Kramer Imperial FR404S

Features: This guitar was made anywhere from about 2004-2006, in the US. It is a solid alder body guitar. It has an eliptical slim-taper bolt on neck with 24 jumbo frets, on maple. The fingerboard is made of indian rosewood. It comes in 3 colors, black mettalic, blue mettalic, and silver mettalic. The body style is identical to the Gibson Explorer, with an "EX" shape, and comes with a Double Locking licensed Floyd Rose Tremolo and Gotoh SG Machine Heads for better tuning and stability. The stock pickups are 2 Quadrail humbuckers (2 pickups per single pickup, which equals a total of 8 pickups). The controls consist of a 3 way pick up selector, master volume, master tone with push/pull, and it is hum cancelling in either direction. It also came with the allen wrenches needed to adjust the bridge, and to take off the lock offs. It also came with an extra spring for the bridge, and a cable to plug in. And ofcourse the whammy bar came with it, but not on it. // 10

Sound: Just by the looks of this guitar you can clearly see it is made to shred, whether it be fast metal arpeggios, or fast licks of any kind. It can suit any type of music, but mostly metal. I am using a Crate GX2200 Head, and a Legion Sound 4X12 cab, which is running through a DigiTech RP100. It is very easy to get some crunch or heavy distortion and high gain, and to do some dive bombs. There is no unecessary feedback or humming when you arent playing. With both pickups engaged, this guitar is killer. This thing can make any sound you want it to. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: This guitar came perfectly set up except for the tuning. All I had to do was tune it and put the whammy bar on and I was ready to go. The pickups were perfectly adjusted, and sound great. This guitar came in better condition than I thought it was going to. I thought this deal was way too easy. It was shipped to my house in 5 days, it came already set up, it looked better in person than in the picture, and the order was exactly what I wanted, and came in perfect condition on time. There was no hassles, except for the fact I had to wait a month on this guitar, because they are always out of stock. For me, it was worth the wait. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This guitar would definately be my main guitar on stage, it looks and sounds great. I would feel comfortable not even having a backup. The hardware will definately last. The strap button is located right where the neck is bolted on which is an easy access. I think the only way this guitar would lose its finish, would be if it were dropped or chipped, other than that the paint will last forever. // 9

Impression: I play pretty much only metal, such as Maiden, Dragonforce, and Kalmah. This guitar works perfectly for any type of metal. I don't really know about other music styles, but this thing is made to shred. I wouldn't buy this guitar if you were planning to play anything besides, metal, or rock. If your gonna play hardcore, emo, screamo, or anything else with it, please dont buy it. There is nothing I wish I would have asked, but I was skeptical at first in purchasing a guitar online that I have never seen in person, or played. But it ended up being the best deal ever. If it were stolen or lost, I would wait another month for them to come in stock, and I would definately buy it again, probably 2 just incase I lose another one, and so I won't have to wait another month. I love everything about this guitar, its finish, shape, sound, apperance, the slim neck, the would, and the 2 quadrail humbuckers. There is nothing I hate about this guitar. My favorite feature would have to be the quadrail pickups because, that is one thing that makes this guitar stand out and be so unique. I dont know what else this thing could have. It's perfect. // 10

Gibson ES-137 Semi-Hollow Archtop Guitar

In the early 1990s, Gibson introduced the ES-135 semi-hollow, laminated maple guitar. The guitar was basically a two-pickup version of the 1960s archtop ES-125 with Florentine cutaway and trapeze tail piece.

The standard pickups were noise-canceling versions of P-90s (and latter æ57 humbuckers), but the ES-135Æs biggest difference from the original ES-125 was the sustain center block under the bridge; it made the guitar more versatile, adding a solid-body sustain character.

The made-in-Memphis ES-137 reviewed here ($1,599 retail) is the next generation of the ES-135 guitar. Tested here is the ES-137 Classic with two humbucking pickups. There are two other models; this one is the middle sibling. The premium model offers æ57 Classic alnico II pickups and a varitone control. The lower-cost 137 has uncovered humbuckers and no binding.

The 137 series is still the same size as the 135 (the 2-inch thick and 16-inch width body). The body, however, has a new component in its three-ply construction; poplar now joins the two pieces of maple. Gone is the trapeze tail piece, replaced by a tune-oÆmatic bridge and stop tail piece. The center block is now mahogany instead of the softer balsa wood (chromyte) of the 135. This larger, harder block allows the use of the tune-oÆmatic bridge system.

The guitar comes in several colors; my test unit was a striking sunburst. The guitar measures 16-inches in width and sports the traditional Gibson f-holes. The neck is the tried-and-true 24.75-inch scale, and it has the Les Paul-shaped headstock. The model decal is situated between the keys, which are Grover Keystones.

The neck contains trapezoidal blocks and a crescent inlay at the 12th fret. Neck and body are bound in white, single-ply plastic. As with all Gibsons, the lacquer is the old-fashioned nitrocellulose. Fret height is medium.

Electronics include the top-bout mounted selector switch, a 498 bridge humbucker/ 490R neck humbucker pickup setup, and separate tone and volume controls for each pickup.

The audition

The ES-137 comes with .10-.046-inch strings, but I changed to a set of .11-.050-inch strings. For my tastes, larger strings vibrate the top better on laminate guitars.

Once the sting replacement was made, I tuned up and played the ES-137 Classic through several amps including a new Gibson GA-15RVT ù a class A, push-pull, EL 84-tube powered amp that looks like a throw back to the early 1950s Gibson amps. I also sampled the guitar through a 1971 silverface Princeton Reverb, æ66 Fender blackface Deluxe Reverb, a reissue Fender æ65 Twin Reverb, and the way-cool Groove Tubes Soul æO Single triode combo. Threw in a Radial Tonebone distortion pedal for the OD stuff.

With all the amps, the 137 sounded impressive; it has more sustain and snap to the dynamics than the 135. Gone is the 135Æs microphonic trapeze tail piece that drove me nuts. With its more focused character, the guitar is well suited for almost anything: jazz, funky rhythm, hard rocking overdrive tunes or Sun Record slap-back leads.

The flip-side is that the bigger sustain block and the poplar portion of the body ply moves the sound away from the ES-135Æs more hollowbody character and closer to the faster, leaner solid-body sound. But that is okay; it still sounds bigger than a 335. In my opinion, it is a cross between a Les Paul and the vintage Gibson thin hollow bodies.

By the way, the Gibson Keystones worked perfect with the Gibson bridge hardware; this guitar always stayed in tune. Even with low action, the buzz was nearly non-existent.

The only downside with the 137 was the 490R humbucker, which sounded somewhat muddy. I could not get as much treble out of it as I have heard the pickup output on other 137s. The pole-piece adjustments could only do so much for the high-end. I think it was that particular pickup.
Summary

The Gibson ES-137 electric, semi-hollow archtop guitar is a definite improvement over the ES-135. Its versatility has increased, and, at $1,599, it is a value leader for jazz, rock and country pickers, who want a vintage tone, yet with modern feel and sustain. Personally, I like it better than an ES-335.

Martin CF-1 Jazz Guitar

As I reviewed one of Martin's new premium jazz guitars, the CF-1, the words 'simplicity' and 'irresistible' came to mind. As I look at it, there is a simplicity of design that is rare in today's guitars. No fancy inlays or bindings -- just a very well-turned joint between top, sides and back. Really striking is the absence of fingerboard inlays - just side dots. The ebony bridge, tailpiece and pickguard are elegantly simple, and the ebony buttons on the Gotoh tuning machines make them virtually disappear.The irresistibility came when I played it on a number of gigs and found that CF-1's sound and playability tailor-made for real professional players like me.

