About the project from the customer
The story about creation of this guitar is very educational.
To begin with, I have always been a big fan of the design of certain high-end basses, as you can see some innovations that are not present in the guitar world. I don’t know why, but luthiers specializing in bass are more likely to experiment. Many elements in this guitar are taken from the world of bass instruments.
The process of making this guitar was long and painful. It took about eight months. At first, we were discussing the design for a long time, then Dmitry ordered accessories and so on. I want to say a couple of not very kind words about the ABM company, which made individual bridges. Although they are Germans, I have never seen such inefficiency even in Russia! Twice they confused the order, then they simply lost it, then could not ship it, then something else… In short, they detained the guitar for three months. The bridges are good, but if I knew, I would have never contacted them.
Design
This is a truly “neck-through” instrument. However, it doesn’t just apply to the neck. The part that goes from the headstock to the end of the deck is “neck-through” and is flush with the body. The latter is also a feature from the world of bass.
The instrument is very comfortable to play. I tend to place my thumb on the deck right above the bottom string, and if the strings are high above the deck, it’s uncomfortable to play. If the strings are almost at the level of the deck, the right hand feels comfortable.
As for using the mediator, the distance from the deck to the strings is about 7 mm. This is more than enough, even for aggressive riffs.
The body of the guitar is semicircular and concave inwards. This feature I borrowed from Warwick. It is very comfortable if you play while sitting down.
The sound is difficult to describe. I think it’s possible to get a feel of it in the sample.
I would say the most correct word for describing the sound is “tight”. That is, the opposite of “fragile”.
And the sustain – oh boy!
Basically, the long wait was worth it. The guitar justifies all the expectations. The quality of the build is at the level of a very good custom shop, and no defects were noticed.