Raven RP-450

This is an update to my previous review.

Still great

Still great

Reliable and durable

none

In my last review I said about the only improvments I could think of would be locking tuners and a tone pros bridge. I've neglected almost all my other guitars since I got this one so I figured I must like it just that much. I decided to get the work done. I took it to Doug Proper of The Guitar Specialist in South Salem New York. Doug works on guitars for some pretty famous people and though I may not have their talent, money, or fame, I figured I could at least borrow their luthier. I wasn't dissapointed either. Doug leveled and crowned the frets, installed new nut, tone pros bridge, locking Sperzels (he called Bob Sperzel and had the tuners custom made). If you need work done and can get your axe to Doug, I highly recommend him. If he had changed the name on the headstock to PRS McCarty, nobody would have doubted it. So now it is perfect...uh..almost. Perhaps someday I'll get the Buzz Feinten tuning system installed. The guitar now prices out at around $1100.00 which I don't think is too much for a working mans axe. Get one, you'll love it.

Korean, wiht 24 frats (TWO OCTAVES!!!), laminated flamed maple top, mahogany back and rosewood fretboard. EASIEST GUITAR TO PLAY EVER. almost cheating. it is beautiful and i love it

sounds like Santana....but Santanas guitar costs $6k...think aboutit
rich full tones with great sustain. I put PRS Santana III pickups in it bc i read that the stock PUs suck. i thought they sounded decent

i dont know how they do it...but the action is incredible. io belive the neck is smaller then most guitars and this allows for the action to be set lower and lighter string to be used. OVERALL unbelievable

Replaced all the electronics...pickups, tone/volume pods, switch and jack...heard they suck so spent $25 for new pods, switch and jacks and $180 for PRS Santana III pickups.

BEST GUITAR I OWN, and i own 6. For $500 total including all aftermarket work it couldnt be better. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for any guitarist.

Same features as everyone else has described. Mine was an older model which predated the newer G&B pickups with the slots in the cover and plastic underneath. It is red and has gold hardware. I'll give it a 10 for features only because it has everything you need to perform with it, neck body, tuners, pickup, tone, and volume control.

This guitar sounds wonderful..now. Several months after purchasing this guitar I got a Raven RP350 solid body. It has the upgraded B&G pickups. There's no comparison between the old ones and new ones. I was fortunate to find someone on Ebay selling their Raven with Lace pickups that they had installed and I was able to buy the upgraded B&G's from them. I installed them and that was it...they sound fine to me. I do a variety of music from the 50's to the 00's and the sound fits all styles. I don't shred or heavy metal so it may not work for them. This is a very very musical guitar.

I got this used from a private seller on Ebay. I don't know how much was factory set up and how much work they did. Either way, it's just fine thank you very much. No issues with the action which is low without buzz, fit, which is perfect, and the finish which is outstanding.

I use this guitar and my RP350 on every job and I've had it about a year. I work between 8-12 times a month. The guitar is reliable and durable. I put strap locks on it only because I'm anal. The original strap buttons and screws were oversized. When I put on the locking Shallers I had to fill in the holes a bit from the large screws that were in there.

There is no customer support. This Raven was made in Korea and the owner of the company is no longer with us.

I've been playing 40 years. I have owned everything with every fancy and expensive name you know. This guitar is fabulous. Has anyone mentioned how light this thing is?? No shoulder fatigue..zero. I read the reviews here and couldn't believe them but bought the guitar anyway just in case. It's all true. It's so good the list of improvements you could make to it is a short one. To make it perfect you'd only need to add locking tuners and a tone pros bridge. Aside from that I can't think of a thing. A lot of people compare this to a PRS. I say maybe, then again, maybe the Raven is better.

I just wanted to clear up a little misinformation. A previous poster stated:
"the "Raven RP450" line seems to be relabelled "Saratoga" or sumthin' by a new owner"
He was referring to the Sanatoga SAN-400. This is similar in appearance to the Raven, but is made in China, unlike the Raven, which is made in Korea. Take this as you will. The Raven RP450 is virtually identical to the Dillion DR450, and to the best of my knowledge, (I'm not certain about this) are both made in the Cort factory in Korea, along with about 50% of the guitars hanging on the wall at Guitar Center. The tradition MTP450 appears to be from the same origins as well. Isn't it a little uncanny how they all share the same nomenclature: __-450? I understand that Cort guitars are made to order for the individual companies ordering them, and parameters such as quality control and components can be specified, so perhaps there is some small difference between these companies - there does seem to be a difference in pickups. But I think it is important that value conscious shoppers be informed about this and see through the big marketing curtain that exists. Korea is building guitars of amazing quality for the money. Whether it says Ibanez, Epiphone, Cort, Tokai or Raven on the headstock is really secondary to the features and components and appearance that you want. The Chinese guitars I've experienced are very nice, but different than the Korean ones.
So my point is: if you can't find a RP450, go for the Dillion DR450 (I am in no way associated with Dillion or any other guitar company)

2003
Korean Made
24 Frets
Semi-Hollowbody Quilted Maple Top with Mohogony Body
One Volume, One Tone, 3 Way Selector
Two Gold Humbucking Factory pickups
(The pick ups are the only thing that give this category a 9 instead of 10, I will be replacing the pickups asap...at least they look purdy.)
BEAUTIFUL Quilted Purple Finish!
Standard Bridge Style with standard tuners
Thin neck (Best feel I've found)
Left-handed (Woot!)

I waited a while to post about this guitar which I got around Late Nov/Early Dec 2003, because I was just so amazed when I even looked at it that I know I would have given it 10's all around.

For clean warm tones you will find no better for less than $1,000.

If you use the bridge pickup it can also rip out some solid distortion.

Once again the factory pickups hold it back in this department. Get some nice Dimarzio's in there and it's 10 all around.

Factory set up was good.

The action on this guitar is like butter (oh my).

The guitar did have one ding when I bought it and it was sold as 'used' on eBay. Other than the one ding about the size of a pinky fingernail it was flawless.

The quilted maple top with purple finish is nothing short of gorgeous! I always get compliments on the look of this guitar.

I've played with this guitar and this guitar only for the past 5-6 months of practice. I have played 3 live gigs with it so far and it has a long road of live gigs ahead of it this summer.

Only hardware that will be upgraded (once again) is the pickups. Tuners are great, everything in working order and set perfectly.

Strap buttons are solid, finish is well protected...YES I can and do depend on this guitar.

And yes I have used it at all of our gigs with no back up.

RavenWestGuitars...enough said =)

I've been playing for about 7 years, and I have a few other guitars (Washburn Dime, ESP MH-100, Fender Strat...) and I always choose this guitar.

If this guitar were stolen or lost...I would kill the person who stole it or kill anyone who laughed when I told them that I somehow lost a guitar. ; )

I love it's look, it's warm/deep sound, smooth action, and everything else about it except the pickups.

BUY THIS GUITAR.

I suppose you know them by now ...
Mine's a amber quilt mapple top - LEFTY
Ebony frettboard !

Thank you Raven for making (or having made) interesting guitars for us poor leftys !

Min has the upgraded (or was that improved) G&J pickups
or whatever they're called exactly.
They are pretty funky looking with plastic stripes on each string location. They never fail to raise a comment from people who approach the guitar.
Sound would be a flat 10 or clean and medium distortion, 5 for high gain. I don't use it for high gain (I have other axes for that).
I gig with it and I don't intend to change the pups any time soon.

There seem to be a constant trend among the guitar/pup manufacturers to fit lifeless/dull or even muddy stock pickups on the neck position.
This one is no exception. Bridge and intermediate position are great, neck is lacking clarity, definition and BALLS ...

I don't know what's inside the pups, but they sound intriguing to me :
although I'm almost sure they are humbuckers, they have some single coil quality to them. Also they hum quite a lot for humbuckers in presence of PC screens or neon lights (more than any other HB guitar I have).

Another thing that buggers me is that the tone control is one big laugh (yet another trend in the guitar industry). No control at all,
it goes bright from 10 to 0.5 and instantely dark when turning the knob from 0.5 to 0.4. Ridiculous.
At least the volume knob works nicely (which is not what I can say about my other guitars)

Perfect.
The lowest action among all my guitars with the least frettbuzz.
Extremely fast ebony frettboard.
Flawless !

I use if for rehearsal in my 3 bands (electro, classic rock and jazz).
I've gigged with it in the electro band 2 times so far.
The pups remain pretty at high volumes. I use it mainly for the mellower tunes. (kinda acid-jazz in the electro band).

Got it shipped from Eric Blooquist at RavenWest.
Nice guy.
It was $60 for shipping from the US to Belgium which was incredibly LOW. (I had a few other guitarbrands shipped since. Each time for about twice that amount).

I heard Raven guitar owner killed himself, and the Raven business at the same time ...

Luckly, the "Raven RP450" line seems to be relabelled "Saratoga" or sumthin' by a new owner, so it seems to keep alive.

Purchase + shipping + customs + taxes + etc ... all in all, the RP450 was about $500. I don't regret a single penny I paid for it.
I had a PRS CU22 for 2 years (different beast, but at least I know how PRS guitars are). The overall built quality of this one is not one step behind. The PRS pups sound better to my ears but that would be an easy and inexpensive upgrade.

2003
Korean Made
24 Frets
Semi-Hollowbody Quilted Maple Top with Mohogony Body
One Volume, One Tone, 3 Way Selector
Two Gold Humbucking Pick-ups
Factory pickups
Beutiful Painjob, Sunburst Purple Quilted, Black edges/back and Neck
Standard Bridge Style with standard tunars
Thin neck (Feels AWESOME)
Left-handed

I love this guitar...period. It's feel, sound and look is perfect for my play style.
I use it with two different amps. I use it on a Peavey 212 and a Laney with Laney Head. Sounds great on both.
Very Rich and Full Sound. I have been able to get everything that I want out of it.
I play everything from standard tuning chords, to drop-d, power chords, you name it...this fits every situation.
I have no dislikes about this guitar.

