Rotor EX Review

Peavey proudly introduces the Rotor EX, a high-output, modern metal guitar combining a retro, angular body with high-end components and exclusive Peavey design technology.

Features:	8.7
Sound:	8.7
Action:	7.3
Reliability:	8
Impression:	8.3
Overall rating:	8.2
Users rating:	8.8
Comments:	17

Featured review by: unregistered, on may 14, 2007

Price paid: $ 337.33

Purchased from: Steve's Music

Features:
- Made in 2002 in Indonesia
- 24 jumbo frets, bolt-on thin neck 24.75" scale; block inlays
- Mahogany neck and Body, rosewood fretboard
- Black Finish with cream binding
- slightly tweaked Explorer body shape
- Licensed Flyd Rose
- Two high-output Peavey pickups
- two volume one tone. // 9

Sound: I play mostly metal and this guitar works beautifally for that. When plugged in, the mahogany really gives this guitar a full, warm tone. The pickups, though no-name are very powerful and well voiced. They especially suit thrash metal as they have a very powerful "bark". The bridge pikup is more powerful than the neck which gives you that extra kick for solos but allows you to smoothen out (by switching to the neck) for more melodic rythm stuff. If you want to play this unplugged (first get your head examined) you will be dissappointed as the floyd gives it a pretty ugly acoustic sound but works great (once set up) for all kinds of bends, dive bombs and squeals. This guitar is a metal guitar though so it really is out of place playing anything else. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: When I first got this thing the brige was sitting at about a 20 degree angle forward. This made it untuneable and really messed up the sound. Also it came with 9-42 guage strings which are harder to use with a double-locking trem. Once I paid for a set-up and restring it worked amazingly though. Other minor problems are the fact that the finish is pretty bad on the end of the neck just at the joint. As far as I know this is just cosmetic but it's annoying when you've dropped $430 on a guitar. // 5

Reliability & Durability: This guitar got me through some Live gigs. Once you set it up it will stay in tune for ages. The hardware seems pretty tough save for the floyd which seems a little flimsy. The finish is on pretty thick so I doubt it will wear off. One thing though; get straplocks! This thing is heavy and unless it's securly fastened to the strap, gravity will remove it. // 8

Impression: As I have mentioned this is a great metal guitar. When I bought it I compared it an epi Explorer and an EX-50. While the epi was better set up, the Rotor beat it in features and raw power from the pickups. The fact is, for just over 400, you get a near pro-level guitar with 24 frets and a floyd. If it were to get stolen, I think I'd save up and get a Dean Razorback, or if I still wanted the extra frets a Jackson Warrior but untill I get 2 grand, this will be my no. 1. // 8

overall: 7

Reviewed by: BurnzyRock, on december 26, 2008

Purchased from: musical strings and things

Features: This guitar was bought used in 2007, and I had to sell it. It was made from solid mahogany body and neck. It's electronics are easy to use, but frustrating to get used to. It has a 3-way selector, and 1 volume dial, and 2 toner dials. To tune it, you had to use a Metric allen wrench, and it was very annoying to do every single time, even if it did help with the whammy bar. // 7

Sound: It may have been annoying to play, but when you finally got used to it, it could sound amazing. It's sound is full and rich, and could make a variety of sounds, excluding soft or clean. Mainy useful if you play metal music, but not anything else. That does not give this guitar much variety. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: It held up well, no fading, no chipping, and a good action. But, it was a bitch to play sitting down. You see, this guitar sticks out and up, and your arm would have to go over it to play, and that, well, looked bad and felt bad. This also meant that every time you turn around, it would hit something. // 7

Reliability & Durability: The hardware sounded good, and the guitar lasted. That is, lasted the one year I owned it. There were 2 major flaws with it. 1, the strap button nearer to the neck was smaller than the one on the end. So, about once a week, the strap would come off, and the head would hit the ground-hard. The second flaw: the strap button closer to the neck was not aligned properly, so if I let the guitar just hanf off of me, it would slide down so the head would hit the ground. Yeah. // 6

Impression: I play lots of kinds of music, and this only fits one: metal. It was heavy, annoying, frusterating, and just flawed. Also, this guitar, since it was made from mahogany, that made it heavy as HELL. But, there are some upsides! It sounds good, can last long, and, well, that's about it. If you are a heavy-metal headbanger who is very careful and can take the insane weight, this guitar is for you. // 7

overall: 9.8

Reviewed by: sabata777, on december 26, 2007

Purchased from: Bays Music

Features: This guitar is actually pretty recent, this year I believe. It's expecially recent to me, I just got the thing. Ayways, beyond that, it has 24 jumbo frets (rosewood fretboard), mohogany body, a satin, black finish, a licenced Floyd Rose, and tremolo, a tune-o-matic/ locking tuner (very handy) a 3-way switch, and humbucker-like pickups. The pickups are identical to humbuckers, though I'm not sure if they aree because they are pretty much unidentified. // 10

Sound: I love this guitar because it sounds so clean when distorted (if that makes any sense.) It is not the best sounding when it comes to playing acoustic, but once you plug the sucker in it is just amazing. There are a lot of cool sounds you can make with this guitar, and a lot of ways to experiment cause it's good for several types of music, mostly harder stuff, though. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar is beautiful, needless to say, if it was a chick, nevermind. The only "problem" I see with this guitar, which really isn't a problem, being as how it's supposed to be, but the bridge sets up at about 45 degrees, so if you're stupid enough to take thee tune-o-matic off you have no chance of keeping it in tune. The Floyd Rose was really what got me on this guitar. It's so sensitive, and smooth, and with the combination of the tun-o-matic, you never have to worry about going out of tune. This is a great guitar for pick up and play action. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This beast weights about 12 pounds, so it's not exactly a throw around kind of guitar. It is very durable, I proved that by accidentally slamming it against my bass. Too bad for the bass, but the guitar didn't get scratched a bit. This is a great guitar for gigs, I can tell already, cause you don't have to worry about a strap coming loose (unless the strap sucks as bad as mine does) and you don't have to worry with a back-up cause unless you bodyslam this thing into a monitor, or a drum-set it ain't giving. But beyond the body itself, the finish is awesome. I've had no problem keeping this thing clean. I'll be able to see my reflection in this thing for years. // 10

