Electric Guitars

Danelectro is a United States manufacturer, who specialise in rock instruments and especially guitars and bass guitars. Founded in 1947, Danelectro started manufacturing its lines of Solid body electric guitars and amplifiers only in 1954. Since then, they have been manufacturing some quality guitars with bizarre designs. Well, we usually do not cover basses in electricguitarsuk.com, but it is not every day that a little piece of guitar history gets resurrected. That is right, Danelectro’s much loved Longhorn Bass is back in production and in the following review, we will see about the latest edition of Danelectro Longhorn Bass Guitar and this time the company has given us a more complement of 21 frets.

Design:

Body construction is identical to the updated ‘56 Pro, with a laminate frame capped with Masonite (hardboard) top and back. It sports a Traditional Danelectro masonite construction with those extraordinary cutaways creating two huge horns. You are either going to love this or hate it. Resplendent in a two-tone Blackburst paint job that fades to light grey at the centre, the Longhorn guitar’s hue at distance is somewhat reminiscent of Gibson’s late 1970s Silverburst finish, albeit without the metallic paint. The Danelectro logo, as ever, is loud and proud on the headstock. The guitar is available in three distinct finishes of Deep blue pearl and Black/White Pearl Burst. All of them have a lovely vintage look. No left-handers are available, although the symmetrical lyre-shaped body outline and central strap button placement are leftie friendly should you wish to flip the guitar around.

Features:

Updates:

The latest reissue of the Dead On ‘58 Longhorn Bass Guitar features many of the iconic bass’s key traits including its unique hollow body design which is a pressed wood top and bottom mounted to a plywood frame, gorgeous lipstick tube pickups, aluminium nut and a deep, scooped tone, including the arguably wear-prone aluminium nuts and transparent plastic scratch plates secured by just a pair of screws. As a new feature, the new longhorn features a bridge with individual string saddles and higher quality buttons.

Bridge:

The bridge is an updated version, which allows for individual string height and intonation adjustment. However, the screw for intonation adjustment is obscured by the string it adjusts. This means you will have to slacken the string enough to move it to one side, adjust the saddle position and then re-tune to check the adjustment.

Controls:

It possesses a slightly different electronics layout from the previous two versions, pairing a pickup selector switch with master volume and tone knobs. We preferred the old layout, especially because the new one’s switch is not much durable and breaks easily, making it impossible to solo the neck pickup. The height of the pickups is adjustable via screws on the back of the body. We were also disappointed to see the original’s old-school tone dials and the reissue’s retro knobs replaced by bland, vibe-deprived plastic knobs.

Neck, Tuners and Headstock:

The standard bolt-on neck that graced the Pro reissues a while back has been maintained. As a matter of personal taste, we are not a fan of the super-glossy black neck finish the company uses; we prefer the satin stain it used on its DC necks. It has a good playable profile with a just a hint of chunkiness. The new all-metal unbranded sealed mini tuners with small knobs felt sturdier than their forerunners, but their low gear ratio makes tuning a chore. They give a nice and positive operation. The traditional “Coke bottle” headstock has been updated with a bit of an Elvis-style quiff. The distinctive Danelectro metal nut is held in place by a single screw. The metal nut is an essential element in the Danelectro sound.

The smooth-grained rosewood fretboard has traditional dot markers. The frets are very well polished medium ones that are set quite low to give a fast and comfortable playing feel.

Sound and Action:

The Danelectro Longhorn Bass Guitar is real fun to play; especially, since it is so light that you will practically for that you have been strapped on to it. The instrument’s short scale made it much easier to pull off fret-spanning finger stretches, and with its stock short-scale D’Addario strings, the Dano feels taut and springy compared to many other short-scale basses. The Longhorn’s super-deep cutaways make it easy to fly high into the upper registers, though you will likely want to spend more time enjoying the mid-scooped thump it provides down low. Unfortunately, like many other switch-equipped Danelectros, the soloed pickups had about half the volume of the blended sound, making it hard to use the bass’s different tones on a gig.

