If pinch harmonics don't jump out, it's typically from one of two issues. Some pickups just don't have the mid-range and high-end voicing to accentuate what you are doing with harmonics. The second reason is in the set up. High frets kill harmonics. Even if a fret isn't high enough to make an instrument unplayable, it can still kill harmonics. Sometimes, it's a combination of the two.
I got a deluxe set up from a local luthier and 100% a guitar I thought was just clunky and hard to get a song out of came to life - you know the action and intonation is on when the harmonics sing out even while playing unplugged.
@@aaaaaaaaaaaaabbbb, it depends on what you mean by string tension. Are you talking about keeping tension up with hella low tunings? Or do you mean as far as playing comfort. And scale length will play into both situations.
@@BazonBlades well, im using a tension calculator taking into account my scale length, string gauge, and tuning, but idk what amount of tension is within the “optimal” zone
It's more like a cheap version of richlite, paper thin wood + resin on heat. It's becoming more popular because "reengineered wood" have a huge market and not a lot of companies explore it out of US, Europe and Japan (where it costs way more than ebony for example).
I’m sold and will definitely pick one of these up. As for the pickups, I agree they need to be changed out with EMGS. That will make the guitar 100% better IMO. It will come to life. The stock pickups sound a bit sterile to my ears. Looking forward to seeing your upgrades Ray. Thanks again for posting for us!!
i wonder if they´ll also make a 3. series. i mean there´s the 1. for high spec, 1000 bucks +; 2. for medium specs, 600-1000 bucks range, S by Solar now is 4. for low specs, around 300 bucks, so a 3. series for that 300-600 bucks range would make sense in the future. and that would be exactly my thing. great build and look but not too high spec so i can mod it to my liking.
Hi SMR, great video! How do these S by Solar news guitars actually compare to other entry-level guitars by bigger brands? Are they like Jackson JS series, Ibanez GIO series and so on? Thanks
Well, I said it before, but I like my AB4.7C. The issue is that as you noticed, frets are not polished and what really made it a great guitar for me was using a very thin shim to adjust the neck angle, I couldn't get it right just adjusting the bridge. I opened it to see the electronics, it's all cheap CF potentiometers but they're working as intended, just changed the factory strings and I think it's a great guitar. I think the pickups are a little muddy, but it's fine, it's not like the usual cheap chinese pickups where it's microphonic, noisy or just plain lack definition...
Got my S by Solar in Summer and the frets were unpolished, too. Polished them afterwards myself. They didn't scratch at the sides but in winter the humidity dropped due to the heating, the wood shrank(dried) and the frets began to stick out and scratch a bit. Will need to file them a bit after winter.
For anyone wondering Techwood is made of layers of poplar wood pressed together much like the laminate sides on the budget Martin acoustics like the x series .. I assume a lot of guitar companies will be switching to this due to Rosewood being hard to get
Defo interested in buying one. As alot of people don't understand is Epiphone was around before Gibson and aren't a subsidiary company like Squier is to Fender etc
I dont have experience with S by solar but I love Ola, i want to support him. My tired old jackson js32 is having electrical issues now (lasted long but is 11-12 years old now. It's been "fixed" twice but the problem continues to be prevalent) and am ready for a replacement... in your opinion is this the better option? Fyi im not in a band, ive been playing for 20+ years but am in no way a pro; i just like to jam some metalcore mostly on a spark. I've always thought about spending the money for a "pro" guitar but have just been really content with my js32 and worry if going for a "pro" guitar i.e solar A1 or higher end jackson is a case of grass is greener on the other side/chasing clout for no reason. Money isn't overly a concern but value and feel are when taking into account my real world playing and ability vs what I'd like to imagine it is. Im in Australia and could get a 6, 7 and 8 string jackson js32 (3 guitars) for much less than a single Solar A1 as an example...but an S by solar is only $100 more than a jackson js32 in 7 string. For me; Jackson is just a safe bet but I'd prefer to support Ola. I dont have the option to just go out and test all of these guitars myself in person given where I live, so I rely on youtube to help guide me to a suitable choice. Any advice is much appreciated and would love a video from you with this perspective as I think most people are "home" players like me who find reviewers they like and align with to help form purchasing decisions.
