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almost_framus « Top Quality - Low Price »
Published on 12/24/10 at 10:06Made in China with 22 fret set UltraLux neck. It's got Vol X1, Tone X1, 3-way Pickup Selector Toggle, and mini-toggle switch for coil tapping the twin open faced Humbuckers. It's got a long travel Tune-O-Matic bridge with a fixed bridge consisting of 6 individual blocks (one for each string). It does have a couple of finish blemishes which is why it was so inexpensive. The face of the headstock has a slight bulge around the G tuning peg. Also the binging on the headstock had a rough spot and there was a tiny scratch on the chrome tailpiece cover.
UTILIZATION
I play on the higher frets all the time. I love being able to bend up to that highest E on the bottom string on the 22nd fret. I generally leave both pickups on with the volume and tone all the way up and use my amp's foot-switch to achieve all the different sounds I want. When I play clean I do mess around more with the coil tap and ton controls, but I mostly play with distortion for rhythm and distortion with volume and gain boost for solos. It's basswood body is definitely lighter than a LP. The neck is very comfortable in the fretting hand. The controls are easy to access while playing. The pickups are better than any stock pickups coming out of most of the other Asian guitar factories. They are as good as what's being used in current Gibson and Fender or Gretsch models I've tried recently.
SOUNDS
I use a Roland JC-120 with a TS-9 Tube Screamer in front of it. I use a Morley Distortion 1 pedal for my solo boost. I also use a Vox VT100 with a foot-switch to change up the sounds variations. I usually play with a lot of gain and flat EQ. I can get any sound I want out of this guitar. For instance playing lighter stuff through the clean channel on my amp is suitable for entertaining the old folks. I will probably not buy any other brand of guitar than Hagstrom.
I'm partial to the 24.75" scale of this and the F series set Neck guitars.
OVERALL OPINION
It was very inexpensive and the tiger maple top is superb. I get as many compliments about how great it looks as much as how great it sounds from the audience. I don't think there is a guitar manufacturer out there offering this kind of top shelf quality for such a low price. I've played dozens of guitars in my 30+ years of playing. I will probably not buy any other brand. I have a F200P as well and just traded a 2001 Framus Panthera Studio Custom for a F200 with a guy in Daytona Beach, FL. I don't care that I'm going to eat like $500 in retail value because I know the Hag is going to be a better sounding, easier to play axe.
UTILIZATION
I play on the higher frets all the time. I love being able to bend up to that highest E on the bottom string on the 22nd fret. I generally leave both pickups on with the volume and tone all the way up and use my amp's foot-switch to achieve all the different sounds I want. When I play clean I do mess around more with the coil tap and ton controls, but I mostly play with distortion for rhythm and distortion with volume and gain boost for solos. It's basswood body is definitely lighter than a LP. The neck is very comfortable in the fretting hand. The controls are easy to access while playing. The pickups are better than any stock pickups coming out of most of the other Asian guitar factories. They are as good as what's being used in current Gibson and Fender or Gretsch models I've tried recently.
SOUNDS
I use a Roland JC-120 with a TS-9 Tube Screamer in front of it. I use a Morley Distortion 1 pedal for my solo boost. I also use a Vox VT100 with a foot-switch to change up the sounds variations. I usually play with a lot of gain and flat EQ. I can get any sound I want out of this guitar. For instance playing lighter stuff through the clean channel on my amp is suitable for entertaining the old folks. I will probably not buy any other brand of guitar than Hagstrom.
I'm partial to the 24.75" scale of this and the F series set Neck guitars.
OVERALL OPINION
It was very inexpensive and the tiger maple top is superb. I get as many compliments about how great it looks as much as how great it sounds from the audience. I don't think there is a guitar manufacturer out there offering this kind of top shelf quality for such a low price. I've played dozens of guitars in my 30+ years of playing. I will probably not buy any other brand. I have a F200P as well and just traded a 2001 Framus Panthera Studio Custom for a F200 with a guy in Daytona Beach, FL. I don't care that I'm going to eat like $500 in retail value because I know the Hag is going to be a better sounding, easier to play axe.
