Now This Guitar Is Different! - The SLICK SL55

This guitar is definitely not a straight up Tele! Let's take a closer look!
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[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

Would you guys rock something like this? Enjoy the demo :)

[@Numocron]

Wow Darrell this is such an awesome guitar I love it. :)

[@toutou6308]

I sure would

[@forbiddensun9524]

Perhaps in another color I like it but it just seems kind of weird to me

[@AndyDion]

Great demo! I’d rock it!

[@tylerevans1700]

Would definitely rock that thing out

[@MrYatesj1]

Earl Slick, was David Bowie's guitarist starting in 1974 (Diamond Dogs, Young Americans and Station to Station) He was Bowie's guitarist on most tours from that point on. Slick also played with John Lennon including the Double Fantasy record. He has a solid track record in history of Rock-n-Roll. Just in case some folks didn't know.

[@brianstallard5446]

Don't forget Phantom, Rocker and Slick when Setzer left the cats. Men without shame is one kickass guitar jam!

[@Pinko_Jess]

Thanks for this! I was curious

[@Nobody_Nowhere_Never]

Thank you

[@artamussumatra6286]

3 of my favorite Bowie albums, my respect for Mr. slick just skyrocketed. Thanks for the info. Not too crazy about his line of guitars tho....😉

[@clintwilson6380]

He's an under the radar legend. Probably my second favorite Bowie guitarist.

[@bkmeahan]

Earl Slick is underapreciated as a guitarist and his guitars are freaking awesome. Just wish he would do a line that wasn't reliced.

[@kirkscobey3031]

Funny thing is that most people know at least something he’s played on! Me Double Fantasy/John Lennon

[@hughschick3001]

Bowie got busted for not giving Earl writing credits...

[@BOBANDVEG]

Earl threw together some awesome guitars. Good line. I believe the problem was literally they were rock bottom , no frills, quality guitars. Ie....they had to charge ya somewhere

[@bigblueplanet1968]

@@hughschick3001 wow, no kiddin?

[@AndrewLewisHowe]

The "Aged Black Ash" models don't really appear reliced, despite their name. But I concur. All the others are reliced. I suspect that's because it's easier to throw on crappy paint and run a sand over the body than it is to do a nice finish job. I'm pretty happy with my Xavier guitar from GFS. Have you tried one of them, and if so, how does it compare to the Slicks? My only complaint about my Xavier is the neck is a bit thicker than most (but not as thick as a cheapo from Amazon or Monoprice - those were so thick I had to take a sander to them and reshape them.)

[@kmatax9237]

to all those interested in this guitar, i have one and heres my 2 cents... this was my first gfs purchase, ive been waiting for the other tstyle with brass bridge FOREVER to go back in stock, so if you want one now, get it while theyre there or you'll be waiting 6months+. when they finally did come back, i saw these models and all the features sounded better than the other model. i got it shipped quickly... once they shipped it. they give you $10 off if you buy a case with it, i wanted the foam one and whole deal shipped was $300! sweet! a week later im still waiting for tracking info so i email them and they don't have that case. i opted out and the guitar shipped very quickly! few problems- nut is slightly shifted off center, no biggie, but when i lowered bridge, high e string was sitting on 1st fret... still thinking what im gonna do... maybe bone nut? the fretboard at the nut, at high e is not flat, looks slightly.. dented? not chipped... frets were surprisingly ok... but the fretboard was dirty from the polish compound from fretwork i think. i just did some light filework to round the ends to my liking. the routes for pickups are kinda larger than should be... oh well... one thing though.. these pickups have those plug in connectors underneath i think so you cant lower the pickups much when youre lowering the bridge, that kinda sucks. one big thing to watch for-this finish is VERY fragile, i think i moved this guitar against another and scratched it, i mean, you can take your nail and it will scratch SUPER easy!!! im considering either putting on some tru oil over it or spray some mohawk nitro and let it age, not to prevent every scratch but just so it has some protection. the body is heavy!!! this aint swamp ash, its tough heavy ash and it will dent! neck profile is very thin. these are all lil things i noticed. really, i think the guitar is fantastic and sounds great. i had 2 other xaviere guitars and the quality surprised me. i would recommend having it set up professionally and that will make it 10 times better. sorry, that might have been more like 200 cents, not just 2...

