Originally printed in May 2007 issue of Guitar Player. Reprinted with the permission of the Publishers of Guitar Player. Copyright 2007 NewBay Media, LLC. All rights
reserved. Guitar Player is a Music Player Network publication, 1111 Bayhill Dr., St. 125, San Bruno, CA 94066. T. 650.238.0300. Subscribe at www.musicplayer.com.
3 5 E L E C T R I C G U I TA R S U N D E R $ 5 0 0
LIKE FORD AND HONDA DRIVERS WHO
pine over Ferraris and Maseratis, any
guitarist worthy of his or her G.A.S. (Gear
Acquisition Syndrome) marvels at megabuck vintage models, unique custom-shop
creations, and other high-ticket beauties.
But, for most, these dream instruments will
stay parked in the realm of reverie. In the
world of players with limited discretionary
funds, the real action is in the budget arena.
Online forums constantly debate the value,
playability, workmanship, and tones of
affordable models from numerous makers,
and there’s an almost Crusades-like fervor
in discovering new guitars that deliver
maximum delight for minimum dollars. And,
as many a forum member has learned,
bashing the fave $300 guitar of a posse of
acolytes can unleash a tsunami of online
flames. You just don’t mess with someone’s
beloved “big value” guitar.
So to provide a meaty summary of what’s
currently available for street prices of under
$500, the GP staff sent out roundup invitations to 50 guitar manufacturers. The 35
makers represented here are the full
account of those who wished to participate.
Of those who declined, two companies were
in the process of redesigning their lines
(Malden and Xaviere), several makers
didn’t have current models that met the
price point (Carvin, Ernie Ball, Framus,
Hagstrom, and others), Rondo opted to
showcase just one of their many lines (Agile),
and the others did not respond to repeated
requests.
To continue the 2007 roundup policy of
bringing in diverse viewpoints to inform
GP’s final ratings, every editor was tasked
with evaluating every guitar (with the
exception of Jude Gold, who was on tour
with BX3). Each guitar was tested through
a Mesa/Boogie Lonestar Special and a
Budda Limited Edition Tenth Anniversary
Twinmaster. Cables used include a Core One
Bullet Cable, an Accusound Silver Studio
Pro, and models by Mogami and Planet
Waves. To further promote comprehensive
and varied assessments, we invited two
members of the GP online forum to review
the guitars (see the sidebar, “Peer Review
Duo” on p. 98).
We’re also trying out a new way of imparting information by breaking critical elements
into categories and giving each category a
numerical rating (averaged from the total
ratings culled from all the individual staff
editors). This tactic is obviously inspired
by the savvy “circle” ratings utilized by
Consumer Reports, and we hope it makes it
easier for readers to assess a vast quantity
of qualitative data. The numbers should be
translated as follows: 1 = poor, 2 = below
average, 3 = average, 4 = very good, and
5 = excellent. In addition, every editor offers
his own personal “tasting notes” for each
model (although most redundant comments
were deleted from the chart).
The staff has expended a lot of effort
and brainpower to ensure these big product roundups deliver the data readers need
to make better-informed purchase decisions. Please help GP continue to improve
its review processes by visiting our forums
at guitarplayer.com, and letting us know
what you liked, and didn’t like, about this
under-$500 guitar roundup.
—Michael Molenda
TESTED BY THE GUITAR PLAYER STAFF
Originally printed in May 2007 issue of Guitar Player. Reprinted with the permission of the Publishers of Guitar Player. Copyright 2007 NewBay Media, LLC. All rights
reserved. Guitar Player is a Music Player Network publication, 1111 Bayhill Dr., St. 125, San Bruno, CA 94066. T. 650.238.0300. Subscribe at www.musicplayer.com.
Originally printed in May 2007 issue of Guitar Player. Reprinted with the permission of the Publishers of Guitar Player. Copyright 2007 NewBay Media, LLC. All rights
reserved. Guitar Player is a Music Player Network publication, 1111 Bayhill Dr., St. 125, San Bruno, CA 94066. T. 650.238.0300. Subscribe at www.musicplayer.com.
FEATURE Hot Little Numbers
AGILE
MAKE/MODEL SEPTOR 7-STRING
ARIA
PE ELITE
AXL
BLOODSPORT
FIREAX
BC RICH
ASSASSIN
OUTLAW PX3
CORT
CURBOW
DAISY ROCK
ROCK CANDY
CUSTOM SPECIAL
DANELECTRO
DANO PRO
STREET PRICE
$399
$419
$350
$399
$499
$399
$249
WORKMANSHIP
3.5
3
3.5
4
4
4.5
3.5
HARDWARE
3.5
2.5
3
3.5
3.5
4.5
3
FRETS
3.5
2.5
3
3
4
5
3
PLAYABILITY
3
3
3.5
3
3.5
5
3.5
VERSATILITY
3
3
4
4
3
4
2.5
SOUND
3
4
3.5
4
3
4
4
VIBE
3
3
4
3
3
4
4.5
3.5
3.5
3
4
3
5
4
Great maple top,
Decent range of
tones.
Warm, full tones.
Sweet maple-burst
top. Pickup
selector switch
intermittent.
Glenn Tiptonapproved body
makes bold
statement. Great
sounding pickups.
Plays flawlessly.
Sounds amazing.
Fabulous guitar.
Vibe for days.
Great, spanky clean
tones. Bridge
pickup could be
louder.
A joy to play.
Pickups lively and
well balanced.
Volume and Tone
controls have good
range.
Fun to play. Knobs
slip off shafts.
Pickup switch
unstable. Nut cut
unevenly. Lots of
personality.
VALUE
EDITOR
COMMENTS
MATT
BLACKETT
Good bottom end.
Warm, yet sparkly
neck pickup with a
nice-sounding
coil-tap option.
Warm neck pickup
Good sound.
sounds great with
Intonation
distortion. Pickup inconsistent above
switch shorted out. 12th fret. Difficult
Neck Tone control
to tune, but stays
gets bright, then
in tune once there.
dull.
Comfy body
contour. Nice
tones, though
slightly thin
sounding. Loose
input jack. Twangy
coil-tap option.
Pretty woods.
Pickups good
overall, though
coil-tap sounds
weak.
A metal machine
with surprising
clean sounds when
DARRIN FOX you turn down the
Volume. Good
setup.
Sweet looker.
Very dynamic
Flutey front pickup
Volume control.
tones. Biting rearMiddle-position
pickup textures.
single-coil gives it
Could use more
a ton of versatility.
dynamics on back
Rear humbucker
pickup.
sounds thin.
Satisfyingly taut,
chunky high gain
tones. Tapped
tones feeble. Neck
too shallow for my
taste.
Fangy, carnivorous
humbucking tones.
Weak tapped
tones.
BARRY
CLEVELAND
Great Malt-O-Meal Badass tones. Nice
thickess. Plays
feel. Quality of
well. Some fret
switches and
MICHAEL
buzzes.
controls
suspect.
