chipflavour
Member
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2019
- Messages
- 7
- Reaction score
- 37
Hey guys, I'm mostly a lurker here. I only really visit this forum sometimes to check for updates about gear. I got the heads up that the Larada Legion were on sale about a week ago. I got mine yesterday and I've had some fun with it for a while, but I feel like I should write a review to inform people whether the Legion series is worth it.
Keep in mind that I do not have much experience in playing guitars. The two guitars I own right now are an Ibanez RGDIX7MPB and a Schecter Red Reign Apocalypse Solo-II, which are both under the 1200 USD mark. Because I don’t have experience with expensive brands, I feel that can't give an accurate representation of the quality of a guitar but I'll try my best.
And just a heads up that I only have phone pictures so apologies for the quality, I don't actually have a good camera on me. Also embeds don’t work so I apologise for having you guys click the links, if it’s not allowed to have external links to images then I will edit this post to have attachments.
First thing to go off on, I can't stop gushing about how well this guitar feels to play. The setup is low out of the box, there's very little buzzing except on the F# string which I feel like is fine because it's a giant string anyways, it's basically going to be impossible to have no buzz when that thing goes all over the place. It’s also about the same weight as my Ibanez and Schecter, which is to say light.
Here's what it looks like:
https://files.catbox.moe/j0kjtm.jpg
https://files.catbox.moe/pm3pty.jpg
This is my first 8 string guitar and to me it doesn't feel that bad adjusting from playing only 6 and 7s. The multiscale feels extremely natural. I've only tried one other multiscale and that was the Ormsby Goliath while I was test driving guitars in a store, and to me it felt like it was way too much and I felt sick to my stomach fathoming how annoying it was to play cowboy chords.
I can’t really judge fretwork because it’s not something I have much knowledge in, but if there’s no sharp fret ends and no notes choking out, it must be good. The frets are seated nicely on the ebony fretboard and the abalone fret markers and side dots are in almost perfect position. But I have to say the ebony fretboard isn’t what I really like, there’s a bit too much reddish brown for my liking:
https://files.catbox.moe/xzvtbb.jpg
But anyways, let’s go over the main reason to buy the Larada: the body shape. It’s such a unique and aesthetically striking shape. It’s very divisive though, a bunch of my friends told me that they didn’t like it and thought it looked ugly. But to me, I honestly adore it. It’s so different from the conventional shapes such as Les Paul or Strat. But ultimately, if you don’t like the shape, this guitar isn’t for you. This type of shape inhibits playing the lower notes on the upper frets, but the neck joint and the super deep cutaway makes playing everything else super easy. I find it a bit confusing about what fret position I am on sometimes though because I subconsciously think I’m on a higher fret than I should be because of how the single cut joins at the 12th fret.
This was the main reason what drew me into buying one, I never really listened to Animals as Leaders but I still admired Tosin, I watched a lot of his interviews and his playing and I’ve been GASing for the shape ever since I saw the Ibanez prototype 3 years ago. And while I have really no practical use for an 8 string, since I mostly listen to and jam to anime music now, I’ve been kinda wanting one for 3 years at this point, and since this is a limited colour I pretty much had to buy it otherwise I will get FOMO and feel like kicking myself in the face for all of eternity.
But let’s go over some real talk now. Who cares about the shape if it doesn’t have stainless steel frets, if it doesn’t have multiscale, if it doesn’t have some new pickup brand that’s been hyped up and shilled, or it’s not in a solid colour because burl looks like vomit. Well thankfully it has all of those things lol. Copy and pasting the specs list for the lazy:
In terms of the pickup sounds, they sound good. But I am not a person who is fussing about pickup choices and I don't care too much. I'm a plug and play type of player, I just load up Neural DSP plugin and use the presets with zero tweaking involved. But I have to say the sustain is incredibly unreal, maybe it's because my Ibanez is a piece of junk but it sustains like 4 times longer.
It has pretty much everything that a modern instrument needs, it’s pretty much perfect for gigging or recording. If you just want a Larada, this is the way to go imo. From my understanding, the J Laradas are 1300 more expensive but have a 2 sheen finish and asymmetrical neck, and the made in USA, which are 1000-1500 more, have much more unique finishes, a set-thru neck, and more wood choices. I really see no reason to purchase anything above a Legion for me personally, I am absolutely happy with how it turned out and I am not kicking myself for not going for the more expensive options.
