u/Simple-Section-2468

Hey y'all, been wanting to try out a Hils guitar after seeing some vids about it, and then recently found out they released a new Baritone model this year. Since I've literally never touched a baritone or a headless, I thought this was a good moment to pull the trigger.

So far I've only tried and tested it out for a few minutes, and will share some of my observations:

-The weight of the instrument is roughly 2.8kg or 6.2 lbs (measured by me standing on a scale with and without the guitar) which is decent for it being a baritone, tho I hoped it would be closer to 5 lbs.

-I thought people were over exaggerating with the stiffness of the tuners, but no in their default form they are horrible. In order to turn the tuners I had to jam a pick in the tuning slot, and even then it is annoying. One of the first things I'll do is install the bearings (that I bought separately).

-While you can hold it in the "Andre Fludd right leg ~45 degree angle", the instrument has a tendency to neck dive if you don't support it with your left hand and/or anchor it with your right arm. Tbh I think it's probably better to use a strap for most comfort.

-If you play in classical position, it feels comfy there but you will need an angled cable for best results. A foot stool isn't needed to get a (at least for me) good neck angle imo.

-As for the set-up, there definitely some issues (sharp fret ends, high action etc.), but luckily these can be resolved. I'm kinda puzzled as to why they didn't cut off the string ends at the "headstock", and instead tied it up like that (look at that red thingie).

-The pickups seem serviceable, so at least I won't replace them right away.

Overall I have to say it is pretty much what I expected it to be. Some people say they punch way above their price point but I respectfully have to disagree. I also recently bought a PRS SE Custom 24/08 for roughly ~ 1060 EUR and that one feels quite a bit better (which is to be expected as it is double the price).

So yeah, if you want a Headless baritone (w/o multiscale), there's not a lot of choice afaik so at least you will get a decent instrument for the money (tho like I said it will likely need some work).

p.s I will probably get a GOC Ilumina and another custom made instrument later this year so stay tuned for that!

As title says, I'm trying to get a nice Kyber headless build going, tho there's still some things I'm a bit unsure about:

1). I'm aiming for a lightweight build, so was wondering, how much weight does a flamed maple top add to the guitar? Also how much would a different body wood weigh compared to Black Limba for example?

2). Right now roasted maple neck is free. Would that be sufficient or is it better to upgrade to a 3-piece neck?

3a). For the fingerboard I'd prefer something that is stable/consistent and requires little to no maintenance. What would be the best option here?

3b). The standard radius is 14", how would a 12-16" compound radius feel in comparison? (unfortunately cant try it out at local guitar stores since its only old school stuff).

4). Which neck pickup would make a good combo with Illusionist in bridge? (I plan to play mainly metal, rock, blues etc.).

5). Would it be worth the get the dunlop straplocks or is it not necessary?

FYI, I will eventually contact a sales rep directly, but wanted to get some input here first. Anyways thx in advance and looking forward to your insights!

So after a long break I decided to play guitar again. Even though I'm mainly into metal, I thought it would be a good idea to get more an all round guitar instead of the usual Ibanez/ESP LTD etc.

After doing some research I saw a lot of recommendations for the PRS SE Custom 24, so eventually I opted for the 24-08 version as it has A LOT of versatility.

In addition to this guitar, I also custom ordered a Hapas guitar that will have a lava burst fade to black finish (it will arrive next year). I thought that would be really cool, cos then I will have this blue/water themed guitar, and a fire/red themed guitar which are my favorite colors (I might even get a green/forest-ish guitar at some point to finish the elemental triad).