Intro As long-time readers of this blog may remember, in early 2007 I began a “Quest For The Perfect Strat,” with the sole intention of digging up the best combination of playability, affordability, looks, and tone that Fender had to offer in the way of vintage-style Stratocasters.

Having had a life-long love affair with the company’s simple but versatile Tele––and somehow managing to go some 20+ years without ever owning a Strat––I decided early on that I would skip the many worthy clones on the market, and keep my efforts trained on the real deal: the Fender Stratocaster.

Because there’s really no such thing as a “perfect” guitar, and the readers of this blog alone make up a huge cross section of popular guitar-playing styles and techniques, my quest has been not so much to find “the” perfect Strat, but the Strat that best suits my own personal tastes and needs… or to put it perhaps more succinctly: when reading this review keep in mind that as always, your mileage may vary.

After more than a year of searching through big-box guitar stores and pawn shops alike, I’m happy to report that Fender is producing some particularly gorgeous instruments at *subjectively* reasonable prices right now (if you’re willing to dig around a bit,) and that I found my own little piece of heaven in a 3-tone Sunburst “Limited Dealer Run” Thin Skin ‘62 Stratocaster Re-Issue––one of just 180 produced.

This thing is stunning…

Specs

• Comfort-contoured Alder body
• 1-piece “C” shaped Maple neck with nitro finish (25.5“ scale length)
• Rosewood fretboard with 21 Medium Jumbo 6105 frets (7.25” radius)
• Three American Vintage ‘62 Strat single-coil pickups (w/aged covers)
• Master volume and two tone controls
• 3-way pickup switching (5-way pickup switch included)
• American Vintage Synchronized Tremolo w/“Ash Tray” bridge cover
• Fender/Gotoh vintage-style tuners
• Chrome hardware
• 3-ply Mint Green pickguard
• 3-tone Sunburst “Thin Skin” nitrocellulose finish
• Limited Edition backplate
• Deluxe brown hardshell case (orange plush interior,) strap, and cable

What I Liked Oh the tone… like the production-model American Vintage ‘62 Strat reissue, this “Thin Skin” beauty very commendably captures the sound and feel of a real vintage Stratocaster circa the 1960s––minus the heart-cluching price tag and cosmetic wear & tear of course.

In fact, if you’re already enamored of the ‘62 Strats then keeping an eye out for a thin skin model is pretty much a no-brainer. Many of the classier guitar joints get “Dealer Run” limited editions on a regular basis, and they are often priced competitively with the standard production models that they’re based on.

Two of my favorite retailers are Music Zoo and Music Machine (no affiliation, folks,) but there are any number of others you might want to peruse on a regular basis.

The two big selling points on this particular instrument are, surprise, surprise, the same two things that I had found lacking from Fender’s American Vintage ‘62 Strat reissue (a guitar I really loved nonetheless) ––the “Thin Skin” comes already upgraded with a set of comfy Medium Jumbo 6105 frets (those skinny vintage wires just don’t feel good to my fingers,) and of course the whole thing is decked out in a very thin nitrocellulose finish, causing it to age quickly and beautifully, and sing like nobody’s business.

As I stated in my earlier review, if you’ve ever doubted the tonal effects that a quality nitro finish can have on a guitar, then I dare say you haven’t spent enough quality time with a nitro-finished Strat––let alone a thin skin. There’s a singing richness to the sound that simply can’t be replicated by a poly-coated guitar… at least not to my ears.

And those fatter, taller 6105 fret wires add a bit of extra sustain to an instrument that already seems to wail unendingly. They’re also far more comfortable for those of us who like to bend strings to the moon and back, and feel particularly solid when chunking out big jazz chords and comping up and down the neck.

With these two added features out of the way (oh yes, and a Limited Edition backplate,) the Thin Skin ‘62 Strat stays pretty much true to its Production Run predecessor.

The guitar is loaded with a trio of Fender’s reissue American Vintage ‘62 Strat single-coil pickups, and these things do a very impressive (if noisy) job of re-creating that warm, organic, early ’60s Strat punch. Mid-tones are emphasized, and the traditional Strat “quack” is there in spades. As is to be expected, the bridge pickup is a bit more biting than I personally find useful, but once again: your mileage may vary.

From snarling Hendrix-style chord chaos to gut-aching blues and twang, the Thin Skin ‘62 is both highly versatile and impressively true to that vintage Stratocaster sound––shimmering highs, fat and round lows, and a truly walloping mid-section make for a thick full tone that’s difficult, if not impossible, to adequately explain.

As far as playability is concerned, the Thin Skin ‘62 Strat is everything you could want it to be… provided you like a vintage feeling guitar (like I do!)––the highly curved vintage 7.25“ fretboard radius makes for easy chording and vamping, but if you’re a serious string bender (who isn’t?) you’ll probably need to ride that action fairly high. With that kind of curve in the neck you are bound to fret-out a bit above the 12th fret otherwise.

Of course, this is true-to-form for a vintage Strat, and for folks who like their guitar to fight back a bit it’s no big thing, but if you’re a speed demon who prefers his action low and fast then you’ll probably want to look elsewhere––a vintage-style Strat just isn’t going to float your boat.

Neckwise, the ”Thin Skin“ is armed with what is easily my favorite Fender neck profile: the Vintage ”C“ shape. Now, neck preference is a very personal thing, but time and again I’ve found the vintage ”C“ to be wonderfully contoured for my own playing style, hand size, and finger length… it just feels good in my hands.

Tuners are solid, the six-point vintage tremolo is surprisingly dependable, and even with string trees on the headstock I have found this guitar to have fewer tuning issues than any electric I’ve owned in the last 20 years. For blues it’s a true godsend.

Last but not least, the ”Thin Skin“ ‘62 Stratocaster is about as handsome a guitar as you’re going to find. Beyond its tonal value, the thin Nitrocellulose finish on these beauties is absolutely stunning just on looks alone. Gone is the thick, plastic-like gloss of polyurethane––this bad boy is imbued with a subtle, almost matte-style sheen that wonderfully accentuates the natural wood pattern beneath.

On top of that, a ”mint green“ pickguard matched with aged plastic parts (including switch tip and pickup covers,) makes for a throughly vintage vibe all around. The Deluxe brown Tolex hardshell case brings the package full circle with a funky orange plush interior and old-school Fender good looks.

What I Didn’t Like Surprisingly, my only complaint after many months of constant playing is that the Thin Skin ‘62 Stratocaster, like pretty much all vintage-style Strats, has a propensity to hum and buzz like nobody’s business.

Why a world class guitar behemoth like Fender doesn’t bother to supply better shielding in its instruments is anyone’s guess, but luckily for us, adopting the much less noise-prone wiring of the popular Quieting The Beast modification is fairly straight-forward business… provided you’ve got a few soldering chops and an afternoon you can safely set aside for pulling your guitar apart.

It’s a shame that this fairly basic wiring scheme hasn’t been introduced into any of Fender’s guitars, but I definitely wouldn’t let this one ”true to the time period“ flaw get in the way of purchasing such an otherwise amazing instrument.

Other than a bit of noise I have no reservations about this guitar––it does what it does, exceedingly well, and at a surprisingly decent price point. What’s not to love?

Final Word In the end, the Limited Edition ”Thin Skin“ ‘62 Stratocaster Re-Issue takes an already great thing (the production model American Vintage ‘62 Strat,) and makes it truly shine––all for a price well below that of very comparable Custom Shop models.

Sure, you could pay a few thousand more for a pre-worn-in Relic, but why bother when you can get a ”Thin Skin“ model that should age quickly and gracefully on its own, and for a surprisingly reasonable price of just less than $1500.

If you can find one, grab it––these things are a steal…

First off, while you should never judge a book by its cover, or a guitar by its finish, I have to say that the ‘67 SG Special Reissue P-90 is just a drop-dead gorgeous instrument from top to bottom.

The heritage cherry finish is stunning, with the actual tint falling somewhere between coffee brown and orange. The guitar’s mahogany body shows a fine but subtle wood grain beneath a lacquer finish, and the simple dot inlays give the instrument a classic, bare bones look.

Fit and finish is all top-notch, as I’ve come to expect from Gibson, but unfortunately (as I’ve also come to expect from the big G,) set-up from the factory left quite a bit to be desired.

Nothing that I’d consider a deal breaker, mind you, but my new guitar came with the intonation completely out of whack, and the the factor-installed strings binding badly at the nut, making the instrument nearly impossible to tune.

Still, a new set of strings, a bit of lubrication at the nut, and a few minutes tweaking saddle-lengths at the bridge had me up and running fairly quickly––and with very excellent results.

