Vintage Guitars | Page 30

Vintage Electric 2014stV4_Layout 1 21/01/2014 10:24 Page 31 VintageVSA535 VSA555 Body: Maple Top: Maple Laminate Neck: Maple – Set-Neck Fingerboard: Rosewood Scale: 24.75”/ 628mm Frets: 22 Neck Inlays: Abalone/Pearloid Block Tuners: Wilkinson Deluxe WJ44 Bridge: Tune-O-Matic with Stop Bar Tailpiece Pickups: Wilkinson Double Coil MWVC (N) MWVC (B) Hardware: Gold Controls: 2 Volume/ 2 x Tone/ 3-Way Toggle VSA535 Tobacco Sunburst VSA535CR Cherry Red VSA535-12 12 String Tobacco Sunburst eller Paul W ed in association wit sign h De es Tr ev Wi lkins o n Desig n A s s oc ia t One word best describes the semi-acoustic genre of electric guitar – versatile. Originally designed to be the link between the original big-bodied ‘jazzbox’ guitar styles from the swing and big band musical eras of the '30s and '40s, and the then-new boy on the block in the '50s – the smaller-sized solid body electric – the slim-bodied semi-acoustic offered the best of both worlds in many respects. Tonally, Vintage VSAs offer the depth and smoothness of the bigger jazzers, backed with the firepower and ‘versatility’ of solid body electrics – and while the solid body electrics went on 30 to grab the headlines and the glory, the more reserved nature of the semi-acoustic models appealed to players across a wide range of styles who appreciated the do-anything nature of these user-friendly guitars. There’s just something about all that extra air inside the body of these semi-acoustics that helps add a notably additional sweetness to their sound that’s hard to resist. Now, for 2014, the VSA range is more refined than ever. With a gently offset waist and horns creating a new unique offset body shape, and an ingeniously designed offset heel providing improved access to the guitar's upper frets, the VSA stands out