Cole Clark Defender

I don't know the year of the model since it doesn't appear anywhere, but I guess it's a 1999 model since I bought it in 2000. Its got 22 like a normal strat with his 5-way selector. It's the copy of a fat strat I love his body, I don't know what wood is it but it's pretty heavy compared to all the Strat copies I've played. And it's cheaper and better than a Squier, plus it has better wood. I wouldn't have

I mostly play alternative rock stuff like Nirvana, Husker Du, Dinosaur Jr., etc and I also play noisy rock. I go on a setup like this:

Clark Defender -> BOSS ME-33 -> MEGA Amp 60 watts Solid-State (Polytone copy)

And it sounds great, my guitar sounds really really great. I can achieve any sound I want except heavier tones but this guitar isn't really made for those kind of tones. I've played several high-end Ibanez but this guitar beats the shit out of them in sound quality. I know I can get a better guitar, of course. And the humbucker in this guitar isn't that great but I wouldn't change it unless I got another one of these (and I don't think I will since they're from Australia). And the thing I really really like from this guitar is that it can get a lot of feedback when on distortion channel, and still sound great while playing with distortion.

Bright setting on neck pickup, muddy bright on neck+middle, thin sound on middle, warm clean sound on middle+bridge, and garage-y muddy sound on bridge.

I have my guitar setting like this: Vol - 10, Tone knob 1 - 8, Tone knob 2 - 4.

I can't complain. Better than a Squier as I said. It's black colored.

HA! Solid as a rock! This guitar is a bit heavy. It has taken a lot of banging and it still sounds and looks great, it doesn't have any paint chips though it has gotten some beating. I can depend in this guitar to play live without a back up. I think this guitar will last years and years. You can really defend yourself with this guitar, hehe. Everyone should own one of these, really!

Nope. I wish they had one office in Mexico though, because for the bad use I gave it earlier when I had it, it lost a saddle from the first string (that I still hasn't replaced), and the input of the guitar is kinda loose now. But it still works great.

I've been playing for nearly three years. I don't have any other guitar. My next guitar is gonna be a Jagmaster but I will still use my Defender. If it were stolen I would find the motherfucker and beat it with the guitar. I can't complain with this guitar, it has everything I need on a clean light tone. However, for heavy sounds it's not great, and again, this guitar isn't made for that. The only thing I hate is that I don't have another one. :(
When I bought it, I didn't know anything about guitars then I thought this guitar was a pieceofshit typical strat rip-off but time passed and I've played several guitars and this guitar is my favorite. You would do yourself a favor if you buy one.

The Cole Clark guitar label was unknown to me before I saw these items in a store. My initial thought was that they were cheap strat knock-offs from a back alley factory, and would be not worth my time. How wrong I was.

Cole Clark are custom manufacturers, producing guitars in their factory in Melbourne, Australia. Whatever you want in their basic styles, you can get - choose your neck, body type, pickup configuration, finish, etc. Whatever you want. No more hunting around in the hope someone has made just what you need.

Tech Specs (please note, some of these were MY choices)

Year: 2003
Made in: Australia
Model: Defender (Strat style)
Frets: 22 standard
Pickups: 2 singles, 1 humbucker (standard fit is 3 singles)
Neck: Maple
Style: Strat

Please note - all specs are CHOSEN BY YOU. Not by whatever the factory felt like putting there for you.

The sound of this guitar is fabulous - rich and smooth with plenty of life in it. Again, compared to the American Standard, it matches it well with typical brightness. With the substitution of the bridge humbucker, there is a bit more get up and go than a typical strat, but the single-coil bridge model I played in the store was certainly very good.

As with all strats, you can get a huge variety of sound from the instrument. I particularly liked the slightly warmer sound (IMO) from the middle pickup of this guitar to the Fender models, and the neck position was still quite bright and full. The single bridge model didn't suffer from any tinny-type sounds, which was a plus over some models I have tried.

This guitar would suit practically anyone who is looking for a good guitar - but particularly a modern bluesman. Also very rich sound when chording - would be a good guitar for someone who needs a lot of versatility (like myself), particularly a guitarist who plays both lead and rhythm.

Remember that when assessing the sound of this guitar, you get it custom made to your specs - if it sounds poor, you only have yourself to blame !

The action on this one is lovely - low but with no buzz I could produce. The pickups are hand-wound, and do not suffer from any noticeable feedback problems. They are fully adjustable, and of course are set the way you want them at the factory. This is one of the reasons why this guitar made such an impression on me. A flawless unit, and one that exudes quality workmanship by people who take pride in their work.

I've only had the unit for a short while, so this is kinda hard to rate. I will simply give my opinion and take a guess at its lifespan.

The hardware is all fitted perfectly, it is a solid and wellmade guitar, but not overly heavy. All fittings are good quality, and the overall feel is sturdy. Its a perfect performance guitar, and I wouldn't hesitate to use it on stage. I'm paranoid, so I wouldn't EVER play without a backup, however, after playing for a while on this baby, the only thing I'd want or accept as a backup is another one ! I would estimate that it would survive a lot of abuse before it falls apart - but who'd want to abuse it ?

I haven't had to deal with support as yet, and touch wood, I won't ever have to. But ordering the guitar via the music store was a breeze (took about a minute) and it arrived promptly (delivered to my door, no less). Service so far has been exemplary.

I can't see myself buying anything else but these in the near future. They are superb units, with a great sound and build quality. In my search for this guitar, I tried over a dozen other brands - including Fender, Ibanez, Epiphone and Yamaha - and nothing stacked up as well.

Do I think you could get a better guitar ? Yes, I'm sure you can. Will it be nearly as good value ? Not a chance. You have to rate this guitar highly, especially for the price. Don't be put off by the thought that it is "cheap and poor quality" - check one out and you'll see what I mean. I have no doubts that in time, the price will skyrocket and the quality may drop slightly, as with all products. Nowhere else could you get such a quality unit, factory-fitted to YOUR specs, for so little.

I can't recommend these highly enough. But don't take my word for it. Beg, coerce or threaten your local music store into getting one in as demo stock, and chances are the salesman will try it, keep it, and have to order another for you to see. Until then, check them on the web at http://www.coleclarkguitars.com