Earl Slick, was David Bowie's guitarist starting in 1974 (Diamond Dogs, Young Americans and Station to Station) He was Bowie's guitarist on most tours from that point on. Slick also played with John Lennon including the Double Fantasy record. He has a solid track record in history of Rock-n-Roll. Just in case some folks didn't know.
to all those interested in this guitar, i have one and heres my 2 cents... this was my first gfs purchase, ive been waiting for the other tstyle with brass bridge FOREVER to go back in stock, so if you want one now, get it while theyre there or you'll be waiting 6months+. when they finally did come back, i saw these models and all the features sounded better than the other model. i got it shipped quickly... once they shipped it. they give you $10 off if you buy a case with it, i wanted the foam one and whole deal shipped was $300! sweet! a week later im still waiting for tracking info so i email them and they don't have that case. i opted out and the guitar shipped very quickly! few problems- nut is slightly shifted off center, no biggie, but when i lowered bridge, high e string was sitting on 1st fret... still thinking what im gonna do... maybe bone nut? the fretboard at the nut, at high e is not flat, looks slightly.. dented? not chipped... frets were surprisingly ok... but the fretboard was dirty from the polish compound from fretwork i think. i just did some light filework to round the ends to my liking. the routes for pickups are kinda larger than should be... oh well... one thing though.. these pickups have those plug in connectors underneath i think so you cant lower the pickups much when youre lowering the bridge, that kinda sucks. one big thing to watch for-this finish is VERY fragile, i think i moved this guitar against another and scratched it, i mean, you can take your nail and it will scratch SUPER easy!!! im considering either putting on some tru oil over it or spray some mohawk nitro and let it age, not to prevent every scratch but just so it has some protection. the body is heavy!!! this aint swamp ash, its tough heavy ash and it will dent! neck profile is very thin. these are all lil things i noticed. really, i think the guitar is fantastic and sounds great. i had 2 other xaviere guitars and the quality surprised me. i would recommend having it set up professionally and that will make it 10 times better. sorry, that might have been more like 200 cents, not just 2...
Earl threw together some awesome guitars. Good line. I believe the problem was literally they were rock bottom , no frills, quality guitars. Ie....they had to charge ya somewhere
The "Aged Black Ash" models don't really appear reliced, despite their name. But I concur. All the others are reliced. I suspect that's because it's easier to throw on crappy paint and run a sand over the body than it is to do a nice finish job. I'm pretty happy with my Xavier guitar from GFS. Have you tried one of them, and if so, how does it compare to the Slicks? My only complaint about my Xavier is the neck is a bit thicker than most (but not as thick as a cheapo from Amazon or Monoprice - those were so thick I had to take a sander to them and reshape them.)
I'm a fan of low-end instruments - I have several. This sounds good, and the minor cosmetic issues don't bother me, though I don't much care for the "relic'd" look.
Me either. I have a Xavier T-Type and it was a great deal at $209 incl. tax and shipping. Needed a little fret polishing and a better setup. ( easy enough) I wasn't happy or surprised it had mini pots, but I can always get a premium prewired harness from GFS for about $40. Pots are fine, but if ever one goes bad.... I've also considered a pickup swap. Again the Lil'punchers sound great, just not traditional tele.
I met Earl Slick at a club where he gave a talk in 2019. Cool down-to-earth New Yorker who worked with Lennon and Bowie, amongst others. Check out his role in the Bowie Glstonbury 2000 performance. Not only a great guitarist but also a great speaker.
This brand is doing something really interesting that other brand aren't doing, the raw wood feel is actually something you don't get in any guitar on that price and is such an easy thing to achieve and a lot of people want that these days, short scale on T, the pickups sounded quite nice (the bridge was convincing the neck so so), I'm really impressed!
Idk man, GFS sell the pro500 LP copy. With set neck, arch top, full maple top, coil splits with the kwik plug shipped to me for 300 and it's pretty versatile. I think they offer more versatility for the same price on the website lol
? I am always curious how “out of the box” all of your guitar reviews are. Do you swap strings? Set up the guitar? Set the action? Neck adjustment? Could you add this to your reviews?
Nice thing about it is it's basic simplicity. A good base to build on. You won't feel too bad drilling a hole in it to add a pot. If you bump it...you're adding character.
I just got my SL60 the other day, and I'm blown away by how good it is. It plays great and sounds great. I don't like relic aesthetics, but for $250, I'm overlooking it. Basically, they have saved money on the looks, and poured all the budget into stuff that matters. I'm flabbergasted by how good the P90 pickups sound, and the frets are better than I've seen on some much more expensive guitars. The only thing I'm missing is a tone knob, but I think I'll add one myself. I might also move the selector switch to the upper "horn," which is where I'm accustomed to it on guitars like that. If you're looking for a crazily affordable guitar that still sounds great, that Slick line is stellar.
