Luke Duke
PRSlustologist
I decided to try do a blind buy and picked up one of the Palermo guitars, specifically the Tommy Henricksen Dis Vicious model. For those that don't know these semi-hollows are made in the US and shipped to Canada for neck shaping, finishing, and final assembly. The "The Shelby" model is a straight ahead 335 style guitar while the Dis Vicious has a 3rd pickup, a knurled knob for the bridge pickup, and NO F-holes. The one I bought uses Rolls Royce white sparkle paint.
I asked a BUNCH of questions and Mike was very gracious and told me a lot about these guitars, including what little bit I put about their origin. He said colors are limited due to Tommy's favorite colors on guitars. He also said the guitar is based off Tommy's 1968 ES335, but has the 1 11/16" nut width. He also said the body is maple birch maple like Tommy's original.
It only came in today, so I'm not ultra experienced with it yet, but few things. I'm trying extra hard to skip the "honeymoon phase" and be completely objective from the get go. I'll start off with the things that might aggravate some folks.
The guitars are advertised as having ebony boards, but when my guitar came I saw that it wasn't the dark black ebony, rather it was the genus that is mostly brown that needs to be dyed, The bound neck has no nibs, The middle pickup uses a neck pickup ring instead of cutting down a bridge pickup ring to fit, Wilkinson hardware, Nashville bridge/Zinc Tailpiece, Private label pickups, Alpha pots, No spruce strips under/over the centerblock, The guitar is wired with the middle pickup "always on" so you have to roll a volume down/up for its use or lack thereof.
All that said....it's a LOT of guitar! I haven't played a lot of 355s but my guess is that tonally this is going to be more similar to a 355 due to the fingerboard and with a Dis Vicious you're going to be somewhat Lucille-like having a higher threshold for feedback.
Things people are going to like when they try these.
Long tenon, bone nut, 6100s, decent pickups, hardshell case included (TKL?), light weight, decent setup right out of the box, sealed tuners, no pickguard, nitro finish, a THREE humbucker guitar for UNDER 4k!!
As for sound....well I'm trying to be objective and not hear what I want or don't want. That said, the guitar sounds like a good 335 unplugged, plugged in the pickups ARE hot, but not crazy. The pickups are focused and on the hotter side but they still have really nice chime when you clean them up and run the tone knob up.
One cool thing, is that I got a signed picture, a Henriksen pick and button as well.
Anyhow, hopefully more thoughts to come!
Luke
I asked a BUNCH of questions and Mike was very gracious and told me a lot about these guitars, including what little bit I put about their origin. He said colors are limited due to Tommy's favorite colors on guitars. He also said the guitar is based off Tommy's 1968 ES335, but has the 1 11/16" nut width. He also said the body is maple birch maple like Tommy's original.
It only came in today, so I'm not ultra experienced with it yet, but few things. I'm trying extra hard to skip the "honeymoon phase" and be completely objective from the get go. I'll start off with the things that might aggravate some folks.
The guitars are advertised as having ebony boards, but when my guitar came I saw that it wasn't the dark black ebony, rather it was the genus that is mostly brown that needs to be dyed, The bound neck has no nibs, The middle pickup uses a neck pickup ring instead of cutting down a bridge pickup ring to fit, Wilkinson hardware, Nashville bridge/Zinc Tailpiece, Private label pickups, Alpha pots, No spruce strips under/over the centerblock, The guitar is wired with the middle pickup "always on" so you have to roll a volume down/up for its use or lack thereof.
All that said....it's a LOT of guitar! I haven't played a lot of 355s but my guess is that tonally this is going to be more similar to a 355 due to the fingerboard and with a Dis Vicious you're going to be somewhat Lucille-like having a higher threshold for feedback.
Things people are going to like when they try these.
Long tenon, bone nut, 6100s, decent pickups, hardshell case included (TKL?), light weight, decent setup right out of the box, sealed tuners, no pickguard, nitro finish, a THREE humbucker guitar for UNDER 4k!!
As for sound....well I'm trying to be objective and not hear what I want or don't want. That said, the guitar sounds like a good 335 unplugged, plugged in the pickups ARE hot, but not crazy. The pickups are focused and on the hotter side but they still have really nice chime when you clean them up and run the tone knob up.
One cool thing, is that I got a signed picture, a Henriksen pick and button as well.
Anyhow, hopefully more thoughts to come!
Luke