Hey bro, Subscriber here lol. I have had guitars that don't respond well to pinch harmonics, and I have found that sometimes you have a couple of slightly high frets. The strings hit them a little and end up choking out my pinch harmonics.
What did you think of the thicker gauges? Besides feel, was there a tone difference? Or do you think string gauge is just a tightness preference? I've messed with gauges and idk what to think anymore. I think it's just a matter of what your comfortable with? For a few references, I've used 72-80 for drop E (74 to 80 is best to me for 28.6 scale) I've tried 90-105 for A on a 9 string. 90 is more than enough for C# down to A, 30 inch scale. And I just tried 68 for drop A#/A on 25.5 scale, and was curious about drop B with a 68. And no tone difference, used to use 56 for drop B/A# and even tried A and no difference to me besides loose vs tight. Woooo! Sorry this was long, but wanted to give you my full analysis I guess Thanks Xander, Huge fan! Long time subscriber!
Love your content. When you did the ASMR part with the scratching sound with the frets that sound was cringe lmao I proceed to pick up my Jackson JS11 try it and it makes same shit sound T____T lol.
Keep plug'n away man, you'll be surprised. I think your channel has great potential, and will grow alot more in the next few years. Bet you get to 200k subscribers faster than you think. Make it happen. Peace.
Every time I get a new guitar, no matter what the price point is, I clean every pieces and screws, etc ..., and most important, I polish the hell of all the frets until they get shinny A.F. Every time I do the same treatment on a new guitar !! And "Techwood" is a cool budget alternative to Ebony. When it's played very often and oiled, it feels very nice !
So I have been wanting to ask this question for a bit I'm new to guitar I love metal and I want to learn to play where do I start There are so many resources out there but I need some guidance if you learned in 2024 what would you do also what gear would you get and why keep in mind I have some gear already but tell me what you would do and why ? I love your videos thanks
OK, so this is a new comment on an older video, but I'd love to see an S by Solar vs. Ibanez GIO GRG121DX. The Ibanez is cheaper, has a few more options (5-way switch), but they're both Chinese-made entry-level metal guitars.
I was lookong for a super budget rock/metal guitar to tinker with. I REALLY wanted one of these but they don't ship to Canada. So I took a chance and ordered a Donner DMT-100. Hopefully it's decent too. It comes tomorrow.
As far as the squeals and stuff not feeling the same, could it just be that this guitar has passive pickups and you're used to EMGs? What I heard in this video sounded good to me, but I'm more of a doom metal guy--my #1 guitar is an LP Jr. copy I built from a kit with a P-90, and one of my other favorite guitars is the Gibson All American SG-I which has a single humbucker with a coil tap. All that to say, we have different ears and we're listening for different things and you probably just prefer the active humbuckers whereas I prefer the passive pickups. Also, check out Rick Beato's video on how string gauge effects tone. Using heavier strings might be hiding the squeals under a bunch of low end.
I got my dad a white s by solar 4 string bass and he about cried.. he's sending me gear pics now and I just used a new email for 10% off a rumble 15 to send him! Dudes gonna be back at it in no time. Looking for a decent guitar shop in west goeriga he can take it to for a set up and strings tho since we're not in same state.
I believe the fretboard is some synthetic material kindalike Ritchlite or it is some ebonized wood. At least there's through colorized Pinus Radiata been sold as Blackwood Tech 😉
When I bought my Solar E2.6 fro, Thomann being I am inCanada, a 800.00 US guitar after exchange and tax and duties, it was almost 1,200.00. For me buying a S by Solar would be up between 550-650 CAD all said and done. It’s just not feasible for me.
