Samick

The Samick Radio Ten was made in Korea in the mid nineties as a signature guitar for noted rock instrumentalist (and Poison's one time guitar player) Blues Saraceno. It's a very interesting and simple guitar that eschews an abundance of features to create a great playing and sounding instrument. They came in various configurations for pickups/bridges, but mine was the following: *Alder body *Maple neck/fretboard *3 on a side closed tuners *Vintage style tremolo system (non locking) *Two Samick humbuckers *Volume control only (no tone control) *3 way selector switch *Black hardware. It's basically like an obscure old sixties guitar mixed with a superstrat from the Van Halen school of thought. It reminds me of a Jazzmaster meets of a Wolfgang as far as the body shape goes... very odd at first, but awesome. UTILIZATION The guitar is very ergonomic to me. The weight is very light and it's no problem at all to strap it to my shoulders and play for extended periods of time. The upper fret access is very good too. The neck heel is a tad blocky but it's not difficult to get used to by any means. I should take a second here to mention the neck profile. It's a much beefier profile than one might expect from a guitar designed for a hard rock player/shredder. It's closer to a fat baseball bat profile or a rounder version of the Gibson '50s neck. It's personally one of my favourite neck profiles on any guitar that I've owned or used, but it's not what you might expect from a shredder's guitar, nor will it be for everyone. If you like thinner necks and swear by them, this neck probably isn't for you. However, if you're into a fatter neck like the Gibson '50s or similar, this neck is great. Mine also has slightly rolled edges from being played fairly hard for about 15 years before I bought it, which makes the neck feel nice and vintage. It's finished in what feels like a very thin gloss finish. It's not ridiculously obtrusive to the hand, and only gets sticky or dirty feeling after playing for a very long time or with dirty/old strings. SOUNDS I've used this guitar with various Peavey, Mesa Boogie, Splawn and Orange amplifiers that I've had over time. It has a very interesting set of tones to be sure. The pickups have quite honestly lost their appeal to me. I remember getting a great ripping EVH esque tone out of the guitar when I first bought it in summer of 2009. It had a nice full bass, slightly scooped midrange and a nice biting treble with that classic eighties LA sizzle on the bridge pickup and a fairly full and classic sounding tone on the neck pickup. However, at this point in time I simply find the pickups to be fairly dark and a bit lifeless. Perhaps it's nostalgic feelings that I have, but I'm not totally happy with the pickups at this point. I have a plan to overhaul the guitar at some point and that may include a replacement set of pickups if the budget allows for it. Don't get me wrong, it still sounds good, but just not quite as good as it did when I first purchased it. However it IS a $150 guitar so I can't be too picky about the parts used. OVERALL OPINION All in all I feel that the Samick Radio Ten is a really cool sleeper guitar that has some wicked features. I bought mine for $150 at my local Long & McQuade, who had no idea what it was. I saw that it had the name Blues Saraceno on the headstock, so my interest was piqued. However, being that I've rarely been impressed with Samick guitars throughout the years, I wasn't expecting much. I took it into the amplifier room to plug it in and test it and ended up walking out with it! For the $150 I paid it's been a great workhorse. Sure the pickups have fallen out of favour with my tastes, but I may eventually change them. Presently the white finish is showing quite a bit of wear and tear, so I'm debating having it done up like Blues Saraceno's Custom Shop TV Twenty model in plaid finish, and then replacing the parts with ones of higher quality. However, like I stated before, for $150 I can't complain about the quality of the parts. The craftsmanship is great, the feel works for me and the price was right, so I've held onto it. Great buy!

(Originally written by Soloist/translated from Audiofanzine FR) Made in Korea 24 frets, two Samick single coils and one humbucker. No humbucker split function. The tremolo under Floyd Rose license isn't the best. Volume control Tone control 5-way toggle switch Very good neck. Fast, comfortable, precise. UTILIZATION Very pleasant neck SOUNDS . OVERALL OPINION Hello, I've owned this guitar since 1995. Years have gone by without a single problem. My model is black and the neck has no pearly arrow inlays. I don't like the golden hardware anymore so I'm gonna change them for silver (machine heads, string locking system, knobs, strap locks, screws, etc.). I replaced the pots and the toggle switch because they generated noise. I think I will also install a silver Floyd Rose tremolo. I also own an Ibanez S470 Sabre series which is much worst than this old and affordable Samick in spite of its DIMARZIO TONE ZONE pickup. This Samick has a rather inaccurate response but that's what I like about it. The sound is warm. It's a great guitar. I play it with a Starforce amp and a Boss EM-6 effect board.