I play it factory atm, but may replace the pickups sooner or later
Everything was in tip top shape
Only one flaw on the guitar, a ding on the bottom wing, but that was human error, not factory.

Live play = Deffinately
Everything seems in tip-top shape so far
The finish is beautiful and will last forever I hope
Strap buttons have not failed
I do depend on it
I would use it for sure at a gig with no backup...the only thing you can't rely on is strings ; )

N/A

I've had this guitar for a while now and I love it, It plays better than my fender or esp
If this guitar were stolen or lost I would:
A) Find and kill the thief
B) Get another one or three

I PURCHASED THIS GUITAR ABOUT A WEEK AGO FROM DRK GUITARS. THIS WAS THEIR LAST (BRAND NEW) RP450 IN STOCK AND WILL LIKELY BE THEIR LAST NEW RP450.....PERIOD! I WAS INFORMED THAT THE RAVEN GUITAR COMPANY HAS UNFORTUNATELY FOLDED, AND WILL NO LONGER PRODUCE RAVEN GUITARS. (IN MY HUMBLE OPINION, I BELIEVE THAT SOME RAVENS MODELS WILL BECOME TRUE "COLLECTOR ITEMS"....IN THE NOT-TOO-DISTANT FUTURE!).
MY RAVEN RP450 WAS CRAFTED IN KOREA (PROBABLY IN 2003). THIS MODEL CLOSELY RESEMBLES PRS' HOLLOW BODY MODEL GUITAR.
FEATURES INCLUDE:
* SEMI-HOLLOW, DOUBLE CUTAWAY, MAHOGANY BODY (BLACK BACK AND SIDES)
* PURPLE-BURST QUILTED MAPLE TOP (WITH CREAM-COLORED BINDING)
* SET MAPLE NECK (WITH A SHORT HEEL)
* 24 FRETS, ROSEWOOD FINGERBOARD, "TAPAZOIDISH" POSITION MARKERS
* PURPLE-BURST HEADSTOCK WITH GOLD MINI-OVAL TUNERS
* DUAL "G&B" HUMBUCKERS (GOLD WITH BLACK "SLOTS" UNDER EACH STRING)
* 1-VOL, 1-TONE CONTROL (W/BLACK, GIBSON-STYLE "SPEED" KNOBS)
* 1-THREE WAY PICKUP SELECTOR SWITCH (W/ BLACK KNOB)
* GOLD TUNE-O-MATIC BRIDGE W/GOLD STOP TAILPIECE
* BLACK PLACTIC NUT, BLACK (2-PLY) TRUSSROD COVER
* BLACK PLASTIC JACKPLATE W/GOLD OUTPUT JACK
* GOLD STRAP BUTTONS
* A "TEARDROP" TKL HARDSHELL CASE WAS INCLUDED (FOR AN EXTRA $70)

THE "G&B" PICKUPS SOUND REAL NICE. I READ IN A COUPLE REVIEWS THAT THEY ARE "KOREA'S BEST". THEY DEFINITELY MEET MY NEEDS FOR ROCK & ROLL, BLUES, AND JAZZ. THE POTS ARE SMOOTH AND QUIET AND HAVE A QUALITY FEEL. THE "STOCK" STRINGS NEED TO BE REPLACED ASAP. THEY WERE TARNISHED AND SOMEWHAT LIFELESS. I'M SURE A FRESH SET OF "BOOMERS" WILL MAKE THIS LITTLE BIRD SING EVEN MORE SWEETLY.

THIS IS MY SECOND RAVEN GUITAR (I PURCHASED A PREVIOUSLY OWNED/ NEAR MINT RM2000 LAST MONTH AND WAS SIMPLY AMAZED WITH IT'S QUALITY...I DID A FAIR AMOUNT OF RESEARCH BEFORE AND AFTER THIS PURCHASE, AND I WAS QUITE IMPRESSED WITH MY FINDINGS). THE RP450 LIVES UP TO ALL THE "RAVEN-REVIEWS" OUT THERE. THE FIT AND FINISH IS BETTER THAN SOME OF MY (A LOT MORE) COSTLY GUITARS. THE HIGH GLOSS FINISH IS NEARLY FLAWLESS (ONLY SLIGHT IMPERFECTIONS CAN BE DETECTED WITH AN EXTREEMLY DISCRIMINATING EYE). WITH A LITTLE POLISHING (I USED A GOOD QUALITY CAR POLISH), THE FINISH LOOKED LIKE "LIQUID GLASS". (IT HONESTLY RIVALS MY VIINTAGE PRS!) THE FRETS ARE SMOOTH, NICELY SEATED, AND WELL DRESSED . THE NECK IS HIGHLY POLISHED AND VERY COMFORTABLE.
ALL ELECTRONICS AND HARDWARE ARE SOLIDLY ATTACHED AND HAVE A VERY HIGH-QUALITY FEEL. SOME MINOR ADJUSTMENTS NEEDED TO BE MADE IN ORDER TO SUIT MY PARTICULAR TASTE AND, WHEN COMPLETED, THIS BABY RESPONDED LIKE A "WELL-OILED-MACHINE"!

THIS GUITAR SEEMS TO BE MADE TO EASILY WITHSTAND LIVE PLAYING. AS NOTED, BEFORE THE CONSTRUCTION IS TIGHT AND SOLID, AND THE FINISH LOOKS VERY DURABLE. JIMI HENDRIX WOULD PROBABLY NEED A BACKUP, BUT AN EXTRA SET OF STINGS WOULD BE GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME! I TREAT ALL MY INSTRUMENTS WITH RESPECT AND WITH THE UTMOST OF CARE.

PURCHASED THIS RAVEN FROM "DRK GUITARS" (AN AUTHORIZED RAVEN DEALER LOCATED IN FREEHOLD, NJ).
"DOC", CJ, AND KYLE WERE GREAT GUYS TO DO BUSINESS WITH. DOC HAD ALOT OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE (CURRENT AND FUTURE) STATUS OF THE RAVEN GUITAR COMPANY, AND HE ALSO KNOWS ALOT ABOUT GUITARS IN GENERAL.
THE "ADVERTISED" LIFETIME WARRANTY IS NOW PRETTY MUCH "HISTORY". HOWEVER, IT'T MY HOPE THAT SOME "WARRANTY SUPPORT" MAY BE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE AUTHORIZED DEALERS, WHEN THE NEED IS REASONABLY AND CLEARLY JUSTIFIED.

I'VE BEEN PLAYING FOR ABOUT 40 YEARS. OTHER GUITARS IN MY COLLECTION INCLUDE A 1987 PRS CUSTOM 24 W/BIRDS (SERIAL # 7 2051...MINT), 1967 GIBSON ES335 (W/BIGSBY...MINT), 1975 GIBSON LES PAUL STANDARD (W/FACTORY HUMBUCKERS AND "DELUXE" SERIAL#....MINT), 1966 HOFNER 459TZ (VIOLIN GUITAR...RARE), 1971 MARTIN D18, 1939 EPIPHONE TRIUMPH (MY DAD BOUGHT THIS BRAND NEW IN 1939!). I ALSO HAVE A HEALTHY (AND GROWING) COLLECTION OF ASIAN-CRAFTED GUITARS (YAMAHA, IBANEZ, EPIPHONE, SAMICK, JAY TURSER, CHARVEL, CARLO ROBELLI, ETC.)
I'VE PLAYED AND "CRITIQUED" ALOT OF GUITARS OVER THE PAST 4 DECADES, AND THIS RAVEN TRUELY IS A "KEEPER". IT'S ALMOST UNREAL THAT A GUITAR OF THIS QUALITY COULLD BE PURCHASED FOR UNDER 350 BUCKS. UNFORTUNATELY, RAVEN GUITARS WILL PRODUCE "RAVENS-NO-MORE". THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THOSE RAVENS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN "HATCHED" WILL LIKELY KEEP THE RAVEN LEGACY ALIVE FOR MANY YEARS TO COME.

Just one quick word here. If you are interested in one of these guitars, the time to strike is NOW. RAVEN GUITARS IS NO MORE, and when these guitars are gone there will be no more. I own three RP450s and wish I had three more. The company has recently gone out of business due to some extremely tragic circumstances. There seem to be a few more hundred various style Ravens in the pipeline, but there's no idea when, if ever, they might become available.

Raven RP-450 w/ quilted top. Yellow brown burst. I was VERY surprised to see that this appears to be a solid, one piece top of nicely quilted maple. Unreal for a guitar in this price range. Hollow mahogany body and mahogany set neck. 25" scale, medium jumbo(?) frets, 24 frets, fake pearl trapezoid inlays. Weird looking HBs w/slots. Standard three way switching. LP style bridge. All gold hardware. Sealed tuners that do the job. HSC was additional $70, and seams reasonably nice. Would have given it a ten if it had trad. looking HBs, but some might like that look.

I have been playing for over 24 years and noodle around on a variety of rock, blues, jazz. Also own a Tom Anderson Grand AM. Always wanted a semi-hollow body. This guitar is actually completely hollow from what I can see except for a small piece of mahogany that supports the bridge area. Need to get the dental mirror out to see more. Sound is really nice for a guitar in this price range. This was meant to be my Trey Anastasio wanna be guitar and it plays the role well! Extremely full bodied and fairly rich. I like the middle setting on the pickup selector. I plan on getting a pair of Fralin's to replace the stock pickups which will probably cost me nearly as much as the guitar! Bass strings are a little muddy through frets 1-4 but I haven't played around with the PU height adjustment yet. Not quite as much sustain as I expected, running into ANalogMan comprosser and Ibanez SD-9 into a custom point to point wired copy of a '65 Deluxe Reverb made by Sheldon Colin. Overall, this guitar sounds GREAT for a guitar in this price range. I don't know how you could do better?

