Korina Jack
New Member
I mainly play McCarty's (57/08's and P-9o's). Will I like a Vela? Sell me! Thanks in advance.
I'm old school...Will I like a Vela?
- Thread starter Korina Jack
- Start date
Korina Jack
New Member
Different is what I’m looking for! Thx
The Vela, as a tone platform, can be a chameleon. Stock, it treads into territory previously reserved for the Starla, which I always thought was bold and cool. But the Type-D in the neck is wonderful and it’s own animal! My current wants/needs pushed me to swap the Starla pup with a Duncan Antiquity and I am very happy. The neck carve is, IMO, universally comfortable, making the Vela my fav gig beast today. It may not appear to be so, but as I have it now, it takes big gain and crystal cleans better than my DGT. There, I said it. 
Rider1260
New Member
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2013
- Messages
- 3,616
Vela is a FUN guitar and KILLER for the $$$$
Neck is nice and Chunky , light weight
The bridge tapped along with the neck is a great sound.
IMG_4040 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/152274366@N08/
Neck is nice and Chunky , light weight
The bridge tapped along with the neck is a great sound.
IMG_4040 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/152274366@N08/
Screamingdaisy
(O)))m
I like the Vela because it’s unique.
It’s not a Strat or a Tele with a humbucker in the bridge. The humbucker in the bridge doesn’t even sound like a humbucker in the bridge. It’s... unique.
The pickups are lower output but have enough midrange to stack really well into gain.
I think its one of those things that you need to try for yourself and decide.
It’s not a Strat or a Tele with a humbucker in the bridge. The humbucker in the bridge doesn’t even sound like a humbucker in the bridge. It’s... unique.
The pickups are lower output but have enough midrange to stack really well into gain.
I think its one of those things that you need to try for yourself and decide.
xjbebop
Yippy ki yay...
What Boogie said...
Plus what I've been saying since they came out - The Vela is the most 'unique' PRS model produced...
Plus what I've been saying since they came out - The Vela is the most 'unique' PRS model produced...
markd21
New Member
I LOVE mine. I am in the middle of a recording session today and I am using my Vela. It is covering everything on the tune. Just to give a bit of background on this session, and what the Vela KILLS at....
This is a Progressive tune where the distorted rhythm guitars are in Drop D. I used a Mesa MKIV and an Orange AD30 for those tracks. The Mesa track was just the Starla humbucker. The Orange track was the two pickups together, bridge split. The "heavy" section leads were recorded using Bad Cat Cub IV15. The first lead was the bridge pickup. The second lead was both, split. The third was the neck pickup. The leads are all done with minimal gain, a "bluesy" tone if you will. The only effects on there (no post production yet, so I don't know what will be added) are reverb and tremolo - both subtle. So far this tune is coming out pretty killer. It's interesting to combine the heavy half-time "doom" style riffs with the cleaner "blues" solos being played on top. That should just give a tiny bit of perspective as to how versatile the Vela can be. So far it has taken everything musically I have given it.
Here's mine!!
This is a Progressive tune where the distorted rhythm guitars are in Drop D. I used a Mesa MKIV and an Orange AD30 for those tracks. The Mesa track was just the Starla humbucker. The Orange track was the two pickups together, bridge split. The "heavy" section leads were recorded using Bad Cat Cub IV15. The first lead was the bridge pickup. The second lead was both, split. The third was the neck pickup. The leads are all done with minimal gain, a "bluesy" tone if you will. The only effects on there (no post production yet, so I don't know what will be added) are reverb and tremolo - both subtle. So far this tune is coming out pretty killer. It's interesting to combine the heavy half-time "doom" style riffs with the cleaner "blues" solos being played on top. That should just give a tiny bit of perspective as to how versatile the Vela can be. So far it has taken everything musically I have given it.
Here's mine!!
Screamingdaisy
(O)))m
I picked up mine because Soundgarden used to layer using Telecasters under the humbucker guitars. I already have a Tele, and I was hoping that the Vela would give me something similar with PRS ergonomics. The Vela totally failed as a Telecaster, but it totally succeeded in doing the low output layer that I used the Tele for.
