# Ormsby guitars G.A.S. - info and feedback needed pls



## Jacksonluvr636 (Aug 7, 2018)

Hey guys,

I have this urge for an Ormsby. The only information I can find is on their site and on here.

I have seen nothing but great feedback on these guitars but I was hoping for a bit more information about the neck specs. The only thing I am able to find is that the hype gtr uses "a balanced D shape". Any measurements available anywhere to see? What is the neck carve similar too? ESP, Ibanez Wizard, LTD, Charvel? Very important to me and most likely a deciding factor seeing how I cannot try before I buy.

Also how to get into the FB group for the build runs? I am mostly looking for the hype GTR but given they have awesome payment plans I could possibly go for the real deal machine.

Any other feedback/reviews on these guitars are more than welcome.


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## A-Branger (Aug 7, 2018)

cant really compare the enck in mine as I ahvent play that many guitars. But whatever info you look for, look from run 4 onwards. They changed the neck profile on the Goliaths, so the previous run would have a bigger neck.

Feel free to join the GTR facebook group for info about them. About custom runs, not sure. They are about to open a run of Hypes and Goliaths, but not sure when. Join the facebook group as it would get announced there first after their VIP list


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## KnightBrolaire (Aug 7, 2018)

mine was quite well built and had no real aesthetic issues other than slightly sloppy side dots.
I can't really say how the 6 or 7 necks feel. The 8 string neck on my goliath was relatively similar to an rg8 neck.


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## RiksRiks (Aug 7, 2018)

Can you tell us how many strings are you planning?
The profile is flatter than the average (I have a run 3, 7 string Hype) its flatter than my 6 string LTD, profile was thin but not as thin as my old RG8, maybe just a tad thinner than a Kiesel 8 string. Maybe this references are not very helpful though! Hope te helps! Also keep in mind as Beto said, the profile was changed from run 4 onwards and now is thinner 

EDIT: the exact measurements should be in Ormsbys website, IIRC


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## Turgon (Aug 8, 2018)

I don't know for which model you are looking for, but I had a Hype GTR 7 string built by WMI and I quickly got rid of it. While the build quality was okay, it just didn't felt as expensive as it actually was. Just keep that in mind, you get a good instrument, but it feels (as least for me) not better as any schecter/LTD etc...
Regarding the neck profile, I believe it was on the thicker side, very round yet comfortable. But I don't know which run I had.


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## RiksRiks (Aug 8, 2018)

Turgon said:


> I don't know for which model you are looking for, but I had a Hype GTR 7 string built by WMI and I quickly got rid of it. While the build quality was okay, it just didn't felt as expensive as it actually was. Just keep that in mind, you get a good instrument, but it feels (as least for me) not better as any schecter/LTD etc...
> Regarding the neck profile, I believe it was on the thicker side, very round yet comfortable. But I don't know which run I had.



I would say "how expensive it feels" is a pretty subjective way to judge a guitar, I personally think that if "feels as expensive" as any other Korean guitar I've ever played (even better than the PRS also made at WMI) but that really boils down to personal preference.

Also, and again from my point of view and nothing more, that shouldn't make me "quickly get rid of" a guitar if the quality was good. 

I'm trying to be objective and I'm just pointing out that your opinion and the actual facts were kind of mixed in your post. I know Ormsbys are by no means perfect.


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## Jacksonluvr636 (Aug 8, 2018)

Awesome thanks for the replies.

I did get into the FB group and while it was not the most noob friendly setup on their website I was able to find the measurements of the neck and they say their neck shape is pretty much a Thin U.

I can get down with that, especially with a hipshot.

@RiksRiks - I planned on a 6 multi or possibly 7 multi Hype GTR.

@Turgon - IMO that is not a bad price. Yes, it is $250 more than other WMI instruments on average but I would be willing to pay that premium if the QC was better and the neck felt better than say some previous LTD's I had to return. Plus the looks is what is really getting me on these Ormsbys.

@A-Branger Good to know about the change in neck profile. I was half tempted to get an old one but now I will hold off as the ESP Thin U is as thick as I would like.

The thing that sucks for me now is that I really do not like the current speckled paint run. The Hype GTR is the only one I want but I want the finishes from the Kelley's or the V's that they have or the older Burl but again the older Burl, I am unsure what run that was but if the neck was thicker than no way.

I guess I will just have to be patient and hope for a run I like. I really do like the Masscar Ebony so I will have to see if any are in stock and available at any point.