The action was very low out of the box and we were very impressed by the Korean factory set up.

Verdict:

The Danelectro Longhorn Bass Guitar has a lot of character and loads of tones to offer. We found the playing experience is unique. Since the bridge sits so close to the bottom of the body, the whole guitar is a lot shorter than you will be used to. This brings the first three frets a lot closer to you than is ordinarily the case. If you are looking for a truly singular style and tone, this is exactly the guitar you are looking for.

Check Encore Electric Guitars, Godin Electric Guitar Models, Reviews in this website.

Danelectro Longhorn Bass Guitar - Technical Specification Table

Since the origin of FIFA football World Cup in the 1930’s, it has become the most spectacular sporting event in the world and is watched by millions across the globe, just like me and you. 2010, for the first time witnesses South Africa as the host to the finals of the tournament that promises to be the planet’s biggest sporting event ever. Aria, in collaboration with FIFA, are celebrating this epic occasion with the launch of the Goal Rush 2010 themed, solid bodied electric travel guitar. And unlike most of the world cup guitars out and about in the market, the Aria GR 2010 world cup guitar has been fully licensed by FIFA, football world cup’s governing body.

Clever Design:

We know exactly what you are thinking, “This looks like a gimmick”. But, please note that, the Goal Rush is actually very much playable and portable electric guitar with a full scale neck. Its small round body is finished in hexagons so that it resembles a football and also bears the official logo of the 2010 world cup held in South Africa. The central black hexagon that sits directly under the strings is actually a speaker grill that covers a 4” integral speaker that is driven by an onboard 1 watt amplifier. On the rear side of the guitar, the speaker has been given some air to breathe by a larger bore grille. There is also a compartment in the rear for the single nine volt battery that powers the amplifier. The body of the Aria Goal Rush 2010 Travel guitar might appear to be quite thick, but most of its wood has been routed away in order to accommodate the speaker and amp. This travel instrument is finished really nicely as you would expect on an officially licensed FIFA product.

Controls and Strap:

The Aria Goal Rush FIFA World Cup 2010 guitar is equipped with a single volume control topped by a simple black knob. This also acts as an on/off switch for the on-board amp, simply pull the knob to turn the guitar on, push the knob back to turn the guitar off. There are two strap-buttons, one on the base of the body and one on the back of the headstock. This causes the guitar to hand in a unique and not uncomfortable way when standing. But note that you will probably need to use a strap even when seated as the round body makes it difficult to sit the guitar on your thigh while you play while sitting down.

Headstock and tuners:

The headstock design is so radical that it can be described as just one thing, an extreme reverse explorer. Then comes the moment when you will drop your jaws just as you realise that it represents a black football boot on a white stocking foot and the tuning knobs representing the spikes or studs on the sole of the foot. The unexpected advantage though is, because of the shortness of the instrument, the headstock design offers up the tuners in a really accessible way when the guitar is on a strap. There is one string guide that uniquely guides the fifth and sixth strings. Though the truss rod access is uncovered, it is well finished.

Neck, Frets and Pickups:

The bolt-on maple neck in Aria Goal Rush FIFA World Cup 2010 Electric Guitar is nicely contoured and finished smoothly, feeling slim and comfortable in the hand. The rosewood fretboard has an even and tight grain. There are traditional pearloid dots Fret-markers that are mirrored down the player’s side of the neck. There are 22 well finished standard medium frets and the neck joins the body at the 18th fret and, because the body is circular, there is no cutaway to make the upper frets accessible. You will be totally deceived by the single pickup that looks like a single coil, but is actually a stacked humbucker.

Other Features:

The tuners are of sealed mini types, having a smooth and professional feel to them. The white plastic nut is a set in a slot cut into the fretboard. Though it has been finished nicely, the extremely splay of the strings as they cross the nut might cause some wear over time. The bridge is mostly a self contained wrap-over model. The strings are loaded from the pickup side of the bridge, pulled through and wrapped over the bridge to begin their journey up to the headstock. The saddle is integral to the moulding of the bridge, and so, it is not adjustable, but it is compensated for best possible intonation. Action or string height can be generally adjusted via two large screws, one at each end of the bridge.

