my s by solar guitar came... guitar unboxing 

I bought one of the S by Solar seven strings in white, and it showed up today. It has no flaws anywhere and I am impressed by the fit and finish. The tuning keys and pickups are also surprisingly good. None of the boxes were opened like yours, either. From my experience, I would recommend these guitars.

You're just being honest. Thats what consumers need. A realistic unboxing without the bs straight to the point.

What I know about 3/4 or mini guitars is 3/4 scale guitars go out of tune easily because their string tension is low, and this is a reason why longer scale lengths are more conventional. However, this can be offset simply by using higher gauge strings. Hope this helps Ray so no total loss just put on higher gauge stings.

Appreciate the honest review. I just got back into playing after a couple of years hiatus and been diggin' your channel.

Nice to see an impartial review, Ray. If its got problems, we wanna know about them. Thank you

Glad I took a "wait and see" about the SBySolar before buying. Still on my list to order but just waiting for review's to drop on YT. THanks bud!~

The 3/4th style guitar is meant for kids man they don’t have finger strength so it’s meant to accommodate their very light touch compared to ours especially in the metal genre

Are you gonna intonate it? Would take like 15 minutes max to get that done. I bet that's the golden ticket to getting it playable. I'd love to see a follow up after you intonate it.

Much love dude! Friendly reminder that I want to try to put some bass to some of your tracks

Not a downer just honest, don't ever apologize for that. Thanks for your honest review.

Ray that's why I stay loyal to your channel, because you don't sugarcoat stuff

Thanks for the honest review Ray! We need to know these things before purchasing. I'm sure Ola will get this sorted out. Peace brother! 😊

As soon as I saw you bought a 3/4 scale, I was disappointed. We (viewers, that most probably already play guitar to any extent) want to see what a full scale S has to offer. I have 2 Solars and love them, but I was not interested in a 3/4 scale anything, by any company. I imagine a full scale S could fall out of tune, no big deal replace, the tuners, maybe change out the bridge. But the 3/4 scale doesn't show me if these may be worth trying out. Not knocking your channel, you have a lot of great content and I've watched for years before the name change. I just felt you may have missed on who your audience is with this purchase. Keep the good stuff coming and Stay Metal Ray! Love your videos man!

I received one today, I am actually floored by how much it feels like my top of the line model. The only issue I had was no whammy bar in the package but I have several extra.

Complete respect for an honest review bro. Btw you're now off Ola's Xmas card list.

Short scale, thin strings, pressing down with your regular pressure pushes the string sharp?

Respect for the HONEST review mate... I was expecting it to be nothing but praise and s*cking Ola's you know what even if there was issues (Haven't watched this channel much so I made an assumption). Nothing to gain by lying to your audience man, major props for speaking your mind and not being a sell out. Hopefully the "negative" review will result in positive action to fix the QC issues in the future. If the 3/4 guitar tuning is as common as others mention and can be fixed with higher gauge strings that might be worth another video.

Short scales are made for pinch harmonics...As for tuning issues, it's normal for short-scale guitars to have problems. The best thing you can do is put 7s on it.

In addition to what others have said below about tuning issues due to string tension etc, short scale guitars also greatly increase sensitivity to your finger pressure and precise placement behind the fret. A heavier touch will more dramatically pull the string out of tune than a longer scale guitar simply because of the shorter distance to the saddle from the fret. Fret a note very lightly and then push down hard on the string; watch how much the note will "bend" compared to a full-scale. Low action and a light touch are important with these guitars.

At least you got it. I ordered one for my son on Thursday and the order info said May 10, 2024. I contacted Solar and they said that it's currently "being serviced" and that once it passes QC it will be shipped. Says "Expected in 1-2 weeks" to ship. Find that odd since this wasn't a preorder and said "Buy now." Don't know why it takes 2 weeks to service and inspect but whatever. I just want it by Xmas for my son. My V2 Cannibalismo is perfect so that sucks to hear about your flaws with yours. Hoping my son's (his first guitar) has better luck and is worth the longer wait.

That heal crack makes that an authentic Ibanez.

Ray no reason to be sorry for being honest especially since you were respectful about it. I appreciate that kind of honesty and I believe that's a reason for them to improve QC

The heel crack can also happen during shipping. My Epiphone got one during shipping even though it was packed very well.

