Epiphone Les Paul Studio Electric Guitar
Schecter C1 Hellraiser Electric Guitar with Floyd Rose
Kramer Vanguard S-440S equipped with a STOP-BAR tailpiece and Tun-o-matic bridge for killer tone, great sustain and excellent tuning ease and stability. And some great new colors including Black Mist - a striking "matte" black that looks fantastic - very gothic. Made in the USA "QuadRail" pickups with coil-tapping! Guitar One magazine calls the QuadRail "… the Sumos of the pickup world - obese, sweaty ***-kickers with a rib-breaking punch…" Lightning fast, Elliptical profile, 24-fret, Slim-Taper neck with rosewood fingerboard. It's even got Gotoh™ SG machine heads!
Technical Specifications:
Neck: Canadian Hard Maple
Neck Profile: Elliptical, Slim-Taper
Construction: Bolt-On
Body: North American Alder - Solid
Middle Pickup: Quad-Rail Humbucker (M2S)
Bridge Pickup: Quad-Rail Humbucker (B4S)
Controls: 3-Way Pickup Selector
Master Volume
MasterTone with
Push/Pull "Quad to Dual-Rail" Dual-Tap Mode
- IN: 4 coils x 1 pickups = All 4 coils engaged
- OUT: 2 coils x 1 pickups = 2 coils engaged
(Bridge Pickup only. Coils closest to the neck is engaged)
- Hum-canceling in both positions
Bridge: Tune-O-Matic with Stop Bar Tailpiece
Machine Heads: Gotoh SG
Nut: PVC
Nut Width: 1.625"
Frets: 24 - Jumbo Nickel/Steel
Headstock: 14 degree pitch
Reverse, Pointy
Fingerboard: 24 fret, Indian Rosewood
F/B Radius: 16"
Scale Length: 25.5"
F/B Inlay: Mother of Pearl Dots
Available Colors: Black Mist, Nuclear Yellow, Red Metallic
Optional Case: Vanguard Case
Quad–Rail Pickups Description
Humbuckers offer distinct advantages over single-coil pickups in that they have a more powerful output and more low-end response with noise-free operation in high-gain (loud!) situations. These Quad–Rails were designed in the USA and voiced specifically for the hard rock music! They offer a very powerful, yet "clean" tone with ultra–clear high–end and crunching lows. Additionally, each pickup unit actually features 2 humbuckers or 4 coils. Therefore, on Kramer 2 pickup guitars there are actually 4 humbuckers or 8 coils! In Dual–Tap mode, this allows the user to "tap" only 2 coils for even more "bite". However, unlike single coils that in high–gain situations hum like a cheap neon sign, these babies are noise–free!
14 Degree Headstock Angle Description
It is very important for the strings of the guitar to pass over the nut at an angle significant enough to create good downward pressure in order to transfer vibration and create sustain. Headstocks must be "angled" in order to achieve the proper string pressure. Therefore, an "angled headstock" will give you better tone, less tuning problems, and great sustain. Just what you need to rock!
What The Shred Zone Says:
If you’re looking for a super flashy, "Heavy Metal Guitar Hero" guitar then the Kramer Vanguard S-440S is the guitar for you. It comes in an array of colors, but I highly recommend picking up the Nuclear Yellow painted model! I’ve owned this guitar for two years and have put it through hours of shredding, practicing and heavy metal gun slinging. Now it’s safe to say that Kramer has developed a high quality affordable heavy metal machine. This axe not only looks mean, but it plays with all the hellfire that the demons can unleash.
The guitar body design is based on the age old Randy Rhoads developed body style. Kramer has been producing Vanguard Vs since the 1980’s and has now given this monster a face-lift and some minor technical changes. The imported Vanguard series comes in three models. One with a Floyd Rose tremolo system, the second has a stop block bridge, and lastly a left-handed model. For our purposes we are reviewing the Vanguard S-440S the Stop block version of this guitar. When shopping for this guitar I took a few things into consideration, my budget, the look, and the quality reputation of the manufacturer. I did purchase this guitar online without playing it first either. Kramer’s American distributor is MusicYo.com and you can only purchase them online. You must be asking yourself, how could this guy purchase a guitar without playing it first? Well, folks here’s the answer to all your questions, it looked so damn cool and I just had to own it. I must have pondered over the guitar for three months before dropping down my hard earned cash. So, I went to MusicYo.com and placed my order. Their online system is very secure and I didn’t think twice about making this large of a purchase online. After the order was placed, I received via e-mail a FEDEX tracking number and waited by the door. A few days later, a neatly packaged guitar showed up on my doorstep. I then unwrapped the bad girl and fired it up! So here’s the breakdown on the guitar.
