Overall User Ratings

"Silvertones, you gotta love them!"

This reviewer purchased this item from Same Day Music.

Feature:
I know that the components on this guitar are not the best, but I play very, very hard and this thing takes a lot to make it go out of tune. The humbucker pickups cover the range of sound that I need with ease. There are 2 volume controls, one for each pickup, and the same with the tone controls. Unlike other guitars I have played, these knobs stay snug when I am slammin my guitar around, so I have a very consistent tone. The jack keeps loosening up, but the sound is never lost. I will probably replace the jack soon. The strings that came on the guitar when I received it were junk, so I put some 10-46 gauge on there, and it sounds great. You usually want to do that with new guitars anyway, unless you get a PRS. The bridge is very easy to adjust and work with. It was a snap to adjust the action and intonation, not that I needed to, but everyone has their own personal feel to a guitar. I have no idea what kind of wood this is, but it sure is heavy after about 10 songs, but still staying in tune. It may be mahogany, at least the neck is. It also has a beautiful arch top body. Great sustain. It also has one of the most beautiful headstocks that I have ever seen, kind of like a PRS.

Quality:
I saw one of these guitars in a small guitar shop before I purchased it online. I was so impressed with the finish and feel, that I had to buy one for myself. I have always loved Silvertone products since I started playing 20 years ago. I don't know why they are so inexpensive, but I won't complain. When I got my own guitar in, the finish was beautiful (Cherry Sunburst), and it played great with a mild tuning. The only minor problem I have is with the jack loosening up, but with no loss of sound. The strap pegs also loosen, but not enough to become dangerous. I beat the crap out of my guitars when I play, so maybe that is why things loosen up a bit. Don't worry, I polish them afterwards. Overall, the quality of this guitar is excellent, and for $200! I love the sound, the feel, and the look. Although, I would settle for just a good sound. I am not pretty, so my guitars should be.

Value:
Like I mentioned before, you will not find a better value. Have have paid $1500 for guitars before and love playing this one just as much as the others. It sounds, feels, and looks fantastic!

Desirability:
Again, this thing sounds, feels, and looks great. I sit at home every night and look at it. I have it set up so it is the first thing you see coming into my house. Well, that and my beautiful Warwick fretless bass. Both are very sexy guitars.

Sound:
I play anything from speed metal to classical music. This guitar seemed to cover it all for me. I use a lot of effects when I play, so it is easy to cover up the sound of a guitar with bad electronics, so I gave this one a dry run with no effects. It sounded great through my Roland amp, but what doesn't. I then played it through my Silvertone 1960 something tube amp, and it sounded incredible. So full of body and great through the whole range of notes. All I can say is that I am very pleased, whether it is a $200 guitar (which it is), or if I paid $1000 for it. I usually play Yamaha guitars for electric guitars, and have always been very pleased with their sound and feel. I can honestly say that I don't have the urge to play them again, at least for now. For under $1000, I'm not sure you can beat the bang for the buck that you get with this guitar.

Support:
Haven't needed it yet.

Overall:
I will always love this guitar and wish to be buried with it. I would definitely replace it if it is ever broken, and may even get another style Silvertone just for fun. I was looking for another guitar and was willing to pay up to $2000 for it. I saw and played this one and ended up buying it. I will keep all components the same, except for that loosening jack. Hey, with the money I saved, I bought another bass, amp and effects pedal.

"AWESOME guitar, get one while you can!!!!"

Feature:
It has eveything you need.

Quality:
AWESOME build quality, the neck is PERFECT and everything has a quality feel to it. It's two years old and I've been waiting to have a problem.... not even a hint of one. Mine has been dropped more than once and hasn't been babied in any way. I thought I was buying a cheap practice axe, but this thing is way better than that.

Value:
This is a great deal, get one while you can!!!!

Desirability:
This is a guitar with as much appeal as the Gibson.

Sound:
The sound comes close to the guitar it copies.

Ease of Use:
Plays easy and fast, sounds great.

Support:
The best support is not needing any!!!!! Mine even came set up right.

Overall:
I would be buried with this guitar, but it would be the waste of an awesome guitar!!!!

"Buy it now before they smarten up and raise the price."

Feature:
Standard 3-way toggle Le-Paul style. Seperate tone and volume knob for each pickup, but the middle setting of the 3-way toggle tends to sound a lot like the neck pick-up setting unless you really fine tune all your knobs.

Quality:
This is where the instrument really shines. The tobacco burst finish is BEAUTIFUL. I took off the pickguard because the finish was too nice to hide underneath that ugly cream-colored guard. The finish on the back of the set neck makes the neck extremely fast and smooth, putting my ESP Ltd to shame and absolutely destroying and Fender neck. The neck was set perfectly with the body of the guitar. I changed out the knobs and toggle switch for some nice black hardware, and the instrument now looks, feels and sounds like it should cost over a grand. I have had another guitarist try it and offer to trade me his $800 Fender because he liked the Silvertone better. I said no. One side note. A common problem I have found with cheaper guitars is the tendancy to go out of tune. I have had no such problems with the tuning machines or strings going out of tune. The neck has not warped or shrunk. Basically problem free for the 8 months I have now had it.

Value:
For the price, you can't miss. I bought it as a project guitar to tear down and rebuild, but I like it better than my other guitars which cost two and three times as much.

