Samick 2023 Ultramatic

2002 made in Korea. I got the Orange Sunburst. High Tech Quilt arch top, bound alder body, set neck, rosewood Fgbd, 2 dual humbuckers, Wilkinson Vibrato, Grover tuners, 1 vol., 1 tone, 3 way toggle switch. No case or gig bag. I think that's where Samick saved a few bucks but might lose some buyers. Even a simple, padded gig bag might change some bargain-hunters's minds.

I play classic rock, but this is my metal guitar. When we break into "Breakin' the Law", "Godzilla", or "Bad Case of Lovin' You", she sings through the distortion. I'm using a Tech21NYC Comptortion pedal and the "more overdrive" channel on my Crate Gx212, 2x12. Great combination of guitar and amp. I'm not crazy about the clean tones. The pickups are set up for a bright setting, so I have to dial back to about 5 on the vol pot to get a mellow, clean sound. But for heavy rock, this guitar is set up just right. I could back the pickups down, but why? I wanted this sound of this guitar.

As I stated, the pickups were set close, and the attack tends to be a little too powerful for really clean settings. Still, the action is nice, and the store took care of my string buzz without raising my action; so I'm pleased. The guitar looks like a PRS, so it gets a little instant respect when first appearing on the stage. The orange sunburst quilted top is perfectly matched, and it definitely allows the guitar to resonate for weeks. There were no flaws with my model, so I was duely impressed and amazed.

I've only been gigging it a while, but it seems durable. The hardware seems durable, and the Grover tuners won't give me any trouble. There are 2 strap buttons on the bottom, so a short guy like me can connect to the lower one and bring the guitar up. I only use it for heavier sounds, so it is already a backup guitar. Very dependable.

I have had no dealing with Samick, but the guitar shop that I bought it in has a lifetime warranty on the guitar AND full-value trade-in if I trade up, so I have no complaints. They are good folks.

I've been playing since 1972. I also have a made in America Strat, a Godin Solidac, and a Takamine acoustic. This is a great budget guitar for limited uses, so I would replace it if lost or stolen with the same model. That said, it's the value, durability, sound, and beauty of this guitar for under $500 that gives it a solid 10.

2002 Samick UM4 W/Wilkinson and grovers, Duncan designed p/ups. Orange sunburst, body - Alder, quilted maple top, rosewood fretboard. $487 USD - tax incl.

This guitar suits my musical style to a tee. I play a blues based rock and jazz, with some heavy rock as well. I use my solid state combo 130w Fender Ult CHorus, or my 100w tube Fender Dual Showman head with a 4X12 cab. Effects - pedals are an MXR comp, old orange Boss dist, Ross Flanger, and a crybaby. Now I just got a Boss VF-1 Effects processor - works great with everything. No problems, but I've only had it a week. The distortion patches on the VF-1 suck for the most part though. but the Guitar's sound is perfect with no effects, so I think I just will play it straight through the tube half stack with the compressor, which makes for even longer sustain than it already has. There is however, a slight buzzing that I can't identify - not fret buzz... somewhere near the p/ups., but not at all audible at higher volumes. Toggle seems fine once you do a little fidgeting on volume knob. Good variety of sounds with my set up - effects on, and surprisingly off - changes in tone, etc.

My store set it up for me, and they tell me the intonation was off, but I received it perfect from them. Pickups adjusted, perhaps a kink in one that causes a slight buzz, but finish and alignment seem flawless - almost as good as a PRS! For less than a 1/4 of the price!

My other samick has always held up, and I expect the same from this one for live shows. I don't use a back up electric guitar. I decided on this one because of the looks and value, and mostly for having an guitar with alternate tuning for quick switches between songs on stage. Finish seems good enough to last, as well as the hardware - all of my other stuff on my 1992 samick 7 piece neck thru body (Model GL650 - which if anybody else has one, please let me know...)has held up perfectly, and while this is a different structure, I'm expecting the same durability and quality over a ten year period.

