Scott Peterson
08-22-2004, 06:44 PM
So Thorn #47 hit the door on Friday, safe and sound.
I cut the tape, opened the box.... and noted, "No Styrofoam peanuts!" Ron, I cannot thank you enough! :D
The case is exceptionally cool from the outside, alligator rocks! The case candy and swag are very cool; I won't talk about that. But if you are getting a Thorn, well, it is *very* cool. Thanks Ron!
The guitar is flawless. Absolutely breathtaking. Every detail, every exact thing is perfect. The time and ultra concentration to get it to this level of craftsmanship is astonishing.
For instance, the nut is cut so well, it is almost art. That is a dead giveaway to the attention spent on any given guitar. The frets were Tom Anderson level - polished and gorgeous. The ends were rounded as good/better than I do with my Micromesh to all my guitars. Bravo! The edges were rolled as per my specs, and man it felt as if the guitar was 10 years old - perfectly "broke in" without the wear and tear. Wow.
The pictures don't get near what the guitar actually looks like in person, there is no way to capture it. The Koa on this guitar is blonde with caramel and some darker chocolate in it. The figure is unique and I have never seen another like it. Koa has a personality to me; all of it on most every guitar I have seen is unique in a way that maple is not. The patterns and variety of the figure are like treasures to the eye. Ahh.
The headstock overlay in Koa is wicked; the purfling sets it off with Ron's most classy looking logo and the TRC; "Ooooo ahhhh..." it is like a fireworks show. :D
The fretboard is Brazilian rosewood, so fine. So elegant. Even grained and colored. Like fine chocolate. The signature Fire-suns inlay is far and away my favorite inlay of all time; I am not a big inlay guy... but I really dig the Fire-suns. Flashy, yet understated. They look fabulous under lights, but we will get there. :D
The purfling is another of the Thorn signatures that is breathtaking; it runs not only on the headstock, the fretboard and the top, but also where the top meets the body. No matter what angle you look at the guitar, it is moving, glittering shining. Under lights, well, we'll get there. :D
The body is chambered black limba; and it is a prime example of that. The grain has a killer wavy look on the body sides that is hypnotic to see.
The back of the neck is a very fine chunk of black limba, but this piece has almost subtle coloring to it; the figure doesn't expose itself; you need to see the top of the headstock to see it. Classy.
The trem is similar to the PRS one in design and function; the action is extremely smooth and even with 3 trem springs. I usually end up with 4 springs for my taste on a floating trem; not so on this one. I forgot, to be honest, to ask Ron about it... and was surprised to see that it felt as smooth as it did with 3. Maybe because of the shorter 24.75" scale, but it is *exceptionally* smooth. Love it. The fossilized ivory nut is gorgeous, and is cut *very* well in the slots. Nice detail work Ron, I have but 2 luthiers that work on my guitars that I trust to get this job right; Ron nailed it out of the box. Thumbs up.
The tuning keys are very very cool; they are like "skelator" versions of Sperzel's: the gears are exposed. They are extremely easy to use; I have always loved Sperzel's for their no slop feel and ease of locking/unlocking. The first string change here about 1/2 hour after arrival was smooth and easy. The guitar was now loaded with Dean Farley's SOB strings; and oh, how I love the feel and tone of these strings.
The setup was dead-nuts on with my specs. I have them to Ron and expect a neck tweak in the next week here or so, but the intonation, action and relief were *exactly* as I asked. Again, attention to detail. I am a wicked picky SOB and fiercely independent - I like to do my own setups. Here? None needed. Cool.
I am one of those guys that seek out and delight in lighter guitars. Not at the expense of tone or sustain, instead ones that have it all. And the Thorn clocks in at 7 lbs. 8.6 ounces on my scale. Compared to my Hamer Custom Artist at 8 lbs. and 4.6 ounces it is like a feather! I love it! The guitar balances like all the Hamers of this shape do - okay sitting and very balanced standing up. This Thorn is very neutral on a strap; no heavy neck or body heavy action here. Wonderful.
