Roman Quicksilver #539 (Floyd Modded)

[muttznmongrelz]

​I picked this up a few days ago after having played it at a local gear shop over the last couple of weeks and being quite impressed. Initially had my eyes on a Floyd Modded '82 Dan Smith Ten Pound Strat (I kid you not....HEAVY Ash Body) that was cool, but I felt was overpriced and needed some work to solidify the Floyd Mod. It wound up selling to a local gentleman who does a lot of eBay business (Carr Guitar).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/FENDER-USA...227443?hash=item1cf3414d73:g:wPwAAOSw9wpfVEDj

Must say that I am glad that I passed on the Dan Smith as I have now spent some time playing the Roman Quicksilver through my Rivera and Boogie and it does not disappoint in any way; great sustain, individual note definition and, most importantly, tone. Excellent build quality, great woods and top shelf components, well done OFR mod, super comfy to play neck/fretboard radius/jumbo frets...everything I could want wrapped up in a lovely package.


*** EDIT: Contacted Ed Roman Guitars in Vegas and they concluded that based upon the three digit serial number and specifics of the guitar that it is a Quicksilver Classic Archtop Model most likely manufactured in 2002-2004 and that it features their Directly Coupled Bolt-In Neck, All Access Neck Joint and Black Back Duncans. Would have originally been a Tune-o-matic/Stop Tail as well. Starting Price prior to any options was $2,195.00.

*** EDIT: Further research led me to Roman Quicksilver #513 which is a 2004 so I'm pretty comfortable that mine is a 2004 as well being 26 guitars later.


Since there isn't much out there on these...I've contributed a bit of info that I have run across...


The Quicksilver Platform

Reminiscent of Paul Reed Smith's Body Shape with Only Minor Improvements. It wasn't easy to beat the original design but we think we did. See the major improvements at our Quicksilver Versus PRS Full Comparison article.

The Quicksilver Platform Is Basically The Marriage of A Number Of Ed Roman Innovations:

1. The 25" Scale 24 Fret Neck
2. The Direct Couple System Bolt-In Neck
3. The Ed Roman Designed All Access Neck Joint
4. The Headstock Angle
5. The 1/8" Ebony Slab on the headstock face for added strength
6. The Solid Pickup Mounting System
7. Pushull Pot design
8. Tune-O-Matic Bridge
9. Blackback pickups by Seymour Duncan eveloped for Ed and similar to the Pearly Gates and Custom Custom
10. Choice of 12 different headstock shapes
11. Choice of 100 different body shapes
12. Choice of over 100 different wood combinations
13. The Highest Level of Craftsmanship that make EVERY Ed Roman Guitar UNIQUELY INDIVIDUAL

 

[JOLLY]

Nice top!! Does it have his Duncan Blackback (or whatever they were called) pickups in it? If so, I think those were basically just a Custom Custom/Pearly Gates set.

 

[muttznmongrelz]

Thank you! Not sure what the pickups are in all honesty. I had a pair of SD Black Backs a couple years ago in Jazz/JB. Definitely cuts in the Bridge more like a JB and a little darker in the neck than a Jazz...maybe a ‘59?

 

[Top-L]

What is the trem mod?

Is that Roman as in... Ed Roman?

 

[muttznmongrelz]

Yep...Ed Roman...one and the same. OFR Mod as It was a stop tail.

 

[elelpe]

I thought Blackback set was Custom Custom and Jazz.

 

[muttznmongrelz]

Duncan made Black Backs as OEM pickups for other manufacturers I'm pretty sure as I had a set of Seymour Duncan Black Back Jazz/JB TB Dual Adjustable Pole-Piece in an Ibanez ICT700. I had picked them up off of eBay from a bulk purchase of OEM parts from Washburn or Dean where a seller has a number of sets that he was liquidating. Maybe those were Blackened??? I do know for a fact that they had Black Backs and Dual Adjustable Poles.

https://forum.seymourduncan.com/forum/the-trading-post/311591-fs-2010-ibanez-iceman-ict700-5-piece-wizard-neck-thru-seymour-duncan-black-back#post311591

 

[muttznmongrelz]

When I'm thinking of buying a guitar or buy a guitar, I research the hell out of it...funniest thing thus far is that there are very few threads about someone actually owning a Roman Guitar but there is at least one of these threads on just about every guitar forum! :18:

https://forum.seymourduncan.com/foru...n-guitar/page2

 

[vinta9e]

Wow, nice find. Can I see the other side too, please?

 

[Mincer]

I do remember his website having pages about the secrecy of the 'Black Back' pickups. And a ton of great pictures. I've never seen a Roman guitar in person, and never had any personal experience with him or his company when he was alive, so I don't have any judgement either way.

 

[muttznmongrelz]

Thick Arched Quilt Maple Top/White Korina Back...heavier than it looks too.

 

[orpheo]

Just one question. what is the floyd mod you talk about? I can't see it clearly?

 

[Gtrjunior]

Gorgeous!! Congrats!!

 

[elelpe]

Thick Arched Quilt Maple Top/White Korina Back...heavier than it looks too.

Nice. I find palm contour on the back of lower cutaway more useful than on the front.

 

[muttznmongrelz]

I would agree on the palm contour. My Nightswan has a bit of sculpting on the back of the lower cutaway and it definitely makes fret access less of a fight.

 

[muttznmongrelz]

Regarding the Floyd Mod; if you look to either side of the Floyd you'll see the remaining Stop Tail Studs.

 

[muttznmongrelz]

 

[vinta9e]

The guitar was first build with a tunematic + stoptail in mind and was routed for a floyd later on, it seems. That's why the tailpiece studs are still in the top, lol. They could have skipped the spring cover holes altogether

IDK about you but I am loving the small script branding on the pickup bobbins. I bet the lack of mounting tabs makes all pickup ring haters envious of the clean-shaved look

 

[muttznmongrelz]

Exactly right on the Floyd Mod. I do wish they had left the trem cavity cover off and saved me the trouble of having to fill those holes. It's a very interesting approach in the way they are mounted...no adjustment options...but they do indeed look clean. Base off of the bit of research I've done I think the pickups are similar to a Pearly Gates Neck/Custom Custom Bridge. Both sound great though.

 

[muttznmongrelz]

Pretty much looks like Meatloaf's Guitarist Paul Crooks Roman Quicksilver...