Ed Roman Quicksilver

Still happy with all the features, which is only natural since I selected them all myself. I am especially impressed with the tuning stability of the LSR tuners. If any of you out there are interested, they are worth the slight upcharge, IMHO. I love locking Schallers too, but it's nice to have something different every now and then, if you're able to spend a little extra for it. If not, no problem, locking Schallers work great too.

I'm also impressed with the ND Seymour Duncan Blackbacks, more than I had originally would have guessed, actually. These are most definitely NOT extreme metal pickups, NOR are they blues-specific ones (Mind you if you want these tones, he makes lots of other models that would likely serve the purpose). They're more of an all-around-with-lots-of-versatility pickup, which is pretty much what Ed was shooting for anyway. Don't let that throw you off though: I practice a wide variety of things from Dream Theater licks, to heavy old-school Metallica power chord riffs, to Telecaster-like chicken-pickin licks and pedal steel-type bends, to fluid legato clean-toned runs and arpeggiated chords, and I've yet to come across any disappointment. There's lots of gain for overdriven/distorted tones, and clean they have nice full headroom without ever letting the highs become brittle, even when the coils are split. Rolling back the volume pot and/or doing smooth volume pedal swells work VERY well with these also: the swells are much more consistent from start to finish than with most pickups (as funny as that may sound to some of you). I'm still wondering how Seymour got these so perfect.....

I still believe I have found that magic wood combination for tone: Korina body w/french polish finish, Maple neck, jet black Ebony fingerboard. Everybody has their combination that works for them individually, and for me to have found mine, I consider myself VERY lucky. The only other option that works for me is an alder body, but that'll be for the next one! ;) I'm still able to achieve damn near every sound I need with this axe almost eight months later.

Everything on this axe is still a perfect fit. The only reason it doesn't get a 10 is because I'm too picky about the action and/or tension, and I probably always will be. But make no mistake: it's about as low as it can be without buzzing or fretting out, and it's quite comfortable. Maybe instead of my light complaining I should just put in a few more hours of daily practice! :) But I have to work too, I guess.....damn!.....

Again, like I said before, rock solid. Simple as that! Gotta love the french polish too, I hate having to polish a lacquer finish all the time personally.....

Haven't had any complaints, and whenever I called or e-mailed, they were pretty quick in getting back to me. They answered anything I threw at them.

I just wanted to submit a follow-up to my initial review from Jan. 3rd., especially for those of you out there in cyberspace who may have been skeptical about that first review, seeing as I had only had the guitar for a few days. That's completely understandable. Well, here it is almost eight months later, and I still feel the same way about this instrument now as I did then. I've done home studio recording as well as gigs with it since then, and I can honestly say that my custom Quicksilver left absolutely NOTHING to be desired, be it in features, playability and/or feel, durability, and most importantly, tone.

To those of you who e-mailed me with questions, I hope I was able to help out. If anyone else has any Quicksilver questions, by all means drop me a line. Again, I will state for the record that I'm no expert, but I've been playing for 13+ years now, and I've been through several inferior corporate guitars before I acquired this gem (see my previous review dated 01/03/2002 for the list of them). I'll answer you as best I can.

To Ed Roman, Alan Dreher, and all at WCG: I hope the Las Vegas expansion is going well, and I also hope it will not lead you guys down the same evil path taken by most of the well-known big guys (you all KNOW who I'm referring to, I'm sure). Please don't ever compromise the quality of the instruments you carry. Thank You Again for a wonderful kick-ass instrument!! Within the next two years (hopefully), I hope to acquire a custom Pearlcaster Angel from you (just to have an axe with a vibrato bar), but that is another axe, for another review, for another day.....

Completed Feb. 2002, 24 fret neck, ebony fingerboard, no inlay, headstock matches top. Killer quilt top w/ korina back. Seymour Duncan Black Back humbuckers. 1 vol., 1 tone push/pull knobs and LP style, tone pros bridge, sperzel locking tuners. Emerald green transparent finish.

