Really cool that the factory didn't argue with Phol about pickup tolerance, but instead came up with a solution and thanked Phil for constructive aevice!!
Yeah, and it seems they have fixed several issues with other headless guitars too. The headstock, the foot pegs, the string locking mechanism, etc. Strandberg owners have complained about these for years
It is quite impressive that the company took the constructive advice. They looked at facts and made corrections. That is a company I want to support. My Hils guitar will be here on the 22nd.
Very happy owner of a limited Deep Purple Hils guitar here. I'm disabled and have been looking for the past years for a guitar that I can play while in my wheelchair and is easy to handle & carry around. I've tried a lot of small (even kids) guitars, an Ibanez headless model (hated the neck) and couldn't really go for a Strandberg because my thumb is kind of weirdly attached to my hand which makes the endure neck a no go. I had to pinch myselff twice when I saw the Hils: a first time for the specs, the other for the price. I ordered one and couldn't be happier! It's just perfect for me. I'm an offset guy so I was very unsure about the tone & high output pickups...but I actually like them: they have a compressed sound that goes well with the ambient soundscapes that I make. The rubber feet are super useful and the lightweight and the backpack-like straps of the gigbag allow me to put it on the back of my wheelchair & carry it everywhere. Highly recommended!
I have this guitar and can say it has the characteristics of a 1000 dollar plus guitar. Stainless frets, roasted maple neck, mahogany body, great pickups and sounds great. You can practice twice as long sitting back in a chair or you can pack it and take it anywhere you travel. It is dynamite in a smaller package!
The radius looks like a 14" ??- There is not many guitars out there for 500.00-In the event this is a good axe, it may be valuable some day. I guess it depends on how many are being made. I used to own a Gibson Marauder, which was only made for about 2 years. They went for about 400-450 in the 70`s. I have seen a few being sold for about 1,200 or so. It may be a good investment someday in the event you want to sell. I doubt the Kiesel guitars will have strong re-sale. Then, I would have bought Beenie Babys if I knew they would have the potential of making a small fortune. Good luck. -God bless.
@ShawnShipstad Good point. One thing is for sure. Best buy for the money I have made and my son has several high end guitars over 2k. This one gets played more because it is so easy to carry around even unplugged.
I got mine earlier this year. I got even lucky and mine's got beautiful Birdseye all over the roasted-maple neck. What an awesome guitar this model is!
@ShawnShipstad my friend bought a Gibson Marauder back around 1972. Looked a bit SGish with that plastic looking pickup but hey, it was a Gibson and we were all envious of him. Thanks for mentioning that guitar. I haven't thought about my mate and his Gibson in a long while.
Hils is the American-European brand name for a Korean company, originally named HEX. I don't know why they had to change their brand name for sure, but it is the exact same company with the same products. In Korea, Hex has a huge reputation for making great bang for buck guitars at very attainable price points, and as far as I'm concerned they own a proprietary factory in Indonesia. The headless models have been very popular among Korean RUclipsrs and they are even cheaper here in Korea(at about only 300$ for this same model). I got my headless HEX soon after the hype and I've been enjoying this guitar ever since. I swapped both of my pickups to Gibsons without too much hassle, and am looking forward to changing the output jack soon. I don't know if mine's faulty or it's just the design, but the barrel-style output jack cuts out when I put pressure on the cable or the wireless sideways. Outside of that, it is a wonderful piece of equipment. Thank you Phil for introducing another Korean brand to the world.
A hex is a spell to cast for bad fortune on someone, but I'm sure you guys knew that. I think it was an inauspicious name, like calling a car the Citation.
Looks like I found my next around the house guitar, no headstock to catch on a corner when walking into a room, rubber feet , and lightweight. Sold. 13:45 now I feel the need to listen to Blitzkrieg
Just the fact that the manufacturer listened to your feedback and went and made changes like you suggested, makes me consider buying a guitar from this company! I’ve never considered trying one of these headless neck type of guitars. But at this price and the fact that the company listens to their customers makes me want one of these!
I live in South Korea, and I purchased one of these under their native brand HEX avout 2 months ago. It is phenomenal. I've gigged it several times and never had an issue. Pickups are good, but I will put in new pickups later or at least modify that the coil split only effects the neck pickup. I'm thinking of grabbing a bass from them.
Almost identical to my ibanez Q54, which I paid a 1000 bucks for and absolutely love. I have about 25+ guitars and I find myself only playing this one nowadays. Wish I would've known about this one.
Love the rubber feet feature. I have a GW-2 Eart, which I like very much, but it doesn't sit comfortably on a wood floor - rubber feet would help. This might be a step up from the GW-2, and still reasonably priced.
Saw a Guitar Summit video on these guitars...I was intrigued and am really glad to see an overall positive review and that the company responded really well to feedback and actually made a change in manufacturing! I definitely am considering purchasing one of their new models that has a trem and some active pickups.
Great goodness....thus just my Xmas list. Even the color is just bomb. Thanks for displaying this piece. Love ur work phil and as allways...know ur gear.
