Glad I’m not the only one who thought that kiesel offering a Strandberg esc body shape would be perfect. It was a thing I noticed messing around on the builder is that each guitar was rounded and the input jack was always in the way of having it sit nicely to get that 45 degree angle on your right leg. I have a Zeus and Vader which I adore so if they were to ever create an ergonomic body I’d buy one in a heartbeat.
@@andrefludd can’t argue with that. Hopefully by the time I finish uni they will offer a guitar that satisfies both our wants but till then I’m gonna keep enjoying and practicing with what I got. Can’t afford to get any more, especially with the cost of living in Australia right now haha. Cheers for the videos anyways, keep them up.
I've never had one but remember always wanting to order one back in the early 90's when I would get their catalog in the mail.I wanted one or 2 of their amps too.I always loved that they were made in the US and the price was half of a comparable brand
Making a headless guitar without ergonomic features such as a cutaway for leg rest kind of defeats the purpose. Most of the audience that is open to purchasing a headless also are the same guitar players interested in improved ergonomics. It’s mind boggling how so many guitar manufacturers do not understand this.
I think that there's a significant difference between an interest in ergonomics and letting them be an absolute deal breaker.......case in point, if Tim wanted all those features I'm sure he would have incorporated them (has he also played a Klein in the past?) so their value is obviously subjective.
How many times has that happened, out of the thousands of guitars they sell every year? That happens to other companies too, we just don’t see that online because we don’t even know who their owners are. He can be a tool sometimes for sure. But I like their guitar and they are priced fairly for an American made custom guitar. There are hundreds of artists and musicians who say the dumbest things online and attack their fans/ customers and people don’t seem to care that much
@@x3a3x3how many times has the vice president for a company gone live on social media to air out customer for having a fair complaint, a guy who, mind you, bought over 10 guitars from said brand? I can only think of one example top of my head…
@@x3a3x3 It doesn't matter. How many times has it happened with any other brand... oh wait. You can spend your money how you want, but it's also fair for people to want to support people that aren't, publicly anyways, acting like entitled children who can do no wrong.
I agree that strap pin location is very important for balance and posture. I noticed many years ago that John Abercrombie was placing a strap pin on the back of his guitars rather than on the upper horn or bout. As you say ...agree 1000 percent! I also have a Carvin Fatboy which has the strap pin on the back... and 2 pins on the bottom of the guitar.
One thing I want Kiesel to do that they never will: 24in. scale. I know I can get a Leia or Zeus in 24.75in. But in order for me to pull the trigger, it would have to be a 24in. scale. 🙈 But I love the maple burl tops and fade finishes. So pretty.
I played a Kiesel bass for a year, but a few little issues and the price shook my confidence in taking it to a gig and feeling like it would perform the entire time. I feel like now that the issues are fixed, it will last a lifetime (and it’s a gorgeous instrument) but that little hesitation will never go away.
This is a top-notch review, and I have to agree about the jack placement - they absolutely should contact you for advice. It'll be good practice for when you eventually take over as Gibson's CEO....
It’s such a cool shape. That’s what sold me on the M6. The extra wood on the arm carve. I almost ordered a different guitar, but I’m glad I got a Tim Miller. Now I just need to practice more and play with other people. 😂 Nice review too! The fretboard is their standard ebony option.
I have a lot of Carvin basses. Been using them since the 1980's. I have a borderline Carvin/Kiesel DC700. Plays great. Two years ago, I bought a fretless Kiesel Osiris five string bass. Played great right out of the case. Might update the pickups with EMGs. Been sold on them for a few decades now. Still have most of them (except my prized LB40F fretless, which was stolen)!
+1 to a Kiesel headless with an ergo body. Just ordered a Strandberg over a Kiesel for this reason alone. Having that leg cut out on the lower bout is key. Put the jack on top like a jazz bass and you’re in business. Andre, you could mod the M6 with a top loading jack and concentric volume/tone pot and let us know how it goes?!?
