Italia Modena

3 mini humbuckers ala Firebird,Wilshire..5 way strat style selector. Wigsby vibrato. Roller bridge. Grover locking tuners with oval pearloid buttons.Neck and body covered in white plastic pearl finish,faced in blue sparkle plastic with pearl pickguard.Has volume,tone and blend control.

Used with fender Hot Rod Deluxe or "62 Bandmaster,the sound was a little disapointing..I've always liked the sound of mini humbuckers but this guitar is a bit ho hum..not bad but not great either..kind of ordinary.
The pickups have plenty of output (too much?) and can sound muddy with distortion or fuzz..ok at bedroom levels but on stage can get lost..I find the controls very fiddly and overly complex..does anybody really use all these "different" sounds?

The factory setup was apalling..4mm at 12th fret. nut slots were too tight..The ends of the frets were razor sharp..Vibrato didn't work (still doesn't!) ..Neck is VERY chunky.This guitar is very heavy,4.5 kilos (thats approx 10 lbs!) Bridge,neck and tailpiece don't line up.Doesn't play in tune..

First thing I noticed was the top of the vol and tone controls fell off and the Vibrato was stiff..if you depress it a little it stays there,until you pull up on it to try and get back in tune..haha good luck with that.I liked the large strap buttons.Oh yeah I hate locking tuning machines..WTF is wrong with standard machine heads?
It is a very solid guitar with quality plating etc..
Don't use it live...can't tune it up,it's too heavy,I keep hitting the control knobs with my plectrum,whammy doesn't work etc etc

Got nowhere with enquiries,no one seems to know anything about this company other than it's connected to "guitar guru Trevor Wilkinson" I hope he goes back to fixing rubbish english cars..

on paper this looks like a killer guitar-3 mini humbuckers,sparkly body, Whammy,Roller bridge etc...nice idea, but poorly excecuted.

got this on sale..so I'll keep it until it becomes valuable...2030?

At full retail price $699, there are way better options..

I have 2, a new one and a 3 year old one. The only differences are the tailstop trim and the bridge design. The overall look is killer. Very 60's pawnshop. The tuners are decent, the neck is a little thick for my taste, the pickups are OK. You actually get a wide variety of sound using the 5-way pickup switch and the two volume controls. Like everyone else, I just leave the tone knob turned up all the way (why do they still put these on passive electronics guitars?). The whammy is fair, on both guitars it doesn't go back into tune perfectly.

As said above, there is a wide variety of sound available by using the 5-way and the volume knobs, from tinny to very thick. My preference is to use the two neck pickups with all knobs turned up max. The intonation is OK with both of mine. There isn't a lot of sustain when compared to neck-through solid bodies. It also sounds a little like a semi-hollow body when played unplugged.

The new one was set up very nice, with very low action and no buzz. The used one is also great, but has probably been messed with since it left the factory. I don't even know what the body and neck are made of, since they are covered in glitter and crazy pickgaurd material. I heard fiberglass back or face, but I don't know. It looks great.

A design or manufacturing flaw that I found in BOTH guitars is that the bridge is out of line with the tailpiece and the neck. If you sight down the strings, you'll see that they take an abrupt angle as they cross the bridge string guides, probably off by 1-2mm. This is not somethin g you can adjust, it is governed by the location of the screwholes in the body that hold the bridge. As a result, sometimes the low E string will pop out of the roller saddle when strumming hard.

Played both live, no problems. The hardware seams pretty durable, with extra thick chrome. The whammy bar is substantial. The front material doesn't feel very dense (fiberglass?), but I don't plan on hitting anyone with it. I replaced the buttons with straplocks, and the material that holds the screws seems sound; many times replacing a screw will result in a loose fit or stripped hole due to soft material (basswood or mahogony, some alder).

Never needed them.

I've been playing since I was 12, so 32 years. I've had mostly Fenders; strats, teles, and my first "real" guitar, a Jazzmaster purchased at a pawn shop for $80 in 1975. I have also owned a Gibson V, a steinberger and a Yamaha Pacifica tele copy (the best playing guitar I've ever owned) as well as several basses.

