# Vik Guitars Domineer FF9 - The NGD.



## Winspear (Sep 19, 2012)

cSo here it is, after 3 years of dreaming and a year of building, the first Vik 9 string is done 

Build: http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/lu...er-9-string-multiscale-build.html#post2685334

Final specs:
scale: 24.75"-29.25" - Perpendicular fret at the 8th
frets: 24 stainless steel jumbo 6100 
tuning: EA EADGBE A (All flat) 
neck/body system: ViK ISNC deeply set-in
fingerboard: Madagascar ebony, no radius flat, bound in claro walnut
neck wood: wenge/purpleheart/flame maple
body wood: swamp ash
top/headstock wood: Curly claro marble walnut
nut: buffalo horn
inlays: glow in the dark side dots, Gold Mother of Pearl custom design
bridge: fixed ABM with Graphtech piezo saddles
tuners: Gotoh 510 locking with plastic buttons, 1:21 ratio
pickups: ViK slanted 9s - maple/ebony bobbins, 
GraphTech piezo pickups + Acoustiphonic preamp, Parallel switching on magnetics
knobs: Gotoh speed
strap buttons: Dunlop recessed
finish: Satin

Needless to say there is a lot to talk about! Received her safely to my parents place 2 days ago and went over to pick it up. Been playing nonstop ever since! 
I'll try and cover everything from end to end of the guitar but I am sure I will forget some things!



















Hooooly shit 

Didn't quite know what to do at this point haha. I kinda poked at it for a few moments and then spent a good while just looking it over. 
First impressions were how small and light this guitar is! I don't know how much it weighs but it's quite the same as my RG7321. Turns out that despite the extra 4" on the strings, due to the bridge position and split headstock it actually comes up an inch or so shorter than the Ibby I was expecting this guitar to be pretty huge as it seemed that way throughout the build pics.

I was able to give it some playing but it needed a truss adjustment due to the climate change coming from Belarus so I took off the strings to put on my pretty specific set of Circle K's very soon. 






Look at those stainless steels shining away! 

And because no NGD thread is complete without an approving kitty, I have borrowed one especially for this photoshoot:






9 string barre chords all day!






So..from head to toe, here is the review! WALL.OF.TEXT. I think you can only put 10 pics in a post so I'll do one immediately after this with what I have taken and a few of Viks pro shoots for the details!



Tuners: The Gotoh 510 locking tuners are fantastic. I've barely touched them as they held even a brand new set of strings pretty much in tune through 2 days of playing without even stretching them up. I've never used locking tuners before - the mechanism is very handy. The buttons are amazingly comfortable, and operation is so smooth and precise with the 1:21 gear ratio. 

Truss rods: It has two, a double action on the treble side from the headstock and a single action on the bass side from the bridge. Sturdy!

Nut: The buffalo horn nut is really well cut, nice and rounded so touching it a little due to the fan sometimes is perfectly comfortable.

Neck, board, frets: Wow. Of course, this thing is big. The string spacing is as normal, 6.8-10.16mm so the nut is about 64mm I think. Like I said, my first thoughts were how small this guitar is, relatively. Funnily enough, that also applies to the neck, to an extent!
The profile is very thin (19.5mm to 22.5mm), nice D shape. It's the most comfortable neck I have ever felt - I'd be very interested to feel what it is like on a normal guitar as it's hard to have perspective here.
Fretboard: The flat fingerboard is not something I have tried outside of classical guitars but it seemed logical for such a wide instrument. Definitely the right choice - incredibly comfortable and the action is even and real low across the board.
Fretjob: Feel very sorry for Vik having to shape 24 very long stainless steels haha!  The fret job is perfect - stainless steels are great - so shiny and it's nice to know they'll last a long time! Bends on these are an absolute breeze. I feel like my tension is lower when bending even though it is exactly the same which is awesome.
Inlays: Vik totally nailed the design I sent him. Spot on, and the gold MOP is beautiful, brilliant compliment to the lighter woods on this guitar. The side dots look perfect on the walnut binding - I haven't had a look at them glowing in the dark yet! There are no fretboard inlays, which I haven't experienced for about 4 years now but I've gotten used to it very quickly. The side dots being misaligned in your line of sight on a fanned fret, like some people have reported, is a non issue. My eye seems to navigate down the fret no problem, despite the fan being on the more extreme end of things.

