Blade Guitars Delta Thinline THS

"Tele" style Sen ash body with F-hole cutout and internal cut out tone cavity, gorgeous maple bolt-on neck (awesome graining in both!), rosewood fretboard, VERY nicely gold plated hardware, thru body-string fixed bridge that is extremely solid and nice, single "hot" neck pup, single bridge pup, tuners are Levinson/Gotoh gold plated, VSC onboard active EQ (WAYYY awesome!), very, very classy pearl pickguard. Came with excellent quality Blade case (much nicer than other brand cases), 25.5" scale, 22 fret, 2002 model, volume, tone and of course 3-way pup selector and VSC switch. An EXTREMELY gorgeous guitar. Visually it appears in every way a "Tele" as far as its angles and form goes. Finished in "honey" stain with gorgeous clear coat. Wood grain is awesome (or did I say that already ?)

First of all, this is my 2nd Blade review so let me say I DONT work for Blade in any way. I sort of "stumbled" onto Blade when I bought my used Blade "Strat" California model a while ago and fell in love with it. This is my 2nd BLADE guitar, in fact I just received my 3rd Blade yesterday (a Durango T). So heres the story on its sound. This guitar absolutely rips with SERIOUS, tone, twang, high energy and pure passion. This baby can SERIOUSLY rock yet can also play awesome warm, smooth jazz and everything in between, it also excels at articulate finessed "gentle touch" playing...My God, what sound! I was just amazed when I got it all adjusted and put a fresh set of 10's on it (Nickel Rockers). While I think alot of players might think a Tele like this is a "country picking" axe, This Delta is one seriously capable blues/rock machine. Whats really incredible is the VSC (Variable Spectrum Control) which is an amazingly useful and powerful musicians tool on this guitar. It is easy, out of sight and my 12 year old Blade strat hasnt busted yet so its clear the VSC is super reliable. The VSC has 3 positions: UP- offers a lightly enhanced adjustable tone, MIDDLE is neutral/removed so what you hear is only the guitars pup's, DOWN is the killer boosted with a midrange and overall tone that cuts like a sharp knife. Best part about VSC is if you want it, its easy to use (a "no think" thing) or just click the toggle and its gone. The VSC is EQ-able with 3 small pots on the back of the guitar hidden out of sight but easy to get at. For me, VSC has become an absolute must and Blade guitars seems to have this process perfected. I can get alnmost any tone of guitar I want from this axe, from LP to pure Tele to whatever...just incredible. Lows are tight, deep and can be VERY fat. VSC makes it what you want. Midrange the same. Treble can be anything from ultra smooth to fiercely biting and richly bell-like. The neck ? As with every Blade I have ever played, the neck of a Blade is simply perfect (for me at least) and I would assume it would fit about any type of hand. This Delta came with a satin finish neck. Frets are jumbo, easy, absolutely perfect.

If you saw this guitar you'd see whay Blades are so highly regarded. The fit, finish and overall presentation is flawless. Every angle, cut, route is perfect and clearly made by exacting eyes. Lots of seemingly small aspect and details you see on a true handmade (high priced guitar) are here on my Delta (without the high price). I would easily compare this guitar's build quality/fit/finish to any custom builder. The finish on my Delta is an absolutely gorgeous "honey" over Sen Ash...a perfect blend of "just enough" to make this guitar a serious looker without being showy or ostentatious. The gold hardware looks perfect on this guitar and I dont usually go for gold. Action is prefect, neck is extremely fast, comfortable. Frets are perfectly rounded at the sides, overall fretboard work is flawless. The Delta Thinline has the perfect weight for me in a Tele, just enough, not too light and it balances perfectly. I had never seen or played one of these when I bought it, so I took a chance...best damn decision I ever made. This guitar is a pure 11 and a hellova bargain !!

Built with the best woods, neck is made from one of the finest clearest/consistent pieces of Maple I've ever seen, rosewood fret board is dark, dense and clear, fretwork flawless. My 12 year old Blade strat says this Delta is built to last and be handed down.

Heres the interesting part. The original Blade importer of a few years ago (who wasnt very responsive) was replaced recently by some awesome guys at a company called Close Marketing in Colorado. Their CS has been outstanding with phone calls and emails returned very fast. Even Blade in Switzerland responds to me emails quickly. I've seen some guys here really want to know how to contact BLADE in the USA so here's their phone #...303-781 0990 ask for Gary or Gordon...great people, great service, awesome guitars. I do think Blade needs to get better photos on their web site. The current site photos do NOT do justice to the finish and appearance of these fine guitars.

I've been playing on/off since 74'. I've owned some very nice guitars and currently favor Larrivee for acoustics. I wanted a superb Tele and shopped around ALOT for one. I looked at everything from Fender to Anderson, G&L,Suhr..you name it. I would have spent $2400 for what I wanted but didnt have to. I am extremely impressed with this guitar and Blades in general. For those of you seeking a new axe, be sure to check out Blade guitars and for those of you seeking a Tele, the Delta is one hellova fine instrument. Its a shame more people dont look past the big names (many overpriced) to see that Gary Levinson (Blade) in Switzerland is making (in my opinion) some of the worlds finest guitars. The VSC-EQ is the icing on the cake, I can get any sound I want out of this Delta Tele and thats something to write about. Out of 10, this guitar is pure Spinal Tap 11.