Zado
Well-Known Member
Yup, I recall him playing a black hss vintage plus and a Delta Dragon red superstrat too, but that was lllllooong ago
Solar Guitars by Ola Englund
- Thread starter zarg
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links like Ebay, Amazon, and others.
This site may earn a commission from merchant links like Ebay, Amazon, and others.
Only time I've seen that in person was one time I used one of those small humidifiers you fill with water and put it inside the bag of my classical guitar. The humidifier leaked slightly and I think the gigbag must have moved because when I opened it again I saw the humidifier caught against the bag right on top of the fretboard. The moisture bent the wooden binding out of shape and did exactly what's shown in that picture. It got a little better over time once the wood dried out again though.
But like... it required prolonged contact with actual water, not just merely existing.
thebeesknees22
SS.org Regular
oh dang, that's rough :/
JSKrev
SS.org Regular
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2023
- Messages
- 148
- Reaction score
- 140
I'm digging this one. Could be my Christmas gift this year I reckon
No Solar 12th fret logo.
That's cool. Kirk was playing an old Destroyer with Fishmans not too long ago.
HeHasTheJazzHands
Well-Known Member
That Kirk Star sig is the best Solar released so far.
just... a shame the fretboards are still fucked. Just switch to richlite you fucking cowards
He had a brief stint with Ibanez where he was also using an Iceman. Then he started using Solars.
just... a shame the fretboards are still fucked. Just switch to richlite you fucking cowards
He had a brief stint with Ibanez where he was also using an Iceman. Then he started using Solars.
Richlite 100%. The sus neck quality is just about the only reason I've never chosen to buy a Solar to try. I have to imagine richlite is cheaper per square foot than Ebony, no?
Richlite is actually a good amount more expensive.
Andromalia
Pardon my french
Guitar manufacturers stick to wood because it is less expensive than the adequate composite material they could otherwise use in the manufacturing process. Although the "ingredients" could be cheaper, the machinery needed really isn't, and the worker skill sets harder to come by.
The fact most guitarists expect wood plays a significant part there too.
I don't think tooling or training is that significant of a roadblock here, at least for the large OEMs who are used to upgrading equipment with changes in the industry and technology and training staff from the ground up.
I mean, I don't think any manufacturer has more experience making guitars out of composites than Cortek does, they've used precursors to Richlite for decades now.
What about ebonol- same story?
That's basically Cortek's version of it. No idea what the cost is on that specifically, but generally any processed product is going to be more expensive than raw lumber, especially the sort of lumber that's grown and harvested in the developing world under dubious circumstances.
Fair enough! I'd happily pay more to get the synthetic stuff rather than whatever green stuff they're dragging out of the bush in monsoon season to process into boards
Eh, like I tend to mention whenever materials and construction are brought up, it's more to do with who handles this stuff than the nuts and bolts themselves.
Solar could use whatever and they're still going to ship turds because they don't really care.
I was being a little cheeky there with the monsoon bit and whatnot. Noted. I had been under the impression also that companies (since we are talking about Solar, take them for example) give X factory X budget which translates to an amount of time/cost per unit, so workers have to finish each unit in a pre-defined amount of time which can lead to shit finish/half-ass work - the stuff that I always seem to have to correct for friends who buy the lower/mid tier offerings. I always tended to buy into that logic because I have known a lot of guys who briefly worked in warehouse picking, where they'd have to operate at a percentage of efficiency to not get shit-canned so it seems reasonable.
That's something of an oversimplification of it.
Yes, the brand (customer) and the manufacturer reach an agreement on price and hammer out expectations as far as quality and that's all based around the business model of pumping out guitars quickly and economically, but there's a give and take and final QA/QC, as in what actually makes it into the end user's hands is typically the responsibility of the brand or its agents (distributors or retailers).
For instance, PRS has an entire facility for receiving, inspecting, and even correcting issues with their import SE line in the US that helps hold the factory accountable.
Interesting. No wonder people seem to be largely quite satisfied with the SE stuff.
Andromalia
Pardon my french
It's not like I want to white knight them or anything , but my global experience with guitars is that internet whiners blow stuff waaaaaaaaaaaay out of proportion. My solar is fine, some are going to say it's just one, but then my Gibsons are fine too... My solar is 5 years-ish old now and no cracks anywhere. And I bought it direct, not through Thomann. (Through which I got the Gibsons I bought new - for the record, a Golden Axe, a 1st gen LP Tribute and a 2018 limited flying V)
Rev2010
Contributor
I got mine in March 2021 and it too is still going strong with no issues. Not sure if things changed within that time, was surprised to see mention of suspect fretboards here, but I've no issues with mine. I also bought direct. It's an A1.7 FRFB. I bought it primarily to take to the studio when I had a band as I won't risk taking my custom Jackson Kelly 7-string to the studio (theft, damage, etc). Oddly enough, it's my most played 7-string just cause it's quick and easy to pickup and play in my small music room and I don't have to worry about bumping into anything. My custom Kelly is on a hanging stand and since it's a 7 and most stands seem to be designed for 6's sometimes it can be annoying removing it from the stand. As I write and record at the same time I frequently put the guitar on its stand so it's just less hassle with the Solar lol.
This is the single most important thing for me as a guitar owner, I have come to realize. I've owned a couple higher priced guitars in my life, but they always stayed in their cases because I didn't want to risk damage from myself or my family bumping into them on the wall or doing something else boneheaded. I'm a rusher and awfully clumsy so most guitars I own wind up with some kind of headstock ding-dong or body scratch. As much as I like the feeling of playing really sick expensive guitars, they just don't feel right to me because I can't bring myself to loosen up with it enough to play like me. So whatever guitars are janky enough to live on the wall are always gonna be my favorite. I love looking at the premium stuff, but the best tools for me are always gonna be of the utilitarian variety.
RevDrucifer
Well-Known Member
I actually have no problem with the inlay itself, it’s the inlay + dots that makes it look like a mistake to me. Do one or the other, both it atrocious.
I suppose I’m indifferent to the inlay, while the design doesn’t really do anything for me, I love the lack of inlays on the rest of the fingerboard and it’s not obnoxious enough to bother me. If I had it my way, they’d have nothing or black block inlays.