The stupidly large fan:
4.5" fan on this. I began with a question of what range/tuning do I want, and what would be tonally ideal? I wanted to not rely on Octave4Plus strings for the high Ab, so did some testing and calculations with readily available gauges between 7 and 9 to decide on 24.75" as a sturdy scale length for this string. It would also give a great sweet tone on the high end - I did not want to go above ~26" regardless of breakage. The low end was especially a concern because of drop tuning to Eb rather than F. I am not happy with the sound or feel of thick gauges on short scales, not liking the sound of anything above 65 on 25.5", even 27". This adds further problems as I don't like light tension. Despite the long 29.25" scale, the Eb string is a .086 gauge to give around the same tension as a .049 E string on a standard guitar. 
The 29.25" scale allows this string to sing unhindered. I will talk more about the tone later. 
As for the feel of the huge fan (0.5625" per string - 3.375" on a 7 string or 3.9375 on an 8, for perspective), which many of you had shown concern for, it is absolutely fine. I have never played a fanned fret before and have limited experience on baritones (I do however play a 35" 6 string bass). As I mentioned earlier, this guitar seemed very small. I barely even noticed the fan and it took zero adaption. It is comfortable to play all kinds of things at both ends of the fretboard. The only thing which threw me off temporarily was of course the string to string navigation, and the lack of fret markers. I've only had it 2 days and am now completely comfortable. 
I told you my method of choosing the scale lengths - beyond that it was a simple question of can I learn to play it comfortably, which, with the help of some templates, was a yes. I did expect it to be very strange but very nice, and take a while of adaption. As it is, it's just perfectly natural. I urge anyone considering ERGs to try a fan if it is an option and to push it as wide as you can. The tonal benefits are astounding. I look forward to trying an ordinary sized fan at some time, if one this huge is so easy I can only imagine what a smaller fan is like!

Heel/joint: The set neck heel on this is amazing. Completely unobstructed access all the way to that sweet Ab6! The way it should be. The neck joint surely adds a lot to the tone - you can see in the construction pics that it is visible in the bridge pup cavity!

Body: Really glad Vik sent me this shape which didn't happen to be on the main page of the website, only used in one bass guitar before. It's perfect and makes this guitar look incredibly natural/organic in terms of proportion and the angle of the fan etc. The horn is huge, with the strap button on the back at about the 11th fret! Balance is, of course, absolutely perfect. You will be seeing a lot more of this body shape in the future!
The body carve is fantastic. Quite thin, very aesthetic, and a very comfortable arm contour and belly carve. 

Bridge: ABM fixed singles, one of the very few options for a fanned fret especially with piezo. Top loading. I love them. Very comfortable, I don't even notice they are there. They adjust nicely - The only complaint is that intonation is a bit slow because you need to loosen the string a touch to get to the intonation screw. They look great! 

Pickups+tone: Aesthetically brilliant of course, they sound just as good as they look. The neck is a fat, warm PAF type tone - the leads just sing and a beautifully smooth. It is an Alnico II magnet, I am unsure on the specs of the bridge but it is much hotter. A very nice throaty midrange growl and fat attack. I compared it to some BKP DI's through the same tone for perspective and found it to be quite similar to the Riff Raff, though hotter - moving towards a Painkiller type tone. Upon playing my usual tone testing chord on the 6 strings, I immediately noticed some kind of classic rock tone to it, which is definitely a welcome flavour. It has all the power and clarity it needs across the entire range of the guitar, with a very colourful character. There's almost a single coil spank to them even on high gain.
The piezo is fantastic, coupled with the Acoustiphonic Preamp. Not so harsh and snappy as many piezos I have heard, enough body to put out a full sound without needing to crank the bass. 
Both pickups have pushpull switching for series/parallel. Parallel is not something I have tried before - I'm very happy with it. It thins out the sound a little and gives a tone somewhere towards a Strat. It's great for rhythm and lead on high gain, not just cleans! 
The variety of tones available from this guitar is just nuts. And what shocked me is how almost every pickup, setting, or combination, including the piezo, is viable for any application. 

Controls: Love them. The positioning allows very easy adjustment whilst playing and doesn't get in the way at all like I have found on many guitars. The Gotoh speed dials have the position marker that I requested for obsessive recording precision which is great, haha. The have a textured band around them which makes them very easy to adjust. The pots are incredibly smooth. Both the toggle and minitoggle (mag settings, piezo blend) are really sturdy. Vik did a real nice trick with the piezo blend switch so that the battery for the Graphtech preamp is not engaged unless in piezo position. And there was me considering taking the battery out if I were not playing the piezo for a while! 
Oh, almost forgot to mention the angle of the output jack is a really nice touch. The strap button is further up the body than usual and the cable leads straight up and through it for safe playing! 
The battery box was a nice surprise. Never seen a cool one like this before..just the cheapos with a ribbon to pull and a snap on. This has a box that rotates out of the guitar and then the battery slides into it. 