That tiniest bit kf headstock is such a clever addition, to be able to hang it, bit akso jist that feel of home behind the fretting hand at first position
I'd pretty much already decided that I was going to get one of these, but this confirms it. It's going to have to wait, though, because a G&L is next up on my list. But after that will be a Hils.
Thank you Phill. This headless guitar appears to have all the modern features and none of the modern problems. Not to mention the super competitive price point. If I had to choose one today I would have to seriously consider this as an option. Thank you again!
I'm impressed with the factory receiving feedback and immediately deciding to make the change to improve it! 👍 I might buy one of these if they are available in Australia
They immediately responded and improved because they didn't want internationally known and respected, famous RUclips musicians and stars like Bro Phil, negating their product thereby impeding their bottom line. That's how business is done if one wants their product to sell. Gotta keep the Masters happy else they'll put one out of business. Phil is one of the Masters that the guitar world listens to when he talks guitars.
Not sure why i got served your video, and I don't even play guitar anymore, but I gave you a sub because you did a great job reviewing. Very thorough, and checking things i didn't even know should be checked. Keep up the good work!
Can I get it in EU? Also the answer with the tolerances alone is something that should be rewarded. Awesome when they take feedback and improve. The guitar looks like the entry level strandberg which I want to buy at some point and this seems like a good alternative.
Great review, thank you. Been a long time since anything on the market has made me want to take a serious look at buying a new guitar. This is four pounds of really different, really cool.
It looks and sounds great, especially for the price. I'm surprised that we're already seeing Strandberg copies, but I'm glad that they're getting some affordable competition.
Their response to the routing issue you pointed out sold me. I absolutely love to support companies that actually care what their customers think. Instant +200000 to their rep imo.
I got one of these a couple of days ago, and thought I would leave a brief review. Overall I am very happy with the guitar at the $499 price. There were some very minor issues all of which were corrected with a basic setup. I was initially unable to completely intonate the third (G) string. As I got close to getting it intonated, the tuning peg got loose. I made a comment about this in a review on Hils website, and shortly afterwards I was contacted by one of the co-owners of Hils. After a brief discussion of the problem, he explained that I just need to loosen the string on both ends, pull a bit more string through the clamp at the nut end, and retighten everything back down. This worked perfectly. The only other issue I have is, as Phil mentions in the video, the pickup cavity route is too tight. But the person from Hils said this was being corrected, so probably by the time you read this it won't be an issue anymore. The fret ends on my guitar were not as nice as on Phil's. But you know for $499, it's expected that the guitar might need a little TLC in the form of a set-up and some fret dressing. The guitar is so light! I'm an older guy, and an hour standing up with my other guitars often leaves me with a sore back. That won't be an issue here. The guitar in its case is so compact that I think it might even fit in an overhead compartment on a plane. The pickups are acceptable, and pretty hot. I do find the bridge pickup a bit too nasally (mids are too strong). I checked out the wiring and it's just lovely. The wiring cavity is shielded and even the cover plate has shielding on it. The frets are more level than most low end guitars, which is great news for anyone that likes a low action. The nut was cut reasonably well. I love the thin neck (small hands) but if you like a chunky neck, you might not like this. This has immediately become one of my favorite guitars.
Interesting, this could be my first headless guitar to try out, after playing for 30+ years. I wish it had a tremolo though since I'm a Floyd Rose kinda guy. Thanks for sharing Philip.
Great job on this Philip! I love seeing this relatively low price gear that is just phenomenal to play. I mean, I have a couple of several thousand dollar guitars and a whole bunch of $500-$1200 Guitars I play them all so is it really worth it to spend all that extra money? I guess if you got it. Great job buddy.
Great comprehensive review. Sure wish more companies - or any company for that matter - would make a model with a wide nut as in 1 7/8". I have three guitars with Warmoth super wide necks but they don't offer a headless variety. I think the wide neck club is bigger than they realize, we're just not very loud. I'd purchase this in a heartbeat if it had a wide neck.
Anyone curious to try out a headless guitar I highly recommend Hils. I have a green Next and it rules. Not just a good guitar for the price, but a generally great guitar.
Thanks, Phil, for the honest review(as always). If I run into one of these i will consider a purchase. I was not familiar with this brand and style until your review.
why wouldnt you be able to screw down the ground wire onto the shielding tape the way you did with the paint? it just needs contact right? I dont understand the difference
You can! I do it on all my strats: groundwire from tremclaw screwed down on the copper tape shielding, holding the groundwire from the vol. pot aswell. Quickconnecters for the jack wires so i can take out the pickguard without soldering! Do what you want, it's your guitar...🎸🤘🏼🎸
WOW!!!!!!! THANK YOU, VERY MUCH, PHIL, FOR ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK, AND DILIGENCE, IN REVIEWING, AND CRITIQUING THIS AMAZING, AFFORDABLE GUITAR!!! GOOD TO KNOW!!!
I picked up one of these in green and love it for the most part. I'm not crazy about the pickups but am getting more used to them. The route is extremely tight and I thought I had measured that it was too small to take something like a Seymour Duncan JB. I could be wrong about that and curious if anyone has replaced the pickups with something else without having to extend the route. Great review as always from Phillip and I learned a few things about the guitar I didn't know.