I've actually contacted the company to learn a little more about my older GL650 guitar, and while they were wrong about the fretboard initially, (rosewood instead of ebony fretboard) they responded quickly and eventually got everything right. No incidents yet with the UM4. Have not had anything to be repaired, I'll most likely replace the duncan design which are samick OEM, with true Duncan pickups, and fix the input jack before it gives me a problem. My GL650 had problems with the input jack, but only after five years of banging on it, and gigging with it. I did the soldering my self and replaced it but now at ten years old, the pots are going - but that's ten years!!! Egads! That's enough of a proven track record for me... pots get dust etc., so it's to be expected.

I've played for 15 years, and hands down these samicks are beautiful. To this day, they are better in my opinion to the 92 Gibson les paul standard that was stolen from me. Before buying, I compared it to shecter, fender, and gibson, and of course PRS, all of which were nice, but for the price, the difference is negligible. I also thought about a Dillion (you've got to see these too...) but they are not carried close to me. Next guitar - maybe those, great value as well. I love everything about this UM$ and my older Samick. I won't sell or give these up ever.

2002 ultramatic, same features as the other ones listed.

I have been playing for 10 years now, and this is by far the best all-around guitar I have ever owned. Especially for the price. It is very bright when you want it to be and very bluesy as well. Great deal for the money.

Looks great, not a PRS finish around the binding. But it is also only a fraction of the price. Action was perfect, I bought it from Ed Roman guitars in Vegas and I highly recomend them if you are looking for a samick or anything else for that matter.

Can't say quite yet, but don't forsee any problems.

Haven't dealt with them yet, don't think I will have to either.

Doesn't get a 10, only because nothing is perfect. I absolutely love this guitar and am thrilled to have it. I play a lot of TOOL-like music and it fits that dirty/bluesy need. All in all, a great buy.

Arch Top, Sunburst, stop tail piece style bridge....... everything else is the same as ever other model (i think!)

I knew from the get go i was gonna put in genuine duncans, but i acctually waited almost 8 months cause the pickups on there sounded great in their own right, the quack on the bridge and the uneven bass to trebble response (yes i tweaked the bridge and stock pickups and my amp settings) finally led me to switch to a 59/JB setup. The sound that comes stock isnt exactly professional grade, but a few minor changes to pick ups, wiring and sound jack make this thing play with the best of em.

Everything is fully adjustable yourself from the pick ups, to the bridge, to the neck. Easy adjustments to fit any personal taste.

Samick did a great job to give this baby a professional look. If you didnt know any better, you could confuse this for a $2000 and up machine.

Check back in a few months after ive had it a year.

Quick responsed in rgards to any questions, but no major dealing yet.

This baby was all about the look and price for me. Wanted a PRS badly but didnt wanna dish $3000. This baby is very high quality and looks beautiful. Who cares if the top is just a sticker, my guitar looks just as good as yours for THOUSANDS less. A few changes in the pickups, wiring and input jack(less than $200) and this is 100% professional grade for sound and look.

Looks just just like a PRS. Has 22 frets, nice blue quilted top, duncan design humbuckers, one volume knob, one tone knob, 3 way selector, wilkinson bridge, and grover tuners. Basically all the features I could every really want or need. I love the PRS style, which is what caught my eye at the music store. Nice features at a nice price.

Don't let the price fool you into thinking this sounds horrible. The sound of this is up there with an actual PRS. I play rock, funk, blues, and punk with this. It's perfect for all of those. I have no need to switch the pickups. There is low noise with them. I use this before a pedalboard of 10 effects, then into either a peavey envoy 110 or a fender stage 100 head with a 4x12 cab. It stays in tune for a good portion of the time, although I'm not sure about that when using the wammy. I haven't tried it yet. There is one small thing that bugs me about the sound. When I palm mute some notes, then mute the guitar by holding the strings, there is a weird resonating noise. I know it's coming from the bridge, because it makes that noise when I tap on it. My other guitars don't have this type of bridge, so I haven't encountered this before. It's not too noticable when playing live, but I'm sure it will be when my band records. Other than that, the sound is great.