I purchased the new one for my girlfriend who basically just liked the way it looked, and in the meantime put in a bid on a used one for myself, which I didn't expect to win. I tune mine to new standard tuning (CGDAEG), and it handles the thick strings (11-70) and tight winding great.

This isn't the best playing guitar, it's mainly for show. It looks great on stage, and stays in tune and plays adequately. When playing live and loud, no one in the audience can tell the difference in sound quality between a $5000 custom Les Paul and a $200 copy, anyway.

If I had to replace this guitar, I would probably look around at other odd looking guitars first, even the tired and over-used Mosrite.

This guitar is very versatile. At first, I didn't realize that this guitar is wired different than anything else that I am aware of. There are 2 volume knobs -- one for a master volume, and one for the neck pickup. So, you can blend the neck pickup with the other pickups, or you can turn its volume all the way down so you have more like a standard strat style pickup selection. It's very cool. Before I realized that, I liked the sound, but then I realized you could do this with the neck pickup, and you can get TONS of different tones out of this thing. I really like it. The other reviews cover things well enough -- you can get les paul-sy type tones, fender tones (jaguar, tele, strat), but it has it's own sound. The pickups sound good and have a nice level of output. There isn't too much low end, but it's not lacking either. I am coming from a Gibson Les Paul and Gretsch background, so that's my basis for comparison. My Les Pauls coming out of my orange shook the very ground...that being said, this guitar sounds awesome, and is really versatile. I totally recommend it.

Mine was missing the top of the volume knob (the tops are glued on). I don't really care. But, I ordered it blindly from a store (music brokers in phoenix - $375 new, including shipping!). So, that's what you get. I imagine if I complained about it they would take care of me, but whatever. The frets could be finished a little better, but not a big deal. I could file them down. I don't nitpick. I want to put some .11s on here, but have the original strings on right now. I took the whammy off the tremolo because i don't use them and they get in my way. The intonation is kind of a bitch to set. You need a small allen wrench, and you have to move the string out of the way, loosen the nut, move the saddle by hand, put the string back, try again, etc. It's not efficient but it seems effective enough, and the intonation was adjusted and it seems to be fine. I don't think it is 100% on though. I might need to take it in to the shop and have the neck adjusted. I hope there isn't a design flaw like others have said. I don't think there is. I'd say my intonation is 95% on, but not all the way on, like I want it. Very close, probably close enough for no one to be able to tell (but if I can tell, that's enough for me). As for the finish on the guitar, it is way over the top, and I love that. I got the silver sparkly one with mother of pearl all over it. Real retro, not at all like my other guitars. Seems like a good job was done. It has what seem to be decent gotoh tuners. I would like to lower the action a little too.

I imagine this will hold up well live after having a good setup done on it. It feels sturdy, sounds solid, I would think I can depend on it. Hardware and strap buttons seem good. I'd be confident to use it without a backup.

No idea.

I have to give this thing a 10. I probably should have waited until I had it for a while, but I'm really happy with it so far, and it is inexpensive. It's a unique guitar with great sound options, and it is solid. You can't ask for much more. If you don't mind an outrageous looking guitar, this is for you. It may even play metal. I play rock/indie. I have owned a Gibson Les Paul '56 reissue Goldtop, a '74 Gibson Les Paul '55, a Gretsch Jet Firebird, a '75 Fender Tele Deluxe, 1980 Greco Super Power (les paul copy), Orange AD140TC head and Orange Cab, '65 Vox AC50, '62 Silvertone 1446, other teles, strats, jacksons, etc. TONS of good gear, and I was a touring musician for 5 years, until recently. Been playing guitar about 15 years. I know my stuff. But, what one person likes another person hates. If it was stolen or lost, I would certainly get another one, without hesitation. Think of this guitar kind of like a cross between a Les Paul and a Jaguar, but with even more sound options. Pretty cool eh?

having only one volume controll is really nice . you cant accidentaly hit the goggle and get blasted, or vice-a versa . In fact it's very subtle when switching but the tone controlls give it a huge range . on my LP when I hit tone switch on accident , It's like "holly crap"! I've never owned a long scale guitar, I have to look where I'm at a lot , the harmonics are incredible. Grover tuners, Plastic neck is smooth and stays clean. I dont think the finish will ever wear off , Duh!

