Raven RX-300

Nice Korean made Guitar. I'll skip all the hardware details (mine's the same as every other one reviewed here). I have the red-burst finish (REALLY LOOKS GREAT!!). I'm giving it a 9 here because there's one feature that it doesn't have that I would like, otherwise it would be a 10. A couple of micro switches for selecting pickup phase would have been really nice, but I guess that for as little as this guitar costs, I really can't complain.

This guitar sounds good. I can get quite a wide range of sound out of it and am pretty satisfied with the factory electronics. I was pleasantly suprised that the tone control actually works (haven't we all picked up some el cheapo guitar and found that the tone knob is there for looks only?). I am planning to put some emg pickups in it eventually, and then I think this will be my #1 guitar.

Action on this guitar is GREAT. I have owned guitars that cost 3 times as much as this one and didn't play half as well. From the factory, the intonation was off a little, but not a big deal. All my guitars go to my luthier after I get them. The action was set great from the factory. I changed from the factory strings to a set of DR tite-fit .010 and had to add a spring to the Floyd Rose. I expected to have to do that though, the DR's are a heavier set of strings than came on it.

All in all, this is a truly amazing guitar. If I would have spent $700 on it, I would feel that I got my money's worth.

Seems to be as well made as one could expect. It's a little lighter than an american strat, so it doesn't give you a feeling that you could bash things about with it and emerge unscathed. However, I must say that I'm not in the habbit of bashing things about with my axe and that under normal use (home and gigging) this guitar will hold up just fine.

Never had to deal with Raven.

I've been playing for 17 years and own 4 other guitars at the moment. If this guitar were stolen, I'd have some very mixed emotions. I didn't pay a whole lot for it, so to that extent I'd be relieved. However, of the one's that I own, I like this one the best, so I'd be pretty upset.

I know most people have never heard of the Raven brand. I hadn't either. I read the reviews here on harmony-central and felt fairly comfortable buying one on-line. I'm glad I did. Are there better guitars out there? Sure, but you're going to spend a whole lot more to get one. I feel (IMHO) that Ravens are selling at half or below what they could sell for, considering their quality.

Korean made, 24-fret sharkfin inlay rosewood, maple neck.
5-way + volume and tone, HSS pickup configuration. Pickups are high-quality 'generic' (I haven't even bothered to change them although I have some great ones on the shelf). Body is solid Mahogany or similar, very nicely sculpted. Transparent burst red finish, quite beautiful.
Body style is a slim sculpted Ibanez-Jackson type with the lower point flared down instead of up, a bit unique but not extreme or flaky-looking. Floyd Rose licensed bridge, fine tuners on bridge, locking nut and qood quality, sealed tuners. Very thin and VERY fast neck. The most precise action I've ever had on any guitar -- and this is one of over 20 guitars I currently own.

I probably play more blues and old rock than anything else, but I've been known to hook up an acoustic simulator and fingerpick on this thing rather than dragging out an acoustic guitar. Primarily I play through a Gibson GA5 for its sweet tube tone. This guitar is so versatile with its 5-way and HSS that it's possible to make fat growls or a bell-like full trebly sound at the other end. Very nice Hendrix emulation right out of the box.

There is nothing I dislike about this guitar. I blocked the Rose tremolo to improve pitch, which increased resonance substantially -- similar to an LP in that respect. Also the neck is a mite thin for those with large hands, it's at the far end of that continuum, but the action is so superb that it suits the guitar perfectly.

Setup was excellent out of the box. Apart from blocking the standard Rose trem, I haven't had to do a thing -- even intonation was correct. Action was excellent as shipped and I've never changed a thing and won't. Wood grain is not flashy, not quilted or flamed (though other models are) which suits the finish -- just good quality hardwood. No flaws noted (and I've had it well over a year), joints on neck are perfect.

I bought this guitar so I'd have one I could take out of the house without being a basket case. I've dragged it to every musical event I've attended in probably 18 months. It's never been babied, has only seen the inside of a case a few times, but it doesn't show a scratch in normal handling. Finish is hard enough to withstand minor contact without scuffing or denting. Wear even now is barely noticeable.

