Gaskell M2

The features are far better then I expected. I have played and bought other left-handed guitars and the M2 beats them with ease. The pickups are humbuckers, which is what I wanted and the floyd-rose was a bonus. The neck is very thin/small; this makes it better for playing higher on the neck. I found that having only a master volume was convenient, to me this means less wires to worry about. The finish looks just as good as it does in the pictures, mine is a cherryburst, must say looks pretty "snazzy". It came with it's own case, tools and cable.

This guitar has a very metal/rock sound to it I've heard a Jackson warrior, Gibson les paul and an ESP ex and as far as I'm concerned my M2 plays with the best of them. I use a Peavy amp and a Line6 pedal. My guitar can be slightly noisy, but that problem is being resolved at the moment. When in the lead position it has a very sharp, vivid and bright sound. Rhythm isn't as aggressive (but can be if your good at it), but is good for playing harmonies and on clean settings.

The action is what I like, close to the neck (all though I'm not really that picky). The pickups don't get in my way and they don't wabble around like crazy. The only complaint is that somewhere along the hardware track, something is buzzing, but Gaskell are sending me the hardware right away.

I don't play "live" really, but I do jam with bands and when running around and what not nothing goes out of whack. The hardware will probably last long enough until I can get another one of these bad boys and the same goes for the finish. This guitar is very dependable, and I would use it on a gig without a backup.

Have been sending email back and fourth to the company seance I got the guitar. Always right on, never pointed the finger and very reasonable, no pressure what so ever. I am in the process of getting a new part for it, (the pick up got banged up on the way over here, seeing how I'm on the other side of the world). It's on warranty along with pretty much everything else. The warranty last one year.

I've been playing for about 4-5 years and own five other guitars. My M2 is my favorite, I love the shape, the sound is awesome and it's nice knowing that the guitar isn't going to break and if it ever does it's no worries, I'm sure something will be worked out. If it was stolen/lost I would instantly get another. I look at other guitars with the same shape, they look nice and everything but for 2500-3000 dollars, I wasn't about to go buy one. I bought my guitar for about 1000 Canadian dollars and it plays as if it cost double.

This is a left hand guitar by an Australian company that only makes left hand guitars. Left hand copy of Jackson Kelly. Sunburst. Has Floyd Rose licensed tremolo. Bolt neck. Came with lead. Made in 2007. Made in China, designed in Australia. Controls same as Eddie Van Halen setup, ie. master volume only, no tone. 3-way switch for 2 humbuckers. Don't know what the body is made of.

This guitar has a mighty, ballsy sound. Very, very grunty. I assume the pickups are made in Asia somewhere but to hear the guitar you would swear they were top notch Seymour's, or DiMazio's or something. This guitar is perfect for heavy metal, sounds like Zakk Wylde's sound on just amp built-in overdrive. The tremolo is good. It stays in tune! Something us lefty's have to suffer for in a left hand guitar sometimes. This guitar was obviously made as a proper left hand guitar and not just a left hand body with RH parts thrown in. On clean it sounds nice, but it is really meant for serious lead guitar. I like how there is no tone control so I can set it how I like it from the amp and leave it

Set up from factory was ok. A little high for me. Pickups were set nice but front pickup I raised a little - but that's just me. The 3way selector nut was a little loose as were the tuner nuts, but any guitar seems to have that after a bit of transportation. The finish is nice. No flaws in the finish that I could see. The tremolo is nice. I have already changed strings and had absolutely no hassle with that, unlike my Ibanez which I cannot even re-string myself because of the floating tremolo. This is one major reason for me to use this guitar over my Ibanez. Probably sell the Ibanez now. The Gaskell is just as good.

I played with it live, and have chipped it, but this body shape is easy to knock. So, so far so good. The strap buttons are good. The one where the neck is is part of the scrws that bolt the neck on. The guitar gets a lot of comments by people 'cos of it's shape, plus a few people in the know know that you can't get these guitars in this shape by the original manufacturer without waiting 2 years and spending 4 or 5 grands.

Warranty is for 1 year. Company good to deal with. This is a new company so they are still getting themselves established. Nice that they are catering for the neglected left hand guitarist of the world.

I have been playing for 10 years. If it was lost or stolen woudl I buy another or get something else? Hmmm - If Gaskell Guitars brought out a V with the same gear and sound as this one I would get a V probably, just for looks otherwise I would get another one of these. I would rather pay AU$1000 and get another one now or soon, than wait 2 years and pay US$5000 for Jackson to make one in their custom shop.