MAYONES GUITARS DIDN'T WORK FOR ME...(WHY I SOLD ALL 3 OF THEM)

[@spoonerluv]

Completely agree with your points. The wenge neck wood choice is a dumb choice by Mayones, every single Duvell I've had has had neck dive because of it. Also, the necks are definitely baseball bat territory because of how wide they are haha. That being said, I have an original John Browne Qatsi 6 bolt/pre arm cut that I don't really want to let go of. The guitar itself is a piece of art, and I can deal with a guitar that fights me a bit in small doses.

[@TopShelfGear]

Thanks for watching! I'm glad these points were well received. It's a bummer man on these necks... such amazing guitars, so beautiful. I really tried to like them but just couldn't get past the neck shape and wood feel. So much potential if they could just revise that. I'd order a hydra in a heartbeat if they would just change the neck and add the body contour!

[@Kataklysme666]

Neck diving is not a "personal reason". For me it is just not acceptable for an instrument in this price range

[@Legionary512]

Hey man. Have an older Hydra, and I have to agree, it's deceptively heavy for a headless and the neck is chunkier than expected. It has Bare Knuckle Painkiller pickups and I'm considering modding for Fishman Fluence or some other actives. Do you think there is enough room on that small body for that mod? Still looking for the perfect headless :(

[@TopShelfGear]

Glad you understand exactly where I'm coming from lol yeah so close to perfect but just not quite there. I'm not entirely sure about the Fishman on that. Seems like the space would be pretty limited. I do like the painkillers as well, I have them on another guitar they are great 👍

[@EhsanImani]

Got a Duvell 6, Regius 7 and Aquila, never had a neck dive problem with any of them

[@TopShelfGear]

glad to hear they all worked for you :)

[@RequiemDead]

I currently own 3 Mayones, 1 Regius and 2 Duvell...I have never experienced neck dive on either of them. I am curious what kind of strap you were using, maybe something like an air cell strap would have worked well?

[@TopShelfGear]

Thanks for checking out the video. So the first mahogany body Duvell really had pretty bad neck dive in all positions. I would typically use a nicely padded extra wide strap for better comfort. The body was just too light so those heavier neck woods would dive like crazy with or without a strap. From there, the other black limba Duvell had a bit heavier body which resulted in much better balance. That wasn't an issue on that one. I mainly sold them as I just could not vibe with the chunkiness and rough texture of the neck. Really would love to see some revisions from Mayones in the future. An updated Hydra would be so amazing!

[@Johnnydirewolf]

Hey! I've 2 Hydra VF and considering selling my Strandberg to get a Regius. I've heard the Duvell's neck is like the Hydra, but how does it compare to the Duvell? Cheers! And @TopShelfGear great video and awesome to have videos like this that promote people sharing their experiences. Keep it up! Subscribed :)

[@TopShelfGear]

@Johnnydirewolf what's up! Thx for watching! So in my experience I felt personally the hydra had a slightly chunkier neck than the Duvell (I owned both guitars at the same time) I didn't measure them with a caliper or anything but did notice a difference. I asked a question in the mayones fb group and some of the guys assured me they were exactly the same so idk 🤷‍♂️ I believe the Regius has slightly a thicker neck than the duvell (double check their website) something to keep in mind. Lots more videos to come so thanks for your support!

[@RequiemDead]

@@Johnnydirewolf FYI, I have my Regius for sale on reverb, buckeye burl top and I own 2 Duvell's. The neck is more slim and narrow than a Duvell.

[@TopShelfGear]

Just double checked the neck specs online. Does the Regius feel thinner than the Duvell? I haven't personally played a Regius, just curious. Regius specs: Width at nut - 43 mm Width XII fret - 53.5 mm Width XXIV fret - 58.5 mm Thickness I fret - 20.5 mm Thickness XII fret - 21.5 mm Duvell specs: Width at nut - 43.5 mm Width XII fret - 54.0 mm Width XXIV fret - 58.0 mm Thickness I fret - 20.0 mm Thickness XII fret - 21.0 mm

[@shanewalton8888]

Neck dive is a big issue for me. I got rid of my beautiful ESP Viper because I couldn't stand the neck dive.

[@TopShelfGear]

Ahhhhh yup those vipers are cool but yes I've always read complaints about neck dive unfortunately

[@vonclod123]

I had the Baritone Viper, and yes it had neck dive for sure..moved it along.

[@LucasLeCompteMusic]

I sold two Blackats and bought a Duvell. The Duvell fits me like a glove. I legit shit out riffs for over a year. Liked it so much i bought a 7 string.

