Raven RG-450

korean made semi-hollowbody. Good Quality grover tuners. Cheap switch, bridge, speed knobs(one has cracked) and pots. 24 frets, mahogany body with MAPLE VENEERED QUILTED top in a neat green "lizard" color,, on the website it implies that the top is solid, felt somewhat mislead. The vine inlay work is some synthetic plastic stuff that actually looks pretty mickey mouse up close. they use their own brand of pickups which sound mediocre at best. nice wide/thin style neck feels almost like a prs/ibanez mix.

The guitar sounds pretty thin plugged in, even for a hollow-body. I use a mesa boogie rectifier that makes most guitars sound acceptable and I was definitely able to find some usable tones. There is little acoustic resonance either when playing the guitar unplugged. I would imagine that a pickup replacement would help.

The guitar needed a serious set-up out of the box, though this is to be expected when a guitar travels any significant distance (like from korea to california to canada) The guitar seems to have a quarter inch of laquer on it that has pooled in some areas around corners, especially around the neck joint. The top looks pretty good, though as previously stated is just a maple veneer, not a maple top.
there is some buzzing on the upper frets even with the action jacked up really high (I play with higher action than most for cleaner bending etc.) a professional fret dress would likely take care of this, but could exceed the value of the guitar itself.

the satin gold finish has worn off of the bridge which is fairly common, however this guitar sees very little use so I was surprised it happened so quickly. I would likely use this as a backup guitar or definitely have a backup if it was my main guitar, the jack seems a little finicky.

apparently a pleasure to deal with,

This is a great entry level guitar for someone who wants to get started with a sharp looking, decent playing axe. I have been playing for nearly 20 years and have tried many different brands/styles of electric guitars. I own a mcnaught, paul reed smith, a warrior and a few gibsons, this guitar does not compare as many previous reviews have suggested (which is why I felt I HAD to check these out at this price). I would say that it will give many imported brands a fairly good run for their money (ibanez lower series, squire etc.)
I did feel that the website implies that it has a solid maple top and was somewhat disappointed to find out that it is definitely not, likely the culprit for fairly thin tone and poor resonance.
6 out of 10 is how I feel a guitar at the better end of this price range should score and this one achieves that.

Wow- what a sweet guitar. I got the RG-450 Lizard flamed top semi- hollowbody model. The finish is flawless- and I went over it carefully after it came all the way from Ca. to Fl. and I can find no blems at all. The abalone inlays on the fretboard are gorgeous, the neck is thin and really fast and the two humbucker's need no immediate changing. The set-up out of the box needed no adjustments at all.
I got the hardshell case for it and eric threw in cables as well. For the money you can't beat this guitar!

I play rock, blues, metal and believe it or not in a praise band at my church too. So far, this baby can do it all. In my rock and blues band I play it through a Marshall DMX100 head with a slant cab with an old Fender 4X10 cab in parallel. I get a killer crunch out of those two and when I put on the clean channel it really gets a nice "acoustic" sound. I love the bridge pickup distorted- it really cuts through. At church I play it through an old Crate 120 2X12 solid state amp. It's perfect for going from folky type stuff to current songs off of Christian radio. It does it all!

Set up was great, pickups need no adjustment and a really beautiful and unique flamed top with no flaws, bumps, overspray or anything. Check the website for pics- it's more beautiful in person.

I've already played it live last weekend and people loved the sound.
It seems to be very good quality and should be able to be left to my son as an heirloom- along with my Gibson's, G & L's and Jacksons.
I plan on using this guitar as my main with my 1981 Les Paul studio as my back up- believe it or not!

Just got it two weeks ago- but if the support is as good and propmt as eric's replies to my questions there's no doubt he'll be there for me!

Lifetime warranty.

I've been a gigging musician for 36 years and playing guitar for 15 yrs now. I have my own rock and blues band and our style of writing music is all over the place within that realm- except country. This guitar will fit us perfectly and I've written new material on it already. The clean sound is really warm and inspiring.
I have A 1981 Gibson LP studio, a 2004 G& L ASAT classic Tele, A 90's Jackson PS-7, an old 1970's Ibanez 12 string, a 90's Takamine ES series acoustic, a 90's Ephiphone LP junior and now this RWG RG 450. I love them all for different reasons-but this new addition can easliy take the place of many of them with all of the clean and dirty sounds I can get from it.
I'm absolutely in love with the feel of the thin, fast neck and the overall beauty of the guitar itself with the cream binding, "lizard" flamed maple top, the vine inlays on the fretboard and even the mother of pearl around the headstock is really eye catching. I honestly like the feel and playability better than a PRS and if the pups were upgraded it would blow PRS's away. Yes, I have actually played a PRS.
RWG is a great company with great people running it putting out an amazing product for the price. Who could ask for anything more?
I plan on buying at least two more guitars from them next year. Wanna buy a G & L? ;)

