Tradition MTP350TL

My MTP is one of the original proto-types of the series. May differ from what other users own.

It features abalone around the entire body and neck, with large 'T' inlays down the neck; 1 volume, 1 tone; coil taps on both Tradition Silver Medallion pickups; flamed maple top; solid mahogany neck and body.

The real reason I became a Tradition player. They make great pups and I'd never change these out, it sounds amazing right out of the box!

This guitar features a very flat fingerboard which turns off some players, but if you've got a shredder in you, it'll come out on this instrument! I can play faster on this guitar than any other guitar I've played.

Finish is just gorgeous! I have a trans-blue finish and its so perfectly finished you can see through time in it...

I play REALLY hard, and not in that way that many blues guitarists will claim to play 'hard'. I mean I beat the **** out of my instrument, plain and simple.

That being said, this instrument has held up to pretty rigorous standards. I've owned it for over a year and its never let me down in any way so far.

Knobs are a little loose at this point.

Great so far!

I'm gonna give it a 9 simply because I'm sure there is a better guitar out there. But it must also be noted that, if there is a better guitar, I've never played it...

Dual cutaway, dual 'bucker Tradition Silver medallions, natural amber gloss finish, flame maple top, PRS style mahogany body and neck with a rosewood board and 24 jumbo frets. Body is bound and the maple is a full cap nicely bookmatched of about what PRS calls a 10 top. It really is that nice! Not enirely sure if the flame is laminated onto a maple cap or is a solid piece. It is not a photo top. Their website just says flame maple top. The body is comprised of three pieces of nicely grained mahogany. The neck is a single piece and features a Spanish luthiers joint at the peghead and a wide thin profile. Goto style non-locking tuners with butter bean knobs. The controls are basic volume and tone with a three way switch. ABR-1 style TOM bridge with a stop tailpiece. I believe it was made in 2005 in Korea. I bought it as NOS. No case or accessories. Rating based on being basic in configuration.

Suits my blues based/classic & hard rock styles just fine. It'll even jazz if you want it. The neck pickup is smooth and rolls off nicely. Rich and full, not shrill or tinny in any setting. I replaced the bridge with a Duncan Custom Custom I had so I could switch between series and parallel wiring. I rewired the neck pup as well to do the same as I wanted more variety of sound. I replaced the pots with push/pull switch pots. I put a .022 micro farad orange drop cap in as the stock cap was a .047. I didn't necessarily dislike the bridge pup, I just didn't want to risk ruining it by disassembling it at this time (been there, done that). I was careful and was successful with the neck pup in rewiring it and replacing the cover. These pups are heavily potted with wax. I've played it through a Jones tube amp with a Boss SD-1 modded stomp box and a modded Boss DD-3. Sounds good clean and dirty. Very expressive. Has good resonance unplugged.

The top is beautiful! The wood is well pieced together and the joints are tight. The finish is glassy and well done. The binding is good but there a re a couple of flaws in the horn tips where the ends meet. The fretboard inlays are nice with very little filler. The holes are clean with little fuzz around them. The routing is very good and the cavities are neatly painted with shielding paint. The guitar was set up at the store so I don't knw how it came. The frets are finished well and look very consistent. The bridge saddles are tight and the intonation and action are very good.

The input jack is my only knock as it would probably become noisy and fail eventually in a gigging situation. A switchcraft is an easy fix for that. Everything else is of pro quality. This guitar will last.

Never dealt with them. My dealer is top notch though.

Been playing a long time (40+ years) and have played many guitars of varying price and quality from an entry level Kay to a Gibson LP, Fender Strat, Custom Shop Washburn or PRS. I would try to replace it if lost or stolen. I don't hate anything about it. It is an exceptional value for the money. You can afford to customize it once you get it and not be upside down in it. All of my modifications are reversible if needs be. It makes a very nice platform for a solid player with some modifications or a much better than average student piece out of the box.

Bought used - $240 USD
Year unknown - I believe the company began in 2002(?)
Made in Korea - Serial #01100080
24 frets
1/4" solid (I believe) flamed maple top
1 volume - 1 tone - three way switch
A pair of Silver Medallion buckers
1-5/8" thick mahogany PRS style body
mahogany set neck, ~3/4" increasing to 1" deep
rosewood fretboard w/ jumbo frets, 1-5/8" increasing to 2-1/4" across at the bottom of the board (a fairly fast neck all together)
Tabacco sunburst over the flamed maple top
Tune-O-Matic bridge & non-locking tuners (stays in tune just fine)
I give the features a 5 (average) because it is your basic setup, nothing fancy.

