Westcreek HELIOS: One Helios of a cool guitar!😉

[@pete7164]

I bought the Westcreek Racer (SG copy) three weeks ago and I like it so much that I ordered the Helios today. Can't wait to get my hands on it!

[@j-man9457]

Awesome man! Yeah these are awesome. Enjoy!

[@bullyakker]

24 3/4" tele.. LOVE THEM! ....Strat player (and shredder strats) for 30 years... PRS player for the last 10 and playing 12* radii tele's the last year. I concur, bring us more 24 3/4" tele styles with modern radiuses (radii) I cannot tolerate 9.5 and under any longer. 10-16 compound is nice. 12," 14" or even 16" straight work (grew up playing nylon classical on basically a flat neck) and 43mm( 1 11/16") nut width please.. 42mm is too tight for fat fingers.

[@j.powellnetwork]

Really impressive looking guitar! Westcreek has got my attention.

[@j-man9457]

Yeah they have my attention too lol! And I never liked Gibson or Epiphone models haha!

[@tracydavis96]

Love ya man good playin

[@j-man9457]

Hahaha well thank you man! Much appreciated! You made my day😊

[@theguitarprofessionals8584]

Fantastic Video!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you make any guitar sound good!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@j-man9457]

Ahhh thanks man! You're very kind! Sweet guitar for sure!

[@theguitarprofessionals8584]

I thought so!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@denisconor648]

Cool guitar.

[@dodoebraheem]

ماشاءالله روعه الروعه

[@j-man9457]

Hello! If you can translate this to English, I would gladly reply to your comment😀

[@m7walk]

great job

[@j-man9457]

Thanks man! I'm just fair, but this guitar is great lol Very impressive for the price!😁

[@guitarzan0515]

You go go go J!!!! Very nice Axe, for an LP style! Thx for a Great review!

[@j-man9457]

Never liked LPs, but man I'm impressed with this one! Feels great in the hands!

[@rainerjaschke5216]

Sounds and looks very nice. The body design is very much like my Cort EVL-Z4. Minor differences like through body strings and bolt on neck. I just refinished mine and looks much better than when I got it. If only I could play like you, even 10% of what you do would be amazing for me. Love your down to earth videos. Just a regular JAY (JOE) givingg honest reviews!

[@j-man9457]

Thanks so much Rainer! 😊 You Cort sounds cool! I'm not a LP guy at all but this may be on my gigging line 😀

[@drp8062]

A couple of years ago I bought a Slick guitar from Guitar Fetish that is a Tele style with 24.75 in. scale. Comes with GF Filtertron style pickups. I think they had other pickup options too.

[@j-man9457]

Yes you're correct! They do make a Slick tele style with a gibson scale... I've looked into buying one, but for me in Canada to buy one from Guitarfetish, after exchange rate, duty and shipping charges, these guitars for me enter the 500 dollar price range!

[@jimmyz2098]

Cool guitar, Jay-Bo. Looks like these guys are putting out some pretty cool stuff. I'm interested in their Explorer style guitar. We'll see. Might try one of them... one of these days. Hope all is well up on PEI !

[@j-man9457]

All good here buddy! Always good to hear from ya! I've tried their DC, their Revenge and now this Helios and they are all really impressive for the price point. Great time to be a guitar player hahaha!

[@SymbolicSplenetic]

Just make sure to adjust the nut slots if you're using strings heavier than 10-46. I initially put on 10-52s and I thought the nut slots weren't cut deep enough on the low strings. Switched that set out for 10-46, and they slotted in much nicer.

[@j-man9457]

@@SymbolicSplenetic yeah I hear you... this one has 9s from factory. I want to install 10s on it.🤔

[@haovan8077]

谢谢您的视频、您的演奏很棒、我也有这个模型的电吉他颜色Braun、价钱很便宜声音很好听而且很漂亮、唯一不喜欢的是琴颈下端与琴身是添加强力胶连接、如果琴颈断了就没有能力换新琴颈了、虽然琴枕是胶块但6弦声音很均衡、所以我就不想换作骨头琴颈了。

[@curtjaynes8223]

You play awesome though!! Great video.

[@j-man9457]

Ahhh thanks man... I still have lots to learn hahaha!

[@curtjaynes8223]

I’ll subscribe today. How long you been playing long time?

