Khoi
Well-Known Member
Two years in the making, and it is finally here. I ordered this right after my Black Water 7-string in September of 2012, and it's just now arrived. Exactly 23 months of waiting, building, and numerous delays.
Well, after two years, what do I get?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Pure joy.
Specs:
INCOMING WALL OF TEXT
It honestly couldn't have turned out better. Aesthetically, it's greater than what I imagined in my head. I knew I wanted a sort of purple finish, and after a few samples, Aaron nailed the right color. It's not so much purple or red, but almost like a deep plum/pomegranate color. Then, there's the gorgeous back. I don't really need to say anything about it, but that it perfectly fits the overall aesthetic of the guitar, especially with the worn-look to match the pickups.
Playability - Superb. The neck reminds me of a JP6, which is exactly what I always try to aim for. Plays butter smooth and effortlessly.
Sound - The Holy Diver/VHII combo sounds incredible. SO much better than the Cold Sweats I have in my 7-string. Extremely tight, extreme clarity -- exactly what I imagined when I went for this combo. Chords just ring out with a fantastic harmonic separation, you can really hear every single note being played.
Now of course, custom guitars aren't without their faults.
I've been a strong supporter and proponent of Black Water Guitars since the beginning (my DII 7-string was one of his first public builds) and love to see the work that Aaron puts out. But I think everyone could agree that it's getting to the point where the building process just taking too long and with too many delays. I know that Aaron recognizes it, and I'm happy to see that he's stopped taking orders to catch up on their substantial backlog and even take the time to develop new tools and implement new ideas for the future. I want the company to succeed and be able to sustain their growth for what's to come in the future, because I know there will be some great projects coming from them soon.
I'm going to try to be as transparent as I can, seeing how I feel like I'm in part responsible for some of their growth with my earlier build and raving review (I know, narcissistic of me to say that, but I really did/do love my 7-string that much!!
)
The wait and delay.
Like I said earlier, I ordered this guitar two years ago: 23 months precisely. I was given an ambitious quote (I don't remember how long), and obviously, when the time came, no progress was made. I saw a picture of my neck in building, but after that, much was silent for several months.
Fast forward to December when I was told that it was going to be completed by Christmas. I was excited, and couldn't wait for an incredible Christmas gift. Christmas came and went, and the guitar still wasn't anywhere to be seen.
January came, and I received a message and a picture of an unfinished guitar. That's when Aaron and I discussed the color to which we were able to get the right shade after some experimentation and correspondence. Okay great, the color was decided, and hopefully soon-to-be-stained!
Silence for a few months, until the end of March when I noticed Aaron posted a picture of a set of pickups that looked just like mine, EXCEPT they were the wrong combo (Aftermath bridge/VHII neck). I message Aaron asking him if they were mine (to which they indeed were), and corrected him of the pickups. Okay, so now he needs to order a new bridge pickup, which would take a few weeks at least.
During the same conversation, Aaron sends me a picture of a finished body, and unfinished back. Just in case, I ask him if the back was still going to be stained black. "The what?." Apparently, it was lost that I wanted the back stained black. At that point, the back was already oiled/waxed but fortunately it wasn't too late. Okay, even better, another thing to delay the build even more.
May comes, and I message Aaron whether my pickups came in yet and if the back was finished. No response.
Early June comes, and Aaron apologizes for the delays, and says he'll be making progress on the guitar. End of June comes, and still, no progress.
July comes, and Aaron sends me a picture of the back finally being stained black. It looks great, and should be nearing completion as that was the last thing to be done!
Finally, at the end of July, Aaron posts a picture of the finished guitar on his Facebook page. The guitar is finally done!!! Except for one issue -- volume and pickup switch are in the wrong location. They should be swapped. So I message Aaron about that, and he said he'd get that done later in the day and it should be pretty much good to go.
Mid-August comes and the guitar is finally ready to ship. And here it is on August 26th, 2014, in all its glory.
Well, after two years, what do I get?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Pure joy.
