So I have had my Hot Rod for about a week, and I thought I would share my thoughts. Ill try to keep it brief, but this guitar has me gushing.
First off, the customer service factor of dealing with Ron and Nick is second to none. I cannot say enough about how easy they were to deal with. Never once did they seem bothered by me or my questions. First class, all the way.
OK, on to the guitar. This is the guitar in question...
This guitar is unbelievable. I hate to sound cliche, but the guitar really does look better in person. There are so many things that you cant see from the picture. For example, the shading makes the top flames rise off the top. It gives it a very 3-D look. Its too cold outside to get good pics, but heres one that kind of shows what I am talking about. Bear with me, the poor lighting added a yellow tint...
My favorite part of the top is here...
The maple edges of two different flames touch, and yet, the shading allows you to see the two separate flames. Again, the photograph is sub-par, but I hope you get the idea.
As far as the fit and feel of the guitar...superb. When I first picked it up, I immediately noticed how light it was, but it is very balanced, too. Everything is sleek and smooth, and it makes for effortless playing.
There are so many things to talk about, but its the little things that set this guitar apart. The perfectly-bookmatched top, the grain pattern of the body, the fret dressing, the way the nut is filed so that there are no sharp angles, the matching of woods to create a seamless transition between the headstock and the wings, between the top and body, and between the body and neck. Another bad shot, this time of the heel...
...the seam is almost nonexistent. Everything is amazing in its own right, and they flow together to make a wonderful instrument.
Finally, the sound.
We decided to go with the 80s, which was the right decision. The neck pickup is warm and full with no muddiness. The bridge pickup is great. It is bright enough to give me what I want without being too harsh or searing. Everything is nice and smooth. Between the two pickups and the two switches, there are so many options in sounds that I havent even really needed to mess around with the volume or tone knobs.
I hate talking about tone because my ears are not that great, and even if they were, we all hear things differently. Add in all of the other variables like amps, pedals, playing style, etc and it gets even more difficult to define. I will just say that this is the first guitar I have owned where I havent had to adjust the pickup height or tweak the amp settings in order to get the sound I want.
It is as close to perfect as I have ever had.
First off, the customer service factor of dealing with Ron and Nick is second to none. I cannot say enough about how easy they were to deal with. Never once did they seem bothered by me or my questions. First class, all the way.
OK, on to the guitar. This is the guitar in question...
This guitar is unbelievable. I hate to sound cliche, but the guitar really does look better in person. There are so many things that you cant see from the picture. For example, the shading makes the top flames rise off the top. It gives it a very 3-D look. Its too cold outside to get good pics, but heres one that kind of shows what I am talking about. Bear with me, the poor lighting added a yellow tint...
My favorite part of the top is here...
The maple edges of two different flames touch, and yet, the shading allows you to see the two separate flames. Again, the photograph is sub-par, but I hope you get the idea.
As far as the fit and feel of the guitar...superb. When I first picked it up, I immediately noticed how light it was, but it is very balanced, too. Everything is sleek and smooth, and it makes for effortless playing.
There are so many things to talk about, but its the little things that set this guitar apart. The perfectly-bookmatched top, the grain pattern of the body, the fret dressing, the way the nut is filed so that there are no sharp angles, the matching of woods to create a seamless transition between the headstock and the wings, between the top and body, and between the body and neck. Another bad shot, this time of the heel...
...the seam is almost nonexistent. Everything is amazing in its own right, and they flow together to make a wonderful instrument.
Finally, the sound.
We decided to go with the 80s, which was the right decision. The neck pickup is warm and full with no muddiness. The bridge pickup is great. It is bright enough to give me what I want without being too harsh or searing. Everything is nice and smooth. Between the two pickups and the two switches, there are so many options in sounds that I havent even really needed to mess around with the volume or tone knobs.
I hate talking about tone because my ears are not that great, and even if they were, we all hear things differently. Add in all of the other variables like amps, pedals, playing style, etc and it gets even more difficult to define. I will just say that this is the first guitar I have owned where I havent had to adjust the pickup height or tweak the amp settings in order to get the sound I want.
It is as close to perfect as I have ever had.