The action was already set up to my liking from the first time I picked up the guitar at the store. There is minimal fret buzz. There is one screw in one of the string saddles that keeps unscrewing itself. No problem though. One thing that IS a problem, is that the jack keeps shorting out. It was fine the first week I bought this guitar, but then it would short out at the slightest movement of the guitar. I've heard of other people having jack problems too. Right now it's in the shop, getting a new jack, so it's all good. Otherwise, the finish is great, along with everything else. Too bad the jack had to be that way.

I just bought this a few weeks ago, so I haven't gigged with it yet. I have a gig coming up, so hopefully it will hold up, which I'm positive it will. It seems really sturdy. The hardware is good, and will withstand long term playing, I hope. I'm still waiting for Samick to send out hardshell cases that actually fit the guitar. Who knows when that could be.

I haven't dealt with them. The people at the music store I bought this from are very friendly. They now carry a whole line of Samick products, ranging from hollowbodies to acoustics to sg copies. Hopefully other stores will follow, because Samick makes great guitars (some might disagree) at a cheap price. Rock on.

This guitar sounds just as good as the top of the line ones, but for a fraction of the price. You can't beat that. I love everything about it. Now with a new jack, it will be even better. I actually bought this on impulse. I saw it hanging, tried it out for 5 minutes, then bought it. And boy am I glad I did. I use it as my main guitar. It belongs there. Definitely worth the money.

Ultramatic UM-4 / PRS look-a-like. (People look really hard at the headstock because they can't tell the difference!) Gorgeous blue flametop, Grover tuners, Wilkinson trem, Duncan designed pick-ups. One tone, one volume, 3-way switch. Set maple neck with a 22-fret rosewood fingerboard. Designed/engineered by Greg Bennett.

The tone on this guitar is incredibly sweet for such a reasonbly priced instrument. From creamy and dreamy Jazz, to fat and punchy Rock, to biting and growling Blues... this axe has got it covered. I can't imagine how they got a $400 guitar to sound like a vintage Les Paul/Jazzmaster combo, but somehow they did! Make sure to bring an ice-pack with you when you go check this guitar out... your jaw is going to need it when after it hits the floor.

Here's where I have to take away one point from a perfect score. The neck was slightly (...and I mean BARELY) dipping on one side at around the 12th fret. No problem, possibly just humidity changes and such during transport. I popped the truss-rod cover and had it dead-on in less than a minute. Also, I had to make some very minor bridge adjustments. Now, keep in mind that I'm a perfectionist when it comes to the way my guitars are set-up, and that a guitar is one of the most non-perfect instruments made by ANYONE, including Paul Reed Smith! I had it set up "near-perfect" in less than 5 minutes. (Like I said, NO guitar is "perfect") Cosmetically, the UM-4's photo-flametop is slightly less pretty than an authentic PRS and the binding is about 90% as good as the real deal. The binding-width varied a bit in the curved-pockets where the neck meets the body. Again, I'm being nit-picky because I'm comparing the UM-4 with an authentic PRS.
Overall, I'd say it's close to 95% there in appearance. That's absolutely AMAZING, considering I paid about one-fourth the price of the real thing. The ONLY modification I'm going to make is to pull off the clear/gold plastic knobs and put on chrome ones. It'll be a nice "finishing-touch" to a very sweet-looking guitar.

I've gigged 7 times with my UM-4 and so far it's solid and totally reliable. Even with the Wilkison trem, you couldn't knock it out of tune if you threw it off a cliff! The neck is sturdy and the hardware seems to be just fine. (Hey, I'm not a metallurgist, so I can't comment on how strong the metal is, Mm'kay?) My G&L F100 (my main axe) was in the shop for the last 2 gigs, so I had no back-up guitar... just my Samick. I had no qualms about not having a back-up, though. Forget what others say about Samick guitars being "cheap".
The UM-4 is definitely a rock-solid workhorse.

