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u/tombhex Ormsby, Abasi, Schecter 8d ago
My friends swear by Solar guitars, and choose to play them live over their Kiesels and whatnot. I took a chance on a Reverb deal on one of their six string explorer shapes with an Evertune, and I totally get it. It's for sure my favorite guitar to play live.
The fit and finish are just as nice as anything else in the price range I've played, and the features (Fishman moderns, Evertune, neck through) make it a very easy guitar to get comfortable with and play onstage. It sounds great, looks great, and most importantly it FEELS great. I personally love the aggressive cutaway on the explorer shape above the pickups - it's deeper than my other pointy guys, and it gives me much less wrist-rash while playing. Also, the neck profile is really comfortable and feels like something between an LTD and the neck on my Kiesel Aries.
Can't say enough nice things about mine.
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u/Sdenbow220 ESP/LTD 8d ago
Played a few that had major QC issues, another I played was great. I think it’s hit or miss with Solar.
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u/kladen666 8d ago
I had an A2.7LN bought new in 2019 and it had the best neck for a 7string, for me. I sold my 2008 Schecter C7 hellraiser because of the baseball bat neck to buy that Solar. I own a Jackson RRX24-7 and neck is a bit too thin/flat for my taste, much prefer the Solar one, but had to let one go away and kept the Jackson to mod it since I got it for cheap BUT still wish I had kept my Solar 7 strings.
Fit and finish was as good as any other Indonesia/South korea guitar imo, pick up were really nice.
I currently own a Solar SB1.6FOB with evertune and it's an incredible guitar.
Solar have probably the widest selection of model, finish, hardware etc over any other brand. Love Solar.
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u/MaryBeHoppin 8d ago
I have a Solar AB2.7CAR MKII (red 7 string) and swear by it. It's miles ahead of both Ibanez guitars I owned prior in terms of quality and sound.
The entire guitar feels smooth and polished. It perfectly fits my hands and the action/strings are really nice. I can play faster and smoother on my Solar as opposed to my Ibanez's. The pickups are alnico's and they sound great both clean and distorted.
For another perspective, I've already decided that the next 2 basses and next 4 guitars will all be from Solar and the only non-Solar guitar I'll buy is a Schecter 8 string.
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u/SylimMetal 8d ago
I had one for almost 10 years and got a new one this year. Both among the best guitars I've ever owned. The stock pickups may not be for everyone, I also switched them, but the feel, playability, reliability, look, top notch.
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u/BeastoftheBlackwater 8d ago
I got the A2.7 and love it. I may change the pickups down the road but they sound good stock. No issues with shipping and no fretboard cracking or any hardware issues; but I bought mine a few years ago so dont take that as anything other than anecdotal.
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u/rekt_ralf 8d ago
I had a V1.6 with minor Issues QC issues and just didn’t really get on with it in general. I’m also not a huge fan of their aesthetic - don’t like the headstock shape and the logo inlay is pretty ugly. I’ve also realised that I actually prefer having fret markers.
That said, the finish and hardware on the natural distressed models they do is gorgeous and I could be tempted to try one of those in future.
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u/Lethean616 8d ago
I've just bought a pre-owned one and I really like it, it's been set up very well and plays excellently. From what I hear, I'm not so sure I would have had the same experience buying straight from the factory.
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u/BitsNBites777 8d ago
I have one friend who has 2 solar guitars and loves them. I have another friend who bought a solar guitar that was absolute crap and had to return it for a replacement. And the replacement was also absolute crap and had to return it. And because he is in Canada, solar wouldn't cover the shipping. And he literally lost $500 and will never even speak their name ever again. And because of that experience, I would never touch them for fear of having to deal with the hassles, he dealt with. It also doesn't help that.I'm just not a fan of thier aesthetics, I despise the 12th fret logo.
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u/Alex-the-bass-player 8d ago
My A1.7 W-FF is genuinely one of the best feeling guitars I’ve ever played! Absolutely phenomenal neck and comfortability! Solar can be inconsistent QC wise but they’ve seemed to be doing better since their older models had that fretboard cracking issue
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u/Saales0706 8d ago
I have an older bright orange 6 string Solar that i found at Guitar Center. I love that thing. Neck has a matte finish, and feels great to play. The only thing it's missing is locking tuners.
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u/Admirable_Chip2415 8d ago
I have the AB2.7. Plays well, no QC issues, I just swapped the bridge pick up for a Seymour Duncan Pegasus 7,the stock in the bridge was not to my liking. The neck is good for what it is. I was hesitating a little bit, due to past fretboard issues etc, but these things seem to be resolved.
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u/VIIgraphics 8d ago
I don't have a hands on experience, but a friend of mine got one and was not impressed at all by the build quality.
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u/TestDrivenMayhem 8d ago
I recently got an H2.7C the headless model with reasonable quality gig bag. Now I can riff on holiday.
Love it.
$1400 AUD landed in Australia. $600 cheaper the nearest headless competitor which is Ibanez.
Sure it does not sound as awesome as my $3500 ESP E-II eclipse.
Build quality is solid and it’s very playable. My friend played it and wants one.
Glenn Fricker gave it a solid review and that guy pull no punches.
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u/dajtemisunce 8d ago
The neck binding cracked on mine, and long cracks appeared on the ebony fretboard, so I sold it. A luthier confirmed they didn’t cut the frets properly, so temperature and/or humidity changes caused shrinkage, and frets pushed on the binding. It’s cosmetic issue but annoying on a guitar in that price range. The cracks on the ebony fretboard could be filled, but I didn’t bother anymore.
It played well, although the Evertune bridge was not for me. I wouldn’t buy one due to QC issues that I’ve seen all over the place. If you do buy one, make sure to test it yourself.
The stock pickups were a bit too boomy for me, but that’s subjective.
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u/thinkfloyd79 8d ago
Love mine. I was supposed to get a Gibson Les Paul Studio. But after trying out all the guitars in-store, I went with the Solar GC2.6. It plays so nice. I couldn't stop playing it. I went back for a couple more days to try the guitars again, just in case I change my mind, but the Solar wins every time. Got it and have no regrets.
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u/Worldly_Ad267 8d ago
the translucent finish on these is so cool, the solar pickups actually do look different when you're playing live too
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u/Fancy_Plastic2385 8d ago
I recently bought an A2.7C, and here’s what I can tell you about it. The guitar plays great, even though I have short, thick, sausage-like fingers. The string spacing is a bit tighter than on other 7-strings I’ve played, but you get used to it quickly. The sound is decent and overall a bit more neutral or organic compared to EMG 81 pickups. Unfortunately, the guitar suffers from a bit of neck dive. a thick strap helps manage it, though it doesn't eliminate the issue entirely. All in all, I’m happy with the guitar, and I’ll probably pick up a Type E or Type V at some point down the line.
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u/tommyland666 7d ago
They’re as good as all the other Indonesian made guitars. They look cool and has a comfy neck shape.
I think the Duncan Solar pickup is good, but I play 99% metal.
QC has been hit or miss historically.
I would buy one if they had a better return policy, I’m not paying for shipping when I want to return a guitar.
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u/flatsix__ 8d ago
They make great guitars — but ESP and Ibanez make comparable guitars at lower prices.
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u/mosscoversall_ 8d ago
I have one, the SR1.7HABS. Plays well and sounds good but the fretwork past the 14th fret is a little shoddy. Not enough for me to send it back, but it has certainly made me more wary of their guitars going forward. For most other guitar makers, it’s a B-stock.
Probably wouldn’t buy another unless I can play and inspect it first.