New Guitar Day (Xaviere content)

G-Yo · June 5th, 2008, 08:32 PM

So, this showed up the other day:

It's a Xaviere XV-500 from Guitar Fetish, and it's the 1st Les Paul type guitar I've ever owned. I'm definitely a Tele guy, but for some reason I just had to get my hands on an LP type. So far, I like it a lot. The only thing it needs is a proper setup, but it wasn't that bad right out of the box. Anyway, I'll have to see how I feel about it over time, but so far I really like it. I also like the way it makes me appreciate my Teles from a different angle, too (if that makes any sense). Also, this thing feels like a really solid guitar, especially for the price.

Here it is with most of the herd:

boneyguy · June 5th, 2008, 11:58 PM

Looks like a nice addition to the herd. How do those Crunchy PAT pickups sound? I've tried a few sets of their pickups now and I like them.

Whisperer · June 5th, 2008, 11:59 PM

Congrats on the new guitar. I was looking at those , but bought the Agile equivalent, in fact...same cherryburst color as yours.
How's it sound?
I'm curious about the alnico pickups that they sell, awesome price, I think $40.
I'd like to hear your review of it.

toadman · June 6th, 2008, 12:11 AM

review puleeeeeze! we want details man....DETAILS!!
i have a xv-600 with the dream 180s' that i really like! the action was way high when i got it. i shaved down the nut and lowered everything. sounds great especially when played LOUD! i really REALLY want to try some p-90's in it though.

markothefish · June 6th, 2008, 04:48 AM

I'm curious about the build quality on those Xaviere guitars ... review for us .

goldtopper · June 6th, 2008, 08:42 AM

Holy crap, they certainly are inexpensive!

G-Yo · June 6th, 2008, 09:52 AM

Thanks for the props, guys!

So, here's a more detailed review - granted, I've only been playing it for a few days, but here goes:

I bought this as a "slight blem" model. I wasn't sure quite what to expect when I opened the box, but I'll tell you that there were no readily apparent blemishes. After looking very closely, there were a few slight imperfections in the finish - just a few. Only one on the top, and you could only see it if you were really looking. They were all minor, and you can's see any of them from 3 feet away.

It feels solid - not really that heavy, but solid. I haven't weighted it yet, but it feels lighter than my MIM Std Tele.

The setup is okay, but I'm going to have it professionally set up for sure. The neck appears to have an ever so slight bow, but it could be my imagination. It really looks fairly straight. It's completely playable as is, but I'll give a secondary review post-setup.

I really like the sound of the Cruncy PATs. Most of my other guitars are Teles and single coil types (not that I have THAT many), so this guy is different than what I'm used to. However, I can tell a good sound when I hear it. It is definitely dark and very smooth. They are certainly hot pickups, but very creamy sounding - not obnoxious at all. The neck pickup may have a bit higher output than the bridge - not sure. It was adjusted further away from the strings to give a more even match. I really like all 3 settings so far. It sounds great through my champ, and breaks up nicely with my Fulldrive.

The knobs feel cheap. Not the pots, but the knobs themselves. They're the vintage bell style, and they seem a little slick to me when adjusting, but I'm used to the knurl of a tele knob. They function (and look) fine, the just feel like cheap plastic.

Also, the tuners kinda look cheap, but they seem to work fine. It has stayed in tune well since I changed the strings and let them stretch a bit.

The only other flaw I have seen so far is that the fretboard turns my fingers black after playing a bit. It's my understanding that this is a stain used on the rosewood to make it appear darker. Apparently, dark rosewood is becoming harder to find. Anyway, it's supposed to wear off soon enough. I think it's starting to die down (no pun intended) already.

Overall, this seems like a great guitar, and when considering what I paid for it ($205 shipped) it seems like a REALLY great guitar. The more I play it, the more I like it, and after the setup, it'll probably be up there with my teles...slightly below.

Hope this review was thorough enough!

boneyguy · June 6th, 2008, 01:07 PM

Thanks for the review. Sounds like a great guitar.

Unless I'm misunderstanding what you're saying, the neck should have a slight bow to it if the truss rod has been adjusted properly.

Next time you change the strings you could wipe down the fretboard with rubbing alcohol and that will remove alot of the residual dye that is on it.

I've had my eye on those GFS guitars for a couple of years now and they do look purty.

iowa · June 6th, 2008, 01:25 PM

I have a black sparkle XV-700 with the same pickups. I've had it since Christmas '07. I'm really pleased with the guitar for the $$$. I think it compares very favorably with any guitar I've run across at $4-500 (Epiphone, PRS, etc...). It is a thin-line w/ no f-holes so it is very light.

It was a big difference to go from the 7.5" radius board on my Tele to the big flat neck on the Xaviere, but now it's no big deal.