The MTP350 suits most of my style fine (Rock - classic/hard). It's a PRS style so that's what I'm guessing Tradition was going for in sound as well. You get a feel similar to a strat and a sound similar to a LP. Which is perfect for my small girly hands.

The sound is not a let down, it is adequate for the price but it is not spectacular. The Silver Medallion's are the lower end pups used by Tradition - I got what I expected. I've used the stock pups for a year now and am currently in the process of replacing them with something 'more'. I was using a Yorkville Sound BLOC G100 solid state amp, again adequate, but have upgraded to a Peavey Classic 30.. which allowed me to realize the blandness of the pups... it's a vicious cycle. For straight up rock the stock guitar does a good job. It has never been noisey, a good full sound when using both pickups, which by the way were packed full of wax. When I first made pole adjustments the wax squeazed out. I give the sound a 6 totally based on the pickups - IT HAS BEAUTIFUL NATURAL ACUOSTICS when unplugged. I'm sure a pup swap would radically change my rating.

I got it used so I have no idea how well the factory setup the instrument. I have taken the entire thing apart and everything looked great. The finish is near flawsness, a few small pin sized blems - you have to be a real asshole to complain about that on a $240 purchase. All the holes looked great and made with sharp blades, very well finished. When you polish this baby up she's a mirror. I love the guitar - it feels great in my hands, the weight is good, the strap buttons are positioned well enough. The frets are dressed very well, rather perfectly as far as I can tell.
I have never brought it in for innotation or a setup - it has always played well with a few minor adjustments I made - though I will get it checked for innotation and setup when I replace the pups just for shits and giggles. This is a truely well crafted guitar, I give it an 8 (10 for what I paid) while comparing it to top-end instruments of the same nature.

I've never played it live, but I don't see why it wouldn't. In fact I'd be surprised if it didn't. The finish appears to be nice and thick. I could, but wouldn't play it without backup - I've only ever busted 1 string. It appears to be very solid, very dependable, and stays in tune for a long time.

Bought it off Ebay - Tried to contact them once to get a manufacturing date on my guitar, never heard back from them. I did mention that I bought it second hand..
The website has not been updated since I found out about Tradition over a year ago.. I read the big wig died (internet rumour?), so maybe they went under? Who knows.

I went through a few crap guitars before settling - Ibanez Destoryer (crap lowest-end reissue), Ibanez Gio, '86 Warlock, Surfcity Rockfusion (total crap, TOTAL CRAP). Had a BLOC G100 amp, now have a Peavey C30. As you can clearly see I made my beginner mistakes, but I have gone over my MTP350 with a fine toothed comb and have waited a year to post a review.
Aside from the average stock pups this is a great guitar for any moderate price. Maybe if I had paid over a grand I would be disappointed. But.. I'd want a perfect 10 guitar for $1000 - I'm a cheap bastard. I'm no pro and bought it while attending university so I think it's a steal. I might submit another small review as an update after I replace my pups and get it serviced. I'm going to give the guitar overall a very conservative 7, because I think it's wonderful, but anyone picky about sound will want to swap pups (which would increase my rating). I'd like to give it a 10, but that would be misleading and happens too often on HC. So, 7 overall, 10 cause it's a wicked deal and has potential.

This is a Korean made, PRS-style guitar that has a set neck with a rosewood fret board, 22 jumbo frets, a tune-o-matic type bridge with stop tail piece. It has a three way switch, 1 volume & 1 tone knob controlling 2 chrome covered humbuckers. It's pretty basic stuff. If you like a lot of switches, you won't find them here, which is ok by me. On the other hand, I might have liked a coil tap included, but for the price I can't really comlain. You can always add one later, anyway. The tuners are unbranded sealed Gotoh type with Kluson style knobs. They look nice and work fine. The neck has a PRS "wide-thin" feel and is very easy to negotiate. The nut is probably plastic, but it's well cut. The jumbo frets are very nicely dressed and make bending strings a breeze. The fret ends are trimmed and finished like a much more expensive instrument might be. The top is a nicely figured maple cap (not photo flame) over a double cutaway mahogany body. The body is bound in ivroid. It's not feather weight but it's not a boat anchor either. I'm guessing that it might weigh about 8 lbs.