Set up, fit and finish were incredible for a guitar in this price range. Played great right out of the box. There was a small finish crack by the treble f hole, but I knew about that before buying it. Overall finish and workmanship is very good, and I particularly like how they use the old school PRS neck heel (nice touch). Fretwork was above average. Neck is very comfortable and not skinny and wimpy, feels like a PRS to me! This Korean company is making some INCREDIBLE guitars for the money.

Time will tell, but I think it will last just fine. I don't abuse my guitars, only my mandolins ;>

Lifetime warranty seems like a good deal.

This is a cool axe that could easily become the mainstay in any young aspiring guitarists career. Any Trey junkie should own one of these. They are lightweight, beautiful, great playing and sounding guitars and so rediculously cheap it frightening to think what these Korean luthiers families are eating on a regular basis. Who knows, could be the next Ibanez type lawsuit guitar?

Everything I wanted rolled into one- Maple neck/maple fretboard (the RP-450 LTD), beautiful ash top, burled. Gold hdwe. FAAAAAAAAST neck. A few INCREDIBLY minor flaws, nothing to affect playability or even durability overall. Who's gonna get picky for $350?? So it's got a flaw in the binding?? It sings like a canary. BFD. This bitch ROCKS.

I play blues/blues-rock, rhythm guitar. Not a lead player. It's sweet and deep, tone-wise....can't ask any more than that. Maple fretboard gives it just the right "bite" I want, stomp boxes sound a little weak....but the RP100 cures that. Overdrive adds punch the way I like it. Yeah, I've already put an order in for another one. Sold the RP-350 the nite I got it to my lead guitar player (not that I didn't like it, mind you, but I need TWO of these- I'll change the pickups when I get it so I've got two different guitars, sound-wise). Awesome tonality....and just the right amount of feedback when I want it, with SUSTAIN like you wouldn't believe.

As already stated, MINOR (as in "this-is-nit-picking-shit"). BFD. It's gonna get banged around when I play out, so it looks alot better today than it will in six months, LOL.

Gonna change to Schaller locks on the strap pegs, new strings/setup. Nice and PERFECT right out of the box (which is AMAZING AS HELL). My guitar player just drooled over it. NO, YOU CAN'T HAVE IT. Get yer own!

This thing will outlive my happy ass, I'm betting on it.

Lifetime warranty, I own three Ravens now (RMB4300 neck-thru bass, AWESOME BASS- RP450, and the RP350 which I sold immediately upon getting this sucker). Never had a problem, but I know Raven backs up EVERYTHING they sell, know other guys who own these who've had to deal with warranty issues and they're done IMMEDIATELY.

If you steal my RP450 I'm coming after you and cut your gahonas off.

I've played nearly 40 years now, I'd cry like a baby if it "walked off"....play bass mainly, rhythm second, keyboards, too. I'm going to be playing ALOT more rhythm now....the second RP450 is on the way now.

If you want a PRS, but can't afford one- GET TWO OF THESE and buy a nice used car with the rest of the money so you can get to rehearsals and gigs ON TIME. You can buy me a beer or two should we ever meet to thank me.

This is a Korean made PRS Hollowbody copy with a mahogany body covered by a gorgeous quilted maple top. It has 24 medium jumbo frets that are finished quite nicely. It has a 3-way switch for the gold plated humbuckers. It has a Tune-O-Matic style gold-plated bridge with gold plated Gotoh style tuners. The neck profile is identical to that of a PRS.

I have a number of Fender guitars and always wanted a Les Paul style guitar for the sound but never found anything that turned my crank. This guitar is a different matter. I play it through a Fender Blues Deville 410 and it is the sweetest sounding thing you've ever heard. With the neck pickup, it will produce the greatest jazzy tones just by rolling off the tone. On the bridge pickup it simply sings when lots of overdrive is applied and the notes sustain beautifully no matter what type of setting you are using. Of course, it can make that Strat or Tele-type sound but it can do just about everything else. If you want that type of sound you have to use single coil pickups.

Since I bought this guitar second-hand, I have no idea how the guitar was set up at the factory but the fellow I bought it from had 12-52 on it with a wound G. I replaced the strings with 12-52 also but with an unwound G. The finishing on this guitar is mind-boggling considering the cost. Everything is very neatly done and of good quality material. I straightened the neck out with the truss rod - I prefer necks that are almost straight for the best action (got that from Dan Erlewine)- and didn't have to touch the bridge to get extremely low no-buzz action. The medium jumbo frets are nicely finished and the feel of the neck and action rival or surpass any PRS I have ever played. I am not denigrating the PRS - it is an awesome guitar - but this little Korean copy is just that good!!!!

This guitar seems to be very well built and I doubt that there would be any reliability problems. The previous owner gigged with it often and had no trouble at all.

This guitar has a lifetime warranty. Imagine that!! PRS has a two year warranty which I find ridiculous for a guitar of that quality and price.

I've been playing for just over 40 years now and own 3 Strats, a Tele, Yamaha classical electric, Takamine acoustic, Yamaha Classical other than this guitar. I've owned numerous guitars other than these listed here.

Now on to this Raven guitar. I had recently been in a local music store playing around with a PRS Hollowbody and really was impressed- but for $4,000.00 I suppose you should be. I was puttering around on eBay looking at PRS models and someone had put in a listing for this Raven Hollowbody. The high bid was $137.00. This piqued my curiousity further and so I did a bunch of surfing to check this out. I was astounded to see the opinions of this guitar on Harmony Central and so thought - What's to lose by giving this a whirl? The owner agreed to sell for $200.00 and when I got the guitar in my hands, I had to almost giggle because it was so dang good. I took it home, changed strings, plugged it in and spent the next few hours just noodling around. I just could not believe how good this guitar was, insanely low price or not. They are selling these things new for $370.00 - shipping included.

This guitar is neat because it's so cheap, there's not much point in selling it and what makes that so cool is that it is a superior instrument. Talk about bang for the buck!!!

Of course, it is not a PRS, but it comes so close, the difference is negligible. Just think of it, $200.00 as opposed to $4,000.00 - just a slight difference, that's all.

I wish they made an archtop copy, I would buy it in a heartbeat. I loved the feel of it so much I bought a PRS Archtop and have sold my Godin ACS SA (that hurt) along with my Heritage 575 Custom. I loved that Heritage but could not cure the big hollow body feedback problem. All sorts of suggestions from the factory but nothing that made a big difference. Absolutely maddening!!! Well, the feedback problems are solved with the PRS- but boy, was it expensive.

Anyway, I hope this might help somebody else be happy. Take any Raven any day, from what I can see.

Most features are covered in the other reviews. My rig is mahogany with a green ash top and gold hardware. The figure of the ash is interesting - sort of like what boiling water looks like except green.

I play blues and blues based rock. This thing handles everything well. I purchased one without playing it via eBay so I was hoping it would be Les Paul/335 like. Turned out that not only was it like those guitars but added its own personality tone wise. My usual set up is into a solid state amp through a TS9 or straight into a Peavy Delta Blues 210 (all tube). It sounds surprisingly good through a cheap solid state. Plug into a tube amp and this puppy sings like an angel. The bridge pickup is bright, the neck pickup is rich sounding and both pickups on sound surprisingly good. The best recommendation I can give is that I consider myself a rythym guitarist and this is my tool.

I've given thought to installing Z-90 pickups in it but then I would really miss out on the versatility of the guitar. When Raven comes out with P-90s, I'll definitely get one. In the meantime, I'm using the strat to do raw, roudy blues.

The action was perfect and the pickups were a little bit too low (but an easy 30 second adjustment). The frets are done well. Fit and finish of all wood and electronics were tight and impressive. The same as you would expect from a $1000 guitar. The finish on the wood was good but I have found some laquer overspray in spots but you really need to search for them.

I bought the guitar knowing it had a deep scratch next to the strap button - factory second.

I use a hardshell case so I expect this thing to outlive me. It is made for giging ... dependable, well made and good strap buttons. Its lightweight is also nice for long playing sessions.

It looks good on stage (I get alot of compliments and questions about it) and its cheap enough to replace if someone does the old "grab and run for the door" with it.

I purchased from RavenWest Guitars. The transaction went smoothly and deliverey took 3 days. Good warranty. I'll give them a 10 for my minimal dealings with them.

I've been playing on and off for 30 years. I delayed my review of this guitar 6 months from the time I bought it because I sell my gear quickly if I don't love it. I have a 15 year old Strat, a 1977 Ibanez acoustic and good amps (all purchased new). My next purchase will be a Rickenbacker 6 string.

If it were stolen I would buy another RP450. Next time I'll get a red one. There are no better values out there in my opinion. Thanks to all the previous Harmony Central reviewers. You guys/girls pointed me in the right direction.

Korean version of a PRS Hollowbody.
24 frets.
Quilted brown/yellow maple top.
1 volume knob, 1 tone knob.
2 humbuckers.
Mahogany body and neck.
Rosewood fretboard.
"Generic" Grover machines.
"Generic" tune-o-matic bridge.

I am a versatile musician. I play Rock, Soul, Pop, Top-40, R-n-B, Disco, Reggae and Smooth Jazz. I PLAY EVERYTHING !
I am currently using a Line 6 Flextone 2 XL Modeling Amp.
I use this amp because like myself, it does everything.It's versatile.
This guitar can cut ANY of the above mentioned kinds of music.
It's a VERY versatile axe, versatile like my amp, like myself.
SURPRISINGLY the pick-ups sounded VERY good....they just looked odd.
All the sounds from this axe, ALL OF THEM are excellent.

