Ed Roman Quicksilver

READ THIS REVIEW!!
This is a follow-up on a review I made several YEARS ago. I purchased my Quicksilver in 2004. First, I need to qualify myself to help you judge this review. I am an over 50 year old retired successful businessman who is strictly plays guitar as a hobby. I do not play professionally. This is exactly the type of person Ed Roman???s marketing targets for the high end guitars. I play my Quicksilver through a Soldano Decatone, a very nice high-end amp, and perfect for the Quicksilver. I don???t use any pedals or effects.

As for features, they are endless to a degree. Yes, Ed Roman vehemently pushes the Duncan Blackback pickups. To be honest, I don???t think I have the capability to tell the difference between these pickups, Dimarzio???s, EMG???s, PAF???s, or any other well made humbucker. My Quicksilver has a solid black Korina body (no binding, no quilted laminated top), ebony neck with the 1500 finish, gold hardware, locking tuners, and strings through the body at the tail. It is high-end elegant without being gaudy. I also chose the Buzz Feiten tuning system, which I found to be a necessity for Les Pauls. Visually, it is the most impressive guitar I have ever seen, even to this day. It is the visual appearance and custom options that drew me to Ed Roman Guitars. I specified the options with little real understanding of their overall contribution to the guitar???s sound and playability.

Here is where it gets interesting. Ed Roman touts the Quicksilver as ???the most versatile guitar???. It really is not. If you are looking for a guitar to outperform a Gibson Les Paul or SG, the Quicksilver will do it easily. The Quicksilver is considerably lighter and more comfortable to play than a Les Paul Custom (I used to own a Les Paul Custom). I have never played a PRS, but I think the Quicksilver will most likely perform as well as a PRS (it was modeled after the PRS).
Recently, I purchased a Mexican Stratocaster off eBay. It has a humbucker at the bridge, a Seymour Duncan Hot Rail, I think. The two remaining pickups are the standard Fender single coils. I can get a wider variety of tones from the Stratocaster than from the Quicksilver. And the Stratocaster cost me $350. However, the Stratocaster can not do a dual humbucker sound that is characteristic of the Les Paul. Realize that even with pole-tapping to emulate single coil pickups, the Quicksilver can not sound like a Stratocaster. My knowledge of guitars is limited such that I really don???t understand why this is, but to my ear the Quicksilver can???t come close to the sound of a Stratocaster. And I have worked with both for several months every day.

This is also a mixed bag. Unlike several reviewers, I had absolutely no problems with frets falling off, being uneven, poor finish, etc. In fact, when received it (I drove to Vegas to pick it up), it was flawless. No problems with loose knobs, the nut and frets were perfect, and the finish (natural with Polyurethane) was flawless. It was, and still is, visually stunning.
Three years after my purchase I needed to have the frets dressed. I took the Quicksilver to a local luthier who had a Buzz Feiten license, so he could adjust my guitar. This is a very prominent luthier in the Southern California area. He greatly admired the quality of materials and construction of the Quicksilver, but he also remarked at the mediocre setup that was performed at Ed Roman Guitars. He dressed the frets and did a complete setup. The Quicksilver played 100% better after this new setup. The action was lower and the guitar stays in tune much better. Incidentally, to protect my investment in this guitar, I take it to the same luthier every year for a ???tune up???.

I have had my Quicksilver for almost five years now, and I play it almost every day. I take it to a local luthier once a year for a ???tune up???, and this keeps it in perfect shape. I have had absolutely no problems with it. Incidentally, this same luthier told me that as wood ages, it moves slightly. He recommended that I have the Quicksilver inspected and adjusted every year (probably overkill) until the wood stops aging. As of this writing, I have just completed the annual ???tune up???. He and I both noticed that as the Quicksilver ages, its tone is steadily improving. He remarked that it is ???waking up???. When new it had a somewhat sterile sound. Now, after 5 years, it is developing significantly noticeable harmonic character and sonic depth.