[@alexnachname7130]

The are also a few duvells without the wenge neck. If u ever custom order a mayones u could get a maple neck. I never noticed neck dive and i own a duvell 7. i prefer my regius, super light guitar

[@TopShelfGear]

I have seen some early models with some maple laminate necks. Wish they still did that standard but good to know.

[@StevenDvillarreal]

I appreciate your feedback. I have always wanted a Mayones. Specifically a hydra. Instead I went with a Kiesel Osiris. And o couldn’t be happier. It’s an amazing guitar

[@TopShelfGear]

You're welcome! Same thing here! I tried to like the Hydra and as cool as it was it just did not work for me. My Kiesel Osiris has been fantastic and has everything I could not get on a headless Mayones (deep forearm contour bevel, thinner neck, smooth neck wood (no wenge), and a chambered body.

[@rjrelato2380]

Currently have 2 duvells. A custom and a BL6. Both don’t have neck dive. Both are more or less 7lbs. Just got lucky i guess. On the neck profile, i love it. Reminds me of a gibson 60’s slim taper neck with a suhr modern fretboard.

[@TopShelfGear]

The BL6 I had was solid. No neck dive, wasnt too heavy either. About mid 7lbs IIRC. That light weight mahogany was just too light so combined with a heavy wenge neck it just would dive like crazy even sitting down. Crazy as it sounds I recently got a newer Hydra elite 6 with Mahogany/poplar and its been much better. Yeah I'd still like a slimmer neck, BUT for some reason the wenge on this specific one feel much smoother. Since its headless obviously no neck dive so 4th try was the charm haha. Thanks for watching

[@Stringboiler]

It's OK that some brands/guitars do not fit for you. It's good that we can choose out of brands today - Mayones, Suhr, Sadowsky, Kiesel/Carvin.... whatever you like p.s. but neck-diving is unacceptable

[@alinfarca6490]

You're right. I had two mayones duvell (elite and mbc). It was the same problem , the neck -dive , most on mbc but also on elite . The sound was great but I sold them. Now I have one duvell standard , no neck-dive maybe because it's no wenge wood in neck and the body is heavy. Also the sound is very good.

[@mikekashouty516]

I literally just sold my Duvell elite yesterday. I gave a bucket list guitar a chance and I was completely heartbroken that I didn’t get along with it. All the points you mentioned are on point with the exception of the wenge neck, I personally love the feel of it. I play Warwick basses and they all have wenge boards and one has a full wenge neck. Love it! But that’s just my experience personally. Other than that you took the words right out of my mouth. I am actually going back to Jericho guitars, they are super comfortable to play and you can’t beat the quality and specs for the price.

[@TopShelfGear]

I know man.. it was such a disappointment. So much potential with the brand. I really tried to like them but just couldn't vibe with the neck. I do like wenge in some specific builds for me mainly as thin laminations, but it can be hit or miss depending on the personal taste of the player. I have never put hands on a Jericho but they do look interesting especially for the extended range players. My only concern would be if they have any decent arm contours? from the pics online doesnt look like most of them do.

[@mikekashouty516]

@@TopShelfGear I agree. Amazing build quality and specs but sadly uncomfortable for me. As for Jericho it would be worth trying one out. They are super comfortable to play. I’ve owned a soulmaster, edge premium and an elite. I have an elite baritone on the way. My edge was a baritone as well as my soulmaster. All three models have very different necks but all have been extremely playable. If you can find one for a decent price to re sell if you don’t like it, it would be worth the investment.

[@solomonmonagle8688]

Love the video mate, thought you explained it really well. Totally agree the Duvell neck is a bit surprising in it's bulk, I tend toward slower and heavier on the Duvell to compensate. They're now re-introducing maple as a neck option for the Duvells, and introducing a new neck profile, so would be very interested to hear your thoughts if you took the plunge again haha. Or maybe try a Regius core? The necks on those are significantly faster than the Duvell, somewhere between an RG and Horizon neck, I find they definitely encourage more technical playing.

[@TopShelfGear]

Thanks for checking it out! Yeah so much potential with these instruments. They are soooo close to perfection. Amazing quality! Yes I am now seeing different neck woods so that is great news. If they could just make the necks not so wide and just stick to a normal 43mm width that would make a huge improvement. I have never tried any Regius model, but From what I can see they are slighly narrower at 43mm nut width but at 20.5mm at the 1st fret should be slightly thicker than the Duvell, so idk about that... Will give them another try if I see some redesigns!

