Tradition S20Q Soulster

your basic pretty good LP copy...this one's based on the LP Custom....totally standard LP treatment; this one has a nice emerald green transparent finish over a nice quilt...chrome hardware/creme bezels and pickguard(which i removed), gold knobs, big frets...

sounds great, though the pickups are a tad microphonic...thsi is one of 3 traditions LP's i have, and it's been the one i've had the most trouble with....sometimes, for reasons which escape me, the high e string will catch under the end of a high fret, somewhere around 17 or 18; when i try to make it happen purposely to see why, it won't do it...i think some judicious filing may be in order...also, i had trouble with the g and b strings sounding "dead-ish"...you know, not "ringing" like they ought to....had the nut looked at, and adjusted the pickups in case of string pull, but it didn't help....considered putting a brass nut on it, but decided first to try a set of 11's, instead of my usual 10's...went with Danelectro 11's, because they have heavier low strings....this helped tons...i like the way it plays now a lot more; it tends to fight more, sort of like a strat...

had to raise the action after the 11's went on, but i'm a strat player too, and i don't mind a little work...

These guitars are great...like i said, i have 3....play 'em all the time...

no contact

I got this one "new" as a scratch and dent....dealarama!!!

I don't know what year it is, but i'm guessing it's at least a 2001. It's almost a carbon copy of a les paul, besides a few small changes like the pick guard being a bit different. Just read the other reviews for specific info. It has all I need in a les paul aka soulster...

This is where I was first shocked and amazed by this guitar. I was down hanging out at my local guitar shop after hours, checking out the new gear and I saw this guitar. Being rather intrigued by good looking guitars, I picked it up and took it for a test drive on a peavy classic 30 tube amp........ Without delay, I noticed how fat and clear the humbuckers were. I'd been playing on single coils and a SD little '59 in the bridge of my strat, so this was a nice break for my ears. Minutes later, I told my friend, "I've gotta get this guitar."

On my setup at home, it was just perfect. I'd realized what I'd been missing using only single coils. After messing with the settings on my amp, it was full and rich sounding on clean a huge on distortion. I can now play along with the first foo fighters album and sound almost exactly like it! Not to mention Zeppelin.

I play rock/blues mostly, but I reach into all kinds of styles to add to my own. I also play in a band that plays all original rock. This guitar fits all the ones my strat couldn't even get close to.

Mt Setup goes... Hendrix Wah > Marshall SHredmaster > HD 130 Music Man 2x12... I also sometimes use a phaser or delay.

The soulster is real quiet, yet it can deliver smooth overdrive to beastly distortion. Great for jazz too!

The finish is black around the outside and blends into natural towards the center. The pickups were great for me. The finish is perfect, that's what brought me to this guitar. After putting 10s on it and raising the action a bit to kill fret buzz, it was nearly perfect. I just have the slightest fret buzz up around the 12th fret. But it doesn't come through the amp, so I don't care.

This guitar is a beast and has already held up to live playing more than once. Everything seems very durable to me. My straplocks are solid and I would gig without backup. It feels like a solid well made guitar in your hands... I like that.

No clue... But here's their site.... http://traditionguitars.com

This guitar gets a 10 easily. My U.S. strat has been getting less playing time. I've been playing almost 6 years and I've owned too much gear. I like this guitar more than the gibson SG or the epiphone flying V I had. If it were stolen or lost... I'd order a new one as soon as I could, or just go find a gibson. I compared it to my friend's epiphone les paul, and the sound quality does not compare. The soulster has a deeper and clearer sound. This is my main guitar in my band. Just an all around great deal.

Check out my band! http://honestabe.freewebspace.com

22 frets, 2 hum pickups, 3 way switch,2 volume, 2 tone knobs, alder body, maple neck, tune-o-matic bridge and beautiful quilted top and gig bag, wraped in a les paul style body.would like to rate ten but it doesnt have a self play feature.

i use a pevey amp with overdrive and it sounds great! it does everything well. blues to metallica sounds great.nice full fat sound.i have had little or no notice of any buzz or noise. goes from deep rythm to energized solo with out a skip.i hate to praise it too much but i love mine.

it was pretty much tuned in from the factory. the only thing i did was raise the pickups a little. 2 mins and done. the hardware tuners, controls nut etc are all great and you have to love the finish. a clear red finish over a curly maple top. my only nit pick would be a hairline seperation between the bolt on neck and body. this has no bear on feel sound strength or play as far as me and my friends can find though. a truly beautiful guitar.oh hope you like a solid hefty feel. feels like a mans guitar not some pansy feather weight.

my friends and i have more than put it through the wringer(no abuse just a lot of play)and it realy hangs in there. holds tune on the longest bends.this thing is built like a rock.strap buttons are sturdy as they come; have to be mounted in that stout of a body. id play it anywhere. the only thing i have found i can do to it is break strings from playing them to death.