Nice discussion about the M6. I’ve had one for a couple months now. It plays great, intonation is fine, action is fine. I’m not completely satisfied with the Berylium pickups, and/or switch 2 and 4 positions though. In fact, I stumbled across this video while researching other (pickup) options. I’ll tweak it though, until I get the tone and response where I want it… because it IS fun to play😀. Cheers!
Another thoughtful commentary on a modern guitar. Gorgeous, lush tone and a well-thougt out guitar. I prefer ergonomic guitars, being old and not hopping around on stage, anymore, but otherwise and really nice guitar.
Those pickups, god damn. Super clear. I imagine the rest of the chain is super well dialled, but a couple of those positions sound bright (and full) without being at all harsh, freq wise or dynamically.
I recently modified my Strat to be more ergonomic, sort of like a Strandberg. I moved the "football" Jack to the back of guitar, close to where the bottom strap pin is located. It turned out to be my favorite part of the Mod.
It sounds so silly but I agree 1000%. The way a Strandberg guitar feels on your lap, how it sits with no strap, how light it is etc - it just can't be beat. I have an 8 string Strandberg, but recently I wanted to grab a 7 string with an Evertune bridge - while the Evertune is amazing, having to sacrifice headless, multiscale, ergonomic design etc is a bummer. Abasi Concepts did it, Ormsby has it, a couple companies do have designs for more ergonomic playing. Would love for Kiesel to jump on the bandwagon with a new model so I can customize the heck out of it. Really wish Evertune would release a bridge for headless guitars that supports multiscale (big ask I know), and then more headless guitar companies would adopt some of the awesome aspects of Strandberg guitars (the parts that aren't patented at least). For me the thing I dislike most about Strandberg is the lack of options, and insane high prices for anything more fancy than their base models (they have $8k models lol).
hey, i got a possible topic for a video, can you make a video of how to mantain a vibrato system, i used the 2b pencil method but, is it enough, i think you can clarify some of these doubts
A cooperation between the luthier and Andre would be interesting. He could finally gather all the details and technical solutions he looks for in other guitars in one instrument. He could choose the right pickups, appropriate electronics, frets, etc. etc. Some solutions are mutually exclusive, so it would be interesting to know what compromises he would have to make? Would he succeed the first time? What costs would you have to pay to have such a "perfect" guitar? Just establishing the criteria and parts for the future "perfect" instrument would be interesting. How much would the initial design differ from the finished guitar?
I’ve had a good experiences with Kiesel’s customer service and their guitars are top notch. They have the most comfortable neck profiles in the business, at least to my hands. It’s unfortunate that not everybody else has had the same experience.
I finally bought my first (used) Kiesel a few months back and I was worried about the OEM pickups. I have Seymour Duncan or Fishman in almost all of my guitars. I was and continue to be blown away by them however. They have the absolutely best split sound that I've ever heard from humbuckers.
Have you ever played a Music Man JP6? It has my favourite forearm bevel. It's what makes me like it more than the Majesty. I only have a JP70 but that forearm cutout makes me want a JP6
all the recent models are not available left handed :/ being able to get anything they make lefty for no upcharge was my favorite thing about them. i wish i could buy a tim miller guitar semi hollow headless is like my dream
Strandberg should make a straight 22 fret model for jazz players, because their jazz nx model isnt jazz enough. I just want ergonomic guitar with 22 frets
Great videos. I've ditched my boat anchors and am only on light weight guitars now. My fave is Ormsby's Goliath. It's severely fanned, which may not be to your liking, but for heavier music it's perfect.
My OM7 with Beryllium pickups is a fantastic instrument that has become my main guitar. I also own a C66, SH675, C7X, SH7X and a VB6 bass. They are all stellar instruments. But I also have two outstanding support issues with the Kiesel company and therefore I am hesitant to casually recommend them to anyone.
