Leaderboard

Hey all, The other day, my beloved wife and I went down to Orlando. No Not for the Disney mind melting crap, but to go and enjoy a brit pub we both love, BEST fish and chips anywhere! And while down there, did the usual pawning, and went down to my fav vintage place. And sadly, found nothing that I wanted to come home with. Ok, I'm lying. Of course there was, but I can't afford/justify a 49 Super 400CES with added 1962 humbuckers. (7K, but God.... it was wonderful) So on the way home, stopped in Daytona and visited another of our fav food places, then at the last pawn shop, found her. As I was considering a Yamaha something something 630, my pointed and whispered..."What about the Peerless?" "Uhhh, WHAT Peerless babe?" And as I followed her finger, saw her. A NOS 2013 Tonemaster Player. Did I mention is was New Old Stock? Plastic on the pickguard, plastic on the truss rod cover, and yes, still on the pickups too! One minor scratch on the Bigsby arm, but otherwise.... New. So I played her, and played her, and played with the Bigsby, and sat grinning like an idiot as my wife asked about a case. They didn't have the original, they sold that without realizing it went with this guitar, but found a newish one that fit perfectly. Of course she came home with me. She HAD to. First impressions: The fit and finish is near FLAWLESS. From the tulip lip headstock, down to the lower bout, which is a big 16", it's perfect. Yes, the lower 5 frets on the treble side could use a touch of filing due to fret spout. But I think that's because she sat for 7 years un-played. She's a thick girl, at 3", but she sits comfortably in a lap. She's perfectly balanced, and stays where you want her. Acoustically, she's on the loud side, able to keep up with an acoustic jam session. Electronics are the standard Korean. Which means neither great or crappy. LOVE the sound of the neck pickup. It's boomy, but in a good way. Well balanced where each note of the chord are definable. The bridge is a bit on the thin side to my ears, but a little touch of the boost pedal can fix that. I don't understand the rosewood bridge on a Bigsby guitar, and I have thoughts on changing it to a tun-a-matic or a roller bridge, but I love the sound of it. We will see if the trem eats thru the bridge. And the price for all of this Korean beauty? A hair over $450 with tax.