This actually rocked up just before Christmas however I've only just had a chance to sit down and play it. Continuing my ever-growing collection of Vs, here is the latest acquisition:
Specs can be found here:
https://www.solar-guitars.com/product/v2-7c-carbon-black-matte/
First comment I'd like to make is on the neck-profile - it feels like it's a mix between the newer Ibanez Prestige necks and a Schecter Ultra C. It feels like it's slightly on the wider side when it comes to fretboard width however it's comfortable. I'm not sure if this because I've been playing on so many different neck profiles lately that it doesn't bother me or if it's just genuinely comfortable however no complaints. It's more on the C side than the D when it comes to shape I think. Whatever it is, it just works.
Finish/QC is pretty spot on, frets are great, hardware is solid. Only found this finish flaw on the bass side of the nut/fretboard however it's that small it doesn't bother me (can barely see it on the camera FFS).
Pickups - Duncan Solars have been on the list of things that I have wanted to try for a while now. Very well balanced, they kind of do everything, flat-ish EQ curve by the sounds of it. They don't quite get as pissed off as Black Winters/Invaders/Distortions/SD Ceramic based stuff however they do a pretty good job. Much better at cleans especially on the coil split mode. Even though I don't play cleans really at all thought I'd mention it anyway, and it's a great feature set to have on a guitar that's aimed at the metal market (who want a guitar that can do everything).
The output jack placement is on the lower horn which is pretty clever as it's always out of the way, however I have found it a little weird to get used to as almost every V I have either has the jack in the upper horn or on the back of the upper horn. Also another remark, the string set that it comes with from Blacksmith strings - whilst I personally don't like them that much, I appreciate that they at least tried putting a decent gauge on the 7th string, comes with a 9-62 set on it from the factory where a lot of companies like to hand around the 52-56 area (Ibanez have started using 59s on their hardtail offerings).
Overall, really solid instrument - it's a barebones 7 string V which I have some modifications planned for it, great for the price point. As a whole I think Ola has done a pretty good job of the 2 series Solars in general - decent base, good enough pickups out of the box and at a great price.
Specs can be found here:
https://www.solar-guitars.com/product/v2-7c-carbon-black-matte/
First comment I'd like to make is on the neck-profile - it feels like it's a mix between the newer Ibanez Prestige necks and a Schecter Ultra C. It feels like it's slightly on the wider side when it comes to fretboard width however it's comfortable. I'm not sure if this because I've been playing on so many different neck profiles lately that it doesn't bother me or if it's just genuinely comfortable however no complaints. It's more on the C side than the D when it comes to shape I think. Whatever it is, it just works.
Finish/QC is pretty spot on, frets are great, hardware is solid. Only found this finish flaw on the bass side of the nut/fretboard however it's that small it doesn't bother me (can barely see it on the camera FFS).
Pickups - Duncan Solars have been on the list of things that I have wanted to try for a while now. Very well balanced, they kind of do everything, flat-ish EQ curve by the sounds of it. They don't quite get as pissed off as Black Winters/Invaders/Distortions/SD Ceramic based stuff however they do a pretty good job. Much better at cleans especially on the coil split mode. Even though I don't play cleans really at all thought I'd mention it anyway, and it's a great feature set to have on a guitar that's aimed at the metal market (who want a guitar that can do everything).
The output jack placement is on the lower horn which is pretty clever as it's always out of the way, however I have found it a little weird to get used to as almost every V I have either has the jack in the upper horn or on the back of the upper horn. Also another remark, the string set that it comes with from Blacksmith strings - whilst I personally don't like them that much, I appreciate that they at least tried putting a decent gauge on the 7th string, comes with a 9-62 set on it from the factory where a lot of companies like to hand around the 52-56 area (Ibanez have started using 59s on their hardtail offerings).
Overall, really solid instrument - it's a barebones 7 string V which I have some modifications planned for it, great for the price point. As a whole I think Ola has done a pretty good job of the 2 series Solars in general - decent base, good enough pickups out of the box and at a great price.