When I took it in to have it set up the tech was amazed that it was as inexpensive as it is. The sparkles are now $20 off on the website. The black is sold out, but they have silver, red and blue.

G-Yo · June 6th, 2008, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boneyguy

Unless I'm misunderstanding what you're saying, the neck should have a slight bow to it if the truss rod has been adjusted properly.

Yeah, that could totally be it. It's ever-so-slightly visible when you look up the neck from the bridge. I'm having it set up in the next week or two, so we'll see how it plays afterwards. Really, it doesn't play badly at all as-is. Thanks for the tip on the rubbing alcohol. Do you think rubbing beer would help?

It will have it's first band practice tonight. I didn't tell the other guitar player I was getting it for sure, so he'll just have to notice if anything's different in the practice room.

boneyguy · June 6th, 2008, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by G-Yo

Do you think rubbing beer would help?

.

Doing almost anything with beer is a generally a good idea. It makes everything better (until things get worse but then that's how you know it's time for more beer).

G-Yo · June 27th, 2008, 11:39 AM

So, I got it back from the setup on Monday... the prognosis: thumbs way up!

As other people have stated about Xavieres, the tech was highly impressed with the build. He said the only things that didn't seem to be top quality were the tuning heads, but they're not that bad (and I may upgrade soon enough).

I played it at our drummerless band practice the other night through my SF Champ (on about 4 or 5) and through my Fulltone Fulldrive II Mos. The guitar played and sounded exceptional. It really felt great... nice and fat sound, and super easy to play. Again, I'm a Tele guy, so the neck took a bit of getting used to, but still felt really great. Those pickups really have that nice warm dark creamy feel to them. My original plan was to stick some P90s in it, but the Crunchy Pats just sound really good to me. It was a great match to the Champ. It was also a good tonal match to the other guitar player's Tele (equipped with GFS Lil Punchers, played through a Peavey Delta Blues 210).

Last night, I plugged it into my Carvin 112 Xamp (el34s, etc), and it sounded really good through it as well. That amp tends to be a bit more sparkly and mid-scooped on the clean channel, and the X-Paul (as I've dubbed it) sounded great. I also plugged in my Am Dlx Tele, my Squire Affinity Tele, and my Carvin DC127 one right after the other. I'm glad to say that the X-Paul sound is totally different and complimentary to the others. It has added a new tone and feel to my arsenal (not to mention the look), and by being totally non-Tele, made me appreciate my Teles more. Happy customer here.

June 5th, 2008, 08:32 PM	#1 (permalink)
G-Yo Tele-Meister Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Pensacola, FL Age: 32 Posts: 131 11 Photos	New Guitar Day (Xaviere content) So, this showed up the other day: It's a Xaviere XV-500 from Guitar Fetish, and it's the 1st Les Paul type guitar I've ever owned. I'm definitely a Tele guy, but for some reason I just had to get my hands on an LP type. So far, I like it a lot. The only thing it needs is a proper setup, but it wasn't that bad right out of the box. Anyway, I'll have to see how I feel about it over time, but so far I really like it. I also like the way it makes me appreciate my Teles from a different angle, too (if that makes any sense). Also, this thing feels like a really solid guitar, especially for the price. Here it is with most of the herd:

June 5th, 2008, 11:58 PM	#2 (permalink)
boneyguy Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: victoria b.c. Age: 50 Posts: 2,916	Looks like a nice addition to the herd. How do those Crunchy PAT pickups sound? I've tried a few sets of their pickups now and I like them. __________________ "Shut up n' play yer guitar"

June 6th, 2008, 12:11 AM	#4 (permalink)
toadman Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: andoverandoverandover,ct Age: 45 Posts: 1,022	review puleeeeeze! we want details man....DETAILS!! i have a xv-600 with the dream 180s' that i really like! the action was way high when i got it. i shaved down the nut and lowered everything. sounds great especially when played LOUD! i really REALLY want to try some p-90's in it though. __________________ toadman the plank spanker www.slugnickel.com www.zydecohogs.com "The ultimate result of protecting man from folly is to fill the world with fools" Herbert Spencer

June 6th, 2008, 04:48 AM	#5 (permalink)
markothefish Friend of Leo's Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Greenville, Rhode Island Age: 42 Posts: 2,009 7 Photos	I'm curious about the build quality on those Xaviere guitars ... review for us . __________________ Quote me as saying I was mis-quoted. Groucho Marx

June 6th, 2008, 08:42 AM	#6 (permalink)
goldtopper Tele-Holic Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell Posts: 930	Holy crap, they certainly are inexpensive! __________________ ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

June 5th, 2008, 11:59 PM	#3 (permalink)
Whisperer Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: . Age: 40 Posts: 280	Congrats on the new guitar. I was looking at those , but bought the Agile equivalent, in fact...same cherryburst color as yours. How's it sound? I'm curious about the alnico pickups that they sell, awesome price, I think $40. I'd like to hear your review of it.