The Goods  The ‘67 SG Special sports a thick but comfy ’60s profile neck, and it is fast, smooth, and surprisingly easy on the hands. I played this thing for a number of hours when I first pulled it out of its case, and I’m happy to report that I didn’t suffer from any unruly hand fatigue at all.

Tone wise, GOTW #37 is a monster… if you like the thick, powerful growl of P-90s then you will definitely enjoy the pickups on this beast.

With humbuckers I tend to stay at the neck position, but I’ve found that with the intense mid-range on the P-90s, the neck position is just a tad too throaty for my liking. Playing in mid-position (with both pickups howling,) serves up just the perfect amount of bite and bark.

In fact, punched into the high-gain input, the red-hot pickups on the ‘67 SG Special throw my amp right into pure, creamy, overdriven tube heaven.

Be that as it may, the guitar cleans up well, and offers a versatile selection of thick tones for jazz, funk, or softer blues.

Of course, it all comes packed in a surprisingly light and petite Gibson hard case––actually, it looks absolutely tiny propped against the wall next to the huge vintage case of my ‘62 Strat.

Anyway, so far I’m quite impressed with my new guitar, and besides the bad set-up, the ‘67 SG Special Reissue P-90 is everything I’d hoped it would be.

I’ll try to get some photos up soon…

Peavey’s entire Windsor line continues to garner great reviews, and I’m happy to see that Jarrod’s experience was no exception––with boutique Class A’s running in the thousands of dollars, it seems incredible that Peavey is selling these beauties for just under $400.

Thanks again, Jarrod. And without further ado…

Before the Purchase

I had been in the market for a new amplifier for a few months, as my Fender Blues Junior just wasn’t cutting it for me anymore. The Fender had a nice smooth tube sound, but tended to record very mid-dy, could not achieve a very high gain (not that it was supposed to), and had a broken reverb unit. The things I was looking for in an amp were:

A. A single 12“ speaker
B. A recording line out
C. The ability to get a good crunch at low volumes
D. A sub $500 price tag

Tubes were optional, although I had grown to love the gritty tube break-up sound. But I started playing guitar in the 80’s where a solid state Crate was all the rage. I do lots of home recording at all hours (hence the low volume requirement) , and play a handful of live gigs on electric guitar. I am a songwriter before a guitarist, so you must excuse the poor playing in the following audio clips. :)

I tested out and/or researched quite a few amps before I settled on the Peavey. A few Fenders which were all OK but didn’t blow me away. A Line 6 Spider that had tons of features but the tone just sounded… well, fake. A Mesa Boogie that was too high gain for my liking, a Vox Valvetronix that wasn’t bad but had too many buttons, etc… I read the description of the Peavey Windsor and thought ”Wow, that sounds exactly like what I’ve been looking for!“ The only downer is that no stores in my area stocked it, so I had to order it unplayed.

Plugging In

I got the amp three days later and unboxed it. The first thing I noticed is that it was much bigger than my Blues Junior. However it wasn’t too heavy and the handle seemed very sturdy AND comfortable. I plugged it in and let it warm up for a minute in standby (a feature my Fender did not have).  When I turned it on, I got a few weird hums and pops (the power tube wasn’t properly seated, an easy fix with no more problems). 

The first thing I noticed upon hitting a chord is that this guy has ALOT more gain than my Fender did. With the ”pre“ volume on 4 and master only on 1, I got quite a bit of crunch. I had to have the ”pre“ on 8 or 9 on my previous amp to get this sound.

Another immediate sound difference I noticed was the decrease in bass from my old amp. The Windsor is an open backed amp, so I had to crank the bass up to 11 (12 is the max) to get the sound I like. I tried the reverb, and while it at least worked, it really leaves something to be desired. It just sounded kind of cheap and ineffective. Luckily, I normally don’t use much reverb, or at least add it in later on recordings.

The amp also comes with a footswitchable ”preamp boost“ (no footswitch is included, although I had a generic one lying around) which I was excited about for live playing. However, I was initially disappointed with the boost. I had a great tone going before the boost but the instant I hit the switch, it’s like someone turned the Mid control up to 100. There is no way to adjust the EQ of the boost (it’s not a separate channel), so you either like it or you don’t. The good news is the first time I played the amp live, the boost sounded PERFECT. I guess Peavey knew what they were doing after all. For studio playing, I find myself always using the amp non boosted, which can get you some amazing tones.

A Closer Look

There are a couple of cool features on this amp I haven’t discussed. The first is an XLR out with built-in mic simulator. This can be used for recording or put into a PA system, but it does not silence or change the tone of the amp (in theory). That’s good, but what if I do want silent recording?

That leads me to my next feature, which is my favorite thing about the amp: the Power Sponge. This is basically the same feature that the Princeton Recording Amp has (for $600 more). It allows you to turn the actual volume down as low as you want without affecting your tone at all. So you can run your XLR out to a recorder while basically silencing your amp (it won’t 100% silence it, but it’s so quiet it wouldn’t wake a sleeping baby in the same room).

I’ve found that the Power Sponge seems to do almost nothing until it gets close to 20% power, then it rapidly decreases the volume. When I do this & record with the XLR out, I said it doesn’t change the amps tone ”in theory“. What I mean by that is the mic simulator DOES give you a different sound, but it is more in the EQ than the tone. The sound in my recorder is deeper and bassier than what was previously coming out of my speaker.

The last feature is one that tubeheads will really like: the ability to interchange power tubes from  EL34 (stock), to 6L6GC, 6550, 6CA7, KT88, KT66, KT77, KT90, or KT100. I haven’t yet changed the tube, but this is an exciting possibility.

Sound Clips

I recorded a few clips with two different guitars to give you a taste of the amp. They were recorded up close with a Zoom H2 recorder and sound a bit thin to me (I guess due to where the recorder was placed), but fairly realistic. The first four clips are recorded with a PRS CE22, the last two clips with a Fender American Deluxe HSS Strat.

1 - PRS - Preamp volume on 3.
2 - PRS - Preamp volume on 4 and footswitch ”boost“ added in the middle.
3 - PRS - Preamp volume on 8.
4 - PRS - Clean with reverb.
5 - Strat - Preamp volume on 4 and footswitch ”boost“ added near the end.
6 - Strat - Preamp volume on 6.

Overall

Although it’s not the worlds best amplifier, I feel that for under $400 you’d be hard pressed to find a more versatile and feature packed tube combo amp.

Sure, it could use some work on the Power Sponge adjustment, maybe pull back the gain a bit in the preamp, and a complete reverb overhaul, but these are things I can live with.

This is a great amp for someone (like me) who wants one multi-purpose amp to use for recording and small to mid-sized gigs. It may not have the power of a vintage Twin Reverb or the gain of a Dual Rectifier, but it hands down beats both of those amps in sheer versatility.

I’d been in the market for an envelope filter for more than a few months when Godlyke approached me about reviewing their new Guyatone Optical effects pedals… so needless to say I just couldn’t resist taking them for a test drive.

For those of you who aren’t already acquainted with this latest line of effects from Guyatone, the Ultron Auto Wah and Ultrem Tremolo are hybrid analog/digital stomp-boxes that promise the warmth of a 100% analog signal chain paired with the the accuracy and versatility of digital controllers… I’m happy to say they deliver decidedly well on both fronts.

Designed in part by renowned engineer Hideko Shimizu––who unfortunately passed away before the Optical Series reached its final design stages––the pedals were initially meant to be simple vintage-style optical effects (think Mu-tron III) but luckily for us, the “Opticals” would ultimately become high-end units capable of far more in the way of great guitar tone than their venerable predecessors could have ever dreamed of.

Ultron Optical Auto Wah  Picking up where the Mu-tron III left off, and then just running with it, the Guyatone Ultron is one seriously dangerous envelope filter––while many auto-wah type effects are built to do just one thing well, the Ultron is an entirely different kind of animal… it’s absolutely loaded with sonic possibilities.

In fact, the list of features is so incredibly long that at first glance the pedal can seem almost daunting in its options, but I found that spending just a few minutes with the included manual got me fully acquainted with the Ultron’s basic control layout. In no time at all I was creating very memorable tones, from classic wah-wah effects to downright spacey experimental stuff.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have an expression pedal on-hand to test out the Ultron’s “Pedal Wah” functionality (yep, it can function as a traditional, if highly tweakable, wah pedal,) but the other two effect types––Touch Wah, and Wave Wah––worked flawlessly, and offered the kind of variables you’d usually only expect from a rack-mount unit.

