Great review. I had a Vintage Lemon Drop replica for a while and was hugely impressed. For the price, the build quality was excellent and the Wilkinson pickups packed a real punch. I'm glad you mentioned the weight, as that was something that particularly struck me, giving, as you said, that amazing sustain. Sadly I couldn't play it like you do, however! Looking forward to the next review.
Thank you for the kind comments 🙏🏻 I agree, this Vintage is a bit of a bargain... I have since swapped the Wilkinsons for Seymour Duncan 59's (ua-cam.com/video/itNR3vXZiFw/v-deo.html) and that got it even closer to what I wanted from it. The Wilkinsons found homes in other guitars, didn't want them to go to waste 😉
I own a 2009 V100 (as you can in the photo) bought it used hardly played for a 160 quid, and another hardly used 2017 Vintage V6P with 3 P90's for 120 quid, great guitars, my V100 has that honk with the double coil buckers really great pickups for a guitar at this price, these guitars used are an incredible bargain, people have no idea how good they are, in terms of upgrades, the V100 I'm fine the pots are still good , the V100 come with 50's wiring if I do decide to upgrade the pots etc but right now after 13 years the pots are working great buckers are fine if I ever did decide to upgrade it will go with boutique set why not I have no intentions of selling it, the V6P P90's that might an opportunity to place really nice set of P90's but they're both sound great no rush at this moment to do anything to them except play them .
A bit late to the video unfortunately, nice to see a fair review of an affordable guitar. Sure they aren’t perfect, there are sometimes issues but at the price it’s nothing unexpected. Great video!
I don't have the lemon drop but a 2011 Made in Vietnam model , I still shake my head at the quality of this guitar, I am a big Led Zep fan and I can really dial in the Page tone with this guitar with the PAF Wilkinson Humbucker's but when I had my guitar setup my tech who owns a Gibson Les Paul, said I can understand why Gibson is upset, this is a Les Paul at a fraction of the price, and I have to commend Vintage for producing a quality instrument at fraction of the cost, I am not saying my guitar is a Gibson Custom Les Paul that would be foolish but even a 90% of that Les Paul I am more than happy, and I did ask my tech about upgrades he said why the Humbuckers are brilliant , I might upgrade the pots but for the most part this guitar will remain stock it stays in tune even the G string
The factory humbuckers were great, just a bit too hot for what I wanted, which is why I swapped them for the Seymour Duncan 59's. Other than that - almost one year in and I still think it's an excellent guitar at a budget price. 🙏🏻
The new models feels exactly like the real deal. The fretboard, balance and feel is the same. It’s 90% as good as a Gibson. And the twr, tgb and this also don’t have too slim necks.. awesome 👏
I've had a honey burst for nearly 2 years. I also bought the tobacco burst with the ebony fret board. I have a Gibson Les Paul but the Vintage for price kick ass. 🐺
Just stumbled across your informative review (enjoyed it and have consequently subscribed) courtesy of having just purchased a new Vintage ReIssued V100TWR (exactly same guitar as yours, but different finish). A few of points. First, when you removed the strings, you also removed the bridge, etc, but didn't mention for what purpose. Secondly, I noticed on my guitar that there is only a subtle tone/sound difference between neck and middle pickup positions, whereas on my Vintage V100IT (another recent {January} purchase) the difference is quite pronounced. Did you find similar results with your V100THB? Lastly, when the TWR arrived, it also had a dead spot (18th fret, strings G and B), which I recognised as a fret problem but, not having your particular skill set, I could only rectify by contacting the supplier who, to their credit, had the guitar collected, remedied and returned at no cost to myself.
