Rex
Dignified but Approachable
Someone broke into my house recently. Among other things, they made off with every nice electric I own. I was left with a Peavey T-60 (with whom I have a maddening love/hate relationship) and a $30 Strat copy from a local second-hand store. While waiting for the insurance stuff to resolve, I wanted a good guitar—one I could respect and have fun with, without breaking the bank. I know they're out there—great guitars at bargain prices—if you're just willing to wade through the debris to find them. Well, we have a winner...
She's a DBZ Imperial FM in like-new condition. She has the look and vibe of a solid-body ES-335. She caught my eye with her flashy good looks; she drew me in with her playability and tone, in one of those moments when you're evaluating guitars and you realize you're not thinking about how it feels anymore.
Beautifully-dressed fretwork. Gorgeous flamed maple cap. Carved front and back. The sunburst is subtle and well executed. Even the mahogany back has a subtle figuring to it. Lovely neck joint.
Graphite nut. Duncan JB at the bridge, 59 at the neck. Grover machines. The cavity cover fits with an almost custom-made precision. But I'm rambling...just look at that face...
And the tone. Tons of tone. She has this sweet midrange thing going on that runs the gamut from warm to roaring. Low-gain tones sing. Mid-gain tones are authoritative, cutting out their own space. High-gain stuff is pure "Hey! Listen to me!" I even tried it through some metal sims, and it absolutely worked (though I'm not a metal player, so my opinion here is suspect
).
Cleans are warm and musical. Not the top-end sparkle that I sometimes go for, but a lovely blend of warmth and chime that fits a lot of things really well.
My niggles are few and minor: the pickup selector is cocked (stepped route in the cavity—easy fix with an extra hex nut); no shielding (another easy fix); solder work is amateur (but sturdy); the bookmatch is off by an eighth of an inch (from five feet way, you'd never know).
And she came with an equally like-new case (good thing, too, because you'd never find an aftermarket case that fits). She's a keeper.
She's a DBZ Imperial FM in like-new condition. She has the look and vibe of a solid-body ES-335. She caught my eye with her flashy good looks; she drew me in with her playability and tone, in one of those moments when you're evaluating guitars and you realize you're not thinking about how it feels anymore.
Beautifully-dressed fretwork. Gorgeous flamed maple cap. Carved front and back. The sunburst is subtle and well executed. Even the mahogany back has a subtle figuring to it. Lovely neck joint.
Graphite nut. Duncan JB at the bridge, 59 at the neck. Grover machines. The cavity cover fits with an almost custom-made precision. But I'm rambling...just look at that face...
And the tone. Tons of tone. She has this sweet midrange thing going on that runs the gamut from warm to roaring. Low-gain tones sing. Mid-gain tones are authoritative, cutting out their own space. High-gain stuff is pure "Hey! Listen to me!" I even tried it through some metal sims, and it absolutely worked (though I'm not a metal player, so my opinion here is suspect
).Cleans are warm and musical. Not the top-end sparkle that I sometimes go for, but a lovely blend of warmth and chime that fits a lot of things really well.
My niggles are few and minor: the pickup selector is cocked (stepped route in the cavity—easy fix with an extra hex nut); no shielding (another easy fix); solder work is amateur (but sturdy); the bookmatch is off by an eighth of an inch (from five feet way, you'd never know).
And she came with an equally like-new case (good thing, too, because you'd never find an aftermarket case that fits). She's a keeper.