Yes, you have to watch both your right and left hand tech with any short scale. Tension is slack. But give it some playing time and you can adjust to it.

Take it to a luther and get it set up. Intonate the bridge and use thicker set of strings

Thanks for trying out a 3/4 guitar for the honest unboxing review! I’m curious how it would stack up against other 2/3 and 3/4 guitars like the Jackson Minions. It’s a bummer with the QC issues, but I’m hoping that maybe some new strings and a setup will prove its worth.

I feel like QC has taken a serious hit in the last few years on import brands with a couple of exceptions. I bought a Squire Bass VI, and I literally replaced everything. Pickups were basically unusable, trem was fucked, bridge wouldn't actually properly intonate the low e string, pots were scratchy, 2 of my switches died... I bought a Fender Player Series Fretless Jazz Bass and the nut was cut such that they intentionally carved out a chunk of the fingerboard for the string to sit in. So this D string is sitting half in the fingerboard at the nut. Charvel Basses shipping with dead preamps. On the flip side though, I got a Gretch Electromatic and it was immaculate. Same with my Ibanez SR505E. I think the difference there though, is that brands like Gretch and Ibanez do internal QC after manufacture before they get shipped out. Every Gretsch guitar goes through QC in Cali before it goes out to stores and it shows. Maybe Solar needs to do the same with these S by Solar guitars as well, otherwise the whole thing might tank because you can get an awesome used guitar for the price of a new guitar and it'll have better QC so you really need a reason to be buying into these cheap versions.

If the string tension is really easy to bend the strings . It probbaly needs 11s to make it feel like a normal guitar with 9s. I did it on a harley benton mini strat and it worked amazingly . That might help on the intonation issue a little but it probably needs a set up for that .

Keep us posted on what you find out man!! Im getting mine today and now im a bit nervous LOL

It's really easy to push notes sharp while fretting on those short scale guitars

Just wondering if you checked the intonation before. Also shorter guitars need a bigger gauge string. If it came with 9s I'd throw a set of 11s or 12s at least on it and reset it up. Still a good video definitely one of my favorite channels. ☮️❤️ Brother 👍

I've never bought a guitar in 40 years that was perfectly awesome when i opened the case/box. From 4k Esp Customs, Jackson Charvel, vintage, new down to 300 dollar guitars. Not a single one out of multiple dozens. Occasional LTD, some of the mid 90's Jackson stuff, A USA Jackson ordered, not off the shelf,...yea. I settled these days with a Schecter SS Exotix, and it is easily the best guitar i ever bought off the shelf by far for the money. But i had to set it up. It was complete garbage out of the box, and has a high 23 fret. Luckily i like a medium low/higher action so it worked out.

I’m not defending poor QC, but, with respect to tuning and intonation, this is a known problem with 22 inch scale guitars - they don’t hold tuning well at all

So I had a friend with an Ibanez Mikro RG and he had it strung with lighter gauge strings and had it tuned up to G# standard, basically the 4th fret. Also, go look up an old video by Pete Cottrell where he did Metallica tuned up to A standard, the 5th fret on an Ibanez Mikro and it sounds pretty cool.

It’s a 3/4 guitar so you need to either put higher gauge strings, tune higher or much rather, play with less force in your fingers. I saw you were really digging in but that will cause intonation issues. Ease up. I got a kids guitar which I take for travel and it’s always a relearning process for me too as I like to dig in as well.

"It's small package..." That's what she said!

I was gonna say, Solar guitars are already made by a budget guitar factory, i wouldnt expect a whole lot from the budgets budget brand

You can't expect a budget or even most import guitars to play wonderfully right out of the box. If they do, it is a bonus. But expect to put a set of fresh strings on it and conduct..or pay for a proper and thorough setup. Ray knows this...i don't know why he would think or expect anything different....?

I don't think I have ever played a 3/4 scale guitar that really intonated well.

Finish cracks are expected , my 5,000 dollar ESP bolt on eventually got them..

Bro just been to a guitar shop here in the uk.and looked at the 7 string with floyd rose.amazing guitar.ive never played a 7 string before but the neck feel superb .so im going to buy it.and it shred like hell.single coil in the neck and a humbucker in the bridge.i love it.👍👍👍🙏

Thanks for the honest review. Think I’ll stay say from the 3/4 scale and maybe the S models in general. 🤘🤘🤘

Unfortunately customs may have borked the volume knob too. I also dont buy into the fact that price = quality.

