TMM
Member
So, after ogling (spelling?) this guitar for many months, and talking with ViK about it via PM on at least a few occasions, when ViK posted in the guitar's FS thread:
http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/dealer ... itone.html
that he'd be willing to send it to someone to try out so long as they were willing to provide an in-depth review, I couldn't hit the 'send private message' button fast enough. Feature-wise, there was very little about the guitar that didn't appeal to me, and I always love the opportunity to try out unique and masterfully-built instruments.
The guitar arrived last Wednesday from Belarus (seriously, it got here faster than some shipments from Florida have...
USPS) in a box that looked like it had only come from across town. Huge props to EMS on the careful, expeditious transport. I cut away the form-fitted box when I got home to find a very tidy looking case. I'm definitely a sucker for any guitar / gear features that take efficiency into consideration - for ease of transport and storage, I love cases that are only as large as they need to be (Gibson 
Fender 
), so that was already a point earned. As I opened the case, I was greeted with the sweet scent of a fresh guitar finish and the pieces of wax included for neck upkeep.
The Black Lotus is a perfect marriage of carefully planned functionality and tasteful, artistic beauty. Aesthetically speaking, this is one of the nicest guitars I've ever seen, and I have seen quite a few. As I noted on the FS thread, this guitar is dripping with class... I think it would be just as at-home on stage at a death metal show as it would be in a jazz club or a multi-million dollar studio. Even my wife - who has seen so many guitars come and go that she usually doesn't bother getting acquainted with new axes - stopped to check it out, and asked who made it and where it came from.
I really love the understated look. It doesn't have a translucent Whale Blue finish over 5A flamed maple or anything, but the Lotus's small, expertly crafted embellishments set it apart from being another boring 'black guitar', the most obvious of which being the lotus inlay at the 12th fret that fits perfectly into the fretboard. Turning the guitar over, you're in for an eyeful of beautiful, natural finished woods (specifics in the FS thread). I truly love how the strip of Bird's Eye Maple looks surrounded by darker woods on either side.
The build quality of the Lotus is top notch, as are the choices in hardware, very obviously done by someone who has a lot of experience in building guitars. The finish work on the neck is flawless - the fretted side of the fretboard feels smooth as butter, and (one of my favorite features) even the edge of the fretless portion of fretboard is carefully shaped inward, so that it's slightly higher elevation never gets in the way of 7th string bends. The action and string tension across the fretboard are great; if the action was any lower, the strings would be on the frets, and yet there's no buzz. The neck is a comfortable, shallow-C profile, and the overall feel reminds me a lot of some high-end PRSs I've played in the past, though arguably nicer. There is really only one other guitar I've ever played that compares in terms of playability (it's in my sig).
The fretless portion of fretboard under the 8th string took surprisingly little time to get used to. It was just a matter of slightly adjusting my fretting position and pick hand technique. After a couple hours of playing the guitar, I stopped noticing that there was a difference in the two fretboards. I really like the tonality that the fretless board gives the 8th string - it's distinctively growly, and the slight difference in attack seems to help those low notes really stand out. Before I got the guitar, I was thinking that, if I was to order one of these, I would probably do it without the fretless 8th string, but my mind changed not long after I started playing it.
ViK chose to use Duncan Blackouts for the Lotus, and I feel they do an adequate job of translating the guitar's unplugged, clear, bell-like tones. The neck pickup actually gives a tremendous clean tone - I recall reading somewhere that neck pickups on 22-fret guitars are in an ideal position to get a harmonically rich tone, and that seems to be the case here. The bridge pickup has a good, dense, punchy midrange, with good note clarity. All that said, if I was going to change one thing about the guitar, I think it would be the pickups. While the Blackouts aren't bad, they strike me as being a little plain in a guitar whose other features are anything but. I feel the Lotus would be better served by a pair of pickups with a more distinctive, unique character, fitting of the rest of the guitar.
As a final touch, I really like how ViK included a CD of the 'build story' for this guitar. I think it really adds to the sense that whoever buys the guitar is really getting something one-of-a-kind and special.
Overall, I love the guitar. It's playability is addictive - I've already had a few nights where I intended to sit down and write this review, but got carried away in playing the guitar. It will be tough to see the Lotus go, but after it's short stay, I have the feeling another ViK 8 may be in my future.
I am in no way affiliated with ViK Guitars - I'm providing a review of the Black Lotus Slider 8 Baritone in trade for the opportunity to play an exquisite guitar that I would otherwise have not had the opportunity to demo.
Please let me know if you have any questions about the guitar that I have not answered. Thanks for reading!
