Wolfie677
Member
So after selling/trading in my Gibson LP and ES and buying my Dark Lord, I decided to return my SM Y2D to GC as it made no sense for me to have essentially two of the same guitar. I'm not much of a collector, everything has to have an actual use for me and I really needed a guitar with a trem. After making the return and pulling a Strat that I had on layaway off, I ended up with roughly $1700 in GC credit. I placed an order for a small used ENGL amp and after paying for that needed up with around $1100 left over.
I thought about buying another JP but at the end of the day, the control layout just doesn't work for me. I like to do pinky swells and have access to the volume knob and the JP just puts it too far away. Also, having watched the video showing the JPX production process, I really wanted to try a guitar with the chambering and tone block. Enter the Reflex. This one was used on the GC website for a whopping $1,049 plus tax and shipping. After burning my gift card I think I spent a whopping $57 to get it to my door.
So let me start out by saying that I'm not blown away by how this one looks. The exposed pickups and cream knobs don't really do it for me, but GC's return policy makes this a test that has zero potential negative outcome, and there wasn't another Reflex available through GC that was less than $1600. I do however like the body shape, and find it to be much more accessible than a Tele or LP.
So when I opened the case, i wasn't stunned, but I didn't expect to be. This was always meant to be a working guitar and as it will probably acquire it's fair share of bumps and bruises I'd rather have a plain finish than damage some AAAAAAAAAA piece of maple.
Weight is almost the same as my original Y2D. The Dark Lord is considerably heavier than the standard Y2D, by probably 2 lbs or so. This Guitar is much lighter and exceptionally balanced. The very subtle tummy cut and forearm rest are also a major plus, making this guitar very usable for long practice sessions with the band.
The neck is much thinner than my Dark Lord. As my DL has my most favorite neck of every neck I have used, the Reflex leaves me a bit off, but at the end of the day we're comparing a BFR neck to a standard model so it's not even a remotely fair comparison. I love the BFR neck on the DL, but the neck on the Reflex is far from unusable.
But at this point, I'm still not blown away with the guitar. And then I got it home and plugged it in.
I can say, without any reservation I have never sounded better on any instrument I have ever played. Ever. Once I started playing and burning through the pickup options, I realized just how effortless this guitar is to use and how versatile the sounds are. I was only playing through a Blackstar practice amp but the sound of the guitar was huge.
It desperately needs a setup, which I will attend to as soon as I have more time. The bridge looks like it is intended to float ever so slightly, but the previous owner put extra springs in the trem and locked the bridge against the top. As such I'm not a fan of the bridge currently, but my opinion may change once I'm able to get it where I like it. I do love the pop in bar and the fact that the case is cut so you can leave the bar on.
I've played it for two days now and am more and more stunned every time I plug it in. I've already started looking for a 25th or a Reflex Custom. My DL will always be my favorite axe that I own, but I could really see the Reflex becoming my go to instrument. More later, I'll seep you posted.
I thought about buying another JP but at the end of the day, the control layout just doesn't work for me. I like to do pinky swells and have access to the volume knob and the JP just puts it too far away. Also, having watched the video showing the JPX production process, I really wanted to try a guitar with the chambering and tone block. Enter the Reflex. This one was used on the GC website for a whopping $1,049 plus tax and shipping. After burning my gift card I think I spent a whopping $57 to get it to my door.
So let me start out by saying that I'm not blown away by how this one looks. The exposed pickups and cream knobs don't really do it for me, but GC's return policy makes this a test that has zero potential negative outcome, and there wasn't another Reflex available through GC that was less than $1600. I do however like the body shape, and find it to be much more accessible than a Tele or LP.
So when I opened the case, i wasn't stunned, but I didn't expect to be. This was always meant to be a working guitar and as it will probably acquire it's fair share of bumps and bruises I'd rather have a plain finish than damage some AAAAAAAAAA piece of maple.
Weight is almost the same as my original Y2D. The Dark Lord is considerably heavier than the standard Y2D, by probably 2 lbs or so. This Guitar is much lighter and exceptionally balanced. The very subtle tummy cut and forearm rest are also a major plus, making this guitar very usable for long practice sessions with the band.
The neck is much thinner than my Dark Lord. As my DL has my most favorite neck of every neck I have used, the Reflex leaves me a bit off, but at the end of the day we're comparing a BFR neck to a standard model so it's not even a remotely fair comparison. I love the BFR neck on the DL, but the neck on the Reflex is far from unusable.
But at this point, I'm still not blown away with the guitar. And then I got it home and plugged it in.
I can say, without any reservation I have never sounded better on any instrument I have ever played. Ever. Once I started playing and burning through the pickup options, I realized just how effortless this guitar is to use and how versatile the sounds are. I was only playing through a Blackstar practice amp but the sound of the guitar was huge.
It desperately needs a setup, which I will attend to as soon as I have more time. The bridge looks like it is intended to float ever so slightly, but the previous owner put extra springs in the trem and locked the bridge against the top. As such I'm not a fan of the bridge currently, but my opinion may change once I'm able to get it where I like it. I do love the pop in bar and the fact that the case is cut so you can leave the bar on.
I've played it for two days now and am more and more stunned every time I plug it in. I've already started looking for a 25th or a Reflex Custom. My DL will always be my favorite axe that I own, but I could really see the Reflex becoming my go to instrument. More later, I'll seep you posted.
