Andreas Guitars Home
Ed Roman is looking to purchase any and all Andreas Guitars
Top Dollar Paid For Highly Figured Wood Models
We Will Buy The Plain Ones Also
Call Ed Roman In Las Vegas
Andreas Pichler is a very artistic guy, he has come up with a new innovative finishing process that is completely and very distinctly European. I don't know if they will appeal to Americans due to the Euro Avante Garde appearance.
I think that probably they will be highly collectible. The quality fit and finish is impeccable.
Old News
Ed Roman guitars was the original first dealer for Andreas Guitars in the USA
The Andreas guitar line was one of the guitars that got pulled off my Worlds Best Guitar page. When I first bought the line I recognized immediately some of the problems. However I had been making excellent progress with the sales manager. I was pretty sure that he was going to make the necessary changes. The body shape was very hip and very comfortable.
Then the company hired some Jibroney as a new sales manager. Dino Ferreri, He was completely unresponsive to me, In fact we had a strong personality conflict.
I requested wooden fingerboards (Ebony & Rosewood).
He did not
comply,
I also requested Korina & Swamp Ash Bodies,
He did not comply.
I indicated to them that the pickup mounting was substandard to what people
are expecting on a modern guitar, He did not comply.
I requested Seymour Duncan Black Back TM pickups.
The company wanted to use
EMG's,
The company also wanted to use solid maple bodies. "80's anyone"
The maple body was incredibly shrill sounding. especially when coupled with that
aluminum fingerboard.
The aluminum fingerboard is actually very cool, I even liked the sound of it on a model that we custom made with a Korina body.
Andreas finally dumped the moronic sales manager but too little too late... Because the damage had been done. Within less than a year this Jibroney had put them out of business.
The Andreas Shark Guitar Reviewed By Trent Salter
Our guitar review this month is submitted to Musicians Hotline by Andreas Guitars. One of Europe's high-end guitar luthiers and certainly a name you will be hearing more and more about with the brand available to the states. Nestled in Southern Austria, right next to the beautiful Tyrolean Alps, Luthier Andreas Pichler and the flag ship Shark guitar have been gaining the attention of many a guitar player. Unique is an understatement, the current line up of Shark guitars and basses with a soft coat finish and an ergonomically shaped body have set the guitar industry on fire! Premiere Guitars is proud to introduce you to Andreas Guitars and is proud to review the soon to be legendary SHARK Guitar...
First Look...
Wow! Certainly not your typical Strat body here. The first impression
of the Andreas Shark Guitar is that of amazement. It is refreshing to
witness a design and finish that I personally have never encountered
before. The most obvious detail of this guitar is the body shape. It is
easy to understand why this model is named the Shark, with its fin
shaped rear body contour and hockey stick style headstock. Way cool
chrome pickup rings with the rear ring extending around the bridge in
the same ergonomic shape of the body contour. Chrome hardware including
two Tele style knobs for volume and tone recessed into the body.
Five-way Strat style pickup selector switch, six on a side Gotoh chrome
Machine Heads, chrome Wilkinson fixed style bridge with string thru body
design. The screws used to adhere the pickup rings to the body as well
as the pickup cavity plate and the bolts on the neck are hex screws. A
small thing yes, but classy and very unique. This Shark model sports two
custom humbuckers in black, hard rock maple neck and Alder body. But
these amenities deserve special attention.
The
Neck...
The Shark sports a Hard Rock Maple neck, 22 fret, 25.59 scale, bone nut
with a classy red Infeld stripe that extends the length of the neck
directly under where the "B" string would lay. This really is a classy
touch. Unique hockey stick contour headstock with six on a side chrome
Gotoh tuners, medium jumbo frets and a bolt on neck. This combined with
the hard rock maple board provides a spanky cutting tone. The neck is of
medium thickness and has a great rounded Les Paul Classic feel to it,
Les Paul players will love it, Strat players certainly will not be
scared off because this neck lies somewhat right in the middle. Very
comfortable.
The Body...