Thank you for the lovely comment! 🙏🏻 1) I removed the bridge because without string tension holding them in place they can fall off when handling the guitar for cleaning, etc, and I'd rather be the one doing it instead of letting gravity decide where it'll land... 😁 2) Not that I remember, but I swapped pickups pretty soon after for an excellent pair of Seymour Duncan 59's (ua-cam.com/video/itNR3vXZiFw/v-deo.html). I loved the Wilkinsons, but they were way too hot for what I wanted out of this guitar. 3) That's really good customer service, I'm very pleased to hear that, as soon after posting this video I had someone complaining that they had essentially been ignored by their supplier... yours gets 5 stars! 👍🏻
@@PedalPlatform Thanks for your reply. With regard to my particular supplier, a professional guitar setup is included with every guitar purchase, (a significant factor in my choice) so somebody didn't do their job properly, and so I suppose that they where morally obliged to sort the problem out. That being said, my first ever Vintage purchase was in November 2020 from the, now defunct, Dawsons Music (VS63VCR). On receipt of this guitar, I quickly noticed that the rectangular screw housings beneath all six tuners would try to lift away from their respective bases when tightening a string. Thought it a bit odd, but having no previous experience of this particular tuner design, and knowing this to be a quality product with quality components, decided to accept it as normal. However, on Monday evening (05:07:2021) when executing one of many, frequent, routine tunings, the "A" string housing actually parted company with its corresponding base. I was able to reattach it using the three positioning "pins/lugs", but there was no way to permanently fix it into place. So every time I turned the tuner motorhead, not only would said base repeatedly fall off, but also the string tension would slacken and detune. Then, to my horror, exactly the same thing happened with the "Upper E" tuner. The problem appeared to be that none of the housings seem to be actually "fixed" to their corresponding bases, but simply "positioned" into place via the aforementioned pins. I contacted Dawsons, and who were very helpful, but they wanted to replace the guitar rather than remedy the problem. Now, while this sounds a really good option, I was concerned that this might be some sort of production problem and in consequence I might simply end up with another guitar from the same batch and potentially the same problem. So I contacted JHS, who were both very helpful and concerned. They arranged to have the guitar collected, replaced all six tuners, thanked me for bringing a (unspecified) production problem to their attention, gave my guitar the full Vintage ProShop treatment, and returned it together with a complimentary Proshop strap and T-Shirt. The guitar is now pretty much perfect.
It's really great and heartwarming to know that there's still that level of care and attention being given to customers. It's always a bummer when things go wrong, but it's very good to know people will be looked after when they do. 👍🏻
In my country it costs 375 euros. Change strings, improve action (even though it's good), clean the frets and check some general stuff. Total cost less than 450, actually around 420, and you have a perfect Les Paul. Unbeatable for the price, it's just as good as an Epiphone.
I have own 3 epiphones, 2 Korean built, one in peerless factory and an Epiphone custom shop 335. I own 7 Vintage brand guitars. Had I discovered the Vintage brand before I bought the Epiphones I would not have bought the Epiphones. Going forward I plan to buy the new vintage v100m GHB. I will never buy another Epiphone and I am hoping to sell the ones I have. Draw your own conclusions.
Great Review! Maybe i will buy this guitar and change the neck PU for Seymour Duncan SH4 JB. And the thing with the frets. After six mounths I always bring my new guitars to the guitar maker to optimize it.
Thank you! Any specific reasoning behind the JB on the neck position? I've seen people combine it as a bridge pickup with the 59' neck, but don't think I've ever seen it in the neck position.
10-46, no idea of the brand... they didn't last long on my guitar, I took them off the same day to do a full setup and start fresh with D'Addario 9.5-42, because i'm a wimp 😁
One piece/ two piece makes no difference to the tone whatsoever I can’t tell with my Gibsons neither to minor blemishes. In fact the first gibsons were imperfect but that didn’t stop them playing and sounding superb. And now the prices!!!!!!
