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Vorson FLSL-220
By: George Hamby
Submitted: 7/6/2019
3 people found this review helpful.
Product Rating
Product Review
I ordered this guitar on a whim.. I liked the looks and styling. I play Dobros and other resophonc guitars. Always wanted a lap steel. It came 3 days earlier that promised, so kudos to American Music Supply The only thing that could have been nices is the finish. It's a bit lumpy. but it sounds nice to me. I'm new to the nuances of a lap steel guitar
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Decent lap steel, poor finish
By: Keith B
Submitted: 3/9/2019
7 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
I returned the first FLSL-220 I received because of finish flaws, and when the replacement came it was just as bad. If this sort of thing doesn't bother you, then it is a pretty good lap steel for the money. But, I have owned Squier's, Epiphone's, etc. that cost half of what this guitar costs and none of them had finish flaws like this. On both of the Vorson FLSL-220s I received, there are runs in the clear coat near the F-holes, little raised "pimples" where it looks like something got under the clear coat, there is also very noticeable discoloration in the finish. I honestly can't even imagine the quality control folks at Vorson letting a guitar that looks like this go out the door, but I got two in a row, which tells me it is not a fluke. I will never buy another Vorson, because if they would let such bad finish flaws pass, then who knows what other quality flaws there are. I bought this lap steel because of all the great reviews I read, but I am pretty disappointed overall to be perfectly honest. It is a shame too, because the overall design is beautiful.
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Decent lapp steel, but many finish flaws
By: KB
Submitted: 3/9/2019
3 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
First off, I'm new to lap steel and the only other lap steel I have for comparison is a 1946 Gibson BR 3. Compared to the Gibson, the Vorson has a lower output and less gain with the same amp settings. That's no big deal, but my main disappointment is the finish. I returned the first one for this reason, and when the replacement came it was just as bad. If this sort of thing doesn't bother you, then it is a pretty good lap steel for the money. But, I have owned Squier's, Epiphone's, etc. that cost half of what this guitar costs and none of them had finish flaws. On both of the Vorson lap steels I received, there are runs in the clear coat near the F-holes, little raised "pimples" where it looks like something got under the clear coat, there is also very noticeable discoloration in the finish. I honestly can't even imagine the quality control folks at Vorson letting a guitar that looks like this go out the door, but I got two in a row, which tells me it is not a fluke. I will never buy another Vorson, because if they would let such bad finish flaws pass, then who knows what other quality flaws there are. I bought this lap steel because of all the great reviews I read, but I am pretty disappointed overall to be perfectly honest. It is a shame too, because the overall design is beautiful.
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Spectacular!!!!!
By: Ralph Swearingen
Submitted: 1/23/2019
8 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
Pictures don’t do this little jewel justice! When I pulled it out of the box I just started grinning!! Haven’t had time to do anything with it yet but I have no doubt there won’t be any problem. Like everything else I have gotten through AMS I have not been disappointed and boy do I have a long list, according to my wife!!
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awesome piece of musical gear
By: Dennis Boster
Submitted: 12/5/2018
2 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
Wow, it is not only a great priced lap steel, it is eye -popping, and a breath taking experience to open up and admire. It is just stunning to say the least. Mine arrived in excellent condition and was shipped in 2 days damage free,and upon checking the instrument out thoroughly I found no flaws of any kind. I would like to thank AMS for the payment plan that I was able to use for this great buy. Anyone can play this lap steel, with a little musical knowledge, music theory, and techniques, your future sounds will be just Awesome. If you are just thinking about one, dont wait, you are letting the beauty and sounds just pass you by. AMS has a payment plan for you today, Try the Vorson lap steel today.
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It is a very nice instrument
By: Ray Rangel
Submitted: 11/21/2018
4 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
Has a sweet tone, not too bright, soft and mellow. Had a problem with bar slide, poorly chromed. But it was corrected very fast by the tech I talked to.I will deal with AMS again.
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I love this lap steel beautiful guitar has a great sound
By: Michael Mosley
Submitted: 10/23/2018
9 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
Great buy beautiful guitar fits any style you want to play because of the tone switch and knobs love this lap steel
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I absolutely love this instrument
By: Rick
Submitted: 3/15/2018
2 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
Not a flaw
...PERFECT
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yeah they did this right !
