GuitarMatchup: Guitars Of The Week

Description

American Ultra II guitars and basses feature premium materials, precision craftsmanship and cutting-edge design for instruments that both advance the state-of-the-art and stand the test of time.

The Fender® American Ultra II Stratocaster® features a select alder body with sculpted body contours. For effortless playability, the quartersawn maple neck features our Modern D profile and smooth Ultra Satin finish. Ebony or quartersawn maple 10”-14” compound radius fingerboards feature Ultra rolled edges, medium-jumbo frets, Luminlay® side dots and Graph Tech® TUSQ® nuts.

The tapered neck heel and sculpted body contours allow unparalleled access to the higher register. Under the hood, a trio of Ultra II Noiseless™ Vintage Strat® pickups deliver everything from sweet crystalline cleans to searing leads, all without a hint of hum. Our patented S-1™ switch cleverly unlocks additional pickup configurations for even more tonal variety.

Additional road-ready features include 2-Point American Ultra synchronized tremolo with pop-in arm, polished stainless steel block saddles, cold rolled steel block, deluxe locking tuners, soft-touch knobs and 1-ply anodized aluminum pickguard.

Description

Regardless of the fact that George Harrison and Eric Clapton rocked a '64 SG™ Standard, that model year was clearly a standout for SGs in general.

The clunky side-pull vibrato had been replaced by the dependable Maestro Vibrola. The neck profiles had increased in size, resembling the profile found on 1959 Les Pauls™. And the balance, playability and look of the SG seemed to come into its own.

For all those reasons, the Gibson Custom Shop is proud to present the newest member of the Historic Reissue family -- the 1964 SG Standard Reissue.

Along with the Maestro™ Vibrola and chunky neck profile, it has all the hyper-accurate vintage specs one could possibly want -- original construction methods, a real red aniline dye finish, chemically-recreated plastics, replica electronics, and more. The result is perhaps the best looking, feeling and sounding SG Reissue yet.

Description

Iron Maiden is one of the most successful and influential metal bands ever, thanks to the molten yet melodic guitar work of Adrian Smith. With timeless songwriting and thrilling live performances, Maiden continues to record, tour internationally and rock stadiums everywhere with electricity.

Jackson honors Smith's metal prowess with the X Series Signature Adrian Smith SDXQM, featuring a poplar San Dimas® body with elegant quilt maple top, bolt-on maple neck with graphite reinforcement and a 12"-16" compound radius maple fingerboard with 22 jumbo frets, black dot inlays and licensed Fender® Strat® headstock.

The SDXQM also offers an HSS pickup configuration and is powered by a Jackson high-output humbucking bridge pickup, Jackson single-coil middle pickup and single-coil neck pickup with five-way blade switching and master volume and tone controls.

A non-recessed Floyd Rose® Special double-locking 2-point tremolo bridge will withstand all the abuse you throw at it, providing rock-solid stability and stable tuning. Available in a Transparent Green finish with a white pickguard and black hardware, this beauty looks as sharp as it sounds.

Description

The Custom 24 is the original PRS. Since its introduction, it has offered a unique option for serious players and defined PRS tone and playability. Played by internationally touring artists, gigging musicians, and aspiring players, the Custom 24 features a figured maple top and mahogany back with a 24-fret, 25” scale length mahogany neck with rosewood fretboard.

Anchored by PRS’s patented Gen III tremolo and Phase III tuners with wing buttons the Custom 24 is known for its playability, versatility, and tuning stability. The Custom 24 is outfitted with PRS DMO treble and bass pickups with volume and tone controls and a 5-way blade switch.

DMO (Dynamic, Musical, Open) pickups were personally designed by Paul Reed Smith and the PRS New Products Engineering team. From our own hands-on research into coveted vintage pickup models to advancements in signal analyzation and “tuning” technology, these pickups incorporate every detail of pickup knowledge PRS has gained in recent years of R&D.

PRS DMO pickups have a “wide open” sound with vocal character, meaning they deliver clear, pleasant-sounding tones across a wide range of frequencies (bass to treble) in each pickup. The Custom 24 is the quintessential PRS guitar. This iconic instrument was the first model that Paul Reed Smith brought to the public at PRS Guitars’ first Winter NAMM show in 1985 and has been a top seller ever since.