Solar Guitars by Ola Englund

[MadYarpen]

Well yeah, I chaged from the stock 9-46 strings (AFAIR) to 11-54, and changed tuning from E standard to C# standard, and I messed with the truss rod to have it how I like. So this is why I had to intonate the guitar. I also know how to do it, that you need to tune the strings every time you move the saddle Bass strings are still a bit unstable, but the 3rd one is OK.

I guess it is normal when you use thicker stings, to intonate you will have to move the sadddles away from the headstock. It's just that with 0.20 gauge on 3rd string, tuned to E in this case, the saddle has to be moved all the way back. I checked again, and it seems to be just enough, but If I wanted to use any thicker string, I think I'd be in trouble. As if the bridge was 1 mm to close to the headstock.

Also it seems they had some dirt in the air when painting this one, there are few places where it feels like a grain of sand is under the paint. One is especially annoying, on the 10th fret where my thumb rests - but I'll just sandpaper this away. Hopefully it helps.

Other than that I don't have anythig bad to say about this guitar. If anyone is wondering, it does not have neckdive issues, at least with a wide strap (I think mine has 10 cm in width).

Pickups have less output in comparison to my Nazgul, but that's OK, I need to learn how to play them lol.

And it is very comfortable for me, I play in "classical" position, so that's why I prefer Vs. This way my right hand is less tense. But what is outsanding with this one is this simple profile instead of the sharp edges. Fantastic. The neck is also nice, I know it is somewhere around 1.5 mm thicker than the neck in my Xiphos7, but I think it alows my thumb to be more relaxed.

 

[Nightside]

So has anyone leaked the 2020 Solar catalogue yet?

 

[Bandersnatch]

Well yeah, I chaged from the stock 9-46 strings (AFAIR) to 11-54, and changed tuning from E standard to C# standard, and I messed with the truss rod to have it how I like. So this is why I had to intonate the guitar. I also know how to do it, that you need to tune the strings every time you move the saddle Bass strings are still a bit unstable, but the 3rd one is OK.

I guess it is normal when you use thicker stings, to intonate you will have to move the sadddles away from the headstock. It's just that with 0.20 gauge on 3rd string, tuned to E in this case, the saddle has to be moved all the way back. I checked again, and it seems to be just enough, but If I wanted to use any thicker string, I think I'd be in trouble. As if the bridge was 1 mm to close to the headstock.

I dunno. To me, it seems cranking the saddle all the way to the back of the bridge seems excessive, no matter the guage of string. I don't think it's an issue with the guitar, given that all other strings intonate just fine.

Maybe give the strings one final stretch, then instead of tuning to pitch, tune half an octave higher and leave it overnight. Then, in the morning or whenever you get the chance, tune up and try intonating again. Maybe also invest in one of these to help with stretching the strings.

 

[zenonshandro]

Have you tried to pry the locking pin back down? It's such an easy fix.

Have you seen the whole thread about this?

 

[MadYarpen]

I dunno. To me, it seems cranking the saddle all the way to the back of the bridge seems excessive, no matter the guage of string. I don't think it's an issue with the guitar, given that all other strings intonate just fine.

Maybe give the strings one final stretch, then instead of tuning to pitch, tune half an octave higher and leave it overnight. Then, in the morning or whenever you get the chance, tune up and try intonating again. Maybe also invest in one of these to help with stretching the strings.

I will look at it again when the strings are stable, for sure. But at the moment it intonates OK with the saddle all the way back, so I don't know how would it change.

And you know, other saddles are also further back than with the stock strings. Actually, as always, they are in the groups of three. 1st - 3rd and 4th-6th. And the way 3rd string / saddle is, is consistent with the others.

 

[MadYarpen]

Have a look yourself https://imgur.com/a/SIH6O8X

 

[Winspear]

Have a look yourself https://imgur.com/a/SIH6O8X

It looks to me the guitar was designed with wasted bridge travel. Pretty common but definitely a shame if somebody wanted to tune even lower than you are. The high E will always be the most far forward, and even if you were to go down from 12 to 8 gauge (the thinnest people use), there would still be a couple of mm unused at the front of the bridge. So they could have placed it that far further back to allow extra travel. Or used something like the Hipshot TOM which has as much travel (including movable posts) as the regular Hipshot hardtail!
If you are using a plain 3rd string, a wound 3rd (I'd suggest one gauge higher for equal tension) should intonate much further forward, like, infront of the D string. I'd always reccomend a change from plain to wound at 20 anyway for tone.
Still, it's a shame this guitar wasn't designed to intonate more than maybe a 56 on the bottom.
Also yes, flipping the saddles is a thing people do and it would give an extra couple of mm travel.

 

[c7spheres]

Intonate, that's the English word!

