Ed Roman Quicksilver

I bought this Korina wood, pearlized red finish from Ed probably about a year ago. I didn't custom order; went to the (old) Vegas store, played around for a couple of hours and this one simply felt the best. It has the fasted-feeling neck of anything I've ever touched. Duncan Black and Whites, coil splitting, tone, volume and 3 position toggle. Locking tuners. Stop tail. Hardshell case came with it. 24 frets.

I have had a lot of different guitars in the last year. I still have a couple of LPs -- a 68 Custom and a 69 Professional, a Clapton Strat and 2 Variaxes. I've had two different G&L Tele versions (one hollow body), a SRV Strat, and a few other guitars. Each was an infatuation; but I keep coming back to this one.
The Variax has lots of tones -- many of them are great. The LP Professional also has tons of tonal options. But the much simpler, lighter, and more elegeant Quicksilver garners more tone compliments than anything I've played. All the controls make for real tonal differences, and cover 80-90% of the typical tonal spectrum you'd need for ANY kind of music. Ed Roman advertises that this is the guitar you take to the gig when you can only take one. That statement has become true for me. And no matter what else I've been playing, going or coming back to the Quicksilver always feels like coming home.
I use it with a Carr Slant 6 head -- and its a perfect match. I usually use the amp at 18 watts (Cathode) running a 12" Eminence in a Randall cabinet. Together, the music is alive, and covers a huge tonal palette even in a small club. The fact that these pickups are not particularly HOT lets pedals and/or the amplifier do what they are designed for. I think thats another reason this guitar is so flexible.

As close to perfect as anything I've ever owned. A friend who is (although for no reason I can discern)one of the legion of Roman detractors said "That guitar was probably made in the same factory as my Dean." My point was: So what? This is a near-perfect guitar and I don't give a **** who anybody thinks or says makes it. The truth is in the instrument. And there IS truth in this one.

I gig with it every week and practice a lot. Solid. I think it will last and last. I do gig without a backup sometimes and have confidence in the instrument.

I have never heard of anyone in the music business more hated, and more admired than Mr. Roman. All I know is that as a middle aged hobbyist, I was treated personally with respect, patience, and professionalism. Yeah, I can see where his manner and size would put some people off. And lots of people (most of whom I suspect have no personal experience with him or his company)consider him a crook. I'd buy from him again in a heartbeat. Oh, and he mentioned that it was unusual to put a pearlized top on a korina wood guitar so he guessed there was probably an imperfection in the wood. If he was the s*** others say, it doesn't make much sense for him to tell me that.

Other guitars listed above. I wish I had this guitar's clone but with a whammy bar. I'd get another one if this weren't available. The neck is thin and fast. Would I buy mail order? Maybe like some of the nay-sayers on here I'm not smart enough to be able to say what I want or negotiate the deal on the guitar I"m going to ultimately love. But to go to the world's largest guitar shop, be treated well, and find out what you like -- how tough is that?

2003 US made 24 fret, highly figured quilted maple top with scraped binding and a translucent dark green finish, korina body, ebony fret board with custom inlay, jumbo frets, maple neck, solid body. 2 passive Seymour Duncan black back pickups, 3 way pick up selector, 1 volume, 1 tone ( both are push pull for a variety of configurations), tone pro's bridge and stop tail piece, sperzel tuners, gold hardware and case. The case was ordered not included - it is recommended to buy one when the guitar is made. This is an option I appreciate because I do not always want to purchase a case - they start to take up too much space. The only complaint about the options offered are there may be too many. Essentially you name it they, will do it.

My style of music ranges from some pretty hard rock, blues and R&B/Jazz but mostly its rock. I play usually through a Boss GT-6 and a pair of active monitors or a Mesa Boogie Nomad 45. I get a large variety of tones from this guitar - more than any other guitar I own or have owned. If I am taking 1 guitar with me - it is definitely this one. I do not view this guitar as a sub or a replacement for any other guitar - it stands on its own. You get similar Les Paul etc sounds but a Les Paul never sounded this clear - I know I have owned at least half a dozen of them. The combination of clarity and sustain may be unmatched by anything else I have ever played and that says a lot. In some part it has to be the fact that the neck pickup is actually mounted to the neck itself and the pickups are direct mounted. This is my go to guitar. I still play my other ones but this takes the best of them and crams it into one single unit.

