Solar Guitars AB1 Review
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- Опубликовано: 19 май 2024
- This is my review of the Solar Guitars AB1.6S
It features an Evertune, Roasted maple and a host of other top specs but is it good? and more importantly does it chug?
Thanks to @OlaEnglund for the opportunity.
0:00 Intro
1:55 Review
5:15 Demo
8:35 Negatives
9:51 Conclusion
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"You're harder on the good ones, because they're so close to being great"...that is an excellent way of putting it. Never heard it phrased like that before.
Never thought I'd see someone playing Gangb At The Old Folks Home on a Solar
I thought that sounded familiar lol
Its gonna be a GANG BANG!!!!
I agree with the legend Steel Panther in their words will always be the greatest metal band of all time
Cutaways need to be deeper. Just not deep enough. I want to see 15 inches of cutaway. I want to be able to fret the bridge pickup, not just the neck one.
lmao XD
then you need a washburn ec36 with the patended stephens cutaway.
DEEEEPAAAHHHH!
Then you'd be better off with a SG. Unlike other guitars where the body starts before the neck ends, the neck ends before the body starts on SGs.
@@BrunodeSouzaLino I LIKE SG cut aways! 1 of my faves!
Very impressed with Solar guitars, I have to say. I like the designs, sound and playability.
Besides Ola being a very likeable guy, it's seems that he paid a lot of attention to the guitars QC and his interaction with the users, making them feel part of a community will serve the company well in the long run.
Somewhere earlier this year, many people experienced some QC issues with some Solar guitars, they were pretty well documented with pics and everything at the Solar owners group on FB. I'm guessing because them not going to the factory to do QC.
There is another KDH video on this particular subject as well.
I did see Ola mentioning the QC was still being done though, but in Spain instead.
Now, the good thing is Solar accepts returns.
For this reason I bought an Ibanez Genesis instead though. Which also, at that groups consensus, is a little above Solars.
But a good Solar seems to be still a killer instrument.
@@rockerboy84 Thanks for the info
@Soldagg Basswood is not an inferior wood. And yes, they may offer evertune and roasted maple.
But I'm talking about the build quality and the control on it.
Maybe you have not read one single review of people being unhappy with their solars, but I do have seen them, including pictures which show the QC issues I mentioned.
In this very same channel there is a video regarding this matter.
@Soldagg ruclips.net/video/ceyMd1sjcJs/видео.html
@Soldagg even Suhr uses basswood.
I love how his videos start with heavy riffing or shredding, then he talks in the gentlest calmest voice you've ever heard.
Good and thorough! Since you mentioned this is the first time you've checked out an Evertune, if you have any questions hit me up. I've had a love/hate relationship with them up until recently when I finally took one completely apart and finally a few things fell into place with my understanding of how these complicated saddles work.
Can we expect to see you as a Solar Artist on their website now? lol.
I'm a big fan of the cut away scoop design. I just wish he'd release it in the army green that a previous V came in.
Stops watching The Mandalorian to watch this! 😂🤘🏻🤘🏻
Mando is better than I’ll ever be 😭
Season 2 was weak
If I were 12 I would do the same.
@@waltersmetak yeah, what a man-child. Enjoying Star Wars. I, on the other hand, paused SpongeBob to watch this review.
@@mrcoatsworth429 says the very man-child himself, i pause cocomelon video for this
You might be the only RUclips guitarist I trust to be 100% fair when doing a review.
don't know with being winter now, wood can contract in cold climates causing a slight gap but in the humid summer it expands . happens with gaps in between your hardwood floors in winter vs tighter in the summer. good video
But the neck is roasted maple so it should contract and expand much less than normal maple anyway. Plus the less than straight line of the side of the pocket just indicates that they could have closer tolerances in the factory ideally.
It doesn't ruin my opinion of the brand though to be honest. I'll still have a solar at some point in the future.
Really genuine review. Love how you explain what equipment used.