QA issues have always been their downside. I have multiple $3-5k models, and even on those, there are QA issues that are pathetic. Such as, my $4k Hyperdrive's jackplate has 3 of the four screwholes stripped upon arrival since the plate is flat and being affixed to a curve. It would cost pennies to manufacture a curved plate and nothing to relocate the jack area. I like Kiesel, but the sycophants that think they're infallible are ludicrous.
15 Kiesels and I won't buy anything else because They will do anything I could want and at the best quality and price in the custom shop market. I've played many other custom brands and the quality is on par with Kiesel so their higher prices dont make them necessarily better imo just more expensive. Jeffs been amazing to work with since i got my first one in 2019. Has went above and beyond for me and has helped me with the few issues ive had and made me super satisfied with every guitar so dont let the hate for him scare you away. Their customer service has always been amazing and great as long as youre not rude and dont expect to return a guitar with non returnable specs. Great honest review!
Yep, I canceled an order due to the flippant responses I got when specing what would have been a $5k K series. God forbid, I ask a question about a paint job.
I have an aries with a Holdsworth pattern 4x2 headstock, I still havent held anything in my hands that holds a candle to it. Hardtail, dual humbuckers, all you need.
Love your content. Clear, no BS, genuine. If you wanted a broader followership you might want add the occasional drop of "spice" in the form of humor or silliness,
The "really dark" ebony would be African Ebony, which is endangered and one of the most expensive woods out there to buy. Related to the famous Gibson raid of 2011, where it was suspected Gibson had acquired the wood from illegal sources.
That whole Madagascar thing in 2009-2011 was absolutely wild. CITES, the Rainforest Alliance, the Feds, smugglers, poachers, timber barons, China... It was a big old ball of insanity.
I 100% agree with the cable input location, and even the abasi concepts guitars while having that right on most models, still does it wrong on some and I can't fathom why they would do that. Did you ever take a look at their space T model? The input jack is exactly on that right leg cut, making it unusable. Makes no sense to me lol
Man, I want one of these soooo bad. My blocker is that I have too many guitars and I don't want to part with any of them. Life is too short to own them all. :) great review!
...you get major "guru" points regarding the upper strap connection on the back of the guitar (very Nostradamus/DaVinci-esque of you)! Out of context I would have considered that to be a ridiculous location for a strap pin. However, when not being played, that feature could be very annoying considering that guitar backs are normally very planar, and that pin will stick out like a sore thumb.👍
@@andrefludd It is frustratingly easy to name three to five guitar features which are not available together for any price. The combination of a 24.75" scale length, a 42mm nut width, dual humbuckers, a hardtail bridge, and a flat (like a Fender, due to the low bridge) neck pitch (i.e. angle) leaves only the Chapman Guitars Pegasus-a signature model announced at this year's Winter NAMM show. Adding "four knobs" to that list leaves only the discontinued Fender or Squier Toronado, and adding "semihollow body" to that list leaves nothing. There is absolutely no reason that combining said scale length and pickup configuration should be synonymous with "Tune-O-Matic or Floyd Rose bridge". One way to get to zero candidates with three features is to combine those bridge and neck pitch requirements with an ES-339 body (not that I know of any ES-335 candidates either). Pretty much the only recognition I have seen of this in the market is Schecter's catalog, which includes many models that could be described as "an Ibanez model, but with a 42mm nut".
@@syfman6 by comparing the both, My kiesels may be the most stable guitars i own, The Carvin is not, it has great pick ups but it is climate fussy and that is bad where i live. You can always swap pick ups but stability is a different story.
@elevenAD I guess you don't understand my question. I own both too, and my Carvin is amazing, as well as my Kiesel. Do you think Allan Holdsworth would agree with you? 💚🎸
@@elevenAD Somewhat true. I have a series of Carvin basses (four, five snd six string). The fretless ones are my primary instruments. The ones that people love! I have a borderline Carvin/Kiesel DC700 guitar. The neck is more playable than the Kiesel. I bought a five string Fretless Kiesel Osiris bass. This one had the hard as nails fingerboard. Played great right out of the case. Even tone up and down the three piece neck. Has the split pickup in front, and the single coil pickup in the rear. I might switch them with EMG electronics. But it sounds and played great before I plugged it in. Banking for the six string now.
