# NGD: Blackmachine B6 (Pics and Review)



## Abborre (Jan 1, 2014)

Hi folks, this is my first post and NGD here at ss. (only took me 7 years lol)

Here we go..
































BLACKMACHINE B6 2013 #16

Specs:
2piece lightweight swamp ash body
Indian rosewood fretboard
Maple neck with dyed black maple fillets
Schaller Hannes, Carbon fibre/black chrome
Sperzel Locking Tuners
Bare Knuckle Coldsweat Bridge / VHII Neck(reversed pol)
Petrucci Style wiring & Switch
1 Vol/No tone.



My first contact with Doug was over 5 years ago, back then the order book was closed, however, He and Jonathan contacted me in May 2013, and gave me a spot for 2013 years batch of only 20 guitars. (this is #16 last batch of 2013).

Here we go..

REVIEW:
The first feeling i got from fiddeling some high notes on the clean channel was that it feels like silk, everything just fits perfectly together, i know i have new strings and all&#8230; but i could literally not feel any friction what so ever, the neck and and the hannes bridge contributes to that smooth feeling to, it is the most comfortable guitar i have played, ever. The BK-VHII humbucker is incredibly clear with well defined harmonics. In the middle position (split humbucker mode) it got an amazing piezo feeling, good string separation with that acoustic vibe going on.

I quickly got into heavier chugging stuff with hi-gain. You feel every note ringing trough your hands while the amp is roaring. This guitar is meant to be played hard! The sound is pretty dark with allot of attack. The maple/swamp ash combo is doing something magically with the acoustics ..then again the b6´s wood pieces are carefully selected for its tonality properties, nothing else. 

This guitar is a workhorse. It's the real deal, you feel that instantly when you pick it up and plug it in. It is light and sounds HUGE, i love the simplicity and the wood selections are spot on. The B6 i tried years ago had a really rough surface, you could feel the grain, min however is smooth as a baby, and the old bridge was meeeh, (hated it..) then i saw a couple of new B2s and B6s with the new bridge setup, and i had to get one.

I´ll post some clips later on.

Comments are welcome!


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## Draceius (Jan 1, 2014)

Happy NGD, that looks gorgeous, and it looks like you took lurker to a new level


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## Roland777 (Jan 1, 2014)

YOU! You're the one that made the Abborre 2.0 clip on the Meshuggah boards about eight years ago! I still have that damn clip in my mp3-folder!


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## Mysticlamp (Jan 1, 2014)

how did you even rememeber your login info>?


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## nicktao (Jan 1, 2014)

Nice! Thanks for taking quality pictures! 
Looks like they're finally doing Hannes again. 

Interesting tags...


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## JEngelking (Jan 1, 2014)

Simple and gorgeous, congrats and HNGD!


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## tmfrank (Jan 1, 2014)

B6 GAS is just off the charts


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## TauSigmaNova (Jan 1, 2014)

Never seen many of these but hear people talking about them and holding then to legend status and I see people trying to replicate these but wow, from these pictures, I can see why....


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## Metlupass2 (Jan 1, 2014)

Nice and VERY good pictures btw.


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## Danukenator (Jan 2, 2014)

As usual, B6's nail that stripped back, sleek look.

HNGD!


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## downburst82 (Jan 2, 2014)

Awesomeness!!

Not to nitpick but was the scratch below the high e tuner there when you got it new?






either way EPIC guitar play the crap out of it!!! 

*edit* im sure its just the angle but the trussrod cover looks a little off center....
(damn sevensting.org has ruined guitars for me...every little possible flaw jumps out and smacks me in the face)


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## Daf57 (Jan 2, 2014)

Work of art, man! Just beautiful! Congrats and enjoy!!


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## MoJoToJo (Jan 2, 2014)

*Hey man I hate to be the bringer of bad news but that guitar has been UNDERWATER!
Did you not notice the discolouration on the pickup covers???*


*Ha-Ha! Sorry dude just having a laugh, mad Aussie humour* 
*Congrats on a gorgeous guitar & first post 
*


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## shupe13 (Jan 2, 2014)

Beautiful guitar!

Congrats!


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## asfeir (Jan 2, 2014)

Uhm.. What a first post 
The camo covers look great on that guitar btw.
Do you get to chose the pickups?


