I own an Option 50 metal flake infused A2 with teal metal flake. It's an absolutely stunning guitar and I couldn't be happier with it. I think it actually plays considerably better than my Suhr and PRS guitars. I'm a convert to Kiesel as my main guitars.
Thanks! Yes I'm really amazed how well this came out! Venom finish is $600 5A flame top is $500 7A Flame top is $850 I got the 5A flame top from Aprils PYT session for $250 😉 *keep in mind pricing can change, different models may have different upcharges for upgraded tops, when in doubt call the guys*
My option 50 was certainly worth it! My lightspeed is AMAZING. But like you said, be reasonable in your choices. And LISTEN to the team. If they say it may not work, believe them!
@GreenMeanie101 thanks! Yeah it's not even shown on the option 50 page, sorta a well kept secret. Actually an OG Jeff finish from like 10 years ago I suppose most just aren't aware of the option haha
What is wild to me is that a lot of options say you can't return them because oh, it is quite unique and it will be harder to sell. Which is total 100% BS because those are the ones THEY LOVE LOVE LOVE to post on their Instagram. As far as the large black blob on pale moon, THEY SHOULD NOT make any guitars with that type of neck PERIOD. They should look at it and say "nope for this expensive custom it is not worth it to our customers" Ibanez does this with the prestige and j customs, surely an american company can when they are charging so much.
Yeah I can understand what you mean. Most of the option 50 stuff is really impressive so for sure you can make a case it could potentially be more desirable and sellable. I suppose when it comes to higher costs of more rare upgraded woods & the owners time on special finishes they rightfully want to ensure they make money as a business so therefore its going to be no return. Yes some of the PME fretboards are a bit lacking. Like I was saying in the video they can look stunning, but it is one of the riskiest no return woods along with buckeye burl.
ive heard nothing but good things about kiesils except for a few times that someone had a mix mached hue in the roasted maple fingerboard from the neck and although jeff made a sissy fit about it in social media he eventually bent at the knee and fixed the issue
Yep exactly. I always say no brand is perfect. Mistakes can happen but it's a matter of how it's handled. I agree it's not right to Rant about it on SM, but in the end it was eventually handled for the customer. Unfortunately some negative people still hyper focus that one incident and continue to try to ruin the brand for everyone else.
2:48 PRS did a multicolor version of this finish for years on their Al Di Meola signature Prism. And that's was production guitar. Parker used to do a pearloid finish on Andrian Belew signature and that's an 11-step finish similar to what you'd do in a car. The stuff Kiesel sells as Option 50 are really pedestrian in comparison to what other custom shops do. I'm a bit wary of Kiesel since they screwed a customer because he wanted an Oceanburst finish over a maple burl top. Kiesel claimed the finish wouldn't look good (despite them having done a guitar with the same finish and top before), and when the user told them to do it, they did the finish wrong and blamed the customer. Keep in mind Oceanburst is a production finish you can get on several Agile guitars. Jeff is banned from several guitar forums because of his willingness to pile on and bully people who criticize his business, even when whe he's in the wrong, which is far more often than some people want to admit.
Thanks for sharing the background on the finishes. Option 50 does entail some very interesting exotic woods & finishes. Many of which I don't see offered by other brands. That being said I wouldn't be so quick to downplay some of these unique offerings. Often times you'll have access to far better grades of top woods & finishes that you wouldn't find on other premium brands sometimes even at higher price points. I mean look at some of the bland tops you see on American Gibson's for example. Not anywhere near the level of the 5A flame maple I showed in this video. I'd have to say if any guitar company advised against a specific wood/finish combo its really on the customer if they don't follow the expert's guidance. If they choose to proceed with an order its clearly noted on the invoice and in writing that they do not recommend such combination so there is really no room for the customer to throw a fit and complain when its non returnable. Sometimes photos of something else online may not represent the same results in person. This is of course subjective and a matter of taste when it comes to a finish looking good or bad. There's many brands that have so many variations of ocean themed bursts. Have seen so many different spins on that myself. Personally I would not really even mention those lower end imports like an Agile when comparing to higher end custom USA made instruments. Nothing against them but just a quick glance at the difference in website quality speaks volumes. I get people may not like Jeff, his brand, his guitars, his policies, etc. Not saying he or the brand is perfect by any means. Any company producing thousands of guitars per year will likely have some flaws. Jeff has mentioned on live streams too they have worked to improve their customer service, acknowledging there have been areas where they needed to work on. Not faulting anyone for choosing to buy something else especially if they had a bad experience with any brand. I simply encourage people to formulate their own options based on real experience vs some random post from strangers online. The customer is sometimes right but they are NOT always right. Keep in mind too that just because you order an option 50 doesn't mean you don't have a warranty behind the guitar.