Finish: Incredible - never seen anything like it in person. The satin finish makes for really smooth playing on the neck and just as smooth on the body. It's nice to feel the wood and not have any stickiness from a gloss or paint finish. I've actually been wearing long sleeves or a sock over my picking hand to avoid my forearm sticking on the body this last year. With this finish, it's not at all necessary. My forearm glides along the body smoothly allowing me to pick up and down the strings comfortably without lifting my arm.

Aesthetic: I don't even need to comment on this. See the pics.  You can't even imagine how much better it looks in real life, even! The detail is overwhelming. I could list all the little cool things here and there but just check out the pics!

Overall tone/feel: It was amazing to experience such a long scale length coupled with correct gauges and perfect setup for the first time. Acoustically, the bass strings, whilst nice and tight, have a smooth flexibility given by the long vibrating area. Very pleasant to play. They do not sound or feel like dead planks as was the case with the gauges necessary to tune much below B on 25.5". They sing with a full, incredibly clear tone with a great balance of fundamental/harmonic. You can feel how powerfully the guitar resonates through your body whilst playing. The wide fan range gives a perfect tonal balance across the entire guitar. Volume levels are perfect and no string takes up more space tonally than another. It's truly amazing. 
It plays like butter. If I had to describe this guitar with one word it would be 'transparent' - despite the crazy dimensions I simply don't notice it whilst I am playing. There is no obstruction at all - the scales, perp fret placement, flat fingerboard, low action, wonderful neck carve, and short reach to the low frets all add up to a feel you need to experience to understand!  Oh - the bending issue that some talk about on fanned frets is not noticeable either for me.

I'm overwhelmed. It's exactly what I imagined and so much more. The whole experience was fantastic and Vik was a pleasure to work with. Top notch communication and very helpful, updates every step of the way! Can't wait for the next one  Highly, highly recommended. Vik - thank you so much! 

I promise I'll have clips and vids and stuff within a week! But for now more pictures


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## Winspear (Sep 19, 2012)




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## Winspear (Sep 19, 2012)




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## Winspear (Sep 19, 2012)




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## kruneh (Sep 19, 2012)

Congrats, that is sick!
Now, back to reading the review


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## Winspear (Sep 19, 2012)

I almost forgot to mention something interesting. I mentioned how the guitar feels very small. However, going back to the 7 or the bass - they both feel and look absolutely tiny. It's very strange. The Ibby feels and looks like a banjo, and the bass frets don't feel a stretch anymore. The neck doesn't seem wide either.

So, the Vik clearly IS a stretch in all directions (obviously) but somehow the design makes it very transparent and comfortable allowing me to get used to it in minutes.


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## Winspear (Sep 19, 2012)

Eek, also forgot to mention my reaction to the additional range! I had ideas for how to use all the range which is why I ordered a 9 string, of course - but I did not expect the addition of notes to go almost unnoticed. The extra strings have worked seamlessly into my playing without effort, surely helped by the incredible tone. You don't feel as if you shouldn't play certain things on the lowest string because it will be too muddy, for example. I find myself using it on the higher frets plenty, which on shorter guitars really doesn't sound good. 
This is also the first time playing a standard tuning shape since March - my Ibby has been in an open tuning since then.


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## Fiction (Sep 19, 2012)

So epic! and my jaw is still at the ground at the size and the everything!

Congrats, man!


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## SuperMutant (Sep 19, 2012)

Dat neck...


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## Winspear (Sep 19, 2012)

You can see this whole gallery in the build thread or on Viks facebook, but here are a few of my favourite details:




















Serial 12802 - 2012, 8th series (Domineer) 2nd build, 01 being the bass
Nice signature from the man himself


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## Kwampis (Sep 19, 2012)

That guitar is astoundingly gorgeous.


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## Thrashmanzac (Sep 19, 2012)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us


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## Dead Undead (Sep 19, 2012)

Looks absolutely stunning, man! Congrats!


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## elq (Sep 19, 2012)

9 strings of hot buttered sex. Congrats!


