How do Solar Guitars sound and play?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ธ.ค. 2019
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► Signal Chain (With Affiliate links)
SOLAR A2.7LX LEMON NEON BARITONE 7 STRING - www.thomann.de/gb/solar_guita...
MAYONES DUVELL ELITE 6 STRING GUITAR - www.mayones.com
KLOTZ TITANIUM XLR CABLE - shop.klotz-ais.com/6251-tirps...
HUGHES AND KETTNER TRIAMP MK III & GRANDMEISTER DELUXE 40 -
www.thomann.de/gb/hugheskettn...
BOSS WAZA CRAFT TUBE AMP EXPANDER -
www.thomann.de/gb/boss_waza_t...
COFFEE CUSTOM CABINETS LATTE 2X12 CABINET -
www.coffee-audio.com
/ coffeecabs
/ coffee_custom_cabs
SE ELECTRONICS VR1 RIBBON MICROPHONE -
www.thomann.de/gb/se_electron...
NEVE 1073 DPA -
www.thomann.de/gb/ams_neve_10...
ANTELOPE AUDIO ORION 32+ | GEN 3 - www.thomann.de/gb/antelope_or...
STEINBERG CUBASE - www.thomann.de/gb/steinberg_c... - เพลง
You look like if Post Malone was a Skyrim character.
I mean that in the most gracious and majestic way possible
He's the Metal Posty dudeeee
r/rareinsults
KrissV3ctor ha! I was gonna say that
Mobile Metal I posted it but only got like 200 upvotes
KrissV3ctor not bad. But def deserves more
Such a beautiful guitar, Ola is killing the game right now with these!
John Browne out of curiousity between the solar and the 3 schecters you tried out recently the sls elite and banshee mach how do they compare with the solar which do you feel is better quality considering they are priced similar.
@@nicolausteslaus They're basically the same as any low end indonesian made guitar, since they are all made in the same place anyway
the only thing i like about them is the Evertune on factory model
@@claire6650 the recent models have been having issues with ebony fretboards cracking, which is quite a bummer, I own a a1.6tbr with the evertune bought december 2020, and honestly mines came with a lot of marks and could possibly pass as a b stock model, the side of the fretboard have cracks from the fretwires, I've owned several washburn solar guitars and still do, and none of them have these issues, solar guitars QC need to improve
@@InfamouslyCantankerous those Schecters are almost double the price of this mate, I don’t think you can really compare the two.
@@InfamouslyCantankerous those Schecters are almost double the price of this mate, I don’t think you can really compare the two.
That behind-the-nut bend on the bottom string was very cool.
Is that riff from a song
@@proj3cttitan32yes, its from mirror image
you have to be one of the most underated guitar players out there...i know its a guitar review but damn youre unreal.
Kramer surfer thank you KS, I’m just noodling here, when I turn on the camera I tend to go absent minded with remembering what I can actually play haha
@@JohnBrownemonuments If that was your noodling then you need to open a ramen shop!
@@davidmiranda7937 where's your demo video?
Bigboi23847 don’t worry, I can’t hear him over the £100k of gear I didn’t pay for from my sloppy playing.
Ya, Like a company like Mayones would have "slippy" musicians speaking for their guitars....he should practice the old adage "Better to keep ones mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt".
I could watch this man play guitar all day.
9:30 he played between angels and insects on a 7 string. Love it
What an incredible player!!
A god no less
Sounds so damn good. Doesn't hurt having one of the best modern metal guitarists demoing it.
@@nicolausteslaus 😂😂😂😂
@@nicolausteslaus a buddy just picked one up last week a A16FR or something like that in the wood finish, with the blade in the neck and steel fretts that thing sounds fucking amazing and is really well put together, i think the models with the 2s in the series are cheaper and maybe lower in specs but it honestly got me switching gears from a charvel, if you get a chance check them out maybe you are pleasantly surprised. Might snag a used one on reverb soon
@@albymor7842 I think they did it right where everything has the same process and pickups and the only thing the premium demands are the evertune and fancier finishes. And for this price it's nicer to have the barebones with the same qc imo, since the higher you go the more options you have. $1200 or so is used ESP/Ibanez Prestige/etc levels.