The distributor offered a satisfaction guarantee but I didn't need it. I've bought other things from him and he responds immediately to email and telephone. Even tossed a new guitar cable in the box once just to see how I liked the quality (I did).

I got a terrific price on this guitar when they were being introduced.

I've played for 37 years, have over 20 other guitars, some of which have been with me since the early 70's and several of which are worth 10 times what I paid for this one. Typically I've preferred a 335-type blues guitar like my current '78?? Epiphone Sheraton II, and it pains me somewhat to let them sit, but my hands seek this guitar involuntarily, so be it. My other equipment includes a Roland GR-30 guitar synth, Digitech RP-7, every smash box known to mankind, a pair of Roland Keyboard cubes for synth use, a pair of Gibson GA-5's, a 1970 100 watt Fender-clone AIMS PA head, Acoustic 2 X 12 box and a half dozen other speaker boxes and amps, various mixers, recording stuff, compressors and the like.
If this guitar were lost I would badger the distributor until I had another. This was my second guitar from him distributor so I expected decent quality, but in reality I simply blundered into the most enjoyable guitar I've ever played. And I did it while looking for a guitar I wasn't afraid to kick around.

I believe this is a 2000 model made in Korea. It has 24 frets, one volume and one tone knob. It has a 5-way switch with one humbucker and two single coils. The pickups that came with it are stock and I do not know who makes them. The body is Mahogany and the neck is maple. The finish is a see thru black stain. The body style is a sculped strat style with the lower horn curved outward. It came with a Floyd Rose liscened tremelo(non-locking). The tuners have no name but appear to be a mini schaller stlye. It has a locking nut. The neck is a medium thin, not as thin as an Ibanez or Jackson, more lkie an ESP LTD. It is 25 1/2 scale with medium jumbo size frets.

This guitar suits my style very well, I play stuff from Sepultura to AC DC to blues. I have used this guitar through a Marshall 6100, JCM 900,1987X plexi reissue and a Line 6 POD. It sounded nice with each amp but probably the best through the JCM 900. The original stock pickups were not too bad but I slapped in a Dimarzio tone zone in the bridge and a Dimarzio fast track in the neck and it definitely improved the sound. The stock pickups were not noisy or feedback prone they just lacked a little life which the Dimarzios improved on. The biggest difference being the neck pickup. The guitar would fit well in a rock, heavy metal, thrash environment well. As for likes and dislikes, I like the guitar in a heavy metal/thrash playing style but for soulful blues licks I would not choose this guitar.

The guitar came shipped set up very well, I didn't have to change a thing. The action was somwhat low to my liking but plays rather nice. I will probably raise the action since I personally prefer a bit of higher action than the average joe. The finish is very nice.I haven't noticed any flaws in the guitar, it is beauitul. The only thing I think the manufacturer should have done was to have the tremolo cavity painted. Most guitars with a recessed tremolo cavity would either paint it the same color as the body or at least paint it black instead of leaving it un painted. But, hey it was dirt cheap and it's not that noticable!

The guitar seems like it would be pretty reliable. I wouldn't use it without a backup since I bought it as a backup anyhow. I really haven't used the guitar long enough to give this catagory a fair rating.

Never dealt with the company. The guitar comes with a one year warranty.

I've been playing for 13 years. I own an Ibanez RG 570 and a Jackson professional dinky reverse and three Marshall stacks. I have owned Mesa Boogies, peaveys, crates, Fender strat guitars and other junk in the past. This RX300 is NOT comparable to my Ibanez RG 570. I have yet to find a guitar that can surpass my RG. I have played everything from USA strats to Gibson Les Paul customs and still prefer my trusty roadworthy toneful beast RG 570 over all of them. Don't let this scare you away from the RX300, it really is a nice sounding guitar for the price. It was described on the Ebay auction as an Ibanez/Jackson copy. I would say it is more like a Jackson copy than an Ibanez and very similar in sound and feel to an ESP LTD or B.C. Rich. If it were stolen I wouldn't be that upset since I didn't pay much for it. I do really love the look of the guitar, it defiitely looks like it would cost 3 times as much. The only thing I really hate about it is the tremelo. It has a non-locking Floyd Rose copy and I prefer a double locking system with a Floyd pro style trem. But hey! this guitar is cheap, if you don't have a lot of money to spend and are looking for a decent backup or main guitar for Heavy metal/thrash music check one of these out. You could definitely spend more on other guitars that are much more inferior. And with the money you save buying one of these RX300's you could up grade the pickups and tremelo and have one awesome sounding axe.