The first thing I did when I got this guitar was restring it and set it up, as the strings that were it were shot. After doing this I noticed how resonant it was. It really has got a good acoustic voice which is a good indication that it should sound good amplified. Plugged into a Yamaha DG-80 solid state combo, I was able to get some good Robben Ford/ Larry Carlton type dirty sounds out of it. Cranking up the distortion elicits a lot of sustain. Pushed hard enough, it will feed back, but not in an out of control micophonic way. I then tried it through a Rivera M-60 tube combo focusing on the clean. This guitar has an incredibly crisp and bright clean tone. I give a lot of credit to the pickups, as I've played a lot of similarly bodied guitars both expensive and in this price range that sounded dark or muddy by comparison. All three positions are good. The neck is full but clear, the bridge barks without being shrill and the two together are a balanced combination of the best qualities of both. I have to say that wherever these guys are getting their pickups from, they've found a great source. I would generalize the sound as hot, but not in the bad way associated with most Asian made pickups. I'm impressed. I've heard a lot of Korean (& Chinese & Indonesian, to be fair) humbuckers in my time (Epiphone, Duncan Designed, Mighty Mite, Schecter, Samick and who knows what else). Almost all of them sound like crap. I feel qualified to say this because I have "good" pickups to compare them to. My other HB equipped guitars have Wagner, Lindy Fralin & Rolph pickups in them. That's a pretty tough group to go up against. Of course, tone is subjective and what sounds good in one guitar might not work in another. In any case, I think that this guitar sounds good, really good and I certainly have no inclination at this point to modify the electronics.

As I said earlier, I got this used and it definitely needed a setup. Once the bridge was lowered and the truss rod tweaked it played as well as any guitar that I own. There is minimal acoustic fret buzz and no amplified buzz at all (which is all that matters, folks). The finish was very good. It's not PRS quality, but for $250 it's pretty damn good. There were a few minor flaws, but being used, I don't know whether to blame the factory or the previous owner. The fit of all components seem fine. I have not checked the switches, jack or pots yet, but they work fine and seem sturdy enough.

Won't apply to me, but if these guys are willing to offer a life time guarantee, they must have faith in the fact that they won't be getting many back. After owning dozens of guitars ofer the years, my gut feeling is that it's a pretty sturdy piece of wood.

I've heard good things about the owners, although apparently one of them died recently. There haven't been any changes to the web site recently although they are advertizing new models in guitar mags. I hope that they succeed. They deserve to stick around for a while.

I've been playing the guitar for over 30 years and I've owned a lot of different guitars. With a few notable exceptions, they all had good points although I've kept very few for very long. Right now I intend to keep this one in the stable. Forget the price, forget the origin, the bottom line is, this is a good guitar. It's nice looking, plays well and sounds good. It was dirt cheap, to boot. I have no reservations about taking it out to gig with. In general, recent Korean made guitars offer a lot of bang for the buck. A few, like this Tradition and the PRS SE series have raised the bar even higher. For some reason the Tradition name isn't geting out there and there are some great bargains to be had. I'm going to load up on as many of these things as I can find. I don't think that these guitars will appreciate in value the 80's MIJ Fenders did. So what? They will, however, remain good instruments over time. The bottom line is, you won't be afraid or embarrased to take your Tradition out of the house in a few years.

The MTP350TL is a Korean-crafted, PRS-style guitar. I say "crafted" because this is a FINE example of a company "doing it right".
It came equipped with 2 "Tradition" humbuckers, one volume and one tone control, mahoghany body and neck, 5/8" flame maple top, Gotoh-style tuners and chrome hardware. Yhe fretboard is a nice slab of figured rosewood. The body is bound in what appears to be ivoroid. Neck is a set neck design. Tail-piece is of the Tune-a-matic type. Frets are Jumbo.

I play a progressive, instrumental metal style that utilizes a lot of gain from my amps. I look for a guitar that will provide a warm, accurate, and articulate sound that will not get muddied down in the mix. The MTP350TL does this task with applomb and maintains a distinctive characteristic tone that is rich in natural harmonics and expressively fluid.
Going through a Marshall AVT150H half-stack for live tones and the Line 6 Pod Pro for studio work, this instrument really provides Great Tones! The stock pickups are hot without being over-the-top. Like a good PAF Pro or a Duncan '59. The bridge pickup has a warm midrange characteristic with just enough "bite" to cut through with a complex array of highs. The neck pickup was dark and fluid in it's tonal characteristics but with definition and clarity that kept it from being muddy at high gain. The clean tones are brilliantly complex and almost shimmeringly acoustic-like in quality. This guitar is very resonant!

Out of the box, this guitar played extremely well!!! Craftsmanship is on a par with guitars costing much more. No photo-finish or laminates here! Just remarkably good wood-working and a fit and finish quality that some American guitar firms should take note of.
The fretwork is not your typical machine-rolled, mass produced hack job. These frets are individually set and the crown and polish job is exceptional!
No rough spots and no sloppy joinery is to be found on this instrument anywhere! Only one tiny bit of color-bleed on the binding at the lower horn was found but it was no larger than the head of a push pin and my mentioning it is probably just nit-picking.