By: Sid Villandry
Submitted: 9/10/2015
6 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
This lap steel guitar arrived in record time thank you ! I opened it up tuned it to D-G-D-G-B-D &
slide-on-"buy", this Vorson, you won't be disappointed.
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I can't put it down, I LOVE it!
By: Thomas Martin Scott
Submitted: 4/9/2015
10 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
BEAUTIFUL !!! I love the design and the contrasted woods. It's VERY comfortable to play, and sounds FANTASTIC! You can get subtle tone changes all day long, and thru a pedal board, it can SCREAM, or sound very warm and organish thru like a Univibe. It is just SO much FUN!
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Great instrument I absolutely love it
By: Lynn Bitterman
Submitted: 4/6/2015
8 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
I bought this a couple of weeks ago. It is gorgeous and sounds amazing. It looks and sounds like something 3 times the price. I suppose I got a really good one as the Mahogany actually has flames in it. Very nice. The Maple is just a veneer but that is really irrelevant. Next through design like a Firebird but semi hollow and through the body Tele type string ferrules. I brilliant instrument.good tuners as well. I love the
Art Deco style and the thing resonates so much it vibrates the couch unplugged. Sounds great plugged in with very little noise. The tones are just ripping.
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This lap steel is a tremendous deal!!!
By: Dave
Submitted: 1/29/2015
8 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
This is the first review I have EVER done on any piece of gear. I have played guitar for over 28 years and have played hundreds of different guitars. This is my first lap steel and I am thrilled with the quality, ease of use and the TONE. Never played a lap steel before but as soon as I pulled it out of the box, tuned it to an open G, I was quickly able to pull of some of my favorite slide guitar lines from the Black Crowes and others. I was only using my crummy practice amp since all my other amps are in the studio. It did not come with an owner's manual so I spent a few minutes sorting out the 4 knobs but the rest was cake.
This is an absolute smokin' deal considering the low price and the fact that it includes a case (which is very well made), a metal slide and a mid length guitar cable. It should be great for beginners and pros. I will certainly be using this in the studio and for live applications. You will love this lap steel and for the price it should be in your collection.
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What I been looking for.
By: Dale Carter
Submitted: 10/2/2014
7 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
I was looking for an affordable, good quality instrument. I've owned several lap steel guitars, and none lived up to my expectations. This Vorson, filled the bill. I played steel guitar in my younger days with country band, and now as a retired musician play Nursing Home "gigs." I love this little steel. It has features that most lower end lap steels do not. I would recommend this product. It is a quality instrument.
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Decent Mid-level Lapsteel
By: Chris S. from Skagit, WA, USA
Submitted: 3/9/2014
3 people found this review helpful.
Your general opinion of this product.
This is the second Lap Steel I've owned and in many ways it's a solid improvement from my beginner instrument. I'm not ready to drop a grand on a pro-level instrument or take my chances with the electronics on a dodgy vintage instrument so this feels like a good fit.
A couple of finishing details would have made it really nice.
It's hard to say about a week in but It feels pretty solid, has decent weight to it and stays in tune.
Overall the action of this guitar is pretty good, the high pickups don't allow you to really dig in hard (which is bad for your intonation I guess), feels like more of a finesse kind of player. The controls are simple, high and low boost/cut and a pickup selector.Easy to find the tone you want. Just select the pickup(s) and use the active eq to kind of fine tune the sound. The pots are a wee bit crackly but with a quick spray of cleaner I think they should clean right up.
The neck pickup alone is pretty well balanced sounding, a nice jazzy kind of tone with a pronounced attack. Both on produce a kind of lush and syrupy tone, and the bridge pickup is where the old timey county twang sounds are. There is some noise but all told I wouldn't say it's any more than other single coil pups.
This is where the problems lie for me. Not in the wood or the stain they're both lovely (mine even being a scratch and dent sale) but the knobs, nut and bridge feel a bit flimsy.
Thankfully knobs are an easy fix, I've already ordered replacements. They're miss labeled for volume and tone, to cover it up there were some textured stickers put on the top of them that hang over the edges. It feels weird.
The nut and bridge do their job but may need replacement down the line. The tuners seem nice but the rest of the hardware kind of takes away from the overall vibe a bit.
We'll see.