[@j-man9457]

@@curtjaynes8223Oh thanks man! I started when I was 15 and have played on and off over the years and I'm 53 now. I never really learned correctly. Just self thought and I only play by ear. I don't know my scales or theory at all... I use patterns that I discovered over the years that I can move along the fretboard and I just basically stick to that hahaha!

[@TheJohnburghardt]

Sounds great! I am quite interested in this guitar. For the cost there is so much tone here.

[@j-man9457]

Yeah it surprised me alot. Tone wise and playability wise it's very impressive out of the box!😀

[@jetteroheller]

Yes to the short scale Tele! I’ve toyed with doing one but the necks are ridiculous and I’d probably screw it up somehow.

[@j-man9457]

Hahaha I doubt it😃 I'm gonna have one some day! 😆

[@calbrockocat8728]

I can tell you like a guitar's neck when you start playing some really quick country type licks. Roy Clark played an Ovation Breadwinner, so I think it's about tweaking your amp and enjoying the look and neck of your guitar. Nice demo, J! (It's a little too dark for a silver burst, though.)

[@j-man9457]

Haha yeah this neck feels great! And yes, the burst is very subtle!

[@Streamertail]

Actually bought one thanks to you. Definitely got good bones on her. The one i chose was that red one. Oh man... The thing looks like a less expensive cross between a lp prophecy and the three knob layout of a Eclipse. From a Albertan fan.

[@j-man9457]

Ahhh cool man! Yeah these are fantastic and for such a low price, you can upgrade the crap out of it and still be under 600 dollars hahaha! Rock on man!

[@Streamertail]

Already using Musiclilys black speed knobs and a blacked out TOM bridge

[@j-man9457]

@@Streamertail ahhh nice man! Blacking out hardware, now you're speaking my language hahaha!

[@Streamertail]

I plan on calling her Riff-RAF. named basically after the idea that she is a "Street rat" that Gibson would show scorn to

[@j-man9457]

@@Streamertail hahaha nice! Gibson should take a lesson from these guys on bang for buck value instead of gouging their customers wallets hahaha!

[@JustinTheJT]

I was going to buy the Revenge in purple but I got cold feet and canceled my amazon order. Its sold out now. I'm really regretting it. Hopefully they will be back in stock soon.

[@j-man9457]

Hey Justin, I reviewed one here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJnNhomnjsuAZ6ssi=L_T7nbkdHe-AkOFR They are great although on mine, pickups were really low wattage. Well built and very well set up out of the box. I recently reviewed the Cerberus flying V. In my opinion, it's better than the Revenge😀

[@klauswigsmith]

I ordered one a while ago. And while I REALLY wanted to like it, I returned it. The pros: -Solidly built. Good quality hardware. Beautiful paint job and nice looking inlays. No fret sprout, and the ends were finished well. -Microphonic pick-ups. They definitely need to be replaced -Above the 12th fret, the frets buzzed like crazy, most of the notes were dead. I could get the buzzing to stop by raising the action, but it was almost unplayable at that point. GREAT guitar if you don't mind spending ~$100+ to upgrade the pickups and then $250+ to have it plek'd or fret dressed. But if you want a playable guitar out of the box, (in my experience) this ain't it.

[@j-man9457]

Wow Klaus, that's too bad! Mine was not like that at all. In fact checkbout this video. After I got the Helios, I did a basic set up (conditionned fret Board, lowered action, fine tuned the intonation, filed one high spot at the 13th fret under the low E string, installed a new set of strings) and took it to not 1 but 3 gigs hahaha! It was fantastic. Super stable, no noise, not microphonic, and super fun to play. I have a few clips in the video link below 😁... kzbin.info/www/bejne/gmXdpZ15iNZoa9Esi=bpKy8qjx9QaboNIF Sorry about your experience. Thanks for commenting. Cheers!

[@onefatstratcat]

I just purchased two WC guitars. I have never owned a SG style or 335 style axe and thought I would give them a shot.. worse thing is I throw some GFS pickups in them and perhaps a new Gotoh or AP bridge...?

[@j-man9457]

Cool man! The stock pups are really not bad at all. I think you'll find they'll deliver the tones no problem at all😀

[@onefatstratcat]

I've seen in some videos a few have been microphonic... hopefully I get good ones :) @@j-man9457

[@user77434]

Nice review! How much does this guitar weigh? (Sorry if I missed it in your video)

[@j-man9457]

Hey Mine weighs right around the 8 lbs mark... 🙂

[@davidpeters8328]

You having too much fun!

