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Audiofanzine FR
Published on 12/08/08 at 03:17
(Originally written by Pucelle_Dabidjan/translated from Audiofanzine FR)
Objective description:
Guitar made in the USA
40 years old selected mahogany body
"One-of-ten" 5A flamed maple top
Ebony fingerboard
Authentic mother of pearl inlays
3-piece set neck (two mahogany and one bubinga) and oiled finish
5-way toggle switch
Two Bartolini pickups (77d in bridge position, 55 in neck position)
One volume control (with mother of pearl ring)
One tone control (with mother of pearl ring)
Delivery time: about nine months
Subjective description:
At first sight its high-class finish is impressive. It's not only my imagination, it really looks better than popular high-class guitars (PRS custom, Gibson custom, Dean USA, etc.). It's a kind of super guitar with the perfect finish.
Nevertheless I give it only a [9]. In spite of the first-choice woods, the high-quality circuitry and the exemplary finish, I miss a comprehensive controls set (two tone and two volume controls) which would make it the ultimate guitar.
UTILIZATION
The ease of use is the main asset of this instrument. The guitar is perfectly ergonomic and it stays always close to your body.
The reference-class neck with D profile is rather wide but not too thick so you can play chords and high-speed solos comfortably enough. ALL guitarists that have used this guitar said the same thing: "the neck is terrific"!
Low action for an accurate playing.
Very ergonomic neck/body junction and easy access to the last fret.
Perfectly sensitive controls.
The 5-way toggle switch provides lots of sound possibilities and the knobs have a convenient mark that clearly indicates their position.
[10] High-class guitar. Immediate and intuitive handling. It's one of the numerous strengths of this guitar.
SOUNDS
Unplugged it produces a more powerful sound than every other solid body. The sound is accurate, deep and structured. The guitar reacts to every attack with a large dynamic range.
The unplugged sound is a superior experience. The Bartolini pickups produce a particular tone: they have a twangy and aggressive Fender touch with Gibson roundness, and a surgical precision and high output gain.
The bridge pickup sounds astonishingly precise and it reproduces the musicians playing accurately. Its raging sound character is very natural and deep, and it can reach gain levels that guarantee a lot of fun. The neck pickup has a rounder and more singing sound (it was originally a blues pickup) with softer attacks. It sort of quiets down the excitement of the other pickup and enhances the deepness.
If you like playing with the guitar knobs they have a strong influence on the tone. The slightest decrease in volume will immediately produce smoother attacks, while the tone knob allows you to add more warmth to the signal giving it a nice vintage fuzzy character.
So the sound range is endless, there are simply NO LIMITS!!! And it's for real. The only limits of this guitar are determined by your fingers. From violent rock and heavy metal to gypsy jazz, this guitar always has a strong personality and excels in every music style.
[10] It's extremely rare for me to award such a high mark! When I see that a Gibson Les Paul gets a 10... How am I supposed to rate this guitar? Perhaps with a 12! Versatile, original, rich and powerful sound but also clear and crying gentle.
OVERALL OPINION
The Fully Armed is an excellent guitar. It's price might seem expensive. But the overall quality and sound are the best currently available on the market. Only problem: Warrior's reputation is growing in the USA (they've won several awards as the best luthiers in the US) and they have discontinued this model in order to produce only higher range products. Now there are only custom models available. They are much more expensive but don't really offer much more value.
The difference between a Fully Armed and the custom models is that the Fully Armed is not customizable. For example there were some colors, pickup combinations and finishes not available. The custom can be fully personalized. And the woods are 20 to 40 years older. That's the difference. If you find one at an "affordable" price, buy it. You'll get a guitar with the same quality as a PRS Private Stock, a Gretsch White Falcon USA custom shop, a Gibson Supreme.
This guitar is made for professional musicians who want to have an original sound and musicians taking part in contests who want to win based on the originality of their tone. Everybody likes the sound of this Soldier!
[10] Ultimate but expensive sound!
Add-on to the review of 12.25.07
I lent this guitar to an experienced guitarist and you can read his comments below:
- Great neck that allows you to play everything you want from crazy tapping licks to complex chords and also to shred up and down the neck. Everything is possible.
- Incredible sound
- Small varnish defect on the neck/body junction. (on the back of the guitar)
- The sound is a bit too accurate. A pure vintage sound would be a bit less precise.
Add-on to the review of 12.7.2008
Although I've tested many other guitars (PRS, Dean, Gibson, Hamer, Schecter custom shop, ESP, Jackson, etc.) I still haven't found a better instrument.
