Samick AV3 Greg Bennett Avion

Typical "Les Paul" clone done well,nice medium large frets, bound neck & body . both Mahogany, the body has a laminated Maple top( done well)
two "PAF" clone Humbuckers ) strong bass and mids !
tuners are grover type (actually pretty good!)

great classic rock sound , can get well "bluesy" too. personally I'm pretty happy with the sound ! may also consider something with a little more bite but good as they are! I use it with a 120 watt valve state "Peavey" Deuce 212 with tube main end , and a totally solid state "Peavey" Renown 120 watt it can ROAAAAAR! through both!

Bought it on FLEABAY for $140 and the guy did me HARD!! I had to replace the first three frets because of an obvious FACTORY FLAW that was attempted to conceal by wedging the nut up higher. "CREEEEP"!,........
anyway after replacing and diligently replacing filing the frets it play s wonderfully!
Pick ups adjusted well Top is book matched perfectly.
There is no pick guard, But,......there are no screw holes from it's removal either ???
All selectors and controls function well , Tone pots really work well
Other then the frets I would give it a 9.5 but considering the work and damage this could've been for someone else I guess I'd say a 7
because this was a factory BOO Boo!
by the way if there is a "Greg Bennet" all he cares about is his royalty check A..H.le!

I have plenty of confidence in this ax now save the strap buttons which I'm soon to replace, I haven't but will gig with it! I always bring a spare!
The hardware is fine!and trustworthy

Don't Know bought it used from a FLEABAY CREEP!

I'm playing 45 years, have an arsenal of guitars
If stolen I'd try to replace it
Love most features.
I wish it had Bigsby on it , may add it later

Well the Avion is your standard Les Paul copy. Arch top guitar, HH pickups, maple top on a Mahogany body. Mine has grover tuners, and everything else is pretty much standard. Made in Indonesia.

Doesn't really have much features, but then again there was nothing else I wanted on the guitar. I just needed a good LP copy to keep me occupied, this was spot-on.

When you compare the features to price ratio, no one else gives you a mahogany body with a solid top at this range.

It sounds good. I wouldn't say excellent, but for the price nothing comes close. I tried out the Epiphone Les Paul Ultra 2, which was slightly more expensive, and trust me, you wouldn't want the Epiphone if it was free. This is comparable to Epiphones more than twice the price.

I'm playing it on a Roland Microcube, and get great 'bluesy' sounds with the brit combo and the black panel. With a moderate amount of delay, setting the guitar to treble and setting the tone to somewhere around 8.

The guitar doesn't really have a lot of sustain, but that may be because it's new. I don't expect the sustain to increase too much, so I guess that's a drawback. That's why it's a 7.

The pickups aren't that great, but I would change them anyway.

Other than that, playing around with the setting, you can get pretty decent and even great sounds from this baby when paired with the Microcube. If you pair it with a vox ad30vt (like I did at the shop) you'll get some really great tones.

Well the pickguard was loose, though that was easily fix.

The guitar feels solid, but there's some wax-ish material on the higher frets, and it was hard to remove that.

The finishing isn't that great, a quick look, and you'll find some paint 'mishaps'. Mine is the blue avion, so the color is a bit off here and there.

Action is moderately good for a stock guitar. No Buzzing at all, but the higher frets, have high action, which when lowered may result in buzz. But the stock setup had no buzzing whatsoever.

The feel of this guitar is great, and I love the fact that it's heavy and really feels like a quality instrument. I felt 10 times better than a similar priced Epiphone. I wouldn't buy that epiphone with this guy in the same shop. The Avion is really much better at the same price.

I played for about 3 hours and already beginning to hear some backgroun noise.

I think it's more to do with the cheap cable I got, rather than the guitar. The guitar looks solid and feels solid, I would perform without a backup, but I'm not much of a performer.

I wouldn't feel afraid letting my niece have a go at it, it's got quality materials and feels solid. Can't believe it can't be built at the price.

Never Tried.

I own a Norman B20 and a Microcube. I've been playing for about 6 years now, and wanted a Les Paul to start my electric guitar playing.

