SHER gold Masquerader 4 £799

Launched at the start of 2017, the new Shergolds are far from reissues. Instead, think of them as affordable versions of designer Patrick James Eggle’s own high-line boutique electrics. The original three Indonesian-made Masqueraders featured highly unusual-for-theprice rosewood necks while the Masquerader 4, which appeared this autumn, goes for a more conventional bolt-on mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard along with two full-size humbuckers.

What makes the Masquerader 4 so special? Aside from its classy reimagining of the original Masquerader, it’s extremely well spec’d with a pair of coil-splittable Seymour Duncan humbuckers (TB-4 at bridge and a ’59 at neck) that give power and versatility to the Fender-scaled design, locking tuners, idiosyncratic hand-inlaid aluminium line markers on the 22-fret ‘board and boutique-like Bakelite scratchpate. It’s a good weight, has a great neck shape and, most importantly, has a slinky playability. Yes, there’s just the one colour – Thru Black – and sadly we don’t get a gigbag, case or any lefthanded options but in a sea of me-too guitars centred on those typical classics, the Shergold Masquerader 4 mixes up the construction styles and sonically offers considerable diversity too. Above all it’s a great gigging guitar, ideal for us modders who like to tweak, and all at a price that’s hugely attractive to start-up players looking for their first serious electric, as well as more seasoned pluckers who might need a spare. Whichever way you spin it, this is a great guitar for the journeyman player.