I've owned Carvin instruments in the past (including custom shop models, as well as "off the peg") and was happy to take a risk on Option 50 choices being shipped to the UK. With Kiesel.......I don't feel comfortable taking that same risk. Clearly, by the same token, not everyone can afford that much for an instrument......I absolutely can't these days. Shame.
Nice! While i have absolutely no interest in Tim Miller's playing, his Kiesel does look like a nice guitar... though I'm partial to solid bodies, and haven't yet bought into the headless craze-- reminds me too much of a Nintendo controller for Guitar Hero LOL! Long-time Carvin/Kiesel fan however: my 1990s SC90 has been with me for 30-years and it's still going strong :D
I have a real problem with their "California Attitude." Me: I'd like the neck finish to match the body on a Thanos, so I want both to be Gloss. Is that possible? Rep: No. The neck pocket tolerances are so tight that all necks have to be tung-oiled. Me: Oh okay. I noticed if I get a Tung-Oiled body, the guitar can't be returned. Why is that? Rep: Guitars without a finish (satin/gloss) are more susceptible to damage. We don't want to take back a guitar that gets dinged up. Me: So I have to accept a guitar with a neck that can easily get dinged up, but you don't want to take one back that a customer doesn't like. Got it. Thanks but no thanks.
Except … this isn’t true. Matching gloss finishes are even an option on their online builder, for neck-through builds. And guitars with a tung oil neck are returnable. Also, hard to believe you wanted a gloss neck but oiled body. What state’s attitude is “make up something to complain about”? I’d like to avoid moving there.
@@paulblair474 Neck-through guitars do not have neck pockets (The clue is in the name.), and the Thanos is a bolt-on guitar. Also, the OP did not say that guitars with tung-oiled necks are not returnable. Why are you so eager to defend a business which cares nothing about you that you did not bother reading?
When I was first learning about electric-guitar design, more than a decade ago, I called Carvin: I said that I had some questions and was not in a position to order. The man who answered then said, "Oh, let me transfer you to someone who is not in sales." The man to whom I was transferred kindly talked with me for nearly half an hour, after being warned that I had some detailed questions and did not want to waste his time, after which he complimented my thoughtfulness and reiterated that I had not wasted his time.
Carvin, right? Was the name change just a marketing thing or a legal thing? Because I did like Carvin. They were top notch. And then they disappeared. And then I disappeared. Quit playing for many years. But I came back to it during covid, wondering where in the hell Carvin went!?!?
Kiesel needs to offer custom shop guitars instead of merely semi-customs, especially for their price point. They're overhyped for what they are; thick, dull, 80's innovation packed instruments. They need a better handshake on their bolt-ons, better upper fret access, variable multi-scale option offerings, personalized neck profile options, more wood offerings (wenge), custom body shape options, willingness to do any widely known guitar paint/finish technique, and the ability to provide other desired 3rd party hardware without the customer supplying it.
not everyone likes to play in classical position, and not everyone likes thier headless' looking like strandberg's puzzle pieces. tim miller isn't complaining...
Sure, but changing the jack location fixes that problem without causing a second problem. You can still play the guitar any position you want including the classical position.
Nice review 🤘 all the Jeff hate is BS and no one knows him personally or has actually talked to him. I consider Jeff a friend and after 30 custom orders, Kiesel Is The Future 🤘💯
The only problem with those guitars is that they are damn ugly! I have a Parker Fly with the strap button on the back and ever since, it’s the first mod I do to every guitar I own. It works perfectly on a Telecaster!