[@solomonmonagle8688]

@@TopShelfGear the duvells are funny, they look so much like a sleek shredder but then the necks are just thick slabs. they sound massive but play a bit slower. the regius (especially) core neck specs I honestly think are wrong on the site hahaha, my cores are drastically thinner than the duvells. hopefully you can try 1 sometime and see what you think! also they should bring back the Setius, those are sick, amazing neck profile

[@TopShelfGear]

Yeah they really do look like shred machines! I did see a recent post from Zjons in Netherlands that new 2024 model supposed to have "updated thinner neck profile" I asked on FB if they knew the dimensions but unknown at this time. This would be great. I also really like the new 3 piece maple wenge neck that looks great too! still hope for finding a Mayo I like haha.

[@solomonmonagle8688]

@@TopShelfGear fingers crossed for you mate! i've got a new duvell landing soon with a 5pc wenge/maple neck, if it feels any different I'll let you know :)

[@eliasfriedl9385]

I recently got a used duvell 7 which was bought before the „rework“ in 2019. It got a smooth maple neck which i like a lot more than the wenge purpleheart ones on the newer models and isn’t really neck heavy either but as you said the body cuts into your forearm quite a bit sometimes

[@TopShelfGear]

I wish we could still get that smooth maple neck but with the 2019+ body contours! Lol I also prefer the 6 bolt neck heels too

[@eliasfriedl9385]

yeah i mean maybe it‘s possible with the configurator/custom shop but that would be even more pricey i guess :/

[@TopShelfGear]

@@eliasfriedl9385 I asked if they could do a thinner neck before as well they said no :(

[@eliasfriedl9385]

oh thats unlucky :( but can they do a satin maple neck or is it wenge only?

[@uvp5000]

Thank you for your thoughts. Well-presented, thoughtfully reasoned, and maturely responsible accepting that the instrument did not meet your needs. I play primarily acoustics these days, but, should I come across a Mayones, I would gladly try one with your thoughts in mind. Have I sometimes been much less open-minded when assessing guitars than you were? Yes. Sometimes the instruments work well with the player, sometimes they're good but not the best fit, and then there are those guitars (instruments of whatever type) that are best left on the shelf, not worth a second, let alone a first thought. Your videos are presented very nicely and your work is very good with timely photographs detailing the points you make. Bravo, nicely done.

[@TopShelfGear]

Thank you for your kind feedback I really appreciate it. Absolutely amazing guitars! I am still a huge fan of the mayones brand overall. Hope to see some uodates in the future!

[@JJ-mp7rg]

Kinda surprised not to see any swamp ash or roasted maple. From what I know those are both very light woods. Roasting the maple gets out moisture and is supposed to make it stronger and lighter. Nice and smooth too. Does Mayones just kinda favor other woods or is it just these particular guitars?

[@TopShelfGear]

Yeah I mean they definitely do offer swamp ash/roasted on body woods. No roasted maple necks on the Duvell/Hydra models unfortunately. Agreed the roasting does typically result in a lighter weight. Not necessarily stronger, if anything the roasted necks can be more brittle. If you could get a Duvell or hydra with any other neck wood other than wenge, I'd be all for it. The Hydra needs that updated forearm contour as well. Would love to see this happen in the future!

[@lharmy]

Super interesting video. Always loved the look of Mayones and its on my list for guitars to eventually own. Not heard of any of the issues you had with them so really grateful you brought them up. Food for thought for sure!

[@TopShelfGear]

Glad to share these experiences! I had been eyeing them for years myself. Amazing guitars overall. Zero issues with them, just not a fan of that roughly textured neck wood and the chunkier profile.

[@lharmy]

@@TopShelfGear Yeah I like a nice smooth neck and all my guitars have a thinner neck profile so not sure how I'd get on with a Mayones either. Have to find one to play somewhere. Which I should probably be doing anyway before spending that kind of money 🤣

[@TopShelfGear]

@lharmy yeah man you gotta try one before you buy anything lol it's almost like feeling a Crack in the sidewalk but under your thumb 👍 😅 lol weird analogy but that's what I've felt on all 3 of them.

[@misterkenova6695]

Great info dude. I'm a Kiesel dude, but have always had my eye on Mayones. How do you compare your Kiesel to these Mayones?

[@TopShelfGear]

Thx man! Yeah, I definitely prefer kiesel overall. Mainly, the neck shape and selection of neck woods are what I think set them apart. I've seen people ask Jeff all the time in live streams why they don't offer wenge, and he always explains why that rough texture isn't something he would want. He makes a good point, too, aside from the rough feel, those open pores in the wood can trap dust, sweat, dead skin, etc. Causing it to smell over time. All fair point imo.