Emg in the bridge Delete the neck pickup. I think somebody on etsy makes a delete cover for them New nut Polish the frets Locking tuners Mini rip machine
X-Ray, when I see a designation like "techwood" or "tech wood" or some such, I figure it to be a synthetic, a composite of some sort -- like the Richlite that Gibson used for a while. Gibson's customers didn't like the material that much from what I understand, but the stuff you got is probably not the same thing. Close, though, I bet.
For what it is the guitar sounds pretty good honestly. Definitely muddy in the low end. But easily fixed. Also loved that last riff you played. Probably my favorite demo song you've done since I started following you 5 years ago along with the original demo used on the black Jim root strat.
To me fatter strings are like drivin a 4x4 36” muds, 8” lift, Chevy square body, small strings are like drivin a Toyota tundra midsize, I prefer the 4x4
I think I might know the reason why you feel like you’re not getting enough attack when you are digging in. And this is something that nobody seems to be talking about . The incorrect placement of the bridge pick up . You can see the bridge pick up is too far away from the bridge. It also makes the Guitar look a little weird with the pick ups being closer together than they should be.. and I can tell by listening, that it affects the clarity of the bridge pickup.
I dislike the use of poplar wood in guitar so very much! Its a cheap wood that is easy to work with and that is the only reason its in instruments. While being in the hardwood category, its barely that compared to pine which is a softwood, but poplar actually has really low density, lower than most softwood. Its trash category for instruments.
@@xanderraymondcharles o id say it is the pickups then you didn't mention that in the video. I have that problem with large strings unless they are like the super slinky's or a hybrid set. Like what dime did he used the 3 small string from a set of 9s and the heavy 3 strings from a set of 10s so you can keep the bends at an ease but get the crunch for the rhythm
@@xanderraymondcharles it could be a pickup height to I've had some that are to close so they fritz out but sound great pulled away a bit. My fender mustang is like that
If pinch harmonics don't jump out, it's typically from one of two issues. Some pickups just don't have the mid-range and high-end voicing to accentuate what you are doing with harmonics. The second reason is in the set up. High frets kill harmonics. Even if a fret isn't high enough to make an instrument unplayable, it can still kill harmonics. Sometimes, it's a combination of the two.
I got a deluxe set up from a local luthier and 100% a guitar I thought was just clunky and hard to get a song out of came to life - you know the action and intonation is on when the harmonics sing out even while playing unplugged.
@sepiarain , exactly. A proper setup and string action can make a huge difference. Not only in playability but also in tonality.
@@BazonBladeswhats the ideal string tension?
@@aaaaaaaaaaaaabbbb, it depends on what you mean by string tension. Are you talking about keeping tension up with hella low tunings? Or do you mean as far as playing comfort. And scale length will play into both situations.
@@BazonBlades well, im using a tension calculator taking into account my scale length, string gauge, and tuning, but idk what amount of tension is within the “optimal” zone
They're going to get you Barbara!
Xander as always...great video man. Thank you, I plan to get 7 string version and you helped me a lot. Thank you bro 🤘💪🙏
Excellent review. Both the pros and cons! Nice!
Tech Wood is a plywood material used for guitars and basses that are made from multiple layers of poplar wood
It's more like a cheap version of richlite, paper thin wood + resin on heat. It's becoming more popular because "reengineered wood" have a huge market and not a lot of companies explore it out of US, Europe and Japan (where it costs way more than ebony for example).
Wrong
@@tdrduarte how does it feel under the fingers though compared to, say, ebony?
I’m sold and will definitely pick one of these up. As for the pickups, I agree they need to be changed out with EMGS. That will make the guitar 100% better IMO. It will come to life. The stock pickups sound a bit sterile to my ears. Looking forward to seeing your upgrades Ray. Thanks again for posting for us!!