What I like the most: The pickups are very, very warm, with just the right amount of aggression and musicality! The neck's finish is a treat, it's rare in this price range, and the same goes for the overall finish. The overall electronics are great, no crackling, no buzzing even after 25 years... A few minor reservations: The guitar is light, maybe too light? You can feel it in the sustain, it's not a dealbreaker but it should be noted. The tuners are fine, the tuning stability is decent, but changing them could be an area for improvement.

first i want to say im not a pro at playing the guitar but i have played for a while. i own many instruments not just guitars and of those many different brands. i bought this Samick LW-015 from a friend for $80.00 just for something to plink around on when i go camping. now that being said no i havnt played it on stage yet. will i? more than likely yes at some point. how is the sound? like i rad in one review with a new set of strings it is bright. i did put a good set of strings on it. i know i could have went for a cheap set but why would i do that ? that being said it does not play like one of my Martin or Gibson guitars but then again my Martins dont sound like each other nor do my Gibson's. this Samick is my 4th in my collection. now to the brass tacks, the LW is not built like a $3000.00 Martin this is true. that being said, for the money it is a nice guitar. later years Samick put groover tuners on so 2 of my newer Samick's have them this one does not but what is on it was built very well. the neck is a little thick but cords good. it does have an adjustable truss rod. with cheap strings it did have a buzz but with good strings it sounded good. i was bright and loud. neck and bridge were nice rosewood. i did have to do a little work in the saddle here someone had bumped it and i did lower it a little. probably the next string change i will lower it a little more. all in all i would say that for the money this was a good deal and if i had to go back and do it again i would.

Crafted in Indonesia - American Design and Engineering by Greg Bennett S/N: SI30600581 Description from the Greg Bennett Guitar website: When you consider the various parts of the guitar, the top is clearly the most critical element. The top, in the most basic sense, acts like an air pump. The more flexible the top material, the more efficiently it translates the energy from the string into the sound waves that we hear as music. Instruments made with solid tops produce greater volume, fuller tone, and have stronger projection. The WORTHINGTON™ series acoustics have a solid spruce top, in a package with striped mahogany sides and back for clarity and balance. Mahogany may be the best overall wood if you need an evenly balanced sound. The balance lets the serious player determine the tone by the way he plays the guitar. The soft corner bridge design helps prevent finish cracking at the corners. Grover™ tuners round out a truly professional package. D 5 LH FEATURES: •Left handed Dreadnought cutaway body •Solid Spruce top, Mahogany back and sides •Nato Mahogany neck •Rosewood fingerboard (12” radius) •Nut width 1 11/16” •20 fret, 25 1/2”scale •Dot inlay •5-ply cream binding •Grover™ A102C, 14:1 ratio tuners •Rosewood bridge AVAILABLE FINISHES: Natural (gloss) UTILIZATION A typical Dreadnought that is well balanced from head stock to strap pin. It has a very nice, relatively loud bass with clear highs for a solid spruce top acoustic in this price range. This guitar was lightly used, came with a Fender gig bag and still had the original strings on it. The protective film was still on the pick guard. Being a used guitar, I don't know if the action had been lowered or it came that way from the factory but it is low and plays very good up the neck w/o any string buzz. At the 12th fret, it is exactly in tune on 5 strings. The B string is just a wee bit on the flat side. I don't know what material the nut and saddle are made of but they appear to be of much better quality than plastic. The saddle looks to be hand fitted. SOUNDS I am impressed by it's overall balanced sound. OVERALL OPINION This guitar is probably one of the most underrated acoustic guitars for under $400. It is no longer in production in a lefty version but there are a few used ones out there. You just have to look for them. The right handed specifications are the same. This guitar is very nice looking with the reddish hue of the Mahogany back and sides. It appears to be made with pride by the Samick employees who in the past have made lots of guitars for "other brands". In comparison, this guitar sounds as good as my Fender DG-14S, Washburn D-10S, and Epiphone PR350S which are all lefty solid top acoustics.