Here everyone complains about Ed Roman. I will grant you that he is quirky and eccentric. He is primarily a businessman, and above all he is interested in the bottom line. I had Ed???s luthiers adjust my Rickenbacker (360-12), and they did a superior job (setup and fret dressing). This begs the question why was the setup on the Quicksilver sub par? Also, it did take some work to get a build sheet and bill of sale for the Quicksilver from Ed. And the price paid was a few hundred dollars more than the quoted cost. But the quality (except for the setup) was excellent. I rate this as NO OPINION because I did not have to deal with Ed Roman Guitars after I picked up the guitar. I specifically chose a local luthier to dress the frets and do a re-setup because there are many excellent luthiers in Southern California and convenience is an issue. Incidentally, when I picked up the guitar in Las Vegas, my wife and I spent about an hour with Ed. I found him to be friendly and easy to deal with. I even went so far as to have photographs taken of him with (and signing) my guitar. He was always very cordial and never rude.

As I can see from previous reviews, many bought from Ed roman for the same reason I did ??? expectation of a flawless unsurpassable guitar that would be the final guitar purchase. I have spent the last 5 years trying to fall in love with my Quicksilver, and I am disappointed that it hasn???t quite happened yet. However, as the guitar ages, the wood ???sets???, it ???wakes up???, and its sonic character emerges, I am increasingly favorable towards it. And it is a very comfortable guitar to play. However, there is no guitar that will do everything. Comparing the Quicksilver with the Gibson Les Paul Custom (which I sold) really emphasizes the superior quality of the Quicksilver. And I can see that the build quality of the Stratocaster is inferior to the Quicksilver. But both of these guitars (Les Paul & Stratocaster, purchased used) together were less that half the cost of the Quicksilver.

My advice is that purchasing from Ed Roman has its drawbacks and positives. Yes, you can have a custom built guitar with nearly endless possibilities. But you had better know what you want going in, and you should be prepared for delays (mine was promised in 4 months and finished in 9). If you are not a famous music personality, Ed???s financial bottom line is foremost in his mind. You should have an excellent understanding of the different sonic capabilities of a wide variety of guitars, and above all, visit Ed Roman Guitars and play one first to get of feel for playability and sound. Do your own research. And be aware that the sonic character of new wood, even exotics like Korina, can noticeably improve with age. Yes, Ed Roman is extremely knowledgeable about electric guitars. But only you know what feels good in your hands and what sounds good to your ears.

2003 Ed Roman Quicksilver electric guitar.

This is a custom-built solidbody electric guitar designed to be similar to a Paul Reed Smith (PRS) CE24. It is number 232 out of all Quicksilvers ever made.

* Seymour Duncan Black/Back pickups
* Maple neck with 1500 G Neck Mod
* Rosewood Fretboard
* AAAAA Quilt Maple Top
* Electric Blue-to-Black burst finish
* Pearlcaster Tremolo
* Schaller strap locks
* Hardshell case included

Unlike most Quicksilver guitars, the pickups are NOT mounted to the body; they are suspended from pickup rings. This allows you to adjust the pickup height to suit your tastes, something that isn't possible on most Quicksilvers.

I play many different types of music and my guitar playing accounts for about 30% of my income - with the rest coming from production and programming work.

When I am playing for myself I play r&b or fingerstyle. I have played on some albums/tours that have done pretty well over the last few years and own many guitars.

Before I continue, I would like to invite anyone who would like to know more about this guitar to email me for photos and any questions.

Ed's shop (which I am not a part of) gets some crazy reviews here which are simply not true. If you would like to speak with someone about this guitar please feel free to get in touch.

I am using a few Fenders (Vibrolux, 50s Deluxe, Tremolux, etc...), Soldano (Reerb-O-Sonic), older Vox AC-30 and a Matchless.

Don't use many effects, but my pedal board has a Maxon Comp and OD-808, Ibanez Analog Delay and Fulltone '70 and SupaTrem.