Wild, I have been watching you for ages but didnt realize i wasnt subbed until you mentioned it at the beginning. Definitely subbed now :D
i wonder if they´ll also make a 3. series. i mean there´s the 1. for high spec, 1000 bucks +; 2. for medium specs, 600-1000 bucks range, S by Solar now is 4. for low specs, around 300 bucks, so a 3. series for that 300-600 bucks range would make sense in the future. and that would be exactly my thing. great build and look but not too high spec so i can mod it to my liking.
It wouldn't make any sense. 1 series has steel frets and come equpped with fishmans or evertune, that's it on the differences with the 2. series
This looks awesome. I think I'm definitely going to have to get one.
Im subscribed now Xander. I love your content... and your riffs ❤
i appreciate you
Hi SMR, great video! How do these S by Solar news guitars actually compare to other entry-level guitars by bigger brands? Are they like Jackson JS series, Ibanez GIO series and so on? Thanks
81 and 85 emg make everything sound beastly! Glad all it needs is fret job and some monster pickups. Sounds like money well spent.
It reminds me of an ESP M series. The bevels inside the horns are what I like most.
I’ve been a subscriber since your SMR / Army days!🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼
Thanks for the review broo
Thanks for checking it out!
Was thinking about swooping up their T style in black. Great review, bro.
Well, I said it before, but I like my AB4.7C. The issue is that as you noticed, frets are not polished and what really made it a great guitar for me was using a very thin shim to adjust the neck angle, I couldn't get it right just adjusting the bridge. I opened it to see the electronics, it's all cheap CF potentiometers but they're working as intended, just changed the factory strings and I think it's a great guitar. I think the pickups are a little muddy, but it's fine, it's not like the usual cheap chinese pickups where it's microphonic, noisy or just plain lack definition...
Got my S by Solar in Summer and the frets were unpolished, too. Polished them afterwards myself. They didn't scratch at the sides but in winter the humidity dropped due to the heating, the wood shrank(dried) and the frets began to stick out and scratch a bit. Will need to file them a bit after winter.
Great review man!
For anyone wondering Techwood is made of layers of poplar wood pressed together much like the laminate sides on the budget Martin acoustics like the x series .. I assume a lot of guitar companies will be switching to this due to Rosewood being hard to get
Nice jam🎉
Subscribed. Bought myself this guitar. Loving it.
I like the Upon A Burning Body shirt almost as much as the guitar.
What drum vst you using? Sounds great.
Thanks for the content
Defo interested in buying one. As alot of people don't understand is Epiphone was around before Gibson and aren't a subsidiary company like Squier is to Fender etc
I dont have experience with S by solar but I love Ola, i want to support him. My tired old jackson js32 is having electrical issues now (lasted long but is 11-12 years old now. It's been "fixed" twice but the problem continues to be prevalent) and am ready for a replacement... in your opinion is this the better option?
Fyi im not in a band, ive been playing for 20+ years but am in no way a pro; i just like to jam some metalcore mostly on a spark. I've always thought about spending the money for a "pro" guitar but have just been really content with my js32 and worry if going for a "pro" guitar i.e solar A1 or higher end jackson is a case of grass is greener on the other side/chasing clout for no reason. Money isn't overly a concern but value and feel are when taking into account my real world playing and ability vs what I'd like to imagine it is. Im in Australia and could get a 6, 7 and 8 string jackson js32 (3 guitars) for much less than a single Solar A1 as an example...but an S by solar is only $100 more than a jackson js32 in 7 string. For me; Jackson is just a safe bet but I'd prefer to support Ola. I dont have the option to just go out and test all of these guitars myself in person given where I live, so I rely on youtube to help guide me to a suitable choice. Any advice is much appreciated and would love a video from you with this perspective as I think most people are "home" players like me who find reviewers they like and align with to help form purchasing decisions.
saw you're selling it and not too far from me. not sure about the harmonic and rough fret issues though. what tuning/strings did you have on it
Great video dude! This may be my first 7 string
Hey bro, Subscriber here lol. I have had guitars that don't respond well to pinch harmonics, and I have found that sometimes you have a couple of slightly high frets. The strings hit them a little and end up choking out my pinch harmonics.
