James Tyler Studio Elite HD

Made in CA. I have a 2007 Studio Elite. It has Hipshot locking tuners and a Hipshot trem. It also has a Demeter mid-boost and one volume and one tone control. The body is alder with a quilted maple top and the neck is maple with a rosewood fingerboard. The bridge pickup is a low output Tyler Studebaker humbucker the middle is a Lollar single coil and the neck is a Hot Laura single coil. The workmanship is incredible and the top is gorgeous. There is also a convenient battery compartment in the back for quick battery changes.

UTILIZATION

It feels like a great strat. It weighs in at about 7.5 lbs. I fell in love with this guitar right when I picked it up. The neck is thicker than what I am used to. I had previously played Ibanez, Musicman, Fender, Gibson and this neck was by far the chunkiest. I thought it would be hard to get used to but I adapted right away. Now it is hard to play anything else. The body has all the standard strat contours. It is also a comfortable guitar to play standing up. I usually play 3-4 sets an night and I don't get fatigued wearing it.

SOUNDS

I use this guitar through a Suhr Custom Audio Classic + or a Blankenship blackface clone. It sounds like a great sounding strat. The guitar is extremely resonant. Even played acoustically, it is very loud and resonant. The cleans sparkle and spank and the dirty tone is thick and woody. The trem is also very stable. I can dive-bomb all night with the trem and it stays in tune.
I am a working musician and gig weekly. I play everything from KC and the Sunshine Band to Metallica and the Tyler is my number one guitar. It is not the best suited for playing extreme metal. I use another guitar for that but the Tyler covers all the other bases.

OVERALL OPINION

I will definitely buy another one. They are pricey but definitely worth the money. I have played over 200 gigs with it and I am still in love with it.

James Tyler is also a great guy! The staff at Tyler caters to the gigging musician. I had to have my guitar serviced and I was able to bring my guitar in and have it worked on and within an hour I had it back. To me that is service.

This is a hollow Studio Elite. Rosewood board, 22 frets, Wilkinson whammy, locking nuts, Tyler h/s/s, big V-shape neck, mid boost (with easy access to battery without the need to unscrew anything to swap it).
Made in Cali.
Global volume, and tone.
Body is a a mix of the sides being ash and the center being alder.

UTILIZATION

Plays like a modern guitar, feels like something you played for the last two decades. The only drawback on this guitar is for guys that play by fretmarkers they are hard to see on the rosewood board, since they're on the dark side.
The mid boost on it is its secret weapon and due to it being hollow it is super light.
The neck access isn't like of a shredder but better than on a vintage Strat.

SOUNDS

I used it with old Marshalls, modern channel switchers like the Fryette Sig-X, Deliverance, Memphis, or my rack set-up with the Axe-Fx.
The clean was like a Strat should sound. Even a monkey wearing boxing gloves could make the neck pick-up sound good. Bridge humbucker rocks hard in the AC/Dc neighborhood through a cranked JMP. And with the boost it's a burner.
The fact that it is hollow makes it very much sound like an ancient guitar that had a few decades to dry out. Add to that the body is alder and ash and you get a best of both worlds. The snap of the ash (which will never get to top end heavy since the chambering attenuates the top), and the warmth of the alder.
It was my #1 for many years.

OVERALL OPINION

I loved how it played and sounded. It's very expensive but well worth it.
Also it is put together really well with great detail if you like the feel of old Strats without them having been through the wringer.
This was my 4th Tyler.