[@j-man9457]

@@davidpeters8328 that's what it's all about! Life is short, have fun! 😀

[@eearts]

Would you say the pickups in Westcreek Guitars are better overall than those in Firefly Guitars? I have one of each and find the sound on the Westcreek far better.

[@j-man9457]

I've never had a firefly so I can't tell you, sorry! They are however every bit as good, if not better, than Epiphone pups to my ears anyway!

[@TechnoRiff]

Nice acquisition! This Helios is seeming to bring out your inner Jimmy Page (who transitioned from Tele to LP) and/or Billy Gibbons. SS frets would seal the deal for myself. Until one of these usual suspect companies brings out a 24.75" scale F style guitar, you could consider a replacement neck as a project. I believe Warmoth might make a shorter length neck, although it's likely to be more than the cost of one of these type of guitars. To get the installed strings to perform better, you could try wiping on some string conditioner like Dunlop 65 Ultraglide before committing to a string change. Looking forward to the next vid!

[@j-man9457]

Thanks man! Yes stainless steel would be a nice option for sure. And yes I may become converted hahaha! And yes I looked into the Warmoth necks. It would be close to 600 canadian to have one shipped here🤪 And no... these strings suck haha. Definitely putting a new set on 😁

[@TechnoRiff]

@@j-man9457 Alright - $600 CAD seems rather steep. Perhaps you can message those Musi guys to persuade them; they seem to have treated you right with replacing those "stolen" tuners, and also selling you that extra neck. I'm not suggesting that string treatment is going to be anything like installing new strings you prefer, just saying that they would "suck less" during the initial eval. Rock on!

[@j-man9457]

@@TechnoRiff yeah for the strings no doubt, but a new set of slinkies is only 8 dollars... And yes Musi would help, but they don't make a 24-3/4 inch scale neck...

[@TechnoRiff]

@@j-man9457 Musi doesn't....yet. Perhaps they just need a nudge.

[@birdman316]

sweet pikkin my brother! if the bridge pup is coil splitable you can install a "slider" on-off-on to the cavity cover and gain all 3 coil options on that bridge pup....yup...on the outer coil youll have that tele twangage!

[@j-man9457]

That's cool birdman! Just to be different, I was actually considering throwing a set of telecaster pups with adapter rings in that thing and make it and LP-T hahahaha

[@birdman316]

@@j-man9457 koool! i got a problem.....i put my offwhite squier affy tele in a nice new hardcase..... now the bottom sides and some of the other sides are stained pink! how would i safely remove the stains without ruining the finish? crazy thing about it is this tele has pups from a real pink paisley re issue 2000-2001ish....

[@j-man9457]

@@birdman316 what? That sucks! I've never heard of that happening. There's definitely a defect with the materials of that case! Not sure how you'd get that out. Best guess would be buffing compound. Then hopefully wax to a nice pinkless finish haha! Man I'd love to hear those pickups! Let me know how you make out! Make sure you get your money back for that case!!!

[@birdman316]

@@j-man9457 i solved the "case issue".... i put a red semi hollow body tele in it heehaaaa!!! im guessin "puddin" which is the modded 2006 squier affy tele now has xtra personality haha! ill do a sounder film on her one day...

[@j-man9457]

@@birdman316 hahaha well that's good news!

[@leblancmarcel]

I admit to being a newbie, but I really do not understand the 2 volume/1 tone setup; I would rather have the opposite and be able to set the tone on each pickup and have only one volume for both. I also thought that the pickups sounded "nasal" even in your clean demo. It's a nice guitar though and it's looking good for the price it costs.

[@j-man9457]

Hey Marcel, I'm not a fan either. I prefer 1 volume and one tone it's all I need hahaha plus the nasal tone is my amp... the mids were up past 2pm and I only noticed after the vid hahaha

[@leblancmarcel]

@@j-man9457 Gives it a ZZ top sound 😀

[@j-man9457]

@@leblancmarcel yeah! I thought the same haha!

