Samick FB3 Fastback

This is a brand new 2005 model - Korean made solid body - mahogany body, quilt maple top finished in a drop-dead gorgeous amber with natural back/sides; mahogany neck & very compact & attractive 3x3 headstock. The body style is unique incorporating elements of both the Fender Jaguar (offset wait) & Gibson Les Paul (single cutaway), very balanced & comfortable to play both standing & sitting.

There are 2 passive Duncan-designed humbuckers that are the off-shor versions of the Jazz & JB models if I remeber correctly; 2 volume & 2 tone controls. Thank you Samick for wiring the volumes so that the sound does NOT disappear when both pickups are on & one of them is turned down all the way (like Gibsons & others). This allows much more versatile mixing of the pickups.

Grover tuners, tune-o-matic style bridge, stop tailpiece, and the most comfortable neck I have played in 42 years of guitar playing complete this most enjoyable package. The neck is like the 3 Bears story - just right!

Locking tuners & tone pros talpiece would have garnered a perfect 10 here!

Sound: Let me start by saying that I am one picky guy when it comes to sound & I have changed out enough pickups, controls, & swithes that I would probably be able to roady for a pro guitarist.

So I am playing last night & my wife asks which guitar I was playing. I told her that I was playing the Fastback & she commented that it sounded smooth and that the guitar sang beautifully. This was thru a Fender Pro Junior with a Digitech Tone Driver in front of it. I had to agree. I play blues, surf, jazz, so-called "classic" rock (I HATE that term), Latin, you-name-it. It does all of these.

It is a quiet guitar with a full rich fat sound, yet can be bright & cutting also. I don't know what people have against the DD pickups - I'd say just use your ears - these sound GOOD!

So far I have plyed all of the above on it & it excels at all of these various styles with the possible exception of old-timey surf. The HBs don't twang as you probably know although they do a "heavy" Gary Hoey style of surf VERY well. But I play the stuff on it anyway & it still sounds good, Who's to say that any guitar can't play any style of music anyway. Just play it!

There is really nothing to dislike on the guitar as far as the sound.
With my penchant for changing things I really don't want to mess with this one & that says a LOT to me.

Sounds good also thru my Peavey Delta Blues 210 & my Digitech effects board (Reverb, Chorus, Delay, Grung, & Bad Monkey).

Let's see - a perfect setup from Junior's Music in Clinton CT (a great guy to deal with by the way - check his site out: www.juniorsmusic.com).
All I needed to do was adjust the neck pickup up a bit I looked this thing over pretty carefully (like I said - picky) and I can't find any issues with it. Wood is well-matched. I don't know how thick the top is but if the top is a veneer I really don't care. It looks GOOD! Neck & body are bound & the fret work is really well done. The nut seems to be cut just fine, all the hardware is well-fitted & tight. No issues with noise or slop. This is just as good if not better that my Les Paul, SG, or G&Ls. Some US manufacturers could learn a few things from the guys at Samick & Greg Bennett.

Uh - no brainer here - it's solid, doesn't go out of tune easily & has no tendency to break strings. The finish is not fussy & prone to scratching or chipping like nitrocellulose & is on track to last as long as I do! I always use strap locks but the original buttons are big solid discs that will hold onto a strap. Dependable? - without a doubt! I would gig without a backu in a heartbeat with this!

Limited lifetime warranty - never dealt with the company but Junior stands behing what he sells - no issues here.

I have played for 42 years. I own a G&L ASAT Special, the above mmentioned amps & pedals, & a Takamine classical. I don't collect tons of guitars because I believe in simple as possible as far as possessions and life style. I try to keep a balance.

If lost or stolen, it would be immediately replaced with the same guitar no question!

What I really love is how compact the guitar is - it actually becomes an extension of you (cliche yes but also true!).

All it needs to make it PERFECT is the locking tuners (personal preference only), tone pros harware (again personal preference - stock stuff is fine), and (maybe) the ablity to do pickup taps and/or phaseing ala Peter Green. But that's easily done. The basic guitar is just really top drawer. And for the money - I would challenge anyone to find a better deal than this Samick Fastback.

I bought my Fastback because I liked the look and the feel of it. I tried lots of other guitars like Epiphone Les Pauls, Dots, Teles and Strats but this guitar felt right. It's a knock-off of a musicman shape. The hardware is all good quality and the build is very good. Grover machine heads, Two Duncan Designed humbuckers and quilted maple top. The bridge is Tune-O-Matic and it's a short scale which suits me. My guitar plays great after a pro setup and basically for me it is an awesome guitar, I can see myself still playing it years from now.

I play mostly rock and this guitar has a rich full sound but can cut if you want. I'm a lounge room player and use an all valve 20 watt Eston that was built in Australia. I have a Boss Blues Driver to overdrive the amp because even at 20 watts it puts lots of "louder" amps to shame.

Finish was excellent, setup was average and needed nut recut. After a neck tweak and bridge adjustment, it felt great. 

This guitar is well made and I think it would handle gigging as well as most guitars twice or three times it's price.

This guitar should'nt break down and the place I bought it from has great customer service.

I'm very happy with this guitar and for the price I would consider it again but I would probably spend more and get a Maton Mastersound.