I ordered this axe on 2-13-03.
I recieved it on 2-20-03.
I live in thr Baltimore/Washington Merto area.
This axe came from the west coast, in a box, in the snow, in the mail.
I opened the box and drooled. It looked beautiful, simply beautiful.
This thing has a KILLER quilted maple top. And I mean KILLER.
This maple top EASILY rivals ANYBODIES 10 top and I mean ANYBODIES !
SURPRISINGLY the set-up was dead on.....THIS FREAKED ME OUT BIG-TIME !
Intonation was dead on.
Action was perfect.
Pick-up adjustment was perfect.
I'm a former PRS employee (back in the day).
I KNOW what a guitar is suppose to be like.
Sure it has a plastic nut.
Sure the input jack plate is plastic.
Those things are a given, considering the price of this axe.
But these are minor short comings on a very, very good guitar.

The mahogany on this guitar IS NOT from Honduras.
The rosewood on this guitar IS NOT from Brazil.
However the construction is on par with the "boutique" guitars.
This axe seems very solid.
I've stained about maple tops "back in the day".
The stain and finnish on this axe is first rate.
Every single thing about this axe is pretty damn good.
I'm pleasantly surprised..........FOR REAL !

Life-time warrenty on this axe.
Warrenty applies to original ownwer of "un-modifyed" guitar.
I can count on 1 hand the companies that offer life time warrenties.

Raven West Guitars are most impressive.
Eric is the patron saint of customer service.
The music industry IN GENERAL would do well to take a lesson from
these guys. You know, no matter what your're buying, the one thing
you can't buy is good customer service.That's the one thing we all want. Raven West Guitars delivers customer service like NOBODY ELSE !
Your're not going to believe these guys !!!!!!!!

I've been playing since 1980.
I own PRS, Schecter, Yamaha Pacifica and Fender.
This is my first hollowbody....and I'm in love.
I have lusted after a hollow body for years.
There's no way I'm paying $3500 to PRS for his axe.
It's not worth it. No way in hell.
This guitar is equal in construction.
No it does'nt have "exotic" woods.
No it's not American made.

You could do the following upgrades:
Change pick-ups (classic 57's).
Change the nut.
Change the bridge (Tone-Pro's).
Then you've got a SUPEROIR GUITAR for ALOT less than a PRS. ALOT LESS.
If someone stole this I would hunt them down and take they're life.
This guitar has some VERY SERIOUS potential, with a few upgrades.
This is a serious tool for any serious musician.

It is a 2002 Raven rp450. Made in Korea. 24 fret, rosewood fretboard, les paul top inlays. The tuners are non locking no name brand sealed tuners. I will probably replace these with sprezel locking tuners in the near future. It has a tune o matic bridge and stop bar tail piece. The body style is that of a PRS hollowbody. One tone and one volume with a hum - hum configuration. The neck is what I call in between. Not to thick, not to thin. It came with a gig bag and a cable.

The guitar seems to fit my playing style. I was looking for something unique to play with and I have found it. It can rock hard but is also suitable for jazz, or country, if you know how to use the volume and tone
nobs. This thing sounds nice. Not as good as my PRS custom 24 or a PRS hollowbody, but still plays and sounds outstanding. It is a litle prone to feedback, but that comes with buying a hollowbody and one of the reasons that I did. It feeds back nicely and it is very controlable. The tone and volume knobs are very responsive and it the guitar cleans up nicely when you roll off of the volume. I will probably replace the pickups with PRS Archtop pickups, or others, but not sure yet.

The guitar was set up fairly well from the factory. The action is good and I only have to adjust the intonation on 2 strings. The pickups were adjusted very well to balance the output of the guitar. There were a few
flaws. Right around the tip of each cutaway there is a little but of paint on the binding. Also, there is some glue around some of the higher
frets, but it comes right off with the scratch of a pic. The top is completely one piece and so is the back. Also, there is almost no heel what so ever on this guitar.

I am sure this guitar will withstand live playing. It better. The hardware seems like it will last, though the gold plating will probably flake off just like on every guitar that has gold playing. I would never
use any guitar on stage without a back up, but I'm sure if I had to it would do fine. The first thing I do on every guitar is replace the strap buttons with strap locks. Just something I like to do, but the strap buttons seem solid.

The guy Eric who seems to run the Raven West Guitar company on his own is a great guy. He picked up shipping for me. I also e mailed him on Christmas Day with a question about the guitar and he got back to me in 30 minutes. He is very friendly and is a great person.

I own a Les Paul Gothic, PRS custom 24, a Parker p 38 and this guitar is just as solid as any of them. It can hold its own and is in some ways better. The quilted top is beautiful. I would kill someone if they stole this guitar and then buy another one. It is a great guitar and would recomend buying this to anyone.

This is a knock out guitar! All I can say is wonderful!!!! Eric at RavenWestGuitar is a great guy! This is the second Raven I have purchased. I cannot say enough about the quality and value of this guitars! Reasonably priced and beautiful enough to turn all the heads in the room where you play this beauty! I bought a cherry sunburst lefty model. Called Eric on a Tuesday and had it in hand in less than 48 hours! Simply stunning, action, fit and finish excellent. The only possible improvement is a different set of strings. It looks so much like a PRS its a mystery how they sell them so reasonably. The pickups are strong and perfect for blues playing. Heck, country and rock and roll too. (probably make a great jazz instrument also) The only thing missing is the birds inlay and believe me for the money I saved I dont miss them at all.
Gold plated hardware, et all a very uptown guitar! I found the pickups to be strong and sweet, very fluid sounding. Looks like I will be buying a 3rd Raven next year as well. Keep up the Great Work Eric!!! I have been playing guitar since 1971 and the workmanship on my Gibson and Ibanez isnt this good! Highly recommended. 10s all around!

I play thru a blues Jr. fender amp. And this guitar sounds sooo good when playing Allman style blues or Santana style lead lines. Unlike some reasonably priced guitars the pickups are strong and noise free.
The selector switch is quiet and smooth. Sounds good clean, or just add a little overdrive and pickups are smooth and violin like.

Guitar action was perfect. I think I will put a different set of strings on probably Ernie Ball lights. Flame top is beautiful and bookmatched. Looks far more expensive than it was. Saw absolutely no flaws on fit and finish at all.

Everything is solid as far as I can tell. Durablity should be excellent. Would play this guitar anywhere without a backup. Or maybe another Raven(LOL)

Eric is wonderful! I bought a rsm 2000 last year from him and I was pleasantly surprised that he is still at RavenWest. He is always helpful and He is very sincere. Ordered my guitar by phone, had it at the door in less than 48hrs. He goes the extra mile, which is rare these days. Eric, was who I thought of when I started looking for another guitar. Eric and RavenWest. A solid combination!

Ive been playing 31 years. Ive had a lot of guitars. Every thing from Gibsons to Ibanez, Taylor and everything in between. Im a lefty and Its hard to find a lefty anywhere. It took 6 months of waiting and hefty upcharge to get my Gibson SG in 71. And it wasnt finished well at all. Cherry was oversprayed on the binding on the neck. I love the look of these guitars the best and the quality. I have no idea how they do it. It has everything the big boys have except the brand name. Im very happy, I sell and trade alot. But this is my 2nd Raven and I still have the first one! Looking forward to the 3rd won. Ive had Fenders that are almost always either black or white in left handed at the guitar store. If you are a lefty you dont have to suffer with boring looking guitars anymore!!! I dont know why but the imported guitars are now lots better than the american counterparts. Better quality control and value! And affordable, I dont have to eat Ramen noodles for a year to pay for a Raven.

This review is for a Korean-made green and black quilted Raven RP450. This guitar features a quilted maple top, single binding, all black mahogony body, neck, and headstock with a 24 jumbo fret ~25" trapizoidial inlay neck. It also contains a three way switch, two pots (one for volume, one for tone) with two passive humbucker pickups with all gold hardware. The paint job is beautiful, the neck is virtually flat with a 12-14 radius. The hardware is tight and of great quality as the rest of the guitar. This guitar is a virtual copy of a Paul Reed Smith Hollowbody II guitar with a Les Paul trapizodical inlay! Althought it DOES have an arched top, it isn't as pronounced as a Hollowbody II. Furthermore, the back is flat and there is only a single binding. The neck is tapered and the bridge is of a fixed Gibson design. Although the guitar is extremely light, it isn't as light as a PRS Hollowbody II when compared one to another (as we did). There was a cord thrown in.

Wow, this guitar sounds beautiful. Although people have stated from both sides of the fence that the pickups were too hot or not hot enought, when compared side by side to the PRS Hollowbody II, the Raven had a hotter neck pickup and somewhat less hot bridge pickup. However, after consideration initially, there is no need to replace these pickups with say McCarty archtop-type as was previous thought about. The pickups were bright and adequately loud. Furthermore, they were quiet and had a very good sound for a guitar of this type. Although intended originally for Blues music, you could play anything from folk to fusion to thrash on this thing. I play this through a Korg A3 effects processor with Behringer floor pedals and expression pedals through an old Crate 60W half stack with 4x12" slant cabinet.

I'm not sure if Eric from ravenwestguitars.com set this up before it reached my hands, but the action, string height, and intonation were right on out of the box. The only thing I did was discard the original strings and put on a set of Dean Markley 9's (too light for this setup, should be at least a 10 with a heavy possibly 46 or better bottom)! The fit and finish were virtually flawless and perfect.

Although just purchased, from reading other reviews and having sigificant prior guitar knowledge. My intuition and examination would indicate a robust design guitar of excellent qulaity. This guitar (guitar, hardware, etc.) should last a very long time!

Eric over at ravenwestguitar.com was excellent supporting the customer with quick feedback and FAST service. Quality is job #1 over there. He delivered a great product in a fast amount of time and for a very low price. This guitar was ordered on Thursday/Friday and was received by Tuesday after a weekend and holiday off!

