Slingy wrote:

 

Looks really nice. Amazing they can offer all that for so little money.

True that.  The only corners they cut, as far as I can tell, are (1) the knobs and (2) the pickup selector switch.  Neither element is awful or anything, they're just not as nice as the rest of the guitar.  I'm taking this guitar to practice today, we'll see how she does in a full band setting.  I'm not worried.

Cheers,

Fester2k

Starriddin wrote:

 

Nice find Fester! I'm jealous too! You can never have enough guitars!!!

Thanks!  I'm thinking about getting a MK "Phoenix" as a backup/alternate tuned guitar for live gigs.

Aaron_aardvark wrote:

 

fester2k,

Good one!  I was going to ask you how it sounds compared to an LP until I read your last entry.  Do they ever put a tremolo on a similar guitar?  Not familiar with the Michael Kelly brand.  OT: I was trying to remember what state you live in.  Is it Arizona or Calif. or ?.

Yeah, very LP-ish, but honestly I've never owned a real  LP, so my ability to judge is a bit limited.  I've played a few @ GC and none of them really did anything for me. Played tons of Epi's and a few were nice -- most felt horrible in my hands.

MK makes two series of guitars with a whammy bar.  One line is called the "Hex" and they make several versions.  I've got my eye on a "Hex Deluxe":

I'm not wild about the reverse headstock, and I also am nervous about active pups, but the reviews on this guitar are similar to the Patriot series, so it's probably worth a flier.

MK also makes a PRS style guitar called an "Hourglass Ltd." with a Wilkinson (read: non-locking) tremolo but neither MF nor Sam Ash carries them:

Just found an Hourglass on ebay (a B-stock) for $399 with a case: http://cgi.ebay.com/MICHAEL-KELLY-Hourglass-Limited-guitar-NEW-Spalt-Maple_W0QQitemZ200391671396QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar?hash=item2ea8463e64#ht_2693wt_1166

Hmm...just noticed that the Hourglass is made in Vietnam -- my Patriot was made in Korea, I think.

Oh, and I live in beautiful Austin, Texas.

Gitfiddler wrote:

 

Been looking to buy one myself but all the stores around herre that used to carry then don't anymore. Seems to be only available thru Musicians Friend or Sam Ash. Would like to play one before I order one...They look awesome, Guitar Player did a review of the Patriot Decree and couldn't say enough good things about it.

Yeah, it's a tough road buying guitars online, IMHO.  I've had some good and some not-so-good experiences.  Most have been good, though.  I'd suggest getting whichever one you want through MF.com, and understand that if you don't like it, the cost of shipping it back is your risk (which isn't cheap, btw--usually @$45-$55 in my experience).  Definitely make sure you get a deal from MF.com -- either wait for one of their 10-20% off sales, or call 'em and see if they'll give you a discount.  Recent personal and anecdotal reports suggest that they're pretty loose with the discounts lately .

Cheers,

Fester2k