FEATURES

The CF-1 is Martin's first archtop jazz guitar in many years. Designed for Martin by luthier Dale Unger and produced at the Martin factory in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, it retails for a reasonable $4,200. The CF-1 is available with a natural blonde finish or in sunburst and features a laminated Alpine spruce top; the back is constructed of laminated flamed maple and the sides are solid maple. The very comfortable U-shaped mahogany set-in neck features a 1-3/4-inch fingerboard width at the nut and a 2-1/8-inch width at the 12th fret. With a 3-inch body depth body and 14 frets in the clear, I was completely at home with this jazz guitar. Other features include solid black ebony heel cap, solid ebony pickguard, and floating solid ebony bridge. The tailpiece is also solid ebony. To minimize the effect on acoustic tone, the Kent Armstrong floating pickup is attached to the neck; it does not touch the top. The wires from the pickup go straight to the volume pot and the end-jack, where the cable is plugged in. There is only one control: the pick guard-mounted volume. Any tone tweaks have to be done via the amp or an outboard preamplifier.

THE AUDITION

When I first played this guitar, I was totally impressed. I have played a lot of jazz guitars in my 30 plus year career, solid wood and otherwise, and this Martin ranks up there with the best. Although the top is laminated, the tone is clear and vibrant with tremendous projection. The electric tone was detailed, friendly and familiar. The familiarity comes from my frequent playing of guitars with the Kent Armstrong floating pickup. They have a warm, balanced tone that is ideal for almost any jazz style. Kent has been my 'go to' guy for several unusual pickup requests in the past and has kept his standards high with this guitar as well.

Prior to writing this review, I played three live gigs with the CF-1, each very different and very revealing. The first was a solo gig where I had some difficulties with amplification. After a little deliberation, I decided to play the gig with no amp. It is not often that a guitar, especially one with a laminated top, is strong enough on its own to play a whole program without any amplification, but the CF-1 did just fine. I later did a quartet gig with guitarist and luthier Doug Proper. Doug plays a custom-made, all-solid-wood Dale Ungerseven string, a nice coincidence for our purpose. The Martin more than held its own, and the blend between the two instruments was remarkable. Because of the floating pickup and wide open sound of the CF-1, the guitar may be more susceptible to feedback, so I did not crank the amp all the way. For those who want the character of the CF-1, but with more volume, the Martin CF-2 has its two Seymour Duncan humbuckers pickups mounted in the top. These types of guitars tend to be less prone to feedback than jazz guitars with a floating pickup.

Finally, I played the CF-1 in a concert hall setting for a duo performance with Ali Ryerson, a renowned flutist I have played with for several years. During this gig, I found that the CF-1's reliable intonation all the way up the neck is a rarity for a jazz guitar (or most any unmodified guitar). Ialso noticed that the acoustic sound was very rich in this particular hall. All in all, the guitar performed beautifully. The Martin CF-1 also is a great studio guitar. I recommend two B & K (now DPA) cardioid condensers -- one aimed at the twelfth fret from about 12 inches and one at the same distance from the lower f-hole. To complete the miking scheme, plug the guitar into a small tube amp and mic it with the Neumann TLM103. My only change I would make to the CF-1 is a tone control. While I love the purity of just one pot, the real world occasionally demands a little more tonal flexibility. I pretty much left the guitar in stock form during the review, but I did try some different strings, replacing the installed light jazz strings for a set of round wound .012's from GHS. The GHS strings enable a stronger electric tone, but the Martin strings sounded a little better when playing the CF-1 acoustically. For me, the change was not a bad tradeoff since I play almost exclusively with an amp.

Gibson Custom Shop Limited Edition Les Paul Custom Electric Guitar

The Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Custom Electric Guitar features a one-piece mahogany neck, carved maple top and warm-toned mahogany body. An ebony fingerboard with pearl block inlays gives it a bright attack. 490R and 498T Gibson humbuckers deliver warm rhythm and hot, solid lead sounds. Gibson also includes a Tune-o-matic bridge, stopbar tailpiece, and bound body, neck, and head with chrome hardware.

Originally offered in 1979, this Gibson Custom Shop guitar has been reissued to satisfy the needs of collectors who want to be able to own the original Les Paul Custom or for someone who wants something special to add to their collection. This limited edition with a gorgeous silverburst finish won't be around long.

Gibson Custom Shop Limited Edition Les Paul Custom Electric Guitar Features:

• One-piece mahogany neck
• Carved maple top
• Warm-toned mahogany body
• Limited Edition Silverburst finish
• Ebony fingerboard
• Pearl block inlays
• Chrome hardware
• 490R and 498T humbuckers
• Tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece
• Body, neck and headstock binding
• Includes hardshell case

Vogel Electro-Classical Guitar

With most of today's affordable guitars coming out of Korea and Mexico, I was surprised to see some new competition from Ecuador. The manufacturer, American Bob Vogel, also owns a recording studio and record label in Quito, the capital of Ecuador.

The Vogel product line includes bass, electro-acoustic, electro-classical and solid body electric guitars. The model I tested was the Electro-classical ($262 FOB from Ecuador) which has a black fiberglass back and a plywood top. The top is also available in Spruce. Having played Ovation guitars of similar design in the past I wasn't too optimistic about the tone of the Vogel. However I was pleasantly surprised at the warm tone that came out of the guitar, even with the laminated top. Vogel claims that using a more shallow design and a thinner, hand-made fiberglass shell allows for a much richer tone. I would imagine the solid spruce top would be even better. The fiberglass back and thin body makes the guitar very light, well balanced and comfortable to hold. Because of its size, tone and weight, I could see this being a good gigging guitar.

Vogel Electro-Classical Guitar

I liked the feel and playability of the 19-fret neck made from Ecuadorian Cedro hardwood. Jim Dunlop frets are used and the neck on the review model was intonated perfectly. The action is in the medium range and player friendly. The Mighty Mite Korean tuners held pitch very well.

The Shadow piezo pickup is mounted in the bridge and is wired to a Shadow P4 4-band equalizer. The 9-volt battery pack and EQ are side-mounted and easily accessible. The volume, bass, mid, high and brightness controls are adjusted via sliders, the EQ sliders are center detented. There is also a battery light and an anti-feedback switch. The guitar sounded very un-piezo like when plugged into an amp and full range speaker. The electronics give a lot of flexibility of tone and volume.

One of the gripes I had with the guitar is that the internal wiring is a bit long and tends to rattle around inside the guitar. I talked with the manufacturer about it and he stated they were going to try to attach the wires in a way that wouldn't affect resonance. Another problem is that the frets were cut a bit long and poked through the lacquer at the sides of the neck. This caused a bubbling of the finish at those points, which peeled off easily. This left the sharp end of the fret hanging out. The manufacturer was aware of this problem as well and future models will be cut to fit within the fretboard.

If these problems can be addressed then the guitar gets an excellent score for being an easy to play, good sounding and easily transportable instrument.

Yamaha DG 80 210 Guitar Amp

In 1998, Yamaha introduced the DG Series of guitar amps. In just over two years, the brand has made a strong entry into the "digital modeling" amp market with several models. The DG series is comprised of the DG100-212 (100 watts and two 12-inch speakers), DG80-210 (80 watts and 2 10-inch speakers), DG80-112 (80 watts and two 12-inch speakers in individual enclosures), and DG130-H (130 watts and 4 12" speakers).