This guitar doesn't have as much "thickness" to the sound as I would have wanted. Don't get me wrong, I do like it. There are a myriad of tones you can achieve w/ the control setup. I didn't like the bridge pickup too much, so I replaced it w/ an Invader. That helped get that "metal" sound that I love. It's not perfect, but it's close.

This is where the guitar shines. The setup was perfect. This guitar plays like a dream. The neck just rules, and it is almost effortless. I can't say enough about it. The finish is incredible. It's not a laquer, so it doesn't shine, but, in real life everyone who sees it is in awe. This guitar is solid, and is beautiful.

This guitar should be really reliable, I don't see it coming apart any time soon. Everything on it is top shelf. I'd use it live, and I don't know anyone who doesn't use a backup. You never know what could happen, ya know?

At first, Ed is a real asshole. I think he's like that so you don't waste his time. If you don't know what you're talking about or what you like...well, he's not the nicest of guys. I actually flew from California to New York to see his shop. Of course, I had other things to do too, it wasn't just for him. I made an appointment to visit the shop, and as I said, he was a little bit harsh. But, once he saw me play, and discovered that I knew what I was talking about, he was very cool, and helpful to me. He took me upstairs and we plugged a quicksilver in and then let me jam for as long as I wanted. No pressure at all to buy. Very cool.
His shop foreman, Alan, was very cool. He and I got along right from the get-go. All in all, I spent about 4 1/2 hours there trying out all sorts of guitars.
When I got the guitar, I was a little disappointed in the sound of the bridge humbucker. I played it for a few days, but was still unhappy. So, I called the shop, and the guys were extremely helpful. In fact, they let me take my guitar to a shop that I was comfortable with here in california...and offered to pay for it. That's pretty cool. Good customer service by the guys.
Ed can be a little harsh, but that's just Ed. Get to know him, he's cool. that initial attitude drops it one point.

I've been playing for 20 years now, and I do think this guitar is very good. And the price really isn't that high, when you consider that a PRS, or Les Paul, is more expensive and not custom to your specs. Ed gives you so many choices, that it's mind boggling. I went to the East Coast Music Mall in CT at the same time and played a Zakk Wylde LP that was used and was still more money than my Quicksilver. I'm not sure if I'd replace it if it ever got stolen or lost, because there are so many choices out there now for really cool guitars. I mean, just check out Ed's site. It'll blow your mind.

After a lengthy search for the ultimate MIDI capable electric guitar I chose this 2001 model custom made in the USA:

Body: Black Korina, thinline, PRS compatible body style, full upper fret access.
Carved Top: Highly figured Bubinga.
Neck: Maple, deep bolt-in, 25" scale, medium thickness.
Fretboard: Ebony, no inlays, 24 jumbo frets.
Headstock: Bubinga Overlay, inlayed logo, shell truss rod cover.
Nut: GraphTech.
Hardware: Gold, knobs have shell tops.
Tuners: Sperzel.
Bridge: Tone Pros Tune-O-Matic.
Pickup Switch: 5-way rotary.
Pickups: Duncan "Black Back" (Ed's own specs).
Pickup Configuration: H/H, hard mounted directly to the wood.
MIDI/Piezo: RMC System.
Finish: Hand rubbed satinized French polish.
Other: Buzz Feiten Tuning System.

I'm a finger style composer and a blues-inspired lead player. I record directly to a PC using a Novell headphone amp driving a Yamaha multi-effects box. This instrument is very versatile and can accommodate many styles effortlessly.

I have 2 favorite settings on this guitar 1) Classic hum bucker and 2) 100% Piezo acoustic sound. Both settings are warm and rich with a blend of nicely balanced, higher frequencies. The other settings are various useful combinations of astoundingly clear, Strat and Tele-like tones. The strings I ordered for the guitar were 9s but I'll be switching to 10s because sloppy light strings produces too much fret buzz on the bright pickup settings. I hope to achieve a true surf music tone.

