Vela-uptuous

Just got my Vela today and she is everything it should be, but not what I needed :/

I can't tell you how perfect this ice blue is with the brass appointments! Incredibly light, perfectly balanced, incredible neck, I could go on and on with the accolades.. it really is a stunning piece of craftsmanship.

I do quite a bit of tapping, acoustic style strumming, and ballad-esque finger work, and the pups on this beauty are just too hot, the attack is too fast for me to get the sound I'm after. The sustain is also not what I need for much of my music. This guitar would rock the country house though, man is there spank in there! I also love the open almost breathy quality on the D-coil, but again she's just too quick on it's attack for me.

I'm looking into the S2 Singlecut... anyone have experience tone wise with those? There's actually not too many demo's on the S2 SC on youtube etc.

Thanks for the help.. sad to be leaving the Vela Club, I think this will have a cult following for PRS.

big~C
 
Does this mean you have a Vela for sale at a very knockdown second hand price?:flute:
 
Mixstar said:
Does this mean you have a Vela for sale at a very knockdown second hand price?:flute:
Click to expand...

I wish I was in the place just to do it to be kind hearted! I had to sell off all my high end studio gear 2 years ago to transplant to the oil boom in North Dakota... now that we have a house again and the studio built, it's time to reacquire my instruments. The only thing I didn't sell beside my mac pro and everything inside her was my Taylor acoustic (Had to sell my McPherson!). I've been budgeting for 2 years for this one and it has to be the right guitar... which seems to be the Singlecut.

I'd like to make a plug for Moore Music (Dennis), they have just bent backwards for me and are giving me a full refund and paid for the return. If they had an SC I'd buy it from them. As it happens though Sweetwater (who I've used Mac Hatton there for 20 years) just got a whale blue one in yesterday, she's reserved now ;D

Can't recommend the Vela enough, especially in this Blue Mist, great color combo if you like lighter metallic flake. Incredible rootsy spankin tele sound with some real vintage smooth and airy sounds on that D-Coil.
 
I'd be interested in what you end up with -- part of the sound I want is "acoustic-ish" (electro-acoustic), and other than my Parker Fly Deluxe, the closest I've come is a Hollowbody II. Are you getting the SC in semi-hollow?
 
Dusty Chalk said:
I'd be interested in what you end up with -- part of the sound I want is "acoustic-ish" (electro-acoustic), and other than my Parker Fly Deluxe, the closest I've come is a Hollowbody II. Are you getting the SC in semi-hollow?
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When I say "Acoustic-ish"... it's not really a fair descriptive, I just need something that is mellow enough to really let me dig when I strum. I strum my electric like I strum my taylor (and play my keys).. I tend to play hard with a pick and dominate the instrument.. not in skill just in emotion, lol.

The tone I'm after is similar to what a Rosewood/Spruce combo does for me. Lets me build the tone and volume as I play without reaching max attack like my cedar/redwood topped acoustics do.

The Godin xtsa has a great acoustic piezo system (LR Baggs) that sounds almost as good as a Takamine piezo.... and it's very inexpensive considering the quality of the instrument (and the price of similarly priced electric piezo systems).

I love the hollow-bodies as well, but the sound is not precise enough for me (The Zach Meyers Tampus Green is one of my favorite PRS guitars... and it has a satin finish on the neck!).

I'll post when I get this SC in from Sweetwater and let you know my thoughts.

On a side note I just checked out the DGT and the gentleman whose name is attached to it.. what a great guy.. and guitar! (Also just checked out Jerry McPherson! who just happened to be playing a DGT I believe in the video :D )

big~C
 
Yeah, that's why I've taken to calling it 'acoustic-ish' rather than 'electro-acoustic'. Your description still jives with what I'm going for -- if you're familiar with keyboards, I really want the guitar equivalent of a Yamaha CP70 -- more 'grand piano' sounding than any other electric piano, but more electric piano sounding than any grand piano. I still haven't found the right words to describe what I'm going for, I should probably just record my Parker and play it back when I want to explain it to someone.

One thing that the guy at Guitar Center suggested was to split the signal and run it into an acoustic amp and an electric amp -- I definitely think my setup is holding me back (need a more "live" room).

Thanks for the rec on the Godin XTSA, will check it out. EDIT: Oh, yes, that might well do me.
 
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Some of those Parkers are amazing. I had the Fly Mojo Mahogany a few years back. Should have kept it, but it was a tad too dark tonally for me. The Bellamy with the Variax ethernet is just sweet.