I have played guitar since 1988 (14 years). I have many guitars and custom guitars with a plethora of equipment and a professional studio in my home. If it were stolen, I would buy another in a heartbeat. It has a sound and whatnot that I would be without. I would have to immediately replace it if possible. I love everything about it. If I could change something(s)m I would have just made it 22-frets to be like the rest of my guitars (except a Jackson). I also would allow a little virsatility like maybe custom inlay or more variety. This guitar is VERY comparable to a PRS. The question was asked, would I buy a PRS now (knowing that I did previously)? The answer now is NO! Although the PRS may be even lighter, constructed better, or may be of even better quality, there is no way I could justify the extra $2-3,000!! This guitar should sell for between $700 and 2,000 for what you get!!!

Simple guitar but I just had to give this thing a 10 based on value, appearance and playability. Like a PRS ... sorta. It's a Bugandy/Black Flame maple top with gold hardware that looks very elegant. After setting this thing up it's a real keeper. This is no $9,000 PRS hollowbody but seriously do yourself a favour & try one.

I love this guitar. It's a semi-hollow with the Tune-o-matic bridge & stop tailpiece, Mahogany Body, Maple neck, Rosewood fingerboard with Trapieze fret markers, The neck & back are golss black. The pickups arent great on these things. I just had Jason Lollar make me a set of mild P-90's that will fit in the humbucking cavity without altering the body. You can expect the pickups on these things to be so-so .. not as bad as I had expected, but then again I need all that stuff either custom or old. I'm a freak after playing 35+ years.

It came lookin good but needing a good set-up. The strings were pretty bad but after I tweaked the truss rod & set it up with good strings it plays as well as anything at any price ... no kidding.
I expect to get a new nut cut although this one is working great & not kinking the strings at all it's plastic & I prefer bone.

I haven't had it long but after ... like I said 35+ years of playing I know guitars & this thing is a real keeper which says A LOT in every catagory. It's freakin beautiful & yes...rock solid.

I had actually gotten one prior to this one from Raven West that had a ding in it when it arrived. I immediately called Eric & within 2 days I had this one & man it's nice. The guy was very apologetic & sincere. Very nice to do business with & I wish him & Raven guitars all the success in the world.

I just cannot say enough about these guitars. I also tried out an RP350 ... WOW! I've played everything over the years & sold everything too. This one's a keeper. It's really fantastic that these guitars are also affordible. Kids & Dad's need to be able to afford cool guitars. PERIOD. These things are something special. My guitar looks extremely elegant & plays like a dream (after set up). I honestly feel, as classy as this thing looks & for how extremely well it plays that I'll have it forever. Like a few of the other articles read "If this thing ever got Stolen I'd cry like a baby!"

Hollow body electric, made in 2001 in Korea, laminate flamed maple top, two humbucker pickups, PAF style, 3 way tone selector, 2 volume knobs, cherry finish tune o matic bridge, stop bar tailpiece, non locking enclosed tuners, purchased case included cord

I was originally planning to put in low output Schaller Golden 50 humbuckers in this guitar, as I was going for the Trey Anastasio Languadoc tone, but I found these pickups to sound a lot like the schallers as is, I was very impressed with the tone, especially with both pickups on. It is low output, and very very quiet through my fender blues deville amp. Amazing tone for jazz, and sounds good overdriven as well.

Couldnt ask for a better setup. I'm beginning to think that a lot of these foreign companies are trying very hard to overcome their stereotype as second rate instruments, because the action and setup was better on this than on any gibson I tried out and just about as good as the PRS hollowbody Mccarty I tried out as well. What I'm saying is definitely dont overlook this just because it is foreign made, it is a literal STEAL for the price.

I've played 6 live gigs with this guitar in the month since I have had it, it hasnt let me down, the strap buttons are solid, the playability hasnt changed at all, and the finish is holding up beautifully, I guess Time will tell but so far it has held its own perfectly, I looked inside the guitar and even had a luthier at my local shop look at it. He said it was made to last and I believe it, its got very good craftsmanship.

I delt with Ravenwestguitar.com and got my emails answered in what seemed to be hours, fast shipping, and Raven the company itself also includes a lifetime warranty, as long as you dont do anything in terms of altering the guitar, then it becomes void. All in all I have found the customer support outstanding.

OUTSTANDING value for the price, I play this guitar all the time. If you like Phish, and the tone that Trey gets through a tube amp, this guitar is perfect, its also great for jazz and blues. Definitely check it out, but dont overpay for it, it looks a lot more pricey than it is, i have seen some stores sell it for as much as 900 dollars. you should be able to get it for under 400

2002 PR 450 Lefthanded Raven Hollowbody, PURPLE/bLUE-quilt.
Made in korea, 24 frets, 1 vol, 1 tone, 3-way toggle.
Tune-O-Matic bridge- non locking tuners-gold hardware.
Gig bag was included.
Amazing PRS McCarty Hollowbody replica.

Sounds awesome, for the money, there is nothing like this guitar on the market today!!! Period!!!!

Action was terrific, came out of the box perfect.
The strings were cheap but as soon as you put your brand of strings
on the guitar, maby make soom minor ajustments it plays
like many guitars that cost 5 times as much would play.

Guitar is very solid and built very well.

Eric was top notch!!!!
He e-mails you right away, very, very helpful and kind.
I recieved my guitar in 2 days/with gig bag, Perfect!
I was a DM at Guitar Center for 2 years- they could learn
alot from Eric and WestRavenGuitars.

For the money these guitars are the best!
You can gut them and personalise them if you want and
they would still be under a grand, and thats with
labor. Let me tell you, these guitars sound, feel,and look
incredible. Write out of the box!!!!!
I orderd another write away!! I'm thinking about a 3rd!!!
Raven PR 450 Hollowbody # 1 with me!! Thanks again Eric!!!!

Lefty 2001 model. Cherry sunburst with flame maple top and basswood hollow body. Very nice for this price range. Maple neck with 24 frets. Basically a PRS copy.

I've thought about putting some Duncans in this but everytime I pick it up I'm more impressed with the sound. I play through a Tech 21 that makes all my guitars sound great but I do believe this can sound good with any decent amp. My favorite setting is the middle where it seems to get a nice crunchy harmonic sound. Not real hot but not muddy either. I may still swap out the pups but for right now my playing is not good enough to hear the difference.

Setup was a little high. The strings have to go first thing. Also the nut is cut too deep and is a cheap plastic. They had to cut cost somewhere but this is easily corrected. Flame top is real nice. Not a 10 but better than lots of Gibsons I've seen. Everything else is fine and worthy of a more expensive guitar.

I don't gig but I would imagine this would hold up fine. Not as sturdy as my G&L Legacy but it is a hollowbody after all. Strap buttons are fine and the gold hardware has stayed gold to this point.

N/A Bought on ebay.

I've been playing about 2 1/2 years so I'm no expert but I do own a G&L and I have played some nice guitars. Is it a PRS? No. Is it a great guitar for $285 dollars? Absolutly. I almost sold this because I was mostly using my Legacy. That would have been a big mistake because this is a fine instrument. I would buy it again tomorrow if it were lost or stolen. I'm not able to afford a PRS but I think I've gotten a real deal for alot less money.

This is a 2002 model. The purple/blue quilt top. Very nice. A little smaller than I expected. It's definetly a PRS Hollowbody knock off with the body changed just a little bit.

I have no idea where they are made. Probably Korea by Samick. It has a maple top which for the price range is great. The body was flawless. The tuners I didn't like as much. They seem to be not as fine in adjusting as Schallers. No surprise there. The neck pickup is so so. Better quality than a Mexican Fender or stock Samick though.

I bought this for a jazz guitar. It is nice for that. I am using it with a Fender Chorus or a Fender Blues Jr. through a Mesa Boogie half stack. No effects except the Chorus, reverb. I think I will replace the neck pickup with a Seymour Duncan P90 type.

Nothing wrong. Arvived fine. Frets seem a little high for me.

Yeah, I would play a gig with it. Seems fragile but I am used to slabs of wood with strings on them. I would replace the strap buttons. No, I would bring a backup.

Supposedly a lifetime warranty but read the fine print. It really isnt much of a warranty.

I have been playing 5 years. I own a Mex Strat, A Samick LP. Usually I go cheap and replace the pickups etc. with sale parts. Yeah, I know...A Music Man head with a Mesa cab, a Fender chous and Blues jr. I would buy another.

This is my second review for this more recent (2001) model of this guitar. I have sold the original purple blue (2000) guitar I owned so that I could have two guitars exactly the same. These are amber, left hand hollow bodied guitars that have a mahogany back and neck and a solid spruce top with an ash veneer top. They are extremely beautiful. They are manufactured in Korea and have two humbuckers, a three way switch and a single volume and single tone control. The neck of the guitar is somewhere between a thin taper and a PRS wide/fat with 24 frets

I simply love the tone of these guitars. Full and detailed with neck warmth and bridge bite. While not as powerful as an American made humbucker, they are not muddy in the low-mids like some Gibson PUs at full volume. You will not be disapointed, especially for the price you pay for one of these guitars.

Although you will probably want to adjust the action to suit your preference, this axe comes well set up from the factory. I've only made small adjustments to suit my own taste. Finish is great, hardware is great. EVERYTHING is great.

Although I've only had these guitars for a few months they appear rock solid and I would not hesitate to use them on stage or in the studio, where they are currently my primary humbucker equipped axes. I bought two so that I could have a backup if I popped a string.

I've dealt with the company and found support to be at least 110%. The warranty is a limited lifetime deal, but I'm confident that I'll never need ot use it

I've been playing for over thirty years and have never found a guitar at this price with these features. I've shown this guitar to lots of people and all of them have compared it favorably to the PRS model that it is quite similar to. If something happened to one of mine I would unquestionably replace it with the same thing. I own many other guitars - a strat, a tele, an SG, a G&L and a bunch more. Dollar for dollar, this axe takes the cake. I (unofficially, as in not for any deal with the company) HEARTILY endorse it as a professional.

