I just got this over the weekend from Malcolm (he's the PWE dealer here)... and... and... and...
And the magic that PWE is known for... the 2 bolt bolt-on neck joint. Check it out. It feels like a set-neck and I would say, it feels just as good, if not better than, as an Ibanez AANJ.
Check out the grain on the neck wood. Tight!
Final Specs were:
Body
Alder
Transparent White
Neck
Maple
Satin finish
25.5” scale
Thickness .820" to .860"
U Shape
Reverse headstock
Fretboard
Madagascar Rosewood
22 frets (6105 Jescar SS)
No fretboard inlays
Mother-of-Pearl side dots
12” straight radius
Tuning keys
Hipshot Locking
Pickguard
White/Black/White (3-ply)
Bridge
Floyd Rose 7 string
Recessed
Electronics
Hand-wound PWE 7 string pickups
5-way switch
1. Neck
2. Neck split
3. Neck + Bridge
4. Bridge split
5. Bridge
Volume / Tone (push-pull to remove tone control)
Side mounted jack
Uh, video....
Review
This is the best guitar I've ever played and owned. The fit & finish is WAY BEYOND my expectations (and I would like to think I expect quite a bit) - the neck joint is extremely tight (I can't find any gaps) and sits perfectly flush with the neck, cavities are minimally routed and incredibly neat, and the finish is flawless. The pictures aren't as clear but you can make out the grain of the alder underneath the thin finish. That 2-bolt joint is insane. INSANE!
A special note about the trem cavity - I have never seen a floyd rose cavity so neat and cleverly done. No messy globs of paint or streaking inside. The trem claw screw holes have epoxy in them so the screws are extremely snug + I'm assured that over time, the body wood will not wear.
The guitar feels very organic and has a "worn in" vibe - not stiff at all. The sides of the fretboard are rounded in quite a bit so it feels great. I'm actually very pleased with the neck - very comfortable for a 7 string, so much so that I was flying over it the minute I got it. Oh the fretwork is very good too - every fret was consistently installed and prepped.
I think my guitar also has the first hand-wound PWE 7 string pickups and they sound/feel fantastic. A little low on the compression side (for humbuckers) but very clear sounding. Plenty of dynamics but I need to get used to digging in when I want to make the guitar sing/scream. For some reason, I'm not getting artificial harmonics as easily as on my Schecter C8... I need more practice.
The only flaw on this guitar is the OFR 7. It has dimples on the finish and the saddles don't sit tightly together. The trem arm also has a bit of play. Ah well. Where's a Gotoh 7 when you want one? At least the OFR is still rock-solid stable and responsive.
Overall, totally killer. The guitar has a great variety of tones and it's all musical. Very inspiring. I look forward to many days of music-making with this instrument. Thank you PWE!
And the magic that PWE is known for... the 2 bolt bolt-on neck joint. Check it out. It feels like a set-neck and I would say, it feels just as good, if not better than, as an Ibanez AANJ.
Check out the grain on the neck wood. Tight!
Final Specs were:
Body
Alder
Transparent White
Neck
Maple
Satin finish
25.5” scale
Thickness .820" to .860"
U Shape
Reverse headstock
Fretboard
Madagascar Rosewood
22 frets (6105 Jescar SS)
No fretboard inlays
Mother-of-Pearl side dots
12” straight radius
Tuning keys
Hipshot Locking
Pickguard
White/Black/White (3-ply)
Bridge
Floyd Rose 7 string
Recessed
Electronics
Hand-wound PWE 7 string pickups
5-way switch
1. Neck
2. Neck split
3. Neck + Bridge
4. Bridge split
5. Bridge
Volume / Tone (push-pull to remove tone control)
Side mounted jack
Uh, video....
Review
This is the best guitar I've ever played and owned. The fit & finish is WAY BEYOND my expectations (and I would like to think I expect quite a bit) - the neck joint is extremely tight (I can't find any gaps) and sits perfectly flush with the neck, cavities are minimally routed and incredibly neat, and the finish is flawless. The pictures aren't as clear but you can make out the grain of the alder underneath the thin finish. That 2-bolt joint is insane. INSANE!
A special note about the trem cavity - I have never seen a floyd rose cavity so neat and cleverly done. No messy globs of paint or streaking inside. The trem claw screw holes have epoxy in them so the screws are extremely snug + I'm assured that over time, the body wood will not wear.
The guitar feels very organic and has a "worn in" vibe - not stiff at all. The sides of the fretboard are rounded in quite a bit so it feels great. I'm actually very pleased with the neck - very comfortable for a 7 string, so much so that I was flying over it the minute I got it. Oh the fretwork is very good too - every fret was consistently installed and prepped.
I think my guitar also has the first hand-wound PWE 7 string pickups and they sound/feel fantastic. A little low on the compression side (for humbuckers) but very clear sounding. Plenty of dynamics but I need to get used to digging in when I want to make the guitar sing/scream. For some reason, I'm not getting artificial harmonics as easily as on my Schecter C8... I need more practice.
The only flaw on this guitar is the OFR 7. It has dimples on the finish and the saddles don't sit tightly together. The trem arm also has a bit of play. Ah well. Where's a Gotoh 7 when you want one? At least the OFR is still rock-solid stable and responsive.
Overall, totally killer. The guitar has a great variety of tones and it's all musical. Very inspiring. I look forward to many days of music-making with this instrument. Thank you PWE!
