Scott French is a Northern California guitar maker––local to my area––so I’m hoping to get one of these in for review, but in the mean time I thought it would be fun to take a quick look at what this diminutive instrument has to offer.

The Scott French SF3 Travel features a truly light-weight design (guitar, bag & strap coming in at less than 10lbs,) a compact headless/slim body, Steinberger gearless tuners w/Wilkinson roller bridge, choice of woods, choice of scale length, fret size, neck carve, fingerboard radius, etc., dual Nordstrand NDC humbuckers, a two-way adjustable trussrod, and Schaller locking strap buttons.

Meanwhile, the custom-fit Travel Bag by Cocaine Mule features heavy canvas with reinforced lining, durable stitching, a padded handle, and modular strap system.

Full Packages (including SF3 Guitar & Bag) start at $2750, with additional cost for black or gold hardware, stainless steel fretwire, and other additions & customizations.

Well, I’m once again on the quest for the ultimate wah-wah pedal (actually, come to think of it I’m always on the quest for the ultimate wah-wah pedal,) and after many lackluster years spent with Morleys (yawn,) and Crybabys (same ol’, same ol’) I’m thinking seriously about trying out Budda’s BudWah wah pedal.

What I’m attracted to in the BudWah is that it aims to eliminate that painful, squealing high-end that is so apparent when you pump the pedal forward full-throttle on a Crybaby, and at the same time remove the dramatic loss of volume that accompanies a step back on the pedal.

These have always been my two pet peeves about wah-wah pedals, and if Budda has truly found a way around them––in this case by carefully rolling off the high-end by limiting sweep––I’m certainly willing to plunk down my hard-earned cash to pick one up.

Oh yeah, and it sports a hard-wired, 100% signal bypass as well––something that the classic vintage wah-wahs could only dream about.

So my question to you is: anybody out there had experience with the Budda BudWah pedal? I’m going to try to get one in for review, but in the mean time I’d be interested to hear your thoughts…

UPDATE: Title changed lest I incur the wrath of the masses ;)

This electric guitar, which features an alder body, maple neck, rosewood fretboard and a trio of single-coil pickups, is apparently so collapsible you can fit it into a standard sized briefcase… as you can see from the photo, Stewart’s Clip-Joint neck connection system allows you to remove the entire neck and stow it right in the back of the guitar.

Which got me thinking: pair this baby with a Pignose and you’ve got a full-on guitar/amp travel combo… sweet!

Now, the Highway Ones have always offered a lot of bang for the buck – they’re the most affordable American Made Strats you can buy today – but the new upgrades for 2006 only make them that much more attractive.

Perhaps the top new features are a trio of hot single-coils – including a reverse wound & reverse polarity pickup in the middle position – and a Greasebucket tone circuit, which when paired with the new pickups provides for a rounder tone all around by rolling back that piercing high-end; all without unduly boosting the bass response.

Also new to the Highway One Stratocaster are a set of 22 jumbo frets, vintage-style synchronized tremolo, a highly playable satin-finish modern C-shaped neck (in maple,) and a new satin nitrocellulose lacquer body finish.

Like their predecessors, the Highway One still sports an alder body, rosewood or maple fretboard, and that cool over-sized 1970s headstock, but perhaps the one big downside (there had to be one for this price range, right?) is that unlike the more expensive Stratocaster models you don’t get Fender’s incredibly versatile S1-switching system.

But hey, if the lack of the S1 really bothers you that much just try to remind yourself that the traditional Strat pickup set-up was good enough for generations of guitarists before you, and hey–if you really want to save a few hundred bucks or more, well, it’s probably a very small trade-off in the long run.

The New Fender Highway One Stratocaster Features–

• Solid Alder Body
• Maple Neck (Satin Finish/Modern C-Shaped)
• 25.5-Inch Scale Length
• Rosewood or Maple Fretboard With 22 Jumbo Frets
• Over-Size 1970s Headstock & Original Body Shape
• Three Hot Single-Coil Strat® Pickups
• Reverse Wound/Reverse Polarity Middle Pickup
• Master Volume, And Two Greasebucket™ Tone Controls
• 5-Way Pickup Switching
• Vintage-Styled Synchronized Tremolo Unit
• Standard Cast/Sealed Tuners

Comes with a gig bag (yawn!) and is available in a plethora of cool new finishes including my two favorites, 3-Color Sunburst and Daphne Blue, plus Honey Blonde, Wine Transparent, and of course good old Flat Black.

