Solar Guitars by Ola Englund

[MaxOfMetal]

As one of the people thinking the Solar is overpriced, I think the other guitars you've mentioned are also overpriced.

I think Gibson LPs are one of the most (perhaps the most) overpriced guitars on the market. Excessively thick neck with a sticky gloss finish, inferior scale length, only 22 frets, poorly designed neck heel, restricted access to the upper frets, uncomfortable bridge with limited intonation range, awful tuning stability, poorly positioned tuners, nut binding issues, no volute, chunky heavy body, neck dive...what have I missed? All innovations in guitar design seemingly ignored for the past 71 years and we're supposed pay a premium for that? 🤔
I can understand the appeal of owning a classic '50s / '60s LP (not that I'd own one myself), but not why the new models continue to sell despite not having moved with the times. You don't see any big car manufacturers having success with this approach, so I don't get why it works with guitars.

I don't get how a Jackson DK1 with a solid finish is priced at 2x higher than an Ibanez RG550. My assumption is that this is the result of Americans (but probably not Europeans) valuing MIA more highly than MIJ.

Provenance matters, but not entirely why you think it does. At least 1:1, directly.

As has been mentioned, we're getting into the subjective absurdity more suited to one of the various "unpopular" shit-post threads.

If you don't like a particular guitar, you're probably not going to think it has the same value as one you do like, and chances are, it's mostly "just because" as with preferences with most hobbies that folks nerd out over the minutiae that really only matters to us geeks.

 

[Neon_Knight_]

Evertune is great. It counteracts pretty much anything that makes a guitar go out of tune, and it does that very well as long as you don't mind the price, the looks, the weight, the ergonomics, the setup, the feel or the sound.

I haven't used one, so can't comment on the ergonomics, but I really dislike the look of them. I prioritise playability and performance over aesthetics, so would compromise the look of the Evertune if I felt I'd benefit from it. I have absolutely no complaints about the tuning stability of my various Ibanez bridges though, so I'm very content sticking with those.

I'm guessing Evertunes currently cost even more than a high-end OFR or Edge, so Solar clearly hasn't skimped on that spec.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

I haven't used one, so can't comment on the ergonomics, but I really dislike the look of them. I prioritise playability and performance over aesthetics, so would compromise the look of the Evertune if I felt I'd benefit from it. I have absolutely no complaints about the tuning stability of my various Ibanez bridges though, so I'm very content sticking with those.

I'm guessing Evertunes currently cost even more than a high-end OFR or Edge, so Solar clearly hasn't skimped on that spec.

If you ever saw the wholesale and OEM price lists for hardware and materials you'd probably shit yourself.

 

[Neon_Knight_]

Stranberg Boden Singularity 7 string made in Indonesia that doesn't have a top for 4k US$ hoping noone notices:

I want a discount for the headstock and 20% of the body that they hacked off with a saw

 

[Neon_Knight_]

If you ever saw the wholesale and OEM price lists for hardware and materials you'd probably shit yourself.

Way lower than I'd be expecting?

I know how much Edge / OFR bridges, Gotoh locking tuners etc. retail for to the public. Obviously the biggest companies will pay the least, due to their larger orders / bargaining power.

I have often wondered how much manufacturers pay for OEM parts compared to using existing models that they'd also get a wholesale discount on (e.g. DiMarzio/IBZ vs TZ/TV/AN).

 

[mpexus]

I have often wondered how much manufacturers pay for OEM parts compared to using existing models that they'd also get a wholesale discount on (e.g. DiMarzio/IBZ vs TZ/TV/AN).

Even if they pay 60% less (have no clue) now imagine how much more they save on Generic pickups made by the Ton.. I assume those cost like 2 bucks top.
Going back to Solars value ... how much time does a Guitar takes to be made? 3-4 weeks if everything is going great? Lets say 2 weeks for someone really really experienced and good. so Thats 2 guitars a month... now deduct materials cost (woods, Frets Electronics etc)... so that gives what "payment back" for the Luthier?

According to this, how much would you think this Model should cost?

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Way lower than I'd be expecting?

I know how much Edge / OFR bridges, Gotoh locking tuners etc. retail for to the public. Obviously the biggest companies will pay the least, due to their larger orders / bargaining power.

I have often wondered how much manufacturers pay for OEM parts compared to using existing models that they'd also get a wholesale discount on (e.g. DiMarzio/IBZ vs TZ/TV/AN).

Crazy lower.

Even stuff perceived as "high end" is pretty cheap at scale.

Most guitar pricing is market driven not necessarily cost.

That's not to say it's all a rip off, because it also takes a good amount of time, energy, research, marketing, freight, etc. to make this stuff, but generally, real parts or material cost isn't directly shown in the final product, regardless of actual quality.

 

[Robslalaina]

The carved top makes the whole shape look more serious or grown up in a way. The otherwise overly sharp horns actually look nice now. I really like it!
Also, as some have said, €3,300 is a fair price given where it's made, and in an era where some MIK/Indo Schecters or LTDs are going for 2,200-2,500 with roughly equivalent specs. Now curious if they'll come up with a 7 stringer with a Floyd.

 

[bloodjunkie]

Has anyone here ordered the Nocturno Culto sig?

 

[NexusMT]

The carved top makes the whole shape look more serious or grown up in a way. The otherwise overly sharp horns actually look nice now. I really like it!
Also, as some have said, €3,300 is a fair price given where it's made, and in an era where some MIK/Indo Schecters or LTDs are going for 2,200-2,500 with roughly equivalent specs. Now curious if they'll come up with a 7 stringer with a Floyd.

