Product: Apollo Amplifiers TeleCoaster
Price Paid: US $425.00
Submitted
01/22/2006
at
07:39am
by
Bruce Nelson
Features
:
9
This model was made in 05 in Grimsby,Ontario,Canada. This is NOT the Apollo Guitars made offshore in the "race to the bottom" land. Features of this guitar include a solid Hackberry body finished in a medium Danish Oil and one coat of clear/amber poly, a Maple neck with maple fingerboard and a truss rod that adjusts at the head. It has sealed tuners, and a fully adjustable bridge. Strings can mount through the body or on the bridge. The pickups are Vintage '53 Style Tele Pickups by Mike Turk from Bracebridge, ON. These pickups are totally awesome!!! It is wired like a standard Tele. NO case with this one. http://www.apolloguitars.ca/K120511.html
Sound
:
10
Gut Feeling !
Bought this on E-bay and tell to you the truth it was mere circumstance that I stumbled on it. I was considering a Tele of some kind to experiment with. This one came up and I was intrigued by the pics but more of the headspace the maker of these guitars is in. John seems to do this for complete passion and the love of music. I really felt this deserved a second look when I saw the pics on his web site www.apolloguitars.com of the fiddle he made for one of his kids. It looks amazing and coming from Nova Scotia I see a fair amount of fiddles !
There was no flash in the pan bio and the product was made in Canada out of Hackberry. So immediately I?m Googling the said tree and reading up on it?yet another interesting add on. I then find out John has hand made this neck ! OK?this is where I?m on verge of walking away or moving and taking the chance. The neck is so important to me and others, it can make or break a guitar?should I take the risk ? I?m pondering ! I then read about the Mike Turk Pickups http://www.miketurkpickups.com/ . A another great Canadian boy making hand wound pickups for the passion of the craft. Now I?m wishing I had never clicked on this add?this has got me all messed up. To finish things off the Price is amazing $ 435.00 USD?I?m not one to buy on price first. I am stickler to value and price comes in almost last on items?.North Americans usually buy on price first and value second to last?..although we are slowly evolving.
The dilemma is before me?either this piece will be something special or a complete waste of time and money. I put a bid on the guitar (E-BAY) with a few days left and went to bed. And yes a few days latter to my surprise I have won the guitar....gulp ! Pay for it and John ships it to me, had it in three days. This is the first guitar I have ever purchased without playing it first??I was nervous.
I?ve had it two weeks and I can?t put it down !......it is so special and I?m still appreciating it more each day. I play all styles of music in a sort of celtic/pop/rock band on the weekends. It?s a fun gig for me and my buds who all have had years of road madness in the biz. I play through a Cornford "Hurricane" Class A 18 WATT amp with a BOSS Chorus and Delay pedal. This is a great guitar and sounds full with lots of chime and tone. Variety of sounds depends like anything else on how you play it?..it?s a great car, if your a good driver it will rip ! GO BUY ONE !
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
9
As John says on his website...
"My guitars are very well built, but they are not flawless. They are meant to be played - not babied. But if you decide to baby it, well that's okay too."
a few tweaks....had to work it in out of the box...felt it change over a few hours to where things should sit.I may have the it set up a tad different....
at first I thought the guitar was a bit bland with no visual pizazz. Then it hit me that the simpicity and natural look was the pizazz and more. The Telecoster isn't for everyone....then again neither is great Scotch !
Reliability/Durability
:
10
only had it two weeks....my guess is the Telecoaster and cockroaches will be the only thing left after a nuclear blast !
I always bring another guitar....different styles to play and even strings break sometimes !
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
I'm sure it will be great..John has been in touch a few times and is concerned about satisfaction. He even has his own picks !! very kool !
Overall Rating
:
No Opinion
I've played professionally for over 25 years from bars to the Budokan in Japan. I've had many guitars over that period of time and to this day have a live collection as follows. 50th Anny Gretsch (58 Cady Green),G&L Commanche, a New Hagstrom DH-2 and now the Telecoaster by Apollo Guitars.
If it were stolen or lost...I would email John an SOS ! It is orginal,special,wonderful and I'm lucky to own it... I may get John to mod it into a Nashville Tele,not sure yet...he said he can do !
that would make it a Nashville Telecoaster ! you never know...
