Monthly Archives: February 2015
Review: Music Man John Petrucci Majesty
Dream Theater’s guitar wizard John Petrucci has a long and very fruitful association with Music Man. Over the years, the company has released several signature models, both US-made and as part of their less-expensive Sterling brand.
Last year Ernie Ball/Music Man have released a new top-of-the-line John Petrucci signature instrument – the Music Man Majesty (Majesty was the original name of the Progressive Rock band that became Dream Theater).
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The first thing that will strike you about the new package is the sensationally low weight:
When I went to pick up the Music Man Majesty for this review (from DLX Music Helsinki), I had to open the case and check, because I suspected the guitar was missing. No, it really was in there…
Music Man’s Majesty (current price in Finland approx. 3,900 €) is a modern top-drawer signature model, which conveys the artist’s clear vision of…
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Review: Squier Vintage Modified Cabronita Telecaster
When the Fender Custom Shop introduced the La Cabronita Especial in 2009, nobody would have thought that this Telecaster and Gretsch mongrel would go on to become the huge hit it is today.
The Cabronita Tele’s success can be seen in the way new, more affordable versions of the model started creeping up – first as Fender models, and now as very affordable Squier guitars. At the moment of writing there are, in fact, two Squier-versions – one with a Bigsby vibrato, and one with a hardtail bridge.
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The Squier Vintage Modified Cabronita Telecaster (price in Finland approx. 300 €) is basically a hot-rodded Telecaster.
The body of the Squier Cabronita is made from a plank of several pieces of basswood, while its classic one-piece neck has been crafted from hard rock maple.
There is no separate fretboard, instead the instrument’s 22 medium jumbo frets have been…
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Review: J. Leachim Guitars Jazzcaster
You could call J. Leachim Guitars Finland’s answer to Nash Guitars. Just like the American maker, JLG, too, don’t make their guitars from scratch, from the raw wood. Instead, J. Leachim assembles guitars from bought in unfinished necks and bodies, as well as parts and hardware sourced from a number of reputable sources. J. Leachim Guitars’ forte lies in their finish work, and the relicing of guitars.
J. Leachim’s main man, Jan Merivirta, supplied Kitarablogi.com with an example of his Jazzcaster model, which sports a pristine, “NOS” nitro finish.
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The J. Leachim Guitars Jazzcaster (prices start from approx. 1,300 €; hard case incl.) is a very enticing mix of different classic guitars:
The Jazzcaster’s maple neck has been sourced from Northwest Guitars. It’s a Tele-style neck sporting jumbo frets, as well as a modern fretboard radius of 9.5 inches.
The Guitarbuild body has been crafted from…
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Review: ESP USA Eclipse
This time we have something very special to feast your eyes on!
Many people may not know this, but ESP Guitars also runs its own, small West Coast workshop in California. Apart from building one-offs for ESP artists and collectors, ESP USA also produces a couple of their own models in very limited numbers. Currently, production stands at about 20 guitars per month. Kitarablogi.com has been lucky to get to take one of these guitars for a spin – the ESP USA Eclipse.
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The ESP USA Eclipse (current price in Finland: 3.939 €) is the company’s ultimate version of their popular Eclipse model, using only the best materials and production methods.
One of the USA Eclipse’s special features is the ESP Set-Thru-Neck, which aims to combine the best attributes of a traditional set neck with the tonal advantages of a through-neck.
ESP’s Set-Through-Neck is basically a…
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Review: Jericho Guitars Fusion
Usually, we get the products we review from the Finnish distributors, or directly from Finnish guitar- or amp-makers.
This time, though, I was approached by guitarist Jaakko Rytsölä. Jaakko had ordered a guitar for himself, liked what he got, and is now thinking seriously about importing this brand, in partnership with Espoo-based company Guitarworx.
Jericho Guitars – who are based in Plano, Texas – are a brand specialising exclusively in long-scale baritone electric guitars. Jericho use what they call a ping-pong manufacturing process: The raw tonewood is hand-selected at a wood supplier in British Columbia (Canada), and then sent to a manufacturer in South Korea for all the basic neck and body work. The half-finished guitars are then shipped back to Texas, where they are assembled and set up. According to Jericho, this process results in high-quality instruments with a player-friendly price tag.
Jericho have already caused quite a…
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