[@2bikemikesguitartopics145]

Again they are separate volumes but not independently when that happens. Pickups do sound good though they're probably the same ones that are on all of the guitars. I watch the guy do a review of the racer SG today and his neck was also microphonic but not the bridge

[@j-man9457]

Yeah... not sure the neck is microphonic. Couldn't hear my voice through it. Sounded like an internal rattle... like a loose cover maybe? I will investigate🤔

[@curtisc9350]

Curious why my Comments keep getting Removed ❓️ 🤔 I've only given Positive comments ! 🙄

[@j-man9457]

I was just wondering the same thing! I saw your 1st comment, and when I click on it to reply it disappears!!! I've run into this before... don't know if it's youtube or if it's something I'm doing wrong! Anyway to answer your comment... I have looked into warmoth and even an Earl slick Telecaster from Guitarfetish but the exchange rate, duty fees and shipping rates make it hard to justify... but a tele with a 24-3/4 inch scale for sale on Amazon Canada would be an easy risk free purchase with the 30 day money back return policy! Hahaha

[@curtisc9350]

@@j-man9457 No worries Jason ! 👍 Maybe Somebody is Flagging my Comments, & I'm not sure how KZbin adjudicates those Comments that are Flagged ? 🚩 You're right, you can't beat Amazon's satisfaction Guarantee ! 😉 Teles rock ! 🤘 Just ask Nancy ? 🤔 LOL 😅 kzbin.info/www/bejne/bny2kKxuerZ3mZYsi=AaptdFCXqd7xnhS4 Or You could ask Chris ? 😉 kzbin.info/www/bejne/mWLHaH2dZ893qcksi=NDRC46jbUvTclQZG Cheers ✌️ 🤙 🇨🇦 P.S. I hear you about Exchange, Taxes, & Duties ! 🤯 I'm on the Westcoast . 😳

[@j-man9457]

Curtis found you're initial comment in my hotmail folder. I copy / pasted it below: Curtis C Nice Video Jason, I always enjoy your Playing ! 👍🥰 You could get a "Conversion Neck" from Warmouth, & make any Tele a 24-3/4" Scale . 😉 Or you could get Chris Forshage to make you a 24-3/4" Tele ? 🤔 Cheers ✌️ 🤙 🇨🇦 But when I click on the reply option, the video opens, but this message is not there...??? Try leaving a comment on another one of my vids just for an experiment to see if It lets me reply to it...😀

[@dekion261]

I guess the better pups got on this model. I hear mixed opinions regarding the pups on the V.

[@j-man9457]

Yeah not sure really... I had the revenge guitar and it had similar pickups, but they were wired wrong on mine. They were on split pots, but even in full humbucker mode the pups were only putting out around 4.8K... these are double that and more. They are 4 wire as well, but these are not wired to split pots😀

[@dekion261]

@@j-man9457 how are the necks on those two axes? Chunky?

[@j-man9457]

@@dekion261 the Helios at the first fret measures 24mm with the strings on. So not chunky feeling at all. The westcreek DC and the Revenge necks felt chunkier to me. All in all this guitar is great all around!😃

[@2bikemikesguitartopics145]

It's kind of a takeoff on the epiphone special ll

[@j-man9457]

Yup no doubt. Definitely LP inspired. Feels great in the hands. My buddy has a 3000 Gibson LP sunburst, and everytime I play it I cringe because I just don't see or feel justification in the price tag. This thing feels familiar, for lack of a better word. It's comfortable and effortless right out of the box. That's 3 for 3 from Westcreek! Impressed!

[@2bikemikesguitartopics145]

@@j-man9457 I'm going to Michigan tomorrow to pick up my racer

[@j-man9457]

@@2bikemikesguitartopics145 awesome! Safe travels!

[@alexacojo]

If you don't mind, what's the thickness of the neck at the first fret? I like thicker necks, around 22mm or 0.86 inch at the first fret. Also, did you had the chance to look under the neck pickup, is it a long tenon?

[@j-man9457]

Hey Thanks I'll get you the neck thickness after work today! Not sure what you mean by a long tenon for the neck pickup?

[@alexacojo]

@@j-man9457 quote "Neck Tenon on guitars with set necks (that is, glued-in, not bolted-on), where the neck joint joins the body, there’s a certain amount of extra wood that extends into the body, both for support and to increase sustain. As an example, the long neck tenon on a historically accurate Gibson Les Paul actually extends all the way underneath the neck pickup route."

[@j-man9457]

@@alexacojo ahhh thanks. Now I know what you mean. I did not remove the neck pickup but if O can with the new strings now installed, I'll let you know what I find

[@j-man9457]

Hey Alex, Sorry for the late reply... 4 gigs this weekend. Pretty busy! So with the strings on, the thickness at the first fret is 24mm so probably closer to 22.5-23mm without the strings. And the set neck does not appear to be a long Tenon. 😁

[@alexacojo]

@@j-man9457 thank you for the reply