[@neocollective]

Thanks for your input, very useful 👍

[@mathprodigy]

Great insight from actual owner, very appreciated

[@ricka5959]

Thanks, I'm interested in these, and you input is helpful.

[@jaypeterson7637]

Great input...it was everything I might have asked before a purchase. Thanks!

[@johnnyh64]

Would you recommend the Slick over the Xavier or the other way around? I’m more interested in an HSS strat but Slick doesn’t make one.

[@williamo1938]

I see new video from Darrell, I see funky yeller tele, I click, I click like.

[@sneifert1968]

You should have mentioned that the Slicks also come with "Quick Plug " GFS pickups so swap outs are easy and solderless. Otherwise, nice review.

[@unabonger777]

are the regular teles routed for a neck humbucker? the SL51?

[@chrishyde1216]

I met Earl Slick at a club where he gave a talk in 2019. Cool down-to-earth New Yorker who worked with Lennon and Bowie, amongst others. Check out his role in the Bowie Glstonbury 2000 performance. Not only a great guitarist but also a great speaker.

[@rayschoch5882]

I'm a fan of low-end instruments - I have several. This sounds good, and the minor cosmetic issues don't bother me, though I don't much care for the "relic'd" look.

[@sneifert1968]

Me either. I have a Xavier T-Type and it was a great deal at $209 incl. tax and shipping. Needed a little fret polishing and a better setup. ( easy enough) I wasn't happy or surprised it had mini pots, but I can always get a premium prewired harness from GFS for about $40. Pots are fine, but if ever one goes bad.... I've also considered a pickup swap. Again the Lil'punchers sound great, just not traditional tele.

[@FabioLovaglio]

This brand is doing something really interesting that other brand aren't doing, the raw wood feel is actually something you don't get in any guitar on that price and is such an easy thing to achieve and a lot of people want that these days, short scale on T, the pickups sounded quite nice (the bridge was convincing the neck so so), I'm really impressed!

[@jayartz8562]

I love that brass wraparound bridge.

[@picksalot1]

That's one of the very best sounding guitars I've heard you demo. I like tone knobs, but it didn't seem to need one at all. Amazing!

[@hearpalhere]

Looks and sounds really good Darrell, thanks for showing it.

[@alanlevesque7180]

Nice. I already have a Slick Tele. I play it more than any of my other guitars. I'm getting this thing. 👍

[@matthewbrock5450]

Same. I play mine more than my LTD EC1000 w/ EMG's. Amazing rigs for sure.

[@martinhroch344]

The Billy Gibbons vibes are strong with this guitar.

[@literaturmurks]

Thank you so much! I've started learning to play the (acoustic) guitar not long ago and thinking about a first electric guitar, I really fell in love with this one. The pick-ups on the Tele body sound great!

[@oldmantwofour5561]

Darrell: "It's not very versatile..." Me: "It's $279. I've got a drill and a soldering iron. How versatile do you want it? "

[@Dreamdancer11]

Exactly.

[@shawnbailey7827]

Idk man, GFS sell the pro500 LP copy. With set neck, arch top, full maple top, coil splits with the kwik plug shipped to me for 300 and it's pretty versatile. I think they offer more versatility for the same price on the website lol

[@maggieo]

That control cavity could fit another pot, easy.

[@ndtealmusic]

It's essentially a short-scale Cabronita. And I'd contest that Filter'trons get more mileage than standard Tele pickups. Seems versatile enough to me.

[@rickmiller7884]

Thanks D, I just ordered one of these, it gets here 2/26, I can't wait. It is my first T style and my first Filtertrons. I got it mostly based on your review. In the past I have purchased a Spark Amp and a Stage Right 15watt Tube Amp, also on your recommendation. I loved both of those and am hoping for another winner. You are the gold standard of reviewers IMO. Great job, keep it up.