Features

I reviewed the DG80-210, which has two Celestion Vintage 30 10-inch speakers. The amp has a nice modern look with a red panel, yet still retains a vintage look overall. The control panel includes trim, output, master level, gain, three tone controls, presence and reverb controls. When the presets are recalled, the ten motorized knobs actually move to the settings. Each preset can be recalled via the Recall button or an optional MIDI controller.

The amp section has 8 switches: Lead 1 and 2, Drive 1 and 2, Crunch 1 and 2, and Clean 1 and 2. These individually call up the various amp types. There are three warm-sounding reverbs (spring, hall and plate), and three effects types (tremolo, chorus and tape echo). The mode function allows you to adjust the parameters for whatever amp you are using in the preset. It also lets you adjust the many effect parameters such as tremolo speed, chorus level, and tape echo time.

The memory recall switch will zap you to any of the 128 presets where you can adjust the functions to your liking and then store your new sound. An optional MIDI controller can also be configured to change the presets, volumes and effects. The rear panel speaker simulator outputs a "voiced" sound to the line outputs for playing direct into a mixing board.

For those who simply must collect all four in the DG series, you can swap sounds via MIDI from one amp to another. There are two inputs (high and low impedance) and an effects send/return with balance control. The DG also has an extension speaker output so you can stack 'em high with optional speaker cabinets.

In Use

When I delved into the DG 80-210, I faced a bit of a learning curve-I spent a lot of time going through all of the 128 very useful presets. However, the effort was worth it. The sounds are amazing!

The overdrive, distortion and lead sounds are exceptional. Yamaha steers clear of the dreaded electric shaver distortion that I have heard from other amps. It is warm when needed, and cuts through with just the right amount of distortion for soloing.

The tremolo presets were terrific. The design committee who developed these combinations of tremolo, reverb and distortions should be applauded for sounds that aren't over the top. Also, when I switched between presets, the volumes were relatively equal, unlike other guitar boxes I've used.

This amp gave me such luscious reverbs that I had no fear printing them to tape. I plugged in my Strat, propped up a Shure SM57, patched in a Urei LA-4 and started recording. When it came to mixing, I didn't regret my decision. The recorded guitar and ambience sounded unified and organic-not like a guitar track with board effects added.

Summary

This amp is as close to a warm and full tube amp sound as I have heard from digital modeling processors. The DG80's versatility and sound quality is easily worth the $1,299 list price. And in this cut and paste world, anything that is going to save me from wrestling with stomp boxes, cords and wall warts is a Godsend. I'm starting to think that the days are numbered for my trusty Twin Reverb and Rat distortion pedal.

Talos Basic Guitar Amplifier

Like Guitars, guitar amplifiers have their own flavor and sound. With tube amps, the vintage tone is often associated with Fender while more modern tones are connected to Marshall and Mesa Boogie. Likewise, the high-end boutique amps, such as the Talos Basic, also have their own flavor. In this case, the flavor is wonderfully sweet.

Features

The Talos Basic

Priced at $3,000, the Talos Basic is produced by a team of designers who used to work for the Conrad-Johnson audiophile company. This high-end audio experience and philosophy show up in many ways in the Talos line.

The amp reviewed here is a single 12-inch combo rated at 50 watts in pentode mode, 35 watts in partial triode mode and 20 watts in triode mode; all of which are available from a single switch on the control panel. It utilizes a pair of Svetlana 6L6 or Ruby 6L6MSTR output tubes operated in Class A push pull. A 12AX7 is used as the first two gain stages and a 12AT7 is used as the phase inverter.

The rattle-free cabinet is built from high quality Baltic Birch (Pine is used on the signature Bill Kirchen model). Choice of speakers includes a Jensen C12N high output ceramic magnet 12" (my favorite) or the newer Jensen neodymium magnet 12". A head version with choice of cabinet and drivers also is an option.

Controls include Gain, Drive, a Fat/Bright switch, tube mode switch (pentode, partial triode and triode), a fan switch. Yup, this geetar amp has a fan. The Gain and Drive controls both pull up for additional voicing options. Jacks include high and low gain inputs and an effects loop. The loop is intended for use with an insert cable and is perfect for a '63 Fender Reverb unit. An external speaker jack - the "Smart Jack" circuit - automatically engages the 4-ohm tap on the output transformer jack when an extension speaker is plugged in.

Inside, the boys at Talos use premium parts liberally, including carbon composition and metal film resistors, film and metal film capacitors and nickel alloy transformers. Key to the design is the short signal path (no tone controls to muddy things) and the Class A push-pull tube design.
The Audition

I played through the Talos Basic with several guitars including a Fender American Series Telecaster (single coil pickups), an American Series Fender Fat Strat custom humbuckers with split coils), a Gibson Les Paul Standard (humbuckers) and a Gibson Custom Gibson L5CES hollowbody with dual humbuckers. I used a 12 ft. Mogami instrument cable and threw in a couple of pedals including an Electro-harmonix Holier Grail to get some reverb and a DOD FX 100 EHO distortion pedal.

With all the guitars, I was very impressed with the output from the amp. The short signal path and high-end design netted a very dynamic, warm, yet natural sound. The dynamics of single note bends on the Tele' were simply amazing! Like a great hi-fi amp, there is an accuracy to the Talos that is lacking in many amps. Yet it still has a warmness that makes it easy to listen to. Maybe this is the new vintage tone players are searching for.

Humbucker dynamics show up way better on the Talos than most any amp out there. None of that typical compressed, ultra-dark sound that I always blamed on the Les Paul humbuckers. With the Talos there was just way more dimension and nuance. The Talos sounded just as good with my L5. Those warm jazz tones were there, but with more richness and dimension than my '65 Twin Reverb reissue.

By the way. I tried the amp in all tube modes, and preferred the partial triode for the Tele's single coils and the Pentode mode for the humbucker guitars.

I had a couple of quibbles with the amp. The fan is too noisy for studio; thank goodness Talos added an on/off switch for it. I know increased cooling will increase component life (especially when operating the tubes in Class A), but with my audiophile ears, I have not yet met a fan that wasn't at least a bit noisy. My other complaint was the lack of spring reverb as an option. I know that spring reverb is considered passé in this age of digital, but I still believe it is the best for guitar if done correctly.
Conclusion

At $3,000, the Talos Basic is a made-in-U.S.A., premium guitar amp combo with a high-end, audiophile pedigree. To hear your guitar dynamics via the Talos' much more open soundscape should make this amp desirable for studio and live as well. If you can afford the $3,000 and you want to hear all the nuance out of your electric guitar, the Talos Basic probably is the guitar amp for you.

Gibson LC-3 Caldera Acoustic Guitar

It is amazing to me that a small guitar like the Gibson LC-3 Caldera can sound like a big guitar. The LC-3, a cutaway acoustic-electric guitar, will surprise you with the quality and volume of its sound, which is easily as good as premium dreadnaughts I have played.

With a solid cedar top and sides made from solid koa wood grown on the slopes below the Hawaiian calderas (volcanoes), the Gibson LC-3 Caldera exudes a classy warmth and brightness, in an easy-to-hold package.

Features

The LC-3, retail priced at $4,100, is a size that Gibson calls the "advanced L-00" body, which is smaller than a dreadnaught. The 20-fret neck has the typical Gibson scale 24.75-inch scale, about 3/4-inch shorter than many dreadnaughts.

The guitar's body is made from koa wood, which is a better quality of mahogany with a more striking grain. Gibson's special bracing is forward shifted and scalloped, which helps the smaller size get the big sound.

The two-piece back has a colorful inlay down the center and the entire guitar is trimmed in an ivory-plastic binding. A ring of abalone is used to trim the sound hole.