2001(2) Raven RP450 left handed with a green ash top. The same as every other review here accept mine is left handed. I thas two passive humbuckers, one volume, one tone and a three way selector switch and a tune-o-matic bridge. This guitar has a thin neck that is real quick. My guitar was nicer than any of the pics I saw of it prior to buying. The color is much richer and not as pale as the pics.

I knew when I ordered this that it was a knock-off of a beautiful guitar that costs way more than any guitar should, but i had no idea that I would fall in love so quick. I'm a bass player who just wanted a guitar to help me write songs. I haven't even looked at my bass since my Raven got here. The pick-ups sound a lot better than prior reviews might have implied, but I'm getting some Duncans anyway. This is the first semi-hollowbody that i've ever owned, but I can't get over the full sound it puts out.

The guitar arrived and I changed the strings to Elixer 10-46's before I even tuned it for the first time. The action was a tad high for my taste, but that adjustment took about 10 seconds to rectify. The neck required about a quarter turn of relief and she was ready to roll. The action as lower than I've heard on almost any guitar without any buzzing. The finish is beautiful for any price, but beyond belief for the price that I paid. There is a very small blemish near the cord jack, but it is not noticeable at all. Everyone who sees or hears it cannot believe what I paid for it. I'm use to playing strat's and have grown really comfortable to palm muting a strat syle bridge. I find myself picking over the neck pick-ups on this. Maybe it's that way on all tune-o-matics???

Seems like a tough guitar even as light as it is. Huge strap buttons that won't need to be changed. I haven't had it long enough to make a judgement that might help anyone but it seems tough enough. I'm in the US Navy and I wouldn't hessitate to bring it on my ship.

I had a lot of questions before I bought and every email was answered very promptly. I haven't had any problems yet though. Lifetime warranty!

I have been playing guitar/bass for over 13 years now. I own a plethera of basses and bass gear, but my only guitars are this one and a Fender (mex) strat. I chore this guitar for it's looks and kept my fingers crossed on it's sound until I got it. I was very pleased I might add. I will not wait for something to happen to it before I buy another. I want a RP350 now. If you only see a raven online, you will see picture that don't do the real thing justice. For the price you can't go wrong here. I was apprehensive right until I first saw and played it. Especially for the price, you can't go wrong with this guitar!!!

This PRS Hollowbody copy is a dream for the price. Mine is a cherry sunburst with gold humbuckers and trapezoid pearl inlays. The full range of the fretboard is easily reached. It has a stop tail bridge and maple and rosewood neck with basswood body. The face is maple and finished very well.

The humbuckers play well through my Mesa Boogie and I get a good full range with the treble control. The pickups have distinctive difference like some of the higher end Gibsons I have played. It has a great warm sound and plays great through the different sounds of my GT3 effects. It does have a little bit of a shrill in certain conditions which a higher quality duncan or other humbucker may cure. Overall for the price it plays well.

I received mine brand new in the box, all I had to do is tune. The action is sweet and everything was adjusted excellently. I could find no flaws in the body or hardware. The impressive part is the neck to body fit. Much better than any PRS I've seen. All PRS guitars have this 4" heel next to the body which makes it tough to reach those high notes. This Raven is within a half inch of the body and I can easily reach the bridge! The overall quality is A+. I could care less it was built in Korea.

The overall quality is very good and I could depend on this baby as my main axe. This plays most styles very well and is pretty versatile. The finish is impressive and it is a good looking guitar that could be mistaken for a PRS.

It is a limited Lifetime warranty, but that's if you don't touch it. Can't comment on Customer Service.

For the price, you can't beat it. If you're thinking of a PRS, save your money and get yourself 10 of these and tweak it the way you'd like. It plays as well as any of the PRS guitars I've played and I can't imagine spending an inflated $3,000 for a guitar now. If anything, I may upgrade the pickups, but not important.

I own 2 recent Raven PR450's; both are based on the PRS McCarty Hollowbody--carved semi-hollow design, bound body and neck, gold hardware, but they differ:

#1 has the CRM-carved mahogany body and center block, flame maple veneer top, cherry sunburst finish. Rosewood board has pearl dot inlays.

#2 has the CRM-carved alder (??? it's a pale, lightweight, tight grained wood) body, quilted maple veneer top, purple/blue sunburst. The rosewood board has MOTS crown inlay (like on an LP Standard).

I immediately replaced the pickups in both guitars with older Bartolini humbuckers--they're very hot, bright, and tap-able. The stock pickups were a little dark for my taste, but with the replacements, both guitars scream, squeal, and sing with the BEST of'em.

I also rplaced the bridges w/ slightly heavier (denser metal) Gotoh units, and that also improved the tone, "thunk", and sustain

Both instrument played superbly right out of the box, and have required no adjustments beyond bridge height.

The overall manufacture is outstanding, and while not up to the exacting standards associated with PRS, et al, I'd put them both up against any Gibson or Fender product.

I have a few niggles over the finishes: The CSB model (my #1), has a spot in the top veneer that was sanded a little to deep; the purple one (#2) shows some inconsistency in the distribution of the dyes or stains used--too much blue in the purple areas on the top.

Played 30 years...also own '77 Gibson L5S, '82 Yamaha SA800, a custom-made solid, '90 Heritage 537 prototype, others...

I wouldn't mind owning one or two more of these axes, with different pickup arrangements...

Theres nothing to hate about these instruments, and plenty to love! The action and tone surpass just about anything I've ever owned, and for the price they're absolutley unbeatable.

I saw the instrument in Raven's flawland section, and since the price was very attractive, and it looked right, I bought it right away. I was not disappointed when it arrived, promptly I might add. The RP450 is a hollow body with 2 humbuckers, 1 each volume and tone controls, 3 way pickup switch, set neck, in the PRS style. It has gold hardware and a transparent green/black burst finish on a flamed maple top. Except for the top, the guitar is finished black overall, with cream colored binding on the top edge. This one has dot fretboard markers, though I notice the ones they currently offer have trapezoid ones; maybe it's an older model. I don't know when it was made. Hardware is generic les paul type. It's shape and balance are really good, in my opinion, and it sure is nice looking.

It works well with the rock/alt/space cadet music I play. I've been using it for about a month, and have plugged it into a blues jr. and a marshall combo, as well as direct recording. I use a DOD delay and a Digitech RP3 presently for effects. Some other reviewers have complained about the sound lacking character, but I'm satisfied, with the understanding that I often hot-rod my guitars, and this one will be no exception; the quest for perfect tone as we all know. HOWEVER, there's one thing I noticed right away. With both pickups on, the thing has this chiming, glassy sound I really like. It's an elusive tone, like Pete Townsend used to get with his SG's. Having played since prehistory on numerous Fender, Gibson, Rickenbacker, etc., and custom built guitars, and never liking the sound of having both/all pickups on at once, I was impressed. I don't know how they did this, but am trying to figure it out. The instrument sounds pretty good to me, in other words.

Well, I bought a flawed guitar, didn't I? Interesting, the flaw they mentioned on the raven website turned out to be a slight irregularity in the wood itself, but if I didn't know it was there, I probably wouldn't have noticed it, or cared if I had. However, there were other finish issues; a small touch up with black paint where the green and black areas meet, a couple of minor errors in the binding, some tiny pits in one area, and a very slight thinning of the finish at the edges of the f holes. None of these defects were visible except under close examination, and as I said, it's an eyecatcher of a guitar. One thing about the finish was a real pleasant surprise; on the Raven website its photographs made the green finish look bright and limey, with a lot of contrast between the green and black burst areas. The actual instrument is a bit darker in reality, much better looking than the photos would have indicated. The maple top was ok for an inexpensive guitar. Overall the guitars fit and finish were good. The action and set up left a lot to be desired, but this is a personal thing with musicians; I always do my own, and the guitar was shipped across country in a cardboard box, after all.

It's about right for a guitar of its type, no complaints. I take care of my instruments, and I think this one will do ok. I'd use it without a backup if I was the type to do this, which I'm not.

So far, so good. I've not had to deal with them over any problems, but when inquiring about their products they were very good to do business with. It has a 1 year warranty.

I've been playing since the mid-sixties, and have used every major type of gear, and some you probably haven't heard of, or wouldn't want to. I'm rating the instrument based on sound, price, and looks, and am well satisfied. It's a nicely balanced product, I'd get another one if I gave it away or lost it. If I could have asked for one additional feature, it would have been nice if the guitar had a 5 position switch instead of 3, with the 2 additional positions used for coil phase reversal.

Features: Gold hardware, two humbucking pickups, setneck, decent finish (green quiilted burst), tun-a-matic bridge and stop tailpiece, one volume, one tone, 3 position LP style switch, passive electronics. Styled after the Hollowbody PRS. Basic features....that's fine and fits the bill for me.

Have been playing for over 35 years. I play in a 9 piece blues band, a 4 piece classic rock band with female vocalist, a trio with female vocalist, a 3 piece power trio, and a six piece, classic rock band. I play a original 60s strat, strat plus, musicman axis, peavey wolfgang special, parker fly deluxe, Kramer Focus 111, numerous home built Warmoth guitars, 92 tele, and now I have added this to my collection.

For amps, due to a bad back, I am now using a Fender Blues Jr which I have also reviewed. EFfects used are: modified TS5, Vintage Rat, MT2, Morley JD-10, Marshall Jackhammer, Boss limiter, Dano echo, Dano chorus, Orion chorus, numerous dano cheapers. I don't usually only use about 3 pedals connected...distortion, chorus, echo.

The guitar sounds best using the bridge pickup. It is a dark sounding guitar as comparred to the instruments mentioned above. I believe that this is due to inexpensive pickups. I have already ordered a Dimarzio FRED and Dimarzio Tone Zone to try out. It could also be poor component wiring...I haven't checked yet.

I have gigged with this guitar. With the 4 piece classic rock band I went direct to the board using my J-Station and it was great!!! I have always felt that weaker pickups are easier to work with that high output pickups....it's the tone that is the problem here.