These guitars are marketed as Jackson/Ibanez copies, and thus you can expect the same features as those type of guitars. The RX-300 series comes equiped as a top of the line axe, with an intermediate price tag. First of, the body, a very unique style, something like your average Ibanez/Jackson but the lower point curves outward. The top is slightly contoured around the outside edge, giving the whole shape a very nice, sleek look. That fine form is topped off with a translucent (various colors available) finish which shows of the simply gorgeous flammed maple (I think) top. The guitar itself is mohogany, very nice weight and feel. The neck is 24 frets, very fast, nice string action and an adjustable trussrod at the headstock. Not sure of the brand of the tuners, but they are very smooth and hold tuning well which is pretty much irrelevant for the most part because this sucker comes with a licensed Floyd Rose double-locking tremolo system. Not one set up on top of the guitar as I have seen in some cheaper guitars, but recessed into the body to allowing for lower string action. The neck itself is bolt on, but with a curved heel joint which makes hitting those high frets much less of a strain than the standard squared-off heel. Now, you may ask at this point, with all this going into mostly cosmetic features, this thing has got to sound like a cardboard box strung with fishing line. Definitly not the case. The RX-300 features a S/S/H configuration with a single volume and tone knob and a 5-way selector. This guitar will pump out anything from cutting thrash distortion to warm, mellow blues tones, it can do it all. It came with a cord and the wrenches for the Floyd Rose, cases may be avaiable, I'm not sure.

Rating - 9, not because it necessarily has ALOT of features, but it has alot of the 'little things' that are found on guitars with double the price tag, a very nice package for the money.

As far as playing goes, I dabble in everything from grind metal to blues licks, and this guitar has yet to disappoint me in delivering the right tone for the right style. The single humbucker is hotter than a branding iron yet quite devoid of annoying feedback and hum when not playing. The singles, of course, put out a little hum, but deliver a bright, warm sound for all those tear-jerking ballads, heh. In this category I have no complaits at all, the RX-300 gives me all the sonic variables I need, and does so exceedingly well.

Rating -10, I highly doubt you can find a guitar with the sound quallity of the RX-300 in this price range, or somewhat greater.

Pulled it out of the box, peeled off the plastic seals, plugged it in, perfect. The thing was even still in tune after being shipped cross country! LOL The quallity of construction on this guitar is quite oustanding indeed, if there's something not right with it, I sure can't find it. Only problem I've found is that the factory strings started to get icky pretty quick, but I'm certainly not gona gripe about THAT.

Rating - 10, It's a beautiful piece of equipment, period.

Haven't had it long enough to tell really, but it's withstood a few nice dinks while being tossed around my over-stuffed room. It seems like a durn solid piece of work, but I suppose time will tell.

Rating - 10, Short term trial only, I'll get back to you in a few years, heheh.

Mine came with a 1 year warranty, but I haven't had to use it yet.

It caught my eye then stole my heart, heh. This is a beautiful guitar, plain and simple. I had originally intended it as somewhat of a backup for my Epiphone SG, but after getting it, the SG has seen little use, nuff said on that, heh. Bottom line, if you want an axe that not only looks like a million bucks, but plays like it... but don't have a million bucks to spend, go pickup one of these babies. Good ole eBay usually has a steady flow of them, or you can check out the Raven homepage, www.ravenguitar.com

10 - Very pleased... and actually quite impressed, which is a rare thing. For what I payed for it, it's highway robbery, for the list price, it's a damned fine deal, and for the price of like-featured guitars... well, it'd still be a deal, hehehe.