Just when I start building my own guitars…all these great affordable guitars start coming with roasted maple necks…the ONE thing I can’t casually do myself…dang it!!
I've never been a fan of headless guitars, and accordingly I don't like the look of this one. I can however appreciate the various quality of life features present. The rubber feet and the headstock extension make me wonder how no other companies thought of it.
When I read the title of this video, I thought it meant that this guitar was very expensive and a POS and that it gives high end guitars a bad reputation. Like "hey, this is very expensive and is not worth it. It makes all high end guitars look bad" lol Now I feel stupid. But also impressed. I travel a lot and that looks like it would fit in my suitcase. With my little Roland MicroCube I can have a very nice travel rig. At that weight I would hardly notice it. Great review as always.
I just put a preorder in for the version they’re sending to America the hils hn5 with a trem and active pickups they claim delivery around January hope you’ll do a deep dive into it as well hopefully it has all those great hidden features like the paint shielding and trimmer potentiometer etc I don’t have the tools but love watching you test the pickups Waiting to see how the hils active pickups stand up against Emgs and fishmans Last thing I’ll mention is price I got a discount with the preorder coming to 500 usd however in Japan they’re 3-350 usd not a deal breaker but just shows the market doesn’t offer many budget options for headless guitars with trems but when they do they can raise it hundreds
Damn, the weight alone makes this super attractive to me. I got the Eart a year ago n returned it for a few reasons, with the weight being a large part (not that it was necessarily "heavy", it was just average, when I wanted it to be lighter for my shoulder/back issues).
Thanks for sharing this phil. I've had one for a while but looking forward to the N500 which has a tremolo and active pickups. Best wishes from the UK 👍👍🎶🎶🎶🎶😎😎
You should've worn your orange Sammy Hagar pants for this review 😂 seems like a great value! I love my Vader and Zeus bass but it'd be nice to be able to hang them or use Hercules style stands. There really isn't much not to like about this lil guy
Looks fun. 4 lbs? That vinyl zipper bag is $100?! That neck is pretty narrow. Too narrow for me, and most. Ibanez Prestige, for example is around 43mm and that's great. Great video!
Thanks for a great video! Nd thanks for the nod to AZ. I’m somewhere near you as we have shopped at the same Guitar Center. when I get my Strats together I’d love to get your opinion on them and maybe help with the set up.
I bought a kit that is very much like this guitar for $150 and had a great time building it. I got it set up really well and it plays about as good as any guitar I have owned including my super fancy USA built Custom shop Ibanez Saber which I have played more than any other guitar. The supplied pickups sounded OK but were very microphonic. I replaced those with a humbucker sized P90 in the neck and a hot humbucker in the bridge. I'm into the guitar about $250 and it plays fantastic and has a wide variety of great sounds from vintage P90 to screaming lead and chug. Fun stuff.
A faraday cage made of thin tape or paint will provide some attenuation of high frequency EM radiation (MHz range) but do next to nothing for low frequency magnetic fields (which is the main cause of mains frequency hum in guitars) To shield agains magetic fields you need to use Mu-metal, this is expensive. I'd like to see some propoer controlled experiments on the effectiveness of shielding in guitar cavities - I suspect that it is mostly ineffective and only put in for marketing reasons.
The shielding keeps EM interference from being “heard” by the pickups. No pickups in the cavity. It just makes it more likely for you to have a short if the metallic shielding tape in the cavity touches a potentiometer or wire. So long as the pickup cavities are shielded, there’s no benefit from the extra shielding in the cavity.
Woah... I love my Boden 7 but there's so many things here Strandberg NEEDS to learn from this manufacturer. Especially the features around the headstock.
Great review and this looks great. I am still impressed with the Ibanez Q52 I bought on a whim a couple of years ago. That is such a resonant and light guitar.
I'm a keyboard player not a guitarist but I have always coveted the .strandberg* guitars. Of course not being a guitarist (a novice at best) there's not justification for the pricetag for me. This is a game changer. For five bills I can def see this one in my collection even if it's just gonna hang on the wall for months at a time.
You've just sold a ton of those guitars. I know I'm 70, but when i look at the guitars behind you, i think Leo Fender got it right first time with style and looks, and that still holds up today.
I’m two years younger than you and I think Fender didn’t quite get it right. The shape of the Strat is excellent, but for people like me the neck is unplayable and the single coils are weak sauce. I’m a Gibson guy and recently a PRS aficionado. Leo did get the P Bass right the first time. That thing is a classic and a must have if you play bass.
@MrPhotonjockey , I've got a Gibson Les Paul Special, but I'm thinking of trading it in for a strat because i miss the one i had and the tone of the neck pickup.
@@cbcacbca I’m not a fan of P 90s in general, so I get why you want to sell the LP Special. I do have one Fender guitar (and a couple of G&L basses). That guitar is an American Stratocaster Ultra. The 10-14 compound radius fretboard and 1.685” nut just feel right to me. I also like the noiseless pickups. For me (a Gibson guy) this Strat is the one Leo Fender should have invented 😁
I bought one thanks to Phils review. Its better than advertised and I had high hopes. 😅 If you can get passed the headless aspect this thing is every bit as good as the 1k options.
