“Live in the now!” is the sage advice Garth yells from his AMC Pacer in Wayne’s World. While no one can blame Wayne for lusting over an iconic ‘64 Fender Strat, sometimes guitar players need an instrument designed for "the now."
Described as a semi-custom guitar builder, Pinter Instruments designs and builds guitars in Los Angeles, focusing on the current ergonomic and tone needs of players.
The SB line offers four models: the Rock, the Country, the Sport and a 12-string electric. I was able to check out the first production model of the Rock (SB-1 R) in Wild Salmon.
Some quick stats on the SB-1 R: 24 ¾ scale (similar to a Gibson Les Paul), 22 of the tallest frets I’ve ever played, Hipshot mini-locking tuners, Wilkinson VS-100 tremolo, Righteous Sound handwound Tiburon humbuckers, alder body and a bolt-on maple neck with pau ferro fretboard. Extras include Schaller straplocks, an Original Fuzz strap and a custom Protec Contego hybrid case.
Out of the box, it made the trip from California to Pennsylvania without needing any adjustments. The stock Optima .010 to .046 strings were, for the most part, still in tune.
I can’t stress how well-balanced the Pinter is. Weighing in around 7.5 lbs., it’s comfortable to play sitting or standing. With a belly cut and a deep lower horn for high-fret access, the body never got in the way of itself.
Clip 1: Here’s the Pinter clean through a Fender Deluxe with a little delay and reverb. I start with the neck pickup and end with some funkier playing on the bridge pickup. What I found interesting is how much the Pinter reminded me of a Strat, despite humbuckers and a shorter-scale length.
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Clip 2: Let’s dirty up the Pinter with a Taurus Stomp Head. First is the neck pickup followed by the bridge pickup. The difference between the two pickups felt less of a "rhythm vs. lead" situation and more of a modern sound in the neck pickup and more of a vintage Les Paul sound in the bridge.
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.
