Avion AV3 Review

The single cutaway design shortens the exposed area of the neck, making it more secure and therefore more rigid. Combining this with a set neck greatly improves string performance.

Features:	8.6
Sound:	8.6
Action:	7.8
Reliability:	9
Impression:	9
Overall rating:	8.6
Users rating:	8.5
Comments:	7

overall: 8

Featured review by: dimebag7, on november 15, 2005

Price paid: $ 300.2

Purchased from: Musical Strings And Things

Features: This guitar was made in 2004 or 2003 and I'm not to sure where it was made though. Theres 22 frets and is rosewood. The body is mahogany an is pretty heavy like a real Les Paul. The body style is basiclly one of a Gibson Les Paul, which is why I got it! There's a 3-way toggle Switch, treble, middle and rythme. The pickups are humbuckers I'm not sure what kind though but I'm thinking Samick. It has a beauitful finished but I got a chip in it because I dropped it (rips own heart out). // 8

Sound: I play mostly thrash and speed metal, perfect fit. But my clean tone isnt that great, my clean tone is kinda rough. It's pretty noisy when your not playing sometimes if the volumes up high but that just might be a siting on my amp or something. For a low price guitar, it has a good quality, it sounds good with a pinch harmonic it can really get some big bends and make it scream but it cant hold some notes that long and the bends don't last along time but long euogh for me. This guitar is made for metal or rock but I dont think it could handle any other style. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: The only thing I find is a problem I run into alot is the set-up with the controls and knobs and tuner heads, but I replaced the tuning heads because I broke one off, now I got Grover (there hella tight). The one thing that made me most mad was my 14th fret on the low 'e' string wouldnt play so I took it back to the store I bought and they adjusted the brigde. The action is very smooth, for me anyways. The finish is amazing though, other than the chip I put it in (I cry everytime I think about that horrible night). I would of put a high score for the action, fit, and finish but the set-up wasn't very good. // 7

Reliability & Durability: I would relie on this axe anytime live, though I probably shouldnt, and I have before. But it seems like it's not gonna last 'till it's to old to be used, or that'll just come soon. But I still love it, its a good match for me. The strap really bugs me, it falls off alot and the nail spriped it by bbending so I used so wood glue (I think thats what it was) and now its fine for now. // 8

Impression: Like I said I play thrash metal, and speed metal its a pretty good fit I love it. I've been playing for about 2 years, and I'm looking to upgrade to a Jaskson, BC Rich, or? I hate the factory set up though its such a beaitful guitar but the set isnt that great. I love the finish its one of my favourite thing about this guitar thats why I cry when I see the chip (not really). It's a great for a guitarist whos been playing for awhile but doesn't have a lot of dough. I love it really, but I still want to upgrade. // 8

overall: 8.4

Reviewed by: rainman1987, on november 24, 2006

Price paid: $ 300

Purchased from: Music Go Round

Features: when you first get a look at this guitar, it is good lookin. My Avion has the natural cherry top with a light cream binding. The body and the neck are made out of solid mahogany and the neck is set not bolted. It has a nice gloss, durable finish. Equipped with a Tune-O-Matic bridge and grover tuners, this guitar stays in tune forever. It has a set of decent humbucker pick-up that put out a nice warm sound. It has 2 volume and 2 tone knobs and a Switch for middle, treble, or rhythm. // 9

Sound: I am a blues/classic rock guy and this guitar really meshes in well with my style. It puts out a nice full and warm sound. It sounds exremely clean for a $300.00 guitar. It plays just as good as guitars twice it's value. I bought an effects pedal for it because it's too clean for thrash and alt. rock, but once you get the pedal on it, it sounds awesome. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: For a guitar in those lower price ranges, I am really satisfiedwith the quality of this guitar. Everything looks very clean and well-built. There were only two thing wrong with it, but they were every minor. One, the set between the neck and the body were a little rough cosmetically. Two, the neck needed some minor ajustments. Other then that the action is nice and low, and the bridge is perfectly dialed in. // 7

Reliability & Durability: This guitar seems to be in it for the long haul. After a year, I have had no funtional issues with it. It seems to be the Chevrolet of guitars, it won't put a hole in your wallet and it will last a long time. Being made of solid mahogany, it will take anything you can throw at it. // 9