Exactly what kind of variables? Well, you’ve got access to Low-Pass, High-Pass, Band-Pass, and Notch filter effects via a rotary dial, not to mention a Threshold control, Frequency control, Peak control, and three top-mounted dip switches, which include a Range switch (M, H, and L,) Drive switch (for switching the travel direction of the wah effect,) and a TAP/PDL switch for adjusting the Speed ratio in Tap mode, or the Volume curve when using an expression pedal.

As if that weren’t enough, in Wave Wah mode (which produces effects via the Ultron’s digital oscillator) you’ve got access to not only six different wave forms––allowing for an incredibly wide range of tonal possibilities––but also a highly accurate tap-tempo mode, which makes syncing-up envelope effects to the tempo of your tunes a real breeze.

Where the Ultron really shines though is in Touch Wah mode… this is the classic Auto-Wah effect, which produces envelope filtering based on your picking attack.

Needless to say, any effect that varies its parameters based on your own playing dynamics is going to take some time to master, but trust me when I say it’s well worth the effort… the Ultron easily produces the kind of squashy, rhythmic wah effect that would make any funk aficionado smile.

I particularly enjoyed experimenting with the Ultron’s Drive switch––in UP mode it offers straight-up traditional wah functionality, but in DOWN mode you can coax your guitar into all kinds of crazy space-age lounge tones circa the 1970s. Mmmm, this is really good stuff.

Of course, Guyatone has armed the Ultron with True Bypass circuitry, ensuring your guitar’s tone will stay pristine when the effect isn’t in use, and like its sister pedal the Ultrem, this bad boy is packed into a truly road-worthy chassis––the pedal was definitely built to last.

Overall, the Guyatone Ultron is easily one of our favorite envelope filters to-date––with a 100% analog signal path, and a staggering number of customizable parameters on-board, the Ultron truly brings new meaning to the word versatile. If you’re in the market for an auto-wah that’s head and shoulders above the rest, you’ll definitely want to give the Ultron a look.

Ultrem Optical Tremolo  Of course, the Ultrem is no slouch either… just as loaded with options as the Ultron––and capable of actually syncing up to its sibling pedal via those digital oscillators––the Ultrem offers all the old-school analog tremolo you’ve ever dreamt of, along with a host of new options you didn’t even know you wanted.

In fact, in spite of its numerous options, I think you’ll find that once you’ve got a hang of the Guyatone Ultron pedal you’ll have no problem at all finding your way around the Ultrem––both boxes are built around the same hybrid analog/ditigal technology, and both boast very similar control layouts, so while they produce vastly different effects, your skills at tweaking one pedal should easily translate to mastery of the other.

Once again you’ve got easy access to six different wave forms, multiple tremolo effects modes (Wave Tap, Momentary Wave, and various Expression Pedal modes,) and numerous other options, including tap-tempo, Pan and Blend switches, and the incredibly cool Saturation knob, which allows you to dial in a bit of distortion to better emulate the tonal characteristics of classic tube driven tremolo units.

Added extras include both Mono & Stereo outputs (a must-have for truly great tremolo effects,) and like the Ultron, a big, bright red LED display. Oh yeah, and there’s an Expression Pedal input jack for bringing control of your Ultrem’s parameters right to your… toe tips?

Tone-wise the Ultrem is an absolute no-brainer––if you’re enamored at all with vintage-style tube amp tremolo you’ll be more than satisfied with what the Ultrem can do for your guitar’s tone… not only does the Ultrem bring authentic optical tremolo to any guitar player’s rig, but the wide array of wild tremolo effects that it offers will keep even the most die-hard gearhead happily tweaking knobs and switches for weeks to come.

Final Word  All in all, it’s easy to recommend either of Guyatone’s Optical Effects Pedals––by themselves, the Ultron and Ultrem are very formidable stompboxes, but side by side I’d say they’re as close to an unbeatable pair as you’re likely to find.

Early on I was told that Guyatone’s pedals were all about warm, organic, analog tone, and I have to say that I wasn’t at all disappointed… these are great pedals, with gorgeous tone, and either one would make a worthy edition to your effects arsenal.

Now check out these sound samples––

EGR Sound Samples
Recorded direct via Line 6 GearBox

• Ultron - Talking Slow
• Ultron - Kinda’ Jazzy
• Ultron - Reverse Wah
• Ultrem - Distorted Sweep
• Ultrem - Picking
• Ultron & Ultrem - One-Take Spacy

Intro First introduced in 1998, and in constant production ever since, the American Vintage ‘62 Stratocaster is a reissue of Fender’s now classic and highly sought after ‘62 Strat––one of the true watershed instruments in Fender’s illustrious arsenal of six-strings.

Comfort-contoured, with a traditional Alder body, and Maple neck––not to mention an old-school nitro finish––the ‘62 Stratocaster reissue really feels and looks the part of a true vintage instrument, albeit without the incredibly comfy “worn-in” vibe of the real thing… and without the aged wood.

With vintage Strats circa the 1960s running in the tens of thousands of dollars, it’s no wonder that the American Vintage ‘62 Stratocaster remains so popular. For about $1400 you get a very reasonable facsimile of a guitar from Fender’s glory years, minus the heart-stopping price tag.

The guitar also happens to play like a dream.

Specs

• Comfort-contoured Alder body
• “C” shaped Maple neck with nitro finish (25.5“ scale length)
• Rosewood fretboard with 21 vintage-style frets (7.25” radius)
• Three American Vintage ‘62 Strat single-coil pickups (w/aged white covers)
• Master volume and two tone controls
• 3-way pickup switching (5-way pickup switch included)
• American Vintage Synchronized Tremolo w/“Ash Tray” bridge cover
• Fender/Gotoh vintage-style tuners
• Chrome hardware
• 3-ply Mint Green pickguard

The guitar ships with a Deluxe brown hardshell case, vintage-style guitar strap and cable, and a Meguiar’s “Mist and Wipe” kit. It also sports a nitrocellulose lacquer finish, and is available in Olympic White, Black, Ocean Turquoise, Surf Green, Ice Blue Metallic, and of course 3-Color Sunburst (shown here, and costing an extra $50.00.)

What I Liked Tone, tone, tone… the American Vintage ‘62 Strat reissue does a very competent job capturing the sound and feel of a real vintage Stratocaster.

Is it a perfect recreation? Of course not. But short of shelling out a small fortune on an early ’60s Strat, or at the least dropping three or four Gs on a Custom Shop “Relic” model, you’re not going to get any closer than this––and this, in my mind, is as close as most of us will ever need to get.

If you’ve ever doubted the tonal effects that a quality nitro finish can have on a guitar––as opposed to the suffocating effects of pulyurethane––than I dare say you haven’t spent enough quality time with a nitro-finished Strat. There’s a singing richness to the sound of both the ‘62 reissue, and its sibling the ‘57 reissue, that simply can’t be replicated by a poly-coated guitar.

Add to this the classic tone of Fender’s reissue American Vintage ‘62 Strat single-coil pickups (they’re punchy, with a bit more emphasis on the mid-tones and a heckuva’ lot of “quack”,) and you get a guitar that just oozes with that warm, organic, early ’60s Strat sound.

Throw down some sweet fuzz and you can easily reach into “little wing” territory––mad Hendrix chops not withstanding––or plug her straight into your tube amp for anything from shimmering but deep clean tones, to dirty, guttural blues.

Of course, in the name of historical accuracy the ‘62 Strat reissue comes with a traditional 3-way pickup switch already installed, but Fender was smart enough to include a 5-way switch as well for those who prefer the ease-of-use of the latter. And in case you’re wondering, yeah, swapping out the 3-way is a breeze if you’re comfortable at all with a soldering iron. This is really basic stuff.

Playability-wise the American Vintage ‘62 Strat is right where it should be… with a heavily curved vintage 7.25“ fretboard radius, chording is particularly comfortable pretty much across the neck, though if you like to bend strings (and who doesn’t!) you’ll find you need to run your action a bit high to avoid fretting out above the 12th fret.

This is perfectly true-to-form for a vintage Strat, of course, and for those of us who prefer to ”dig in“ a bit during solos it’s no big thang, but if you like your action low and fast then you probably shouldn’t be looking at a vintage-style Stratocaster at all––they simply weren’t built for it.

In my own humble opinion the vintage ”C“ shaped neck that Fender uses on their ‘62 reissue is about as comfortable as necks get… not too fat, not too thin, and perfectly contoured for my hand. But as I always say, neck preference is a very personal thing. This one may or may not be for you, but for me it’s a dream.

When it comes to hardware, this guitar performs impressively well. The six-point vintage tremolo runs smooth, and seems to be particularly dependable. Even with string trees on the headstock, and a full six points of contact with the body, I never experienced any tuning issues with the ‘62 Strat.

