Christian Druery Guitars

The world of acoustic guitars is flooded with instruments that look the same, and in many ways sound the same too. Martin certainly established the standard in terms of shapes and sizes, and from there it's been a long history of taking that ball and running with it. There have been lots of different models out there as well, but even today the staggering majority of the high end, hand built guitars are a riff on classic designs. This is part of the reason I'm so excited to share a new luthier whose guitars stand out from the crowd: Christian Druery Guitars.

Last winter I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Druery and his wife in the shop, while they were on vacation. He brought in a model for me to look at and I was instantly enamored with it. A few months later, we had one in the shop, and it sold the next day. So now here were are with two of his guitars, both of which are out of this world.

Being a native New Zealander, all the woods used in these guitars are indigenous. Names like Kahikatea, Heart Rimu, and Kauri will confound most guitar players here in the states, but all it means is you have to take the time to listen again and discover what these woods do tonally. One of the most appealing aspects of these guitars is the fact that they are made from wood you cannot find here in the U.S. Everybody and their mother has an acoustic guitar with rosewood, spruce, cedar and the like. Not so easy to find that guitar with a Kauri top! There are many models to choose from, but the two we have in the shop and will focus on here are the "Roreka" and the "Kauri".

The "Roreka" is a small body guitar, whose name means "Sweet singing". And sweetly she does sing! Featuring a Kahikatea top, heart rimu back and sides, matai neck and puriri fretboard and bridge. To give you a general idea, Kahikatea has a similar appearance to adirondack spruce, and rimu has a color similar to mahogany but with a more crisp, bright tone. The guitar features an additional side soundport, which not only allows the player to hear a bit more of themselves but gives the overall guitar a slightly different sound to the listener. The rosette features a gorgeous inlay of baby paua shells and ancient kauri leaf, lending more to the nature inspired vibe this beautiful little guitar has. The sound of the instrument has a nice bright punch to it, but not in an aggressive way. I've always found Taylor guitars to be too bright to handle, but this guitar manages to have that crispness without the obnoxious high end. While the "Roreka" does not have a lot of low end on tap, it does offer a well balanced sound that can handle everything from fingerpicking to strumming. For being a small bodied guitar it also offers a good volume, and can go toe to toe with a dreadnought very easily.

The "Kauri" is one of the newer models Mr. Druery offers, and it has fast become my favorite acoustic guitar in the shop. One is immediately grabbed to it's attention by the unique off set soundhole. While you may think this will limit the volume or tone of the guitar, you would be proven wrong very fast! There's loads of volume available here, and with the added side soundport you've got tone to boot! Similar to the "Roreka", this guitar features heart rimu back and sides, but sports a recycled Kauri top. This wood has had many lives, since it was cut down in the early part of last century. A northland timber mill, floor joists of a bank in Dunedin just to name a few! It has a wood grain that is beautiful to behold but not over stated either. The tone will be similar to koa or walnut, but I'd say let your own ears do the deciding! In contrast to the "Roreka", this guitar adds a fantastic low end to the crispness, and when you're thumping away on the bottom strings you can certainly feel it. In both strumming and picking this guitar sounds amazing, and to seal the deal it will look unforgettable to your audience at your next gig!

The excellence of this guitars doesn't cease with just the design and sound. All the Kauri that Mr. Druery uses is 100% recycled, and he donates a portion of the guitar profits back to replanting efforts in New Zealand in the customers name. So not only do you get a killer guitar, but you help the environment! (now you can enjoy the guitar with a clear conscience!) In addition to that, you get a USB stick with photos of the guitar build, giving the consumer a rare glimpse into the process of putting a guitar together. It's also a remarkable bit of transparency that you seldom find in modern guitar builders.

I will flat out admit I love these guitars. I find them all at once aesthetically simple and beautiful, and completely on their own in sound and feel. They have an excellent story to tell, and are carefully handcrafted by a builder who cares where they go and what becomes of them. It's hard to find acoustic guitars that break out of the pack and stand on their own, but if thats what you've been looking for then a Christian Druery guitar will fit the bill nicely.