Yea, great video Phil........ With the specs and the price, and the quality gig bag,and the light weight it's certainly a bargain winner! All my EVH guitars are too heavy for me now as I've aged towards 70 and lost 60 lbs since visiting McKnight guitar store going back to 2008......... Yea I prefer the tone of the maple capped body's.......( not the weight) My PV Wolfgang weighs 8 pounds 2 oz, Peavy evh special 7.5 lbs, both evh Japanese specials at approximately 7 lbs........and the quilt top 1st run 2008 model evh from fender custom shop weighs 8.61 lbs!
I just got one of the 1K Strandbergs and its great. I guess I'll snag one of theses as well. Sub 5 lb guitars make Les Pauls super heavy after you get used to headless at 5lbs or less.
Very good review as usual ! BTW, I bought the ENGL Steve Morse 20 shortly after seeing your review and (of course), tried it at my local store ! greetings from Luxemburg !
Normally, for some reason, I don't really like "Reverse" guitars, but that looks like it would make a good "Bug Out" portable guitar. I might consider investing in one. (Although my Hofner "Shorty" serves me well, for the time being)
This channel seems to be one of the only channels that goes into this kind of agnostic and unbiased depth with guitars of all price points and styles - that isn't a Gibson or Fender zombie. In all honesty, this channel is the only one I need for guitar-related updates/reviews. Phil's the reason I bought my Eastman SB59/tv and I don't regret that decision one bit.
Their blufton acoustic looks pretty nice for the price. All solid with an arm contour? Thats amazing If didnt just buy a carbon wood hybrid guitar and review it, id probably be looking at that....still i could sell a used martin x series in canada and buy 1.5 HILS acoustics And the Hils are all solid....thats wild.
Agreed! I haven't bought a new acoustic in over two decades, but I IMMEDIATELY pulled the trigger on the Bluffton a little bit ago. I watched this review and promptly went to see if they had any other electric body styles. Then I saw their acoustics and, man, I absolutely cannot believe the price for what the Bluffton is comprised of. The hexagonal inlays are a super-cool little touch, too. It all seems a bit too good to be true. I'll report back after it arrives and I play it awhile!
Yes, please do. I'm so curious about the Bluffton. It has so many great features but a crazy low price I just have a hard time believing it.@@StephenChapman
Best headless headstock design yet with those steel tracks. Get your hand caught on the string ends of the Hipshot headless and it tears the sh out of your skin.
Have you ever done a build with Guitar Fetish parts? I was wondering what you thought of the quality level of their parts and components. If not, it might make for a cool video series showing the quality and ease of process. Or, display some mistakes that beginner/novice guitar builders may make
Passive pickups and a 3-way toggle. If it could have a strandberg style tremolo it'd be ideal for what I'd look for in a guitar. Edit: the push pull split would be a bonus for me.
Congratulations Zettel Down!! Thank you all who entered
Really cool that the factory didn't argue with Phol about pickup tolerance, but instead came up with a solution and thanked Phil for constructive aevice!!
this is exactly how you should operate if your goal is to make the best gear, very cool
Speaks volumes. I ordered one lol.
Yeah, and it seems they have fixed several issues with other headless guitars too.
The headstock, the foot pegs, the string locking mechanism, etc. Strandberg owners have complained about these for years
It is quite impressive that the company took the constructive advice. They looked at facts and made corrections. That is a company I want to support. My Hils guitar will be here on the 22nd.
Did someone switch the letters on your keyboard?
Very happy owner of a limited Deep Purple Hils guitar here. I'm disabled and have been looking for the past years for a guitar that I can play while in my wheelchair and is easy to handle & carry around. I've tried a lot of small (even kids) guitars, an Ibanez headless model (hated the neck) and couldn't really go for a Strandberg because my thumb is kind of weirdly attached to my hand which makes the endure neck a no go. I had to pinch myselff twice when I saw the Hils: a first time for the specs, the other for the price. I ordered one and couldn't be happier! It's just perfect for me. I'm an offset guy so I was very unsure about the tone & high output pickups...but I actually like them: they have a compressed sound that goes well with the ambient soundscapes that I make. The rubber feet are super useful and the lightweight and the backpack-like straps of the gigbag allow me to put it on the back of my wheelchair & carry it everywhere. Highly recommended!
I have this guitar and can say it has the characteristics of a 1000 dollar plus guitar. Stainless frets, roasted maple neck, mahogany body, great pickups and sounds great. You can practice twice as long sitting back in a chair or you can pack it and take it anywhere you travel. It is dynamite in a smaller package!
The radius looks like a 14" ??- There is not many guitars out there for 500.00-In the event this is a good axe, it may be valuable some day. I guess it depends on how many are being made. I used to own a Gibson Marauder, which was only made for about 2 years. They went for about 400-450 in the 70`s. I have seen a few being sold for about 1,200 or so. It may be a good investment someday in the event you want to sell. I doubt the Kiesel guitars will have strong re-sale. Then, I would have bought Beenie Babys if I knew they would have the potential of making a small fortune. Good luck. -God bless.