So acoustically, the guitar is a shorter scale, Koa over chambered black limba w/ black limba neck and Brazilian rosewood fretboard. The frets are 6150 (my all-time favorite) and the 10"-16" radius is slick and natural. The neck profile is always a very tough thing on a custom spec guitar like this; I had sent Ron measurements of my Hamer Korina Artist (since departed); and we had some tweaks from there with Ron's questions and my input. In short, it feels like I had this neck formed in my hand. Though I *just* got this guitar, I feel like have known it for 10 years of daily use. It is a medium loud electric guitar unplugged; nice ring and extremely articulate. No cheesy trem spring reverb (I hate that and use foam earplugs jammed in under the front of the springs near the claw on most of my other trem guitars) and it sustained like a monster. Wow.
So, let's plug it in! Now my one leap of faith, my one impulsive jump with nothing to base it on at all, was the pickups. I am a fan of Tom Anderson's work, own one of the finest guitars in my life that happens to have his name on the headstock and love his pickup's and electronics' signature clarity and definition. Up until last January, 2004, this Thorn was to have been a H/H setup. But about December Tom introduced and then at NAMM put his M-Series mini-buckers on the market. Emails, phone calls and posts/threads on the Anderson board about what they sound like and what/why they were created made the *Eureka* epiphany come to me for the Thorn - M1/M1/M3 with Anderson's B5 switching scheme. The M1's were supposed to sound like massive single coils, but not P90's. Ring, clarity and power... with no hum. The M3 is like a humbucker bridge with less mud and well, more of that Anderson "clarity" thing. :D
How does it sound? Man, just like you'd hope. I have never in my life, *ever* heard the things this does. It is like a velvet hammer of a single coil sound, depth, ring, body and power. But *very* single coil in nature, not that pushy P90 thing. The M3 has incredible responsiveness to it; it has everything I'd hoped for and is like driving a BMW - fast, smooth and easy to handle. :D You can do heavier tones with this thing, and lacking death metal, it'll give it up. Or you can split that pickup and make it ring like a strat.
In short, I have a new favorite set up pickups. This is like a class all by itself. Sometimes you roll the dice and come up a winner. Ahhh.
So into the fire then.....
The guitar arrived on Friday; and I had rehearsal that night with the Funk covers band I am in (we have a guy subbing on bass) and a show on Saturday in Lansing, MI at a club named "Harper's" (nice place). What better way to get to know a new guitar than to put it into service... playing in the band?
Rehearsal was great fun; I had to readjust many settings mostly related to level - this is a loud guitar. The character of the tone is very single coil, but the output is well beyond any single coil I have. (And my Jackson has Fralin High Output single coils too!). The guys in the band were fascinated with this guitar and pointed out the purfling just comes alive with lights, any light at all. The top is complex and moves under lights in a way that you can get lost in. (Note to self: don't stare at guitar top when playing show!).
At the show the next night, wow. The only bad is that I busted a string in the 2nd set and learned how much less output the Jackson has compared to the Thorn - turn it up man!; but beyond that the tone, the feel, the look, the *everything* was inspiring and exciting. I played perhaps better no other night in my life; I was doing stuff I have never done or even tried before. That is a good sign. :D I was nailing stuff in solos that was great. The guitar responded very well to it all and at the end of the night I had a whole slew of folks coming up to high five me on the playing and tone. No comments on the guitar (these are not guitar players!) but lots of "dude you were like, KILLING it up there man!!" and bar talk like that. Ahhh. I love that stuff. The girls were dancing, the guys were doing air guitar and I went off on a rare - for me - probably 3 minute solo during the vamp on the last song, the Time's "Jungle Love". Gotta love a "sexy solo" :D
In all, I owe a tremendous thanks to Ron and crew for an instrument that is the culmination of every dream feature I have ever wanted on a guitar. And it is done with the care, craftsmanship and friendly manner that defines working with Ron. He created *my* masterpiece and this guitar will be handed down to my children someday. I am humbled by this guitar. It was ordered and envisioned to be played and I will do so often for the rest of my days.