@@albymor7842 I've played several, and owned one. Came directly from the factory in the box with a cracked headstock, the neck pickup wiring was taped together and hidden underneath the pickup, with the strings so tight holding it, that the neck was bent. Returned it and never got another. Played one and it sounded like garbage. For the price they want for some of the models, you can get a ESP or Schecter for those prices, and those guitars are sooooo much better (hence why almost every mainstream and especially Swedish, and Norwegian guitarists use) than Solars.
Love the colorful backlight on the walls man. Gives so much aesthetic pleasure watching you play with this background!
I could watch you play for hours. Your style is mesmerizing.
Some serious chops, my guy. Kudos. Great sound demo with a wide variety of amps and riffs
Man I get so lost in Your riffing. You're truly one of the most amazing guitarists and songwriters out there.
The Solar doesn't sound muddy but it definitely has a more bass-y, throaty, sound. Personal preference to which you like better for sure.
I love how you can clearly hear the lack of mud and added grunt as soon as you picked up your duvell
good to see you still doing videos like this, i think its coming up to 7 years ago now you did the uk clinic tour and without knowing you or your music i bought my first 7 string that exact day. nice to see you still influencing people throughout the years
JP ah the Ibanez ones with Tosin?!
I am hoping to get one of these in that color around April. I love the color and it sounds amazing. It will be my first 7 string. So excited! Great review and awesome playing. Just subscribed to your channel.
un gusto auditivo y clase como nadie, único John, great work and your tone is awesome!
Guys he bent the string at 3:19 above the 1st fret. The ZEROst fret. We have reached singularity.
I recently learnt that's how the first note in Ironman is done
:x
And the Cell by Gojira
Pretty sure I learnt a devildriver song years ago that also utilised 'zero fret' bending
WILD! LOL :D
Bruh what is that riff from 🔥🔥🔥
Nice "always with me always with you" John! Thanks for the vid :)
Awesome playing man, this is my first time checking out one of your videos and I’m really digging your technique
My favourite thing about the Solars is how comfortable they are and how much they "want you to play them", more so than some 'higher quality' guitars, I find - which is sick for the day-in day-out vibe.
Also, there's a decent jump in quality between the 2.whatever series and the 1.whatever series. My 2.6 is sick, especially for the price - but I genuinely fucking love my 1.6 - weighs a bit more, locking tuners, hipshot bridge. Just feels more solid.
Agree 100%! I have 2 Solar aswell, the 1.6 with evertune though. Must say I loved the 2.6 when I got it but the 1.6 I just adore completely. Going from nickel frets to stainless steel had a huge impact for me too, feels that much nicer to play.
Thanks for the feedback. Perhaps I'll spring the extra coin for a 1.X
When I started watching this video I did not know that you are guitar player in Monuments but when you started playing I immediately got that impression: "Oh, the world class guitar player". Thank you for the vid John and Happy New Year.
D,
LToC
A very good demo and review. I've been planning to buy Solar myself and this is one of the reviews which has helped on making a decision. :) Keep on rockin'!
Absolutely love your guitar playing and tone, you’re an inspiration. 🤟
Loved the concealing fate pt. 5 riff
He even slipped in a Papa Roach riff in there XD
@@daviddaimary7734 9:29 for those interested. I saw your comment and was wondering if I would notice, and it ended up being the first song I figured out by ear back then.
@@freezingCode One of the first songs I learnt too. Covered it with the band I was with in 8th grade. Good times.
The Solar definitely has that thick, saturated sound like you'd expect from something designed more for death and thrash metal. Not quite as clear but a lot beefier and more aggressive, to me. It'd be right at home playing some Bloodbath, At The Gates, or Pantera, as you'd expect from Ola. That tone on the Mayones makes me want to play math rock for some reason, though, which is just as good
Suffy oh for sure! If I was playing any other sub genre of metal it would probably work. It would probably work for me if it was made of Ash! That ‘low mid’ works for a lot of people for sure.