dealer told me there was a life time guarantee long as i dont pull one of those guitar bashing tricks just bring it back and they'll fix her up.dont forsee needing it though.i ve bragged to much so far so ill give it an 8 just because i havent had to find out

ive been playing for about 4 yrs nowand have owned several guitars and played alot of friends high dollar guitars(gibson sg's, les pauls, fender strats) and thought i was set on a les paul or sg but this i believe fits me just fine. i was looking for a gibson when i found this one and played it for the heck of it.hey it looks great sounds great and id play it anywhere with confidence. aint no fall from a stand gonna hurt this beast(might dent that floor though i repeat not a feather weight)i have friends who have played bars for 25 yrs and they all love it. one is going to get one himself instead of the new strat he was going to buy. wish iit had a glued on neck though gibsons got them there but if you like fenders you are used to them anyway.pound for pound awesome.

les paul style body 22frets. this model has two volume controls and one tone control.its the michael angelo model.Nice heavy guitar!Tuners are very nice,I think they have a lifetime warrenty.Everything is just like a les paul exept for the tone control.Does have a bolt on neck but for the price Im not bitchin:-)

I play rock/ metel.This has a very good sound to it.Its a little darker than my Ibanez jem but you can do that cool Kiss thing with the pickup seletor switch!I play through a stereo power amp by tube works & a zoom 707 with a 4/12 cab.It sounds realy nice with good sustaine.Pickups are quiet too!

Plays well no buzzing on the neck.finish is very good.These are beautifull guitars with nice bindings.

dont see any problems here?I would play live with this guitar.Hardware is good and the finish is great!

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I like this guitar just as well as the epiphone models and its selling for about 100 to 150 bucks less.This one has a silver finish and this is the color on the back and the neck! Every other LP copy I have ever seen is a cool color on the front and then some wood stained color on the back.{I hate that!}I was looking for another guitar that did not have a locking trem on it when I came across this.I was impressed after playing it and realy liked the finish too.check one of these out.For around $300 Its a steel.If I can find a used one for at a good price I will own two!!

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This is an update to my earlier review. After spending alot more time with this guitar and also purchasing various aftermarket pickups and adding some other guitars to my collection, I have to say the stock pickups that came on the Soulster are indeed very good for an inexpensive instrument. It's the last guitar in my collection I would consider doing a pickup upgrade to. It sounds too good stock to mess it up.

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No problems yet.

2000 model Soulster in red quilt finish with solid alder body in a classic Les Paul style. This baby weights in at what must be around 15 lbs...it seems to have the weight of the "real thing". Binding on the body and neck. Chrome plated hardware with gold knobs to match the creme pickups bezels, pickguard, etc.
Have to give it a 10 'cause it's got everything you would expect on an LP...and its all extremely well done for a guitar in it's price range.
Made in China, I had previously heard the quality may not be up to par. Well let me assure you that is NOT the case with the S20Q. It is an absolutely beautifully executed musical instrument.

I play mainly rock, blues and jazz fusion and unlike some of the LP copies I have it is not as "dark" sounding with a brighter sound quality with I prefer. The dual humbuckers seem to be of average quality compared to other guitars in it's price range. Other than this slight difference it's sound is on par with it's direct competition. I do not play out at all and only use a small Ibanez Tone Blaster 25 with Boss GT-3 effects box or direct to my PC recording studio. It's hard to judge the true sound of this guitar with this limited amp setup, but it is quiet and gives me all the sound variations of any of the other LP copies I have.

Here's where this guitar really shines. If you were to ask anyone to describe the ultimate LP copy guitar, this would be it. Extremely well made, flawless and stunningly beautiful. All of the LP copies I have are nice, well made instruments (2 Samicks, Aria Pro II PE-40 40th Anniv., 70's Electra, Springfield LP-400), but set them all in a row on stands and this is the guitar everyone would be drawn to. The quilted top is beautifully done. Binding is perfect. Finish is just perfect. As I said...flawless. The neck is neither what I would call thin or fat, but somewhere in between. What a LP neck should really be like. An easy guitar to play even if you are used to thinner necks as I was with my other guitars. Action and intonation was right-on right out of the box, no adjustments needed to be made. I understand these guitars are tweaked by Tradition after receipt from the Chinese manufacturing plant and you can tell.
I'd like to give it an 11 in this category because I feel it is a cut above it's competition.

No way to accurately comment on this because the guitar is so new, but judging from the quality of construction and my very positive feelings in that regard I would hazard a guess that any failures due to workmanship and/or parts quality would be nil. Got to give it a 9 here because of no real life track record.
You should never play a gig without a backup...what are you gonna play with....don't say it.... :o)

No way to know...never needed any. But the dealer I bought from came across (via telephone) as very knowledgeable and helpful and I am sure would be there if you needed him should you have any problems.
Would give it a 9 'cause we're in unknown territory here, but a 10 means "incredibly kind and helpful" and Matthew at Complete Guitars earned that one for the S20Q

I've been playing for over 30 years, more off than on. But I am now heavily back into it (for good this time). Since I've always been a collector of sorts and am in the process of building an LP copy collection, the Soulster has taken the spotlight as the best example of what can be done with a low priced instrument. Whether it's the Chinese construction or the US design by actual guitarists who make up the company...the Soulster S20Q is certainly in the "Tradition" of the venerable Les Paul. If some disaster would occur and I would no longer possess this guitar (or any of the LP copies I have) this is the first one I would seek out for replacement. Get one...I don't don't think you'll be sorry.