I am deeply moved by this guitar. There are no words.http://128.121.187.118/Thorn-Body-Front.jpg
I cut the tape, opened the box.... and noted, "No Styrofoam peanuts!" Ron, I cannot thank you enough! :D
The case is exceptionally cool from the outside, alligator rocks! The case candy and swag are very cool; I won't talk about that. But if you are getting a Thorn, well, it is *very* cool. Thanks Ron!
The guitar is flawless. Absolutely breathtaking. Every detail, every exact thing is perfect. The time and ultra concentration to get it to this level of craftsmanship is astonishing.
For instance, the nut is cut so well, it is almost art. That is a dead giveaway to the attention spent on any given guitar. The frets were Tom Anderson level - polished and gorgeous. The ends were rounded as good/better than I do with my Micromesh to all my guitars. Bravo! The edges were rolled as per my specs, and man it felt as if the guitar was 10 years old - perfectly "broke in" without the wear and tear. Wow.
The pictures don't get near what the guitar actually looks like in person, there is no way to capture it. The Koa on this guitar is blonde with caramel and some darker chocolate in it. The figure is unique and I have never seen another like it. Koa has a personality to me; all of it on most every guitar I have seen is unique in a way that maple is not. The patterns and variety of the figure are like treasures to the eye. Ahh.
The headstock overlay in Koa is wicked; the purfling sets it off with Ron's most classy looking logo and the TRC; "Ooooo ahhhh..." it is like a fireworks show. :D
The fretboard is Brazilian rosewood, so fine. So elegant. Even grained and colored. Like fine chocolate. The signature Fire-suns inlay is far and away my favorite inlay of all time; I am not a big inlay guy... but I really dig the Fire-suns. Flashy, yet understated. They look fabulous under lights, but we will get there. :D
The purfling is another of the Thorn signatures that is breathtaking; it runs not only on the headstock, the fretboard and the top, but also where the top meets the body. No matter what angle you look at the guitar, it is moving, glittering shining. Under lights, well, we'll get there. :D
The body is chambered black limba; and it is a prime example of that. The grain has a killer wavy look on the body sides that is hypnotic to see.
The back of the neck is a very fine chunk of black limba, but this piece has almost subtle coloring to it; the figure doesn't expose itself; you need to see the top of the headstock to see it. Classy.
The trem is similar to the PRS one in design and function; the action is extremely smooth and even with 3 trem springs. I usually end up with 4 springs for my taste on a floating trem; not so on this one. I forgot, to be honest, to ask Ron about it... and was surprised to see that it felt as smooth as it did with 3. Maybe because of the shorter 24.75" scale, but it is *exceptionally* smooth. Love it. The fossilized ivory nut is gorgeous, and is cut *very* well in the slots. Nice detail work Ron, I have but 2 luthiers that work on my guitars that I trust to get this job right; Ron nailed it out of the box. Thumbs up.
The tuning keys are very very cool; they are like "skelator" versions of Sperzel's: the gears are exposed. They are extremely easy to use; I have always loved Sperzel's for their no slop feel and ease of locking/unlocking. The first string change here about 1/2 hour after arrival was smooth and easy. The guitar was now loaded with Dean Farley's SOB strings; and oh, how I love the feel and tone of these strings.
The setup was dead-nuts on with my specs. I have them to Ron and expect a neck tweak in the next week here or so, but the intonation, action and relief were *exactly* as I asked. Again, attention to detail. I am a wicked picky SOB and fiercely independent - I like to do my own setups. Here? None needed. Cool.
I am one of those guys that seek out and delight in lighter guitars. Not at the expense of tone or sustain, instead ones that have it all. And the Thorn clocks in at 7 lbs. 8.6 ounces on my scale. Compared to my Hamer Custom Artist at 8 lbs. and 4.6 ounces it is like a feather! I love it! The guitar balances like all the Hamers of this shape do - okay sitting and very balanced standing up. This Thorn is very neutral on a strap; no heavy neck or body heavy action here. Wonderful.