I bought the Quicksilver on ebay. It was listed with a $600.00 BIN which included shipping and a G&G case.

The Quicksilver guitars are hand built and are very expensive. The resale value is pretty low due to it being a lesser known brand. I advise people on a budget to look used where these are usually $1000 - $1500.

I have a PRS (Pre Factory Custom 24 with 10 top and Birds) and it sat under the bed after I first played a Quicksilver. PRS makes great looking and playing guitars - that sound like wet cardboard.

The Ed Roman model is just a complex and rich sounding instrument that produces unique (but familiar) timbres. Because of the switching and coil splitting it can do glassy Stratocaster like parts and also scream like a great Les Paul.

Years ago I worked in a store that had an old BC Rich from the very early 80s - not one of the imports. The Roman is very reminisant of that guitar yet it has it's own persoanality.

The only two things I am not crazy about are the color (I bought this guitar used) and the 1500G Neck Mod - more on this later.

The guitar did not come from Ed Roman's World Class Guitars, but it was setup well and played in tune up and down the neck.

The interesting thing about #232 is that the pickups can be adjusted. Unlike most Quicksilver guitars, the pickups are not hard mounted. They are mounted like traditional humbuckers.

This is the best top and matching I have ever seen. If Gibson were to match a top like this it would be $50,000.00.

The guitar (again, I bought it used) had a little ding on the butt, down by the straplock.

This guitar feels substantial. I do not mean that it is heavy. What I mean is something a little less tangible and something that I have a really hard time explaining to people who buy the cheap imports.

The switches feel like they're top notch. The finish looks and feels like something someone sprayed and buffed by hand, the neck is 'just right' as far as shape and the frets are dressed great.

I would never go to a gig with one guitar, but if I had two of these I would be all set.

I bought this guitar used, but sent an email to Ed Roman's World Class Guitars with regard to a couple things.

The main thing I wanted was to see if I could get the 1500G neck mod reversed so the finish could be more like my Custom Shop Fender guitars.

I got an email back the same day with a phone number to call. When I called I got a friendly, helpful and really cool conversation about this guitar and about what the Vegas shop does.

The price quoted for the work I want to have done was very, very good and if I do not bond with the 1500G after a few more weeks #232 will be off to LV.

I have been playing guitar for about 20 years. Most of my other guitars are older Fender and Gibson as well as a PRS and some Gretsch electrics.

Had I ordered this guitar I would have gone with a les fancy looking top and maybe a more traditional burst color (this is blueburst) and I probably would have gone for a hard tail.

If this were stolen I would take the insurance money, call Ed and have him make me another one.

I love the fact that it's a handmade American guitar built by a shop that doesn't bend to trends, pay for advertising or kiss people's asses to get them to play their stuff.

I bought this because it was a great deal. I still like my Gibsons (sorry Ed and Co.!) but I would say that it is better then any PRS I have ever played.

I wish it were signed by Ed Roman. I also wish it had those cool light-up inlays. Maybe he'll sign it if I send it back for the work -not sure if he does that.

The main thing I would like to share is that people should be weary of the reviews here. After owning this guitar and playing other Ed Roman guitars it's pretty clear that there is a lot of BS out there about the guy and his work.

I have never met Ed, I only know him through his craftsmanship - and it's top notch.

For all the people here that paid $3000+ for a guitar made out of Home Depot Pine, etc... I call shenanigans. It's simply not true.

Look at the EdRoman.com website with an open mind. Read the tech articles, read the comparisons and try to find one of the guitars to play. If you're close to me get in touch and you can even try mine.

Email the folks with the bad ones and see what they send you back. I can guarantee these folks never owned a real Roman.

I give an 8 here because they are not cheap and the resale value is kind of low (so look for used ones!). All in all, it's a 20 next to a PRS - but if you decide to sell it the PRS will get you more back.

Oh, and to ManTurds (who goes by the name with Spuds in it on YouTube) I will not "fudge pics" for you.