Impression: I have been playing for about 4 years now and this is the best guitar I have had the privilage to get my hands on. I usually play with a 15w Epiphone amp with a berhinger effect pedal. Since I have the pedal, I can plug into my 700w stereo though the stereo output and really rock the house. Overall I think this guitar is a good as the epiphones and squires, and base line gibsons and fenders. It really is a great guitar for the money. // 9

overall: 8.8

Reviewed by: sg4ever, on july 27, 2006

Price paid: $ 399

Purchased from: Hickory Wind Music

Features: The features of the guitar itself weren't that great, but it's only a guitar after all. However, the store owner threw in a hardshell case for an extra hundred dollars. He also included the amp(It was a Kustom KGA10 practice amp), strap, noiseless cable, picks, and pick holder for free. So all in all it was a good deal for me. The guitar came with Greg Bennet humbuckers and stock strings. With all these things I give the guitar a 9, but I would have given it an 8. I do like my cherry sunburst finish very much, though. // 9

Sound: I like the sound of the guitar a lot. I've tried it through a 120 watt Behringer, a Kustom Quad DFX 65, and my previously mentioned practice amp. Through all these amps, the clean had a nice clear ringing tone. The treble pickup takes on a variety of sounds from twangy bass string riffs to blues scale licks. A combination of the treble and rhythm pickup produced a deep, smooth, tone that I favor for the smoother side of blues. It also sounds good for clean rhythm. Though the rhythm pickup had to much low end girth. Through the Behringer's distorted amp models and the lead channel of the Quad this guitar took on an endless variety of tones through the treble pickup. Great blues bite, and classic rock crunch rang forth. Through the Behringer's hi-gain models, the Avion handled handled classic metal or AC/DC crunch, well. Similar AC/DC crunch via the Kustom Quad came through. With a twist of the gain the guitar even handled convincing punk, emo, and grunge tones. Truly the guitar suits anything I could want to play. The pickup selector on two or three was mediocre on anything but clean or bluesy overdrive. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: The set-up was mediocre. There was some light buzz throughout frets 1-10. Thankfully, with a fixer-upper at the shop, the buzz was improved. The pickups are adjustable via screws on the sides, but were in satisfactory position. The bridge was in place and the nut is good. One thing I praise the guitar for are its polished frets and fret inlays. The finish is of course great and the knobs and tuning pegs are secure. // 8

Reliability & Durability: I would and will play this guitar live. The hardware is serviceable but I will someday replace the pickups if I still use the guitar. Everything is solid, though I've never abused it and never will, so I expect several years worth of use. I can and will depend on this guitar without backup. The finish is good and should last since I play everyday for quite a while. // 10

Impression: I play mostly rock and emo type stuff and this guitar matches this and more. I've been playing for about a year, and have educated my self on good and bad sound. This guitar definately isn't bad. It's better than some guitars that cost easily $100 more. If it were stolen I would buy it again. I love it's clean and distorted sounds. I am just a tad disappointed at the action's difficulty. However, seeing as this is my first electric guitar, it's great for me and is all I need in a guitar. // 9

overall: 8.8

Reviewed by: unregistered, on march 07, 2008

Price paid: $ 302

Purchased from: Music 6K

Features: I have been playing since I was six years old. I am 20 now, over the past 14 years I have really figured out what it is I want in a guitar and I think I found it. This guitar is a 2004, handmade (custom) in Indonesia as they all are. 22 fat frets have given me a wide multitude of sounds (try your diminished scales, incredible) as well as a reliable lead and speed picking. The finish on the rosewood neck makes the action like a hot knife through butter. The solid mahogany body with a decent pair of humbucker pickups makes for an exquisite resonation and note vibration. I am a les paul guy, so this git-machine suits me well. The 3-way selector (rhythm, middle, treble) on top of a volume and tone knob for each pickup leaves unimaginable possibilities in sound. In my opinion, the only fallback to this guitar is the pick guard. It is suspended by a bracket, and it seems like the material it is made of is extremely brittle, so I replaced it straight away with something more my style. The grover heads are nice, and don't seem to slip thus causing re-tuning all that often. I replaced all my chrome hardware with gold plated though; which cost me more than the guitar itself, but one of the most aesthetically pleasing guitars in my collection. // 9

Sound: I play a lot of alternative and hard rock. This guitar plays it pretty well, but I usually use one of my battle axes so I don't thrash the hell out of my AV-3. For the most part, I play a lot of classic style rock on her, and she sings like Telecaster or G&L ASAT Classic wish they could. This guitar I have used orangies (48" amp) and cheap Peavey 6inch speakers with and seems to play an variation or style that you throw at it. it can be a little noisy about mid-frets but the harmonics are to die for. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was factory set up somewhat decent. I had extra money, so all my hardware was replaced with gold accent bridge, tuning heads, etc. It seemed to be in top condition (aside from being out of tune)the color and finish of this guitar even a blind man could appreciate. All and all I give this a 9, it would be a 10 if the gold hardware came with it (but I could have gone an AV-7). // 9