MOLENDA
Plays easily in
spite of extra-wide
neck. Delivers
metal-approved
ART
THOMPSON heaviness. Can also
romp in other sonic
realms.
74
Solid workmanship.
Nice setup.
Great tones. Frets “Custom bass” look
out on big bends.
polarizing. Small
body doesn’t sit on
lap well.
M AY 2 0 0 7 G U I TA R P L AY E R
Warm, balanced
tones with extra
punch, thanks to a
snappy bridge
pickup.
Every tone I
Tons of fun. Nasally
wanted, I got. One
lipstick tone for
of the most
days. Sounds great
impressive budget
acoustically. Not
axes I’ve seen.
sure about the
brown smears on
the pickguard.
Fun little shredder.
Mean machine.
Body contours feel
Diverse, ballsy
Rockin’ tones. Fast, nice when playing
tones. Fiveslim neck.
standing up. Easy
position toggle
to play. Sounds
switch feels weak.
okay.
Simply stunning on
all fronts. A blast
to play.
Love the snap and
growl of those
lipsticks. Hard to
reach high frets.
Classic hot-rod
look sucked me in,
but tones left me
wanting. Good
thing flat sounding
humbuckers can be
paired with livelier
single-coil.
I love this guitar’s
great setup and
superb balance of
meatiness and
shimmer.
Pegs the retrocoolness meter,
though the staining
on the sides and
pickguard makes
me want to run it
through the
washer.
A slick player that
delivers a wide
range of sounds.
A litte too bass
styled for my
tastes, but it plays
well and is
extremely
compact.
Originally printed in May 2007 issue of Guitar Player. Reprinted with the permission of the Publishers of Guitar Player. Copyright 2007 NewBay Media, LLC. All rights
reserved. Guitar Player is a Music Player Network publication, 1111 Bayhill Dr., St. 125, San Bruno, CA 94066. T. 650.238.0300. Subscribe at www.musicplayer.com.
Hot Little Numbers FEATURE
MAKE/MODEL
DEAN
CADILLAC 1980
EASTWOOD
AIRLINE H44 DLX
EPIPHONE
FADED G-400
ESP
LTD MH 250NT
FENDER
STANDARD
STRATOCASTER
FERNANDES
REVOLVER X
FIRST ACT
LOLA CE140
STREET PRICE
$499
$499
$299
$399
$399
$349
$399
WORKMANSHIP
4.5
4
3.5
4
4
2.5
3.5
HARDWARE
4
2.5
4
4
3
3
3
FRETS
4
4
4
4.5
3
2.5
3
3.5
PLAYABILITY
4
4
4
4
4
3
VERSATILITY
3.5
3.5
3.5
3.5
4.5
3
3
SOUND
3.5
4.5
3.5
3
4
2.5
3
VIBE
4.5
4.5
3.5
4
4
3
3
VALUE
3.5
3
4.5
4.5
4.5
2.5
4
An absolutely
bitchin' guitar.
Pickups lack depth
MATT
and detail.
BLACKETT
Great tone and
vibe. Delightfully
chunky neck.
Slightly shaky
wooden bridge.
Looks good. Plays
great. Tons of
attitude. Average
tones.
Beautiful setup.
Great sustain.
Uninspiring
pickups.
Good frets. Nice
setup. Great neck.
Plays well. Floyd
very dive-bomb
friendly. Pickups
sound flat.
Nice sparkle on
clean tones. Neck
pickup too wooly
on distorted tones.
Sounds great on all
settings.
Extremely
BARRY
versatile Tone
CLEVELAND
controls.
Swampy
overdriven tones.
Surprisingly jazzy
clean tones. Hefty
low end. Wooden
bridge moves
around.
Dual Volume and
Tone controls add
versatility.
Good sustain.
Pretty finish. Nice
inlay and binding
work.
Great feel. Minor
tuning issues with
vibrato system.
A funky delight
with an almost
laughably hefty
neck, and round,
bellowing tones.
Squawk and howl
for days. Casting
seam apparent on
adjustable bridge.
A great looking
guitar. Super-easy
to shred on, but I
wanted a bit more
tonal meat.
The classic tones
you know and love
are all here. Kind of
hard to screw this
one up.
Worst frets of the
bunch. Lackluster
tones. The Floyd
Rose was fun,
though.
Great feeling neck.
The clucky, middleposition clean
tones were my
fave.
Plays like an
Totally kick-ass
Pure Angus for the Looks like a super
expensive beauty. I playing experience.
ground chuck
model. Aggro
Fun, fun, fun.
budget. Plays
tones. Sensual feel
MICHAEL expected a little
more roar and
Raging tones.
beautifully. Sounds
to neck and
MOLENDA
articulation,
mean.
cutaways.
though.
A really cool Strat
for a great price.
Plays nice. Prickly
frets a bummer.
Crack in finish by
neck pickup.
Great sustain. Cool,
punky tones. A
neck that’s fun to
dig into.
EDITOR
COMMENTS
DARRIN FOX
Looks awesome.
Plays great. Nice,
beefy neck. Tones
are a tad dull.
Vibrato system
Good garage-rock
vibrates easily and tones. Drifts out of
feels insubstantial. tune easily. Limited
Ragged fret edges. Volume and Tone
Uninspiring sounds.
controls.
This budget verA time machine
I don’t care much
Great sustain.
A cool Strat for an Uninspiring, heavy,
sion of Dean’s
that looks and
for the satin finish,
Wooly sounding.
insane price that and clunky. Unusual
classic glam
sounds like somebut this guitar
Getting any sparkle
delivers good
amount of trem
machine plays
thing you’d see in a
delivers thick SG
requires putting cluckiness in the in- gargle, due to the
ART
light, 2-spring
THOMPSON great and summons Chicago pawnshop, wail in spades. One the pickups in split between settings.
the spirit of ’80s
circa 1963.
of the best fret
mode.
setup.
excess.
jobs of the bunch.
Punky ’60s look
offset by squaresounding pickups.
But they do sound
pretty vibey when
combined.
G U I TA R P L AY E R M AY 2 0 0 7
75
Originally printed in May 2007 issue of Guitar Player. Reprinted with the permission of the Publishers of Guitar Player. Copyright 2007 NewBay Media, LLC. All rights
reserved. Guitar Player is a Music Player Network publication, 1111 Bayhill Dr., St. 125, San Bruno, CA 94066. T. 650.238.0300. Subscribe at www.musicplayer.com.
FEATURE Hot Little Numbers
MAKE/MODEL
G&L TRIBUTE
ASAT SPECIAL
GODIN
REDLINE 1
GRETSCH
ELECTROMATIC
G5246T
HAMER
XT SATQ
HOHNER
MR-800F
IBANEZ
ARX320
JACKSON
DXMG
$469
STREET PRICE
$489
$449
$489
$479
$449
$399
WORKMANSHIP
4
4.5
3
5
3
5
4.5
HARDWARE
4
4
3
4.5
3.5
5
4.5
3.5
3.5
3
4.5
3.5
4
3.5
PLAYABILITY
FRETS
4
5
3.5
5
3.5
5
4.5
VERSATILITY
3.5
3.5
3
4
3
4
3
SOUND
4.5
5
2.5
4.5
3.5
4.5
3
VIBE
4
4
3
5
3.5
5
3.5
4.5
5
3
5
3
5
3
Plays a little stiff.
