Vantage VIE-218/MR

This guitar is a 1996 model, made by Samick in Corea (all Vantages are 2nd line by Samick). It has the same design as the Samick YV-162, except for the single pick-up holes, the upper cut of body and number of controls. The body is based on Jackson models (strat/no shield), very beautifully painted in perolized cherry red; 3 piece body (alder?), 4 bolt-on maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, 24 medium-jumbo frets, angled back headstock. Vintage tremolo strat style bridge. Don't recognize the tuner. All hardware in black. 3 pick-ups: 1 HB, 2 singles; all made in Korea. Originaly, it had 3 controls: 1 volume, 1 tone for singles and 1 tone for the HB.

When I bought it, here in my country (Brazil), I was expecting a good construction guitar, with a good entonation, brightness, quick & low action and a beautiful appearance. The guitar really have this qualities - but when you plug it...URGH!!! The sound is terrible! But, for its price, it's worth to buy it and change all the electrics. Setting on the neck & midle 2 singles Ibanez S1 and at the bridge 1 HB DiMarzio Tone Zone (changed HB/Single by a mini-key installed at the place there was the tone control for singles), eliminating 1 tone control, having only 1 master tone & 1 master volume - the guitar was transformed in ... A GUITAR!!! Let me explain something: where I live, a good guitar costs US$ 700 - and the electrics are not TOP. I've paid US$150 for this guitar, and the changes costs US$250. So it's worth, isn't it? I play all type of music, plugging it to a Boos ME-5, a Cry-Baby Wah, a Marshall Shred Master and a Crate 30W. It really blows... (I've already made Gibson & Fender owners cry for not reaching her tone!!!!!). Sop, after changes, it rates 100! But my rating is for the ORIGINAL sound, OK?

The original set-up sucks. The strings were old and too heavy for the conception of the guitar(it comes with 0,13) - I use 0,09 GHS Super Boomer today. Although the medium-jumbo frets are of good quality and well installed, some of them have to be lifted, and some finish were made at them, too. The action was too high and heavy, and it has poor entonation, too. But as the bridge is totally adjustable, all these problems could be solved. I change the original plastic nut by a graphite one. The tuners are good only if you forget the presence of the tremolo - everytime you use it, you better tune the guitar again. I've solved this by replacing the tuners by Gotoh ones. The pick-ups adjustment is all right, as the body is a copy of Samick YV-162 - and that guitar is a beauty. But the pick-ups...well, I've talked about them before. The bridge is good at a point - adjustment - but there-s no salvation for it as a tremolo. The tunning varies everytime you use it, unless you pull it back to it's place. It cames originaly with 3 coils, I thought about putting more 2, but my luthier said it could make another problems. Good points are the shielding & solding (the metalic paint at the electric hole is very rare in guitars with this price), the painting finish of body and well-done parts assembling. The fingerboard is very good, too - the fat neck, after the right adjustments, became very fast and comfortable. At the price, with low-cost changes, a professional guitar.

I don't play gigs anymore - just at home and little parties. But the guitar have a very good construction, and the bolt-on neck inspires some strength. It doesn't look like a Strat - that you can use as a hammer - because of her Jackson style. It's like comparing a Jeep with a Ferrari - although the last one seems to be more agressive, the first could pass through it withoput a scratch. But if you take good care, and play gigs as a normal person (forget Hendrix or Angus style), it can last forever.

After buying, I realized that there's no customer support for it in my city - but I have never needed them.

I've been playing for 15 years now, and today I have a Washburn N2 signature - the greatest guitar I've played in. Believe it or not, the Vantage is not too far from it - after all the changes I've made, of course. But looking at the price, one costs US$150 and the other is listed by US$996 - more than 600%. So, analysing by category of price, it's a great guitar, that can be upgraded in parts, and never left me when I needed. If you're buying one, have in mind you should make changes.