Peace to all... pff

aww geez just look at the picture man. its phatty kinda looks like trey anastasios abyss

this thing is sick. i recently had an ebony fretbord installed on it because a shelf fell on the guitar and pulled some of the frets out and cracked the hide glue. Its got great semihollow sound good for blues and jazz. i dont play metal but im sure that would sound good on it to. I have a 30 watt 2x12 victoria with tone tubbies and it sounds all the better. rich fat sound. very sexy. i only wish the pickups were a little brighter sounding, but then again i should have got the duncans.

nice set up, grovers, thru neck, minor casting flaw on the finish, the maple quilt actually looks kinda shitty actually, not like the picture on the web at least which is stunning, other then that it fits exactly what i needed at the time, a nice cheap semi-hollow.

yea this thing is bad ass just dont let any glass shelves fall on it because its not made of kevlar you know.

mine was under wwarranty but i did not send it back. My neighbor is a luthier and he said he could fix my neck and even use a different wood on it. I choose macassar ebony because it has such sick sustain. Shure im void of the warranty but it was worth it.

good stuff man. ive played for like 2 days now because i had to go out of town, but before that i played for like 20 years. on and off. i own retardedly huge amounts of gear. damn good guitar geez how many times do i have to say it, if u want a good semi then this is your guitar. dont pass this machine up

2005 (November) Korean made in the Samick plant. Dual (noname) buckers, two-way switch, volume and tone knob. Mahogany body and neck, with quilted maple top (Amber Quilt), rosewood fretboard. Gold hardware, Tune-o-matic bridge, gotoh tuners, 24 fret THIN neck. It gets an 8 because it has everything you want, perhaps not top of the line (note humbuckers, cheaper hardware), but is great for what it does.

This guitar is perfect for what I play, which is jazz-influenced jamrock. Clean with compression makes this guitar perfect for jazz, and you can heat it up and it screams with distortion for a more progressive sound. I use this with a Ampeg Gemini 12 (70's model tube amp), Vox Wah, Ibanez TS-9, Boss SD-1, currently finding my perfect compressor, Boss CE-3 Chorus, DD-3 Delay. The tone is THICK, I like to use .11 gauge strings to help it out. This guitar is a true hollowbody, so it's really a gorgeous, nearly acoustic sound. While the humbuckers are the weakest link, they're not "bad." I'll probably be replacing them with Seymour Duncan Alnico's. This guitar is EXTREMELY versitile. I was comparing this with an Ibanez AS73, and I decided with the Raven. The feedback this guitar brings is very controllable, and very usable. This was my main concern before I bought the guitar, and I really had nothing to fear. A friend of mine has the RP-450 (this guitar's predocessor) and it is definately not as nice as the RG-450 and the pickups are much noisier. The only thing that could have made this category a 10 would have been better pickups, but for the price point, you can't expect amazing pickups.

This guitar came to me from halfway across the world (Korea to New Jersey) and it plays amazingly. My only complaint is as you work towards the bottom of the fretboard it becomes difficult to play, but this is the case with almost all 24 fret guitars. I really prefer the fact that this guitar does not have a bound neck, as most bound necks on cheaper guitars (sub-$900) are a hindrance rather than an asset. This neck is THIN. It took a little getting used to coming from a Strat. It is a DREAM to solo with. This guitar stays in tune incredibly well.

No problem playing this live. I use .11's, so I don't really even break strings often. However, this guitar is a hollowbody and if dropped it WILL break. However, this guitar (sans the gold-plating on the hardware and the tuners) should last for quite a while. Gold plated hardware will almost always peel and look hideous after a while, but this is a cheap guitar, and upgrading the hardware is no big deal. This is also the first guitar I didn't buy straplocks for. The strap buttons on this thing are rediculously huge and stable. Gigging without a backup is STUPID. Never do it. You will break a string and your audience will be waiting for you. You drummer, bassist, and keyboardist will make fun of you. Always have a backup. However, this guitar is no more prone to that than any other one. This guitar gets an 8, only missing the 10 due to cheap hardware.