Here is where the rubber hits the road, literally. The Sharks
ergonomically shaped body is one thing, and the soft coat finish is
ground breaking. The actual body of the Shark is Alder, however H
onduras
mahogany is also an option. The body and matching headstock are covered
in the Andreas patented "soft coat finish". The soft coat is a
revolutionary latex rubberized finish that covers the entire body and
headstock. I'm tellin' ya, it's really cool and something I've never seen
before or felt before. This particular model is royal blue, but is also
available in red and black. The soft coat finish combined with this
incredible carved body and unique body shape, certainly ensures the
uniqueness of this instrument.
Swimmin' With The Shark...
For testing purposes I will be utilizing a Mesa Dual Rectifier with
closed back Marshall 4x12 cab with 75 watt Celestions, as well as my
trusty Line 6 POD running directly into a Mackie 1604 out to a full
range PA. As always testing remains at modest volumes to ensure as much
sonic accuracy as possible. While
my
Rectifier warms up I always test a guitar for a few minutes acoustically
and the Shark is no exception. Strumming the Shark acoustically is just
the beginning of my treat. This guitar is a solid chunk of Alder and
with a Hard Rock Maple neck, even acoustically this guitar spanks out
the goods. Solid ringing tone with even tension across the neck
spectrum. This guitar is set up flawlessly with low action and the
intonation seems to be right on.
My next step is to plug into the Dual Rectifier's dirty channel. With the pickup selector to the bridge position, the Shark sounds like the hunter that it is. Fat & Beefy with a really cool mid range cut. Makes me wonder what are these pickups? Andreas informs me that these pickups are of a custom made origin from Harry Haussel, who dat? I must admit I have not heard (literally) of these pickups until now and I am very impressed. Warm, creamy and a well-rounded spectrum with just enough mid range attack to ensure those leads are cutting through a mix. This particular model sports two humbuckers, but is also available in hum, single, single set up. Wired to a five-way selector switch to split coils in both humbuckers or to obviously run them separately or simultaneously. Just about any tone you want can be achieved with this set up. Overdriven in bridge position is killer, fat, BOOP DERE IT IS! Tone. Slicing through but not harsh. Neck position pickup is sweet, warm and bluesy with great balance and ringing sustain and it doesn't mud up.
In the clean mode utilizing the split coil configuration, the Shark is as sweet and mellow as a goldfish. Easily capable of producing clean, spanky, chimey Tele type tones. Humbuckers in the clean channel are full and rich and can break up nicely if need be by your string attack to adhere a bit more crunch. No doubt that the Alder body and the Hard Rock Maple neck add to the spankiness of the Sharks tone. However, I can not believe that the patented soft coat finish on this bad boy adds inherent warmth to the tone. It would have to. It's almost like the coating seals the wood to further enhance the warmth. Call me crazy, but to me warm tones are what it is all about. Clean or dirty, the Shark cuts with tone just like the predator itself...
Safe On The Beach (Final Mojo)...
It certainly is inspiring to witness first hand cutting edge ingenuity
in anything that you do. The Andreas Shark is an example of daring
enough to be different but yet grounded enough to be traditional. With
the uniqueness of the Shark body contour to its revolutionary soft coat
finish, the Shark is one totally awesome guitar. The Shark is in no way
a novelty item, this is a great playing, great sounding guitar capable
of producing just about any tone imaginable. Manufactured in Austria and
now swimming to the States, Andreas is now setting up limited
dealerships in the USA and is now starting to ship. At a list price of
$2,100, the Shark is not inexpensive but not outrageously priced either.
For those who "Dare to be Different" and undoubtedly a welcome addition
to anyone's guitar collection. The Andreas Shark is soooo cool it's
scary! And just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water
again!
Even Though The Guitar Deserved A Good Review, the main reason they got one was because Andreas Was Advertising In This Publication.
I never trust magazine reviews they are usually Advertorial rather than editorial. Sometimes they are right but for the wrong reasons.
Just as you should never trust a
big box store
Just as you should never trust a
commissioned salesman
Just as you should never trust a
corporate guitar They
are notorious for cost-cutting
Just as you should never
trust a pawn shop
Just as you should be extremely careful about
brand loyalty
Just as you should never trust a car salesman, a politician or a televangelist!