This instrument is capable of such remarkable sustain I have altered my playing style to mute the strings more often than before. My lead riffs sing out longer as if I'm driving an amp in a live venue. I am now able to produce amazing piano-like finger-style solos due to the clarity of the pickups and the solid overall design of the instrument.

I believe this guitar took a beating during shipment. Although I ordered the Buzz Feiten Tuning System it arrived poorly intonated. I have since reintonated it myself using the Korg DT7 tuner with great results. Part of the Buzz Feiten system involves replacing and moving the nut. One of the new nut's slots was cut noticeably higher than the others but it didn't take much to correct this. Also, I would have prefered the overall nut height to be lower but I don't feel the need to change this. I'm told they haven't been installing Buzz Feiten very long so I believe they will get better at this as time goes on.

The frets are solid and beautifully dressed, neck relief is right on, and the neck pocket is firm and snug just as advertised. Although the strings don't line up perfectly over the pole pieces the effect on sound is not noticeable. The pickups are hard mounted deep into the wood at quite a distance from the strings and are not adjustable, however, they sound so good firmly mounted this way that I wouldn't change a thing.

This guitar's smooth satin finish is not very photogenic but looks great in real life, making the exotic wood top look wild and natural in a way I could never have imagined when I placed my order. The wood selections - both front and back - are real showstoppers. The satinized neck had a few rough spots that I smoothed out myself without any trouble. The volume pot is faulty: when turned very near to zero it jumps to full volume. But none of these quirks affect the instrument's functionality for my playing style and I will not pay to change them.

Before I placed my order I figured there would be a few things I would want improved after the instrument arrived since I was purchasing the guitar sight-unseen. Maybe someone else would be disappointed by these minor issues but I can't say that I am. In fact, this guitar has exceeded my expectations in beauty, sound, versatility, and playability.

Since I am not a gigging musician I chose an exotic thin finish for this guitar and I don't know if it is durable. I assume the finish will last because it appears to have penetrated deep into the wood. Something to consider: I have noticed that when the battery dies everything goes dead so I'll need to carry spare batteries just in case. Everything else about this axe seems perfectly solid and trustworthy.

Ed and I got along just fine and his staff members were great to work with too. I spoke with Ed a couple of times before placing my order and, although he is obviously a very busy man, he was very helpful, knowledgeable, and accommodating. So I mailed in a modest deposit together with a list of several remaining questions and he called me very promptly to discuss them. At that time he upgraded my order while staying within my budget and we had an instant deal. I paid a small premium price for the Bubinga top for what Ed promised to be "the best I got" (and it must be 'cause it's absolutely beautiful). I was never nickel & dimed for free finishing touches like jeweled knobs and real shell truss rod cover (even the finish was upgraded later from the free Tung Oil to an expensive French polish just because the guys in the shop thought a guitar this nice deserved it). After a couple courteous phone calls from Ed's shop foreman the guitar was built and delivered right on schedule.

I believe the excellent service I got from Ed was due in part from my having done my homework before I called and from my ability to make quick, informed decisions when firming up my final order. Although Ed spent a fair amount of time with me to get things right, I sense that his business is geared toward satisfying reasonable people who know what they want, are not in a rush, and are willing to pay a fair price for it.

This is by far the best guitar I've owned. I especially enjoy having a guitar that can produce a clear, bright tone. My previous muddy sounding axes were 1) an early '60s Epiphone ES335 semi-hollow and 2) an off-brand Les Paul clone with DiMarzios. Amoung the guitars I test-drove before making my decision were: a Gibson Firebird V, a couple Parker Fly models, various PRSs, a Brian Moore 8.13 MIDI guitar, and a Roland Ready Strat.