While Zemaitis is known for their incredible hand-crafted masterpieces (these things are true works of art!) there is actually a less expensive alternative available (subjectively speaking) – the GZ series of guitars, which are built under license by Japan’s Greco company.

Of course, even the GZ series are far from cheap, with the cool GZ-3500MF coming in at a solid $3,000… ouch! Still, they are cheaper than the Zemaitis Custom Shop instruments, and in my opinion every bit as good looking.

The guitar pictured here is one of my new favorites, the Zemaitis GZ-3300WF - a single cutaway, mahogany solid body guitar with a stunning flame maple top.

The Zemaitis GZ-3300WF Features–

• Single-Piece Mahogany Back
• Flame Maple Top
• Single-Piece Mahogany Neck
• 25-Inch Scale Length
• Ebony Fretboard With 22 Frets
• Dual DiMarzio PAF (DP103) Pickups
• Two Volume & Two Tone Controls
• 3-Way Pickup Switching
• Schaller M6 Tuning Machines
• ZEMAITIS Solid Duralumin Bridge & Tailpiece

These Zemaitis by Greco beauties (if you can get your hands on one,) come in three finishes: Honey Brown, Transparent Blue, and Transparent Black.

I’ve been considering a number of amps recently, and one that’s really caught my eye is Marshall’s reissue 1974X — a hand-wired recreation of their classic 18-watt tube amp, the 1974 — which, ironically enough, was produced during the mid to late ’60s.

The 1974X is getting phenomenal reviews, and its no wonder why: it’s built to the exact specifications of the original, short of a few changes required by current safety laws, and is said to produce full, warm lead and rhythm tones even at low-volume settings.

On top of that, Celestion created a specially-designed aged 12-inch speaker just for this amp in order to better reproduce the tone of the now 40-year-old originals Other features include an authentic tube-tremolo unit with footswitch, all hand-wired electronics, a pair of 2 EL84 tubes for power, three ECC83 tubes at the pre-amp stage, and an EZ81 rectifier.

The Marshall 1974X weighs in at just 42 lbs, and has a footprint of 24“W x 20”H x 9“D, but don’t let the small size fool ya’ — it’s still gonna’ put a serious crimp in your wallet.

Word on the street is that Eastman’s attention to detail & craftsmanship, and their quite affordable price range, will more than likely be giving high-end guitar makers like Gibson and D’Angelico a real run for their money.

Now don’t get me wrong, Eastman’s guitars aren’t necessarily what many of us would call “cheap,” but they are very reasonably priced for what is apparently a beautifully crafted instrument.

Those jazz boxes aside, I really love the look of their El Rey Deluxe archtops – talk about unique styling. In this day & age of mindless Les Paul & Strat clones, the El Rey Deluxe Rock really stands out from the crowd. Check out the sunburst finish with matching sunburst headstock… nice touch!

The Eastman El Rey Deluxe Rock Features–

• Hand-Carved Body
• Maple Top
• Mahogany Back & Sides
• Mahogany Neck
• 25“ Scale Length
• Dual Kent Armstrong Pickups
• Two Volume & Tone Controls
• 3-Way Pickup Switching
• Gold Plated Gotoh Hardware

The El Rey comes in three different configurations: the Standard Jazz, Deluxe Jazz, and Deluxe Rock models.

Why? Because it’s versatile (it models 32 different classic amps,) surprisingly affordable (about $600,) and it does a fairly amazing impersonation of one of my favorite amps of all time — the ‘58 Fender Bassman.

So, as much as I may value an all-tube amplifier for its timeless tone, well, I think I might just value low-cost and versatility even more.

