13/11/2010 -

PRS RELEASE THE SC 58

A vintage-inspired Singlecut with an artist-grade top, the SC 58 is perfect for more traditional single-cutaway players. The 24.5” scale length and electronics’ appointments make this instrument instantly comfortable to players who grew up using short scale guitars. The PRS 2-piece bridge is the anchor of this guitar and enhances the natural tone of the woods.

With a classic, resonant voice that is eminently recordable and gig ready, this beauty won’t just take everything you’ve got and keep asking for more, it will do it with unforgettable sound and style.

The SC 58 incorporates the following new features:

Finish should enhance the look, sound, and feel of a guitar by accentuating the wood’s inherent beauty and feel without hindering its natural resonance. And PRS Guitars’ new “V12” finish does just that. Introduced at Experience PRS 2010, “V12” is a very thin, hard, and clear finish that will not crack or react with thinners. After roughly 12 years in development, it is halfway between acrylic and nitro but with a classic feel all its own. “PRS models with this new finish feel like old instruments,” said Paul Reed Smith.

Neck shapes have always been a high priority for us and a hallmark of our quality. A guitar should feel comfortable, like “home,” as soon as you pick it up, and the neck is paramount to that connection. Perfected after years of prototyping, the new “Pattern” neck is an updated Wide Fat PRS neck style based on Paul’s pre-factory design. These necks were found on the instruments built for Carlos Santana, Peter Frampton and Howard Leese from the late 70’s to the mid 80’s.

Whether in woodworking, machining, or cast and die work, pattern making is the art of arriving at a perfect standard which can be duplicated or used to create new designs from by “offsetting.” All of our necks came to be as a result of offsetting from this original, Wide Fat design.

Previously only prototyped on Private Stock guitars, the new PRS two-piece adjustable bridge now comes standard on two PRS models: the SC 58 and the JA 15. The bridge plays a crucial role in the tonal path of a guitar by transferring the string’s vibrations to the tonewood. When executed well, the bridge will enhance the wood’s natural resonance. This two-piece bridge has added weight and mass, creating more contact points, which, in turn, create a more resonant, musical instrument. Similarly, machining rather than casting, gives the brass and aluminum bridge a stronger sound. “I am calling it the ‘new two-piece adjustable sound transfer bridge’ – I’m very happy,” said Paul Reed Smith.

Source: http://www.prsguitars.com/news

03/11/10 -

Fender Introduces New Blacktop™ Series Guitars

Blacktop Stratocaster HH.

Fender introduces the new and innovative Blacktop guitar series, which expands the sonic horizon of classic Fender Stratocaster®, Telecaster®, Jazzmaster® and Jaguar® guitars by powering them with high-gain humbucking pickups. The Blacktop series delivers on modern player demands for a thick and heavy sound, with guitars that drive a wide array of deep, rich and aggressive tones to match the intensity of any playing style.

Sleek and supercharged, the new series includes the Blacktop Stratocaster HH, Blacktop Telecaster HH, Blacktop Jaguar HH and Blacktop Jazzmaster HS guitars. All feature dual over-wound alnico humbucking pickups that deliver high-gain power and heavy tones (Blacktop Jazzmaster HS has a single humbucking bridge pickup and a single-coil neck pickup), skirted black amp knobs that impart a distinctive Fender look, modern 9.5”-radius fretboard and medium jumbo frets for easy playability, and a gloss polyester finish that looks sharp and withstands aggressive playing.

In addition to the features above, Blacktop Stratocaster HH features a synchronized tremolo bridge that allows smooth bends with stable intonation, alder body, maple neck, choice of maple or rosewood fretboard, and chrome hardware.

Blacktop Telecaster HH also features a reversed chrome control plate that puts both control knobs even closer at hand, a hard-tail bridge that anchors solid tuning stability, alder body, maple neck, choice of maple or rosewood fretboard, and chrome hardware.