A great value for the money. GFS surprises me with the quality of their products. The pickups cleanup quite well through the volume pot, and differentiate well between the tone of the bridge and neck. OK, it's not a 4K$ Gretsch, but it stands out with hororable mention: what else do you need to rock out ?
Darrell, long time listener, first time caller.. I have been looking at Slick brand guitars for a few years, the one downside that made me not want this model is that if you break a string you have to take off the bridge to replace it. Thanks for all your vids.
Damn. Didn't notice it was so low! Well since the routing is so crap to begin with, you might as well chisel/drill diagonal pathways torwards the holes for ease of string changing. I'd be drilling a hole for a tone knob and series/parallel switch anyhow...
I have the SL-52 tobacco burst model. I’ve put some work into it...polished and crowned frets, replaced nut with bone nut, changed out the tuners to reliced Grover lockers, and one thing that I HATED about these guitars is the logo...I think it looks rather hideous, so I sanded all the paint off the headstock and repainted with a simple black automotive paint...all fixed 😀. It plays great now and it’s one of my favorite guitars from my collection. Also, the Earl Slick pickup line is actually pretty dang good! I have the stock PAF vintage pickups in my SL-52 and they sound fantastic...I have no plans of changing them out anytime soon. All in all I feel like I have a pretty awesome guitar!
I had the Slick SL57 Strat. Regret selling it....looked awesome and played nicely. Great pups and neck and just sounded so much better than the Squier strats. Someone is happy with the guitar now.
I picked up the exact same one and I flat love it !!!! Your video sold me on it. Was looking for different tones for recording… what a fun simple guitar !!!! Thank you for the review !!!!
What I appreciate is the simple yet still unique design. Fancy tops and colors are fine, but the core of the guitar is sometimes overlooked. Love this simplicity yet cool looks (altho not huge fan of the headstock). I’d rock this!
It's pretty easy to hit the headstock with some sandpaper during a string change to make it match the aged look of the body. The headstock finish came off much easier than I expected.
Those pups are GFTrons, gfs version of filtertrons. They sound good. I just got a couple of gfs rotrotrons. They're slightly different from the Gftrons.
Always loved how Earl Slick made his guitar sound wickedly incredible . Glad to see he's found a way to keep his excellent legacy alive in a great and affordable way . Heard him first on the David Live at the Tower Philadelphia album ( mind blowing guitar work ) and have been a fan ever since . Down to earth good guy .
I have a Gibson LP Special and a Fender Stratocaster and I was searching for a budget Telly style guitar. I found Slick guitars and now I’m in love with my SL51 in Daphne Blue.
My thoughts exactly. He highlights a lot of low/mid priced guitars with great specs but they usually sound crappy. This has mediocre specs but sounds great. I’ll take the one that sounds great every time
Thanks D, I just ordered one of these, it gets here 2/26, I can't wait. It is my first T style and my first Filtertrons. I got it mostly based on your review. In the past I have purchased a Spark Amp and a Stage Right 15watt Tube Amp, also on your recommendation. I loved both of those and am hoping for another winner. You are the gold standard of reviewers IMO. Great job, keep it up.
The Slick Guitar brand is new to me, but by your demo I think I would like it. But I'm not a fan of the (aged look) on my guitars, can I get it without it? Would love a master tone to go with the master volume to. You can play very well and love the show. I always wanted to build a guitar and you make it look so easy. Hope you would another one soon. Or one show you could show the Guitars you have on the wall behind you 😍 I think I have taken just about most of them. 😍🤤 Love the lime green tele with the black pick-gard! Great job! 😃👍 Will
Now that you've played Xavier, Slick, and Harley Benton, I'd be curious to hear you thoughts between them. I'm looking at a semi hollow and debating between Xavier, Harley Benton, and Epiphone. You are a fantastic resource.
That country rock western folk ish lick at 5:00 mark. Not a big country western type but that was bad ass. Hehehe. The timing was what made it unique towards the change at the end. Nice.
I bought an SL 50 first. And then, within a few weeks, I got a SL60 and a SL57, will receive an SL 52 tomorrow (and this SL55 will be added in about 3 weeks). And I'm absolutely thrilled with each and every one of them. It is quite possible that there will be more.