Good question, the answer to which is in the video that you either didn't watch but are commenting on, or you did watch but seem to be trying to use passive aggressive sarcasm in an effort to drive a point home. I believe it's the latter, because of the Epiphone reference. For what it's worth: where I live, Vintage Guitars - like every other product in the market - have a legally required 2 year minimum warranty. Epiphone? Beyond that same 2 year warranty, no idea, because when I check their website (www.epiphone.com/Support/Warranty/Epiphone), I get this blurb, right after the description of their magic lifetime warranty that only applies to the original purchaser and (obviously) if no mods are done to the guitar: " _**Customers who purchased product outside the U.S should contact their local distributor for the handling and resolution of all warranty issues as the above-described Gibson Gold Warranty is not applicable._ " Well, that might be me out of luck then, because I did not purchase my product in the US. But let's click the link to the "local distributor" (www.epiphone.com/Support/Dealers.aspx) and... " _Page Not Found Well that's embarassing. It looks like the page you're looking for has been moved or is no longer available._ " (The typo on the website is also *embarrassing* , btw) So without further information, I'm left to assume that - where I live - both have the same warranty period. So, answering your original question with another question: did you know that warranty terms and conditions change from country to country? 😉
@@PedalPlatform well, I own both. The EPIPHONE looks and plays great just like the day I bought it 8 years ago. The Vintage Lemon Drip was a purchase I made 5 years ago. Still plays great but the varnish is seriously cracking. It looks like wood cracks. That is how bad the varnish is cracking. I sent photos to Vintage. The customer service person was impressed with the photos but then said, “sorry.... bla bla ...bla.... one year warranty. I think any guitar that is 500 Euros or more should do better than a one year warranty. Honestly, Harley Bentons do 3 years through Thomann. I understand you are a Vintage fan boy and I recognize the great labor you took into writing your response. I hope Vintage is paying you well. In response to my first question. You did not mention the warranty. I am the original owner of both guitars and in my case I have a lifetime warranty for the Epiphone on workmanship. I am the original owner of the Vintage and I have a one year warranty. Answering your question, yes I did watch your review from start to finish and you mention some of the poor workmanship on the guitar you received. But at the same time I am entitled to my opinion as well considering I have had my Vintage far longer than you. And just so you know, I have 16 guitars in my guitar studio and every guitar is living in the same atmosphere, but the VINTAGE is the one that is falling apart cosmetically. I hope this response is more to the point and less “passive aggressive.,” as you mentioned.
Oh how I wish I were as much of a paid fan boy as you give me credit for 😁 As it happens, Vintage probably don't even know that I exist, and I paid for this guitar out of my own pocket. Also, there's a reason I called this video "_first impressions_" - I said in the video I reserved the right to change my mind, and I still do - but so far I've got no complaints, and I'm still using it in my videos. But I am very sorry that you had to go through that experience with Vintage, and I wholeheartedly agree that sizeable purchases should come with longer warranties - which is also why we have that type of consumer protection in Portugal (much to the annoyance of people who complain about over-regulation stifling business, btw). The point still stands though: we don't seem to have the lifetime Epiphone warranty, so if they do that wherever you live, fair play to them as it shows a commendable commitment behind their product, and it is a crying shame that not a lot of other companies follow their lead, or if they do, not in every country. I've also had other products go bad on me after whatever warranty they had expired, and felt really crap about it - it shouldn't happen, but it does. But if you go into someone else's video and decide to ask a passive-aggressive question that implies the content creator is somehow being untruthful or hiding something, in my opinion you should be ready for some push back and / or fact checking - that's what my "great labour" was all about.
@@PedalPlatform You handled that passive aggressive idiot with class and restraint. He tried to draw you out in order to create an opportunity to make an observation that quite simply could have just been made directly in the first instance. No self awareness, and not a little insecurity in folk like that. They appear only smart to themselves but actually come over like a total ass to those observing. Great review. Thank you.
Thank you Garry 🙏🏻 I understand being sour about products going bad after the warranty expires, I really feel for the user - I wouldn't want to be in their shoes - , but I draw the line at this type of unhelpful snipe.
Great review. I had a Vintage Lemon Drop replica for a while and was hugely impressed. For the price, the build quality was excellent and the Wilkinson pickups packed a real punch. I'm glad you mentioned the weight, as that was something that particularly struck me, giving, as you said, that amazing sustain. Sadly I couldn't play it like you do, however!
Looking forward to the next review.
Thank you for the kind comments 🙏🏻 I agree, this Vintage is a bit of a bargain... I have since swapped the Wilkinsons for Seymour Duncan 59's (ua-cam.com/video/itNR3vXZiFw/v-deo.html) and that got it even closer to what I wanted from it. The Wilkinsons found homes in other guitars, didn't want them to go to waste 😉
Really helpful and realistic review - Thank you 🙂🎸
Glad you enjoyed it!