@ShawnShipstad Good point. One thing is for sure. Best buy for the money I have made and my son has several high end guitars over 2k. This one gets played more because it is so easy to carry around even unplugged.
These headless guitars are great for random practice. I have an ibanez Q series. I love the headless platform.
I got mine earlier this year. I got even lucky and mine's got beautiful Birdseye all over the roasted-maple neck. What an awesome guitar this model is!
@ShawnShipstad my friend bought a Gibson Marauder back around 1972. Looked a bit SGish with that plastic looking pickup but hey, it was a Gibson and we were all envious of him. Thanks for mentioning that guitar. I haven't thought about my mate and his Gibson in a long while.
Hils is the American-European brand name for a Korean company, originally named HEX. I don't know why they had to change their brand name for sure, but it is the exact same company with the same products. In Korea, Hex has a huge reputation for making great bang for buck guitars at very attainable price points, and as far as I'm concerned they own a proprietary factory in Indonesia. The headless models have been very popular among Korean RUclipsrs and they are even cheaper here in Korea(at about only 300$ for this same model). I got my headless HEX soon after the hype and I've been enjoying this guitar ever since. I swapped both of my pickups to Gibsons without too much hassle, and am looking forward to changing the output jack soon. I don't know if mine's faulty or it's just the design, but the barrel-style output jack cuts out when I put pressure on the cable or the wireless sideways. Outside of that, it is a wonderful piece of equipment. Thank you Phil for introducing another Korean brand to the world.
I got my eyes on a parlor guitar made by Hex
Hex is someone else's trademark in the west so they had to use a different name
(I think I heard that on the Andertons vid a few weeks back)
@@HILSAmericaGuitars wise choice. The instrument looks very well manufactured and professionally finished. Your factory is doing a great job.
@@HILSAmericaGuitarslove how yall are replying! This is how you start a customer loyalty brand
A hex is a spell to cast for bad fortune on someone, but I'm sure you guys knew that. I think it was an inauspicious name, like calling a car the Citation.
Looks like I found my next around the house guitar, no headstock to catch on a corner when walking into a room, rubber feet , and lightweight. Sold. 13:45 now I feel the need to listen to Blitzkrieg
I got mine today. Pretty good. A little setup and it works great.
Just the fact that the manufacturer listened to your feedback and went and made changes like you suggested, makes me consider buying a guitar from this company! I’ve never considered trying one of these headless neck type of guitars. But at this price and the fact that the company listens to their customers makes me want one of these!
I live in South Korea, and I purchased one of these under their native brand HEX avout 2 months ago. It is phenomenal. I've gigged it several times and never had an issue. Pickups are good, but I will put in new pickups later or at least modify that the coil split only effects the neck pickup. I'm thinking of grabbing a bass from them.
Almost identical to my ibanez Q54, which I paid a 1000 bucks for and absolutely love. I have about 25+ guitars and I find myself only playing this one nowadays. Wish I would've known about this one.
I can take your unplayed ones, if they are US made ofc
Very nice. Now all they need is 7 and 8 string versions.
Now there is a travel guitar! Don't care for the orange personally, but their metallic green is cool!
Love the rubber feet feature. I have a GW-2 Eart, which I like very much, but it doesn't sit comfortably on a wood floor - rubber feet would help. This might be a step up from the GW-2, and still reasonably priced.
I have the GW2 also (lefty tho') and trying to get it to sit properly on a guitar rack is a PITA!. Great guitar though, love mine.
Your deep dives are so good... they often make me want to do a 'deep Dive" in my purse for a credit card.... thanks Phil?
Your consistent attention to detail is amazing! Keep up the good work!!
I completely ignore these guitars when Andertons showed them but now you’re really showcasing and tempting me on the first headless
Saw a Guitar Summit video on these guitars...I was intrigued and am really glad to see an overall positive review and that the company responded really well to feedback and actually made a change in manufacturing! I definitely am considering purchasing one of their new models that has a trem and some active pickups.
This guitar looks excellent! I love the response from the manufacturer to your feedback - props to them. Look like a serious contender!
Super cool that HILs put this video under the "Electric Guitars" section of their website.
Bruv you are still the best at product reviews. Thank you for taking the time to make great content that’s informative and helpful!
I’m impressed! I don’t care for the headless neck and body shape, but their YOLO model looks intriguing.
It's cool that they took your findings into consideration and used them to improve the product. Wish more companies did that...
Lovely chop starting around 13:09 Top 😊
Great goodness....thus just my Xmas list. Even the color is just bomb. Thanks for displaying this piece. Love ur work phil and as allways...know ur gear.
That tiniest bit kf headstock is such a clever addition, to be able to hang it, bit akso jist that feel of home behind the fretting hand at first position
I'd pretty much already decided that I was going to get one of these, but this confirms it. It's going to have to wait, though, because a G&L is next up on my list. But after that will be a Hils.
@Phil - Hills' acoustic offerings look great as well, $500 solid top and bodies with beveled arm rest? Can you do a review?
As soon as a trem version is offered I’m getting one! If only there was a budget star shaped headless!!
Thank you Phill. This headless guitar appears to have all the modern features and none of the modern problems. Not to mention the super competitive price point. If I had to choose one today I would have to seriously consider this as an option. Thank you again!
