Best Alternative To Fender Strat - The Vintage Icon Series V6HMRSB - DEMO & REVIEW
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
- I need your support: / guitarlava
********************
Vintage Icon Series V6HMRSB - amzn.to/2hOWHJF
V6HMRSB = Version6 Humbucker Modern Relic Sun Burst
Guitar sounds - S-Gear MPH Shred and Steely Ray Blues
For more info on Craig: craigkelley.com
More gear reviews and lessons: guitarlava.com
Got a troll thumbing down every video as soon as they go up. Immediately... less than the video length. After spending hours putting the video together to help people out I appreciate the thumb ups!
Forget about them. I appreciate the time you take. I was hoping you'd do a video on these guitars. I'm thinking about getting the Les Paul type.
AJ Theman thanks AJ!
Guitar Lava Haters always gonna hate, nice vid by the way, thinking bout getting one of these
I love mine. I have 4 right now!
Oh its so funny/sad to hear this. I have exactly the same. I literally have someone who will thumb down my videos the moment they appear - within 1 minute of loading up. I have just learnt not to take it personally - its a reflection on their own lives so dont let them take your energy. Great video!
10 days and i am a hopefully proud owner of this beauty! Vintage, take my money and you sir are a great shredder.
I met the guys of Vintage Guitars at the NAMM Show in Anaheim about 10 years ago. I ended up buying a Vintage V100 Icon (Les Paul Standard copy) and it's still one of my main guitars.
+OddTimeMan got one of those too. Great guitar. 👍
that sounds ffcking unreal!
Four!? That's great! I love these guitars as well, I just bought an Icon V62 Tele and can't wait for it to arrive. Next will find a strat like this. Proper demo!
Got a V6 about a year and a half ago. It’s definitely the guitar I play the most.
I saw your review a month ago and I was looking online at my local music store and they had a used one for $275. Needless to say I bought it and am very happy. Thanks for the review!
I still love mine.. So much better than my Fender Strats that I paid 5 times as much for.
0:56 Nice Scuttle Buttin rendition. Just nails that SRV tone. Nice.
I went into a local store and tried every guitar under £500. Squire's, Revelation, Aria, ESP + a few others. I picked up a Vintage V100MP and it just felt great. Couldn't find anything I didnt like. Great tone and apart from just having the action lowered a little and it plays just great! Plus its a beautiful looking axe. Nice contrast from my PRS and even though it was half the price, it certainly isn't an inferior instrument in any way. Everyone asks to have a go on it and they can hardly believe the price!
i don't see why anyone would search this and dislike the video. the guitar sounds absolutely insanely good. for the price. there is nothing bad to say. in my opinion.
Very nice. I am digging this vintage look and damn. Sound is good too.
I have to say... it's still my go-to guitar.
“Sounds more like a Strat than many many Strats I’ve played”. I said the same thing to the owner of a music store here in NorCal when I first played the Vintage Thomas Blug model he had on the wall. Great guitars and GREAT value. I went home with mine that day.
I have one of those too! These guitars are so underrated.
Great review, great playing, I wish Vintage guitars were easier to get hold of. Not a big fan of relic 'd guitars normally but this one looks great. Thanks for posting this.
The Vintage version of the Les Paul leaves any Epi in the dust too
+Dominic Rivers I agree but I’ll take a Gibson too.
Guitar Lava.. It's raised an eyebrow against a few Gibsons too, though that's got as much to do with Gibbos recent QC as anything I suspect.
I've got a VRS150, if you can get your hands on one (or the older VRS100/110/130 range) I think you'll be blown away, neck through body and full Wilkinson hardware.
A well kept secret, well enough to fetch $150 on the used market
What upgrades?
Dominic Rivers the Harley Benton LP copy the sc450 is same as this vintage, factory wise,i got a sc450 bk (black) things unreal after set up n tweaks to get it to best I could be. I paid $138 from Germany n I received ,posts all where pulled up n lil oversized holes,i fixed it,they gave me guitar n refund. so free guitar, I put minihumbuckers n upgraded guts n tuners so I got a amazing guitar for around$85 as I had pickups n vintage cars pots n caps. vintage makes great stuff highly recommend good review..
You just got a new subscriber, due to the fact that you produce some great, informative vids. I like to seeing videos of not so popular brands that many players should know about in their search for affordable guitars. thanks and please keep them coming.
So, I decided to pick one of these up the other day after watching your video...Jesus christ, It's like SRV heaven in the neck and it screams with the meanest of em' in the bridge position. This guitar is an unreal buy at it's price.
Im buying that model today , I love that guitar I have the N6 tele from Vintage Better than the Mexican Telecasters
That. Was a demo. Holy Moly!
