Mini Review Kiesel Zeus

[jzucker]

p.s. not impressed with kiesel service. It literally took me 2 weeks to hear back from them when I was trying to purchase a beryllium pickup for the bridge on this guitar (stock was a high output lithium). Then, in the inquiry , I sent them a diagram of a 5 way super switch setup and asked if there was a tech there that could give me the proper color coding to re-wire the guitar with the super switch.

I went back and forth with them at least 10x trying to get a tracking number and a diagram for the pickup wiring. Finally they sent me a diagram. IT WAS THE ORIGINAL DIAGRAM I SENT THEM WITH DUNCAN PICKUP WIRING!

I replied back that *THAT* was the diagram I had originally sent them then I hear nothing for 3-4 days. I emailed them again asking for a tracking number for the pickup and a wiring diagram. They replied a couple days later sending me (once again) the diagram I had sent them.

[davida876@gmail.com]

Thanks for the review it's convinced me. I plan on picking one up soon once a used one shows up for sale. Let me know if you still want to sell this one!

[Woody Sound]

As a guy used to putting your arm around an archtop, how did you find the small body under your right arm? I played Parker Flys for a while, loved everything about them, but just could not get on with the tiny body. Something about the way everything (guitar body and bridge) lined up with my elbow, forearm and wrist just never worked.

[jzucker]

As a guy used to putting your arm around an archtop, how did you find the small body under your right arm? I played Parker Flys for a while, loved everything about them, but just could not get on with the tiny body. Something about the way everything (guitar body and bridge) lined up with my elbow, forearm and wrist just never worked.

it took a couple weeks of adjustment and then it was fine. The same thing happened when I got my tele. I couldn't play anything on it but after a week or two it was fine. I try to rotate my guitars now when I practice to make it easier to go back and forth.

[Woody Sound]

it took a couple weeks of adjustment and then it was fine. The same thing happened when I got my tele. I couldn't play anything on it but after a week or two it was fine. I try to rotate my guitars now when I practice to make it easier to go back and forth.

Don't you find your wrist/hand movement limited because the guitar rests so low against your forearm, almost at the wrist? Probably works fine for guys who anchor their palm/wrist on the bridge, but not many of us here play that way. I might not be explaining well what I mean. On a guitar body that small, my hand seems like it can't "float" over the strings loosely, because the guit body is resting so low against my forearm, locking it in place almost at the wrist, rather than up towards the elbow.

[jzucker]

Don't you find your wrist/hand movement limited because the guitar rests so low against your forearm, almost at the wrist? Probably works fine for guys who anchor their palm/wrist on the bridge, but not many of us here play that way.

not anymore. When I first got it i had a hard time playing on the low strings. but after a couple weeks it was fine. Exactly the same thing happened on my tele. I know it depends on your playing geometry. One thing I do is trail my ring and little finger on the pickguard. I can actually play without resting my forearm on the guitar. In fact, when I play standing, that's pretty much how I play and I try to do 50% of my practicing standing up though as I get older, it becomes more and more an issue with my neck and back due to a spinal injury I suffered in 2004

[arnie65]

I think the Kiesel Zeus model is a perfect model for Jazz. Kiesel makes most of its guitars to order and unlike Fender, Gibson, and all the big companies, you can buy straight from them cutting the middle man and getting exactly what you want. I ordered a Zeus model in 2018 with a solid mahogany body and a 5 piece maple/mahogany neck. Mahogany is superb for a warm tone, as far as pickups (which I replaced) I ended with a pair of Fralin Unbuckers; basically PAF pickups with unbalanced windings which are taylor made to split. (in you're into that sort of thing) With the right body and pickups, this model can excel in any genre. When you've got a super picky jazz teacher/performer like Tim Miller using one, enough said. (he owns 2) In the beginning I wanted to try the Zeus model for it's light weight ( I have back issues) but I kept it for its versatility and the quality build that Kiesel offers.
I would have to agree with Jack, some of the parts look cheap, but they're parts that people won't see and that don't make a huge impact on the tone of the instrument, they're also parts you can replace (if you choose) for little money. In the stuff that really matters, like body/neck woods and craftsmanship, Kiesel didn't cut any corners. Jack did not ordered his guitar from Kiesel, he bought it second hand and it looks like it was ordered by a metal head or a rocker, but if you you're looking for a light weight, great looking, versatile instrument that you can carry in a bus or train to your gigs, this is it! If I could carry a heavier guitar, I'd be playing a Kiesel SH550, which in my opinion is one of the best jazz guitars out there in the lines of the 335 but thicker, fatter tone. Is the "Zeus" model for everyone? Probably not, but I'm sure glad to have found this model.


PS. I ordered a second "Zeus" model 3 months ago with a Swamp Ash body and just came in (Pics Below)

Cheers,
Arnie..

[Woody Sound]

The guitar has a 5 pos switch which gives an odd combination of coils, i'd prefer positions 2 & 4 to be inner coils in series and outer coils in series and position 3 to be both humbuckers in parallel (like every other 2 humbucking guitar) but it would require a "superswitch" and kiesel seems averse to adding new hardware to their stock...

1) neck hb
2) neck inner coil
3) neck and bridge inner coils in series
4) bridge outer coil
5) bridge humbucker

I like the sound of position 3. It's a nice variation from the standard 2 humbucker guitar but I miss the standard 2 humbucker combination. In my preference, you would get the kiesel pos 3 sound in pos 2 of the switch, get the standard 2 humbucker combination in position 3 and get a tele-like combination in pos 4. I found the stock single coil positions 2 & 4 to be wimpy and there is too much volume differential to be useful in a live situation.

I know this is an old thread, but....

At some point some years ago PRS changed their original coil switching to something similar. I think they got a lot of complaints and switched back (pun!) to something more like the original, with pos 3 being both humbuckers. Pos 4 is bridge slug with neck single coil for that funky "strat" sound. Pos 2 is bridge 'bucker with neck single coil.

I really like the options, but I don't use pos 2 very much.

ps - (On the original PRS 5-way, pos 2 was "out of phase," like a backed off wah.)

[jzucker]

if they'd make a 22 fret version I'd probably still have it. Unfortunately, they absolutely refuse to do that.

[Eric Rowland]