Chandler 555

This guitar looks a lot like a Rickenbacker model 350 (Lennon type full scale model). It has three mini humbucker pick-ups (similar to the type of humbuckers found on a Gibson Firebird), a very flat and fast neck, rosewood fretboard, set neck, solid alder body (unlike the semi-hollow Ric), 22 jumbo frets, slotted headstock with three on a side enclosed tuners, five position toggle switch that gives a LOT of tonal posibilities, one volume and tone control, comes with a Wilkinson bridge and the strings pass through the body. Comes with a OHSC that is very heavy duty looking. If you ever played a Rickenbacker 350/325, this guitar is similar only in looks (in fact, the back of the headstock says "Patent by RIC USA" which must refer to the headstock and or body design) -- The guitar has a very substaintial feel to it. Nice pearl pick guard -- neck to body joint feels great and VERY SOLID. This guitar was made in early 1990's - 100% made in the USA in California.

This guitar has it's own sound. It has some of the tonal vibe of a Strat -- though the sound is a lot fuller and there is a lot less noise coming from those three mini-humbuckers. Think of that cool Strat out of phase sound with the punch of a Gibson humbucker. The tones you get out of this guitar are very musical and usable. The sound is very full and rich. I have owned "brighter" sounding guitars, but that's why they have treble/tone controls on amps. In the neck position, you get a very full "Wind Cries Mary" thing going --- the bridge pick-up is very agressive sounding and bright (esp. compared with the other pick-up settings). Each pick-up setting has it's own tonal quality and the tone control on the guitar is very useful (unlike a lot of other guitars where you just leave it on the ten position for most of the time). I found myself playing a lot of lead stuff on this guitar -- For my money, if I had to play a lead part, this would be the guitar I would grab. I supsect that this guitar would be able to handle almost any type of music you could throw it's way. The louder I cranked the amp, the better the guitar sounded and it sounded great with the volume turned down as well.

The people at Chandler make custom grade guitars and this one is no exception. I bought it used, and it came in great condition. Just by looking at this guitar, you get a feeling of high quality from the finish, to the pick-ups as well as the other hardware. This guitar is right up there with the best offered by any other guitar manufacture. I did have a problem with the pick-up pattern on the high e string, but Chandler fixed the problem for me (you read right my friends, they FIXED IT ON A USED GUITAR!!!). I was even impressed by the way the volume and tone controls felt -- Everything on this guitar is SOLID! I have never owned another guitar that plays so easy

The guys at Chandler told me that the previous owner must have really played this gutar a lot since some of the frets needed a little work. I couldn't see or feel any problems as the guitar played great for me right from the start. With the 555, you will not need a backup.

Here's the real story. I got the guitar (bought it from Dave's Guitars in WI over the net). When I plugged it in, the high e string was lower in volume due to the position of the string being too far away from the pick-up. I called Chandler on a Saturday no less, and they told me they could fix the problem by putting on another adjustable bridge (since this guitar was one of the first models made, it had an older non adjustable bridge which has since been changed). Total charge for this was $25.00. Dave's Guitars cut me a check for the repair and not only did the folks at Chandler change the bridge, they also did another set-up and filed down a few frets so the guitar played like it just came out of the factory (which it did). All this for $25.00 ON A USED PIECE!!! The folks at Chandler told me to come by anytime for a set-up --- Now how many other guitar makers would treat anyone like this??? They did the work fast and called me all of the time giving me updates on a timely basis.

For under $600 I got a great custom grade guitar that is built to last and has tone to spare. I like the fact that it doesn't sound like all of the other guitars out there and that it has it's own voice. I own a lot of other guitars, but this one will not be leaving the collection (nor will a few of my Heritage guitars be leaving anytime soon). Knowing that the people at Chandler are great to deal with is just another extra on a deal that is already outstanding. This guitar isn't a Gibson or a Fender -- If that's what your looking for, then I would suggest you stay clear of the 555 and get a Fender or Gibson. If your looking for high grade, USA made guitar that has it's own cool personality, then step on up and pick up a 555. I suspect they go for around $1100 new, but that's must my guess.

US built, Solid Alder, Pseudo-Ricky body style, slotted 3 + 3 headstock, set neck, rosewood board, Volume, Tone, 3 "Firebird" Style mini-humbuckers, "Strat" type 5-way switch.Wilkinson through body fixed bridge. Gotoh tuners. The neck is a comfortable to thin shape, more Gibson than Fender. Came with SKB hardshell case

I have been drooling over this particular guitar for almost a year. Cool looks, great action and tones of sustain and tone. Since I am still developing my own style, this guitar fits right into the mix. It is capable of great twang, and still can be distorted for great hard rock and bluesy type stuff as well. The only type of music this guitar may not be good at is death metal and industrial. Sound quality--11 on a 10 scale.

