We all have a story about "the one that got away." What can we do about it?
Rob from Fool Audio Research did something about it. He built the Ignatz, which is based on a no-name set-neck Strat-style guitar he missed out on.
There's clear evidence this guitar was built by an actual guitar player and not a team of "experts."
The 22-fret maple neck has a smooth satin finish that feels broken in, fresh out of the box. The mahogany body also opts for a thin satin poly finish instead of layers of tone-choking goop.
Electronics consist of two humbuckers screwed right into the body. Controls are a three-way pickup selector, volume and tone knobs.
To keep the guitar affordable, the Ignatz wears a licensed Floyd Rose and imported tuners. The hardware did everything I needed it to do (hold basic tuning), but if your friends call you "Dive Bomb," you might want to consider a higher-quality bridge.
Some upgrades are available from the company for an additional charge, but I found the base-model Ignatz playable and gig-ready right out of the box.
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On to the audio clips!
Clip 1: Here's the same riff repeated on the bridge and neck pickup. The neck pickup has a real bark similar to an SG. Clip 2: I strummed some "pretty chords" to show that the Ignatz can clean up and play nice. Clip 3: Why not turn everything up to 11? With tons of gain, the Ignatz didn't lose control and go into screaming feedback.
Web:fool-audio.com Price: $379; comes well packed, no case, but includes a cable, whammy bar, Allen keys and picks.
You can't believe everything you read on the Internet, but Billy Voight is a gear reviewer, bassist and guitarist from Pennsylvania. He has Hartke bass amps and Walden acoustic guitars to thank for supplying some of the finest gear on his musical journey. Need Billy's help in creating noise for your next project? Drop him a line at thisguyonbass@gmail.com.