Another reviewer said this dingleberry contacted him about trying to get some pics doctored to discredit Ed and he has also contacted me - and left bad comments on all my YouTube stuff - even the unrelated to Ed stuff - the guy is a loser who bought a kit and couldn't figure out how to put it together.

If you would like pictures or any other info, feel free to contact me - an actual Ed Roman Quicksilover Owner - who will answer all your questions without any internet BS.

My email is senor_sparkles at yahoo dot com and I am in Massachusetts.

Features... For what Quicksilver's cost even on Ebay--way too expensive considering what the features are? A push-pull wow! Do yourself a favor and buy an Ibanez Gio instead.

Like Seymour Duncan Black Backs would sound in an Ibanez Gio.

A Ed Roman Quicksilver is the type of guitar you get set-up and two weeks later the buzz is back and strings are still breaking like crazy. Seriously! Just to be fair the paint job is awesome, but so are fake tits till you feel them.

Reliability? Durability? Ed Roman's guitars are as reliable and durable as he is, do you really think a Quicksilver is worth it? Next time one is on Ebay write down the make and features, then compare it to his price brand new, Ed Roman Quicksilver's sale around 30-40% of what he sells them for? Do yourself a favor and at least buy a guitar you wont regretting buying and selling! You can tell a lot about a guitar based on resale value, especially an Ed Roman Quicksilver.

Customer support? Really? Go local to get to homebase, go to GC/Sam Ash and other online dealers to at least get a kiss on the cheek and go to Ed Romans guitars to get ****** up the *** with no homebase, no kiss on the cheek...nope nothings but an angry old ginger guy making your guitar. Watch the SouthPark Episode on Ginger Children. It is a great autobiography of Ed Roman.

Seriously watch the Ginger Children Episode of SouthPark after you have to sell your Quicksilver on Ebay because you have a lemon $4,400 guitar that sells for $1800.00 used???

As an acoustic builder of 30+ years I have a certain appreciation for well built instruments. The Quicksilver ranks among the best I've seen. I ordered an ash body with a cocobolo top and ebony fretboard. The rest of the hardware, tuners, pickups, bridge and tailpiece are common among the Quicksilver line. The finish was flawless and the setup was as tight as one could expect. The only addition I would recommend would be pickup rings as a final cosmetic touch, but that is a minor point.

My primary playing styles are blues and rock so the split coil humbuckers were a good fit. I use an old Fender reverb amp and the sound is "killer". WHile the split coils may not be for everyone they certainly deliver all the range I need.

I really have not had to do anything to this guitar. As a builder I almost expect to have to tweak the action a bit but that has not been the case. The bookmatch is dead-on. A caveat however for those considering a cocobolo top - it is a VERY dense heavy wood. It is not something you would want to have hanging on your shoulder for a 3 hour gig!

This guitar is almost impossible to knock out of tune. The Sperzel tuners are a must, they simply don't let go. My Quicksilver outshines the other two guitars that I take with me on gigs by miles ( no names mentioned here but suffice it to say they are WAY more popular).

I've read some of the reviews of folks complaining about the customer support at Ed Roman's. Maybe it's professional courtesy but both Ed and Stephan have been absolute gentlemen. One thing I can attest to as a builder, it is quite annoying to have someone who knows very little about how guitars are made but acts as though they know more thsn you do. Custom building guitars is a tedious, exacting job. It is not an assembly line task. Many complaints are about action. Most gutars are setup for the "average" player. If you're the next Stevie Ray Vaughn you're going to need a custom setup. A little tip: you're better off taking your guitar to a local luthier than to send it back to the manufacturer for a custom setup.

I've been playing for 43 years and I have played more guitars than I can remember. The only downside to the Quicksilver is that it is not an inexpensive guitar. The bottom line is that if you want a top of the line guitar you are going to pay a high price. It doesn't matter if the guitar comes from Ed Roman or Gibson or Fender or PRS or whomever. I would venture to suggest that a guitar from any one of the above mentioned custom shops would be as expensive if not more so than Ed Roman's shop.

