DeArmond X155

I purchased this hollow body archtop in Cornwall ON Canada At Rainbow Music for $952.00 CDN!! I always wanted a guitar with such a warn & rich sound,...oh I know if the cost is nOT a factor one could get a great guitar anywhere!! However,...for the price that I paid,...I got a terrifc guitar,...lots of bang for the buck!!

I love everything about it!! It has this great sound, humbucker(duel goldtone) the wood on this instrument is above average as is the construction!! To top it all, the finish is flawless!! Playability is superb and easy! You just get so much for what you pay for!!

Fret board inlay is not real mother of pearl,...but the rest of the guitar by far makes up for that little deficiency!!

Awesome construction and finish!!

I highly recommend this model to anyone interested in an archtop that kicks!! Great for blues, jazz, rockabilly, 50's, 60's and big band sound! A real beauty to look at!!

The last of the great deals!!!

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Manufacture of good quality for that price. the varnish is very strong. It sounds dry, not very bright. the wooden easel and microphones (excellent!) assigned one of his very, very jazz neck position. The only regret is the plastic markers on the handle which is far from certain pearl imitations of some race condition. It holds the road in front of a 175 are present, no problem. and for the price, it really caactère clean, obviously very close to her older sister guild of the X500.

UTILIZATION

Handle very nice, access to acute, it is relative, but it is not made for that either ... it is a model purely jazz, a little space for elctrique (rather dry acoustic format) but the size of the body gives it a really nice heat.

SOUNDS

In sound, I installed Gibson 57 classic pickups, to approach the sound of a legendary ES, and I have not kept: the original Miros (DeArmond Made in America) are too great, it sounds really good. Proof of this is, some renowned luthiers these microphones mounted on their archtop models. I played on a fender hot rod, and that's enough. a good guitar and lamps ...

OVERALL OPINION

I have three years I played every day, on stage at least once a month, I have a game inspired by the very touch of jazz or Metheny Pat Martino, and I often complimented on the sound, while it did the DeArmond connected directly to the Fender ...
at the time of purchase (new), it was still manufactured, I compared it to the shop to ES175, the 15,000 francs of difference (at the time) was not justified, even incomprehensible, if n is the price to pay for a logo to the prestige end of the handle. bine that DeArmond is a Prestigious me since the first Gibson was electrified with a microphone .... DeArmond.

Manufacture Korean.
The pickups are humbuckers the famous US De Armond, very poorly distributed in the history france.Pour DeArmond pickups equipped the beginning of the Gretsch marque.Aujourd 'hui bought some DeArmond guitars for "looting" their microphones and mount on most prestigious violin.
The adjustable nut is dark wood, but not in ebony, the bridge is a simple piece of metal designed a little doubt in my taste (but it's his job very well.).
Handle very well set is stable in 11/52, graduation mother a little "plastoc." Rosewood fingerboard with inlaid white threads very well, jumbo frets type mediums.
The box is huge (I think ... all maple) with white nets bouble liserres black, but very comfortable sitting position, the arm s'appuit top and right hand is relaxed above the strings.
In natural finish, this guitar faqit me think that of Bill Haley in the fifties.
Overall, a nice guitar after 10 ans.Seule false note, a little pearl plastoc graduations ...
Mechanical: OK (oil bath).

UTILIZATION

Handle very nice with a low action (it is adjustable headstock ...). The key width is wider than a Start but it's very complicated bienpour form agreements.
The access to acute? not really practical unless it is a jazz guitarist broke ... Of course, it is not really play it beyond the 15émm freight ...
-The sound: that is the highlight: the pickups are great, powerful, meaty and very powerful, so that this guitar can sound very rockabilly / country as a setting for twin exemple.Avec the tone controls (which are effective over the entire course ..) have strongly darkened their mind to Gibson ES-175 (Kenny Burrell and Wes listen ...). So rockab of jazz, c'esy OK. With a lightweight tube screamer, it's great for the blues-jazz (the only problem: adapting gaming effects of torsion in string pulling ... 11-52)

SOUNDS

-Compatible with blues / jazz / country / rock 50 '.
-On a FenderDeluxe reverb (all-tube 22 Watts) is top, brightness, reverb and dynamic as in the old blue note.
We travel from Scotty Moore to Wes Montgomery by way of George Benson.
In short, It's all good.

See test youtube: http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=omPyIMdHPV8

OVERALL OPINION

Unearth-OCCAZ to Pigalle for only 450 Euros, a great deal ...
I compared this guitar with the Ibanez Artcore, it sounds better than most models and is equivalent to the AK86 model, which is nevertheless the mid-low end Ibanez (but I found it better than the mid-series Ibanez archtop upscale, all equipped with Flame Maple 57 IB super ...).
I found it as good as George Benson GB10 mesh mounted flat and better than the Epiphone Regent ...
I wish I could try the new Epiphone ES-175.
In my opinion a good guitar.

Made in Korea around 1999, with high luthery standard, the finish is worthy of the finest jazz guitars, very nice paint. Mine is natural wood (maple I think), and the body is beautifully veined. Neck is made of two parts, whose connection is discernible near the headstock.
The bridge is made of wood (probably rosewood) and the tailpece is a chrome beauty with the acronym DeArmond.
The neck is quite nice with a flattish radius reminiscent of Gibsons, although thinner.
2 tone and 2 volumes
Pickups are the highly praised Goldtone DeArmond humbuckers, a reference! 2volumes/2tonalités and switch 3 positions for the selection of microphones
the wrong note if there must be a side finishing is the pearl on the fretboard landmarks that are a little "cheap

UTILIZATION

ergonomics are excellent, the handling is fun and if I knew handles faster, it is still very pleasant given the measurements of the body much larger than my Gretsch 5120 for example and thickest aussi.je guess that's a credit and not half a box (like gretsch) for access to acute faudrat it to settle for 14th after box is to show off .. big heel and impressive body requires. .
on the sound, it's very good microphones that come into play, the settings are very simple, volume and tone controls and switches for selecting micro rocket science.

SOUNDS

this guitar is perfect for jazz, blues and can be very nervous to rock too, DeArmond pickups are a marvel of fullness and dynamism, the sound is very warm even on an amp transistors, these goldtone suportent very good saturation, with a beautiful grain in a good spirit vintage is soft and bright at the same time! the microphones serious my preference is often the case on all my guitars (maybe because I'm the bass player based ..) the intermediate position is interesting for rhythmic cleans well, is easy to quench in a spirit rockab 50's by adding some delay, the bridge pickup is perfect for solos or large rock frenzied rhythmic sharp
in my case when I play, blues jazz comes naturally, this is the style that I think it gives the best of itself. plugged into a head lamp 18watts/éminence 12 'is very hot and even my excellent little roland cube 30, the sound is the maximum score!

OVERALL OPINION

I had it for a few days and I already feel emotional ties to this lovely lady, she completes my little collection of guitars with perfection, certainly the most beautiful, certainly a very beautiful Acquisition much more versatile than the X135 and 3 times less expensive than a gibson alongside which it does not pale in comparison to those who still hesitate, start up, it's a safe bet that is increasingly desired, hurry up, its coast continues to climb ..