Frets out on big
bends.
Good setup. Great
tone from single
EMG humbucker.
Looks a tad
utilitarian, but
kicks ass.
Great look.
Bland-sounding,
imbalanced
pickups.
Looks great, plays
great, and all the
tones are
incredibly threedimensional.
Good, punchy
tones.
Nice hardware.
Plays super fast.
Great look. Cool
hardware. Big
range of tones.
Beautiful finish.
Well built. Easy to
play. Lackluster
pickups.
Wide range of
robust, yet clear
tones.
BARRY
Plays easily.
CLEVELAND Some uneven frets.
Responds
beautifully to
playing dynamics.
Cleans up well
when volume is
reduced.
Classy look and
vibe. Plays easily.
Tuning issues with
vibrato system.
Weak output with
masked highs.
Inspiring to play.
Versatile tones.
Great intonation.
Great overall feel.
Wonderful
spanking tones.
Plays outstanding.
Nut slots are
DARRIN FOX
deeper than the
Grand Canyon.
One pickup, one
volume—no
problem! More
tones than many
feature-engorged
contemporaries.
Looks hip. Plays
nice. Bigsby—
headaches and all—
is a cool treat.
Tones lacked zing
and magic.
Instant vibe.
Plays perfect. An
amazing guitar.
A simple, deadly
weapon. Sounds
great. The more
you play it, the
more you dig it.
Retro fabulous. It
fights you a bit, and
sounds somewhat
muted, but it still
delivers roots-rock
goodness.
It’s a monster!
Astounding feel,
playability, and
tones.
Feels indistinguish- Superb rock tones
Captures the
able from a
spoken here. Hot
Gretsch visual
U.S.-made ASAT,
EMG a great match
experience right
other than the
for this light,
down to the screwART
THOMPSON fretboard being a fast-playing guitar. on strap buttons,
bit sticky.
but tones are
surprisingly
lifeless.
Look no further if
you want an
amazing looking
guitar with great
tones and
playability.
VALUE
EDITOR
COMMENTS
MATT
BLACKETT
Articulate and
chunky tones. Nice
neck.
MICHAEL
MOLENDA
76
M AY 2 0 0 7 G U I TA R P L AY E R
Versatile tones.
Wonderful dynamic Plays well. Locking
Nice inlays. Nut has response. Lots of
vibrato remains in
gap under one side.
character. Great tune. Relatively low
Slight string buzz.
tones on all
output. Slightly
Anemic neck
settings. Inspiring
wooly sound.
single-coil.
to play.
The shreddiest
neck in the
roundup. Taut
tones with nice
clarity.
Big neck is a gas to
play. Great dirty
tones. Good clean
textures when you
blend humbuckers.
Plays fast. Good,
solid dynamic
tones.
Slim, satin neck is
Stunning finish.
super fast and a joy
Rocks like a
to play. Love bridge banshee. Plays like
humbucker. Buzzy
a dream.
frets.
Fast neck. Nice
feel. Could rage a
bit harder
sonically.
Pickups sound
excellent—very
spanky for humbuckers. Tone
control has good
range.
Get past the
This classic rocker
flawless bindings
wows in the
and finish and you
playability
find an exceptional department, but its
passive EMGs
player that delivers
sound tame.
spectacular tones.
Originally printed in May 2007 issue of Guitar Player. Reprinted with the permission of the Publishers of Guitar Player. Copyright 2007 NewBay Media, LLC. All rights
reserved. Guitar Player is a Music Player Network publication, 1111 Bayhill Dr., St. 125, San Bruno, CA 94066. T. 650.238.0300. Subscribe at www.musicplayer.com.
Hot Little Numbers FEATURE
MAKE/MODEL
JAY TURSER
CUTLASS F
LINE 6
VARIAX 300
MICHAEL KELLY
PATRIOT LIMITED
PARKER
P-42
PEAVEY
GENERATION CUSTOM EX
PRS
SE SOAPBAR II
REVEREND
VOLCANO
STREET PRICE
$298
$499
$499
$459
$439
$499
$499
WORKMANSHIP
4
3
4
4.5
3
5
5
HARDWARE
3
3
2.5
4
3
5
5
4.5
3
4
4
3
4.5
4
FRETS
PLAYABILITY
4
3.5
4
4.5
3.5
4.5
4.5
VERSATILITY
3
5
4
4
4
4
4.5
SOUND
3
3
4.5
4
3
5
5
VIBE
4
2.5
4.5
4
3
5
5
VALUE
4
3
4
4.5
3
5
5
Incredibly sweet
tones.
Unbelievable
playability. PRS
quality at a great
price.
Great vibe. Nice
tones. Plays
awesome.
Just flat-out cool.
EDITOR
COMMENTS
Low-output
Thousands of
pickups with nice
sounds. Alternate
tones. Ace Frehley- tunings. A powerful
MATT
quality burst is
tool that still left
BLACKETT
delicious.
me cold.
Plays well.
Beautiful wood. A
few imperfections
BARRY on otherwise nice
CLEVELAND inlays. Decent, if
not particularly
exciting tones.
Models sound
largely convincing,
though not
particularly vibey.
Voice-selector
switch slightly
loose.
Low-output
Plays nicely, but
humbuckers nice
modeled guitar
and airy. Neck
tones don’t stir my
DARRIN FOX binding has a ton of soul as much as the
black scuffs.
real thing.
Unique look. Good
playability. Great
sounds. Flimsy
knobs and
switches.
Very articulate,
Amazing sustain.
thick tones. Plays
Interesting look.
amazingly well.
Good versatility
Weighs nothing,
from piezo bridge.
but sounds chunky. Some workmanship
issues.
Unusual look.
Plays beautifully.
Inspiring to play. Excellent clean and
Excellent pickups.
overdriven tones.
Cheap controls and
Solid controls.
pickup selector
Bland look.
switch.
Fattest
humbucking tones
of the bunch.
Toggle switch, and
Volume and Tone
controls very
unsturdy.
Amazing string-tostring clarity.
Humbuckers had
enough detail that I
never used the coilsplitting function.
Bridge pickup has
Understated
Great sounds on all
nice squawk.
elegance. Great
settings. Cool Bass
Contour control.
Low action with
setup. Quiet
Nice wood. Solid
slight fret buzz,
single-coils. Lots
controls.
which was
of inspiring sounds.
Wonderful feel.
accentuated when Very similar to U.S.
using piezo pickup.
models.
Plays okay. Nice
shape to neck.
Humbuckers lack
output and heft.
Unreal setup.
Action is actually
too low. Delicate,
yet surly P-90-type
tones. If you can’t
get it on this guitar,
give up.