If this was lost, I wouldn't get a new one. But I have no regrets buying this when you compare the price to anything epiphone has. It's a quality guitar with good sounds and tone for a FANTASTIC price.

I think if you're going for a Gibson, get one. If you're going for a high-end epi, then maybe this isn't it. But the Avion will hold it's own with any mid-range Epi that cost 3 times as much as it. It's a good guitar for a great price, so I would definitely recommend it to people who are playing for the first time or want to start learning, or need a back up guitar.

Not something to play professionally, but I'm not a professional, and I'm VERY VERY happy with it. Get one, you won't regret it.

My Samick is a 2006 lefty, i bought it about 6 months ago, new at a local music store. was set up poorly by the tech at the music store...decided it would be okay for a backseat hauler.....boy was i surprised. did what it was supposed to do, until i really got it set where i wanted it.

I play a little of everything, and it did great with the stock pickups. I play a Peavey JSX combo, and a Vox AD15VT, for practice and around the house. It sounds great with either. it's quite heavy, but the sustain makes the weight worth it. neck pickup was kinda naked sounding clean, but cheap guitar....cheap pickups, ya know.

the setup was bad. the pickups were perfect, as was everything else(except the finish. the first thing i did to the guitar was install strap-locks, and as i was unscrewing the strap peg, the clearcoat chipped almost effortly. got one other chip between two tuning machines(how???). other than that, a good setup by someone who knows what he wants, and we were all ok.

the one major complaint i had was the pickups. after less than 6 months, the pickups went microphonic on me. no problem, i replaced them with a set of dimarzio's(Mo Jo and PAF Pro), and all was well in the camp. all in all, i couldn't be more impressed for $190 dollars. I installed a Gibson Fine-Tune stopbar tailpiece, mostly because i had one lying around and i liked the convenience of one. made a decent improvement in tone and sustain...might have been the setup adjustments.

Never had to deal with Customer Support

I have been playing a few years, and I think that bang-for-the-buck, this guitar is exactly what it claims to be. I installed a good set of pickups and a gibson fine-tune tailpiece, and have never in my life picked up a better playing, or sounding guitar. When you buy a cheap guitar, the most likely things you would expect to be cheap are the pickups and hardware. with that stuff fixed. i would never part with my 'paul copy.

Features: mahogany body with flamed maple cap, set mahogany neck with rosewood fretboard, body and neck are bound. Red/gold transparent sunburst finish. Les Paul single-cutaway style.

Tune-o-matic stop-tail bridge. Grover tuners, non-locking. 22 frets, jumbo or medium jumbo. Generic Les Paul controls - two tone and two volume for the two humbuckers (PAF-style, nickel covers).

Made, as far as I know, in Indonesia.

That all being listed, I'd easily give the AV3 a nine for features - because despite being a rather uncostly guitar, it doesn't skimp on the really necessary stuff - good woods and a set neck. All the rest - hardware and pickups - can be easily exchanged, but the wood is the bottom line, and it's very fine quality here.

It has the generic Les Paul sound to me - the neck pickup has a nice "chunk" to it, a big warm sound (some might say muddy, but it does have a punch) while the bridge pickup has a bright squawky sound. The mahogany body and neck provide a lot of girth to the sound, and the maple cap adds a lot of high-end clarity. It's a very well-defined sound, if perhaps unspectacular. The sustain is superb.

Sounds very good and with surprising volume with unamplified.

Importantly, chords ring out with thickness but with each string clearly defined - something often missing in Les Paul copies. Also, high-fret sustain never cut out or choked - another telltale flaw of Les Paul copies.

In short, it almost exactly cops the classic Les Paul sound.

I've played it so far out of a small Vox practice amp and my Marshall JCM2000 half-stack - so two ends of the spectrum. It sounded good through both, but really shone with the Marshall.

I would deduct a point only because the stock PAF-style pickups aren't quite as rich or dense as stock Gibson pickups or any aftermarket pickups. Despite their good, above-average, solid sound they don't excel in any particular area either. They do what they're supposed to do but don't go above the call of duty.