My final wish list had grown to include the internal MIDI of a Brian Moore, the upper fret access of a neck-through Firebird or a Parker, and the classic beauty of a PRS. I surfed the web endlessly to find all these qualities in a single guitar until I found the Quicksilver. Now, Quicksilvers can be equipped any number of ways but I chose the Bubinga option because Bubinga is heavy and I've heard that MIDI guitars track better if they're firm. If I weren't going for the MIDI option I would have considered a very resonant Korina/Maple combination (I will rate the MIDI tracking abilities of this instrument in a separate review).

Make no mistake: these guitars are for real! If you have seen these fabulous axes on Ed Roman's web site you may be wondering where's the catch. There may be one if you aren't willing to pay for what you get. Also, If you are in a hurry forget it. Remember you're ordering a custom guitar from a small shop (there's no high efficiency production line there). If you're too poor for a fully loaded one there are more affordable stock models that I think are very cool and are sure to play great.

I believe I couldn't have bought a guitar that better satisfies my requirements at any price.

The construction on this guitar was completed February 26, 2002, made in the USA by Ed Roman. It has 24 frets. Top is made of highly flamed maple. There is a 3-way control as well as one volume knob and one tone knob. There are two position for each knob: pressed in, and pulled out. There are four different ways to configure them: both pressed in, both out, one out, or the other out. Each setting turns on different coils in the two humbuckers. The three way switch then allows you to choose both humbuckers, or one or the other. The pickups are two zebra Seymour Duncan humbuckers. Ebony fretboard, maple neck, Alder body (with flamed maple laminated top). Paint job is great: stained translucent finish, with color of antique violinburst (you can see that on the color chart on Ed's page). The headstock is matching. Ed was a little dissappointed that the Ed Roman logo didn't come out too well on the headstock, as it is usually white. However, it came out a dark red, due to the fact that it is inlayed and not a decal. If this matters to you, don't get a sunburst matching headstock: I don't mind at all, and in fact, I kind of like it. The body style is similar to a Paul Reed Smith or a Jacob guitar. It is equipped with a Tune-O-Matic bridge and sperzel locking tuners. It has a case as well.

The sound is great. The wiring is tremendous because it gives you so much versatility. I play in a jam band (funk, groove, rock), which requires a wide array of tones and sounds, and with the settings on this guitar, one can get most of them. Ed certainly did attain the Les Paul sound without the muddiness that he was going for. You can get some really full tones out of this thing, fiddle with the knobs and find a crisp sound without having to screw around with your amp. One sound I was looking for, but feel is a little bit lacking is that bright, twangy sound that you might find on a fender, but even here, you can still do pretty good.

The action is real low with no side effects. It is a fast guitar. Intonation is good so far, pickups mounted (bolt in) well. There are no flaws upon inspection, with everything where it should be.

Well I have only had this a week, but it seems durable enough - you never know though

I had a tough time with Ed Roman. I had a particularly difficult situration. I commissioned this guitar on July 23rd, 2001. I had a Les Paul Standard at the time. In August, the guitar was stolen in New York. I called up Ed Roman and asked if there were any way it could be finished quicker so that I could have something to play. He said sure, that if I upgraded to a matching headstock, there would be a better chance of me getting the guitar by end of September. I was originally told the guitar would take 3-4 months, and fully expected it by Christmas. Well, January rolled around, and the guitar had been in paint for three months, because they were working on that matching headstock. Ed told me some bs, and I let it go because he had given me a loner for the time being. I was pissed because I ended up waiting an extra two months because the feature I had purchased to get the guitar sooner was actually what was delaying the completion. I am still pretty pissed. Plus, cost an extra $200. Horseshit.

It's a great guitar and I really do love it to pieces. I have been playing for five years, and this is my fourth electric guitar. I had a crap Hondo guitar (beginner; discontinued) and then a Gibson Les Paul Standard, then a Hamer (loner, but played surprisingly well - Ed won't sell it), and now the Quicksilver. I currently own a Fender acoustic, but need to get rid of it bad, and get a new one fast. That's my next purchase. I have a Fender DeVille amp, Boss pedals (octave, digital delay (5), compression/sustain, distortion, volume) and a Crybaby wah-wah. If this guitar were stolen or lost, I think I would cry, not only because it's such a great guitar, but because having my Les Paul stolen was an ordeal I never want to go through again. I have to say that my favorite feature on the guitar is the vast versatility of it.
Also, if you want a Quicksilver, order it soon, because Ed raises those prices pretty frequently - not the standard price, but the options.

