Dayn
Well-Known Member
As it says. Let's just jump into the pics, first. It's mid-afternoon and the sun is hidden, so these are shade pics.
Gorgeous top.
Beautiful figuring in the black limba body.
The neck has nice deep figuring to it which isn't apparent in a still photo.
Neck is pretty thin.
Bridge is pretty comfy.
Closeup of the cutout.
Specs are:
For the Sharks, the necks were to be 3-piece maple, but they couldn't source enough. So the 8-string Sharks were the only ones to get 5-piece maple necks. I was happy with that. The preorder process was fine. No real complaints. Not sure I'll preorder again - not because I'm unhappy with anything, but because the idea of just waiting around on an instrument doesn't appeal to me. I only bought in after watching how others went and after seeing the Goliaths turn into a known quantity.
The guitar is balanced well. The neck I feel is slightly thicker than my RG2228, with slightly more pronounced shoulders. It came set up perfectly with I think 9-72 in F# standard. After I wear out the strings it's getting tuned down to C#. The fretwork is impeccable, as although they were made in Korea at WMI, the final QC was done in Perth. As good as my Strandberg and RG2228. Bridge is super comfortable. Fan is larger than I'm used to, but I got used to it very quickly.
There were a few tiny cosmetic blemishes that were very minor. There was a tiny spot on the inside near the bridge pickup which looked like a reflection and the finish near the top horn (out of the way and not visible unless looking for it directly) wasn't as perfectly clean as it could have been. However, the GTR line is Korean. The finish is on par (even slightly better) than my Indonesian Strandberg, but of course isn't as perfect as my Japanese Ibanez, but that's to be expected. As said, the fretwork is incredible. For the price and that it's a Korean guitar, it's incredible value for money. I also think the shark cutout could be sanded to make it cleaner. I might look into that myself.
Came with a fairly standard nicely-padded gigbag, in black. I bought a strap too which feels nice - but it came in two parts, and I was too smallbrain to put it together before I took photos. Also got a shark bottle opener and an album for some reason despite not ordering them. Not complaining about that, though.
As for the electronics? I can't give you a fair assessment. I have Fishman Fluences in my other two guitars - I'm not used to passive pickups. I need to overhaul some tones from scratch. One of my lead tones with compression is great, though. I need to invest some time into making it sound good.
Overall, it's super comfortable, easy to play, feels really nice, and the quality is very high for its price point. I'm considering an Ormsby SX in future, but I don't think I'll preorder again - I'd rather wait for in-stock things. (Unless a Goliath bass preorder pops up...)
Gorgeous top.
Beautiful figuring in the black limba body.
The neck has nice deep figuring to it which isn't apparent in a still photo.
Neck is pretty thin.
Bridge is pretty comfy.
Closeup of the cutout.
Specs are:
- Eight strings (obviously)
- 25.5" to 28.2 (or 3?)" fan
- Maple top with a chamber
- Black limba body
- Flame maple 5pc neck
- Ebony fretboard
- Stainless steel frets
- Passive Ormsby pickups (I think the Hotrock in the bridge and Concordia in the neck?)
For the Sharks, the necks were to be 3-piece maple, but they couldn't source enough. So the 8-string Sharks were the only ones to get 5-piece maple necks. I was happy with that. The preorder process was fine. No real complaints. Not sure I'll preorder again - not because I'm unhappy with anything, but because the idea of just waiting around on an instrument doesn't appeal to me. I only bought in after watching how others went and after seeing the Goliaths turn into a known quantity.
The guitar is balanced well. The neck I feel is slightly thicker than my RG2228, with slightly more pronounced shoulders. It came set up perfectly with I think 9-72 in F# standard. After I wear out the strings it's getting tuned down to C#. The fretwork is impeccable, as although they were made in Korea at WMI, the final QC was done in Perth. As good as my Strandberg and RG2228. Bridge is super comfortable. Fan is larger than I'm used to, but I got used to it very quickly.
There were a few tiny cosmetic blemishes that were very minor. There was a tiny spot on the inside near the bridge pickup which looked like a reflection and the finish near the top horn (out of the way and not visible unless looking for it directly) wasn't as perfectly clean as it could have been. However, the GTR line is Korean. The finish is on par (even slightly better) than my Indonesian Strandberg, but of course isn't as perfect as my Japanese Ibanez, but that's to be expected. As said, the fretwork is incredible. For the price and that it's a Korean guitar, it's incredible value for money. I also think the shark cutout could be sanded to make it cleaner. I might look into that myself.
Came with a fairly standard nicely-padded gigbag, in black. I bought a strap too which feels nice - but it came in two parts, and I was too smallbrain to put it together before I took photos. Also got a shark bottle opener and an album for some reason despite not ordering them. Not complaining about that, though.
As for the electronics? I can't give you a fair assessment. I have Fishman Fluences in my other two guitars - I'm not used to passive pickups. I need to overhaul some tones from scratch. One of my lead tones with compression is great, though. I need to invest some time into making it sound good.
Overall, it's super comfortable, easy to play, feels really nice, and the quality is very high for its price point. I'm considering an Ormsby SX in future, but I don't think I'll preorder again - I'd rather wait for in-stock things. (Unless a Goliath bass preorder pops up...)
