Fret-King Corona 60 Fluence
Quality double-cut with revolutionary pickups
From Leo Fender to Paul Reed Smith, there have been many names that stood for innovation in the history of the electric guitar – but none quite like British designer Trevor Wilkinson, who built his reputation specifically on the parts that make up each model. In the 90s, he founded Fret-King Guitars with the aim of utilising his research in components to build complete instruments – which have since been seen in the hands of artists including jazz legend John Etheridge and Fairport Convention axeman Jerry Donahue. The Corona Fluence sits as one of the more popular offerings within the standard copper wire usage in passive units. The active circuitry does require power, but instead of a primitive nine-volt battery, there’s a rechargeable battery pack built inside with an exterior-facing mini-USB port.
Okay, so that’s definitely going to take time for some people to get used to – but once you hear what you’re getting for making such sacrifices, it’s hard to look back. And offering 250 hours of playing time with every full charge, there’ll enough juice in there to cover an entire tour in real-life application. A five-way pickup selector shifts through some truly jaw-dropping, chimey clean tones which effectively double up
There are some truly jaw-dropping clean tones
brand’s thriving Black Label Range, selling itself as something for all occasions. And that’s no word of a lie – it’s a guitar that sacrifices very little of the vintage class popularised by the original double-cuts.
Looks can be deceiving, though. The Fishman Fluence STR-WH3s are the main ingredient behind the Corona’s £749 price tag – and, as such, could very well be this model’s greatest asset. Instead of winding coils the old-fashioned way, Fishman has incorporated a technique favoured as far and wide as the aerospace and telecommunications industries – essentially printing concentric spirals of coil with perfect consistency and, further still, no hum. It’s even more impressive when you consider Fishman pioneered this ground-breaking technology after some 80 years of through the tone knob switch to a hotter Texan crunch mode… welcome news for those in search of a bit more bite. It’s louder, bolder – ruder, almost – and not far off a low-output humbucker, with an emphasis on snarling mids and glassy highs. Together, the tonal variations serve as an incredibly valuable addition to this classic style, though the top-hat tone knob doesn’t quite offer enough grip to switch modes completely effortlessly.
The Corona Fluence plays well out of the box, set up using 0.009 to 0.042 gauge strings with a low/medium action favoured by beginners and seasoned lead musicians alike. With a body made out of alder, like most modern Fender equivalents, there’s enough grain showing through on the upper corner of the original classic burst finish without
distracting from its understated gracefulness. The hard maple neck feels like a solid and comfortable fit for any kind of player yet reassuringly meaty enough for those that prefer more of a handful, while the cutaways offer easy access to any fret and the Wilkinson E-Z Lok tuners make it feel like you’re in safe hands – it’s definitely a guitar you can trust.
There are a few drawbacks. Much like the mini-USB port on the back, but without any of the actual benefits, the black line branding across the scratchplate could be seen by some as an eyesore on an otherwise classy-looking instrument. Like the top-hat tone knob, it wouldn’t be difficult or costly to replace, but you almost wish the guitar came with a more subtle and simplified plate to round off its elegant charm. The Wilkinson bridge looks sturdy enough and can certainly hold its tuning in more measured usage, but the mechanism to tighten the vibrato arm itself is awkward to access and difficult to stiffen fully.
All in all, the Corona Fluence is a guitar that holds its own against similarly priced S-types, and offers increased tonal versatility, too. A few minor, easily solved technical/aesthetic glitches aside, it’s the ideal instrument for anyone searching for noiseless single-coil tones without any compromise when it comes to output or sustain.