Tingy tang twang , to light bright, to warm, to heavy, to thick, and every- thing in between. I'm sure not all the tones you can get out of this will work with every amp, but it would be fun trying

When I first got this the action was really high,well not really high , just too high! (for me anyway). I lowered the strings right down too the freakin frets thinking , lets see what the hell this baby can do! infreakincredible! That's the only word I got, wOW! I got a small dead spot on low E string at D. I had to raise the action on that side a hair,It's still real low. This guitar has great action!! The Intonation seems to be right on, even after messing around with the action, I also raised all three of the pickups, This guitar stays in tune as well as my LP or SG does, And better than a lot of other guitars, the initial tuning is a little different than I'm used to, but it's not like it was difficult or any thing! 9 because of the one buzz on the E@D might have to have someone fix it, believe me, this is minor. A Truly great guitar! For that price? Are you kidding? What are you waiting for?

I havent played out with this, but I don't think there is any reason I wouldn't . Iv'e played it for hours on end , seems to be very well made. pearloid's tuff stuff strap buttons are BIG wont need locks

havn't tried,I need a Whammy!

I'm 43 been playing about 30 years, not profesionally, a lot of different styles, a lot of bands, have owned many guitars I'm thinking what to sell so I can get another model. A lot of guitars are too heavy sounding or are too bright you really seem to only get a couple usefull tones before you have to start messing with the amp or the effects and then some of the notes or strings just disapear you cant hear them. I can hear all the strings and notes real clear all over the neck. It has a sound of its own, and many others

Mine is a new 2004 Modena Standard model, 22-fret wonder from somewhere in Asia, I believe. The guitar has no markings on it to indicate its country of origin.

Beneath a thick plastic overcoat the guitar has an alder body, a bolt-on maple neck and rosewood fingerboard. The 2004 models feature Grover locking tuners, an upgrade from the previous year's Gotoh tuning machines. There's a tune-o-matic style roller bridge that feeds into a "Wigsby" vibrato stopbar. The combination of these elements does a very good job keeping the guitar in tune.

Three (count 'em!) Wilkinson mini-humbuckers are wired with a strange combination of 5-way selector, and semi-individual tone & volume pots for wide tonal variety. All the hardware is in sharp-looking chrome. I purchased the guitar without a case, and have since bought the Italia-issued hard case for another $100.

I stumbled onto the Modena while looking for a Mustang or Jaguar. As other reviewers have mentioned, the sound on this guitar is top notch. I play dense, swiling melodies a la Ride, MBV & Lush and have been appreciating this guitar's extremely bright and clear tones while playing clean and very loud.

An extra volume pot allows you to bring the neck pickup in & out and generates a crisp out-of-phase sound. Even engaged, the guitar sounds very dark and warm, without getting muddy. This is my first experience with Wilkinson humbuckers, and I'm very pleased thus far. I should mention they're also dead silent.

Also, for a guitar wrapped in plastic, it has a very nice resonance and sustain when unplugged. It's not quite in the league of my Epiphone Dot, but it's surprisingly close.

I heeded the warnings about the intonation of this guitar carefully before ordering one. Luckily for me, either the problem was fixed in production, or I ended up with an exception. The guitar stays in tune all the way up the fretboard.

The guitar arrived well intonated but with a set of overly metallic-sounding strings. Replacing them early on provided me a valuable lesson not to break strings while playing out, because it's more than a chore to restring this instrument. Like others mentioned, keep an ice pick and some longnose pliers in your case.

The pickups were set at just the right height and the bridge was properly routed. The action was better than average, and second only to my Nasville Deluxe Telecaster right out of the box. Overall, the guitar feels very solid and handles like a much more expensive instrument.