I own a 2009 V100 (as you can in the photo) bought it used hardly played for a 160 quid, and another hardly used 2017 Vintage V6P with 3 P90's for 120 quid, great guitars, my V100 has that honk with the double coil buckers really great pickups for a guitar at this price, these guitars used are an incredible bargain, people have no idea how good they are, in terms of upgrades, the V100 I'm fine the pots are still good , the V100 come with 50's wiring if I do decide to upgrade the pots etc but right now after 13 years the pots are working great buckers are fine if I ever did decide to upgrade it will go with boutique set why not I have no intentions of selling it, the V6P P90's that might an opportunity to place really nice set of P90's but they're both sound great no rush at this moment to do anything to them except play them .
A bit late to the video unfortunately, nice to see a fair review of an affordable guitar. Sure they aren’t perfect, there are sometimes issues but at the price it’s nothing unexpected. Great video!
Thank you, Steven! And you're right, they aren't perfect, but they get you much further than the price would have suggested a few years ago... 🙂
A nice guit and lovely playing ! Congrat man 👏🏻
Aww thank you! 🙏🏻
I don't have the lemon drop but a 2011 Made in Vietnam model , I still shake my head at the quality of this guitar, I am a big Led Zep fan and I can really dial in the Page tone with this guitar with the PAF Wilkinson Humbucker's but when I had my guitar setup my tech who owns a Gibson Les Paul, said I can understand why Gibson is upset, this is a Les Paul at a fraction of the price, and I have to commend Vintage for producing a quality instrument at fraction of the cost, I am not saying my guitar is a Gibson Custom Les Paul that would be foolish but even a 90% of that Les Paul I am more than happy, and I did ask my tech about upgrades he said why the Humbuckers are brilliant , I might upgrade the pots but for the most part this guitar will remain stock it stays in tune even the G string
The factory humbuckers were great, just a bit too hot for what I wanted, which is why I swapped them for the Seymour Duncan 59's. Other than that - almost one year in and I still think it's an excellent guitar at a budget price. 🙏🏻
For that price Vintage make you happy by sure, maybe you need to do some adjustments but that’s the Guitar Man life!
Absolutely!
The new models feels exactly like the real deal. The fretboard, balance and feel is the same. It’s 90% as good as a Gibson. And the twr, tgb and this also don’t have too slim necks.. awesome 👏
They're really good, mine developed a bit of fret sprout but nothing that can't be handled with a nail file and a bit of patience. 😉
Binding isn't supposed to cover the maple cap in the cutaway... it's a premium feature on the R8 and R9 from Gibson...
And?
@@aliengrey6052 the reviewer describes it as a qc problem when it’s actually a premium feature
I've had a honey burst for nearly 2 years. I also bought the tobacco burst with the ebony fret board. I have a Gibson Les Paul but the Vintage for price kick ass. 🐺
It does indeed!
Just stumbled across your informative review (enjoyed it and have consequently subscribed) courtesy of having just purchased a new Vintage ReIssued V100TWR (exactly same guitar as yours, but different finish).
A few of points.
First, when you removed the strings, you also removed the bridge, etc, but didn't mention for what purpose.
Secondly, I noticed on my guitar that there is only a subtle tone/sound difference between neck and middle pickup positions, whereas on my Vintage V100IT (another recent {January} purchase) the difference is quite pronounced. Did you find similar results with your V100THB?
Lastly, when the TWR arrived, it also had a dead spot (18th fret, strings G and B), which I recognised as a fret problem but, not having your particular skill set, I could only rectify by contacting the supplier who, to their credit, had the guitar collected, remedied and returned at no cost to myself.
Thank you for the lovely comment! 🙏🏻
1) I removed the bridge because without string tension holding them in place they can fall off when handling the guitar for cleaning, etc, and I'd rather be the one doing it instead of letting gravity decide where it'll land... 😁
2) Not that I remember, but I swapped pickups pretty soon after for an excellent pair of Seymour Duncan 59's (ua-cam.com/video/itNR3vXZiFw/v-deo.html). I loved the Wilkinsons, but they were way too hot for what I wanted out of this guitar.
