Etherial Guitars
- Thread starter jkiernanguitar
- Start date
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A-Branger
Well-Known Member
shit man really sorry about the experience. You prob would have been best to buy a bongo and send it to a luthier for a paint re-finish with glow resing and stuff. Prob even cheaper than this bass and quicker
Wizardtac
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IF ANYONE CAN FIND SOMEBODY WILLING TO DO THIS I MUST KNOW. Haha....
Wizardtac
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I really am considering either getting a second bongo and having a trem added and removing some material in key places. Adding some inlays or lights. For now I'll go back to the Bongo throw my lights back on it. "Easiest Bass to attach lights to the bridge."
A-Branger
Well-Known Member
start asking around.
maybe the drill the bass witha dremell to fill with glow resin might be too muhc. Another option is to use vinyl wrap, stickers something like that. In that way you can print your pattern and stick in top of a black bass. Prob the cheapest option if you get a mate black bongo. Same deal with the pickguard. I recon this would be the way to go for you bro. Plus no waiting time and barely any extra cash
grab the stealth bongo and one of these
and start cuttiing lines and patterns, stick to your taste
Hollowway
Extended Ranger
Damn, sorry to hear this!
I don't know him personally, but if I were going to have anyone take an existing instrument and do significant mods to it I'd probably give it to http://www.gmwguitars.com. I follow Lee online, and he does some amazing rehabs, mods, refinishes, etc. He could put a Kahler in and refinish it easily - he does that stuff all day long. He might be able to do something with the glow material, too, but you'd have to ask him about that. It's possible that you could put actual glow tape on, clear over it, and then have the effect. Or, just use glow paint, and do something. Either way, he'd be the first person I'd talk with.
The other consideration would be to talk with someone who does a lot of CNC work, and have them program a pattern so that you could get a super accurate pattern cut in the body. The first person that would come to mind for that is Kevin Fast of Fast Guitars. He would be able to handle it. He'd be more expensive, since it would be done from scratch, but I'd bet less than what you paid Etherial.
I don't know him personally, but if I were going to have anyone take an existing instrument and do significant mods to it I'd probably give it to http://www.gmwguitars.com. I follow Lee online, and he does some amazing rehabs, mods, refinishes, etc. He could put a Kahler in and refinish it easily - he does that stuff all day long. He might be able to do something with the glow material, too, but you'd have to ask him about that. It's possible that you could put actual glow tape on, clear over it, and then have the effect. Or, just use glow paint, and do something. Either way, he'd be the first person I'd talk with.
The other consideration would be to talk with someone who does a lot of CNC work, and have them program a pattern so that you could get a super accurate pattern cut in the body. The first person that would come to mind for that is Kevin Fast of Fast Guitars. He would be able to handle it. He'd be more expensive, since it would be done from scratch, but I'd bet less than what you paid Etherial.
Wizardtac
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start asking around.
maybe the drill the bass witha dremell to fill with glow resin might be too muhc. Another option is to use vinyl wrap, stickers something like that. In that way you can print your pattern and stick in top of a black bass. Prob the cheapest option if you get a mate black bongo. Same deal with the pickguard. I recon this would be the way to go for you bro. Plus no waiting time and barely any extra cash
grab the stealth bongo and one of these
and start cuttiing lines and patterns, stick to your taste
I'd be really happy to just have my pickguard like an led pannel. Also If I where to have mods done to a bongo I've though of having part of the lower horn scooped out. There's so many good luthiers out there I feel just won't even touch an existing instrument to do the kind of stuff I want done.
Nemesis Vnholy
New Member
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Very sorry to hear that the custom Etherial didn’t work out. I was really hoping that they had turned things around.
You could cut your own pickguard from clear plastic (maybe polycarbonate), then attach thin (translucent) contact paper to the inside surface, and install LED's underneath. The contact paper would make it look nice (make sure to adhere it very flat and smooth) and also help diffuse the beamy light from the LEDs. It should be a pretty easy and cheap mod. You could even use a small toggle switch drilled through the pickguard, so that you don't have to do anything to the instrument's body.
xCaptainx
Dr Djodson
Read this entire quote with the melody from "Linkin Park - In The End" chorus + next verse. Feels like an Etherial theme songs just been written.
Wizardtac
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Oh heck hahahah
jonajon91
New Picture
Not to be that guy coming along to stir the pot, but if you agreed on 27 frets, 35 inch scale and the scooped neck thing before hand and then didn't like them when it came it isn't really on him. The scratchy tone knob, wrong strings and spotchy fillings are bad, but it seems your main gripes could have been fixed in the planning stages.
I've seen maybe 1-2 reviews of people who have loved the scooped neck and I've heard 100x more backlash against it. Since Etherial is the only builder I'm aware of doing this, I wouldn't expect anyone to know whether or not it'd be a deal breaker before hand.
