# Caparison Guitars: Major, MAAAJOR G.A.S...



## Codyyy (Sep 2, 2007)

I've never played one, and I probably never will unless/until I buy one, since there are so few US dealers. How are they? Details? Pics of yours? All helpful...  

OMGOMGOMG





OMGOMGOMG




OMGOMGOMG





The Horus and Apple Horn are soooo


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## ShawnFjellstad (Sep 2, 2007)

they're fucking incredible.
they're pickups are kind of "meh" IMO, but that can be fixed.

i think the horus is one of the coolest guitar body style ever.


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## Codyyy (Sep 2, 2007)

ShawnFjellstad said:


> they're fucking incredible.
> they're pickups are kind of "meh" IMO, but that can be fixed.
> 
> i think the horus is one of the coolest guitar body style ever.



Yeah, the style of the guitar is amazing, I love everything about the looks of it.


Except, in the past I haven't been a total fan of bolt on necks... some of them I like. But on the other hand, the neckjoint on my import Jackson annoys the hell out of me. Plus I feel like it affects the tone/sustain in a negative way. So I just don't know.

Oh right -- and I wish someone would give me a good opinion on the Schaller Floyds that come on them. I heard they're great for flutter (I'm sort of a flutter addict) but how do they rate against the Edge Pro/OFR?


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## ShawnFjellstad (Sep 2, 2007)

Codyyy said:


> Yeah, the style of the guitar is amazing, I love everything about the looks of it.
> 
> 
> Except, in the past I haven't been a total fan of bolt on necks... some of them I like. But on the other hand, the neckjoint on my import Jackson annoys the hell out of me. Plus I feel like it affects the tone/sustain in a negative way. So I just don't know.
> ...




a properly set up bolt-on (i.e. most caparisons) should have plenty of sustain.
and the neck joint is completely unobtrusive, and, while access to all 27 frets may be a little limited, access to 24 of them is just perfect.

also, i  flutter.


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## Codyyy (Sep 2, 2007)

Hah, I can barely get my fingers squeezed into 24th frets as it is... but the extra 3 can definitely be used for tapping and such.... I'm all for it.


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## ShawnFjellstad (Sep 2, 2007)

Codyyy said:


> Hah, I can barely get my fingers squeezed into 24th frets as it is... but the extra 3 can definitely be used for tapping and such.... I'm all for it.



me too! now if only they weren't so goddamn expensive...


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## Codyyy (Sep 2, 2007)

ShawnFjellstad said:


> me too! now if only they weren't so goddamn expensive...



That too.... Guitar Asylum said $1900 for a Horus and $2400 for a TAT. 

I  neck throughs, but that's just too much.


Plus, on the Caparison website, it said something sketchy like "the TAT was originally discontinued due to problems (ie flaws) with the design". Sounds like neck warp to me  or something of the sort.


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## Karl Hungus (Sep 2, 2007)

I nearly bought a white Horus last year.


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## Codyyy (Sep 2, 2007)

Karl Hungus said:


> I nearly bought a white Horus last year.



And then what?


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## ShawnFjellstad (Sep 2, 2007)

Karl Hungus said:


> I nearly bought a white Horus last year.



snow cloud is my favorite horus color, too.

why didn't you go through with it?


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## yellowv (Sep 2, 2007)

Caparisons are friggin amazing.


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## Michael (Sep 2, 2007)

Man, that middle one is schweet.


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## Codyyy (Sep 2, 2007)

I hate not being able to try guitars before I buy them.

For example, I was just about to shuck out $1300+ on a custom Carvin... then I got a chance to play someone's... I hated it! I'm really glad I didn't take that chance.

Except this strategy worked out extremely well with my Carvin V3... I love that thing XD


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## ShawnFjellstad (Sep 2, 2007)

Codyyy said:


> I hate not being able to try guitars before I buy them.
> 
> For example, I was just about to shuck out $1300+ on a custom Carvin... then I got a chance to play someone's... I hated it! I'm really glad I didn't take that chance.
> 
> Except this strategy worked out extremely well with my Carvin V3... I love that thing XD




really? what did you hate about the carvin?


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## Codyyy (Sep 2, 2007)

ShawnFjellstad said:


> really? what did you hate about the carvin?



I don't like necks that are as thin as the Wizard/DC127.


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## ShawnFjellstad (Sep 2, 2007)

DC127 necks (or all carvin necks, for that matter) are way thicker than wizard necks.

personally, i _love_ carvin necks.

those necks + build quality + playability + ability to customize almost everything about your guitar except for body shape = the best production 7 in that price range

but that's just my opinion.

have you tried the DC727? those necks are a bit thicker than carvin's sixer necks.


