Product: Bumstead Imperial
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted
03/20/2008
at
06:07pm
by
ToneDefficient
Features
:
10
Standard Features Include
- Solid African Mahogany
- 3 Piece Mahogany Neck (joints are almost invisible)
- Nitrocellulose Lacquer Finish (6 base coats / 10 clear coats)
- Premium Gold Plated Hardware (coated to prevent tarnish)
- Binding on Neck, Head, Body (includes top and back bindings)
- Two AlNiCo V Humbuckers with Adjustable Gold Screws
- Hand-cut Abalone Shell
- Neck is Set with an Extended Reinforced Tenon
- Pillow Maple Top
- Pillow Maple Back
- Tune-O-Matic Bridge & Stop Bar
- Controls = 2 Vol, 1 Master Tone, Premium 3-way
- Includes Bumstead Overdrive Effects Circuit (BOC)
- Semi-Clear Black Knobs
- Supplied with 3-Ply Pickguard (not installed)
- Strap-locks
- Guitar is finished in a Deep Wine Red
- Manufactured in Germany, QA in USA.
- Made in 2007
Sound
:
10
Okay, here is the story...
What the Hell is a BUMSTEAD you say? Well that is what I thought when I saw this guitar hanging used in a local guitar store. The manager took the guitar in as a favor to resell for a good customer of his who had been liquidating a lot of his equipment. Not uncommon these days with the job market as it is.
What initially drew me to the guitar was the headstock logo, which is a little man smashing his guitar. Really humorous but also makes a statement of not being apart of the establishment.
The next feature I noticed was the pickups. The guitar comes equipped with a pair of open humbuckers with adjustable pole screws that are gold plated. A real nice touch. The manager told me that he rated the pickups on a meter at 17k and 12k.
I plugged the guitar into a 50 watt Line 6 amp set clean. The neck felt great, like a 1960???s Gibson. The tone from the guitar was simply amazing. Not scratchy or flat. It was robust and full. And then when I went to adjust what I thought was a tone control, I discovered that this guitar had a hidden secret. There is a built in Overdrive effects circuit in this guitar. It is almost more than an OD because the sound isn???t distorted. The pickups retain their richness and clarity. The combination of tones I am able to produce with this guitar is staggering. At first I thought the effects circuit was installed by the previous owner but the store owner said that this is how the Imperial comes equipped. The "BOC" is matched to the pickups from the manufacturer.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
10
The Action of the guitar was set-up lower than I like by the previous owner, however since it has a Tune-O-Matic setup, it was easy for me to re-adjust to my liking. I would also like to point out that the bridge is larger than the standard bridge found on a Gibson or Epiphone LP. The saddles have more travel enabling some extended adjustments for Drop Tuning. Though there is no brand name stamped anywhere on the bridge or stop-bar, it is very much a premium part.
The body is as premium as you could get on a guitar. The finish is done with Nitro and it is like glass. There is both a top and back binding that wraps the body nicely. Bumstead also includes a AAA grade pillow maple top as back. Really stunning. There are no flaws in the finish or body that I could find. The guitar had one scratch from the previous owner that I easily rubbed out. This is because the guitar is finished with 10 clear coats.
Reliability/Durability
:
10
After demoing the guitar I went home and looked the company up on the internet. It seems like a new manufacture out of Michigan (good guitar roots). I expected to find that the guitar was made in China but was surprised to see that Bumstead designs the guitars and has the manufacturing done in Germany. That makes sense since the fit and finish of this guitar is top notch. I would say it is better than any Epiphone and about as good as most Gibson LP on the market today.
The guitar is sturdy, well balanced and well put together. No shabby components or hardware used. Inside the control cavity I found that the guitar even came equipped with Orange Drop Caps!. Another item to mention is that the battery for the BOC is stored in its own dedicated compartment and not crammed into the control cavity. Battery change-out is quick and easy.
Is the guitar a stage performer? Without a doubt. I would take the Bumstead Imperial on the road anywhere without worrying about any of the components having a catastrophic failure.
The Imperial came with a nice pair of strap locks. I don't know if these are standard issue or if they were put on by the prior owner.
Customer Support
:
10
After doing some internet research I phoned Bumstead Guitars. Yes, I said phoned. To my surprise I got the owner of the company on the line. He was gracious and welcomed all my questions about the guitar. I mentioned that I found a unit used in Ohio and he offered to extend the warranty to me if I decided to buy it. The warranty is a standard 2 year. Nothing out of the ordinary.
I went back and pickup the guitar based on our telephone conversation. I am really glad I did.
Overall Rating
:
10
My Bumstead Imperial is now one of my prize possessions. I enjoy showing it off, playing it and best of all bragging about the deal I got on it.
It is really hard to determine any flaws with the guitar or brand at this point other than this unit was made before Bumstead Guitars started serial numbering their headstocks.
