HEAD TO HEAD
Four single cutaways with a touch of the Gibson
The four guitars on offer here obviously cast a similar Lp-style shadow yet there are some important differences in scale length and neck profiles. The Epiphone Les Paul has the thinnest neck of the group. It’s based on the well-known 60s tapered feel that you’d expect to find on early 60s SGS. That will narrow its appeal. Those of you looking for a bit more meat in your palm, however, would be better served by the Hamer and PRS models. The Gretsch has a more inclusive C profile that most players will warm to.
Tonally, all of these guitars put out a mix of vintage warmth and modern rock-friendly power. The Epiphone ups the ante somewhat with its coil-tap function. You don’t necessarily get Fender tones from this single-coil option. Rather, think of it more as a way of dialling in extra clarity when you’ve got the overdrive on. It might feature some added grunt from its Broad’tron humbuckers but there’s really no disguising the Gretsch heritage in the Jet BT’S tone. You get that wonderful old-school Gretsch twang, and we love the sustain enhancement offered by that beautiful V-stop tailpiece.
The PRS SE’S tone is a little darker than the other contenders. You can put that increase in bottom-end down to the shorter scale length. Rock and metal guitarists will love that tonal depth but bluesheads will appreciate it too. The Hamer Monaco is the wild card. It has the flattest radius ’board here. Now, that might irk the players who prefer the more traditional radii offered by our other guitars but the fleet of fingers will lap it up. All of these guitars have one flaw. They should have heavier strings. Each manufacturer has played it safe with light strings but a Les Paul and its tribute acts thrive with heavier strings. You’ll get better tone and sustain and, thanks to the scale lengths spec’d on these models, string bending will still be a breeze.
THERE’S NO DISGUISING THE GRETSCH HERITAGE IN THE JET BT’S TONE