Action from the factory was exceptional. I have never owned a guitar that was screaming "Play me right now and play me hard" like this one. The guitar is finished in an off-white (ala Fender) with a white "mother of toilet seat" pearloid pickguard. Truss rod cover also the white pearloid. I did have to adjust the pickups a bit to suit my personal tastes. But I am very happy.

I wish that I was in a band so that I could play this guitar in a live environment. It appears to be built rock solid, and should hold up well in the live environment. If I were gigging, I would actually have three or four guitars, as I play some open tunings, and have some guitars tweeked for specific needs. Since this guitar is a fixed bridge, and some of what I play is whammy intensive, I would have to have some other choices. BUT, if I had to choose a guitar to be a solo axe, this is the one that I would choose.

I haven't had the opportunity to find out about Chandler's customer service. I will update, as I am trying to get some specific info out of the Chandler folks.

Quick story. Around three years ago, I picked up a new Taylor 510 acoustic. The value of a truly well built guitar was a treat, and I began playing and practicing with serious enthusiasm. In the last year, I have been really working on electric guitar licks, technique and figuring out my style of playing, and the Taylor was beginning to collect a lot of dust. This is not a good thing, as the Taylor was (and is) another fine instrument. So, I had fallen in love with the Chandler, the Taylor was dusty. And so, I went and wheeled and dealed with my local dealer, and now they have a used Taylor, and I have this guitar. Would I but one again, should this one be lost or stolen? ABSOLUTELY. I have played a lot of the current crop of guitars. Most basic Fenders leave me cold, and I feel that Gibson makes great guitars--but wants WAY too much for them. Give me the new guys, the G & L's, some of the Music Man line , the Heritage folk, etc. Also, there are custom builders that are building the stuff that dreams are made of: Tom Anderson, Don Grosh, Zion, and Terry McInturff and the (Yes) the Chandler. The Chandler 555 belongs in the true custom builder category for two reasons. First, this guitar is an absolute blast to play. Second, there is the same vibe to the 555 that I have only felt when I played some of the best Grosh's and Andersons. I strongly recommend this guitar.

The idea behind having this guitar made was to have a usable, full scale version of John Lennon's 325 Rickenbacker. Chandler's standard 555 has an almost identical body shape, so I called up Paul Chandler and asked if they could make me a custom version. Actually it's like a Strat in disguise. I had an actual 325, but it's only good to just look at or if you're in a Beatles tribute band. Plus my hands are way too big for the 325's short scale. The standard features that I kept are the Alder body & Maple neck (25-1/2" scale, set-in), Rosewood board with 22 extra jumbo frets, and 3 Chandler Firebird-style mini-humbuckers. The custom features I added were a Wilkenson trem & Sperzel locking tuners (both GREAT pieces of hardware - they work flawlessly), I changed their slotted Rick 12-string style headstock for a normal solid one, I replaced their Strat-like pickguard with a gold lucite Rick teardrop shape (which meant they couldn't use a universal rout for the pickups), a Rick-shaped gold lucite truss-rod cover (they had to ship it unattached because of copyrights), custom wiring (5-way switch, master volume, bridge p.u. tone, neck/middle p.u. tone & one dead knob - just there to maintain the same 4-knob layout as the Lennon Rick) and black Jazz Bass style knobs (similar to Rickenbacker's knobs circa 1964)

Here's where it gets tricky: I originally wanted the guitar with Duncan mini-buckers. I'd played the reissue Firebirds and the Hamer Eclipse and really liked the "midway between a Strat & Gibson" vibe that these pickups had. I also hoped that the Alder/Maple combo of the 555 would sound more airy than the all mahogany construction of the other guitars (this is definitely the case). Well, I had several phone conversations with Paul Chandler while researching having this instrument made, and he talked me out of the Duncans and into using his own Firebird pickups (he said the Duncans were known for being brittle). That was my only mistake. When I first plugged it in, I was amazed at how papery-thin and weak the bridge pickup sounded. The other two sounded OK, but had very little sparkle or definition. Now the guitar has a great acoustic sound - nice & open (the lows aren't as twangy as I'd like, but that's due to the set-neck construction), so I knew it was just the pickups. So first I replaced the bridge unit with Duncan's "Seymorized" mini. Huge difference! Sounds P-90ish but smoother with a little more hair on top, more sparkle and a lot louder. Later, I put Duncan Vintage Rails (got a deal on `em used) in the other positions. They just fit inside the metal covers, so from the outside they still look like the chrome mini's. The Vintage Rails sound good, but certainly not as sweet and transparent as the Alnico Pro II's in my Frankenstein Strat (in fact sometimes they're downright harsh). So now I've essentially got a SSH configuration. But I think the next step is to probably put Duncan's vintage repro mini-buckers in the neck & middle spots, since I like the bridge unit so much.

