So I'm finally settled into my new place in Cali. It's been a crazy transition from Pittsburgh, but this is home now. It was an absolute nightmare getting these two guitars because of the move, but here they are.
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These are pretty damn awesome but not perfect. Do I expect perfect absolutely not.
The Good: These are absurdly light but still resonant. Joe managed to find some really good stock to use, and I'm happy about that. The neck profile is something I was skeptical about, but it feels intuitive. I haven't noticed any discomfort in my hand when I play for an extended period of time.
The Bad: Certainly not Joe's fault, but the bridge system isn't the easiest thing to pick up and understand. I am going to have to figure out how to do some saddle height adjustments. I've heard it's difficult to impossible when trying to get low action. The switch is also wired up in an odd way. It's totally something I can fix myself, but I never would have wanted the bridge pickup to be the middle position on the switch. I'm also not a fan of the deathbuckers, so I'm going to throw something different in the 6 and 7.
You'll notice some issues with the fretwork. The gaps and glue could have been better. None of this affects function or playability, but it jumped out to me immediately. The stain on the front also bled onto the sides a bit on both guitars. Had I gone with the binding option that the rest of the run had, this probably wouldn't have been an issue. Also, I think the heel could have been sculpted a bit more. When I get to the 18th fret, I start to notice that my hand begins to touch it. Had some of it been carved out, that wouldn't be the case.
Last, I'm not sure what to do about this. The spacing between most of the strings on my 6 is 3/8". Between the 3rd and 4th strings, it's 7/16". On the 7 string, the majority of them are 7/16, but a few are closer to 1/2". There's really nothing I can do about this though.
I've never heard of streak ebony. It's pale moon ebony. It's really nice. It feels great. I don't have the ear to describe it's coloring of the overall tone though.
The string lock for the high E on the 7 seems to be getting away from the others. I think it's little inaccuracies like this that are to blame for your odd spacing issues. If this is not a lone straggler then these issues add up.
It's plain to see that this guy is still learning. Whether he should be taking orders at this point is debatable (at least wait until you have come up with a logo, harr harr), but if you're satisfied then I guess he's kinda justified.
They look really nice. The one observation I have from the pics that might concern me is that on the 7 string the outer strings appear to be REALLY close to the edge of the fret-board, like almost falling off. Bends might be an issue. The 6 doesn't appear to be like that. Is this just an illusion of the camera or an accurate depiction?
Those look real nice! Good luck out in Cali, I used to see Exhumed and Noothgrush shows regularly in the Cupertino library basement haha! The good old days...
HNGD. I always enjoy your thorough reviews. You're one of the only users that is consistently critical but still gives praise where it's due. And congrats on the move as well. Cross country moves are a bitch.