Clips:
Some fretless low F# action
http://soundcloud.com/themammonmachine/20110214-vik-black-lotus-8-1
Clean + lead clip
http://soundcloud.com/themammonmachine/20110214-vik-black-lotus-8
http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/dealer ... itone.html
that he'd be willing to send it to someone to try out so long as they were willing to provide an in-depth review, I couldn't hit the 'send private message' button fast enough. Feature-wise, there was very little about the guitar that didn't appeal to me, and I always love the opportunity to try out unique and masterfully-built instruments.
The guitar arrived last Wednesday from Belarus (seriously, it got here faster than some shipments from Florida have...
USPS) in a box that looked like it had only come from across town. Huge props to EMS on the careful, expeditious transport. I cut away the form-fitted box when I got home to find a very tidy looking case. I'm definitely a sucker for any guitar / gear features that take efficiency into consideration - for ease of transport and storage, I love cases that are only as large as they need to be (Gibson Fender ), so that was already a point earned. As I opened the case, I was greeted with the sweet scent of a fresh guitar finish and the pieces of wax included for neck upkeep.The Black Lotus is a perfect marriage of carefully planned functionality and tasteful, artistic beauty. Aesthetically speaking, this is one of the nicest guitars I've ever seen, and I have seen quite a few. As I noted on the FS thread, this guitar is dripping with class... I think it would be just as at-home on stage at a death metal show as it would be in a jazz club or a multi-million dollar studio. Even my wife - who has seen so many guitars come and go that she usually doesn't bother getting acquainted with new axes - stopped to check it out, and asked who made it and where it came from.
I really love the understated look. It doesn't have a translucent Whale Blue finish over 5A flamed maple or anything, but the Lotus's small, expertly crafted embellishments set it apart from being another boring 'black guitar', the most obvious of which being the lotus inlay at the 12th fret that fits perfectly into the fretboard. Turning the guitar over, you're in for an eyeful of beautiful, natural finished woods (specifics in the FS thread). I truly love how the strip of Bird's Eye Maple looks surrounded by darker woods on either side.
The build quality of the Lotus is top notch, as are the choices in hardware, very obviously done by someone who has a lot of experience in building guitars. The finish work on the neck is flawless - the fretted side of the fretboard feels smooth as butter, and (one of my favorite features) even the edge of the fretless portion of fretboard is carefully shaped inward, so that it's slightly higher elevation never gets in the way of 7th string bends. The action and string tension across the fretboard are great; if the action was any lower, the strings would be on the frets, and yet there's no buzz. The neck is a comfortable, shallow-C profile, and the overall feel reminds me a lot of some high-end PRSs I've played in the past, though arguably nicer. There is really only one other guitar I've ever played that compares in terms of playability (it's in my sig).
The fretless portion of fretboard under the 8th string took surprisingly little time to get used to. It was just a matter of slightly adjusting my fretting position and pick hand technique. After a couple hours of playing the guitar, I stopped noticing that there was a difference in the two fretboards. I really like the tonality that the fretless board gives the 8th string - it's distinctively growly, and the slight difference in attack seems to help those low notes really stand out. Before I got the guitar, I was thinking that, if I was to order one of these, I would probably do it without the fretless 8th string, but my mind changed not long after I started playing it.
ViK chose to use Duncan Blackouts for the Lotus, and I feel they do an adequate job of translating the guitar's unplugged, clear, bell-like tones. The neck pickup actually gives a tremendous clean tone - I recall reading somewhere that neck pickups on 22-fret guitars are in an ideal position to get a harmonically rich tone, and that seems to be the case here. The bridge pickup has a good, dense, punchy midrange, with good note clarity. All that said, if I was going to change one thing about the guitar, I think it would be the pickups. While the Blackouts aren't bad, they strike me as being a little plain in a guitar whose other features are anything but. I feel the Lotus would be better served by a pair of pickups with a more distinctive, unique character, fitting of the rest of the guitar.
As a final touch, I really like how ViK included a CD of the 'build story' for this guitar. I think it really adds to the sense that whoever buys the guitar is really getting something one-of-a-kind and special.
Overall, I love the guitar. It's playability is addictive - I've already had a few nights where I intended to sit down and write this review, but got carried away in playing the guitar. It will be tough to see the Lotus go, but after it's short stay, I have the feeling another ViK 8 may be in my future.
I am in no way affiliated with ViK Guitars - I'm providing a review of the Black Lotus Slider 8 Baritone in trade for the opportunity to play an exquisite guitar that I would otherwise have not had the opportunity to demo.
Please let me know if you have any questions about the guitar that I have not answered. Thanks for reading!
Clips:
Some fretless low F# action
http://soundcloud.com/themammonmachine/20110214-vik-black-lotus-8-1
Clean + lead clip
http://soundcloud.com/themammonmachine/20110214-vik-black-lotus-8