Believable and
organic single-coil
tones in a honkin’
humbucker
machine.
This is almost as
wonderful a guitar
as any big-buck
PRS. An insane
value.
One of the coolest
V-inspired guitars
I’ve ever played.
Plays and sounds
superb.
Beautiful recast of
Les Paul. Excellent
meat-andMICHAEL
potatoes tones.
MOLENDA
Fun to play. Crazy
good value.
Unparalleled
tone-generating
machine. Killer deal:
Go for the electronically identical
$299 red model.
Totally fun to play.
Marvelous tones.
I love the stately
Fab tones.
Plays like butter,
“white tie” look.
Dungeons and
baby. You can really Tonal options best
Dragons vibe a bit
rip on this neck.
when piezo is
much for me.
routed to an
acoustic amp.
I dig almost
everything about
this guitar except
its pickups, which
are low in output
and extremely
microphonic.
More sounds than
any solidbody on
the planet.
Suffers a bit from
latency and atonal
artifacts on some
settings.
Fantastic top and
engraved pewter
knobs. Excellent
pickups deliver
everything from
warm jazz textures
to screaming rock
tones.
ART
THOMPSON
Light and comfy.
Broad tonal range.
Sweet feeling,
natural-finished
neck.
Unfinished neck
Proof you don’t
Impressive take on
feels overly raw.
have to spend a ton
the classic V.
Piezo bridge
of money to own a Offers great tonal
pickup sounds lo-fi
killer-sounding
range, courtesy of
through standard
PRS with
its happening
electric-guitar
off-the-hook
pickups and Bass
amps.
playability.
Contour control.
G U I TA R P L AY E R M AY 2 0 0 7
77
Originally printed in May 2007 issue of Guitar Player. Reprinted with the permission of the Publishers of Guitar Player. Copyright 2007 NewBay Media, LLC. All rights
reserved. Guitar Player is a Music Player Network publication, 1111 Bayhill Dr., St. 125, San Bruno, CA 94066. T. 650.238.0300. Subscribe at www.musicplayer.com.
FEATURE Hot Little Numbers
RKS WAVE
SAMICK
TORINO TR3
SCHECTER
LADY LUCK
SPECTOR
ARC6 PRO
SQUIER VINTAGE
MODIFIED
TELECASTER SSH
WASHBURN
WI-64
YAMAHA
RGX A2
$499
MAKE/MODEL
STREET PRICE
$499
$499
$449
$499
$299
$479
WORKMANSHIP
3.5
5
5
4.5
3
4.5
3
HARDWARE
3.5
4
5
4.5
3.5
4.5
3
3
4
4.5
4
3
3.5
4
PLAYABILITY
FRETS
3.5
4
5
4.5
3.5
4.5
4
VERSATILITY
3.5
4
4.5
4
4
5
2.5
SOUND
3.5
5
5
4.5
3
4
2.5
VIBE
3.5
4
5
4
3.5
4.5
3.5
3
4.5
5
4
3
4
2.5
Home run! Great
finish. Plays like
butter. Tons of
tones with
innovative VCC
(Voice Contour
Control) circuits.
I like what they’re
going for, but some
elements fall short.
Tuners, bridge, and
knobs aren’t great.
VALUE
EDITOR
COMMENTS
Good, spanky tones
that blend great.
Frets out on bends.
MATT Don’t like voicing of
BLACKETT
tone control.
Warm, pleasant
bridge pickup.
Controls
BARRY awkwardly placed.
CLEVELAND String buzz on low
E above 14th fret.
Nice finish. Very
good playability.
Great tones.
Nice wood. Solid
controls. Good
overall feel.
Pleasing and wellbalanced sound.
Versatile Tone
control.
Zingy clean tones.
Expansive clean
Decent chunk
tones. Dirty sounds
sounds. Didn’t dig are rife with chirpy
midrange. SuperDARRIN FOX the placement of
pickup toggle. Not
figured top a bit,
sure about this
uh, over the top.
whole plastic thing.
Produces a wide
range of great
sounds with
exceptional
sustain.
Textured knobs a
nice touch.
Unique finish.
Beefy bridge.
Clean inlay work.
Sounds good on all
settings.
Nice maple neck.
Weak pickups.
Slight buzz on
upper frets when
bending notes.
VCC controls add
Didn’t care for
versatility,
barrel-style tuners
but behave
and rotary pickup
eccentrically with
selector. No tone
highs coming in and
control. Pickups
out. Intonation
sound thin.
excellent.
Not a fan of the
finish, but this
guitar is way
sweet. Feels
wonderful in your
hands. Sports
myriad tones.
A real breeze to
play. Tones are top
notch. I couldn’t put
this sucker down.
Bowling ball finish
an acquired taste.
A hefty gap in the
neck slot could be
why the tones
never really get
there.
Love the look, the
Recessed knobs
feel, and the tones.
tough to
Turning down the manipulate. Forget
Volume has major
about switching
dulling impact on
pickups on the fly.
guitar’s otherwise
sweet shimmer.
I’m a fan. Dig the
recessed controls,
although pickup
MICHAEL
MOLENDA switch was loose.
Totally fun to play.
Decent tones.
Comfy feel. Neck
invites riffing and
shredding. Ballsy
tones.
Near flawless with
a sense of
whimsical danger.
Brilliant. Fun.
Fabulous.
Real head turner
with fangs.
Articulate, beefy,
and soaring tones.
Plays great.
A lot of tonal
Feels great. Neck
Sophisticated,
options for three inspires unfettered
modern design.
bills. Plays well.
riffing. Unleashes
Light. Plays
Could be more
massive waves of wonderfully. Sound
sonically inspiring.
tonal fury.
could rock more.
Has its own sound
with plenty of
brightness and
snap. Plan a little
time to suss the
control locations.
What’s not to love
about this guitar’s
awesome finish
and thick, badass
SG-style tones?
This guitar flat out
rules with its
distressed
hardware,
excellent pickups,
and dual Volume
controls with
coil-split option.
I like everything
about this guitar,
except its
claustrophobic
control layout.
The multiple
pickups are
tantalizing, but the
neck humbucker is
the only setting
that really gets it.
ART
THOMPSON
78
Wow. Gorgeous
Killer pickups.
Big range of sounds,
finish. Beautiful
Super-musical
but two-pickup tones
hardware. Flawless
Tone controls.
are thin, and neck
frets. Plays like a
Top-notch
pickup is too wooly.
dream. Sounds
hardware. Uniquely Low E knocks against
bridge pickup pole
great. Bravo.
beautiful finish.
piece.
M AY 2 0 0 7 G U I TA R P L AY E R
This is a hip guitar.
Voice Contour
Control works
great. Tones
quickly become
dull when you turn
down Volume.
Though very light
and easy to play,
tones are
underwhelming.
Rotary pickup
selector slower
than a toggle
switch.
