The whole video you sound like you're trying to convince yourself that you like guitar. You say "some mistakes build" but ordering 24 frets and getting 22 delivered is not "some mistakes" it's a giant mistake especially when you pay so much money for a guitar.
When I ordered my two Carvins about a decade ago the build time was 6-8 weeks. They are both OFR superstrat designs with stainless frets, flawless ebony, and all tung-oiled natural finishes, and the total cost for both with tax shipping and hard cases was right at $2500 (for both combined!).
Wow! I wish that was the case now! But they do make a great custom made product, and with cost of everything now... I'd say that they are worth the premium price tag.
@@tooljunkie46n2 Look at the price of the current USA made Music Man basses and guitars. Nice instruments, but not the simple price when they started. j
The Music Man basses went up in price. Sometimes you have to shell out more to get the better electronics. The fretless bass with the roasted neck option hits almost three grand. Nice bass, but the neck should be somewhat slimmer. That baseball see went out long ago.
At least they were good to you with their own mistake. I ordered a Vanquish multiscale bass with antique ash finish with a transparent black over it. They went complete blackout with the black and you can't see the antique finish at all. I called up to question it and the owner actually went on a video tirade on Facebook about me (mentioning my particular build)and about 'not complaining just because it doesn't look like you wanted'. They literally made a mistake. I've spent about $15k on equipment from them between guitars and amps (when they made them) and wasn't too happy with that kind of treatment. I also once sent back a warranty repair and they sent it to the wrong customer. Not a big deal, but they lied and said they looked it over one more time and had to send it back to the shop, which made no sense but I took their word for it. My name was on the case and the person who received it looked me up on Facebook and told me they had my bass. I wrote them an email regarding the issue and they never answered. Great stuff but I will never, ever buy new from them again. The customer service and attitude toward the customers in general has gone way downhill since Jeff Kiesel took over. I won't give him another dime.
Are you positive they made a mistake with the finish? Trans black over antique ash would be pretty much solid black. But yeah it seems like their customer service is very random. I’ve heard plenty of good stories in addition to the awful ones. It’s odd
@@DingDongDaddyFromDumas I saw enough good examples of what I wanted to know it shouldn't look like it does. It's a great instrument but they're not very good about owning up to some mistakes on their end. The owner is rather childish and goes on video tirades about customers on occasion. Very unprofessional. His attitude is pretty off putting.
@@LoweCommotionStudio Where did you see these pictures..? I can’t find a single picture of trans black over antique ash… I’m trying not to jump to conclusions but I think you may have been in the wrong on that specific one. Correct me if I’m wrong, but are you sure you weren’t looking for black stained ash? Trans black becomes full on black over dark colors. Antique ash is already dark. It should have come out very black with those options, and those are very uncommon options. If they didn’t make a mistake and you just ordered options that would obviously be black and then complained about it being too black, I can totally see why they would highlight that as an example of a customer being ridiculous. But at the same time, they still could have messed up and used their solid black paint. There would be not even a slight doubt if that was the case though, it’s especially black and has a different appearance. Edit: Actually, found one picture. It looks pretty much solid black as expected
So it was that or a les paul standard aaa top for 3 grand. I decided to just have one made instead of getting something everyone else has.. but No! One of my favorite guitars is a firefly I modded. I have 500$ in parts in it but it sounds and plays awesome.
I believe I'm at 11 now.. but who's counting. I used to be a super strat guy. Ibanez s was may favorite for awhile. Then I figured out why some one would want a 10 lb single cut and never looked back.
Yeah, a comment a year later.. I don't know what you ended up doing but unless you have a problem with the taper or they stop working why not just ride out the pots until/if the become a problem? Also, I'm unsure about CTS but I do believe that both bourns and alpha make the mini pots so those might be a decent option if you don't want to hack wood away.
@AtypicalPaul I will say I've played some high end ernie balls and they are solid af.. I own 3 Sterlings some nicer ones and I love them. So I think they do a lot of stuff right. I'm not impartial.
@zipchtkdn7804 Yeah, that's what I don't get with this company. They charge a premium but use inferior products. I mean, their pickups im cool with. But on this build, I'd rather have the fishmans.. that wasn't an option. But pots are cheap bridges are cheap jacks ect.. if anything, give it to me as an option to put good tuners, pots, bridge, jack, and nut on. Once you're in the 3k, what's a couple hundred more? At least you'll have it the way you want it.
Once you get one, you'll probably be like me and every guitar every time. You can definitely feel a difference. Like you know your guitar cable is not gonna fall out, and it's secure! Thank you for watching. And let me know what you think about it. I say definitely worth the 6 or 7$
@mrmister2908 taper yes feel and cleaner and I trust em to last.. but other than that nothing. It's all about feeling cheap vs feeling sturdy and the taper.
The cut for the tune o matic bridge is to reduce the string angle to the tailpiece. You don't want the string to touch the back side of the tune o matic as it launches off the saddles.
Fender guy here,bought a ibenez rg550 for my 90s nostalgia,came out of the box in tune lolol,no fret sprout just nuts what japanese are doing lol feels better than my more expensive usa strats,did I mention it was in tune out of the box lololol.
Most don't have issues, but I don't like em. They feel funny to me and I like and trust what I trust. I want the mad hatter system as it changes when split from 500k to 250k. And yeah with that much room they could have moved in a few cm. Thanks for watching. And like I said it'd not that big of a deal cuz they function fine. It's a preference. The guitar is awesome at the end of the day.!
I'm considering pulling the trigger to order a kiesel cs with nightburst and Blackburn edges similar to yours. Would you be so kind as to send me a few pictures of the guitar so I csn get an idea of the color and what it looks like? Never owned a cs, only a les paul before
I have 4 beautiful builds from them. All perfect. It sounds like the main issue was the custom truss rod cover which took what, 2 months to get? I can definitely see how that pushed you over the edge and turned you off from buying from Kiesel again....smh
I guess you didn't watch. I said I will be ordering again. And no that was just another thing that they missed in the process. I waited to do my wrap up until it came in so I could talk on that issue as well.
I heard in another review that the volume control is either 1 or 10 when you try to roll it. What was your experience? Also thats strange what you said about the Fishman Fluence not being available on the CS6. When I called, the guy there said he could do it for an upcharge.
Fishmans weren't available in the builder.. and I agree about the pots. They do not roll off well. It's not as dramatic as 1 or 10 but they don't function for me like a cts audio taper..
In fairness, I bought a brand new 2013 Gibson LP and the neck volume (CTS) was shot right from the factory (very clearly was not tested). I'm the same way, prefer US made materials but my coming CT6 is costing me so much less than my EBMM Luke III and I think quality compares. I'll definitely change out to CTS and Switchcraft when I get it. Have a 2008 Carvin SH-575 and it still to this day outshines any of my Gibsons.
That’s a shame, because within 6 months after your video. I watched a factory tour on Phil McKnight’s channel. Jeff said they now use Bourns pots and Switchcraft jacks. I don’t know what kind of switch or caps they use, though. The tuners are made by Hipshot for Kiesel. Although I just looked on their website and it now just says Kiesel tuners. So I don’t know if they’ve changed their tuners.And yeah,I wouldn’t like how they routed out the bridge tailpiece, either. I don’t know if that’s something you can opt out of… I’m still considering buying one, but I’m not sure if I will….thanks for the informative review.
I put CTS mini pots in my '88 Carvin DC125, and they fit in the cavity. All I did was enlarge the holes to 3/8 inch. I've since traded them out for Bourns mini push-pull pots and I honestly think the Bourns are better than the CTS minis.
Yep, build it online then call a salesman! Always call sales to place your order! They will email you a confirmation invoice before locking in your order. Then, if there is a mistake you've got the original specs officially documented.
My Kiesel mini pots and selector switches have out performed my Switch craft and CTS pots meaning i have had more issues from SC Switches and CTS pots than the ones in my Kiesel. Ill admit i was let down when i first peaked into the guitars but its been nearly 8 years of sweat and abuse and i have never heard a scratch or pop, i cannot not say the same for my Gibsons so i cant really complain. The stock Kiesel input jacks have never failed me knock on wood.