The bridge and fretboard are made of ebony, and the one-piece mahogany neck has "autumn leaf" abalone inlays at the typical frets. (There is also an inlay on the first fret.) The bridge has a sort of mustache shape that Gibson calls "sculpted."

Under the saddle of the LC-3 is a Schertler Bluestick piezo pickup, which is then connected to a small pre-amp mounted inside the guitar. The pickup's volume is controlled from a knob that is cleverly mounted at the edge of the sound hole. The strap button at the bottom of the guitar doubles as the 1/4-inch jack for the electronics.

The internally mounted pre-amp has two button-style batteries that can only be replaced by removing the strings; there are no equalization adjustments with this pickup.

It seems that a lot of expensive guitars use open tuners and the Gibson LC-3 is no exception. The gold-plated Gotoh tuners work smoothly. The headstock is Gibson's standard 17-degree angle, which makes for superb sustain.

The guitar's one-piece mahogany neck has the 1.69-inch width typical of dreadnaughts, and the neck's truss rod is adjusted from under a removable plastic plate on the headstock. Gibson refers to the neck as "easy action," and it is certainly a neck that is very easy to play.

All the details on this guitar are beautifully done. Inside the guitar, the construction is a perfect example of the luthier's craft, with no visible glue globs an no excessive gaps in the kerfing.

The guitar ships with Gibson "Hydrophobic" light gauge bronze strings (which resist corrosion better than non-coated strings) and a very sturdy, plush-lined TKL case. The guitar is covered by a lifetime warranty.

The Audition

I'm an average-size guy, and I really appreciate a guitar that is

smaller than a dreadnaught, especially if I'm standing and playing for 90 minutes. The LC-3 is a very comfortable guitar to hold and play, with its light weight, small, well-shaped body and perfectly setup neck.

The 24.75-inch scale makes it just a little bit easier for me to reach certain notes ù on finger-picked bass runs, for example. The flip side of this is that the distance between frets is a tad shorter than I'm used to, and it is sometimes a little tough to cram all my fat fingers into the space provided. If you are a small person with slim fingers (a woman, perhaps?), this guitar is exactly the right size for you.

The cutaway let me get at chords beyond the 12th fret. I have a calypso riff that I'm play. It involves playing a D chord at the 14th fret. This is no problem with the Gibson LC-3; the fast motion that I have to do up and down its neck is easier with the guitar's short scale and excellent action.

Although the size is smaller than a standard dreadnaught, the sound of the LC-3 would make you think otherwise. I played it side-by-side with a

full-bodied premium dreadnaught guitar and, while they sounded different, they were well-matched in terms of volume and bass.

The LC-3 also had the edge in the treble, with a clarity that makes this guitar perfect for finger picking and lead playing. In particular, the high strings had a pleasing, present, chiming quality that I associate with the best acoustic guitars.

The LC-3 also sounded pretty good plugged in, but with the brightness of cedar, it would be nice to have a little EQ on-board to tame the high end that gets enhanced by electrification.

In terms of ergonomics, the volume control tucked behind the edge of the sound hold is quite convenient, yet unobtrusive. You would hardly know this is an electric-acoustic.

Summary

The Gibson LC-3 Caldera's construction quality and materials are immaculate, and it plays and sounds like the premium guitar that it is.

In particular, the LC-3 is an excellent performance guitar, with a small size and comfortable feel that

you can play for hours without fatigue. The combination of koa and cedar make for a present, yet warm sound that makes the LC-3 versatile for almost any kind of playing. Look for this acoustic in our 2003 "Best Of" nominations.

Gibson LC-3 Caldera Acoustic Guitar

It is amazing to me that a small guitar like the Gibson LC-3 Caldera can sound like a big guitar. The LC-3, a cutaway acoustic-electric guitar, will surprise you with the quality and volume of its sound, which is easily as good as premium dreadnaughts I have played.

With a solid cedar top and sides made from solid koa wood grown on the slopes below the Hawaiian calderas (volcanoes), the Gibson LC-3 Caldera exudes a classy warmth and brightness, in an easy-to-hold package.

Features

The LC-3, retail priced at $4,100, is a size that Gibson calls the "advanced L-00" body, which is smaller than a dreadnaught. The 20-fret neck has the typical Gibson scale 24.75-inch scale, about 3/4-inch shorter than many dreadnaughts.

The guitar's body is made from koa wood, which is a better quality of mahogany with a more striking grain. Gibson's special bracing is forward shifted and scalloped, which helps the smaller size get the big sound.

The two-piece back has a colorful inlay down the center and the entire guitar is trimmed in an ivory-plastic binding. A ring of abalone is used to trim the sound hole.

The bridge and fretboard are made of ebony, and the one-piece mahogany neck has "autumn leaf" abalone inlays at the typical frets. (There is also an inlay on the first fret.) The bridge has a sort of mustache shape that Gibson calls "sculpted."

Under the saddle of the LC-3 is a Schertler Bluestick piezo pickup, which is then connected to a small pre-amp mounted inside the guitar. The pickup's volume is controlled from a knob that is cleverly mounted at the edge of the sound hole. The strap button at the bottom of the guitar doubles as the 1/4-inch jack for the electronics.

The internally mounted pre-amp has two button-style batteries that can only be replaced by removing the strings; there are no equalization adjustments with this pickup.

It seems that a lot of expensive guitars use open tuners and the Gibson LC-3 is no exception. The gold-plated Gotoh tuners work smoothly. The headstock is Gibson's standard 17-degree angle, which makes for superb sustain.

The guitar's one-piece mahogany neck has the 1.69-inch width typical of dreadnaughts, and the neck's truss rod is adjusted from under a removable plastic plate on the headstock. Gibson refers to the neck as "easy action," and it is certainly a neck that is very easy to play.

All the details on this guitar are beautifully done. Inside the guitar, the construction is a perfect example of the luthier's craft, with no visible glue globs an no excessive gaps in the kerfing.

The guitar ships with Gibson "Hydrophobic" light gauge bronze strings (which resist corrosion better than non-coated strings) and a very sturdy, plush-lined TKL case. The guitar is covered by a lifetime warranty.

The Audition

I'm an average-size guy, and I really appreciate a guitar that is

smaller than a dreadnaught, especially if I'm standing and playing for 90 minutes. The LC-3 is a very comfortable guitar to hold and play, with its light weight, small, well-shaped body and perfectly setup neck.

The 24.75-inch scale makes it just a little bit easier for me to reach certain notes ù on finger-picked bass runs, for example. The flip side of this is that the distance between frets is a tad shorter than I'm used to, and it is sometimes a little tough to cram all my fat fingers into the space provided. If you are a small person with slim fingers (a woman, perhaps?), this guitar is exactly the right size for you.

The cutaway let me get at chords beyond the 12th fret. I have a calypso riff that I'm play. It involves playing a D chord at the 14th fret. This is no problem with the Gibson LC-3; the fast motion that I have to do up and down its neck is easier with the guitar's short scale and excellent action.

Although the size is smaller than a standard dreadnaught, the sound of the LC-3 would make you think otherwise. I played it side-by-side with a

full-bodied premium dreadnaught guitar and, while they sounded different, they were well-matched in terms of volume and bass.

The LC-3 also had the edge in the treble, with a clarity that makes this guitar perfect for finger picking and lead playing. In particular, the high strings had a pleasing, present, chiming quality that I associate with the best acoustic guitars.

The LC-3 also sounded pretty good plugged in, but with the brightness of cedar, it would be nice to have a little EQ on-board to tame the high end that gets enhanced by electrification.

