Very seriously thinking of getting my first Silo - need some help!

[Trev76]

Hi all!

I'm new to this forum and EBMMs in general. I've been looking for a guitar that suits me for roughly a decade, and in that time I've owned an SG, Ibanez S540ltd, Les Paul Standard, Fender Mustang, and an ESP Viper (with EMG 81s). They're all great guitars in their own right, but I've always found *something* lacking in each one.

Now that I know a lot more about what I want (and don't want) in a guitar, and after looking at countless guitars trying to find one which works best for me, I'm quite sure that an EBMM Silhouette is what I should go for.

What I like about the Silhouette:

1. Body shape/ergonomics - I guess I'm more of a Strat guy and I've always found this shape (and variations of) to be the most comfortable and natural. The Silo's contours look pretty comfortable. Of course they look great too but I don't have to tell you guys that.

2. 25-1/2 scale, rosewood board.

3. Versatile pickup config, passives. Piezo option.

4. Cost - Much more affordable than the guitar I was previously considering, a PRS Custom 22, which means I could buy a Silo and not have to resort to eating cardboard for the next year or two (ketchup dosen't help).

Confession - I've never played a Silo before. To be honest, in the past I've kinda brushed them aside because I always thought of them as being "guitars for virtuosos" - and I'm nowhere near the level of those guys!

Also, where I live I don't have the luxury of trying one out in person, so I'm gonna have to get one online. However, looking at the specifications for the Silo, and from all the great reviews and comments here and elsewhere about these guitars, I feel quite comfortable in purchasing one. I'm also a bass player and own a '95 Stingray, so I have no doubts about EBMMs commitment to quality.

Anyway, here is the guitar I'd like to get:

EBMM Silhouette (H/S/H)
Standard (strings-thru-body) bridge, with piezo option
Rosewood fingerboard
Black finish with matching headstock
Black pickguard

Some questions:

Neck: This is the most crucial part for me personally. In particular the 10" radius concerns me, as most of the guitars I've used (apart from the Ibanez) have a 12" radius. In a nutshell: seeing as how I have rather small hands, would the Silo neck be relatively comfortable? I like thin/narrow necks, but not anywhere thin as the Ibanez Wizard necks, and not as chunky as the Gibsons. If the Silo's neck finish is smooth at the back and not painted (sticky), that would be a big plus too.

Piezo: I've never played a piezo equipped electric, but it would make a lot of sense to have one at this point in time. What are your thoughts on the Silo's piezo system? Anything negative I should know about it? Also, is there a separate switch that turns the piezo output on, and are there any additional controls relating to it (piezo volume/blend with mag pups etc)?

Sustain: The Ibanez S540 was the only bolt on guitar I had and it had dissapointing sustain. Granted this also to do with the way the guitar was made on the whole, but I'd still like to know your thoughts about the sustain on the Silos.

Pickups: Never had any experiance with DiMarzio PAFs. I play a wide variety of music, but mainly in the vein of 70's rock (think Mick Ronson-era Bowie, T.Rex, Sweet), metal (Tool), some prog stuff (Krimson, Floyd). I'd also like to have clean strat-like tones at my disposal. How would the stock pickups fare?

Pickguard: This is not really important but more out of curiosity - Are the Silo's top routed, or is the addition of the pickguard purely for aesthetic purposes only?

Ordering: Never ordered a guitar online, so would it be possible to place an order for the exact guitar I want, as in, when I place an order with a dealer, will they relay this to EBMM and get that specific guitar? If anyone can suggest a good dealer that would be great too.

Well, thats all I can think of at the moment. Thank you for taking the time to read all of this, and I apologize for the terribly lengthy post, but since I'm buying sight unseen I just want to be sure, you know? Any help, information or comments would be *greatly* appreaciated!

Thanks again,
Trev

 

[Larry]

First of Welcome

I can only answer two of those (never owner a Silo... yet ) but I do have a Ball with a piezo and know a great EBMM dealer.

I have the piezo on my Luke (I know its not the same gutiar but the piezo aspect of it is the same.) And its really cool tool to have in the arsenal. I believe with the Silo and Silo special there is only a blending knob. Not a toggle switch as on the Luke and JP. There are two outputs two outputs one for the magnetics and one for the piezo/mag mix). Someone more knowledgeable then myself can clear that up for you but I believe I got it right.

As far as dealers give Pete DuBaldo a call/e-mail he is a great guy and a awesome dealer. He can give you all the info you require to make a informed EBMM order

Here is his website which contains all the contact info you need to get a hold of him to make that dream guitar a reality BTW he will ship it to you as long as you are in the USA.

Welcome to the new DuBaldo Music Center website!