June 6th, 2008, 09:52 AM	#7 (permalink)
G-Yo Tele-Meister Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Pensacola, FL Age: 32 Posts: 131 11 Photos	Thanks for the props, guys! So, here's a more detailed review - granted, I've only been playing it for a few days, but here goes: I bought this as a "slight blem" model. I wasn't sure quite what to expect when I opened the box, but I'll tell you that there were no readily apparent blemishes. After looking very closely, there were a few slight imperfections in the finish - just a few. Only one on the top, and you could only see it if you were really looking. They were all minor, and you can's see any of them from 3 feet away. It feels solid - not really that heavy, but solid. I haven't weighted it yet, but it feels lighter than my MIM Std Tele. The setup is okay, but I'm going to have it professionally set up for sure. The neck appears to have an ever so slight bow, but it could be my imagination. It really looks fairly straight. It's completely playable as is, but I'll give a secondary review post-setup. I really like the sound of the Cruncy PATs. Most of my other guitars are Teles and single coil types (not that I have THAT many), so this guy is different than what I'm used to. However, I can tell a good sound when I hear it. It is definitely dark and very smooth. They are certainly hot pickups, but very creamy sounding - not obnoxious at all. The neck pickup may have a bit higher output than the bridge - not sure. It was adjusted further away from the strings to give a more even match. I really like all 3 settings so far. It sounds great through my champ, and breaks up nicely with my Fulldrive. The knobs feel cheap. Not the pots, but the knobs themselves. They're the vintage bell style, and they seem a little slick to me when adjusting, but I'm used to the knurl of a tele knob. They function (and look) fine, the just feel like cheap plastic. Also, the tuners kinda look cheap, but they seem to work fine. It has stayed in tune well since I changed the strings and let them stretch a bit. The only other flaw I have seen so far is that the fretboard turns my fingers black after playing a bit. It's my understanding that this is a stain used on the rosewood to make it appear darker. Apparently, dark rosewood is becoming harder to find. Anyway, it's supposed to wear off soon enough. I think it's starting to die down (no pun intended) already. Overall, this seems like a great guitar, and when considering what I paid for it ($205 shipped) it seems like a REALLY great guitar. The more I play it, the more I like it, and after the setup, it'll probably be up there with my teles...slightly below. Hope this review was thorough enough!

June 6th, 2008, 01:07 PM	#8 (permalink)
boneyguy Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: victoria b.c. Age: 50 Posts: 2,916	Thanks for the review. Sounds like a great guitar. Unless I'm misunderstanding what you're saying, the neck should have a slight bow to it if the truss rod has been adjusted properly. Next time you change the strings you could wipe down the fretboard with rubbing alcohol and that will remove alot of the residual dye that is on it. I've had my eye on those GFS guitars for a couple of years now and they do look purty. __________________ "Shut up n' play yer guitar"

June 27th, 2008, 11:39 AM	#12 (permalink)
G-Yo Tele-Meister Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Pensacola, FL Age: 32 Posts: 131 11 Photos	Post-setup review So, I got it back from the setup on Monday... the prognosis: thumbs way up! As other people have stated about Xavieres, the tech was highly impressed with the build. He said the only things that didn't seem to be top quality were the tuning heads, but they're not that bad (and I may upgrade soon enough). I played it at our drummerless band practice the other night through my SF Champ (on about 4 or 5) and through my Fulltone Fulldrive II Mos. The guitar played and sounded exceptional. It really felt great... nice and fat sound, and super easy to play. Again, I'm a Tele guy, so the neck took a bit of getting used to, but still felt really great. Those pickups really have that nice warm dark creamy feel to them. My original plan was to stick some P90s in it, but the Crunchy Pats just sound really good to me. It was a great match to the Champ. It was also a good tonal match to the other guitar player's Tele (equipped with GFS Lil Punchers, played through a Peavey Delta Blues 210). Last night, I plugged it into my Carvin 112 Xamp (el34s, etc), and it sounded really good through it as well. That amp tends to be a bit more sparkly and mid-scooped on the clean channel, and the X-Paul (as I've dubbed it) sounded great. I also plugged in my Am Dlx Tele, my Squire Affinity Tele, and my Carvin DC127 one right after the other. I'm glad to say that the X-Paul sound is totally different and complimentary to the others. It has added a new tone and feel to my arsenal (not to mention the look), and by being totally non-Tele, made me appreciate my Teles more. Happy customer here.