Likewise, the tuners on this thing are absolutely solid. To be honest, if there was going to be trouble with the hardware this is where I expected to find it, but much to my surprise I had no problems with string slippage or other tuning nightmares. In fact, when it comes to tuning stability the guitar performed as well as any I’ve played.

Moving on to aesthetics, well, the American Vintage ‘62 Stratocaster is pretty much all that you could ask for if you’re enamored of the vintage vibe of a real early-’60s era Strat. Beyond its tonal value, the Nitrocellulose finish on these beauties is absolutely stunning just for looks. It doesn’t carry the hard plasticy shine of polyurethane, but instead exudes a subtle sheen that really accentuates the intricacies of the wood pattern beneath.

Being Nitro, that finish is going to age much more gracefully than Polyurethane––and indeed, over time the nitro will actually begin to react to the chemicals in your own skin, subtly shifting the colors of the guitar in completely unique ways. This is one of the reasons that original guitars from the early days of rock and roll look so incredibly cool today––every single instrument is a piece of art in itself.

The ’62s vintage vibe is rounded out with a “mint green” pickguard (really nice touch,) and aged plastic parts, including switch tip and pickup covers.

What I Didn’t Like While there isn’t a whole lot to dislike about the American Vintage ‘62 Stratocaster, I suppose I have a few minor gripes…

Though accurate to the time period, those skinny vintage fret wires aren’t something I would choose to put my fingers through if I didn’t have to. Certainly, thin frets are something you can adapt to, but my own feeling is that they just aren’t all that comfortable––heck, it’s one of the reasons that many big players who can afford to purchase real vintage Strats for actual playing purposes end up re-fretting as a first step.

Of course, you can’t fault Fender… the guitar is, after all, meant to be an accurate recreation of an already classic instrument.

The other obvious shortcoming of just about any old-school Stratocaster is its propensity to hum and buzz, and the American Vintage ‘62 Strat is certainly no exception. Personally, I’ve never understood why Fender didn’t supply better shielding in its instruments, let alone adopt the much less noise-prone wiring of the popular Quieting The Beast modification.

In the end, while the ‘62 reissue can be noisy, I certainly wouldn’t let that stop me from purchasing one of these otherwise excellent instruments. The mod mentioned above can pretty much erase most humming issues, and ultimately, well, a Strat will be a Strat.

A little bit of noise is nothing to be afraid of.

Final Word Ultimately, the American Vintage ‘62 Stratocaster is a very formidable guitar, offering the vintage look, feel, and general mojo of an early ’60s era Strat at a price that’s literally tens of thousands of dollars less than a vintage original.

While it may not satisfy the top-shelf guitar collectors out there, folks who actually play their guitars will find that the ‘62 re-issue offers a huge amount of guitar for a very small price tag. With a street price of around $1400 it seems like a steal…

Intro The Phaseomatic Deluxe is boutique effects company Effectrode’s handsome new photo-optical vacuum tube phase shifter.

Like something straight out of an old Sci-Fi film, this imposingly sturdy little stomp-box features the kind of retro-50’s styling that would look right at home perched on top of your grandfather’s old television console, or perhaps mounted in the cockpit of a WWII-era fighter plane.

But don’t let the old-school look fool you––the phaseomatic produces tones that are just as inspiring today as they were when vacuum tubes were the mainstay of audio electronics. If anything, Effectrode has built a pedal that far outperforms many of the rather lifeless digital phase-shifting products on the market today.

What I Liked  Spend a few minutes with the Phaseomatic and you’ll quickly realize that this is one pedal that has truly earned its “Deluxe” moniker. Far more than just a standard phase shifter, the Phaseomatic easily produces very convincing Chorus, Tremolo, and even “Leslie” Rotating Speaker effects––and all with gorgeous 100% tube tone.

Call me a purist, but to my ears digital effects simply can’t compete.

With all Class A circuitry, and a trio of 12AT7 vacuum tubes poking out of the top, Effectrode’s latest stomp-box produces the kind of warm, organic sounds that only old-school audio technology can currently offer. Enough said. And it does it without undue levels of noise or hiss, to boot.

Of course, when it comes to straight phase shifting effects, the Phaseomatic Deluxe truly excels––whether you’re looking for wide, epic phasing sweeps, or short electrical surges, you can pretty much dial-up any kind of sound you could imagine or require.

Easy-access Width, Speed, and Blend controls are all available via classic chicken head knobs on the top of the unit, while a toggle switch allows you to quickly change between Normal & Metallic resonance modes––Metallic mode producing a much more dramatic effect, and being particularly effective when used in combination with slower Speed settings.

As if all of that weren’t enough to keep you very, very busy, the Phaseomatic offers yet more customizable settings in the form of six different wave shapes, including Triangle (the pedal’s default,) Sine, Square, Rise, Fall, and Stepped.

Each wave shape offers an entirely unique blend of tones, and it’s here that you can begin to explore the nearly limitless possibilities of this pedal… at higher modulation rates the Triangle form produces watery chorus-like effects, while playing around with the Square wave can take you straight into classic Vibrato/Tremolo territory. With a bit of experimenting you can even deviate into some outrageously pulsating Sci-Fi type flying saucer effects.

Somehow, all of these effects come out warm and full, and absolutely teaming with life.

And while “tone” may be everything when it comes to guitar effects, the good folks at Effectrode didn’t just stop there––the Phaseomatic simply drips with retro style. Chalk it up to sentimentality, but I’ve come to realize that there’s something incredibly appealing about watching those three vacuum tubes warm up to a healthy orange glow.

On top of that, the pedal is just built like a tank.

What I Didn’t Like Ironically, perhaps the Phaseomatic’s only downside is its incredible versatility. Due to the unit’s footswitchable wave forms––which are accessed by powering off the pedal, powering it back on, and then clicking the footswitch during the one-minute warm-up period––you can quite easily get lost in its myriad settings.

While there are great tones to be had in all wave forms, it can be a bit frustrating if you lose track of which wave form you’re currently in, particularly if you’re trying to dial-up a favorite setting from a previous session.

Of course, the unit I got for review was a prototype, so I’d say there’s still time for Effectrode to correct this one minor glitch––perhaps via a rotary dial. Come to think of it, even just a multi-colored LED would go a long way towards keeping users oriented.

Final Word Effectrode’s Phaseomatic Deluxe is a truly versatile pedal capable of producing a multitude of high-quality effects to bolster your guitar’s tonal palate.

If you’ve found yourself in the market for a one-trick-pony phase shifter, the Phaseomatic may not be a perfect fit, but for tube aficionados who enjoy endlessly tweaking their tone, this badass little stomp-box has far more to offer than your average phaser.

In fact, I’d go so far as to say that if you had to purchase just one effects pedal for all of your guitar’s Phase Shifting, Chorus, and Vibrato needs, the Phaseomatic Deluxe would definitely be at the top of the list.

Solid construction, impeccable design, Class A circuitry, and a full complement of vacuum tubes ensure that your guitar’s signal will be bathed in top-shelf tone for years to come.

EGR Sound Samples
Recorded direct via Line 6 GearBox

• Phaseomatic Deluxe - Freakout
• Phaseomatic Deluxe - Pickin’
• Phaseomatic Deluxe - Reverby Western

Effectrode Sound Samples

• Phaseomatic Deluxe - Flying Saucer
• Phaseomatic Deluxe - Step Phasing
• Phaseomatic Deluxe - Overdriven Phasing
• Phaseomatic Deluxe - Falling Sawtooth
• Phaseomatic Deluxe - True Vibrato

Manufacturer: Effectrode  |  Model: Phaseomatic Deluxe  |  Contact: sales@effectrode.com  |  Web Site: www.effectrode.com

Intro The long awaited Eric Johnson Stratocaster was introduced in January of 2005, and has received accolades across the board ever since. Walk into your local music store, take one off the rack, and you’ll quickly see why. Simply put, the guitar is beautifully built, with all the vintage vibe and traditional Strat-appeal you could ask for.

With a deep-contoured, lightweight Alder body, single-piece quartersawn neck, a set of three “special design” Eric Johnson single-coil pickups, not to mention a host of other customizations, the EJ Strat feels and plays a lot more like a true Custom Shop guitar than a reasonably priced production model––but that’s exactly what it is.

The instrument was apparently designed by Custom Shop builder Michael Frank-Braun, in collaboration with Johnson himself, and the pedigree shows. For a production guitar, this thing has CS written all over it.

If you’re in the market for a truly high-quality Stratocaster with vintage styling and some modern amenities, you’ll definitely want to read on.