Objective description:
Guitar made in the USA
40 years old selected mahogany body
"One-of-ten" 5A flamed maple top
Ebony fingerboard
Authentic mother of pearl inlays
3-piece set neck (two mahogany and one bubinga) and oiled finish
5-way toggle switch
Two Bartolini pickups (77d in bridge position, 55 in neck position)
One volume control (with mother of pearl ring)
One tone control (with mother of pearl ring)
Delivery time: about nine months
Subjective description:
At first sight its high-class finish is impressive. It's not only my imagination, it really looks better than popular high-class guitars (PRS custom, Gibson custom, Dean USA, etc.). It's a kind of super guitar with the perfect finish.
Nevertheless I give it only a [9]. In spite of the first-choice woods, the high-quality circuitry and the exemplary finish, I miss a comprehensive controls set (two tone and two volume controls) which would make it the ultimate guitar.
UTILIZATION
The ease of use is the main asset of this instrument. The guitar is perfectly ergonomic and it stays always close to your body.
The reference-class neck with D profile is rather wide but not too thick so you can play chords and high-speed solos comfortably enough. ALL guitarists that have used this guitar said the same thing: "the neck is terrific"!
Low action for an accurate playing.
Very ergonomic neck/body junction and easy access to the last fret.
Perfectly sensitive controls.
The 5-way toggle switch provides lots of sound possibilities and the knobs have a convenient mark that clearly indicates their position.
[10] High-class guitar. Immediate and intuitive handling. It's one of the numerous strengths of this guitar.
SOUNDS
Unplugged it produces a more powerful sound than every other solid body. The sound is accurate, deep and structured. The guitar reacts to every attack with a large dynamic range.
The unplugged sound is a superior experience. The Bartolini pickups produce a particular tone: they have a twangy and aggressive Fender touch with Gibson roundness, and a surgical precision and high output gain.
The bridge pickup sounds astonishingly precise and it reproduces the musicians playing accurately. Its raging sound character is very natural and deep, and it can reach gain levels that guarantee a lot of fun. The neck pickup has a rounder and more singing sound (it was originally a blues pickup) with softer attacks. It sort of quiets down the excitement of the other pickup and enhances the deepness.
If you like playing with the guitar knobs they have a strong influence on the tone. The slightest decrease in volume will immediately produce smoother attacks, while the tone knob allows you to add more warmth to the signal giving it a nice vintage fuzzy character.
So the sound range is endless, there are simply NO LIMITS!!! And it's for real. The only limits of this guitar are determined by your fingers. From violent rock and heavy metal to gypsy jazz, this guitar always has a strong personality and excels in every music style.
[10] It's extremely rare for me to award such a high mark! When I see that a Gibson Les Paul gets a 10... How am I supposed to rate this guitar? Perhaps with a 12! Versatile, original, rich and powerful sound but also clear and crying gentle.
OVERALL OPINION
The Fully Armed is an excellent guitar. It's price might seem expensive. But the overall quality and sound are the best currently available on the market. Only problem: Warrior's reputation is growing in the USA (they've won several awards as the best luthiers in the US) and they have discontinued this model in order to produce only higher range products. Now there are only custom models available. They are much more expensive but don't really offer much more value.
The difference between a Fully Armed and the custom models is that the Fully Armed is not customizable. For example there were some colors, pickup combinations and finishes not available. The custom can be fully personalized. And the woods are 20 to 40 years older. That's the difference. If you find one at an "affordable" price, buy it. You'll get a guitar with the same quality as a PRS Private Stock, a Gretsch White Falcon USA custom shop, a Gibson Supreme.
This guitar is made for professional musicians who want to have an original sound and musicians taking part in contests who want to win based on the originality of their tone. Everybody likes the sound of this Soldier!
[10] Ultimate but expensive sound!
Add-on to the review of 12.25.07
I lent this guitar to an experienced guitarist and you can read his comments below:
- Great neck that allows you to play everything you want from crazy tapping licks to complex chords and also to shred up and down the neck. Everything is possible.
- Incredible sound
- Small varnish defect on the neck/body junction. (on the back of the guitar)
- The sound is a bit too accurate. A pure vintage sound would be a bit less precise.
Add-on to the review of 12.7.2008
Although I've tested many other guitars (PRS, Dean, Gibson, Hamer, Schecter custom shop, ESP, Jackson, etc.) I still haven't found a better instrument.