No problem at all with microphonics.

Here is where the points get deducted. The guitar was setup well in every way except one - frets 18-22 were not level, and caused buzzing, choking and other major problems. I had to carefully level and polish each fret to get the problems to ease and then disappear, which took the better part of two hours. Out-of-the-box, solos and chords from 17th fret and above would be pretty much impossible, or sound terrible. Took a lot of TLC to bring the guitar into proper shape.

Otherwise, the guitar was good - tight jacks and knobs, fret-ends were straight with no sharp edges, tuners were good, nut was good, everything aligned, neck well adjusted.

The color is very pretty, and the flamed top is well-matched and also eye-catching.

Like all Les Pauls, it's damn heavy. Very solid feel. I would play it live, certainly - the clearcoat on top of the paint seems extraordinarily thick and would withstand a heavy blow or scratch.

Hardware seems on the same level as Gibson, as far as durability goes - it feels and actuates exactly the same.

I've only played it a few hours, but it hasn't exhibited any symptoms that would make me doubt it.

Warranty is non-transferable from the original owner - I don't like that. I haven't needed to contact them, so I'm not sure what they do about subsequent owners (like me).

On the other hand, for that original owner, it's a lifetime warranty on body and neck flaws - which is nice.

This is an excellent copy of the Les Paul - it really gets pretty much everything right, at about one third the price.

The only drawback was the fret issue - but I'm assuming that it's not a problem on every individual guitar, and everything else was fine.

If you wanted a really fantastic Les Paul copy, you could take a solid AV3, add a couple high-end pickups and call it a day. All the other pieces are already in place.

The standard Les Paul copy with Tune-o-matic bridge, stop tailpiece, Seymour Duncan designed pickups and Grover tuners. Made in Indonesia.

The sound is quite good for Seymour Duncan "designed" pickups, whatever that is. I have a Vox AD15VT amp and you can easily get that AC/DC crunch. Clean tone is good too. I play mostly 70s and 80s classic rock and with the Vox set to model a AC30TB and the gain on max, I get all the tone I need. Not tube tone, but close enough.

I've read people complain about the action and the finish of the guitar, but the one I got was perfect. Removed the ugly pickguard straight away. Action was perfect. I haven't adjusted a thing. Bought it and still playing away!

I've had it for about a month and it seems pretty solid. Heavy at about 3.5 kilos, as expected of a LP style solid body. You'll have no problems gigging with this thing.

Haven't had the need to deal with them yet.

I've been playing for about 6 years, but this is my first electric. I've always wanted an Epiphone Les Paul, but they aren't available in my area, not to mention cost around $550 (including shipping and customs). The Samick Avion AV3 is the perfect guitar for you if you absolutely must have a LP style guitar but can't afford a Gibson. Why pay extra for an Epi, when you can have better features for less?

Highly Recommended.

Set neck, nice thick heacy body, nice neck profile, neck is sturdy enough to stay in tune pretty well. Good looking axe in transparent red. Pickups to me sound really nice once potted. I can't say whether the potting process changed the sound, but I think the overall sound of this guitar is great. I have never felt a need to go switch out the pickups. I like that this one has its own personality.

There were minor fit/finish issues like the not-tight nuts and bolts, and I have no clue what materials are used.

Grover tuners are "good enough". Some high end tuners might make tuning more stable although it is stable enough for me.

This is a follow-up to my earlier review. I have been playing this guitar along with an 80's Jap Squier w/floyd II as my main axes for a few years now, and I thought it might help readers to get my long-term view.

The sound is great, it was necessary to pot the pickups with paraffin wax to eliminate microphonics in the pickups.

Does it sound just like a Les Paul or an Epi version? Well, not really but it DOES have its own sound and it certainly sounds enough like a Les Paul that on a loud stage with loud amps and distortion pedals and DI boxes or mics you probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Those who know me know that my philosophy is to use cheap good-enough guitars on stage. I don't see the purpose of setting a $3000 Gibson Les Paul on your guitar stand at Joe's bad and grill only to see a speaker cabinet get knocked over onto it and your $3000 Gibson now needs $2000 of repairs. No thanks. Give me a set-neck copy for $300 please. Break it in half if you want, I'll go get another $300 copy.