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## Alberto7 (Jan 2, 2014)

Nice! I'm not one to really go on about the greatness of Blackmachines (perhaps because I've never played one) and the B6 looks only appeal to me on certain days... today was either one of those days, or Doug is really a magician and worked some black magic on your particular guitar, because I'm REALLY digging it. Congratulations!


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## s4tch (Jan 2, 2014)

Draceius said:


> Happy NGD, that looks gorgeous, and it looks like you took lurker to a new level



This.


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## Abborre (Jan 2, 2014)

Draceius said:


> Happy NGD, that looks gorgeous, and it looks like you took lurker to a new level



LOL, that should been my alias, but then i wouldn't post this


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## Abborre (Jan 2, 2014)

Roland777 said:


> YOU! You're the one that made the Abborre 2.0 clip on the Meshuggah boards about eight years ago! I still have that damn clip in my mp3-folder!



Holy shit, this made my day... i guess it sounds awful.  That was back in the days when you sent Pod 2.0 patches back and forth to Chimp Spanner and bulb Bulb and you could offend someone at the meshforum just by asking about gear


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## Abborre (Jan 2, 2014)

asfeir said:


> Uhm.. What a first post
> The camo covers look great on that guitar btw.
> Do you get to chose the pickups?



Yeah at first i was regretting the camo, but seeing it in person i can say it´s the most awesome set of all my guitars. I tried to capture that change of light thing going on with the picture.

The pickups/wiring/bridgesetup was a custom request when i got a spot. He even asked me of tuning and string brand/gauge for every single string when it was time to ship..


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## Whammy (Jan 2, 2014)

Normally not a fan of covered pickups but it works really well here. Super nice 

Happy NGD


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## FrancescoFiligoi (Jan 2, 2014)

finally some pics that do justice to the minimal beauty of the B6 model  congratz!


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## VBCheeseGrater (Jan 2, 2014)

So simple looking, yet so badass. Nice guitar!


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## MrSleepwalker (Jan 2, 2014)

HNGD, man! So jealous about this piece of art!


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## Watty (Jan 2, 2014)

That grain!


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## fortisursus (Jan 2, 2014)

Simple yet elegant. I approve


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## Abborre (Jan 3, 2014)

FrancescoFiligoi said:


> finally some pics that do justice to the minimal beauty of the B6 model  congratz!



Thanks, yeah wood is tricky to shoot, especially with such smoot surface that gives you highlights. Good natural light is the trick for most of the pictures.

I wasn't that impressed of the esthetics before I got it, probably thanks for all the crappy pictures on eBay.


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## Abborre (Jan 3, 2014)

MoJoToJo said:


> *Hey man I hate to be the bringer of bad news but that guitar has been UNDERWATER!
> Did you not notice the discolouration on the pickup covers???*
> 
> 
> ...




LOL, did anyone else had to read that again with an Australian accent?


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## LolloBlaskhyrt (Jan 3, 2014)

Congrats dude! Sick BM


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## asfeir (Jan 3, 2014)

Any idea how long the wait is to get a b6? I recently sent the request to be on the waitlist but got no idea about the wait. It's important to know that so one can start saving etc.


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## Abborre (Jan 3, 2014)

asfeir said:


> Any idea how long the wait is to get a b6? I recently sent the request to be on the waitlist but got no idea about the wait. It's important to know that so one can start saving etc.



The wait is about 12-14 months now. 

He got help from his good luthier friend Jonathan at Feline guitars, that's why the wait on the B6 is so short. However, it's a good idea to have cash available early, because sometimes he got a few B6s that is "direct buy" that they announces on the Facebook page. Forget about the B2 and B7, it's like 6years wait now..


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## Centrix (Jan 3, 2014)

So gorgeous!! Thank you so much for sharing the pictures, they look amazing. Happy playing!


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## ikarus (Jan 3, 2014)

Abborre said:


> The wait is about 12-14 months now.
> 
> He got help from his good luthier friend Jonathan at Feline guitars, that's why the wait on the B6 is so short. However, it's a good idea to have cash available early, because sometimes he got a few B6s that is "direct buy" that they announces on the Facebook page. Forget about the B2 and B7, it's like 6years wait now..



