Unlike many ‘shapes’, the Idolmaker has very little to adjust to. As we said, the weight is good and, strapped on, the neck extends more than a Les Paul or Strat, but it doesn’t feel overlong like an SG. For us, it’s the mark of a good guitar design: the features don’t get in the way. It’s the sort of shape that ‘disappears’, likewise the classic 305mm (12-inch) radius fingerboard. That said, the pretty large jumbo frets (approximately 2.9mm by 1.2mm) do suggest a more modern aim, but in combination with an excellent neck shape (20.5mm in depth at the 1st fret and filling out to 23.5mm by the 12th) it’s not dissimilar to Gibson’s ’60s profile, for example, and it feels a little rounder and fuller than previous modern Framus guitars we’ve had in our hands. The simple volume, tone and three-way selector means changes are fast, and it’s far from a one-trick pony. Conversely, in full coil mode we’d be tempted to add a treble bleed. ![]() The volume control is very well tapered and sweetens the high-end of that split JB very nicely. Not for the first time, we spent a lot of time in this split mode. Again, the coil-split can be over-bright, too, but not on this platform, and mixed with the JB’s split adds some welcome funk and bounce. ![]() ![]() The ’59 at the neck pulls back the bluster for a pretty classic neck voice, and whereas on a brighter-sounding chassis it can be a little too crisp, here it really suits.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |