Silhouette owners

[darincabell]

I'm a proud Petrucci owner, who is looking for a second electric, and have already been thinking about a Silhouette. I've already posted regarding the difference between HSS and SSS on the Silhouette.

I'm interested in getting feedback from any and all Silhouette (special or otherwise) owners about their experience with this model of guitar. What is the main difference between a Silhouette and a Silhouette Special. At a quick glance the only thing I could tell was different pick-up options...correct?

You can include anything you want, from the look, the feel, to what you use it for (rhythm, lead), or what sound you go for with it. I'd like also be interested in whether you have have HSS or SSS, and what your impressions are. Also, do you have tremelo or not. You name it, you can talk about it.

Any feedback is great. Thanks.

Peace...

 

[GWDavis28]

Darincabell, I am the owner of a Silhouette Special. I was always a $ender Strat guy, so this is why the Silhouette Special worked for me. 3 single coils, but also, I have small hands and the Strat neck never felt quite right. The Silhouette Specials neck fells like home. I get that classis Strat sound in one of the best built, quality instruments money can buy. Oh yah, mines a non trem model, which was something I really, really wanted without having to rework a Strat.

Good luck, Glenn |B)

 

[jimmyp]

A couple of years ago, I was looking for a good all round guitar - I love Les Pauls, Strats and my EBMM EVH - so I was hoping for something that could reproduce a combination of the sounds etc of these three... not an easy task. I finally settled on a Silhouette Special with HSS and trem - just for the hell of it I decided on piezo option as well and ordered a funky sparkly paint job and matching stock. It feels like a hot rod strat in many ways - the neck is very small and fast but the sound has the warmth of a strat that so may guitars (ibanez etc) lose somewhere along the way. It feels amazing - I love the contours on the Silhouette and it has the range of sounds I was looking for - balls and chunk when I need it, sparkling clean sounds (both with piezo mix and without) and bluesy lead sound from the front single coil. The build quality you should already know about - no better or worse than any other Music Man - amazing. All I can say is, it is one of the best guitars on the market and certainly one of the most versatile - hope this helps...

 

[GWDavis28]

JimmyP, have you posted you pics to the Pics Post Thread?? What color you got??

As most know here I love the sparkles.

Glenn |B)

 

[lock-ny]

The Silo special is the most versatile guitar hands down. I have a trem model with a H S S configuration and I can get any sound out of it that I need. I did change the bridge humbucker to a duncan distiortion though. I play in a hard rock band and its my #1 guitar, I cna also get good strat sounds out of the neck single coil and so on, plus the guitar is comfy and it sounds clear and its got a fantastic neck as all EBMM guitars do, go check one out -

 

[Mincer]

The Special has 22 frets, so, to me, the neck pickup sounds better. I modded mine with HH pickups and Super Sport wiring (a scalloped neck too!) and it is the best guitar I own.

 

[peter71]

I have an older (94) sil with a lacquered neck, so I may not be the best reference, but I absolutely love mine. it plays amazingly and the neck fits my hands better than anything I have ever played. I like the Lacquer finish, but have played the newer necks and find them to be great as well. I also really like the look of them, with the big round pick guard. Every time i see it, I want to play it!

That is just my thoughs, for whatever they are worth.

(Last I checked it was 2 cents on E-Bay)

 

[darincabell]

That's some great feedback so far. It sounds pretty impressive. I guess if I was looking at specs right now, I would go for a Silhouette Special HSS Standard, vintage sunburst w/matching headstock, maple neck, white pearloid pick-guard w/ or w/out piezo (trying to decide on that).

 

[GWDavis28]

Darincabell, I'd recommend the piezo, if you can afford it. I don't have it, but from those that do it's completely worth it. Seem like it would be just one more reason to get it.

If I'm not mistaken, Norm has it on his Blue Dawn Silhouette from what I can remember.

Best of luck on your choice, and post pics when you get it, we do love pics. Glenn |B)

 

[BIG GINGER GIT]

Well I just love my EB Silhouette Special, in fact it's my #1 guitar these days

I've been using PRS guitars but the last couple I've bought although sounding awesome the necks are too big for me, I had a nerve injury a while back and larger necks make it painful.
My Custom 22 is a keeper with it's thin neck and it's LP like tones but I wanted something a bit more stratty. There's the problem, I hate strats, don't like the necks, the bodies are too big, and most of the ones I've tried have had weak and noisy pickups but there's something about the tone of a strat that I like.
I looked at Tylers but again the neck was too big, Anderson which were far to expensive in the UK and then I thought about a Luke II as I'm a huge Lukather fan.
I had a hard time finding one in the UK, found a couple of Luke Blue models but I really fancied a Black Sparkle, the ones I found were silly money.
Just when I was debating a Black Sparkle from Germany I saw a picture of Pman's SS on this board and it was stunning. He was selling it and had it listed on eBay and after a few emails back and forth he convinced me it would be as good as a Luke, he wasn't wrong.
I offered him a good price and he pulled the auction and it was mine

There the story really begins, I took it out of it's case on arrival and got my hand around that neck and it just felt like home. Strapped on it's really comfy, nice and light and well balanced and for some reason I can wear this lower than my other guitars.
Plugged in it's fantastic, at first I used it through my Boogie DC5 (for sale if you're in the UK ?) and then through my Valvetronix and it's great with either. It goes from full on raunch with bags of sustain thanks to the humbucker to the smoothest, creamiest stratty tones at the neck. Mine has Rio Grande's fitted and they sound incredible, most surprisingly is the middle pickup, a setting I don't normally use on my other guitars but it's great on the SS.
So whether clean or dirty this guitar excells in both, it really is a stunning guitar and especially for the money. It can cover all styles and doesn't let me down and my only complaint is the neck pickup is still noisy ? I need to fiddle with the trim pot a wee bit more I think.
I think I'll get another in the future, maybe a Luke II or another SS but with the piezo but certainly an EBMM.

