D'Pergo Aged Vintage Classic owners..

[JMarck]

So, I'm seriously thinking about ordering one soon and want to know your opinions. Now, to say the least, this has been my dream guitar for about the past 2 years. If I do decide to go for it, I still have to save up a good 2-4 months more. Given that the AVC is very expensive, is it worth it? I truly want a one of a kind instrument, and if I had to have one, it'd be a D'Pergo.

--Josh

 

[MarkF786]

I too have been thinking about an AVC. What features are you considering?

I really like the tremolo on splatt's guitar and would like that as a feature. Actually, I like the color of splatt's guitar too, though there are other nice colors. Other than that, I'd probably go with a fairly stock model with a maple neck. I would like locking tuners, but I don't know if that would be blasphemy on a D'Pergo AVC

I too have wondered "is it worth it?" but it's very subjective question; to the people who own one, it's probably worth it, while to other people who have paid half the price for a Suhr, Anderson, etc it's probably not. I imagine like with many things there is a law of diminishing returns; there's a big jump from a Squier to a MIA Strat, but maybe less of a jump from a MIA Strat to a Suhr Classic, and maybe less of a jump from a Suhr Classic to a D'Pergo AVC. But if you're looking for perfection, probably a D'Pergo is the closest thing to it.

Mark

 

[Victor R]

I can't speak for anyone else but it was worth every single penny. The craftsmanship is impeccable. The guitar feels & sounds incredible. I don't need or want another strat.

Here my little piece of heaven:

 

[JMarck]

I too have been thinking about an AVC. What features are you considering?

I really like the tremolo on splatt's guitar and would like that as a feature. Actually, I like the color of splatt's guitar too, though there are other nice colors. Other than that, I'd probably go with a fairly stock model with a maple neck. I would like locking tuners, but I don't know if that would be blasphemy on a D'Pergo AVC

I too have wondered "is it worth it?" but it's very subjective question; to the people who own one, it's probably worth it, while to other people who have paid half the price for a Suhr, Anderson, etc it's probably not. I imagine like with many things there is a law of diminishing returns; there's a big jump from a Squier to a MIA Strat, but maybe less of a jump from a MIA Strat to a Suhr Classic, and maybe less of a jump from a Suhr Classic to a D'Pergo AVC. But if you're looking for perfection, probably a D'Pergo is the closest thing to it.

Mark

I think I'm going to stay pretty close to being a pretty stock with maple neck as guitar. I love the color of David's as well, and that might be an option. I know I want a metallic color, because Stefan's colors are just unbelievably beautiful. There is something about the D'Pergo that speaks me fmoreso than other instruments. And yes, perfection is exactly what I want.

--Josh

 

[JMarck]

I can't speak for anyone else but, for me, it was worth every single penny. The craftsmanship is impeccable. The guitar feels & sounds incredible. I don't need or want another strat.

Here my little piece of heaven:

That is stunning

 

[Tomo]

So, I'm seriously thinking about ordering one soon and want to know your opinions. Now, to say the least, this has been my dream guitar for about the past 2 years. If I do decide to go for it, I still have to save up a good 2-4 months more. Given that the AVC is very expensive, is it worth it? I truly want a one of a kind instrument, and if I had to have one, it'd be a D'Pergo.

--Josh

Hi Josh,

You just can't imagine or compare with other strats. Just amazing feel and tone!!! Mine is Aged Vintage Classic. I love it! I am glad that I got it. My D'Pergo made my playing better than before. Very honest instrument!

Tomo

 

[tradarama]

Up front I will say that I do sell these guitars (not a dealer for them)....I have thoughts to offer as I've played many of these and others..

Everything is relative on this sort of discussion....mostly relative to what you have tried and what you sound like naturally but....a few thoughts...

I have found that the neck woods are just amazing feeling. An absolute step above anything else in terms of feel (with the possible exception of Ruokangas). Something about that finish just makes the instrument's playability soft and fast.

The tone on the AVG is very clear and ringing. I find that the notes jump off the neck and are naturally clearer and fuller and sustain w/out becoming muddy. I do not find them to be off the charts compressed orfat vs. other instruments. Somehow the notes just have this ability to cut through w/out being ice picky or shrill...I would say a smooth high end but clear and plenty of it. Not achieved via 'white noise' frequencies.

The playability of the guitars is first class. They do not fight you like strats are sometimes known for. The materials all feel like a cut above many other S & T style instruments.

I would say that the instruments all have a signature DP tone that is consistently great (some instruments a little more compressed and some a little less but all a signature tone).

