Special Delivery
These very different takes on Gibson’s strippeddown Junior and Special ‘student’ guitars are still valid some 60 years after they were introduced
Gibson first introduced its Les Paul Junior and Special models in 1954, aiming at players on a budget who aspired to trade up to the pricier Standard or Custom at a later date. The company certainly didn’t realise what lasting appeal these instruments would have beyond this ‘student’ market, particularly the start-up Junior, which found its way into the hands of Johnny Thunders, Mick Ralphs, Bob Marley, John Lennon and Leslie West to name a few.
Our two review guitars call to mind differing aspects of the Junior and Special’s legacy. Both are styled after the single-cut version (rather than the post-’58 double-cut ‘revamp’) with simple controls and traditional passive electronics. Interestingly, both also address the traditional ‘single-cut’ issue of limited-upper fret access with similar offset, contoured neck-to-body joints (glued-in, of course), with 22-fret bound-edge rosewood ’boards and medium jumbo frets.
The similarity between the two models ends there. Schecter’s Solo II Special has a highly sculpted body with a slim C profile three-piece mahogany neck, which all looks very smart but functional in its matt Vintage White Pearl finish. Even the black headstock face is finished in matt. The AXL is a different story with its double-bound mahogany slab body resplendent in glossy Orange Sparkle; its one-piece mahogany neck is chunkier and features a kitsch 50s-style headstock logo. In the way that Fano has created a hybrid of Gibson and Fender styles with its SP6, for example, this AXL mixes in Gretsch twists to
the hallowed Gibson formula, with a Bigsby vibrato and Power’Tron pickup. This is going to be interesting…
Feel & Sounds
First impressions of the Schecter are its light weight and slim neck – not that it feels at all flimsy. The three-piece construction and volute at the headstock ‘wrist’ make for a strong, stable-feeling neck with no tuning issues at all once the strings are settled in. This is no doubt helped by the quality Grover vintage-style tuners and TonePros wrapover bridge. The Tusq nut is well cut, and though perfectly seated, we can’t help noticing a tiny overhang as the headstock face slopes away – nothing that would impede playing, intonation or tuning – and while we’re looking, there’s a tiny finish flaw at the headstock edge of this particular example, too. Anyway, strumming a couple of chords before plugging in leaves us in no doubt that in all other ways, this is a quality built instrument with a loud and warm response and impressive sustain.
Plugging in, this highly positive start translates to its amplified tone, complemented by the warmth and clarity of these surprisingly powerful USA-made soapbars. Reaching for the controls, it takes a few minutes to get used to their layout, because instead of the expected Gibson-style four-control layout we get bridge volume, neck volume, then a master tone. Pickup selection sticks to protocol with a shoulder-mounted three-way toggle switch. Into the green channel of a fairly cranked Marshall DSL, the volume controls prove very responsive, predictable and smooth in operation, helped by the handy rubber ‘grip tip’ speed knobs. The tone control is fine, too, although we’re reluctant to tame the lovely, edgy cut of these pickups. They have slightly more output than your average vintage-style PAF and cover the stylistic gamut from nasty rock/punk rhythm in the bridge position, to a beautiful blues voice from the neck. The combined middle position, meanwhile, thins
The Schecter is a quality-built instrument with a warm response and impressive sustain
out the tone slightly for a little more twang. There isn’t a sound here that doesn’t impress. Overall, action and bends seem easy and comfortable, helped by the marginally flatter radius of the ’board. Everything from the sturdy three-way toggle switch, to the cleverly contoured body and metal jack plate give a reassuring impression that this guitar was designed to be played. And play it we did – for quite a while.
Strapping on the Bel Air, the double-bound slab body gives the impression of being thicker than the Schecter, though it isn’t. The difference in weight is marginal, too, which is a nice surprise, as some Bigsbys can add quite a bit of mass. The single TV Jones Power’Tron humbucker here is designed to add a little extra PAF-style warmth to the twang of the original Filter’Tron design, and that’s something it achieves in a very satisfactory manner. If you want a little more of that twang, the tone pot features a pull/ push coil split, albeit rather hidden below the Bigsby. AXL USA prides itself on using only the finest components, and the spec sheet boasts CTS pots and Orange Drop capacitors, not to mention the quality TonePros roller tune-
o-matic bridge. It certainly makes for some impressive reading.
Plugging into our Marshall with the same settings, we’re struck by the richness and detail of the Power’Tron. It has slightly less apparent output than the Schecter, but offers a rich, distinctive sound all the same. Pushing the gain/volume tends towards microphonic feedback from the metal covered humbucker, though this guitar feels like it’s designed more for characterful textures than anything too ‘gainy’. This seems confirmed by the factory choice of 0.011 to 0.049 gauge strings, rather than the Schecter’s 0.010 to 0.046 set. Of course, with the single pickup there’s no pickup selector to fuss with, just the volume, tone and the very effective coil-split. You’d probably get used to the placement of the controls eventually, but not being able to visually check whether the tone knob is ‘pushed or pulled’ without tilting the whole guitar up towards you seems a shame. Mind you, the roller saddles and Tusq XL nut certainly do their job and some fairly urgent agitation of the Bigsby doesn’t put us out of tune. Like the Schecter, the setup is very comfortable straight from the box, though the
low E string slot may have been cut just a shade too low for more spirited twanging.
Verdict
Though ostensibly inspired by a similar historic model, these are two very different guitars. For rock and blues, we’d probably point you towards the Schecter. For more twangy, ethereal/grunge-style Neil Youngisms, the Bel Air won’t disappoint, though you do pay more for that Bigsby, slightly better electrics and fancy finish options. What both guitars remind us, however, is just how valid this platform is for the contemporary player. We hope we’re as spritely at that age!