studio I borrowed. Frustrating.
Concerning payability being the only thing that matters, I'm afraid I'll have to disagree. Give me the easiest, best sounding, lightest, cheapest , most solid, most versatile axe on the planet... If I find this guitar ugly, I won't play with it. Stupid? I know.

Good thing with musicman is we do not have to chose between looks, sound, finish, playability... It's all there!