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## A-Branger (Aug 8, 2018)

run 5 (the one in production right now you prob saw the pics) got the maccasar ebony top and the dragon burst over quilt. Either wait for a spare or contact some dealers to buy one of their pre-orders.

Run 6 which should be 4 weeks after got hypes in flame tops with black burst on different colors. Same deal go with a dealer or wait for a spare if there are

run 8 got hypes with the copper top graphic

and I think after run 6 there would be a re-issue of previous runs popular models so there could be a chance for a walnut burl top?

best bet for spare is to shoot them an email so you can be on the list for one


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## Turgon (Aug 8, 2018)

RiksRiks said:


> I would say "how expensive it feels" is a pretty subjective way to judge a guitar, I personally think that if "feels as expensive" as any other Korean guitar I've ever played (even better than the PRS also made at WMI) but that really boils down to personal preference.
> 
> Also, and again from my point of view and nothing more, that shouldn't make me "quickly get rid of" a guitar if the quality was good.
> 
> I'm trying to be objective and I'm just pointing out that your opinion and the actual facts were kind of mixed in your post. I know Ormsbys are by no means perfect.



Yeah, you're right, I think it's due to my language deficites that I can't exactly verbalize what I mean.
I'm with you in terms of personal preference. I just wanted to point out that I expected way more than what my Ormsby delivered. It was ok, but not as good as other instruments (even WMI) in this price range. And that's not only the feels, it was in fact the neck shape, the fan (too big imo) and the PUs. And that's why I got rid of it.
I'm not saying Ormsbys are bad instruments, they just aren't for me.


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## Jacksonluvr636 (Aug 8, 2018)

Turgon said:


> Yeah, you're right, I think it's due to my language deficites that I can't exactly verbalize what I mean.
> I'm with you in terms of personal preference. I just wanted to point out that I expected way more than what my Ormsby delivered. It was ok, but not as good as other instruments (even WMI) in this price range. And that's not only the feels, it was in fact the neck shape, the fan (too big imo) and the PUs. And that's why I got rid of it.
> I'm not saying Ormsbys are bad instruments, they just aren't for me.


Can you say which Run yours was from?


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## Turgon (Aug 9, 2018)

Jacksonluvr636 said:


> Can you say which Run yours was from?



Sorry, I don't know. BUT I know it was a Cherry Burst Maple finish, if that's of any help.


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## A-Branger (Aug 9, 2018)

Turgon said:


> Sorry, I don't know. BUT I know it was a Cherry Burst Maple finish, if that's of any help.


Run 2


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## d3monc (Aug 17, 2018)

I'd be weary of getting into future runs with Ormsby. I paid up front 100% for a dragon-burst 7 with Run 5 in 2016 in like June. They were supposed to ship that December or January of 2017 if you paid in tier 1. Then there were issues with this or that, NAMM, other runs, Cites, etc... They denied my request for a refund 2 or 3 times. I had to do research into the Australian laws on refunds and finally swayed them to give me my money back. I believe they still haven't shipped Run 5 guitars either! They kicked me from the FB groups after this which is annoying because I would have bought one if they had spares but now I'm just put off by the company as a whole. Just giving my opinion and experience though so take it for what it is. A lot of people have praised them and speak very highly of the guitars.


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## Nick (Aug 17, 2018)

My friend owned (and just sold) one it was a really nice guitar. It was a standard scale Hype Gtr. The fretboard was wider than most other superstrats ive played, wider than anything in my current guitars

Suhr Modern
Mayones Regius Core
Mayones Duvelle
Esp Horizon (2005)
Jackson RR24 Pro

Its also quite flat so probably most similar to the RR24 except it was like the flattened out radius part all up the neck.

I'm telling you this purely based on feel and personal experience. I pay little attention to actual measurement details, if I like it I like it....


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## KnightBrolaire (Aug 17, 2018)

d3monc said:


> I'd be weary of getting into future runs with Ormsby. I paid up front 100% for a dragon-burst 7 with Run 5 in 2016 in like June. They were supposed to ship that December or January of 2017 if you paid in tier 1. Then there were issues with this or that, NAMM, other runs, Cites, etc... They denied my request for a refund 2 or 3 times. I had to do research into the Australian laws on refunds and finally swayed them to give me my money back. I believe they still haven't shipped Run 5 guitars either! They kicked me from the FB groups after this which is annoying because I would have bought one if they had spares but now I'm just put off by the company as a whole. Just giving my opinion and experience though so take it for what it is. A lot of people have praised them and speak very highly of the guitars.


yeah I fell into the pre-order trap as well. Waited 2 years for a production MIK guitar. It was a great guitar, definitely better quality than my MIK strandbergs, but it just wasn't the right guitar for me as far as ergonomics go.
The run 5 guitars are supposed to ship in the next month or two, so you could prob pick up a spare if they still have any or if you're still interested.