3) That's really good customer service, I'm very pleased to hear that, as soon after posting this video I had someone complaining that they had essentially been ignored by their supplier... yours gets 5 stars! 👍🏻
@@PedalPlatform Thanks for your reply.
With regard to my particular supplier, a professional guitar setup is included with every guitar purchase, (a significant factor in my choice) so somebody didn't do their job properly, and so I suppose that they where morally obliged to sort the problem out.
That being said, my first ever Vintage purchase was in November 2020 from the, now defunct, Dawsons Music (VS63VCR).
On receipt of this guitar, I quickly noticed that the rectangular screw housings beneath all six tuners would try to lift away from their respective bases when tightening a string. Thought it a bit odd, but having no previous experience of this particular tuner design, and knowing this to be a quality product with quality components, decided to accept it as normal.
However, on Monday evening (05:07:2021) when executing one of many, frequent, routine tunings, the "A" string housing actually parted company with its corresponding base.
I was able to reattach it using the three positioning "pins/lugs", but there was no way to permanently fix it into place. So every time I turned the tuner motorhead, not only would said base repeatedly fall off, but also the string tension would slacken and detune.
Then, to my horror, exactly the same thing happened with the "Upper E" tuner.
The problem appeared to be that none of the housings seem to be actually "fixed" to their corresponding bases, but simply "positioned" into place via the aforementioned pins.
I contacted Dawsons, and who were very helpful, but they wanted to replace the guitar rather than remedy the problem.
Now, while this sounds a really good option, I was concerned that this might be some sort of production problem and in consequence I might simply end up with another guitar from the same batch and potentially the same problem.
So I contacted JHS, who were both very helpful and concerned.
They arranged to have the guitar collected, replaced all six tuners, thanked me for bringing a (unspecified) production problem to their attention, gave my guitar the full Vintage ProShop treatment, and returned it together with a complimentary Proshop strap and T-Shirt.
The guitar is now pretty much perfect.
It's really great and heartwarming to know that there's still that level of care and attention being given to customers. It's always a bummer when things go wrong, but it's very good to know people will be looked after when they do. 👍🏻
In my country it costs 375 euros. Change strings, improve action (even though it's good), clean the frets and check some general stuff. Total cost less than 450, actually around 420, and you have a perfect Les Paul. Unbeatable for the price, it's just as good as an Epiphone.
Yup, excellent value for money indeed. 😄
In brazil costs an used car.
I have own 3 epiphones, 2 Korean built, one in peerless factory and an Epiphone custom shop 335. I own 7 Vintage brand guitars. Had I discovered the Vintage brand before I bought the Epiphones I would not have bought the Epiphones. Going forward I plan to buy the new vintage v100m GHB. I will never buy another Epiphone and I am hoping to sell the ones I have. Draw your own conclusions.
All I can say is I'm still enjoying mine, looks as good as it did when I took it out of the box, and plays better :)
Yes! Very usefool. Thanks!
Great Review! Maybe i will buy this guitar and change the neck PU for Seymour Duncan SH4 JB. And the thing with the frets. After six mounths I always bring my new guitars to the guitar maker to optimize it.
Thank you! Any specific reasoning behind the JB on the neck position? I've seen people combine it as a bridge pickup with the 59' neck, but don't think I've ever seen it in the neck position.
@@PedalPlatform Jesus Christ no on the bridge position of course. :D. I inverted it
No worries 😁
@@PedalPlatform Do you know which strings they installed? I cant find any informations. Thx
10-46, no idea of the brand... they didn't last long on my guitar, I took them off the same day to do a full setup and start fresh with D'Addario 9.5-42, because i'm a wimp 😁
One piece/ two piece makes no difference to the tone whatsoever I can’t tell with my Gibsons neither to minor blemishes. In fact the first gibsons were imperfect but that didn’t stop them playing and sounding superb. And now the prices!!!!!!
Absolutely!
Do you know what gauge strings come from the factory? Thanks for the video.
Hi Douglas, I can't remember for sure now but I think they were 10's.
@@PedalPlatform thanks!
Should be called the V100WYT
Did you tell the good people that Vintage provides only a one year warranty? Epiphone has a lifetime warranty.