@@JohnBrownemonuments Do you not mind Mahogany on 6-stringers?
@@JohnBrownemonuments You should look into his higher tier guitars, they are made of Swamp Ash instead of the Mahogany.
Last time I checked the bridge pickup came with an Alnico V magnet! (My Flying V solar 6 string came with one)
Those sound saturated and chunky just like Ola likes it
Nice job. Swamp ash seems to be my fave wood as well but this Solar sounds pretty sweet 🤘🤘🤘
Mate, you are an unreal player with an unreal setup. You seem like you are down to earth and for that you get my like and subscription. The only thing I want to point out isn’t even a gripe more of an observation of something I myself struggle with which is my posture when playing, I feel like over time you may get muscle skeletal issues from the hunching. I bring it up in the hope it helps and I’ll continue to watch this channel, awesome stuff!!
I just found you on YT mate and i must say that i'm aboslutly blown by your talent.
Mirror Image is such a good song legit. I hope it gets played when you guys come to Czech.
zahráli to!
I would be very interested in having your take on the more 'trivial' things, like strings, picks, cables... all those little things that are often overlooked in a rig.
And thank you a great deal for pointing out the mahogany mud, turns out I have the mud problem a 8-string schecter you would really not like!
Wow, those chords pops out really well with clarity.
dude, you're killing it, great video presentation all around. Subscribed immediately after I heard you play. Keep 'em coming.
Personally, I love how this guitar sounds. I tend to like a very thick sound, regardless of what register I'm playing in. I like the mud lol
peachmelba1000 it does sound awesome!
@@MegaLaban12345 a nice kind of smooth washed out muddy saturated sound can sound great for rhythm.
If you've ever heard Jinxx guitar tone from Black Veil Brides he kind of has that tone. It sounds great live when mixed with the more clearer brighter lead guitar of Jake Pitts.
Nathaniel Stuart I haven’t listened to them, but I’ll check it out to see what you mean!
@@MegaLaban12345 th-cam.com/video/99BVuDezl0s/w-d-xo.html
You can check this video out to hear the difference between the Lead Tone and rhythm. It's kind of old so it's not the best sound. The guy on the right is the rhythm guitarist
Amazing how big the Tube is. Never heard of you but should have a long time ago...? The Solar brought us together \m/
Oldguyjammin thanks for visiting dude!
Awesome stuff man! First time subscriber, love he channel, especially the 1 on the VHT SigX!! Awesome amp!!! Do another in depth on that amp!
So cool, this one was the next on my list!
Agree 100%. I have a Solar S1.6, and a Mayones Duvell, nothing compares to the Duvell. They are the nicest guitars I've ever played. Great vid my dude 🤘
Do they play similar? My Regius plays like a PRS which is great I love it, but always curious how Duvells feel, buddy said the body is like an Ibanez RGA but the neck was "really chunky"
@@MaestroJericho I wouldn't say really chunky. It's got a nice d shape to it. Definitely not ibanez thin, but not prs thick either. Head over to my channel, I have tons of videos with both of my duvells 🤘
Hey John - we were chatting in Adelaide about my Strandberg 8. Would love to see your thoughts on a Strandberg in a video :D Hope your keeping well brother!
your playing is always so musical ahhh. great riffs as always man
ToxicxEternity thank you mate! Miss ya m8!
Killer playing and review! Just subscribed!
Now THIS is a good guitar review. Excellent, in fact. Simply superlative. All you reviewers out there: WATCH THIS REVIEW. Do what this guy does. Professional, on point, on topic, masterful. This guy doesn't ramble, go off on irrelevant tangents about his cousins, he isn't noticeably drunk, he doesn't talk about himself on and on and on, he doesn't show off to show you how good he is, and he's really, really, good. If you aren't better than this guy, don't pretend you're even decent, just play your best & don't try to show off. This guy isn't showing off, & yet his finger work is extraordinary. If other reviewers were consistently half as good as this guy, youtube would be a much better place.