My complaint about Slick is that every GD guitar is “relicd”. I hate this relic trend. I want my guitar to look pristine when it is new, not look like a factory 2nd drug behind a dodge dart
Nice demo again mr Braun!! I have a Slick SL60 (with P90's) for about a year now. Pickups, neck, fretboard and sound are absolutely perfect. I am less pleased with the wraparound bridge and the wood of the body. Adjusting the bridge height is a hassle and some Slick owners need to go through that hassle every time when changing strings. You can see that on Darrell's example: the string ends are actually below the top of the body, which means that you have to screw the bridge up to make space to put the strings through the bridge string holes. As someone else mentioned before me: the body wood is quite soft. I think it's basswood, which -in my theory!- might be less suitable for a wraparound bridge: before buying my Slick, I noticed two Slicks where the bridge under string tension started to hang over; the holes for the bridge poles got wider. Keep in mind: this is my theory. These might have been guitars where the holes for the bridge poles were drilled too wide.
Well , I think it is cool ! I love the sound of filtertrons , but Gretsch guitars leave me cold ! This is a guitar I would not need or play a lot , but for under $300 it is perfect for when you need these features ! Yes , I would buy this guitar , I am a blues guy , but I think it would come in handy for some tunes ! There is always room for one more guitar , right ?
Great review, thanks! It's interesting (to me anyway) that they have brass everywhere, but opted for chrome pickup covers, when they also sell gold pickups. Beyond that, a local store has a used one that I'm considering checking out (despite me telling myself that I don't need any more guitars).
Something to mention, they left a nice full-size control cavity, so plenty of room to add a tone knob! It's easy enough to DIY it completely, OR you can buy a harness with the quickplug stuff included from GFS and, aside from drilling a hole, pretty much just drop it in, plug it up, and done! I think you can even buy those same knobs individually, so, yeah, BOOM!
I got the Slick SL-60 recently and love it! I have a custom built Tele and a Custom built Strat I love but much more expensive and valuable! My Tele was built in 1980 by Bob Jones, Matt Umanov in NYC Greenwich Village and the finish done by myself! The Strat with a Clapton soft V neck was built to spec for me by Roger Steinberg at Clinton Guitars in NJ. I say all this in part because I paid $249 for the Slick SL-60 plus less than $30.00 shipping! Thank you Earl Slick you rock!
Thank you so much! I've started learning to play the (acoustic) guitar not long ago and thinking about a first electric guitar, I really fell in love with this one. The pick-ups on the Tele body sound great!
Took a while for it to be available ...but I just purchased a Slick SL57. Your positive review of the SL55 pushed me to take a chance on the SL57. My first online axe purchase and I am super delighted with my pick. The guitar is solid and the neck is perfect. So far I am in love with my SL57 and can't believe it only cost $259.00. I got the Black Ash (Indian Rosewood neck) and my wife thinks it is beautiful ...so it wasn't hard to get her onboard with my new purchase :)
Yesterday: Why am I looking at guitars? I don't need another guitar, that's that... {closes a half-dozen tabs} Today: Watches a Darrell Braun demo on a new Slick tele Today, immediately upon conclusion of demo video: Opening a half-dozen tabs on Slick website
Great review like always. Have you tried a Prestige heritage guitar from Vancouver ? Would be nice to hear your impression of those guitars made here from a canadian company. Here in New-Brunswick, there's no place who sell them. I wish i could try one myself.
My concern is changing strings. Do you have to pop the bridge out?I heard this concern on earlier Slick guitars Thanks, enjoyed the review. Stay safe God bless Rock on 🙏🎶🎵😷✨👀❗
The neck pickup is 6k ALNICOs - a little lower output than traditional humbuckers (I generally like these). I think they are slightly narrower, although that could be my imagination. After reading all the comments, there were three that mentioned the build quality was not good, and it cost one guy $80 to return it. Others had no problems. Not sure what the odds are here. Also, you have to move the bridge out to replace a string. That's annoying.
Hi, I'd like to see what you think of Vintage guitars. The Vintage Lemon Drop would be a nice place to start. Really enjoy your videos by the way. Thanks and regards from England. Take care and stay safe.
The neck pocket on my Slick guitar was extremely loose. I bought an Allparts Fender spec neck and it want fit. So there you go. Pay for crap, get crap. Lesson learned!
You are showing a SL55 here, but there website just does not have this guitar. Am I missing something here, you may have guessed I really want the one you demoed. Any ideas where it can be bought ?
I've had a Slick SL51 (also a tele style) for a little over a year now. Solid. great playing guitar. I did have the nut replaced because the string spacing on mine was really dodgy, but no other complaints.
Hey Darrell, nice video as usual! Have you ever tried/tested Reverend Guitars? I would love to hear and see you playing some of those. Btw, they are not quite affordable, but you should keep an eye on Gamble Guitars from germany. They have some great models, all built by hand.
I actually like it. Pickups are not too hot and just as warm and clear as you'd want them to be. Sound really nice both in clean and with gain or distortion. Not bad at all. And it looks pretty cool too. Didn't notice what kind of nut it has.