Blacktop Jaguar HH has the shorter 24” scale the model has always been known for, an Adjusto-Matic™ bridge with stop tailpiece that takes a lot of punishment maintaining tuning stability, a lean control layout featuring a tonally convenient single three-way toggle switch, alder body, maple neck, rosewood fretboard and chrome hardware.

Blacktop Jazzmaster HS has a Duncan Designed™ single-coil Jazzmaster neck pickup for classic Jazzmaster round tone; a Duncan Designed™ humbucking bridge pickup that delivers high-gain power and thickness; a Jazzmaster tremolo tailpiece for smooth, subtle bending with solid tuning stability; a lean control layout featuring a tonally convenient single three-way toggle switch; alder body; maple neck; rosewood fretboard; and chrome hardware.

Source: http://www.fender.com

04.03.2009 -

The New Raw Power Guitars From Gibson USA.

Raw Power Guitars

What’s in a name? When it comes to Gibson’s Raw Power Series, exactly what it declares: two of the world’s most iconic electric guitar designs, stripped of superfluous frills and ready to roar. Inspired by the popular but short-lived Raw Power Les Paul of 2000-2001, the newly revitalized series of 2009 includes both the Les Paul Studio Raw Power and SG Raw Power, both in the dressed-down styling and meaty performance package that so many players loved in the original release, but with notable added features to update the theme.

Down to Business

The new Raw Power guitars follow the no-nonsense ethos of Gibson’s popular Studio series, and their down-to-business looks are packed with performance features that the hard-gigging modern musician will appreciate. These are grab’n’go workhorse guitars for tone-conscious rock and blues artists, and they wear their attitude on their sleeves. Both the Les Paul Studio Raw Power and SG Raw Power feature unbound solid maple bodies, with a traditional carved top on the former. This sturdy tonewood offers a clear, well-defined sonic response, as well as looking great with minimal cosmetic treatment. Their solid mahogany necks are topped with unbound maple fretboards, which are dressed with simple dot position markers, and graced with a traditional trapezoid marker at the 12^th fret.

Simple, Yet Sizzling

None of this simplicity means that the Raw Power guitars suffer cosmetically, however, and just like the original Raw Power Les Paul — and the Les Paul Studio — these instruments are destined to be admired for their visual purity as well as for their power and tone. A Natural Satin finish denotes the cornerstone of the series (with smoky acrylic pickguard to enhance the natural elements in these guitars’ tops), but both models are also available in a range of finish options, including Satin Gold, Satin Yellow, Satin White, Satin Blue/Platinum, Satin Trans Ebony, Satin Aquamarine, and Gloss Platinum. Furthermore, the Les Paul Studio Raw Power is available in either chrome or gold-plated hardware.

Ready to Rock

The advanced electronics on the 2009 Raw Power models speak volumes about their intentions. A pair of 57 Classic humbucking pickups offer a broad appeal for a wide range of playing styles. One of Gibson’s most popular pickups of all time, the 57 Classics employ Alnico II magnets, vintage enamel coated wire, nickel-plated pole pieces, nickel slugs, maple spacers and vintage-style, two-conductor, braided wiring, just like the legendary PAFs that they are based on. In a variation from the majority of original PAFs, however, the ’57 Classics’ coils are wax potted to combat microphony and feedback squeal at high volumes so, while vintage voiced, they are also suited to high-gain playing.

Solid to the Core

The Raw Power Series carries a hardware complement that cuts straight to the core of its intentions. The legendary Gibson Tune-O-Matic bridge and stop bar tailpiece pairing aid tuning stability and enhance sustain, while green-key Grover Kluson-style tuners add subtle vintage elegance to their superior performance. A Corian nut helps to ensure excellent resonance and sustain, as well as hitch-free performance. Both guitars feature glued-in necks and are built to Gibson’s traditional 24 3/4" scale length, with a neck width of 1 11/16" at the nut. All Raw Power Series guitars come equipped with a Gibson gig bag, so they’re ready to hit the road and roll.

A closer look at the Raw Power Les Paul and the Raw Power SG.

Source: http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/ProductSpotlight/NewModels/the-new-raw-power-guitars-401/