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Robbky44

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Joined
Mar 17, 2014
Messages
5
I have been been a Jackson / Charvel guy for years. I have been down the PRS,Suhr,Gibson road but I always come back to Jackson/Charvel. I have played many Ernie Ball guitars over the years. I always liked the natural necks on the Axis but the body style did not fit my style. So I have been on a search for the best playing,sounding guitar for the money for the past 3 weeks. I know I have played over 40 guitars in this time period. The price range has gone from $4000 to $400. I did get a chance to try a silver JP and a nice blue Luke at Sam Ash. Both had a great sound but each model had something that I did not prefer. The JP was awesome in every way except for the toggle switch location. I am a wrist action player and I kept hitting it with the bottom of my hand. The Luke was killer as well but I still like jumbo type frets. So after speaking to a guy at Sam ash he suggested the Silhouette. I had not even considered this model. So I had to go to GC in Nashville to try one out. I use a Splawn Nitro/Bogner combo as my rig. They have a cool Splawn competition there so it was a good place to try this guitar. I just grabbed the first one I saw which turned out to be a natural 2 hum Floyd. Now please do not be offended by this remark but I am an 80's player and I like guitars with more color and pop. So I knew this guitar was not the one that I would buy. So I plug in. WOW! WOW! this thing blew me away. Killer sound and playability. I could not put it down. It was by far the best guitar for me that I have tried. After 45 minutes of jamming I knew that I had to have a Silhouette. After calling several dealers I discovered that the Floyd model is rare. After endless searching online I only found one model that was in Germany. it was a purple one off and I think the guy wanted almost $3000. No go. GC also has a platinum site that had several dark teal and a blue burst but these were not bright so I moved on. So I finally pulled the trigger on a Sky Blue Silhouette from Willcutt Guitars in Ky. It does have an EBMM trem but not a Floyd. I have no idea how this trem will feel. It is 22 frets as opposed to the 24 fret model that I played. The guy at their shop assured me that this model would play as easy as the one I tried even though their are differences. I love Dimarzio pups so ti should give me that sound that I like. I had to go with the HSS set up as well which is OK I think. I am a little nervous and really hope that the magic that I had with the one at GC will be there with this model. I like an easy player. When I bend notes I do not like the guitar to fight with me. So it arrives in a few days so here is hoping that I will be super happy with it. I almost bought the one at GC but I knew a paint job was in order. That just seemed silly. So can the EBMM folks chime in? Did I make a mistake or do you all feel that all is well?? Remember I am a first timer here. IMG_1848.jpg
 

Robbky44

Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2014
Messages
5
Ok so being 3 hours from Willcutts is a plus. My Silhouette arrives today. Can't wait.
 

Tollywood

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Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Messages
4,178
Location
Rhode Island
Hello, and welcome to the forum.

I think you'll love the Silo Special. I was a diehard Floyd Rose player since 1986 and I would swear by their bridge...until I bought my Luke III with the ebmm vintage tremolo, and now I can't stand the Floyd Rose. The ebmm vintage trem is so smooth, and the locking tuners keep that thing in tune no matter how aggressive I get (I'm an 80's player, too). I would only buy an ebmm with a vintage trem now that I've tried one. So, I guess I'm trying to say that I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the vintage trem.

Good luck!
 

Robbky44

Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2014
Messages
5
I hope so. That was the advice from dealers. I just need the strings to give when I bend notes. Most hard tail guitars feel very stiff to me so I always look for trem guitars.
Hello, and welcome to the forum.

I think you'll love the Silo Special. I was a diehard Floyd Rose player since 1986 and I would swear by their bridge...until I bought my Luke III with the ebmm vintage tremolo, and now I can't stand the Floyd Rose. The ebmm vintage trem is so smooth, and the locking tuners keep that thing in tune no matter how aggressive I get (I'm an 80's player, too). I would only buy an ebmm with a vintage trem now that I've tried one. So, I guess I'm trying to say that I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the vintage trem.

Good luck!
 

edhalen

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Joined
Oct 27, 2009
Messages
1,813
Location
Illinois
You will absolutely love the SS. The same give you speak of will be there. Trust me. Having said that, I have a Reflex hard tail and there's PLENTY of give when bending. Thought I'd miss not having a trem but it is so much fun to play I don't miss it at all. If I want a trem I just grab your SS's little brother the SBMM Silo30 (which I own) and go all nutso on it. Stays in tune great.

Welcome to the addiction!!
 

Roubster

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Joined
Aug 20, 2005
Messages
2,639
Location
Crooklyn, NY
The Silo Special is awesome! Only thing you may want to do is change pickups if you're more of a rock player. However when I had mine, it was a rock machine yet could do so much more. The vintage trem is really nice! If you can set it up to float like the Luke, it is pretty awesome and you won't miss the locking trems...unless you are looking to do some Vai shenanigans.
 

paranoid70

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 9, 2007
Messages
2,647
Location
Long Beach, CA
Silhouettes are the best, you made a good choice!

BTW, when you do a string change you will be glad you opted for the vintage trem. ;)
 

DrKev

Moderator
Joined
Jul 8, 2006
Messages
7,506
Location
Somewhere between Paris, Dublin, and Buffalo
Nice buy! Welcome to the family Robbky!

But yes the MM trem is so good that it convinced Lukather and Petrucci gave up their Floyds and and they've never looked back! The trem can be set to float so you get the pull-ups as well as the dives.

The stock DiMarzio pickups are fantastic, Music Man were going vintage vibe vintage with these pickups and they are versatile enough for just about anything. The humbucker is the same as what you already tested in the store, so no surprises there. It might be vintage voiced and low output compared to what you're used to but the clean sounds are great and it the more gain you give it, the more it sings.
 

Robbky44

Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2014
Messages
5
The EBMM Silhouette has arrived. Man it looks so much better in person. The blue actually darkens at different angles. It has just a touch of metallic in it. So much better than I expected. I am thrilled that I did this now. I was very nervous until it arrived. It plays like butter and sounds killer through my Splawn Nitro. The ONLY thing that would make this guitar better for me would be a matching blue headstock. Meh its not a big deal thats for sure.I honestly wish I could call Willcutt right now and order the Ruby red model but that will have to wait. It plays as fast and easy than anything that I have ever laid hands on. More people need to know about these guitars. I am blown away. Thanks be to Willcutt guitars for a super deal and fast turnaround.
 

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Coffeemug

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Joined
Oct 30, 2008
Messages
1,457
Location
K-Town, Germany
The Silo is such a great and versatile guitar, a true classic! Haven't seen Sky Blue in person but it looks great in all the pics I've seen so far, to my eyes it looks just right with the natural headstock. Congrats and welcome to the forum family!
 

Robbky44

Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2014
Messages
5
Well I have had a few days with the Silo and I love it. I do need to take it in as the intonation is a little out on the top E string. I tried to adjust a little but I am not a guitar tech. I smile when I play this guitar because it is a perfect fit for me. I love the Dimarzio pups. I did need to crank up the gain from 60% to about 75% on my Nitro but it is still fairly quiet. These pups will do anything that I need. I roll the volume back for anything but lead tones. It has such a clean sound. Very tight. I may order a different color pick guard just to mess around a little but this guitar is a beauty. The paint just cannot be captured in a picture. I plan to do a short demo video soon. NOW I sure hope I can get another Silo soon. Maybe before the year is out so I have a back up.
 

lock-ny

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 23, 2003
Messages
877
Location
NYC
Hi Robby I'm late but I have 2 and they're awesome guitars, if you need more gain swap the pup...
 
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