Impression: I play a lot of heavyier stuff. I can't really categorize it all under one genre. A lot of industrial, and alternative, and hard rock, and heavy metal, and speed metal, and grunge. This guitar works great for all of it. The only thing I don't think you could play with this is bluegrass. This guitar to me is irreplacable, if I lost it, I would just be short a guitar. These aren't factory made, they're handmade in indonesia, and I also can't afford another one. But if I had the money I would buy 20 of these bad boys. // 10

Comments

[lukeloveslicks]

Thanks for the info im getting one of these guitars for my birthday, do you have any information on the rotor ex without the floyd rose?

[JD Blue Venom]

i got this guitar 3 days ago, its a beast!
looks a beauty
kick ass metal/hard rock sound, gritty but has a punch
floyd rose isnt flimsy, very smooth and never de-tunes!
heavy but feels good,
this is for kids who wanna rock, or for people who are bored of their wimpy squier or SG this is basicly the next level up

[forwhomthebells]

sweet but is this guitar good for blues/jazz? I dont mean to sound geeky or whatever.

Cos i play mainly metal but have a huge side to blues/jazz.

[irnmdn]

How do I tell between Rotor EXP and EX. I ordered EX for $250 online, the guitar I got has EXP on the headstock. It has floyd rose tremelo, 2 pickups, 3 way switch and 3 knobs, did I get lucky and get EXP guitar for EX (1/3) the price?

[killtrend]

i like this article and have this guitar in black but the one thing you over looked is its weght holly shit its so heavey and the fret edges arent verry clean but good Review

[sabata777]

hey, irnmdn- both rotor EX, and EXP's say EXP on thee headstock. really the only visable difference is that the EXP comes with no inlays, just a rosewood fretboard. if it has inlays, which are probobly square and pearl, its a EX

[DimeDarrell666]

irnmdn wrote:

How do I tell between Rotor EXP and EX. I ordered EX for $250 online, the guitar I got has EXP on the headstock. It has floyd rose tremelo, 2 pickups, 3 way switch and 3 knobs, did I get lucky and get EXP guitar for EX (1/3) the price?

no it says this on all the headstocks, mine is "only" an EX but on the headstock it also says EXP

[roosterfx1]

irnmdn wrote:

How do I tell between Rotor EXP and EX. I ordered EX for $250 online, the guitar I got has EXP on the headstock. It has floyd rose tremelo, 2 pickups, 3 way switch and 3 knobs, did I get lucky and get EXP guitar for EX (1/3) the price?

yeah and i think the exp has mother of pearl running around the edges of the body.

[MooshMooshMarc]

EXP is thru-neck

[NeverWakingUp1]

i am a beginner guitarist who has been plying on a borrowed guitar froma family friend, but is looking to get his first guitar, and i as wondering if this guitar would be good for a beginner? any help will be much appreciated.

[NeverWakingUp1]

i am considering buying this guitar as my first, will it be good as a first guitar or shall i get something else?? i can play a few things like iron man, sweet home alabama, good riddance, and a few intros, but i am looking into more metally stuff.

[Thrashed™]

irnmdn wrote:

How do I tell between Rotor EXP and EX. I ordered EX for $250 online, the guitar I got has EXP on the headstock. It has floyd rose tremelo, 2 pickups, 3 way switch and 3 knobs, did I get lucky and get EXP guitar for EX (1/3) the price?

No, you didn't.
EXP doesn't have any tremolo system.
Someone must have put an EXP neck on it though by accident

[sabata777]

I've had mine for about eight months now, and I can't say anything different, or any less about it than when I got it, especially since I added the extra spring to the bottom of the bridge to help lower it and keep it in tune. If you buy this thing new, I advise you to take the extra one they give you, open the back and strap the little joker on. It don't even require any tools or anything. But you might want to downtune, and loosen all the strings first. Be careful as you do that as well, because without that third spring the bridge'll pull whichever string you loosen last all to hell, and'll probably snap it. But anyways, with that third spring, this thing is amazing- you just have to know how to do bridge work. =)

[Epiphone'sRock]

i also have this guitar
its a very good guitar with some excellent metal tones
on clean pickups can be a tad murky and you realy do need to know how to work the bridge or you could do some major damage to the guitar

[BurnzyRock]

i have that guitar in black. Looks good, and good action, but heavy as HELL

['squatch]

im selling mine in decent condition, £125 ono
mail me if ur intrested [e-mail]

['squatch]

Thrashed™ wrote:

irnmdn wrote:

How do I tell between Rotor EXP and EX. I ordered EX for $250 online, the guitar I got has EXP on the headstock. It has floyd rose tremelo, 2 pickups, 3 way switch and 3 knobs, did I get lucky and get EXP guitar for EX (1/3) the price?

No, you didn't.
EXP doesn't have any tremolo system.
Someone must have put an EXP neck on it though by accident

not possible the EXP is a through neck, they are both EXPs except they have just been separated for easy finding, the better spec one is EXP limited edition