The action was good right out of the box. Not great because the neck adjustment was too tight. The strings are terrible. I put on some wimpy Ernie Ball .o9 slinkys and the guitar brightened up just a tad. Not enough though.

The pickups we set neutral. I brought up the treble side and dropped the bass end and that also made things better. It still needs better pickups.

The quilted finish is Okay. The sunburst lacquer job is great. Hey it is an inexpensive copy that plays better than any recent American Fender or Gibson guitar. I want to stress that point!!!! Playability not sound.

Everything appears solid. All the joints look well glued/assembled etc. I don't abuse my instrumenst so this guitar will outlast me (I am a gearhead and buy at least 5 guitars per year). Since I have had experience with cheap gold hardware, I would assume that the plating will wear away quickly....although this has not happended yet.

I change all my tuners to Sperzel locking tuners. I have gotten used to them over the years and with all the guitars I have, changing strings is quick. I am not saying that these tuners are faulty, I just don't like them.

N/A

I will now answer these form questions....Been playing for over 35 something years. I own way too many guitars and equipment. I only have 2 non-american guitars and this is one of them! The other is a cheaper Kramer Strat copy that actually is a great little cheezy guitar. If the Raven were stolen, I wouldn't replace it. I wouldn't replace any of my guitars with the same one. There are so many other brands that I haven't used. What I love about it is its light weight and playability. I hate the pickups and they will be changed as I mentioned above. This was purchased because It looked like a PRS. I have played numerous PRS guitars and like they way they feel. Their prices are absurd. No big name guitar is worth the $$ they get for them.

So although this review is luke warm, this guitar works for me. It is worth every penny and is by far better than most of the American guitars that are available.

made in 2001 in sunny korea. 24 fret. quilted maple top , believe me, this is not a photo, ( no photo would look this bad). real wood top, as i said b4, the quilt looks nice , but not like a real quilt top. basswood? body. rosewood fingerboard. 3-way selector. one tone , one volume. 2 gold color humbuckers. passive electronics. green to black sunburst finish. prs copy, but not as carved out meaning the arch is not deep and the arching at the cutaways are almost flat. very nice nitro finish. el cheapo gold tun-o-matic bridge and same brand gold sealed tuners. hollowbody with solid wood tone bar inside. thin neck, med frets. came with the usual cheap cord that i don't know if anybody actually uses. in fact, i would recommend that all cheap guitar companies don't include this item and use the money to but better hardware or electronics. plastic nut. all in all , alot of features . quality not so good

i play all kinds of styles from rock to country, alt. whatever is on the radio whenever i'm playing. running through a processor to marshall half stack. decent sound for a semi solid. hollow body sounds a certain way , and this one is no exeption. not a whole lot variety , but i bought it for the hollow body sound. pickups should be changed if this is to be your only guitar.

i was expecting a wacko set up from factory. but was pleasantly suprised. the strings were even decent. i've read some scary posts about the strings. tuned it up and voila, perfect! action was perfect and finish looked good. missed a spot on the edge of the f-hole. they are supposed to be painted black , but this one has a bare wood spot that i will have to bust out the sharpie to rectify. quilt , like mentioned above is poor for quilt but decent looking. looks almost like a combo of quilt and burl wood. frets perfect. fingerboard rough at the end and of a pretty cheap rosewood. gold hardware already turning silver.

guitar should stand up to most abuse, again this guit is semi solid. definately not what a strat or other solid body will take . but the hardware should be pretty bulletproof if you're not concerned with the finish. strap buttons solid. always use a backup!

haven't dealt w/ company. dealer was friendly , helpful and fast . couldn't be more pleased with dealer. too bad he dosen't have better product, with his service and a decent quality instrument, he would be the ideal music store.

been playing over 10 years. have over 20 guitars from cheap to crazy expensive. wished i could have seen and played it before buying, probably would have bought it anyway. if stolen, would get another but with different finish. finish dosen't look like webiste so i figure its a crapshoot. i love that it is 80% of a prs at 10% of the price. theres nothing i hate about it. the quality is not there. but you do get way more than you pay for. if they can make a guitar for 340 this good , i love to see what 500 with this company buys. i wish they would have a pro quality guitar for more money . i'm working on this one , swapping out hardware and setting up better. i feel much better messing around with this one instead of modifying my prs. price independant rating 7. price depandant rating 11 plus!

I play my RP-450 through a Fender 212 Deville. I play funk/jazz style music. Although the guitar doesn't quite have the right bite when playing funk with a wah-wah pedal (in my opinion), it sounds sooooo smooth when playing jazz leads and comps. Sustain is great, action is great, factory strings suck, but I replaced them with nice round-wound strings. For the price, this *is* a great guitar.

After getting the guitar setup by a guitar tech, it sounded beautiful. Even the tech had alot of nice comments that rang true: truss rod ok, finish very nice, tuners held strings in tune, etc.

Every question that I had was answered. His average return e-mail time is about 2 days.

If it were lost or stolen, I would most definitely replace this guitar with another of its kind.

This guitar is a wonderful, inexpensive PRS style hollowbody with a beautiful finish and high level of craftsmanship. It is the perfect choice for someone on a budget that desires a finer instrument. I've seen it compared to a real PRS, but I would say that it falls somewhat short of that particular pinnacle. The guitar is manufactured in Korea and has high quality Korean gold harware throughout. This does make a difference. Carved basswood body; beautiful quilt top. Two humbuckers, tunamatic and stop-tail. Large inlay on rosewood fretboard, twenty-four frets. Single volume and tone control.

I think this guitar sounds great. Yeah, the pickups aren't that strong, but it has a sweet tone and doesn't get muddy in the low-mids like some high output pickups do.

All was great here also. Fine setup. I only had minor adjustments to my taste. The hardware and all other cosmetic features were perfect. The quilt top is especially pretty. I've had the guitar over a month now and I've yet to find a single flaw.

I've yet to take this axe on the road. But I'm pretty sure I could depend on it. It does appear to be rock solid.

I haven't had to rely upon support yet but having talked to the company before the purchase, I feel sure that if a problem came up they would stand behind their instrument. The warranty is limited lifetime.

I've been playing for over 30 years and have played professionally all my adult life. I own a G&L, a Japanese Strat and Tele, an SG and many others. Is this guitar the best thing I've ever played? No. But it is currently my favorite guitar (displacing my beloved Telecaster) and I plan on getting more. I love this guitar. It is light and plays and sounds great. I'll probably have a bone nut put on at some point, but other than that. the stock guitar is fine.

This is an update to my previous review.

Apparently, Raven only received my first email concerning the color of the RP-450. The second two should have went through, but outages in my @home cable service might have hampered mail toward the end of July.

The company did get back with me and offer an exchange if I wasn't happy with the instrument. I already have the guitar up for sale, but not because it's not a fine instrument (no room for any more guitars).

I thought that my concerns were voiced at Raven, but there's the very likely chance that they never saw my complaints. I'm changing their rating (hopefully someone at Harmony Central can bump the old review up to 10?).

Made in 2001 (well, maybe 200 or 1999, no way to tell), 24 frets, flame maple cap on a basswood body , heardwood maple neck, pair of Humbuckers, Tune-O-Matic bridge, no case. It has a Dark Purple burst transparent finish (I ordered Cobalt Blue, I guess they feel tha you should take what they give you).

The sound (pickups) is very acceptable though not as good as a Carvin C22, M22 or a Duncan '59, JB or Pearly Gates. I can get most of the sounds out of this guitar that I can get out my Hamers and Carvins. Which is pretty astounding considering the price.

Action was a bit off from the factory. No neck adjustments were needed, only lowering of the action. The overall quality of the guitar rivals that of axes in the $700 - $1000 range. Everything is tight, well constructed and of high qality components.

Short of doing a Pete Townshend on this guitar, it should stand the rigors of club or road use. The electronics are quality and even though it's already been bumped around, the guitar has been reliable.

Emailed them about the descrepancy in finish (I ordered Cobalt Blue and the guitar came in dark purple, like the first RM2000 model that I ordered from them), and didn't receive a response. I guess it's too much trouble for them. Maybe I'm wrong about the color, but the website plainly shows a medium blue guitar and this is not even close. I'm thinking that they should update their site with the correct photo soon or risk pissing off customers and getting more bad reviews.

I've been playing for over 30 years and have collected quite a few guitars over that time (a dozen Carvins, 5 Hamers, several Ravens, and even built, from scratch, over 2 dozens guitars of my own). The Ravens aren't quite in the same league as my Carvins and Hamers, but they beat the piss out of some newer "cool" guitars like the low line PRS, Parkers and Deans. If one of them got ripped, I guess it wouldn't bother me too much, they're downright cheap (costwise) and it woud be easy to get another one.

This guitar is awesome for the cost! It is a semi-hollowbody double cutaway guitar with a slight PRS look to it. I has a sweet carved flame top with a basswood body. Two gold humbuckers which sound great through my Line 6. Gold tuners which stay in tune and gold stop tailpiece. Great feel. It has the Les Paul scale and came with a nice low action. Typical three way togle with two speed knobs, one tone, one volume. Overall, this is a great guitar for the money. I own a PRS McCarty and this one is pretty darn close in comparison. Granted, my PRS is a sweet guitar. It's a PRS, I don't need to say any more about it. But I really like the semi-hollow body and the difference in tone that it gives. Again, for the money, it is awesome.

I play mostly rock and alternative, and it suits my needs very well. I am in a alternative band and it sounds great. It sounds very close to my PRS. However, I use Line 6 gear, which can make just about any guitar sound decent, if not great. Some reviews say the pickups are low in output, however, they are about the same as my McCarty pickups. They give a nice warm sound, both clean and distorted. Though similar to my PRS, the hollowbody gives it a warmer and sometimes not as clean sound. Again, for the money, it's great.