Eric is a wonderful guy. He dealt with my mother at one point, who wouldn't know a guitar from an elephant. A lifetime warranty for a guitar under $400? Turn this rating up to 11...

This guitar is one of the best values I've ever seen. It beats the pants off of Schecter, who sells guitars of lesser quality for double the price (made at the same plant, even). I fortunately had a friend who had a Raven. Had I never played this guitar, I wouldn't have bought it. This guitars shortcomings are EXPECTED. It's a $350 guitar. The cost of a pair of brand name humbuckers (see: Duncans) is half that. As I said before, I compared this to an Ibanez AS73. While the guitars are similar in value, the Raven is a lot prettier. I could truly compare these to the late 70's, early 80's Ibanez guitars. Their values are amazing, and the worksmanship is phenominal.
The only weak links on this guitar is the playability of the lower frets, the gold hardware (that will chip), and the pickups. ALL OF THESE SHOULD BE EXPECTED! I'll swap out these pickups, change all the hardware, rewire the electronics, and for $600 I'll have a guitar that's twice as nice as a PRS CE24 that retails for twice that (and from what I understand, is made at the same plant). This guitar is all about VALUE. It is not as good as a $3000 PRS Hollowbody that it emulates, but it comes damn close and for a price that's almost 1/10th of that.

I bought this guitar because I am in college and I can't afford a $3000 guitar. When I graduate, maybe I'll lay down that rediculous amount of money. But as for now, if my Raven was stolen, I'd buy another one, or possibly look at a vintage Ibanez AS200, which is a collectors item. That should say something about this guitar--it can compare to a guitar that famed for it's value.

Just bought a RG-450 amber ash guitar and I have to say this is a sweet guitar. The finish is second to none, it has a very high gloss finish and the quilting is beautifull. The action is smooth and the pickups are ok. It's light and feels good to hold. The abalone pearl inlays on the neck really adds class to this guitar. I wish though that the tuners,pickups,bridge and tailpiece could have been a gold finish. Eric at Raven West threw in a quality 20ft. cord to boot. Past guitars I have bought included only a little cheapie cord. I also bought a case with it. A TKL made in the USA quality built case. Overall I have no major complaints about this guitar and would recomend anyone to buy it, you won't be sorry, this RG450 is a keeper and I'll probably have it for years, for$360 you can't go wrong .Eric is a super person to deal with too, friendly and helpful and I will probably do more buisness with him in the futre.

It has a rich full sound. If I had a better amp I'm sure I'd be more pleased. I play country and classic rock.

The action is pretty good/smooth. The finish...I can't say enough good about it. The quilted amberash is as good as any $2000 or more Brand name guitar. The color the glossy finsh, this is probably it's best feature....second to none.

I can't really give a professional opinion on this as I have only been playing for a couple of years. But from what I see I would'nt be affraid to play this live anywhere and take it everywhere. Don't worry about the finish, I believe it could hold up to the task.

I don't think you could find a nicer person to do business with than Eric. He answered all of my questions and was very friendly and didn't pressure me into any certain type of guitar.

I have been playing for about two and a half years. I have a Blueridge acoustic and a Epiphone Les Paul. If I were to lose this RG450 I wouldn't hesitate to buy another. The finish is what I like the most about this guitar and the abalone pearl inlays on the neck. I wish the tuners,pickups,bridge and tailpiece were gold instead of silver. I did compare to other guitars of it's type/style and the difference in them was mostly the PRICE...the others were at least $400 or more in price.

This is a new, 2005 double cutaway style, Korean made electric guitar. It's somewhere between a full hollow and semi-hollow guitar. By that I mean there is a center block that extends out towards the horns by the fretboards, but the whole ass end of the guitar is hollow. It's smaller than most full hollow bodies, too. Actually, it looks a lot like a PRS hollowbody in size, shape, and finish. It's got a quilted maple top and mahogoy body, with a maple set neck and rosewood fingerboard. It's 24 3/4" scale with 24 medium-jumbo frets. It has a stoptail bridge and 2 "LP Style" humbuckers.The pickups sound great, so I don't think I'm going to take them out to look at the brand. There's blue pearl abalone crown marker inlays on the fretboard and a logo inlay on the head of the guitar. All gold hardware, including gold Grover tuners. The only issue I have with the hardware is the 3-way switch. I like to rock the switch between the middle and bridge setting for effects purposes, but this switch is too stiff. It's not a flaw, I just wish it wasn't like that. But between the translucent amber finish, the gold hardware, and the plentiful inalys, this thing looks fantastic. The only thing I noticed on it was a small amount of visible glue where the neck meets the body, but it's been finished over, and isn't bad at all. I bought mine for $335.00, including shipping, through Ebay. I didn't buy any accessories or a case with it, but the box had a free sticker, and a twenty foot guitar cable with what look like real wood around the ends.

