Aventini XRS

Ebony Fretboard 24 frets
Neck through construction
Sapele wood for body
Gold Plated Schaller tuners and vibrato
Seymour Duncan or Bill Lawrence Pickups (or anything else you may choose!)
2 Vol Knobs, 2 Tones, On/Off switches for each pickup, Split switch for each pickup
Canon XLR output

First off, this is a fine looking instrument. Size wise, the guitar is rather massive as it's 104 cm long and the widest part of the body is 34.5cm. It somewhat reminds me of a Fender Jazzmaster or an ESP Mystique....it depends on your standards I guess! Because of its shape it's not really suited to being set on a stand and you'd be better off hanging it off the wall by its neck.
Overall, it's a very comfortable and well-balanced instrument.

The most remarkable feature of this guitar is its neck. To put it in a nutshell, it's a masterpiece! Whenever you swap a guitar for this XRS, you'll instantly feel like things are smoother and easier! And swapping back to any other guitar is very likely to make all of their flaws and rough edges stand out all the more...even though you'd found they were perfectly fine and didn't notice a thing prior to playing the XRS!
It's a slightly convex neck that allows for a ultra-low action (think 10-46, 1.2mm E1 and 1.5mm E6, no buzzing), and it feels spectacularly smooth and silk-like! I have never come across any other guitar with such a satin-smooth neck in about 20 years (and I've tried a truckload of them!!) So if you can get your hands on a XRS, you'll feel how relaxing it is to play one of these!

That's for the neck. However, I'm not so dazzled by the electronics, even though it's clearly a matter of taste. The good thing about it is that you can get combinations that would be otherwise impossible to get with a classic pickup selector (like 2 coils of a pickup and one the other, or 4 coils at once or any other combination you may think of!) The problem with these switches is that it's not always easy to switch pickups on the fly...or let's say it takes a bit of getting-used-to! I tend to stick to a pickup so it's no big deal for me but it's definitely something to consider if you're in that particular case.
The tuners and vibrato are built like tanks and provide great stability, no matter what!

Sound-wise, as you'd expect, it's a great sounding instrument so I won't detail too much. It's extremely versatile and you'll have no worries to jump from smooth jazz to country to extreme metal, all withing a few bars! But best points are: 1-Sustain, which is really GREAT (really!)! And 2-Clarity / articulation of the notes themselves. No matter whether it's plugged or not, this guitar provides crystal-clear tones. It's really striking, and I noticed it instantly the first time I played it. It's especially conspicuous in the "bass" department (E6 and A5). I didn't compare it side by side with all the other guitars i've had the chance to play but none gave me that feeling. For the sake of testing, I compared it side by side this time to a mid-range EC-1000 equipped with EMG60/81 (not on par with the Aventini XRS at any level but still, it's an OK instrument whatsoever). I guess we all agree that EMG pickups are known for being clinical (who said sterile?!! )....and yet...the Seymour Duncan on the XRS sounded way more clinical and articulate than the EMGs! Actually I have since then swapped the SD with 2 EMGs 85 (18V powered) and added an EMG's PA2 and PI2 instead of the original switches. I couldn't be happier with the result: The pinnacle of noise-free, versatile and articulate tones!

To sum it up, this is a masterpiece guitar that sure comes at a price (of 3200$ approx.!) but when you come to think about it, it's not that high a price tag for what you get. This is a completely custom made and handcrafted piece of artillery that can vie with any high-end model crafted by any of the major companies we all know out there. So if there's no custom shop that's really capable of satisfying your needs (or if they ask you for stupid money!!), just come down to Marseille and pay a visit to Mr Aventini, you won't regret it!

https://www.aventini.com/
https://www.aventini.com/k2/tous-les-instruments/guitares-%C3%A9lectriques

-Made in France on the side of Marseille by the luthier Alain Aventine
Key Gabon ebony, 24 frets.
Sappel Fund.
Accessories SCHALLER gold plated. SEYMOUR DUNCAN Pickups and Benedittis.
Active Electronics: master volume, balance between two microphones, acute Graphic EQ, graphic EQ serious boost, phase inversion, into single or double coil, direct, record canon XLR.