@TheDistortionPrinciple all depends on personal taste and risk tolerance. Keep in mind even though it's an option 50 no return finish for example, they still sell the guitar with their warranty.
I don't buy custom guitars to resell them, if the option fifty completes you build for you, it's worth it imo. I've 3 now and have no intend of selling any of them Not that reselling is ever a good option, unlike you like losing 50% what you paid Imo they're amazing guitars, you buy them because you play and love them for years, nothing else makes sense imo..
I have never seen a PME fretboard look as bad as that one you showed on the builder. EVER. Any company that would use that CRAPPY of a piece is bad business practice. Anyone who’s built or ordered custom guitars would know that. There has to be a minimum standard. And a company that would use that crap is not a decent human being KNOWING no one would ever be “happy” with that chunk of garbage haha
I have seen people REQUEST that type. So, you never know. I certainly wouldn't assume they gave a piece of wood that looked like that without a reason. Seems like an over-reaction based on VERY little information.
I mean, I’ve got a $100 Samick from 1992 that plays better than a Strat and my $250 Jackson plays way better than it should after a little bit of elbow grease and TLC. If you’re willing to put some work in, any of them can “punch above their pay grade”
All Kiesels play great, same features across the board, stainless frets, reinforced necks, locking tuners. Just go sold colour, alder body-, and you can't go wrong. it'll play just as as the blinged out 5k+ built, just without the fancy top and flashier aesthetics.
I own an Option 50 metal flake infused A2 with teal metal flake. It's an absolutely stunning guitar and I couldn't be happier with it. I think it actually plays considerably better than my Suhr and PRS guitars. I'm a convert to Kiesel as my main guitars.
Those are sooooo cool! Glad it's working for you! 😀
All my option 50s have been worth it! Its definitely about not going too crazy with it.
@JimDewdGuitars all yours look great buddy! Always gotta calculate risk lol
wow love that venom finish on that A2. I'm planning an A2 build for Black Friday. How much was that option 50 (including the 5A top)?
Thanks! Yes I'm really amazed how well this came out!
Venom finish is $600
5A flame top is $500
7A Flame top is $850
I got the 5A flame top from Aprils PYT session for $250 😉
*keep in mind pricing can change, different models may have different upcharges for upgraded tops, when in doubt call the guys*
Glad you like it 😮
@@NicholasANappiNick most definitely 😀
Nice vid, nice guitars. Love my kiesels, cheers dude!
Appreciate you! Glad you are enjoying your Kiesels :)
My option 50 was certainly worth it! My lightspeed is AMAZING. But like you said, be reasonable in your choices. And LISTEN to the team. If they say it may not work, believe them!
Thats awesome! Yes They've got a good team and you're right, gotta to listen to the experts!
A2 looks good never heard of the Venom finish.
@GreenMeanie101 thanks! Yeah it's not even shown on the option 50 page, sorta a well kept secret. Actually an OG Jeff finish from like 10 years ago I suppose most just aren't aware of the option haha
What is wild to me is that a lot of options say you can't return them because oh, it is quite unique and it will be harder to sell. Which is total 100% BS because those are the ones THEY LOVE LOVE LOVE to post on their Instagram. As far as the large black blob on pale moon, THEY SHOULD NOT make any guitars with that type of neck PERIOD. They should look at it and say "nope for this expensive custom it is not worth it to our customers" Ibanez does this with the prestige and j customs, surely an american company can when they are charging so much.
Yeah I can understand what you mean. Most of the option 50 stuff is really impressive so for sure you can make a case it could potentially be more desirable and sellable. I suppose when it comes to higher costs of more rare upgraded woods & the owners time on special finishes they rightfully want to ensure they make money as a business so therefore its going to be no return. Yes some of the PME fretboards are a bit lacking. Like I was saying in the video they can look stunning, but it is one of the riskiest no return woods along with buckeye burl.
ive heard nothing but good things about kiesils except for a few times that someone had a mix mached hue in the roasted maple fingerboard from the neck and although jeff made a sissy fit about it in social media he eventually bent at the knee and fixed the issue
Yep exactly. I always say no brand is perfect. Mistakes can happen but it's a matter of how it's handled. I agree it's not right to Rant about it on SM, but in the end it was eventually handled for the customer. Unfortunately some negative people still hyper focus that one incident and continue to try to ruin the brand for everyone else.
yeah, because he got caught
I wish Keisel would offer veneers on some models as a cheaper alternative to a top which requires certain woods making the guitars more expensive.
I think that would really cheapen the brand tbh. Veneers just aren't appropriate at the USA custom shop level of guitar.
