Postby jfine » Thu Mar 04, 2010 4:25 am
Just got my new 60 Custom today. (3/3/10) My first reaction was, "Man, this case is heavy!" Upon opening it, with my sister-in-law and my 16-year-old granddaughter watching, we all said as one--"Whoa..." The Surf Pearl really is spectacular, and pics don't really do it justice--in person it's iridescent. I'm glad I switched my order from the sunburst, although I like the 'burst too. After pulling it out of the case and playing a few licks, I noticed that the action was extremely low (characteristic of Mosrites too) right out of the box. The neck is a little narrower than what I've been playing (a Carvin with 1-11/16" width and 20" radius and jumbo frets), but it's quite playable--1-5/8" width, I'd guess. The radius is fairly flat--without measuring it, I'd guess maybe 16". I'd prefer taller frets--these are more like vintage Fender frets would have been when new--but they're not nearly as low as the old Mosrite "speed frets". I can deal with them--I just have to push or pull a little harder on bends. The rosewood fingerboard provides enough grip for that, and the flatter radius and 24-3/4" scale help too. Down at the other end, I have to say that the vibrato is the most comfortable and ergonomic one I've ever used. The bar is exactly the right length and shape for my hand, doesn't set too low or too high from the top, and has a nice springy positive feel. I had Bob install his upgrade washer, so I don't expect the bar will loosen up (I hate when that happens!). The pickups are darker-sounding than most single-coils, and they do sound a lot like what you hear on mid-'60's Ventures records. It actually sounds a lot like the SG Standard I bought new in '67 and played through about '71--on the neck pickup with the tone control backed off and some dirt dialled in, I was able to nail Eric Clapton's Cream-era tone c. 1967. Jazz on the neck pickup with the tone down about 2/3rds works well too. The bridge pickup doesn't twang, but it has a good biting sound that works well either clean or dirty, and the two-pickup mix sounds quite a bit like the SG as well. Must be the slant on the neck pickup. The neck was dead straight out of the box, and I'm getting some almost-buzzes on my second and fourth strings from the first fret to about the fifth, so it looks like a truss-rod adjustment is in order. I'll post some more after I have that done. I'm going to get a gig bag so I don't have to kill myself lugging it around--in the case it must be 17-18 pounds! It's a nice case, though--I'll save it for out-of-town gigs.
is there a word for something that is cool and weird at the same time?