Thoughts on GOC Guitars?

[Crundles]

Just straight up going to say, I don't like this one bit. I'm working hard on the GOC pickups, and am ready to start shipping sets Monday, but with this, it's all up in the air now. This also puts the onus of install on the customer, and that can be pricey, and puts the individual pickup shipments on me, which shipping 80 orders to one place is a lot easier than shipping 80 orders to 80 people. The "cons" list is honestly a crock.

Yeah I'm a bit unsure what to make of this.

As a consumer, of course it's in my best interest to request this go through with the GOC pickups - not only do I get my guitar now, get a free gigbag, and have the Guitarmory pickups shipped directly US to EU while having a working guitar beforehand.

However this does incur extra costs on both GOC (who will basically have to throw away one set of their pickups per guitar, and a gigbag, and even if it's not 120$ value it's still a cost) and Guitarmory (who will need to make a ton of individual shipments rather than a single group one)

I'm curious - how was this discussed with you/Guitarmory? Was this a majority decision?

 

[Crundles]

So, a brief update for those wondering how the whole thing is going: my guitar has been shipped, and is currently stuck in the swamp of despair that is the Bulgarian Customs. It took ~4 days for it to arrive from China to Bulgaria.

Presumably if I make the correct sacrifices at the right altars, it should be released within two weeks. Unfortunately there's no way of knowing, because the Bulgarian Postal Service hasn't deemed me worthy of paying the VAT and import taxes yet - officially the guitar is "undergoing import customs procedures" at the moment, so I can't actually do anything.

 

[Infini]

I got mine. 8 string, in black because I'm devoid of taste

I'm not gonna lie lads, it's got some glaring issues. I'm off to the hardware store tomorrow for drill bits and wood to see if I can fix some of this mess. Will put up a proper review after for those who are interested in the brand.

 

[diagrammatiks]

So, a brief update for those wondering how the whole thing is going: my guitar has been shipped, and is currently stuck in the swamp of despair that is the Bulgarian Customs. It took ~4 days for it to arrive from China to Bulgaria.

Presumably if I make the correct sacrifices at the right altars, it should be released within two weeks. Unfortunately there's no way of knowing, because the Bulgarian Postal Service hasn't deemed me worthy of paying the VAT and import taxes yet - officially the guitar is "undergoing import customs procedures" at the moment, so I can't actually do anything.

I was under the impression that goc did final setup and work in the us. Are you sure it’s shipped directly from China?

 

[Infini]

I was under the impression that goc did final setup and work in the us. Are you sure it’s shipped directly from China?

Where'd you get that impression? My tracking # says it came straight from their factory as well

 

[Crundles]

I was under the impression that goc did final setup and work in the us. Are you sure it’s shipped directly from China?

Yeah it's all China I think.

Really interested to see what Infini posts, the reviews I've been seeing online for the run guitars have been pretty positive in general. Hopefully there aren't any unfixable issues.

 

[Marv Attaxx]

I got mine also last week and might post a proper review when I have the time.
Short summary as of now:

Pros:
- the neck is amazing (blindfolded I could easily mistake it for an Ibanez)
- best fretwork I've ever seen
- extremely comfortable bodyshape, in any playing position
- usable stock pickups (still waiting for my guitarmory pickups), pretty close to Dimarzio Ionizers
- low action, zero fretbuzz
- one of two 8 strings that I've owned (out of 5) that can actually perfectly intonate a low E using a size 80 string

Cons:
- minor issues with the finish (stain did not penetrate the logo, some rough spots), but it actually kinda adds to the "antique black" thing so I'm not really bothered by it.
- Using the wrong screws. The intonation is set similar to what strandberg does but they've used normal philips screws that strip easily and can't be tightened down hard enough to prevent tuning issues (bridge moving slightly under string tension). The fix: ordered allen screws.
- inlay work: some glue residue
- one of the tuning barrels is screwed in crooked, so I have to redrill a hole

Bottom line: while there are some QC issues I still think the guitar was worth the wait since it's simply a joy to pick it up and play it. The issues are annoying but can be fixed are rather easily. I've seen worse from bigger, established brands

EDIT: Well, it actually turned into a proper review anyway, minus pictures haha

 

[Mathemagician]

Very nice review thanks for the update.

I need my purple + maple. I left it to come with Guitarmory pickups so I know my confirmation email will be a while.

 

[Infini]

I made a new thread for my review:
https://www.sevenstring.org/threads/ngd-goc-materia-8-or-how-infini-learned-to-mod-guitars.337728/

 

[Don Tonberry]

I got mine also last week and might post a proper review when I have the time.
- Using the wrong screws. The intonation is set similar to what strandberg does but they've used normal philips screws that strip easily and can't be tightened down hard enough to prevent tuning issues (bridge moving slightly under string tension). The fix: ordered allen screws.

What size/type screw did you order for those?

 

[Marv Attaxx]

What size/type screw did you order for those?

It's an M3 and I've measured the length to be 6mm. It's basically the same as the strandberg ones, just a mm longer. I have not received them yet tho and can't 100% say they work but other ppl have used m3 allen screws and they worked just fine.

 

[plainfaced]

Grabbed an 8 String Materia in Black, the other day. They had posted on Socials that their site was down and for anyone to purchase via DM.

Seemed to work. AFAIK, they sold out within a day or so.

Got my tracking number. Now I wait.

Im a little worried about my first restring. Would anyone be kind enough to list a quick step by step on how to string and tune the Materia please?