Is it possible to find a comparable mass market brand?....not sure but you're now talking odds ..maybe you'll find the 1 in 200 ...not sure...I haven't yet....and the overall materials and feel won't be there in my judgement.

Is it a better instrument than other boutique gutiars? It is absolutely different and creates its own well deserved niche. To me it comes down to having a guitar that I pick up when I get a few minutes to play...not one I should want to pick up...but one I actually do. ..and sadly one never knows that aspect until they've tried several guitars....and this brand is certainly well deserving of the positive feedback and place in the 'perception echelon' it has achieved.

Hope this helps

 

[MarkF786]

I think your last sentence captures part of it for me; a D'Pergo would cure any strat GAS forever.

I can't speak for anyone else but, for me, it was worth every single penny. The craftsmanship is impeccable. The guitar feels & sounds incredible. I don't need or want another strat.

 

[mrfender]

I agree with Tradarama's comments above.
I was in the same place as you as I had heard about D'Pergo from this forum and wondered if they lived up to the hype. I listened to the clips available on his website as well as the clips of Tomo on YouTube.

Finally I decided to call Stefan and visit his shop since I am only about 45mins away. I had the privilege of playing about 10 of his guitars. I was instantly sold. I already had a great collection of guitars including Fender Custom Shop Strats and an actual 62 strat that I loved. I even brought one of my guitars down with me to compare. The D'Pergo's were levels above everything I owned. They played unbelievably well. As soon as you hold a D'Pergo in your hands it is clear that the quality is in a world of its own. The paintjob is stunning. The bridge is the best I have seen. The neck looks and feels amazing.

As far as sound it is hard to express. In comparison to my strats, the D'Pergo sounds alive and they sound dead. It is really incredible the difference. It was incredibly balanced and almost piano-like as every note rang through. You don't want to put it down.

After playing a variety of models I knew I had to have one, the only question was which one! What was very apparent was the consistency between all the guitars. Every guitar sounded amazing which is important to know if you are putting in an order and basically buying a guitar you have never played. I put in an order for a AVCL and Stefan has been keeping me up-to-date as it is being built. Time to pick out the color!

As you can tell, to me it is well worth the money. When you see the work that goes into one of these and you hear the tones that come out of it there is no question. I will be selling a few of my guitars as there is no way they will be getting played once my guitar comes in.

 

[littlepicker]

I've owned a couple AVC's. One had 50's wound pups and the other had 60's. I played them both unplugged 1st, and they sounded fantastic. I though, Oh My God, and plugged each in. I was very disapointed in the sounds. I played both thru a carr rambler and a bruno 22. The pups just don't cut it in my opinion. Stefan has the wood and craftmanship down pat. Maybe partially due to his partner, who has built hundreds of acoustic guitars. BUT when it comes to making pickups and voicing them, I think he has room for improvement. I own a DeTemple and a Lentz SSl that I would
pick up any day; over the AVC's I owned. They where both mint. I unloaded them. Just my honest opinion...

 

[MarkF786]

A little off topic but what is the difference between the AVC and AVCL? I thought I heard the AVCL was made from better wood, but the specs on the wood in the gallery seem the same. The only difference I can see is that the AVCL is missing the truss rod scoop on the pickguard; do you need to remove the neck to adjust the truss rod or does it not have a truss rod?

Anyone know the exact differences?

Mark

 

[JMarck]

Hi Josh,

You just can't imagine or compare with other strats. Just amazing feel and tone!!! Mine is Aged Vintage Classic. I love it! I am glad that I got it. My D'Pergo made my playing better than before. Very honest instrument!

Tomo

Tomo-

Thanks! How does it compare to your Suhr Classic?

--Josh

 

[lionscut]

I've owned a couple AVC's. One had 50's wound pups and the other had 60's. I played them both unplugged 1st, and they sounded fantastic. I though, Oh My God, and plugged each in. I was very disapointed in the sounds. I played both thru a carr rambler and a bruno 22. The pups just don't cut it in my opinion. Stefan has the wood and craftmanship down pat. Maybe partially due to his partner, who has built hundreds of acoustic guitars. BUT when it comes to making pickups and voicing them, I think he has room for improvement. I own a DeTemple and a Lentz SSl that I would
pick up any day; over the AVC's I owned. They where both mint. I unloaded them. Just my honest opinion...

you might want to get the wax cleaned out of your ears before you listen to his pickups again!

 

[Sir M]

So, I'm seriously thinking about ordering one soon and want to know your opinions. Now, to say the least, this has been my dream guitar for about the past 2 years. If I do decide to go for it, I still have to save up a good 2-4 months more. Given that the AVC is very expensive, is it worth it? I truly want a one of a kind instrument, and if I had to have one, it'd be a D'Pergo.