My Vader is seven years old with a lot of miles on it, and the Kiesel pots are smooth and silent, and the jack is tight and never crackles. It may look like "Chinese garbage" but it seems to work very well, and I haven't heard any complaints about the components. YMMV.
It would be cool, even if it had to be expensive, if there was an option to get a handful of status updates plus pictures along the way. I think a lot of people would pay $$$ to get even 3-5 pics of their guitar being built (initial wood kit, body right after CNC, pre finish, post finish, etc)
Ya that would be cool but what keeps me from using the builder is not knowing what it will look like. Would be nice if they sent you a pic of a few different wood blanks so you could pick the one you want. He does a RUclips show called pick your top but usually just the stupid expensive woods are on there and you have to be lucky to catch it live anyway. I own 2 6 strings and love mine but I purchased both from reverb because I can see exactly what I'm getting. I can't shell out 3k or more for a guitar I may hate the looks of.
That guitar is really awesome. But it's a firefly that I upgraded. I pulled all the electronics out replaced with fishman devon townsend signatures, put graphtech nut and resomax bridge on, new locking gotoh keys and a couple other things. It sound great plays great.. but its no kiesel..
I bought a set of normal cts for both volumes. I plan to leave the tones alone. Also bought a switchcraft 3 way so I'm going to install those , and maybe some new caps. And she will be perfect for me. The build is great for sure. It's much better than either of my gibsons. Now saying that between 2 gibsons I don't have 3 grand in them but..
When Joe Walsh played Carvins he was saying the theory with the bridge being inset is for better connection(vibration/sustain). Never had an issue with the pots/input jacks in 30 years.
I feel like my early 2000s carvin ct6 had full-size pots. It also shipped with a tweed case and had a solid flam top. I'm not sure, but in the video, the top looks like a plain top with a veneer.
@@Pete1980ificationI haven't looked in a while but I believe my 2001 SC90 has the mini pots. I also ordered a tweed case. Think it was like $150. Nice G and G brand. BTW, Carvin never used Veneers. Always a nice thick top wood. My SC90 has a quilt top.
My CS6 looks very similar to yours. Different headstock and no gold hardware. I had almost no build issues, but I think that's because I ordered over the phone. The only issue was that my neck pickup started to not work correctly after 3-4 weeks (the output dropped 90%). I took it to my guitar store because I don't know anything about the technical side of this stuff. They said everything was wired correctly, but the wires just got really tight and close together and it seemed to mess with the signal. Cost me $0 to have them loosen stuff up and clean out the cavity. Had no issues in the following years. If you're interested in a Kiesel. I HIGHLY recommend just getting as close to stock as possible. Just change the colors to your liking. I got the roasted flamed maple neck, and it's not worth the upcharge in my opinion. My other Kiesel has a regular roasted maple neck and it's got a little bit of flame in it already. Would have saved myself $400 or whatever it is now. They feel the same anyway. If you like your basic Kiesel, then go wild and get all the bells and whistles on your second one. You'll have a better idea of what you'd like to tweak anyway as far as neck size or pickups are concerned.
I don't think I'd ever buy one from them due to the sheer volume of horror stories out there. A multi thousand dollar guitar should be flawless and 100% compatible with anything aftermarket. Imo there is no excuse for using anything sub par or budget on a guitar like that.
Glad youre happy and lots of my friends have great kiesel builds (I have a set of lithium 7's myself). But paying this much for a to-spec-guitar and not getting the spec is highly unprofessional and an f'up. Thanks for sharing your experiences and nice collection btw. \m/
I have a older carvin contour 66 , there first take on a suhr type strat, it plays great but I need work now had made in 2010 but can’t find anybody to mess with the electronics everything is on a pcb board because of coil taps and fishman powerbridge.
Honestly if it was me I'd yank everything out and start over on the electronics. Cuz it's gonna be easier to buy and get worked on. But that's my 2 cents on that.
@@tooljunkie46n2 it’s got 2 inputs piezo an magnetic and then blend controls for both plus coil taps and out of phase switching and a direct tap switch to the passive humbucker in bridge. I’m sure that’s why it all mounted to the PCB board . It would be a lot of holes in the guitar if I removed it .
I have a DC-600 and a CT3, really like both. The CT3 has the same basic neck as the SC3, which I like, but not as much as the DC600 soloist, but different style of guitars. I'm trying to nail that classic Les Paul tone, and happy to throw in some Burstbuckers and/or 57 Classics in to an SC3. Just not sure if that the SC3 will get me classic Les Paul tones. Planning on a SC3 with mahogany body/neck, rosewood fretboard, TOM bridge (with tail piece), 24.75 scale, 22 frets, extra "thick" neck, traditional headstock (3+3), Jumbo "Nickel" frets, and I'll drop of a Burstbuker 3 for the bridge and a 57 in the neck, or a set of Custombuckers. Love the Gibson sound, but not the neck. Not sure if the Kiesel can get "that tone/sound" regardless of pickups due to the design. Appreciate any insight/help before I blow a moderate amount of $$$.
I'd think with the pickups your speaking of, the keisel will sound very, very similar to what your going for. I would maybe check into a decent tone cap to get closer to that gibson sound.. that is if you are not a set it to 10 guy lol.
Great review man, I gotta agree with you on all points. I put my own electronics and pickups of my choice at all my axes it just seems like the way to go for me I get better results… Keep on rockin
Is that the normal black burst edges or translucent black burst edges? I'm specing out a cs6 very similar to yours, with nightburst and blackburst edge but the builder shows blackburst VERY black and the black goes far into the body, whereas the translucent black burst is almost unnoticable on the builder. Thanks!
I got a Delos a few months ago and I was amazed by the workmanship, especially the neck. I've never had a tung-oiled neck before and now I will not get anything else. I overlooked one thing with mine as well. I'm a lefty and I just got the default dials. Which of course, are backwards. It's not a big deal, but if I had known they didn't use left-handed pots on their left-handed guitars I would have got the unnumbered ones. Otherwise I love the guitar and definitely plan on getting another one.
I liked what you had to say and feel about your guitar. I just bought the Holdsworth guitar, and had it made to look like, or I should say resemble similar looks as my 56' Les Paul junior, Rose wood finger board, Mahogony top, translucent black burst. not a solid mahogany body like the Junior, just wanted the look and it came out fantastic, I ordered it with a roasted maple neck and an alder body with the Kiesel hipshot tremolo. plays and feels great. but couple of problems! goes out of tune a lot and that's without using the tremolo. I do use the tremolo but not to any aggressive degree. bridge pickup sounds awesome. The neck pickup makes noise, when picking single note, I hear it then all of a sudden it amplifies louder and then softer (hard to explain, sorry.) 5th string has this metal kind of jingle sound very noticeable comes through the clean channel of my amp, 4'th and 6'th strings also when played open have the same similar noise as the 5'th string but not as loud. I hope I will get the chance to talk to Albert at Kiesel see what they will suggest. I have already sent an e-mail about the issue just waiting for response. since I don't know about hipshot bridges or any of the know how about adjustments to make. I was thinking about bringing the guitar to someone who is a guitar tech. locally in my area to evaluate but not repair and get a professional opinion. so, to be able to use the correct terminology when talking to the tech. at Kiesel. So, what do you think? Your feedback sure would be great to hear!
Thanks for the video, now I know when when we order a guitar we need to have a list of things we really want . Go to the local music store to test pickups to know the sound we want . And make sure they understand .
With pickups.. watch the video they have on here with the comparison. It helps. But I wish they'd say these are ceramic these are alinco these are overwound ect...
@@tooljunkie46n2 that is a very good to check out but what I like is to take a headphone amp and try each pickup with the amp I practice with .that way the noise in the shop and the acoustics dosent intifear .
Really great and honest review man. I'm considering getting a custom build from them. It seems if you don't mind getting some of the more basic options, especially with the woods and finish- the price vs quality is hard to beat. The one thing that confused me is that they won't let you get a 22 fret and a floyd rose- at least on the body shape I wanted. I'm guessing they're pre routed. These are minor issues in the grand scheme.