I finally have the pleasure of holding in my hands my very first handmade custom guitar after 13 years (and counting!) of playing, and was it ever worth the wait! After researching and comparing makes and models for almost two years, I ordered a brand new Quicksilver from Ed Roman's World Class Guitars in New Fairfield, CT on Dec. 20th, 2001. Before I get into details, I have to commend Ed and all of his staff on how quickly the guitar was completed. Today is Thursday, January 3rd, 2002, and it came yesterday! (Thanks Guys!). Not to mention, despite the short amount of time, it is still immaculate and top-quality, and done completely by hand also. In other words, they didn't pull a rush-job, they got it right. But, on to the features......
The body wood of this wonderful USA-made instrument is Black Korina, and even though it was the lowest priced grain, it is still fairly rich in detail for the money. Not the most drop-dead figured grain, but I didn't expect that, either: I got what I paid for. Mind you, the French Polish finish I requested plays a part in enhancing the grain also, unlike the usual lacquer-type finish. It's very much like a light matte finish, just enough to seal the wood and let the natural grain come through, yet retaining an almost bare-wood feel. Bolted in (and not on, like almost all guitars using Strat-type construction) to the body is a maple neck with a 24-jumbo-fret ebony fingerboard. By bolted-in I mean that the heel is buried inside the body (Thank you! Everybody should do this!) and held there using a 4-bolt neck plate, but there is no flange sticking out of the body (which would be bolt-on). Very-well made neck here too folks: NO dead spots or buzzes or inconsistencies across the ENTIRE neck, something that is definitely far from common. Access to the higher frets because of this is unrestricted. Frets are also perfectly crowned and dressed: no jagged edges on either side of the neck to slice your fingers up, which is another commonly overlooked (but VERY necessary!) feature. The neck is also a 25" scale and offered VERY comfortable string tension: it enhances my bends and doesn't fight them. It also makes use of what Ed calls the 1500G neck mod, which makes the neck real slick and comfortable on your hand. It's not perfectly slick, but it's pretty close, keep in mind you DO have to have a slight bit of resistance. It also seals and protects the neck while maintaining an almost unfinished raw wood feel.
Pickups are a pair of passive Seymour Duncan Blackbacks (Non-Disclosure, Ed had these custom made for him by Seymour himself), and the controls are simple yet versatile: a 3-way switch, 1 volume, and 1 tone (both push-pull pots). The push-pull pots are wired to coil-split the humbuckers (one for each pickup) and come in very handy, especially when playing clean. The bridge represents yet another step ahead: a "Tune-O-Matic" style bridge and tailpiece, but called the System II, and made by Tone Pros. What's the difference, you ask? This system makes use of Allen screws to lock the hardware in place, so that when you go to change all the strings, the hardware STAYS PUT where it belongs. Why didn't someone think of this sooner? (beats me......). Tuners are locking LSR's, which work very well and are simple and straight-to-the-point to use. I had to buy a locking strap on my own and pay Ed extra for the hardshell case, but hey: as far as I'm concerned, you had BETTER have a hardshell case, period. Sure, I would have been happier to have the case included, but if I have to buy it separately, I'll always fork out the cash. Knock off one point for that, but otherwise I'm a happy camper.

As far as sound and/or tone is concerned, it is very hard for me to be objective, because to begin with, this axe sounds incredible acoustically. I mean it's REALLY THAT GOOD. I have always considered it a rule of thumb to play ANY electric guitar unplugged first and listen to it resonate acoustically. If you've never done this, try it, people: the axes that will always stand out are the ones that both sound great and resonate well acoustically. Think about it: if they pull that off, imagine what they'll be like plugged in!

