not mine:
http://acapella.harmony-central.com/showthread.php?t=2412230&page=38
Model: XV-JT90 “Telemaster”
Color: Caramel
Wood : Hard Ash
Pickups: GFS Alnico Fatbody pickup at the bridge and a GFS Crunchy Mini at the neck.
Weight: 10.7 Pounds!
Fit and Finish: 10…It looks incredible, really nice right out of the case. Paint was perfect. My guitar’s Caramel color has a more yellowy tint in it then the website photo indicates. Almost a darker TV Yellow color. I’m really digging it. No blemishes and the paint has been applied light enough to still see the grain of the Ash. Frets were properly dressed, no rough edges. Intonation was spot on, no buzz or dead spots on the fretboard. Tuners surprised me, they were much better than I expected. Gears were smooth and tuning was easy although the high E string was subject to going out of tune after moderate playing. Probably will still replace will Grover Rotomatics. The stock strings left black ‘guk’ all over my fingers like every Asian made guitar I’ve ever bought (what the hell is going on in the factories over there? Are the workers blowing cigarette smoke onto the guitar?). Strings will be quickly replaced with Snake Oil Strings (Rock 10s LH). I took off the pick guard and saw that it was only routed for the mini neck pickup. A more universal rout (full HB size) would have been appreciated, but what do you expect for the price? I am curious if the P90 model which looks like a more traditional Jazzmaster has the real JM routing underneath the pickguard. I would love to pop in a replacement prewired JM pickguard from Rothstein Guitars. If I could do that, I would definitely buy 2 or 3 of the P90 models right off that bat and I know LOTS of other JazzMaster lovers who would do the same thing. Hint…Hint… Jay.
Sounds/Playability: 8…The ‘Telemaster’ as it’s being affectionately called is appropriately being marketed as a hybrid. It can cover a lot of ground depending on what amp you play it through and what pedal board setup your using. This was my first introduction to GFS pickups. I must admit to being somewhat of a pickup snob and wasn’t expecting much out of $33 pickups. That said, I LOVED the Alnico Fatbody bridge pickup. Clean, it’s got the Tele vibe with less searing highs and a little more edge. That’s a good thing to my ears. It was clear and articulate with plenty of output through my Hayseed 30 VOX clone and distorted nicely through my Orange AD30. Surprising to me, was how nicely it cleaned up with just the volume knob. By setting my amps on the edge of breaking up, I could manipulate the volume knob and get two very useable sounds out of the Fatbody pickup. That pickup is staying put without a doubt. I wasn’t as enthusiastic about Crunchy Mini (CM) in the neck. I really didn’t care for the CM in the neck position when playing through a clean amp. It sounded too muffled and the pickup’s output was not evenly matched to the Fatbody so there was a noticeable volume difference when switching between the bridge and neck pickups. I was able to tinker with my amp and EQ pedal to get a sound I liked out the CM, but in a live setting this is not a pickup I would use with my amps. I was able to get more useable sounds out of the CM in the neck position through a distorted amp and liked it at times with both pickups on (middle postion). I’m going to spend a little more time with this pickup, but I see myself eventually replacing it for a more versatile pickup for my musical style. Unfortunately, I will have to do some routing to get a full size HB in there. The guitar itself is quite solid and heavy! When I read it was made of Ash, I was thinking Swamp Ash and expected it to be much lighter. It must be Hard Ash hence the weight. It weighs in at a whopping 10.7 pounds! More than my Agile Les Paul. I actually prefer heavier guitars and this one resonates beautifully unplugged and sustains nicely through an amp. It sits well balanced on a strap with no nose dive. Thank God, if it fell on my foot it would break it for sure.
Conclusions: 9...If you are thinking about ordering one, Run, don’t walk to your computer and order one of these new offset guitars from Jay at Guitar Fetish before they are sold out. At these prices, they are a steal and they will not last long I’m sure. They are very playable as a stock guitar and you can easily do some inexpensive upgrades (tuners, other pickups) to make them even better or to suit your needs. I’m a happy camper. Pictures of the Telemaster guitar can be found on my website at
www.thequahaugs.com then click on the ‘Gear Pics’ page.
Eternal ClamNation,
Kaika