In spite of the fact it has an on-board amp, you can still play through an external amp. The jack socket for this sits on the lower edge of the body set in an oval chrome plate. The GR2010 also comes with a custom fitted gigbag.

Performance:

Now let us find out how this fabulous football like guitar performs. The speaker and the on-board amp produces a reasonably loud sound with a good response. Just as you increase the volume the humbucker overdrives the amp progressively harder so the loudest output is heavily overdriven. After this little guitar is plugged into an external amplifier, the guitar takes on a really different character; the humbucker reveals a richer, mellower tone. Being independent of the limiting factors of the 4 inch onboard speaker the sound takes on a surprising depth.

Verdict:

The Goal Rush FIFA World Cup 2010 is a perfectly playable and attractive little travel guitar and we would really like to see Aria produce it as a standard model without the FIFA branding after the World Cup tournament has finished. This banjo shape and style of the guitar looks a lot more natural than the “mini-me” shrunken guitar shapes often seen in the travel guitar market. As it stands, it is a great little collector’s item that commemorates a prodigious sporting event. Recommended? Of course!

Check other Aria Electric Guitars, Reviews in this website.

Aria FIFA 2010 World Cup Electric Guitar - Technical Specification Table

To start with, we will give you a note on what is an Acoustic Electric Guitar. An electric acoustic guitar, which is also known as elecoustic guitar is by design an acoustic guitar that is fitted with pickups, a microphone or transducers. Note that, the term is not synonymous with that of a semi acoustic guitar which is conceptually an electric guitar but, with the addition of sound chambers within the guitar body. While we are on the elecoustic guitars, we thought, we would take a moment to review a guitar that has to be one of the best deals that is going around; Yamaha’s fantastic CG171SF Flamenco Acoustic Electric Guitar.

Design:

A Classic:

The Yamaha CG171SF Guitar is designed to meet the demands of today’s flamenco guitars with its amazing lower action, cut away and superb craftsmanship. The traditional round shouldered and small body guitar features a solid European Spruce top with Cypress back and sides with a subtle natural finishing. Both woods have a lovely golden hue that is far better in flesh than is suggested in the image. The soundhole has a highly decorated decal rosette, with decorative binding gracing the front and back of the instrument. In addition to this, a decorative band runs down the back from heel to base.

Construction:

With the construction, you will realise that it has drawn on the vast knowledge and techniques of Yamaha’s brains. The CG171SF Flamenco Acoustic Electric Guitar and some of the other CG series guitars have been designed with slightly thinner sides and back, and also a thinner neck in order to increase the playability. With a slightly lighter body which offers greater volume and control. This is a very beautiful little guitar nicely finished in a high-gloss.

Features:

Through extensive analysis, research and experimentation, Yamaha has succeeded in blending the best and most critical aspect of traditional Spanish guitar making techniques with modern guitar manufacturing processes. And, these processes include a comprehensive quality check system that ensures that each instrument is of the highest standards possible. The major features of the CG171SF Flamenco guitar include the Solid spruce top, cypress back and sides, nato neck, rosewood fingerboard and bridge, wood back and side inlays, transparent pickguard and a natural gloss finishing.

Bridge and Pickguard:

The Yamaha CG171SF Flamenco Guitar sports the traditional bridge that is a simple rectangle with a decorative block behind the saddle through which the nylon strings are threaded and tied off. The saddle itself is a straight blade of plastic with slight compensation at the third string. Coming to the pickguard, there are actually two of them and they are invisible. One is below the strings and above them, each made from a very thin transparent plastic. The playing style of flamenco leads to a lot of wear in both these areas, so these scratch plates will keep the Yamaha looking beautiful with minimal interference to the sound. There are no strap buttons because the flamenco style demands you hold your guitar without the assistance of a strap.