Have you thought of playing around with a Variax? You might be a prime candidate for what that little beauty can accomplish. You can create any guitar you can imagine in the software. I've been a long time Line6 user (and I don't care really what the purists or nay-sayers vomit, though much of it is true :) ). As a keyboardist and web-designer the mentality of checking out the "what's next" is too ingrained in me. I do believe that there is a real valuable trade-off. Digital emulations CAN blow away aspects of anything it emulates by cleaning up or enhancing the signal/algorithm whereas the inconsistencies or "character" in what's being emulated often contain the musical quality looked for. Blending these two aspects for me lends itself nobly to my creative process.

I've had a blast with all of it! :D That "blast" though takes time, and I'm going for simple at the moment. I'm even forcing myself just to use Propellerhead's Reason, and forgoing Omnisphere and all my Kontakt libraries for a season.

But getting back on target, I'll let you know what I think of this S2SC tonally. I just saw the photos of the actual guitar that Sweetwater took for me and it couldn't be more perfect. If Paul said, "Chad, I'd like to personally build your S2 Singlecut", I'd say, "Wow Paul I'm humbled, could you make sure there is artistic striation in the rosewood fretboard, a pleasing blend of quilted and striped maple in the matched top, and place the neck so that the Bass E string is slightly closer to the top (and more importantly the high E string further from the bottom!). This particular SC had all those features that I tend to look for.

That Vela will probably find it's way back into my hands though! (and yes I know the CP70 well!)
 
I'm not familiar with the Variax, but I've heard of it, will investigate more dilligently.

The Ken Parker era Parker Fly Deluxes are something else, just like the xtSA -- too bad neither come in a 7-string. (Yes, technically, the Fly Deluxe comes in a 7-string, but it's not the same guitar.) I'm going to investigate the Multiac.

And yes, there is power in simplicity. I'm working on an arrangement of a 40-minute piece of mine for solo stringed instrument.
 
The Multitac is just beautiful tonally. I don't think there is a better acoustic-ISH :D sounding electric with the exception of possibly a Taylor T-series. One of the most powerful aspects of it's tone sculpting tools is the built in EQ, which is one of my favorite features in the xtsa (plus the Koa top resonates well this Hawaii loving chap... pun intended).

Could never wrap my hand or head around a 7-string, I'm impressed!

Alright all Vela-lovers, sorry for hijacking the thread (of course it's probably more interesting than "Bump!" ;D).

~C
 
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So I got the Winter 2016 edition of Sweetwater's ProGear, and what do my eyes behold, but my Vela-uptuous Vela as the Page 26 AD GIRL. It's Page 27 on the PDF for some reason:

Ad%20Girl_zpsugqzps3q.jpg


I'd recognize that grain pattern anywhere:

S2013418-body-large_zpsynbnisdu.jpg


Does this mean I have to buy her AGAIN?
 
Ok, I'm coming clean on this one. I'm warming up to the Vela. Maybe a tortoise shell moto pick guard? I really like the longer upper horn, the contour of the upper back and the great finish. Great balance? May have just moved up on my bucket list.
 
"Oh, hey."
"Hey."
"Let me guess, you're a model."
"No, not really, I'm a player."
"Oh, c'mon, you're so beautiful, you must have modeled once. Maybe just on page 27 in your daddy's uncle's friend's mail order catalog, but..."
"Why, yes, yes I did, but I used to be really photogenic, but that wasn't really the direction I wanted my career to go...I didn't just want to be known for my good looks..."

No, that line has never worked for me. Never. Not once.
 
Noticed the same thing in the new SS Catalogue!

Hope PRS does well by this... I'd like them to make a few changes (ahem... Bigsby) and bolster the Vela line a little.
Great Ax! Would love to see the same tone as the Type-D in a Humbucker.
 
Dusty Chalk said:
"Oh, hey."
"Hey."
"Let me guess, you're a model."
"No, not really, I'm a player."
"Oh, c'mon, you're so beautiful, you must have modeled once. Maybe just on page 27 in your daddy's uncle's friend's mail order catalog, but..."
"Why, yes, yes I did, but I used to be really photogenic, but that wasn't really the direction I wanted my career to go...I didn't just want to be known for my good looks..."

No, that line has never worked for me. Never. Not once.
Click to expand...

You're so beautiful, you could be a part-time model...

 
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Lollers -- when I first learned of Flight of the Conchords, they instantly seemed familiar, like I already knew of them. They've probably subconsciously influenced my sense of humour since then.
 
justmund said:
Yeah man, whenever I heard someone talk about binary, all I can think of is the binary solo from "The Humans are Dead".
Click to expand...

I look forward to hearing that in the distant future, in the year 2000.
 
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