24 fret,ebony fretboard,lightning bolt inlays,s/d p/ups,push/pull pots,sperzel locking tuners.
i did have to pay extra for case and shipping.

i like the sound of the s/duncans...very "crunchy!"
a little disappointed with the push/pull sound...tends to sound scratchy.
i'm using a fender vibroking, and a fender cybertwin....so i can mostly compensate where i feel guitar is lacking.

the finish was great, p/ups okay.

one complaint is that the plastic cover covering the electronics on the back is missing.

one is supposedly on the way to me.

it also appears that the case that was sent to me is used, oh well.

will have to wait and see.

this is where i've really become frustrated!
first off ed seemed very annoyed to even talk to me. i tried to get some answers by email, but they were never answered.
when i called ed and let him know the cover was missing, he seemed quite annoyed at ME, and said that one of his salespersons could have handled my request! i did talk to joanne, i believe his wife, and she tried to charge me for the missing cover, AND the shipping to my house!

also, when at first, before i purchased this guitar, i tried to negotiate the case price and shipping (i prefer fedex over any other shipper)i was told they ONLY use ups. take it or leave it. the same with the price of the case, which seemed a little out of line, $275.00.
and he also tried to tell me that interior damage to my case was either ups' fault or mine! i gave up on this issue.

i don't think i'll ever buy a guitar sight unseen, in person, again.

he does have a great website, but i think his business practices could use a little "fine tuning."


i also don't believe i would send the guitar back to vegas for servicing, i'd rather have it done locally where i still have some control.

Roman Quicksilver Flatliner, USA Made Custom Shop Electric Guitar, Korina Body, Birds Eye Maple Top, 2 Piece Maple Neck, Ebony Fingerboard, Lighting Bolt Inlays, Ebony Headstock Overlay, 25" Scale, 24 Nickel Silver Medium Jumbo Frets, Seymour Duncan P-90 Pickups, Sperzel Locking Tuners, 1 Volume 1 Tone 3-Way Switch

Case also purchased

Amazing. Like a PRS but if everything wrong with a PRS was fixed.

I tried to get a PRS but I couldn't get ebony, couldn't get Korina, couldn't get a guitar without a huge heel on the neck and couldn't choose pickups or inlays.

Plus, I my friend had a PRS Custom 24 10 top and it sounded like a poor copy of the QS. Kind of what a Mexican Strat looks like next to a Custom Shop Fender. Of course if I wanted a S-Type I would get a Pearlcaster.

0y one dislike is I wanted a green burst but didn't want to wait for a buildup so I got cherry

Took it out of the case and it was in tune and ready to go. Everything was perfect. Also got a letter explaining all the features and a thank you note from Ed.

Amazing.

I wouldn't use anything without a backup.

I think anyone with 1/2 a brain can tell who the people here are that have actually purchased guitars from Ed.

The HC Forum folks hate him because they are mostly bandwagon jumpers who love Agile and $300.00 guitars and spend hours discussing pickups ad tone instead of playing.

Facts are facts and Ed would not be the success he is if anything they say about him was true.

To the people claiming these are built out of Home Depot pine I say look at the pics (mine is still on the sale page) or go to NAMM or the Vegas store.

Ed is hated because he speaks truth and poor people get jealous or someone buys a PRS and doesn't want to believe there is better.

Ed is first a businessman. He is not your pal and you should deal accordingly. This is my 2nd guitar from him recently and I'm very satisfied.

Also, the kid with the Caligula kit posting videos contacted me for pics of my guitar (Maximus) and asked me to fudge some pics for him to discredit Ed. This is what goes on online.

Ed Roman is The King.

Roman Maximus, Custom Shop Fender and 1970's Gibson Les Paul.