I'm impressed with the factory receiving feedback and immediately deciding to make the change to improve it! 👍
I might buy one of these if they are available in Australia
They immediately responded and improved because they didn't want internationally known and respected, famous RUclips musicians and stars like Bro Phil, negating their product thereby impeding their bottom line. That's how business is done if one wants their product to sell. Gotta keep the Masters happy else they'll put one out of business. Phil is one of the Masters that the guitar world listens to when he talks guitars.
Not sure why i got served your video, and I don't even play guitar anymore, but I gave you a sub because you did a great job reviewing. Very thorough, and checking things i didn't even know should be checked. Keep up the good work!
Thank you
Not available in Europe at the time of my typing. Andertons UK has 'em but that's .. the UK. I hope we'll be able to get them on mainland Europe.
Can I get it in EU? Also the answer with the tolerances alone is something that should be rewarded. Awesome when they take feedback and improve. The guitar looks like the entry level strandberg which I want to buy at some point and this seems like a good alternative.
Great review, thank you. Been a long time since anything on the market has made me want to take a serious look at buying a new guitar. This is four pounds of really different, really cool.
It looks and sounds great, especially for the price. I'm surprised that we're already seeing Strandberg copies, but I'm glad that they're getting some affordable competition.
Their response to the routing issue you pointed out sold me. I absolutely love to support companies that actually care what their customers think. Instant +200000 to their rep imo.
I got one of these a couple of days ago, and thought I would leave a brief review. Overall I am very happy with the guitar at the $499 price. There were some very minor issues all of which were corrected with a basic setup. I was initially unable to completely intonate the third (G) string. As I got close to getting it intonated, the tuning peg got loose. I made a comment about this in a review on Hils website, and shortly afterwards I was contacted by one of the co-owners of Hils. After a brief discussion of the problem, he explained that I just need to loosen the string on both ends, pull a bit more string through the clamp at the nut end, and retighten everything back down. This worked perfectly. The only other issue I have is, as Phil mentions in the video, the pickup cavity route is too tight. But the person from Hils said this was being corrected, so probably by the time you read this it won't be an issue anymore. The fret ends on my guitar were not as nice as on Phil's. But you know for $499, it's expected that the guitar might need a little TLC in the form of a set-up and some fret dressing. The guitar is so light! I'm an older guy, and an hour standing up with my other guitars often leaves me with a sore back. That won't be an issue here. The guitar in its case is so compact that I think it might even fit in an overhead compartment on a plane. The pickups are acceptable, and pretty hot. I do find the bridge pickup a bit too nasally (mids are too strong). I checked out the wiring and it's just lovely. The wiring cavity is shielded and even the cover plate has shielding on it. The frets are more level than most low end guitars, which is great news for anyone that likes a low action. The nut was cut reasonably well. I love the thin neck (small hands) but if you like a chunky neck, you might not like this. This has immediately become one of my favorite guitars.
Interesting, this could be my first headless guitar to try out, after playing for 30+ years. I wish it had a tremolo though since I'm a Floyd Rose kinda guy. Thanks for sharing Philip.
I’ve been looking to get a headless the past 4 months. So far the Hils one is my favorite 🙂
Great job on this Philip! I love seeing this relatively low price gear that is just phenomenal to play. I mean, I have a couple of several thousand dollar guitars and a whole bunch of $500-$1200 Guitars I play them all so is it really worth it to spend all that extra money? I guess if you got it. Great job buddy.
Great comprehensive review. Sure wish more companies - or any company for that matter - would make a model with a wide nut as in 1 7/8". I have three guitars with Warmoth super wide necks but they don't offer a headless variety. I think the wide neck club is bigger than they realize, we're just not very loud. I'd purchase this in a heartbeat if it had a wide neck.
Anyone curious to try out a headless guitar I highly recommend Hils. I have a green Next and it rules. Not just a good guitar for the price, but a generally great guitar.
Very nice. I wish that would have been available as my first electric guitar. Thank
Nice guitar, I have been looking for a headless guitar, just need to decide the color!!😊
Great review as always. It looks like a really cool guitar. If i didn't already have so many, I'd buy one.
Thanks, Phil, for the honest review(as always). If I run into one of these i will consider a purchase. I was not familiar with this brand and style until your review.
why wouldnt you be able to screw down the ground wire onto the shielding tape the way you did with the paint? it just needs contact right? I dont understand the difference
You can! I do it on all my strats: groundwire from tremclaw screwed down on the copper tape shielding, holding the groundwire from the vol. pot aswell. Quickconnecters for the jack wires so i can take out the pickguard without soldering! Do what you want, it's your guitar...🎸🤘🏼🎸
WOW!!!!!!! THANK YOU, VERY MUCH, PHIL, FOR ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK, AND DILIGENCE, IN REVIEWING, AND CRITIQUING THIS AMAZING, AFFORDABLE GUITAR!!! GOOD TO KNOW!!!
Nice powerful sounding pickups. Coil split and they sound great, also. Very articulate as well. Good job on your review, as always.
Great gtr and your playing here was awesome!