A Samick HF-650 Artist Series, sunburst f-hole twin pickup. I had wanted a full size 3 in box for several years and most companies did not make one I could afford. I found this guitar At Jimmy Rogers Music in Seneca, S.C. It was love at first play. The only adjustment I had to make was to regroove the nut. I had an accident and hurt my first finger on the left hand. An excellent repairman redid it for me. I have added a Gold plated Bigsby Verbrato. I have been playing fingerstyle since I was 15. I am now 72. This Guitar outdid a Gretch Chet Atkins Tennessean in fingering and pickup sound and weight. I understand that Samick no longer puts their name on them. Greg Bennett, who now designs them uses a circled S at the headstock. Greg appeared for a concert at Phil's Music in Greer, S.C. and although he did not design this Guitar, he personally placed his signature on it. I would highly recommend this Guitar to anyone that can find a 1998 HF-650. I don't intend to let this one go. But it is the easiest fingering production model Guitar I have ever played. I paid $500.00, got a hardshell case and a Guitar Strap but then the year was 1998 and as I mentioned above I purchased it at Jimmy Rogers Music company in Seneca, South Carolina. The look, the quality for the money, the humbucking pickups and the ease in fingering it and to me it was affordable. Sorry, but there is nothing that I dislike about this guitar. I did have to replace the 3-way toggle switch, but it was my fault not the Guitar construction. I have owned this Guitar for 10 years and it looks and plays as good as it did when I purchased it. I doubt these are made with the Actual Samick Name on the headstock at the present, so it will be come a collector's item in the days to come. I was told by the owner of Jimmy Roger's Music company that this would be the last Guitar made with Samick Artist Model on the headstock. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I have been leading worship at my church for the past 4years. Always played someoe elses guitar until this year. I had been looking for a good quality guitar. The last guitar I was lent was a samick before the greg bennet designs. I love it nice rich full sound. I bought it through Guitar Factory Internet store. After looking for a guitar in the price range of 350 to 400 I found this one. I checked the Samick web Page I fell in love with it. Appearance is awesome. Sound full and rich. It comes with Solid cedar top Rosewood back and sides Gold Grover™ tuners Orchestra model cutaway Acoustic/electric with Fishman® the finish on the back and sides is beautifull. Appearance is awesome. Sound full and rich the finish on the back and sides is beautifull. Sound like I said before great. and really if your looking for a great guitar you will not be let down check them out on the web page. nothing. I love it I have had it for about 3 weeks so if something unexpected happens I will let you know It comes with Solid cedar top Rosewood back and sides Gold Grover™ tuners Orchestra model cutaway Acoustic/electric with Fishman® Great wonderful instrument it is not a taylor or gibson but plugged and unplugged it is an awesome guitar. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I went it my local shop to buy my second guitar i wanted to stay in the $300 dollar range because i was still learning the itermediate skills. Now i own four guitars a gibson V a Epiphone black beauty a Parker p 38 and a gibson les paul studio! i have come a long way in guitar After i changed the pick ups on my samick to some gibson vintage if it were just a sound test and they said one of them was 1300$ and one was 500$ ( after pick ups) they would be amazed they sound exactly a like I like the shape pretty classic um the necks is nice the stock pick ups are nice for clean sound and light distortion ie Joe Satriani some GNR ect...The color is amazing transparent blue. When it is not plugged into my amp it sounds great i guess you can call it "acousticly" im not sure on the word for it but i think you know what i mean! the neck is finshed i prefer an unfinished neck but its not big deal. The pick up selector switch isnt soddered properly on any samick so if you know how to sodder do it your self or where ever you bought the guitar they best do it for free! Dont buy this on line buy it locally because there are some minor things that have to be ajusted when you pick it up on this guitar like and Transparent finsish chips show like on glass it is exallent nothing really wrong with it except the soddering but that can be easily fixed Good begginer to Intermediate guitar good for a gig backup good rythm guitar ok lead it will come pared to epiphone les