This instrument carries a lifetime warranty and I think it will probably never need it. Great workmanship throughout! I will be expanding my collection with more of these guitars in the future! I'd like to see a quilted maple finish like on their Jerry Reid model!

-Lifetime Warranty
-E-mailed the company on a Sunday and they responded the same day! WOW!
- Small company attention to detail! Wonderful thus far!

-Been playing 20 years
-Currently own gear and guitars from Marshall, Line 6, Digitech, Ernie Ball, Fender, ESP, Jackson, DOD, Crate, and Warwick
-Want more Tradition guitars in my arsenal!!!
You can hear the Tradition guitar in the "files" section of my website at: http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/shreddersshack

Flame maple top in 'natural' finish, double-cut PRS style. Two chrome covered humbuckers, one volume, one tone. Mahogany body and set neck.

Neck pickup is dark and warm, bridge bites very well. Combined it seems to highlight the best of both. I had really anticipated replacing the pickups on this, but doubt I will now. The range of sounds available is very useful, and very satisfying.

Sounds good clean, sounds good dirty. Can't really ask for more.

This is the kicker-I bought this guitar on a close-out for $250, shipped. I figured it might be a good platform to experiment with, since unlike most budget PRS copies it actually has a 5/8" maple cap and a real mahogany neck and body.

I was just blown away when I sat down and played this thing. It's got a comfortable, VERY playable neck and needed no real effort to achieve a very low action. I would truly expect this guitar to cost $1000 or more if I didn't know the brand--it will stand toe to toe with anything in terms of fit, finish and playability.
Really.

Everything seems solid, but it's hard to judge durability on a new guitar. I don't see anything that might be suspect.

No contact with them, can't say.

I LOVE this guitar. I have 8 or 10 others (really should count them, I suppose) and I find myself picking this one up over others that cost many times its price. I am actively seeking other Tradition guitars-they seem to be a 'sleeper' best buy, like Dillion was a while back.

02 or 03 model Made in Korea (like aren't most cheaper guitars?) Solid Top, Twenty four jumbo frets on a rosewood fretboard, One volume one tone, three way switch, 2 Humbuckers by Tradition, Mahogany Body and Neck, Blue Transparent Flame Maple Top. PRS type of body, Nice "tight" tuners

I can't complain for the price so I won't! It was and is a good value for the dollar.

Fast neck with great action, I have pulled some sweet bends and riffs with this guitar after the first day!
I use a Fender 112 Deluxe and the gain so far. ; )
No back ground nose but it's new.
Sounds are great, rich mellow tones from the neck pick up and you can dail in some hot bitting sounds for rock in the Bridge pick up. So far so good, played a little Country with it tonight and it passed with flying colors. Then cranked it up with some classic rock sounds of a Southern nature.

Good set up right out of the box. I don't see me changing anything for a while.

I will have someone tough up the fret work though, first fret is a little high but that is the only down side I have found and I have been looking too.

I'll check back at a latter time for this one. A good friend of mine has a Les Paul style and it's been great for him over the last couple of years.

Only sent them an E-mail and recieved a quick responce from them. So that's counting for alot. ; )

I have been playing over five years and have had five or six other (cheap) guitars, 1 Fender Squier SSH, 1 DeArmond HH, 1 Memphis Les Paul type, and a couple of flat tops but this Tradition tops them all and only for a few bucks more. If it was lost or stolen I'd track down the bum that took it and kick his butt! LOL, I would get one as quick as possible!
I love the feel of the neck and the sounds I can get, I hate the fact that I feel like I got a steal on this deal.
Ed Roman has one of the best Guitar sites on the web and I got what I think is a great deal on a good guitar. The Tradition might be a Korean guitar but they would make a great buy for those of us who don't have the bucks for the Fenders and Gibsons of the world.

24 fret Indian rosewood fretboard, set neck, alder body, quilted finish. 2 humbuckers, 3 way selector switch.

Nice and smooth sound, more dark than my strat. very nice tones with my Pod XT.

For a new manufacturer the quality is amazing. This thing is easily comparable to #2000 PRS guitars that i have played & i certainly prefer the feel of this. It came set up perfectly, a quick change of strings and that was it.

Had no probs as yet & don't forsee any.

Never had to deal with them.

For the price this guitar is a must have. If you played one of these in a music store and the dealer told you it was #2000 you'd believe him, it is that good. Very similar looking to a PRS, just a hell of a lot better value for money.