Factory set up on the guitar was excellent. I prefer my action lower than it was but I made the adjustment myself. The woods used are top rate and the matching of the top is perfect. All high quality hardware installed as expected. There is essentially no heal on the guitar where it joins the body so access is not an issue. What good is a 24 fret guitar if you can't easily access the upper frets? I've read comments saying ht guitar needed to be set up properly or the frets need to be dressed - I find that hard to believe. I can tell you I commissioned to have a vine inlay installed that included my initials. When I received the guitar the inlay was not what I expected - it was much more detailed and intricate. I did not think it was up to the standard of other inlays I had seen. I called Ed and his only question was "what do you want me to do because I want you to be happy with the guitar"? So they made another neck with a flawless ( big word) inlay EXACTLY like I wanted it. This is a true custom inlay not some kit or CNC job like other manufactures of quote hand made guitars.

The guitar is a tank. I can't imagine any issues with it. Everything on it is solid. Because of the way I rest my hand when I play the gold plating on the bridge has begun to wear. I have never had a gold plated bridge that didn't. I should always go with the chrome but this guitar just begged for gold hardware. I can't imagine anyone only taking 1 guitar to a gig but I have never had to use a back up for the Quicksilver. Very dependable guitar. I like the additional material on the back of the headstock where it joins the neck anyone who ever had a Les Paul fall over will also so appreciate this reinforcement.

Okay this is the big one. First of all the guitar has a lifetime warranty - period. Need I say more? I have never written a review before but have read many. As a matter of fact I looked up Ed Roman before I ever met or talked to him and almost wrote him off - but his website was so intriguing I had to go to his shop. The first time I met him was when he and his shop were in CT. I went there expecting the worst and I went looking for a Joe Perry Les Paul. I also had my 8 year old daughter with me not the best place for a child - a lot of expensive interesting looking guitars. He told me I was crazy for looking at the Gibson AND (a big and) he explained why. 3 hours later yes 3 hours, I left with a new appreciation for guitars in general and did not make a purchase. I did buy the JP Les Paul (on EBAY) and guess what it is a piece of sh*t. Sold it 1 month later. Back to Ed I had a Melancon Strat style guitar made but I had I had to have a unique color, unique pick ups mounted a certain way etc. All taken care of and delivered as ordered. Next custom acquisition was this Quicksilver - again I spent hours in his shop picking out the body blank discussing options etc. All the time I am there he gets phone call after phone call always excusing him self and most of the time apologizing for the interruption. I also get to hear him in action which is a sight. The man receives more dumb phone calls that should be allowed. I actually heard him refuse to sell one guitar because he knew the customer would never be happy - refused a sale. He gets burned a lot here and maybe he can be a bit tough but you will never meet anyone more passionate about guitar. Even if you don't like the presentation the facts speak for themselves. The Joe Perry Les Paul's sold for what $3,000 new. For what perloid inlays, at best a 2 a flame top and a built in active tone control? Zakk Wylde's Les Paul - maple neck and a bull's-eye paint job? They should be ashamed of themselves (all the way to the bank) for putting their name and stamp of approval on their signature guitars. The Gibson custom shop is a joke. For the same money go see Ed actually you'll save money and end up with a truly custom piece. I decided to write this review because I talked to Ed yesterday. I sent him a Arch top BC Rich Mockingbird that I purchased three months ago that I traded because I didn't need or play it because I had the Quicksilver. Yes three months I had it - he takes it back and sends me something else I wanted - yeah he sucks. While on the phone I asked him about changing the profile on the neck of my Quicksilver because after a year and a half I decided I'd like it a little thinner - sure send it in he said. I asked how much? No charge. That is customer service. Find me someone else who would do that - that's customer support. To all of you who have had such terrible problems with Ed or bad service or whatever your complaints are maybe its time to look in the mirror. Most of us hate going to music stores because the sales people are assholes and wanna be's or posers or whatever we call them. They don't exist at Ed's store and that says a lot. Everyone I have dealt with has been first rate - returning phone calls , passing on messages etc. I'm no "rock star" but have always been treated fairly and with respect. Enough said. Contact me if you want more.