That tone at 6:05 is incredible.
For this demo you totaly got me subbed.
Great playing my man! Fukken rock on dude!
Cheers for the great vid as per Browne, I have to say we NEED a full feature of Swanny's Patriot bass!
I’m pretty sure he’s made a 7 string with an ash body? Definitely did a six string with ash.
My S1.6 is practically connected to my hands. If I'm at home and awake I'm playing it.
Always with me, always with you. I remember learning that in high school and haven't heard it in a long time!
Love your riffing man! Cool style🤘
Holy crap how does one come up with so good riffs
I have one of your signature 7 Duvall’s and haven’t put it down for over a year, over taking my 89’ Ibanez RG550 I used non stop for about 10 years.
Not sure I could do the same with the Solar even given the super cheap pricing, and you can hear the tone difference massively in your test.
Martin Bradley I’m glad you dig the guitar man! Mayones created something very special with that guitar for sure
And another cool video with great content, thank you ! I think Solar guitars are great, especially the price range and the many different models you can choose.
What a play !!! you deserve more honestly
Honestly, I watch your reviews only for those thicc riffs. Not like I can afford any of that gear. :D
You just gotta believe you will get it one day and you will...
A cheap starter Jackson or Charvel would do the trick 👌👌
I was like that, but then I got a thing called "employment" when you're not a celebrity and no one gives a damn about you (like me, joe blow) it's time to suck it up in the world and go to work, though I guess im lucky because now i make good money but i trade in 72 hour weeks trying to get it. Literally the last thing to do in my life is lose weight and then i will feel good enough to upload "real" content in 4k, band auditions, strength training etc i have plans, but they are not realised without initial investment.
@@JamesPhillipsOfficial Wow! That's the most dickish comment I've seen today. Some people can't just "suck it up" due to underlying conditions, be it physical or mental, so this bullshit rhetoric of "get a job" from bitter individuals like you doesn't wash any more. Many people work one, two, and often three jobs, but still can't afford things like guitars.
if you can do it then great, all power to you, although working 72 hours a week probably leaves you with next to no time to enjoy anything. However, belittling others as if it's ALL about work ethic is pretty low.
like he said this is a budget guitar for you. 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Love when john plays Tesseract riffs lol
Sick riffs! was a joy to watch and listen to them
Of all the review channels, you're probably the best player going. Only other TH-cam reviewer I've seen that comes close is Rabea. This video is spectacular, good job dude
Came for the guitar, stayed for the playing. The 'mahogany mud' observation is interesting- I could definitely hear what you were talking about.
I think the artist series has evertune bridge and locking tuners
Dude you're playing is amazing!!! Great review, this guitar looks and sounds great!!
Was that “always with me always with you” at about the 8 min mark? Awesome video! Amazing guitar skills!
that low mid OOMPH definitely sounds out of place with the stuff you play. i can totally see your point there. personally, thats the OOMPH I look for. i could see maybe brightening it up with a maple cap?
For me, that OOmph is what makes the guitar interfere with the bass guitar note. Apple and Pears at the end of the day, we all like different sounds and that's a good thing! Otherwise the world would be a very boring place.
John Browne could you just EQ it to taste, or is it more engrained in the wood? (See what I did there).
I bet you could get some great Doom Metal tones out of this bad boy
John, Old RL buddy here, is that where the mud is coming from on my Ibanez S8? For example, the big breakdown on Lethargica I get a lot of mud on the higher end frets. I was thinking scale length but it might be combo.
Potentially a combination of both imo.
Check the pickups first and foremost. The wood of a guitar never had that kuch effect that your guitar is doomed to be muddy. Guitar wood's effect on tone is subtle.
I'd have to save from my experience as a luthier/guitar builder the wood you choose has absolutely no audible effect on tone. You can check out various videos debunking the tone wood myth from ppl such as will's easy guitar. Pickups and electronics would be the first thing I would look at.