Originally printed in May 2007 issue of Guitar Player. Reprinted with the permission of the Publishers of Guitar Player. Copyright 2007 NewBay Media, LLC. All rights
reserved. Guitar Player is a Music Player Network publication, 1111 Bayhill Dr., St. 125, San Bruno, CA 94066. T. 650.238.0300. Subscribe at www.musicplayer.com.
FEATURE Hot Little Numbers
AGILE
Street Price
Manufacturing Plant
Nut Width
Neck
Fretboard
Frets
Body
Pickups
Controls
Hardware
Factory Strings
Weight
Contact Info
SEPTOR 7-STRING
$399
Korea
1u"
Bolt-on maple, 252" scale
Ebony
24 extra jumbo
Basswood
Info not provided
Volume, Tone, 3-way switch
Ajustable bridge, Grover tuners
Info not provided
7 lbs
rondomusic.net
ARIA
Street Price
Manufacturing Plant
Nut Width
Neck
Fretboard
Frets
Body
Pickups
Controls
Hardware
Factory Strings
Weight
Contact Info
PE ELITE
$419
China
1h"
Set maple, 243" scale
Rosewood
22 jumbo
Mahogany with carved flame-maple top
Two Aria OH-1 humbuckers
Two Volume, two Tone, 3-way switch
Aria SPT bridge and QH tailpiece, die cast tuners
D’Aquisto, .009-.042
8.35 lbs
(800) 999-5558,
ariaguitars.com
AXL
Street Price
Manufacturing Plant
Nut Width
Neck
BLOODSPORT FIREAX
$350
China
1y"
Bolt-on maple with bubinga stripe,
252" scale
Rosewood
24 jumbo
Alder
EMG-designed alnico (one single-coil,
two humbuckers)
Volume, two Tone, 5-way switch
Floating tremolo with locking nut,
AXL sealed tuners
AXL, .008-.042
7.4 lbs
axlguitars.com
Fretboard
Frets
Body
Pickups
Controls
Hardware
Factory Strings
Weight
Contact Info
BC RICH
Street Price
Manufacturing Plant
Nut Width
Neck
Fretboard
Frets
Body
Pickups
Controls
Hardware
Factory Strings
Weight
Contact Info
80
M AY 2 0 0 7 G U I TA R P L AY E R
ASSASSIN OUTLAW PX3
$399
Korea
1.69"
Bolt-on maple, 252" scale
Rosewood
24 jumbo
Basswood
Two Rockfield Mafia
humbuckers
Volume, Tone with
push/pull coil tap,
3-way switch
Tune-o-matic bridge,
die-cast tuners
D’Addario, .009-.046
8.5 lbs
(866) 722-7424; bcrich.com
Originally printed in May 2007 issue of Guitar Player. Reprinted with the permission of the Publishers of Guitar Player. Copyright 2007 NewBay Media, LLC. All rights
reserved. Guitar Player is a Music Player Network publication, 1111 Bayhill Dr., St. 125, San Bruno, CA 94066. T. 650.238.0300. Subscribe at www.musicplayer.com.
FEATURE Hot Little Numbers
CORT
Street Price
Manufacturing Plant
Nut Width
Neck
Fretboard
Frets
Body
Pickups
Controls
Hardware
Factory Strings
Weight
Contact Info
DEAN
Street Price
Manufacturing Plant
Nut Width
Neck
CURBOW
$499
Indonesia
1y"
Bolt-on maple,
243" scale
Rosewood
24 medium
Swamp ash
Two Mighty Mite
Bluebuckers
Two Volume,
Tone
ToneProslicensed bridge
and tailpiece,
sealed tuners
D’Addario,
.009-.042
6.25 lbs
cortguitar.com
Fretboard
Frets
Body
Pickups
Controls
Hardware
Factory Strings
Weight
Contact Info
DAISY ROCK
DANELECTRO
Street Price
Manufacturing Plant
Nut Width
Neck
Fretboard
Frets
Body
Pickups
Controls
Hardware
Factory Strings
Weight
Contact Info
82
DANO PRO
$249
Korea/China
1.65"
Bolt-on maple, 25" scale
Rosewood
19 medium
Chambered masonite/
plywood
Dano lipstick
single-coil
Volume, Tone,
3-way switch
Adjustable bridge,
sealed tuners
Custom Korean
made, .010-.046
8 lbs
(805) 389-4605;
danelectro.com
M AY 2 0 0 7 G U I TA R P L AY E R
Street Price
Manufacturing Plant
Nut Width
Neck
Fretboard
Frets
Body
Pickups
Controls
Hardware
Factory Strings
Weight
Contact Info
DAISY ROCK ROCK
CANDY CUSTOM
SPECIAL
$399
China
1y"
Set mahogany,
243" scale
Rosewood
22 medium
Mahogany
Two Duncan
Designed HB-108
Detonators
Volume, Tone with
push/pull coil tap,
3-way switch
TonePros bridge,
Grover tuners
D’Addario EXL 110
7 lbs
(877) 693-2479;
daisyrock.com
CADILLAC 1980
$499
Korea
1h"
Set mahogany,
243" scale
Rosewood
22 medium jumbo
Mahogany
Two Dean high-output
humbuckers
Two Volume, Two
Tone, 3-way switch
Tune-o-matic bridge,
Grover Rotomatic
tuners
D’Addario, .009-.042
7.85 lbs
(813) 600-3920;
deanguitars.com
Originally printed in May 2007 issue of Guitar Player. Reprinted with the permission of the Publishers of Guitar Player. Copyright 2007 NewBay Media, LLC. All rights
reserved. Guitar Player is a Music Player Network publication, 1111 Bayhill Dr., St. 125, San Bruno, CA 94066. T. 650.238.0300. Subscribe at www.musicplayer.com.
FEATURE Hot Little Numbers
EASTWOOD
Street Price
Manufacturing Plant
Nut Width
Neck
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Frets
Body
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Controls
Hardware
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Weight
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EPIPHONE
Street Price
Manufacturing Plant
Nut Width
Neck
Fretboard
Frets
Body
Pickups
Controls
Hardware
Factory Strings
Weight
Contact Info
ESP
Street Price
Manufacturing Plant
Nut Width
Neck
Fretboard
Frets
Body
Pickups
Controls
Hardware
Factory Strings
Weight
Contact Info
FENDER
Street Price
Manufacturing Plant
Nut Width
Neck
Fretboard
Frets
Body
Pickups
Controls
Hardware
Factory Strings
Weight
Contact Info
84
M AY 2 0 0 7 G U I TA R P L AY E R
AIRLINE H44 DLX
$499
Korea
1h"
Set maple, 243" scale
Rosewood
20 medium jumbo
Ash
Two custom-wound EW-44 mini humbuckers
Volume, Tone, 3-way switch
Floating wooden bridge, trapeze tail, vintage
open-back tuners
D’Addario, .010-.046
5.8 lbs
(416) 294-6165; eastwoodguitars.com
FADED G-400
$299
China
1h"
Set mahogany, 243" scale
Rosewood
22 jumbo
Mahogany
Alnico Classic (neck), Alnico Classic
Plus (bridge)
Two Volume, two Tone,
3-way switch
LockTone bridge, Grover tuners
GIbson Brite Wire, .010-.046
6.35 lbs
(800) 444-2766; epiphone.com
LTD MH 250NT
$399
Indonesia
1y"
Set maple, 25w" scale
Rosewood
24 extra jumbo
Agathis with quilted maple top
EMG-ESP LH-300 set
Volume, Tone with push/pull coil tap, 3-way switch
Floyd Rose licensed tremolo, locking nut,
sealed tuners
SIT, .010-.046
7.35 lbs
espguitars.com
STANDARD STRATOCASTER
$399
Mexico
1.65"
Bolt-on maple, 25w" scale
Rosewood
21 medium jumbo
Alder
Three Fender Standard single-coil
Volume, two Tone, 5-way switch
Vintage Style Synchronized Tremolo, Fender/
Ping sealed tuners
Fender Super Bullets, .009-.042
7.9 lbs
fender.com
Originally printed in May 2007 issue of Guitar Player. Reprinted with the permission of the Publishers of Guitar Player. Copyright 2007 NewBay Media, LLC. All rights
reserved. Guitar Player is a Music Player Network publication, 1111 Bayhill Dr., St. 125, San Bruno, CA 94066. T. 650.238.0300. Subscribe at www.musicplayer.com.
