Okay- my official opinion after experiencing two 2023 serial stamped Legator made in Korea guitars is I do not recommend.
Quality of Legator guitars?
- Thread starter LeffJoomis
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If anyone wants a straight scale 27" 7 string Legator G7 headless 2023 MIK, I'll sell it to ya for $375 + shipping. I lost the little washer for one of the tuners so I put a small lock washer on and it seems to work ok. And one of the saddle mounting screws is s little ate up but has plenty of grip if you wanted to replace it. I spent about $800 on it after shipping and I want it out of my house.
spawnofthesith
Well-Known Member
No joke, I had a bad dream the other night in which I bought a legator 7 string 
spawnofthesith
Well-Known Member
Who's building the Korean made legators? WMI?
Headstock doesn't specify like an Ormsby does, but it does say Made in Korea and that's all. No idea. I usually assume WMI.
No joke, I had a bad dream the other night in which I bought a legator 7 string
The resulting behavior of my experience working with the Legator Ghost was bothersome enough for my wife to buy me a Prestige because she felt so bad for me. Seriously.
spawnofthesith
Well-Known Member
Agree. The money comes from the same place so I guess technically I'm paying for it too, but it's the explicit permission and encouragement that counts.
It went something like this as I spent 45 minutes unsuccessfully and exasperatingly looking for a washer that flew off the ghost and transported itself to narnia: "when are you going to stop buying things you're unhappy with to try to save money? just go buy what you want. I'm tired of seeing you like this"
One kinda funny thing she said was "I bet that once you get what you want, that pile of cases over there will start shrinking".
My response as I thought of all y'all on SSO and laughed a bit inside was "oh yeah, definitely..."
My response as I thought of all y'all on SSO and laughed a bit inside was "oh yeah, definitely..."
The Monster With .
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I really thought about buying this guy when you had it up on Reverb a few days ago. How come you're getting rid of it?
In a nutshell: too many guitars in house.
Long answer: Wife bought me a Prestige and I have another Legator Ghost 7 which is multiscale that I find more interesting since its my only ms instrument. Don't need two legators ghosts basically. And it's got the issue of me losing a washer on the tuner that I noted and that one of the saddle screws is a little chewed up. Nothing that can't be fixed. Fretwork is just okay and if I was going to keep it I'd level them so I can get a lower action. Ain't worth my time. Might be worth someone else's time.
I put it back up on Reverb but I'd prefer to make a deal outside of Reverb and I'm open to offers.
I think there's only 2 or 3 spots with little high spots that only really affect the low strings so a spot level would probably be fine. I might do a leveling on it if it doesn't sell in a couple weeks but I have a backlog of repairs to do atm.
I think there's only 2 or 3 spots with little high spots that only really affect the low strings so a spot level would probably be fine. I might do a leveling on it if it doesn't sell in a couple weeks but I have a backlog of repairs to do atm.
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Ordacleaphobia
Shameless Contrarian
Never, the answer is never. But thank you
I'm open to trades for pedals, monitors, misc gear, whatever
sell2792
Well-Known Member
I really want to track down a used Joshua Travis nine string but a.) it’s still a Legator and b.) Agile.
Chri
-________-
You could also get one of the newer 9 strings
I think @OmegaSlayer has one IIRC and was pretty happy with it.
Aren't the JT sigs part of the dark era?
Also @nightsprinter since you're an admitted stickler on QC, what is your experience with the Korean Schecters? I think you've mentioned issues with the MIK LTDs before, so I'm curious how you think these Legators stack up. In my experience, the Legators are typically on par, but I've only purchased used, older than the few you've posted here models (CA ~2020-2021 models).
You could also get one of the newer 9 strings
I think @OmegaSlayer has one IIRC and was pretty happy with it.
Aren't the JT sigs part of the dark era?
Also @nightsprinter since you're an admitted stickler on QC, what is your experience with the Korean Schecters? I think you've mentioned issues with the MIK LTDs before, so I'm curious how you think these Legators stack up. In my experience, the Legators are typically on par, but I've only purchased used, older than the few you've posted here models (CA ~2020-2021 models).
Korean Schecters-
I've had about 6 new ones in my possession recently-ish iirc, as well as 2 used. Thinking back to the new ones, what I've noticed is:
-someone loves to file the low string nut slots too low. i encountered this multiple times. the high strings are typically perfect but the low strings (typically E/A for 6ers) sizzle off the first fret. I don't know if they were just filed too low in general or if they were filed with a ton of relief in the neck- i haven't done the measurements for a reasonable conclusion- but with minimal relief, I have encountered this multiple times. so then the choice becomes to fill and recut, or shim the nut and dial them all back in. and that kinda sucks when you're looking at a nice new eb compensated nut that someone just missed cutting perfectly by a hair or two.