@@AlextheBant I have Bareknuckle Juggernauts in them currently, I need to check the ground wiring because there's a slight buzz.
brian topps if wood has no effect on the tone, then why can 2 of the same identical guitars sound completely different from one another.
The only anomaly at that point would be the organic matter, I.E wood.
Came for the review, got a reminder as to why I dig Monuments so much.
The tapping part in mirror image is such a beautiful section
you should bring a jackson ht6 in your channel
The main difference in sound because mahogany body or Duncan pickups?)
the pickups, body material barely affects tone if at all
Brother! One of the best Solar review / guitar review out there! I completely agree with you about Mahogany vs Swamp Ash or Alder. Mahogany has a rich but even kinda mushy sound when down tuning. I find that Alder or Ash are better wood for 7 strings or even for a 6 strings guitar tuned down low.
Excellent playing man. You had me going in a whole other metal sickness universe there brother! Just subscribed!
awesome vid man, really got some good sounds goin on
I wish these guitar reviews could be a new series on your channel, it would be neat!
9:04 Epiphany - Tesseract
Mark Schriever ayeeeee
The rhythm is also like super close to rainbow gravity by periphery, that’s honestly what I thought it was supposed to be at first.
yess, I knew I couldn't be the only one who came into the comments in search for that riff haha it's sick
First time watching your content. You've got some tasty riffs. 🤘🤘🤘
David Nwokoye Dude, I see you in every single guitar related comment section! How do you do it? 😂
Man your playing is amazing!
Here, Park your Honda Civic here and let me just jump into this Lambo to compare the drive and feel for a sec..
9:04 TesseracT - Concealing Fate Pt. 5: Epiphany
Whoops, thought that's a shitty version of Periphery - Rainbow Gravity. :DD
I just got a Solar S2.6W recently. It was so good and beautiful!
Btw, your riffs are so sick! 🔥🔥🔥
John Browne is amazing as always!
And I want to get my own Duvell even more!
Thank you, John!
Hugs from Ukraine!🤘🏻
The Mayones definitely has the attack that the Solar doesn’t. I’m not sure if that’s a wood thing, a pick up thing, or a combination of the two. That being said, I had the pleasure of playing a Mayones a few years back and I can say that it is one of the most stunning guitars that money can buy. I prefer the sound of the Mayones since I prefer my guitars to have more attack, but, for its price, the Solar sounds great.
every time i see a solar i think "it will be mine...oh yes, it will be mine."
Love your playing very mastodon-y!
Man I absolutely love your style of playing it’s very inspirational to me. Awesome video bro and great tones. They’re some pretty sick guitars but I have yet to play one of those bad boys. I like the Mayones guitars a lot too, they look and sound amazing!
I'd be interest to see if this mahagony mud thing is real. Someone should do a pick up swap, because that makes a huge difference in sound. I had issues with to much bass on the neck pickup in my mahogany neck, D Activator and the earlier Blackouts but now that I'm using Lace X-bar/ Deathbar pickups the clarity is insane.
Curious why u got a mahogany one if u don’t like mahogany? U could have got a swamp ash red 7 string for another $50.
I was wondering the same thing. I am pretty sure locking tuners are an option on some of the models as well. Why get a model without the features you want when they are available, then nitpick the lack of those features. I am not trying to sound negative, but it's a silly point to approach a review from. This isn't 'how Solar guitars sound', it's how that model Solar sounds.
Ian Coburn This was a guitar John was sent from Solar for a RiffHard giveaway. John didn’t actually purchase it LOL
@@matthewbratton5003 He clarified that (it's easy to miss a description watching on a phone), but my point was more that the video is titled "How do Solar Guitars sound and play?". It's actually "how this model plays". If he wanted to compare it to guitars using a different construction, Solar does offer other woods and that should be mentioned. The other models also address some of the cons like a lack of locking tuners. If you are going to do a 'review' then those points should be addressed so that things aren't seen in the context of a 'con' of the brand. It was just a suggestion, which he acknowledged in a reply to me.
