About a month ago I was complaining to a friend that there is never anything “interesting” on CL or FB anyore. The next day I was proven wrong…
On a whim and sight-unseen, I bought a ZZ Ryder short scale from FB Marketplace. I had never even heard of the brand; I was just so pleased that it looked different, you know? There are scant few reviews online but for the price ($50), it was a no-brainer to take a chance on it. I asked a friend to pick it up for me and bring it next time I saw him.
When I got my hands on it I had to give it a deep cleaning - it was pretty gross and it smelled terrible. I wasn’t going to drop any money on new strings for something this cheap, so I boiled the cheap rounds & put them back on. After a quick setup, I noodled a bit then hung it on the wall. I liked the zero fret and string-through combination. It has some sort of "sustain plate" on the back of the headstock, too.
A week or so later I played it on a 3-hour gig at a casual graduation party gig (I was barefoot and wearing shorts). I took my number one (1984 Roadstar II RB760) as a backup.
I don’t know how it happened, but I think I fell in love. The neck is chunkier than I usually like and the pups are nothing special, but it sure is a hell of a lot of fun to play. I have an Epi Viola, but the vibe on this thing is completely different.
It looks like the Epi’s angry sorority sister and it kinda plays that way, too!
On a whim and sight-unseen, I bought a ZZ Ryder short scale from FB Marketplace. I had never even heard of the brand; I was just so pleased that it looked different, you know? There are scant few reviews online but for the price ($50), it was a no-brainer to take a chance on it. I asked a friend to pick it up for me and bring it next time I saw him.
When I got my hands on it I had to give it a deep cleaning - it was pretty gross and it smelled terrible. I wasn’t going to drop any money on new strings for something this cheap, so I boiled the cheap rounds & put them back on. After a quick setup, I noodled a bit then hung it on the wall. I liked the zero fret and string-through combination. It has some sort of "sustain plate" on the back of the headstock, too.
A week or so later I played it on a 3-hour gig at a casual graduation party gig (I was barefoot and wearing shorts). I took my number one (1984 Roadstar II RB760) as a backup.
I don’t know how it happened, but I think I fell in love. The neck is chunkier than I usually like and the pups are nothing special, but it sure is a hell of a lot of fun to play. I have an Epi Viola, but the vibe on this thing is completely different.
It looks like the Epi’s angry sorority sister and it kinda plays that way, too!