I'd say it's the programming of the cnc. But I don't know. It's funny to me what they won't let you do that they do do.. like in this guitar I would have preferred the fishmans, but they won't install them..
@@tooljunkie46n2 yep you're probably right, that's what I meant by pre routed. I'm sure they're trying to streamline as much as they can since they already have a pretty long wait time.
Ikr very kind hearted and understanding when it comes to customer having a very minor complaint about something not being right or messed up on a guitar they spend $2000-$3000 on. Definitely would never go on social media and insult his customers about it or even live stream an hour and a half long rant about how ass hurt his ego is about one simple and fixable complaint especially from customers who’ve been avid Kiesel product buyers for years and years some even from the Carvin brand era. And kindly reminding the customer they are in the wrong and that they should be happy with what they get no matter how shitty it is. Ah yes such a very kind hearted man Jeff Kiesel TRULY is 🤣
@@FrankSpeer66 no loss. Mediocre guitars at best. Why would you give business to a narcissist? I will be ok with Andersons and others. I was a supporter of the brand until he showed many of us he doesn’t care about the customer.
I used to have a mid 70s carvin single cut that played outstanding I was looking at getting a cs6 and saw a video on one and the guy says the thickness is considerably thinner body than Gibson ect and now I hear you are stuck with a bridge and the whole pot situation it's a real deal breaker for me you can also get the 24.075 scale length if you get a 22 fret
Its kind of strange because I feel the exact same way about my Zeus multi-scale. One of the guitar reps told me things he didn’t follow through with, point blank. I got my guitar and the fishmans they put it in sounded really strange. Absolutely love the rig but its so annoying when your tone is whack. Kinda ruins the experience.
Thanks for taking the time to make a proper review and for going into details. That way we learn more. You have some very good points that I didn not come across yet. It would be cool if Kiesel, and other brands as well, pays attention to reviews like this one to improve their builds and services. It is the go to process of winners like Steve Jobs and others who always strived for the best and listened to their customers carefully especially about things they didn’t like about the product/service. I want to mention that scale length has not really anything to do with number of frets. So you can have a 25.5 inch scale with 22 or 24 frets. Only thing that changes is the position of the neck pickup. If you have 22 frets the neck pickup will be more towards the neck giving a more warm tone. As if you have 24 frets the neck pickup will position more towards the bridge giving it a more treble sound. If you want a fully customized guitar where they also give you updates in the tracking you could have a look at Halo custom guitars. Their builder is not as good as Kiesel has but they give you all the options you want plus they have all the information put on their website. There are more custom builders. Just find someone who suits you best. I myself have a second hand Kiesel from 2019. Some things I like some things I don’t. I tried second hand first. That way I get a change to know the instrument better without spending too much money. If I would build a custom guitar from Kiesel I know now what to look for. And ofcourse detailed review video’s like this also helps a lot. So again, thank you very much mate! 🙏👌🏻😀
Thanks for that. I do these videos for this reason. To share my experiences so people can make informed decisions about these products. I did mess up on saying about the scale length, I tried to say it only.moved the pickup down a 1/4". But thank you for correcting me on that. It helps others.. I have checked out halo, have played one. Not the quality that kiesel brings imo. Like I said if i.could change a.few things... but overall love their builds. Thanks for watching!
@@tooljunkie46n2 yeah, keep it up. Looking forward to your next build. And speaking of it I recently did an interesting discovery about laminated necks. It seems that it really doesn’t matter whether the neck consists of one piece or multiple stability spoken. This has been said by a guitar builder on YT ( ruclips.net/video/2tLvJNO7FME/видео.html ) and I believe him. Because out of my own experience I also can say that from my guitars I noticed not any difference between one piece, three piece or 5 piece necks. Serious. Also I asked Kiesel owners on YT who have multiple Kiesel guitars with different pieces necks if they noticed any difference in stability. They confirmed what the guitar builder has said in his recent video. There is no sciense to back up that multiple piece necks are more stable than single piece. The only thing that does matter is installing carbon fiber rods. Those do create stability increase. For me it means that if I would build a Kiesel I definitely would go for the one piece walnut neck. Saves me a lot of money also and it just looks better imo
that guitar is awesome- Try The slash pickups- i put them into a 300 dollar diamond sounds killer-- But your sound is really your amp- Oh try Fu tone about your other issues- why people just do not buy their own bridge tuners pickups tuners etc send them to kiesel and have Him build the rest?
I've been playing 40 years and have practically never thought twice about knobs or jacks. To me, you sound more obsessed with replacing components in a new guitar than you do just playing and learning!
Well, you're welcome to your opinion. But knobs and jacks do make a difference when you pay 3k for a guitar. If I wanted an epiphone, I would have paid 700$ for cheap Chinese parts. I bought a custom shop high-end guitar. And there is a certain reliability to certain parts, or in your fourty years experience, did you not find that out? Personally, if I spend that kind of money, I want it to be full-size pots, not dime pots. Sorry... im funny when I something cost me 3 grand and I getn2 dollar pots and jacks..
Also, I decided to check your channel since you want to tell me I need to practice... lol. Glass house, dude. 40 years of cowboy chords don't give you the right to talk smack about others' skills.
Without a doubt, Pure tone makes the best “OUTPUT” jack.! I believe you called an input jack about 20 times. Lol! The signal is not going into the guitar, the signal is coming “out” of the guitar. 😊👍🏻
@dan pierman In 1997 I bought a Carvin DC127 with Active/Passive Electronics & a Wilkinson Trem. I ordered an Alder body....I received a Mahogany body. I ended up keeping it because it sounded a lot like an SG (but it plays waaay the hell better and without neck-dive). I love the way it plays, feels, & sounds...but I tell people to 'beware'....I've read of many people complaining over the years about orders being screwed-up. ALSO....I don't like ANY of their pickups, so I put in Duncans Hot Rodded Humbucker set...but later switched to Dimarzio - Illuminator in the bridge, PAF Pro in the neck...sounds amazing now! :) No, Carvin's not my favorite, but it does kinda kick ass for being it's own thing!
Since I did this about the kiesel, I've heard so many people telling me about their issues. But they really do make a great product. Only place that I know of that offers what they offer for the price they offer it. I was gonna get another one but im now on the fence.
Glad to hear that even with the issues that you're still satisfied enough to want to order another. I've heard Jeff say it'd just slow production down to have to constantly send updates for every single guitar and I get it. I think it's probably just one less thing to pay someone for, and I think that would lead to a lot of "no give me a different x" for tops/fretboards etc and it'd probably hold up production quite a bit. We'll see if this ends up being true - I've got two in the oven lol. I worked with Chris on one but did the other on the builder so let's see how that pans out for me. The one I did on the builder has a lot of default options though so if anything gets beefed on it I'm gonna be disappointed. I also used the builder on the second one, after having order the first on the phone so I felt more confident that time. I've made friends with a few folks who have a bunch of Kiesels though and have never had an issue so my hopes are pretty high honestly. I do have one already, which is used from 2018 and it instantly became my number 1, so the wait is pretty much killing me. First should be here next month!
Your gonna love your own custom. And as for updates. I'm not saying take pictures along the way but... your build has began, today she went into paint.. ect.. they have a spec sheet they should have to scan it along the way to bring up specs and to notify. Just an idea.. cuz the wait is hell!
@@tooljunkie46n2 I'm so stoked lol, I should be trying to take my mind off the wait but I just keep watching unboxings or reviews/demos haha. And yeah for sure don't get me wrong I'd kill for updates but honestly I just have no idea how to implement them in a way that satisfies us but also doesn't impact production or bottom lines ya know? The bar code is a neat idea and I love it but I also have no basis for how much something like that would cost. The system, the guns, the lil bit of training to do it and maintain the system etc. It definitely seems awesome but if that adds $200 to the base price of the my next build then screw it I'll just wait and watch more YT haha.
Ill have to agree with some on here wanted 24 got 22...no thankyou...back in 1975..i drove to California from ohio to the carvin factory to buy dc130 i belive .. the staff couldn't hand me the next guitar to try fast enuff....great company...i was 19 years old.....it was bullet proof....i played it for 3yrs 40 weeks a year.no issues. I knew i needed a tool not a piece of Art to hang on the wall....get wat you want....dont settle for wat you get
Paying extra for an update makes no sense that should be free and doesn't cost them a thing maybe send an update when they start the build. The pickups on the other hand is an issue why can't they get you what you want or even let you send them the pup's you want.