While the Flextone III comes in a few different configurations, the one I’m looking at is the Flextone III Plus — a 150-watt combo amp with a single 12-inch Celestion speaker, the above mentioned 32 tube-amp models, and 16 different emulated cabinet models. You can even mix and match the amps and cabinets to create entirely new combinations.

Another big selling point for the Flextone III is its 12 digital models of old-school stompboxes and amp effects, including the most believable Fender Vibroverb vibrato emulation I’ve ever heard. It even does the MXR Phase 90, Leslie 245, and some great analog-style tape loop delays. Oh yeah, and it’s got onboard compression and gate.

The Flextone III’s amplifier models include:

• Fender— 1964 Deluxe Reverb, 1953 Deluxe Reverb, 1958 Bassman, 1963 Vibroverb, and 1965 Twin Reverb
• Vox— 1967 AC-30TB, 1961 AC-15
• Marshall— 1966 JTM-45, 1968 Super Bass, 1968 Super Lead, 1987 Super Jubilee, 1987 JCM 800, 2003 JCM 2000
• Mesa/Boogie— 2001 Dual Rectifier, 2001 Triple Rectifier
• And seven more from Budda, Cornford, Matchless, Soldano, Bogner, Gibson & Supro

Starting to see why I think a digital modeling amp might be the way to go? If you head over to Line 6’s website you can listen to mpegs of the Flextone III in action… it’s pretty damned impressive!

So what do you get the guitarist in your life who has everything? Well, one Gibson luthier (yes, I’m sure they get paid well) apparently had this Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Special (non-aff) commissioned with hand engraving by master artist Darryl Thornbury.

I’m not sure how Musician’s Friend ended up with it, but they’re selling the one of a kind Les Paul Special for a paltry $12,999… chicken scratch, right?

The guitar features an anodized black-aluminum pickguard that covers the entire top of the instrument, and is beautifully hand engraved with a scene depicting what I believe is a Large Mouthed Bass jumping after a fishing lure.

To top it off, the dual nickel humbuckers are also engraved, as is the truss-rod cover. Other classy touches include a pearl headstock logo, pearl fingerboard inlays, and of course a hard-shell guitar case to protect your very sizable investment.

The Gibson Custom Shop Engraved Les Paul Special Features–

• Hand-Engraved Aluminum Top
• Mahogany Body
• Mahogany Neck
• Ebony Fingerboard With 22 Frets
• 24-3/4” Scale Length
• Pearl Inlays & Headstock Logo
• Two Humbucker Pickups
• Two Each Volume & Tone Controls
• 3-Way Pickup Switching
• Nickel Hardware

Play it or display it… this one’s a true piece of art! Now, anyone got a line on a good hand-engraved amp?

Now, I’ve never played one of these, but I’d love to hear from anyone who has because I find the entire idea highly intriguing… I mean, who wouldn’t want access to all of those great guitar sounds from a single, relatively cheap instrument?

According to Line 6, developing the Variax models was difficult and time-consuming work, as you can well imagine—

We auditioned an amazing array of vintage instruments to find the ones with the most distinctive voices and personalities. We applied our painstaking measuring techniques to these specimens, and refined our models while constantly referring back to the originals for accuracy. When the model reached the point not only sounding like the original, but also being as much fun to play, it was done.

I’m not entirely sure I believe the hype just yet, but if the Variax 600 is anywhere near as good as its been made out to be it would be a real boon to guitarists who find themselves with big dreams, but a very minimal budget.

The Line 6 Variax 600 Features—

• Comfort-Contoured Basswood Body
• Maple Neck
• Maple Fretboard With 22 Frets
• L.R. Baggs Tremolo Unit
• Standard 1/4“ Output Jack
• Digital I/O: For Use With PODXT Live, Vetta II, And Workbench
• XPS A/B Footswitch For Selecting Standard Or XLR Balanced Output
• Comes in Blue, Black, Two-Tone Sunburst, and Vintage White finishes.

As soon as I can get my hands on one of these I’ll be sure to give it an in-depth review.

