SURPRISING Real World Test Results With The S by Solar Guitar.

[@TobyKBTY]

I think a Graphtech TUSQ nut, new tuners, and a professional setup would make this a very respectable workhorse for any gigging and recording metal musician. All within a very manageable budget, too.

[@xNachtmahRx]

Add all the costs for these procedures and you can easily buy a proper Solar instead, or a Harley Benton, which are still better since they have stainless steel frets and often graphite nuts for the same price

[@TaylorDanley]

This is why that video is interesting, there's a good amount to discuss with the pros and cons of each option.

[@Durkhead]

What I noticed with my cheap squire is you have to tune lower then tune up to the note you want

[@freakinpro]

@@Durkheadthat’s how you should tune all guitars! But some guitars are more sensitive to that for sure

[@AiiZStudio]

@@xNachtmahRx I can't say I believe that a setup, a nut, and a set of tuners would cost you 1000 hahaha

[@barryprosser1370]

Love these sneak peaks into band practices and shows! 🤘🤘🤘

[@zacharysmithingell5460]

MEEEE TOOOOOOOOO I always love the kinda inside baseball looks guys give like this, some of my fave content.

[@TaylorDanley]

As Sacrificer becomes more active, I'll include more content with it in there!

[@robertvarner8195]

Great video! Some people won't believe it but if you play with alot of gain then pickups don't really matter that much and it's incredibly hard to tell the difference between expensive and cheaper pickups as long as they're not the so cheap that they're microphonic.

[@ScottNelles]

Would love to see more comparison videos. I just got my S by Solar guitar today and I think it sounds great. I have way more expensive guitars and this one has really impressed me so far.

[@jesseparrish9198]

Great video Taylor 🔥🤘

[@KillaFXZ]

They both sound really comparable, sound is killer Taylor!

[@therisendead7]

Love how you take a shower before going to play death metal in a "sweaty, humid, gross basement". You truly care for your band mates, much Respect 🤘😁🤘

[@Nekonix36]

Upgrading the tuners has helped every sub $1000 guitar I've owned. I really like my budget guitars that I've fixed up. And if you are going to change parts anyways, no need to pay for nice parts twice.

[@27retrodaze]

The Virtuoso again... Im two clicks away from buying that guitar... And i keep backing out trying to hold off (not totally sure why)... And then you keep breaking it out and i fall in love with it all over again... Such a sick guitar... (I know this is a S for Solar video. lol) 🤘

[@TaylorDanley]

It's a fantastic guitar. I played it live and it was a dream lol.

[@joeyvanostrand3655]

4:30 - that was a bad-ass riff my man!! Three points for everyone out there with a Hardtail with tuning stability issues #1 - is the nut you are using a Graphtech Tusw nut or a Tone Ninja Teflon impregnated pre-shapprd nut? You are always going to have a touch of finish work here and there to fit your strings and Nut Slot. Buy one of those two nuts for EVERY HARDTAIL YOU Own! The mild extra expense now pays off ten fold over the life of the guitar. #2 GraphTech StringSavera replacement saddles for your tune-o-matic. Again, pay a little now, reap the rewards for years. #3 - Tone Ninja Locking Tuners. They make them for every single application and headstock configuration ever made. They are robust, sturdy, and they look great. I've been using them on my personal guitars and clients guitars for a few years now and I have had ZERO complaints about quality, stability, or craftsmanship. Every single place your strings touch the body in any way shape, fashion, or by proxy are of absolute vital importance. Good luck!!!

[@TwilightZone13]

I would definitely be interested in seeing a video on budget vs expensive guitars.

[@GiveThemHorns]

That riff @4:39 is sick! \M/

[@martonmuszka7129]

I would love a comparing video. I am planning on doing home recordings as a hobby, this guitar seems like a decent fit for that use. Great video!

