NGD--Hallmark 60 Custom in 3 tone (pt.3--further thoughts)

[loud3tone]

So I spent the weekend playing and playing my new Hallmark. Things that struck me the most:

--the sound is BIG. Switching over from my small amps to a bigger Fender w/more watts and a 12" speaker, the guitar boomed and rocked and wailed. (These things must rule all planets played through Twins or Showmen or stacks or AC-30s or...) Low end felt like a big piano (left hand) and high end bright but not piercing (given a little restraint on the tone controls). A common impression of the H60C is that it's darker than an original Mosrite...maybe so, which might be a factor not only of Bob's faithful but modernized pickups, but also the set neck--most of our impressions of the originals come from bolt-on instruments and the set neck might reduce the high end (as in Fenders vs. Gibsons, though that's not the only factor). Personally, I found that I could pull the tone as far as I liked either way using the guitar and the amp tone controls, and that there was not an inherent darker sound that I couldn't back away from. YMMV. I think the guitar's tone control is more useful than most I've had--there seem to be three zones of ascending brightness with further fine tuning within each zone. Twang if you like it, not so much twang if you like that better. It's really a tonal departure from the two mainstream paradigms, akin (as folks often say about Mosrites) to Rickenbackers, but distinctly different from them too.

--the neck feels great and the action is way fast--it's fun to zoom a barre chord up and down all over the neck--and if you have a light touch you'll be right at home. I thought I had a pretty light touch, but the Hallmark is asking to be trusted on this: don't bear down as much as you might assume you should, and you'll be rewarded with bell-clear tones.

--it's not light; the alder body is full of rich resonance but fans of the basswood originals will notice the weight difference, as will people like me who are used to way light guitars (in my case Danelectros and Melody Makers). But it doesn't feel like deadweight like some mahogany + maple guitars can. Good balance, definitely not neck heavy like some SGs I've lived with.

--it's so beautiful. The pix I posted are just approximations. All the visual elements to combine to make it look like its peeling out while standing still. And the finish, the binding, the trem assembly (complete with detail paint)--everything radiates posh. I know some go further with the Gospel model and add on the gold hardware and tortoise pickup covers; to me that would be like having a customized Caddy. My Caddy seems luxurious enough showroom stock, thank you.

I could go on, but as various other Forumites have their own NGD days, it's time to let them have the floor. For now I'll just say that the H60C goes beyond my (high) expectations with every new day of playing. By this point with most new guitars I feel like I've got the idea, but with this one I'm just beginning to see the light. BTW this is a great instrument for Velvet Underground-style rhythm guitar (any period)....