Brian Moore electrics? Or Ibanez?

I was in a music store today and was kinda window shopping for a guitar to replace the Ibanez (see my sig) my wife gave me for Xmas. I have a bunch of Fenders, so I asked the manager for a reasonably priced guitar. He pointed me to a Brian Moore that I never heard of (been out of the music scene the last 15 yrs.) I think this is the model I looked at: http://www.brianmooreguitars.com/i1000/i1000Models.asp?guitar=i81&Color=TQ

except it had a Strat-like Wilkenson Trem. I LOVE the neck on the Ibanez', but hate the Floyd bridge and string locks- too much trouble just to change the strings. The Brian Moore felt pretty much like an Ibanez, but I was kinda taken aback when the guy told me it was made in China. No offense to any Chinese here, as I'm Chinese myself, but when I think of a China made guitar, all I can think is :eek: ! So I'm asking for input from anyone familiar with Brian Moore's.

2nd question: I'm still looking at Ibanez' 'cept with a hard tail, no string locks. I'm not really a shredder, but want a guitar that sounds a little "crunchier" than a Fender. As I said, I'm just getting back into playing after a 15 yr. layoff, and just want a fairly decent guitar. How's this Ibanez- it's 1/2 the price of the Ibanez I had, but to tell ya the truth, I tried about 20 different models from Ibananez and they all felt and sounded the same. From nearly bottom to top of the line- around the $1,000 US models: http://www.samedaymusic.com/product--IBARG321 Yeah, I know it's super cheap, but Ibanez has a good rep. Or this Ibanez: http://www.samedaymusic.com/product--IBASZ320

Sorry for such a long post. After not playing for over 15 yrs. I'm really jacked and want to just wail. I know the pickups on most Ibanez' are really weak, but the prices aren't bad for the above 2. Thanks in advance for any replies. Help an old (47 this thurs.) guy out!

PS: what the heck are Gibralter III and LoTr7(?)- the kind on the Steve Vai model bridges? Not floating ones I hope.

well I'm pretty much still a newbie so I couldn't tell you much about guitars than what you already know. but I'll just say that I own an Ibanez, and I love the neck also! but I hate the tremolo. pretty much the same case you've got, cept my trem didn't pull out until I owned the guitar for a few months so I didn't have the pleasure of just returning it. from what I hear the neck of a gibson sg is very similar to the neck of an ibanez. and the sg has a set bridge. cheapest one you can find probably be about $650 though.

Originally Posted by: CW14is that Gibson or Epiphone for $650?

a gibson sg standard would come for over $1,000 but you can get the faded series for approximately $650 http://www.zzounds.com/item--GIBSGF

epiphone you could get one between $150-400
http://www.zzounds.com/item--EPISGSPCL
or
http://www.zzounds.com/item--EPISGGOTH

of course I only heard that an sg neck was like an ibanez neck, I have not actually tried one out to see if this was true so you should try before you buy.

Never rely on a salesperson or managers recommendations. Most likely they're either trying to get rid of something that's overstocked or moving an item that pays a higher commission.

In South Africa, Brian Moore guitars do very well. I have played a i1.8 and they are awesome, tho the one I played was Korean if I am correct. They also make some very good (tho hellish expensive) American made guitars...
I pesonally dont like Ibanez, tho I do own an Ibanez MMM1, which is definately the most awesome baritone guitar in the world.
Good luck in your search.

I own a Chinese made Brian Moore guitar and it is great. I also own 3 strats and 2 les pauls and play semi-professional. I own pro gear so to speak and rely on it heavily. Don't be fooled that the made in china statement means bad equipment. The stamp on my guitar says, "Hand Made in China". So I called the factory and asked them what that meant. I was told that the guitars are hand crafted in a custom shop in China, which means the same attention to detail that goes into the ones made in the US go into the ones made in China. OK, the guitars in America are slightly better, but only in the bells and whistles that come with them. For 3500 bucks I had better get a guitar that not only plays well but also does my laundry. I can attest that my Chinese Brian Moore guitar feels exceptionally well and sounds awesome. I use it more than my US made guitars. But I love the added feature of the Piezo pick-ups and guitar synth pick-up. (By the way - Ibanez are made in Japan and were originated in Japan.) With my real job we have started having some equipment manufactured in China that is sold in Asia. One of my associates is in charge of getting this organized and has to go to China a couple of times a quarter. He tells me the material we use there is superior to ours in the US and that the attention to detail is superior as well. SO all I can tell you is that the Brian Moore guitars labeled Hand Made in China are exceptional instruments with added features you can't find in the US for that kind of money. Go back to the store and check out where the neck meets the bosy and see what kind of tolerance there is. I doubt you find sloppy work like you do with the Mexican strats. Good Luck. BTW - My Guitar does not have a tremolo, but the ones that do, That I played, stayed in tune exceptionally well.