I called Samick BEFORE I bought my UM-4 with a couple of technical questions. The inspector/supervisor I spoke with was knowledgeable and helpful. It made me feel more comfortable when I plunked down my deposit money.

I've been playing guitar for 27 years and own a total of 7 guitars right now. I've gone though about 20 guitars since I've started playing. The UM-4 is, by far, the BEST bang-for-your-buck guitar I've owned.
I have two amps... a Marshall AVT50 and a Peavey 212 Special. The UM-4 sounds killer through both. The one thing I think Samick can do better is to make the Ultramatic line more accessible at music stores. Every store I called didn't stock them, it was "order-only".
That's too bad because these guitars would be flattening the competition if people could see them and play them in the store.
The UM-4 is close to 95% as good an authentic PRS.
Just play it.
Then you'll want to slap the next guy that knocks Samick guitars for being "cheap and crappy".

Everyone else has gone into some nice detail about the complete setup of the guitar, so I won't say too much more, other than this is an excellent guitar. It does look like a PRS, which is one reason why I bought it, I love that style. It doesn't have s bunch of bells and whistles, but it has what you need, and in my opinion that is good enough for me.

I play in a hippy jamband, and this guitar has suited me just fine. I don't even have a backup right now because my Fender needs some work. I currently am using a Fender DeVille 2x12, and it sounds absolutely wonderful. Sometimes it takes a bit to get the right sound, but once you find the tone you're looking for, the sky's the limit.

I haven't noticed anything too out of the ordinary on the finish, other than it looks great. The action was great when I bought it, not as good as say a $2500 PRS right off the shelf, but still pretty damn good.

I've played atleast ten shows with just this guitar. I've never had to tune in between songs! It seems to always stay in tune, and I bend the hell out the strings sometimes. I've been playing on it for atleast a year now, and I haven't noticed anything going wrong with it. The only complaint I have is that one of the strap buttons seems to loosen itself, so I constantly have to watch out for that until I have it fixed. I'd hate for the guitar to come off the strap and bang on the floor in the middle of a gig.

I've never had to talk to them.

I've been playing guitar for about 7 years now, and have loved every minute I've spent with my Samick. If the guitar were stolen, I think I'd hunt down the person responsible for it and give him a good cock-punching that he'll never forget. And if I couldn't find him I'd definitely spend the money on a new one.

I didn't really compare it to other guitars, I wasn't even really in the market. I basically received some student loan money, and was at the guitar store and fell in love with it.

Beautiful PRS styled guitar. Made in Korea at Samick but don't be fooled because this guitar is a real gem. 22 frets. The best thing about this guitar is that being made of Alder it is so very light.

Suits my sound perfectly.
Iam running this through JMP-1 pre amp into a behringer compressor into an alesis power amp to a marshall 4 x 10 cab. Using a lexicon MPX100 effects processor.
Afairly simple setup and this guitar shines.Beats the hell out of my 76 strat!!

I had the guys at my store set it up for me but it was all good.
Everything hardware wise was really nice no adjustments yet.

Haven't played it live yet but will soon see!

I have had a lot of guitars in my 7 years of playing and this one just flat out wins.
Seriously if you can get your hands on one of these guitars then give it a try beacause for the price if you're like me and can't afford a PRS then this will be as close as you can get.

MAde in Korea in 1999, this guitar is one of the best I've evr played, if not the best.
This 22 fret beast includes volume and tone knobs, 3-way selector, 2 D-Designed Humbuckers, Alder body, Rosewood Fingerboard, quilted-top, Wilkinson Trem, Grover Tuners, and PRS Style body shaping - totally emaculate looking piece of machinary.