Marshall JCM-800, Marshall Plexi Super Lead, Soldano SLO-100, Engl and Metaltronix,

ADA MP-1, Digitech Twin Tube and GSP-21, Eventide H-3000, Palmer Speaker Simulator, Bradshaw switching system, etc...

dont know alot about the guitar as i should from spending days on his site reading every thing twice..i will get to that later.. sperzel locking tuners / custom paint 2000 something?? build date. seymore duncan blackback pickups bolt inlays.special neck? other stuff? supposed to be loaded..no tools or t shirt , stickers , picks or any bonus. had to buy case.

guitar sounds great feels good nice neck looks good. gets alot of sounds / push pull taps. play on a peavey wiggy and line 6 head with marshall stack. pedals. i play rock. got a good deal on it cause they had it so long and i guess no one liked the paint job in person .i bought it online with just apicture to look at till it came then i got the let down..

action was good / pickups good / knob fell off when first pulled from case?/ paint job not as good as i thought. for this kind of money the knobs input jack and screws should be solid gold not cheap junk..tuners were top of the line.

seems solid . would gig with a backup . finish seems like it is not so hot. have to be carefull .. strap buttons for the money should have been top of the line ??

dealt with them before buying not after..promised me a build sheet ? wood type all the specs / day of build / luithers name/ every bit of info i could get/ made him promise before i bought.. never got anything but a letter saying it was one of a kind. pretty sorry. had to pay shipping and buy a case or pay more to ship.. pretty sorry.. was all excited the most expensive guitar i had ever bought.. got it in mail , opened it up , looked at the custom paint job , just paused and looked was not impressed.. picked it up and knob fell off in floor..sorry set up . i had to wait for an extra day to get it because they said they never send out a guitar before it goes through a serious set up and inspection..yeah right i think they just did not do much at all. the nut was lose on the input jack that i noticed was a cheapo .. a few other minor little things that should not have been let go..i figure i got screwed in a way for the money you spend the case and shipping and setup should be done right and free!! also you should get what they promised like my build sheet. he told me the body was swamp ash but how can i know scrape off the custom paint to find out? year of build have no idea?all that info i feel raped on. for his custom guitars he should hire one guy to handle the process from start to finish so word of mouth wont kill you later. sad really sad.., a free tee shirt stickers picks and a thank you call and letter should be insisted opon..

been trying to play for years, have been a guitar trader for years . thought i could fall in love with this guitar and sell some of my large collection of gibsons fenders and deans . dont know now?// feel raped and confused. if it were stole i might get abeat up one off ebay thats it.it beats most 1000 $ guitars but for the money it should have came with top of the line everything..hell i got to keep it cause if someone ask me what kind of wood year built all the normall stuff , what the hell am i gonna say uh call ed and good luck now give me 2 grand so i can at least get some of my money back.. 7 rating overall cause it is a pretty good guitar..

First of all, I would like to say to anyone reading these reviews and considering the purchase of a QuickSilver ??? Please take the bad reviews here with a grain of salt. Ed Roman is a very controversial person and clearly not well liked in the industry. But just because he rants on and on (and is many times critical of others in the industry) that does not mean he is not correct about many of the topics upon which he opines and that his guitars are not superior in make.