I have a JImi Hendrix JMH version of the V6 and It rocks the world.
yeah, ignore losers as best you can. I love your videos
I have had a Vintage Icon V6 Black Boulevard for around 7 years. I absolutely love it. Plays and sounds great. Nice video BTW...
Thanks Daryl!
I'm looking at buying my Mrs one..I have a v100 vintage and it's the best electric guitar I have owned..these guitars kick ass..
How about the rust on the hardware? I wonder if it's chemically treated at the factory so that it doesn't spread further. Looks cool and sounds fantastic. Huge buy for the price...I'm going to get one some day for sure!
excellent work Craig, thanks for your posting this vid, one of the best demos of a guitars sound range ive seen for a while
Vinatge are extremely good guitars. I have three V100s. One in particular the V100 Lemon Drop looks and plays like a guitar that is 4 or 5 times the price. Trev is also behind many of the Harley Benton guitars, also very good for the money.
That says everything about Vintage, buying four in one week. Thanks for the demo.
Know Very Little I’m contemplating getting the lemon drop or the AFD. Have you played the AFD for comparison ? Thanks
I'm glad Vintage have made it across the pond, they're great guitars for the price, far better than many others in the price range. I have the AFD Paradise and one of their SGs and I still love both after years.
dmt Handmade
So you’re liking the afd? I’m considering getting one or the distressed lemon drop. These vintage guitars seem pretty cool. I have a Gibson les Paul and a fender Strat, had both for 20 years or so, but I may have to get a couple of these vintage guitars to mix things up a bit. I like the white Hendrix Strat too. Cheers
I love my AFD. It and the lemon drop are pretty much the same guitar, just different finish and the LD has the out of phase wiring. Vintage's more expensive LP models with a real maple cap are incredible value for money. Set up well, if you play one you'll understand why Gibson did their best to keep them out of the USA, because they eat Epiphones. Vintage is probably the best bang for your buck in this price range.
dmt Handmade thanks man. I think I may pull the trigger on the lemon drop or the AFD soon. Cheers
Skiba Covers d
have the v100 WR, v100 Paradise and the v6 Summer of Love style one. All great guitars, especially for the money. The pickups on the Summer Of Love are excellent.
Great video and playing, seriously considering buying one of these as my local music shop stocks them, one of the few shops in my country. Wilkinson hardware, alder body and graph tech nut it seems it punches above its weight.
Just purchased a Vintage - V6PFCB - Deluxe Vibrato three P90'S what a monster, you have to try this one out,
Great review and playing. Thank you. Just bought a vintage series. Wow its amazing. Thank you 😊
I own two Vintages it doesn't surprise me with this review Fender and Gibson fanboys probably hate this brand , here in the UK the shocker for me is not many major retailers like Andertons carry Vintage guitars amongst other big name music stores which is a shame Trevor Wilkinson worked with Leo in California late 70's , you would think working next to the man himself he knows what a Stratocaster should sound like, those pickups are incredible I guess it could be hard for people to wrap their heads at the price of Vintage Guitars how damn good they are ,great review ,
Looks like an old ltd ST I had. It was fabulous
Great video, I am shopping for the same guitar, however, the prices for these guitars are increasing, as now the price of the same guitar is around $580 and up new.
Picking mine up tonight, trying to get back into playing and always wanted a Strat so figured this would be a good buy, great vid 👍
Best Guitar review I've ever seen. Good job dude! :D
Dude you have made me a believer in these guitars..
+David Dutton I think they look great, sound great and play great and the price is right. 👍
Was considering getting one of these, this video has sold me on it
your playing is so clean dude
sounds great, looks great, and affordable too! glad I found this demo!
I don't know why but I really liked the part where you really strained to remember what all the letters meant but then you got it in the end
Hmmm... I think the R stand for Relic. Because there's other MR- guitars that are not Maple with Rosewood such the V6MRBK or the V52MRBS. However if you look between two identical models that are both reliced and non-reliced, such the V6LB and V6MRLB, or the V6MSSB and V6MRSSB. Not sure what the M stands for thought... it seem it's not always consistent with Maple or Maple top...so I'm not sure on this one. However, the H is definitely for Humbucker and SB for Sunburst.
+Phil Smith that's correct. The guys from vintage set me straight shortly after I made the video. R = relic
In the beginning I didn't notice a lot of difference between the 3 pickups; after a bit the differences became more noticeable.
I dislike stressed guitars. They're the kind of guitars that lawyers would buy to put in their office as a trophy.
Great video - playing and tone.