I love to come back to this video and read new comments. I see the Kiesel cult has arrived sledging their way through the YT community leaving no one unspared. If you have some spare cash you could order a new Kiesel just for fun and make yet another review video 2 years later see if there are improvements, lol.
@chocolatecookie8571 so I planned to. But I had a very unfortunate incident. I was leaving a gig and my case was not zipped up right. My headstock got a chip in the paint. I wrote them asked if I could pay for repair they stated they don't have time for that kinda stuff take it to guitar center. So no more...
@@tooljunkie46n2 yeah they don't repair such accidents but I think most manufacturers wont do that even if you want to pay for it. These are cases for the local repair shop. Or you can save the money and accept that there is some minor damage. It will not be the first time, it's normal for guitars especially if you take them outside.
Kiesel pots are fantastic...Judging by your wall i see a lot of Gibsons...That's why you think you need to upgrade everything!!! The Alpha pots are awesome!!!!
The alpha pots do matter. 7 years in on my custom build and they are crap. Scratchy and are notchy as well. Everything else on the guitar is stellar. The perfect guitar with one annoying fail.
I bought a left-handed Aries eight string. That guitar came with the pick up switch backwards, a loose Allen wrench in the case where the body of the guitar sits, floating around, which put a couple little dents in the back plate. There is a melted burn mark on the battery holder. I saw the wiring like you mentioned in this and it’s sickening because the cavity is so big and deep. Sickening how tiny the gauge of wire is they use in the cheap pots. Total disappointment $3600 guitar and as if 12-year-olds built it. I’m getting a full refund. They can kiss my ass.
Like you I have an overall positive view but a couple of head scratching gribs. In my case I lean towards fender strats...and for years Kiesels (then Carvin) were attractive because the body was the same as a strat and you could easily swap out parts made for a strat...as an example pre-wired pick guards with pick-ups or even necks. for example EMG DG20 David Gilmour Signature Pre-Wired Pickguards...this was until Jeff made his version the Delos. The pickguards, necks ...hell even the damn screws are so different you can't swap anything out. As okay as I think their pick ups are they really have none in the same light as Hotrails, Red Devil's, etc. Luckily my last Kiesel was a Greg Howe GH3 that still used the old body....but came with the 24 frets, a seymour Duncan littlle '58 and 2 single coils....which I choose the older ap11's...none you can get today. So it's not just the electronics (I scratch my head on Jeff's lean to 500k pots instead of 250k pots leading to Kiesel's known "too bright" knock in the community. American made electronics would be an easy upgrade but it took decades for them to offer more than awful Wilkinson bridges.
I too have a GH3 and would not touch a Jeff Kiesel design like the Delos. It's not just the pickguard and screw holes that don't line up but even the damn screws are a different size. And I agree on Kiesel hardware. The pots of course but even the tuners have a thin finish that will not wear well and they have no pickups on the level of after market pickups. The 24 frets, carbon Fiber rods and stainless steel frets put it above Fenders and with the right pickup swaps on the level of a Shur. You can get the Shur V60LP pickups at under $300 basically giving you a shur at half the price.
No, the build quality is great. There are issues. I've fixed what issues I had and am very pleased. I just wanted to share my opinions and thoughts. I don't know why they use Chinese dime pots.. and crap output jacks. And I'm not sure why they decided on that carve on under the tune o matic.. that is, for sure, a head scratcher. But I love the guitar.
I bought cts and i am gonna bust out the drimmel and make em fit. Waiting to get in my 3 way before I begin that. But it's what I know, what I trust. I'm sure factory is fine.... but...
Well.. its just an opinion. The amount paid I believe warrants better pot, capacitors, toggles, and output jacks. But it's really a minor thing. I.am installing cts in this guitar with Mallory caps.
Sounds like you just want to complain. Period. Kiesel are time tested by 10s of 1000s of people and youve picked out tiny details that are custom-to-custom features. You clearly love this guitar - and it looks amazing - and I know they play the best! Congrats on having such a great guitar!
You can't even get a hard case from Kiesel now!? WTF? No case, Chinese electronics, banning customers over disagreements, getting specs wrong, no thanks Kiesel.
@@tooljunkie46n2 Thats one of the main reasons i hesitate buying a kiesel. Without playing it first you're really just gambling on it being good. That's probably why i see so many used ones on reverb.
I will say that it's a nice feeling neck I would have rather had just walnut no purple heart. As I can feel the separation of the two woods. But a walnut neck with tung oil feels amazing. As of now it's my.2nd favorite neck. My strandberg is my #1
The whole video you sound like you're trying to convince yourself that you like guitar. You say "some mistakes build" but ordering 24 frets and getting 22 delivered is not "some mistakes" it's a giant mistake especially when you pay so much money for a guitar.
If I order a 24 and get a 22 is going back, I won’t take it
My bro sounds baked af
When I ordered my two Carvins about a decade ago the build time was 6-8 weeks. They are both OFR superstrat designs with stainless frets, flawless ebony, and all tung-oiled natural finishes, and the total cost for both with tax shipping and hard cases was right at $2500 (for both combined!).
Wow! I wish that was the case now! But they do make a great custom made product, and with cost of everything now... I'd say that they are worth the premium price tag.
@@tooljunkie46n2 Yeah the cost of everything has skyrocketed, and Kiesel being in Cali sure doesn't help their pricing! lol
@@tooljunkie46n2 Look at the price of the current USA made Music Man basses and guitars. Nice instruments, but not the simple price when they started. j
The Music Man basses went up in price.
Sometimes you have to shell out more to get the better electronics.
The fretless bass with the roasted neck option hits almost three grand. Nice bass, but the neck should be somewhat slimmer. That baseball see went out long ago.
At least they were good to you with their own mistake. I ordered a Vanquish multiscale bass with antique ash finish with a transparent black over it. They went complete blackout with the black and you can't see the antique finish at all. I called up to question it and the owner actually went on a video tirade on Facebook about me (mentioning my particular build)and about 'not complaining just because it doesn't look like you wanted'. They literally made a mistake. I've spent about $15k on equipment from them between guitars and amps (when they made them) and wasn't too happy with that kind of treatment.
I also once sent back a warranty repair and they sent it to the wrong customer. Not a big deal, but they lied and said they looked it over one more time and had to send it back to the shop, which made no sense but I took their word for it. My name was on the case and the person who received it looked me up on Facebook and told me they had my bass. I wrote them an email regarding the issue and they never answered.
Great stuff but I will never, ever buy new from them again. The customer service and attitude toward the customers in general has gone way downhill since Jeff Kiesel took over. I won't give him another dime.
Are you positive they made a mistake with the finish? Trans black over antique ash would be pretty much solid black.
But yeah it seems like their customer service is very random. I’ve heard plenty of good stories in addition to the awful ones. It’s odd
@@DingDongDaddyFromDumas I saw enough good examples of what I wanted to know it shouldn't look like it does. It's a great instrument but they're not very good about owning up to some mistakes on their end. The owner is rather childish and goes on video tirades about customers on occasion. Very unprofessional. His attitude is pretty off putting.
@@LoweCommotionStudio Where did you see these pictures..? I can’t find a single picture of trans black over antique ash…
I’m trying not to jump to conclusions but I think you may have been in the wrong on that specific one.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but are you sure you weren’t looking for black stained ash?
Trans black becomes full on black over dark colors. Antique ash is already dark. It should have come out very black with those options, and those are very uncommon options.
If they didn’t make a mistake and you just ordered options that would obviously be black and then complained about it being too black, I can totally see why they would highlight that as an example of a customer being ridiculous.
But at the same time, they still could have messed up and used their solid black paint. There would be not even a slight doubt if that was the case though, it’s especially black and has a different appearance.