Specs  

• Two-piece ‘57-style lightweight Alder body
• One-piece quartersawn Maple neck (soft “V” shape, Nitro finish)
• Maple fretboard with 12“ Radius and 21 highly polished MJ frets
• Extra smooth neck-to-headstock volute
• ‘57-style body cavities and taggered vintage style tuners (no need for string tree)
• Vintage tremolo w/silver painted block and ‘57-style string recess
• Three special design Eric Johnson Pickups w/countersunk mounting screws

The guitar also sports Fender’s Thin Nitrocellulose Lacquer finish, and is available in two-color Sunburst (shown here,) Black, Candy Apple Red, and White Blonde.

Ships with a deluxe Blonde hardshell case w/black ends, a black interior, strap, and a cable.

What I Liked The big story here is what you get for your money––in the last few months I’ve spent quality time with just about every production Strat model on the market, and in my opinion the Eric Johnson Stratocaster is about as good as it gets in the sub-$2,000 price range.

Period.

Granted, depending on your neck/fretboard preference the EJ still may not be the guitar for you, and there are certainly some fantastic Strats in the $1600 range if and when you can find them––take a look at some of the ”thin-skin“ ‘62 Reissues… Mmmmm––but if you’re looking for a guitar that blends old-school Strat style & quality with a number of modern conveniences to boot, the EJ Stratocaster is at the top of the list.

Can you say resonant? Strum a few chords on the EJ Strat before you plug it in and you know you’re in for a treat––the guitar absolutely sings, even without amplification. Now I’m no luthier, but I suppose this is the effect of a top-shelf alder body paired with a true quartersawn maple neck, and perhaps even the complete lack of string trees. Whatever it is, it says loads about the quality of this guitar.

Plug it in and you’ve got a Strat that’s dripping with sustain, and a truly ear-pleasing variety of traditional yet somehow unique singlecoil Stratocaster tones. Between the three modified Custom Shop pickups, and that extra-thin Nitro finish, this thing is a veritable tone machine.

In fact, one of Johnson’s customizations––the re-wiring of the middle pickup tone control over to the bridge pickup––is one of those long-standing mods that really should at least be an option on Strats coming straight from Fender… there is very little downside to this tweak (how many of you spend time fiddling with the tone control of your middle pickup?) and the upside is a truly useable third pickup, with a darker, more punchy tone.

Another highlight of the EJ Strat is its gorgeous, vintage-tinted, Nitro-finished neck––now I’ll come right out and say that I’m not a big personal fan of the EJ’s soft ”V“ shape profile (it simply doesn’t fit right in my hands,) but I know plenty of folks who love it, and my own preference for a vintage ”C“ profile in no way diminishes the high quality and extreme playability of this neck.

I’ve read user reviews that complained of an annoying stickiness to the neck, usually attributed to the Nitrocellulose finish, but I experienced none of this myself. And while Fender’s own specs mention only ”maple“ in describing the neck material, the guitar I played boasted a beautiful flame pattern across the back of the neck and into the headstock.

When it comes to the fretboard, the Eric Johnson Strocaster steps right into modern territory––while the rest of the instrument exudes a thoroughly retro feel, the flat 12” radius fretboard makes for truly fast and accurate bends, and allows for what is arguably the lowest action I’ve come across on an otherwise vintage-style Strat.

Once again, if you’re a fan of Fender’s early, and much rounder 7.25“ neck radius (like me,) you may not take a liking to the EJ Strat’s downright flat fingerboard (we’re squarely into Les Paul territory here,) but it’s really just a matter of preference. This beauty absolutely excels at fast fret work.

Oh yeah, and forget those skinny, finger-eating vintage wires… the EJ is armed with 21 incredibly comfortable Medium Jumbo frets––the kind of modification you will find on the vintage instruments of many a serious player.

Rounding it all out, the Eric Johnson Stratocaster is just plain good to look at. All four of its available finishes––2-color Sunburst, Black, Candy Apple Red, and White Blonde––are lovely, traditional Strat colors. But on top of that, the EJ’s extra-thin Nitrocellulose finish is going to age like a fine bottle of wine––getting more complex, unique, and personal to the player as time goes by.

What I Didn’t Like To be honest, I can’t say there’s a whole lot about the Eric Johnson Stratocaster that really rubbed me the wrong way. My only issues with the guitar are ones of personal preference, and certainly not anything that could be considered a true gripe.

What stops the EJ Strat from being my perfect Strat is simply the fact that I much prefer Fender’s vintage 7.25” neck radius and comfy “C” shaped profile to the flatter 12’ radius and “soft V” profile of the EJ. These are minor issues however, and I have no qualms in stating that for many, many guitarists, the modern conveniences of the Eric Johnson Stratocaster will end up being just what the doctor ordered.

In the end, there’s really not much to dislike about this guitar.

Final Word Custom Shop quality in a production level instrument is kind of the holy grail of guitar buying, and it’s the reason that many of us can spend literally months hunting down, checking out, and madly tossing aside instruments in our search for the perfect guitar––the one that absolutely must go home with us today.

Simply put, Fender’s Eric Johnson Stratocaster is one of those guitars.

Before you blow $1200 on an American Deluxe, before you mortgage your house for that Custom Shop Relic, go out and spend some quality time with an EJ Strat––you won’t be disappointed.

:: This review is Part 4 of the series: My Quest For The Perfect Strat.

Intro Introduced in July of 2006, the upgraded Highway One Stratocaster is Fender’s least expensive American Made Strat, and as such has been highly touted as the obvious answer for those guitar players longing for American Made quality at a reasonable price.

The guitar does sport some nice amenities––including a set of suped-up “hot” singlecoil pickups (reverse wound/reverse polarity in the middle position,) a satin nitro lacquer finish, and Fender’s Greasebucket Tone Circuit––though to my mind there are some downsides to the design as well.

While the Highway One Stratocaster will undoubtedly be a perfect fit for many guitar players, especially those prone to high-gain mayhem (these pickups sounds phenomenal with a little overdrive,) I’m not afraid to tell you that the three guitars I played for this review weren’t particularly comfortable in the neck department.

Of course, your experience may vary.

Specs

• Alder body
• Maple neck (modern C-shape)
• Rosewood or Maple fretboard w/22 jumbo frets (9.5” radius)
• A trio of Hot singlecoil Strat pickups w/Alnico 3 magnets
• Greasebucket Tone Circuit on bridge & neck pickups
• Master volume knob and 5-way pickup switching
• Vintage style synchronized tremolo and Fender/Ping Standard tuners
• 3-ply parchment pickguard, fat ‘70s-style headstock, and original body shape
• H/S/H pickup routing and a deluxe gig bag

The guitar’s Satin Nitrocellulose Lacquer Finish (no poly here!) comes in Honey Blonde (shown,) Flat Black, Wine Transparent, Daphne Blue, and 3-Color Sunburst.

What I Liked Nice, nice finish… OK, it’s not for everyone, and it certainly brings a unique look to the Highway One, but if you’re at all enamored of a satin finish, and if you’ve been looking to get into a guitar that doesn’t look like it’s been dipped in a vat of gooey varnish, well, this one’s a no-brainer.

In my experience people who’ve never played a Strat with a true nitrocellulose finish tend to underestimate its effect on tone and sustain, but to my ears a nitro-finished guitar sounds richer, with more sonic subtleties, and with just a little more oomph. Of course, that delicate finish tends to scratch easily, but the upside is that you get an instrument that should age beautifully––kind of like a nice bottle of wine.

I also really liked the electronics in the Highway One Strat, though once again, this really comes down to personal preference, and what exactly you want to do with your guitar.

For instance, while the hot Alnico 3 single-coils absolutely pop, and they sound great pushing a tube-amp or pumped through a nice high-gain distortion pedal, I found that clean tones lacked the warmth of a vintage-style single-coil––not a big deal for someone who wants to push their Strat into the heavy shred zone, but a possible deal breaker for those who prefer that old-school Stratocaster squawk.

Another plus is Fender’s Greasebucket Tone Circuit, which modifies the traditional Strat wiring by providing tone control for the bridge pickup instead of the middle, and helps to ease back on the high-end without adding weighty low-end bass into the mix. While I didn’t mess around with this feature a whole lot during my testing (that’s just the kind of player I am… I tend to dial in a nice tone and then stay put,) I can definitely see its uses, and it makes for a great extra touch.

The Highway One’s tremolo worked as advertised, and while I’m not a huge user of this feature I did find the whole thing to stay in tune quite nicely even after judicious use. Tuners work well, too, and of course the Highway One sports a ’70s style oversized headstock––a feature you may love or hate, though I could personally go either way. It would undoubtedly look a lot better (and not so out of place,) in an aged-yellow finish instead of Fender’s current lackluster greyish tint.

What I Didn’t Like Having read rave reviews about this guitar, and considering the sheer number of readers who’ve written me about their much-loved Highway One Stratocasters, I was surprised to find that I didn’t like the necks on these instruments at all.

