Silhouette vrs Silhouette special

[ebb soul]

I've been wondering why EBMM thought it neccesary to tool up two seperate yet similar guitars. If memory serves, the Silhouette was first, then the Special.
Was the demand for a guitar with two less frets and a wider pickup spacing that great?
This seems to be the only difference as I know it.
Well, never seen a Special that was H/S/H, yet S/S/S was a Silo option for either...
Since both are the same neck scale and overall length, the special has a longer body?
That's a lot of trouble just to lose two frets.
At that point, I'd have likely considered a 24" and 25" scale to differenciate to two.

I own two specials, mostly because the other version has never popped up in my neck of the woods, especially with trem. In any case, I don't really feel I'm missing out on anything the other version offers, really, aside from H/S/H, cos I preffer singles..
For H/H I grab and old Gibson. That fatness suits mahogany.
Seems I remember the Silos with Floyd Rose, but the only ones I'd ever seem for sale were non-trems.

 

[Jack FFR1846]

Spec body is indeed different shape. Pickup placements are different. Spec puts the neck in the traditional "ideal" position. Silo puts it into the traditional "24 fret guitar" location.

Changing scale changes a lot more in playing than these differences would cause.

 

[ebb soul]

Yes, but I still don't get any real need in the two model lines, yet I'm certain there is one...
It comes down to pickup placement, which I though was determined by harmonics,...
which I would think means there is only one certain location ideal, per pickup, based on the 'even-odd cross'
there's something I'm REALLY not getting here, and I can't be the only one-
I don't get it from a MARKETing point of view, as well.
That's why I mentioned scale length, I figure you could market that..
Hey EEMM are clever, possibly the main reason I'm a fan, they wouldn't 'willy-nilly' something..
but I really never got the Silo/Silo Sp thing.

 

[Roubster]

I think it is targeted towards the more traditional players that are looking for a different take on the strat. I don't think that someone used to playing a 22 fret strat would go for a modern style super strat like the standard silhouette. I also think it has a different feel and balance. They are both great and I think it is great that EBMM offer so many choices and variations.

 

[mikeller]

Different guitars - the Special is SSS or SSH with 22 frets, the Silo is HSH with 24 frets.

 

[ebb soul]

Yes, but do two frets really change anything, sonically ?
Would one say "well a Special ONLY has 22 frets,[one more than Strat], that's a dealbreaker"?
Silos came as S/S/S as well...
So, say I was to compare s/s/s/ silo vrs s/s/s/ Special...I'd choose one over the other because....
Or, better still, tell me why I need a Silo over a Special?
I'm not a 'order and wait' kinda guy.
I've never found a Silo to AB my Specials too, in the 10 yrs I've been 'on board' with EEMM.
24 frets are great, but few of us really 'live' on that end of the fretboard, if we're being honest.
I can't imagine, as was suggested, that a Silo has a different 'feel', if scale and neck profile are the same.
Still, I suppose, if 'Mr 80's shredder guy' is looking at spec sheets, EEMM has the competition covered, and, if I had to guess, the reason is more to do with marketing.
Funny thing there, thou, is, you're more likely to find a Silo-non-trem than a Special, that I can tell...which throws a cog in my 'mr shredder guy' theory, a bit.

I digress. "collect all six" isn't that the adige?

 

[Rufedges]

Do they make a Special in a hard-tail? I play an Axis SS, very versatile, but eventually want that Alder, strat sound for some things, and even though I have heard that the vintage trems are rock solid, I have memories of a Floyd from a previous guitar and really prefer the rock solid stability of a hard tail w/ the locking tuners and have learned sort of vibrato without a trem.....will I get a bluesy, sound out of the Silo HSH at all, or is it primarily a rock machine? My Axis SS HH covers that arena, or do I need the Special?

 

[djlynch]

I have had both (a couple times!) I don't know why but I though the 24 fretter played a little easier or slinkier(sorry bad word)
both of course have the superb playability of EBMM.

 

[Roubster]

Okay, like I said before they feel quite different. Has nothing to do with the scale here. The regular Silo has a much deeper cutaway and brings the neck pickup closer to the bridge making it sound a bit brighter I would say. The bodies are quite different from each other in the respect to the feel...so they are two distinct guitars. And yes the pikcup placement makes a difference on a 24 freteter and a 22 fret guitar.

Hey Rufedges, the Silo Special can be had with a hardtail bridge. I think you can get a pretty bluesy tone out of the Silo, but I still think the Silo Special is a bit better suited for that due to the specs. But again, this is very subjective because you can also get good bluesy tones out of a JPX . It's really a matter of preference and taste.

 

[Rufedges]

Thanks.....haven't played either one, probably won't get the chance to either, will have to buy online and pray I made the right choice....online, they look like the exact same thing aside from the 22/24 frets and the pups........really think the special is probably what I am looking for, but haven't seen ANY for sale w/ a hard tail, excpet for an old 5 bolt that was on ebay a few months ago.

Okay, like I said before they feel quite different. Has nothing to do with the scale here. The regular Silo has a much deeper cutaway and brings the neck pickup closer to the bridge making it sound a bit brighter I would say. The bodies are quite different from each other in the respect to the feel...so they are two distinct guitars. And yes the pikcup placement makes a difference on a 24 freteter and a 22 fret guitar.

Hey Rufedges, the Silo Special can be had with a hardtail bridge. I think you can get a pretty bluesy tone out of the Silo, but I still think the Silo Special is a bit better suited for that due to the specs. But again, this is very subjective because you can also get good bluesy tones out of a JPX . It's really a matter of preference and taste.