Product: Italia Torino
Price Paid: euros 515
Submitted
02/01/2007
at
06:05am
by
T-Ray
Features
:
8
Since I seem to be the first person to rate this product, here's the whole lot from their website:
Body Top:Spruce / Side & Back:Maple
Neck Hard Maple
Finger Board Rosewood
Joint Set-in
Scale / Fret 634mm(25")scale / 22f
Nut Graphite
Nut Width 42mm(1.6535")
Head Machine Italia Die-Cast
Bridge Tune'O'matic wooden bridge
Stop Bar Italia Trapeze
Pick Up Neck:Wilkinson WVC
Bridge:Wilkinson WVC
Pot 2 Vol +1 Ton +1 Master Vol
Switch 3 way toggle
Pick Guard 1ply Pearl or Tortois pickguard
Jack 1/4" Mono Jack
hardware Chrome
Made in Korea. About 500 euros in most outlets.
For my purposes, this is a perfect setup. Everything I need and nothing I don't need. The neck deserves a special mention - incredibly accessible.
Sound
:
10
I guess this looks like a retro guitar and some websites even advertise it for rock'a'billy etc. Well, I think this guitar has a very modern, deep and full sound with a lot of sustain, which is perfect for me. I play dark ballads, with a lot of influences from the '80s. I put this wonder mostly straight into a Boss DR-880, which has all the sounds I need (mostly variants of JC-120). Then I either amplify the sound with a Behringer Ultracoustic ACX1000 (stereo!) or put it straight into a recording device. No noice, no fuss, just a beautiful, sparkling sound. You can hear it at www.myspace.com/trayarea (on all tracks).
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
8
As other reviewers have pointed out, Italia guitars are wonderfully made. Really perfect, straight from the box. The only downside is actually the cardboard box these guitars are shipped in. Oh yeah, and this is a very heavy guitar, which probably explains some of the sustain. I like the sparkle blue finish but it might start to bore me one day. In general, I think the best value for money in guitars these days comes from Korea. I own another case in point: Gretsch G5127.
Reliability/Durability
:
9
I've owned this baby for eight months and it is still as good as new. Keeps the tune very well, original strings. My gigging is very intimate, though, so I don't know how well it would last on a world tour.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Haven't dealt with the company but I love their website and philosophy. Another sign that globalisation works.
Overall Rating
:
10
Been playing actively for almost 30 years. I've owned my share of Gibsons, Rickenbackers, Fenders and Gretsches. They can be great but you never know if what you see is what you get. Italia guitars are a great opportunity for people who want to find something new without spending a lot of money on the guitar or on what happens after the sound leaves the guitar. I'm just so sad they discontinued the D-Man guitar and I didn't get one.