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## TRENCHLORD (Sep 19, 2012)

That's surely one of the most functionaly crazy sick guitars ever!!! congrats


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## XxSilverburstDiezelxX (Sep 19, 2012)

Is it rude for me to ask about price? Just curious as to how much a build similar to these specs would run.


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## ikarus (Sep 19, 2012)

awesome!!!


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## whilstmyguitardjentlyweep (Sep 19, 2012)

Congratulations! The level of detail, beauty and craftsmanship looks incredible. 

Thank you for writing up a full review, I can happily cope with a text wall when the guitar is so unique and interesting.


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## Syriel (Sep 19, 2012)

I don't know what I would do with 9 strings, when I'm already full with the 7 strings I use.

But damn that's a work of art. I want it. Just for the sake of having one. 

HNGD MAN! Enjoy it to the fullest of its 9 strings of glory. Oh and I demand a vid.


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## jjcor (Sep 19, 2012)

All I have to say is


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## Vostre Roy (Sep 19, 2012)

I'm almost sad that I won't see the progress pics anymore in my facebook feed... 

How long is ViK waiting list again?


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## Captain Butterscotch (Sep 19, 2012)

Congrats! Vids nao.


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## Hauschild (Sep 19, 2012)

Congrats dude that looks mind-blowing!
The thorough review is awesome as well! Gonna own a Vik myself one day for sure


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## SammyKillChambers (Sep 19, 2012)

Fucking HNNNNNNNGH.


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## isispelican (Sep 19, 2012)

amazing!


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## MythicSquirrel (Sep 19, 2012)

Damn! That thing is hot, HNGD!


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## Scattered Messiah (Sep 19, 2012)

Congrats! I am looking forward to hear something that sprung off of that beauty 
And the guitar really does not seem as huge as initially thought, yet eytremely well proportioned!


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## -Nolly- (Sep 19, 2012)

Massive congrats dude, Vik's guitars are just _unreal_ as you are now finding out! Welcome to the club


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## dan_of_pants (Sep 19, 2012)

Happy NGD mate. I remember seeing this guitar back when it was a mock up - so much better now it has come to fruition! I wouldn't be surprised if this "inspires" some more builds on this forum...


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## JamesM (Sep 19, 2012)

Unreal.


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## jon66 (Sep 19, 2012)

*add witty comment about sex/drooling/envy here*

Beautiful!!! I'm glad it's finally in your hands and you're loving it!


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## WiseSplinter (Sep 19, 2012)

Looks fantastic!

Really like how most of the body mass is "forward", with the bridge quite far back. Makes a lot of sense when considering the balance of an instrument with such a wide neck. 
I'm sure that long top horn helps too. 

It looks really comfy and not at all as unwieldy as I was expecting.

GOTY right there, congrads!


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## fabeau (Sep 19, 2012)

That's a fucking spastic beautiful monster. Dat axe worths very second of your waiting!
Congrats, I am very envious


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## BIG ND SWEATY (Sep 19, 2012)

looks sick but where the fuck is that video!?!


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## axxessdenied (Sep 19, 2012)

HOLY CHRIST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOW!!!!!!!

Beautiful axe. Amazing. Love it! Bet it was worth every penny and the wait!


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## TheBloodstained (Sep 19, 2012)

so....


videos?


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## drmosh (Sep 19, 2012)

Congrats mate! The guitar is stunning!! Vik is an incredible builder


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## Maniacal (Sep 19, 2012)

Put some videos up! I wanna see what's possible with 9 strings, must be super fun.


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## stratjacket (Sep 19, 2012)

Wow, that thing is amazing. Super congrats to you dude.


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## Valennic (Sep 19, 2012)

I'm speechless. That thing is just unreal.

HNGD man. HNGD.


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## mphsc (Sep 19, 2012)

Congrats on a killer axe.


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## Winspear (Sep 19, 2012)

Thanks for the comments so far all!



XxSilverburstDiezelxX said:


> Is it rude for me to ask about price? Just curious as to how much a build similar to these specs would run.



Well Nollys signature 7 run is $4k if I remember correctly. After adding the piezo to this, paying shipping, case included, and at least 100 dollars in various transfer fees, I'm still out less than 5k. Given the differences in design from Nollys the spec upcharge wasn't very much at all. I can't find anything else written anywhere and prices are of course subject to change, Nollys is the only thing to go by right now. It was over a year ago I ordered so who knows.