Kustom’s been producing their famous (infamous?) tuck n’ roll guitar amps since back in the day (as early as the ’60s,) and while they’ve mostly moved away from using the material on their newer equipment, they do still offer two amplifiers with that groovy, sparkly, belongs-in-your-dad’s-muscle-car tuck n’ roll – the ‘36 & ‘72 Coupe Combos.

The ‘72 Coupe is the one I’ve been eyeing. It’s a 72-watt, 2x12 combo amp (always my preference,) running a single 12AX7 tube in the pre-amp, and a set of four 6L6 tubes for output. Checking out Kustom’s Flash presentation for the ‘72 Coupe makes you realize that that tuck n’ roll isn’t the only thing vintage about this amplifier – the Coupe produces a rich, warm, funky all-tube tone that is pure ’70s.

A couple of features that really stand out are the newly-designed Kustom-Eminence Integrated Turbo 12 speakers, an Accutronics Reverb unit (with tone control,) and vintage Vibrato & Tremolo effects that actually sound vintage… in fact, they sound like the Trem & Vibe effects you’d get from a classic Fender, circa 1966.

The ‘72 Coupe also sports some more modern conveniences like dual channels (Rhythm & Lead,) with individual Volume controls and Bright switches (which apparently fill out the low-end for a British-style valve tone,) a Tube-Driven FX Loop, a Direct-Out with cabinet emulation, and a 3-way footswitch to switch between channels, turn the effects on/off, and punch in a fat 10db boost for pushing your lead work over the top.

Weight & Dimensions: 60lbs. – 31.9”x24”x15.35”

Sure, it’s far from a $2,000 Gibson, but Washburn makes some really affordable, and from what I’ve read fairly decently-built hollowbodies, including they’re stylish Washburn J3 — a fat jazz guitar — which sells for around $300 or less.

While I haven’t had the chance to put one of these through its paces yet, the J3 looks to be a pretty good deal: among other things it sports a pair of chrome humbuckers, body, neck & f-hole binding, and a real maple body & top.

The Washburn J3 Features—

• Maple Top & Body
• Rosewood Fingerboard With 20 Frets
• Block Inlays
• Dual Humbucker Pickups
• Two Tone & Two Volume Controls
• 3-Way Pickup Switching
• Washburn “W” Tailpiece
• Raised Pickguard
• Multi-laminate Body, Neck & F-Hole Binding
• Chrome Hardware
• Rosewood Bridge

The Washburn J3 also comes with a case [surprising at this price-point,] and is available in both Natural & Tobacco Sunburst finishes.

As I’ve often mentioned, when it comes to guitar amps my personal preference is for a plug-n-play set-up – just haul your amp into the club, plug in your guitar, and play. That doesn’t mean I don’t like options, it just means I want to have my cake and eat it too.

In short, I want an amp/guitar combo that gives me the highest number of tonal varieties possible, with the least amount of equipment, which is why I’m so intrigued by the Line 6 Vetta II Combo amplifier.

The Vetta II is Line 6’s top of the line modeling amp, and as such it packs virtual versions of an incredible 73 classic & contemporary amp models, 27 cabinets, and over 50 effects pedals & DSPs into it’s diminutive 65lb cabinet.

I Want It All And More

In fact, the main selling point of the Vetta II is that it apparently does everything but wash windows – besides the models mentioned above, the Vetta II sports Line 6’s A.I.R. technology, which uses advanced modeling techniques to allow for direct-line recording that mimics the sound-quality of six different microphone models and positions (a nice touch for today’s home-recording artist.)

It’s also got a built-in tuner, MIDI in/out, a programmable effects loop (in case you don’t have enough virtual effects to choose from!) digital audio in/out, support for the Line 6 Variax digital guitar, and even the ability to play through two different amp models at once.

Too Much of A Good Thing? Nah…

Of course, having that many options at your fingertips can actually be rather daunting and more than a little complicated, and that’s the one downside I’ve heard mentioned about this amp.

From what I’ve read, however, the use of Line 6’s optional FBV Shortboard foot controller makes this process a whole lot simpler. It gives you quick and easy access to your pre-set amp/effect combinations without having to wade through the GUI on the amp itself.