The ability to “underdrive” a gained up amp produces some really cool textures, and the mids in the Vela pickups work better for this than the scooped PAF sound for this purpose. It’s like the mids are still “pushing” the amp, and some of the harmonic overtones I get are pretty crazy.
IMO/YMMV
I've only had mine for 2 weeks..... I have a Stripped '58 with the 57/08 pickups and my other most loved guitar is a Tokai goldtop with a pair of P90's. My hope for the Vela was that it would be sufficiently different to either of them but still be as enjoyable to play in terms of the neck.
It's actually better than I hoped it would be. I thought I'd love the neck pickup and I do. The humbucker is great as far as I'm concerned as it's a fair bit brighter than the Stripper but again, for my purposes, that's what I wanted. What has really surprised me is how much I like the coil tapped sounds out of it as I've never before used a tap and thought 'that's a great sound' as opposed to 'that'll do if it's the only guitar I've got here with me but it's not a decent single coil sound'. This one tapped in the bridge or middle position is fabulous.
It's actually better than I hoped it would be. I thought I'd love the neck pickup and I do. The humbucker is great as far as I'm concerned as it's a fair bit brighter than the Stripper but again, for my purposes, that's what I wanted. What has really surprised me is how much I like the coil tapped sounds out of it as I've never before used a tap and thought 'that's a great sound' as opposed to 'that'll do if it's the only guitar I've got here with me but it's not a decent single coil sound'. This one tapped in the bridge or middle position is fabulous.
mycroftxxx
New Member
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2019
- Messages
- 7
I’ve also had my Vela for only a few weeks, and am still discovering what it can do. It’s succeeding at its first job - be different from my American Deluxe Strat More seriously, I’m really liking it. The workmanship is immaculate; the out-of-the-box setup was outstanding; the Tele-inspired bridge is a work of art. After plugging it in, the first thing I noticed is the close balance between the pickups, even when splitting the humbucker - it’s a very usable position. The single coil is darker than the typical Strat neck pickup, but that’s ok; it has a wide output range, and can go from a very usable and twangy clean to a nice overdrive tone with a twist of the volume knob. I’m still experimenting a lot with the bridge pickup, but lots of good tone there too. So far, in the case of the Vela, different is definitely good
More seriously, I’m really liking it. The workmanship is immaculate; the out-of-the-box setup was outstanding; the Tele-inspired bridge is a work of art. After plugging it in, the first thing I noticed is the close balance between the pickups, even when splitting the humbucker - it’s a very usable position. The single coil is darker than the typical Strat neck pickup, but that’s ok; it has a wide output range, and can go from a very usable and twangy clean to a nice overdrive tone with a twist of the volume knob. I’m still experimenting a lot with the bridge pickup, but lots of good tone there too. So far, in the case of the Vela, different is definitely good
Korina Jack
New Member
I LOVE mine. I am in the middle of a recording session today and I am using my Vela. It is covering everything on the tune. Just to give a bit of background on this session, and what the Vela KILLS at....
This is a Progressive tune where the distorted rhythm guitars are in Drop D. I used a Mesa MKIV and an Orange AD30 for those tracks. The Mesa track was just the Starla humbucker. The Orange track was the two pickups together, bridge split. The "heavy" section leads were recorded using Bad Cat Cub IV15. The first lead was the bridge pickup. The second lead was both, split. The third was the neck pickup. The leads are all done with minimal gain, a "bluesy" tone if you will. The only effects on there (no post production yet, so I don't know what will be added) are reverb and tremolo - both subtle. So far this tune is coming out pretty killer. It's interesting to combine the heavy half-time "doom" style riffs with the cleaner "blues" solos being played on top. That should just give a tiny bit of perspective as to how versatile the Vela can be. So far it has taken everything musically I have given it.
Here's mine!!
Love it!!!