Edit: Actually, found one picture. It looks pretty much solid black as expected
Are 3k guitars necessary? Custom is cool but it better come with 10 Bjs and a month of prime rib dinners
So it was that or a les paul standard aaa top for 3 grand. I decided to just have one made instead of getting something everyone else has.. but No! One of my favorite guitars is a firefly I modded. I have 500$ in parts in it but it sounds and plays awesome.
$3k is a lot, but in the world of guitars, that's hardly excessive.
"How many single cuts would you like sir?"
This guy: "Yes"
I believe I'm at 11 now.. but who's counting. I used to be a super strat guy. Ibanez s was may favorite for awhile. Then I figured out why some one would want a 10 lb single cut and never looked back.
Yeah, a comment a year later.. I don't know what you ended up doing but unless you have a problem with the taper or they stop working why not just ride out the pots until/if the become a problem? Also, I'm unsure about CTS but I do believe that both bourns and alpha make the mini pots so those might be a decent option if you don't want to hack wood away.
Would you choose an American Ernie-Ball-Music-Man over kiesel?
@AtypicalPaul I think I'd do an ernie ball..
@@tooljunkie46n2 cool, thank you :)
@AtypicalPaul I will say I've played some high end ernie balls and they are solid af.. I own 3 Sterlings some nicer ones and I love them. So I think they do a lot of stuff right. I'm not impartial.
Wow, wrong number of frets is a HUGE mistake
Still calling it a happy accident. I play mainly 22 fret lp guitars. So really wasn't a big deal to me.
Nope
Another thing about those keisels is the locking tuners. It used to usa sprertzel .. and now there's some Kiesel stamped sumthing .
@zipchtkdn7804 Yeah, that's what I don't get with this company. They charge a premium but use inferior products. I mean, their pickups im cool with. But on this build, I'd rather have the fishmans.. that wasn't an option. But pots are cheap bridges are cheap jacks ect.. if anything, give it to me as an option to put good tuners, pots, bridge, jack, and nut on. Once you're in the 3k, what's a couple hundred more? At least you'll have it the way you want it.
Thank you for telling us about puretone input jacks, going to buy one for my schecter.
Once you get one, you'll probably be like me and every guitar every time. You can definitely feel a difference. Like you know your guitar cable is not gonna fall out, and it's secure! Thank you for watching. And let me know what you think about it. I say definitely worth the 6 or 7$
What is the difference with the more expensive pots? Do they have a nicer taper?
@mrmister2908 taper yes feel and cleaner and I trust em to last.. but other than that nothing. It's all about feeling cheap vs feeling sturdy and the taper.
The cut for the tune o matic bridge is to reduce the string angle to the tailpiece. You don't want the string to touch the back side of the tune o matic as it launches off the saddles.
@Bigboybooya666 I get but no other lp shape does it. And that means I can put what ever I want on there
@@tooljunkie46n2 I top wrap my LPs to reduce the break angle. A Bonomassa special
Hey what’s the fretboard radius please? Thanks great review!!
12-16 compound radius. Thank you so much
Thanks man. I just bought a used 2022 Aries to test out the brand. Should be here today…if I like it, I’ll be making a few orders.
That is a wise thing to do. I bought and still own a second hand DC700. I am glad I did not buy new. It has good points but I would not buy again
So they did offer to rebuild the guitar. That's good. Thank you for the balanced review.
Thanks for the detailed review. If you'd have to guess the output of the pickups, what do you think it would come down to or be comparable with?
Im.currently on vacation but when I get back I'll give you a reading. But the neck is hot for sure and bridge not nearly as much.
Fender guy here,bought a ibenez rg550 for my 90s nostalgia,came out of the box in tune lolol,no fret sprout just nuts what japanese are doing lol feels better than my more expensive usa strats,did I mention it was in tune out of the box lololol.
demarzio POF pro and be done in that bridge position.. the slash pickups not too bad
The stock Beryllium sounds really close to the PAF Pro IMO
22 vs 24 would seem like a big deal
That's a huge deal lol
I got no problem with small pots myself, but there is plenty space in there, odd they dont position them in way you can fit larger ones yourself
Most don't have issues, but I don't like em. They feel funny to me and I like and trust what I trust. I want the mad hatter system as it changes when split from 500k to 250k. And yeah with that much room they could have moved in a few cm. Thanks for watching. And like I said it'd not that big of a deal cuz they function fine. It's a preference. The guitar is awesome at the end of the day.!
100% I have a DC600 and if they were shifted a little I could put regular pots in as well.
I'm considering pulling the trigger to order a kiesel cs with nightburst and Blackburn edges similar to yours. Would you be so kind as to send me a few pictures of the guitar so I csn get an idea of the color and what it looks like? Never owned a cs, only a les paul before
Yeah send me dm on fb and I'll get ya a bunch.. same name as the channel
I have 4 beautiful builds from them. All perfect. It sounds like the main issue was the custom truss rod cover which took what, 2 months to get? I can definitely see how that pushed you over the edge and turned you off from buying from Kiesel again....smh
I guess you didn't watch. I said I will be ordering again. And no that was just another thing that they missed in the process. I waited to do my wrap up until it came in so I could talk on that issue as well.
@@tooljunkie46n2 That's awesome!
Impossible to have 4 perfect guitars. Guess your definition of perfection doesn't come close to the true meaning of that word.
@chocolatecookie8571 ok, it's been 9 months...you need to let it go.
I heard in another review that the volume control is either 1 or 10 when you try to roll it. What was your experience? Also thats strange what you said about the Fishman Fluence not being available on the CS6. When I called, the guy there said he could do it for an upcharge.
Fishmans weren't available in the builder.. and I agree about the pots. They do not roll off well. It's not as dramatic as 1 or 10 but they don't function for me like a cts audio taper..
In fairness, I bought a brand new 2013 Gibson LP and the neck volume (CTS) was shot right from the factory (very clearly was not tested). I'm the same way, prefer US made materials but my coming CT6 is costing me so much less than my EBMM Luke III and I think quality compares. I'll definitely change out to CTS and Switchcraft when I get it. Have a 2008 Carvin SH-575 and it still to this day outshines any of my Gibsons.
i agree with you ..i wonder if a person could put seymour duncans in a kiesel with out changing pots and stuff
Ill stick with PRS core.
Ibanez 4 lyfe
They give all details on pickups in the pickups section on their site, the magnet, impedance and frequency response
Never seen that so thanks I'll check it out. Don't know why the 855guitars guys didn't say that.
That’s a shame, because within 6 months after your video. I watched a factory tour on Phil McKnight’s channel. Jeff said they now use Bourns pots and Switchcraft jacks. I don’t know what kind of switch or caps they use, though. The tuners are made by Hipshot for Kiesel. Although I just looked on their website and it now just says Kiesel tuners. So I don’t know if they’ve changed their tuners.And yeah,I wouldn’t like how they routed out the bridge tailpiece, either. I don’t know if that’s something you can opt out of… I’m still considering buying one, but I’m not sure if I will….thanks for the informative review.
I put CTS mini pots in my '88 Carvin DC125, and they fit in the cavity. All I did was enlarge the holes to 3/8 inch. I've since traded them out for Bourns mini push-pull pots and I honestly think the Bourns are better than the CTS minis.
Yep, build it online then call a salesman! Always call sales to place your order! They will email you a confirmation invoice before locking in your order. Then, if there is a mistake you've got the original specs officially documented.
My Kiesel mini pots and selector switches have out performed my Switch craft and CTS pots meaning i have had more issues from SC Switches and CTS pots than the ones in my Kiesel. Ill admit i was let down when i first peaked into the guitars but its been nearly 8 years of sweat and abuse and i have never heard a scratch or pop, i cannot not say the same for my Gibsons so i cant really complain. The stock Kiesel input jacks have never failed me knock on wood.
My Vader is seven years old with a lot of miles on it, and the Kiesel pots are smooth and silent, and the jack is tight and never crackles. It may look like "Chinese garbage" but it seems to work very well, and I haven't heard any complaints about the components. YMMV.