The 35" scale thing has me a bit puzzled, since the complaint seems to be more about tension - just get lighter strings and that problem's solved, but I think it's more like trying to fix the water heater in the Titanic as it's sinking - it's an insignificant issue compared to everything else going wrong here. I read it more like "In addition to these other problems, these are the wrong strings, and since the scale length is longer, it made it suck even more."
If the two main gripes are that the workmanship was shitty and that the thing played shitty, can we maybe lump those two together? Probably. If the workmanship had been great, and the playability had still been an issue, then I would agree, but I don't think that's the case here, unless I'm misreading things.
The 35" scale thing has me a bit puzzled, since the complaint seems to be more about tension - just get lighter strings and that problem's solved, but I think it's more like trying to fix the water heater in the Titanic as it's sinking - it's an insignificant issue compared to everything else going wrong here. I read it more like "In addition to these other problems, these are the wrong strings, and since the scale length is longer, it made it suck even more."
If the two main gripes are that the workmanship was shitty and that the thing played shitty, can we maybe lump those two together? Probably. If the workmanship had been great, and the playability had still been an issue, then I would agree, but I don't think that's the case here, unless I'm misreading things.
BIG ND SWEATY
Edgy
What did you expect from a guy with a shit track record like his? I've never seen or heard anyone give a good review about his instruments except for the guy the ordered that carbon fiber 9 string (NaYon?). I'm not trying to bash you or anything because it sucks that you wasted your money but this could have been avoided by researching for 5 minutes or less. The guy can come up with a cool design or two but he can't build for shit.
Search youtube, there are maybe 2 or 3 positive reviews. If you have shit search skills and shit luck, I could see where you might think that these were the bee's knees.
odibrom
.
@Wizardtac ordered the bass knowing the full story, it was a "for the science" kind of thing, a test to see if the design could uphold against build. At the end of the paper one reads that they don't.
Well shit, sorry to hear it was a dud but I'm glad you were honest about it and not blinded by receiving a new toy.
lewis
Well-Known Member
I agree about his vision. IF he stepped backing from the building and instead partnered up with an excellent builder and between them created his visions but to the quality expected and deserved when paying custom fees, then he really would have a modern, sick alternative to anything else custom thats out there.
Instead he would rather plod along getting huge money and ruining his businesses reputation.
I mean its good for a get rich quick scheme, but surely long term that business model isnt sustainable?. Eventually EVERYONE will get wind and just not order from him?.
But yeah his style but with the build quality of say Waghorn, would be really really cool
QuantumSoundLab
Audio Engineer, Downtuning Degenerate
So "shit" is still the general consensus? Fuck me. I was really hoping for a success story after the 70 pages I read to get here.
So, his wooden guitars are said to be worth their weight in shit, yeah? I remember hearing how easily they warped and how bad the finish was. How about his Carbon Fiber (Zatha) builds and whatever the Azwen is made out of? Those are solid, yeah? Not just wrapped in something? I'm really trying to like this brand. I really want to believe that these horror stories are only a select few, but you guys are nothing if not honest.
To be clear, I've read all the nitpicking in this thread. A slightly slanted nut, a dusty trem, little imperfections, I can generally look past as long as it does not affect the playability or aesthetic (not looking under a microscope).
Also, not sure if this has been pointed out yet, it seems they currently have no signature models and endorse zero artists. Take from that what you will.
So, his wooden guitars are said to be worth their weight in shit, yeah? I remember hearing how easily they warped and how bad the finish was. How about his Carbon Fiber (Zatha) builds and whatever the Azwen is made out of? Those are solid, yeah? Not just wrapped in something? I'm really trying to like this brand. I really want to believe that these horror stories are only a select few, but you guys are nothing if not honest.
To be clear, I've read all the nitpicking in this thread. A slightly slanted nut, a dusty trem, little imperfections, I can generally look past as long as it does not affect the playability or aesthetic (not looking under a microscope).
Also, not sure if this has been pointed out yet, it seems they currently have no signature models and endorse zero artists. Take from that what you will.
jonajon91
New Picture
I think they endorse a few artists, some techy core band had two guitars built, one for each guitarist and the people in Rings of Saturn use them.
Quality of builds aside, this guy makes some fantastic designs. Perhaps his best bet would be to merge with another company that can actually help with the fine tuning. I mean look at this build, If I was filthy ritch I'd order a few builds just to hang on the wall.
Quality of builds aside, this guy makes some fantastic designs. Perhaps his best bet would be to merge with another company that can actually help with the fine tuning. I mean look at this build, If I was filthy ritch I'd order a few builds just to hang on the wall.
