Ola Englund's Solar guitars and Duncan Solar pups.

[Artie]

This is 60% about the guitars, and 40% about the pups, so I posted here. I don't know how long these have been out, but I just "discovered" them. Seem to be cool guitars, at a reasonable price. (Imports, no doubt.) I like the simple clean design. Especially the Matte Chrome A2.6. They have Duncan "Solar" pups installed. From what I can gleam from a couple vids, the bridge is a "tweaked" Custom 5, and the neck, a "tweaked" 59. I'm guessing these are new OEM Duncan Designed pups, but without that actual DD designation.

But what's even more interesting, is that several folks, (including Ola himself), have swapped them out for Black Winters. I guess the Solars are "place holders."

Anyway . . . cool guitars. Maybe, somewhere in the future . . .

 

[St_Genesius]

I enjoy Ola's channel.

I'm not the target market for his guitars.

 

[Top-L]

They are 1K indonesian guitars. Like Jackson Pro series and many ESP LTD guitars.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Most of his recording is done with the Solar pickups, but watch his channel for awhile and you’ll see him play a million different guitars with everything from Duncan to Bill Lawrence to Fluence.

Watch the page on his site for blemished models. They’re usually very insignificant issues for a pretty healthy discount.

 

[Artie]

Yup. I'm subscribed to Ola's channel. And I'm not even a "metal" guy. I just like him. That one I pictured is in the $650 range. Not too bad. There may be one in my future. Just because they look cool.

 

[Mincer]

Those are great prices. While they aren't really a design I'd go for, you get a lot of guitar for that price. Those pickups are indeed overseas manufacture. But all accounts, they sound great.

 

[Artie]

While they aren't really a design I'd go for . . .

Generally, me too. But it does hit my "simple & clean" button. Not crazy about the "upside-down" headstock, but you only have to deal with that oddity on the occasional string change. I have it on my BC Rich Warlock. Not a big deal.

 

[Obsessive Compulsive]

Get a Washburn Parallaxe for half the price, same stuff different brand.

Gesendet von meinem ASUS_X00RD mit Tapatalk

 

[Mincer]

Get a Washburn Parallaxe for half the price, same stuff different brand.

Gesendet von meinem ASUS_X00RD mit Tapatalk

Those Washburns are beautiful. I'd go for the Trevor Rabin Parallaxe.

 

[dave74]

Do the washys have stainless frets too? I doubt it at that price.

 

[Mincer]

Do the washys have stainless frets too? I doubt it at that price.

I don't believe so, but at least some of them have USA Duncans in them.

 

[dave74]

I don't believe so, but at least some of them have USA Duncans in them.

True. I'd much prefer an actual tb6 to a "based on custum5".
Big knock on the Washy website though. I was looking at this model and it doesn't even say what the neck-joint is, or what FR type (special, 1000, ect.)
How in the world do these people in marketing omit such crucial details? I see this stuff all the time from many websites.

https://www.washburn.com/product/s20fr/

 

[Mincer]

Yeah, they could use a good web development team.

 

[Aceman]

Yeah, they could use a good web development team.

Yeah - but his YouTube is off the chain. First thing every Sunday morning, coffee and Sunday w/ Ola.

 

[dave74]

Yeah - but his YouTube is off the chain. First thing every Sunday morning, coffee and Sunday w/ Ola.

Mincer was speaking of the Washburn marketing, not Ola's.

 

[Mincer]

Mincer was speaking of the Washburn marketing, not Ola's.

Yup. I hear Ola is good at what he does, but I don't generally watch guitar videos these days.

 

[weepingminotaur]

I find Ola completely obnoxious, but he's informative and those Solar guitars look like great value. I might try one at some point.

 

[Bogner]

Ola found a way to make something work and for the heavy tones and review's from that perspective he is probably the most consistent and best thing going.

I have yet to find a hipster with a tele properly representing anything metal on any channel.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Have Indonesian guitars gotten any better? $600-1000 seems a bit steep for an Indonesian guitar. I've had Indonesian LTD's, and they have been nowhere up to par with the Korean counterparts. But maybe they're better nowadays.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Have Indonesian guitars gotten any better? $600-1000 seems a bit steep for an Indonesian guitar. I've had Indonesian LTD's, and they have been nowhere up to par with the Korean counterparts. But maybe they're better nowadays.

My Ibanez TAM10 was great. Nothing wrong with the build quality, came with DiMarzio pickups and quality tuners.