Good question, the answer to which is in the video that you either didn't watch but are commenting on, or you did watch but seem to be trying to use passive aggressive sarcasm in an effort to drive a point home. I believe it's the latter, because of the Epiphone reference.
For what it's worth: where I live, Vintage Guitars - like every other product in the market - have a legally required 2 year minimum warranty. Epiphone? Beyond that same 2 year warranty, no idea, because when I check their website (www.epiphone.com/Support/Warranty/Epiphone), I get this blurb, right after the description of their magic lifetime warranty that only applies to the original purchaser and (obviously) if no mods are done to the guitar:
" _**Customers who purchased product outside the U.S should contact their local distributor for the handling and resolution of all warranty issues as the above-described Gibson Gold Warranty is not applicable._ "
Well, that might be me out of luck then, because I did not purchase my product in the US. But let's click the link to the "local distributor" (www.epiphone.com/Support/Dealers.aspx) and...
" _Page Not Found
Well that's embarassing. It looks like the page you're looking for has been moved or is no longer available._ "
(The typo on the website is also *embarrassing* , btw)
So without further information, I'm left to assume that - where I live - both have the same warranty period.
So, answering your original question with another question: did you know that warranty terms and conditions change from country to country? 😉
@@PedalPlatform well, I own both. The EPIPHONE looks and plays great just like the day I bought it 8 years ago. The Vintage Lemon Drip was a purchase I made 5 years ago. Still plays great but the varnish is seriously cracking. It looks like wood cracks. That is how bad the varnish is cracking. I sent photos to Vintage. The customer service person was impressed with the photos but then said, “sorry.... bla bla ...bla.... one year warranty. I think any guitar that is 500 Euros or more should do better than a one year warranty. Honestly, Harley Bentons do 3 years through Thomann. I understand you are a Vintage fan boy and I recognize the great labor you took into writing your response. I hope Vintage is paying you well.
In response to my first question. You did not mention the warranty. I am the original owner of both guitars and in my case I have a lifetime warranty for the Epiphone on workmanship. I am the original owner of the Vintage and I have a one year warranty. Answering your question, yes I did watch your review from start to finish and you mention some of the poor workmanship on the guitar you received. But at the same time I am entitled to my opinion as well considering I have had my Vintage far longer than you. And just so you know, I have 16 guitars in my guitar studio and every guitar is living in the same atmosphere, but the VINTAGE is the one that is falling apart cosmetically. I hope this response is more to the point and less “passive aggressive.,” as you mentioned.
Oh how I wish I were as much of a paid fan boy as you give me credit for 😁 As it happens, Vintage probably don't even know that I exist, and I paid for this guitar out of my own pocket. Also, there's a reason I called this video "_first impressions_" - I said in the video I reserved the right to change my mind, and I still do - but so far I've got no complaints, and I'm still using it in my videos.
But I am very sorry that you had to go through that experience with Vintage, and I wholeheartedly agree that sizeable purchases should come with longer warranties - which is also why we have that type of consumer protection in Portugal (much to the annoyance of people who complain about over-regulation stifling business, btw). The point still stands though: we don't seem to have the lifetime Epiphone warranty, so if they do that wherever you live, fair play to them as it shows a commendable commitment behind their product, and it is a crying shame that not a lot of other companies follow their lead, or if they do, not in every country.
I've also had other products go bad on me after whatever warranty they had expired, and felt really crap about it - it shouldn't happen, but it does. But if you go into someone else's video and decide to ask a passive-aggressive question that implies the content creator is somehow being untruthful or hiding something, in my opinion you should be ready for some push back and / or fact checking - that's what my "great labour" was all about.
@@PedalPlatform You handled that passive aggressive idiot with class and restraint. He tried to draw you out in order to create an opportunity to make an observation that quite simply could have just been made directly in the first instance. No self awareness, and not a little insecurity in folk like that. They appear only smart to themselves but actually come over like a total ass to those observing. Great review. Thank you.
Thank you Garry 🙏🏻 I understand being sour about products going bad after the warranty expires, I really feel for the user - I wouldn't want to be in their shoes - , but I draw the line at this type of unhelpful snipe.