Playability:
The guitar plays absolutely great! The thin neck allows for maximum velocity while shredding up and down the fretboard. Personally, I’m not a fan of thick and fat necks, the thinner and narrower the better. The frets used on the guitar were a perfect match, they are large in size and allow for maximum conformability. Up a bit higher is the 14-degree pitch pointy reverse headstock. Kramer’s use of an angled neck is key to keeping the guitar in tune and achieving great levels of sustain. Another selling point was the reverse headstock. Although rare to the Rhoads style guitar, this headstock shape just screams shred. The Gotoh SG tuners used were a superb choice, seeing that this guitar doesn’t have a locking system. They’re high quality and haven’t given me any tuning problems. Even after two years, they still turn like they are brand new. Moving down lower, the stop block bridge is very well constructed and definitely aids in the tone department because it sustains forever. The bridge construction is top notch as well, making it very easy to make quick on the fly intonation adjustments. Next up are the pickups that have souls of their own. The Quad to Dual-Rail pickup growl so if your looking for pickups with total balls then these are the ones to go with. Being a guitarist who always swaps out the stock pickups, I was amazed at the sound that these magnets cranked out. When pushed to the overdrive limits, these bad boys just chug like no tomorrow. Being a power metal guitarist, I’m always looking for a fat, tight sound that will be responsive to my picking hand and these pickups were a perfect match. I did like the option that Kramer put in with the push-pull potentiometer. By pulling up or pushing down selects the pickup configuration. You can go from all out hum (humbucker) or to single coil. Kramer designed a guitar that is versatile for many playing styles and I thought using this pickup setup was a killer idea. On these models you only get two pickups, bridge and middle. This was the only drawback to the guitar. I rarely use the middle pickup and mainly rely on the bridge and neck positions. So for me, not having a neck pickup limited my lead usage so to say. To make up for that I use this guitar when I’m not soloing in a fashion where it would require a neck pickup sound. On the other hand after closely examining the body, I do believe there would be enough clearance to router out a spot for a neck pickup (which I plan to do in the near future). Please don’t let this aspect draw you away. Plenty of guitarists like Marty Freidmen, for example, mainly rely on their bridge pickups for lead tones and that’s what I do when I shred away on this model. In fact, I rarely ever use the middle pickup. The electrical components used in making this fine piece of art are also very high quality. The tone and volume knobs spin and have never cracked through my amp. Kramer has years of guitar making experience and it shows in every guitar that comes off the line. Lastly, the North American Alder used in making the guitar body was an obvious choice. The wood always for great tonal response and provides thunderous lows and great mid ranges.
Quality:
This guitar was built to stand the test of time. I’ve owned it for over two years, and it still looks brand new. The electronics are just as crisp as the day they were soldered in. Tuning has never been a problem either. It always stays in tune even after days of non-use. I really felt like I was sold a very good product. The guitar is tank of tone, destroying all other guitars in its way. Kramer has made a name for itself as being a high quality, sought after guitar company. If you’ve ever searched for older Kramers’ on Ebay, you would have seen older models selling for well over $1000.00. Guitar heroes and shredders a like have used these guitars and its safe to say Kramer guitars are here to stay. You get a lot of guitar for your money. This is one small investment that will be rewarding you from years to come.
Support:
I did have to contact MusicYo a few times in regards to my order and they always got back to me promptly and courteously. Their customer service department is top notch and they aided in making my online purchase a good shopping experience.
Pros:
Price. If you’re a musician on a budget, but don’t want to sacrifice tone and quality, Kramer’s Vanguard S-440S is the way to go. Its sleek design and flashy look will be turning the heads of audiences every time you strut your stuff on stage. Hey guys, here’s a little known secret. Chicks dig dudes that play Flying V guitars! This line comes in a wide assortment of colors, nuclear yellow (the one in this review), black, white, red, and blood splatter, to name a few. The guitar construction is solid and tough to beat. Kramer brings in high-end parts and great manufacturing techniques to bring you a killer guitar. The guitar has an excellent balance and plays like a dream. You’ll find yourself blazing fretboards because of this guitar’s thin neck construction and low string clearance. Tuning is a dream come true. No matter how hard I jam, these gears refuse to go out of tune. Tone, tone, and more tone! Selecting the model with a stop block bridge definitely provided a guitar with endless tonal possibilities. This baby will sustain until all worlds collide. This model provides excellent responsiveness to the player’s picking style and adjusting to the design should be an easy one. If you’re looking for a guitar with great lows and piercing mids, this demon is the way to go. Did I mention the killer harmonics you’ll be able to hit using this axe? Zakk Wylde look out!
Cons:
Neck pickup please? Being a player that has always been accustomed to having a neck pickup, I had to make some adjustments in my approach to using this tool. I use this axe whenever I’m at playing high-octane levels. Do take note that this beast wasn’t designed for the faint at heart.
Recommendations:
Buy a guitar case with purchase of the guitar! The body style is prone to damage if the owner doesn’t take proper care. Nicking up the fins is real easy and that’s the most common injury to inflict on a flying V guitar. Kramer’s cases are form fitted and provide a safe travel partner for the guitar. As people do when buying a new guitar, take the guitar in for a professional setup before major playing. First, you need to have the action set to your playing style. I like to have my action set as low as it can go before getting fret buzz. Secondly, most guitar makers put on ten gauge strings. Seeing that I use nine gauge, a setup was required. Don’t forget when having it setup to put on a fresh pack of your favorite guitar strings. I use 9 gauge Everly 52 Rockers. These strings were the perfect choice for this guitar model because Everly strings are built for hard rock guitar players. (Everly strings are were exclusively used during the review process)
Looking back, I would highly recommend this guitar to anyone looking for an affordable metal machine. This guitar screams and growls all in one breathe. If you’re into high-speed shredding and arpeggio acrobats, this guitar is for you. Are you a rhythm guitarist who likes to pound the hell out of the guitar when chugging out heavy grooves? Enter the Kramer Vanguard S-440S. This guitar is built for warfare. I give this guitar high praise because it’s a guitar that will always be in my arsenal. Guitars may come and go, but this is one guitar that will stay with you a lifetime. I give the two-horned salute to Kramer for high-end quality at a down to earth price.