/salesman pitch

 

[leftyguitarblue]

Welcome to the forums!! You have made a great choice and obviously have done your homework. I have a Luke and it is the best guityar I've ever owned and I have a Silo on order as we speak and I know you'll love it (based on what people have said here about them). But I am a EBMM user for life after playing their guitars for 5 minutes. I bought mine without playing because i am a lefty and i don't get many opportunities to try guitars out first.
You are making a good choice.

good luck and welcome again!!

 

[JeffreyB]

Hey Trev and welcome to the forum! The silo is a great choice....definitely one of the most versatile guitars out there! EBMM guitars are the most consistent among the brands that we carry and their quality control is second to none.

Where are you located? What type of music do you like to play, and what are you looking for as far as the neck shape?

Lots of great people here on the forum and we're all willing to help in any way we can.

 

[GuitarHack]

Trev:

I have two Silo Specials and a 20th Anniversary Silo, so here's my $0.03:

Neck: This is the most crucial part for me personally. In particular the 10" radius concerns me, as most of the guitars I've used (apart from the Ibanez) have a 12" radius. In a nutshell: seeing as how I have rather small hands, would the Silo neck be relatively comfortable? I like thin/narrow necks, but not anywhere thin as the Ibanez Wizard necks, and not as chunky as the Gibsons. If the Silo's neck finish is smooth at the back and not painted (sticky), that would be a big plus too. Silo neck is awesome...I have average sized hands, and have no problem at all. It's my favorite neck on the planet excpet for the Axis, which feels a little chunkier to me, but still not too big. It isn't painted, and the back is smooth as butter. It gets smoother with age, too.

Piezo: I've never played a piezo equipped electric, but it would make a lot of sense to have one at this point in time. What are your thoughts on the Silo's piezo system? Anything negative I should know about it? Also, is there a separate switch that turns the piezo output on, and are there any additional controls relating to it (piezo volume/blend with mag pups etc)? The reason I'm getting a third Silo Special is the peizo. I have it on Axis Super Sport, and it is really useful. Here is a diagram that answers all of your questions:

http://www.ernieball.com/mmonline/techinfo/controls/Silhouette_HSH_Piezo_CFD.gif



Sustain: The Ibanez S540 was the only bolt on guitar I had and it had dissapointing sustain. Granted this also to do with the way the guitar was made on the whole, but I'd still like to know your thoughts about the sustain on the Silos. I NEVER felt myself wanting more sustain. In fact, I have an offer in hand from a friend to buy one of my Silos, even though he has never played it through an amp. He said just by strumming a chord and *feeling* how the body resonates, and how long it takes to decay, he can be assured that the guitar will be happening. I think he's right, though I verifed to that conclusion gigging through an amp BTW, I think the bolt-on = poor sustain is a myth if the guitar is made right.

Pickups: Never had any experiance with DiMarzio PAFs. I play a wide variety of music, but mainly in the vein of 70's rock (think Mick Ronson-era Bowie, T.Rex, Sweet), metal (Tool), some prog stuff (Krimson, Floyd). I'd also like to have clean strat-like tones at my disposal. How would the stock pickups fare? Disclaimer, I don't have the HSH Silo, I do have the HSS Silo Special, so I can't speak for the neck pup on the guitar you're considering. But, this guitar is as versatile as you can imagine. It might not be ideal for nu-metal, but a pedal or the right amp could help. If you want to cover a lot of ground, including everything you mentioned, this guitar can do it.

Pickguard: This is not really important but more out of curiosity - Are the Silo's top routed, or is the addition of the pickguard purely for aesthetic purposes only? They are top-routed. One of the cool things about the Special is that if you have an SSS, you can buy a loaded HSS pickguard from EBMM, price is very reasonable. The pickup assembly attaches to the guitar by way of a 3-pin Molex connector, so w/o soldering anything, you can go SSS to HSS (or vice versa) in five minutes. The route is very clean, with no extra wood removed, except that the bridge pup on the SSS is already routed to accommodate a humbucker. BTW, I've been inside my Silo Special SSS to do this, and the inside is immaculate The wiring workmanship looks like MilSpec.

Ordering: Never ordered a guitar online, so would it be possible to place an order for the exact guitar I want, as in, when I place an order with a dealer, will they relay this to EBMM and get that specific guitar? If anyone can suggest a good dealer that would be great too. I'll let others answer the ordering part. Since you decided on the colors and features already, you've done the hard part

Well, thats all I can think of at the moment. Thank you for taking the time to read all of this, and I apologize for the terribly lengthy post, but since I'm buying sight unseen I just want to be sure, you know? Any help, information or comments would be *greatly* appreaciated! You can't go wrong with this guitar...good luck!

 

[robelinda2]

as above- get a silo special, you cant go wrong!

 

[candid_x]

Howdy and welcome, Trev.

Have to chuckle at virtuoso. I’m certainly glad that’s not true or I’d be playing something else.

