Product: Joe's Guitars Boa Custom
Price Paid: US $900.00
Submitted
05/01/2006
at
10:38am
by
Joe Horgan
Email: joehorgan at sbcglobal<dot>net
Features
:
9
Made in mid-2005 in Salt Lake City for a Nashville pro, who decided he liked Joe's Diner model a bit better. The pro (of Hanna-McCeuen)knew what he wanted: 25.5" scale, 21 frets, solid alder body with white lacquer, matching headstock and tortoise pickguard. Volume, tone and three-way switch. Flame maple neck with rosewood fret board. Tele-type body, tele-bridge, locking Sperzels, medium frets. Neck full C, bordering on chunky. Seymour Duncan Sh 5 in the neck, with single coil bridge. Gig bag included. My rating is based on a simple fact: this guitar has everything it needs and nothing more.
Sound
:
10
You would expect the Sh5 pickups to be thick and a bit raunchy, but this guitar has an uncanny combination of bite and clarity, especially when playing the bridge. Go figure. I play modal jazz and have always liked tele-sounds, even though everybody "knows" they are the wrong tool for this job. So far I've used the guitar on an Emery Superbaby and 12" cab, a Roland JC-120 and a Fargen Bordeaux with M-B 2x12, and the guitar's clarity comes through in all formats. Of course you can make it twang if you want.
Absolutely quiet electronics.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
10
I purchased this guitar directly from Joe himself (aka Justin Pearce). Guitar on arrival was great: intonation correct, medium-low string height, and pickups were perfect.
The fit/finish are excellent: fretwork is topnotch; fretboard is unusually thick and VERY nice; four-bolt neck is tight; hardware of very good quality; ferrules and boltholes show care and attention to detail. Looks and feels like a handmade instrument because it is.
Aesthetics: not radical, but intelligently unique.
Reliability/Durability
:
10
I have only one concern about gigging with this guitar: keeping the white lacquer intact. The finish is for tone, not banging around as inevitably happens no matter how sedate the venue. Otherwise this guitar is absolutely solid. Again, this is a very well made instrument.
Customer Support
:
10
Justin Pearce is Joe's guitars and is an exceptionally accessible and nice guy. He's another one of those folks who are good at doing something and makes a few dollars at it. He will work with you on components, sound and appearance. Get on Joe's Guitars website and see what he has to offer. He keeps in touch after the sale and wants your feedback.
Overall Rating
:
10
The price paid was a "deal", maybe steal would better express what happened.
I have been playing twelve years, with the first few years having classical training only. This probably accounts for the sounds I listen for in evaluating any guitar's tones.
Like many who frequent this site, I have lots of guitars. Mine range from classical to archtops to solid bodies. I rotate them and keep changing favorites. I have made a few purchases that didn't work out, but this guitar is a definite keeper. If it were stolen, I would be on the phone to Justin for another.
I like the aesthetics, sound/tone and workmanship of the guitar. I have some similar guitars, including an '84 Fender Tele Elite and a G&L ASAT Classic. Both are good guitars (as long as you remember to carry a spare battery for the Fender), but they cannot produce the unique clarity of Joe's Boa.
Final thoughts: Justin is one of those people out there who does something very well and makes a few dollars doing it. If you want a piece to put on the wall in the den next to the big screen, this is not the builder for you. But if you want a well-made guitar, with interesting variations on traditional themes/designs, great tone, and a player, check out Joe's Guitars.
