The story behind Fender’s American Acoustasonic Telecaster

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Just when you thought guitar design was irrevocably stuck in the past, along comes the Acoustasonic Telecaster. We chart its development with the designers behind the concept.Unless you were on the inside, the first thing you’d have known about the new American Acoustasonic Series Telecaster was its appearance at the 2019 NAMM show or the subsequent (and substantial) exposure on social media. From nothing - to bang! But this wasn’t a simple refresh of Fender’s original solidbody electric guitar. It started with an idea and a blank sheet of paper.“I had the idea three years ago and enlisted Tim Shaw and Larry Fishman to help bring it to life,” states Brian Swerdfeger, Fender’s VP of research and development.Tim continues the story: “Brian flew out to me and [designer/engineer] Josh Hurst…
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PRS unveils first-ever SE guitars with roasted maple necks and fingerboards

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PRS has announced its first-ever SE electric guitars to feature roasted maple necks and fingerboards, as part of a limited run.Appearing across the SE Custom 24, SE Custom 24 Lefty and SE Custom 24 Floyd, the maple is torrefied in chambers to cure the wood, removing water and stabilising the neck while delivering a roasted look and feel.The models will be available in Europe only in the following finishes:Custom 24: Fire Red, Grey Black, Tobacco Sunburst, Trampas Green, Whale Blue, Purple BurstCustom 24 Lefty: Tobacco Sunburst, Grey BlackCustom 24 Floyd: Tobacco Sunburst, Whale BlueEnticingly, the limited-edition models will retail for the same price as their non-roasted versions.We’d wager this is a test case for future roasted-maple SE models from PRS - watch this space...For more info, head over to PRS…
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Fender Announces New Rarities Flame Maple Top Stratocaster

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Fender has introduced the new Rarities Flame Maple Top Stratocaster, part of the company’s Rarities Collection, which combines exotic tonewoods with premium pickups and appointments.The new model boasts a two-piece alder body with a flame maple Golden Brown top, and a solid rosewood neck capped with a flame maple fingerboard.There’s also a pair of Pure Vintage ‘65 Strat single coils and a custom DoubleTap bridge pickup that offers both a humbucking voice and—via an S-1 switch—a dynamic single-coil sound.Other features include a two-point synchronized tremolo, a 4-ply brown shell pickguard, narrow tall frets and a polyurethane finish. The guitar also comes in a vintage-style hardshell case.The new Rarities guitar follows the announcement of Fender’s Sixty-Six model, part of its Alternate Reality Series, a limited-edition run of models where "multiple Fender…
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Solar Guitars Unveils New Six- and Seven-String Models

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Solar Guitars has announced two new electric guitars, the S1.7PB seven-string and the E1.6FRW six-string.The S1.7PB seven-string features a mahogany body with poplar burl veneer top, five-piece maple/jatoba neck with neck-through construction, 26.5”-scale ebony fingerboard and an EverTune bridge.The E1.6FRW boasts an Explorer-style mahogany body, three-piece maple neck with 24.75”-scale ebony fingerboard and a Floyd Rose 1000 bridge.Both models sport Duncan Solar humbuckers with coil splitting, Solar 18:1 locking tuners, super-jumbo stainless steel frets and glow-in-the-dark side dots.The S1.7PB is available for $1,299 and the E1.6FRW for $899. For more information or to purchase, head to Solar Guitars. via guitarworld http://bit.ly/2Uv9GaK
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The 10 Best Electric Guitars Under $1,000

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When it comes to guitars, great tone and easy playability are priceless attributes that, unfortunately, come at a price. But fear not—a six- (or seven-) string boasting top-notch features doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. Below, Guitar World has compiled a list of 10 killer electrics in a variety of styles that all sell for under $1,000.Whether you prefer single- or double-cut, maple or mahogany, fixed bridge or Floyd Rose, or single-coil or humbucker, there’s guaranteed to be a guitar here for you. Studio rats and road dogs alike will revel in discovering an instrument with the tone, playability and style worthy of being crowned a “number-one axe.”1. Yamaha Revstar RS502T Pick up this double-cut and you’ll be off to the racesLaunch price: $649 | Body: Mahogany…
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Comins Introduces New GCS-16 Archtop

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Comins Guitars has introduced the GCS-16 archtop, the newest design by luthier Bill Comins.The GCS-16 is the newest addition to the company’s Guitar Craft Series. The guitar features a laminated spruce top and laminated flame maple back and sides, an ebony fretboard and a medium “C” shaped neck.Other features include custom-wound Kent Armstrong humbuckers (one- and two-pickup versions are available), chrome hardware and Wilkinson tuners. The available finishes are Vintage Blond, Tangerine Burst, Violin Burst, Autumn Burst and Black.The GCS-16 is available for $2,199 (one pickup model) and $2,399 (two-pickup model). For more information, head over to Comins Guitars. via guitarworld http://bit.ly/2G33spZ
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Cort’s Gold Mini promises the best of a dreadnought at 3/4 the size

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Cort has announced the Gold Mini, a downsized version of its Gold D6 dreadnought, which aims to provide its best features at a three-quarter size.The Gold Mini features all-solid woods throughout, boasting a torrefied ATV (Aged To Vintage) Adirondack spruce top - complete with “sonically enhanced” UV finish - and mahogany back, sides and neck.Two strips of walnut are used to reinforce the neck, which also features the Gold Series’ new neck profile, with rounded fingerboard edges.A 19-fret, 22.8-inch scale length promises to make this one a good choice for travellers or players with small hands.Also of note is the double-lock neck joint - a dovetail reinforced by an added bolt - while Macassar ebony is used for the fretboard and bridge.Image 1 of 5Image 2 of 5Image 3 of…
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Framus debuts Diablo II Supreme X and Pro electric guitars

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Framus has unveiled the Diablo II electric guitar, a new version of the Diablo that adds the Idolmaker’s distinctive contours.As per other Framus models, the Diablo II is available in Masterbuilt and Teambuilt configurations.The Masterbuilt model features a swamp ash body with matching electronic compartment cover, plus a carved AAAA flamed maple top and bolt-on flamed maple neck with rosewood fingerboard.Swamp ash still forms the body of the Teambuilt version, which does away with the flamed maple top and offers a regular maple neck with rosewood fingerboard.Both guitars feature Graph Tech Ratio locking tuners, a Graph Tech Tusq nut, Wilkinson by Framus vibrato and Seymour Duncan SCR-1N Cool Rail (neck), SSL-1 RW/RP (middle) and coil-splittable TB-4 JB Trembucker (bridge) pickups.The Diablo II Supreme X Masterbuilt and Diablo II Pro Teambuilt…
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Solar Guitars Announces Two New Seven-String Models

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Solar Guitars has announced two new seven-string models, the E1.7FBB and V1.7FBB.Both models boast mahogany bodies, three-piece maple necks with Luminlay side dots, ebony fingerboards and a 25.5-inch scale. Hardware includes Duncan Solar pickups, stainless steel frets, locking tuners, an EverTune bridge, a three-way toggle switch and volume and tone controls with push-pull for coil cut.Both guitars feature a Flame Black Burst Matte finish and are offered for $1,299.The E1.7FBB and V1.7FBB begin shipping at the end of March and are available for pre-order now at Solar-Guitars.com. via guitarworld https://ift.tt/2TyaHhe
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