Shergold’s Provocateur Standard single-cut turns out to be quite provocative, but not that standard

Revived British brand Shergold has – thanks to the design talents of renowned luthier Patrick James Eggle – given us some of the tastiest retro-tinted electric guitar designs of the last five years. 

Most recently, that took the form of the T-style Telstar, but now the firm has returned to its first model, the Provocateur, announcing a new, affordable Standard Series take on its debut single-cut.

If Eggle’s name seems familiar to you, it’s because he is the builder behind the guitar brand of that name, as well as the much-lauded Faith acoustic guitar mark.

As such, his guitar designs usually have a little more going on than first meets the eye. The Provocateur Standard might seem like a, well… standard Gibson Les Paul-style build at first, but look a little closer at the spec list and there are a number of differences to note.

Firstly, it’s a bolt-on construction and uses poplar, not mahogany, for the bulk of the body. This is paired with a Canadian maple neck and laurel fingerboard with a 24.625” scale length. Then there’s a string-through body bridge, locking tuners and a duo of unbranded Alnico V ‘Page’ humbuckers.  

This is quite the contrast to the model's more expensive ‘Classic’ sibling, which favors mahogany on the body and neck, plus branded components like Seymour Duncan pickups. 

The benefit of these tweaks is that the Provocateur Standard comes in at a much lower price, retailing for £329 (approx. $400) in the UK, as opposed to the Classics' £809 (approx. $985).

For more information on the Provocateur Standard, head to Shergold.