Solar Guitars by Ola Englund

[Xk6m6m5X]

We need a slime version
Like ...quick !

SOLAR ML!!!!!

 

[Soulmate]

NGD

 

[Soulmate]

Shot a short clip just because of NGD

 

[JimF]

Nice! Reminds me of A Wilhelm Scream.

 

[Soulmate]

So yeah, I guess it’s time for some feedback of the 5 Solars I’ve owned or played:

1. S1.6PB

This one only had one issue, bad fret ends. Unless the other ones didn’t have good fret jobs I wouldn’t have complained about this. It wasn’t as bad as Fenders for example. Sold it to get another Solar.

2. A1.6 Artist BP

This one you might remember, it was the one with the ugly choice of body wood. Other than that, no issues. Sent it back.

3. A1.6FB

This one had pickups wired backwards and the pickup selector doesn’t feel as solid as on the others. Fixed the wiring myself and got a coupon for the Solar website. Evertune bridge had some problems at first with one string not staying in tune, fiddled with the saddle a bit and it started working. No other issues. Still own it.

4. A1.7C

This one has a small drop of excess paint on the back of the neck near the fingerboard edge. The High e saddle on the evertune leans towards the middle so the string completely misses the neck pickup pole. Not a functional issue, just looks weird. No further issues. Still have it.

5. A2.6LN

This one has finish issues with several dark specs of dust, wood chips and excess paint. The part where the neck joins the fingerboard has a noticeable ridge on both sides, as if the fingerboard is too narrow. The lower horn scoop is carved a bit off. Frets have not been polished very well. I’ll most likely keep it since I can’t feel the fingerboard ridge while playing, and to be honest at this point I don’t want to take the risk of getting an even worse one in some other way in return.

So based on my experiences either I’m super nitpicky or the quality control is clearly not where it needs to be. This A2.6 will probably be my last one as I don’t want to take another chance ordering them online.

Absolutely love the neck shape and playability of them though.

 

[CrimsonStar]

So yeah, I guess it’s time for some feedback of the 5 Solars I’ve owned or played:

So based on my experiences either I’m super nitpicky or the quality control is clearly not where it needs to be. This A2.6 will probably be my last one as I don’t want to take another chance ordering them online.

Absolutely love the neck shape and playability of them though.

How was the return process? I'm in a situation right now, where I cancelled my order and it seems that Solar has a new batch of guitars in store, so I might just order again and hope to get a good looking guitar and just return it if the guitar isn't what I wanted. But if I need to pay for the returning, it's kinda gamble, even if the shipping the guitar back doesn't cost that much...

Still dreaming about that s1.6PP tho, but I'm not getting my hopes up at the moment. After going through the Internet in the past weeks, I have yet to see a purpleburst that looks like the guitar that is sold on the website (apart from the guitar that is in the promotional video of course) - every purpleburst that I could find have either very light purple coloring on the edges that fades into almost orange, pink or natural or the purple is almost right on the edges of the body, but the middle part of the body is colored natural. But maybe I'm just nitpicking and frustrated...

 

[Soulmate]

How was the return process? I'm in a situation right now, where I cancelled my order and it seems that Solar has a new batch of guitars in store, so I might just order again and hope to get a good looking guitar and just return it if the guitar isn't what I wanted. But if I need to pay for the returning, it's kinda gamble, even if the shipping the guitar back doesn't cost that much...

Still dreaming about that s1.6PP tho, but I'm not getting my hopes up at the moment. After going through the Internet in the past weeks, I have yet to see a purpleburst that looks like the guitar that is sold on the website (apart from the guitar that is in the promotional video of course) - every purpleburst that I could find have either very light purple coloring on the edges that fades into almost orange, pink or natural or the purple is almost right on the edges of the body, but the middle part of the body is colored natural. But maybe I'm just nitpicking and frustrated...

You have to pay for the return shipping yourself. From Finland the cheapest option at the moment is about 90€ IIRC. They only refund the UPS shipping to you.

 

[CrimsonStar]

You have to pay for the return shipping yourself. From Finland the cheapest option at the moment is about 90€ IIRC. They only refund the UPS shipping to you.

It's an expensive gamble then... I guess it's better for me to wait for a while before ordering again, sucks but I guess it's better to be safe than sorry. Thank you for answering!