I'm with you 3,300 Euros for a MIE Guitar made by a couple of guys seem to be fair, specially compared to the Mayones. But at the same time for the price that you mentioned (2,200 - 2,500 Euros) you can get a really nice Ibanez Prestige and this is the problem imo. Is the Solar MIE worth 1000€ more than an Ibanez MIJ ?

I cannot speak about Hardware quality, i would say its on par to the Ibanez Prestige.

 

[Xaeldaren]

The carved top makes the whole shape look more serious or grown up in a way. The otherwise overly sharp horns actually look nice now. I really like it!
Also, as some have said, €3,300 is a fair price given where it's made, and in an era where some MIK/Indo Schecters or LTDs are going for 2,200-2,500 with roughly equivalent specs. Now curious if they'll come up with a 7 stringer with a Floyd.

This looks a lot better to me, but I'm biased towards natural or dark stained finishes that highlight the grain. Looks classier than the bright red.

 

[Neon_Knight_]

I'm with you 3,300 Euros for a MIE Guitar made by a couple of guys seem to be fair, specially compared to the Mayones. But at the same time for the price that you mentioned (2,200 - 2,500 Euros) you can get a really nice Ibanez Prestige and this is the problem imo. Is the Solar MIE worth 1000€ more than an Ibanez MIJ ?

I cannot speak about Hardware quality, i would say its on par to the Ibanez Prestige.

This is the basis for me thinking it's overpriced. Sure, you can probably pay £3k+ for guitars that are similar to / worse than the Solar, but a Prestige is significantly cheaper. I'm an Ibanez fanboy, which makes the price difference even harder to justify.

 

[Neon_Knight_]

This looks a lot better to me, but I'm biased towards natural or dark stained finishes that highlight the grain. Looks classier than the bright red.

This natural finish is much more to my taste. As well as bringing the grain out better, it accentuates the contours of the carved top more.

 

[nickgray]

But at the same time for the price that you mentioned (2,200 - 2,500 Euros) you can get a really nice Ibanez Prestige

You can also get a Used Prestige at a much lower price.

I don't really get these comparisons. Does Ibanez have a model with with similar specs/design (Evertune, pots out of the way, reverse headstock) and aesthetics? Nope, it doesn't.

Say what you want about Solar, but they are cool looking. Those new carved top ones especially so, the red one just looks plain awesome.

 

[NexusMT]

I don't really get these comparisons. Does Ibanez have a model with with similar specs/design (Evertune, pots out of the way, reverse headstock) and aesthetics? Nope, it doesn't.

The comparison is about 2 high end guitars built on different countries and probably have similar quality.

i guess the main difference is that the Solars MIE maybe are more handcrafter than Ibanez Prestiges. Of course you have to pay the time and the effort it takes to handcraft guitars. I doubt Prestiges are handcrafted as the Solars.

At the end im sure both are magnificent instruments. I own an Ibanez Prestige RGD and feels really a good guitar for that price.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

i guess the main difference is that the Solars MIE maybe are more handcrafter than Ibanez Prestiges. Of course you have to pay the time and the effort it takes to handcraft guitars. I doubt Prestiges are handcrafted as the Solars.

Factory tour says otherwise.

 

[NoodleFace]

At those price points shouldn't you actually be comparing them to J Customs and not prestiges?

 

[nickgray]

are more handcrafter

I'm not sure what you mean by hand crafted. Solid bodies are virtually always built via initial CNC routing and then sanding and fretting (to some extent) is done by hand.

A solid body guitar is a simple instrument really, the body is literally a slab of wood, it's hard to go wrong there. The neck is where most of the problems are and the joint between the neck and the body. Properly dried wood is another huge issue.

On paper at least, that's what you're really paying for - good, well dried wood for the neck and the fretboard, dead straight neck and fretboard, frets that are properly put in. If all of this is done correctly it means you shouldn't have any issues with frets lifting or the fretboard warping and messing up the levelness of the frets. The inlays should also sit perfectly flush with the fretboard and be properly sanded (if they're not that can introduce friction when bending if your finger is touching them).

Then the final touches on the fretwork - thin crows, polish, smooth fret ends. Very well cut and polished nut. On top of that, no tooling marks on the fretboard at all, no glue bits on the neck, no cosmetic issues around the edges of the fretboard (so many guitars have these, MII Solar included).

Basically, that's the sort of stuff that paying more should get you. On paper. If these EU Solars really do provide that, consistently, then $3k is a pretty good deal (cause what I've described above is pretty much a perfect guitar, the rest is up to the design of the instrument - pot placements, button placements, neck carve, bridge type, how many frets, forearm and belly carves, etc).

I doubt Prestiges are handcrafted as the Solars

Prestiges have a really really nice precision taper at the neck joint where the neck smoothly transitions to the heel (ie there's no abrupt hump like on a lot of bolt-ons). That's definitely by hand.

You can look up factory tours on YouTube. There are also tons of videos of solo builders making a guitar, there's pretty much no excuse not to get educated about how these things are made given how easily (and how much of it) the information is available online.

 

[bassisace]

Did Solar solve the QC problems they had during the pandemic?

 

[Robslalaina]

But at the same time for the price that you mentioned (2,200 - 2,500 Euros) you can get a really nice Ibanez Prestige and this is the problem imo. Is the Solar MIE worth 1000€ more than an Ibanez MIJ ?

Depends how you define "worth" I guess. I love Prestiges like everybody else here and obviously they can sound and play as great as any luthier guitar (though to an extent even a Harley Benton could), but at the end of the day they are mass produced instruments from a mega company overseas, so I'm not sure comparing them to these Euro/Made in France Solars makes that much sense? 2.5k for the super strats would have been a great deal vs too expensive at 4k.
Damn, I really hate that inlay/logo and there's no 7 string but I'm still very tempted.