PJD York Standard £2,199

That’s snazzy! A bit like if my MusicMan made friends with a Telecaster.

This is the York Standard from PJD Guitars and, yes, while it is the UK builder’s take on a T-style guitar, as you can see this is more than just another T-copy, offering something a little different.

Like what?

Well, the shape for a start. Cut it in half horizontally and you’ve got the pointy horn that owes more to the cutaway on a Les Paul than a Tele, and on the bass side it’s much more pronounced, taking it even further from the traditional T-shape. PJD has also steered clear of traditional Tele woods, opting for obeche here (and across its newly revised versions of previous models, too).

What’s obeche?

A hardwood that lives on the lighter, softer side of the hardwood family. This makes it a great choice for working with on guitars, the end result being a drop in weight without the need for chambering or weight relief. Here, we’ve got a completely solid body, but unlike its original inspiration there’s also some comfort contouring, too.

Right on. Tell us about the neck…

The neck is quarter-sawn maple with a one-size-fits-all C-shape profile and it’s finished in a natural satin nitro. As you’d probably expect, it’s fitted with a maple fretboard, which is home to 22 Jescar nickel frets and inlaid with some neat, contemporary-looking hollow black rectangles. Flip it over and you’ll see the brilliantly ergonomic heel joint with four recessed screws and some sleek comfort-enhancing curves, should you dare to venture t’ward the difficult notes.

What about the pickups?

Along with the bridge and control plate, these are York Standard’s most telling T-style appointments. Both pickups are PJD’s own designs, named High Tea. That might conjure images of cucumber sandwiches, but tonally these are designed to be more Glasto than garden party. They’re hand-wound by PJD and wired to a traditional volume/tone/three-way paddle control layout.

You mentioned the bridge – what is it?

PJD has always made Gotoh its go-to, and there’s no change there. We have a more old-school design here

with three brass saddles from Gotoh’s In-Tune line. It’s a similar story at the other end with six In-Tune tuners taking care of the tension.

Does it come in any other finishes?

It does. First, though, we should give a shout to the beautiful Ocean Jade Metallic you can see pictured. It’s vintage enough to be familiar but modern enough to look fresh. As with all the York Standard models, the wood is left with an open grain. The finishes are nitrocellulose and there’s a choice of seven colours (Ocean Jade Metallic, TV Yellow, Firemist Gold, Candy Apple Red, Midnight Black, Aspen White and Three Colour Sunburst).

Shame there’s no Bigsby option…

Funny you should mention that! PJD also offers the York Plus, which, for an additional £129, will allow you to get your wobble on courtesy of a Bigsby vibrato.

What’s the damage, then?

The York Standard is £2,199 and includes a gigbag. Check back next month when we’ll be putting this one through its paces in a full review.