JeffB
Let it B
This one to be exact
Looks better in person (those were the sellers pics).
Unfortunately, I've found myself in a sitch where I really gotta sell some gear. Bad stuff going on @ work, tax time comin up, had to put a bunch of $ in my truck..Xmas..you name it. Just sold my Hamer. Terry bought my 1987x. The R8 has to go back, and the faded std. and rivera are going. So with all the hype around here lately about Japanese guitars being built better, blah blha blah, I figured it was a good time to find out. The axe above cost me $699.00 plus $125.00 to ship from Japan. It got here in 3 days and was packed extremely well. Katana Guitars was great
I'll start with the bad: It's got a JB in the bridge :laugh2: Actually it's not too bad, surprised me. But I like my PAFs! This will get a set of Double creme DiMarzios of some sort.
Cosmetically the only flaw I've found (yet?) is some of the black paint from the headstock that made it onto the side of the headstock in the cherry color. The binding is absolutely perfect on the neck and the body. There is a couple of very light scratches on the back that were likely done when it was put in the box for shipping. Very minor but easy to see I think cos of the finish which is a satin Nitro. It's dull, and feels a little strange. It's smoother than the Faded Gibsons.
The top *may* be a veneer, but it does have a maple cap underneath according to Edwards. It's def not a fotoflame though as there is way too much variation/grain pattern change when you turn/move the guitar. The Mahogany is pretty grained but nothing like my R8. Still very nice.
Neck is somewhere between the R8 and the 50s production neck. Its not as deep as the R8. and more "C" shaped than the faded. The lack of fretside binding feels weird to me, though my Firebird doesn't have it either. Fretjob is fantastic..no issues at all just as good as the R8/Hamer. Ends of the frets are very smooth. Inlays look nice..one *may* be a little ****eyed...I'd hafta measure.
Nut is cut perfect. Guitar was slack for shipping. I tuned it up, and the action was SUPER low with no buzzing. Strings did not hit the bridge on the way to the stop. Intonation is perfect. Setup is really incredible, but too low for me, I raised the action, but now the strings hit the back of the bridge just slightly.I'll topwrap it to take care of that. It plays a little stiffer than the R8 anyways but not as stiff as the Faded w/o a wrap, so it should end up dang close to the R8 for "slinky" feel.
Controls seem great:quality pots, smooth knobs, etc. Toggle feels a little cheap compared to a Gibson/Hamer. The pots aren't as good for nice taper as the R8/Hamer but better than the Faded and Firebird. Tuners and hardware are quality parts..not tonepros, but Gotoh stuff is decent it seems. I' One thing about the pup covers and bridge/TP is they seem like a "brushed" nickel/chrome, almost an aged look. Kinda neat, but not sure I love it.
contd...
Looks better in person (those were the sellers pics).
Unfortunately, I've found myself in a sitch where I really gotta sell some gear. Bad stuff going on @ work, tax time comin up, had to put a bunch of $ in my truck..Xmas..you name it. Just sold my Hamer. Terry bought my 1987x. The R8 has to go back, and the faded std. and rivera are going. So with all the hype around here lately about Japanese guitars being built better, blah blha blah, I figured it was a good time to find out. The axe above cost me $699.00 plus $125.00 to ship from Japan. It got here in 3 days and was packed extremely well. Katana Guitars was great
I'll start with the bad: It's got a JB in the bridge :laugh2: Actually it's not too bad, surprised me. But I like my PAFs! This will get a set of Double creme DiMarzios of some sort.
Cosmetically the only flaw I've found (yet?) is some of the black paint from the headstock that made it onto the side of the headstock in the cherry color. The binding is absolutely perfect on the neck and the body. There is a couple of very light scratches on the back that were likely done when it was put in the box for shipping. Very minor but easy to see I think cos of the finish which is a satin Nitro. It's dull, and feels a little strange. It's smoother than the Faded Gibsons.
The top *may* be a veneer, but it does have a maple cap underneath according to Edwards. It's def not a fotoflame though as there is way too much variation/grain pattern change when you turn/move the guitar. The Mahogany is pretty grained but nothing like my R8. Still very nice.
Neck is somewhere between the R8 and the 50s production neck. Its not as deep as the R8. and more "C" shaped than the faded. The lack of fretside binding feels weird to me, though my Firebird doesn't have it either. Fretjob is fantastic..no issues at all just as good as the R8/Hamer. Ends of the frets are very smooth. Inlays look nice..one *may* be a little ****eyed...I'd hafta measure.
Nut is cut perfect. Guitar was slack for shipping. I tuned it up, and the action was SUPER low with no buzzing. Strings did not hit the bridge on the way to the stop. Intonation is perfect. Setup is really incredible, but too low for me, I raised the action, but now the strings hit the back of the bridge just slightly.I'll topwrap it to take care of that. It plays a little stiffer than the R8 anyways but not as stiff as the Faded w/o a wrap, so it should end up dang close to the R8 for "slinky" feel.
Controls seem great:quality pots, smooth knobs, etc. Toggle feels a little cheap compared to a Gibson/Hamer. The pots aren't as good for nice taper as the R8/Hamer but better than the Faded and Firebird. Tuners and hardware are quality parts..not tonepros, but Gotoh stuff is decent it seems. I' One thing about the pup covers and bridge/TP is they seem like a "brushed" nickel/chrome, almost an aged look. Kinda neat, but not sure I love it.
contd...