I have been considering TL V72HF. Dig the demo, thanks for posting.
Awesome, dude, i wish i found this video before i bought my last guitar
Thank u for introducing me to this guitar and this brand!!!
It's a pity they don't make a left handed V6MR. Their website only shows the Les Paul model V100 with the left handed option available.
Great sound great playing and a great demo,never heard of these before and I'm going to buy one right now
I have owned four Vintage brand guitars and the only downside to any of them have been the pots. Once you replace them the guitars went from good to great. I gig my V100 distressed tobacco sunburst all the time and have recently begun to gig the VSA535. The stock pickups on both are crazy good once they are connected to high quality pots. The playability is off the hook...
imlostinthewoods I’ll second that. I had my Thomas Blug model a year or so and the cheap 5 way switch stripped out. Had my tech switch it and the vol/tone pots out to Switchcraft, but kept the same factory wiring and caps. Plays and sounds amazing. My best guitar value by far.
I got mine abt 4 yrs ago...ive had guitars come and go over the yrs but have kept this one and dont ever intend selling it...it looks good sounds good and its got good quality parts.. no need for anything else really...infact i bought a red one too...good vid mate!
dude,your so right,i bought 1 of these 7 months ago,just for hell of it,i heard good things,didnt need anymore high end ones,so got it,and "HOLY SHIT",for 450 with hardshell case maple board ,sounds better than a 1700 strat i just sold
New subscriber! Love the vid and great playing too. In my opinion that thing sounds glorious on the lower gain settings. It sounds like a real vintage (old) Strat.
I agree fully on all points. I Wanted a 2nd to give my #1 a rest and bought the Flowered Hendrix model. ONLY issue I am having is that several of the frets were too high and the neck shape is a bit thick. Not sure at this point whether to shave the neck and refinish and do a fret job or just replace the neck. But as you say, for the $$ all the rest is fully on point.
LOVE how you keep trippin’ over the Model # - great playing man and you got the style I could watch a lot more of. You should do more reviews for this channel. I keep trying to love “strats” and will check this one out, sounds good so far.
Hi, great vid! I'm thinking about buying this same v6 model but the "US Shop version" or a Squier Classic vibe with a pre-wired fender 57/62 pickups...money between both choices are about the same (US$700).
I don´t know if you have played the Squire but at, what on your opinion would be the best choice? Thanks
Are you using 0.10 or 0.09 string?
Do you thing is better this icon v6 hss with humbucker or v6 icon sunburts with 3 simples wilkingson?
What is the main difference ?
it sounds fantastic. very versatile true.
I bought one of these years ago when they first came out and, let me tell you, I've been playing guitar for over 40 years; These guitars are a great value. The sound awesome. They play awesome after you set them up properly, and they look awesome. I'd much rather have one of these than a MIM Strat. The PuPs on the Vintage just have to heard in person to get the full benefit. I love mine. I'm actually thinking of getting another one (and I already own 12 electrics).
Mim strats got good, if you get the plus version you also get better components and good fretwork and smooth board edge, the downfall of the regular player
Sounds frikkin awesome!!
You get a thumbs up just for those killer licks! Guitar is great for the price.
Dude wilkinson pickups are actually really really good man this seems like a really good guitar man
Totally agree!
I'm Gonna buy this guitar. This is EXACTLY what I was looking for !
Did you buy it?
@@lgiorgos1
I did. Not only this one, but also the "Summer of love" Stratocaster by Vintage. They are both on their way.
@@asheriko26 but you haven't tried it yet? I had tried it 2 years ago and I was surprised from the quality of it. Why did you buy 2 very similar guitars btw?
@@lgiorgos1 Well maybe he wanted one to beat around at gigs and stuff, and another one to keep at home. 🤷♂️
best strat copy i've ever heard
can you split the coil on the bridge pickup
great review dude
Thanks John Swinburn!
What should I say, Me even bought one, the P90 blue one but then 3 more not even in a week in half a year,
as you may see in my avatar im coming more from Humbucker Gibson site
but this ones are great seen on price
the Fender fretwork on Mexican ones is better at double the price
bur the rest is far better than Fender ones
tone is amazing, youres is similar, to the 25th anniversary with split coil missing
which makes it nearly an actuall Fender American pro that costs 5 times the price
Maybe take a look a tthe new black Reissued series, its not the matte black as seen on the Vintage main siite description
its the glossy Gilnoure one i got, very nice :)
Very straightforward and unpretensious review. 👍
Good Review! I have the firenza red distressed one. And it´s a beatiful and nice sounding strat.
Man if it made me play like that I’d have two!