I picked up one of these in green and love it for the most part. I'm not crazy about the pickups but am getting more used to them. The route is extremely tight and I thought I had measured that it was too small to take something like a Seymour Duncan JB. I could be wrong about that and curious if anyone has replaced the pickups with something else without having to extend the route.
Great review as always from Phillip and I learned a few things about the guitar I didn't know.
Just when I start building my own guitars…all these great affordable guitars start coming with roasted maple necks…the ONE thing I can’t casually do myself…dang it!!
I've never been a fan of headless guitars, and accordingly I don't like the look of this one. I can however appreciate the various quality of life features present. The rubber feet and the headstock extension make me wonder how no other companies thought of it.
When I read the title of this video, I thought it meant that this guitar was very expensive and a POS and that it gives high end guitars a bad reputation. Like "hey, this is very expensive and is not worth it. It makes all high end guitars look bad" lol Now I feel stupid. But also impressed. I travel a lot and that looks like it would fit in my suitcase. With my little Roland MicroCube I can have a very nice travel rig. At that weight I would hardly notice it. Great review as always.
I just put a preorder in for the version they’re sending to America the hils hn5 with a trem and active pickups they claim delivery around January hope you’ll do a deep dive into it as well hopefully it has all those great hidden features like the paint shielding and trimmer potentiometer etc
I don’t have the tools but love watching you test the pickups
Waiting to see how the hils active pickups stand up against Emgs and fishmans
Last thing I’ll mention is price I got a discount with the preorder coming to 500 usd however in Japan they’re 3-350 usd not a deal breaker but just shows the market doesn’t offer many budget options for headless guitars with trems but when they do they can raise it hundreds
Damn, the weight alone makes this super attractive to me. I got the Eart a year ago n returned it for a few reasons, with the weight being a large part (not that it was necessarily "heavy", it was just average, when I wanted it to be lighter for my shoulder/back issues).
Thanks for sharing this phil. I've had one for a while but looking forward to the N500 which has a tremolo and active pickups. Best wishes from the UK 👍👍🎶🎶🎶🎶😎😎
The overdrive sound at min 13:35 is cool. Any ideas what pedals he used?
I'm in AZ, too. Nice guitars, you're a great player.
Excellent review as always! Might need one of these for the collection.
GREAT VID PHIL!! Thank you so much! You are the best!
Great video, though it teased me somewhat, as I was really keen to hear the bridge clean, and to hear if it could split the bridge coils too.
You should've worn your orange Sammy Hagar pants for this review 😂 seems like a great value! I love my Vader and Zeus bass but it'd be nice to be able to hang them or use Hercules style stands. There really isn't much not to like about this lil guy
Looks fun. 4 lbs? That vinyl zipper bag is $100?! That neck is pretty narrow. Too narrow for me, and most. Ibanez Prestige, for example is around 43mm and that's great. Great video!
Thanks for a great video! Nd thanks for the nod to AZ. I’m somewhere near you as we have shopped at the same Guitar Center. when I get my Strats together I’d love to get your opinion on them and maybe help with the set up.
As usual great info, thanks for all you do for us guitar hobbies !
i have a few highend headless guitars and a few cheapos, the only major difference in quality that i can notice on them is always the bridge.
Which model is this, though? The HN3? I am *this* close to buying one...
I bought a kit that is very much like this guitar for $150 and had a great time building it. I got it set up really well and it plays about as good as any guitar I have owned including my super fancy USA built Custom shop Ibanez Saber which I have played more than any other guitar. The supplied pickups sounded OK but were very microphonic. I replaced those with a humbucker sized P90 in the neck and a hot humbucker in the bridge. I'm into the guitar about $250 and it plays fantastic and has a wide variety of great sounds from vintage P90 to screaming lead and chug. Fun stuff.
A faraday cage made of thin tape or paint will provide some attenuation of high frequency EM radiation (MHz range) but do next to nothing for low frequency magnetic fields (which is the main cause of mains frequency hum in guitars) To shield agains magetic fields you need to use Mu-metal, this is expensive. I'd like to see some propoer controlled experiments on the effectiveness of shielding in guitar cavities - I suspect that it is mostly ineffective and only put in for marketing reasons.
The shielding keeps EM interference from being “heard” by the pickups. No pickups in the cavity. It just makes it more likely for you to have a short if the metallic shielding tape in the cavity touches a potentiometer or wire. So long as the pickup cavities are shielded, there’s no benefit from the extra shielding in the cavity.
@@Ten2More I'd like to see formal controlled test evidence that shielding the control cavity makes any difference whatsoever.
Phil... would it be relatively straight forward to replace the pickups with "standard" format humbucker pickups?
Thanks! The price went up by $50 on Amazon overnight to the MSRP. Should have pulled the trigger yesterday!
Very nice review, love those cleans.
Woah... I love my Boden 7 but there's so many things here Strandberg NEEDS to learn from this manufacturer. Especially the features around the headstock.
Great review and this looks great. I am still impressed with the Ibanez Q52 I bought on a whim a couple of years ago. That is such a resonant and light guitar.
Hey Phil, love your videos. Any chance you can make one of these videos on a GOC guitar?