Excellent channel you've got here. I've watched it steadily grow and it's one of my favourite guitar channels. Well done mate. 👍🏼
5:15 Ratt's Slip of the Lip. Killer riff.
Probably the most in-depth review of a guitar that I've ever seen! Also, props for playing the Souls of Black verse riff!
I came to the comments looking for fellow intellectuals who appreciate the big ONE of thrash. Fuck those other four posers, Testament rule.
(this is hyperbole to express how much I love testament but shitting on other bands to make the point is lame when done legitimately)
3:22 When Ola left Washburn, he already had his own signature pickup set with SD. It's my opinion that when an artist gets a signature pickup set with a large company that it's a lot more straightforward to build their own guitars, see also Abasi Concepts (Tosin has a signature Fishman set that demo out pretty great too).
So yes, they are voiced for Solar guitars and built by SD - but AFAIK there hasn't been a change in the pickups. The question is ultimately what pickups will they use in the basses because Ola doesn't have a signature bass pickup set with known voicings that people already love. :-)
Thanks for taking the time to do a review and all you got was a shirt.
Man i really love your channel. I think you do an awesome job at critiquing/analyzing while remaining fair. Keep up the good work man!
Wow, your channel grew by almost 4.000 subs in one week! And well deserved! Good review as well!
I really like the look of the guitar. I think I would have picked the purple one, though, because I like the hipshot style bridges. But I'd love to try an evertune as well.
Thank you very much for this review. I'm close to pulling the trigger on this exact model, and your review was very helpful (the neck pocket doesnt scare me away).
Ola is a genius for the push pulls for all the tone possibilities....with that being said Ola the perfect person to build guitars because he knows what he likes in guitars with the feel and playability and more importantly he listens to what people say, like I wouldn’t be surprised if he plays every guitar that’s built from solar
that is not a comletely new thing though; I always find it a good decision to put it on superstrat-models but "Olafs a genius for that" is def overpraising
Glad you mentioned the neck pocket size -- I noticed this on the shot at 2:03 and it's been bugging me all throughout the video 😅. Good review!
Nice video man! I'm really loving the SOLAR stuff. They're sexy AF! I could hear Ola coming through in the tone demo. Ola is a great guy and this just proves that further. That's awesome you got to work with him. Its great seeing your channel grow! Keep being honest and you will go far my friend!
Nice review KDH! Ola will be proud of your review on this guitar. Kick ass riffs by the way sir.
I've just subscribed to your channel and I really like what you're doing, I just thought I'd add my 10 pennies-worth as a Luthier. That gap you mentioned on the neck pocket is probably there for a reason. With a softer hardwood body and a roasted tri-laminated neck you're going to be getting different coefficients of expansion from the neck and body and there needs to be a little space to allow the instrument to minutely grow and shrink in different humidity and temperature conditions.
Where the neck pocket joint is really critical is in the facing joint (in this case a beautiful wide 6 bolt affair) and the heel contacting the upright face of the neck pocket. Vibration likes to run at right angles and the tuning stability and scale length is rock solid with these faces in contact with one another.
There may be another factor here too. In the production process, getting the necks to play ball with those super funky bridges (which I have zero experience in) could require a little bit of lateral alignment space. Perhaps the equalisation of tension on the inner workings of that bridge is the thing 🤔 not sure but I reckon that there is a reason for it. Anyway, thanks for doing this video and look forward to seeing more of your work.
The fretboard wood on this particular guitar is gorgeous🙌🤘🙌 sounded great, thanks for sharing 😃
You got some killer chops man! Guitar sounded really good on all the pup settings. Ola is awesome for letting you review one of these. I would hate to have to ship it back after jamming on it lol ... noooooooo!
what a review! the best so far!
I've come to really love the Roasted Maple look. Nice review dude.
coolest body shape ive seen on a guitar in ages, i want one for the shape of it alone, it screams metal but its not overboard its still tasteful, and nice to see a fellow Dub on you tube doing guitar reviews, rock on
He’s not biased, the sponsorship thing is there because he got a t-shirt, that doesn’t affect his opinion because a damn t-shirt is not payment but he still got something by doing the review so he counts it as a sponsor
Really impressed with Solar guitars, the models they have been bringing out all looks and sounds great from the demos Ive seen, would love to try one out
same!