 

[mpexus]

Or buy from Thomann

 

[nickgray]

The part where the neck joins the fingerboard has a noticeable ridge on both sides

Hmmm, my A2.7 has that, but you can only feel it in certain parts and it's very-very subtle except for near the heel on the bass side, there it's quite noticeable. It's as if they didn't quite sand it right or something. I don't feel it when playing since I just don't touch this part of the neck (especially near the heel), so I kinda wrote it off as a minor cosmetic issue. Interesting that my guitar isn't the only one with this issue.

Tbh, after having frets popping out on an LTD Deluxe, I've been thinking that maybe buying MiJ is not exactly overpaying. The Koreans and Indos have skyrocketed in price, but not exactly skyrocketed in QC, to put it mildly.

 

[Adieu]

NGD

Whoa...is that... the default bikini color from Japanese pron???

 

[Soulmate]

Hmmm, my A2.7 has that, but you can only feel it in certain parts and it's very-very subtle except for near the heel on the bass side, there it's quite noticeable. It's as if they didn't quite sand it right or something. I don't feel it when playing since I just don't touch this part of the neck (especially near the heel), so I kinda wrote it off as a minor cosmetic issue. Interesting that my guitar isn't the only one with this issue.

Tbh, after having frets popping out on an LTD Deluxe, I've been thinking that maybe buying MiJ is not exactly overpaying. The Koreans and Indos have skyrocketed in price, but not exactly skyrocketed in QC, to put it mildly.

Yeah, it’s like the paint layer is super thick and when they removed the masking tape from the fingerboard edges it left a ridge. As I said it can’t be felt while playing but it’s definitely lazily finished.

Fret edges have been very good on all of my Solars, one of the most consistent brand of guitars I’ve come across in that regard.

 

[MAJ Meadows SF]

I found one!!!! A1.7DVV!!! Look at that Slime Green glory! Fucking plays like a champ. Has a minor paint smudge by the lower horn base, meaning it was a B-stock. But, perfect otherwise. I’m definitely swapping the bridge pickup for a Guitarmory Matador 7 I have laying around. Now all I need is a JCM900, LWA Plague Rat, and dial in my MXR 10 band (not hunting down a Rane) to riff out to Summoning Redemption!

 

[RiksRiks]

I found one!!!! A1.7DVV!!! Look at that Slime Green glory! Fucking plays like a champ. Has a minor paint smudge by the lower horn base, meaning it was a B-stock. But, perfect otherwise. I’m definitely swapping the bridge pickup for a Guitarmory Matador 7 I have laying around. Now all I need is a JCM900, LWA Plague Rat, and dial in my MXR 10 band (not hunting down a Rane) to riff out to Summoning Redemption!

Congratulations!!! How would you compare the playability vs the Ormsby??

 

[Louis Cypher]

I found one!!!! A1.7DVV!!! Look at that Slime Green glory! Fucking plays like a champ. Has a minor paint smudge by the lower horn base, meaning it was a B-stock. But, perfect otherwise. I’m definitely swapping the bridge pickup for a Guitarmory Matador 7 I have laying around. Now all I need is a JCM900, LWA Plague Rat, and dial in my MXR 10 band (not hunting down a Rane) to riff out to Summoning Redemption!

Congrats mate, that is a gorgeous guitar! I want one so bad!

 

[MAJ Meadows SF]

Congrats mate, that is a gorgeous guitar! I want one so bad!

Dude you ain’t kidding. I am so lucky to find one and so thankful!

Congratulations!!! How would you compare the playability vs the Ormsby??

Thanks so much! So, compared to Ormsby: I own a bunch of GTRs and a custom 7, plus I’ve played several 6s & 7s from Solar. Both brands are rock solid and undergo solid QA/QC. The biggest difference (other than the fan) is the neck. Ormsby’s have a thin U shape based on a D shape profile. Shoulders are noticeable but not steep. All of them are fast and incredibly comfortable. The Solar Guitars have more of a C shape, but equally comfy and both brands play very fast. I can tell with both, but focusing on Solar here, that the goal was to make affordable and highly feature packed “players guitars”. Ola clearly has a ton of input into his brand and isn’t just associating his name with a factory instrument for brand royalties. They play like butter, have great tonal capabilities, and are designed to be used professionally as much as in the home. The attention to fretwork, materials, balance, and setup are on point. As far as affordable professional grade instruments go, these are easily part of the top tier you can buy. The A1.7 feels a little like an Ibanez RG but still has it’s own flavor. I have no problem with the Blaze pickups but they aren’t the flavor I’m looking for. Classic, and I did jam “Where the Slime Live” and “Weeping China Doll” riffs right away, but the Guitarmory’s are going in for more OSDM vibes. That said the Duncan Solars I’ve played are great, versatile, all around pickups; not just a cheap “Duncan Design” forgettable copy. I might hunt down a set down the road. It would be nice if Solar offered them alone someday.