The B6 modell is entirely built by Feline guitars. 
There is NO waitlist or order taking process for Doug made instruments atm, so forget about the 6-7 years.

HNGD, guitar looks awesome!


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## jmakkulate (Jan 4, 2014)

Wow! HNGD!


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## Abborre (Jan 4, 2014)

ikarus said:


> The B6 modell is entirely built by Feline guitars. There is NO waitlist or order taking process for Doug made instruments atm, so forget about the 6-7 years.
> 
> HNGD, guitar looks awesome!



Doug said that he did the "final finishing", but i guess that has been changed.
I wonder why he has stopped taking orders.


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## shadowlife (Jan 9, 2014)

Congrats, that's my favorite looking B6 so far!


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## witeter (Jan 9, 2014)

Forget the guitar-what camera are you using? 
congrats dude-looks flawless!


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## Abborre (Jan 9, 2014)

witeter said:


> Forget the guitar-what camera are you using?
> congrats dude-looks flawless!



Nikon D600 with a 50mm lens from 1970.


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## moshbearpig (Feb 8, 2014)

What are these going for these days since Feline Guitars is doing them?


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## pott (Feb 9, 2014)

About £2300 from his Facebook page, maybe a bit more if you order.
FYI I talked to Feline yesterday and the wait-list is now TWO years, not one. They have twice as many pre-orders as their yearly build capacity.


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## narad (Feb 9, 2014)

I'm sure some guys are in it just for the flipping at this point - they're selling used about $4k, listed for less than a day.


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## capoeiraesp (Feb 9, 2014)

Damn! 2300 pounds is about $4200 AUD at the moment.
I think I'll stick with a 7 string multiscale at that price, with change to boot!

To the OP, thanks for the great pics! Really does the NGD justice.


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## j_opiate (Feb 9, 2014)

Holy skunk junk! HNGD man!


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## CrushingAnvil (Feb 9, 2014)

I really want to see if these guitars are what they're cracked up to be, but they're incredibly difficult to come by. I don't think there's even one in New Zealand. I just wish they were prettier. I think they're absolutely hideous - no pizzazz! Too minimalist.

You must be very f-cking happy though! Congrats.


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## Lorcan Ward (Feb 9, 2014)

pott said:


> FYI I talked to Feline yesterday and the wait-list is now TWO years, not one. They have twice as many pre-orders as their yearly build capacity.



Its funny that the B6 was introduced to take the pressure of the waiting list and be an alternative to the B2 model but they just made BM more popular. 

I think I read on Facebook that they have 30-40 B6 orders for 2014/2015. The B6+1 might make an appearance near the end of the year.


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## FIXXXER (Feb 9, 2014)

man that looks amazing, i absolutely love the design!!!

however the pricing is insane, especially considering 
how simple the guitar is, no fancy inlays, hardware, woods etc.

such a build is also not really time consuming, 
especially with templates involved, you can completely 
cut and route a body in one hour this way.

no bashing though, jsut my 2 cents on the pricing, 
no doubt the guitars are SUPERIOR! 

EDIT: 
sorry, didn't want to start a pricing debatte i jsut think that, looking at the specs the pricing seems a bit unreasonable.


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## Thrashman (Feb 9, 2014)

FIXXXER said:


> man that looks amazing, i absolutely love the design!!!
> 
> however the pricing is insane, especially considering
> 
> ...


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## narad (Feb 9, 2014)

Lorcan Ward said:


> The B6+1 might make an appearance near the end of the year.



Now _that_ is something I would be interested in.

Simultaneously though, Jonathan was totally capable of building these guitars prior to the start of these runs under his own brand. I find it funny that you give his guitars a blackmachine shape and suddenly the waitlist goes from months to years. I think it tells you a bit what most customers are after!


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## pott (Feb 9, 2014)

I'd like to add; I only spent a few minutes on the call with Jonathan but he was polite, took his time to ask me the right questions and acted truly passionate about his guitars, caring about his friend Blackmachine (Doug) and thoroughly enjoyable to speak with. For instance I asked about whether the nut width was fixed and he said that if required it could be arranged to slightly modify it. He also reassured me about the neck (not as thin as I'd feared).