Below I have posted a video of both guitars. Big thanks to Rob Hickey, my acoustic specialist for the playing. The "Roreka" model sells for $2799, and the "Kauri" for $2899. (less than the more pricey Taylor models, and far more unique!) Both come with SKB molded cases and feature a limited 12 month warranty. Check out the website for the other models here. More than ever I encourage you to come by Rudy's and play one of these before they are gone!

Please sign up to follow my blog via email at the top right hand corner of the page! And feel free to comment!

K.

Eastwood Hi-Flyer Phase 4

When it comes to retro or vintage, I'm typically excited about it. I like all things tweed, and I love a good retro interpretation of "futuristic". I know I'm not alone in this because in recent years, the demand and adoration of the kitschy weird guitars from the 50's and 60's has increased greatly. Brands like Airline, Goya, and Univox (to name a few) have become coveted pieces of gear. This is partly due to guys like Jack White bringing them back into the spotlight, and partly because they're affordable for vintage guitars. Lucky for those of us on budgets, the Eastwood guitar company has snapped up the designs for many of these beloved oldies and has been re-issuing them at incredible price points. Today I'm going to talk about one of the newer offerings: The Hi-Flyer Phase 4!

When this guitar came out of the box the other day in the shop, I was instantly excited. The Hi-Flyer is a re-issue of the Univox model of the same name which first appeared roughly around 1977. Univox was an arm of the Unicord corportion (which was eventually an arm of the Gulf+western company..). They began with amplifiers and in 1968 merged with the Merson company to begin importing guitars. There were four phases of the Hi-Flyer model (which was essentially a riff on the Ventures Mosrite guitar) with Phase 4 being the last one produced. This version most notably did away with a tremolo system and added a gibson style hardtail bridge. Possibly the reason the Phase 4 is most well known these days is for Kurt Cobain's use of it in the "Heart Shaped Box" video. Let me be clear...I am NOT a nirvana fan boy at all. In fact I never got too excited about Nirvana. This post is not an homage to a guitar based on Kurt Cobains use of it. I just love this damn thing! From it's killer looks to the impressive pickups, it has it all!

The guitar features a basswood body and maple bolt on neck. The neck has a satin finish to it, which I love. I've never enjoyed playing an overly lacquered neck as it tends to get sticky and uncomfortable very fast. The nut is a comfy 1 5/8" and has a gibson style scale length at 24 3/4". I've always prefered the longer strat style scale length but this bad boy still feels very comfy and the double cutaway gives you nice access to the higher frets. The electronics are simple and straight forward: One volume, one tone and a three way toggle switch. No coil tapping on this guitar but that certainly doesn't impeded it anyway. The Phase 4 eastwood humbuckers sound incredible! I was very impressed with them both clean and driven. To top it off, they look bad ass in their clear coverings and slight angled settings. Adding even more to the wow factor is the Mintech 3 way adjustable wrap around tailpiece. This is a super adjustable hard tail that lets you intonate the guitar as needed. Not a common feature in many hard tail guitars.

The Hi-Flyer does not come with a case but eastwood brand hardcases are available and generally cheap (somewhere around $130). It's a small loss considering this axe is merely $599 and sounds/looks incredibly cool. It may not be the high end guitar you treasure all your life, but it is definitely the guitar you take to every gig and give it one hell of an active lifestyle. Below I have a quick 30 second video to let you hear the guitar. I did record a dirty version as well but i managed to delete it off my camera..so bear with just hearing it clean! Thanks to my fellow employee Ariel for the demo.

To learn more on Eastwood's other killer vintage re-issues check them out at www.eastwoodguitars.com. Pop by Rudy's sometime and see the one we have before it's snatched up! I'll be happy to show you!

-K.

Voodoo Labs "Giggity"

There is loads of the same old stuff out there when it comes to pedals. Lots of good same old stuff, but same none the less. It's a rare occurrence when a pedal company puts out something that isn't a delay, distortion or filter of some kind. That's why today I will join the many people out there who are singing the praises of Voodoo Labs' new toy, the "Giggity"!