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## Codyyy (Sep 2, 2007)

ShawnFjellstad said:


> DC127 necks (or all carvin necks, for that matter) are way thicker than wizard necks.
> 
> personally, i _love_ carvin necks.
> 
> ...



No, and I wish I could, they seem badass. I don't know, I prefer the Jackson Soloist neck a lot to the Carvin's neck.

And plus, I heard somewhere that the DC127 neck is only like 3mm thicker than a Wizard.


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## BCrowell (Sep 3, 2007)

At the last Freakfoot, I got to play an Applehorn in the evening during the "get up and jam" part of the clinic. I couldn't believe Mattias just handed me his guitar! Hell yeah...or at least until I realized his action was higher than Drew during happy hour!  

STILL, the neck felt great, though a little thicker than I'm used to. It sounded badass too...between the guitar and the amp, it sustained increadibly well and clear! I wish I had one that was setup with lower action to give myself a better idea how it could really play. 

Later I got to inspect it further, and boy was it a nice guitar...superbly built too..Felt great, and it had sounded great, dispite the high action. I can't squeel my guitar to this day like that one could!  I personally want the orange AppleHorn!


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## Codyyy (Sep 3, 2007)

Indeed, the orange applehorn looks really cool. However, with the Apple Horn being higher priced than the Horus (and since it really just is a Horus with different pickups and a more inconveniently placed volume knob because of the carving), I'm all set.


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## Nick (Sep 3, 2007)

i have a dellinger II

pickups as previously stated could do with some improvement (which is why im replacing mine )

but the neck joint is obscenley good, amazing access. Once the pickups are replaced it will deffinetly be the best guitar i own. (ESP Horizon NT II, RG1527)


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## 6077dino (Sep 3, 2007)

I have two dellinger7s and I just love them.I like them so much infact that I don´t play my JCRG7-1 any more. They quality on those is veryvery very nice.


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## Roundhouse_Kick (Sep 3, 2007)

I love caparisons. A shop near me has a snow cloud horus in second hand. If I didn't have my heart set on a JP7 I'd have it right now!


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## Codyyy (Sep 3, 2007)

I've heard that those Schaller Floyds are unparalleled. Not gonna lie, that would be one of the main reasons for me buying one. Opinions on them?


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## mrp5150 (Sep 3, 2007)

I've owned 16 Caparison guitars and they're hands down my favorite guitars ever. I absolutely love their pickups, it's one of the main reasons I love them so much. The PH-R is a killer bridge pickup. It's really balanced and natural sounding with tons of crunch, and it really excels in low tunings. The bridge pickup in the Horus is different, and has a lot less output, but I still like that one as well. 

The quality on all of their guitars is top notch. The best word I could use to describe them is comfortable. The necks are all pretty thick, except for the TAT, but I love thicker necks. They're not all big and bulky like Gibson necks though, they just feel great. As far as the Schaller trems, they're every bit as good as an OFR. I actually prefer them because they're stiffer in feel. They hold tune for ages. I've owned 50+ guitars, and played a ton more. Nothing else does it for me like Caparisons. 

Here are some pics of all the ones I've owned. My latest Iceberg TAT isn't pictured because I don't have it yet. If you can't tell, the TAT's are my favorite Caparisons. 

TAT II Frozen Sky







TAT HH Iceberg






Dellinger CA (Chris Amott signature model)






TAT HSS Red Sunset






Iceberg TAT Twins






Venus (Gackt signature model)






Apple Horn Aurora (Mattias Eklundh signature model)






Horus Iris Violet (previously owned by Peter Wichers of Soilwork)






Horus Thunder Cloud






Horus Custom (previously owned by Peter Joseph of The Absence)






Angelus PLM-1 (Pete Lesperance signature model)






Angelus ACE (Ace Shimizu signature model, signed by Ace)






Dellinger SE






Dellinger HGS


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## D-EJ915 (Sep 3, 2007)

I like TATs because they don't have that fucking arm contour.


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## mrp5150 (Sep 3, 2007)

D-EJ915 said:


> I like TATs because they don't have that fucking arm contour.



Yeah they do. 






I don't see how anyone could dislike a contour that makes the guitar more comfortable to play though.


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## Lucky Seven (Sep 3, 2007)

Megadeth7684 said:


> Yeah they do.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



He was talking about the front elbow contour. I like a guitar to look good, but not at the cost of comfort.