Vostre Roy said:


> I'm almost sad that I won't see the progress pics anymore in my facebook feed...
> 
> How long is ViK waiting list again?



Haha I know right? There's 32 in the queue right now plus the signature runs. Vik recently changed his policy back to stop the non-deposit orders, to get on now is 700USD.



-Nolly- said:


> Massive congrats dude, Vik's guitars are just _unreal_ as you are now finding out! Welcome to the club



 Absolutely mindblowing. Thanks for your original NGD - If I hadn't seen that and posted in there I probably wouldn't have this guitar right now.



dan_of_pants said:


> Happy NGD mate. I remember seeing this guitar back when it was a mock up - so much better now it has come to fruition! I wouldn't be surprised if this "inspires" some more builds on this forum...



Certainly. And one for somebody else


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## Konfyouzd (Sep 19, 2012)

2 things...

Wow that guitar is nice.

And DAMN your hands are big...


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## Winspear (Sep 19, 2012)

Thankfully 

Oh - videos! 
The only video I've ever done before came out pretty awful as I filmed it on a tape camera. I then had a ton of issues getting it to the PC in a non corrupt format - ending up using FRAPS to capture it's playback on the screen to get it to any usable state in a converter or movie maker haha. The quality came out absolutely dreadful after all..

I got this nice new HD webcam with nice fast tracking a while back that I was hoping to use. Unfortunately, upon trying to record video with that and audio in my DAW at the same time, the CPU craps out. I have a new PC coming very very soon which I was hoping would arrive last week. Once I get that it'll either be able to handle the filming, or I'll just do video/audio on separate systems. Was really hoping to get something up by now but I want it to be in full quality!










Spoiler



This is of course, all a cover up for the fact that I can't actually play the guitar at all yet because 9 strings is too much, impossible to play, too low to hear, etc etc


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## Winspear (Sep 19, 2012)

One more family pic because the flash on the last was awful!


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## axxessdenied (Sep 19, 2012)

GOD DAMN! I'M TOUCHING MYSELF RIGHT NOW !!


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## Lorcan Ward (Sep 19, 2012)

I've said it before but thats more than a guitar, its a work of art. Hundreds of years in the future I can imagine it in a museum surrounded by lasers with hordes of guitarists drooling over it in admiration.


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## guy in latvia (Sep 19, 2012)

absolutely mindblowingly awesome! Congrats to you and ViK for making something truly unique!


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## brutalwizard (Sep 19, 2012)

needs more strings,


This thing looks too amazing


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## Solaris (Sep 19, 2012)

oh... my god. The top on that is out of this world!


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## Levi79 (Sep 19, 2012)

Is it as good as the 7321?


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## Konfyouzd (Sep 19, 2012)




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## Winspear (Sep 19, 2012)

Naw, I think that would be saying a bit much


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## larry (Sep 19, 2012)

congratulations, a truly magnificent NGD. i am not 
man enough for all 9 strings, as i had discovered a 
while back. will this become your main player then?


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## Winspear (Sep 19, 2012)

It's been my main axe since it came and will stay that way  Originally when I ordered it it was intended to be my only guitar but that's before I fell in love with the open tuning I've been using on the Ibby - so I'll still play that too.
I'm perfectly happy using this for everything standard though!


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## rythmic_pulses (Sep 19, 2012)

Congratulations bro!

You know what man, I've been turned, as soon as I have enough money and sort myself out, I'm gonna go ViK, I fucking know it!


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## BlackMastodon (Sep 19, 2012)

That looks a LOT smaller than I expected it to! Looks incredible man, HNGD!


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## Adrian-XI (Sep 19, 2012)

DAT EVERYTHING

Looks insane, I'm looking forward to the clips. HNGD!


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## otisct20 (Sep 19, 2012)

I've never wanted a nine string until now..........mother fucker my wallet cant handle this shit! HNGD dude!


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## leonardo7 (Sep 19, 2012)

Vik does it again!


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## poopyalligator (Sep 19, 2012)

My pants got tighter.


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## Jason_Clement (Sep 20, 2012)

Probably the sexiest thing I've seen in about a year.


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## Durero (Sep 20, 2012)

Amazing design and amazing execution! 

Super inspiring indeed!


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## Tranquilliser (Sep 20, 2012)

This is one of the most glorious NGDs ever.
That looks astounding man. Enjoy the shit out of it.


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## simonXsludge (Sep 20, 2012)

Too many strings for me, but awesome in every other regard.