[@tdrduarte]

Two weeks with my 7 strings and it's basically it. My guitar needed a complete setup - bridge height, octaves, pickup height, truss rod, neck angle was a bit wrong so I had to add a shim, I didn't because I'll change the strings soon but I would recommend to polish the frets too. And that's it, a lot of work but very simple to be honest, the guitar responds very well. The tunners are not anything amazing but I think mine are holding it well, the pickups are pretty good (they're not perfect but the thing that I don't like about them is the excess of sub-low freq, so all I need to do is to EQ it). The electronics are basic "CF" pots but they work fine. I would say that if you got tunners that aren't giving you trouble, send it to a good luthier, maybe a new nut (bone, graphtech, brass, whatever you prefer) and that's it. Good guitar. Liked the "fake wood" fretboard too, it feels and looks very nice.

[@TaylorDanley]

Very stable for a reasonable price for sure!

[@joshsmith7033]

the tuners are not what make you string "jump" real quick in pitch while tuning. Its the nut. the string get trapped in it until tension pulls them out. you could mark on the nut where the strings lay with pencil led before you sting it for "lube" to prevent this.

[@MetalGuitarGuy]

I appreciate what you did here. I feel like this should have all been included in the one review video. But i know most people don't like long videos and you gotta keep making content and whatnot. So i guess im one of the few that like the longer more in depth reviews. Keep up the good work though!

[@TaylorDanley]

I didn't have the opportunity to take it to band practice before the initial review. Unfortunate timing.

[@ronnmims7696]

Great vid as usual. Is there a video about bands you're into or albums you like or anything?

[@TaylorDanley]

Hmmm, I did have one, but I'm not sure it's still listed. It was a weird one off video that I think I ended up releasing over on Patreon.

[@MegicShiba]

Got one of these recently and i love it. New tuners, nut and some glue for the string doohickeys (mine does the same thing).

[@philipandersen4406]

So glad to hear it's a decent guitar, I want to get one for the hell of it. I enjoy tinkering with my guitars so I have no issues with the small problems it has

[@TaylorDanley]

Yeah I'm sure you'd like it then. I found out this weekend that it's a really great back up guitar if you don't want to bring another expensive guitar out with you that you may or may not play.

[@VIKHR9x39]

anyone know what the riff at 4:30 is, if its even a song

[@bassist12345]

A comment on the tuning stability - It might just need the nut slots filed a bit for the heavier strings, if you haven't done that yet.

[@DominiqueHeine]

Came here to comment this. The described behaviour of the pitch jumping instead of adjusting steadily often points to the string binding in the nut.

[@TaylorDanley]

Nah, they were fine. And we are talking about the steel strings, not the wound strings, so it's more likely that the gears in the tuner are just cheap.

[@Zareh_Abrahamian]

​@@TaylorDanley Smearing some graphite (from pencil) in the nut slots might help.

[@StarkJJ]

@@DominiqueHeine totally agree. Figured this out the hard way years ago by buying new tuners instead of getting the nut filed. Good call. 😎

[@CTG-TV]

@@TaylorDanley Steel strings will also get stuck in the bad nut slots. Basics.

[@sinakaedwards2009]

I play bass and although they are different there are a lot of similarities in the instruments. I like the idea of modding but haven't tried it yet. Mod platforms are best suited being bolt ons because if need be you can replace the neck way easier. The biggest mods you can make are tunners and pickups. A video of how much of a difference vs cost would be cool. The biddest difference between guitar and bass is the tension on the neck. The other big difference is tone control. guitars have one knob and basses can have up to 4 or more.

[@odeliinih]

Many guitars have 1, 2 or 3 tone knobs too.

[@sinakaedwards2009]

@@odeliinih big brand guitars usually have maybe a tone knob per pickup, however, bass active EQ can have 3 or 4 knobs to adjust the EQ.

[@manuelhernandez2017]

Bro please do video if you do mod the bass

[@sinakaedwards2009]

@@manuelhernandez2017 I have pickups, but I am lazy.