Just played the Gretsch G2215-P90 Streamliner Junior Jet Club Electric Guitar, and it's amazing at 349. Has the same set up save for a P90 in the neck. So many tones. Through the Vox Valvetronix, there are a myriad of tones to be achieved. I need Biden to send me that 1400 so I can get both.
Very cool episode. I have a question about a locking nut. I have a strat with a 9.5 neck radius and a locking nut with a 10.0 radius. Should I file the string slots on the locking nut to get the neck radius of 9.5? What do you recommend?
Darrell...love your site. Can you talk about the ‘80’s Kramer guitars? I know EVH started out with one that he heavily modified. I have a ‘84-‘85 Focus 3000 w/Floyd Rose in a rare aqua color. Thanks
Dude it seems like a really well made and unique instrument, and i really dig the tones you're getting out of those pickups with the swamp ash body and maple neck and fretboard. And the wood grain feeling finish really is a nice touch, and so is the artificial aging. Great review on what seems to be a great guitar!
My only slight pick is that the great bridge string spacing does not alwayssit over pole pieces on Filtertron type pickups. No big deal but have a look at the site. This oneseem ok.
This guitar looks and sounds really nice. Two requests: #1 a review of the Sawtooth ET or ES Series (both run about $200). #2 a list of the top 5 best guitars under $250 for 2022. There are SO many options now, that it's hard to keep track!
This has my attention. It says on the site which you didn't mention that is has the easy no solder change pickup system in it. The part was that there is room to mod it adding a tone control if you wanted one. Which might be the first mod I would do. I was wondering can the bridge be lower or changed fairly easily for string height adjustment? It appears to be a pretty good deal especially for moding. Thanks!
It does lack flexibility with just the volume and three way switch; however, it does have the Kwik plug system from guitar fetish which should help. Thanks for the review. I have been looking at this guitar for a few weeks.
I have the SL 60. No tone knob. Don't really need it. I can roll off a little high end if I lower the volume a little, any more I use the amps eq or a pedal.
@@rickhammel9541 I have the SL 57 and I am looking at this guitar to add a tele to my collection. Thanks for the reply. Great bang for the buck with Slick.
You convinced me to check this out. I didn't have a guitar with filtertrons (or pickups like that) and I don't have funds for a Gretsch (love to have one). I didn't want to spend too much on something that is an experiment to me. I have bought parts from GFS and have owned a Xaviere guitar at one time, so I am open to the performance for the price ratio of their products. I decided to go extra cheap, and bought a clearance one with a broken switch (hey I have a switch here and am handy that way). It had a few scuffs on it but does it really count given the guitar is a relic? I got 30% off on a sale as a result and have about $200 into it. I few days later t arrived. The hardware was good, the satin finish is fast and mostly what I expected. It seems a bit heavy but I didn't weigh it. I set it up as I always do with almost all guitars (even expensive ones). I removed the strings, adjusted the neck slightly, I did the fret rocker thing and filed a few high (rocking) frets. I rounded the fret edges. I adjusted/flattened the neck slightly. I had to tighten the controls and input jack. I filed on the nut, shaped and rounding the edges and slightly deepening the slots. I rounded the edges of the fingerboard a little as well. I ordered the rosewood (or is it walnut) fingerboard neck, and oiled the fingerboard. The bridge? It is good quality but you can't adjust its saddle radius, adjusting 2 screws for intonation is not my fav, and I wished it could go a tiny bit lower. I checked that the bushings were fully recessed in the hole and they were already (there was no room for additional depth without modification). You have to remove the bridge to replace the strings, and that is inconvenient. I have it set as low as it will go, and it is really close to right, but I should be able to go a bit deeper and/or not have to result to shimming the neck angle. Set all the way bottomed out it is so close I left it, but it would be better to have a little more adjustment than is needed. I complain, but not that big of the deal. The pluses far outweigh the minus. Good frets, nice shaped round neck, fretboard is rather a flat radius but still comfortable. Gibson scale is nice. So if I didn't do the work myself I'd have $300 or more into it (but setting it up myself is part of my fun). It is fully intonated and action set, and plays great. I now have a great cheap guitar with filtertron style pickups - and I like the sound. This is good enough for a pro to play now without problems or question. I adjusted the neck pickup down a little to better balance, especially on the heavier string side. I tend to discuss the issues, but all in all it was a great value. I should have more than $200-300 worth of fun out of it.
Definitely my kind of gutiar. An unpretentious rock machine for a great price. And I love the tone of those filtertrons. Different and powerful. The sunk-in wraparound bridge and Gibson scale are my kind of thing.
Darrell, Slick makes a model SL60 that I have been waiting to hear you test. It is loaded with P90's and was really curious to see what you thought (I love P90 pickups,such a unique sound). Most of my guitar choices are made due to a review from you or Max Carlisle, I trust your opinions and love the way both of you play the guitar. THX !