Plugged into my Johnson J-Station and/or Millenium (JM-150) amps, this particular Quicksilver practically waits for me to stop the sustain, especially in overdrive and/or distortion tones. I've never played a guitar that resonated this well, and even though I consider myself far from an expert, I've been through six electrics already in my short guitar-life and have heavily played countless other makes/models: PRS's, various Gibson's, Strat's, Tele's, whatever up the wazoo (yeah, I know.....but I'm not made of money! I'm 26 and as stated above, it's been half my life and counting...not an expert, but not bad). Played distorted, solos have richer and warmer tone than any of my previous guitars, and chords have almost violin-like sustain. Seriously, chords were sustaining very richly and for so long, my jaw was on the floor. Must be the Korina, or maybe the pickups in combination with it, who knows? Played clean, again I heard and felt very warm tones, which gave single notes and arpeggiations a nice amount of push, and gave chords ample amounts of lushness to almost fill a room. Keep in mind, though, that as warm as this guitar is, it is also perfectly balanced for me: highs have nice presence and clarity without being too harsh or biting (maple/ebony seems to be a good neck/fingerboard combo for me with a warmer sounding body I guess). Also, although the mids aren't cut-out almost completely as on most Strat-styles axes, they also don't overwhelm you (this is more of a PRS-styled guitar, but regardless, there is still a bolt joint of some kind). It seems there's enough to fatten up the overall tone without drowning out the highs while blending in (and not fighting with) the lows.
The coil splitters do their job for the most part. I have never found much use for them distorted, but clean they add dimension when used at the right time. They come in handy especially for more country-oriented licks like simulating pedal steel bends and chicken pickin' and the like.
On another note for the pickups: NO NOISE, EVEN SPLIT, PERIOD! Finally someone has it right.
To try and sum it up, this Quicksilver has a fairly well-balanced tone overall, but unlike a more Strat-styled instrument, there are just the right amount of mids added to fatten the tone without drowning out the highs or lows. I ran the gamut from clean, slow blues licks, to more jazzy-oriented sounds, to long, singing overdriven chords and loud, distorted solos and had no problems at all. Seymour did a hell of a job voicing these puppies, and my wood combination seems to be a great match. Tone-wise, there is NOTHING this thing won't do for me and my style of playing. A perfect 10.

The guitar was set up damn near perfect by the time I got it, right out of the box. I may lower the action a little, but then again, I may not, time will tell (we ALWAYS bitch about it, don't we? :) ). Although the pickups are direct-mounted and not adjustable, they pose no problems for me at all. They appear to be set just right, and I wouldn't touch them, which is odd for me, I usually adjust damn near everything on most guitars I buy to get it right. Not this time. Action was great, intonation perfect thanks to the Buzz Feiten System I ordered on it (which he offers on several handmade lines he carries and is WELL worth the investment, if you haven't heard of it by now). Hardware all seems to be top notch as far as I can tell.
I examined this guitar for a LONG time, trying hard to find any flaws I could: maybe the pickups are slightly off, maybe the bridge and tailpiece isn't in right and/or completely, maybe the neck isn't perfectly in the pocket, maybe there's the odd flaw in the French Polished finish.....whatever. GOOD LUCK finding ANY problems in fit OR finish on this one. It's about time someone started building guitars properly so that our hard-earned money doesn't go to waste.

With it's rock-solid-as-hell Tone Pros bridge and tailpiece, graphite nut, locking LSR tuners, and near-perfect setup, I have complete faith this guitar will stand up to anything. As far as tuning stability is concerned: I sat and did whole-step, step-and-1/2, as well as some almost two-step bends for 30-60 mins, and the odd time strings went out of tune, it was by very little. No fear with this one. Strap buttons are solid, Hardware is German manufactured (real steel people, not fake softer steel like a LOT of companies use---you KNOW who you are!) and will last forever, of that I have no doubt. As far as the finish goes, yeah, it'll last forever, anything does if you take care of it! Just general wear and tear over the years won't be an issue. And as long as you don't surround it in cigarette smoke and alcohol constantly, it will last. The only backup I would want to have for it is a duplicate, but I don't deem it as "needed"......unless I break a string, of course. And even then, changing a string on this is truly child's play. The strap buttons are also solid, and I swear by locking straps anyway. At this point it's too early to tell, of course, but I get the impression there will be very few issues with reliability and/or durability, if any arise at all.