I give a 10 because this guitar sounds great on everything except SRV, I just can't play SRV on a set neck.

Well it was ok, I have no idea what the actual materials/processes used. It was easy enough to set up and get a comfortable feel for me, so I see no issue. I could care less about little cosmetic flaws, and the red flame maple, even if its a photo on plywood looks pretty nice up on stage. So I give a 7 because to me its good enough.

Been great. I abuse this thing in a thin bag that claims to be a "gig" bag. I'm surprised the neck hasn't been snapped in half yet.

I went through and tightened all connectors/knobs, etc. They did a TERRIBLE job tightening at the factory. I would recommend to every owner of these to take 30 minutes and tighten the heck out of the jacks and knobs and stuff. And also pot the pickups if you plan to use it live.

Samick is in like Korea or something. I don't speak Korean. Who is Greg Bennet anyway? I want to know how my guitar was constructed and where and with what materials! Surely that's not too much to ask?

This is an incredible deal. I play in a classic rock/blues band and a funk/dance band and this guitar covers most everything I throw at it with a VERY nice warm balanced sound. Does it sound exactly like a $20,000 1972 Les Paul? I don't really know and honestly I don't really care. To me this guitar sounds just fine in its own right.

I bought this in 20055, a made in Indonesia LP copy. It has 22 frets, medium jumbo. The body is solid mahogany, and mine came with a flame maple top. Controls are the usual LP. Neck is mahogany, and fretboard is rosewood. The pickups are stock PAF-style (nickel-covered) humbuckers.

Contrary to some reviews that said that the top is finished plywood, I actually opened up the guitar to have a look at the pickups. It's solid, dark brown maple. And the insides is coated with a black spray. I thought it was some messed up finishing until my dad told me that it's actually shielding paint. My old 2002 Squier Bullet have no shielding paint inside the body cavity. The frets are nice and smooth.

Bear in mind, this is a budget guitar, and not a Gibson or Epiphone.

I play page/beck/clapton (late 60's) on this axe, and it nailed everything through the Vox AD30vt I have. Since the pickups are PAF, the lows are fat and warm, with smooth highs and long sustain. I'm thinking of changing the pickups (GFS) so that I can have more bite and crunch (aka Led Zep). Basically this is blues/rock-and-roll guitar. Sunshine of Your Love comes through VERY nicely....

For metal and pop, it'll be too muddy and dark. Each to his own. Pickups could be better, but it's the wood and construction that counts, electronic can easily be replaced.

Electronics are silent (due to the shielding paint?), set-up nice out of the box, though I set it up myself for more action and relief for those clapton bends and slides. Minor cosmetic flaws, no major dinks anywhere, with the exception of a small crack near the neck and the neck pickup (sloppy glue/paint job).

I've only have it for half a year. I'm a bedroom player, and it hadn't died on me yet... Nothing have dropped out, the electronics still magnificently silent.

I sent an email, they never replied. Why spoil a nice brand with absymal customer support. Greg Bennett, please take note, your guitar is damn nice but to achieve 100% customer satisfaction the customer must always comes first.

The looks and feel seems nice, and the silent pickups...

For more info on Greg Bennett guitars, don't go to www.samickguitar.com. Come here http://www.samick.co.kr/eng/product/guitar_gregView.asp?types=7&series=30

Bought it brand new at a local music store ,sunburst with a flame top, it has Duncan Design pickups. Pretty standard as far as features.

It has a great sound to it. I am playing it through a crate palamino (a class A tube amp w/celstion speaker) It has a nice tight sound to it and tons of sustain. I get a sound somewhere between skynyrd and zz top. It's great for classic/southern rock and blues.

It was set up by the msic store so it was set up good. The craftsmanship seemed decent. The finish is flawless.

