Fernandes Monterey Elite

Korean production, the guitar has a default and without any quality wood finish.

Features:
Mahogany body with maple top
mahogany glued
ebony fingerboard
locking tuners
22 jumbo frets
Sustainer neck pickup
pickup Seymour Duncan SH-4
Sustainer system by two mini switches
chrome hardware
1 volume and 1 tone
micro switch 3 positions

UTILIZATION

Accustomed to handle my '50 Gibson LP, the handle of this Fernandes, very fine, threw me off, I find it less comfortable and have the strange feeling not to have on hand. Matter of habit as preferably, of course; but really, I love the thick stick LP Traditional and R07.
The guitar is light compared to my LP, the body is very thin; Ergonomics is very good.
Given the price, it is in excellent. The price most often found is 850 €, I took advantage of a special price at which posted € 549 session.de.

SOUNDS

I bought this guitar for embedded Sustainer system. Admirer of Steve Hackett, who most often uses a Black Fernandes LP or LP Gold Top equipped with the famous so important in its sound system, I wanted to get closer to the effect that he obtained for infinite sustain and harmonics. And it is exactly that offered by the Monterey!
10/10 for the Sustainer.

At the trial, the guitar proves excellent on all three positions, clear sound in full.
The neck pickup gives a very round sound and defined, rather compressed but a somewhat low compared to the intermediate position or that of the neck pickup. Intermediate position and its clear, we have a pretty slamming her perfect for arpeggios with chorus or phasing. The neck pickup is ultimately quite sweet in the clear.
In full, the neck pickup lacks precision and will hardly be comfortable on rhythm; To be reserved only minimal power chords. The intermediate position, in this case, is the most interesting, especially if you play the tone knob to calm his propensity for high-méduims. The neck pickup sounds great, sharp and accurate. But all that the condition not to connect a LP right after to compare ... Because there what a slap! The comparison is clear: everything in this Fernandes, seems so narrow, small sound, without scale, a very average definition with distortion and so on. This allowed me to see how a guitar is a LP Traditional absolute exception (I knew but a wakeup call always good !!!). Of course, the comparison between a normal guitar with a price of € 850 with another worth € 2,000 is not very fair to the first, but it ensures that such a difference in price is largely justified and to understand what differentiates a "normal" guitar exceptional guitar. By dint of practice my LP, I was accustomed to excellence and it had become for me the single standard; well no! LP of the sound is not in the standard!
Leaving aside my LP, I give an 8/10. If I compare a 5/10.
But what made me buy this is the Fernandes Sustainer and there I have exactly what I wanted. The system works perfectly, with no added noise, and gives a very good sustain, perfect musical. A second switch activates the harmonic at the octave of feedback quite controllable.

OVERALL OPINION

To summarize, this purchase, in my case, only justified the presence of the Sustainer. However, the rate for which I have acquired by making total abstraction of the Les Paul Gibson, this guitar has many qualities. The finish is excellent, it is beautiful, made with quality wood, offers an ebony fingerboard (which in this price range is truly exceptional), and pickups are quite correct. I do not know all there is around € 550 but it seems to me that the Monterey deserves to be seriously considered in this price bracket. Session.de only has this model but offers another (without the ebony fingerboard) to the incredible price of € 499.

Les Paul type guitar made in China
Body and set neck mahogany, maple table
Rosewood fingerboard, profile D handle, 22 jumbo frets
Fixed bridge, Gotoh mechanical.
Fernandes Sustainer neck pickup, Seymour Duncan JB Bridge pickup.
A volume, a general tone, selector microphones.
2 changeover to initiate the Sustainer

http://www.fernandesguitars.com/me.html

UTILIZATION

Clean finish. Painting beautiful and simple, flawless inlay, net income, well-fitting frets "that do not exceed the handle" (I've seen, if so ...). Micro already set (1-2 mm of the last string as freight boxes, for humuckers is ok. The string action is set low enough, but that's how I play, so I myself found right away, I did not touch.

Easy handling. The handle D is nice, and finish "metallic black" gives a gentle touch sensation: the position changes are fluid. I'm not a big fan of jumbo frets, but hey ... I myself do.
The weight is honest, compared to other "Les Paul-like". This is of mahogany, had remained dense, so it's quite heavy.
For audio, see below.

SOUNDS

I often judge the electric guitars made by their "sound" or disconnected. Here, no problem, the sound is full, balanced with a beautiful natural sustain. We start with a good foundation.
Connected, the Monterey announced my color: it is made to rock. JB in the bridge is incisive, well-edged, very present but not garish. The neck pickup, the Sustainer, behaves like a normal microphone in idle mode. Flute sound and quite round, half way between a single and a double. I'm surprised: I expected a micro without much personality, it is his "juice" and punch, from blues to hard.

THEN: j'enclenche the Sustainer.
First, it disables the switch, and there is no other choice but the bridge pickup, the JB. Is imposed. Thus, the Sustainer function.
With distortion: the Sustainer replace the amp for feedback, it is pure rock, it's wild and beautiful, amazing. In "harmonic", the Feedback go to the fifth or an octave higher, it is a very pleasurable experience. And reduced volume, thank you for the ears!
In the clear: Welcome to another world. The chords are supported, the notes (even artificial harmonics) last indefinitely. The ambiences are dreamlike and air. Great. But, but ... The Sustainer generates a stray light in the treble, and it requires patience (and a screwdriver) to fine-tune the 4 small (and fragile) pots on the back of the guitar, by removing a plate. .. Yeah. I am a bit disappointed all the same.

OVERALL OPINION

I've had a week and relies on it for my pop-rock songs with very very rock. She walks very well in the blues or jazz (plugged into a JC-120 not too bright, well, it works ...).
Special feature: the Sustainer ben, hey!
Have I tried other models? Les Pauls, a few, but Sustainer, no.
Value for money: VERY GOOD. The finish in particular.
I do it again this choice? Time will tell. It's still pretty, right?