Product: Alamo Fiesta
Price Paid: US $300
Submitted
05/20/2003
at
04:29pm
by
Kid Klash
Features
:
7
This is regarding a vintage 1965 Alamo Fiesta, which was made in San Antonio Texas. It's "alpine white" in color with a black pick guard, and has two single coil pickups (which were designed and made by Alamo). The body is hollow, but appears to be solid. When this guitar was new (in 1965), it retailed for around $70. The general shape of this '65 Fiesta is similar to a Stratocaster, with six inline open-backed tuners. The neck is like a chunky Les Paul neck with narrow frets, and fretboard appears to be rosewood, with "clay" single dot markers. I had one EXACTLY like this one in 1966, so it was quite a pleasant surprise to find this one (in Texas!) in 2003. Instant deja vu!
Sound
:
8
Tonally, it reminds me of a cross between a Telecaster and a DanElectro; it's capable of plenty of "twang", but also has an amazing bottom end, unlike any other guitar I've ever heard. It's extremely quiet for a single coil pickup guitar. It sounds great through my tube and SS amps.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
8
For this type of guitar, the action is quite good; no fret rattles or other damage. This is amazing in itself because it had old flat wound strings on it when I got it. Considering that it was built as an "entry level" beginners guitar 38 years ago, the paint, hardware, bridge assembly, pots, toggle switch and jack all look great and work perfectly. It even came with the original two-tone colored case.
Reliability/Durability
:
8
So far, all I've had to do to it was replace the strings. I bought this guitar as a "memorabilia piece", so I'll probably just play it for fun. The band I was in in 1966 is having a reunion this August 2003, so I'll bring it with me for the guys to check out.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Alamo went out of business in the late 70's or early 80's, so I'll do my own "customer support" if needed.
Overall Rating
:
8
Like I said, this is an older guitar, and it's a bit of a "time machine" for me. They're a rare collectable these days, and they're getting harder to find, especially in "alpine white"; red is more common, as is the "sunburst" finish. I hope I won't have to replace it - they're too hard to find!
