pretty

[westhemann]

i know some of you hate this guy but is that gorgeous or what?

[Guest AlexVDL]

I always liked the design of those guitars better than PRS... but oh man, that Ed Roman is one arrogant son of an itch

[tsl602000]

I bet you like that color, Alex... MWAHOHAOHAO!!!!

[westhemann]

it's not pink it's coral

[Guest AlexVDL]

YEah I like the coral pink color... it gets the feminine side out of me

[tsl602000]

We all love it when we get to see that hidden side of you! :-p

[Brian]

Still reminds me of the new HT-10 Saga kit thats out, just a different veneer and some fancy inlay work.

Before you ask the HT-10 was the PS-10 but PRS got PS'd so SA had to change the name go figure

[westhemann]

yeah it's not a veneer though it's a top(about 1/2" and carved)that's what i like the most about it.

[the third eye]

to tell you the truth

for some reason i don't like it

could be the colour

[tsl602000]

I don't like it either... it doesn't even look like a strat!!!!

[ryeisnotcool2]

i cant decide if i like it or not, could be the color but i play a bright turquoise guitar so i cant talk! as far as the ht-10 brian, PRS is wierd about that stuff i know about five years ago warmoth started making a copy and i was gonna order one but the guy there said prs sent them a warning that they were gonna sue! He told me they only sold 200 and then were shut down so they changed the design but i dont like the new design. PRS is probably gonna try to sue me after my guitars get out there, mine are offset though kinda like a prs meets jazz bass design! and legally you only have to change a design 10% and they cant bother you. i dont know why prs comlained about the kit? oh well i guess when yoiu are a multi million co. you have a lot of say in things!

[Brian]

Actually the deal with the PS to HS issue wasn't so much about the design of the guitar as how it was being marketed by the folks that sell them go figure.

[Elton]

whos ed roman? whats he do thats iggnorant?

[westhemann]

maybe you shouldn't ask that seriously he is a guy who sells guitars here who has very strong opinions about foreign made guitars.he thinks ibanez,esp,fernandes,and all other guitars not made in america are crap.but if you read all his rants and filter out the bullshit there is alot of information there.and his quicksilver guitars look great IMO.check out the spalted maple topped ones.it's a great site to get an idea of what kind of things look good and appeal to you but alot of people say he is a worthless human being.i don't know him but be sure you will hear more about him.

[LGM Guitars]

I don't know, personally I think it looks awful, and I could never buy something with his name on it like that LOL, actually, the worst part is the way the ROMAN logo is done on the headstock

[westhemann]

what if it said "MADE BY ASSHOLE" on it?

[Guest AlexVDL]

I don't know, personally I think it looks awful, and I could never buy something with his name on it like that LOL, actually, the worst part is the way the ROMAN logo is done on the headstock

There's always sandpaper

[Fantasmic]

I know this a touchy subject for a lot of people, and its only my 2nd or 3rd post here, so plz don't hate me because of what I say about Ed Roman here But anyway, please read on...

Disclaimer-I do not work for or advocate buying from Ed Roman, this post is about opinions and choice, its not an advertisement for or trashing of any of the stated companies. Thank you.

When I first started going through his website a few years ago I felt the same way a lot of you guys do. That hes -an Oriental hating b@$t@rd that just wants to sell his own junk- or something to that effect. Maybe he's brainwashed me or something, but I actually agree with a lot with what he has to say now. He's well known on many Ibanez, ESP, etc. forums for his opinions on certain brands of guitars. Which, in most cases are really overblown and misinterpreted comments about Ed Roman's opinions.

Lets look at his history for one second. He was co-owner of East Coast Music Mall for years. This is a true superstore, one that made history for a number of reasons (he blabs about that a lot, so I'll let you read it all for yourself from him lol). I even bought my first guitar (ESP LTD M-200, old style, this was a few years ago, before LTD changed some of the model designations) and amp (old used Marshall solid-state 1x12 combo) there because of its variety and fame. But this superstore is different, its not your Guitar Center, Sam Ash, etc., that just places a businessmen/amateur musician into a manager seat to run it and sell as many guitars as possible. East Coast Music Mall was (and is, as far as I know) run by luthiers and guitarists. Ed Roman gets a lot of his opinions from his experiences there, thats why he created his "World Class Guitars" stores. He got sick of seeing a teenager come in and buy a guitar just because Joe Rockstar plays it. No matter the quality, or price (within reason), that kid wanted that guitar, and wouldn't even try other guitars that may be a better value. Or an old guy coming and and only picking up a Gibson or Fender, just because they are the "originals" and the only avilable guitars when the guy first started playing. Remember, this is a guy that knows a TON about building guitars and has been a part of some great changes and innovations in guitars. He knows how much work goes in to this or that guitar, and he can judge the quality and value of a guitar.

If you really read all of what he says and spend a few hours looking around the site you will find he doesn't just think that way about asian guitars, but several american brands as well, for example, he no longer recommends PRS or Gibson for several reasons, mostly because... 1)they have followed in the same footsteps as many asian companies, "charging hand-made prices for machine-made guitars" or whatever, reducing quality, but increasing quantity and price or... 2) they are actually hurting the world of guitar manufacturing because they are not moving foward with new inovations (ie Gibson) or even going backwards in design for marketing purposes (ie PRS) . He has no problems with CNC-made guitars, he has a problem with them pricing it like a hand-made guitar. He owns and designs several high-quality guitar companies/brand names and sells other high-quality guitars (such as BC Rich) so he can give us, the consumer, an option and a variety. He gives us the option of paying reasonable & competetive prices for hand made guitars. He gives you the option of any body style, any paint color, any pickups, any whatever.... Something that most other companies do not, and can not do. Why do people hate him because he gives a rational opinion and a tremendous variety of guitars?