Now don’t get me wrong––as I always emphasize in my reviews, neck shape and comfort is highly subjective, and every guitarist has a different hand size, different neck-profile preference, and a different style of playing––but all that said, the maple modern C-shaped neck on the Highway One Strat is one of the most uncomfortable that I’ve come across… and I’ve been playing a lot of Strats lately.

To be honest with you, I’m pretty sure it’s not the neck shape itself that’s to blame, but more than likely just a rather unfortunate combination of modern C-shape profile, satin finish on the back of the neck (definitely an acquired taste,) a decidedly sticky, ashen-looking rosewood fretboard (how did they get these things to look so grey?) and a set of frighteningly large Jumbo-sized frets.

I know, I know––there are folks out there who love huge frets, and believe me, I’m not a fan of those extra-skinny vintage wires either––but I found the frets on the Highway One to be so oversized as to make the whole fretboard feel clunky and almost toyish. Of course, if this is your style of fret then I say more power to ya’, but it’s definitely not my bag, and something you might want to be aware of; particularly if you’re considering purchasing one sight unseen.

In an attempt to be perfectly fair, I actually played three of these guitars during the review process (just to be sure I hadn’t stumbled onto a lemon,) but my over all take on the Highway One Strat’s neck/fretboard/fret combination was basically this: slow, sticky, and difficult to play.

Final Word All griping aside, however, the Highway One Stratocaster offers a number of excellent plusses for the guitar player searching for an American Made Strat at a reasonable price, though there are some definite trade-offs that need to be considered.

Fans of mega-sized frets and big, fat necks may well love this instrument, as will those who tend to travel in high-gain territory. But if you’re just looking to get that traditional Stratocaster sound and feel at a low price-point, I would recommend that you keep on looking.

The Highway One Stratocaster does some things very well, but it most certainly is not your father’s Strat, so while I always recommend actually playing a guitar before you purchase it (now there’s a statement that would’ve sounded strange ten years ago,) with the Highway One Stratocaster it’s a true necessity.

You may love it. You may hate it. But either way––don’t say I didn’t warn you.

:: This review is Part 3 of the series: My Quest For The Perfect Strat.

Intro A very considerable step up from Fender’s lower-end Classic ’60s Strat, the Classic Players ’60s Stratocaster pushes Mexican-made quality into a whole new arena.

The guitar, while being assembled in Mexico, was designed by none other than Master Builder Greg Fessler of Fender’s famous Custom Shop, and it shows––the instrument sports a number of top-shelf components that belie its rather meager street price of around $800.

Those features include better electronics (a pair of Custom Shop ‘69 singlecoil pickups,) noticeably better hardware (a two-point vintage bridge that’s apparently available for the first time outside of the Custom Shop,) fatter frets, and a thoroughly modern (read: flat!) 12” fretboard radius.

Right off the rack you can tell this thing’s going to sing… and it does.

Specs

• Alder body
• Maple “C” Shaped neck (gloss poly finish)
• Rosewood fretboard with 12” radius (305 mm) and 21 Medium Jumbo frets
• Three CS ‘69 single-ooil Strat pickups w/grey bobbins
• Master volume and two tone controls, 5-way pickup switching
• CS vintage style 2-point synchronized tremolo (w/stamped solid steel saddles & milled solid steel block)
• Fender/Ping vintage style tuners
• 3-ply mint green pickguard, “aged” knobs and switch tip, and a deluxe gig bag

The polyester finish comes in Sonic Blue, and 3-Color Sunburst (this one will cost you an additional $50.00.)

What I Liked What a difference a bit of hardware can make…

While I enjoyed the time I spent with Fender’s lower-cost Classic ‘60 Stratocaster, the new Classic Player model is in a class all its own––at least as far as Mexi-Strats go.

Aesthetics-wise, they got the vintage style just right on these beauties, from the rather bleached-out looking “mint green” pickguard, down to the tuners, and finishes. Heck, the whole guitar pretty much oozes that early-’60s vibe, though a retro-brown hard case with plush interior would really seal the deal (you can expect to shell out another $180 for that.)

As far as feel is concerned, the Classic Player ’60s Strat boasts a C-shaped maple neck that I found to be mighty comfortable, though perhaps a tad on the chunky side for those with smaller hands. In fact, neck preference is so personal that I hesitate to make any kind of recommendations here, but suffice it to say that if you’ve got a penchant for a vintage ’60s-style neck, the Classic Player will probably leave you satisfied.

Those who prefer the ’50s “V” shape will want to take a look at this guitar’s sibling, the Classic Player ’50s Stratocaster––while I’m not a huge fan of maple fretboards (probably my 20-years playing Gibsons,) it’s a very sweet guitar for this price range, and not one to be overlooked.

Moving on, one of the true stand-out features of the Classic Player ’60s Stratocaster is its super-flat 12” fretboard radius, paired with a set of medium jumbo (MJ) frets. Now, this could go either way for the true vintage die-hard, as this modernized combination seriously alters the way the guitar feels… not necessarily in a bad way (particularly if you’re migrating over from something like a Les Paul,) but most definitely in a way that feels more contemporary than old-school.

That said, the flatter fretboard radius makes for sweet, effortless bending with very little danger of fretting out––even with the action dialed down to the point of absurdity. Adding to the magic, those MJ frets make for more comfortable playing than you’ll ever achieve with a set of skinny vintage wires… in fact, they feel just like a fret should––barely noticeable.

Another other big leap forward from the cheaper Mexi-models is Fender’s Custom Shop 2-point synchronized tremolo bridge––this thing’s got stamped solid steel saddles, a milled solid steel block, and perhaps most importantly, it holds its tune like nobody’s business. Even after I tortured the guitar with a full arsenal of tremolo acrobatics it still managed to stay playably in-tune. A nice change from the Classic ’60s model.

Rounding out the serious upgrades on this instrument are Fender’s Custom Shop ‘69 singlecoil pickups. It would be a bit on the absurd side for me to try to describe them to you in words, but I will say that these things pack a truly “vintage” early-’60s sound––think classic Hendrix, ala Are You Experienced? and you’ll get a pretty good idea of what you can expect from these babies… provided you’ve got the chops to back ‘em up!  ;)

I honestly can’t say enough about these pickups, though if you’ve been spoiled by modern “noiseless” singlecoils, or perhaps even humbuckers, you can expect to be a bit annoyed by the “classic” hum. Still, the truly singular tone of these pups helps set this guitar far apart from other Strats in its price range. (NOTE: Acme Guitar Works has some nice sound samples of the CS ’69s in action.)

What I Didn’t Like Amazingly, I have only one real issue with the Classic Player ’60s Stratocaster, and it’s not much of a deal breaker if you’re strictly looking to stick within the sub-$1,000 price range.

When it comes right down to it I’m just never going to be a big fan of Fender’s modern Polyester finish––yep, these things are damned near bullet-proof now, so if you prefer a guitar that’s going to hold its shine until the second coming, well, you’ll probably love this finish…

However, if you’re like a lot of people, and you find yourself longing for the personally worn-in look and feel of a well-loved (and played!) instrument, a Polyester finish is the last thing you want coating your beloved guitar. This is where the more expensive models, particularly many of the American Custom Shop guitars, really earn their extra cost––Fender’s “thin skin” nitrocellulose finish is a beauty to behold, not to mention the fact that it ages like a fine wine, but you’ll pay about twice as much for it as well.

Final Word Well, I guess it’s pretty obvious that I really liked the Classic Player ’60s Stratocaster, and while it may not satisfy My Quest For The Perfect Strat (that Poly finish is a bit of a drag, and I actually prefer the tight curve of a vintage fretboard radius,) its still a mighty contender for your money, and highly recommended to those in the market for a top-quality Strat in the $800 price range.

If you don’t mind a thick Polyester finish, and the modern feel of a flatter fretboard, the Classic Player ’60s Stratocaster provides a heck of a lot of bang for the buck. Two thumbs up.

:: This review is Part II of the series: My Quest For The Perfect Strat.

Intro The Classic ’60s Strat is Fender’s low-cost, Mexican made answer to the seemingly endless fascination we guitarists have with the Stratocasters of yester-year.

While far from being on a par with its costly American made counterpart––the American Vintage ‘62 Stratocaster––the Classic ’60s Strat still manages to fill a particular niche, and does it quite well for its low-ball pricing (somewhere in the $600 to $650 range.)

The guitar definitely exudes a vintage vibe and sound, and while it may not fit the bill for the truly discerning musician, starving artists are likely to appreciate the pure aesthetic value that the Classic ’60s Stratocaster has to offer.

