Eric
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 30, 2007
- Messages
- 1,760
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Here she is - the UV model that Ibanez never made but definately should have... my UV77GMC. Just got her all bolted and wired together.
What you are looking at is a mahogany body cut to exact UVMC spec & GMC swirled as well as a 1991 UV7BK neck that had its old rosewood green dot neck replaced with a ebony fretboard with pearloid pyramid inlays. The body, finishing, and neckwork was done by ET Guitars Australia.
This is how she began...
Fresh out of the bucket...
Clearcoated...
The neck...
Just before she came to me...
And after I put her together...
And the UV Family
EDIT:
I finished setting it up and got to play it for a few hours last night. I
it. Got the action pretty low and it sang beautifully. Sounds great, feels great, looks great... couldn't ask for more. When I actually manage to put the thing down I can't stop looking it at - I think that will end up increasing my practice time 
So, since ET is a newer luthier, I figured I'd go ahead and do a review for you guys. NOTE: If you have questions pertaining to ETA or pricing, these are listed on ET's website: Home Page
Customer Service: 10/10
Ernie responded to my emails within the day - usually within less than 12 hours. He was 100% dedicated to making sure that I was completely satisfied with every aspect of the build and constantly sent me updates so I could watch the build from start to finish. Custom Service is a clear priority to ET Guitars.
Craftsmanship & Build Quality: 10/10
I was very impressed with the quality of the woods used in my GMC. ET also did a remarkable job on the inlays
The body was cut perfectly and is identical to my MC. The neck pocket fits incredibly snug, which is great. I actually had to open it up just a little bit so I could get it to fit comfortably which, by all means, is a great thing... I would much rather do that than have the neck fit too loose. Everything matches up pretty much perfectly.
Fretwork: 8.5/10
Note: Fretwork is graded on a scale relative to a J-Custom (10/10). After getting it set up, it plays great and I demand my action to be pretty low. I am very happy with the way that it feels, sounds, and rings out. When you look down the neck there are two frets that look slightly uneven so I deducted .5 for each of them. I also deducted .5 because it feels a little rough if you slide your thumb and middle finger own the sides of the fretboard.
Finishing: 8.5/10
I LOVE the swirl on this guitar. The paint looks absolutely amazing. It is actually a very, very vibrant green. The pictures look very washed out in comparison to how it looks in person. It is beautiful. Here I deducted .5 because there are a couple spots in the clearcoat that I wish were a little smoother to the touch, I took off another .5 for a few minor imperfections in the headstock paint, and I deducted another .5 just because I wish the clearcoat was a little thicker.
Overall Experience: 9.25/10
I love this guitar. It is unique, beautiful, and everything that I asked for. A GMC 7 was my dream guitar and I have it now thanks to ET Guitars. So -thank you for your patience and time Ernie, I'll take good care of her
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On a side note, to show you exactly what I was going for minus the inlays, handle, and woods:
Steve Vai's prototype JEM77GMC (photo taken from { The Official Steve Vai Website - Sound Theories Vol. I & II - OUT NOW! }). Unlike the production GMC's, Vai's has white instead of that strange silver color and has all green pickups instead of the alternating black/green.
What I got:
Works for me!
What you are looking at is a mahogany body cut to exact UVMC spec & GMC swirled as well as a 1991 UV7BK neck that had its old rosewood green dot neck replaced with a ebony fretboard with pearloid pyramid inlays. The body, finishing, and neckwork was done by ET Guitars Australia.
This is how she began...
Fresh out of the bucket...
Clearcoated...
The neck...
Just before she came to me...
And after I put her together...
And the UV Family
EDIT:
I finished setting it up and got to play it for a few hours last night. I
it. Got the action pretty low and it sang beautifully. Sounds great, feels great, looks great... couldn't ask for more. When I actually manage to put the thing down I can't stop looking it at - I think that will end up increasing my practice time So, since ET is a newer luthier, I figured I'd go ahead and do a review for you guys. NOTE: If you have questions pertaining to ETA or pricing, these are listed on ET's website: Home PageCustomer Service: 10/10
Ernie responded to my emails within the day - usually within less than 12 hours. He was 100% dedicated to making sure that I was completely satisfied with every aspect of the build and constantly sent me updates so I could watch the build from start to finish. Custom Service is a clear priority to ET Guitars.
Craftsmanship & Build Quality: 10/10
I was very impressed with the quality of the woods used in my GMC. ET also did a remarkable job on the inlays
The body was cut perfectly and is identical to my MC. The neck pocket fits incredibly snug, which is great. I actually had to open it up just a little bit so I could get it to fit comfortably which, by all means, is a great thing... I would much rather do that than have the neck fit too loose. Everything matches up pretty much perfectly.Fretwork: 8.5/10
Note: Fretwork is graded on a scale relative to a J-Custom (10/10). After getting it set up, it plays great and I demand my action to be pretty low. I am very happy with the way that it feels, sounds, and rings out. When you look down the neck there are two frets that look slightly uneven so I deducted .5 for each of them. I also deducted .5 because it feels a little rough if you slide your thumb and middle finger own the sides of the fretboard.
Finishing: 8.5/10
I LOVE the swirl on this guitar. The paint looks absolutely amazing. It is actually a very, very vibrant green. The pictures look very washed out in comparison to how it looks in person. It is beautiful. Here I deducted .5 because there are a couple spots in the clearcoat that I wish were a little smoother to the touch, I took off another .5 for a few minor imperfections in the headstock paint, and I deducted another .5 just because I wish the clearcoat was a little thicker.
Overall Experience: 9.25/10
I love this guitar. It is unique, beautiful, and everything that I asked for. A GMC 7 was my dream guitar and I have it now thanks to ET Guitars. So -thank you for your patience and time Ernie, I'll take good care of her
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On a side note, to show you exactly what I was going for minus the inlays, handle, and woods:
Steve Vai's prototype JEM77GMC (photo taken from { The Official Steve Vai Website - Sound Theories Vol. I & II - OUT NOW! }). Unlike the production GMC's, Vai's has white instead of that strange silver color and has all green pickups instead of the alternating black/green.
What I got:
Works for me!
I'd buy it.
It's finished and doesn't she look cosy with the rest of the family.