Desirability:
Again...the tobacco finsh is beautiful. The body alone should go for $400. The neck is great, the pickups are average, and I did not care for the pickguard and knobs (which took a grand total of $20 in parts and one screwdriver to fix)

Sound:
As with any electric guitar, you have to take into account your amp and other gear as well, but I am quite pleased with the quality of sound I got with the stock pickups. I figured I would have to change them out before getting a decent sound, but the two humbuckers sound quite nice, but maybe lack a little low end. The sustain is great.

Ease of Use:
Out of the box the action was dead-on. I was amazed. I had to raise the neck pickup a hair, but other than that all I had to do was plug it in (and get some decent strings on it).

Support:
Dunno. Haven't used them.

Overall:
I don't think I will sell this guitar. Great bluesy and rock guitar. If you like dive-bombing solos in Eddie Van Halen fashion then you might look elsewhere unlass you want to replace the bridge with a tremelo, but for fast play and solid feel, this is a good deal.

"One of the best LP copies in this price range!"

Feature:
The actual accessories that shipped with the guitar were not part of my decision to purchase. Came with a crappy cable that I use to tune with, but would never play for any extended period of time, but that doesn't take away from the gujitar at all.

Quality:
The guitar is beautiful! The fit and finish is just gorgeous. The top hat buttons and PAF-copy pickups make the guitar look like a real professional instrument. I would definitely play this one on stage. The neck is fast and smooth, the jumbo frets are finished nicely all the way up the neck (I have seen unfinished fretwire above the 12th fret on guitars in this price range that was unfinished and could actually cut your hand). I changed the strings that shipped with the guitar (I like heavier strings myself). No negatives on the quality of this one; I expect to keep this guitar for years to come.

Value:
This is an outstanding value for a guitar of this quality; if I had to make a choice I would definitely buy it again.

Desirability:
This guitar is PLENTY macho and has plenty of sex appeal. It would certainly hold its own on stage versus any of the big names out there. Again, I would have no problems gigging with this guitar.

Sound:
The sound of this guitar is AWESOME! The tone is amazing for a guitar in this price range. I was looking for an inexpensive weapon for some metal and hard rock; this guitar definitely fits the bill. It totally fulfills all of my needs...I play mostly through the neck pickup, but occasionally play rhythm through both pickups; the sound is full and rich no matter the pickup selection. I play through my Roland Cube 30, both clean and through the onboard effects - the guitar delivers either way. The only thing I did to alter the instrument was to add a drop of superglue to the plug-in jack nut to stop it from coming loose continually (may be a no-no for most folks, but I'm keeping this guitar so it's all good).

Ease of Use:
This guitar was set up to play right out of the box!!! I didn't have to lower or raise any of the strings; there was no buzz at any frets. I was able to get all of my signature sounds out of this guitar (pick slides, squeals, artificial harmonics, etc.) The one thing you need to know is this guitar is a tad on the heavy side; it may be just slightly lighter than a real Les Paul...then again, that may add to the awesome tone and sustain! Overall, it's a really fun guitar to play, if you're looking for a decent LP copy.

Support:
I never deal with manufacturers directly, so no opinion here.

Overall:
I am always buying inexpensive guitars but i think that I end up playing this one more than the others. I wouldn't use this one to play some of the other types of music (surf, punk, country - I use strats and teles for that stuff) but this one is it for the rock and metal crowd on a budget. I love the tome and feel and just the way it hangs on me when I'm playing it. The only down side is the weight, but i'm a pretty big guy, so non worries there.

"John from TriFyre with my take on the ss3"

Quality:
One word, Beautiful. I'm an experienced musician with 16 years of playing under my belt, and this is the most beautiful guitar I've ever owned and easily comparable to axes costing up to a thousand dollars more.

Value:
I really dont see how you could do to much better. At any point in time you could spend about $250 bucks and have an axe that sounds, looks, and plays like a $1500 beast.

Desirability:
I've wanted a LP since I was 10. Just got this guitar a month ago and it still makes me smile every time I play it.

Sound:
Very warm and bluesy sound. When used with high-gain distortion creates beautiful harmonic squeals. Speed is not at all a problem with the deep cut-away and silky smooth fretboard.

Ease of Use:
One flick of a switch, or turn of a knob and it will go from crystal clear highs to fat, chunky rythms.

Overall:
Not sure if I'm allowed to name names, but with the addition of grover tuners and vintage humbuckers, this guitar could easily last a lifetime. It is nearly perfect for all of my hard-rock needs. I've been playing a lot of thrash-speed metal lately and it plays nice, but doesn't quite have that sonic ear-bleeding highs of say, a high end Ibanez. If there is any fault in the guitar it is that. Other than that, I don't think I could be much happier with it. I haven't, got to play a show with it yet, but I'm sure it won't disappoint. I've wailed on it for hours, and it loved every minute of it. I strongly recommend this guitar to ANY PLAYER seeking a quality axe for the price of a beater. I will be using it nearly exclusively while recording my new album.

"want to see the best les paul copy at a great price, but still sounds like a pro's, check this one out"

Quality:
silvertone make great affordable guitars

Desirability:
it is a geourgeous guitar

Sound:
add a gibson 57 classic at the bridge

Silvertone SSL3 Customer Review

Sound:
Nothing at all like the other propreity brands (Gibson, Rickenbacker, Fender, etc.), and the sound noticeably suffers as a result of cheap production.