I always feel that any guitar when purchased needs a proper full set up especially a beginner guitar like S by Solar, squire etc. I love Solar guitars. I have three but the S series is for beginners. They have their place but it’s probably not for the majority of people on this channel.

The short scale is the one thing f-ing your intonation and tuning. I’m wondering if I should get the type E one and hearing that this had good frets is a good indicator, thanks Ray!

Put a set of 12 or 13s on it. The thicker strings will help keep it in tune. Keep in mind, shorter scale, lower tension. 10s on a LP and 9s on a fender is a similar situation.

Ola needs to see this, bright side is it was only a couple hundred dollars. Hopefully a set up will fix playing issues. I don't think I have seen you look so sad in a long time. BTW Jackson makes 3/4 scale guitars called minions for around $200, like a dinky style and a RR V style. Theirs have two humbuckers. Anyways, looking forward to the follow up because it would be cool if these guitars become legit competitors in the entry level market.

I think Ola should send you a name brand Solar as an apology for the QC...

Man, Those cracks appear to be just finish cracks, because wood contracts and expands to a greater extent than paint most likely caused by. nothing to worry about based on my experience.

⭐COOL😁

Solid review.

No need to apologize for calling out the flaws of an instrument. Short-scale or not, it either stays in tune or it doesn't. This one doesn't and all the comments about lecturing what to expect from a guitar like this are irrelevant. True, kids would benefit from the lighter string tension. True that affects the tuning stability. It's still a guitar that stays in tune badly. Those other QC issues are pretty bad tbh and disappointing. A crack in the heel joint, a big ding on a black volume knob, and messed up screws? Come on. I bought my son a used Ibanez Ergodyne EXR-170 - Iron Pewter and while it also has tuning problem, it sure doesn't have any of those other problems.

Imagine Harley Benton would have those QC Issues - everbody would burn'em haha but funny to see how much of Respect Ola gets in this Game. Good for him, bad for the buyers I guess^^

That does sck maybe talk to the company about it see if they have any response? Which yeah my $200 Jackson JS22 Dinky came out of it's box from the box it shipped from the factory to guitar center perfectly and was even kinda in tune... Which after playing off and on for a few months is still perfect and all the issues I've had were my user error and never damaged the guitar. So yeah see what they have to say as it could just be QC or the slsash and dash border checks.

I bought my $900 guitar from Solar and I have issues with my guitar staying in tune. I would spend like 20 mins tuning all the strings over and over again bc it won’t stay in tune.

It probably is shipping damage not QC issues.

So I was hoping for better QC issues on these guitars and I know you really like Solar guitars so for you to say there are issues that bother you is a big deal. Hopefully this will get better with the QC. I was going to buy the white full scale version but I think I will wait a bit and see what others have to say about them first.

Sounds fantastic!

So I don't know what gauge strings are on that guitar. I bought a Jackson Minion Rhodes V and it came with 9's. Those short scale guitars do not like light gauge strings. If you're in standard increasing the string gauge will help with tuning stability.

String alignment looks off - too much space between low E and neck and less space between high E. Maybe it's the angle IDK

it would be cool to customize one of those

The short scale is really difficult for intonation,but,,, you can get it much much closer if you tune it higher than standard

Thanx for the Honest Review !!

The nut needs some work done to it, and that should fix the wandering out of tune when you fret it. They ain't cut right.

Waiting for the Glenn Fricker..."better than a Gibson" video.

I agree that with budget guitars you are going to run into issues. The lower the cost the less QC it'll go through in my experience. Budget guitars are really cool, but they tend to be pretty quirky.

3:04 did you tune downwards there? Always tune upwards. If the string is harp, go below pitch and up again. Otherwise you will always have tuning issues :)

As others have said, the tuning/intonation issues are because of the shortscale. Heavier gauge strings + a setup will definitely help, but likely won’t fix it completely. I'd be very interested to see your thoughts on a full scale S by Solar, if possible. Out of the box, I'd expect your tuning + intonation issues to be a thing of the past!

Would also be interested to hear people's thoughts on neck pocket cracks as I have an Ibanez and sterling that just came down with that issue

Check the nut slot heights and adjust intonation will help with tuning issues.