I've been looking for a giuitar like this in this price range for a while. This one really suits my style of playing - rock, funk, grooves, kind of tripped out effects stuff. At the moment, mt setup is: guitar > Boss tuner > Teese RMC3 wah > DOD envelope filter > stock Ibanez Tubescreamer > Analogman Tubescremer mod > Analogman Bicomprossor > Boss DD-3 delay > Moog Ring Modulator > Boomerang Phrase Sampler > Fender Deville 212. This guitar has a brighter, more mid-range sound than the Epiphone Dot I was playing, but it's deeper and a little smoother than a Strat. The first thing I did when I unwrapped it was plug straight into my amp. The guitar really does have a nice sound, but I think I would prefer no center block. I'd rather deal with the feedback, personally. Most people probably wouldn't agree with me there, however. The pickups sound just as meaty as the Gibsons in I put in my Epiphone. They sound great clean but awesome when overdriven.

This thing came pretty nicely setup already. When I do adjust it, I'll probably raise the action on the fatter strings to eliminate some slight buzzing, but it sounds preety good as it is. The intonation isnt bad either. Like I said, there was a small amount of glue visible along the crease between the body and neck, where the fretboard comes up over the body, but it's got finish over it, and isn't noticeable unless you're really looking.

I haven't had it long enough to comment on this, but as long as I don't drop it or something, it looks like it will be fine.

There's a limited lifetime warranty that covers defects in parts and workmanship, but not if you modify the guitar. It you're really interested in the details, you could probably just call them and ask. I got this one on ebay, but it was still through the company. It shipped fast and was packed very carefully. I haven't had to contact them about anything yet, so we'll see what happens.

Overall rating, bargain wise, this guitar was a steal. Aside from the minor craftsmanship issue, I really can't believe how sweet this thing looks, feels, and plays. Having 24 frets is a new thing for me, but I'm looking forward to using that extra space to spread out in. I've been playing for about seven or eight years now and have been in a couple of bands. I really obsess about my tone, and I looked around before deciding on this guitar. It has pretty much everything I need in a guitar. Personally, I find having one volume and one tone knob much more intuitive than seperate ones for each pickup. If it were possible to get it without the center block and hollow out the horns, I would definitely be interested, but not only would that cost more, it would make the guitar more fragile, and increase feedback in a big way. I use a compressor and generally love feedback, but everyone'e different.

I believe this is a relatively new (2004 or 2005) RG-450 model. It is Black-Cherry, came with 24 frets, 1 volume, 1 tone, 3-way selecter, H/H configuration. All the hardware is gold (I'm not a big fan of gold...but to each their own).

First off, I have been trying to get a Raven Hollowbody for about 3 years (on ebay). I finally got one about a month ago for $240. You can't beat that price for this guitar.

The finish is absolutely amazing. If you've ever seen a picture of a Raven or seen one in person, you already know. I'm not a big fan of gold hardware, I will probably change it to Chrome in the near future. The neck is fantastic, the action is nice and low with very little rattling (took some adjustment). My only complaint is the tuners, especially the tuner for the G string. It does not like to hold its tune very well (probably why it was $240). This is a problem that will be easily remedied.

The sound on this guitar is unbelievable. The sound more than made up for the bad tuner. The neck pickup is nice and full, the bridge is very bright, but not annoyingly so, and the middle position is a good mixture, but more on the Rich/Full side.

If and when you get one of these guitars, you MUST adjust your pickups to get the sound you desire. When mine came the neck pickup was a little too loud for my liking and definitely over-powered the bridge. This is just a matter of preference and adjustment.

As I said the finish is ridiculously beautiful. The fret inlays are a magnificent abalone, so much better than the usual "Mother of Pearl" inlays that Korean guitar makers try to peddle.

The action and pickups needed some adjustment to match my personal style and preference (anything from classic to hard rock). I like my action low and both my pickups to have an even volume. This was easily attained with under 30 minutes of adjustments.

There is NO noise in the pickup selecter. The controls are nice and tight. The only complaint I have is that the Volume drops off very quickly and the tone tends to be a little too bassy for the bridge pickup.

This is not even an issue. I have owned a Raven before, they're made for playing, not for hanging on your wall to gather dust.

N/A never had to deal with them, probably never will.

