Björn Fröberg Posted November 29, 2003 Share Posted November 29, 2003 I can´t seem to find any Samick (guitar, not piano) retailer in Europe on the web, so I tought I would ask you people. I'm from Finland myself, so I´m mostly interested in retailers in Finland, but other parts of Europe will do just as well. I´m particularly interested in the Torino series, so if you have any comments on the particular guitars, would you please share your possible experiences of them with me. Thanks. - Bob Freebird A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools. -Douglas Adams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriel E. Posted November 30, 2003 Share Posted November 30, 2003 I would avoid Samick. They're a low-end producer with inconsistent quality control. If you want an SG-style guitar, get an LTD or a Guild. Or save up a little more and get a real Gibson - the faded SGs are pretty good deals. "You never can vouch for your own consciousness." - Norman Mailer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave da Dude Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 I agree. Samick is a low end manufacturer. I agree that their quality is inconsistent. That being said, one of my local dealers carries a pretty fair selection of them, and I've played some that were very nice, especially for the price. BUT, if you had to mail order them (as it looks as though you might have to do, it would be "buying a pig in a poke", with no idea of whether you'd receive a good one or a not so good one. What maximum price are you willing to pay? And what type of sound are you looking for? Maybe there's other / better options, especially on the used market. Dave PS I just saw your note about the Torino. If it's the one I think, Tele clone, I played one, the Nashville Tele version (three pups) and it played very nicely. Some great sounds with the 5-Pos pickup switch. I think it was selling for about 350 USD, maybe less. It's hard to find the (real) Nasville on ebay, but if you can, I think they're going for about 400 USD, a better (and more re-saleable) guitar. "Regular Teles are a bit easier to find on ebay. Gotta' geetar... got the amp. There must be SOMEthing else I... "need". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Gug Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 Whose talkin' smack about my Samick!!!? I've heard from numerous sources that Samick makes about half the guitars in the world. I've heard they make Epiphone, BC Rich and tons of other smaller names. A couple more big ones too, ones that I currently am forgeting... My Royale 2 is a great sounding guitar. Great sustain and warmth. The feel of the 335-type isn't really me, but MAN, that thing can rock. Is it a high-end job? No. Nor am I a high-end player. (No one has ever paid to see me play at church, but oh well. Thousands of people have watched me play and they keep inviting me back) The Samick Greg Bennet Series out now have some really cool ideas. As with ANY guitar, watch out for poorly playing ones. The less money you pay, you're more likely to find bad units. I found a GREAT feeling Squire Bullet I keep at work for $99. I went through 7 or 8 of those things to get one that felt just right, but there it was... The three best-feeling guitars I've ever played are 1) some Ric model that my buddy has, 2) my cousin's Carvin and 3) a Samick LP copy set up beautifully. I came close to buying it because it was on sale due to a nick in the body. As I recall, my mouth started to open to say the words, "I'll take it". But I was in the market for my Royale at the time. It's OK to be scared off by a high price tag, but there are so many cool cheap guits out there... Beginners these days have it made as far as quality goes... Man... The first LP-copy I played back in the day, WHOA, it was a workout! Keep us posted! Mikegug www.facebook.com/theresistancemusic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave da Dude Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 Mike Glug, I've heard from numerous sources that Samick makes about half the guitars in the world. I've heard they make Epiphone, BC Rich and tons of other smaller names. A couple more big ones too, ones that I currently am forgeting... All very true. Like I said the Torino I played sounded very good, maybe even great. But don't forget the used market. It may yield a better value. We still need to know your budget and style. Dave Gotta' geetar... got the amp. There must be SOMEthing else I... "need". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Björn Fröberg Posted December 1, 2003 Author Share Posted December 1, 2003 Thanks for your replies, I appriciate your answers. I'm looking for a good guitar in the price range of about 500-1000 euros, (could be cheaper of course, but you probably won't find one good enough) and I'd want a versatile guitar mostly for playing classic rock, some harder rock and a bit of jazz. I especially want a good clean sound, because I'll be playing clean rhytm guitar a lot. - Bob Freebird A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools. -Douglas Adams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Gug Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 Oh yeah, welcome to the forum... Excuse our manners. Dave... Gabriel, what do we say to our new comer...? Mikegug www.facebook.com/theresistancemusic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitar Geezer Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 According to Google; Tervetuloa! means Welcome...(I hope) Glad to have you aboard! Lynn G ) Lynn G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriel E. Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 How rude of me!!! Welcome Bjorn! Hope you stick around to shoot the shit with us. I think you'll find this forum helpful and friendly. I know I have. Your budget isn't too shabby. You can get a decent Strat for that. Or a Faded SG - that will cover all your bases quite nicely. "You never can vouch for your own consciousness." - Norman Mailer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougsthang Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 Anyone dissing the Samick line should take a hard look again. The guitars they are making today are as well made if not better than most in there price range. Let me change that, better than guitars more expensive than them. The Torino blows away a faded SG, all your paying for is the name on the head stock. Look at the parts being used in the Torino, all aftermarket good stuff. Hell in todays world of auto CAD routers you can make a good consistent guitar anywhere. Samick has been the wizard behind the curtain in this industry for quite sometime. I just bought the Royale bass, I needed a bass for my studio and couldn't have found a cooler more affordable Bass. If it said Gibson on the headstock it would be three times as expensive for the same thing. All I can say is take a look at thet Greg Bennet stuff that's out today. Don't compare it to what they use to make. Ibanez made really questionable guitars early on. You can't go wrong with the guitar. I've been working in this biz for almost twenty years and I too was skeptical about the quality. All I can say is play one and you tell me... overheard street personality on Venice Beach "Man, that Bullshit is Bulllshhittt...." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Björn Fröberg Posted December 1, 2003 Author Share Posted December 1, 2003 Thank you all for helping (and welcoming) me. Lynn G: Google knows their stuff, all right. Mike Gug: Your manners are fine by me, this more relaxed style is always better than the okd fashion stiff way. It's good to know you can joke around a bit. I'm really just a beginner in guitar playing, (about 2,5 years) but I've played a bunch of guitars, and of course I'm just sick of playing crappy guitars, so when I buy a guitar, I'll buy a good one. And then maybe another, and another... But that's another story. The Strat is great, but I'm not really after the strat-sound. Someday I'll buy one, sometimes the strat is the only right guitar for the job, but I'm more after the Les Pauls for now. Is there any good Gibson LP:s in that price range? What do you think about the Line 6 Variax? Interesting concept, indeed, and I can't wait to see what evolves from the idea in a few years. I wasn't really convinced about the playability or the sound when I tried it at a local music store, but it could be just that I'd have to play it a bit more and get more familiar with the guitar. What's your experiences of the guitar? - Bob Freebird A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools. -Douglas Adams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Gug Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 This forum seems to have a good search capability. Hit "Search" above and type in "Variax". Search in "Subject Only". Go to the "Line 6 Variax --- your opinion" Here's what I wrote there, with an update... Well I play in a church band, and we cover a lot of musical styles. Not all, but we try changing things up to have fun. We even dive in country now and then. My led guitarist has the Variax. He likes it quite a bit. One bit of feed back from the Guitar Player article, last month, said (to paraphrase) you pay $999 for $700 worth of electronics in a $300 guitar. I dont know how the guy came up with the $700 figure. I dont think thats fair. The way I see it is that the FIRST Variax has probably $700,000 in electronics (R&D costs). After that, the electronics are about $75 (materials and labor). As far as the $300 guitar goes, he may be right. My lead guitar player says its the same neck as his sons Ibanez ($250 model. I forget which one.) The thing plays very comfortably though. Now, as far as sound goes, I have no idea what a 1937 Resonator, Triple Resonator, a 1957 Strat, or 1945 Martin HD sound like, but the sound that comes out of that thing is really sweet and very distinctive. If I had to hazard a guess, Id say its pretty accurate. Banjo sounds exactly like a banjo, and a sitar sounds like a sitar. We get a good laugh out of some of the sounds. Hard rock leads using a sitar. HA! Good stuff. I see the Variax as the ultimate cover band tool. If you have to cover a lot of musical styles, this may be a great guitar investment. 12-1-03 Update: My lead player still uses the HECK out his Variax. I haven't seen his $1200 Ric since he bought the Variax earlier this year. He LOVES to replicate the sound of a song. So having 20 some guitars at the twist of the wrist is like Heaven on earth for him. Me, I just want to have fun and see the kids smile. Again, if you're a cover band cat, this is worth the time to explore. If you have 2 or 3 styles, a good pick up configuration might do it for you. Mikegug www.facebook.com/theresistancemusic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave da Dude Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 Mike Gug, Oh yeah, welcome to the forum... Excuse our manners. Dave... Gabriel, what do we say to our new comer...? Oh yeah! Sorry. Bjorn, WELCOME to the Forum It's a good one. Come on in and "set a spell" Bjorn, I'm looking for a good guitar in the price range of about 500-1000 euros, (could be cheaper of course, but you probably won't find one good enough) What's that in USD? Bjorn, ... I'd want a versatile guitar mostly for playing classic rock, some harder rock and a bit of jazz. I especially want a good clean sound, because I'll be playing clean rhytm guitar a lot. This sounds somethin' like a Tele, or maybe a TeleSonic (although I haven't heard these yet). dougsthang', Anyone dissing the Samick line should take a hard look again. The guitars they are making today are as well made if not better than most in there price range. Let me change that, better than guitars more expensive than them. Doug, I agree, but if they're not as readily available in Europe, and the "name" brands hold the re-sale value better ..... Bjorn, ... I'm just sick of playing crappy guitars, so when I buy a guitar, I'll buy a good one. Good plan. Dave Gotta' geetar... got the amp. There must be SOMEthing else I... "need". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Björn Fröberg Posted December 2, 2003 Author Share Posted December 2, 2003 The euro is a little bit more valuable than USD, I'm not sure, but 1000 euros should be about $1100. But the prices in guitars vary a bit from the US to Europe, so what I figure, the guitarprices should be about the same in USD/euros (bought in the US/Europe). - Bob Freebird A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools. -Douglas Adams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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