FEATURE Hot Little Numbers
FERNANDES
Street Price
Manufacturing Plant
Nut Width
Neck
Fretboard
Frets
Body
Pickups
Controls
Hardware
FIRST ACT
Street Price
Manufacturing Plant
Nut Width
Neck
Fretboard
Frets
Body
Pickups
Controls
Hardware
Factory Strings
Weight
Contact Info
LOLA CE 140
$399
China
1.72"
Set maple,
25" scale
Rosewood
22 medium
Mahogany
Two First Act alnico V
“bikini” humbuckers
Volume, Tone, 3-way
switch
First Act string-through retainer system,
die-cast tuners
First Act, .009-.042
8.4 lbs
(888) 551-1115; firstact.com
Factory Strings
Weight
Contact Info
G&L
Street Price
Manufacturing Plant
Nut Width
Neck
Fretboard
Frets
Body
Pickups
Controls
Hardware
GODIN
Street Price
Manufacturing Plant
Nut Width
Neck
Fretboard
Frets
Body
Pickups
Controls
Hardware
Factory Strings
Weight
Contact Info
86
REDLINE 1
$449
Canada (parts), U.S.A. (assembly)
1h"
Bolt-on rock maple, 243" scale
Indian rosewood
22 super jumbo
Silver leaf maple
center, poplar wings
EMG-81 active humbucker
Volume
Hardtail bridge,
Godin high-ratio
tuners
Godin High Definition
E-9 Nickel, .009-.046
6.75 lbs
godinguitars.com
M AY 2 0 0 7 G U I TA R P L AY E R
Factory Strings
Weight
Contact Info
REVOLVER
$349
China
1y"
Bolt-on maple, 25w" scale
Rosewood
24 jumbo
Alder
Two Fernandes high-output
humbuckers
Volume, Tone, 3-way switch
Floyd Rose licensed tremolo,
locking nut, Gotoh-style tuners
D’Addario, .009-.042
8.25 lbs
(800) 343-0353;
fernandesguitars.com
TRIBUTE ASAT SPECIAL
$489
Indonesia
1y"
Bolt-on maple, 25w" scale
Hard rock maple
22 medium
Swamp ash
Two G&L, U.S.-made Magnetic
Field Design single-coils
Volume, Tone, 3-way switch
G&L Saddle-Lock bridge,
sealed tuners
D’Addario, XL110
8.45 lbs
(800) 233-8346; glguitars.com
Originally printed in May 2007 issue of Guitar Player. Reprinted with the permission of the Publishers of Guitar Player. Copyright 2007 NewBay Media, LLC. All rights
reserved. Guitar Player is a Music Player Network publication, 1111 Bayhill Dr., St. 125, San Bruno, CA 94066. T. 650.238.0300. Subscribe at www.musicplayer.com.
FEATURE Hot Little Numbers
GRETSCH
Street Price
Manufacturing Plant
Nut Width
Neck
Fretboard
Frets
Body
Pickups
Controls
Hardware
Factory Strings
Weight
Contact Info
HAMER
Street Price
Manufacturing Plant
Nut Width
Neck
Fretboard
Frets
Body
Pickups
Controls
Hardware
Factory Strings
Weight
Contact Info
88
XT SATQ
$479
China
1y"
Set mahogany,
243" scale
Rosewood
22 medium
Mahogany
Two Duncan Designed
humbuckers
Two Volume, Tone,
3-way switch
Tune-o-matic
style bridge,
Hamer tuners
D’Addario,
.010-,046
7 lbs
hamerguitars.com
M AY 2 0 0 7 G U I TA R P L AY E R
ELECTROMATIC G5246T
$489
China
1h"
Set mahogany,
243" scale
Rosewood
22 medium jumbo
Mahogany (chambered)
with arched laminated
maple top
Two TV Jones designed mini
humbuckers
Volume, Tone, 3-way switch
Bigsby B50 Vibrato
tailpiece, Adjusto-Matic
bridge, vintage-style
tuners
Gretsch, .009-.042
7.2 lbs
(480) 596-9690;
gretschguitars.com
HOHNER
Street Price
Manufacturing Plant
Nut Width
Neck
Fretboard
Frets
Body
Pickups
Controls
Hardware
Factory Strings
Weight
Contact Info
IBANEZ
Street Price
Manufacturing Plant
Nut Width
Neck
Fretboard
Frets
Body
Pickups
Controls
Hardware
Factory Strings
Weight
Contact Info
ARX320-MS
$399
China
1y"
Set mahogany,
243" scale
Rosewood
22 medium
Mahogany with
quilted-maple top
ACH1-S (neck),
ACH2-S (bridge)
Volume, Tone,
3-way switch
Gibraltar III
bridge, Quik
Change III
tailpiece
D’Addario,
.009-.042
8.5 lbs
(215) 638-8670;
ibanez.com
MR-800F
$449
China
1.69"
Bolt-on maple,
25w" scale
Rosewood
24 Dunlop 6105
Rock maple with
flame top
Tesla VR-1 (neck),
Tesla VR-III (bridge)
Volume, Tone, 3-way
switch
Tune-o-matic style
bridge, Grover tuners
D’Addario, EXL120
6.75 lbs
hohnerusa.com
Originally printed in May 2007 issue of Guitar Player. Reprinted with the permission of the Publishers of Guitar Player. Copyright 2007 NewBay Media, LLC. All rights
reserved. Guitar Player is a Music Player Network publication, 1111 Bayhill Dr., St. 125, San Bruno, CA 94066. T. 650.238.0300. Subscribe at www.musicplayer.com.