[@rocnrobyn]

Love it!! Thanks for the demo!

[@derekgenre8057]

I picked up the exact same one and I flat love it !!!! Your video sold me on it. Was looking for different tones for recording… what a fun simple guitar !!!! Thank you for the review !!!!

[@p.s8950]

I'm always amazed at how you tend to make any guitar sound good. Is there vids of you playing gigs out there. want more.

[@wcjohnny1]

Always loved how Earl Slick made his guitar sound wickedly incredible . Glad to see he's found a way to keep his excellent legacy alive in a great and affordable way . Heard him first on the David Live at the Tower Philadelphia album ( mind blowing guitar work ) and have been a fan ever since . Down to earth good guy .

[@Papeoapeoaoe]

Please The Ultimate 335 I need it, with everything you know I want to see how you can transform a guitar type ES-335, good video.

[@ChrisNash]

Very cool demo ! Thanks !

[@SCALEBEASTS]

Love the color scheme, black and yellow/amber/gold is always a nice combo.

[@JimboLodisC]

I feel like a brass nut would have completed the look.

[@mathprodigy]

Would have been a proverbial "nice touch"

[@wildeasage]

Great tonal diversity between the bride and neck! I'm impressed by this thing, seems like it's got everything you could want.

[@mathprodigy]

Dude it seems like a really well made and unique instrument, and i really dig the tones you're getting out of those pickups with the swamp ash body and maple neck and fretboard. And the wood grain feeling finish really is a nice touch, and so is the artificial aging. Great review on what seems to be a great guitar!

[@g2DN2aTYHzNsVR6o]

I just got my SL60 the other day, and I'm blown away by how good it is. It plays great and sounds great. I don't like relic aesthetics, but for $250, I'm overlooking it. Basically, they have saved money on the looks, and poured all the budget into stuff that matters. I'm flabbergasted by how good the P90 pickups sound, and the frets are better than I've seen on some much more expensive guitars. The only thing I'm missing is a tone knob, but I think I'll add one myself. I might also move the selector switch to the upper "horn," which is where I'm accustomed to it on guitars like that. If you're looking for a crazily affordable guitar that still sounds great, that Slick line is stellar.

[@frantisca]

A great value for the money. GFS surprises me with the quality of their products. The pickups cleanup quite well through the volume pot, and differentiate well between the tone of the bridge and neck. OK, it's not a 4K$ Gretsch, but it stands out with hororable mention: what else do you need to rock out ?

[@DocRaunchy]

Really good demonstration, especially the filming.

[@shauncarter924]

DB, you’re gonna need a storage locker for all those guitars LOL. I wish I had that problem haha. Good work my man

[@clivematthews95]

Great review as always, great guitar 🎸

[@scytheakse]

I just wanna say, you and jhs have made me want to play again so bad I ordered myself a new guitar this morning!

[@jeffreyeagen4896]

That's a pretty slick guitar!

[@MrAntsrules]

I've watched this video twice because its great well done sir

[@benjaminfowler4513]

Surprisingly one of the best sounding guitars I've heard on the channel lmao. It be like that sometimes I suppose

[@ivanwesley8182]

My thoughts exactly. He highlights a lot of low/mid priced guitars with great specs but they usually sound crappy. This has mediocre specs but sounds great. I’ll take the one that sounds great every time

[@grif5332]

Nice thing about it is it's basic simplicity. A good base to build on. You won't feel too bad drilling a hole in it to add a pot. If you bump it...you're adding character.

[@rhettbh]

Love the vids my guy.

[@guitarkis4969]

I had the Slick SL57 Strat. Regret selling it....looked awesome and played nicely. Great pups and neck and just sounded so much better than the Squier strats. Someone is happy with the guitar now.