One of mine. I love it, it’s a smooth and well
designed guitar. Love the stormtrooper helmet style look 😍
Congrats to 20k subs
Best review I've seen so far 👍
Nice playing man. Tearing it up!
I’m 10 seconds into the demo. Holy shit. That sounds amazing.
Solid review. I have the exact same model along with a few other guitars from various brands around the same price point and can confirm that it’s a great guitar for the money. It’s ALWAYS in tune and the neck is satin smooth. I love mine.
Great presentation on the review
The purple burst version is also very nice to look at.
Personally I really need to get my hands on a Solar in the lemon neon finish. Because who needs retinas anyway, right?
Short, sharp and to the point - Nice review.... Nice guitar.
I love how it sounds in the demo. That "Evertune" spring noise kinda gives it a mid/high frequency push lol
Middle of night edition of Will It Chug. Nice
Morning edition for me 🙂
@@KDH Good morning, sick playing as always. 🤘
🎅
I needed my sleep lol
@@HeathenwoodOfficial I hear that man 😄, I was staying up working on that logo. I'll show you my progress later today.
Nice riffs dude. Hello from Saskatchewan, Canada
Sounds great and awesome playing too my friend 🤘🏻🤘🏻
Total agreement on Solar guitars. I've got two here at home because I loved the first one so much. I have noticed a bit of a click on the Evertunes when bending, but I don't notice it quite as much as yours, so there may be a bit of a setup issue. As far as that gap, that's not great, but I've also got a JS32 that has that. My Solars are both neck-thru, so there wasn't an opportunity for that.
The last Solar I got was my Canibalismo that I unboxed, and that was in the middle of the QC fiasco. Admittendly, the back panel plastic was a bit scratched, but it's on the back, so I was willing to overlook it.
Glad you got to try it out!
I have had my A2.7 for several months now and it's by far my favourite guitar to play. I think Solar will be a big brand to watch as they seem to be going from strength to strength.
Nice review! I love my S2.6C, but like you said, almost perfect. It still is a good price point for those specs, I'd buy another one.
Hey man. Your content is great. We need more creators like you. Or actually, maybe we dont. Being one of a kind is what makes your stuff stand out. I really like your views on things, and how you go about explaining your personal views, and the reasons behind your opinions. The brutal honesty is nice also. Hell, I wouldn't even be mad if you did one of your expose videos on me. Hahaha. Keep pumping out the content man, and hopefully you can get your sub count higher. Good luck, and thanks!
Enjoyed the Testament riff part. I love Souls of Black
Yeah, it chugs 👌
I enjoyed the review. I haven’t ran across a solar yet. I prefer to play guitars I buy, haven’t ordered a guitar online yet. But am interested . Keep up the good work
Just snagged that Candy Apple red model with the Floyd on a “B Stock” deal because the fret board was “Dark like rosewood” other than that it’s flawless. I think the brightness comes from the roasted maple fingerboard. Solar are very solid for the price and features. I’ve played $3000 guitars with lower quality control. Great review by the way.
I have been eyeing that Candy metallic red one for some time now...What was the flaws on the B stock one?
@@RabihSaadguitars literally nothing other than the fretboard being “dark” lol
@@Steve_Foretoken Well thats a good thing...lol
That sounds amazing!
Just woke up and found this, amazing
Thank you for the great and honest review! Love the "harder picking" part, a lot of other guitar channels are missing out on this!
The evertune issue is about not being set up perfectly. think of 6 tiny tremolos: you want them "floating" while in tune, not lying down. its just a little overtightened. Its a small issue, but still, you noticed it right away.