[@dieseleddie3324]

I smashed this notification so hard again, It asked for a safe word for next time 😂

[@TaylorDanley]

😂💪🥳

[@scottwilcox6313]

Great video. I definitely would like to see a video comparing the pro level guitar to the budget guitar. You should message Ola about those string bushing falling out.

[@TaylorDanley]

I'm sure he has enough going on with the brand launch lol. TBH, it's not really that big of a deal, I mostly just thought it was funny when it happened.

[@scottwilcox6313]

@TaylorDanley yeah it kind of is, I'm sure he'll see the video.

[@DomicidalCovers]

Nice comparison dude! That's crazy how similar those pups sound! The ONLY difference I could make out from the isolated clips were the highs being ever so slightly higher on the Jackson, but only around the lower-highs and only a touch, couldn't even tell in the mix at all. I'm just about to do a short video on an S that a friend just gave me to set up, I've done a proper video on an actual Solar before but I couldn't remember if the neck was a little thinner on that one, I've seen a couple of other videos you've done on Solars, so just wondering if you noticed any difference with them?

[@pete614]

thanks for the review and greets from Finland

[@TaylorDanley]

ole hyvä

[@mikeyhodge6191]

Thinking about getting one of these just to have around and practice on

[@newmexicosaint]

2 of the tuners in my S by Solar V were bound up. Tuner change definitely needed. I also installed a Tusq nut and had to glue the string ferrules in as well😂. Frets were level but needed a slight truss rod adjustment and needed a serious fret polishing as the frets had scratches from a fret level job (scratches on fret crowns in line with the neck). Factory pickups are VERY bass-y. I couldn’t dial out the bass. I did pickup swap mine.

[@EoiGree]

Hi great video, I recently set up an s series model with a floyd for a customer and while the guitar itself is really nice and comfortable to play the tuners and floyd are junk and when you think about it is a $300 guitar so probably cost like $100 to manufacture so the hardware is probably like $30 to $40 and that's the floyd version

[@marks9197]

Thanks for the update. I feel it was a fair video. Have you checked in the control cavity? Shielded, pot sizes? Pick up output?

[@TaylorDanley]

No I haven't, but if there's enough interest I'm going to follow up and mod it and talk about the differences between expensive and budget guitars.

[@Metaldad87]

Yes because as glenn at spectre sound has taught me at high gain, pickups make very miniscule difference, normally not noticeable at all in a band or mix situation

[@D14V0R05]

Yeah...for some reason on budget guitars often they don't glue the string ferrules so when you do your first string change/setup they just come out loose. Those were probably fit tight when put on the guitar in the factory but the wood shrunk around them with the time and now they aren't tight anymore, just my guess.

[@TaylorDanley]

You're probably right!

[@bygraceiamsaved5088]

Thanks for the video

[@jebslept8515]

i bought the 7 string model and it was one of those best on a budget options

[@naruto199797]

Usually on really cheap guitars the bits you put the strings in at the bottom are hardly ever glued in or really crappy glue was used

[@MaximusAdonicus]

Well, this was a better video soundwise (than the actual review) 'cos we get to hear a decent comparison to a more expensive guitar! And to my/our surprise the S hold up very well! I was previously feeling that the pickups weren't up to par, but they seem to be fine (based on this video, though I still felt there was SO much gain going on that it hid the possible differences/problems if there were any). Though this extra video on the S made me feel like it was done just to make the guitar seem even more desirable to the viewers... 🤔💰 I don't recall other guitars getting an extra video...