I certainly do not need to introduce Voodoo Labs to you. Since 1986 they have been one of the most reliable and impressive companies in the industry. Their pedal power bricks have basically become the industry standard for juicing up your pedal board, and thousands of guitar players have come to rely on killer stomp boxes like the "Sparkle Drive" and "Micro Vibe".  This past year they released the "Giggity" and having finally gotten my hands on it, I can fully understand all the hype that's been surrounding it. 

"Giggity" is an analog mastering preamp. Put simply, if you've ever wanted some of that "Studio" magic you get from recording your guitar through excellent gear with a top notch producer in your live rig, this little box will do it! The pedal features 5 controls: Loudness, Body, Air, Master and a preamp voicing knob. Loudness and Master are pretty self explanatory, allowing you to push your amp volume a bit more and in some cases even giving you some nice drive. The voicing knob has four notches that move from bright (signified with a sun) to dark (signified with a moon). The Body knob adds some nice warmth and bass to your signal while the Air knob adds beautiful high end. Encased in a really attractive plexi front package, it looks damn good on any pedal board.

Where you place the "Giggity" in your chain will make a difference too. Placing it first before all your pedals allows the Air function to work a little more, while placing it at the end before the amp will beef things up. I've tried it with many amps in the shop, from ZT lunchboxes to high end Victoria amps and across the board it makes a dramatic difference in everything. I like to think of this pedal as a great quick fix if you find yourself wanting more from your rig. One of our good customers at the shop is an in demand studio player and frequent live performer with numerous pros. He picked one of these bad boys up because he knows he can throw it in his gig bag, and no matter what amp he gets stuck with on a show he gets flown out to play, he can turn it on and get the sound he wants. This is such a great advantage to have! There are tons of pricey options to get your sound precise but how can you beat $150 for so much tone?

To help drive the point home I've recorded a short video to demonstrate it's abilities. Using an Eric Johnson Strat and a Fender Exclesior amp, it will give you some idea how on a clean channel this guy can make a difference. The setting I used is subtle but definitely adds warmth, bass, and punch.

The "Giggity" offers enough variations to suit any guitar player, and is a welcome addition to the pedal world. From getting some twang in your tone to beefing up the bottom end, this bad boy does it all. After enough time playing with it, I don't think you'll want to leave home without it!

As always I welcome you to come by the shop and try it out! I'll be happy to set you up. Please feel free to leave any feedback, especially if you are already using one!

K.

Does where it's made count?

Having worked in the retail side of the music industry now for several years, I've heard just about every complaint, criticism and bit of praise that one could imagine in regards to guitars. There comes a point in nearly every sale where a customer will ask "so where is this made?", and the response will either illicit a bevy of complaints and moans, or instant satisfaction. As you may guess, if I say it's made in america, there is usually an immediate calm. If I say korea, or china, or even mexico, there tends to be a visible apprehension that comes over the customer, and sometimes an outright disinterest in the guitar altogether. This has always bothered me, and I'm taking this post to share some thoughts on the subject.

I think it'a fairly safe to say that the majority of the most coveted guitars in the world are made here in america. From classics like Fender and Gibson, to more modern entries like Collings, Santa Cruz, and Paul Reed Smith. America has a long history of incredible guitar making and has rightfully earned it's spot in the dreams of aspiring guitar players. Perhaps it's this history that has set such a heavy stamp on the minds of guitarists when it comes to shopping for a guitar. Wether a customer is american, brazilian or eastern european, I have seen many times over the same eye roll associated with telling them the guitar that they are trying is not american made. I've always found this personally very silly. Don't get me wrong, I believe that there is a certain something to owning an american made guitar, but there is a lot of incredible quality out there, often as good if not better than the pieces made here.

The big stigma seems to be associated with China, Korea or any other asian country producing guitars. I imagine some of this is connected with some poor quality instruments made in the past by companies like epiphone. (who in recent years has been making very good guitars for low price points) However over the last ten years or so the standard of manufacturing has increased greatly, and I think many of the guitars coming out of those countries are damn good. Gretsch makes their electromatic series guitars in Korea, and I have loved the look, feel and sound of every one of those axes that has come into my hand. There are fine examples also seen in smaller companies like Reverend Guitars. They produce their unique guitars overseas and then have them setup and inspected at their headquarters here in the U.S. I have always been blown away by those guitars, and can't believe the attention to detail for under $1000. As I mentioned in my previous post, Comins guitars are highly detailed and fantastic sounding instruments that are made in a South Korean factory. None of this should really come as a surprise to anyone if you think about all the things in your everyday life that you rely on that are not made in america. I'm typing this blog post on my MacBook Pro, which is a wonder of technology and can do just about anything, and it's made in China! In fact it was expensive enough, I'd hate to think of what it would cost if they made it here in america!

