UNDER THE HOOD
Does the vintage illusion continue to the control circuit? We find out…
The tidy work on the exterior of both of these guitars continues into the control cavities where we have 500k CTS pots across the board and ‘posh’ clothcovered wire, all wired 50s or ‘vintage’ style. Metallised polypropylene film capacitors (223J) .022 microfarads caps are used on all three tone controls. Vintage hasn’t gone down the expensive paper-in-oil boutique route; you can try that yourself. That said, the pot codes date to December 2002. “Can we call those vintage?” laughs Nathan Sharp, “They’re actually from my own stash. We use cloth wiring just to try to match in looks some of the ‘age’ of the instrument.” Bare Knuckle’s Boot Camp range offers all the great sound we’ve come to expect but in a no-options format, which allows them to be made more cost-effectively. We have the lowest-output Alnico II Old Guards in all positions, and the DCRs measure at output 9kohms (bridge) and 7.99k (neck) for the humbuckers, and 7.65kohms for the dog-ear P-90.
chicken wire in front of the stage – and, of course, you know it’s all make-believe, but you really can imagine the life and history of a guitar that ends up looking like this. The brass rear-cavity covers certainly recall the brass parts craze of the late 70s; the fact that they’re actually hand-cut from old timeaged brass sheet just adds to the backstory. Numerous small details such as this really add to the illusion.
Like the V120, the only bare wood we can see is that man-made fingerboard, but according to the spec this is a mahogany body with a maple top. The thicker body, not to mention that Bigsby, add to the weight here, which edges just past the 4kg (9lb) mark. But that’s not over-heavy and, frankly, if you can live with the fact it’s got the wrong headstock and horn shape, what’s not to like?
Feel & Sounds
It’s pretty rare, to put it mildly, that we feel new review guitars need a clean up and restring before we test them. These don’t, either, of course, but we can’t shake the feeling that these are instruments we’ve just purchased off eBay – in which case, the first thing we’d do is give them a clean up, restring and set them up. But no, you’re good to go, certainly on the playability front.
On our V120, the fret ends don’t quite have a boutique roundness to their ends – again, they feel and look like a competent refret from a few years ago. The fingerboard edges are nicely broken in, and here’s a neck shape that sits between a bigger rounded 50s style and slimmer 60s. Extremely good. The V100’s neck is fractionally smaller in width and depth, the neck back a little rougher and less smooth in feel.
Sound-wise, both our clones do the expected job with some panache. The V120 certainly doesn’t harm the legacy of the guitar it’s modelled on: that very direct, raw midrange voice is definitely here. No, it doesn’t match the depth of the real thing nor its thumpy resonance, but it’s in that ballpark; likewise, the range of the controls.
But even if you play with both controls full up, a Junior on full chat is quite something, as is this V120.
The V100 also has its own thing going on. The Old Guard Boot Camp units have to be one of the best pickup swaps you can make and drop us right into PAF-world with a bit of heat at the bridge. In combination with the construction, you’ll struggle to get any ice-pick highs from the bridge pickup, while the Bigsby just seems to add a little more openness to the voice. Played pretty clean and loud, it’s a very valid example of the style. Add some Marshall-y grit and things just get better; our reference Gibson Les Paul Classic now sounds a little underpowered with its Burstbucker 1 and 2 retrofitted ’buckers. There’s a noticeable difference to the midrange too, with the Vintage being just a little more open; the real thing has a little more snarl. The Bigsby does get in the way of the neck pickup volume, but that’s a trade-off we can live with. This is a hugely viable piece that not only feels a lot better in the hand than any standard V100s we’ve tried over the years but its sounds are on a completely different level, too. We’d take this on a gig as is with no hesitation.
You know it’s all make-believe, but you can imagine the life of a guitar like this
These models reinforce how a lower-end guitar can really perform at a much higher level
Verdict
These are rather difficult guitars to evaluate. First off, they feel in a completely different league to any new Vintage guitar we’ve ever played and reinforce how a lower-end guitar, properly set up and revoiced, can really perform at a much higher level than its original price would suggest. Add in the comfort treatment for the necks, the great-sounding Bare Knuckle pickups and the vintage-y vibe created by the very believable ageing, and we’re scratching our heads a little.
On the one hand, we’ve been conditioned that Vintage has lower-to-mid three-figure prices. Bearing in mind the work and parts cost, we’re not saying these are overpriced – it’s just that they seem expensive, don’t they? Well, until you try to find an equivalent new guitar, that is. Or are we just badge snobs? Slaves to those classic brand names on our headstocks. Answers on a postcard, please.
It’s down to personal preference, really. But on the presented evidence, we’d be happy to take these on any stage and leave our perhaps-more-valuable instruments to stay cased. Beaters with huge vibe and sounds that are perfectly good enough? We can only say yes.