[@jessehutchings]

4:45 bro i know metal is going through a drumsticks in a blender phase right now but I'm gonna need you to turn the drums down in the mix if you want me to hear any differences between the guitars

[@ArticLight14]

Your drummers shirt was epic

[@steveodavis86]

I'm by no means a pro whatsoever and am generally impressed by the skill level of yourself and the majority of other youtubers in this space but have been playing playing for a good 20 years. I just like to jam here and there and occasionally upskill every now and then. Ive always wanted that "pro" level guitar ever since the 10 year mark of playing but ever since having a go of a Jackson js32 - I've just stuck to them as they feel and sound fine to me. Id love a follow up vid of a pro vs entry/mid level guitar in detail from that perspective. Apart from the clout, I always question how far I should take it. I'm not in a band and I play mostly to drum tracks via a spark practice amp or my studio monitors on my CPU. Should I just pull the trigger on a pro guitar or is it a case of the grass is greener on the other side? I love Ola and want to support him just for him being him but question if I (personally) would really appreciate that solar A1. I already know that I like the js32 and could get a 6, 7 and 8 string version (3 guitars) for less coin than 1 solar A1. I guess the question is; where is the point of diminishing returns and perhaps I don't know any better because I haven't ventured outside of what I think I like? That being said, I'm tempted just to get the S by solar instead of another Jackson just to try it. Jackson is just a safe bet for the price/feature set.

[@AleArzMusic]

Hi Taylor, great video! How do these S by Solar news guitars actually compare to other entry-level guitars by bigger brands? Are they like Jackson JS series, Ibanez GIO series and so on? Thanks

[@TaylorDanley]

It’s been a long time since I’ve played any entry from the big name brands, but IMO it’s at minimum very comparable. My hazy memory of entry Ltd and Ibanez was baseball bat necks and sharp frets, if that’s still the case then I’d say it’s much better.

[@AleArzMusic]

@@TaylorDanley thank you very much for the answer! Alright then, considered they're probably all made in the same factory and that they all need some work on them, I'd just take the cheapest ones, which I guess would be Harley Bentons

[@_unknown.format_]

0:52 Song?

[@Durkhead]

Are you gona do a demo of the boss ir-2? Im interested in all the features of it, like it can be used as an audio interface, you can load your own irs, you can hook it up to your phone that kind of stuff

[@Bw40099]

4:40 tabs for this possible?

[@plecogod]

It would be interesting to see how the S By Solar guitar stacks up next to a Jackson JS32 model instead of a $1000 Soloist. Price, spec wise that is more of a direct competitor.

[@brandonbrenton1680]

Is there any neck dive? If so how bad?

[@jww732]

What were the crown poweramps doing in the practice space?

[@cb-ez7pz]

The cheap vs expensive guitar comparison is a great idea. If you have access to Glarry or similar for the ultra low priced end would be great starting point.

[@iimmolarious7636]

Would rather see budget as s by solar level, 300-400 vs 1000-2000 guitars. Don't think anyone watching this channel is interested in 50 dollar guitars.

[@cb-ez7pz]

@@iimmolarious7636 the super cheap just for fun

[@TaylorDanley]

I think the cheapest I would start at is that Donner guitar... Anything less and they are barely instruments at that point. I did a review on a Glarry (unbranded but same guitar) a while back and it was pretty rough.

[@justinreynolds3935]

It's crazy the amount of sub $300 guitars have flooded the market and are actually good. When I started playing in the mid to late 90s a Ibanez used guitar was that price and not that great. Crazy time to be alive in music. Recording gear and drums etc. everything now is affordable and sounds good. I imagine robots will just replace us anyway so enjoy while we can!

[@MASTERRIFFS]

☠️cool 🎸

[@csabadanyiko6096]

yeah, budget vs pro/higher cost instrument comparison would be quite interesting

[@ralphieralph9176]

would you say S by Solar are usable on stage ?

[@Snivic-music]

Taylor, what is the balance of the guitar? like does it have neckdive?

[@TaylorDanley]

I didn't notice it much, but I'm also pretty used to playing extreme shaped guitars so unless it was massive, I wouldn't have noticed.

[@retropuffer2986]

Pretty awesome. Especially for the price.

[@Iesous27]

In the new year im planning at least to buy the bass guitar they offer. I need one for home recordings. I also plan to get the 7 string as well.

