Dang Velas...

Now this may be something that is common and I am just a bit behind, but when I hold my gloss black Vela SH in the right light, I can see the wood grain and the finish itself appears to be a very very dark reddish brown, which I happen to think is pretty darn cool. Anyone else notice this on their gloss black PRS that is supposedly opaque?
 
Almost everyday I think about buying a semi hollow Vela. I’ve tried it and I really like it. My local guitar shop has them in stock and I constantly walk by it and think ”should I go buy that Vela?” But then I don’t…probably because I suck at life. But also a little bit ’cause I don’t have a need for one. Or do I…
 
Almost everyday I think about buying a semi hollow Vela. I’ve tried it and I really like it. My local guitar shop has them in stock and I constantly walk by it and think ”should I go buy that Vela?” But then I don’t…probably because I suck at life. But also a little bit ’cause I don’t have a need for one. Or do I…

I have a satin SH and it's one of my favorite guitars. I grab for it frequently and it has some pretty stiff competition hanging beside it. I say do it! You'll be glad you did
 
I'll tell ya, the Vela kills it for me! I just did a comparison between my Vela semi hollow body, my 2 Gibson LP's and my Epiphone SG Pro. For me the Vela wins by a mile.

The Vela's pickups are not as strong in output as the pickups in the other mentioned guitars but it's not wimpy by any means at all. It's not as heavy in the mids as the other pickups and for me that's a good thing. The bridge pickup has the most wonderful articulation when played clean or overdriven. Combined with the depth of sound the guitar produces leaves me speechless. The other guitars just didn't have that depth. I think this has to do with the semi hollow design. Fact is when I was doing my research prior to buying I saw a review on YouTube (Phillip McKnight) where he compared the solid body Vela to the semi hollow model and it was his review that convinced me that the semi hollow body was the way to go because I could hear the difference. This is the first semi hollow body guitar I've owned and I am so glad I went that route.

I love the clarity of single coils but the higher strings just don't have enough strength for me. I love the power of humbuckers but there's something about the thicker mids that grinds my ears something fierce. Never realized how great a lower output humbucker can be. It has mids, just not those ear grinding ones.

The only problem with owning this Vela: I don't know if any other guitar would please me tonally like this one does.
 
First, go get the Vela, then circle back and get the Santana when the money looks right. It’s what we do here.
The only thing really holding me back from snagging that Vela is…I’m so used to the feel of my Core guitars that the S2 feels a little bit…not as special. Dig the sound though, and the neck. It’s a tough one. That thing is cool.
 
The only thing really holding me back from snagging that Vela is…I’m so used to the feel of my Core guitars that the S2 feels a little bit…not as special. Dig the sound though, and the neck. It’s a tough one. That thing is cool.
Yes my Vela feels differnet than my cores, especially being open pore satin but that's part of the allure. Make no mistake the Vela is special.
 
Almost everyday I think about buying a semi hollow Vela. I’ve tried it and I really like it. My local guitar shop has them in stock and I constantly walk by it and think ”should I go buy that Vela?” But then I don’t…probably because I suck at life. But also a little bit ’cause I don’t have a need for one. Or do I…

You do, and you should. Velas are magical.
 
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I mean if you insist on a photo. For what it’s worth I reach for this guitar long before thinking of a core or quilted models. The satin magic is real with this one.
 
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