FEATURE Hot Little Numbers
JACKSON
Street Price
Manufacturing Plant
Nut Width
Neck
Fretboard
Frets
Body
Pickups
Controls
Hardware
Factory Strings
Weight
Contact Info
DXMG
$469
Japan
1h"
Bolt-on rock maple, 25w" scale
Rosewood
24 jumbo
Alder
Two EMG HZ
Volume, Tone, 3-way switch
Floyd Rose licensed tremolo, locking nut, die-cast tuners
Fender, .009-.042
7.75 lbs
jacksonguitars.com
JAY TURSER
Street Price
Manufacturing Plant
Nut Width
Neck
Fretboard
Frets
Body
Pickups
Controls
Hardware
Factory Strings
Weight
Contact Info
CUTLASS F
$298
Korea
1y"
Set maple, 243" scale
Rosewood
22 medium
Mahogany
Two Artec alnico mini humbuckers
Volume, Tone, 3-way switch
Stop tailpiece, die cast tuners
D’Addario, .010-.046
8 lbs
(631) 773-6411; jayturser.com
LINE 6
Street Price
Manufacturing Plant
Nut Width
Neck
Fretboard
Frets
Body
Pickups
Controls
VARIAX 300
$499 (black finish), $299 (red finish)
China
1y"
Bolt-on maple, 25w" scale
Indian rosewood
22 medium
Agathis
N/A
Volume, Tone, rotary Model Select knob,
5-way switch
Digital I/O, XPS mini power supply, standard
bridge with LR Baggs saddles, sealed tuners
D’Addario, .009-.042
7.5 lbs
line6.com
Hardware
Factory Strings
Weight
Contact Info
MICHAEL KELLY
Street Price
Manufacturing Plant
Nut Width
Neck
Fretboard
Frets
Body
Pickups
Controls
Hardware
Factory Strings
Weight
Contact Info
90
PATRIOT LIMITED
$499
Korea
1h"
Set mahogany, 243" scale
Ebony
22 medium jumbo
Mahogany with splated maple top
Two Rockfield SWC humbuckers
Volume, Tone with push/pull coil
tap, 3-way switch
TonePros bridge, Grover tuners
D’Addario, EXL110
7.9 lbs
michaelkellyguitars.com
M AY 2 0 0 7 G U I TA R P L AY E R
Originally printed in May 2007 issue of Guitar Player. Reprinted with the permission of the Publishers of Guitar Player. Copyright 2007 NewBay Media, LLC. All rights
reserved. Guitar Player is a Music Player Network publication, 1111 Bayhill Dr., St. 125, San Bruno, CA 94066. T. 650.238.0300. Subscribe at www.musicplayer.com.
FEATURE Hot Little Numbers
PARKER
Street Price
Manufacturing Plant
Nut Width
Neck
Fretboard
Frets
Body
Pickups
Controls
Hardware
Factory Strings
Weight
Contact Info
P-42
$459
Korea
1.653"
Set maple, 25w" scale
Ebony
22 medium
Mahogany
Two Parker Stinger alnico humbuckers
Volume, Tone with push/pull coil tap, 3-way switch
Stop tailpiece bridge, Grover 18:1 tuners
Vinci, .009-.042
7 lbs
(800) 877-6863; parkerguitars.com
PEAVEY
Street Price
Manufacturing Plant
Nut Width
Neck
Fretboard
Frets
Body
Pickups
GENERATION CUSTOM EX
$439
China
1y"
Bolt-on maple, 25w" scale
Rosewood
21 medium
Alder
Two Peavey vintage-wound humbuckers, piezo with
Analog Acoustic Modeling circuitry (ACM)
Volume, Tone, piezo/ACM volume, 3-way miniswitch (piezo, humbuckers, or both), 5-way
switch
Peavey vintage tuners
Peavey, .009-.042
8 lbs
peavey.com
Controls
Hardware
Factory Strings
Weight
Contact Info
PRS
Street Price
Manufacturing Plant
Nut Width
Neck
Fretboard
Frets
Body
Pickups
Controls
Hardware
Factory Strings
Weight
Contact Info
SE SOAPBAR II
$499
Korea
1h"
Set mahogany, 25" scale
Rosewood
22 medium jumbo
Mahogany with flame-maple veneer top
Two P-90-type soapbar
Volume, Tone, 3-way switch
PRS stoptail bridge, die cast tuners
D’Addario, .010-.046
7.2 lbs
prsguitars.com
REVEREND
Street Price
Manufacturing Plant
Nut Width
Neck
Fretboard
Frets
Body
Pickups
Controls
VOLCANO
$499
Korea
1h"
Set mahogany, 243" scale
Rosewood
22 medium jumbo
Mahogany
Two Reverend humbuckers
Volume, Tone, Bass Contour,
3-way switch
Tune-o-matic bridge, Wilkinson
EZ-Lock tuners
SIT, .010-.046
7 lbs
(586) 775-1025;
reverendguitars.com
Hardware
Factory Strings
Weight
Contact Info
92
M AY 2 0 0 7 G U I TA R P L AY E R
Originally printed in May 2007 issue of Guitar Player. Reprinted with the permission of the Publishers of Guitar Player. Copyright 2007 NewBay Media, LLC. All rights
reserved. Guitar Player is a Music Player Network publication, 1111 Bayhill Dr., St. 125, San Bruno, CA 94066. T. 650.238.0300. Subscribe at www.musicplayer.com.
FEATURE Hot Little Numbers
SAMICK
Street Price
Manufacturing Plant
Nut Width
Neck
Fretboard
Frets
Body
Pickups
Controls
Hardware
Factory Strings
Weight
Contact Info
94
M AY 2 0 0 7 G U I TA R P L AY E R
TORINO TR3
$499
Korea
1h"
Set mahogany, 243" scale
Rosewood
22 medium jumbo
Mahogany
Duncan Designed HB101 (neck), HB102 (bridge)
Volume, Tone, 3-way switch
Adjustable bridge, stop tailpiece, Grover tuners
GHS, .009-.046
7 lbs
gregbennettguitars.com
RKS
Street Price
Manufacturing Plant
Nut Width
Neck
Fretboard
Frets
Body
Pickups
Controls
Hardware
Factory Strings
Weight
Contact Info
WAVE
$499
Oxnard, California
1y"
Bolt-on hard rock maple, 25w"
scale (Buzz Feiten Tuning System)
Rosewood
22 Dunlop 6105
Interchangeable hollow composite
Two custom Lace humbuckers
Volume, Tone, 3-way switch
RKS tuners, RKS hardtail bridge,
RKS Groove knobs and Posifly
pickup selector switch
Elixir, .009-.042
7 lbs
rksguitars.com
Originally printed in May 2007 issue of Guitar Player. Reprinted with the permission of the Publishers of Guitar Player. Copyright 2007 NewBay Media, LLC. All rights
reserved. Guitar Player is a Music Player Network publication, 1111 Bayhill Dr., St. 125, San Bruno, CA 94066. T. 650.238.0300. Subscribe at www.musicplayer.com.