What did you think of the thicker gauges? Besides feel, was there a tone difference? Or do you think string gauge is just a tightness preference?
I've messed with gauges and idk what to think anymore. I think it's just a matter of what your comfortable with?
For a few references, I've used 72-80 for drop E (74 to 80 is best to me for 28.6 scale) I've tried 90-105 for A on a 9 string. 90 is more than enough for C# down to A, 30 inch scale.
And I just tried 68 for drop A#/A on 25.5 scale, and was curious about drop B with a 68. And no tone difference, used to use 56 for drop B/A# and even tried A and no difference to me besides loose vs tight.
Woooo! Sorry this was long, but wanted to give you my full analysis I guess
Thanks Xander, Huge fan! Long time subscriber!
Love your content. When you did the ASMR part with the scratching sound with the frets that sound was cringe lmao I proceed to pick up my Jackson JS11 try it and it makes same shit sound T____T lol.
If you do change the pickups, 100% let us know if that fixes the pinch harmonics.
Just subscribed. You rock dude
Keep plug'n away man, you'll be surprised. I think your channel has great potential, and will grow alot more in the next few years. Bet you get to 200k subscribers faster than you think. Make it happen. Peace.
i want one, they look beautiful
theyre pretty rad
Every time I get a new guitar, no matter what the price point is, I clean every pieces and screws, etc ..., and most important, I polish the hell of all the frets until they get shinny A.F. Every time I do the same treatment on a new guitar !!
And "Techwood" is a cool budget alternative to Ebony. When it's played very often and oiled, it feels very nice !
Not sure if u have one or not but I would love to see a video explaining your tattoos!
So I have been wanting to ask this question for a bit I'm new to guitar I love metal and I want to learn to play where do I start There are so many resources out there but I need some guidance if you learned in 2024 what would you do also what gear would you get and why keep in mind I have some gear already but tell me what you would do and why ? I love your videos thanks
I buy guitars in the $400-$600 range typically
They're coming to get you, Barbara.
Stop it! He’ll hear you!
Dude, where the build-quality review? I have been watching you for a couple years. Congrats on your success. Can we get some deeper content back?
OK, so this is a new comment on an older video, but I'd love to see an S by Solar vs. Ibanez GIO GRG121DX. The Ibanez is cheaper, has a few more options (5-way switch), but they're both Chinese-made entry-level metal guitars.
During the demo song I forgot I was supposed to be paying attention to the guitar. I guess that’s a good sign.
Really cool I'm thinking of getting the white v
I was lookong for a super budget rock/metal guitar to tinker with. I REALLY wanted one of these but they don't ship to Canada. So I took a chance and ordered a Donner DMT-100. Hopefully it's decent too. It comes tomorrow.
Best part is no logo on the fretboard.
As far as the squeals and stuff not feeling the same, could it just be that this guitar has passive pickups and you're used to EMGs? What I heard in this video sounded good to me, but I'm more of a doom metal guy--my #1 guitar is an LP Jr. copy I built from a kit with a P-90, and one of my other favorite guitars is the Gibson All American SG-I which has a single humbucker with a coil tap. All that to say, we have different ears and we're listening for different things and you probably just prefer the active humbuckers whereas I prefer the passive pickups. Also, check out Rick Beato's video on how string gauge effects tone. Using heavier strings might be hiding the squeals under a bunch of low end.
Awesome informative video again.
What was the plugin used ?
i explained what plugin i was using in this video
Yes, I just didn’t understand. Sorry for that
Sorry I missed your video, i was watching the movie on your computer. How does it end?
The boat sinks
@@xanderraymondcharles on the serious side, that guitar looks and sounds for such a low priced guitar. Or maybe you just make it sound great 🤘😎🤘
I got my dad a white s by solar 4 string bass and he about cried.. he's sending me gear pics now and I just used a new email for 10% off a rumble 15 to send him! Dudes gonna be back at it in no time. Looking for a decent guitar shop in west goeriga he can take it to for a set up and strings tho since we're not in same state.