[@SeattleMartin]

@@TopShelfGear I built a neck a few years ago with a Wenge fingerboard (as I didn´t have time to order one in ebony), and although it looked ok, the wenge was hard to work with, partly because it splinters easily. I got jabbed a couple of times, and I was always afraid that when playing the finished neck that I would get spinters along the edge of the board. Never did though.

[@TopShelfGear]

@SeattleMartin these are great points! I absolutely LOVE the look of wenge. Probably one of my favorite exotic woods 🪵 I have read that it's very difficult to work with and wenge splinters have a higher risk of infection too. I've also heard people say on fretboards where you would normally use fine steel wool on something like ebony that the wenge can trap bits of the wool and can be a problem

[@apostolispaspalakis2627]

I have a 2015 Masterbuild duvel elite and mine doesnt have a neck dive. I do however feel the bevel and i wish it was solved when i had gotten it. Besides that the guitar is a work of art. There aren't words.

[@TopShelfGear]

Amazing guitars indeed! Looks wise they are for sure my favorite brand. Just wish they offered different neck woods and had a little thinner neck shape.

[@prc7232]

Those are all duvell problems… try a regius, i’ve played a few, best guitar i’ve ever tried.. better stability and narrower neck (they also look better imo)

[@TopShelfGear]

Narrower neck on the Regius but is it not thicker? 20.5mm vs 20mm at 1st fret?

[@Phybia]

It seems to me like the only Mayones to go for is the Regius model.

[@TopShelfGear]

I actually just picked up another Hydra recently believe it or not and its much better than the old BL version I had before. Yeah the neck shape isn't perfect but for some reason this one feels way smoother despite being wenge.

[@Phybia]

@@TopShelfGear Any experience with a Regius though? It's between that and a Music Man JP or JR for me right now

[@TopShelfGear]

@@Phybia I have not had any experiences with the Regius. Nice looking shape, not too extreme "metal" look to it. Slightly narrower neck width which is a plus for me. Also would need to be a satin finish since I do not care for gloss necks.

[@Phybia]

@@TopShelfGear Got you. Thanks man!

[@1donniekak]

I keep going back to my made in Japan Ibanez guitars.

[@TopShelfGear]

I can certainly respect that!

[@toddcontino7271]

Just be sure, the only reason you didn’t like the Hydra was because it was a little heavy and didn’t have a forearm slant?

[@TopShelfGear]

A few reasons actually. 1.) Neck too wide & chunky (felt actually thicker than the Duvell IMO) 2.) Forearm contour was Lacking 3.) Yes it was a bit heavy for a headless 4.) Forgot to mention in video but the strap button location causes a bit of neck dive which isn't good especially on a headless guitar Hope that helps!

[@toddcontino7271]

@@TopShelfGear yes thank you! I’ve been eye balling one to order but I can’t play one first because no one has them local to me. I’m contemplating just getting it to try and maybe just sell it if I don’t like it. Weight never bothers me and I usually prefer chunky necks…neck dive would be annoying but maybe I could use it as a sit down guitar for videos. Ugh idk maybe I’ll just get another PRS

[@TopShelfGear]

@@toddcontino7271 If you can find a Duvell used good condition it would be fairly easy to resell. I don't think they are necessarily the heaviest guitars but of course than depends on woods etc. The black limba one shown in this video was like 7.3lbs IIRC (no neck dive) So if your ok with sorta wide neck that's a little chunkier that may be fine for you. Basically with the hydra still being heavier for a headless guitar, I just think the Duvell makes more sense. Especially because the strap button location issues on the Hydra.

[@SJ-yf5wh]

Odd I haven’t noticed neck dive on my Duvell

[@TopShelfGear]

Only was an issue on 1 out of 2 that I had

[@bearmadden1776]

So I owned 12 Mayones guitars over the years, including 2 Masterbuilder Collection models, and out of every guitar I ever held in my hands, the 2 best were without a doubt Mayones. Those two were the Regius 7 MBC Chili, and maybe somewhat surprisingly a "non-custom" Setius. Both those guitars were made right after Mayones really became a big deal (coincidentally same time as when djent became popular, go figure), and they were simply flawless. HOWEVER, I do keep hearing that a few years after that Mayones guitars really dropped in quality. Cannot confirm because I never owned one made after like 2016-17. What's interesting though is that a group of Mayones employees left that company and joined another polish boutique manufacturer, Skervesen Guitars. Those were a little hit and miss in their early days, but now they're absolutely top shelf (see what i did there) and you should definitely check one out if you haven't yet. The Raptor model is exceptionally good. Their headless is great as well.