I've had the Modena almost 3 months now and play it just about every day. It's sturdy enough to withstand several times the amount of abuse I deliver it on stage. The pearloid coating appears VERY resistant to scratches and it looks like it will age gracefully without cracking.

It's stupid for a guitarist to gig without a backup, regardless the instrument. Well made or not, this is no exception.

I'll admit to knowing nothing about the warranty. Italia is distributed by some secondary supplier in the States. I would try reaching them if a problem arose.

I've played a few years and have built up a decent colletion of gear over the course of things. I was comfortable with the purchase after some initial hesitation over some reviews it had received here, but it looks like the manufacturer has worked out the kinks.

The plastic sheen is obviously not for everyone, and the shape of the guitar is exactly like a 60s airline model I've got up against the wall. It's great that Trevor Wilkinson is putting these guitars together as homages to the originals that play much much better. There really isn't anything else out there like this guitar, and I hope there's enough market to keep Italia in existence.

The finish is a grabber for sure. You can't ignore huge gobs of glitter and pearlized plastic! It's not everyone's taste, but that's what I liked about it. The pickups and hardware were attractive at first blush as well. The mini-h pups have a cool split coil switch arrangment, and the smooth adjustable bigsby-ish trem is nice too. Nice silky tuners and a round full neck with fat frets.

If you like a bright, detalied sound with lots of high mid definition, you're right at home here. Think bridge les paul with a little more sparkle, and the option of blending it with a middle position strat.
The controls allow for a very musical array of tones, albeit within a fairly narrow spectrum. Rock, indie, surf, country, chicago blues- sure. There's no sludgy botom, but it doesn't get very round. Not a jazz guy's guitar for sure, but you can tell that just by looking at it. Probably no good for grindcore, black or death metal eithier, but which one of those guys would be caught dead with this pearlized monster?

Boooooooo. I really liked everything else about this guitar. I wanted to keep it. But I couldn't. There was a design flaw in the bridge. It would set up and play really well for about 30 seconds but then a string would hop the saddle. All the fretwork was ok, and the finish was very nice, but the bridge thing was a total joykiller.

Aside from the bridge thing, I'm sure it's solid. Even so, if you were to have played my guitar right out of the box at a gig it would be extremely frustrating.

I purchased this off ebay from a music store with a return policy. He did indeed take my return and refunded my money. He didn't help much otherwise except to refer me to Italia. Italia admitted that they had sold a lemon, and after several phone calls they gave me detailed plans to install a shim to correct neck height and angle. I thought about it, and then I thought about how ridiculous it was to add wood to a guitar I had just purchased new. I'm not luthier and I'm not going to sink money into something that should have been right in the first place. They've probably already fixed this, but if you're buying one blind off of ebay, you need to be careful.

I've played for a while and gigged a lot. I do chase after some funky stuff- Travis Beans, Vox Phantoms, Moserites, etc. But this guitar actually sounds way more versatile than most of that crowd. Sound wise, i'd have no issue playing an entire gig with it. The sonics of this guitar put it in a class above most imports. There's a lot of potential here, but that's just it. It COULD have been a GREAT guitar, but it wasn't.

2003 new Modena. Can't find out exactly where it's made? Bought it cause it looked great and sounded cool, but . . .

AS I said . . . LOVE the sound, I'm playing a lot of surf kinda stuff so it's cool, except . . .

Ok and this is the crap bit . . . a problem I've come across with so many Asian made guitars . . . I can't tune it! It drove me nuts ? I'm quite good at seeting up guitars, so when I'd done the neck, the action, and the intonation, and it still didn't tune properly I was worried something was seriously wrong? It is currently with a guitar builder who is looking at the possibilty of replacing the nut in a different position as apparently this is the problem ? spacing between the nut and fret number 1! . . . I really hope it works, cause I'd love it if it would play/tune right.

Haven't had it long enough to tell

I've taken it back to the shop I got it at, so haven't dealt with Italia . . . yet!

