Guitar Tricks Insider Gear Reviews of 2017 | Page 9

ELECTRIC GUITAR
and has since collaborated with many other
guitar manufacturers in the business. Just four
short years ago he turned a crazy vision into
reality and launched ToneLounge with the goal
of pursuing a dream and sharing his passion for
guitars with others. ocean currents ‘Riptide’ the model aims to pull
your music in new and unpredictable directions,
unlocking the creative spirit and ultimately the
freedom to be truly unique.
Currently ToneLounge has three base models
to choose from. With attractive coastal names
like Riptide, Shoreline, and Element, there’s
something for everyone and all can be tailored
to the player’s specific tastes including choice
of pickups, bridge, body wood (usually Alder or
Swamp Ash), fingerboard (Maple or Rosewood),
fret material (stainless steel or nickel), and paint
color or finish type (contact ToneLounge.com
for specifics on all). This review focuses on the
Riptide while shining a small spotlight on the
other two models. The word ‘riptide’ arouses
scenes of surfers navigating a pipeline off the
shores of Southern California or Hawaii, bikini
babes on the beaches, plenty of waves, and of
course surf guitar music. And like two opposing For starters, pickups usually hang from a
frame or pickguard, but not on here. The pair
of retro style TV Jones Classic pickups are
screwed directly to the body adding tone, a nice
midrange honk, and plenty of sustain. Riptide
is built like a tank with Gotoh 18:1 tuners, a
TonePros AVT-II bridge, metal control panel
plate for pickup selector switch, volume and
tone knobs, and jack input, and feels every
bit as solid as it looks. Upgrade with a Bigsby
vibrato and modern locking roller-bridge that
stays in tune and you’ve got the ultimate hotrod
recipe for playing any type of music.
Outstanding paint jobs and clear lacquer stains
aren’t the only body options at ToneLounge
(check out social media links below).
2017 GEAR REVIEWS
FEATURES
GUITAR TRICKS INSIDER
9