My QuickSilver Story

About 2 ?? years ago, I made the huge mistake of walking into a music store and playing a really nice PRS through a Mesa Boogie amp. From that moment on, I was hooked and determined that one day I would own a PRS, and, like many of you I???m sure, became obsessed in my search for tone. I began researching PRS guitars and constantly checking eBay for prices. My search for information led me to the Ed Roman web site where I probably read every article that he posted on the construction of guitars and his theories behind what produces great tone. Everything he wrote made a lot of sense, but what the hell did I know.
I was close to pulling the trigger a few times but decided that I still didn???t know enough. I even priced out a QuickSilver. They start out at $1,500. That didn???t seem too bad. The problem was, by the time you get all the fancy tonal woods and a nice looking top, you are easily over $3,000. I wasn???t ready for that.
Then one day as I was perusing eBay for PRS guitars and I saw a QuickSilver up for auction. I forget the starting price but it had a ???Buy It Now??? for $2,500. I priced it out on the Quicksilver pricing sheet and figured that it would cost over $4,000 (possibly as much as $5,000) to produce that guitar today. I decided to buy it.
The guitar has an absolutely gorgeous spalted maple top (amber), Korina (Black, I believe) back, and a rosewood neck. It came with LSR tuners. By the way, I saw that some posted critical comments about the finish. The only blemish on this guitar was my fault. I banged it really hard into the very sharp edge if a very solid desk. It barely left a mark and did not break through the lacquered finish. I owned a Carvin and one day barely tapped the guitar onto the edge of the case. It broke through the lacquer and the finish down to raw wood. One fifth the force produced five times the damage.
The QuickSilver guitar looked great and sounded great. The problem was that, if I set it up the way I liked it, there were some dead spots on the neck. The high D (22 fret on the E string) was totally dead. I thought that was sort of crappy and went back to playing my Strat. I was in a cover band and decided that I should have a tremolo bar on all of my guitars, so I decided I would go back to looking for the ???right??? PRS and that I would ultimately sell the Quicksilver.
I got a great price on eBay on a beautiful PRS and was happy. I still wasn???t totally happy with my tone but I determined that it must be the amp (Mesa Lonestar). (*NOTE * I sold the Mesa and got a ???57 Twin replica ??? amazing amp.) I was committed to selling the QuickSilver and decided that I would take it to band practice for its last hurrah. WELL, it turned out that it was the best our band ever sounded, and it was totally because of my guitar???s tone. Now what the hell was I going to do?
I decided that before I sell it I should see if a fret leveling job might not help. (I had never done this before.) I sent the guitar to Ed Roman and talked to Alan Dreher about what should be done. We replaced the LSR tuners, made a few small adjustments and leveled the frets. I NOW OWN THE PERFECT GUITAR. It is truly amazing. I own an old (circa 1965) Gibson SG that had the fastest neck I have ever played. My Quicksilver is now better. Tonally the PRS and QuickSilver are pretty close if you are on the neck pickup doing the Santana thing. Any other setting, whether splitting the c

I have owned a bunch of expensive guitars and this is, by far, the best sounding guitar that I have ever played.

The action wasn't great when I got it, but is now amazing.

As discussed above, Alan was great.

I cannot ever imagine getting rid of this guitar. If it were lost or stolen I would definitely replace it. I guess I should mention that I play mostly rock and blues. It would seem silly to me to use a guitar like this for metal, although I'm sure it could handle it.

I ordered my QS with a spalted maple top. Upon picking the instrument up, I thought that the finish looked like crap. The top was barely figured and just looked like raw pine with a few dark lines here and there. Warmoth has far better spalted maple finishes. I also didn't like the finish on the back of the instrument. It didn't seem as glossy as with other instruments, also like Ed had just gone to Home Depot and bought the cheapest stain on the shelf.

The Seymour Duncan pickups are not versatile and do not deliver the crunch that I wanted. The instrument sounds flat and banal, sort of like a Mexican strat without the hum. It's never delivered the Les Paul crunch that I like.

I ordered the locking tuners but found it had regular tuners when I picked it up. They claim that they priced me for regular tuners and that if I wanted the locking tuners, I'd have to pay more (after already dropping 3k!). Ridiculous.

The headstock and lightening bolt inlays look really cheesy. It doesn't have the classy, grown-up appearance of a PRS. I could never imagine someone playing this toy-like instrument in a former setting, such as with an orchestra. I would have asked to see a fretboard with the lightening bolts before ordering. My mistake.

As I already mentioned, it doesn't have the crunch of a Les Paul. There is nothing unique about the sound -- just a bland instrument with no color. The sound is what you would expect from a $400-600 instrument, not an alleged premier instrument. I record and gig often, and I find myself turning to my PRS and Carvin Carved Top when I really need a versatile instrument that excels in every way. I have demoted my QS to a practice instrument that stays at home and doesn't go to the studio because of its sound and doesn't go to gigs because of its ridiculous price.