The neck pocket issue is more of a QA issue. If this is a regular QA'd guitar, this is not nice. If this guitar is a dedicated review sample - which could definately make sense - maybe this issue was already known. Did this guitar come with the documents/papers signed by QA? If not, it's 100% a review sample. Just hoping Ola not getting his SNOPP busted. :D
His heart grew three sizes that day
interesting review, I have always wanted to try out one of the V or explorer solars. And with the instantly recognizable RATT riff on the sound test. (slip of the lip)
I want you to test one of those harley benton fusion 2 guitars, the one with 2 humbuckers and a floyd.
Lovin' the Steel Panther Riff in the intro!
I'm glad that ordered my (3rd) Solar Guitar AB1.6HTBP prior to this review. Shiping is about mid Jan. 2021. Solar Guitars claim not to have lots of swampash anymore...so sad.
Pesonaly I like sounding wood more than clicking metal, so I went for the Hipshotbridge as on my S1.6 PB LTD.
Also have great fun with Solar V2.6TBR gauged with 11-52 and tuned to Standard D.
My Solar guitars are the best new made instruments I ever get hands on. If one likes the shape and Sound, get one. Seems i became a fanboy of Solar guitars ,-)
Man sub count really up form the tutty six u started with. 20 g’s. Great job dude. Your vids are bad ass. Chappy boy could learn a thing or two
You get my like from the beginning for the TMNT t-shirt. Big fan of the turtles and guitar here.
Well done!
Good review KDH
Well done- I love mine,
I have the exact same TNMT t-shirt!!! You just gotta love Primark
This is a very good review!
Yuuuup this is my next guitar lol KDH!!!
Kdh is an amazingly good player. You need more subscribers
The KDH Solar signature guitar is gonna be size!
Every time i see you playing you seem even better than the last time
I've got an LTD Eclipse which was around the €999 mark and the only issues I've found are small cosmetic ones such as the binding.
If Solar's circa €999 guitars are as good as the ones from LTD, a brand known for their all round great QC consistency, then that's smashing.
nice thanks!
Well done.
Looks sick ! Nice colour. 👊
you had me at the steel panther intro
I am still amazed at your playing.
Yeah he totally shreds.
Nice review 😎🎸✅🎙
Has one of the best tones I heard with the humbuckers.
I enjoy your channel so fuckin' much dude, like you are one of the most genuine dudes on the platform I demand 50k more subs right fucken now.
Very nice guitar! And we all know you would only give it an honest review. The neck pocket thing? Sure, it can look a bit disconcerting at first. But I’ve seen that very same thing on guitars costing almost 3 times as much. And you are correct, MOST of the time, it doesn’t affect playability or tone. Contrary to popular belief, A neck joint doesn’t have to be super super tight for tonal transfer. (And the screws don’t have to be torqued down super tight either). Love the Evertune bridge too! All in all, like my wife, the Solars seem very well put together! 😂👍🏻
Gangbang At The Old Folks Home!! A SP lyrical masterpiece with Vivian Campbell solo, nice one K!!
Liked the Slip of the Lip from Ratt in the demo part :D
I had to stop that part and hum it out in my head. I was like “I know that song!”. But it’s been since the 80’s last I heard it. Lol. I was always a slayer/ Metallica guy back in those days. But my girlfriend liked Ratt. And she was smokin hot. So I liked Ratt too. Lol
@@Wargasm644 Man you gotta roll with the smoking hot girlfriend's tunes every time lol
@@joshuacamp Truth. She was ok with me and my Slayer. But the clothing would come off much quicker with Ratt. Lol. I kept my Ratt tapes hidden from my headbanger buddies so they didn’t label me a “poser”. Had to keep my metal head cred in tact. But I really came to enjoy Ratts Music quite a bit. Great guitars. Either that Or the smokin hot girlfriend association. Man. Should’ve never let her go. 😅 I was a fool, that’s for sure. Now I’m just an old fool 🤣. But I’m metal til the day I die 🤘🏻
@@Wargasm644 Bang on brother!!
While I trust KDH for being honest, I'm sure that guitar was hand picked before it was sent to him and not a random guitar sent from the factory like most paying customers receive.