Again please don't hate me because of my opinions on this issue. The majority of the stuff I own is ESP, and I love Ibanez guitars. He just lets people know what the real deal is and gives other people a choice with different tastes than some of us. If I had about $2k laying around I'd sure look at a Quicksilver, Ibanez, BC Rich, Abstract, LSR or ESP. Because of Ed Roman and other luthiers like him I will have a variety of guitars to choose from. And isn't that what designing and building guitars is about? I know that sounds stupid, but think about it. And on a rainy day, spend a few hours browsing his site, its really fun if you're a guitar lover.

[westhemann]

i browse his sight all the time and i,like you,do not hate him.but some of his opinions about ibanez(and others)are false.he uses low end ibanez guitars to show that they are not well made when,in fact,the high end ibanez guitars are,in fact,very well made.and really i believe that all ibanez guitars(almost)are a good value.i have a korean made ibanez neck thru which is the best playing guitar i own.(so far,that should change when i finish my v)

anyway i don't care enough about this issue to really go on about it but i do believe he has some great guitars.

[Fantasmic]

Interesting quote:

"My principal bitch with Ibanez of course was their pricing. The pricing on Ibanez guitars has come way down, I have not seen any loss of quality from 2000 to 2003 in fact some of the lesser priced models have improved in quality. This fact serves to prove my point, when I complained about them being so overpriced in the past few years. This trend has been almost universal, In fact, I there are very few Japanese & Korean companies who have not complied with the pricing. The biggest offenders would be ESP and Schecter who are both owned by the same Oriental conglomerate.......The Dillion Guitar and the Dean Guitars are by far the best deals I have seen on any imported guitar. The Japanese Fender Guitars are actually far better than their USA counterparts. I think they sound better, play better and even look better. Fender discontinued making Japanese guitars available in the USA because most people were figuring out that the Japanese ones were such high quality. In my opinion Fender had to stop bringing in the Japanese models or start losing sales on their overpriced USA models (that is their main source of revenue) "

-Ed Roman

He does speak the truth, you just have to get deeper into the website.

An he may sound cocky when he says "they complied with his complaints about pricing" or whatever, but he has about 400 Ibanez in stock and is overall one of the biggest guitar dealers in the world, so he has some say in issues like that.

And Wes... I see your point about the Korean-made Ibanez, actually Ed Roman says that if your going to buy an Ibanez, get a lower to mid priced one, because its 90% the quality of a more expensive one, but $500-$1000 less. And you yourself love your lower cost one. He is most upset about the price and value of them compaired to just the quality.

Anyway, I've added my .02 on the Ed Roman issue. I don't mean for this to get out of hand or anything.

[westhemann]

yeah i have read that.i told you i have been all throughout that website. but anyway the reason prices have gone down has nothing to do with ed roman.it has to do with fierce competition amongst guitar companies largely due to the insurgence of the internet.competition always brings prices down.by the way interesting note:as an old guy who has shopped for guitars for years i can tell you that guitar value has gone up dramatically in the last few years.used to a $700 ibanez guitar was total crap.now the same quality guitar that cost $700 back then you can buy for a measly $200 to $300.the biggest difference has been imo the quality of the electronics.

i had a very poor opinion of ibanez for years due to the expensive crap they ere putting out(except for the super high end guitars which at the time i could not afford)now competition(not ed roman)has forced them to make better guitars that are affordable.

yes ed roman tells the truth AS HE SEES IT(sometimes)but alot of it is just opinionated crap(like me)

by the way i think the quicksilver guitars are sweet and in the future i look forward to trying one out(unless i get the hang of this guitar making thing)

[LGM Guitars]

My biggest gripe is that he has and continues to sell fraudulent guitars period. Also, his opinions on certain brands of guitars change when the manufacturer decides he can or can't be an authorized dealer.

Previously, he would not even respond to an email about an Ibanez, his website talked total trash about the guitars, now he is a dealer by some strange twist of fate again and he's changed his tune.

He will take advantage of anyone, the comment about the kid coming in and buying a guitar just because joe rockstar plays it is not valid when his entire philosophy is every guitar is sh*t unless he is authorized to deal in it. He has ripped people off on shipping, does not insure product when it ships, and consistently talks poorly of other people to make himself look better. He creates and sells illegal copies of instruments, tries to pass certain ones off as the real deal.

There is a reason that reputations become what they are, they don't just appear out of thin air, you earn them good or bad. I don't think that the overwhelming majority of people familiar with Ed Roman would speak poorly of him if there was no reason to.

It is his complete and total lack of ethics, and even lack of not being able to stand his own ground that angers so many. If you think brand X sucks fine, that's your opinion, but don't change it when they decide to allow you to be a dealer again. It's just ass kissing to the -enth degree pure and simple.

[the third eye]

i'm with the greenman on this issue

i'll never buy from ed roman.....too much risk

[Willin]

I've also heard some horror stories about people buying his guitars. The guitars then play like crap and/or fall apart and Ed Roman doesn't give a crap about the guitar once it is out of his door. People try to contact him to get replacement parts or repairs and Ed Roman gives them an attitude about it. I think he may have damn well brain-washed some people. If you think for a second he is trying to help people out by offering them high quality guitars for a reasonable price then you are mistaken. He is just another greedy person, like all of the other companies he criticizes, who is trying to scam people into giving him their money. It's as simple as that. I personally do not trust him and would never purchase a product from him. His demeanor is child-like and immature. It makes me sad that he could own and run a business.

[the third eye]

too right