About the price, I do think it's a bit too expensive for what I would like. Living in Australia means I face customs fees for importing and meaning I end up paying an extra 540 AUD (approx 400 USD), so it's about a 20% markup, so roughly I spent around 3700 AUD (2600 USD). While the price is baked with the case, I personally do NOT need a case at all. I am strictly a bedroom musician and pretty much a hikki, I bought this guitar unashamedly with neetbux. So I felt a bit sick to my stomach considering that I could have gotten something like 2 Ormsbys for the price, especially when they are made in the same factory and have the same QC.
There are a few gripes I have with this guitar though.
Let's go over cosmetic defects. There are 2 specks of dust trapped under the finish which are shown in the two images here:
https://files.catbox.moe/ha9mr7.jpg
https://files.catbox.moe/29eftc.jpg
The routes for the electronics and the pickup route isn't clean either. It's done mostly well but there are a few areas where it's incredibly sloppy. In the neck pocket there is a slight chip on the side.
https://files.catbox.moe/1026p6.jpg
All in all these dont affect how the instrument sounds or plays but it's a bit disappointing that a 2000 dollar instrument has these quality issues which can easily be fixed (wood filler for sloppy routes, dust speck by refinishing).
I don’t know if it’s the string spacing or the nut but I feel like the high E can slip off the fretboard more easily on my other guitars. But I have a strong feeling it’s related to the saddles, I just don’t really know how to adjust it; there’s no manual and it doesn’t work like my Ibanez bridge does and it’s driving me mental trying to figure out if it’s possible to tilt it inwards. If anyone can, pls help me.
I also dislike the leg cutout, when I play guitar I usually cross my left leg over my right leg and lift it slightly up. The part where the cutout ends rests on my right leg and it feels uncomfortable as heck. I pretty much have to hold the guitar differently while I'm sitting unless I want to subject myself to feeling bad when I play. I know that probably no one else sits like me but it's my review and I am going over my personal thoughts.
Pickup selector being sideways is a pretty big no-no to me as well. I usually jam to songs live and I want to change pickups in the middle of them, but because it's sideways I have to put more energy into adjusting a pickup. I really think it would have been much better angled and there is absolutely room for it to be there, Tosin definitely went for form over function for this. This is not a dealbreaker but I can't see anyone actually preferring a horizontal switch over an angled one.
Keep in mind that I do not have much experience in playing guitars. The two guitars I own right now are an Ibanez RGDIX7MPB and a Schecter Red Reign Apocalypse Solo-II, which are both under the 1200 USD mark. Because I don’t have experience with expensive brands, I feel that can't give an accurate representation of the quality of a guitar but I'll try my best.
And just a heads up that I only have phone pictures so apologies for the quality, I don't actually have a good camera on me. Also embeds don’t work so I apologise for having you guys click the links, if it’s not allowed to have external links to images then I will edit this post to have attachments.
First thing to go off on, I can't stop gushing about how well this guitar feels to play. The setup is low out of the box, there's very little buzzing except on the F# string which I feel like is fine because it's a giant string anyways, it's basically going to be impossible to have no buzz when that thing goes all over the place. It’s also about the same weight as my Ibanez and Schecter, which is to say light.
Here's what it looks like:
https://files.catbox.moe/j0kjtm.jpg
https://files.catbox.moe/pm3pty.jpg
This is my first 8 string guitar and to me it doesn't feel that bad adjusting from playing only 6 and 7s. The multiscale feels extremely natural. I've only tried one other multiscale and that was the Ormsby Goliath while I was test driving guitars in a store, and to me it felt like it was way too much and I felt sick to my stomach fathoming how annoying it was to play cowboy chords.
I can’t really judge fretwork because it’s not something I have much knowledge in, but if there’s no sharp fret ends and no notes choking out, it must be good. The frets are seated nicely on the ebony fretboard and the abalone fret markers and side dots are in almost perfect position. But I have to say the ebony fretboard isn’t what I really like, there’s a bit too much reddish brown for my liking:
https://files.catbox.moe/xzvtbb.jpg
But anyways, let’s go over the main reason to buy the Larada: the body shape. It’s such a unique and aesthetically striking shape. It’s very divisive though, a bunch of my friends told me that they didn’t like it and thought it looked ugly. But to me, I honestly adore it. It’s so different from the conventional shapes such as Les Paul or Strat. But ultimately, if you don’t like the shape, this guitar isn’t for you. This type of shape inhibits playing the lower notes on the upper frets, but the neck joint and the super deep cutaway makes playing everything else super easy. I find it a bit confusing about what fret position I am on sometimes though because I subconsciously think I’m on a higher fret than I should be because of how the single cut joins at the 12th fret.
