Samick AV1 Avion

this a indonesian made les paul copy. in transparent red. set up with two humbuckers like most les pauls

I paly at little bit of everything and it sounds great with everything I play on a 30 watt marshall and it makes me want to get a better amp.

I can't find a problem with the finish I paid 174 dollars for this marvel. I would have paid 500 for a guitar of this quality. every thing seems to be right no problems at all. I bought this the second part of a deal this was the deal.

Everything is tough as nails this is probly number 1 out of my 7 guitars. thins is going to be my work horse.

never dealt with them

I have been playing for about 11 years. I have a Danelectro U2, a Gregg bennet RL(all so great), and a slivertone strat copy. this guitar is great I was looking a various cheap guitars and just happened to get this one(what luck). I'm so glad I got this instead of some striped down epiphone.

2003 Samick Av-1 Indonesia
- 22 frets
- Grover tuners
- 1 tone knob, 1 volume knob, 3 switch
- 2 humbuckers
- Maple top

I play pretty much everything and it sounds goood for all of it. When I went to buy it we first tested it on a $2000 amp and of course it sounded great but I was a little skeptical. So I tried it on one of the worst amps in the store and it still sounded really good so by then I was pretty much sold on it. A very very slight buzz every once in a while but other then that its very clean.

The action is great, but i'm sure I could get it even closer to the fretboard if I wanted to fine tune it. The finish is awsome, its still as shiny as it was when I got it, and thats after a year of banging it against everything I can find.

Everything on the guitar is as good as it was when I got it except the tone control. The tone control seems to have come loose but i'm almost sure it has nothing to do with the guitar itself and more to do with me being clumsy. Other the tone control it is very solid and assuming i were to play a show I would be comfortable playing it without a backup.

Never had to

I've only been playing for about a year, but I have played other peoples guitars even ones which cost more then double what this one cost and I would stick with the AV-1. If it were stolen I would for sure get another one, maybe get a higher model of the Avion but most likely i would get another AV-1.

2002 Indonesia Greg Bennett model
1 tone, 1 volume, 3-way pick-up selector. 2 Duncan humbuckers and Grover tuners.
Nato body with flat maple top. Maple neck, rosewood fretboard.
Black finish.
Came with a very thin poor looking cable -- for demo purposes.
Good, but there could've been 2 tone and 2 volume for each pick-up.

I play blues, pcychedelic rock and stoner/doom.
It sounds great, for the price. When I first heard it, I was shocked, because I thought that it would sound poor, just like an Indonesian guitar is supposed to. But the sound is very good both with my GNX1 processor and even better with Russian Big Muff -- uncompromising Monster Sound.
The bridge and the neck humbucker sound is different and the difference is very significant, I use bridge pickup for psychedelic spaced-out solos and the bridge is great for ultra-low growling riffs of the doom style. However, clean sound is also good.
It has some noise, but not very much -- some people don't even notice it.
The only downside is the bolt-on neck, that kills the sustain. However, sustain is long enough when I use Big Muff.
Shouldn't be used for death metal and speedy hardcore. All other styles can be played easily with this.

Looks quite alright without any visible flaws. A wonder, considering its origin. I haven't had any problems operating it until now. However, some people I know complained about the neck being too thick. I don't know -- I like it that way.
Pickups sre fixed very tightly and can be moved up and down easily if needed. Frets are also fixed very smoothly. It's quite heavy, but all lespaul copies are so.

It seems solid. Finish is good and it's not so easy to scratch.
Didn't have any problems playing it live a couple of times. But I always take a backup, just in case. But if I hadn't any other guitar -- i would play it live without any worry. It is not very complicated gear and built alright -- unlikely to break.

There was warranty -- it was half a year. I didn't have the need to deal with the company, though.

I've been playing it for a year or so. I own a Squier Strat and a handmade 80W Amp, a couple of effect pedals and a GNX1 processor.
AV1 is now my main guitar and I like it, I almost love it. If it were stolen I would buy another Samick -- AV3 or Torino.
Don't like Epiphone. They are higher in price and usually worse in sound. The majority opinion says just the opposite -- so don't let it confuse you. AV models are great gear. They are worth twice the sum you pay for them.

Les Paul style. 22 Frets, dual humbuckers, Grover Tuners, Tun-o-matic bridge, Rosewood neck, 2 volume and 2 tone controls, 3-way switch. Cherry Sunburst color. Very nice.

I play anything from Blus to Metal. This guitar suits my style just fine. It has a nice, full sound to it, and sounds good with Distortion. Makes a slight buzz when taking your finger off the fret board after playing a note.

The switches are a bit lose, nothing to worry about though. A few paint flaws near the neck. The inlays are a bit sloppy as well. This part of the guitar is about epiphone quality, which isn't suprising.

Seems fine. Have had no problems.

Never dealt with them.

Great Guitar. Worth over 700 dollars. If it were stolen, I would buy a simillar model that had some of the defects worked out in the paint and switches. Better then the epiphones and half the price one. If you can't afford a gibson, this will do just fine.

2001 (I think) Samick Avion 1
Les Paul Style (Though Flat Top)
Crazy good Price!!!!!
1 Volume, 1 Tone, 3 Way Switch (Neck, Neck/Bridge, Bridge)
Pickups: Website Says they're 2 hummers but it seems the 1s only save single coils in 'em (Could Be Wrong)
Rosewood Finger Board, Bolt On Neck, Neck Feels Really Nice, as
does the Action
Nice Grover Tuners
Overall Nice

I Play everything, but mostley Punk/Ska, and this guitar works very well for me. The bridge pickup is nice and bright for solos/ oldschool sounding distortion, and the neck pickup is super crunchy with distortion and nice and smooth for clean.