In terms of ergonomics, the volume control tucked behind the edge of the sound hold is quite convenient, yet unobtrusive. You would hardly know this is an electric-acoustic.

Summary

The Gibson LC-3 Caldera's construction quality and materials are immaculate, and it plays and sounds like the premium guitar that it is.

In particular, the LC-3 is an excellent performance guitar, with a small size and comfortable feel that

you can play for hours without fatigue. The combination of koa and cedar make for a present, yet warm sound that makes the LC-3 versatile for almost any kind of playing. Look for this acoustic in our 2003 "Best Of" nominations.

Takamine AN10 Acoustic Guitar

The Takamine AN10 is a best buy, all solid wood dreadnought acoustic guitar with a bright sound that excels at finger picking and recording.

In fact, the guitar is shockinglygood, considering its $879 list price - with forward-shifted, scalloped bracing, all solid wood construction and hand-fit dovetail neck joint. A made-for-Takamine hardcase is an extra $100.

This review is for the acoustic-only AN10; there is also an electrified, cutaway version, the EAN10C.

Features

The AN10 is a beautifully made guitar that shows a lot of attention to detail. Our sample obtained from the manufacturerwas virtually flawless.

The first striking thing about the Takamine AN10 is that the top is made of solid cedar instead of the much more common spruce. The grain of the cedar is clean, with no spots or blemishes. The wood is attractive through the natural satin finish, which also contributes to its loud and open sound.

The AN10's rosewood bridge has split saddles; the B and high E strings are on one small saddle, and the remaining strings wrap over the other. I have seen this type of bridge before but only on more expensive guitars.

In addition to the split saddle, the strings are routed through the end of the bridge instead of being fitted down through the bridge and top. This bridge design is said to move the top more than the string-through-body bridge, resulting in a louder, projecting sound, which is indeed the case.

The rosette around the sound hole is made of wood, and there is similar wood detailing around the body of the guitar. The body is bound in a tasteful ivory plastic binding.

The sides, back and neck of the AN10 are made from solid mahogany, which is satin-stained a reddish color. The construction materials and quality of the AN10 are first rate. The two-piecemahogany back has a very thin ivory-looking strip between the halves.

The guitar's neck is 25.5-inch in scale and is 1.69 inches wide at the nut. The neck is topped with a rosewood fretboard. The smooth-feeling, gold-painted,tuning machines have pearloid, plastic knobs. They look like Gotoh tuners. The AN10 comes from the factory strung with very bright-sounding, D'Addario EXP light-gauge strings (more on that later).

Inside, the guitar body was clean and well detailed. The top bracing is scalloped to provide both louder and deeper sound. I examined the AN10 carefully with an inspection mirror and was impressed at the lack of visible glue and at the appearance and quality of the construction.

The Audition

Playing the AN10 was a joy with its low action and a thin, fast neck. With the bright D'Addario EXP strings, fingerpicking produced a pleasant and bright tone with plenty of bass during those runs between chords.

Because of the split-bridge configuration, I noticed the gaps between the strings were not even between the B and G strings. By loosening the string tension with the tuners, I was able to slide the strings along the saddle to get them more evenly spaced. Still, the space between the strings was a bit more than I am accustomed, and it took me about 30 minutes of playing before my fingers squarely hit the strings where I expected.

The AN10 sounded very good strumming but my thin pick brought out all this guitar's brightness. For my taste, it was too bright with the D'Addario EXP strings. A set of Martin bronze lights mellowed out the sound, making it much more balanced, but yet with plenty of volume on the top and bottom.

With a cedar top, however, the maximum volume comes quickly. If you put forth an extra hard strum, the AN10 simply doesn't give that extra bit of volume, but sort of compresses the sound. It is not muddy, it just will not get any louder. Thus, this guitar is not ideally suited for hard bluegrass or other rhythm strumming.

The AN10 is, however, a superb guitar for finger picking and folk and country strumming. It alsois ideal for recording. Using a large-diaphragm project-studio microphone and pro preamp, the playback sounded like a much more expensive, high-end, cedar top guitar, such as a Lowden. Recordings of fingerpicked tunes on the AN10 were very clean.

The only negative that I found was minor. The satin finish produced more handling noise when the guitar body slid against my shirt. This was easily picked up by the studio mic, which was only 6-8 inches away. A guitar with a glossy finish makes less handling noise.

Eastman Strings Uptown AR810 Jazz Guitar

Solid-wood, hand-crafted, jazz guitars usually cost a lot of money. Upwards of $10,000 or more for some of them. With the Eastman Strings line of handcrafted archtops, you get solid wood, hand built quality for under $2,500.

The Eastman Strings company, known for its high quality violins at great prices, has now entered the archtop guitar market with several models. These hand-made, produced-in-China guitars use 100 percent solid woods ù solid spruce tops and solid flame maple bodies. And they cost an amazing $2,000-$3,000, depending on on model.

Features

Gordon Roberts,Eastman StringsÆ marketing manager, sent me one of the early Uptown AR810 electric cutaway models, retail priced at $2,495 with a hardshell case. The guitar looks similar to a Benedetto ù with single cutaway and ebony pick guard with single floating pickup. The bound, three-inch thick, 17-inch wide body is made from solid flame maple, and the solid spruce top contains the classic F-holes complete with ivoroid plastic binding. The single cutaway makes for easy access to the upper frets.

The 25.5-inch scale neck, with 14 frets clear of the body, has an ebony fretboard with medium-low frets. The attractive, rather large, traditional headstock terminates the three-piece maple neck. The Eastman line of guitars all have 17-degree, angled headstocks, which enhances projection and sustain.

I should mention that the version I obtained from Eastman Strings had a thicker neck and felt fuller than the newer ones I played at the recent Winter NAMM show. The newer ones feel more like a classic Gibson. The nut width measures 1 11/16th. The made-in-Korea Jinho tuners have the classic, flared, metal tuning knobs. Very cool indeed. The adjustable truss rod is accessed from the headstock.

Eastman Strings pulled out one of its own violin-manufacturing techniques for the guitar finish. Instead of numerous coats of lacquer, the Uptown can be purchased with a hand-applied, violin varnish, which gives the wood a minimal protective coats, but enhances the woodÆs tone. Eastman Stringsalso offers a nitrocellulose lacquer option as well, which is applied in thinner coats to minimize acoustic dampening

Although many overseas archtop guitars are often thickly coated with lacquers and finishes, the violin varnish Uptown has a nice, attractive minimalist look that I find appealing.

Electronics are simple. The Kent Armstrong mini-humbucker floating pickup is mounted to the ebony pick guard, near the neck as with most single pick-up jazz guitars. The wires run under the pick guard into the bottom f-hole and then to the metal jack end-pin. The only control is the the pick guard-mounted, thumbwheel volume control.

The floating ebony floating bridge routes the strings to the nicely unobtrusive gold painted tail piece. Inside the body, the hand work looked good with cedar kerfing finely glued and placed without excessive glue run-off.

The audition

I first listened to the AR810 acoustically. With .013-.56 roundwound electric strings, the unplugged sound revealed a taut bass with a prominent midrange and smooth treble. (Put on some bronze wounds acoustic strings, raise the action and this guitar gets gets pretty loud).

The girth of the neck took some getting used to, but any model purchased today the neck is not quite as balky so my comments are kind of moot. The fret work was good ù with no buzzes ù and the notes resonated nicely without dying too quickly, which is the case with many laminated guitars.