--Josh

Hey Josh... not starting a flamefest, but my opinion as a D'Pergo AVC owner.... save your money and look elsewhere, it isn't worth $6000... I play my $700 Amer. Deluxe Strat and it slays the D'Pergo on all counts. Honest assessment... I am VERY disappointed with D'Pergo's hype. I would look to Suhr or maybe a Thorn Strat (looked cool, haven't played one)... or God forbid... an actual Fender Strat... if you are dead set on spending a lot of money. If not, PM me, I'll set you up with a friend of mine who makes a killer guitar for a really good price.

 

[dwes]

you might want to get the wax cleaned out of your ears before you listen to his pickups again!

What's wrong with this opinion? The build/construction compliments are glowing. WTF?
Got too much dough wrapped in your ears?

 

[Irreverent]

Here we go again....

 

[lionscut]

What's wrong with this opinion? The build/construction compliments are glowing. WTF?
Got too much dough wrapped in your ears?

his pickups sound incredible! my ears seemed to checkout fine at my last doctors visit.. how about yourself??

 

[mrfender]

The thing with D'Pergo's is either you "get it" or you don't. I have a 15 year old brother who likes playing Green Day and other alternative rock on his guitar. He can't hear the difference between a D'Pergo, a Fender strat, or a Peavy strat copy. So for him that's great. It saves alot of money and keeps the wait time down for those of us that can hear it! It's kinda like fine wine. I don't drink wine very often so I can't tell the difference between a $30 bottle and a $100 bottle. Someone who has a true appreciation for wine can. However, for guitars, everyone I know that is a respected musician and has played one of D'Pergo's current line of guitars is blown away. It's a no-brainer for them.

As for the pickups, out of the 10 D'Pergo's I played they all sounded fantastic. I have bought many after market pickups for my fenders over the years and I think the sound that comes out of the D'Pergo's is on another level. When I went to Stefan's shop I brought my Two-Rock amp with me. The first thing I realized is that I had to change all of my eq settings. There is so much information coming out of these guitars that it didn't sound right at first with my normal settings. I guess I had been compensating with other guitars with what they lacked by my amps eq. Once we got the amp dialed in to let the guitar come though it was unreal. It is really not fair to go from an amp that may have been eq'd to a fender strat to a D'Pergo as it will prob. be adding un-needed frequencies that will blur the true sound of the instument.

 

[JMarck]

The thing with D'Pergo's is either you "get it" or you don't. I have a 15 year old brother who likes playing Green Day and other alternative rock on his guitar. He can't hear the difference between a D'Pergo, a Fender strat, or a Peavy strat copy. So for him that's great. It saves alot of money and keeps the wait time down for those of us that can hear it! It's kinda like fine wine. I don't drink wine very often so I can't tell the difference between a $30 bottle and a $100 bottle. Someone who has a true appreciation for wine can. However, for guitars, everyone I know that is a respected musician and has played one of D'Pergo's current line of guitars is blown away. It's a no-brainer for them.

As for the pickups, out of the 10 D'Pergo's I played they all sounded fantastic. I have bought many after market pickups for my fenders over the years and I think the sound that comes out of the D'Pergo's is on another level. When I went to Stefan's shop I brought my Two-Rock amp with me. The first thing I realized is that I had to change all of my eq settings. There is so much information coming out of these guitars that it didn't sound right at first with my normal settings. I guess I had been compensating with other guitars with what they lacked by my amps eq. Once we got the amp dialed in to let the guitar come though it was unreal. It is really not fair to go from an amp that may have been eq'd to a fender strat to a D'Pergo as it will prob. be adding un-needed frequencies that will blur the true sound of the instument.

Very cool description! Anyone in the Philly-area have a D'Pergo? I'd love to try one out!

--Josh

 

[Victor R]

Hey Josh... not starting a flamefest, but my opinion as a D'Pergo AVC owner.... save your money and look elsewhere, it isn't worth $6000... I play my $700 Amer. Deluxe Strat and it slays the D'Pergo on all counts. Honest assessment... I am VERY disappointed with D'Pergo's hype. I would look to Suhr or maybe a Thorn Strat (looked cool, haven't played one)... or God forbid... an actual Fender Strat... if you are dead set on spending a lot of money. If not, PM me, I'll set you up with a friend of mine who makes a killer guitar for a really good price.

I own custom shop, limited edition, & off the rack Fender strats. There is no comparison.

The pick-ups are not high-powered or over-wound. IMHO the guitar isn't made for Death Metal.