To a certain degree, you’re right. You get what you pay for. BUT, shouldn’t we expect a guitar without cracks, unless it says “cracks” in the description? lol. Seriously Ray, you are awesome, but send it back and get it replaced. Cheers bro.

5:20 it's pretty normal problem with short scale guiitars you can try playing as soft as you can it can help a little

I got a Jackson Mini Dinky, the intonation issue is the same. Just cheap mini guitars man, I plan on having it professionally setup sometime but love being able to take it and not take up much room!

love it dude!

I didn't hear you mention it, you may know it as well but from every short scale guitar demo I've seen, they say you have to fret with a reeeeally light touch.

The heel crack and knob scuff are more than likely from shipping. And it's a kid's guitar, not exactly meant to be pro level.

Probably needs a full, legit setup, so many cheap guitars do. May also want new, thicker strings with that scale length. I use a tension calculator off of Evertune's site to get approximate string tension for a whatever scale length I'm using and gauges.

3/4 scale guitars are pretty unstable in standard tuning with standard 9s or 10s for strings. I find it helps if you tune it three or four steps up as a sort of soprano guitar. You could also use heavier gauges to stay in standard, but it doesn't always have the best results in my opinion.

Got my EB4.6C today, and i think it's a good beginner guitar. Pickups are too hot for my taste. Frets are scratchy, but that goes away quickly. The fret bevel at 45 degrees is a bit odd, but well done except on the last frets near the neck pickup, where they've gone too much into the fretboard. Playability is great out of the box. Action is surprisingly low. i also noticed some minor intonation oddities, but nothing extreme. Didn't investigate further. Finish is good, but black is easy to hide flaws. It even has a better paint job than the A2.6W i have, where you can feel the paint stop on the neck where it meets the fretboard. This one is smooth. Tuners are ok Neck joint looks very good

Seems to me that the guitar was probably returned because of the crack and other QC issues and was just sent straight back out to you without being checked over, hence the already opened box.

Something like a JET JS-400 MBK has roasted maple neck, real rosewood fretboard for the same or lower price. Also the quality is great overall, regardless of the price.

But did you actually check the intonation? It's pretty easy to know if the 12th fret harmonic is identical in pitch to the 12th frettted

Try getting it set up and a gauge or two higher strings and do a update review?

I don’t down play things but. If I buy something. Maybe call and see what they can do.

The shorter the scale length, the more exaggerated any errors in intonation become. Try spending a little more time dialing in the saddles, and it might not be quite so noticeable.

It had been opened... chip and crack. Did customs open it and mishandle??

I have had to intonate, every guitar I’ve ever purchased. I would say, dedicate about three minutes and do a set up on it. Just sayin'. I love your videos, brother. Stay metal! 🤘🏼🤘🏼

Full price Solar has had bad QC so kinda what did you expect from S

is it just the angle or does the low E string seem very far form the fret edge.. while the High e is falling off the board?.. nut or bridge or camera angle??.. she looks cool.. but figure a kid is not going to know how to set this up.. better to pay a bit more for a factory setup.. easy to say.. but it helps..

I fixed tuning problem with locking tuners

Put 12s or 13s on it and will be fine. You'll notice thats what other brands do with their mini guitars like the Vox mini ships with 13s

The power of the pink ✂️ are far too powerful for that "tiny package" 😂. Bummer it was defective. Still pretty cool

Let’s GO 🔥🔥

The problem with that crack is that it could have happened in shipping.

Just had an idea, I see your arms are inked and could you ink them white or a light color to re tatoo them? or thats just the plan?

I want to say they are new and that I don't want to he that against them. But it's ola it's solar but I have been seeing and hearing bad stuff with solar even. Maybe ola and partners should do some check-ups and clean ups and figure.iut what's going on. But also wherever they are located logistics money all of the stuff you need to do such a thing. Just everyone spam ola about it they need to find out who where and why it's happening they should be able to track it down with letters and numbers that's why they exist

Doesn't sound bad. I still prefer to get the Ibanez RGIB21.

Send it back.

Now I have never played a 3/4 size axe but did I hear somewhere that they play at a different octave or pitch due to size? ...It is a cool little axe! I am sure Solar will get the QC dialed in!

in my experience with the jackson roads mini recently and many before that , the nut always seems to high on those small guitars...the upper frets go way out of tune...i think the minis just need luthier love to be real playable guitars...just my 2 cents for what its worth