Xavier Petit

(Originally written by pascal.stbe/translated from Audiofanzine FR) Fender-type with alder body and maple neck, but with Gibson scale. First-choice woods and unique finish: the color changes from mauve to blue depending on the light due to the beautiful multi-layer lacquering. Pickups: two hand-coiled single-coil pickups from the 80's plus a Sustainer kit, which was removed to fit an additional single-coil pickup. Original Floyd rose tremolo. UTILIZATION The neck is a delight with it's slim varnish, which feels like a waxed neck. Access to the upper frets is the same as on a Strat, but that's not an important point for me. The guitar feels very special: you take it in your hands and three hours later you start asking yourself if you should put it back down. Like every new guitar it only showed its true personality after three months. The sound became open and the guitar "generous". SOUNDS Typical Strat sound but with more warmth and roundness due to the Gibson scale. The pickup positions 2 and 4 sound marvelous, and the others are a delight too. The Sustainer was replaced with an EMG mid booster and it sounds great for crunch and distorted sounds. OVERALL OPINION First of all, it's a hand-made custom guitar so it's the result of the collaboration of two enthusiastic persons. Xavier is a warmhearted and friendly craftsman and a part of his personality flows into this guitar. It's a vivid guitar with a strong personality like an old blues... It's a unique model with some pros and cons but it's a true companion I won't let go of. As a summary, if you're looking for an electric guitar you'll surely find lots of products in your local store, but if you're looking for a guitar you can call your won, give Xavier a call...