DrKev
Moderator
Jaw dropping! 
- Thread starter DrKev
- Start date
Man... that St. Vincent is a stunner. I wasn't a huge fan of that model but the Goldie series has something a little classier about it that has me interested. That deep red finish is so pretty with the gold.
That guy playing it-- Jack from Peach Guitars-- is one of the best noodlers I've ever seen; never runs out of great musical ideas and never messes up. The videos of him (and also Greg Koch) playing the BFR Pine Green Valentine definitely helped push me over the edge into buying mine.
That guy playing it-- Jack from Peach Guitars-- is one of the best noodlers I've ever seen; never runs out of great musical ideas and never messes up. The videos of him (and also Greg Koch) playing the BFR Pine Green Valentine definitely helped push me over the edge into buying mine.
Tollywood
Well-known member
I agree, that color and hardware look amazing together.
Ok... watching this a few more times....more and more interested in this guitar. I think oddly enough I was already thinking I'd like a guitar in a dark red color and then seeing this video, this model really intrigues me.
So I gotta ask... how's the balance of these guitars-- both playing and standing? Is there neck dive? Any less than ideal position issues? How about the experience of shredding in the uppermost frets? Is that squarish cutaway a bit more awkward for upper fret lead work?
It's kinda weird that this color has a rosewood fingerboard while the gold and the black colorways have ebony. I've always loved ebony fretboards and disliked rosewood-- though I'm becoming a fan of the rosewood that I have on my Valentine. I suppose with the red color, the reddish nuances of rosewood might match better-- it looks that way in the video. I would almost aways prefer ebony given a choice, but it wouldn't be a deal breaker for me in the case of this guitar.
So I gotta ask... how's the balance of these guitars-- both playing and standing? Is there neck dive? Any less than ideal position issues? How about the experience of shredding in the uppermost frets? Is that squarish cutaway a bit more awkward for upper fret lead work?
It's kinda weird that this color has a rosewood fingerboard while the gold and the black colorways have ebony. I've always loved ebony fretboards and disliked rosewood-- though I'm becoming a fan of the rosewood that I have on my Valentine. I suppose with the red color, the reddish nuances of rosewood might match better-- it looks that way in the video. I would almost aways prefer ebony given a choice, but it wouldn't be a deal breaker for me in the case of this guitar.
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I have both an original and a Goldie, I don't get any neck dive from either. The length of the body and where the strap pegs are located, to me, position the guitar really well when standing. I feel I can move with the guitar better than any of my others. As far as upper register shredding, single notes are mostly fine, it might prevent your pinky from getting involved, and it does get a little awkward with certain arpeggios and chord voicings. None of those things are real problems for me personally (they held up great gigging in a Prince tribute band). AND what's nice is, because the neck is an inch or two out further to the left (think Jazzmaser), I find my hand doesn't get bunched up against my body when playing in the upper areas. More difficult chords in the middle a d lower registers are also more comfortable. Where the instrument positions sitting is really nice as well-very natural height for the strumming hand, natural position for optimal tone relative to bridge and neck, and again because the length of the body puts the neck out to the left a couple inches it winds up playing in some ways like an acoustic. A smaller body guitar playing like a bigger body guitar. Seriously overall one of the most comfortable guitars I've played.
DrKev
Moderator
Yes, this guitar looks stunning but also THE TONES! I have watched this video over a dozen times now. WOW!
If ever I had a Music Man wish to make a one-off guitar for the rest of my life, it would be a Silhouette Special body, in that finish, with that pickguard (adjusted a little to fit), that neck, and those pickups.
If ever I had a Music Man wish to make a one-off guitar for the rest of my life, it would be a Silhouette Special body, in that finish, with that pickguard (adjusted a little to fit), that neck, and those pickups.
Nick, thanks for the nice decription of how the St. Vincent balances. In general I like more compact guitars-- I have a couple of headless guitars and I'm really comfy with their compactness and how they position over the body. But what you wrote about some guitars with longer bodies having the neck more to the left is interesting. I don't have much experience playing Jazzmaster style guitars but I do have one of those cheapo Slick SL-56 guitars which is essentially a Jazzmaster design and I do love how it positions in both seated and standing positions (for a cheap guitar its really cool-- has a semi-hollow body and a P-90 in the neck and a tele pickup in the bridge. If it just had a bit more of a satisfying neck carve-- and had a nicer fit and finish-- I'd never put it down.)
I do have long arms and long fingers and I've always found certain positions tend to jam me up around the 9th-12th frets-- even on my Valentine. I'll have to put the St. Vincent on my short list of guitars to try out in person.
Kev, I agree-- the tones in that demo are really nice. I've watched it several times too. The pickups have such a single coil sound for being humbuckers. Chimey but throaty too. I like the pickguard design on the Goldies better than the original.
I do have long arms and long fingers and I've always found certain positions tend to jam me up around the 9th-12th frets-- even on my Valentine. I'll have to put the St. Vincent on my short list of guitars to try out in person.
Kev, I agree-- the tones in that demo are really nice. I've watched it several times too. The pickups have such a single coil sound for being humbuckers. Chimey but throaty too. I like the pickguard design on the Goldies better than the original.
beej
Moderator
That's a great colour. My first MM was a Rolls Burgundy Silhouette Special
tbonesullivan
Well-known member
That really is a great color. I wonder what Silk Charmeuse would look like in that lighting. I understand it is actually a dark blue metallic, not black.