The Only effects i use regularly are Distortion, and sometimes Reverb.

This guitar has a little hum but nothing to worry about at all

I've played everything from Punk to Country on this guitar and it's done it all with no problem at all.

This guitar looks EXTREAMLY nice :)Glossy, semi-transparent dark red finish, nice looking dials, chrome bridge/tuners.

The Action on this guitar was quite nice from the factory, but i like to fiddle :) it's very easy to make the action even better and you can get the strings really nice and low before they start to rattle.

The pickups sounded fine the way they came, but i raised the neck one up just a smidge.

There were no real flaws in this guitar when i got it.

This guitar will hold up to gigging no problem! i play hard and i've had no troubles yet (had the guitar for about 6 months)

Never had to deal with them!

This Guitar is a great value for what you get.
Great for beginner up to more advanced players.
My friend ownd a Squire Fat Strat and was trying to trade me (Ha!)

2001/02 Model, made in Indonesia, 22 frets, 2 humbuckers, 1 vol, 1 tone, 1 3-way selector (p/ups were replaced with Duncan '59 & JB neck & bridge respectively), nato body, rosewood fretboard, wine red finish, Les Paul-type body with tune-o-matic bridge, and grover tuners.

With the new Duncans it gets a variety of sounds - which is good because I play a variety of styles. I use the AV1 with a Traynor YCV40, Boss SD-1, CE-5, and Cry Baby Wah. Not noisy at all but sound can get a little bright (could be the amp) - almost a tinny, metallic ringing sound when played.

The guitar was not set up that great from the factory, strings were too light and did not stay in tune at all; but once it was set up with a set of 10's and the intonation was done - no problem with tuning. Overall the guitar was very nice...I had looked at the AV3 at another shop and the colour had bled into the binding on the neck and the fretboard felt quite uncomfortable to play on bending-wise (could have been the setup).

This seems like a fairly reliable guitar, I would always gig with a backup no matter what I was playing (my main guitar is a '68 Fender Strat). It is the cheapest version of the Avions but seems solid enough.

I haven't dealt with the company but I am awaiting a replacement p/up because the stock bridge p/up was feeding back at low volumes (again, I have since replaced w/Duncans). It has been a couple of months but with NAMM '03 in there I am giving the rep the benefit of the doubt. I filled out the warranty page/form on the Samick website but it does not state how long the warranty is or what it covers - I know the shop owner where I bought it so I assume I won't have many problems if something goes wrong.

Playing for approx. 19yrs, other guitar is the strat listed above as well as a Norman acoustic, YCV40 and the pedals listed. If it were lost or stolen I would probably check into getting the AV3(carvedtop)if I could find one that played nicely. It feels great, looks great and - thanks to the new p/ups - sounds great. Overall, I am pleased with this guitar as a second/humbucker equipped option.

The Samick Avion series has chrome covered duncan designed pickups. It also has a deive select which makes a big difference! It also has premium grover tuners i could never ask for more.

My music style is really rock punk metal and a little touch of jazz I use the zoom 707 with it and it is a beast !!!! It performs exactly like a les paul no diference it has a very good lower tone with plent of attack and sustain and a great range i would say this guitar was built for rock .

2002 New Samick Avion AV-1 in Red Transparent finish. Tune-o-matic bridge. Made in Indonesia. 22 fret, 24 3/4 scale , Flat top nato body, bolt on neck, rosewood Fgbd., Dual Humbuckers, bound body, Grover tuners, 1 vol., 1 tone, 3 way toggle.

The Samick on-line site does not show this guitar as having Grover tuners, but mine came with it. This is what cinched the deal for me.

I just wanted a basic guitar that stays in tune. My last guitar was a Yamaha SE250 with a no-name floating tremolo and was an absolute nightmare to tune. I wanted that humbucker rock sound. Using it with a Digitech RP100 with an Image (no-name cheapo) 20W, 8" Amp.

I tried this guitar vs. other models with Semour Duncan pickups and fixed necks and bought this because there was no difference. It has great sustain, and can make a variety of sounds.

I was originally looking for a Korean guitar and was hesitant about buying an Indonesian Guitar.

I wanted to find a Paul Dean (of Loverboy) Signature Guitar, but these are immpossible to find. Paul Dean has the most wicked sound of any Classic rock guitarist I know of (I digress).

I was originally looking for a Hamer SATF Artist or Stellar I, but this Samick just blew me away from the moment I picked it up. The shop I bought it from had it set up perfectly.

No Flaws what-so-ever.

This guitar will withstand major live playing. It is built like a rock with a beautiful finish. Everything is solid. I would never gig without a backup, but this axe I know will not let me down.

Never Dealt with the company.

I have been playing about 15 years and this is the best axe for the buck I have ever come across. You don't have to spend thousands to get a decent guitar that sounds and feels great and stays in tune.

Don't believe the BS others post about their PRS's and Gibson's sustaining forever, having amazing sound, etc... This guitar does it all. Try one and you will see.

If it was stolen I would go out and buy a new one immediately. It's sound and feel are just amazing.

The Guitar store I bought it from was fantastic. Smart Music, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are a new store that just opened in Sept. 2002 so I hope they do well.

For folks who want to listen to some amazing Canadian music try the following: CLASSIC ROCK: Loverboy, Prism, Honeymoon Suite, Platinum Blonde.
NEW STUFF: Holly McNarland