SQUIER
FEATURE Hot Little Numbers
SCHECTER
Street Price
Manufacturing
Plant
Nut Width
Neck
Fretboard
Frets
Body
Pickups
Controls
Hardware
Factory Strings
Weight
Contact Info
SPECTOR
Street Price
Manufacturing
Plant
Nut Width
Neck
Fretboard
Frets
Body
Pickups
Controls
Hardware
Factory Strings
Weight
Contact Info
ARC6 PRO
$499
China
1.69"
Bolt-on maple,
25" scale
Rosewood
22 jumbo
Basswood with
quilted maple top
Two Tesla VR60
Classic humbuckers
Two Volume, two
Tone, 3-way
switch
BM 0004 bridge,
Ping tuners
D’Addario EXL110
7 lbs
(800) 825-8810;
spectorguitar.com
Street Price
Manufacturing
Plant
Nut Width
Neck
Fretboard
Frets
Body
Pickups
LADY LUCK
$449
Korea
1y"
Set mahogany, 25w" scale
Rosewood
24 jumbo
Mahogany
Two Schecter Alnico Plus
humbuckers
Two Volume, Tone with
push/pull coil tap,
3-way switch
TonePros bridge, Schecter
tuners
D’Addario, .010-.046
8 lbs
schecterguitars.com
WASHBURN
Street Price
Manufacturing
Plant
Nut Width
Neck
Fretboard
Frets
Body
Pickups
Controls
Hardware
Factory Strings
Weight
Contact Info
Controls
Hardware
Factory Strings
Weight
Contact Info
VINTAGE MODIFIED
TELECASTER SSH
$299
India
1.65"
Bolt-on maple, 25w" scale
Maple
21 medium jumbo
Indian red cedar
Duncan Design TE-103B
stack (bridge), MH-101 Mini
Humbucker (neck), SC-102
Stack (middle)
Volume, Tone, 5-way switch
Vintage 6-saddle bridge,
die-cast tuners
Squier, .009-.042
8.5 lbs
(480) 596-9690;
squierguitars.com
WI-64
$359
Korea
1y"
Set mahogany, 243"
scale
Rosewood
22 medium
Mahogany
Two WB630 high-output
humbuckers
Two Volume, Two Tone,
Voice Contour, 3-way
switch
Tune-o-matic bridge,
Grover tuners, Buzz
Feiten Tuning System
Vinci, .009-.042
6.25 lbs
washburn.com
Street Price
Manufacturing
Plant
Nut Width
Neck
Fretboard
Frets
Body
Pickups
Controls
96
M AY 2 0 0 7 G U I TA R P L AY E R
Hardware
YAMAHA
RGX A2
$499
N/A
1h"
Bolt-on maple,
25w" scale
Rosewood
22 medium
Alternative Internal Resonance
with falacata
core and maple
top and back
Two Yamaha
alnico humbuckers
Volume,
3-position rotary
pickup selector
knob
Yamaha
Originally printed in May 2007 issue of Guitar Player. Reprinted with the permission of the Publishers of Guitar Player. Copyright 2007 NewBay Media, LLC. All rights
reserved. Guitar Player is a Music Player Network publication, 1111 Bayhill Dr., St. 125, San Bruno, CA 94066. T. 650.238.0300. Subscribe at www.musicplayer.com.
FEATURE Hot Little Numbers
Patrick Simms
(left) and Alex
Walsh in the GP
“guitar room.”
PEER REVIEW DUO
To offer readers an outside perspective of the 35
affordable guitars tested for this roundup, the
staff invited two members of the online GPforum
to participate in the evaluations. Patrick Simms
is a musician, studio owner, engineer/ producer,
radio personality (California Music Box, 6 pm 10 pm on piratecatradio.com), and actor. Check
out myspace.com/27591491 to explore Simms’
DJ Nylon page. Alex Walsh leads the Alex Walsh
Band (alexwalsh.net). He typically looks for
guitars in the price range of this roundup, and
then adds better hardware and pickups.
Simms and Walsh were allotted several
hours to examine and play the guitars without
any interference, and they plugged into the
same Mesa/Boogie and Budda amps used by
the editors. The views expressed are solely their
own. Their text was edited for length and grammar, but both players approved the final copy
that appears in the magazine.
“Alex and I didn’t find any guitars in this
roundup that were unplayable or poorly made—
although some models stood out more than others,” says Simms. “The first thing I did was check
the intonation of each guitar, as staying in tune
is very important in my world. I found myself
PRS SE Soapbar II above
playing and enjoying theP
most. I have never been drawn to PRS—mostly
due to price—but this affordable model sounds,
plays, feels, and looks like a PRS that’s in the
$3,000 range. It stays in tune, and handles my
strange altered tunings without sounding like I
have rubber bands for strings. The Michael Kelly
Patriot Limited plays, sounds, and feels great.
It’s a little small for my frame, and I wish it had
separate controls for each pickup, but it stays
in tune and delivers the goods. The Gretsch Electromatic G5246T has the sound and feel of a
model three times its price, and it works well
with alternate tunings. However, I did tend to hit
98
M AY 2 0 0 7 G U I TA R P L AY E R
its Bigbsy a little too hard, and knock the strings
out of tune. I was pleasantly surprised at the
ESP LTD/MH 250NT, because I’ve never been
drawn to guitars with sharp, angled headstocks.
But this model has a really good combination of
a Gibson-style neck on a thin, contoured body,
and the sound is bright and tight in the lows, and
sparkly in the highs. The Ibanez ARX320 has a
thick, dramatic sound with lots of sustain. It’s a
tonally rich guitar that works well for jazz, rock,
and other popular forms of music.”
“I tried all of the guitars using the clean
channel of the Budda Twinmaster,” details
Walsh. “I’m mostly a roots-rock player who
sometimes uses a distortion pedal. Out of this
batch, I like the PRS SE Soapbar II the best. It
feels great, and the pickups sound good in all
positions. I’d just put heavier strings on it. My
other favorite was the G&L ASAT Special. It
had a beefy rhythm sound—especially on open
chords. My third pick was the Dean Cadillac
1980 . It kept coming back into my hands—
probably because it has a Les Paul vibe. Even
though it feels a little cheap (I’d probably
replace the pickups and get it set up better),
I still like it. The ESP LTD/MH 250NT is a model
I didn’t expect to dig at all, but it sounds and
plays great. The Ibanez ARX320 produces lots
of nice sustain, and the Michael Kelly Patriot
Limited, Aria PE Elite, Fender Stratocaster,
and Hamer XT all sound and feel good (although
the Patriot’s odd finish reminds me of Hobbits).
Although the Eastwood Airline H44 DLX feels
a bit like a toy, it has a real woody vibe—
probably due to its baseball bat-sized neck—
and one great rhythm tone. I love how the
Schecter Lady Luck feels and sounds, but it’s
a bit too tacky looking for me. I didn’t like the
RKS Wave. The neck is nice, but the place where
I position my right hand just below the strings
is cut out, and the overall feel is too slippery.”
P H OTO : M I C H A E L M O L E N DA