This was the main reason what drew me into buying one, I never really listened to Animals as Leaders but I still admired Tosin, I watched a lot of his interviews and his playing and I’ve been GASing for the shape ever since I saw the Ibanez prototype 3 years ago. And while I have really no practical use for an 8 string, since I mostly listen to and jam to anime music now, I’ve been kinda wanting one for 3 years at this point, and since this is a limited colour I pretty much had to buy it otherwise I will get FOMO and feel like kicking myself in the face for all of eternity.
But let’s go over some real talk now. Who cares about the shape if it doesn’t have stainless steel frets, if it doesn’t have multiscale, if it doesn’t have some new pickup brand that’s been hyped up and shilled, or it’s not in a solid colour because burl looks like vomit. Well thankfully it has all of those things lol. Copy and pasting the specs list for the lazy:
- Color: Blue Sage / Gloss
- Construction: Bolt-on
- Body Material: Basswood
- Neck Material: Wenge
- Fretboard Material: Ebony
- Inlays: Pearloid Offset Dots
- Scale: 27.5”-25.5” Multiscale
- Frets: 24 X-Jumbo Stainless Steel
- Fretboard Radius: 16”-21.5”
- Neck Shape: Thin ‘U’
- Nut Material: Graphite
- Truss Rod: 2-Way Adjustable (Spoke Wheel) w/2 Reinforcement Rods
- Bridge Pickup: Fishman Fluence Tosin Abasi
- Neck Pickup: Fishman Fluence Tosin Abasi
- Controls: Volume (Push-Pull)/5-Way Switch
- Hardware Color: Black
- Bridge: Individual Saddles
- Tuners: Abasi Locking
- Strings: D’Addario 9.5 NYXL + .056, .074
In terms of the pickup sounds, they sound good. But I am not a person who is fussing about pickup choices and I don't care too much. I'm a plug and play type of player, I just load up Neural DSP plugin and use the presets with zero tweaking involved. But I have to say the sustain is incredibly unreal, maybe it's because my Ibanez is a piece of junk but it sustains like 4 times longer.
It has pretty much everything that a modern instrument needs, it’s pretty much perfect for gigging or recording. If you just want a Larada, this is the way to go imo. From my understanding, the J Laradas are 1300 more expensive but have a 2 sheen finish and asymmetrical neck, and the made in USA, which are 1000-1500 more, have much more unique finishes, a set-thru neck, and more wood choices. I really see no reason to purchase anything above a Legion for me personally, I am absolutely happy with how it turned out and I am not kicking myself for not going for the more expensive options.
About the price, I do think it's a bit too expensive for what I would like. Living in Australia means I face customs fees for importing and meaning I end up paying an extra 540 AUD (approx 400 USD), so it's about a 20% markup, so roughly I spent around 3700 AUD (2600 USD). While the price is baked with the case, I personally do NOT need a case at all. I am strictly a bedroom musician and pretty much a hikki, I bought this guitar unashamedly with neetbux. So I felt a bit sick to my stomach considering that I could have gotten something like 2 Ormsbys for the price, especially when they are made in the same factory and have the same QC.
There are a few gripes I have with this guitar though.
Let's go over cosmetic defects. There are 2 specks of dust trapped under the finish which are shown in the two images here:
https://files.catbox.moe/ha9mr7.jpg
https://files.catbox.moe/29eftc.jpg
The routes for the electronics and the pickup route isn't clean either. It's done mostly well but there are a few areas where it's incredibly sloppy. In the neck pocket there is a slight chip on the side.
https://files.catbox.moe/1026p6.jpg
All in all these dont affect how the instrument sounds or plays but it's a bit disappointing that a 2000 dollar instrument has these quality issues which can easily be fixed (wood filler for sloppy routes, dust speck by refinishing).
I don’t know if it’s the string spacing or the nut but I feel like the high E can slip off the fretboard more easily on my other guitars. But I have a strong feeling it’s related to the saddles, I just don’t really know how to adjust it; there’s no manual and it doesn’t work like my Ibanez bridge does and it’s driving me mental trying to figure out if it’s possible to tilt it inwards. If anyone can, pls help me.
I also dislike the leg cutout, when I play guitar I usually cross my left leg over my right leg and lift it slightly up. The part where the cutout ends rests on my right leg and it feels uncomfortable as heck. I pretty much have to hold the guitar differently while I'm sitting unless I want to subject myself to feeling bad when I play. I know that probably no one else sits like me but it's my review and I am going over my personal thoughts.
Pickup selector being sideways is a pretty big no-no to me as well. I usually jam to songs live and I want to change pickups in the middle of them, but because it's sideways I have to put more energy into adjusting a pickup. I really think it would have been much better angled and there is absolutely room for it to be there, Tosin definitely went for form over function for this. This is not a dealbreaker but I can't see anyone actually preferring a horizontal switch over an angled one.