Same
It would be cool, even if it had to be expensive, if there was an option to get a handful of status updates plus pictures along the way. I think a lot of people would pay $$$ to get even 3-5 pics of their guitar being built (initial wood kit, body right after CNC, pre finish, post finish, etc)
Ya that would be cool but what keeps me from using the builder is not knowing what it will look like. Would be nice if they sent you a pic of a few different wood blanks so you could pick the one you want. He does a RUclips show called pick your top but usually just the stupid expensive woods are on there and you have to be lucky to catch it live anyway. I own 2 6 strings and love mine but I purchased both from reverb because I can see exactly what I'm getting. I can't shell out 3k or more for a guitar I may hate the looks of.
The green guitar in the background looks better.
That guitar is really awesome. But it's a firefly that I upgraded. I pulled all the electronics out replaced with fishman devon townsend signatures, put graphtech nut and resomax bridge on, new locking gotoh keys and a couple other things. It sound great plays great.. but its no kiesel..
How did you choose to have matching painted back?
I'm sorry I don't know what you mean by that?
I know why he is asking…on the builder I’m not seeing an option to have the back painted like the top.
FYI, There are mini CTS pots available. Congrats on the build!!
I bought a set of normal cts for both volumes. I plan to leave the tones alone. Also bought a switchcraft 3 way so I'm going to install those , and maybe some new caps. And she will be perfect for me. The build is great for sure. It's much better than either of my gibsons. Now saying that between 2 gibsons I don't have 3 grand in them but..
When Joe Walsh played Carvins he was saying the theory with the bridge being inset is for better connection(vibration/sustain). Never had an issue with the pots/input jacks in 30 years.
I feel like my early 2000s carvin ct6 had full-size pots. It also shipped with a tweed case and had a solid flam top. I'm not sure, but in the video, the top looks like a plain top with a veneer.
@@Pete1980ificationI haven't looked in a while but I believe my 2001 SC90 has the mini pots. I also ordered a tweed case. Think it was like $150. Nice G and G brand. BTW, Carvin never used Veneers. Always a nice thick top wood. My SC90 has a quilt top.
My CS6 looks very similar to yours. Different headstock and no gold hardware. I had almost no build issues, but I think that's because I ordered over the phone. The only issue was that my neck pickup started to not work correctly after 3-4 weeks (the output dropped 90%). I took it to my guitar store because I don't know anything about the technical side of this stuff. They said everything was wired correctly, but the wires just got really tight and close together and it seemed to mess with the signal. Cost me $0 to have them loosen stuff up and clean out the cavity. Had no issues in the following years.
If you're interested in a Kiesel. I HIGHLY recommend just getting as close to stock as possible. Just change the colors to your liking. I got the roasted flamed maple neck, and it's not worth the upcharge in my opinion. My other Kiesel has a regular roasted maple neck and it's got a little bit of flame in it already. Would have saved myself $400 or whatever it is now. They feel the same anyway.
If you like your basic Kiesel, then go wild and get all the bells and whistles on your second one. You'll have a better idea of what you'd like to tweak anyway as far as neck size or pickups are concerned.
Can’t have fishman’s on the SOLO either. I have one though and it’s awesome. I’m actually thinking about ordering another.
I don't think I'd ever buy one from them due to the sheer volume of horror stories out there. A multi thousand dollar guitar should be flawless and 100% compatible with anything aftermarket. Imo there is no excuse for using anything sub par or budget on a guitar like that.
Glad youre happy and lots of my friends have great kiesel builds (I have a set of lithium 7's myself).
But paying this much for a to-spec-guitar and not getting the spec is highly unprofessional and an f'up.
Thanks for sharing your experiences and nice collection btw. \m/
Thank you!
Buying another one? You Cray cray!!!
I have a older carvin contour 66 , there first take on a suhr type strat, it plays great but I need work now had made in 2010 but can’t find anybody to mess with the electronics everything is on a pcb board because of coil taps and fishman powerbridge.
Honestly if it was me I'd yank everything out and start over on the electronics. Cuz it's gonna be easier to buy and get worked on. But that's my 2 cents on that.
@@tooljunkie46n2 it’s got 2 inputs piezo an magnetic and then blend controls for both plus coil taps and out of phase switching and a direct tap switch to the passive humbucker in bridge. I’m sure that’s why it all mounted to the PCB board . It would be a lot of holes in the guitar if I removed it .
I have a DC-600 and a CT3, really like both. The CT3 has the same basic neck as the SC3, which I like, but not as much as the DC600 soloist, but different style of guitars. I'm trying to nail that classic Les Paul tone, and happy to throw in some Burstbuckers and/or 57 Classics in to an SC3. Just not sure if that the SC3 will get me classic Les Paul tones. Planning on a SC3 with mahogany body/neck, rosewood fretboard, TOM bridge (with tail piece), 24.75 scale, 22 frets, extra "thick" neck, traditional headstock (3+3), Jumbo "Nickel" frets, and I'll drop of a Burstbuker 3 for the bridge and a 57 in the neck, or a set of Custombuckers. Love the Gibson sound, but not the neck. Not sure if the Kiesel can get "that tone/sound" regardless of pickups due to the design. Appreciate any insight/help before I blow a moderate amount of $$$.
I'd think with the pickups your speaking of, the keisel will sound very, very similar to what your going for. I would maybe check into a decent tone cap to get closer to that gibson sound.. that is if you are not a set it to 10 guy lol.
Great review man, I gotta agree with you on all points. I put my own electronics and pickups of my choice at all my axes it just seems like the way to go for me I get better results… Keep on rockin
Hey thanks for the kind words. I appreciate you taking the time to write me and for watching.
Is that the normal black burst edges or translucent black burst edges? I'm specing out a cs6 very similar to yours, with nightburst and blackburst edge but the builder shows blackburst VERY black and the black goes far into the body, whereas the translucent black burst is almost unnoticable on the builder. Thanks!
Normal black burst
Carvin/Kiesel CS6 Is Amazing Guitar!
Congratulations !
I got a Delos a few months ago and I was amazed by the workmanship, especially the neck. I've never had a tung-oiled neck before and now I will not get anything else. I overlooked one thing with mine as well. I'm a lefty and I just got the default dials. Which of course, are backwards. It's not a big deal, but if I had known they didn't use left-handed pots on their left-handed guitars I would have got the unnumbered ones. Otherwise I love the guitar and definitely plan on getting another one.
That sux. They didn't use lefty pots... crazy for how much they want to do a build..
I liked what you had to say and feel about your guitar. I just bought the Holdsworth guitar, and had it made to look like, or I should say resemble similar looks as my 56' Les Paul junior, Rose wood finger board, Mahogony top, translucent black burst. not a solid mahogany body like the Junior, just wanted the look and it came out fantastic, I ordered it with a roasted maple neck and an alder body with the Kiesel hipshot tremolo. plays and feels great. but couple of problems! goes out of tune a lot and that's without using the tremolo. I do use the tremolo but not to any aggressive degree. bridge pickup sounds awesome. The neck pickup makes noise, when picking single note, I hear it then all of a sudden it amplifies louder and then softer (hard to explain, sorry.) 5th string has this metal kind of jingle sound very noticeable comes through the clean channel of my amp, 4'th and 6'th strings also when played open have the same similar noise as the 5'th string but not as loud. I hope I will get the chance to talk to Albert at Kiesel see what they will suggest. I have already sent an e-mail about the issue just waiting for response. since I don't know about hipshot bridges or any of the know how about adjustments to make. I was thinking about bringing the guitar to someone who is a guitar tech. locally in my area to evaluate but not repair and get a professional opinion. so, to be able to use the correct terminology when talking to the tech. at Kiesel. So, what do you think? Your feedback sure would be great to hear!
kiesel customer service - how about let's just meet in the middle and make it a 23 fret guitar?
Lol! They were actually really cool guys believe it or not. And I do plan to buy again..
Thanks for the video, now I know when when we order a guitar we need to have a list of things we really want . Go to the local music store to test pickups to know the sound we want . And make sure they understand .
With pickups.. watch the video they have on here with the comparison. It helps. But I wish they'd say these are ceramic these are alinco these are overwound ect...
@@tooljunkie46n2 that is a very good to check out but what I like is to take a headphone amp and try each pickup with the amp I practice with .that way the noise in the shop and the acoustics dosent intifear .
