Morgan Monroe Tempest

This is just a follow-up to my earlier post. I contacted Morgan about the Tempest/SHS-Mep and their other electronics. I was emailed by their president, quickly, so I would say customer support is right up there.

Anyway, I was told that their bluegrass-style instruments are their biggest sellers, and they simply didn't have the warehouse space to support carrying the electrics any longer. He did, however, state that he hopes to carry electrics again in the future.

First, this is the same guitar as the SHS-MEP that is also reviewed. As stated it's a VERY PRS-ish guitar with H/H, Tune-O-Matic-style, volume, tone and three-way switch. 24-frets, NICE rosewood fretboard, Grover-style tuners, maple body and neck and GORGEOUS quilted maple top. Mine's finished in amber.

Not sure what year it was made (2002 or 2003 I assume), but it was made in Korea.

I definitely believe that less is more when it comes to features, so I love it's very basic approach. It's got everything I need plus some. If it had piezo it'd be rated a 10.

I love how this thing sounds. I've been playing metal and punk for years, but I'm really trying to branch out my sound. I am very pleased with it's range. From bright leads and mellow blues and jazz to highly distorted grind, this guitar handles it all.

I am very impressed with the stock pickups. I expected to want to replace, and I probably will throw some Duncans in eventually (hey, it'll only make things better), but for the next long while, I'll be more than satisfied with what's there.

Nothing's perfect, but this guitar's got great sound, especially for the price.

The guitar was set up perfectly for my style from the music store. Don't know if it was factory or not, but I haven't had to make any string or pickup adjustments.

I love the 24 frets on the 24 3/4" scale. It plays wonderfully and puts that 12th fret right in the middle. You can play upper register and not feel like you're going to have to reach through the body. But, even when you play highs, the body's cutaway and small heel give you great access.

Two bad things I've found. The finish right around the neck pocket is a little weak and there's a small filler spot on the fretboard that wasn't sanded out well before finishing. Neither of these are very obvious, nor do they effect the sound or playability in any way. For what I paid, they're small gripes, but they're there.

Will this guitar withstand live playing? I'm sure it will. It seems very solid. I like the set neck, but wonder about it's stability compared to bolt-ons. Gibson's been doing it forever, so I guess I won't worry.

The hardware is great. When I got the instrument, it had been on the rack a while because the finish on the tuners and bridge was starting to tarnish a bit. But it polishes out nice. The bridge seems very solid and the tuners are GREAT!

The strap button are nice and wide.

I do have some issues with the nut. It seems like cheap plastic and I'll probably replace it with graphite in the future.

Would I gig without a backup? No. I would never gig without a backup. However, if I HAD to, this would be the guitar I would do it with.

Haven't dealt with Morgan Monroe. However, they have discontinued the Tempest. In fact, they've discontinued all their electrics. So, I doubt they'll offer much in the way of support. Who knows?

For having such a superior electric product in this price range, I'm very surprised as to why they're doing away with the product line. I am researching this and I'll post my findings here.

I've been playing over 15 years and am highly impressed with this product. I'll never be a fantastic guitarist, I don't play guitar live (I'm a singer more than anything) and I don't ever plan to spend tremendous amounts of money on high-end guitars. I just can't justify it. So, in that vein, I look for the best bang for the buck in the "mid-range" price range. This is the best guitar I've ever played for under $600, and I got the hard-shell case with it!

I can't say there's anything about this guitar I hate. There's plenty to love. My only gripe is with the company and not the product. In my opinion, it's value as an instrument is a 10.

Made in 2002 by Morgan Monroe in the US.
24 frets, H/H, 3-way switch selector, volume & tone controls. Morgan Monroe humbuckers, passive electronics. Body and neck are maple, beautiful burnt orange quilted top. Bodystyle is a double cut away very similar to PRS with a stop tailpiece bridge and non-locking Morgan Monroe tuners. The neck is neither thin nor fat and is set. The heal is very small. The scale is rosewood with medium frets.
A pretty standard Humbucking guitar. No extra features only the essentials yet the body and neck are beautiful and solid.

The sound is great. The ordinary humbuckers were a bit muddy so I replaced the bridge with a Seymour Duncan Distortion (SH6), took out the neck humbucker and it now sounds very very good. I play mainly hard rock, metal. Suits my music very well. Heavy guitar, darkish sound with tones of articulation and sustain. The guitar is not noisy at all, the standard non-effects sound is very warm, full, rich yet aticulate if that makes any sense. I love this guitar's sound. It does what I wanted it to do which is the most important.

The action was a little high, pickups were ok but other than that, ready to play and feeling great.

Haven't had it for long enough (only 2 months). Seems to be fine and looks like it is endurant.

I am very happy with it. Was going to buy a PRS but this is much better value for money. It is very similar to the PRS Custom but for some reason, the PRS feels a bit nicer but as far as sound is concerned, I can't tell the difference between them. I've done some mods to the guitar which I wouldn't have dared to do with a PRS. I think this will bring me more joy and care-free playing than a PRS could.
If it were stolen or lost I would buy another one.