So acoustically, the guitar is a shorter scale, Koa over chambered black limba w/ black limba neck and Brazilian rosewood fretboard. The frets are 6150 (my all-time favorite) and the 10"-16" radius is slick and natural. The neck profile is always a very tough thing on a custom spec guitar like this; I had sent Ron measurements of my Hamer Korina Artist (since departed); and we had some tweaks from there with Ron's questions and my input. In short, it feels like I had this neck formed in my hand. Though I *just* got this guitar, I feel like have known it for 10 years of daily use. It is a medium loud electric guitar unplugged; nice ring and extremely articulate. No cheesy trem spring reverb (I hate that and use foam earplugs jammed in under the front of the springs near the claw on most of my other trem guitars) and it sustained like a monster. Wow.
So, let's plug it in! Now my one leap of faith, my one impulsive jump with nothing to base it on at all, was the pickups. I am a fan of Tom Anderson's work, own one of the finest guitars in my life that happens to have his name on the headstock and love his pickup's and electronics' signature clarity and definition. Up until last January, 2004, this Thorn was to have been a H/H setup. But about December Tom introduced and then at NAMM put his M-Series mini-buckers on the market. Emails, phone calls and posts/threads on the Anderson board about what they sound like and what/why they were created made the *Eureka* epiphany come to me for the Thorn - M1/M1/M3 with Anderson's B5 switching scheme. The M1's were supposed to sound like massive single coils, but not P90's. Ring, clarity and power... with no hum. The M3 is like a humbucker bridge with less mud and well, more of that Anderson "clarity" thing. :D
How does it sound? Man, just like you'd hope. I have never in my life, *ever* heard the things this does. It is like a velvet hammer of a single coil sound, depth, ring, body and power. But *very* single coil in nature, not that pushy P90 thing. The M3 has incredible responsiveness to it; it has everything I'd hoped for and is like driving a BMW - fast, smooth and easy to handle. :D You can do heavier tones with this thing, and lacking death metal, it'll give it up. Or you can split that pickup and make it ring like a strat.
In short, I have a new favorite set up pickups. This is like a class all by itself. Sometimes you roll the dice and come up a winner. Ahhh.
So into the fire then.....
The guitar arrived on Friday; and I had rehearsal that night with the Funk covers band I am in (we have a guy subbing on bass) and a show on Saturday in Lansing, MI at a club named "Harper's" (nice place). What better way to get to know a new guitar than to put it into service... playing in the band?
Rehearsal was great fun; I had to readjust many settings mostly related to level - this is a loud guitar. The character of the tone is very single coil, but the output is well beyond any single coil I have. (And my Jackson has Fralin High Output single coils too!). The guys in the band were fascinated with this guitar and pointed out the purfling just comes alive with lights, any light at all. The top is complex and moves under lights in a way that you can get lost in. (Note to self: don't stare at guitar top when playing show!).
At the show the next night, wow. The only bad is that I busted a string in the 2nd set and learned how much less output the Jackson has compared to the Thorn - turn it up man!; but beyond that the tone, the feel, the look, the *everything* was inspiring and exciting. I played perhaps better no other night in my life; I was doing stuff I have never done or even tried before. That is a good sign. :D I was nailing stuff in solos that was great. The guitar responded very well to it all and at the end of the night I had a whole slew of folks coming up to high five me on the playing and tone. No comments on the guitar (these are not guitar players!) but lots of "dude you were like, KILLING it up there man!!" and bar talk like that. Ahhh. I love that stuff. The girls were dancing, the guys were doing air guitar and I went off on a rare - for me - probably 3 minute solo during the vamp on the last song, the Time's "Jungle Love". Gotta love a "sexy solo" :D
In all, I owe a tremendous thanks to Ron and crew for an instrument that is the culmination of every dream feature I have ever wanted on a guitar. And it is done with the care, craftsmanship and friendly manner that defines working with Ron. He created *my* masterpiece and this guitar will be handed down to my children someday. I am humbled by this guitar. It was ordered and envisioned to be played and I will do so often for the rest of my days.
I am deeply moved by this guitar. There are no words.http://128.121.187.118/Thorn-Body-Front.jpg