So go on mate, treat yourself to an SS ....... you'll not be disappointed !!

Oh yes, and they're pretty too ............................ look !!

 

[jimmyp]

Sorry - too busy to reply - my Silo Special is in Glacier Blue Sparkle and as yet I have not posted pics- work seems to get in the way of fun things... As far as I know, there are not too many of these, certainly not with matching stocks and piezo. I´m currently working overseas but once my contract here ends, I´ll post some pics of my baby anong with my 94 Van Halen (owned since new, I´m pleased to say).

 

[GWDavis28]

JimmyP, ah you have a Glacier Blue sparkle Silhouette Special, Cool!!! I love that color, yah I imagine that there are a few more out ther, but not a ton of them. Tim O'Sullivan has a Axis in that color and it looked awesome. Can't wait to see your pics. Where are you?? When are you heading home??

Later, Glenn |B)

 

[jimmyp]

I'm normally based in the UK but am working in Spain for 7 months - the downside of this situation is that my Les Paul, Ovation, Music Man EVH and Silhouette Special are all in storage. I work abroad a lot so my EVH, which is now 10 years old, has hardly been played in the last 5 years - what a waste! The Silhouette has not even been played in yet. I should get home in November for a couple of months so will get them all set up for playing again. Before I get asked, I always bring my trusty Strat with me when I'm away - if anything happened to it in transit, I would be devastated, but could replace it a lot easier than either of my EBMMs. I'll post some pics when I get home - later dude

 

[GrooveHT]

Hey GWDavis, have you seen the new (used) black sparkle axis ss that I got? I posted a few pics here about a week ago...

 

[darincabell]

Since my related post to this kinda died, I figured I'll just run with this one. Hopefully, if all works out I will have both my Silhouette Special w/ piezo and new Petrucci w/piezo in my hands by the time I go to music school. Yesterday, I was notified that I was accepted to LA Music Academy, so I'm still pretty pumped today. I can't believe I'm going to get to go study music. New guitars, new school...things are good.

 

[GrooveHT]

darin,
Congrats on going to school for music! I was at Virginia Tech studying music for a while (played 12+ years of trombone, mostly jazz). It was a freaking blast.
I don't believe the stock Silhouette has the silent circuit. I also believe that the sil. special is only 22 frets, where the regular sil is 24. Not sure if the special has additional contours or not, because I'm just speaking from reading about the two.

 

[darincabell]

darin,
Congrats on going to school for music! I was at Virginia Tech studying music for a while (played 12+ years of trombone, mostly jazz). It was a freaking blast.
I don't believe the stock Silhouette has the silent circuit. I also believe that the sil. special is only 22 frets, where the regular sil is 24. Not sure if the special has additional contours or not, because I'm just speaking from reading about the two.

I don't think the Special has the silent circuit either. The Petrucci will have the 24 frets, so at least I'll have one with 24. I haven't figured out how to use all 24 yet anyway!

Thanks for the congrats. I've been wanting to go for a long time. I didn't start playing until I was 25 and am 34 now and it is the time to do it, that's for sure. I don't want to be 50 years old and wonder why I didn't go for it. I'm looking forward to being immersed in music for a while. I've always been frustrated that I can't devote the time that I would like. I do what I can, but I've always felt that if I didn't go to a school, my playing would always be a fraction of what it could be. I know that it is possible to do it without it, but with the different responsibilities, it is tough to be as focused.

It's good to hear that someone had a blast at school...that gets me even more pumped. Now, I just have to wait until March to go! I almost wish it was tomorrow (except for the fact I'll miss my girlfriend and my good friends!). I just look at all the courses I'd go through (http://www.lamusicacademy.com/departments/guitar/units.asp) and I get really excited.

Peace...

 

[Lew]

Congrats on Music school!

It's great fun...and so are the girls

The Sil spec's do have a silent circuit.

 

[GrooveHT]

You're going to LAMA? Good stuff! Since I was doing jazz horn the whole time, my experience may be a little different...but hey, I also dropped out, joined the army, and work on helicopters now. Go figure At any rate, we had dynamite instructors, I mean real professionals, that got us gigs with people like arturo sandoval (tremendous trumpet player). We'd go downtown and play bars or big band gigs for 3-4 hours...just undescribable!

Jeff

 

[darincabell]

Groove HT...man, that's cool that you got to play like that...hopefully, I'll progress quickly and get the hang of a little improv...love to do that.

Lew...thanks for the note on the silent circuit...I'm still a little ignorant when it comes to specs sometimes. Electric is still fairly new for me, so it's good to have the knowledgable around. Thanks dude.