On the other side of the coin, many customers seem excited and just as interested in a guitar made in a non asian country than one perhaps made in China or Korea. Guitars from australia like Cole Clark and Maton are amazing guitars that sell well and always impress. I've recently been blown away by New Zealand Luthier Christian Druery and his unique and beautiful acoustics (more on that in a future post). Spanish guitar makers still make some of, if not the best classical guitars. It seems ludicrous but many people will be considerably more bothered by a guitar made in China than one made in Australia. Whatever the reason is, I think its very silly to say the least. Who is to say that one country has more skilled luthiers than another? Or what difference the geographical location will have on quality? So many people gripe about mexican made Fender guitars, but the mexican factory is only a short distance from the california factory, and uses the same construction techniques! True that the many times the components will be cheaper in a guitar that is mass produced and will cost less, but thats why you are saving the money! And it's always an easy upgrade to swap in some higher quality pickups or pots.

In the end, no matter what the guitar, it's the player that counts the most not the instrument. Jimmy Page played a danelectro long before he made the Les Paul so iconic. Jack White still uses an old Airline guitar and make it sound damn good. Those were cheap guitars back in the day but it's more about how you use it than what it is. If we took the time to ignore the little sticker on the back of the headstock or inside the sound hole, we could open ourselves up to a whole new world of exciting guitars, and ones that even save ourselves a little money! I'm not saying ignore those classic american guitars, I'm just saying open up your eyes a little and enjoy the spectrum of amazing instruments made outside our little U.S bubble.

As always leave your thoughts or come by the shop and see what I'm talking about!

K.

Fibenare Guitars

It's pretty hard to re-invent the wheel... It's easy to say that the two most recognizable shapes in the guitar world are the strat's sexy curves and double cuts, and the Les Paul's classy single cut silhouette. Since the introduction of both models, there have been numerous versions of these guitars. Some  successful, some not so much. I find that in most cases, particularly with the single cut LP style, that the efforts tend to fall short and leave you wanting the real deal. Today I'll clue you in on a company that is taking that classic LP look and taking it to the next level: Fibenare Guitars.

Fibenare is a Hungarian guitar company that produces a number of basses and guitars in varying styles. The two I'm focusing on today are their Basic Jazz Single Cut models. I was introduced to these amazing guitars last year when the guys from Fibenare came into Rudy's Music fresh from the Montreal Guitar Show with two pieces to show. We were pretty blown away and have been a proud supporter since.

There are two versions of the guitar you see pictured in this post. The first is the Basic Jazz model with a one piece burl maple top. One look at that highly figured top and you can already see why these guitars are a step above the rest! A nice flame or quilted maple is pretty common, but to see a bubbling and boiling burl like this on a guitar is pretty rare, let alone ONE PIECE! The body of the guitar is chambered korina, and lends it an incredible low weight. The most common complaint with any LP players is the awful heavy weight. Gibson has tried to correct this with weight relieving and chambering of their own, but they have never achieved what Fibenare has with these bad boys! The guitar is so impossibly feather light you wouldn't believe gravity can hold it to your strap. All the hardware is proprietary, including the humbuckers. Encased in a flame maple ring, these pickups have all the warmth and clarity you could want from a PAF style humbucker, with an added crispness you won't find in your average gibson model. Rolled up in a lovely package that features large pearl block inlays on the rosewood fretboard, flame maple binding and a burl maple headstock overlay, this guitar looks as good as it sounds. The playability is pretty damn perfect straight out of the case, and I've seen more than a few customers blown away after just a few minutes with one in their hands.