[@sk8guitars]

Is the frets jumbo

[@DavidAllenMD]

And yes make that video Taylor !!!! Bro if your band comes to Baltimore I'd love to hop on a show with ya I got a lot of bookerrs over here l. U prollydint care but I'm just throwing it out there. Or we will come out there lol

[@TaylorDanley]

I don't know that we will ever be a touring band, but you never know.. maybe one day! I'd like to make it back to the east coast for some shows again eventually.

[@DavidAllenMD]

@@TaylorDanley u west coast or midwest? i thought u were in pa or something dont ask why lmao

[@zaykhannation1501]

Where did you buy this guitar? Amazon didn't have it.

[@TaylorDanley]

The S by Solar website, there's a link in the description

[@Clinthopanonymous]

sick song dude

[@thisguy2973]

I love Ola and solar stuff, but everyone I’ve seen review S by Solar has pointed out quality issues. To be fair, it IS a new line of the first generation, so it’s likely they’ll have first-production run issues.

[@TaylorDanley]

This is true.

[@molotovbatradio]

Yeah it seems like a cool guitar, I won’t be getting one because I have a solar already. I think it’s a great option as a first guitar tho, if I was in that situation now I would definitely get one!

[@pikecracker]

The specs on Solar's website say this is 24 inch scale. Is that a typo or is this really 24 inches? The equivalent guitar in Solar's main line is 24.75. I have small hands, so a short scale metal machine could be fun.

[@genustinca5565]

The reason why the pickups hold up well against the Seymour Duncans is because this time Solar chose high output ceramic pickups instead of Alnico. More bite, clearer sound.

[@m3m3sis]

Thanks for thos video, I'll be getting aused jackson instead of investing first three hundred for a guitar that needs 200 dollars worth of upgrades to stay in tune.

[@danomnihility2453]

How does it play compared to the jackson? Neck profile, radius etc

[@TaylorDanley]

Neck profile is a bit chunkier. Also it's 22 medium frets and 24.75" compared to the Jacksons 24 jumbo and 25.5", so quite a bit different just in specs. But overall the quality of the craftsmanship in the Jackson is very obvious when played back to back.

[@danomnihility2453]

@TaylorDanley its hard to beat a Jackson neck or build quality. Ive tried newer guitars like Legions, Ormsbys, Caparisons, Ibanez etc- but always defer to my Jacksons for majority of songwriting and soloing.

[@darthj_der7447]

Im seein a franken solar in my future.lol. really wish they offered the X body.

[@Zombiefan]

Been eyeballing an S by Solar guitar for my first guitar but sadly I can't afford it right now

[@deshaunwiggins4533]

Drop A# and C Standard are the best tunings

[@RH-xs8gz]

The change in tone you get by changing pickups is negligible when playing high gain applications. I wouldn’t bother putting new pickups in it.

[@dave5655]

Hasn’t Glenn Fricker said this exact thing regarding pickups and got flack? Why yes. Yes he has.

[@COMICSCOFFEEMETAL]

I think the gap between decent pickups and premium pickups are not at huge as the cost would infer. Though, high gain and sick riffs go a long way to making that difference even more negligible lol. Clearly shown here.

[@TaylorDanley]

Depends. I think the biggest difference is how much you can drive the pickups without them getting crazy microphonic. Something like an EMG has 0 of that, where as the pickups in the donner for example squeal and pick up every little noise. These are pretty decent for unbranded budget pickups though. No issues through my main rig, which is impressive.

[@COMICSCOFFEEMETAL]

@@TaylorDanley Oh yeah for sure, I was more thinking the mid price pickups. I would assume Solar would at least make sure their budget pups are not microphonic. Talking out my ass for sure but I wouldn't be surprised if Seymour Duncan was involved in some way considering their relationship.

[@brainrottedindividual]

so far wasn't thinking about getting anything by solar, but this axe rules and i want it pretty bad. probably because it's something i can manage to actually purchase.

