Vintage VRS100 Reviews 4

I purchased this guitar online for £209.99 including next day delivery.

The guitar sounds great, with a rich, full tone that is comparable to those of far more expensive PRS copies. The smooth veneer of the body makes this guitar look a LOT more expensive than it is, and the Wilkinson pickups sound great.

This could be down to bad luck, but this guitar was returned within a week. There was a huge "blob" of glue on the first fret between strings 1 and 2 which was a problem, and the tremolo bridge was very loose, leading to complete change in tune when even the smallest pressure was applied to the bottom quarter of the strings. Also the volume control on the guitar had a loose connection which required a lot of work to get a sound out of the amplifier! I have since purchased the V100 Les Paul copy instead which I am very impressed with!

As above, the body looked a million dollars, however the glue on the fret and loose tremolo bridge makes me say that this guitar was not constructed in the way it should have been. Maybe I just got one unlucky pick but I was far more impressed with the quality of the V100.

All in all the guitar sounds fantastic, however it was only the poor workmanship that led me to return it. I was very impressed with the sound and finish of the main body and had no hesitation buying Vintage again.

Martin rated this unit 3 on 2005-04-26.

Must have been about a year and a half ago when I got this guitar. Recieved as a birthday gift and I think it cost £230 but am not totally sure.

This has to have the best action in its price range, loveley and silky smooth to play. Can suit all types of styles from your bluesy varients to your heavy metal ( I am an avid Metallica fan by the way :) ) Its slim tapered neck make for some easy transitions down the neck and what an easy access to those high notes! A weighty solid feel to the guitar with a nice touch of PRS to it.

The pickups aren't the best money can buy, but you have to put that into perspective considering its price. Staying in tune can be a problem (take the whammy bar off). I would prefer a stop tail piece myself but im not complaining. Lifeless once strings wear out.

Nice build quality and everything seems tight and secure.

This is one decent first guitar with such versatility and playability. Those tone and volume controls will soon become dice :) Once i get some extra cash I will invest in grover tuners and EMG 81's and then you've got one complete guitar.

Richard Adams rated this unit 4 on 2004-08-29.

After being disappointed with my Westfield Les Paul copy because it wasn't really producing the type of sound I wanted and sounded horrible at gigs, I searched around for a replacement guitar. On ebayUK I found this guitar for £169 brand new. (RRP £249)

The thing I like about this guitar is that it has a very similar feel and sound to the Les Paul copy, but it is way easier on the shoulders. When I first plugged it in, I noticed I massive increase in the quality of the sound. Clean this guitar sings (well compared to the les paul copy anyway), and dirty it is excellent but its lacking something (perhaps playing through a full rig rather than a Crate practise amp). Before, I had to use a effects pedal to hide the sound of my les paul copy. But plugging straight does the job with this guitar although it sounds good using the pedal too.

not much! I don't really like the tremolo, on it but I haven't got it set-up properly yet so that is subject to change... The strap buttons are a bit small and have straps have a tendancy to fall off them, but this can be fixed with the addition of straplocks available from your local guitar shop.

I would give this guitar 10/10 for playablilty, with the double cuttaway it enables you to reach right up to the 24th fret with no sweat, the neck is really nice as well. I haven't actually played this guitar live yet, but it seems quite a sturdy guitar and the output socket is designed so that the lead won't come out during gigs/home use etc. The finish quality is quite good for such a cheap guitar..

For the price of this guitar I have given it 5/5, because it is hard to fault at this sort of price. I would thoroughly reccomend this guitar to anyone, who is wanting to step up the quality of their guitar but are limited by their budget. If this guitar was fully set up I'm sure it could contend with guitars around the £500/£600 mark

#wakeup# rated this unit 5 on 2003-12-26.

After being disappointed with my Westfield Les Paul copy because it wasn't really producing the type of sound I wanted and sounded horrible at gigs, I searched around for a replacement guitar. On ebayUK I found this guitar for £169 brand new. (RRP £249)

The thing I like about this guitar is that it has a very similar feel and sound to the Les Paul copy, but it is way easier on the shoulders. When I first plugged it in, I noticed I massive increase in the quality of the sound. Clean this guitar sings (well compared to the les paul copy anyway), and dirty it is excellent but its lacking something (perhaps playing through a full rig rather than a Crate practise amp). Before, I had to use a effects pedal to hide the sound of my les paul copy. But plugging straight does the job with this guitar although it sounds good using the pedal too.

not much! I don't really like the tremolo, on it but I haven't got it set-up properly yet so that is subject to change... The strap buttons are a bit small and have straps have a tendancy to fall off them, but this can be fixed with the addition of straplocks available from your local guitar shop.

I would give this guitar 10/10 for playablilty, with the double cuttaway it enables you to reach right up to the 24th fret with no sweat, the neck is really nice as well. I haven't actually played this guitar live yet, but it seems quite a sturdy guitar and the output socket is designed so that the lead won't come out during gigs/home use etc. The finish quality is quite good for such a cheap guitar..

