Solar Guitars has engaged multiscale mode and debuted a pair of fan-fretted six- and seven-string electric guitars that should satisfy metal players who prize speed and intonation.
The A1.6DBOP-FF and A1.7DBOP-FF come hot on the heels of Solar's new T-style electrics and arrive in Dark Brown Open Pore finishes, complete with the trademark Solar aesthetic and a reverse headstock that looks as though it were inspired by a leisurely browse through a Medieval weaponry catalogue.
Both have swamp ash bodies in Solar Guitars' Type A 'S-type' shape, with contoured cutaways clearing your passage to the upper frets. The three-piece necks are carved into a Thin C profile and topped with an ebony fingerboard, and its here were things get interesting, with Solar using the multi-scale so favoured by djent and other progressive guitar tribes, for its enhanced intonation, particularly when tuning down.
The six-string model has a 24.75” to 26” scale, which means the high E string has a Les Paul length scale and longer scale on the low E, while the seven-string model has a Fender-esque 25.5” scale on the high E and a 27” scale on the seventh string – which in standard tuning would be a low B.
All this should hopefully keep your chug in good graces with your guitar tuner and give you a more solid base from which to dig in to those low-end riffs. These being Ola Englund designs, they will definitely chug. It's his USP.
Elsewhere, we have Hipshot bridges on both models, aligned at an angle to accommodate the multiscale design and Solar-branded locking tuners. As for electronics, both models are equipped with a pair of Solar FF passive humbuckers which are controlled by a five-way blade switch plus volume and tone controls.
Other nice touches include the Luminlay glow-in-the-dark side-dot markers, graphite nuts and the stainless steel fretwork. Both models are shipping now, with the six-string model priced $999 and the seven-string priced $1,099.
See Solar Guitars for more details.