Hey man! Love the videos
I have one of these and am well impressed with it
Don’t mind the trolls, it’s probably some fool who felt hard done by after buying a MIM strat or something, this things makes a mockery of them for a fraction of the price
Wilkinson hardware on these is awesome
More and more people are looking into these brand guitars and for good reason
Keep up the good work !
Did you ever think of cutting the distortion and giving it a true test of its sound?
Sounds great .
Great playing and that guitar sounds great.
you get graphite on 200 USD Harley Benton Guitars. Its a must. Locking tuners not so much if you got lets say grover rotomatics or any quality tuners. Unless you use a Floyd in my o.
I don't like being forced into this Craig but you made me buy this Guitar. It might have been something to do with the way you played too.
It's a higher end Encore with a different name
Great video mate,,,fantastic player,,can you post the fingerboard radius and the fret gauge,,like a lot of players i prefer bigger frets ?
Excellent review thx
Thanks gambitgrant
I mean it was a great review really great tone I'm looking into one of these in the HSS black boutique. how is the fretwork in your opinion I'd like to get a second guitar but trying to avoid any extra work like a fret dressing or crowning
where is this guitar made? UK or Vietnam.
Sounds amazing. I'm not a huge fan of "relic" guitars, but this one looks good.
Awesome review m8. Guitar looks amazing. What kinda amp and settings you using there. Sounds great.
Thanks, for this I'm using S-Gears.
Great Review Mate. Great Playing.
Cheers
Thanks!
Awesome demo...This guitar sounds really good. Do you know what the PUPs are rated at? I hear a little SRV in there...'wish I had your lead skills....
+Dan Losgar hey thanks. Not sure about the pickups to be honest.
The single coils I'm pretty sure they are around 6.4K ...hot(ter) vintage. Wilkinson designed alnico II. I have some in a Squier and I really like them. Don't know about the humbucker.
They are Wilkinson pickups
I enjoyed your video and have a question about the neck itself. I'm looking for a thin necked profile strat style guitar and wanted to know what is the thickness depth at the 1st -12th fret is it slim or chunky? I have a '02 American Hwy 1 and the neck is ok but my '88 MIK strat has a thinner neck that is to die for. Thanks in advance.
how did you manage to get this sound ? what are the effects pedals you are using ? amazing by the way..
Excellent playability!!!
I just bought a Vintage lemondrop V100 MRPGM n i m so happy better than a lot of Gibsons LesPaul. Have u played that one?
Any comments on that 1?
HI..Great playing..I really dug it ...Thanks...DH
+DHgtr1 thanks!
I'm realllllly stuck between this model and the Thomas Blug signature. I love the look of the white more than the sunburst, but also I would like a bridge humbucker.
Bryan T I want another with a humbucker as a backup. Love it.
Is the radius on this fretboard the vintage 7.25 as well? I couldn't find any info on it.
I'm not 100% sure but I would say it's 7.25. I sent an email to the main guy Rick at Vintage. I'll let you know when I hear back. One thing I will say... it's my very Favorite neck on all of my guitars. Very comfortable and fast if I want it to be.
Heard back from Rick -
"The Thomas Blug models V6MRTBG and V6MRHDX have
21 fret necks with a 7 ¼” radius.
All other V6 models have 22 fret necks with a 10” radius."
Hope this helps!
Perfect, Thanks for your help sir!
Great playing mate, what's your sound coming from, it's awesome?..
in a mix between this and the fender mexican hss strat?
is fender worth the extra bucks or just brand is all it is?
btw, thanks for your channel
really helpful content!
I bought one of these, one of the reason is your vid! 😅
Great demo!
Thanks Mark!
What do You think about LTD st 203/213?
What size frets are on this? Nobody ever says and it doesn't say on their website.
Great review will you be doing the same for the other three you bought ?
Thanks, great idea. I have another video for the V100. You can check it out here: th-cam.com/video/CFvok3ZHPRI/w-d-xo.html
Thats the kind of guitar I would buy if I only could have one guitat
Fingerboard radius?
I actually thought that this would only sound good, in the bridge position.... but it sounded great, in all positions. Does anyone now if they are good for modding? I.e. will most strat parts fit with these? Cheers
You dont need to mod them, they are already modded straight out the box! Ive got 4! That one in the demo, red, white, and a black one
@@teddyboy9116 Im now owner of my second Vintage v6 this years ,soo awesome pickups and necks great too ,fretboatds but the frets not good .
@@teddyboy9116 The frets edge sucks but Iv gonna fix it my self
@@niclasboman4996 I've had fenders with bad frets but overall vintage make good sturdy guitars, im happy with all my ones, they need a tweak now and again but most guitars do..👍