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## mrp5150 (Sep 3, 2007)

Ah, I see. That doesn't really bother me either way.


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## Lucky Seven (Sep 3, 2007)

I guess I could say the same


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## ShawnFjellstad (Sep 3, 2007)

holy shit mark, i hate you!

if you ever get a snow cloud horus that you aren't happy with, send it my way.


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## Codyyy (Sep 3, 2007)

Megadeth7684 said:


> As far as the Schaller trems, they're every bit as good as an OFR. I actually prefer them because they're stiffer in feel. They hold tune for ages.



...stiffer?


but...but....


.......flutter.......


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## mrp5150 (Sep 3, 2007)

ShawnFjellstad said:


> holy shit mark, i hate you!
> 
> if you ever get a snow cloud horus that you aren't happy with, send it my way.



 

That Custom Horus I bought from Pete was actually a Snow Cloud, until he had it refinished. There was a Snow Cloud on Ebay maybe a month ago. Was in really nice shape too.



Codyyy said:


> ...stiffer?
> 
> 
> but...but....
> ...



You can still flutter. Listen to Mattias Eklundh, you can get any trem noise you want from the Schallers.


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## Stitch (Sep 3, 2007)

Caparisons ar eawesome. 

The only reason we don't get on is I hate pickup rings...


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## mrp5150 (Sep 3, 2007)

stitch216 said:


> Caparisons ar eawesome.
> 
> The only reason we don't get on is I hate pickup rings...



They have a number of models without pickup rings.


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## sakeido (Sep 3, 2007)

I really want an Angelus now... the Horus and TAT are pretty meh to me, I'd rather rock a Jackson. But the Angelus is just gorgeous.

I wish I could afford this! Damn! 
CAPARISON ANGELUS HGS - Fully Customized - 1 of a Kind - (eBay item 140153566690 end time Sep-07-07 21:45:36 PDT)


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## Lucky Seven (Sep 3, 2007)

I really do like the look of the TATs, especially (please don't flame me) the orange one.


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## Karl Hungus (Sep 3, 2007)

Codyyy said:


> And then what?





ShawnFjellstad said:


> snow cloud is my favorite horus color, too.
> 
> why didn't you go through with it?



Just don't really play 6 strings much any more, so I decided against the Horus. I was also very, very close to having a Parker Fly last year too.



Megadeth7684 said:


> Venus (Gackt signature model)



I love that model! It's just so incredibly unique, and the fretless upper register is an idea I could really get behind.

Wanna sell it to me?


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## mrp5150 (Sep 3, 2007)

Haha, I sold that a while ago man. It was actually a sweet guitar. You can't even reach the fretless part though. The 6 bolt neck joint just stops right there. I got $3200 for that guitar.


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## Karl Hungus (Sep 3, 2007)

Megadeth7684 said:


> I got $3200 for that guitar.



Wow! Nice!


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## Mail2JackButler (Sep 4, 2007)

I have a TAT II Frozen Sky and they have a slightly arched top so you really can't do an arm contour. With the way the top is arched and the neck is angle back you don't miss the arm contour.


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## FortePenance (Sep 4, 2007)

DUDE. Orange is the most metal colour evar.

Lol, is this the specific guitar you said you're trying to save up for?


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## Codyyy (Sep 4, 2007)

Ejaculadhesive said:


> DUDE. Orange is the most metal colour evar.
> 
> Lol, is this the specific guitar you said you're trying to save up for?



Nope 


It's a 2 year old Jackson USA SL2HT going for half retail price of a new one that plays like an absolute dream. Talk about  


I was just curious.


Now that I say this, out of curiosity, how do Caparisons compare to Soloists? After all... didn't the guy who started Caparison work in the Jackson CS or something? Hell I've even heard people say that Caparisons are all just Jackson ripoffs.


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## mrp5150 (Sep 4, 2007)

Codyyy said:


> Nope
> 
> 
> It's a 2 year old Jackson USA SL2HT going for half retail price of a new one that plays like an absolute dream. Talk about
> ...



Yes, Caparison president/founder Itaru Kanno used to work in the Jackson Custom Shop. He was the one who designed the Jackson Falcon and the Jackson Doug Aldrich signature model. Both guitars have a lot of features that are used in the Horus now. The only Caparison that is similar to a Soloist is the neck thru TAT's, and I personally think they're far superior. Better build quality, better attention to detail, more unique look, cooler features, unique finishes, better tone, original pickups, slightly thicker and more comfortable neck, etc. Anyone that says Caparisons are just a Jackson ripoff needs to get their head out of their ass, and they've probably never even so much as seen one in real life.