This thing looks and feels like a “real” Strat––no way around that.

Specs

• Alder body
• Maple “C” shape neck
• Rosewood fretboard with 7.25“ radius and 21 vintage style frets
• 3 vintage style single-coil Strat pickups
• Master volume & two tone controls, and 5-way pickup switching
• Vintage style synchronized tremolo, Fender/Ping vintage style tuners
• Chrome hardware, mint green pickguard
• Aged parts, including knobs, switch tip, and pickup covers, and a deluxe gig bag

The polyester finish comes in 3-Color Sunburst (it’ll cost you an additional $50.00,) Lake Placid Blue, Black, Candy Apple Red, Inca Silver, and Burgundy Mist.

What I Liked The Fender Classic ’60s Stratocaster is ample proof that a guitar doesn’t have to be built in America to be of high quality. While the cheaper hardware may leave a bit to be desired (some would call it ”room to grow,“) there are definitely a few places where this guitar absolutely shines.

Fist off, the ’60s Strat is just dripping with retro style. That old-school yellowed finish on the neck & headstock, not to mention vintage style tuners, a funky mint green pickguard, and of course those ”aged“ plastic parts, make for a great looking guitar all around. Definitely gets two thumbs up for visual appeal.

The ”C“ shaped maple neck is another stand-out, and I found it to be just plain comfortable in my hand, and fast, fast, fast… with one caveat: the glossy polyurethane finish is one of those things you either lover or hate—personally, I think it feels just like a great guitar neck should, but if you absolutely have to have a smooth satin finish, well, this could easily be a deal breaker.

While some folks don’t like the ’60s necks at all, to me they feel sufficiently chunky without getting in the way. This is one of those things you’ll really have to decide for yourself, as every hand is different, and every guitar is different as well––even those of the same model.

Another feature you’re either going to love or hate on the ’60s Strat is the vintage 7.25” radius rosewood fretboard. As a long-time player of much flatter fretboards I can say that while it does take adjusting to, that highly curved fretboard is a big part of what makes a vintage Strat feel so different than a modern one. I like it. You might not.

For those who don’t know, a tight vintage radius like the one on the ’60s Strat means that while chording is incredibly comfortable, action tends to require a bit higher of an adjustment––that is if you don’t want to be fretting-out during bends above the 13th fret or so.

In the end, if you’re obsessed with having super-low action, the reality is that a vintage-style guitar may not be for you—you’ll find that you have to “dig in” a bit to make a classic Strat really sing, but those who are in the know will tell you that it’s well worth the extra effort.

What I Didn’t Like Cheap hardware is where the Classic ’60s Stratocaster falls a bit from grace… in fact, it’s not really that the hardware is bad for a Fender in this price range, it’s just that there is so much better out there.

The two different guitars I played had moderate difficulty staying in tune with heavy tremolo use… now granted, this may be accurate to a period-correct instrument, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.

I’m not even sure if this was a problem with the vintage style bridge or those Fender/Ping tuners, but these are the first two things I would upgrade if purchasing this guitar.

Pickup-wise, the ’60s Strat is kind of right in the middle––the pups can seem a bit weak and noisy (that’s vintage 60-cycle hum, folks!) but then again that weakness is fairly true to Strats from the ’60s, so its part of what makes this guitar sound different than a modern instrument.

Once again, you’ll have to make up your own mind about this one… luckily, pickups can be replaced!

Unfortunately, finish can’t… at least not very easily. Perhaps the biggest downside to the Classic ’60s Stratocaster is its polyester finish. You know the score––if you want a finish that will last a lifetime with out ever showing any wear and tear, then you’ll be more than happy with the finish on this guitar. If, however, you prefer an instrument that will age like a fine wine, becoming more tasty & comfy as the years go by, nitrocellulose is the way to go. Unfortunately, it’ll also cost you a premium.

The finish on this thing is downright plasticy, enough said.

Final Word All in all, while the Classic ’60s Stratocaster may not be the answer for everyone, it really is a quality instrument that sounds great and feels good in the hands. The decision to purchase one would really have to come down to exactly which features are required, and how much money one has to spend.

With an excellent neck, and generally good vintage looks, this guitar is certainly a great buy for the beginner or intermediate guitar player, and with a plethora of great after-market hardware available, it would make a great jumping off point for the guitarist who wants to heavily customize their Strat without starting from scratch.

Heck, add a few hundred dollars in top-shelf hardware and you’d have a vintage style Stratocaster that just wouldn’t stop––at a fraction of the cost of an American Vintage Reissue. The finish isn’t exactly a masterpiece, but then you’re not paying out the nose, either.

Highly recommended for those looking to purchase a real Fender Strat while still staying within a very tight budget. If you have more to spend, take a look at the Classic Player ’60s Strat… if not, you could do far worse than one of these beauties.

:: This review is Part I of the series: My Quest For The Perfect Strat––

Specs Solid mahogany body, 3-piece “set” mahogany neck (24-3/4“ scale length,) rosewood fingerboard (with cream binding & 22 Extra-Jumbo frets,) flag inlays with model name at 12th fret, Seymour Duncan JB Humbucker at bridge, Seymour Duncan ‘59 Humbucker at neck, 3-way pickup switching, two volume & one tone control, Grover tuners, Earvana compensated nut, stopbar tailpiece, tune-o-matic bridge.

What I Liked While the EC-400 Archtop is built in ESP’s South Korean guitar factory, unlike the lackluster components on many comparably priced LP clones the EC-400AT ships fully loaded with high-quality parts.

A pair of real Seymour Duncan Humbucker pickups (not those ”Designed by Duncan“ cheapos,) simple but dependable Grover tuners that actually hold their tune, a traditional tune-o-matic bridge, and ESP’s Earvana compensated nut all add up to a great playing instrument at a rock bottom price.

Those Duncans provide the kind of warm growl you’d expect from a Les Paul, with soaring, creamy solos a cinch when playing in the neck position (I’ve really come to love that ‘59 humbucker,) and brutal, ear-damaging crunch from the bridge (and I mean that in the nicest way.)

On top of that, an obvious attention to detail belies the EC-400’s low-rent roots, with a flawless (and might I add thick,) metallic gold top finish, cream binding all around (including headstock,) and a gorgeous and dark stained finish on the body & neck. You pull this guitar out of its box and wonder how ESP can afford to sell it so cheap while a bottom-end Les Paul will still set you back about twice as much.

The neck is comfortable, and reasonably fast, and mine came with excellent set-up straight from Musician’s Friend––action low with no fret-buzz, and excellent intonation up the neck.

What I Didn’t Like Can you say heavy? The EC-400AT is made of solid mahogany, and while that makes for impressive sustain and tone, it also makes for one hefty six-string. Lack of an included case or even a gig-bag is also a minor annoyance that requires some extra out-of-pocket expense… I mean, who’s going to buy a guitar without a case?

Other than that my only frustration with the EC-400 Archtop is its basic pickup controls––two volume knobs and a tone knob… a more useful set-up would be a single volume knob and two tone knobs, but for whatever reason ESP has chosen this current layout for a large portion of their instruments. Not sure what the reasoning is here.

Final Word At just under $600 there are few guitars out there that can match the LTD EC-400 Archtop for caliber of hardware, quality of workmanship, and just plain good looks. For those looking for a cheaper alternative to a middle to low-end Les Paul it’s a no-brainer––Epiphone’s comparably priced LPs don’t even come close.

You might also note that ESP has launched their brand new website in the last few days and it looks like the EC-400AT may now be out of production––replaced by some newer EC models––so if you’re set on purchasing one you might need to act fast… of course the upside is that if you time it right, and keep a hawk’s eye on the guitar retailers, you may be able to pick one up when they start to sell at clearance prices.

Now that would be an offer I just couldn’t refuse.

The Tube-Vibe is Effectrode’s homage to the classic––some would say historic––Shiftee U-915 Uni-Vibe pedal, which was first introduced to the U.S. back in ‘69, and went on to gain legendary status at the hands of many great guitar players, perhaps most notably Jimi Hendrix, who was obviously enamored of the Uni-Vibe’s ability to produce shimmering, liquid-like tones.

While there have been any number of Uni-Vibe remakes over the years, Effectrode’s offering is certainly one of the nicest I’ve had the pleasure to play, and while I don’t have an original Uni-Vibe to compare it to, suffice it to say that the Tube-Vibe more than excels at pumping out pure, rippling, almost other-worldy tube-driven vibrato & chorus tones––and it looks good doing it, too!

Take it out of the box and the first thing you notice are the Tube-Vibe’s stylish retro looks: the pedal sports a solid die-cast aluminum chassis finished in prismatic purple coating, accented with a trio of cream colored amplifier-style knobs (Speed, Volume & Blend,) and a heavy duty American made Carling technology footswitch.