[@b2bw1955]

Took a while for it to be available ...but I just purchased a Slick SL57. Your positive review of the SL55 pushed me to take a chance on the SL57. My first online axe purchase and I am super delighted with my pick. The guitar is solid and the neck is perfect. So far I am in love with my SL57 and can't believe it only cost $259.00. I got the Black Ash (Indian Rosewood neck) and my wife thinks it is beautiful ...so it wasn't hard to get her onboard with my new purchase :)

[@mattbrillhart2922]

What I appreciate is the simple yet still unique design. Fancy tops and colors are fine, but the core of the guitar is sometimes overlooked. Love this simplicity yet cool looks (altho not huge fan of the headstock). I’d rock this!

[@ericnepogoda9165]

It's pretty easy to hit the headstock with some sandpaper during a string change to make it match the aged look of the body. The headstock finish came off much easier than I expected.

[@martyf663]

The aged black ash with rosewood looks really cool ;)

[@kmatax9237]

i got the vintage burst with walnut fretboard. love it!

[@cutragnolinvisibile6984]

I have a Gibson LP Special and a Fender Stratocaster and I was searching for a budget Telly style guitar. I found Slick guitars and now I’m in love with my SL51 in Daphne Blue.

[@ScootersGroove0801]

Darrell, long time listener, first time caller.. I have been looking at Slick brand guitars for a few years, the one downside that made me not want this model is that if you break a string you have to take off the bridge to replace it. Thanks for all your vids.

[@DeAthWaGer]

Damn. Didn't notice it was so low! Well since the routing is so crap to begin with, you might as well chisel/drill diagonal pathways torwards the holes for ease of string changing. I'd be drilling a hole for a tone knob and series/parallel switch anyhow...

[@valueofnothing2487]

That's ridiculous. Why would they make a guitar with all that brass, good frets with a design like that. Glad I read this far.

[@geertzwager1309]

Nice demo again mr Braun!! I have a Slick SL60 (with P90's) for about a year now. Pickups, neck, fretboard and sound are absolutely perfect. I am less pleased with the wraparound bridge and the wood of the body. Adjusting the bridge height is a hassle and some Slick owners need to go through that hassle every time when changing strings. You can see that on Darrell's example: the string ends are actually below the top of the body, which means that you have to screw the bridge up to make space to put the strings through the bridge string holes. As someone else mentioned before me: the body wood is quite soft. I think it's basswood, which -in my theory!- might be less suitable for a wraparound bridge: before buying my Slick, I noticed two Slicks where the bridge under string tension started to hang over; the holes for the bridge poles got wider. Keep in mind: this is my theory. These might have been guitars where the holes for the bridge poles were drilled too wide.

[@RahduDrahkqul75]

4:37 when you hit that A chord, the tone very reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen's Glory Days." Vintage vibe for a great price.

[@rogwo1941]

I bought an SL 50 first. And then, within a few weeks, I got a SL60 and a SL57, will receive an SL 52 tomorrow (and this SL55 will be added in about 3 weeks). And I'm absolutely thrilled with each and every one of them. It is quite possible that there will be more.

[@blkjakk]

With overdrive this guitar tone reminds me of Rick Springfield’s tone. 👏🏻👍🏻

[@StephenOshea]

very nice guitar . great colour . sounds great true value guitar

[@axelrad5624]

Love your videos Darrell! I would love an Encore E6 (S-style) guitar review. I was unable to find any sold review of that guitar

[@zacharykim295]

Its so yellow... reminds me of lemon starbursts. Love it.

[@kmatax9237]

no no no sir, the website says this color is butterscotch. lol!

[@Madchris8828]

I think its super cool overall, the brass is a nice touch. I'm not a super big fan of Reliced guitars myself but this is one of the cooler ones I've seen.

[@paull8678]

I've had a Slick SL51 (also a tele style) for a little over a year now. Solid. great playing guitar. I did have the nut replaced because the string spacing on mine was really dodgy, but no other complaints.