Matthew Bratton I must have missed that. I thought he said he bought it from Thomann.
Ian Coburn many of the early models did not have locking tuners. It is more common now. But I think only on the higher end models. As is stainless steel fretwire. Also on the higher end models.
Is it just me or did I hear you play a metalcore rendition of Between Angels And Insects around 9:29?
NorthtonesDeflane305 yes you did haha
@@JohnBrownemonuments Nice! Had no idea you were a fan of old Papa Roach haha. Infest was a great album. Lovehatetragedy wasn't bad, either. Kinda quit listening to them after that, though.
Awesome tone man! Keep it up!🤘🏻
I so much love your style !
I donr really hear the "Mahogany thing" anyways, i dont have your gear or talent at guitar so i thinink i dont care about that, one of the best review for a Solar
Although I love Mayones, soundwise the Solar unexpectedly wins for me here.
De LaMar Agreed
Same for me. Cheers!
@RexRocker1979 Yes, the quality Solar delivers is pretty awesome. I played a lot of those recent "budget" brands. Solar, Chapman, Balaguer, Jericho, 10S etc. and I have to say Solar stands out quite a bit for me. For the lower as well as the higher price tier.
Great video partner!
J'ai adoré ta vidéo, merci pour ta review✌️
Looks like a solid 6/10.
In comparison to your Mayones, I think the solar has much more of a muddy sound, doesn't sounds as clean and bright as the Mayones.
I think the Duncan Solar pickups are more old school as well so I feel like similar more articulate pickups would tighten the gap in sound. Definitely not in feel though
Have to remember the price differentiation between solar and mayones... lol
@@Chumly-sh6xu The price of a guitar doesn't make it sound better or worse, it depends what you're looking for and what you like. If you changed the pickups to the same as the Mayones then you would probably have the identical sound.
andrewql oh for sure but theres a significant quality difference
I was just watching your 'I, the Destroyer' playthrough from 2014 on the Mayones channel and you were showing off your Duvell with a mahogany body!
Whatever you played when you first tried out the guitar was absolutely gorgeous
I actually like the rough lower mids of the mahogany , makes the riffs sound even more brutal imo
Gino yeah but for recording I’d prefer a cleaner tone without the mud. But in its own i like the solar more
@@3101max yea true, in a mix it might sound too muddy
That all comes down to pickup voicing and most importantly the speaker !differences between guitars wood on a solid body guitar with tight distortion does not affect the tone at all.
@@sentientcloroxbottle1557 I mean we just heard that it's not the speaker here that's making the difference, unless John kicked the mic lol. My guess is pickup position, neck (neck through vs bolt on), bridge design and pickup voicing. Glenn recently said pickups differ mostly in output level. Not sure if the amp is compressing it a lot but I can't hear much difference in volume between the two. Oh and the strings might be a factor
Mayones sounded better in my opinion!
But Solar are half the price.
Always in awe when I watch him play
Wow I just found you at random as I was checking out these guitars, love your guitar playing!! Very different style, very entertaining channel.
He has a band called "Monuments". He played their song "Mirror Image" in this video, I highly recommend you check them out ;)
@@bencepatyi4032 thanks man!! They are super fucking cool!! Will be smashing this on my way to work now ha ha
Who is here after cofee with Ola ?)
me
I think, of all tone woods, I prefer alder even for bass guitars.
Ash Alder, both work great for everything.
@@JohnBrownemonuments I don't like ash basses. my bassist had an ash Fender Jazz and I felt we couldn't get enough oomph out of it even with some active EMGs. so we played with an alder Squier p-bass.
what do you think of sapele? a Swiss luthier named Hufschmid can't consider anything else for his guitars. www.hufschmidguitars.com/portfolio
Thank you for reviewing the guitar how it sounds without a backing track. Don’t like TH-camrs who do that as any guitar sounds good mixed with a track. Bought one of these as well. Sick guitar
Just stumbled across your channel and I had to sub just off of your amazing playing in the beginning!
Thank you.