Tuners:

There are three in line gold coloured tuners that are mounted on the side edges of the headstock with their compass occupying the slots in the headstock. We found the knobs to be very decorative and the metal parts of the mounting are also decorated with engraved leaves and roses. These lovely traditional machine tuners worked in a very smooth and accurate way. The slotted headstock is faced with rosewood and also sports some sparse engrave decoration.

Headstock and Neck:

The slotted headstock is faced with rosewood and also sports some sparse engraved decoration. The nut plastic nut has been well finished and cut accurately. The Nato neck employed has a wide dimension that is traditionally associated with classical and flamenco playing and this also means that the instrument is only truly suited for certain styles of playing. It also has a beautiful honey brown colouring.

Frets:
The rosewood fretboard has an excellent flat profile which is technically an infinite radius. There are no fretmarkers on the face and only the 5th and 7th frets are marked on the side of the neck. And, all this means that you definitely need to know your stuff to play this guitar. The standard medium fretwire has been polished nicely and also offers a positive playing feel against the nylon strings.

Sound and Action:

The Yamaha CG171SF Flamenco Acoustic Electric Guitar has a superb low action from the box and unfortunately, there is no option to adjust the action of the instrument. The honey-coloured finish of the body is matched by the honeyed tones of the nylon strings. It is a real pleasure to play percussive and staccato styles as each note dies quickly and cleanly leaving space for the next. The CG171SF produces the kind of warm and clear tone that you would expect from a much more expensive guitar, and it does it consistently, only sounding better as it ages. Of course, that assumes that you take care of your new guitar, and use a humidifier during the stressful seasons, particularly during the first few years. The guitar also holds its tuning exceptionally well for extended periods of time, certainly better than any electric guitar we have ever owned; and the nato neck is highly playable and just plain comfortable.

Warranty:

Yamaha offers the CG171SF Flamenco Acoustic Electric Guitar limited lifetime warranty.

Verdict:

The CG171SF makes us feel that Yamaha’s classical guitar craftsmen learned the fine art of guitar making directly from the masters. And yes, under the tutelage of Manuel Hernandez and Eduraro Ferrer, Yamaha guitar craftsmen have acquired the skills that have been handed down from master to apprentice for generations and these acquired skills have been used every day in the making of Yamaha’s classical guitars.

The quality of this instrument is obvious from the moment you lay eyes on it and the sound it delivers is a sweet version of the traditional tones you’d expect in this classical style of guitar. The final result is that, Yamaha has bought to you an instrument that delivers both outstanding quality and performance, that too at a cost that is hard to beat. The Yamaha CG171SF Flamenco Acoustic Electric Guitar is currently the best classical guitar in the market. It is not an all-rounder, obviously, but if classical or flamenco playing is your bag the Yamaha CG171SF deserves your attention.

Yamaha CG171SF Flamenco Guitar - Technical Specification Table

To start with, we want you to be clear on, what is an Acoustic guitar: An Acoustic Guitar is a guitar is a guitar that uses only acoustic methods to project the sound produced by its strings. The term is a retronym, coined after the advent of the electric guitars that rely on electronic amplification to make their sound audible. The rise of folkie is almost unstoppable. Let it be straight head acoustic attacks like that of Frank Turner or Dave House, or be it the multi-instrumental approach, like the laptop meanderings kick started by Sam Duckwork; the acoustic guitar is en vogue, more than ever before. It is no longer the instrument of the boring singers or songwriters; it is actually a great instrument that can be used in a variety of ways.

All that you need is just some kind of folk standard to get in on the act. With Vintage, you are just in safe hands. JHS really know their instruments and this is shown well by the company’s taking on the Encore and Vintage, as well as the Ovation round back series. This also shows JHS’s desire to cater for those of us who cannot stretch to a ridiculously expansive option. The Vintage Acoustic guitars are one of those brands out of which you can get the best bang for your money. In the following review, we will see about the Vintage V1400 Acoustic Guitar.