I have been playing for 30 years. I own a Melancon Strat, Fender 52 reissue Tele, a Warmoth Strat, McNaught Single cut, Breedlove Acoustic and just ordered a Robin Savoy from Ed. I did a lot of research before buying this guitar and would replace it in a heartbeat if it was lost or stolen. I don't know what to compare it to but the PRS is probably the closest except the Quicksilver has more options, better neck pick up mounting, custom inlays, no heel where the neck joins the body and it costs less! My advice is to call them. The only guitars I have not purchased from Ed since I first went to him are the Les Paul mentioned the Breedlove acoustic and the warmoth I put together though he did offer to set it up for me if I needed it. No Ed doesn't make the guitars personally so what he has hired quality trusted people to do that.

Maple neck, brown ebony fretboard, solid white korina body, tung oil finish, gold hardware.

The guitar itself is nice sounding. The stock pickups are a little weak in my opinion and nothing really special.

The guitar was set up poorly and had to go to the luthier to have it refretted and the neck properly done as it was not perfect, not even close. The nut at the neck was set up poorly as well as it was obvious is was to high. I asked them to use a pretty piece of white korina and it really wasn't. Fit was pretty good. Nice router work. The tone pot that came in the guitar was defective and it is obvious they don't spend the extra cash to get tested ones. Do yourself a favor and replace the stock pickups with a set of Jim Wagners, WCR Pickups. They are awsome, and it's not just hype. The rear pickup wasn't made correctly and they did not catch it. You would think they would plug each and every guitar in and teat them out, but I'm afraid they don't.

? Seems to be built strong enough.

Man don't even think about it.

Been playin' a long time. I play through Voodoo modified Marshall TSL602, a Self Modded Mesa Boogie Studio 22plus and a "Blackfaced" '71 Silver Twin. I still can't fiqure out how they came up with the price for my guitar though, I think it was arbitry as it it a pretty plain guitar for $2700.00. I love the tone of the guitar itself. After I replaced the stock pickups with a set of Goodwoods from WCR Pickups the guitar sounded awsome pluged in! Just can't say enough good things about WCR Pickups! I wouldn't but a guitar from Ed Roman again. Once you hand over the cash it is impossible to really have a connection with what is taking place in the construction of the guitar as you do not have access to their shop or the personal therein. Do yourself a favor and buy Drisskill guitar, you'll get the finest instrument made for a good price for the quality of work that is done and Mr. Driskill is friendly where as....

This is a follow-up to a previous review. I've now had the Quicksilver for some time (bought it this year), and I've had the chance to play out with it. The features and options are unlimited. Custom in nearly every way. The selection of woods and finishes is overwhelming.

I play this through a Mesa Boogie Studio amp. Wonderful clean tones. The pickups are extremely quiet. No hum even with coils tapped. Noted that the electronics are thoroughly shielded. The taper on the tone knob is not quite to my liking, and I may have this changed. Sounds somewhat like my LP custom (which I sold to get this - good idea), but it is much warmer. Very alive.

This is the extreme high point. I have looked and looked and found no better fit and finish. Absolutely flawless. Beautiful fretwork and the 1500G finish make the playability effortless all along the neck. Even now I am amazed at how perfect the Quicksilver feels and looks. Beyond perfect.