This is certainly the best made guitar I've ever owned (over the years I've owned Strats, Les Pauls (Gibson & Epiphone), Ovation & Epiphone acoustics, Ibanez & Yamaha Strat-styles). It was set up very well right from the factory. The fit, finish (very deep, mirror-like Black) and attention to detail is excellent (though not perfect). The neck is like a `60 Les Paul - wide and shallow (but not TOO thin) with great upper access. The fretwork is top-notch, but I do wish the standard super jumbo frets had smaller crowns for better intonation, although they sure make bending a pleasure. Also, they rounded the fingerboard edges for that worn-in feel (a nice touch). Very nice wood went into this guitar as well. The body has great resonance and sustain, and the guitar is nice and light overall. The rosewood board has a fantastic looking grain and a very smooth feel. Although I didn't order them special, the dot markers are beautiful abalone and have hardly any trace of filler. As far as parts, the switches, pots and jacks all seem to be high quality, though I wish the volume and tone had a smoother feel and taper. Unfortunately, the control cavity isn't shielded, but I don't notice any excessive hum.

I'm just getting back into a working band situation, so I haven't gigged with this yet. It's certainly stood up to a year+ of practice, sessions and rehearsals with different projects. I don't really expect any problems.

I'd buy another Chandler again. I understand they make a great Thinline Tele-style, which I'd like to get someday (hope my wife isn't reading this). I was treated very well by Paul Chandler and his team. He even threw in a great Silver/Black Rickenbacker type hardshell case and kept his originally quoted price of $1350. So even though I invested an additional $150 or so on the pickups, I'd still say I got a great deal, especially for a made-to-order axe.

1996 US Made. 25.5 scale. 22 frets. Solid alder body, Maple neck. Rosewood fingerboard. Gotoh tuners & bridge. 3 Seymour Duncan mini humbuckers. 5 way selector. Volume and tone. Body style looks like a double-cut Rickenbacker - mine even has an "Authorized by Rickenbacker" stamp on the back of the headstock (but there's no affiliation AFAIK.) Mine is "surf green" with a faux mother of pearl type pickguard. Killer looks.

The range of sound is very cool. Does the strat think (a big fat Strat sound think) very well in 2nd and 4th position. You can get very interesting acoustic type sounds also. I play through a late -60's Super Reverb, restored with matched 60's Jensen C10-Q's. The sound is so cool I rarely use effects. A Tube Screamer provides an occasional touch of crunch. The neck is very fast - I love the neck. Sustain's great. My only complaint is it's a tad dull on the top end - but 30 years of rock and roll may have attenuated my aural range.

The guitar has a small ding in the side from shipping or music store handling - no fault of the mfg. Otherwise- frets, neck, set up, finish were flawless

I'd see no problems using this guitar with no back up. Everything appears to be good to great quality.

1 year warranty. Before purchase, I called the company and spoke to a guy who told me how I could match the finish to repair the ding. We talked for several minutes about options (different pickups, active electronics, etc.) I've since called them again about another model and spoke to someone else who was very helpful. Their website is up now and I'd probably use that method, but all contact with the company has been very helpful. Very cool folks.

I've been playing for 25 years and own 8 other guitars. I've auditioned a lot more. The Chandler website says this is one of the best guitars ever made. I agree. The neck is so good it makes me want to play better. The guitar sound (straight into the amp) is just so cool. If my house were on fire, I'd grab the Chandler and my Super Reverb. (Yeah, I'd probably die trying to drag that big heavy mother Fender out.) Chandler offers other pickup configurations and I'd love to play this guitar with 2 P-90's or humbuckers- but not as a replacement. I'm not much into collectables - if you can't bash away at it without devaluing the guitar, what good is it. Most of the time I'll choose new equipment over used (or vintage, collectable, whatever.) I'm not much interested in getting Stevie's, or Eric's, or Nuno's or Billy Joe's or BB's or Freddie's or Burton's or anyone else's sound. I love other people's music, but I'm interested in making my own, with my own sound. This guitar is not going to appeal to anyone who is looking to re-create some other rig- it's kind of unique, in the best possible way.