Torino TR1 Review

Sculpted nato body. Set neck. Duncan Designed HH. Die cast tuners. Dot inlays. 2 vol. 2 tone, 3 way toggle.

Features:	8.3
Sound:	7
Action:	8
Reliability:	8
Impression:	7.3
Overall rating:	7.7
Users rating:	6.1
Comments:	7

overall: 10

Featured review by: Nathanisking, on january 22, 2004

Price paid: $ 316

Purchased from: Music Depot

Features: 2003 Samick Torino TR 1

22 fret 24 3/4 scale

Sculpted nato body, set neck, Duncan Designedª HH, die cast tuners, dot inlays, 2 vol. 2 tone, 3 way toggle (Rythm,Regular and Treble). // 10

Sound: For the price that I paid the sound is excellent. 2 Duncan Designed Humbuckers are great, it's very close to a Gibson SG. I play lots of hard rock so the sound is very powerful. I am not using any effects but I do use a small 20 watt Peavy Rage 108 and even in this small amp its strong! Full powerful sound many different sounds with different amps like Marshalls but its full nice sound to it, well to the style. I like it alot sounds awesome. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: The Samick Torino comes in 3 colors, I have the TR 1 witch is a nice clean red color with a nice finish. The guitar is very light, lighter than a Strat. It's very thin and easy to play (with experience its even better). The neck isn't too thick its about medium and the fretboard is nice and smooth and solid. The Pickups, bridge and everything else have not been adjusted because it doesn't need to be. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This Torino is excellent for live gigs or just at home playing because it's so light you wont even know its there. I've had it for about a month now and it's the best guitar I've owned. Everything on the guitar is perfect, it's smooth but solid and not to hard to play with not hard on the hands. Very dependiable and plays like a dream. // 10

Impression: Overall an excellent guitar, good for those long gigs and those who want that powerful hard rocking sound. This is the closest thing to an Gibson SG, it has very nice sound worth buying. // 10

overall: 9.6

Reviewed by: Torino1, on september 20, 2006

Features: This is an awesome guitar overall. It's a 22 fret solid red guitar and looks almost just like the Gibson SG 61' Reissue. It's got 2 tone and 2 volume controls with a 3 way selector. It's got Duncan Design pickups. I got mine with a soft gig bag. Samick is mostly known for it's awesome acoustics, but this 2003 guitar is definitly my favorite. I've got a Strat, a Ibanez artcore, and a Washburn acoustic (gotta have variety), but this is my favorite. // 9

Sound: I'm in a hard rock/metal band and this is what we use for 70 percent of the songs. I couldn't ask for a better guitar! Maybe a Les Paul. It can get really loud but doesn't get on your nerves at all. It has a flat sorta sound, but still sound great. Perfect for power chords and picking, which is pretty much all ya do in rock, other than soloing and occasional normal chord. I've got Super Chorus and Super Distortion effects that I use very often, and it sounds unbelievable. I can play any System Of A Down song ever on a CD, and I play lots of Slayer and Papa Roach, too, and this guitar fits right in. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: Samick never makes a bad guitar, and usually has just flat out good ones that don't get too much publicity. Pickups weren't really adjusted a lot because nobody cares. Just like us to the government, right? It's perfectly setup and level. If you want an example, look at the Gibson SG. No visible or verbal (whatever that means) flaws that I can discriminate (ditto). // 10

Reliability & Durability: This guitar would be killed if it was alive. I've got four small dogs and I trip over them every, like, 2 seconds. But this guitar has almost no visible marks on it. I've played at the House of Blues, which is actually a rock place, and done it 2 times. The hardware will definitly last for a long, long time. The strap buttons are great. it's only slipped about once in the year that I've had it and that was at a band practice. I always use a backup, even if the other is still perfect. I don't know if the finish is permanant or what but it ain't comin' off! // 10

Impression: I think this guitar is best suited for System Of A Down, Papa Roach, Fall Out Boy, and Halestorm songs. It looks fantastic. I've been playing for about 3 years and have already mentioned what I own. I wish I had asked if I could have another one for free before I bought it. I would prob'ly get a Ibanez RG, which is what I'm getting next. I love the sound and look of it (duh-tastic). Nothing to hate, I say. I like the neck. It's smooth and super easy to move up and down on. I compare it to the SG because they look exactly the same. I do wish it had a wammy bar, though. // 10

overall: 3.6

Reviewed by: unregistered, on may 09, 2005

Price paid: $ 220

Purchased from: Harry's Guitar

Features: I'm going to try to be fair. The feature are pretty good for a 220 dollar guitar. Mahogany neck and body, not laminated crap that sucks. The bridge and tailpiece are alright, and it had 2 duncan designed humbuckers. Ok, on with the suckiness. // 6