Specs:
- 6-strings
- Quilted Maple top
- Swamp Ash body
- Brazilian Rosewood fretboard
- 5-piece Flamed Maple/Ebony neck
- Stainless steel frets
- Bare Knuckle Holy Diver bridge and VHII Neck
- Schaller-Hannes fixed bridge
- 16" Radius fretboard
- Special purple-thing finish (I don't even know what to call it)
- Stained worn-black body and neck
INCOMING WALL OF TEXT
It honestly couldn't have turned out better. Aesthetically, it's greater than what I imagined in my head. I knew I wanted a sort of purple finish, and after a few samples, Aaron nailed the right color. It's not so much purple or red, but almost like a deep plum/pomegranate color. Then, there's the gorgeous back. I don't really need to say anything about it, but that it perfectly fits the overall aesthetic of the guitar, especially with the worn-look to match the pickups.
Playability - Superb. The neck reminds me of a JP6, which is exactly what I always try to aim for. Plays butter smooth and effortlessly.
Sound - The Holy Diver/VHII combo sounds incredible. SO much better than the Cold Sweats I have in my 7-string. Extremely tight, extreme clarity -- exactly what I imagined when I went for this combo. Chords just ring out with a fantastic harmonic separation, you can really hear every single note being played.
Now of course, custom guitars aren't without their faults.
I've been a strong supporter and proponent of Black Water Guitars since the beginning (my DII 7-string was one of his first public builds) and love to see the work that Aaron puts out. But I think everyone could agree that it's getting to the point where the building process just taking too long and with too many delays. I know that Aaron recognizes it, and I'm happy to see that he's stopped taking orders to catch up on their substantial backlog and even take the time to develop new tools and implement new ideas for the future. I want the company to succeed and be able to sustain their growth for what's to come in the future, because I know there will be some great projects coming from them soon.
I'm going to try to be as transparent as I can, seeing how I feel like I'm in part responsible for some of their growth with my earlier build and raving review (I know, narcissistic of me to say that, but I really did/do love my 7-string that much!!
)The wait and delay.
Like I said earlier, I ordered this guitar two years ago: 23 months precisely. I was given an ambitious quote (I don't remember how long), and obviously, when the time came, no progress was made. I saw a picture of my neck in building, but after that, much was silent for several months.
Fast forward to December when I was told that it was going to be completed by Christmas. I was excited, and couldn't wait for an incredible Christmas gift. Christmas came and went, and the guitar still wasn't anywhere to be seen.
January came, and I received a message and a picture of an unfinished guitar. That's when Aaron and I discussed the color to which we were able to get the right shade after some experimentation and correspondence. Okay great, the color was decided, and hopefully soon-to-be-stained!
Silence for a few months, until the end of March when I noticed Aaron posted a picture of a set of pickups that looked just like mine, EXCEPT they were the wrong combo (Aftermath bridge/VHII neck). I message Aaron asking him if they were mine (to which they indeed were), and corrected him of the pickups. Okay, so now he needs to order a new bridge pickup, which would take a few weeks at least.
During the same conversation, Aaron sends me a picture of a finished body, and unfinished back. Just in case, I ask him if the back was still going to be stained black. "The what?." Apparently, it was lost that I wanted the back stained black. At that point, the back was already oiled/waxed but fortunately it wasn't too late. Okay, even better, another thing to delay the build even more.
May comes, and I message Aaron whether my pickups came in yet and if the back was finished. No response.
Early June comes, and Aaron apologizes for the delays, and says he'll be making progress on the guitar. End of June comes, and still, no progress.
July comes, and Aaron sends me a picture of the back finally being stained black. It looks great, and should be nearing completion as that was the last thing to be done!
Finally, at the end of July, Aaron posts a picture of the finished guitar on his Facebook page. The guitar is finally done!!! Except for one issue -- volume and pickup switch are in the wrong location. They should be swapped. So I message Aaron about that, and he said he'd get that done later in the day and it should be pretty much good to go.
Mid-August comes and the guitar is finally ready to ship. And here it is on August 26th, 2014, in all its glory.
Spectacular!
E 