I'm a keyboard player not a guitarist but I have always coveted the .strandberg* guitars. Of course not being a guitarist (a novice at best) there's not justification for the pricetag for me. This is a game changer. For five bills I can def see this one in my collection even if it's just gonna hang on the wall for months at a time.
You've just sold a ton of those guitars. I know I'm 70, but when i look at the guitars behind you, i think Leo Fender got it right first time with style and looks, and that still holds up today.
I’m two years younger than you and I think Fender didn’t quite get it right. The shape of the Strat is excellent, but for people like me the neck is unplayable and the single coils are weak sauce. I’m a Gibson guy and recently a PRS aficionado. Leo did get the P Bass right the first time. That thing is a classic and a must have if you play bass.
@MrPhotonjockey , I've got a Gibson Les Paul Special, but I'm thinking of trading it in for a strat because i miss the one i had and the tone of the neck pickup.
@@cbcacbca I’m not a fan of P 90s in general, so I get why you want to sell the LP Special. I do have one Fender guitar (and a couple of G&L basses). That guitar is an American Stratocaster Ultra. The 10-14 compound radius fretboard and 1.685” nut just feel right to me. I also like the noiseless pickups. For me (a Gibson guy) this Strat is the one Leo Fender should have invented 😁
I bought one thanks to Phils review. Its better than advertised and I had high hopes. 😅
If you can get passed the headless aspect this thing is every bit as good as the 1k options.
Looks wicked! Shame they don't do 7 strings though.
I love your reviews but... your playing is awesome.
Yea, great video Phil........ With the specs and the price, and the quality gig bag,and the light weight it's certainly a bargain winner! All my EVH guitars are too heavy for me now as I've aged towards 70 and lost 60 lbs since visiting McKnight guitar store going back to 2008.........
Yea I prefer the tone of the maple capped body's.......( not the weight)
My PV Wolfgang weighs 8 pounds 2 oz, Peavy evh special 7.5 lbs, both evh Japanese specials at approximately 7 lbs........and the quilt top 1st run 2008 model evh from fender custom shop weighs 8.61 lbs!
I just got one of the 1K Strandbergs and its great. I guess I'll snag one of theses as well. Sub 5 lb guitars make Les Pauls super heavy after you get used to headless at 5lbs or less.
I want one! You the man Phillip
Sounds great with OD!
Very good review as usual ! BTW, I bought the ENGL Steve Morse 20 shortly after seeing your review and (of course), tried it at my local store ! greetings from Luxemburg !
Normally, for some reason, I don't really like "Reverse" guitars, but that looks like it would make a good "Bug Out" portable guitar. I might consider investing in one. (Although my Hofner "Shorty" serves me well, for the time being)
This channel seems to be one of the only channels that goes into this kind of agnostic and unbiased depth with guitars of all price points and styles - that isn't a Gibson or Fender zombie. In all honesty, this channel is the only one I need for guitar-related updates/reviews. Phil's the reason I bought my Eastman SB59/tv and I don't regret that decision one bit.
i really liked the sound on that overdriven neck pickup...
Their blufton acoustic looks pretty nice for the price. All solid with an arm contour? Thats amazing
If didnt just buy a carbon wood hybrid guitar and review it, id probably be looking at that....still i could sell a used martin x series in canada and buy 1.5 HILS acoustics
And the Hils are all solid....thats wild.
Agreed! I haven't bought a new acoustic in over two decades, but I IMMEDIATELY pulled the trigger on the Bluffton a little bit ago. I watched this review and promptly went to see if they had any other electric body styles. Then I saw their acoustics and, man, I absolutely cannot believe the price for what the Bluffton is comprised of. The hexagonal inlays are a super-cool little touch, too. It all seems a bit too good to be true. I'll report back after it arrives and I play it awhile!
Yes, please do. I'm so curious about the Bluffton. It has so many great features but a crazy low price I just have a hard time believing it.@@StephenChapman
Best headless headstock design yet with those steel tracks. Get your hand caught on the string ends of the Hipshot headless and it tears the sh out of your skin.
@@HILSAmericaGuitars Very cool.
I've been Strandberg obsessed for a while, but this might just overtake it. I desperately want one
Looks like a great bargain. I wonder if they will come out with a tremolo version.
Hi Guitar 🎸 Guy nice video 📹 and workmanship i liked the headed type nice background of the Guitar 🎸 last videos 📹 also or also again
Maaaaine, that Engle sounds good. That tone is killer! I replayed it about five times and am going to try reproducing it, thanks.👍
Do they make it in Gibson scale too?
Good idea Phil to put the QR codes in the video !!
I'm not into guitars of this type, but this one seems like the one I would go for if I ever catch that bug. Nice video, Phil!
Have you ever done a build with Guitar Fetish parts? I was wondering what you thought of the quality level of their parts and components. If not, it might make for a cool video series showing the quality and ease of process. Or, display some mistakes that beginner/novice guitar builders may make
Passive pickups and a 3-way toggle. If it could have a strandberg style tremolo it'd be ideal for what I'd look for in a guitar. Edit: the push pull split would be a bonus for me.
Can't wait to get mine I'm so excited!
Definitely getting one of these!