I was concerned about playing out with the Quicksilver because it seemed almost too perfect (= fragile??). This baby travels well, the neck is stable as a they come (I've had LP's, Strat's, Epi's, Ric's). Even with being tossed around the van, the Quicksilver is very stable. Can't say the same for other brands.....

From prior reviews, I was concerned about dealing with Ed Roman. I found him to be EXTREMELY KNOWLEDGEABLE and very courteous. He spent considerable time with me, answered all my questions, and was very helpful. EVERYONE there is friendly and easy to deal with, especially Ed. The store is incredible. AWESOME SELECTION. This is no Guitar Center or Sam Ash. You can actually have a conversation without having to scream over multiple guitar noise. I honestly could not imagine buying a guitar anywhere else. You can't beat the selection & service.

I don't own lots of guitars, just a few (3, actually). I will probably buy more. I've visited Ed Romans Guitars 3 times in the last 3 years. Each time the service was fantastic - far beyond anything at Guitar Center or Sam Ash. I talked with Ed sometime during each visit, and he took sufficient time to answer all questions. He is great to deal with. Again, I can't imagine buying a guitar anywhere else.

This is a review of a 2004 Quicksilver made at Ed Roman's World Class Guitars in Las Vegas, Nevada
Specs:
Solid white korina body
Tung oil finish
24 fret neck (nickel)
Bolt in neck (not a bolt on neck)
2 Seymour Duncan black & white humbuckers direct mount to body/neck
Push/pull pots for coil splitting & phase
1/4 sawn maple neck w/1500 G finish
ebony fretboard with matching headstock
dot inlays
Tone Pros locking bridge and tail
Sperzel locking tuners
Hard shell case
Lots more features available; these are the one I could afford. It took about 2 1/2 weeks to build and another 5 days in shipping so I had it in about 3 weeks.

I play blues / classic rock and this guitar does it all from the single coil sound of strats to the full, rich sound of humbuckers. Loads of sustain even at low volumes. I'm playing it through a Marshall AVT100 w/ built in effects and a VOX wah pedal. Between the amp and guitar I get all the sounds I ever need. I've only ever played Gibsons w/ humbucking pups and having a single coil available opens up whole new dimensions of sound for me. To my suprise, the single coil is quite noisey compared to the doulbe coil (well, duh!). Something I didn't consider when I ordered it. The single coil sound can be a bit bright but that is easily over some with the tone control. Overall I am so tickeled by the sound that I just can't get over it. I'm just amazed and can't wait for the next time I get to play.

Fit and finsih on this guitar are superb. Not a hair out of place. The only minor complaint I have is that the action is a touch high for me, but I'm used to the super low action on my Gibson. Not that the action has impeaded me in any way. And I'm used to a little more resistance from the pots. They seem to turn almost too easily but agin, something I'll get used to and not a big deal. The tung oil finish brought out the imperfections in the korina wood. Ed was apologetic that it happened but theres nothing really that can be done about it other than finishing it in a different way. Ed didn't charge me for shipping because of that but when I got the guitar I loved it! The imperfections give it character. I was afraid that is was going to be too plain looking.

This quitar is solid. A real work horse. The finish is of the type that I don't have to constantly worry about scratching and cleaning like my high gloss Gibson. I have yet to gig with it but that doesn't make me nervous in the least bit. In fact, I've only had it for a week but did get to use it a our last band practice which is very similiar to live performance and I was quite pleased. This thing will probably out last me!

I was realy nervous when I got to talk to Ed in person. I didn't know which version of him would show up (evil Ed or good Ed). Appearently I got good ED 'cause he was a pleasure to deal with. Didn't make me feel rushed at all and even though I wasn't ordering the most expensive quitar I felt that I had his undivided attention on the roughly 4 phones calls I made to him. I also spoke with Alan Dreher the shop foreman a couple of times just to make sure that everything I told Ed made it to the order form (it did). Alan talked me out of getting LSR tuners because of reliablity issues even though they do look pretty cool! As I mentioned earlier, Ed didn't charge me for shipping because of a imperfection in the wood as he saw it. I got nothing bad to say about the guy. I'd love to be able to go to his store in Vegas and meet him. One of these days ... I know this review is fairly glowing but, that's the way it is -