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## mountainjam (Sep 20, 2012)

Congrats etherial! I think I'm just as happy for you as you are about this beautiful ngd.


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## Lorcan Ward (Sep 20, 2012)

You guitar has inspired two people to get a VIK Domineer(a 7FF and an 8FF), one being Fredrik Thordendal.


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## Winspear (Sep 20, 2012)

Thanks guys 
I know right? Totally have to try andhook him up with this when they come through on tour haha, he digs it so much.


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## EvilPopsicleDog (Sep 20, 2012)

Saw this thing on facebook and it's yours?! You lucky bastard, HNGD ^^


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## BlackMastodon (Sep 20, 2012)

drawnacrol said:


> You guitar has inspired two people to get a VIK Domineer(a 7FF and an 8FF), *one being Fredrik Thordendal*.


That is too cool for school. Goddamn I want a ViK.


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## EOT (Sep 20, 2012)

drawnacrol said:


> You guitar has inspired two people to get a VIK Domineer(a 7FF and an 8FF), one being Fredrik Thordendal.



Make that 3


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## Valennic (Sep 21, 2012)

drawnacrol said:


> You guitar has inspired two people to get a VIK Domineer(a 7FF and an 8FF), one being Fredrik Thordendal.



Holy Christ.

You've made an impact in the ERG world when your guitar inspires one of the ERG communities GODS to get a guitar that looks like YOURS.



God damn man.


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## Winspear (Sep 21, 2012)




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## noise in my mind (Sep 21, 2012)

very very cool indeed. I look forward to hearing a clip soon!


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## Nag (Sep 21, 2012)




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## Splinterhead (Sep 21, 2012)

For me personally its between the Vik and Strandberg. Both of these companies are turning out really fascinating stuff. Completely functional, musical works of art. Congrats you should be proud!


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## XEN (Sep 21, 2012)

This guitar is a perfect example of forward thinking design. I love it.


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## no_dice (Sep 21, 2012)

Absolutely gorgeous. I can't wait to hear that thing!


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## DrJazz (Sep 22, 2012)

Crap.

This is seriously turning the GAS switch on. 9 strings always felt a bit too much, but I'll be damned if there is not a part of me drooling right now.


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## Omzig (Sep 22, 2012)

Wow just Wow!


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## Maniacal (Sep 24, 2012)

Mr Ethereal, any signs of a video? I am super horny to see that thing in action. I mean the guitar


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## Winspear (Sep 24, 2012)

The computer arrives tomorrow so ASAP after that!

I'm overwhelmed still by the tone of this guitar -it is so versatile and has a character which just fits into the mix on _everything_. There's not one song I've jammed along to where I've felt the need to adjust tone settings, just volume/gain. Such a lovely crunchy midrange.


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## shawnperolis (Sep 24, 2012)

This is an absolutely beautiful instrument! Congrats!


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## Given To Fly (Sep 24, 2012)

Based off the pic of your left hand playing near the 24th fret, I am convinced fanned frets are the way to go on all guitars! Your hand position looks perfect up there!


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## engage757 (Sep 24, 2012)

fucking beautiful man. I think I may like the back more than the front! But then I see the front again!


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## larry (Sep 24, 2012)

EtherealEntity said:


> It's been my main axe since it came and will stay that way  Originally when I ordered it it was intended to be my only guitar but that's before I fell in love with the open tuning I've been using on the Ibby - so I'll still play that too.
> I'm perfectly happy using this for everything standard though!




you know, you could have another 9 string built with inverse
wood specs, specifically for the open tuning you've been using.
just saying.


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## Winspear (Sep 25, 2012)

larry said:


> you know, you could have another 9 string built with inverse
> wood specs, specifically for the open tuning you've been using.
> just saying.



 It doesn't logically extend outside of 7 strings for me else I'd just use it on this and find gauges for a median tension+setup - so a custom 7 is definitely on my Want List


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## iamthefonz (Sep 25, 2012)

Vik does make damn beautiful instruments. GAS steadily increasing...


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## Nykur_Myrkvi (Sep 26, 2012)

SammyKillChambers said:


> Fucking HNNNNNNNGH.


the words, they were taken from my mouth!

Beautiful guitar if there ever was one. Would love to try something like that out.


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## Winspear (Sep 27, 2012)

I'm afraid it's not much but I finally got round to tracking this riff today haha




Don't mind the mix eugh - gives a good idea of the tone though! This is just straight into a 6505 sim on green channel into Mesa+Uberkab impulses mic'd with SM57s - very little EQ at all.