The one that you really want:

Look, it is probably alright to get along with that ten quid guitar that you bought on a garage sale, just because it looked as though you could get a sound out of it. But, in order to write, practice and gig, you are probably going to want something that not only sounds great, but looks great too. You are just not going to pick up a plain, unexciting guitar that inspires nothing but a workmanlike approach to your playing. You will always need something that the right side of tasteful and flamboyant and you will need something that looks good without overshadowing your musical message. When you pickup this guitar, you will be wanting to really fire out some great ideas, and to do that, you will need a visual stimulus as well as a sonic one.

So fresh and vibrant:

The Vintage V1400 Acoustic Guitar does exactly that, available in two fabulous finishes of natural and cherry sunburst. With its solid spruce top aflame in cherry sunburst and natural finish, it has already got the arresting look that manages to be both traditional and exciting. The natural satin finishing leaves behind any of the horrific glossy ideas. The look of it is so clean and fresh, that it gives an illusion as though the tree had been cut down yesterday. Adorning both the edge of the guitar and edge of the sound hole, it looks pretty classy. With a neck shape which will suit most hand sizes edge bound rosewood fingerboard feels smooth and easy to play, thanks to the fine gauge frets. And on the unfussy, straightforward headstock shape, the chrome plated, enclosed gear tuners are both stable and accurate in use with the high quality USA made strings, further adding to the highly enjoyable experience of playing a V400 acoustic.

Features:

Vintage V1400 Solid Body Acoustic Guitar is not necessarily with everybody’s taste, and some may say it is a bit too dramatic, but it gives the guitar look at a proper polished and finished feel. Abalone has been used on the fret markers, with a particularly luscious flourish over the 12th fret, with the Vintage V’s swooshing off in either direction. Add to this some gold Grover tuners upon a rosewood neck with some flame maple binding and it is hardly going to go unnoticed wherever it is. It has a unique personality and that is what most of them will be looking for.

Awesome Sound:

The Vintage V1400 guitar offers good projection of sound coupled with an equally impressive depth of tone and a well defined crispness in the treble range. Strumming a few chords, you will find that the response is quite bright, with the treble strings resonating so wonderfully. The guitar body being made of solid mahogany gives the sound a bit more punch, and you can certainly hear it from just a few hard strums. The all natural wood’s tone leaves the sound as bare bones and exposed as it can ever be. It just adapts to any style you fancy, from blues country, folk to indie-power chords, it that is what floats your boat.

Warranty:

The Vintage V1400 Acoustic Guitar comes with a standard one year manufacturer’s warranty.

Verdict:

The Vintage V1400 Acoustic Guitar is a fine looking entry level or mid level acoustic guitar with bags of attitude. Essentially, this guitar has looks, style and a bit of personality. The guitar is just perfect for players of any style with glamorous styling to match it. It is not massively different from the others in its price range, apart from its decor, but it is a robust and nicely finished tool for providing music for the masses. Its distinctive tone and comfort of play makes this genuine contender a hard to miss one. If you are looking for an acoustic guitar that gives you best value for money, good looks at best possible price, then it is got to be Vintage V1400 Acoustic Guitar.


Vintage V1400 Acoustic Guitar - Technical Specification Table

It is absolutely true to say that the best guitars are built from the inside out and Vintage enjoys a very well earned reputation for building great guitars. In the following review, we will see about the Vintage V100 Series Electric Guitars, which is a tribute to the legendary Les Paul guitar. The Vintage V100 Guitar combines a high level specification and build quality to produce some exceptionally impressive tones and screaming lead runs. It is simply a stylish, self-assured, authoritative, affordable and great sounding single cut electric guitar.

