Post by grayn on Apr 10, 2013 17:28:44 GMT
This twelver is part of Fender's California Series. It is a spruce/mahogany, cutaway dreadnought.
The spruce top has some nice silking and like the back and sides, has a very uniform grain. The mahogany has a very attractive, deep colour and all is matched very nicely. The villager has a gloss urethane finish to neck, head and body. The body has scalloped X bracing and is very responsive to the 12 strings, producing a well defined, almost crystal clear tone. The very comfortable, soft C profiled neck, is of maple, with a dual action truss-rod. The neck's construction and finishing is first rate and feels very sturdy and accurate. The rosewood fingerboard has 20 frets and with it's low action, gives you all you need to handlle all 12 strings, with relative ease.
The fret markers are simple dots, as the body binding is basic black and white lines. But what is a little diferent, is a rather simple but original looking rossette, a matt gold, stylised pickguard and of course, the “Hockey Stick” headstock. It is these small eccentricities, that give this guitar a rather charming character. The overall finishing on this guitar is remarkable, at the price. In fact, the only tiny faults I have spotted, are where the pickguard meets the neck, it could be slightly more shaped. And at the highest point of the fretboard, that faces the bridge (not where you can play, or normally see), there is a small amount of roughness.
The machineheads have a very “vintage” and a rather cheap look to them. Fortunately they do their job perfectly well. Rather essential for a twelver. The head has a string tree, to guide the middle six strings. It may not be pretty but it is quite helpful.
The nut, compensated saddle and bridge pins appear to be plastic. The bridge is rosewood. All are seated and fitted perfectly. There is a forward mounted strap button, with a small reinforcing block inside, on the top shoulder of the guitar. The only other guitars I've had with this, were my BSGs. I don't like it much but unlike the BSGs, the strap balance is very good on the Villager.
The electronics are the Fishman Isys III active system, with an onboard pre-amp and tuner. The basic but effective controls are Volume, bass, middle and treble, with an on/off button for the tuner.
I put the guitar through a FISHMAN SOLOAMP SA220, in the shop, with pretty much everything on flat, on guitar and amp, and the sound was really good. It actually got a couple of very positive comments from other customers.
The Villager XII's measurements are:
Nut width 45mm (1.77”)
Scale: 643mm (25.3”)
Overall Length: 1015mm (40”)
Lower Bout: 400mm (15.75”)
Upper Bout: 295mm (11.6”)
Body Length: 515mm (20.3”)
Body depth (bottom end) 122mm (4.8”)
In the short time I've had this guitar, I have got to like it, more and more. It's appearance is down to taste. I like it's style. I'd imagine most traditionalists will not. It's not as cool as it's 60s predecessor in the looks department. But I suspect it surpasses it in sound and playability.
And it is those two aspects that made me chose the Villager. It's a large guitar but very nice to handle. The sound is quite controlled. It doesn't wash over everything, like so many twelvers I have tried. I have read a couple of reviews that said it had a bright sound, only good for jangly guiitar playing. I disagree. It has a fullish tone, with a glassy clarity. A fairly rich, responsive sound, that laps up lead lines and riffs, arpeggios and judicious strumming.
Rediscovering the 12-string is proving highly enjoyable. Quite simply, you have twice the strings, producing pretty much, twice the sound. So, you have to adapt and re-invent. Great stuff.
The spruce top has some nice silking and like the back and sides, has a very uniform grain. The mahogany has a very attractive, deep colour and all is matched very nicely. The villager has a gloss urethane finish to neck, head and body. The body has scalloped X bracing and is very responsive to the 12 strings, producing a well defined, almost crystal clear tone. The very comfortable, soft C profiled neck, is of maple, with a dual action truss-rod. The neck's construction and finishing is first rate and feels very sturdy and accurate. The rosewood fingerboard has 20 frets and with it's low action, gives you all you need to handlle all 12 strings, with relative ease.
The fret markers are simple dots, as the body binding is basic black and white lines. But what is a little diferent, is a rather simple but original looking rossette, a matt gold, stylised pickguard and of course, the “Hockey Stick” headstock. It is these small eccentricities, that give this guitar a rather charming character. The overall finishing on this guitar is remarkable, at the price. In fact, the only tiny faults I have spotted, are where the pickguard meets the neck, it could be slightly more shaped. And at the highest point of the fretboard, that faces the bridge (not where you can play, or normally see), there is a small amount of roughness.
The machineheads have a very “vintage” and a rather cheap look to them. Fortunately they do their job perfectly well. Rather essential for a twelver. The head has a string tree, to guide the middle six strings. It may not be pretty but it is quite helpful.
The nut, compensated saddle and bridge pins appear to be plastic. The bridge is rosewood. All are seated and fitted perfectly. There is a forward mounted strap button, with a small reinforcing block inside, on the top shoulder of the guitar. The only other guitars I've had with this, were my BSGs. I don't like it much but unlike the BSGs, the strap balance is very good on the Villager.
The electronics are the Fishman Isys III active system, with an onboard pre-amp and tuner. The basic but effective controls are Volume, bass, middle and treble, with an on/off button for the tuner.
I put the guitar through a FISHMAN SOLOAMP SA220, in the shop, with pretty much everything on flat, on guitar and amp, and the sound was really good. It actually got a couple of very positive comments from other customers.
The Villager XII's measurements are:
Nut width 45mm (1.77”)
Scale: 643mm (25.3”)
Overall Length: 1015mm (40”)
Lower Bout: 400mm (15.75”)
Upper Bout: 295mm (11.6”)
Body Length: 515mm (20.3”)
Body depth (bottom end) 122mm (4.8”)
In the short time I've had this guitar, I have got to like it, more and more. It's appearance is down to taste. I like it's style. I'd imagine most traditionalists will not. It's not as cool as it's 60s predecessor in the looks department. But I suspect it surpasses it in sound and playability.
And it is those two aspects that made me chose the Villager. It's a large guitar but very nice to handle. The sound is quite controlled. It doesn't wash over everything, like so many twelvers I have tried. I have read a couple of reviews that said it had a bright sound, only good for jangly guiitar playing. I disagree. It has a fullish tone, with a glassy clarity. A fairly rich, responsive sound, that laps up lead lines and riffs, arpeggios and judicious strumming.
Rediscovering the 12-string is proving highly enjoyable. Quite simply, you have twice the strings, producing pretty much, twice the sound. So, you have to adapt and re-invent. Great stuff.
Jo whoever he is.