-fretwork has always been fairly nice. I like that they don't bevel the fret edges too far in so there's plenty of meat on the ends for people with poor technique like me who have a tendency to slip the string off the edge during long stretch arpeggios or animated lead playing. I haven't encountered a MIK schecter that couldn't benefit from a spot level or in some cases a full leveling, but overall I find MIK schecter fretwork to be better than average at the price points and you can typically rely on a 5/64" bass side action to ring out pretty well. If you want 4/64" to 2ish/64" taper like I do, you'll want to probably do a little rework. The MII schecters have been a completely different story for me and I found the fretwork to be on average not as good. Some ok, some just acceptable, and some abysmal (especially on the lower tiered bass guitars in the C series)
-the body/finish work has been lacking. Look closely at some of the real instrument photos from retailers that take pics of their stock- specifically the set neck/neck thru stuff. I've seen a lot of paint/finish bubbling between the end of the fingerboard and the neck pickup. Body edges of some with binding (I've noticed mostly on ash models) can be rough and have inadequate grain fill or gouges/tool marks which is especially noticeable on the unpainted rear/side sections. Rusty/marred wheel truss adjusters have been a thing too.
-two sets of schecter branded locking tuners I've encountered had slip.
-ive had two neckthru models with the ultra thin c neck. they weren't as strong as I'd have liked in terms of stability. I noticed I could bend notes off pitch if I had too hard a grip on the neck. and same goes for some of the thin bass necks like the lower tiered stilettos.
That's really all I can think of right now. They are mostly good guitars. I don't know that they're worth the $1400+ price tag that some of them are commanding, but you could do a lot worse.
The intangible issue I have with schecter is I cannot connect with them personally despite how hard I try. Can't find a good reason. It just happens to be.
Korean LTD's are more of a crapshoot than Schecter in my experience. The good ones I've had have been excellent, but I've had some serious dogs too with hilariously bad construction.
ymmv and take my words with a grain of salt because I'm a serial nitpicker and complainer. but I also have the self awareness to know I am so I don't cause problems for retailers or companies with angry/rude/demanding correspondence because I just expect to be disappointed with everything and that's why I bought thousands of dollars of tools so I can finish the jobs that the factories don't.
OmegaSlayer
Well-Known Member
I confirm I'm very very happy with mine which is an N9FP Iris FadeYou could also get one of the newer 9 strings
I think @OmegaSlayer has one IIRC and was pretty happy with it.
Aren't the JT sigs part of the dark era?
Also @nightsprinter since you're an admitted stickler on QC, what is your experience with the Korean Schecters? I think you've mentioned issues with the MIK LTDs before, so I'm curious how you think these Legators stack up. In my experience, the Legators are typically on par, but I've only purchased used, older than the few you've posted here models (CA ~2020-2021 models).
Mine is quite flawless, there's just a tiny blemish on the back of the body
The only thing missing are SS frets...and I really didn't get why it wasn't built with those; other than that, if you're looking for a 9 string multiscale, I don't think you can find anything better
Chri
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That pretty much reflects my opinions as well. Especially the low string buzz and body/finish issues RE Schecter. Have you tried any of the MKiii Keith Merrow sigs? As an unabashed Ibby whore those are the best offerings for me.
So in your opinion these newer Legators ‘23-24 are lesser quality than Schecter? Or about the same.
I didn’t even realize I’ve got that 27” straight scale Ghost of yours in my Reverb watch list since I want something for C standard and Drop F
That pretty much reflects my opinions as well. Especially the low string buzz and body/finish issues RE Schecter. Have you tried any of the MKiii Keith Merrow sigs? As an unabashed Ibby whore those are the best offerings for me.
So in your opinion these newer Legators ‘23-24 are lesser quality than Schecter? Or about the same.
I didn’t even realize I’ve got that 27” straight scale Ghost of yours in my Reverb watch list since I want something for C standard and Drop F
I haven't tried the chief keef merrow schecter yet but I'd love to lay my hands on one.
The legators I got were not quite up to current schecter quality because the first ghost I got had worse cosmetic fuckups than I've ever seen on a schecter, and this black ghost I have is just okay. I'm still mad I lost that tuner washer but that's on me. The fretwork on this black ghost is better than on my multiscale ghost by a country mile, but as mentioned, it could be improved to eliminate some light buzz in spots on the low strings which is heard acoustically. I have it at a 5/64" to 3/64" taper right now.
I pulled the ghost off Reverb because I'm tired of Reverb taking my money, but I have it should anyone want to buy it.