Sorry, but at this point I'm pretty pissed I didn't spend longer trying it out before I purchased! I just thought it looked cool and thought I gotta have it . . . kinda regreting that now, but hopefully someone'll make it all better?

i got this on ebay--its the modena model--blue sparkle---it is far better than i thought it would be---i gigged with it asap----3 pickups---mini humbuckers--the finish is amazing--guitar is not lightweight but its very solid---good tuners--great dive bomb tremolo---great frets--big size neck and frets---it has a 3 way switch with some extra shit thrown it---go to the web site and it explains the switching---its not like a strat exactly---it takes you about 15 minutes to get used to the controls--

i liked most all the sounds---very quiet guitar---i played blues--rock and roll and country on it and it does well for any style--it is actaully also a great guitar for chet atkins style playing--the tremolo bar is very cool and it's nicely sensitive--

guitar sounds fantastic with a chorus effect or a vibrato effect---it doesnt get real muddy sounding---and the string spacing is great---wide enough to fingerpick on easily--

very well made guitar--i think the pickups are set kinda low but you can raise them--like the other guy said--changing the strings on the tremolo can be a bitch---keep an icepick in your case if you think you might need to change a string on a gig--you will see why you need an ice pick when you change strings the first time but its really not that big of a hassle---the quality of the finish is really great--there is no visible wood--its all wonderful shiny plastic--guitar feels very solid when u play--not cheap feeling--i love it

greatest strap buttons going---very dependable guitar--and chicks love the colors and the sparkleness---you can gig with this guitar without fear--and its cheaper than a mexican tele and 20 times more versatile and 20 times cooler looking--

i dont know much about them but they make some cool stuff

this is fine addition to any guitar players bag---from the worst player to the best player--anyone could be happy playing this guitar--i've played for many many many years---this guitar is fun--

when you play it sitting down--it can sorta slide down on your lap--(its slick) you need to wear a short strap on it if you plan on sitting down and playing it--you can get that great tone that duane allman got on his slide guitar on aretha's version of "the weight" when you play slide with the neck pickup on--very cool

this guitar --for the money--is such a bargain that any shortcomings that people might mention are just nit picking--this guitar is so many levels above cheap korean danos and such that those guitars should be given away for fee--

i love the sparkle plastic--the back of the neck is so smooth--after you play it for a few minutes, you dont even notice that it is a plastic finish---it holds tune well---has a lot of sounds--doesnt feedback much--has great sustain-has kind of a slightly hollow sustain, not like a les paul but its good----neck is wide and frets are big and were perfectly dressed--action can be set really low---it feels a lot like a non-reverse firebird--except it plays better---it has a good balance--the neck doesnt dive for the floor when you turn loose of the guitar when you are standing--the strap buttons are huge and give great, tight security--

i bought it just mainly for the looks, originally---it delivers much more----i dont hate anything about the guitar--one tip----buy a hard case for it---the headstock is tilted back at an angle and it will probably break if you carry it around in a soft gig bag--

it looks so very retro(very jetson's)but without any of the fucked up problems that come with old 60's guitars that might look sorta like these---these will last and they are so wonderfully functional----i may buy a gold one next--

Korean or Mexican made, 22 fret, 3 mini humbuckers, 5 way switch, 1 Volume, 1 Tone ands a master blend knob for the neck pickup allowing you to have a full 7 different tones. I have no idea what kind of wood or if wood was used at all in making this guitar! It is covered in Mother of Toilet Seat, with a insert of silver sparkle, plus a MOTS pickguard. It is a wild looking affair. Body shape is a Non-reverse Firebird. Gotoh Tuners top it off.

I bought it for one thing- Slide, and it does this very well!it isn't anymore noisey than any of my other guitars, and it plays very well. Has all the Gibson and Fender sounds, just depends how you twist the knobs. Sounds just like a Firebird, won't gibson love that detail?
It sound great for what I do

Everything is cool so far. I think they could have thought the guitar out a little better. Trev Wilkinson designed it, but when you change strings or adjust the bridge, you see they didn't think it through.
Neck is huge, and fit perfect to the body. Everything else looks to be good and the Strap buttons are HUGE!