I should move the saddle even more backwards (further away from the headstock) to have the note in tune on 12th fret, but I have ran out of space for the saddle.

- How far off (how many cents on the tuner) is it off?
- The first thing I would try is a new string. Sometimes the string is just a bad string.

 

[Winspear]

- How far off (how many cents on the tuner) is it off?
- The first thing I would try is a new string. Sometimes the string is just a bad string.

The string seems fine, check out the photo, the pattern is normal - it's just poor bridge placement. Though it's worth noting that thick plain strings can begin to exhibit intonation issues on guitar scale lengths due to inflexibility anyway

 

[MadYarpen]

It looks to me the guitar was designed with wasted bridge travel. Pretty common but definitely a shame if somebody wanted to tune even lower than you are. The high E will always be the most far forward, and even if you were to go down from 12 to 8 gauge (the thinnest people use), there would still be a couple of mm unused at the front of the bridge. So they could have placed it that far further back to allow extra travel. Or used something like the Hipshot TOM which has as much travel (including movable posts) as the regular Hipshot hardtail!
If you are using a plain 3rd string, a wound 3rd (I'd suggest one gauge higher for equal tension) should intonate much further forward, like, infront of the D string. I'd always reccomend a change from plain to wound at 20 anyway for tone.
Still, it's a shame this guitar wasn't designed to intonate more than maybe a 56 on the bottom.
Also yes, flipping the saddles is a thing people do and it would give an extra couple of mm travel.

wound 3rd string seems a great solution, thanks man! Didn't think about it. Looking at the bridge it seems it is not possible to flip the saddle

It is a shame, considering it is C# - it isn't extremely low, and unusual for 25.5 scale...

 

[c7spheres]

The string seems fine, check out the photo, the pattern is normal - it's just poor bridge placement. Though it's worth noting that thick plain strings can begin to exhibit intonation issues on guitar scale lengths due to inflexibility anyway

Yes, I mention because I've had some just come out of the package bad. They look normal and fine but for whatever reason they aren't. Like the tinsile strength is bad in a section and it is thinned out or something. I've only ran into it a few times in the last 30 years but just a thought.
- Also make sure to check witness points too.
- If it's bad bridge placement then not a lot you can do and the guitar was designed for a specific thing I guess.

 

[Winspear]

wound 3rd string seems a great solution, thanks man! Didn't think about it. Looking at the bridge it seems it is not possible to flip the saddle

It is a shame, considering it is C# - it isn't extremely low, and unusual for 25.5 scale...

Indeed!
Hmm, what makes you say that about the saddle? I've never really looked into it but I can't imagine any way in which it would be made other than a removable saddle with a hole in it that can be flipped. Unless they've made it somehow impossible to remove the screw?

 

[MadYarpen]

Indeed!
Hmm, what makes you say that about the saddle? I've never really looked into it but I can't imagine any way in which it would be made other than a removable saddle with a hole in it that can be flipped. Unless they've made it somehow impossible to remove the screw?

Yeah exactly, I think it is not possible to take the screw out.

E: don't ask me how it was put there in the first place

 

[Winspear]

Yeah exactly, I think it is not possible to take the screw out.

E: don't ask me how it was put there in the first place

Ahh, it'll be those little washer type things on the underside of the screws that hold them in place. How to remove those, I am unsure. I'd try the wound 3rd first and see what you think, but those little retainers can certainly be removed somehow should it come to it

 

[T00DEEPBLUE]

Have a look yourself https://imgur.com/a/SIH6O8X

Just flip the saddle 180 degrees and you'll be good to go.

 

[Soulmate]

Here it is...

and it’s absolutely gorgeous.

 

[littlebadboy]

Here it is...

and it’s absolutely gorgeous.

It's so beautiful that I hate you...

 

[manu80]

So no star guitar for 2020 ?

 

[Se7enHeaven]

My only issue with Solar is that no matter the guitar, the playability of the neck is about the same and they pretty much all use the same pickups. If you buy more than one it's because you want 7-strings instead of 6, or a different body shape/color.

 

[T00DEEPBLUE]

My only issue with Solar is that no matter the guitar, the playability of the neck is about the same and they pretty much all use the same pickups. If you buy more than one it's because you want 7-strings instead of 6, or a different body shape/color.

If you love thin C-shaped necks (and let's face it, most metal players find them perfectly workable), then it's kind of a blessing.

It means that you can get a guitar in any finish or body style or cosmetics you want without having the neck being fucked with. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Having a wider diversity of stock pickups would be nice but many people on SSO have very specific preferences for the kind of pickups they want anyway. So even if they did offer a wider diversity of pickups to choose from, they're still probably going to get swapped. SSO being SSO.