Product: Paragon Jumbo Custom
Price Paid: US $1300
Submitted
02/03/2004
at
04:05pm
by
L. Walton
Features
:
10
THis mini-jumbo was Paragon guitar number 5, and made in British Columbia. All solid woods and huge value for money. Mastergrade Sitka top, Macassar Ebony body, African ebony bridge, fingerboard and tuning pins on Grover mini-rotos, with a Honduras Mahogony neck with ebony veneer headstock and flamed-maple binding. Uses jumbo frets and has greenheart abalone purfling and rosette as well as MoP inlays on the bridge, fingerboard and the Paragon logo on the headstock.
Sound
:
10
I play a mix of bluegrass flatpicking, fingerpicking and modified classical and this guitar sounds amazing. The ebony body gives a good balance across the range and the jumbo body projects!!! WOW. The Mastergrade sitka soundboard is very tight grain and will take a bit to open up, but already the tone is amazing and improving. I have a Martin SPOM-16 that I compare against and the 2 are totally different with the with the Paragon crisp, balanced and tonally distinct to the Martins soft ringing. I find myself playing the Paragon more and more and the Martin stays in the case!
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
9
Not too much to say here, the setup and action were great. Action is a little different and I realised this was due to the jumbo frets while I was used to thin frets. I have adapted now and the action is fine.
Finish on the guitar is stunning for the most part. Only bit (and this may be that I am not used to wood binding) was some rough varnish along the edge of the binding. This is the only negative.
Reliability/Durability
:
10
This guitar is solid. I have no doubt about its durability! I've had it now for 3 months, so it is still new, but it feels like it will last forever.
Customer Support
:
10
The guys at Paragon are superb! Every email is answered directly. All mine were answered by Rob Bustos one of the founders and luthiers. Every question answered, and even after sales requests handled with no worries.
Overall Rating
:
10
I've been playing guitar for over 35 years and have owned 4 Martins (2 at the moment D12-35, SPOM16), 2 Gibsons and a Silvertone! and I have to say this rates at the top. It is an affordable, custom made guitar by a couple of guys (ex-Larrivee) that are running a fairly new business and building a very good product and an incredible value. If something happened to this... I would have to call my "new best friends" in Vancouver and get another one!!!
Product: Paragon Jumbo Custom
Price Paid: N/A
Submitted
07/26/2003
at
06:22pm
by
Angell Tsang
Features
:
10
GALLERY at http://www.pbase.com/atsang22/inbox
2003 Jumbo
- Sitka spruce/EI Rosewood made in Vancouver, Canada and shipped 2-day UPS
- 3 piece mahogany/ebony neck
- Flamed maple binding, ebony sandwiched headstock and tuners
- K&K Pure Western passive pickup
- Jumbo fretwire
- Gloss finish and celtic cross inlay
- Green velvet hard case
Sound
:
10
My church bought this guitar to play in both non-amplified and amplified settings. It was chosen for maximum volume possible, and it definitely fills that need. One of my pastors said, "This thing resonates like crazy!". The sound is defintely much louder than our Martin D1, and the sound does not break up when driven hard. We plug it straight into the PA system and the pickup gives a warm sound which complements our worship sound.
The jumbo fretwire defintely makes a great improvement and makes it sound more full.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
10
Action was perfect. You can strum hard and soft, and it was the perfect balance of low action while being high enough to prevent buzz.
The gloss finish is beautiful. The pickup is nice and warm, and installed perfectly. Everything is matched up flawlessly.
Reliability/Durability
:
10
A no-brainer. One look, and you know its high end craftmanship. A master grade guitar built by master luthiers.
Customer Support
:
10
Rob Bustos, the luthier at Paragon I dealt the most with, was amazing. If I could give a rating higher than 10, I would. He gave a great price and is also a great guy. He was extremely helpful in the custom building process, and gave great advice on all specifics for the guitar. Give him an email and he'll respond real quick! Some things I loved hearing from him was "Oh yeah we'll throw those in for you."
Overall Rating
:
10
The prices simply cannot be beat for a custom made guitar, built to your own specs. I own a Taylor 814ce, and this blows it away. Get in on the action before Paragon gets really big (ala Olson, Ryan)!