I have been playing guitar on and off for 30+ years and have been playing nothing Gibson's but I've always noticed that something was lacking, mostly that the tone from the neck pup was always very muddy and I've always had strings, notably the G string, sticking at the nut. I know how to take care of it but why is it that I have to at those prices. Dunno. I alway wanted to find something better but didn't know where, until now. If this one every got stolen I would with out a doubt replace it, maybe with some cosmetic upgrades though. I bought this guitar strictly because of Ed Roman and his description of it and his approach to guitar building and because of his descriptions of problems inherent to other manufactures. Most of which I was experiencing with my Gibson.

This review is for a 2004 Quicksilver. If you want to see it, it is in the "gallery" page of the Quicksilver section of the Ed Roman website. To sum it up:

Striped black Korina body, Ultra Hi-Gloss finish
Ebony neck with 1500G finish, 24-fret, medium jumbo frets
Ebony fretboard with Abalone lightning bolt inlays
Sperzel locking tuners
S/D Blackback pickups w/ coil tapping
All gold hardware
Matching headstock (No logo!)
String through-body option, strung with 0.010's
Buzz Feiten Tuning
Schaller Strap-Loks

The biggest problem I had with this purchase was taking the large amount of time specifying the options I wanted. There are really too many options. It took 2 hours to spec out this guitar! Fortunately, salesman Scott Krell was patient and knowledgeable. I was looking for a superior and unique instrument, and with his help I got it. If you want a guitar that is truly you, this is it. It has everything you could possibly want. It came with their standard quicksilver case which seems more than adequate.

Here's a pet peeve of mine. Everyone (including all at Ed Roman's) mispronounce "Feiten". They pronounce it like "feet-en". Folks, this is wrong. It should be "Fight-en". Want proof? How do you pronounce "Budweiser"? Buzz, if your out there, you know I'm right. Anyway, I would NEVER buy an electric guitar without the Buzz Feiten tuning system. Expensive but worth it.

The first thing I did with this guitar was take it to a guitarist that owns a recording studio. He was a touring rock musician for 10 years before he opened his studio. He was extremely impressed with the guitar. He played it through a hot-rodded marshall, and this guitar really sang! Endless sustain, tone to spare. The only thing that threw him was that Quicksilver is an archtop, and he was used to playing only Strats. The controls are super quiet and the pickups when split are also quiet. I play it through an old Mesa Boogie Studio 22. It sounds extremely clean. How much of this is the guitar? I believe most of it has to do with the amp.

Quick note: a prior review suggested playing the guitar unplugged to evaluate its tonal characteristics. Good idea. When I play my Quicksilver unplugged, I can feel the whole guitar resonate. Unplugged, it is almost as loud as my Ric 360-12 played unplugged. The Quicksilver is not a hollowbody or semi-hollowbody.

On Alan Dreher's advice (one of the shop foremen), I drove from So. Cal. to Vegas to personally pick up the guitar. I had seen Cirque de Soleil's "O" the night before. That show is "WOW". The Quicksilver is also "WOW". It was set up perfectly. Its appearance blew me away. It is freakin' gorgeous. Note to all you married players - my wife came with me and even she was blown away. I spent over $4K on it, and it is worth it (My wife hated my Les Paul Custom & loves this Quicksilver - go figure). I have had it now for nearly a month, and even under close scrutiny, there are no flaws. It plays effortlessly. I sold my Gibson Les Paul Custom to buy this. Want to know what THE real fretless wonder is? Look out Gibson! I highly recommend the 1500G finish on the neck. This option really adds to the ease of playability.

Its too early to tell, but my Quicksilver (great name, BTW) seems very rugged.