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## Valennic (Sep 27, 2012)

If you lived in the US, the distance I'd drive to try that damn thing...

That sounded SICK by the way, that thing is clear as hell. That's unreal.


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## Durero (Sep 28, 2012)

EtherealEntity said:


> I'm afraid it's not much but I finally got round to tracking this riff today haha





That sounds fantastic!

I love that you can tune that low without the dreaded pitch wobbling typical of shorter scale guitars tuned in that range.


Now you need to show us the tone on the higher strings 


Edit: out of curiosity, what's that white thing on your thumb? Are you using a thumb-pick?


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## Winspear (Sep 28, 2012)

Yes man it's absolutely sick experiencing a low string performing exactly the same as normal strings tonally and feel-wise. I find myself using it so much more on this rather than an instrument where the low string is just some extra thick string that doesn't sound or feel very good. 

Yeah I'm going to work on a lead clip today to show off the lovely neck pup  

Yes it's a thumbpick - I play with them permanently for easy changing to 5 finger picking, index tapping etc.
The pick was originally a Fred Kelly Bumblebee which is a good attempt at feeling like a normal pick rather than a thumbpick






However they wear down super fast and are expensive, so I have taken to just keeping the strap and supergluing Jazz III maxgrips on there:


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## Durero (Sep 28, 2012)

Ah I see - thanks for sharing that 

I've been looking for something like that for years. I used to superglue a loop of elastic material onto my picks. I've also tried the JamKat pick holder which is a great concept but unfortunately for me the pick orientation is very different from what I use.

I've seen those Fred Kelly picks before and wondered about them - now I'll have to order one.


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## Winspear (Sep 28, 2012)

Try it  The Bumblebee Jazz are very similar to Jazz III's. The adjustable sliding thing is nice - if you bring the pick all the way back it's quite ordinary, though a slightly different orientation, still. You might find it's still a bit long, also - that's why I cut the top off of the Dunlops too (you can see the flat edge).

Looking forward to trying the long long awaiting Broderick pick clip but to be honest I'm so used to this now there's not much point.


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 28, 2012)

Sounds sicker than kids with polio!


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## Winspear (Sep 28, 2012)

I remixed it - it's far far better this time round 


Once again next to no EQ on the guitar so it's an accurate representation


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## larry (Sep 28, 2012)

thanks for the video clip man!!
i hate to sound like such an ingrate,
but it was short. so i checked out your
play-through of 'on impulse', which
was pretty good actually.

i hope your musical aspirations pick up,
so i can see your FF9 in person if and 
when you tour the states.


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## Winspear (Sep 28, 2012)

It is short and I'm sorry for not having something more for a first clip! But I've been very busy since I got it and am a slow worker, haha. Thanks man - I need to relearn that song. Haven't played it since the cover! 
I really wish all you guys could try this guitar haha


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## BlackMastodon (Sep 28, 2012)

Jesus, it sounds monstrous! Interested to hear how it sounds clean.


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## Winspear (Sep 28, 2012)

Hopefully I'll get something up soon but I'm going to do a solo+backing first


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## Stealthdjentstic (Sep 30, 2012)

Everything looks and sounds awesome, super stoked to get mine very soon!


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## fabeau (Oct 8, 2012)

This is one of the most beautiful guitar ever built. Truly. Can I ask how is the accessibility on the highest frets-lower strings? Because it looks like the (amazing) shape of your Domineer body could create some discomfort on that area.
By the way - once more: impressive guitar \m/


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## ShadowFactoryX (Oct 8, 2012)

that guitar is FANtastic 

ok, kidding asside, its a good looking gooter, but it just looks sooooo massive


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## Winspear (Oct 8, 2012)

fabeau said:


> This is one of the most beautiful guitar ever built. Truly. Can I ask how is the accessibility on the highest frets-lower strings? Because it looks like the (amazing) shape of your Domineer body could create some discomfort on that area.
> By the way - once more: impressive guitar \m/



Not a problem with the body design at all - it's pretty standard in that area - upper horn starting a few inches forward than lower horn just like most guitars. And the heel (or lack of) is absolutely incredible.
But yes, due to the fan meaning the 24th fret is forward 1.5" on the lowend, the access there isn't great. But I've never found a guitar where playing down there is a comfortable thing for me nor is it something I ever do haha 
The 18th fret on the standard E string is pretty much the furthest I would go or feel comfortable doing on this guitar.
Much like this picture which is completely unobstructed, apart from where my hand is touching the cutaway.