The FBV Shortboard also gives you a Wah/Volume pedal, tap tempo switches (for controlling the speed settings of some of the Vetta II’s on-board effects,) chromatic tuner, and a large backlit display so you can actually see what you’re doing on a dark stage.

Vetta II Combo Specs Include: 73 amp models, 27 cabinet models, 50+ effects-pedal & DSP models, A.I.R. microphone modeling, digital & analog re-amping, AES/EBU & S/PDIF digital audio in/out, Variax support, 1/4-inch effects loop, on-board chromatic tuner, 150-watts/stereo, two 12-inch Celestion speakers, Dimensions: 29“W x 20”H x 10.1“D (74cm x 51cm x 26cm.)

From what I’ve been able to gather (Epiphone doesn’t actually list this instrument on their website,) the Les Paul Custom Silverburst is a limited edition guitar whose main stand-out feature is its decidedly slick “Silverburst” finish – that, and the fact that it sells for around $600.

IMHO this is one of the best looking LPs to come down the line in ages, which is surprising when you consider that it’s not even a true Gibson. The price is pretty impressive too.

Besides that amazing finish, the Les Paul Custom Silverburst sports deluxe 5-ply binding all around (top, back & headstock,) a carved alder top, a pair of chrome humbuckers, and of course matching chrome hardware.

The Epiphone Les Paul Custom Silverburst LE Features–

• Carved Alder Top
• Mahogany Back
• Mahogany Neck
• Rosewood Fingerboard With 22 Frets
• Two Humbucker Pickups
• Two Volume & Two Tone Controls
• 3-Way Pickup Switching
• Bound Fingerboard
• 4-Ply Pickguard

You can take this with a grain of salt, but I have no idea how long this limited edition is running, so if you’re actually thinking about picking one of these up you might want to get on it.

Fender apparently got the inspiration for their B-Bender Tele from the custom instruments used by some of Nashville’s most popular guitarists, and its stand-out feature is an innovative string-bending mechanism that allows for surprisingly realistic pedal steel-type effects by way of bending the high-B string.

If you don’t believe me, listen to their sample.

To top-off that steel guitar sound the Nashville B-Bender sports a pair of American Tele single-coil pickups matched with an extra-twangy Texas Special Strat pickup — all tied together with Fender’s 5-way Strat-o-Tele switching system.

The American Nashville B-Bender Telecaster Features—

• Poplar Body
• Maple Neck
• Maple Fretboard Wirh 22 Frets
• Dual American Tele Single-Coils
• One Texas Special Strat Single-Coil
• Master Volume & Tone Controls
• 5-Way Strat-o-Tele Pickup Switching:
• Fender/Schaller Deluxe Staggered Tuners
• Pearloid Pickguard
• Rolled Fretboard Edges
• B-Bender String Bending System

This one comes with an included molded case, and is available in black or 3-color sunburst finish - though the sunburst will set you back an extra $50.

While the Tennessee Special may not be nearly as affordable as the afore mentioned Electromatic, that’s because it has a lot more to offer, including a beautifully finished arched maple top, authentic Gretsch/Bigsby vibrato tailpiece, Grover “Stay Tite” tuners (a must for serious string-benders like myself), and a pair of High Sensitive Filtertron pickups.

This beauty is a true twang-lover’s dream.

The Gretsch G6119SP Tennessee Special Features—

• Arched Laminated Maple Top
• Laminated Maple Back & Sides
• Maple Neck
• Ebony Fingerboard With 22 Frets
• Dual High-Sensitive FilterTron Pickups
• Master Volume Plus Individual Volume Controls
• 3-Way Master Tone Switching
• 3-Way Pickup Switching
• New “Rocking” Bar Bridge
• Gretsch/Bigsby B6C Vibrato
• V98C Stay-Tite Tuners
• Multiple Body Bindings,
• Adjustable Truss Rod

And as would be expected for this price range, the Tennessee Special comes with a Deluxe Hard Case… all the better for protecting your sizable musical investment, and that beautiful “Deep Cherry” stained finish.