paul standard prolly the lowest line guitar i own but its decent This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought this guitar from a local music store and the guitar itself was $275, which I thought was a good price. Ed: This is the left handed model per the review submitter. I love the look of this guitar, it is very classic, no crazy features or shapes, comes in a variety of colours (which is rare for a lefty)and has really nice sound. Its very versatile. You could play anything from Shania Twain to System of A Down on this thing! It goes out of tune a little faster than I wouls have liked it to, but other than that, this guitar was pretty awesome! It was very sturdy, the neck isnt bowing at all, the strings are holding up great and the body is a nice color and very solid. Highly recommended, arguably the best guitar in its price range! This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Well, as for electrics are concerned, I previously had a Givson Blue Diamond (worth Rs. 5,800) and a Samick SA-11 (worth Ra. 14,500). As I leant more, I desperately needed a better guitar for concerts and esp. a double lock for satch and metal. So that's why I opted for a Samick Artist Series worth Rs. 28,900. Got it from California. Well the best thing about thsi unit is its versatility. Its got both, the punch for metal and the crank for lead. The finishing is out of the world. The fretboard is great. Well, the double lock (Flyod Rose) for this unit is a bit shaky. The tremolo bar fits kind'a wierdly and the whole bridge doesn't seem to be that impressive. The construction and quality is great. Full marks on the finishing and the quality of the pickups. Its got 3 pickups. 2 single coil and one humbucker with 5 place pickup selecter, one volome knob and one tone knob. the puckups are the traditional gibson les paul bar types. Bottomline, go get it. great for home, studio, concerts ... anything! well, the only thing is its price which seems to be quite how (NRS. 28,900) .. but believe me, its worth it. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought this guitar over the net from Jeff Hale for $750, which included George Benson strings and all shipping (no tax), as well as a once over by Hale to clean it up. My local music shop had a Samick JZ2, but I hated the mustard color and wanted the cooler looking JZ3, which they couldn't get for months, they said Although it's made in Taiwan, it delivers a warm sound and the fret board is easy on the hands. It's a Gibson wannabe in a big way, and I think of it as a poor-man's L5. There's ease in playing jazz on it because of its tone and action, and the semi-hollow body lets you work out ideas without plugging in. At first I thought this was a cheap piece of junk. There was a sticky barcode label on the pickguard, which drove me nuts geting it off, and I found the pots cheap and flimsy. I also found a little scratch at where the neck meets the body, and wondered how it got there. "Made in Taiwan" also is planted on the body, which kept reminding me I bought garbage. But then I broke it in, I guess, and after playing it for a few weeks, I really liked it. It was easy to play, had a great warm tone, and the body was pretty solid. I like the finish on it and the cutaway and inlays, even though I know the inlays are probably just plastic. The body is laminated, which is kind of like having a big slipcover on your guitar like you would on a sofa or chair. But I don't mind it. It works. If you're not too fussy and don't have thousands to spend on a vintage Gibson or even a new one, go for the Samick JZ3. It will get the job done for you, and you might even grow to like it a lot and not think so much about the high-priced number you passed by. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Bought it a small time local store. Guy said he was a snob when it came to acoustics, and said he didnt buy anything besides fenders and gibsons, but had played one of greg bennette's designs and then bought two. Got mine for 279, retails for about 300. Awesome sound. Cant begin to describe the tone of this unit. Best feature is inbuilt tuner and equalizer. Awesome build of the guitar, durable and great finish. Nothing to not like about it. Havent had any complains yet. Great spruce top and rosewood neck. Great finish with renforced edges. All the edges on the guitar have a nice reinforced layer on them, and its smooth to the touch. Great sound and the strings are close to the neck, so its easy to play For the price you pay, this guitar is worth every cent. You will never realize how useful the tuner and the equalizer are until you use them. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com