MP4 | 14:46 mins |
It’s not every day you get propositioned to dream up your own custom guitar, so when the opportunity comes a knockin’ you got to grab it with both hands.
Back in January, the guys at Taylor asked the guys at Sonic Amped if we wanted a guitar for reviews, guitar shows, and lessons. All we had to do was go online and choose the body shape, pickup configuration, colour, and bridge type we wanted, and they’d do the rest.
Well we did go online, and they went ahead and did the rest. The result is our very own Sonic Amped Taylor Solid Body electric guitar; it’s a beauty. Taylor were also kind enough to offer us different two ‘loaded pickguards’ so that I could have a different configuration to Rob (see the video to find out more).
So let’s have a look at what we got:
Body: Swamp Ash
Body shape: Classic double cutaway
Neck: Maple
Fretboard: Indian Rosewood
Bridge: Tremolo
Pickup config (a): 3xHD mini humbuckers
Pickup config (b): 3x single coils
If you’d have done things differently, you can go and build your own virtual guitar here, by the way:
http://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/electric/solidbody/configurator
So what are my observations? Well you’ll have to watch the video for a more detailed analysis (and to judge the sound for yourself) but here’s my main thoughts:
The one thing to take away from the experience is the fact that even though you can make the custom solidbodies sound like a tele, or an SG, or a strat, they always have this unique Taylor flavouring to the sound. You also know, right away, that you are playing a Taylor.
I liked the guitar as soon as it started to feel natural in my hands, and from then on it has really grown on me. It’s always the one I pick up and play when I’ve got a spare few minutes before going to work in the morning.
But it feels plain wrong not to warm up before playing it, you cringe when you pick it off the hanger and play a sloppy blues riff. Really, it’s a crime to be at anything other than your best when you play a Taylor, the guitar was built specifically for you, it deserves the best in life!
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