 

[Sollipsist]

Claimed a 7-string from that same run. It's been said before, but GOC's communication is pretty stellar.

 

[Hollowway]

Yeah, they have those “eco” models for sale now too. I want one, but I already bought 2 GOCs. The next thing I buy really needs be a 12 step program.

 

[Sollipsist]

Just got my Materia 7 today... whatever the opposite of the honeymoon period is, I'm going through it right now. Pretty seriously disappointed in the feel and the sound.

It really is a beautiful guitar though. Perfect design blend of classic and modern elements. Dark glassy neck with the most beautiful frets I've ever seen. Gorgeous grain and finish. Taking it out of the box and looking at it was wonderful. Maybe I should have stopped there

I'd assumed the multiscale would help solve the tension issue, but these strings are seriously wiggly and I haven't even tuned down from standard yet. The action isn't bad but I'm afraid to lower it given how floppy it feels already.

It's not really tuning up/ holding its tune as well as I'd like, I can just about get 6 strings within a few cents of pitch, but the low string travels about 30 cents unless I pick VERY lightly. Might work for someone else's technique, but not mine...

All of this might be fixable with meatier strings and a good setup... but man, the sound from those pickups is not encouraging. Noisy, hissy, with a slightly artificial-sounding grind that makes anything with gain sound like it's being processed through the digital distortion on an old Zoom multiFX unit. It seems pretty silly for me to have an $800 metal-oriented 7-string that can't do palm mutes and neck pickup leads as well as my $100 Epiphone LP Special.

Cleans are pretty good, but frankly I can get sweet cleans from any of my guitars... well, maybe not so much the EMG 81...

Granted, I've just come off of a 10-hour shift and only played around with it for an hour or so. And no doubt the guitar probably needs some time to settle in. I could probably improve the tone by dialing in the pickup height and pole pieces (BTW one of the pole pieces looks distressed, almost corroded -- stands out like a fart in church). I could just drop in another set of pickups, but then we're talking a grand for a guitar that has failed to impress me in any way besides aesthetics.

I'm not afraid of a little tweaking to bring a guitar from good to great, but I gotta say I wanted it to be a lot closer to good from the start. Maybe my expectations were just too high for a sub-$1000 guitar purchased on looks and specs alone. Can't help thinking that if I'd gone with the Boden Metal 7 instead, I could at least have counted on a great set of pickups if nothing else.

 

[Mathemagician]

Hmmm just rescheduled mine for re-delivery Saturday. Hopefully I can figure out how to set up a headless as I normally take my guitars to a tech but I doubt anyone local has spent much time with headless guitars.

Am I really going to need to buy hex-screws to replace simple philips screws with?

 

[Sollipsist]

Just a little update... going to return the Materia.

The bridge is just unusable; it feels like the tuners are slipping up and down on the screws with the slightest nudge, sending it out of tune (and it has enough trouble tuning and holding its tune, even without that issue). I don't even want to think about what I'd run into trying to restring it; I considered trying a heavier set, and then pictured issues with the locking nuts... and imagined a 60+ low string pulling the bridge right out of the wood...

The pickup switch is right where my picking hand can bump it when I'm on the high strings. The one tarnished/distressed pole piece is glaringly obvious and a major red flag for quality control.

Everything I expected about multiscale is exactly the opposite; the strings feel LESS tight as the scale increases, and the angle of the frets seem to be working against my natural position instead of with it. I had more fatigue after 30 minutes than my other guitars give me after hours of playing.

And I just can't get decent results from the pickups. I tried dialing in my tube amps and put it through various amp sims, nothing gave me any hope that I could eventually get one quality recorded or live sound, let alone any versatility.

This sucks because I absolutely love the look of the guitar. If I was going for a project, I could probably eventually get most of the issues worked out, so I guess I could recommend it as raw material for someone with the time and patience to tinker. But I've got plenty of tweaking to do on my existing guitars -- and I already like the way they play and sound...

The gig bag is really nice though :/

 

[iamaom]

Question to those who own one: is there any way to take the shitty bridge out and replace it with single saddles?

 

[Marv Attaxx]

Question to those who own one: is there any way to take the shitty bridge out and replace it with single saddles?

The current bridge system is a single saddle system. To answer the question: No, still looking for suitable alternatives. I've written T4M and Meera about the size of their baseplate to see if those bridges fit and got no answer. Strandberg bridges are too expensive. Going ABM should involve some extra routing. There are some by Guyker (chinese brand) that are pretty much T4M copies with, supposedly, almost the same quality, but cost as much as the originals, too.

For those with the current bridge system: Replace the bridge mounting screws with allen head screws, this will eliminate most problems and improve tuning stability a lot. Still, it could be more stable and I don't really like the way it feels below my Hand.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

The current bridge system is a single saddle system. To answer the question: No, still looking for suitable alternatives. I've written T4M and Meera about the size of their baseplate to see if those bridges fit and got no answer. Strandberg bridges are too expensive. Going ABM should involve some extra routing. There are some by Guyker (chinese brand) that are pretty much T4M copies with, supposedly, almost the same quality, but cost as much as the originals, too.

For those with the current bridge system: Replace the bridge mounting screws with allen head screws, this will eliminate most problems and improve tuning stability a lot. Still, it could be more stable and I don't really like the way it feels below my Hand.

scratch strandberg, they don't even sell replacement bridges anymore afaik.