The second model, which is newer to us, is the Basic Jazz model with two P90 pickups. This guitar has an incredible flame maple top on the same chambered korina body. The pickups are nearly noiseless (a wonderful perk for those who love p90's but loathe the 60 cycle hum) and feature a "push-push" tone knob that gives you some series/parallel options. Using this feature fattens up the pickups to an astounding degree, nearly replicating a humbucker sound. Flexible is an understatement with this guitar! The dressings are basically the same on this model with the exception of the all rosewood neck. Completed in a "barely there" finish, this neck feels fast and comfortable and is a beautiful sight with it's highly figured rosewood.

Priced at $4,900 for the burl maple top, and $5,024 for the P90 model, these guitars are not exactly on the "budget" market, but one look and one play will make you understand that good craftsmanship is worth the money. This is a point that can't be stressed enough...It's certainly very easy to find very well made and reliable guitars within cheaper prices, but there is also an indescribable certain something about a guitar that is slowly and lovingly hand crafted, where the attention to detail is without compromise. These are guitars you buy and keep for a lifetime. The name may be new to you but I strongly suggest keeping this company on your watch list..they will be making big waves in a crowded industry, and these days that says a lot!

I encourage you to come to the shop and play one if you're ever in the city. I'd love to discuss it in person, or of course leave a comment or ask a question here! You can check out the full Fibenare line here or see some more shots and stats on our website.


-K.

Fairfield Circuitry

When I was a teenager, the only cool and exciting pedals I knew about were BOSS pedals. I still remember being blown away by my friends BOSS phaser, and being completely over the moon when my mom got me one. I must have played "space oddity" by david bowie a thousand times over with that phaser "swooshing" the song all over the place. Nowadays, there are seemingly endless options for pedals and many new and exciting companies coming up. Today I want to talk about one that I find particularly cool: Fairfield Circuitry.

Fairfield Circuitry is owned and operated by Guillaume Fairfield and has been making pedals for musicians in the know since 2008. At present he makes 5 pedals: The Barbershop Overdrive, The Four Eyes Fuzz, Randy's Revenge Ring mod, The Operator feedback loop and the Unpleasant Surprise experimental fuzz gate. The things I loved immediately about these bad boys is the look of them. To me they look like evil robots from the future...but you may also just say minimalist! The simple gray boxes with the "burned in" numbers and dial descriptions look a little more like something out of "Terminator" than what you may be used to on a pedal board. Seems like a small thing but in a world of colorful and splashy looking pedals, it's pretty cool to see these stark and simplistic boxes lined up in a cabinet. All the pedals operate on standard 9 volts and can be powered with anything from a 1 spot to a pedal power brick. 

The Barbershop is a beautiful overdrive pedal that comes the closest I've heard to a natural warm tube amp. The pedal features a power sag knob allowing you to reduce the voltage sent to the amp. This let's you either get that warm, "pushed" amp sound, or dial in some nice crunchy sounds. It's very flexible and a good addition to any pedal board, even if you already have an overdrive you love. The Four Eyes Cross over fuzz, it's frequency control, switchable resonance and the option to add a footswitch is one of the most versatile fuzz pedals out there, allowing you to get a wide range of flavors in one box. 

My two favorite of the bunch have to be "the unpleasant surprise" and "randy's revenge". The "unpleasant" is described as an experimental fuzz gate, and I suppose thats about as close as you can get to being accurate with this wacky piece. I've often described it to customers as a more usable version of a Zvex Fuzz Factory. Giving you everything from odd creaking  noises to out and out thick deadly fuzz this little monster adds a fun element to any pedal board and can be even more wacky when combined with other effects. I've run this thing through a number of delays, tremolo's and more and never been bored! The "randy's revenge" is a ring mod with just as many possibilities as the "unpleasant surprise". When the main frequency knob is between 0 and 12, you get some beautiful trem/vibe effects. Past 12 you creep into other worldly territory with all the crazy noises a ring mod fan could want. Play a little with the low pass filter and mix knobs and you'll find yourself overwhelmed with new noises to add to your palate! 

You can find the whole array of Fairfield Circuitry pedals at Rudy's and can learn more by checking out their website. These days it's all about who can stand out in the crowd of pedal companies and Fairfield easily accomplishes this task with their beautiful understated design, and unique sounds.