[@marinepilot5723]

I have the SL-52 tobacco burst model. I’ve put some work into it...polished and crowned frets, replaced nut with bone nut, changed out the tuners to reliced Grover lockers, and one thing that I HATED about these guitars is the logo...I think it looks rather hideous, so I sanded all the paint off the headstock and repainted with a simple black automotive paint...all fixed 😀. It plays great now and it’s one of my favorite guitars from my collection. Also, the Earl Slick pickup line is actually pretty dang good! I have the stock PAF vintage pickups in my SL-52 and they sound fantastic...I have no plans of changing them out anytime soon. All in all I feel like I have a pretty awesome guitar!

[@TheApsodist]

This guitar sounds amazing!!!

[@kenthhamner2641]

Liked the cleans pretty quickly. Distortion tones nice too, seem to be between hb and sc! On the looks I'm torn a bit!

[@daddio307]

would love to see this go head to head with the Harley Benton TE-90FLT VW Deluxe Series. they seem very similar.

[@Heath.houston]

Something to mention, they left a nice full-size control cavity, so plenty of room to add a tone knob! It's easy enough to DIY it completely, OR you can buy a harness with the quickplug stuff included from GFS and, aside from drilling a hole, pretty much just drop it in, plug it up, and done! I think you can even buy those same knobs individually, so, yeah, BOOM!

[@blandchip8053]

Just played the Gretsch G2215-P90 Streamliner Junior Jet Club Electric Guitar, and it's amazing at 349. Has the same set up save for a P90 in the neck. So many tones. Through the Vox Valvetronix, there are a myriad of tones to be achieved. I need Biden to send me that 1400 so I can get both.

[@fabiorolim42]

I’ve always fancy this guitar at GFS but never saw a real demo of it. I own some brand guitars but this roughtness is my style. I’ll get one for me now !

[@smeercat]

I would rock the living S out of this guitar. I have been using GFS pickups for years and they are Very good. The Mean 90s are awesome!

[@JBM_71]

It sounds very nice. Love Filtertron style pickups

[@tjcolatrella943]

I got the Slick SL-60 recently and love it! I have a custom built Tele and a Custom built Strat I love but much more expensive and valuable! My Tele was built in 1980 by Bob Jones, Matt Umanov in NYC Greenwich Village and the finish done by myself! The Strat with a Clapton soft V neck was built to spec for me by Roger Steinberg at Clinton Guitars in NJ. I say all this in part because I paid $249 for the Slick SL-60 plus less than $30.00 shipping! Thank you Earl Slick you rock!

[@briannelms158]

Been looking at the Slick SL51 was wondering how the build quality was ! Thanks Darrell !

[@manbearpig2164]

Sounds great, I'd buy one

[@robertclarkguitar]

That country rock western folk ish lick at 5:00 mark. Not a big country western type but that was bad ass. Hehehe. The timing was what made it unique towards the change at the end. Nice.

[@jcse4558]

Great review and I‘m already sticked to it. I own two Slicks, and my all time favourite is the SL60. Maybe I’m lucky but there’s no need for a more expensive Telly…

[@adisolar]

I actually like it. Pickups are not too hot and just as warm and clear as you'd want them to be. Sound really nice both in clean and with gain or distortion. Not bad at all. And it looks pretty cool too. Didn't notice what kind of nut it has.

[@guitashmurtz4772]

Thank you very much!

[@dontderockmeriz4546]

Def on the buying list for 2021. Love the relic job. And the sea foam green. You should try to get a hard luck kings guitar. They seem hit or miss but look cool. And the new Kramer HSS is only $129 if you can find one in stock. Worth a video for sure. Even if it needs some adjustments who cares.

[@angusorvid8840]

Definitely my kind of gutiar. An unpretentious rock machine for a great price. And I love the tone of those filtertrons. Different and powerful. The sunk-in wraparound bridge and Gibson scale are my kind of thing.

[@terrygore115]

The neck pocket on my Slick guitar was extremely loose. I bought an Allparts Fender spec neck and it want fit. So there you go. Pay for crap, get crap. Lesson learned!

