Fernandes

A number of instruments. Play in bizarre little garage rock band. Mostly play bass. Local Music Shop, Used, for $275 Previous owner had purchased from pawn shop in 1987, ripped frets out, never played it. Silky smooth and incredibly fast neck. Completely ballsy tone: Growly, with more low-end than anybody should ever be subjected to: I love it. Lightweight, comfortable. Looks good. A little bit neck-heavy. No high-end makes it a one-trick pony on tone. Fernandes has legendarily crummy customer service, but fortunately I've never had to call them with problems. Still can't find any flaws, and it's older than I am. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I played this guitar for a good hour and a half at Rudy's Music in Manhattan, which was selling it for $400. I had been investigating travel guitars. Built-in amp and effects processor means this is the only guitar you can lug around easily and still have it sound like an electric guitar. I own two micro amps and these can never get a convincing rhythm or distortion sound, and they never respond well to effects pedals. The Nomad Deluxe is also small enough to carry with ease. Having the pickup and amp so close together meant that I had to deal with feedback the entire time I played it. The neck feels awkward, and I couldn't find a good position for playing the guitar either standing up (the body's too small; no support for the arms) or sitting down (awkward shape; you have to hunch). Good, though the shape of the guitar is ill-considered. If you want a truly portable electric guitar that can actually generate an array of sounds, the Nomad Deluxe (and its cheapter cousin, the Nomad) was the only example I could find. The Steinberger GU and GT series, while better guitars, still need an amp and cable. The Nomad Deluxe doesn't. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought this guitar used at Mountain Music in Hamilton, Ont. for $149 CND. I tried a lot of their used guitars and lower end new and I just really liked the feel of the neck and fretboard on this one. It has an interesting set-up -- three single coil pick ups and five position switch, just like a strat, but the switch is on the upper horn, like a les paul, and the body shape is like a Fender jazzmaster. So it is a sort of hybrid. I like the styling, the action was set just right for me, and the satin finish neck was really nice to work with. It has 21 widish frets and a rosewood fingerboard. One volume and one tone control, whammy bar. Pretty solid bridge and tuners. I don't like the pickguard. The silver finish is very nice, but the white plastic pickguard just looks cheap. It seems to be well constructed and the finish all over is very nice and solid. The frets are a bit wider than on my acoustic, which makes slides nice. The neck is four-bolt to the body and well placed and tight. The guitar has quite a lot of hollowed out space beneath the rather large pickguard, which makes it very resonant for playing without an amp. It is good for just quiet scale practicing and that sort of thing. I think I got a really good deal on this guitar. I like how it is set up, I tweaked the intonation, but that's it. It just feels good on the neck, and it is well balanced. I like that it is a little unusual -- the jazzmaster shape with the strat-type pick-ups. I am really happy with it and would replace it if it was lost or stolen (if I could find one!) This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

The Fernandes Nomad Standard guitar is a unique electric guitar as it has its own built in amp that is battery powered. It has one pick up that is sent to this built in amp and your signal can also be sent to an external amp. It has controls for the level and overdrive of the built in amp. UTILIZATION This guitar is pretty easy to play overall as the action is set nice and has a good feel to it. It easy to play up and down the neck and since it is so small you can carry it around anywhere with you. Because of this and because of the built in amp, this gives you an electric guitar on the go! SOUNDS The sound quality produced with this guitar and the amp on it is pretty darn good considering how small it is. This is great for practicing on because of its portability and ease of us. Just turn it on and you have an instant electric guitar sound. The sound quality probably won't blow you away, but for what it is its good. If I was recording or playing a show I would definitley use an external amp, as this can only play so loud. OVERALL OPINION This was one of the first guitars I played, and got it about nine or ten years ago. I have found it to be a great practice guitar, but at this point I probably use it for anything more than that. I don't know of any other models of guitar that have a built in amp, and the price is quite cheap considering it has an amp in it. I would recommend this guitar for beginners who want an electric guitar without having to buy an amp to go with it or someone look for a small electric guitar to bring around.