As always feel free to post comments or questions!

-K.

Gibson ES-125

Ahhh, to own a vintage instrument. It's the dream of many guitarists, but sadly the pricing tends to be out of the reach of your average working man musician. Even now that the vintage bubble has thoroughly burst, bringing most overly inflated instruments down a few pegs, if you want to own something older than the the 70's it will cost a pretty penny. Luckily if you're an archtop enthusiast looking to own your first piece of history, the Gibson Es-125 is an affordable option with loads of tone to boot!

Introduced in 1941 as the next step up from the ES-100, the ES-125 was basically a beginners electric archtop. It featured a single P-90 pickup and a pretty bare bones amount of dressing. No fancy inlays on the fretboard or headstock, just good old dot markers, the gibson logo and an unbound rosewood fretboard. (although early pre-war examples of the model had pearl trapezoid inlays) Thanks to it's simplicity, it sported a lower price tag, which coupled with it's higher shipment numbers (5,629 were shipped between 1948 and 1950) makes for a very affordable vintage guitar today! Many, like the one you see in the photos posted here, are roughly around $2,000 to $2,500. Some examples in worse condition can fetch as low as $1,000 to $1,500 if you don't mind a project guitar.

The example shown here is one of two we have at Rudy's right now. This model is from 1948, though we also have a lovely 1953. The '48 model differs slightly in two key factors. 1) the back is FLAT, not arched, and braced like an acoustic guitar. Later models feature the arched back. and 2) the P-90 seen here is the original, non adjustable version with 6 Alnico slug pole pieces. Later versions of the pickup (1950 and onwards) featured adjustable pole pieces between two Alnico 5 bar magnets. Interestingly, I find that between the two examples we have the 1948 sounds much sweeter, despite the lack of an arched back. The non adjusting pole pieces can be seen as a slight disadvantage but I think it all depends on the individual piece, and this beauty needs no help in sounding absolutely gorgeous. The guitars both feature the classic gibson shorter scale (24.75") and no cutaway, so if you are someone who lives up on the higher frets these axes may not be for you.

All in all, these little wonders are the perfect introduction to vintage guitar collecting, especially if you want something more than a showcase piece. A guitar you could actually gig with! Theres something magical about a piece of wood and steel thats had 64 years to age and sound just right, and owning a piece of gibson history at a time when the company was really hitting it's stride.

As always feel free to comment, or even better come by the shop and try one out! I'll be happy to show you them myself!

K.

G&L S-500

Today I want to just briefly touch on one of my favorite guitars, from one of my favorite guitar companies: the S-500 from G&L.

Some people may just see a G&L and assume it's another Fender rip off, but look a little into the history of the company and you get a different story. After Leo Fender sold his company to CBS in 1965, he stayed on as a consultant until about 1970. (a period in which he made his final contributions to the company like the 3 bolt neck) He famously then went on to work with Music Man and help make some very iconic instruments and some very familiar yet kick ass amps. After Music Man, Leo teamed back with his partner in Fender's golden age, George Fullerton, to start making guitars their way again. And thus G&L was born. (stands for George and Leo)

Leo clearly felt he could improve on the iconic designs he created and set about making instruments again. Although he is long gone now, the company continues to make impeccable guitars with loads of tone. The nicest thing about G&L is that the instruments (the american made ones, not the korean made tribute series) are all made to order. This means you get a guitar crafted upon order, without the high price tag of a Fender Custom shop or a smaller boutique builder. You can choose from a large number of customizations including color, pick guard color, neck shape, and finish. If you're a strat or tele lover, this is a great way to get the one of your dreams without breaking the bank. 

The S-500 is a personal favorite of mine. It's a strat style guitar, with a little extra flexibility. It features 3 of G&L's own single coil pickups, which on the S-500 have a greater output than most, and are much warmer. Just like any other strat style guitar you get one volume knob and two tone knobs. The little extra difference on this guitar comes in the form of a mini toggle switch, which when activated allows some extra pickup configurations. When on , in the 5th position you get the bridge and neck pickup together. In the fourth position, you get all 3 pickups at once, giving you something closer to the warmth and output of a humbucker. 