Plug it in and the three vacuum tubes protruding from the top of the Tube-Vibe put off a soft, nostalgic orange glow. Meanwhile, up towards the top of the unit an orange jewel L.E.D. pulsates to the vibrato’s modulation speed. The whole thing just oozes “old-school cool.”

And unlike some pedals on the market these days, the Tube-Vibe actually sounds better than it looks––heck, that’s saying a lot considering how damned good this pedal looks!

It’s All About The Tone

With an all-tube signal path, and a plethora of customizable features, the Tube-Vibe really is one of the finest tube effects to come my way in a very long time. The pedal is capable of producing an incredibly wide range of tones, from soft chorus-type effects to full-on insane warbling, from fluidly pulsating waves of sound to classic “tube vibrato” with that shimmering, glassy high-end that today’s digital pedals can only dream about.

The three control knobs––Speed, Volume & Blend––allow for endless tweaking of your tone, with the Blend knob allowing you to move from a completely dry signal (fully counter clockwise,) to chorus (12:00 position,) to the classic vibrato Uni-Vibe tone (fully clockwise.) Volume & Speed controls do just what you’d expect, with the Volume knob capable of adding an extra +6dB to your signal. In fact, with the volume cranked I even managed to push my tube amp (the Atomic Space Tone) into a soft, warm overdrive… pretty fun.

Flip the pedal over and unscrew the back (CAUTION: unplug it first––there’s  350 volts of power in there!) and you have access to a tiny pair of internal dip switches, not to mention a width trimmer, that allow for even more customization.

The dip switches essentially allow you to control the Tube-Vibe’s waveform (either Square or Triangle,) and also the pedal’s vibe-wah feature, which I was unfortunately unable to review as it requires the use of a passive volume pedal. The smoothed square voicing produces a rich, warm tone similar to the original Uni-Vibe (with accentuated peaks of sound,) while the smoothed triangle waveform produces a more subtle and uniform sweep.

Throw in the width trimmer and you have yet more control––by shortening the sweep you can reduce the “de-tuning” that occurs when using a heavy vibrato setting, or even control the “throb” of the chorus effect.

In fact, the only complaint I have about the Tube-Vibe is that these great controls are hidden inside the chassis instead of being easily accessible right on the top. But that’s an admittedly minor shortcoming in a product that sounds this good. In a word, the Tube-Vibe’s all-tube tone just plain rocks––from vintage Leslie-like vibrato all the way to droning, Cobain-esque chorus.

The Lowdown

With true bypass switching (making the unit absolutely noiseless when disengaged,) a bomb-proof chassis, highly customizable features, and the type of warm, shimmering tone that only a 100% tube signal pathway can offer, Effectrode’s Tube-Vibe vibrato pedal is a must-have for the tube aficionado or retro guitar freak.

A street price of just over $400 may scare off those who are accustomed to the bare-bones pricing of today’s mass-produced digital effects, but for your money you get a hand-built piece of machinery (made in Corvalis, Oregon, USA) with infinitely more soul, tone and attitude than any cheap-o digital stomp-box will ever be able to offer.

If “tone” is your thing, then the Tube-Vibe is your pedal. Enough said…

The Sound Samples

Tube-Vibe: Funky Minor – 652 kb
Tube-Vibe: Shorty Blues – 652 kb
Tube-Vibe: Chorus Strum – 613 kb

Manufacturer: Effectrode  |  Model: Tube-Vibe  |  Contact: sales@effectrode.com  |  Web Site: www.effectrode.com

Intro If Aslin Dane’s Bohemian looks familiar to you it’s probably because the guitar is essentially an unofficial re-release of the earlier Brian May Signature model (based on May’s legendary Red Special)––minus the artist’s actual endorsement.

While the full story behind the relationship between Aslin Dane and Queen’s Brian May is beyond the scope of this review, suffice it to say that Codel Enterprises (Aslin Dane’s parent company) was the distributor for the Brian May Signature Guitar from 2002 through 2004, and the Bohemian mark’s the company’s move to create an updated version of this popular instrument.

To that end, they’ve done a wonderful job with the Bohemian, and I’m not ashamed to tell you right out of the gate: the guitar is built in China, and I really enjoyed playing it.

In fact, this, along with a few other recent encounters, leads me to believe that the gap between American and Asian built guitars is closing fast. Sure, there are obvious exceptions, but folks like Aslin Dane, ESP, Schecter and a host of others are showing that it doesn’t take an American Flag stamped on the label to create a good guitar––it just takes attention to detail.

Aesthetics And attention to detail is one place where the Bohemian shines: its mahogany body, which is fairly light-weight and has a flat but comfortable fit, sports a handsome cherry finish and is bound top & back with 6-ply white binding.

This is a great looking guitar with a decidedly retro bent, and while it obviously bears a striking resemblance to Brian May’s Red Special, when you get this guitar in hand it’s easy to imagine someone like a young Syd Barrett or Brian Jones plying the strings in a dank London Pub.

The soft arrow-shaped headstock and that insane rack of six pickup sliders just adds to the rather funky, psychedelic appeal that the Bohemian exudes.

Fingerboard One of the first things that really stood out to me about the Bohemian was its comfy neck & fingerboard (mahogany & rosewood respectively.) The set neck, which runs 20mm thick at the 1st fret, and 21mm at the 12th, is fast in the hand and surprisingly playable, with a fat fretboard that I found particularly comfortable for chording and long, bluesy bends.

In fact, while I’m not sure of the exact dimensions, the fretboard is noticeably wider than my Les Paul-style ESP––leaving plenty of room for really bending the strings up where it counts.

The Bohemian’s double-cutaway body also makes for excellent high-fret access, and like the J3 Pro 6 that I reviewed a few weeks back, I found myself playing around in the higher end of the guitar’s register than I normally would. While I’m not usually one to go for piercingly-high leads, this guitar does make them incredibly easy to pull off.

Other features in this area include a double adjustable truss-rod, 45mm black graphite nut, and chrome, die-cast Hagstrom tuners that have been staggered for straight string pull across the headstock.

Electronics & Hardware The electronics may well be what really set this guitar apart––three chrome-top mini humbuckers, and a set of six old-school pickup sliders (3 on/off, 3 coil-taps) makes for a full 22 different pickup/tone/tapping combinations… perhaps more than you’ll ever use.

The variety of tones is nice to have at your fingertips, and coil-tapping in all three pickups is certainly a major plus, though I’ll admit that while Brian May may have made great use of all these options, I felt a little lost in the possibilities. So many tones, and so little time! Sometimes I wasn’t even sure where to start.

Of course, none of this is a bad thing… the Bohemian simply gives you more tonal variations than you can shake a stick at. The three mini-humbuckers produce a nice tone on their own, and while they aren’t nearly as warm as the Duncans I’m used to, well, they aren’t nearly as expensive either.

The guitar performed well across the board, be it with an expansive, reverb-laden clean tone, a dirty crunch, or even some seriously high-gain shredding.

Another nice plus is the Fulcrum 2-point tremolo. I had zero problems with this unit while I had the guitar in for review (which was an admittedly short period of time,) and found it fun to use, with a tight but responsive feel.

Now, being a Les Paul man I don’t have the kind of day-in & day-out experience with whammy bars that some of my Strat-wielding colleagues have, but I’m happy to report that the Bohemian seemed to keep its tuning quite nicely in spite of pretty heavy punishing on my part, and certainly better than I expected for an instrument in this price range.

The Lowdown With an estimated street price of just $349 I find Aslin Dane’s Bohemian to be an exceedingly easy guitar to recommend. You’d find it hard to come by a much more unique instrument in the otherwise lackluster sub-$400 price range, and the Bohemian’s built-in “Fun Factor” makes it a bit of a no-brainer for beginning and intermediate players.

Heck, I’ve been playing for well over 20-years, and I found the Bohemian to be a pleasure to play; far exceeding what I’ve come to expect from a guitar selling in the mid $300s.

Of course, if you’re a Brian May fan the decision becomes even easier… while not an officially endorsed Signature guitar, the Bohemian is a very respectable homage to May’s legendary Red Special. If you’re in the market for a new guitar you’ll definitely want to give this baby a try.

Oh yeah, and rumor has it there’s a Bohemian with three P-90s coming down the pipeline, so keep your eyes peeled!

Manufacturer: Aslin Dane  |  Model: Bohemian  |  Telephone: 1-866-472-1441  |  Web Site: www.aslindane.com

J3 Guitars hasn’t been around all that long––they introduced their first line of instruments at the Summer NAMM show in 2005–