Sound: I'll play anything I'm able to and this guitar sucks at all of it. I play through an Ibanez Halfstack (no Mesa Boogie, but not any Crate either). That's it. No effects to screw the sound up. This guitar sounds like pure s--t. Not a good sound to be heard. I was pressured into buying it, and in the shop, all the other noise made it hard to hear the flaws (this is my fault). As soon as I got home, I realized how big a mistake I had made. The sound is pretty much just muddy. pure muddy poop. There's also something else I cant put my finger on. It might just be badness. I figured the intonation had to be off but it wasn't. It was perfect. The pickups are very quiet, I'll give it that. But I wish they'd stay that way, even when you played it so I wouldn't have to hear it. I tried every all three pickup combinations with a million different amp settings, and it was all mudy crap. Which is pretty amazing, considering my amp leans on the bright side. // 2

Action, Fit & Finish: The action was ok, not great though. Lots of fret buzz around the nut, but the nut wasnt cut wrong. The pickups were adjusted badly but after I set them right it still sucked. Hard. Finish was a little on the half assed side but it wasnt that bad. Damn comfortable neck, it's a shame it was wasted. The neck really was great. Unfortunately, the guitar honks poop and they set it too shallow, it'll probably break off after not too long. Great fret job! The frets are perfect. they're beautifully polished and the fret buzz was not their fault. I don't know how it managed to buzz. // 4

Reliability & Durability: Everything would last except the neck/body joint. It's got like, an inch and half of wood and some glue holding it on. Snap. Strap buttons suck. If you gig with this piece of s--t, you must be a member of Creed. Yes, it sucks that bad. The finish will last I think. They finally managed to polish a turd. // 4

Impression: Like I said, I'll play anything I can, and this is good for nothing. I've been playing a year I guess, not long at all, but I have a pretty good ear, and I can dial in someones tone pretty fast on a decent guitar and amp if I feel like being a jerk-off copycat. This sounds terrible. Just terrible. Look, if you're short on cash and want a pretty decent guitar, get an Ibanez Jetking. That was my first and most reliable guitar. No problems with that, ever. The pickups aren't that great, but alot better than this one. I took it back and got a '50s reissue Strat. I am now broke as hell. Gibson and Fender charge too much for their guitars, but they sure do sound good. more than I can say for this. // 2

Comments

[waqyboy]

This guitar was freaking amazing and the guy who said that the sound sucked probably sucked himself. I've only played guitars for a year and a half, but I still know that this guitar sounds good.

[Shinozoku]

Well, that low review was biased.. Really it's sound depends on one's own personal preference.. I wonder if he had the tone knobs all the way up :P Hell, the SG necks arent set any further in than this one! Anyway, my brother owns one, he got it to play AC/DC, and personally, he and I think it rules. I think it could use a pickup change to some Gibsons or genuine Seymour Duncans to get a better sound, but he likes it, so I'll let him like it xD Anyway, the neck is indeed very comfortable, wide string spacing good for legato stuff and bending. I have huge hands, but my brother has small hands, and the thinner neck is more comfortable to his hands. Anywho... I'd probably give it about an 8.5/10.

[Adam_Harrison9]

I've got to say I give the last review 9/10 just because it had me in hysterics....ROFL

[BulletCrazy]

Torino1 knows what he's talking about. This guy knows his guitars.

[Will520]

Are you kidding me? Do yall actually own a Torino? This guitar is crap. In all fairness, it's ok at power chords and maybe minor picking but that's it. Do yall notice how the strings buzz? Good guitars don't make a buzzing sound when you strum them. I guess it's ok for the price, but if you haven't already gotten it, don't get it! Get an Epi or something. The Torino doesn't even have the same body shape as a real SG. Any respectable guitarist will tell you that you WILL get laughed at if you gig with this thing. I'm being too generous when I give it a 4/10.

[///windang///]

it doesn't have the same shape as the SG but it is close to the shape of Schecter S-1.

[wikter]

Real groovy buzz has that Torino Guit.
It's just based on the string size and pickup elevation. It's a shame that the volume knobs doesn't work as expected, but keeping them at the top gives a thickness to the sound that some other guitars can't give.

Just take advantage of the character it has.
If you want a clean sound, get a Strat.

100€ paid was a vary good price.
Play "Next" at my website and hear its sound.

http://osakadub.googlepages.com