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## bostjan (Aug 17, 2018)

Do a search for unbiased reviews. Also, contrast those with other options out there.

I have not played an Ormsby, but I have seen quite a few quite descriptive reviews that have told me everything I needed to know in deciding whether to buy one or not.


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## Nick (Aug 17, 2018)

d3monc said:


> I'd be weary of getting into future runs with Ormsby. I paid up front 100% for a dragon-burst 7 with Run 5 in 2016 in like June. They were supposed to ship that December or January of 2017 if you paid in tier 1. Then there were issues with this or that, NAMM, other runs, Cites, etc... They denied my request for a refund 2 or 3 times. I had to do research into the Australian laws on refunds and finally swayed them to give me my money back. I believe they still haven't shipped Run 5 guitars either! They kicked me from the FB groups after this which is annoying because I would have bought one if they had spares but now I'm just put off by the company as a whole. Just giving my opinion and experience though so take it for what it is. A lot of people have praised them and speak very highly of the guitars.



I think the issue here is not the builder but the customers expectations 

Ormsby is a small company and the reason their production instruments are good is because they take the time needed to make them that way and Ormsby himself has to travel from Australia to Korea to inspect batches etc.

If you put in a custom order with Suhr it would be assumed by them that you would just wait as long as they told you for the instrument and if you didnt like it you could go and FYS because they dont need your business. Ormsby is trying to offer the same level of accesibility that has led other builders to give up or actually go mental (BRJ) by running that facebook group to give customers updates and its got strict rules which I assume you broke to get yourself kicked.

Anyone that isnt willing to accept delays on small batch or custom guitars should not even consider putting money into them in the first place.

I dont know what people who complain about delays on this sort of thing do for work but in pretty much every line of industry delays are commonplace and timescales are estimated and refined during the course of a project because at the end of the day, in this case, the only way to know the exact amount of time it will take to build x guitars is to build x guitars and then work out the difference betweeen the time you started and the time you finished.


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## d3monc (Aug 17, 2018)

Nick said:


> I think the issue here is not the builder but the customers expectations
> 
> Ormsby is a small company and the reason their production instruments are good is because they take the time needed to make them that way and Ormsby himself has to travel from Australia to Korea to inspect batches etc.
> 
> ...



I was just giving my personal experience with the company. You're examples refer to custom guitars. The GTR range are considered production guitars. I understand when contracting a custom build there can be delays and things might not go 100% on schedule. To say that a production guitar is over 2 years beyond the expected ship date is a bit of a stretch. Additionally, the information on delays was extremely spotty at best. Maybe you have thousands of dollars to hand out to people blindly but, I'd say majority of the world doesn't. Like I said I was just giving my own experience, OP is more then welcome to spend a couple grand and wait a few years to receive a product with little updates on the delays.


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## Nick (Aug 17, 2018)

They arent really true production guitars though. Ibanez, ESP etc all make production guitars which you have zero input in the build process or timescales. At some point these guitars land in a dealers store front or website and you can buy it - that is a production guitar. These arent customs, true, and your delays do sound excessive but again, I would say if you cant deal with delays I would avoid this type of venture entirely.


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## bostjan (Aug 17, 2018)

Nick said:


> They arent really true production guitars though. Ibanez, ESP etc all make production guitars which you have zero input in the build process or timescales. At some point these guitars land in a dealers store front or website and you can buy it - that is a production guitar. These arent customs, true, and your delays do sound excessive but again, I would say if you cant deal with delays I would avoid this type of venture entirely.


100% of public perception is through communication, though. If a guitar is advertised as a production guitar, even if it's through word of mouth and not by the company itself, a customer purchasing that item will feel suckered if it takes 2+ years to receive delivery.


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## A-Branger (Aug 17, 2018)

The delays sucked. Im waiting for my run 6 too. But the reason for them has been posted on the group many times. Just not every day, they can only post news when they have news from factory and/or suppliers. 

CITES was the biggest issue at hand. It went with only a 3 days notice and it was something it affected every si gle manufacter out there. Reason why you didnt saw it from another beand was because they are big enough to have stock. And because theres still guitars hanging on the shops. 

That and orher reasons delays happened. Not because thats what Ormsby wanted. Basically they spent year and half with no income. What company would want that?

