Members billybilly Posted October 31, 2014 Members Share Posted October 31, 2014 To be honest, I've never played a Michael Kelly but I like the look of this one. $399 bills which seems pretty good, I love the finish. I see they have moved to Indonesia, which may or may not be a concern from Korea. I'll leave the specs below. Michael Kelly Patriot Decree Coral Blue Features : Set Neck Construction Mahogany Body 5-Ply White - Black Body Binding Flame Maple Top Mahogany Neck Single-Ply Neck Binding Rosewood Fretboard 12" Fretboad Radius 22 Frets Pearl Bone Inlays Traditional MK Electric Headstock 2 Volume, 2 Push-Pull Tone (coil tap), 3-way Toggle Electronics Michael Kelly PAF-Plus Pickups Standard Nut Synthetic Graphite Nut Material 43mm Nut Width Grover Tuners Tune-o-matic/String Thru Bridge Chrome Hardware While the ad reads "editors pick" I haven't' found any evidence on the net. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members papaschtroumpf Posted October 31, 2014 Members Share Posted October 31, 2014 I never liked what I think of as "driftwood blue" finish, and while I don't mind not having a perfect bookmatch, the grain is very different on both halves. So from a vidual aspect, not hot to me (eye of the beholder and all that...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jtr654 Posted October 31, 2014 Members Share Posted October 31, 2014 Like the color, really what do expect for $400. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gardo Posted November 1, 2014 Members Share Posted November 1, 2014 No Thanks. Not bad but not intresting either Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members billybilly Posted November 1, 2014 Author Members Share Posted November 1, 2014 Judging by the responses, I'll get one for $299! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JRicoC Posted November 1, 2014 Members Share Posted November 1, 2014 I like the color and even the zebra pickups (which is rare for me), but I'm not crazy about the rest of it ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members catscurlyear Posted November 1, 2014 Members Share Posted November 1, 2014 looks nice ,i like the idea of the strings through body idea ,it may give it a tele flavor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Floyd Rosenbomb Posted November 1, 2014 Members Share Posted November 1, 2014 I like the finish. The curves not so much. No body likes the guitars that I like so maybe my opinion doesn't count. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Preacher Posted November 1, 2014 Members Share Posted November 1, 2014 Mostly hot, I think. Not my absolute favorite finish, but I would rock it. I like tops that have some personality. Those parallel line perfectly symetrical tops that look like foto-flame drive me nuts. Looks good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members steve_man Posted November 1, 2014 Members Share Posted November 1, 2014 Not... I have a friend who plays a Michael Kelly, similar to that. Not a big fan, myself. I'd say "NOT" on that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 1001gear Posted November 1, 2014 Members Share Posted November 1, 2014 Tons of youtube. All maple I believe. Range from thin sounding to not so thin sounding depending on the demo. Coil splits and several knob/switch configurations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wankdeplank Posted November 1, 2014 Members Share Posted November 1, 2014 Hot on first impression. Non-book matched top may be the camera angle or not. Probably not enough to roll the dice on one however, and definitely not enough without a stunning test-drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Danhedonia Posted November 1, 2014 Members Share Posted November 1, 2014 Fort Myers Trailer Park written all over it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Virgman Posted November 1, 2014 Members Share Posted November 1, 2014 I like it. Those MK guitars look good. They seem to get good reviews too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Into Nation Posted November 1, 2014 Members Share Posted November 1, 2014 The past Korean MK's have had really good build quality and top end parts. Not sure about the switch to Indonesia, haven't seen one up close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members speakerjones Posted November 1, 2014 Members Share Posted November 1, 2014 Dislike the string through ferrules, the finish, the inlays, and the made in Indonesia. Not hot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GAS Man Posted November 2, 2014 Members Share Posted November 2, 2014 I'd be about in the middle with that guitar. The hottest thing about it (for me) is a Guitar Player endorsement (even though I know to be skeptical about such things). I'd be interested if I didn't have too many other guitars similar in build. And I actually have bought some good tone rigs that were made in Indonesa, like my 2 recent Silvertone Reissues, my Epiphone Worn Wilshire, and my Yamaha SA503 TVL. But other than the Yamaha, the others (while sounding good) seem prone to quickly developing issues with the input jacks or p'up switches. I blame that more so on the quality of components spec'd versus the origin, but the two seem to be linked. It would be better if manufacturers would stick to "cheaper labor, but with quality parts" as was originally done with the Brawley guitars (2000 - 2002). But it's all relative. Back then the cheap labor was S. Korea. Now S. Korea is like the new MIJ, i.e more highly revered. But from the perspective of one luthier I know, the Korean productions (mostly Sammick) came from a more traditional luthier trained/heritage factory, not just built from ground up, like some of the newer facilities in China (e.g. for Epiphone). But I also think it has a fair amount to do with which company is doing the oversight; for example, I've had no problems with my Indonesian-made Yamaha. But those damn things were expensive, despite being made in Indonesia. The actual street price was $1,000 (the MSRP was $1,500) but I grabbed mine on the close-out for $400. Helluva guitar at that price. But the review from GP is pretty decent: http://www.guitarplayer.com/miscellaneous/1139/michael-kelly-patriot-decree/12857 That one issue they note about the tone getting murky when the volume gets turned down would be a bit of a pain. I've gotten more into low watt amps these days where I can go from clean to grind using just my guitar volume or even just my attack (my Marshall 1W Offset is amazing how much dynamics in tone I can get just from the attack on the strings), and on my guitars where the volume pots cut the treble/articulation, that can be a bit of a pain. For the longest time, I used to noodle with my guitars with everything wide open and just tweak at the amp. Once I got more into using the guitar's volume and tones, I found that some guitars (for example my Squier Telecaster Custom II) went from being a favorite guitar to throw in the trunk for heading off to jams with friends, to a bit more of a dog. But OTOH, if you don't mind breaking out the soldering iron, that would not deter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members badpenguin Posted November 2, 2014 Members Share Posted November 2, 2014 Had a MK, and couldn't bond with it. So alas, NOT from me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Preacher Posted November 3, 2014 Members Share Posted November 3, 2014 Good post, GASman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GAS Man Posted November 3, 2014 Members Share Posted November 3, 2014 Thanky Preacher! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grant Harding Posted November 3, 2014 Members Share Posted November 3, 2014 The only thing I don't like is the Guitar Player endorsement. I subscribed to that magazine for years and don't believe the reviews. They don't lie outright, but they're really selective about what brands they "review". Plus there always seem to be full page glossy ads elsewhere in the mag for the "best in the test" gear/brands. How coincidental! So I'd get an Agile instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 1001gear Posted November 3, 2014 Members Share Posted November 3, 2014 Guitar Player used to be Bible to me. Got credible leads and their endorsements helped form a basis for correct gear addiction. Then along came the Fultone GT 500.It was GP distortion of some year I now seriously doubt ever transpired. GP not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members eeddings Posted November 4, 2014 Members Share Posted November 4, 2014 I have a Michael Kelly Patriot Custom made in Korea. Tiger quilt, 24 frets, ebony fretboard, EMG 81/85 pickups. I like it quite a bit -- the quality is fabulous and it is just beautiful. It feels right, and it plays right. But, one thing I've learned in my old age is that i'm not so fond of EMG pickups anymore. Doh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MorganB Posted November 4, 2014 Members Share Posted November 4, 2014 Sweetass! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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