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Author
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mitscan
Registered: October 2003
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 120
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Review Date: Wed April 20, 2005
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $547.00
| Rating: 5
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Pros:
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Weight, tone, playability, price
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Cons:
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None
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Features: N/A
This is a custom made guitar, relic-ed, with a 9.5" radius maple board, medium frets, and McMillan pickups that are a little hot. The body is solid alder and very light. The neck is a Fender licensed neck. Kluson tuners. CNB black tolex case. Nitro on neck and body, thinly applied. Color is butterscotch with black guard. Old style three piece brass saddle. This guitar has all of the features of an old Tele -- that's what it looks like and that's how it plays, too.
Sound: 10
Right out of the box you could tell this guitar was a keeper. It is very lightweight and resonant, and it has that dry, sweet sound that we all like about good Fender style guitars. Intonation is spot on, the guitar is solidly built, and the relic-ing looks genuine. No one even guesses it's a relic-ed guitar -- they just think it's an older player's Fender that I picked up because of the feel, tone, and playability. That's what I wanted. It's not ostentatious, it's just a great instrument.
Action, Fit, & Finish: 10
Great action. Great setup. Nicely finished neck and frets. Spot on intonation. Really good work. I added a little graphite to the neck slots, and we were off to the races -- tuned up easily and stayed in tune.
Reliability/Durability: 10
Should be just as solid as all good Fenders. I just got it, though, so I can't say for sure.
Customer Support: 10
Great communication. Very helpful. Took awhile to get the guitar, but I think it was due to the fact that Jim wanted the instrument to be done right and to rock, and so he took his time getting it right -- and he's pretty busy. Always available by email, though.
Overall Rating: 10
I've been playing for 20 years. I took a chance on this guitar, but it appeared to be what I wanted: nice woods, good parts, put together with care and attention to detail, but at a very reasonable price, and without a fussy obsession with gloss and style. It's a player's instrument: if I play well, listeners will think it's a great guitar; if I don't, they won't notice it. I've had Groshes, Custom Shop Fender new, used, and relic-ed, Hamer, Heritage, Reverend, Gibson, Ibanez, Yamaha, and this guitar stands with any of them for playability and tone. Just the way I like them, not gaudy and shiny but ready for playing music on. I'll buy from McMillan again.
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'The best guitar players in the world are in Nashville, Tennessee.' -- Jeff Beck
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almcg
Registered: June 2005
Posts: 2
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Review Date: Tue June 21, 2005
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $675.00
| Rating: 5
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Pros:
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THe whole dang thang is fantastic.
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Cons:
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Not one I can find.
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THis is another McMillan Custom axe. Not same as above. Mine is with a thinline body. swamp ash with flame maple top. Maple '52 "C" neck. All finished in nitro. Cream binding on butterscoth body. Just beautiful fit and finish. I love it! Super fast, smooth neck.
Dimarzio humbucker in the neck and over wound stinger in the bridge. Fantastic sound! Mixed with the semi-hollow thinline body..... it's freakin killer! Better over all sound than my Les Paul. I thought it was hot... with it's LiL '59 neck humbucker and silky smooth play.... until I played my new Tele. THis Tele sounds so good I almost never run effects with it, and I have some great ones (Line 6 POD, Pandora PX4, Vox Wah). Wow! THis guy can build em.... for real!
Very solid construction, with excellent attention to detail. I played others for the last 3 years, but nothing caught my eye or my ear.... until I took a chance on the custom Job by McMillan Guitar Works. Sent him the money and crossed my fingers. He didn't let me down. Better looking and sounding than I expected.Excellent customer service. Always gets back to me fast or takes my call immediately, unless he's busy. Email is a very quick response unless it's too late. I'm in California and he's in Maryland. A wealth of knowledge and seems to be a perfectionist with quality. He's building me another. I'll also get the strat I've been looking for from him.
I give a solid 10's in all departments.
(oh... using with a Behringer 2X12 (Jensens) played clean with tube emulation)
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