[@TopShelfGear]

Thanks for sharing your experience! That Regius sounds gorgeous! I'm definitely still a huge fan of the brand. In the 3 guitars I owned myself all super high quality with no issues thankfully. Just wish their neck were different like I mentioned. I have also heard great things about Skervesen, I'd definitely like to try one at some point 👉 thx for watching! Nice pun BTW 😂

[@bearmadden1776]

@@TopShelfGear I meant design quality has dropped. I think it’s universally accepted that the Duvell is their worst design. I have played one at some point and my initial impression was wow, can’t believe they charge this much for an Ibanez RGD. Don’t own one so I can’t say they’re bad.. they just don’t seem to be the same brand for some reason. Well, it is what it is. Cool video man, I’ll be back for more. Cheers!

[@BlazinLow305]

@@bearmadden1776 The horns look weird on the Duvell to me. Like someone just sketched out the rough shape and never refined it.

[@bearmadden1776]

@@BlazinLow305 I agree, it’s definitely their most mid model. The headstock looks lazy as well. I guess they were trying to appeal to a specific audience.

[@stopUkrainewar666]

Rather buy ketchup than mayonese

[@TopShelfGear]

But is mayonnaise an instrument? 🤔

[@tweed0929]

@@TopShelfGear bass with mayonnaise with a slice of baton rouge makes a nice smorgasbrod.

[@pbosche]

Does SweetRelish Sound sell that?

[@ewanbyrne]

To make your videos more interesting, show us you with the guitars, playing the guitars. Anyone can talk about online pictures without playing (or ever owning in some dishonest cases) the guitars.

[@TopShelfGear]

I hear what you're saying but the series is all based on guitars I have sold in the past so therefore I have no way to play them. Hope you understand the purpose of these videos.

[@12to3Guitars]

Wenge necks are great for stability but they feel like an old branch even when you wax the grain. I'm in agreement with you. Not for me.

[@TopShelfGear]

Well said! I'm actually surprised when I see people on forums/fb groups raving about how amazingly fast wenge necks feel... I just don't personally get the hype.

[@12to3Guitars]

@@TopShelfGear yeah maybe those folks just play a lot of doom metal lol

[@Zbbycl]

always wanted to buy a mayones duvell until I tried a real one in store😹

[@TopShelfGear]

That neck is deceptively chunky! Lol

[@thomascoolberth2648]

I'm a huge fore-arm bevel proponent. Can't really play one without it.

[@TopShelfGear]

100% agree. That "sharp" edge on the hydra really disappointed me. If they ever update it to be like the Duvell, I'd get em one last chance

[@rishikeshdeka8606]

Mayones is a custom guitar brand mainly so if you didn’t like the guitar, it’s a you problem and not a Mayones problem. Nobody can make better guitars than Mayones and that’s a fact.

[@TopShelfGear]

@rishikeshdeka8606 custom is a very broad term. Agree they make amazing guitars but at that level to be truly "custom" they should consider offering different neck woods and neck profiles IMO

[@rishikeshdeka8606]

@@TopShelfGear They do offer, just mail them. I got the wood combo of my choice from Mayones. You should thoroughly understand the climate of your region and then select woods based on that. Personally, I would never go for a Wenge neck. Stop putting your own fault on brands and if you don't know how to customise your guitars, just go for regular production guitars like Strandberg and all.

[@TopShelfGear]

@rishikeshdeka8606 your completely missing the point of the video man but I'm glad you found what works for you 👍

[@rishikeshdeka8606]

@@TopShelfGear Never buy someone else's used custom guitars, be it of any brand, it's fully certain that you or anyone else will never like it. As for Mayones, I will highly recommend you to order a new Mayones Regius core model of your choice and as for neck, you can go for tonally enhanced woods combo of 11ply maple - Wenge - mahogany - amazakoe. It's the best for most climates, and me personally being from a place with very harsh and unpredictable climate, the neck is damn good. As for body, go for swamp Ash or black limba.

[@thesay5663]

Which guitar finally made you play like Steve Vai ????? You know when I was a little boy I believed my air Jordan’s would let me dunk but truth was I just sucked…… maybe you should dedicate a page just to wood species!!!!

[@TopShelfGear]

Easy bro, Not sure why you're so spun up there,, the goal was to share some experiences with the brand to help others. There's plenty of demos out there which make any guitar look and sound great but I'm here to talk about what others arent.

[@CameronMosesart]

Mayonnaise lol

[@TopShelfGear]

It's a fun name to say lol

[@CameronMosesart]

@@TopShelfGear I want to try one, but I already sold a kidney to buy a Gibson lol

[@TopShelfGear]

@@CameronMosesart haha perhaps sharing my experience buying and selling 3 of them will protect your wallet from further harm 😂

[@CameronMosesart]

@@TopShelfGear it's okay, wife took it away lol