Aristides Owners. Was It Worth It?

[Carl Kolchak]

Was thinking of pulling the pin on one of these, an 8-stringer, assuming it's still up on Reverb in a couple of days, and would like to get some feedback from any SSO owners on theirs'. Don't remember ever reading a negative review on one, but I'd like to get as much feedback from current users as I can get.

 

[Winspear]

Absolutely. I don't think I've ever seen so much brand hunger before - so many friends I know just keep buying more and more of them. I adore my 020 and would order another 3 Aristides right now if I could afford to. Whether the vibe will be for you is hard to say - Various people just don't dig them at all. But that does seem uncommon and those people would certainly have nothing bad to say about the quality.

 

[Thrashman]

Absolutely worth it. I currently own two, had 4 at one point but COVID happened so had to downsize.

It's the "perfect" guitar for me. Super consistent, super stable, sounds amazing and is solid as anything ever. The customer service is 11/10 and the only drawback is the price.. but I'd never settle for anything less now that I've got one (two).

The sheer fact that they're so tonally consistent and don't suffer from wolf tones or dead spots like wooden guitars do (and I'm IMMENSELY anal about this) makes them worth it.

I mean I'm an Aristides exclusively player so I might be a bit biased, but it is for a reason.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

They are excellent guitars ime. Very environmentally stable, fit and finish is really excellent, both of mine sound really good as well. I'd easily put them on par with the PRS 10 tops and 513s I've managed to play over the years. People have been raving about them for years, and for good reason imo.

 

[Carl Kolchak]

They are excellent guitars ime. Very environmentally stable, fit and finish is really excellent, both of mine sound really good as well. I'd easily put them on par with the PRS 10 tops and 513s I've managed to play over the years. People have been raving about them for years, and for good reason imo.

Have you ever had to make a truss rod adjustment on yours?

Also, how's the tuning stability?

 

[Lorcan Ward]

I think the most comforting thing if you are looking to buy one is you can easily sell it again with minimal loss.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

Have you ever had to make a truss rod adjustment on yours?

Also, how's the tuning stability?

Nah, I haven't had to do any truss rod adjustments, even with the fluctuating weather this year. Tuning stability is comparable to any really good hardtail guitar ime.

 

[Jonathan20022]

Truss Rod adjustments inevitably will need to happen, the materials just are less prone to movement so I find that my action is a little different (Low action, any change is noticeable). But this typically only happens maybe twice a year?

If you play with higher action and don't keep track of when it fluctuates you probably won't notice these minute changes. Very stable though, especially in comparison to my other instruments which fluctuate on a bi-weekly basis on average.

But as a brand they build instruments that are as consistent and you could ever be. Easily one of the brands that always delivers excellent guitars without fail.

I've owned about 11 between new orders and used purchases/trades. And I have my lot of 4 in all the tunings I use between 6 and 7 strings. So it's super nice just to have a set of instruments ready to go, in tune, with the same setup I left it prior with.

It doesn't kill your GAS though, nor your interest in other instruments at least for me. I've taken the dive back into wood based guitars, but they can't replace my Aristides guitars and vice-versa. Everything should serve it's purpose if you spec them mindfully.

 

[Ben Pinkus]

Only 'complaint' I've heard from a few people who've tried/owned them is that they didn't love the neck profile and or how the finish on the neck (particularly the Raw series) feels, but obviously thats super subjective.

I'm still interested in getting one at some point, especially with the new headless series!

 

[secretpizza]

I think the most comforting thing if you are looking to buy one is you can easily sell it again with minimal loss.

This is a really big thing if you’re thinking of taking the plunge. As long as you’re not playing above market, they hold value very well. But - don’t expect it to play or sound any better than a solid Ibanez prestige or Mayo. There’s no magic to an Aristides, they just stay very stable and are very well made. I’ve owned 5-6 and I love them, but there’s nothing magical about the carve or neck heel; it’s just really well made. I personally think you can get something equally well made for 500-700 cheaper, if not less, but that’s really a value judgment based on how much you hate adjusting your truss rod.

Again - not hating on Aristides, because their guitars are super well made; I’m sure I’ll own more in the future. But it’s not that different from other high-level guitars.

 

[jco5055]

Only 'complaint' I've heard from a few people who've tried/owned them is that they didn't love the neck profile and or how the finish on the neck (particularly the Raw series) feels, but obviously thats super subjective.

I'm still interested in getting one at some point, especially with the new headless series!

Yeah I've owned 2 (a 070 with a floyd and a 070SR), and honestly I LOVE the Raw finish, thanks to that I don't really have an interest in gloss tops anymore.

I will say though, for me I've discovered that I can't stand the neck profile/thickness. It's a thin neck, at 19mm at 1st fret and 20mm at 12th, and for me it causes some thumb pain when doing big stretches, like I've legit have had my thumb spasm uncontrollably after a particular stretchy session.

I'm actually trading my guitar with another maker who's making me a guitar for it, and I'm getting a thicker profile and don't think I could go back to Aristides without a thicker profile. Other than that they are SUPERB though!

 

[jephjacques]

They're pretty much the best guitars money can buy right now, IMO

 

[jephjacques]

Have you ever had to make a truss rod adjustment on yours?

Also, how's the tuning stability?

I have three and I generally only need to tweak the truss rods once in the spring and once in the fall. My wood guitars need 4-6 adjustments per year because the climate here is so crazy.

 

[MetalDaze]

Totally worth it. Not only is the guitar great but the whole buying experience was first class.

 

[bzhang9]

had an 080, not worth it, sold it in a week, kept my rg2228

looks aside, neck profile felt very similar to a prestige neck, did not play any better. tuning stability was worse (locked 2228 with KTS is stable as hell), did not sound any better

big no was the body being so thin with no real arm contour, subjective but may be uncomfortable for some

in brief - looks good, feels hyped, costs a lot, does not sound or play better than other high end guitars

 

[Winspear]

Yeah I've owned 2 (a 070 with a floyd and a 070SR), and honestly I LOVE the Raw finish, thanks to that I don't really have an interest in gloss tops anymore.

I will say though, for me I've discovered that I can't stand the neck profile/thickness. It's a thin neck, at 19mm at 1st fret and 20mm at 12th, and for me it causes some thumb pain when doing big stretches, like I've legit have had my thumb spasm uncontrollably after a particular stretchy session.

I'm actually trading my guitar with another maker who's making me a guitar for it, and I'm getting a thicker profile and don't think I could go back to Aristides without a thicker profile. Other than that they are SUPERB though!

Worth mentioning the 020 and T/0 have a thicker rounder neck. I hope to see more like that in future

 

[Jake]

Absolutely worth it. Mine is pretty much perfect. My buddy has an 060 as well and is in the process of getting a custom built. I absolutely want another at some point.

 

[r3tr0sp3ct1v3]

Which one were you looking at? I have a 080 and 080s. Had my blue one up but took it down because I love it.

 

[jco5055]

Worth mentioning the 020 and T/0 have a thicker rounder neck. I hope to see more like that in future

yeah you may have seen I also asked Brandon in the Aristides thread if they could ever in the future take those two models neck thicknesses and add them to other models, but it sounds like that can't happen until they get more moulds.

 

[r3tr0sp3ct1v3]

I will add my opinion. I have gone through most major brands. Ibanez Prestige, J custom , Strandberg Swedish Custom, Skervesen, Mayones, etc.

I don't have "purchase justification" bias. I bought my blue 080 for below 2k. I love it. The neck is thin and feels great. The instrument is resonant, light, and solid. As mentioned it is similar to the Ibanez but blows them out of the water IMO.