When playing acoustically, the bass was not as full as other archtops I have tried. However, the guitar was brand new, out of the box. Over several months, the bass began to increase. Noted Washington, D.C. luthier and guitar builder Mike Dove, who set-up the early Eastmans, said the bass will not reach maximum for a couple of years, which is the case for almost any solid wood guitar.

Although some serious jazz players may be skeptical of a Chinese-made, archtop guitar for actual gigging or recording, they need not worry. Plugged into an amp, the AR810 nails that tried-and-true archtop sound. To get an objective read on the plugged-in sound, I used a Fender 1965 Twin Reverb reissue, miking it with a high-dollar pair of studio condenser microphones. The signal was recorded with a 24-bit professional recorder.

The recording revealed a very vintage, warm tone with good sustain. Picked notes had that just right, sweet Wes Montgomery sound. Jazz chords, and even more standard chords, also had that air of archtop fullness that you donÆt get from an electric solid body. The lack of acoustic bass did not matter when amplified. (In fact. too much bass, only increases feedback).

During the evaluation period, I kept theguitar pickup volume wide open to get the right level and tone. Turn it down too much, the high-end rolls off and the level drops.

How about feedback? I did notice that when playing in front of the amp at a decent level, the Eastman Uptown will feedback easily. But a lot of archtops feedback. This one did not feedback any easier than my custom shop Gibson L5CES. Jazz guys know the nuance of playing and amp positioning to prevent too much feedback.

I did not have any major criticism of the Uptown guitar. My test instrument had a few rough spots on the binding (but it was only one step from a prototype. Recent production models I have seen look good.) A hotter pickup or adjustable pole pieces in the pickup would be nice to get a bit more level if a player wants to raise the action.

Guild F50R Jumbo Acoustic Guitar

Guild F50R

Since the 1950s,Guild has had a reputation as a premium acoustic and archtop guitar manufacturer, ranking up there with Martin and Gibson.

Up until 2000, the Guilds were built in Westerly, Rhode Island. But parent company Fender moved the manufacture of the Guild acoustics and archtops to its Corona, California facility.

One of the flagship models from the new production set up is the reintroduced F50R jumbo.

Features

The new F50R, priced at $2,499, is based on the original F50 specifications from 1960s-1980s. The jumbo is somewhat larger than the typical dreadnought folk guitar across lower bout of the guitar - with a pinched waist. The previous model, called the JF65, was similarly sized, but the front bought was thicker

The F50R sample we tested was beautifully constructed - with a two-piece solid spruce top, solid rosewood sides and back, and a three-piece mahogany neck. The back and neck contained thin, tasteful wood inlays, and the body and neck were trimmed with bright white binding. The finish was two-color sunburst.

The Guild F50R features an ebony fretboard and a rosewood bridge. Neck dimensions include a 25.6-inch scale and a slightly narrower-than-normal width of 1.69 inches. The F50R does not lack for fine details - the fretboard has eye-catching abalone and mother-of-pearl inlays and two racing stripes that run from nut to sound hole.

The neck is thin, almost like an electric guitar, and it has a distinctive broad, shallow heel where it attaches to the body. The overall exterior finish - including the tobacco sunburst top - was excellent, although the review sample had a pitch pocket (a dark spot in the spruce) on the top about a half-inch from the bridge.

Other features include a tortoise-shell pickguard and smooth-feeling, gold-plated, Grover tuners. A black plastic plate covers the truss rod adjustment plate on the front of the headstock, and the guitar's serial number is stamped into the back of the headstock.

The detailing inside the F50R was very good but not perfect. It was generally clean, but I spotted some glue stains on the rosewood. Nothing serious.

Since this is a jumbo, it is about 1.5 inches wider at the big bout than a dreadnought. It is also heavier, a result of the extensive use of rosewood and the guitar's overall large size. It is noticeably heavier to hold than a dreadnought, but the trade off is the increased volume.

The Guild F50R was fitted with medium-gauge Guild-branded, phosphor-bronze strings and it arrived in a hard and well-padded G&G case.

Audition

Since the bass of an acoustic guitar radiates from the large bout, a jumbo guitar has the potential for deep, rich bass. The Guild F50R does not disappoint in the bass response region - it has strong bass that gives this guitar a loud, rich, overall tone.

The treble range is not an afterthought, however. The Guild had plenty of volume, especially when I strummed and flat picked with my preferred thin picks.

It also is a good guitar for finger picking - the progression starting at a D chord with descending bass notes that ends up at a G chord - sounded wonderful with deep, smooth bass.

On the test sample, the neck was easy-to-play with very low action. It is a nice feel for an acoustic guitar. Although the action was low, there were no unusual buzzes, and it was easy on the fingers - even with medium-gauge strings.

On my sample, I noticed that the saddle was cut rather low to enable the aforementioned low action. However, the resulting side effect is not having any excess to shave from the saddle in order to compensate for a rising top and neck that ultimately results in resets for most acoustic guitars.

Another consequence of the low saddle is that without a ample break angle over the saddle, volume can be reduced. We could not tell if the volume was reduced since we had no second unit to compare it with. The F50R, however, was plenty loud, thus, the low saddle may have had no effect.
Summary
The Guild F50R is definitely worth the Guild pedigree. The builders in California may take a little time to finally get all the fine points perfect, but the F50R proves that the Guild design is tried and true - no matter whether it is made on the East or West Coast.

Yamaha LLX-500C Acoustic/Electric Guitar

The Yamaha LLX-500C acoustic/electric cutaway guitar, is a gem of an acoustic/electric guitar and should be looked at seriously by any performer looking at guitars in its $2,399 or higher price range.

Features

The Yamaha LLX-500C is hand built in Yamaha's Japan "custom shop" factory. Its features include a solid spruce top, mahogany neck, and solid rosewood back and sides. The 20-fret finger board is ebony with delicate mother-of-pearl snowflake inlays at the usually marked frets.

Yamaha LLX-500C Acoustic/Electric Guitar

The headstock and neck of the guitar are attractively trimmed in ivoroid binding, and the Yamaha name on the headstock is mother-of-pearl inlay. There is an abalone inlay trim ring around the sound hole, and the body of the guitar has a gloss finish. The pleasingly "thin" neck has a matte finish.

Unlike many acoustic electric, the Yamaha LLX500C's sides are solid instead of laminated. Yamaha installs a laminated wood brace around the built-in preamp to keep the solid area strong enough to withstand structural side pressure, but the rest of the side wood is solid.

With a 25.6-inch scale, the Yamaha LLX-500C is standard dreadnaught sized, except for the cutaway, that permits easy chording up to the 14th fret. The guitar has gold-plated, Yamaha tuning machines that are silky smooth and easy to wind. The ebony bridge contains a standard plastic saddle.

Underneath the saddle is a piezo pickup that is wired to a powered, System 45 mic preamp/equalizer module on the upper "shoulder" of the guitar. In addition to the piezo pickup, there is a mini-gooseneck mounted electret mic placed in the soundhole. The gooseneck is attached to the preamp/equalizer module.

The two microphones can be blended or placed out-of-phase (to eliminate feedback perhaps), giving a substantial amount of range adjustment. For even more sound contouring, the gooseneck mic can be easily repositioned, even with the strings on the guitar. The battery has its own side-mounted compartment, separate from the preamp/equalizer module.

Inside, the construction was of high quality, but there were some sloppy glue spots. Another demerit was given for the half-inch gap between the spruce back-stiffening material and the block at the base of the guitar. The kerfing material is mahogany.

The strap button at the base of the LLX-500C doubles as the jack for the 1/4-inch instrument cord. There was no other strap button, so I tied a strap to the head by the nut.

