The guitar that will make a 60 year old feel like a kid again and make a youngster wish he/she had been around for these the first time. Classic 50's body shape, lipstick pickups, and the coke bottle headstock beckon back to the days when:
a.) Sears existed and had stores that you could go into,
b). they had a catalog (for you youngsters, it was like amazon, but involved turning real paper pages), and
c). rock and roll was still relatively new.
Those of us who were there can remember walking past the little display with the electric guitar and amp and wishing we could have one. Some of us eventually did. The rest of us just have that wistful memory of what could have been if only our parents would have realized what a budding rock star we really were. . .
There have been some improvements in the reissue while the majority of the best traits remain the same. The old pine frame with masonite top and back has been replaced with a mahogany body. The old funky tuners have been replaced with kluson-style tuners. The lipstick pickups are still there and still deliver that funky, jangley tone. The sustain is vastly improved from the originals and the neck feels much more modern. Tuning is ultra stable and that old bridge made from a metal plate and a sliver of wood has been replaced with a modern, easily intonated unit that still has the vintage look.
Action is on the low side of medium and bends are silky smooth.
Features per manufacturer:
- Construction - Solid
- Material - Mahogany
- Tuners - Sealed
- Finish - Chrome
- Bridge - Thru-body adjustable
- Scale Length - 628mm (24-3/4")
- Nut Width - 43mm (1-11/16")
- 12th Fret Width - 48mm (1-7/8")
- Fretboard Radius - 320mm (12-1/2")
- Neck Material - Mahogany
- Neck Shape - C
- Inlays - Pearl Dot
- Attachment - Bolt-On
- Truss Rod - Dual Action
-
Frets - 21 Nickle Silver
- Fingerboard - Rosewood
- Nut Material - PPS
- Pickups - Silvertone Lipstick Single Coil
- Controls - Stacked Volume (2) and Tone (2), Stacked
- Switch - 3-Way Toggle
- Output Jack - 1/4" Mono
- Pickguard - Single-Ply White