Product: Jolana Star VII
Price Paid: US $35.-- used
Submitted
10/27/2002
at
06:11am
by
Ronaldo Boyz
Features
:
7
Must be a late Sixties item, maybe an early Seventies. It's Chez build with typical pre Iron Curtain features. The serialno on this guitar is 57136.
The neck has 20 frets, with a 0 fret, just under the top. The body is thin, solid and look's like a Strat. It has a single ply white pickguard, with black sides. There are two control pots, one for tone, the other for volume, and a 4 position rotating pointer knob to switch between lower-, upper- and both pick-up's. The 1st position is both pick-up's out off phase. Nice Sixties sound. The pointer knob has a long and a short pointer and doesn't have a stop position!
Pick-up's? I really don't know. Strange looking single coil(?) in a humbucker size. They're black with a see-trough plastic strip across the top and six adjustment screw's. They alter the sound, so it's really nice to experiment with them. Output is a bit low, but if you cranck the amp up, they sound absolutely amazing. Espescially in the two pick-up configuration. Fat, Fat, Fat.
Bridge is a sort of Tune-o-matic, with adjustable rings for height and roller saddles. They're damped with a sort of felt, but sometimes the adjustment screws want to play a part in the sound. It has a tremolo with two way action, which is too weak. If you bend the strings, you can hear the tremolo de-tuning the upper E and A! An extra spring could do the job.
The neck is thin, Fender like but feels good.
Sound
:
10
Sound is great. Fat if you want fat, and when I say fat, I mean FAT!!!!!!!! Les Paul like....... Great for doing Blur, Radiohead or Supergrass, without pedals!!!!!!!!!
And it can be as thin as on the 50's an 60's blues and rock albums.
Great fun.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
5
However, it isn't easy to play. If the set-up is right, took some time, you still will be surprised by Iron Curtain habbits.
It's easy to slide the lower E-string (thin) off the scale, giving you no sound whatsoever :) Once in a while you have to hammer the lower frets down :) and if you have rotated the pointer dial in the wrong position, you will go from thin to fat in one stroke, hahahaha. Keep the longer pointer at the lower side, it's ok.
In short: a guitar with a user manual! You need to work!
Reliability/Durability
:
7
Whitstanded all those years already, why should it die on me now?
The finish, silver metallic!!, has crackelled all over the guitar, fingerboards are wearing. But it is still a pleasure to play on!
Strap buttons are ok, the lower on can be screwed out and turns into a nice screwdriver! Good thinking. Needless to say that this lower one is very solid.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
HUH?
Overall Rating
:
9
Just a special guitar, with ditto sound. Looks very Communists Party.
I would never part with this one, although people say these guitars are crap. I don't think so. Unless you've tried it on stage, you wouldn't probably look at it, let alone buy one!
It can be used without an amp. Because of the thin body and all the metal on the bridge, it's nice to practice without disturbing the neighbours. Big fun to own!