The guitar came set up pretty good from the factory. The action is nice and low. Every now and then it will buzz ever so slighty. The strings that came with it are pretty junky. I will switch them out for some Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinkies, which also will cause the action to need to be adjusted slighty. Every thing seems fine on this guitar. It is Korean made so there might be some cheap parts. The 1/4 inch jack looks pretty cheap. Other than that, the guitar is good. Awesome finish

I haven't had it too long. It seems sturdy. No problems. Not yet. All the hardware seems good with the exception of the 1/4 inch jack which looks pretty cheap. It works fine so far. This guitar seems like it will last. As far as using it without a back up, no. I don't like using any guitar without a backup. I don't even play my PRS without a backup...and PRS guitars are incredible guitars. So no, I wouldn't use this, or any guitar, without a back up.

It comes with a lifetime limited warrenty. I haven't had it too long so I haven't had any problems. I bought it from Eric at Ravenwestguitar.com and he was great. He always responded quickly to my emails about the guitars.

I have been playing guitar for about 6 or 7 years. I have gone through a lot of different gear. I have owned a Gibson Les Paul, a Fender Fat Strat, and currently own a PRS McCarty and of course, a Raven RP-450. I recently switched to playing direct though a line 6 POD. I love Line 6 gear because you can do so much with it and it can make almost any guitar sound great. I am very happy with this guitar. I love the finish, feel and the sound. The only thing I would change is the gold hardware to chrome, but that is just my personal preference. Unfortunately, I couldn't compare this guitar to anything else because the only way I could get one is off the internet. I basically bought it off of its great finish and revievs like this. To buy a PRS semi-hollow body you will spend between 2 and 3 grand. I don't have that kind of money laying around. So for between 350 and 400 dollars you can get one that looks a lot like a PRS, sounds a lot like a PRS, but for a price that is affordable. I am very impressed with my guitar and I would definitly buy another one if this one was stolen.

Bought new, hard to date maybe 2001 or 2000.Its a korean copy of a PRS hollowbody.
(If I can say PRS )Basswood body with a very nice flame maple top.1 volume and one tone control with a three way switch. Two humbuckers, tune - omatic bridge, maple set neck. Looks exactly a PRS hollowbody with almost like they call them a 10 top. Really nice green flame top kind of a green black burst.

GReat sound i also own a raven RM2000( see my other review in the raven forum )Just like my other one the pickups are weak. I found a harmonic enhancer in my equiptment mess and this helps alot.Although weak these pickups do sound good. The neck pickup is dark and fluid i like it, The bridge pickup has a nice tone in a clean mode but with more output could be killer. I should really stop complaining about these pickups for how inexpensive this guitar was. Basickly it gets all the humbucker tones with a more openness after all it is a hollowbody.

Set up and action was good I just tweeked it to my taste. As for the finish the top is a beautiful green flame its just as nice as a real PRS but a lot more inexpensive.Stays in tune really well, the tuners are great.

Its a lot lighter than i would have thought by seeing it which is nice by the time i finish playing with my Les Paul. Very nicely made i dont think you can lose for the price.Pretty good sustain for something this lite.

Talked on the phone with someone when i ordered it. Person was really nice and knowledgable returned my calls and helped my with all my questions.

This is my second raven guitar I really like them both ( rp-450 and rm2000 ) both have beautiful finishes are well made and sound pretty good especially for the price. Still my only complaint is the pickups although they sound good a pretty good tone they are underpowered but for the price I can change them and still have an excellent guitar for a very reasonable price. I have been playing for around 30 years and have owned an amazing ammount and variety of guitars theirs are really nice even if they were twice the price. Sometimes at home i cant deciede weather to play my Ravens or my 2 Les Pauls, my gothic exolorer or my strat or parker fly or others a total of around 16 guitars no wonder the wife is pissed off. I play through a Fender hotrod deluxe, or a marshall micro stack sometimes using my pod as a frond end. Raven has some new models i may need to check out.

PRS Hollowbody II copy, made in Korea in 2000. 24 frets, 24.75 string scale(gibson),carved bookmatched maple top, basswood sides and back, maple neck, white purfing around top.
Small "fretless wonder" frets, tune-o-matic/stop tail piece configuration, 2 gold "PAF" style pick-ups with adjustable pole pieces, schaller copy tuners, one tone, one volume, gibson style pick-up selector. All hardware is gold.
Came with a beautiful green stain on top that fades to black at edges. Sides, back, and neck finished in nitrocellular black.

Sounds really good. I love the Hollowbody, no envelope tones that is gets. I play a lot of different shit, and I really wanted to be able to get that Nugent Birdland/ Anastasio Languadoc tone..I do.
The pickups were pretty nice for a Korean guitar, while only two conductor, they were wax potted and and the covers were soldered at the base for microphonic suppresion.
I did change the pick-ups to schaller golden 50's (personal preference, low output Humbuckers) and I think I will need to change the capacitor on the tone control(sounds like a .01uF on there). I also changed the strings (shitty strings on it, but that is the least of my worries(changed to DR tite-fit 10-46). Other than that it was great. I love the tone and the sustain, a small wooden block under the tailpiece makes it a Hollow semi Hollow body, but also aids in feedback prevention and sustain.

The Raven was set up very, very well from the factory. Action was low, tight, and clean with no buzz. Pick-ups were adjusted a little mis-proportionately, but who the fuck cares about that, I have a screwdriver. Fretwork was beautiful-good level nice 35 degree crowns on the edges and no snags. Neck is straight and truss rod was perfect, as was the nut(will be changing to a brass nut soon)
Finish is beautiful. Not as nice as a PRS 10 top, but nicer than I usually see on a $3000 gibson. Binding was right on and clean. When I changed the pick-ups I got a good look inside and they did a hell of a job, even cleaning up the pick-up cavities with sandpaper and paint. I may change the pots and pick-up selector just because good ones are cheap and that is an easy place for guitar companies to skimp on cost. Plays like a dream otherwise.

This guitar is tough, and light to boot. The tuners look beefy and are close toleranced. Big, fat strap buttons that are nicer than any regular, non-straplock type I have ever seen. The finish is thick and looks as if it will stand the test of time. The only real durablilty/quality issue I found was with the loose thread tolerance on the thumbwheel/stub portion of the tune-o-matic bridge. There was a bit of play, but with strings installed and tensioned, this made no real difference.

Haven't really had that much to do with them, but they are quick to respond, helpful, and courteous. Comes with a lifetime warrenty so I feel safe with the workmanship. I already changed the pick-ups and shit though, so I bet I voided that warrenty out anyway.

For the money, this guitar is a steal. If you are in to the Small, rock and roll hollowbody thing, and you don't want to throw away 4 g's, you would be an idiot not to condsider the RP-450. I love everything about it, except that is doesn't have an ebody trapieze tailpiece(being anal).
I have been playing guitar for 6 years(hey, I'm only 23) I have owned a PRS, a Strat, and still own a Doug Irwin that I love to for a solidbody. I play this thing through two tubescreamers, a modded dynacomp, a crybaby, a q-tron, and into a Mesa Mk II. I have plugged her up direct into many amps, even shitty little crate practice amps and it sounds great. When you play it unplugged you can hear the great even response of the guitar acoustically too. I have played violin since I was 5 and I have always apreciated fine hollowbodies, this guitar did not disapoint me.
If it were stolen, I would try to find it before I got another, but if I couldn't find it, I would get another. The only thing I don't like about it is that everyone that sees it wants to get one and I love being the guy with something cool no one else has(hey, it's the american way, o.k.?)

This is a year 2000 model. It is an amazingly high-quality version of the PRS Hollowbody model:
SET NECK , CARVED FLAME MAPLE TOP, HOLLOW BASSWOOD BODY,
ROSEWOOD 24 FRET BOARD WITH MEDIUM FAT FRETS AND PEARL DOT MARKERS, 24.75" SCALE, STOP TAILPIECE,
TUNOMATIC BRIDGE, HIGH-QUALITY DYECAST MINI TUNERS, COVERED HUMBUCKERS (ALL GOLD-PLATED), CREAM BINDING ON THE TOP BODY EDGE AND P/U FRAMES, 1 VOLUME, 1 TONE, AND TOGGLE,
AND A GORGEOUS TRANSPARENT BLUE SUNBURST FINISH. MADE IN KOREA.

I've been a guitarist since 1971, mostly in blues, rock and jazz. I was looking for a light weight, humbucker equipped, small-bodied guitar for blues/rock. The Raven has a bright, thick sound-brighter than a Les Paul/335. Very even, strong volume between the 2 p/u s and good tonal variety with the smooth tone control. The sustain is excellent and, with the hollow body, it has reasonable volume for playing unplugged. I use a Musicman 50 watt head through a closed 2x10"+2x8" cabinent and a Line6 Spider w/1x12". Although the sound is excellent as is, I'm going for more tonal variety and I'll be fitting it with tapped humbuckers and 2 pull-pots, then I can sell my Strat and use just this.

I'm a luthier and collector of vintage guitars. I've owned; '54, '58, '60 & '72 Les Pauls; various ES's; Epiphones; top-of-the-line Hofners; Ibanezs; over 70 guitars to date - this guitar's quality of workmanship, fit and finish is superb! Much better than any Gibson or Fender that I've ever seen. Perfect set-up and fretwork, I use light top (.11) heavy bottom (.54) strings and it plays beautifully anywhere on the board.The flame-top is gorgeous, the color and finish is gorgeous, there isn't a single flaw anywhere - it's amazing that a guitar in this price range ($300-350) rivals any other maker regardless of price!

I've had it for 2 weeks, given the overall superior quality I expect it to be reliable in all ways. I would use it in studio and live. It is much lighter in weight than a Strat, Les or 335 wich is a feature that I love for live gigs.

Comes with a lifetime workmanship warranty. I bought it off of ebay and the dealer was super.

Run, don't walk to check these out. If your considering a real PRS, and aren't a slave to logos, you will save how many thousands of dollars?!