Reliability & Durability: I believe that reliability is based upon the one playing the guitar. You have your thrashers, and your non-thrashers (like an old jeep, versus an aston Martin) but if you take care of this guitar, it will take care of you. I have had no issues with it this far, and I have had it for about 2 years now. // 9

Impression: I think my over all impression is as follows. If oyu have around 300-320 bucks, and you are a fan of the les pauls. Get yourself a Samick AV-3. It is a good entry level guitar, but will please even the most seasoned guitarists. I think that any guitar needs its own little tweaks and modifications to match your style. But this is a very versatile guitar that can handle anything you want to put it through. // 9

overall: 9

Reviewed by: unregistered, on december 10, 2007

Price paid: $ 300

Purchased from: Just Pickups, Pittsburg, PA

Features: Some people only swear by a guitar's brand name. In most cases that's probably the way to go. However Samicks have never failed to impress me. My AV3 is an 06' with 22 frets, carved maple top with mahogany body, rosewood fret board, grover tuners and an adjustable bridge. 3-Way selector and 4 volume/tone/pickup knobs with two humbuckers (I believe they're H/H humbuckers). Bottom line, this guitar is beautiful! // 8

Sound: I play anything from classic rock to thrash and black metal and this guitar is just right. You could definately play blues as well. I currently use my AV3 with a Marshall Valvstate 265 and it sounds awesome. The stock pickups leave some to be desired, but overall really aren't that bad considering how much the guitar is worth. A beginner would have no problems at all with the sound, although there is a little bit of a hum. Spend a couple hundred on some tasty pickups and I shit you not, you're playing a Samick that is just as good as any Gibson. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: The factory set up was decent. Unless you're spending a few G's on your guitar, you'll always have to take a store bought guitar to the shop for some alterations on the nut or bridge or intonation which is what I've done with this guitar. The action on this guitar is great. it's genuinely fun to play on. I love the heavy feel of a solid body guitar. This guitar both looks and plays beautifully. // 8

Reliability & Durability: It looks like most of the money was invested in the body and not so much the hardware. Not saying that the hardware sucks, it's just not great. But as I said before, just add some new pickups of your choice (I currently use a SH-13 Dimebucker on the bridge and an SH-1 on the neck) and you'll have a guitar that you'll never get rid of. I'd definately tour with this guitar. // 9

Impression: I play many different types of metal. From black metal, doom metal, progressive metal to thrash metal. I also love to jam to older classic stuff like Zepplin and Floyd. This guitar is great for anything. I've been playing for over 10 years and aside from an '86 Reissue Gibson Explorer, this is the best guitar I've ever owned. I'd buy another one for sure. I love the weight, the sound and the feel. If anyone reads this review and takes anything I say to heart, hear these words: Brand name doesnt't mean everything. Hell, for years Samick has made guitars for the big companies anyways (if you've played on Jackons, Gibsons, ESP, you've probably played a Samick and didn't even know it). This guitar has quality that just DOES not come in a 300 dollar guitar. I swear by this, buy this guitar, take it to your local guitar shop and get some inexpensive work done on the nut, bridge and intonation and get some quality humbuckers and you have a guitar that easily equals (if not exceeds) any Gibson Les Paul worth double what you paid for. I play all kinds of guitars. I love Gibsons. But you just can't go wrong with a Samick! // 10

Comments

[cam201]

mmm good speller i have to say but i own this guitar and i knew from the first moment i played it it wasn't good for thrash. great bluesy or classic rock sound

[sg4ever]

Ahem...that last review I made was a bit hyped up. Oh, the guitar definitely sounds good. It just doesn't have "endless" sounds. It sounds great for thick lead (Sweet Child O' mine) and agressive palm muted rhythm, but requires a very hot running amp or fx pedal for metal.

[Artix]

you got yours for 300?!
i had to buy it for 400!
the guy said it was originally 1000 in a real store
(ripoff)

[rainman1987]

I got mine for 299 and a month later my local shop (not pooply corperate guitar center) marked it up to 339 because there so damn nice!

[Strat = Love]

beautiful guitar. there is one at my local guitar store and I really want to give it a try.

[kiwidiaboli]

I just got this recently for about 200usd. It's a truly outstanding guitar for the price, trust me. Nice neck, polished frets, beautiful top and inlays, perfectly stable with grover tuners. Try one and you'll know.

[metdethslaythrx]

i am lucky enough to own one of these. it is the best guitar out there for $200-$300. and a metal muff combined with this guitar = br00tal