OK, everyone hates Ed Roman. Yes, he is brutally blunt. And his bullshit filter is cranked on the high side, but remember what market this is. The music business has more baloney than all the New York deli's combined. The store is great. No noise from rock-star wannabe's playing Les Pauls with every stomp box cranked to 10. And the store is clean and well organized. I like that. Alan, Rod, & Scott were very helpful. It takes forevever to get an audience with Ed, but that's OK. When I picked up the Quicksilver, Alan gave me a tour of the shop and spent over 2 hours talking about care and feeding, amps, and anything else I wanted to discuss. To all you naysayers, give Ed Roman this: he know how to hire great people. Only one problem arose: it took 11 months to the day to get the guitar. I bugged Alan with a phone call every week after the 9-month mark passed (it was promised in 6-8 months), and Alan took all phone calls without getting pissed. In their defense, their production shop moved from east coast to Vegas shortly after I ordered the guitar, and this contributed to the delay.

If dealing directly with Ed, don't waste his time. I'd recommend dealing with Alan, Joanne, Scott, or T.C. The thing about Ed is that the man really knows guitars. But you can't sit down with him and have a conversation for more than 5 minutes without an interruption. He is dogmatic in his opinions. Just read the "Rants" section of his website.

I waited a long time for the Quicksilver, and paid big money. But this guitar will be around long after I'm dead (pleasant thought). I will never sell it. My grandfather bought a Gibson L-011 in 1942. He passed away 20 years ago, and I now have that guitar. There is something comforting about passing exceptional things of value to future generations. This guitar (and probably a Soldano amp) will be my contibution to my lineage.

Would I do it again? Oh yes. I recently took in my Ric 360-12 to Ed Roman's for the 12-saddle bridge upgrade, the vintage toaster pickup upgrade, and my own idea which worked out well, remove the lacquer from the fretboard. With the lacquer removed from the fretboard, the Ric plays smoother and looks better. Even Ed thought it was a good idea and now offers this upgrade. So he does listen! I also got the vintage Ric case. This will be another family heirloom.

Who was it who said "life is too short to play less than ieal guitars"? Probably Ed Roman.

My advice? Buy the best and cry only once.

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Okay,here we go!It's time to vent now that my credit card has been credited,after 4 MONTHS!!First off I don't have a complaint with Rich,my original salesman,this is all directed towards Ed Roman and Joanne,his wife.Quicksilver #244 was ordered on 11/17/03 after much haggling with Ed over the phone,on my dime of course!After negotiating the price I asked if he would ship it to me for free,no dice.Then I requested that he send it FedEx instead of UPS,no dice.Ed said that he NEVER uses FedEx,but if he did it would cost me $200.00 for regular ground shipping!Even though on THREE previous occaions Rich had sent me guitars,OVERNIGHT MIND YOU,for only $80.00!!!When I tried to negotiate a lower price Ed actually screamed and hung up on me!I called back and spoke to Joanne and okayed the deal.She explained that the guitar would be at my door the following Monday.Well,to make a long story short,Monday rolls around with no guitar.I look on the UPS website and it says that the guitar was left on my doorstep on Friday!UPS left a $3000.00 guitar and didn't bother to get a signature!After many emails and phone conversations with both UPS and Joanne Roman,I was FINALLY reimbursed by my credit card company,AFTER 4 MONTHS!!!!Even though I was told by a UPS Rep. that most customers are reimbursed after 4 to 6 weeks! If this is the way they treat a customer who purchased 6 gutars from them,I wonder how they treat their other customers!Thank God I didn't pay by check or money order!

I obviously will never do business with Ed Roman again.His claims of having the lowest prices is bogus.I've found dealers on the Net that beat his prices.He does have a great website though!Just delve deep into it,and you will see the contempt he has for people who don't agree with him!