This area is the one I need to spend a little more time in explaining a few things. Yes, you've heard from a lot of so-called reviewers (you know.....the ones who call themselves Anonymous and/or don't give their REAL name, IF they give one at all) that customer support sometimes really sucks and/or Ed can sometimes be an asshole and a real pain to deal with. In my phone conversations with Ed, yes, you can tell that sometimes he may not be in the greatest of moods. That happens to all of us. But not ONCE did I ever have any problems whatsoever in getting the customer support I needed, even if it was just wanting info about a particular line. If it wasn't from him directly, it was from his wife Joanne, or from his shop foreman Alan, or whoever. I think a lot of people badmouth Ed and his shop in these types of forums because they honestly don't give him a chance. Yes, WCG probably has their share of fuck-ups from time to time, but I get the impression they WCG also puts up with its' fair share of bullshit on a daily basis. I have been a steady visitor to Ed's website for about 7 years now, and thoroughly did my homework for the last year or two before buying a guitar from him (as I said, it's only been 13 years of playng, and I wanted to be sure of what I wanted in this axe). I knew exactly what I wanted because of this, and I don't forsee having any problems because of this, either. Sure, on some days Ed may need to work on his attitude a little, but I don't honestly believe that he's anywhere near as bad as a lot of people make him out to be. Cut him some slack guys! And if you're going to post a negative review anywhere on the net, grow some balls for a change and sign your name to it! You never know: he may actually benefit from it if there's any constructive criticism in it. And as far as his knowledge goes, we could ALL learn a lot about guitars from his website. I know I have, and I'm very grateful that it exists. I'm tired of plunking down my hard-earned dough on guitars that always leave me craving something, now I don't have to go through that anymore. Sure, nothing (and no one) is perfect, but no problems so far.

If it were stolen or lost, of course I would replace it, without doubt. I plan on buying one or two more from him in the next couple of years anyway. The only thing I hate is the fact that I wasn't able to get this guitar sooner. I know I haven't had much in the way of negative things to say about this guitar, but keep in mind this is a custom instrument done to my specs, so I'm pretty happy. Of course nothing is perfect, but for me, this is as good as it gets. I can't compare it to the other guitars I've owned, one because it's in a completely different league, and two because it's the one I've been trying to buy for a very long time, where others have always failed in some way. But for reference sake, my previous electric guitars (in chronological order) were a Charvette (hey, we all start somewhere!), an Ibanez RG-570 w/EMG's, a '93 Fender Strat Plus w/DiMarzio, FLS, and Duncan pickups, an Ibanez S540FMTT w/DiMarzio's, a '93 Paduak Washburn N4 w/DiMarzio's, and a '99 Quil-top Washburn N4 w/Duncans.
I know most of you probably feel this is quite an extensive review for someone who has only had this guitar for a day or two, and that is understandble; however, I invite anyone to e-mail me anytime after whatever amount of time passes to see if I still feel the same way about it. I'm just a joe-blow-studying-devoted guitarist, and I will always tell you the truth about it because I have nothing to hide, and wouldn't gain from it anyway. And contrary to a lot of other "reviewers" in here, I have no problem signing my name, as you will notice. I'm no expert, but I will try to answer any e-mails as best I can if you are considering purchasing a Quicksilver........One final note: if you haven't visited it yet, or have only been there a few times, you really owe it to yourself to visit Ed's website: http://www.edroman.com , and whenever you decide to buy ANY guitar, above all DO YOUR HOMEWORK!! It always pays off, even if only to learn a thing or two.

