Peerless

(Originally written by Makos/translated from Audiofanzine FR) Peerless... Korean luthier who works for the best brands (Fender, Gibson, Epiphone, etc.) now has his own brand. He doesn't need to prove his craftsmanship credentials regarding industrial guitar manufacturing. He made many expensive archtop guitars for our favorite brands... I own one since 15 days ago: • 17" Hollowbody guitar • Plated spruce top, plated maple back and sides, maple neck • Mother-of-pearl and abalone inlays on the fingerboard, tune-o-matic, tailpiece, rosewood pickguard • Bone nut • One Korean mini humbucker • Grover machine heads • One volume control • Original strings: half roundwound D'Addario 13-56 UTILIZATION The following statement is subjective but many guitarists will share my opinion: this guitar looks wonderful! Its simplicity is beautiful. The wood color, the glossy finish, the slim bindings, the simple pickguard. Everything is sober. It's a typical jazz guitar, it could had been made in the 50's or 60's... • The guitar is well-balanced and too heavy (normal for a hollowbody), excellent playing comfort. • Rather wide neck with a curve that allows to play comfortably • Jumbo frets • Easy access to the upper frets (normal for an archtop) • Smooth and accurate machine heads • Plug and play with only one volume control. • Standard strap pin. A strap lock would have been better. SOUNDS The sound... The configuration is very simple: one floating mini humbucker and one volume control... That's it! The pickup quality is good and the output power is similar to a full-size humbucker. The pickup doesn't color the sound of the instrument. What about the sound? It's the sound of the guitar, the amp and your fingers. The jazz sound depends on the amp settings and on your playing technique (thumb, pick, finger picking). From mellow (thumb and soft amp settings) to percussive (more highs, compressor and pick playing). The unplugged sound is very good and that's always a very good sign. The amplified sound is also excellent. It's clear that this guitar was conceived for jazz. I've played it with many amps and I always found a good sound. The amp doesn't have a big influence on the sound, it's the guitar and your playing that give it character. It's true that a JC-120 or a Fender Jazz King will enhance the sound of the instrument, but it's easy to get a jazz sound with this guitar and a cheap amp. OVERALL OPINION This wonderful guitar is sold with a good-quality case. I've spent a lot of time with it the last two weeks. I took it with me to the stores to find the perfect amp (I had to sell my all-tube head and Celestion speaker cabinet :-(. I play it with a Vox AD50 (modeling amp)... The sound is one hundred percent jazz. I owned an Epiphone Joe Pass several years ago but I sold it. The New-York is better. The finish is better (machine heads, varnish, wood quality). And I like simple things. So the New-York is the right guitar for me. It's difficult to find this guitar now. Don't hesitate to call your local distributor to know where you can buy it. Summary: it was love at first sight as I saw it on the website. It's the guitar I was looking for. No colored varnish, only one pickup, no tone control... but a strong personality and a good sound. I ordered it without testing it. Bingo! I won't part from it and we will grow old together. Six months later... I'm still very happy with this guitar and it gets better with aging. The sounds gets better and better. I have no regrets, except for my cats that piss on its case :-)))) More than one year later... We are still in love ;-). Perhaps I will change the pickup.

These are great guitars. You could think of them as 95% of a Gibson at 33% of the cost. The woodworking is first class. No defects or imperfections of any kind. And the neck is straight, smooth and level. I think top of the line American made(Gibson) and Japanese made (Ibanez) guitars are still better, but not by much. Considering the price, these Korean hollow bodies are far and away the best value out there. The hardware is actually better than what you get with a Gibson (Gibson apparently uses Ping-Wells Chinese made tuners, bridges and tailpieces). But the electronics is not as good (basically the same as what you get with an Epiphone; alnico v pickups, alpha pots, uninsulated wires, no-name switches, etc.). I spent $200 on Seymour Duncan Seth Lovers and a US made wiring harness; and now I have a professional quality guitar that rivals any $3,000 es-335.