All the builders will do the same. Used to be when you had an electric bass, it meant Fender Bass, no matter what brand it was. Haven't had a Fender Bass in decades. You have to dig through a lot of them to get one that's playable. And even then, still has issues. No cooperation from Gibson either. Notice the Epiphone models offer EMG and Fishman electronics. You have to beg Gibson for those, or install them on an aftermarket basis.
Jeff is starting to have his daughter take on the role of eventually inheriting the company when he steps down. I'm on the Kiesel discord and she's a lot easier to deal with than Jeff lol
@@14fluffies good for her but I’ll spend my money elsewhere. Plenty of good guitar companies out there with heads that aren’t, publicly at least, jerks to their customers.
I'VE seen and played a few Steinberger basses. I really like the fretless ones. Saw one of their basses (with the Fender type body) at a local Guitar Center. Played like you wouldn't believe. Even the EMG pickups were great. The front one is all I needed. That made the Steinberger basses really stand out. People want so much for them now. Some are asking for almost twice of what they const when they came out.
Most, real "electric guitar" players play standing up (just kidding) so most "ergonomic" nitpicking goes out the window. Ever play a guitar just because of how cool it looks?
I do feel like Andre isnt really that sort of guy....he's primarily a teacher and stuff, probably puts a bit more care in minute things other than sounds and what not. ergonomic is important though, discomfort really discourages you from playing for long time....of course depending on who you are, the level of tolerance is different, you might be able to tolerate shitty playability a bit more than others, but still...
for the love of god, please try an ormsby goliath. Ergonomic masterpiece, in my opinion. It will change your life. Way better than a strandberg. The extreme fan is something that when you get used to makes playing MORE ERGONOMIC if you start fanning your fingers in the same direction of the frets. No other fan fret guitar does this. Just commit to getting adapting to it, you'll never go back. They also have amazing stock pickups. Also just amazing guitars. Best import guitars PERIOD. Way better than any kiesel i've ever tried
@@andrefludd definitely not sending you mine 😂 just tryna put you on since you're really into ergonomics. You could just buy one used from guitar centers website. They have 45 day returns if you don't like it, and usually the shipping is dirt cheap. I would recommend either a custom shop or waiting on the newer gtr models, since those have the jack on the side. The current gtr (imports) have jacks on the back. That's the only negative. Doesn't bother most people but based on the way you sit it could bother you, bc it bothers me as well. They also hold their values ridiculously well.
One thing I want Kiesel to do that they never will: 24in. scale. I know I can get a Leia or Zeus in 24.75in. But in order for me to pull the trigger, it would have to be a 24in. scale. 🙈 But I love the maple burl tops and fade finishes. So pretty.
i'd just like to ask 1) what production guitars are you playing that have a 24 inch scale, and 2) what type of setup do you run that you can't use a 24.75 with 8s or 7s?
@@shubniggurath6464 & @andrefludd 24” production guitars include the Fender Mustang, Duo Sonic, Jaguar, and the Fender Japan Junior collection strat/tele/jazzmaster. My 24” scale production guitars are the Brian May Guitars Special and the Brian May Guitars Arielle. Could I play a 24.75” scale and drop a string gauge? Surely. But you must understand: I’ve played violin since I was 6 years old. I only started playing guitar at 29 years old. That’s 23 extra years of muscle memory and just being used to a 12.8in. scale length. I can play a 24.75in. scale length. Hell, I have a 25.5in. scale Acoustasonic Tele. But if I’m going to spend custom guitar money, I want a 24in. scale length. I know what you’re thinking: “Victoria, violin and guitar are two very different instruments.” Adjusting the right hand from a bow to picking is hard enough as it is. Let me have my short scale for my delicate violin hands. Life is too short! 😉
@andrefludd lmfao, a "music doctor" with a channel dedicated to guitar, can't name an extremely common iteration of guitar. How the hell your channel has any subs astounds me. Everything from your presentation to playing is bland and amateurish.
