Subject
Hellraiser lives up to it's name
By: Gary in SoTex from McAllen, TX
Submitted: 4/3/2011
Quality
Would you consider this product to be made well? How dependable?
This guitar is built very well. The finish is flawless. My only complaint is the the frets, where they meet the neck on the top and bottom, have sharp edges that should be felt.
Reliability
How has it stood up over time?
Only had it a couple of weeks, but from the looks and feel, I think it will be at home with my 19 year old Gibson LP, 14 year old Taylor, and an 18 year old Martin.
General
Your general opinion of this product.
Great guitar all around. Sound, playability, looks... it's killer
Playability and Feel
How does it feel, Heavy, Fast, Chunky? How was the neck? Are the controls easy to get to while playing?
Coming from a LP Studio, this guitar is a little bit lighter. Very solid. The neck is little thinner than than my LP, but no where near an Ibanez wizard neck.
Tone
Bright and snappy? Dark and smooth? Were the pickups hot, mellow, thick, thin?
Tone is very subjective. Some people like Fender single coil sounds, some people like Gibson humbucking sounds. With this guitar, you get the best of both worlds. The EMG setup and coil splitting can provide such a wide range of sounds that if you can't get the tone you want, you may be tone deaf.
Finish
How did the stain or paint job look?
ABSOLUTELY KILLER. I was worried about the grey pearl outline (I got the black one), but after seeing it in person, I am blown away.
Action
How was the action out of the box?
Action is very playable, however the upper register was a little higher that I would prefer. But a little tweaking or a profession setup can fix that.