If you are in the market for a good guitar, but don't have $1000+ to spend on a REAL Fender, Les Paul, or PRS, do yourself a favor and look into getting a Raven. These guitars have beautiful finishes, fantastic features, they sound amazing, and you can find any type your are looking for. All of this and you don't have to break the bank or sell a car to obtain one. I highly recommend the RG-450 if you are in the market for a Hollowbody Guitar.

2005, Korean made. This is the basically a much updated Raven 450. As a matter of fact, the new RavenWestGuitar or RWG guitar company is owned by former Raven guitars partner, Eric Bergquist. He's basically brought the high build level of those earlier guitars to his new line by using the exact same Korean maker, but has kicked the features and quality up a few notches. Those who remember how incredible the Raven guitars were in value for the money are going to be blown away by the RWG's.

The RG450 is RWG's top of the line hollowbody. Mine is finished in a stunning Cherry sunburst over a flamed maple top. It is a PRS style guitar with a hollowed mahogany body with a flame maple top and a mahogany set neck. It is a true hollowbody and is completely hollow except for a mahogany block under the tune-o-matic style bridge and stop tailpiece. The top is carved from solid mahogany, not a multiply laminate and has a thin maple cap and creme body binding. There are two classic-style f holes. The neck is mahogany with a bound 24 fret rosewood fingerboard and beautiful abalone trapezoid (which RWG calls crown) inlays. The bound neck and inlays are a nice update from Raven's unbound necks and dots. A really classy touch is the elegantly simple RWG abalone headstock logo inlay. It is a great looking logo and so much nicer than the usual decal that others use. Another update is the use of medium jumbo frets. The neck has a great medium-slim contour and an almost flat fingerboard radius. Electronics are two PAF-style humbuckers wired to a 3 way switch, a master volume and master tone with Gibson style gold speed knobs. The tuners are genuine Grover mini's and like the pickup covers, bridge and tailpiece are gold plated. It arrived with a cord, adjustment wrench and RavenWestGuitar's lifetime limited warranty.

I play a variety of styles and I have not found any style this guitar can't handle. The pickups are the best sounding stock PAF-style humbuckers I've heard from a Korean maker. They are smooth, well balanced and toneful, and remind me very much of the early seventies Ibanez Gibson copies. The controls feel smooth and solid and are nicely tapered with no jumps of volume or tone. The three way switch is a better quality model than is found on most imports and works great. The pickups were adjusted well but like most guitarists I like to teak things a bit. It took a tiny bit of adjusting the pickup heights to even out the usual volume difference between the neck and bridge pickups, but once I got it to my liking I can dial in a Clapton woman tone on the neck and a smooth but biting Slash tone from the bridge. Sustain for days! Simply awesome!

Anyone familiar with Raven guitars will know that their finishes and the level of workmanship was equal to guitars costing much more. RWG is even better. The finish is great. The cherry sunburst is definitely one of the prettiest I've seen in a long time and the gold hardware sets everything off nicely. The factory setup was ninety-nine percent perfect right out of the box. The action is the best of all the guitars I own and with the new medium jumbo frets and fully bound fingerboard, it plays like a dream. It also came with much better strings than the old Raven's used to, but they were 10's so I changed them to Fender nickle 9's and now bends are like butter and it sings!

These are great, very well made guitars so I have no hesitation in using it live. It is a hollow body so I certainly won't be quite as rough as I am with my solidbodies, but that's just common sense. The hardware is of good quality and looks like it will last the life of the guitar. The Grover tuners work smoothly and hold pitch great. Even the strap buttons are extra solid. If I lost this guitar, I'd buy another ASAP. As a matter of fact, I'm going to buy at least another RG450 and a new ash top RG350 solidbody too, in the very near future. RWG even has some new models that I'm interested in, the RM465 is a solid Mahogany Brian May style model that looks especially tasty!

I own a Raven RM350 and now the RavenWestGuitar RG450 and I've never had to use their customer service but I have talked at length with Eric and he's always been friendly and goes out of his way to answer questions and be as helpful as possible. The guitar came with a limited lifetime warranty but I really doubt anyone who buys one of these will ever need to use it.

I've been playing for 30 years, have owned just about every mass-manufactured guitar ever made and a bunch of custom and boutique stuff as well. This guitar is one of the best I've ever owned. There's no way you can beat all that RWG has to offer at such a great price. If you're in the market for a great guitar that's equal to what others are paying up to five grand for, you should check RWG out. Believe me, you'll be glad you did.