I'm just dropping a line to say thanks to Rich for the great dealing on my purchase of a Universe. It was wonderful doing business with him and I'll recommend it to anyone. Thanks man!
Now for the guitar....
It showed up in immaculate condition. The G and B strings were VERY slightly out of tune. The finish was just awesome and was polished to a mirror shine. Rich did a fantastic job on the setup of the guitar. I have honestly never had such a good setup before.
The neck is one of the best I've ever played and definitely the best "shredder" neck. Thicker and more robust than the Wizards but still thin for dazzling runs. The Prestige finishing on it is killer. My hand glides. I love it! The frets kick ass too. I have fat fingers and these smaller frets allow me to play with more ease past the 15th fret.
The guitar sounds really good too. Generally, I've never been a big fan of Basswood or scooped pickups but, the Universe has seemed to have conquered that. I think it's the fact that the pickups are tight and have a very strong articulation about them that has won me over. Slightly adjusting my amps EQ gave me great tone. Now I don't have to worry about getting new pickups! That brings me to another positive. I really enjoy the way the pickups are balanced. And then call me crazy, but the bigger neck seems to make the guitar resonate more and just sound bigger.
Finally, the overall feel of the guitar is nearly perfect. It just sits right with my body and balances great. It was lighter in the body than I expected aswell which was a welcomed surprise.
All in all, BEST, PURCHASE, EVER!!! I'm already scheming on how to get a second one for backup.