2:48 PRS did a multicolor version of this finish for years on their Al Di Meola signature Prism. And that's was production guitar. Parker used to do a pearloid finish on Andrian Belew signature and that's an 11-step finish similar to what you'd do in a car.
The stuff Kiesel sells as Option 50 are really pedestrian in comparison to what other custom shops do. I'm a bit wary of Kiesel since they screwed a customer because he wanted an Oceanburst finish over a maple burl top. Kiesel claimed the finish wouldn't look good (despite them having done a guitar with the same finish and top before), and when the user told them to do it, they did the finish wrong and blamed the customer. Keep in mind Oceanburst is a production finish you can get on several Agile guitars. Jeff is banned from several guitar forums because of his willingness to pile on and bully people who criticize his business, even when whe he's in the wrong, which is far more often than some people want to admit.
Thanks for sharing the background on the finishes. Option 50 does entail some very interesting exotic woods & finishes. Many of which I don't see offered by other brands. That being said I wouldn't be so quick to downplay some of these unique offerings. Often times you'll have access to far better grades of top woods & finishes that you wouldn't find on other premium brands sometimes even at higher price points. I mean look at some of the bland tops you see on American Gibson's for example. Not anywhere near the level of the 5A flame maple I showed in this video.
I'd have to say if any guitar company advised against a specific wood/finish combo its really on the customer if they don't follow the expert's guidance. If they choose to proceed with an order its clearly noted on the invoice and in writing that they do not recommend such combination so there is really no room for the customer to throw a fit and complain when its non returnable. Sometimes photos of something else online may not represent the same results in person. This is of course subjective and a matter of taste when it comes to a finish looking good or bad.
There's many brands that have so many variations of ocean themed bursts. Have seen so many different spins on that myself. Personally I would not really even mention those lower end imports like an Agile when comparing to higher end custom USA made instruments. Nothing against them but just a quick glance at the difference in website quality speaks volumes.
I get people may not like Jeff, his brand, his guitars, his policies, etc. Not saying he or the brand is perfect by any means. Any company producing thousands of guitars per year will likely have some flaws. Jeff has mentioned on live streams too they have worked to improve their customer service, acknowledging there have been areas where they needed to work on.
Not faulting anyone for choosing to buy something else especially if they had a bad experience with any brand. I simply encourage people to formulate their own options based on real experience vs some random post from strangers online. The customer is sometimes right but they are NOT always right. Keep in mind too that just because you order an option 50 doesn't mean you don't have a warranty behind the guitar.
It’s easier just to say… I hate Keisel and I’d rather spend 12k on a 5K guitar.
Last time i bought from them they were named carvin. Its tough to bring myself to buy something with little to no consumer protection.
@TheDistortionPrinciple all depends on personal taste and risk tolerance. Keep in mind even though it's an option 50 no return finish for example, they still sell the guitar with their warranty.
how do the riffs sound?
Nice and chunky been playing through the quad cortex. Sounds good as expected.
I don't buy custom guitars to resell them, if the option fifty completes you build for you, it's worth it imo. I've 3 now and have no intend of selling any of them Not that reselling is ever a good option, unlike you like losing 50% what you paid Imo they're amazing guitars, you buy them because you play and love them for years, nothing else makes sense imo..
They're great guitars, for sure it's about personal taste. It's never an investment. Really happy with this finish!
I have never seen a PME fretboard look as bad as that one you showed on the builder. EVER. Any company that would use that CRAPPY of a piece is bad business practice. Anyone who’s built or ordered custom guitars would know that. There has to be a minimum standard. And a company that would use that crap is not a decent human being KNOWING no one would ever be “happy” with that chunk of garbage haha
@toddcontino7271 yeah dude I would not be happy with a giant blob PME for $300 lol it's either master grade or go with a different fretboard imo lol
I have seen people REQUEST that type. So, you never know. I certainly wouldn't assume they gave a piece of wood that looked like that without a reason. Seems like an over-reaction based on VERY little information.
anyone got a good recommendation on guitars that are cheap that bunch way above their price? i just want a solid build, not a 7k piece of art
I mean, I’ve got a $100 Samick from 1992 that plays better than a Strat and my $250 Jackson plays way better than it should after a little bit of elbow grease and TLC. If you’re willing to put some work in, any of them can “punch above their pay grade”
Vola seem to be great
All Kiesels play great, same features across the board, stainless frets, reinforced necks, locking tuners. Just go sold colour, alder body-, and you can't go wrong. it'll play just as as the blinged out 5k+ built, just without the fancy top and flashier aesthetics.
and you can get one for 1500-2k. Which is about as good it's gonna get for a USA custom.
Never tried one but they are interesting!
Man I guess I’m not one of those guys all I care about is how it sound an how it plays