I have only had it for a couple of months so far it is holding up well. I havent giged with it, but I have used it in the studio. As far as giging without a back thats just not smart.

I did email them with a question and they never got back with me.

I've been playing for over 20 years. I dont buy expensive guitars anymore especially when some of these cheaper ones are getting better in quality. I have a Fender Strat, A custom built Strat, A solid Panache LP copy. If something was to happen to it I would get another one. I love the sound of it and the feel of the neck. I shopped around for a 2nd LP copy tried some epi's,ect.This one had the sound and the sustain I was looking for.

September 2005, Indonesia, cherry sunburst, gorgeous finish.
Grover tuners, splittable DuncanDesigned HB103 pickups, tone lock t-o-m, one wonders about the very low price paid.
Les Paul style archtop, gibson scale, you get the idea.
The tiltback head is properly glued at the 2nd fret, the most reliable way to do in such a case.
The neck is on the wide side, but thin, reminds me of Ibanez necks. A real joy to play of course.
For the price paid, a solid 12.

Very honest sound, the DuncanDesigned are clear and with good definition. The guitar concept provides warmth and clarity, along with fantastic sustaiiiinnnn.
To my taste, the sound is slightly too bright(FM rock) so I changed the pickups for "woodier&trhoatier"ones.
The guitar behaves well noisewise, and you can play most styles as it comes stock.
I am using a Cube30 and a Vox vr30r with this guitar, and nothing else in the signal path. It is my living-room guitar so keep in mind I don't play it loud. The p-u's seems a bit microphonic, which could be a squealing issue when played loud.
Overall, stock, it gets a honest 8. For the price paid it is better than any guitar I have encountered.

Well set-up as it came (I got it in its paperbox), nothing to worry about except the loose jack input, a very common issue I have to say.
The nut is well cut, but could be 1-2mm lower.
I had a little problem with a too high fret, had to file it in order to play perfectly. No big deal, but a bit surprising given the overall quality of this guitar. Hence one point off.
The electronic job is properly done, no worries here.

Strap buttons are well attached, and the hardware seems reliable. Overall a very sane impression about this axe. Still, I can't rate it yet.

I just love it, and its price is somewhat from another planet. Before buying I had an Epi LPstandard at home for 2weeks, and the Avion3 is better made(polished frets-nothing hurts) and has better pickups by far. The sustain on both guitars is fantastic.
I would buy it again if broken/stolen/lost.
I love its neck, and the tones delivered. The sustain!
The overall tone is compressed and fresh, just keeps you playing for hours.
If you want a LesPaul-type guitar, this is it.
I play since the mid'80s, own too much stuff hence I know one thing or two about guitars. Hats off Samick!

la mienne est fait en indonesie, probablement par de jeunes exploites. elle a 22 frets et elle a un arch top. dessus jai 2 volumes et 2 tons (treble et bass) + un 3 way selector. elle a 2 humbuckers qui fonctionnent tres bien et qui capes beaucoup de dist. jai aucune idee de quoi est fait ma guitare. ils mont dit en mahogany mais ce nest pas vraie. ce point ne me derange pas car le son est tres beau. la mienne est de couleur cherryburst et elle a une forme de les pauls mais avec une courbe avant plus prononce.jaime bien le neck car il offre une resistance quand on joue dessus. jai aussi recu un petit cable CHEAP ASS de 2 pieds. completement inutile

je joue du metal, nimporte quelle sorte de metal et la guitare prend des surplus de dist ce qui est excellent. jutilise une boss od 20 drive zone twin pedal et un cube trente (ampli). tous les cordes donnent des sons chaleureux. bref, le son est parfait

parfait est mon seul mot mais je nai aucune idee de quoi est fait ma guit mais cela m importe peu

ma guitare a deja fait des tonnes de lives et tout est alle comme sur des roulettes. tout a de lair bien place pour durer longtemps. encore une fois , je crois quelle va durer tres longtemps et je depend sur elle. parfait

elle coutait 660 et je lai eu pour 319 $

je joue depuis 9 ans et elle est la meilleure guitare que je nai jamais eu