The S-500 can be ordered with a hard tail but does come standard with G&L's two point vibrato, which to me feels far more stable than a Fender. It's noticeably heavier, but is far more reliable. The model pictured in this post, which we have at the shop, is in two tone sunburst and features their standard "C" shaped neck in a satin finish. The neck and fretboard are both hard rock maple and you can also get them in a tinted or non tinted gloss finish. All G&L's are set up with the PlEK system, giving you a fantastic setup right out of the case. The moment you have your hands on one you can feel difference in quality. They always feel to me more substantial than a fender strat, like it's going to have no problem taking whatever abuse the road and numerous gigs can bring it's way. 

This guy I'm showing you today sells for $1299 and comes with a hardshell case, although when you order from the company a gig bag is an option. Compared to some of the prices out there, these axes are a steal and more than live up to Leo Fender's name. If the man himself figured he could make things better, and counted these as the improvement, there's gotta be something special to them!

Feel free to leave any thoughts, and as always I'd love to show it to you in person! 

K.

Fender Mustang Special

This past year, Fender put out a new series of guitars called the "Pawn Shop Series". The idea was to put out instruments that never were, but should have been. The series takes its cue from the often terrible period of the late 60's and early 70's, where bizarre combinations of bodies and necks came together for what seemed like the hell of it. (just google fender "Swinger", "marauder" or "electric 12" to see some glorious examples) This seems like an odd place to birth new guitars, and I think there's little argument in that. Sure, there's plenty of cool things that happened in the period (despite what the purists may say about the CBS buy-out) but overall it's not looked at as the best time for the company. But there's also something to say for innovation and not being stuck in the same rut, so at least Fender is trying...which is more than I can say about many other bigger brands. For the most part, in my opinion, the pawn shop series is a bit of a miss. Many of the models look like bastard children of other famed instruments, and a few just look like your drunk dad's recollection of guitars from the past. There are a couple hits though, and today I'll talk about one that's well worth the money: The Mustang Special.

The Mustang may have started as a student guitar, but it has now officially become the well loved axe of working musicians, and indie bands the world over. With the pawn shop series version of the mustang, fender has made some cool adjustments that make it even more desirable and a lot of fun to play. Firstly, they've done away with what I would consider a pretty awful tremolo. I've never been one to use a trem too much but even an occasional user like myself will find the system on mustangs (and jazzmasters/jaguars) to be touchy at best. Instead, you get a hardtail! So no tuning issues to stress about. Obviously if you want the trem, this is a disadvantage. However it does open up the possibility of other after market tremolo's that you can install, which in most cases will be much better!

The second nice change is the swapping out of the two single coil pickups for fender's "wide range" humbuckers. These are the same pickups you find on the 70's Telecaster deluxe, which have a really unique sound over standard humbuckers. I find them to be a lot more "punchy" and less warm. These pickups have a nice attack and clarity to them, and can be on the brighter side as well. This comes in handy when coil tapping, which the mustang special is also equipped with. Two sliders on the side of each pickup allow you to select either front or back coil, or the full humbucker. As I mentioned in my last post, I'm not often impressed by coil tapping, but thanks to the brightness and volume of these pickups, the single coil sound is pretty damn good. 

The rest of the electronics are very straight forward...a 3 way toggle for pickup selection and a single volume and tone. These simple options combined with the coil tapping allow for a lot of different tones in one convenient package. The guitar is a shorter scale (24") and has only 22 frets, so this may not be a shredder's delight or if you're too used to a longer scale found on a strat or tele. Also, the smaller body size may not be your cup of tea, particularly if you're over 6 feet tall and don't want to feel like a giant playing a kids guitar. But if those little things don't bother you, this is a super flexible and fun guitar to have in your arsenal. It's also made in Japan, where guitar building is certainly up to par with american 

standards. 

The Mustang special comes in 3 classic colors (sunburst, lake placid blue and candy apple red) and comes with a gig bag. At $849, it's also pretty damn well priced! 

As always, feel free to leave your thoughts! 

K.