2003 "EKG" Quicksilver. USA made, 24 fret 3 piece laminate satinized Maple neck, White Korina body with 5A quilted Maple top and scraped binding in "Tiger Eye" finish, bound Ebony fretboard with custom "EKG" inlay (I drew it, they put it on), Seymour Duncan Custom Custom in the bridge and a 59' in the neck, gold Tone Pros hardware, Sperzel locking tuners, and push-pull pots for single coil splitting and in/out of phase. The wood, scale length and the pickup options give great diversity. All the standard sounds I rely on and a couple of new ones to incorporate.

I play mostly BLS, Rush, with a progressive Dream Theater twist. The sound I was going for was the Zakk Wylde rhythym sound with the Phil Collen lead sound. But I needed the ZZ Top tones as well as a clean lead Petrucci tone. With my Tech 21 PSA-1 and Peavey Triple X, these sounds are matched very well. The Korina gives me the depth and slight sponginess for rhythym but not totally overbearing for sharper leads like with a heavier grade Mahogany. In single coil mode I get shimmer and sparkle like a Tele but without the hum. I can get pretty much any, except like a Danelectro, tone from this guitar without any hassle. Very simple layout. Very effective.

I asked the guitar to come in tuned to B for a good comparison to what I have at home. It showed up in tune and ready to rock. The neck is very comfortable and highly addictive! The binding is very Jackson-esque with the Ebony fretboard (my favorite!) and is totally effortless to play. No scratchiness in the pots or sticky tuners, the nut is files perfect. No flaws whatsoever in the finish or woodwork. My only plans are to put some .011-.049's on it instead of the .046's so I can really dig into it! All in all, top-notch!

Already one gig down and got plenty of comliments on it. The hardware is all grade-A stuff. I have had this hardware on 2 of my other guitars for 2 years now and haven't had any problems so I don't see anything going wrong in the future. I have Schaller straplocks on it and it stays rock solid! I always bring a backup just in case, but the only way this comes off my shoulder is if somebody slams into me and breaks it!

Ed took my order and didn't jerk me around at all. He stayed true to his word on the prices he quoted and wasn't offended when I haggled with him. Very professional all throughout. Sending e-mails with "in-progress" pics and being helpful with me establishing a payment plan. I could always get ahold of him on the phone if I needed to but I dealt mostly with Joanne when I made a payment. Good service all around.

This guitar is my new #1. I will always have my 2 US Hamer Specials and my almost wore out BC Rich ST-3 (for Floyd purposes). This looks and sounds incredible! I made a good choice considering the number of incredible luthiers out there like Alembic, Driskill, Eric Christman, Rico Jr., Timtone, Stambaugh etc... This one really caught my eye as a new twist on the PRS, but within the blue-collar price range. I don't have alot of cash cause I'm in the military and I saved for a year to get anything I wanted from the about builders. I played all but the Driskill and chose the Quicksilver to save a few hundred bucks. Glad I did. If it got stolen or broken I'd get in line to get another one. Maybe not as "fancy" (plain Korina, Rosewood fretboard etc.) but just because it gives me what I want.

24 fret beauty. Deep gloss black. You can view the guitar at www.edromanguitars.com and go to the Quicksilver line of guitars and it's number 241. One volume and one tone, with pull pot. Hum-Hum configuration using Seymour Duncan Black Backs. Ebony fretboard with lightning bolt inlays. Sperzel locking tuners, Tonepros bridge. Neck is unfinished with the 1500g system on it (makes for a fast neck). 25" scale. Neck is bolt-in (bolted inside the body). Neck pickup is mounted on the neck (not using springs). Bridge pickup is mounted to the body (not using springs). Part of his direct coupling theory. Body is a carved top type. Similar to a PRS. Plays better than a PRS.

I mainly play rock and metal. The sound is excellent. I'm using a Krank Revolution Series 1 halfstack with it. When you roll the volume down, it gives you a nice "brown" sound. Suits me for what I play. Everything is great. When you use the pull-pot, it splits the coils for those "Strat" type tones. I very rarely use that tone, so I really have no opinion on it. Overall great sounding guitar.