2000 Quicksilver made in Ed's shop. Check them out on Ed's website. You can choose from several that he's already made, or you can get one made to your specs. 24 frets, 2 humbuckers, your choice of wood, pickups, color, tuners, fret markers, etc. I'll start by saying that these guitars look VERY cool. From what Ed describes on his website, the Quicksilver is the ultimate guitar. In fact, I made a special trip to CT to check them out. DON'T JUDGE A BOOK BY IT'S COVER OR AUTHOR. Unfornately, I found out (in my opinion) that the Quicksilver is not the holy grail that I had hoped. See below for details. I will say this though...If you're looking for a new guitar, check out Ed's site for what you're looking for. His studio is quite remarkable, and if you're serious about buying a guitar, it's worth a trip to CT. His selection will blow your mind!! I went to CT to buy a Quicksilver, and I left with an open mind and a whole new perspective. Check out JET, McNaught, PRS, Heritage, and the BC Rich Eagle. All very cool!

After reading Ed's writeup, you'd think that the Quicksilver is a prelude to an orgasm. I played the Quicksilver through a piece of shit Fender M-80 amp that Ed has in his studio, and I wasn't too impressed by the sound. I plugged in several PRS, Heritage, Gibson DC, Gibson LP, BC Rich Eagle, and Bc Rich Mockingbirds, and I think they all sounded better. Keep in mind that I simply like distorted tones, and the Quicksilver didn't hang. I would like to have heard them through a real amp, but the other guitars simply sounded much better through the M80. On paper, the Quicksilver looks great, but we're all playing for sound, right?? The Quicksilver was much brighter than the other guitars and didn't seem to have the same amount of sustain. You can get a variety of tones from the quicksilver as it has the PRS-style 5 way knob + coil tap. Despite the variety, I simply wasn't impressed.

I played several different Quicksilvers. With any model, some guitars are going to feel/play better than others. For me, the neck didn't feel right on any of them. I'm sure it was made from the finest woods, but the quality was lacking. Ed's claim to fame is making HANDMADE guitars, and he talks bad about the mass production of PRS, Gibson, and the others. The Quicksilver neck was too HANDMADE feeling. It felt chintzy and imprecise. The JET guitars are entirely handmade, and the neck on the Jet guitar I played felt great. The pickup selector knob on a couple of the guitars felt loose and cheaply made as well. The baseline Quicksilver starts around $1800, and for the same amount of money, you can do much better with a PRS. I didn't have the heart to tell Ed that I liked the B.C Rich Eagle much better, and I fell in love with PRS guitars while in his studio. I'll talk more about Ed under customer support.

Again, it did feel like a "Handmade" guitar. The Quicksilver is made of the highest quality parts, but unfortunately, the sum of the parts = a less than perfect guitar. I've read reviews about other Roman guitars having craftsmanship problems (frets coming off, etc), and I can see that happening with the Quicksilvers I played.

I have to agree with the other reviews in saying that Ed is not the nicest guy in the world. When I called to set up an appointment, he was very short and acted as if he didn't care if I visited or not. When I visited, he was extremely cool and helpful. I couldn't help but laugh as he screamed at customers on the phone, his help staff, and his wife. It makes you wonder how he gets any business. BUT, as I mentioned before, he was very cool and very helpful when it came to talking guitars. Ed is righfully in the business of SELLING guitars, not being Mother Theresa. If you want handholding, go to guitar center. If you want to talk to someone who is not about B.S, knows his shit, will tell you the way it is, and won't nickel and dime you, talk to Ed. He has a passion for guitars, and that certainly came out in my conversations with him. I have to respect that.

The Quicksilver was not the best guitar for me. I think the craftsmanship was lacking, but I would not rule out the other guitars(from other manufacturers) that Ed Roman sells. If you're looking for other handmade guitars or the biggest selection of PRS, BC rich, McNaught, heritage, etc. call Ed.