I believe the fretboard is some synthetic material kindalike Ritchlite or it is some ebonized wood. At least there's through colorized Pinus Radiata been sold as Blackwood Tech 😉
Weird, all your videos show up on my feed so I just assumed I was subscribed 😂
@xanderraymondcharles how do you polish the frets on your guitars?
Steel wool I'm pretty sure
I'm subscribed Bro, I have been
Solar is the best forget the rest! Ola new messiah of guitars !!
Props for Night of the Living Dead on the monitor.
How thin is the neck tho? The website says they're 'super fast' and the profile has a different name than normal. What are the measurements on those?
Night of TLD at the back
When I bought my Solar E2.6 fro, Thomann being I am inCanada, a 800.00 US guitar after exchange and tax and duties, it was almost 1,200.00.
For me buying a S by Solar would be up between 550-650 CAD all said and done. It’s just not feasible for me.
Emg in the bridge
Delete the neck pickup. I think somebody on etsy makes a delete cover for them
New nut
Polish the frets
Locking tuners
Mini rip machine
Cant beat that price!
X-Ray, when I see a designation like "techwood" or "tech wood" or some such, I figure it to be a synthetic, a composite of some sort -- like the Richlite that Gibson used for a while. Gibson's customers didn't like the material that much from what I understand, but the stuff you got is probably not the same thing. Close, though, I bet.
hopefully these open up for sale in canada i think id by a 7 string!
I wish I could sub 100 times buddy
gnarly as fuck
For what it is the guitar sounds pretty good honestly. Definitely muddy in the low end. But easily fixed. Also loved that last riff you played. Probably my favorite demo song you've done since I started following you 5 years ago along with the original demo used on the black Jim root strat.
stainless steel fretwire ?
Poplar? Techwood? But what about muh toanwood?
not bad for the price really
To me fatter strings are like drivin a 4x4 36” muds, 8” lift, Chevy square body, small strings are like drivin a Toyota tundra midsize, I prefer the 4x4
seeing a solar guitar without the middle inlay just feels so weird lmao
Oh boy those pickups are rough
You have some of the most innovative new riffs I've heard
hey thanks!
Man, when this guy said he wanted to get sleeves his artist took him way too serious
Instead of buying this will buy Harley Benton guitar , atleast they gave active pickup lines.
drop b on a 6 string is wild
How
I think I might know the reason why you feel like you’re not getting enough attack when you are digging in.
And this is something that nobody seems to be talking about .
The incorrect placement of the bridge pick up .
You can see the bridge pick up is too far away from the bridge. It also makes the Guitar look a little weird with the pick ups being closer together than they should be.. and I can tell by listening, that it affects the clarity of the bridge pickup.
Thats a fancy black guitar to match your black arms 😂
I dislike the use of poplar wood in guitar so very much! Its a cheap wood that is easy to work with and that is the only reason its in instruments. While being in the hardwood category, its barely that compared to pine which is a softwood, but poplar actually has really low density, lower than most softwood. Its trash category for instruments.
If you are using 12 gauge strings. That may be the reason your not getting the same harmonics
i had the same problem with 9's
@@xanderraymondcharles o id say it is the pickups then you didn't mention that in the video. I have that problem with large strings unless they are like the super slinky's or a hybrid set. Like what dime did he used the 3 small string from a set of 9s and the heavy 3 strings from a set of 10s so you can keep the bends at an ease but get the crunch for the rhythm
@@xanderraymondcharles it could be a pickup height to I've had some that are to close so they fritz out but sound great pulled away a bit. My fender mustang is like that
Man all that glossy plastic looks cheap. It will also crack and tarnish very quickly. Bet the frets are like cheese too.
Solars were never worth it so I doubt that’ll change
Again?