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## Codyyy (Sep 4, 2007)

TAT, a through neck model which was one of the first Caparison Guitars line up In 1995, has come back at last._*For a long time the production of the through neck has been stopped due to certain problems.*_
However knowing that there are many fans of the model, the production arrangements have been done in 2006.
Bringing back to life as a 2007 model, this has a new control and color.


Scary! Does anybody know specifically what problems?


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## ShawnFjellstad (Sep 4, 2007)

Codyyy said:


> TAT, a through neck model which was one of the first Caparison Guitars line up In 1995, has come back at last._*For a long time the production of the through neck has been stopped due to certain problems.*_
> However knowing that there are many fans of the model, the production arrangements have been done in 2006.
> Bringing back to life as a 2007 model, this has a new control and color.
> 
> ...




i don't think that's scary at all. they've brought the TAT back, so i think its safe to assume that the problems have been fixed.


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## mrp5150 (Sep 4, 2007)

I've owned 6 TAT's and none of them have had any problems at all. 5 of the TAT's I had were from the mid 90's as well. I've never heard of anyone having any sort of problem with them.


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## ihave27frets (Sep 4, 2007)

Codyyy said:


> Indeed, the orange applehorn looks really cool. However, with the Apple Horn being higher priced than the Horus (and since it really just is a Horus with different pickups and a more inconveniently placed volume knob because of the carving), I'm all set.



Applehorns actually have a different neck carve than a Horus, a bit chunkier than a Horus.


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## Xykhron (Sep 4, 2007)

Megadeth7684 said:


> I've owned 6 TAT's and none of them have had any problems at all. 5 of the TAT's I had were from the mid 90's as well. I've never heard of anyone having any sort of problem with them.



Wow, 6?. Man, you're my hero!   ( I just want one, hahahahahha)


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## ihave27frets (Sep 4, 2007)

Codyyy said:


> For a long time the production of the through neck has been stopped due to certain problems. Does anybody know specifically what problems?



I believe the problem was cost of production at the time verses demand.


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## mrp5150 (Sep 4, 2007)

Xykhron said:


> Wow, 6?. Man, you're my hero!   ( I just want one, hahahahahha)



Yeah, they're my favorites. Really cool guitars. Just got my new Iceberg one today. It's beat to shit, but I only paid $850 for it.


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## grimmchaos (Sep 5, 2007)

I've played/owned both a Caparison and a multitude of Jacksons, both bolt-on's and Soloists, and I have to say I do prefer the neck carve of the Caparisons. It is thicker, but much more comfy to me. And I love Jacksons, and have had a few USA Soloists. In my opinion build quality is about the same, though I've only played one Caparison. Nice guitars, just a shame they are hard to get in the US.


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## Xtremevillan (Sep 12, 2007)

I post on the official forum a lot.


Deep Sea..

Cost...





Megadeth7684 said:


> Yeah, they're my favorites. Really cool guitars. Just got my new Iceberg one today. It's beat to shit, but I only paid $850 for it.



HEY I KNOW YOU


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## progmetaldan (Nov 2, 2007)

So do I! haha

Pretty much all those axes of yours Mark have been sold now haven't they? That's one of the cool things about Caparison, its such a community, half the guitars have probably been through half a dozen people on the official forum, what with trades and stuff... 

But mines not going anywhere...


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## Nick (Nov 2, 2007)

same:

i have a dellinger 2, i love that guitar!!


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## progmetaldan (Nov 2, 2007)

Nick said:


> same:
> 
> i have a dellinger 2, i love that guitar!!




Cool, that was the one I looked at before deciding on the Horus... which finish do you have? Do you have any pics on here anywhere?


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## Nick (Nov 2, 2007)

no pics im terrible for not taking pics of stuff but i aim to do it in the next week or so.

Im considering putting bareknuckle pickups in it aswell.

Its in the pro black finish. Its quite strange because it looks blue in some lighting and red in others


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## progmetaldan (Nov 2, 2007)

oh yeh, they're reasonably difficult to get good pics of, same with the TAT Crimson, always looks black... I'm sure they're heaps nice looking in real life though...


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## Nick (Nov 2, 2007)

especially when its administering firey doom through the engl


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## progmetaldan (Nov 2, 2007)

not a huge Engl fan myself, but yeah that would pretty much slay...


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