Set up was awesome. I asked them to lower the action as low as it could go, and they seemed to hit it on the mark. Everything seems stable and well built. They also installed strap locks for me before they shipped it. Deep gloss black finish. The picture on his site doesn't do it justice. Gold hardware. I would of rather had chrome hardware, but no complaints with the gold. No noticeable flaws in any part of the guitar.

I'll start gigging with it this weekend. I believe it will handle just about anything you throw at it. I'm going to use it without a backup since I have locking tuning keys. String changing will be easy with those on.

Haven't had to deal with them about any problems. Guys at his shop seem really nice and knowledgeable. Thanks, Mick. I spoke with Ed briefly about the pickups, he seemed pretty nice. I'll actually get to meet the guys at the end of this month once I head out there. I'll see how they are in person. Other than that, no complaints from me.

If it were lost or stolen, I'd be hard pressed to buy another one since they do cost more than your average guitar, but I sure the hell would try to get another one. Overall it's a very nice guitar. Superbly built. Can't ask for much more in a guitar.

Classy looking axe...rich red flamed maple with gold hardware, futuristic LSR tuners, gold hardware and tonepros bridge, two Duncan Blackbacks with volume, tone, and toggle switch. Rosewood fretboard with dot inlays and jumbo frets. Looked great right out of the box. The big ROMAN headstock inlay looks goofy, but it doesn't bother me too much.

This guitar is very idiosyncratic and "moody". Read on.

The QS has a very Les Paul vibe, with seemingly infinite sustain and good middy punch, though it lacks a little of an LPs beef and authority. It really sounds best overdriven, and the pickups kind of reminded of a warmer but slightly anemic P90. But while it hints at versatility, it seems to only want to sound as good as it looks when it's babied and tended to carefully. Rather than thinking "Hmmm....I'd like to get a cool jazzy clean tone" and simply dialing it up on the guitar, you're forced to make numerous pickup, amp, and sometimes external EQ tweaks. I've used this axe with AC30s, Fender twins, a Roland JC-120, a Fender Deville, and a Marshall Bluesbreaker and it's always the same story...going from something like a country-ish twang to a warm overdriven blues can find you twiddling knobs for ten minutes, rather than flicking the toggle switch and bumping up the guitars volume a bit. I don't have this problem with my other guitars, and it drives me nuts, because I'm really not that anal...but it makes it seem like I am.

And while I dig the sustain, it makes more complex notes and runs tough to control.....you have to be careful not to let everything mush together. Not a forgiving guitarin the slightest.

This guitar came setup great. Everything looks clean and the instrument feels very well put together. Very confidence-inspiring.

Someone earlier mentioned the "handmade-feeling" neck. I second this, though it's not majorly chintzy. But it does have a "stock neck thatwas altered somehow" feel. In other words, it feels more like someone goofed around with a factory neck a little bit, rather than actually manufactured one.

I think this thing will prove to be very reliable and durable. I've tested it on stageand the studio over the last 8 mos andit's done great. Nothing has broken or come loose at all.

Fortunately, I've had nothing but goodluck thus far....all you other Ed Roman-ites no whatI mean;)

I've been playing 24 years andown lots of gear. I mentioned amps above, and I have two Telecasters, a Jazzmaster, two Strats, one Les Paul, one ES333, one Gibson SG Jr., and Rickenbacker 360-12. I wanted a completely different animal of guitar in both brand and appearance from the rest of my collection, hence the QS.

I still feel like this guitar needs to prove itself to me. Because I've maintained such traditional taste in appearance and features(sunburst is about as crazy asI got before this), this guitar still has an "All show, no go" vibe to it. Again, why bother with twistingknobs over and over when I can plug in my '52 RI Tele and roll? Maybe my old-fashioned tastes have tainted me, and I'm subtley discouraged by the flashy looks. I don't know.

As mentioned above, it most closely resembles my Les Paul in feel and general vibe. Since I dig my LP severely, I like the homage paid to it by the QS. It doesn't come close to my Fenders in terms of clean tones, but it's still not bad.