As I said, the finish did not seem professional. The guitar was set up well and hasn't required any adjustments. I am disappointed with how the routing doesn't seem to be tight around the neck pickup. There's a small gap where you can see between the body and the side of the pickup.

I actually wouldn't mind if the finish would wear off so that I could get it refinished. If I were attached to the guitar (which I'm not), then I'd consider having a professional luthier (not one from Roman's shop) replace the cheesy fretboard and headstock and give the instrument a custom shop worn look. Judging by the poor routing job on the instrument, I have my doubts about its structural integrity.

I agree with most of the other posters that the guys at the shop are a-holes. They acted like it was my fault that the guitar didn't have the locking tuners that I specifically remember requesting. Everyone should force Roman to sign a contract specifying better customer service and warranty - although he probably wouldn't sign one if just one person approached him about it, he'd have to sign it (or go out of business) if everyone who purchased a QS insisted upon a written contract with explicit terms. You get much better CS from established, main brand instruments, and the personnel at those companies are much more pleasant to deal with. Need an example -- just look at the Carvin website and how liberal their return policy is -- if you don't like the instrument upon inspection, you just send it back with no questions asked and no a-holes telling you to your face that you didn't request some feature that's absent from the guitar.

This guitar is a ripoff and a downright fraud. I feel cheated and really disappointed in myself for paying so much for such a crappy instrument. Ed may think that the name brands like Fender are ripping poorly informed, beginning guitarists off by selling them an overpriced piece of **it, but he's doing the same thing to allegedly more savy, higher end customers. I'll probably give the guitar to my son as his beginning guitar once he's old enough to start strumming. To think that I paid $3k for what will be a beginner's guitar, I feel so stupid. Moral of the story is to the stick with the name brand makers with a proven track record.

I recently traveled to Las Vegas and spent some time examining the Ed Roman Quicksilver at Ed Roman Guitars. I had played a Quicksilver before, but I had not seen a large quantity of the instruments before and thus did not have an informed opinion about the quality of the instrument line. Here were my impressions.
First, I immediately was unimpressed with the cheap, ???homemade??? look of most of the instruments. The necks had a clear, waxy finish over unstained maple reminiscent of a cheap Ibanez. The headstocks also are neither ornate nor unique; the bland shape and black finish reminded me of a Hammer. The font of the ???Roman??? on the headstock and the lightening bolts on the fretboard both degraded the instrument and made it appear cheap and juvenile. While the painted finishes were adequate, the wood finishes (with the exception of the spalted maple) were amateur looking and fell far below the quality standards of Gibson, Paul Reed Smith, and Carvin.
Second, after brief examination of all Quicksilvers in stock, I noticed several inconsistencies among the instruments. With some of the instruments, it appeared that the pickups and necks did not fit as tightly as with the other instruments. If you go to see the Quicksilvers for yourself, then take a metric ruler that measures in mm so that you can measure the inconsistent gaps surrounding the pickups and necks.
Third, the instruments sounded far above average but still not on par with Paul Reed Smith, Gibson, or Carvin. The clean sound is bland, flat, and not ideal for nondistorted styles, like jazz and country. When distorted, the instrument lacked both the crisp, sneering sound of a Paul Reed Smith and the distinct crunch of a Les Paul.
In conclusion, I would say that the Quicksilver is a flawed, homemade instrument worthy of neither the price asked nor the constant comparisons to Paul Reed Smith. The consumer should known that PRS and Carvin Carved Top both are far superior instruments in sound, finish, and most important, consistency of production. For all of the flaws that PRS may have, Quicksilver has its own and more of them. While someone conceivably could make Quicksilver into a renowned, national brand by buying it and improving on such things as the inconsistencies, blandness, and juvenile appearance, the instrument will never be a major market force so long as it adheres to its current design under Ed Roman.