Classic design:

The Vintage V100 electric guitar has a solid mahogany body, based on the classic LP design. The guitar includes a set of quality attributes including a set mahogany neck, dual covered humbuckers, along with separate volume and tone controls for each of them. The V100 possess some seriously good looks, thanks to its well detailed finishing including cream body and neck binding along with a flamed maple tops on certain models. An accurately carved gently arched front gives the V100 its distinctive look. One of the most notable design features of the V100 is that, its Mahogany neck is set into the body as opposed to the bolt neck, thus making it a very genuine instrument to listen to and play with. This combination just maximises its tone enhancing rigidity. This combo of neck joint and mahogany body has long been used on the top quality guitars that tend to fetch quite a deal of price. From a distance, the V100 will be totally indistinguishable from the other guitars that are worth five times as much and even with close inspection, you will have to be nit picking to pull it down.

Features:

The rosewood fingerboard with 22 frets offers it a very positive feel. The block shaped symmetrical headstock of the Vintage V100 guitar is adorned with Kulson style tuners, bearing green plastic tulip knobs in a classic three as side formation. At its tip, the Vintage logo is inlaid in pearloid, in addition to the pearloid emblem. The Trapezoid position inlays down the fretboard contributes well to the V100’s classic styling and they guide your fingers. The neck feels very sturdy and smooth with its gloss lacquer running up around the cream fingerboard binding, concealing the fret ends. The darkened Rosewood fretboard has a very nice feel to it and plays equally well right down the neck.

The Vintage V100 series LP Style Electric Guitar seems to be taking full advantage of its single cutaway body shape, by offering a generous portion of the upper frets in easy reach. On the upper shoulder of the body is the pickup switch that has 3 positions from rhythm to treble and both together. In a gist, lay on some gain and you have got a great grungy crunch, and lean it off a little, you have that classic blues rock sound.  In addition to all the metal works, there are also some cream plastic fittings including pickup surrounds, pickup selector backplate along with a raised pickguard. The four rotary controls allow you to alter the volume and tone and these are paired to control the bridge and neck pickups. The volume and tone controls are of golden resin speed variety along with white numbering.

Fabulous colours and design:

Vintage V100 is available in a glamorous range of colours and finishes to choose from: Tobacco Sunburst, Flame Maple Cherry Sunburst, Gloss Black Chrome Hardware, Gloss Black Gold Hardware, Wine Red, Gold Top, Flamed Iced Tea, Flamed Honey Burst and Artic White. The Tobacco sunburst and Wine Red models have gold hardware and translucent finishing that helps bring out the wood grain beneath. The Gloss Black version has also been complimented with gold hardware, with a solid coloured finishing. The stunning Cherry Sunburst V100 possess a flame maple finish and chrome hardware. The Tobacco Sunburst finish and Flame Maple Cherry Sunburst finishing is also available in left hand style; just for a few pounds extra.

Sound and Action:

The Vintage V100 is equipped with Wilkinson hardware including the deluxe tuners and dual covered humbuckers. The twin humbucker pickups provide incredible sustain, which will not disappoint. The Tune-o-matic bridge helps with the sound intonation and maintains strong tuning. When combined with a separate volume and tone controls, there is a powerful sound to be harnessed and has a lot of scope for tone shaping. Both the rhythm and treble are very powerful and they successfully deliver an excellent thick tone. When used together, they produce a full bodied sound that works great with clean and distorted amp settings alike; and separately, the treble humbucker will cut through with precision and there is just enough bluesy colour to the neck pickup, in order to keep the solos sounding full of life.

Verdict:

No prizes for guessing that the Vintage V100 series is modelled on the timeless classic design of Les Paul. But it is certainly not a cheap replica of the legendary model with no substance. The Vintage V100 Electric Guitar is loaded with features and simply irresistible performance to match it. The Maple and Mahogany tone woods are that killer ideal recipe for the smoky blueness with a very warm jazzy feel while the charging to the other extreme allows the guitar to rage and rampage through high gain amplification like no other. If you have got your eye on this style of electric guitar then the V100 beats the competition at the sub £200 mark and even £300 guitars will not offer much more in the way of build, components and style. Overall, we feel that the Vintage V100 Electric Guitar is a best buy.

Check Epiphone Electric Guitar Reviews, Yamaha Best Electric guitars in this website.

Vintage V100 Electric Guitar - Technical Specification Details