I play metal - all sorts - hard rock, to blues and ballasy soft stuff - hey come on, you know it's fun!- and this guitar is perfect for all.
I run it through a Behringer V-Amp into a Marshall VS100.
On bridge Pick-up it's bright and full of body, on neck very smooth jazz tones and very warm.
The guitar is generally very quiet, except for the input jack, which decides to crackle every now and then in a very annoying way.
I play in bridge most of the time, and the duncan-designed humbucker didn't quite cut-it for me, the harmonics weren't as agressive as they could be, and the sutained lacked a bit.
However, after putting a Dimarzio Evolution into it, it sounds unreal - massive sustain and better harmonics.
All in all, great sounding! - except for the damn input jack

I won't start about the input jack, but it's not that bad.

Excellent finish!
Beautiful to hold, very confortable, not too heavy not too light - especially with it having two strap pegs on the under side.
Action is great, but could be a pit lower over the pick-ups.
Quilted finish is amazing.

Reliable so far - had it for 8 months

haven't needed it so far

I've been playing for 10 years, and have had several guitars in the past.
I dleayed getting a new axe until I saw this in the window - it literally spoke to me, so I went in and bought it straight away.
I'd get another one if it were stolen.
This guitar is the best value for money I've seen on the market, without a doubt.

Beautiful Looking guitar made in Korea. Looks, feels, and sounds exactly like a PRS custom 22. Wide-thin neck. Turquoise Flame maple top. "Duncan Designed" Humbuckers. 3 way toggle. Tone, Volume Pots. Wilkinson tremelo. Grover tuners. Cream pickup rings and binding. Rosewood fretboard. Came with box, (Why the hell a box for such a beautiful guitar? WHO KNOWS?) tremelo arm, cable, couple of allen wrenches for truss rod and tremelo. Nice little guide on how to adjust truss rod and care for guitar. Double cutaway makes it easy to get up high. Knobs look a little marked up, nothing that wax/grease remover can't take care of. SET NECK. Gary Bennett Design model too. These are the high end models listing for over $1,000.

Sounds pretty good. Most people think that just because it's a Samick, it's crap. Completely UNTRUE. This, in my opinion, sounds better than those PRS Santana SE's, some soapbars Custom 22's, and much better than that Tremonti. (WHY DID HE GET A GUITAR?) Demo-ed though a Marshall TSL 100, Fender Delux Reverb, and Crate practice amp, the guitar sounds excellent. A little lacking in the bass range. The sustain isnt too bad at all. Sounds very full like a $2,500 PRS does. Harmonics "leap off the fretboard." With a little Reverb, Delay, Chorus, and Phase effects, can sound EXACTLY like Mike from Incubus. Pickups seem to be a little timid, still looking for their individual voice. Overall, not too bad.

Guitar looks immaculate, except for the knobs. The flame looks killer from afar and near. Might look cooler with black pickup rings, toggle cap, and binding. Contrasts nicely with the cream though. Pickups need to be raised. Truss rod needs tweaking; too much of a bow. Frets look EXCELLENT. Very impressed. You can see where the price tradeoff came into factor though. Only under a close eye, the paint around the binding looks a little jagged. All in all, hell of a peice for the price I paid.

This is the catergory I'm a little leery about. It looks very artsy and delicate but I'm hoping to be proven wrong. Set neck looks really stable though...I hope. Grovers are the best tuners around. Stays in tune very well. I could definately see myself playing an entire show with just this guitar. Tremolo seems to stay in tune very well. I would Never throw this guitar around. I see how some guitarists treat their guitars, Hendrix, SRV, Kurt Cobain, and I just feel as if this guitar wouldn't withstand that abuse though. I guess only time and a little abuse might tell.

I spoke to one of the Samick reps at the store I work at. Seemed like a real nice guy. I still godda send in the warranty card, you know, just in case.

Good.