I’ve never tried a Silo so I can’t say much about them, but – the only thing better than a Silo Special are two Silo Specials .

Oh, and as for: "In a nutshell: seeing as how I have rather small hands, would the Silo neck be relatively comfortable?" I have small (and old) hands, and the Silo neck is a Godsend.

 

[GuitarHack]

Howdy and welcome, Trev.

Have to chuckle at virtuoso. I’m certainly glad that’s not true or I’d be playing something else. +1

I’ve never tried a Silo so I can’t say much about them, but – the only thing better than a Silo Special are two Silo Specials . +100

Oh, and as for: "In a nutshell: seeing as how I have rather small hands, would the Silo neck be relatively comfortable?" I have small (and old) hands, and the Silo neck is a Godsend.

Regards,
GH

 

[marantz1300]

new silo owner

iv.e got an old six screw 1989 silo.iv,e also got a les paul, jap strat,s540 custom ibanez ,mex tele and had a u.s.a. and two other jap strats. The silo is the best built ,has the best playability,is the most comfortable and has the best tone of any of them.it has e.m.g.s and is great clean or dirty.the quality is second to none .you wont be dissapointed if you get one.

 

[Trev76]

Thanks for all the replies everyone. This is all very helpful. I think I'm going with the Silo then! Again, thanks for all the help!

 

[matty]

Hi Trev-

I recorded some sample clips of my Silhouette Special through an amp I recently purchased. I put the clips together based on how I like to hear sound samples when amp shopping. Here's the YouTube link:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxnXZYe7crA"]YouTube - Richter 5.8/Ernie Ball MusicMan Silhouette Special[/ame]

The amp is a Richter 5.8. It's a 5-watt amp with a big sound and surprising head room. At any rate, I think my Silhouette Special sounds great and pretty "stratty". The neck pickup rocks and position 2 has some great chime. I also have the piezo and love it. For the kind of work I do I am always using the combination of the magnetics and piezo live. It is well worth the extra money and sounds really great through a large sound system.

Good luck and I hope this helps.

Matt

 

[JeffreyB]

Hey Matt...thanks for the clips...that was perfect the way the text explained the pickup settings, and with the barber on or off....very helpful!

very nice, sir.

 

[matty]

Hey Matt...thanks for the clips...that was perfect the way the text explained the pickup settings, and with the barber on or off....very helpful!

very nice, sir.

gracias.

 

[whitestrat]

Sustain: The Ibanez S540 was the only bolt on guitar I had and it had dissapointing sustain. Granted this also to do with the way the guitar was made on the whole, but I'd still like to know your thoughts about the sustain on the Silos. I NEVER felt myself wanting more sustain. In fact, I have an offer in hand from a friend to buy one of my Silos, even though he has never played it through an amp. He said just by strumming a chord and *feeling* how the body resonates, and how long it takes to decay, he can be assured that the guitar will be happening. I think he's right, though I verifed to that conclusion gigging through an amp BTW, I think the bolt-on = poor sustain is a myth if the guitar is made right.

Trev: I just started another thread on this topic. Honestly, if you're used to the crappy sustain from an Ibanez, then you're in for a very pleasant surprise. My JP6 sustains as well as any neck thru mahogany monster out there... My strats have thin-nitro, and no paint in the neck joints, and they still don't sustain nearly as well!

I'm totally impressed with the sustain from EBMM guitars, and I really don't know how they do it.

 

[roburado]

Anyway, here is the guitar I'd like to get:

EBMM Silhouette (H/S/H)
Standard (strings-thru-body) bridge, with piezo option
Rosewood fingerboard
Black finish with matching headstock
Black pickguard

Ordering: Never ordered a guitar online, so would it be possible to place an order for the exact guitar I want, as in, when I place an order with a dealer, will they relay this to EBMM and get that specific guitar? If anyone can suggest a good dealer that would be great too.

You can spec it out however you want it, provided the options you want are available. In your case, you'll be just fine. Get in touch with Pete DuBaldo.

The only thing is that it will take 6 months or so to get the guitar unless the dealer has already ordered one exactly the way you want it.

 

[NorM]

Good choices sir!

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8hMGOhZ_KA"]YouTube - shredfest06[/ame]

Piezo trem SiLO and I am running a high gain setting and the piezo through a PA for the entire song. I have since loaded this SiLO with EMG's but this is the PAF pros

When running the mags thru a high gain amp I have found it's necessary to run the piezo through a DI box because of a 60Hz hum issue.

I really like that the SiLO has only the volume knob for the piezo switch

 

[JeffreyB]

I ordered a white silo special with HSS, trem, rosewood board, tortoise shell pickguard.
I ordered it for the store stock, but I have a feeling that if someone doesn't claim it, it wil be MINE!!! (muah ha haaaaa!)

 

[paranoid70]

NorM, you kick ass bro... very impressive.