The guitar has a thin, clear plastic pickguard, which is a design that I like. Light gauge strings were supplied with the guitar. The LLX-500C comes with a limited lifetime warranty. A case was not supplied with this review unit.

The Audition

The acoustic sound of the Yamaha LLX-500C was well balanced ù crisp and defined at the high end and rich bass that projected well. Using the strap or balanced on my knee, the guitar felt comfortable and natural to hold

The acoustic sound of the LLX-500C, at least with the strings supplied with the guitar, worked best for strumming, flat-picking and lead playing. It was a bit too dull for finger picking for my taste, but this might easily be cured with a brighter set of strings.

Plugged in to a good sound system, the LLX-500C can be adjusted for any type of sound. It was easy to get crisp sound while finger picking, and the range of adjustment for the electric pickups is excellent. I preferred to mix both the piezo and gooseneck mics, and then reduce the high-end sizzle of the piezo pickup with the on-board equalizer. The dual mics offer countless sound combination possibilities.

The action on the guitar I reviewed was excellent. I could strum the guitar hard and finger chords at any point on the neck without buzzing.
Summary

The Yamaha LLX-500C is a high-quality, solid wood acoustic/electric with easy playability and a full, balanced sound. The flexible preamp/equalizer module makes shaping the sound and notching out feedback easy.

If you are an active stage performer, the LLX-500C is an acoustic-electric that should not be overlooked -- even compared to more expensive models. It can deliver the beauty, richness and soul of a quality acoustic as well as a good plugged-in sound.

The New Les Paul Standard

Gibson recently introduced an updated and improved version of the venerable, 50-year-old Les Paul - the new Les Paul Standard.

The new Les Paul Standard

The new Standard, priced from $3,074 to $3,306 - depending on finish, is as close to a late '50s 'burst as Gibson has made in standard production since the halcyon days of the late 1950s. The instrument features a smaller vintage-shaped peghead, Kluson keystone tuners, and, for you LP aficionados, the original sized, small binding in the cutaway.

The version Gibson sent me had a AA-grade, flame maple top, which put me well on the way to reproducing the feel, look and vibe of an old Les Paul.

But wait, there's more. Gibson also has installed its new "Burst Bucker" pickups, which feature alnico 5 magnets and staggered windings on each coil for a more open, airy, vintage tone than the old Standard's 490R and 498T humbuckers.

The neck profile is available in two shapes: the "Fat 50s," which to me felt thinner than a 1958-59 Historic (though not by much), and a thinner taper 1960 profile. Kudos to Gibson for finally making two neck shapes available on the same model.

The finish on the review instrument was beautiful-a nice, warm cherry sunburst that seemed to have a nice patina on it right out of the case. The top was perfectly figured with mild hints of deep 3-D flame-no maple-on-steroids flame here. I also appreciated the elegant understatement of its look; I like guitars that look like guitars and not Wall Street office paneling.

The new Standard versions with the translucent finish, AA flame maple tops do not have the their attractiveness hidden under a pick guard. If you want it on (the included pickguard is located in the case), it has to be installed. Only the ebony model features an installed pickguard.

As with all Gibson USA models, the finish is old-fashioned nitrocellulose, and gone are the lurid lipstick red and brassy vivid yellow of recent sunburst finishes. The colors here are toned down and look warm and sensuous; you want to play it just for its sheer classic beauty.

Why am I raving so much? Well, because before now, the only way to get this much vibe, accuracy, and tone in a Les Paul meant a hefty bag o' cash for a historic series LP, or a major inheritance or lottery windfall for an original '50s 'bucker-equipped Les Paul. I applaud Gibson's decision to offer these desirable features on the more affordable LP Standard.

The Audition

I played the new Les Paul over several weeks in a variety of settings with different amps; I was impressed.

Playing the LP through a 1967 Plexi Marshall 50-Watt head, it was pretty much instant Sixties British Blues Master Tone. The neck pickup was fat and creamy, and the bridge pickup had a bright treble clarity with definition and airiness.

Through a 1956 tweed Fender narrow-panel Pro the instrument had "Texas Tone City" fat harmonics and a searing treble grind with clarity - without the dryness of ceramic pickups. The alnico V burst buckers really deliver the goods.

Finally, through a Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier head and Marshall 4x12 this thing crunched big time. The neck pickup was a tad muddy with this amp, but the lead tone from the bridge pickup was killer-tight, focused, and well-defined.

Conclusion

If you've been holding back on buying a previous production Les Paul because of sticky feeling necks and overly hot pickups (the Classic for example), you owe it to yourself to check out the new 2002 Standards. Take it from a dyed-in-the-wool, vintage guitar fan-this new guitar rocks!

Gibson Emmylou Harris Signature Edition L-200 Mini-Jumbo

Signature edition guitars usually cost more than the standard models they are based on, but sometimes the enhanced features make them worth the extra bucks. The Emmylou Harris L-200 signature guitar is one of those that is worth the money - well worth it.
Features

Based on a smaller version of the big boy of jumbos, the J-200, the Emmylou Harris signature is an all solid-wood guitar with curly maple neck, back and sides and top-grade spruce top. The guitar contains a Shertler Bluestick saddle pickup and a compact preamp with hole-mounted volume control.

The Emmylou Harris L-200

The 24/3/4-inch scale neck, with a 1 11/16th-inch nut width, sports a rosewood fretboard decorated in individual pieces of crest-design mother of pearl. The headstock and body are bound with ivoroid binding, and the pickguard is decorated with a vine-flower design pattern.

The gold-plated, vintage-style Kluson tuners are classy looking with their plastic tulip keys. The Gibson phosphor bronze light gauge strings are attached to the body via a Gibson moustache bridge, which is made of rosewood and sports two fancy blocks of mother-of-pearl near its back.

To get a big sound out of a smaller guitar, Gibson utilizes vintage scalloped bracing, one-inch from the sound hole. This bracing style allows the top to vibrate more freely - yielding better bass and treble.

The guitar's construction was excellent with just a couple of glue drops evident inside the soundbox. The preamp is mounted on the back's inside - with two watch-sized round batteries that can only be replaced when removing the strings. The preamp wires hang freely to their under-saddle destination. The end-pin/cord connector is metal.
The Audition

Maple body guitars are not always my cup of tea, sonically speaking, but I really liked the Emmylou Harris L-200. Even though Gibson sent me the guitar just one month after it had been assembled, dried and set up, it sounded great right out of the case!

It could be strummed authoritatively, but never lost its string resolution. Its balanced midrange and treble made for intricate finger picking or clear strumming of country and folk rhythm chords. The taller-than-normal frets (compared to my Martin D-35) made it easier to play - even with not exactly low action.

Bigger jumbos often feel, well, big. With the thinner body and downsized bouts, the Emmylou Harris L-200 feels light and is comfy to hold and play - standing up or sitting down. Though it is smaller than a J-200 or a big Guild jumbo, the guitar is still plenty loud. And the sound emanates from all around the top - not a narrow projection that I have heard from smaller acoustic guitars.

Acoustically, I recorded the Gibson with an Earthworks SR-71 instrument microphone, and the recording came across as big as the full-sized guitars that I had on hand for comparison. As with the bigger guitars, I had to tame some of the bass proximity effect with my Mackie mixer's low-cut filter, but the end result was a top-notch recording. Great for rhythm.