BLUF, TL/DR: the Solar plays great and feels like a professional workhorse. The Ormsby modes are equally excellent but with a different neck profile. Choices go down to personal taste, but you can’t go wrong either way for the money. I love the Solar design, contours, and playability. I definitely want to grab an Evertune loaded model. I’m impressed and really glad Ola has done all the right things with his brand for all of us players, be it stage bands or bedroom metal heads.

 

[RiksRiks]

Dude you ain’t kidding. I am so lucky to find one and so thankful!



Thanks so much! So, compared to Ormsby: I own a bunch of GTRs and a custom 7, plus I’ve played several 6s & 7s from Solar. Both brands are rock solid and undergo solid QA/QC. The biggest difference (other than the fan) is the neck. Ormsby’s have a thin U shape based on a D shape profile. Shoulders are noticeable but not steep. All of them are fast and incredibly comfortable. The Solar Guitars have more of a C shape, but equally comfy and both brands play very fast. I can tell with both, but focusing on Solar here, that the goal was to make affordable and highly feature packed “players guitars”. Ola clearly has a ton of input into his brand and isn’t just associating his name with a factory instrument for brand royalties. They play like butter, have great tonal capabilities, and are designed to be used professionally as much as in the home. The attention to fretwork, materials, balance, and setup are on point. As far as affordable professional grade instruments go, these are easily part of the top tier you can buy. The A1.7 feels a little like an Ibanez RG but still has it’s own flavor. I have no problem with the Blaze pickups but they aren’t the flavor I’m looking for. Classic, and I did jam “Where the Slime Live” and “Weeping China Doll” riffs right away, but the Guitarmory’s are going in for more OSDM vibes. That said the Duncan Solars I’ve played are great, versatile, all around pickups; not just a cheap “Duncan Design” forgettable copy. I might hunt down a set down the road. It would be nice if Solar offered them alone someday.

BLUF, TL/DR: the Solar plays great and feels like a professional workhorse. The Ormsby modes are equally excellent but with a different neck profile. Choices go down to personal taste, but you can’t go wrong either way for the money. I love the Solar design, contours, and playability. I definitely want to grab an Evertune loaded model. I’m impressed and really glad Ola has done all the right things with his brand for all of us players, be it stage bands or bedroom metal heads.

Thanks for the info man! I own a 7 string GTR but I'm also looking to get an Evertune loaded 6 string, and Solar is the best option so far. Today they announced a Lemon Neon Matte that is tempting me sooo hard.

 

[Soulmate]

Solar QA/QC is not where it needs to be, at least yet. I sincerely hope they will work hard to get there because I really like the guitars.

I have never seen such a bad paint job on any other guitar as on my A2.6. And it wasn’t even a b-stock.

 

[MAJ Meadows SF]

Thanks for the info man! I own a 7 string GTR but I'm also looking to get an Evertune loaded 6 string, and Solar is the best option so far. Today they announced a Lemon Neon Matte that is tempting me sooo hard.

Oh lord that sounds awesome!!! The E1.6D LTD has my eyeballs fixed. I said I would buy one if they came out and then later that week, my bluff was called. Damn.

 

[MAJ Meadows SF]

Solar QA/QC is not where it needs to be, at least yet. I sincerely hope they will work hard to get there because I really like the guitars.

I have never seen such a bad paint job on any other guitar as on my A2.6. And it wasn’t even a b-stock.

I think the majority of them are fine. I’ve played at least 6 in stores, and the A1.7DVV has the worst paint errors by far, all on the lower horn: the tip and inside the carve wasn’t taped well between the black and green. It takes a very close look to see, but it’s there. Every other inch of it is perfect. One of my Ormsby’s has a stain smudge/bleed in the pickup cavity ear. Small cosmetic blems like that are common in factory guitars. I see it in shops all the time, especially when I worked at a GC. Some brands based on factories are worse than others. Anything really bad was returned.

I have seen the stain differences on here with the poplar burl top Solars; I’d be disappointed too. If your paint job is really worse than a “blem” issue, and wasn’t a B-stock, that’s worth noting. I can’t disagree the controls could be better, but it’s nothing I haven’t seen many times. For transparency, obviously the biggest brands have had the least blems I’ve encountered, but they are there.