[@slinginpixels6833]

This guitar looks and sounds really nice. Two requests: #1 a review of the Sawtooth ET or ES Series (both run about $200). #2 a list of the top 5 best guitars under $250 for 2022. There are SO many options now, that it's hard to keep track!

[@iberiksoderblom]

Really like the sound from those PickUp's ! The cosmetic's... Well it's supposed to be a little ruff. Like !

[@2bikemikesguitartopics145]

Those pups are GFTrons, gfs version of filtertrons. They sound good. I just got a couple of gfs rotrotrons. They're slightly different from the Gftrons.

[@heavybrett-al4082]

Wow! This guitar seems and sounds pretty great for that cheaper price range,I'm impressed.

[@place_desjardins]

nice review

[@grene1955]

I loved the tones! Given good playability, and holding tune well, it's just hard to justify the top dollar for a Premium guitar...might have to pick one up!

[@magicdaveable]

Adding a tone pot would be a piece of cake. I think one of these SL55's is destined for my guitar rack.

[@willland1243]

The Slick Guitar brand is new to me, but by your demo I think I would like it. But I'm not a fan of the (aged look) on my guitars, can I get it without it? Would love a master tone to go with the master volume to. You can play very well and love the show. I always wanted to build a guitar and you make it look so easy. Hope you would another one soon. Or one show you could show the Guitars you have on the wall behind you 😍 I think I have taken just about most of them. 😍🤤 Love the lime green tele with the black pick-gard! Great job! 😃👍 Will

[@coolaxe-dw4840]

Beautiful, period 🎸🎸🎸🎸

[@sawyer.vincent23]

This guitar is awesome!!!! 🎸

[@jackvai2681]

I have one of these and one of the single pu super strats... they're both awesome and the price is unreal.

[@albertorobinson7611]

Thanks for the tip

[@aitken1965]

A Tele with filtertrons! I’m in!!

[@newmexicosaint]

? I am always curious how “out of the box” all of your guitar reviews are. Do you swap strings? Set up the guitar? Set the action? Neck adjustment? Could you add this to your reviews?

[@davidsummerville351]

Very cool axe

[@RockCoversMusic]

Sick interesting slick!

[@JohnDoe9764]

Hey Darrell, nice video as usual! Have you ever tried/tested Reverend Guitars? I would love to hear and see you playing some of those. Btw, they are not quite affordable, but you should keep an eye on Gamble Guitars from germany. They have some great models, all built by hand.

[@jamesmcgheeii7838]

I have a Xaviere GFS thin line tele style w/ maple neck with gold foil pick ups and I’m very happy with it. I’ve also got a made in Mexico tele and a Squier Tele so I have a basis for comparison. I think that the Xaviere stacks up nicely compared to them, For what I paid.

[@nickm.9474]

Pretty cool guitar.

[@StillLivinTheBlues]

That sounds and looks pretty sweet. I'm not big on the headstock design, but that's personal preference.

[@johndemarchi6952]

Nice sounding guitar

[@BuckSatan13]

Now that you've played Xavier, Slick, and Harley Benton, I'd be curious to hear you thoughts between them. I'm looking at a semi hollow and debating between Xavier, Harley Benton, and Epiphone. You are a fantastic resource.

[@00SunLover00]

Thank you very much for your great content! Could you please make a review of the harley benton te 52?

[@NoUploadJustComment]

Neat sound.

[@thornwivans]

Love it...love the rough cut...love the different pickups and bridge..awesome..can you send me that one ion you don't want it?

[@OsLapsosBandaRock]

You could play a lot of AC/DC on that machine!🤘🤩🤘 Very interesting specs...🤔👍

[@REPVILE]

My complaint about Slick is that every GD guitar is “relicd”. I hate this relic trend. I want my guitar to look pristine when it is new, not look like a factory 2nd drug behind a dodge dart

[@REPVILE]

@Ed Raposo I got nothing against guitars that show use. Relic finish is just poser bs

[@teslaedison6236]

It's cheaper for them to make it this way that's why they do it