Ayy, uploaded on my bday!
That's a VERY nice-looking fretboard.
subscribed!
That neck is beautiful. How did the guitar sound acoustically? I often find that you can tell right away how good an electric guitar will sound by first playing it unplugged.
Being an alder body, I'd bet it sounds great unplugged
I can say mine sounding great
I watched an evertune demo recently because I was unfamiliar with it and iirc you do have to set it up for bending. Maybe has something to do with the clicking?
The click is the mechanism in the saddle hitting its bump stop which allows you to bend the string, definitely not a fault of the evertune or the Solar guitar.
For the people who want know, the song at the intro is gangbang at the old folks home by steel panther
Was going to pull the trigger on this but never got around to it. IMO it sounds a bit bright for my liking but man does the colour pop. Maybe can buy one and swap out the pups as the rest of it looks brilliant & need an evertune in my life. Prefer the A 1 types from the rest for sure. Will use this as a basis for my review. Also another tip, got myself a gimble for the camera and it made the vanity shots a whole lot better. You should get one now that you will get swamped with guitar review requests.
Cheeky bit of Steel panther at the start, I like it.
When the evertune makes that noise on bends is that something you can feel with your fretting hand? Something like that affecting the tactile response would make me consider a different bridge over an evertune when guitar shopping.
Back when I tried a Floyd, I remember hearing it squeak when I'd manipulate the bar. Sounded like squeaky bed springs and it was brand new.
i see too many posts online about evertune making a lot of mechanical noises that really hot pickups definitely do not miss and end up making some recordings muddy. i have played the ET but only at music stores so never could properly test it but have you noticed any such noise with ultra high gain tones?
also that solar looks tasty and is so well priced; i limit myself to only 4 guitars (otherwise i end up with 10 at a time) and have a tele, ibby 7,8 strings at the moment but want a semi-affordable 6 string with humbuckers. definitely considering the a2.6 but prs and the jackson ht-6 are so nice too
Oh I need one of these....
Man this is one of the best actual reviews of a piece of gear I've ever seen. I really sincerely appreciate how genuine and unbiased you at least attempt to be.
Edit: Bolt on necks need a slight gap (ie that neck pocket issue) for compression and expansion of wood due to temperature and moisture fluctuation. Different manufacturing regions all have slightly different tolerances as well, so you'll see it to varying degrees across the globe. But it helps reduce strain on the contact points over the instrument's life span. Same with five (assumedly lower torqued) neck bolts instead of four, spreads tension out more effectively over said contact points.
Set the Evertune up properly and that guitar is a gem imo. Nice to see a truthful review, they're scarce. That neckpocket shouldn't happen but at that pricepoint and what you get.... i let it slide
Another great video.
Hipefully I'm not wrong but I think that clicking sound is a general problem a number of people have had with Evertune bridges, though I've never had one myself.
(Never had an Evertune, that is)
There are aspects of Ola's brand I find awesome yet cringey at the same time. With that said, a local store stocks Solars and they are AWESOME for the price. I'm definitely getting one, it's just a matter of time of the mad man to mix and match specs for what'll end up my ideal specs for a model.
Still waiting for even more colors of the Roasted Maple, Evertune, H-S 7 strings, Ola!
the clicking noise of the ET saddles is due its setup. the saddles are not at the edge of Zone 2 and 3.
Is that a real infamous roasted type neck? I can't tell anymore. Good review sir
The neck pocket gap really won't give it any issues. I've played fancier guitars with worse, and a tiny bit of wiggle room is useful for adjusting the string-fretboard edge distance up the top part of the neck. (I like a fair bit extra on the high E compared to the low E for vibrato.) As for the clicking noise it may be the saddle running into the end of how far it can go? You can set an evertune up so that it doesn't bend at all, or so that it's touching the point so it won't go flat (but temp, string weirdness, etc can make it go sharp), or that it's juussst off the stop so it'll stay in tune in either direction but a good bend or vibrato will reach the stop and allow it to go above the target pitch.