Dimarzio pot ?
Really great and honest review man. I'm considering getting a custom build from them. It seems if you don't mind getting some of the more basic options, especially with the woods and finish- the price vs quality is hard to beat. The one thing that confused me is that they won't let you get a 22 fret and a floyd rose- at least on the body shape I wanted. I'm guessing they're pre routed. These are minor issues in the grand scheme.
I'd say it's the programming of the cnc. But I don't know. It's funny to me what they won't let you do that they do do.. like in this guitar I would have preferred the fishmans, but they won't install them..
@@tooljunkie46n2 yep you're probably right, that's what I meant by pre routed. I'm sure they're trying to streamline as much as they can since they already have a pretty long wait time.
I had a kiesel with 2 berylliums. They were fine, but I much preferred the sound and feel of my Gibsons.
Who wouldn’t want to buy multiple guitars from Jeff Kiesel? He is such a Peach of a person. 😂 no thanks
Ikr very kind hearted and understanding when it comes to customer having a very minor complaint about something not being right or messed up on a guitar they spend $2000-$3000 on. Definitely would never go on social media and insult his customers about it or even live stream an hour and a half long rant about how ass hurt his ego is about one simple and fixable complaint especially from customers who’ve been avid Kiesel product buyers for years and years some even from the Carvin brand era. And kindly reminding the customer they are in the wrong and that they should be happy with what they get no matter how shitty it is. Ah yes such a very kind hearted man Jeff Kiesel TRULY is 🤣
How many have you bought?@@Midnight_Wave_1989
You're loss
@@FrankSpeer66 no loss. Mediocre guitars at best. Why would you give business to a narcissist? I will be ok with Andersons and others. I was a supporter of the brand until he showed many of us he doesn’t care about the customer.
@@kebotrans Like I said, you're loss.
I used to have a mid 70s carvin single cut that played outstanding I was looking at getting a cs6 and saw a video on one and the guy says the thickness is considerably thinner body than Gibson ect and now I hear you are stuck with a bridge and the whole pot situation it's a real deal breaker for me you can also get the 24.075 scale length if you get a 22 fret
Its kind of strange because I feel the exact same way about my Zeus multi-scale. One of the guitar reps told me things he didn’t follow through with, point blank. I got my guitar and the fishmans they put it in sounded really strange. Absolutely love the rig but its so annoying when your tone is whack. Kinda ruins the experience.
You've got legitimate complaints! I hope they offered a big discount for the fret mistake. Take Care!
Thanks for taking the time to make a proper review and for going into details. That way we learn more. You have some very good points that I didn not come across yet. It would be cool if Kiesel, and other brands as well, pays attention to reviews like this one to improve their builds and services. It is the go to process of winners like Steve Jobs and others who always strived for the best and listened to their customers carefully especially about things they didn’t like about the product/service.
I want to mention that scale length has not really anything to do with number of frets. So you can have a 25.5 inch scale with 22 or 24 frets. Only thing that changes is the position of the neck pickup. If you have 22 frets the neck pickup will be more towards the neck giving a more warm tone. As if you have 24 frets the neck pickup will position more towards the bridge giving it a more treble sound.
If you want a fully customized guitar where they also give you updates in the tracking you could have a look at Halo custom guitars. Their builder is not as good as Kiesel has but they give you all the options you want plus they have all the information put on their website.
There are more custom builders. Just find someone who suits you best.
I myself have a second hand Kiesel from 2019. Some things I like some things I don’t. I tried second hand first. That way I get a change to know the instrument better without spending too much money. If I would build a custom guitar from Kiesel I know now what to look for. And ofcourse detailed review video’s like this also helps a lot. So again, thank you very much mate! 🙏👌🏻😀
Thanks for that. I do these videos for this reason. To share my experiences so people can make informed decisions about these products. I did mess up on saying about the scale length, I tried to say it only.moved the pickup down a 1/4". But thank you for correcting me on that. It helps others.. I have checked out halo, have played one. Not the quality that kiesel brings imo. Like I said if i.could change a.few things... but overall love their builds. Thanks for watching!
@@tooljunkie46n2 yeah, keep it up. Looking forward to your next build.
And speaking of it I recently did an interesting discovery about laminated necks. It seems that it really doesn’t matter whether the neck consists of one piece or multiple stability spoken. This has been said by a guitar builder on YT ( ruclips.net/video/2tLvJNO7FME/видео.html ) and I believe him. Because out of my own experience I also can say that from my guitars I noticed not any difference between one piece, three piece or 5 piece necks. Serious. Also I asked Kiesel owners on YT who have multiple Kiesel guitars with different pieces necks if they noticed any difference in stability. They confirmed what the guitar builder has said in his recent video. There is no sciense to back up that multiple piece necks are more stable than single piece. The only thing that does matter is installing carbon fiber rods. Those do create stability increase.
For me it means that if I would build a Kiesel I definitely would go for the one piece walnut neck. Saves me a lot of money also and it just looks better imo
Things my mom has never said to me: you should buy a Kiesel
My mom kinda rocks. But she plays guitar as well.
that guitar is awesome- Try The slash pickups- i put them into a 300 dollar diamond sounds killer-- But your sound is really your amp- Oh try Fu tone about your other issues- why people just do not buy their own bridge tuners pickups tuners etc send them to kiesel and have Him build the rest?
Don't buy the Slash pickups. Buy the originals Alnico Pro 2's.
Scale length has nothing to do with the number of frets.
I think I did say it would just bring down the bridge pickup a 1/4 inch. But thanks for clarifying.
@@tooljunkie46n2 You mean the neck pickup I think, but yeah I misunderstood what you were saying. I get it now.
Yes the neck sorry replied half asleep
I've been playing 40 years and have practically never thought twice about knobs or jacks. To me, you sound more obsessed with replacing components in a new guitar than you do just playing and learning!
Well, you're welcome to your opinion. But knobs and jacks do make a difference when you pay 3k for a guitar. If I wanted an epiphone, I would have paid 700$ for cheap Chinese parts. I bought a custom shop high-end guitar. And there is a certain reliability to certain parts, or in your fourty years experience, did you not find that out? Personally, if I spend that kind of money, I want it to be full-size pots, not dime pots. Sorry... im funny when I something cost me 3 grand and I getn2 dollar pots and jacks..
Also, I decided to check your channel since you want to tell me I need to practice... lol. Glass house, dude. 40 years of cowboy chords don't give you the right to talk smack about others' skills.
Agree with the American electronics.
Didn't he say In the beginning that he got it in 2.5 months
6 and a half
Just gonna say this. When you hear a Kiesel playing from them its going thru a 5k dollar KSR amp.
Yeah that amp doctors he tone.
But that's not going to help people playing through a boss katana or a spark. You know what I'm saying. That's why I wanted to know what magnets
Without a doubt, Pure tone makes the best “OUTPUT” jack.! I believe you called an input jack about 20 times. Lol! The signal is not going into the guitar, the signal is coming “out” of the guitar. 😊👍🏻
Your right.. and yes they do.. its the only one I trust.
@dan pierman
In 1997 I bought a Carvin DC127 with Active/Passive Electronics & a Wilkinson Trem. I ordered an Alder body....I received a Mahogany body. I ended up keeping it because it sounded a lot like an SG (but it plays waaay the hell better and without neck-dive).
I love the way it plays, feels, & sounds...but I tell people to 'beware'....I've read of many people complaining over the years about orders being screwed-up.
ALSO....I don't like ANY of their pickups, so I put in Duncans Hot Rodded Humbucker set...but later switched to Dimarzio - Illuminator in the bridge, PAF Pro in the neck...sounds amazing now! :)
No, Carvin's not my favorite, but it does kinda kick ass for being it's own thing!
Since I did this about the kiesel, I've heard so many people telling me about their issues. But they really do make a great product. Only place that I know of that offers what they offer for the price they offer it. I was gonna get another one but im now on the fence.
Kiesel is the absolute best way to go! Unless you know a really good luthier and go the warmoth route!
