Product: Briggs Avatar
Price Paid: GBP 1700
Submitted
04/08/2007
at
07:45am
by
steve
Features
:
10
This is the basic 1 piece mahogany body without maple cap. None the less, it's still a beautiful work of art and the craftsmanship is simply astonishing. Jack Briggs certainly knows his craft. It has a honey coloured finish and shows of the grain wonderfully. You can find out the full specs on Jack's website - www.briggsguitars.com
It doesn't have as many features as some of the competition, like coil tapped pickups, separate volume control for each pickup, tremolo or locking tuners. In that sense a mark of 10 would seem too high. However, when the guitar is as good as this you don't miss these features and I would say this guitar has all the features it needs, and I wouldn't change a thing.
Mine was made in 2004.
Sound
:
10
In a word, perfection! Full thick tones with plenty of sustain. This guitar just sings. If any guitar deserves a mark of 11, then this is it.
It really is the finest sounding guitar, and I have tried quite a few recently (for example PRS Custom, Gibson LP, Blade RH4, Suhr Chambered, Gretsch Black Falcon).
It has a wide range of tones and is perfect for blues and rock. Jazz players may prefer a semi-hollow sound, something this guitar comes close to, but not quite. Our band plays a mixture of rock, blues and pop music and it's versatility shows through. It could even do metal shredding I'm sure, but you wouldn't buy a Briggs for shredding, would you? (perish the thought).
I have a valve Fender Hotrod Deville and a little Park transistor amp, and the Avatar sound fantastic through both. It is very quiet on all settings.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
10
Great action, fast and smooth fretboard, intonation perfect, I assume the shop had it set up before it went on display. You will not see finer workmanship on a guitar than on a Briggs. Even though there is no binding or laminating to worry about, the finish is top class. How is this for care and attention to detail? - the truss rod cover is made from a piece of mahogany that matches the headstock and body!
It is hard to desribe how good this guitar looks and feels. You have just got to have a go see for yourself (before you buy anything else).
Reliability/Durability
:
10
Difficult to rate as only had it a few days, but feels very solid. I would certainly use it for gigging without a backup.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Never had a problem yet to be sorted out, but peolpe have told me that Jack Briggs answers your calls/emails personally if you ever have a problem/question.
Overall Rating
:
10
Considering that some PRS/Gibson customshop guitars cost 2 or 3 times as much, I would have to say it is fantastic value for money (though it felt expensive handing over the money). You should certainly try on before buying anything else. You will be glad you did.
As I said earlier, I tried a lot of top quality guitars before settling for the Avatar. The feel and sound of the guitar are way ahead of the others and you know you are getting something special with a Briggs hand made guitar.
It will satisfy the closet guitar hero in me for years to come. It may even make me a better player, simply because I will enjoy practising so much that I will spend a lot more time on it. It's hard to put it down. I have been smiling non-stop now for days, and I'm still not done yet.