Things have been streamlined now with the factory according to the updates and ETAs should flow better. I understand some folks would need proof to tryst again and I wont blame you. Just wait till the new pre-order runs gets done to see if they stick to time frames before you pre-order something. And while you wait if you like something from a previous run you can always grab a spare from their store or from a dealer, in that way you wont feel like they took your money for a long time. Just sit and wait till something comes available and avoid the whole pre-order thing  



KnightBrolaire said:


> The run 5 guitars are supposed to ship in the next month or two,



Run 5 guitars are being boxed up at the WMI factory according to today’s update i just read  so they would be ready pretty soon


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## Flappydoodle (Aug 19, 2018)

Since people are randomly chipping in thoughts on Ormsby, here is mine:

They're Korean-made guitars, but you can't try one in stock anywhere, you need to mess around with deposits, facebook groups etc. I just don't get the point. The whole facebook-only thing is a huge turnoff. And the guitars don't seem all that special to warrant the hype and the hassle.


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## GuitarBizarre (Aug 20, 2018)

Flappydoodle said:


> Since people are randomly chipping in thoughts on Ormsby, here is mine:
> 
> They're Korean-made guitars, but you can't try one in stock anywhere, you need to mess around with deposits, facebook groups etc. I just don't get the point. The whole facebook-only thing is a huge turnoff. And the guitars don't seem all that special to warrant the hype and the hassle.


They do have dealers where you can try them. GuitarGuitar in the UK carries their stuff.

What you're complaining about is the fact a small company without major distributors, serving a niche within a niche within a niche (Guitar Players > Metal Guitar Players > Metal guitar players who want fanned frets), isn't as easily available as brands like Gibson or Fender or Ibanez who have their products distributed worldwide with mass market demand.

That's how it works when your company isn't worth many, many millions. Ormsby have made the best of it by using social media to their advantage and pre-selling the runs, which allows them to get WMI to make the things in the first place.

If they didn't do the things you're complaining about, you'd still be able to buy a proper custom made guitar from Ormsby. But you'd pay through the nose for it as a full custom, AUS-made guitar.

Edit: Also the CITES thing, as mentioned before, really fucked them over. The containers with their wood inside sat doing nothing for over 6 months. There was no procedure, no first-come-first-serve, people were prioritised ahead of Ormsby the entire time, again, because Gibson and Fender have money and Ormsby don't have so much money.


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## Nick (Aug 20, 2018)

GuitarBizarre said:


> They do have dealers where you can try them. GuitarGuitar in the UK carries their stuff.
> 
> What you're complaining about is the fact a small company without major distributors, serving a niche within a niche within a niche (Guitar Players > Metal Guitar Players > Metal guitar players who want fanned frets), isn't as easily available as brands like Gibson or Fender or Ibanez who have their products distributed worldwide with mass market demand.
> 
> ...



This is exactly the sort of thing I'm talking about. I wasnt aware it was CITES that caused the delays mentioned by the guy I quoted earlier but surely all of the customers who were impacted by this were made aware of it?!

I dont get why people would throw their toys out the pram over this, I get that its really annoying as a buyer but you cant possibly, in any world, think that the builder can do anything about it, and bugging them on Facebook really isnt going to help anyone.


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## Flappydoodle (Sep 3, 2018)

Eventually tried one. Full-on Hypemachine 7, built and signed by Perry himself.

It was ok. Not remotely close to being worth the price tag IMO.


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## Jacksonluvr636 (Sep 4, 2018)

Flappydoodle said:


> Eventually tried one. Full-on Hypemachine 7, built and signed by Perry himself.
> 
> It was ok. Not remotely close to being worth the price tag IMO.


Interesting. I love the way they look but have never played one. I would just get the cheap version but dang the customs are stupid expensive. Should play like a dream for that price. I would probably get a Duvell Elite for that kind of money,


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## Flappydoodle (Sep 4, 2018)

Jacksonluvr636 said:


> Interesting. I love the way they look but have never played one. I would just get the cheap version but dang the customs are stupid expensive. Should play like a dream for that price. I would probably get a Duvell Elite for that kind of money,



Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad. Just not worth the almost £4K asking price.

It was super bling - mother of pearl binding, crazy figure fretboard, burl top etc. That's probably a lot of the cost. 

But it didn't feel any better to play than something like an ESP E-II. No "magic".


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## diagrammatiks (Sep 4, 2018)

not going to go out and find all the Ormsby threads and bump them but since this is on my recents anyway.

don't do it buddy.


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## MoJoToJo (Sep 24, 2018)

http://www.etguitars.com/home


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## A-Branger (Sep 24, 2018)

^^ mmm wut? ? ??


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