For the price of this guitar I have given it 5/5, because it is hard to fault at this sort of price. I would thoroughly reccomend this guitar to anyone, who is wanting to step up the quality of their guitar but are limited by their budget. If this guitar was fully set up I'm sure it could contend with guitars around the £500/£600 mark

#wakeup# rated this unit 5 on 2003-12-26.

I aquired this guitar in Hayward guitars in Winchester for £245 with a jack lead.

The guitar is very comfortable to play and looks a million dollers. The quilter maple top and gold hardware give it an expensive look and the all red body is just fantastic. Holding the guitar you realise just how heavy it is. The body is made of a single piece of Mahogony vith a maple veneir on top. It has a set neck(glued) and two humbucker pickups, that have a deep rich tone. The best thing about the Guitar is the coil-tap. This is located on the tonr nob and is pulled up to isolate the individual pickups within the humbuckers, giving it single coil pickups. This therefore gives you six tones to play about with, making the guitar far more versitile than anything else in its class. The Whammy bar is excellent and very strong and reliable - it has to be bent to be believed. The guitar also has 24 frets, so you can play loads of things an ovtave higher or lower - brilliant!!!

Frets 20 - 24 hard to access, flimsy selector switch

The guitar is exceptionally well built of mahogony and the hardware fitting and construction is sound. However the volume knob is liable to fall off if you mistake it for the coil-tap...

A great 2nd guitar, I am satisfied with my purchase and have never looked back. Looks just like all the other PRS guitars except its £2000 cheaper.

Duncan rated this unit 5 on 2003-06-20.

I have been promising myself a new guitar for years. My present toy is a battered Marlin Strat copy that I bought second hand many years ago. I have no idea if they are a good make or not but it has done me proud and still feels nice to play. However I felt it was time for a second guitar and after failing to buy a second hand USA Strat I'd seen advertised I gave Dawsons, my local music shop in Warrington a visit. My budget was £400 and thought about something with Humbuckers for a different sound. Two stood out on the racks, a Peavey Wolfgang EVH £399 and the Vintage VRS £249. I was offered an amp to plug into but even after years of playing I don't feel my skills are good enough to be shared with an audience so I tried them out more on feel.

The Wolfgang was the better guitar but I felt maybe I couldn't do it or it's price justice so I bought the Vintage. It also means I now have £150 to spend on some new effects. It's looks are stunning in a "see through" blue with a quilted effect in the wood. I've seen a PRS that looks identical but costs a little more than my budget (and wife) would allow. The fret board feels narrow and easy to move up and down the two full octaves. It feels so different from the Strat and I'm sure with time everything will feel just as natural again but for now I have to think about where my fingers are going and where the frets are. I'm happy with the pick up quality but would use it more for heavier style rock than I would the bluesy Strat. Maybe I will get into playing something other than Pink Floyd and Led Zep now.

When I got it home, having not plugged it in at the shop, I realised how out of tune it was. What a nightmare to tune. The floating trem moves all over the place so you have to be patient. Once it was in tune I found my playing style got in the way. I tend to rest the side of the palm of my hand right where the trem is and this is one sensitive trem. It doesn't take much to knock it out of tune again so after less than an hour old I took the trem arm off, removed the back cover and fixed the bridge down never to move again. It now tunes up easily and I can give it a good thrashing without any trouble.

It's made of wood, sorry folks that's my limit. I have read the bumf on it in magazines so I know it's not made out of an old knotty pine wardrobe but for the life of me can't remember what it is. The blue lacquer is deep enough to swim in and the finish on the frets feel smooth. I've felt some guitars for this price that feel rough and don't let you bend the strings smoothly. The hardware feels really top quality and everything that turns or moves does so like it's been engineered by someone who cares. The finish at the machine head end looks classy and off something much more expensive. It feels and looks quite small which is also reflected in the reasonably light weight. It's pretty and cute and looks great hung on the bedroom wall. So what if I can't play, I don't care!

If you're on a budget or just feel your playing doesn't justify huge sums of money this is a fantastic guitar. I couldn't cope with the trem but I've got a Stratalike for big bends. I don't know if Vintage sell one without the trem but if they do buy that unless you really really want a trem. Especially if you are going to be playing any thrashy stuff then you don't want it. I'm happy I bought the VRS100, maybe I'd have said the same about the Wolfgang but I'll never know. I could have got the Elli McPherson super model but I went for cute and friendly Kyli.....and what a body!

Roy Butler rated this unit 4 on 2003-01-22.

I have been promising myself a new guitar for years. My present toy is a battered Marlin Strat copy that I bought second hand many years ago. I have no idea if they are a good make or not but it has done me proud and still feels nice to play. However I felt it was time for a second guitar and after failing to buy a second hand USA Strat I'd seen advertised I gave Dawsons, my local music shop in Warrington a visit. My budget was £400 and thought about something with Humbuckers for a different sound. Two stood out on the racks, a Peavey Wolfgang EVH £399 and the Vintage VRS £249. I was offered an amp to plug into but even after years of playing I don't feel my skills are good enough to be shared with an audience so I tried them out more on feel.