Only played it out once, and for what I paid, who care how long it'll last? But, It has it's own vibe going and it really is a cool git. The tones are great and it definitely looks cool.

Can't get ahold of them yet, thier site only demo's the gits.

Been playing a long time, too long to care about what people think!
If it were stolen, I'd buy another, they run about 279$ around here.
I love the tones, the neck, and the looks. I hate what you gotta go thru to change strings. I wish they made a hardtail.

This guitar is too cool for the room! The finish is so totally gaudy.......I love it! Not sure of the year, but probably a 2000, made by Italia guitars, you would figure with that name they would be made in Italy.......but who knows?

The guitar is totally covered in mother of pearl, with a Blue sparkle top. There are 3 Wilkinson mini humbuckers, 5 way switch, 1 volume, 1 tone, and a volume control for the middle pickup (a blend control)
The body style is sort of a cross between a Fender Jaguar and a Gibson Firebird, and the neck is 22 med jumbo frets, with what I believe is an ebony fretboard.....nice 'n chunky.

The tuners are gotoh with real nice mother of pearl turning knobs.....very smooth. The tremelo is awesome! It's called a "Wigsby" and is very smooth, very vintage,and has a great range! Much nicer than my bigsbys. With the blend control, and the 5 wat switch, there are many tonal possabilities!

This guitar is very versitile! Excellent tone!!! Nice full sound capable of playing rock, funk, metal, jazz.....you name it! I am very impressed! One of the most versitile guitars I have played. The quality of the pickups is very impressive!

Guitar came set up well.....just had to do the little things, like adjust the pickup heights. The finish is too cool! I love the look of this guitar! All the acoutraments are top notch!

I haven't had the guitar that long....and I don't know how the finish will hold up........but I don't forsee any problems. Solid strap buttons, top quality hardware.......nice piece!

? dunno.

I've been playing 20 years, and own about 18 electrics.......this is a high quality new guitar. I had never heard of Italia, but had seen some auctions on ebay and became interested. I was able to get this guitar for 1/2 of what this model routinely lists for on ebay......and I'm glad I took a chance! This guitar has great looks and fabulous tone......a real winner! My favorite features are the finish, and the tremelo. If it were stolen I would buy another......it's that good. I play this through a 75 fender twin reverb, and a Marshall JCM800 Lead Series amp...and it sounds brilliant through both. Fantastic guitar!

These are new guitars with designs inspired by those old whacky-looking Eko's and other Italian-made guitars from the 60's. Has a body reminiscent of a Jazzmaster with three alnico mini-humbuckers, a 5-way Strat-style switch and a unique whammy bar vaguely similar to a Bigsby. There is apparently a blend feature allowing you to get 7 pickup combinations but I couldn't quite figure that out. Front of body is red glitter and back of body and back of neck is mother of toilet seat. Too cool! No idea what the body or neck is made of but it was a very light guitar.

Sounded like alnico minibuckers. Mellow and smooth but brighter than a standard humbucker. Whammy is great. Very smooth and precise. Goes up and down. Could get nice surfy tones though not quite as twangy as something with single-coils in it, such as a Jazzmaster. The pickups sounded pretty good with overdrive though again, not quite as fat and beefy as a standard size humbucker. A real Firebird kind of tone and vibe.

Incredibly great for being made in Korea. Neck was smooth, frets were flawless. Played wonderfully. Whammy bar was terrific. Far better quality than the new Danos.

Who knows really? Didn't buy just tried out in a store. Hardware seems top-notch though the bodies are covered in plastic/vinyl type substance. You wonder about this stuff shrinking up and warping in the long term. But again, great for a Korean made instrument. Heck, better than some of the American made stuff I've played.

These Italias are very cool if a tad pricey for what seem like plastic-covered retro guitars. I think it's great that someone's got the guts to break out of the mold and make something other than the usual boring Les Paul and Strat inspired designs. Much cooler than the new Danos.