Lorcan Ward
7slinger
Specs:
25.5 - 26.5 Fan
Flatbacker neck
Set Carve Heel
Gloss polyester Lacquer, Satin on Neck
Lundgren Alnico V Humbuckers
ABM Saddles
Hipshot Locking Machine Heads
Stainless Steel Frets
White Binding
Luminay Side Dots
1 Volume + 3 way switch
1 Piece Korina body
Quilt maple top
Maple and Rosewood neck
African Blackwood fingerboard
Demo video playing one of my original guitar solos:
In Short:
Incredible guitar, absolute shred machine, plays like butter and sounds great. If I could go back in time I'd order 2 more for different tunings and never play anything else.
Playability:
The Cimmerian shape feels quite similar to an Ibanez RG with its forearm contour, belly carve and a large cutaway so straight away i felt right at home. The guitar plays like butter with the combination of very finely polished SS frets and thin satin neck. I tried two other guitars in the workshop and they both played exactly like mine.
Fan:
I went for a 1 inch fan because I personally think the limit of a 25.5"is C. I really like how a 26.5" feels and sounds in B, Bb and A but I don't feel as comfortable shredding on it and the high strings don't sound quite right. So the best of both worlds is a 25.5 - 26.5 fan. Tighter clearer low strings with smoother easier to shred on highs strings. Since the fan is subtle it was very easy to get used to.
Ordering:
I put down my order back in 2012. There were a couple of unforeseen delays that were out of anyones hands but Dylan was great to deal with. Quick to email back, easy to get a hold of on the phone, active on Facebook etc I picked it up in person two months ago directly from Dylan's workshop. It was great to hang out and meet the maestro in person.
Fretwork:
The fretwork is some of the best I've come across, easily on par with my Schecter Masterworks. I've tried SS frets before but never polished this well. Bending and vibrato is so much easier now since the frets are so smooth, the strings just slide with no resistance. Nickel frets feel a bit weird to play on now so I'm getting some of guitars refretted soon. Paired up with the African blackwood fingerboard means everything is super stable, smooth, clean and doesn't pick up much dirt/sweat.
Pickups:
I got Johan Lundgren to wind me a set of slanted "The One" pickups. They have Alnico V magnets and are wound to about 15k. I'm really happy how they turned out. Very modern sounding, clear across the board, no noticeable scoops or obnoxious spikes, the right balance of smooth highs and tight lows. The bridge is very Jeff Loomis sounding while the neck feels like a clearer more modern Liqufire.
Compensated Nut:
Dylan makes his own compensated nuts in his workshop. I got to see him make mine in person which was really interesting. The intonation is much better across the board compared to all my other guitars. The fan only adds to that on the low E and B.
Finish:
The spectrum finish feels great. The satin/matte neck is crazy smooth. Even more so than an oil finish or J-custom velvet finish.
Verdict:
This guitar is incredible. Its an absolute shred machine. I couldn't be happier it and I've had it 2+ months so the honeymoon period never ended. I would put Dylan as one of the top metal luthiers in the world right now. I've played a lot of custom an hi-end guitars and this is easily one of the best. If any of you guys are on the Daemoness waiting list you're in for something special. I've barely touched any of my other guitars the past 2 months.