The Wolfgang was the better guitar but I felt maybe I couldn't do it or it's price justice so I bought the Vintage. It also means I now have £150 to spend on some new effects. It's looks are stunning in a "see through" blue with a quilted effect in the wood. I've seen a PRS that looks identical but costs a little more than my budget (and wife) would allow. The fret board feels narrow and easy to move up and down the two full octaves. It feels so different from the Strat and I'm sure with time everything will feel just as natural again but for now I have to think about where my fingers are going and where the frets are. I'm happy with the pick up quality but would use it more for heavier style rock than I would the bluesy Strat. Maybe I will get into playing something other than Pink Floyd and Led Zep now.

When I got it home, having not plugged it in at the shop, I realised how out of tune it was. What a nightmare to tune. The floating trem moves all over the place so you have to be patient. Once it was in tune I found my playing style got in the way. I tend to rest the side of the palm of my hand right where the trem is and this is one sensitive trem. It doesn't take much to knock it out of tune again so after less than an hour old I took the trem arm off, removed the back cover and fixed the bridge down never to move again. It now tunes up easily and I can give it a good thrashing without any trouble.

It's made of wood, sorry folks that's my limit. I have read the bumf on it in magazines so I know it's not made out of an old knotty pine wardrobe but for the life of me can't remember what it is. The blue lacquer is deep enough to swim in and the finish on the frets feel smooth. I've felt some guitars for this price that feel rough and don't let you bend the strings smoothly. The hardware feels really top quality and everything that turns or moves does so like it's been engineered by someone who cares. The finish at the machine head end looks classy and off something much more expensive. It feels and looks quite small which is also reflected in the reasonably light weight. It's pretty and cute and looks great hung on the bedroom wall. So what if I can't play, I don't care!

If you're on a budget or just feel your playing doesn't justify huge sums of money this is a fantastic guitar. I couldn't cope with the trem but I've got a Stratalike for big bends. I don't know if Vintage sell one without the trem but if they do buy that unless you really really want a trem. Especially if you are going to be playing any thrashy stuff then you don't want it. I'm happy I bought the VRS100, maybe I'd have said the same about the Wolfgang but I'll never know. I could have got the Elli McPherson super model but I went for cute and friendly Kyli.....and what a body!

Roy Butler rated this unit 4 on 2003-01-22.

I bought this in England at a guitar shop a while away from where I live. I read the review in 'Total Guitar' magazine and it sounded good, and as i have only been playin for 7 months it was a good price. it cost £220(it was £270 originally,£250 in the sale and i got £20 off it!!!)

i like the looks and the shape of the body(very easy to play). the humbuckers are good for the price and have a push/pull coil splitter. there are two pots,1 volume and 1 tone, and a 3 way selector and if thats not enough then the gold hardwear, the 24 fret neck and the fact that the looks are based on a P.R.S should convinse you its a lot of axe for the money.

the only thing's i dont like are the pickups,there are better ones on the market and not too easy to replace anything else? erm....................nope amazing for the money.

As i've said(lots)it's incredible for the money and as i'm only 12, i don't really know much about this(sorry). I think it's a mahogany or rosewood fretboard, a solid wood body and a hardwood neck.Plus a 628 mm scale makes this a beauty.

All I can say I have. 24 fret neck, P.R.S look's, 2 humbuckers, coil splitter, volume and tone pots make this 1 big axe for virtually nothing. It's an all around kick-ass guitar. Only 1 problem. Pickups are a little bit bad but does that matter???

david Pearson rated this unit 4 on 2003-01-09.

I got this axe from a shop a while away from where I live (in england) after reading the review in 'total guitar' and bought it for £220(was £270), which is very cheap for a guitar of this quality.

I like almost everything about this guitar, it has a 24 fret neck, 2 humbuckers, a coil splitter, 1 volume control, 1 tone control, a 3 way selector switch and gold hardware and rosewood fretboard with a solid wood body.

There isn't much wrong with this guitar, considering it's so cheap but if I have to say something it would be the pickups, you can get better ones on guitars in this price range (even some top class seymoore duncans or how ever you spell it)

As i've already said, it has a solid wood body, a hard maple neck and a rosewood fingerboard. And the floating trem comes in very handy for all the dive bombs you have to do because you can pull it really high up again so it makes the coolest sound ever!!! (especially with our 'friendly' effect distortion)

Anything i have to say i have, an all around good guitar, but is it amazing, well its a P.R.S copy, £250 (english r.r.p), 24 FRET NECK, and gold hardware looks a dream, sound like one too. you can see this on www.jhs.co.uk/vint%20.el.html

D Pearson rated this unit 4 on 2003-01-09.

Write a user review

© Gear Review Network / MusicGearReview.com - 2000