Trust me, the first scratch is always the hardest…

Yeah, it may not be an authentic Fender, but Squier makes a very decent guitar considering its sub-$300 price range, and the Satin Trans Fat Strat HH is actually fairly loaded - it includes a pair of chrome covered humbuckers, a synchronous tremolo unit, and unlike a number of Squier’s other guitars it’s got a real mahogany body — not that agathis stuff.

And while looks aren’t everything, the transparent satin finish on these guitars belies their incredibly low price-point.

The Squire Satin Trans Fat Stratocaster HH Features—

• Real Mahogany Body
• Maple Neck (“C” Shaped)
• Rosewood Fretboard With 22 frets
• Dual Duncan Humbuckers
• Master Volume & Two Tone Controls
• 3-Way Pickup Switching
• Twin-Pivot Tremolo
• ‘60s Over-Sized Headstock
• Pearloid Inlays
• Chrome Bridge & Saddles

Comes in three unique transparent finishes: crimson, ebony, and sunset orange.

The Zemaitis GZ-3500MF (metal-front) actually sports a hand-engraved Duralumin top (not to mention matching truss-rod cover, tailpiece, etc.) and a bunch of other unique goodies, like a pair of DiMarzio DP103 pickups which have been filed down for a “brushed-chrome” effect, multi-coat hand-lacquered & hand-polished finish, and even a solid Honduran Mahogany body.

Of course, none of this comes cheap… most “boutique” guitar dealers don’t list prices on their websites, but the single quote I did manage to find was in the $4,000 range. Ouch!

The Zemaitis GZ-3500MF Features–

• Hand-Engraved Duralumin Top
• Honduran Mahogany Body & neck
• Ebony Fretboard With Either 22 or 24 Frets
• Dual DiMarzio DP103 Pickups
• Two Tone & Volume Controls
• 3-Way Pickup Switching
• Schaller M6 Tuning Machines
• Solid Duralumin Bridge & Tailpiece
• 25“ (635mm) Scale Length

Now if I could just get my greedy little hands on one of these beauties – lets see, if I save five-dollars a day for…

These are truly gorgeous guitars, though I have to warn you, the price tag for the L-5 CES isn’t for the faint of heart — you could easily spend over $7,000 on one.

Still, there’s a method to the madness: rumor has it that the high-grade of spruce and maple used on this instrument is becoming quite scarce, allowing for only a handful of these guitars to be made each year. On top of that the L-5 is literally bound from head to foot; including neck, body, f-hole, and even peghead binding.

The Gibson L-5 CES Features—

• High-Grade Carved Spruce Top
• High-Grade Maple Back & Sides
• High-Grade Walnut & Maple Neck
• Ebony Fretboard With 20 Frets
• Pearl Dot Inlays
• Schaller Tuning Machines
• Dual ‘57 Classic Humbucker Pickups
• Two Volume & Two Tone Controls
• 3-Way Pickup Switching
• ABR-1 Ebony-Base Bridge
• L-5 Tailpiece
• Gold Hardware

And the L-5 CES includes a Gibson hard case, and comes in natural, wine, ebony, and natural sunburst finishes.

I’m not really sure how popular this guitar will prove to be in the long run… I’m of the impression that many people love the Telecaster precisely because of its no-nonsense style and durability – I know I do – but I could be wrong.

The Aerodyne Telecaster does have some really nice new features, including cream-colored body binding (a nice touch, ) a vintage-styled single-coil soapbar pickup at the neck, and a sexy new carved–radius top. From what I’ve read the Vintage Style pickups are fairly noisy, but then that just comes with the pedigree…

The Fender Aerodyne Telecaster Features–

• Basswood Body
• Maple Neck (C-Shaped)
• Rosewood Fretboard With 22 Frets
• Single-Coil Soapbar Pickup At The Neck
• Single-Coil Tele Pickup At The Bridge
• Master Volume& Tone Controls
• 3-Way Pickup Switching
• Rear-Mounted Controls
• Matching Headstock With Silver Logo
• Cream Body Binding
• Knurled Chrome Control Knobs

Let me know if you’ve played one of these – I’d love to hear your thoughts.