[@KillaFXZ]

Whoa! Freshly showered Taylor Metal hair! 🤣 Going to band practice smelling like a million bucks coming home smelling like a 90 degree mosh pit! 🤣

[@TaylorDanley]

That's a 2 shower kinda day lol

[@ChrisBeardcore]

Bought an S by Solar V shape and the only downgrade i have is the frets sctrech af if bending the strings ...ALL frets . But besides thats itz a decend guitar for beginners .

[@drwira_neuro]

I got mine a couple of weeks back, same issue, the frets aren't polished well enough, and the action is a bit high. Went to my luthier, spent about 10 bucks for pro settings and fret polishing, now it plays like a dream.

[@Pericles777]

The Jackson’s pickups have a more satisfying midrange but the solar sounds atleast passable, wouldn’t complain for the price point lol😂

[@TaylorDanley]

Yeah and TBF not much is going to compete with the mids of a JB. Pretty classic.

[@RiloRox]

Well on those cheap guitars I came to find that the only downpart is tuning stability and playability. The sound is usually not bad its just "different", but nothing that cant be compensated with a little bit of eq or in live situations with set up the amp little different.

[@sawogolec2286]

I have same problem in solar that costs 1400 euro with that things falling off after removing strings ;)

[@TaylorDanley]

😳

[@brrblack497]

If you up-grade a budget guitar, by the time you're done, the cost will come close to a better equipped guitar. Now you've polished a turd and may never get the money out of it you put into it. You may have something you love but may be hard to sell. learning to mod your guitar is best on a budget model such as these. IMO.

[@TaylorDanley]

That's true, but on the other side of the argument you have a guitar with higher specs, but they're your specs instead of compromising on what comes stock on the more expensive guitar. I think there's a good pro/con list you could make on budget vs expensive vs mod

[@robmandel3413]

don't change pickups...glenn fricker smiles :) :) :)

[@TaylorDanley]

I missed the video, I need to go watch it now. I'm assuming he reviewed an s by solar?

[@robmandel3413]

@@TaylorDanley he did a review of an s by Solar. But it’s that he’s been on a run lately comparing pickups in high gain and demonstrating how little difference they make in tone. That’s the thing. You really couldn’t tell a difference in tone between the two. But yes, there’s a huge difference in playability and such between a $300 guitar and a $1400 guitar.

[@DavidAllenMD]

I want one just cuz I'm too broke for a real solar lmao

[@TaylorDanley]

They're great for that too.

[@slurrz_rg7204]

that guitar is 300???

[@christopherward4671]

You know if the drummer is wearing a Hawaiian shirt like that, you’re gonna die in that fucking pit…

[@TaylorDanley]

😂

[@wheresallthezombies]

I can’t tell if you were being sarcastic when you said Floyd rose stay in tune for the most part. Lol. I hate Floyd rose cause I can’t get them to stay in tune. Probably user error, but, apparently, asking for help on a Floyd rose is the worst thing you can do on the internet. So I’m over ever trying to learn. Lol.

[@TaylorDanley]

The series really makes a difference. Stuff like the special and licensed units can be a little fickle, however the pro/1000 and 1500 series are 💪

[@tippss3332]

The S pickups are probably made by Seymour duncan as well . just the import versions ( duncan design). Just not a fan of Solar guitars at all!!!!!

[@egj1975]

But why update cheap when you can buy better at the same price (the updates are not free). And you should not have to glue your new guitar. I am disappointed...

[@Heka41]

God I hate matte finishes

[@pauljohnson1382]

Not surprised with all the quality issues solar has, the budget line has quality issues. Absolutely zero trying, brand new guitar and parts falling out. Total money grab. 👎🏻

[@AleArzMusic]

Hi Taylor, great video! How do these S by Solar news guitars actually compare to other entry-level guitars by bigger brands? Are they like Jackson JS series, Ibanez GIO series and so on? Thanks