Plugging in, the guitar's acoustic's characteristics were relayed quite convincingly. The under-saddle PU gives a presence boost, but it does not sound thin through an amp or mixer. This is one guitar that sounds good plugged in or acoustic. Although there was no on-board preamp EQ, I liked the sound as is.
Conclusion

The Gibson Emmylou Harris edition L-200 is a best buy acoustic guitar. Its quality construction, balanced sweet sound, plugged in or not, made me not want to put it down. With a bunch of guitars in for review, I kept picking up this one.

The $3,300 retail price ain't chump change (about $2,300-$2,400 on the street), but this guitar is worth it.

Martin J-40/D-40 Acoustic Guitars

The standard 40 series Martin acoustics offer a combination of vintage and modern premium features in two styles: the jumbo-sized J-40 and the dreadnought, the D-40. Both are priced at $3,350

Features

The J-40 is Martin's popular take on the jumbo. The guitar's back and sides are solid rosewood, and the top is solid sitka spruce. The back stripe is herringbone inlay.

Martin D-40	Martin J-40

The guitar features, hand carved, scalloped X-bracing, a tried-and-true design that goes back to the1800s. (However, the guitar does not get the pre-war design, forward-shifted bracing that is one-inch from the soundhole. That feature is reserved for the HD28V, D-18V, D-41 and other high-end models).

The 40 series soundhole is adorned with numerous pieces of abalone around the body and soundhole. The one-piece mahogany neck, 25.4-inch scale, is fitted with an ebony fretboard with abalone hexagonal inlays - very nice. The headstock is embossed with the early 20th century style, vertical C.F. Martin logo, with abalone, instead of the smaller horizontal letters of later guitars. The tuners are gold-coated Gotohs while the bridge is ebony. The J-40 comes with Martin medium SP+ bronze strings.

The J-40 is not as big is not as big or as thick, as a Gibson J-200 jumbo, but the lower bout measures 16-inches. The body has a pinched waist when compared to a dreadnought. This make its more comfortable.

The D-40 has all the same woods, bracing decorative inlays, tuners and neck, but in the dreadnought size. It has a wider waist than the jumbo and a slightly smaller bottom bout.

Construction was perfect on both the J and the D. Nary a drop of excess glue on the inside, and the action was low enough that the mediums did not kill my fingers. These Martin SP+ strings, with the coating to keep them fresh, are as about as good as I have heard from this class of strings.

Both guitars are finished in natural gloss and they come with premium Martin hard cases.

The Audition

The D-40 and the J-40 have similar sonic characteristics - in that they are open, resonant and loud with a good bass that is often lacking in many of today's acoustic guitars, but there are definite differences because of the different shapes.

The J-40 is the more balanced guitar; its pinched waist reduces the bass bloom to be more on par with the treble. The guitar has an intimate tone that fingerstyle pickers will like, but yet is strums nicely as well. Because of the pinched waist, hard strumming over the soundhole creates a more bass heavy, less succinct character that is greatly reduced when playing midway between the bridge and soundhole.

The D-40 is a louder guitar that is more suited to rhythm and bold picking, such as bluegrass and folk. It is more bass heavy than the J-40. Thus, the apparent treble seems reduced in comparison. Still, it is a full spectrum dreadnought capable of filling big rooms, and it does have top end- especially when you play back from the soundhole.

Conclusion

The J-40 and the D-40 represent Martin lineage quite well. Having the same construction and features, the size and intended use should dictate which one suits your taste. If you are a strummer who needs commanding volume with strong bass the D-40 is your choice. Folks picking the blues and other singer/songwriter stylists might like the J-40 with its more comfortable feel. Heck, if you have enough dough, buy them both. Absolutely recommended.

Fender Cybertwin Guitar Amplifier

Given the current popularity of digital modeling guitar amps, it seemed logical that Fender would create its own amp with the genuine tones of legendary tube amps, plus the effects and flexibility of digital amp technology.

Enter the Cybertwin. Fender's remarkable new amp ($1,699) that uses digital processing (and good ole' analog processing via real tubes).

Features

The process, known as Virtual Tone Interpolation, was designed to
recreate the overall character of an amp rather than take a snapshot like other modeling amps.

For example, imagine finding a clean sound from a classic tube combo like the Fender Bassman on a modeling amp. If you turn up the volume, you get that same clean sound, just louder. In reality however, if you turn up an actual Bassman, it gets grittier as the tubes are driven harder at higher volume.

The Cybertwin design team's credo "Innovate. Don't emulate." gives birth to an amp that changes topology and component values depending on the patch selected. It is more like taking a video of a classic amp rather than a snapshot.

Add to this design a fine complement of professional features - such as 205 preset locations, vacuum tube circuitry, MIDI control capability,on-board digital effects, compression, gating, motorized analog style control knobs, an effects loop and a SPDIF digital output - and you get what promises to be a powerful tool for the serious guitarist.

With 135 watts of power (two 65 watt power amps) and two Celestion G12T-100s, the Cybertwin can crank up the SPLs, but it weighs a very reasonable 55 pounds - considerably less than my old "Silver Face" Twin Reverb from the 1970s.

The Audition

As an owner of an all original 1964 Fender blackface Vibroverb (perhaps the "Holy Grail" of Fender amps), I was very curious to see what the Cybertwin had to offer with regards to classic Fender amp sounds. I also have a fair amount of experience using modeling amps, so I was curious to see how the Fender "stacks up" to other amps in the genre.

As soon as I powered it up, my love affair with this amp began! It immediately delivered stellar sounds, and they were easily adjustable in a way that guitarists will be familiar.

I dialed up the tweed Bassman patch and noticed how accurate it was.Like old Fender amps, the tone controls kill the volume when turned all the way down. I also noticed (and so did my neighbors) that this patch sounds great at high volume. Via the Cybertwin, my Strat delivered that dark, low-end punch and top end sparkle of Stevie Ray Vaughn's classic, "Lenny"
Although real Bassmans are without reverb, the Cybertwin overcomes that shortcoming. With a click of the effects footswitch and a spin of the reverb knob, a brilliant reverb could be heard. With a tad of EQ tweaking, I had this patch sounding so good I didn't want to lose it. No problem, I just hit the "save" button and stored it in the "Player's Lounge" section. That is the benefit of an amp with memory.

I checked out other patches in the Cybertwin. The "Tremolux NP '55"
has a beautiful tremolo effect on par with my Vibroverb, and the "Twin
NP '59" patch brought back memories of my old Twin Reverb. I was enthralled with the "Texas Bar Room" patch - a great sparkly tone with a small reverb that had my Strat crying for chord work.

Then there was "No Name Streets," a slightly-muted patch with a strong echo at about 350ms and minimal repeats. This was perfect for getting that classic 1980s U2 sound.

There were a few patches on the Cybertwin that I did not like. "Smokin'," for example, elicited tons of noise and microphonic feedback squeals. In fact, several patches had significant amounts of noise that required the internal noise gate to be engaged. Once engaged, the noise gate brought the sounds within tolerable limits.

While the Cybertwin is very adept at recreating classic Fender amps and a number of other combos too, I could not dial in a "Marshall Stack" sound that I liked. I supposed there are some sounds that can't be modeled with the combo. Maybe a cabinet full of Celestion Greenbacks would make it closer. The new head version may be able to dial it in better with the accompanying closed-back combo speaker cabinet.
Conclusion

I really enjoyed using the Cybertwin. It is another jewel in Fender's crown of fine amplifiers. With so many genuine amp sounds and powerful effects, this amp is a prime candidate for a working professional - live or in the studio.

The Cybertwin will even appeal to tube amp purists because the sounds
are accurate enough that you don't have to lug your expensive vintage tube amps out on the road.