Glad to hear that even with the issues that you're still satisfied enough to want to order another. I've heard Jeff say it'd just slow production down to have to constantly send updates for every single guitar and I get it. I think it's probably just one less thing to pay someone for, and I think that would lead to a lot of "no give me a different x" for tops/fretboards etc and it'd probably hold up production quite a bit. We'll see if this ends up being true - I've got two in the oven lol. I worked with Chris on one but did the other on the builder so let's see how that pans out for me. The one I did on the builder has a lot of default options though so if anything gets beefed on it I'm gonna be disappointed. I also used the builder on the second one, after having order the first on the phone so I felt more confident that time.
I've made friends with a few folks who have a bunch of Kiesels though and have never had an issue so my hopes are pretty high honestly. I do have one already, which is used from 2018 and it instantly became my number 1, so the wait is pretty much killing me. First should be here next month!
Your gonna love your own custom. And as for updates. I'm not saying take pictures along the way but... your build has began, today she went into paint.. ect.. they have a spec sheet they should have to scan it along the way to bring up specs and to notify. Just an idea.. cuz the wait is hell!
@@tooljunkie46n2 I'm so stoked lol, I should be trying to take my mind off the wait but I just keep watching unboxings or reviews/demos haha.
And yeah for sure don't get me wrong I'd kill for updates but honestly I just have no idea how to implement them in a way that satisfies us but also doesn't impact production or bottom lines ya know? The bar code is a neat idea and I love it but I also have no basis for how much something like that would cost. The system, the guns, the lil bit of training to do it and maintain the system etc. It definitely seems awesome but if that adds $200 to the base price of the my next build then screw it I'll just wait and watch more YT haha.
Ill have to agree with some on here wanted 24 got 22...no thankyou...back in 1975..i drove to California from ohio to the carvin factory to buy dc130 i belive .. the staff couldn't hand me the next guitar to try fast enuff....great company...i was 19 years old.....it was bullet proof....i played it for 3yrs 40 weeks a year.no issues. I knew i needed a tool not a piece of Art to hang on the wall....get wat you want....dont settle for wat you get
Paying extra for an update makes no sense that should be free and doesn't cost them a thing maybe send an update when they start the build. The pickups on the other hand is an issue why can't they get you what you want or even let you send them the pup's you want.
That particular model is better just a solid Maple body like these to use back in the early '90s and late 80s ...she's sustains for days
I love to come back to this video and read new comments. I see the Kiesel cult has arrived sledging their way through the YT community leaving no one unspared.
If you have some spare cash you could order a new Kiesel just for fun and make yet another review video 2 years later see if there are improvements, lol.
@chocolatecookie8571 so I planned to. But I had a very unfortunate incident. I was leaving a gig and my case was not zipped up right. My headstock got a chip in the paint. I wrote them asked if I could pay for repair they stated they don't have time for that kinda stuff take it to guitar center. So no more...
@@tooljunkie46n2 yeah they don't repair such accidents but I think most manufacturers wont do that even if you want to pay for it. These are cases for the local repair shop. Or you can save the money and accept that there is some minor damage. It will not be the first time, it's normal for guitars especially if you take them outside.
@chocolatecookie8571 and I get that. But I called and thought I'd ask and dude was totally a doucher about it.
Kiesel pots are fantastic...Judging by your wall i see a lot of Gibsons...That's why you think you need to upgrade everything!!! The Alpha pots are awesome!!!!
The alpha pots do matter. 7 years in on my custom build and they are crap. Scratchy and are notchy as well. Everything else on the guitar is stellar. The perfect guitar with one annoying fail.
Carvin wouldn't have stuck you with that situation
I bought a left-handed Aries eight string. That guitar came with the pick up switch backwards, a loose Allen wrench in the case where the body of the guitar sits, floating around, which put a couple little dents in the back plate. There is a melted burn mark on the battery holder. I saw the wiring like you mentioned in this and it’s sickening because the cavity is so big and deep. Sickening how tiny the gauge of wire is they use in the cheap pots. Total disappointment $3600 guitar and as if 12-year-olds built it. I’m getting a full refund. They can kiss my ass.
not a shredder? you won the shredmeister contest lol
That I did. Lol. Thanks for reminding me! I almost said I'm not a shredmeister. Haha. But that wouldn't been true. Thanks for watching this my dude.
Like you I have an overall positive view but a couple of head scratching gribs. In my case I lean towards fender strats...and for years Kiesels (then Carvin) were attractive because the body was the same as a strat and you could easily swap out parts made for a strat...as an example pre-wired pick guards with pick-ups or even necks. for example EMG DG20 David Gilmour Signature Pre-Wired Pickguards...this was until Jeff made his version the Delos. The pickguards, necks ...hell even the damn screws are so different you can't swap anything out. As okay as I think their pick ups are they really have none in the same light as Hotrails, Red Devil's, etc. Luckily my last Kiesel was a Greg Howe GH3 that still used the old body....but came with the 24 frets, a seymour Duncan littlle '58 and 2 single coils....which I choose the older ap11's...none you can get today. So it's not just the electronics (I scratch my head on Jeff's lean to 500k pots instead of 250k pots leading to Kiesel's known "too bright" knock in the community. American made electronics would be an easy upgrade but it took decades for them to offer more than awful Wilkinson bridges.
I too have a GH3 and would not touch a Jeff Kiesel design like the Delos. It's not just the pickguard and screw holes that don't line up but even the damn screws are a different size. And I agree on Kiesel hardware. The pots of course but even the tuners have a thin finish that will not wear well and they have no pickups on the level of after market pickups. The 24 frets, carbon Fiber rods and stainless steel frets put it above Fenders and with the right pickup swaps on the level of a Shur. You can get the Shur V60LP pickups at under $300 basically giving you a shur at half the price.
Sounds like you’re trying to convince yourself you’re happy with it.
No, the build quality is great. There are issues. I've fixed what issues I had and am very pleased. I just wanted to share my opinions and thoughts. I don't know why they use Chinese dime pots.. and crap output jacks. And I'm not sure why they decided on that carve on under the tune o matic.. that is, for sure, a head scratcher. But I love the guitar.
Dude! No diss, but it's an output jack...output
Kiesel pots are shit!!! Kinda? They always come loose on me, mid gig. Nothing lock tight can’t fix but annoying.
I bought cts and i am gonna bust out the drimmel and make em fit. Waiting to get in my 3 way before I begin that. But it's what I know, what I trust. I'm sure factory is fine.... but...
@@tooljunkie46n2 great guitars but I agree with all your points
There are higher quality smaller pots and in out jack. Better than most others
Well.. its just an opinion. The amount paid I believe warrants better pot, capacitors, toggles, and output jacks. But it's really a minor thing. I.am installing cts in this guitar with Mallory caps.
6 Les pauls? Yer in a rut.
Dude.. I love a lp but I have 40+ guitars. Why you wanna buy one? Lol
U could of bought2 Marty Friedman Jacksons lol
I can’t believe how many mistakes this company makes. “‘we can do a rush rebuild” …..ok
Sounds like you just want to complain. Period. Kiesel are time tested by 10s of 1000s of people and youve picked out tiny details that are custom-to-custom features. You clearly love this guitar - and it looks amazing - and I know they play the best! Congrats on having such a great guitar!
You can't even get a hard case from Kiesel now!? WTF? No case, Chinese electronics, banning customers over disagreements, getting specs wrong, no thanks Kiesel.
You are fake news.
American electronics...lol
Switchcraft and cts are made in the US now some.of cts are Taiwan but not all.
Make up your mind
You should learn to pay guitar now so you can give better insights
Why would I listen to your opinion on the intricate minutia of guitars when you can't play? You won't be able to tell what's good.
Would you say the neck is a c or d shape
C
@@tooljunkie46n2 Thats one of the main reasons i hesitate buying a kiesel. Without playing it first you're really just gambling on it being good. That's probably why i see so many used ones on reverb.
I will say that it's a nice feeling neck I would have rather had just walnut no purple heart. As I can feel the separation of the two woods. But a walnut neck with tung oil feels amazing. As of now it's my.2nd favorite neck. My strandberg is my #1
I have the DC700 with the thinner neck and the neck is between C and D. It has shoulders which makes the neck feel wider. It sucks on a 7-string.