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## BlackMastodon (Oct 8, 2012)

ShadowFactoryX said:


> that guitar is FANtastic
> 
> ok, kidding asside, its a good looking gooter, but it just looks sooooo massive








The guitar doesn't seem that massive at all. The neck looks wide as hell but that's expected with a 9 string.


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## Winspear (Oct 8, 2012)

^ Absolutely haha. It's tiny as you can see! The neck is of course wide having standard string spacing.
It's super cool how adjusting (without realizing - like I said, there was no adjustment period) to this 60something mm neck and almost 30" scale length has made playing my bass a breeze. Despite always loving my bass, I can't say playing it wasn't tricky before!


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## fabeau (Oct 8, 2012)

EtherealEntity said:


> Not a problem with the body design at all - it's pretty standard in that area - upper horn starting a few inches forward than lower horn just like most guitars. And the heel (or lack of) is absolutely incredible.
> But yes, due to the fan meaning the 24th fret is forward 1.5" on the lowend, the access there isn't great. But I've never found a guitar where playing down there is a comfortable thing for me nor is it something I ever do haha
> The 18th fret on the standard E string is pretty much the furthest I would go or feel comfortable doing on this guitar.
> Much like this picture which is completely unobstructed, apart from where my hand is touching the cutaway.



Yeah I see  congrats again man!


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## shredguitar7690 (Oct 8, 2012)

I have been waiting for so long for this NGD!!! I even stopped visiting this site except for checking your build status. I was just bored today so I got on and saw the NGD and I was like "hmm what this, something about FF9.." HOLY SHIT! But seriously happy NGD and I hope youll find the inspiration to make more videos cause then you would be my god. And now I wanna pick up my 9 and play lol. Have fun!


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## F4R537KTP09 (Oct 8, 2012)

Holy moth**f***ing g*d!!!
That's all I can say for now...
And what a wonder-full review!


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## Winspear (Oct 9, 2012)

Here's some lead tone! Nothing special haha just a quick recording of a riff a friend tabbed that I thought should have a little solo


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## SirMyghin (Oct 9, 2012)

^^
Doesn't even look like you could reach the low strings if you wanted to  I love how the neck is wider than your 5 bangers. (Yes I know you obviously can reach it given other pics, but looks like you are touching the boards edge to do it)


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## possumkiller (Feb 8, 2013)

Jesus. That is amazing. Everything is beautiful. Wood choices, shapes, inlay. A true masterpiece from a master artist.

They use Poczta Polska in Belarus?


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## Tango616 (Feb 8, 2013)

One of the greatest guitars I've ever seen, gotta start saving for one xD

With such a huge fan, isn't it more difficult for palm muting? Like, can you still make it a full bodied purring chug, or is it basically just always a djent type palm mute since the lowest string is covered more than the other strings, thanks.

Again, stunning guitar man, mad jelly.


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## Tango616 (Feb 8, 2013)

Can you still palm mute normally on it? or is it always a djent sort of palm mute what with the huge fan.

One of the most beautiful guitars I've ever seen btw. Enjoy!

EDIT: Sorry for the double post, it said error for my first one and didn't see it actually went through.


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## Winspear (Feb 8, 2013)

possumkiller said:


> They use Poczta Polska in Belarus?


Nope 



Tango616 said:


> With such a huge fan, isn't it more difficult for palm muting? Like, can you still make it a full bodied purring chug, or is it basically just always a djent type palm mute since the lowest string is covered more than the other strings, thanks.



By more covered, I presume you mean that my hand would be more towards the neck on the bottom strings? Not so, just I keep my hand further back overall. Wanting to get the same position of muting across multiple strings only really becomes an issue if you want to mute more than 4 strings, say. With normal powerchords muting is really not much different at all 
After lots of time with this guitar however, I do think that the ABM bridges in general make muting a bit different. Even just playing a single string, it is slightly harder than most other guitars I've played to find the 'sweet spot' for growly mutes. Just something to do with how the strings sits, maybe it's height, how your hand sits on the bridge etc..I can't really identify what causes it! I'm more than used to that now, though


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## Tango616 (Feb 8, 2013)

Oh, thanks for the insight, cheers man!


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## joebalaguer (Feb 8, 2013)

That is so beautiful. He is one talented dude! Congrats on the NGD!


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