To me the biggest blocker is probably the Swamp Ash/Maple combo. Not quite what I'd want in terms of tone although I do like the smooth mids of Swamp Ash.


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## Watty (Feb 9, 2014)

For those that care, the rate is 2300 GBP with a Hannes and shipping to the US is liable to be another 200. However, if you take off the VAT that we wouldn't have to pay and add back the import fees, a B6 should cost about $3500-3600 USD all told.

Shame that his wait list is as long as it is....but that's life, eh?


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## mountainjam (Feb 9, 2014)

^Having recently bought a b6 from feline, I can say it will cost more than $3600 to get one in the USA


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## Watty (Feb 9, 2014)

mountainjam said:


> ^Having recently bought a b6 from feline, I can say it will cost more than $3600 to get one in the USA



Fair enough, but that wouldn't that imply that they do not remove VAT for US customers?

2300 GBP * 0.8 (VAT is 20%, correct?) = 1840 GBP

1840 GBP + 200 GBP (Shipping) = 2040 GBP

2040 GBP = Approx. 3350 USD

Customs Fees on (even the total amount incl. shipping) $3350 shouldn't be more than $250-$350, meaning that the total shouldn't be much more than $3700 on the higher end of the spectrum. The standard model with the hipshot should be a bit less given the initial 100 GBP difference between them. Assuming that VAT could fluctuate a bit, thus increasing the price, that number could easily climb a bit, but I wouldn't think it would inspire a change too far past $3850 all told and given that customs fees are generally charged on the amount before shipping costs, I think even that would come out to the first number I cited regardless of a few percent change in VAT.


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## mountainjam (Feb 9, 2014)

Short of me just saying what it cost (that seems to be frowned upon around here) and also apologies to the op for straying from his guitar, with the exchange rate, bank wire fees, shipping and the extra $190 the UPS man needed, my hipshot equipped b6 was well over 4k USD


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## Watty (Feb 9, 2014)

Well, someone else brought up the pricing, just expounding on it for those unaware. That aside, it sounds like you were charged a price that included the VAT regardless of the fact that I was apparently overestimating the customs fees by close to 100%.

All things considered, it's a sweet guitar; you got one with some cool grain patterns.


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## Dawn of the Shred (Feb 9, 2014)

Congrats man!


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## oniduder (Feb 9, 2014)

MEH!!















jk

i love it, congrats!


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## Abborre (Feb 10, 2014)

Thanks guys!





Mysticlamp said:


> how did you even rememeber your login info>?



Yeah, i was going to register and the user name was taken... then it hit me! IT'S ME!!!  Pretty cool stats tho, 1 post / year. Lurker No1.


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## MAJ Meadows SF (Feb 11, 2014)

B6+1


Mind = blown. 


Awesome NGD dude! I'm so glad to see these coming around a bit more. Aesthetically I've never really wanted to dish for a B6 since the price jump, but continuously seeing feedback about how amazing they sound and play keeps me interested regardless. And if B6+1 actually occurs? I'm done. Completely done.

Pardon the ignorance but how was it to get secured in line for this? A deposit or full amount up front? I'm not asking exact $$'s but just an FYI. It's been since 2012 since I reached out to Doug, but it was always a good exchange even when he wasn't taking custom orders or waiting lists of any kind.


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## ikarus (Feb 12, 2014)

MAJ Meadows SF said:


> Pardon the ignorance but how was it to get secured in line for this? A deposit or full amount up front? I'm not asking exact $$'s but just an FYI. It's been since 2012 since I reached out to Doug, but it was always a good exchange even when he wasn't taking custom orders or waiting lists of any kind.




This is completly handled by Feline guitars. Shoot them an email and they will send you "B6 waiting list sheet". You fill it out, send it back and then you are in the queue. You have the pay the full amount when your guitar is ready.


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## Eclipse (Feb 12, 2014)

HNGD! That guitar rules!


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## MAJ Meadows SF (Feb 12, 2014)

ikarus said:


> This is completly handled by Feline guitars. Shoot them an email and they will send you "B6 waiting list sheet". You fill it out, send it back and then you are in the queue. You have the pay the full amount when your guitar is ready.


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## lewstherin006 (Feb 13, 2014)

Congrats bro, those things are amazing!


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