Patrick Eggle Berlin Pro

1992 made in coventry england 24 frets quilt top, coil tapped two humbuckers three way switching plus toggle which can give out of phase. wilkingson trem. the one thing that they could have put on is a tone pot. just as when your on stage you can make them suttle adjustments. but on saying that the swtching can do this!

this is the most vesatile solid body guitar i've ever played,
i've a marshall 9100 but played through a mesa boggie to. Awsome!!
whith the switch i and sound it equally if not better than a PRS.

this was bought second hand so can't comment from factory but is perfectly set up and have found the finish immaculate,

i've bought this for gigging and find the guitar a top pro piece of kit. all the hardware on it is very well made and had not one problem. am very happy with it

I've been playing 40 years i own a les paul,musicman silloette,peavey wolfgang,patric eggle new york,stineburgh,mesa boggie and marshalls.digiteck legend 2 and boss GT8.
i would not be without one of these now!
this is a comfortable guitar as not as heavy as your les pauls but has the sound.

Mine is a 94, with a lovely cherry sunburst. Usual issues, the trem is rubbish and the coil taps are a novelty.

This guitar goes through a JCM2000 TSL. How can such a pretty guitar much such a devil of a noise? It is bloody brilliant. I play heavy rock, most of the time on channel 2 of the Marshall with the mids on full and the gain set to about 4 or 5. You get the power and the clarity of the Kent Armstrongs and it feels just great to play. On to channel 3 with the gain all the way up and this thing just screams. I've also been lucky enough to use this guitar through a 1962 AC30 and I thought I'd died and become Keith Richards.

The Wilkinson Trem makes this a very difficult guitar to set up and if I was traveling the world it would be a right pain. The screws have corroded and it would be impossible now to alter anything. The guitar is now semi-retired and still plays great so this isn't an issue, especially as it couldn't be improved upon in terms of current set up. The bridge itself was quickly blocked off with a combination of off cuts and a plastic ruler! This hasn't affected the sound at all but this isn't the easiest guitar in the world to get to feedback, this might have something to do with it. The falling leaf inlays do make it a cut above nearly every other guitar, the PRS birds don't even come close!

I got this guitar when I was young (!) and it saw the inside of just about every toilet we-want-to-be-famous venue in the country. It has picked up one or two blemishes but has withstood the usual temperature changes going from the cold van straight on to stage under the lights and back again routine, beer and fags, sweat and blood treatment. I now fully respect what abuse this was and it only comes out now for special occasions to preserve it for future generations!

Never had any need

I got this guitar because no one else was using them and I wanted to be different. It has always been a source of conflict really, why on earth aren't these wonderful guitars seen across stages across the world, but then I get to be unique and in on one of the best kept secrets in guitar land. If it were stolen then the perp would be hunted down! PRS' are often mentioned but in all honesty, I keep trying them to see if our cousins from across the water do do it better but...these brummies are the best!

I posted a review about a year ago and I just want to give some follow-up info. (Ollie)

I sold a couple of my other guitars and bought some new ones. I sold the Schecter, the ESP/LTD and bought a Patrick Eggle Berlin Std and a Blade R4 instead. I must say I am very pleased with both guitars but I keep returning to my Berlin Pro E-VE-RY-TIME. I am done with the hardcore/metal stuff and play now in a "speed"rock band. This means I am tuned differently and play with another set of strings (regulars). I enjoy it even more, the easiness with which every note is played and bended is simply amazing. This is the most playable neck I encountered in all guitars I tested beforehand. Even a mediocre player like myself can produce nice tunes with this gear :)
The Berlin Std possesses the same neck so no diffrence here, but the Berlin is built with better materials and electronics which therefore makes it my instrument of choice. The R4 is also an amazing guitar, but way less playable, especially for soloing (bolt-on neck, broader neck, 21frets).
Oh yeah, I replaced the awful early Wilkinson with a new one and it suits me better this time. So I recommend everyone who had problems with this piece before, swap it out for the new wlkinsons, they are much better.

I own two Belin Pro`s, the early one has alnico Kent Armstrong pickups and the latter Seymour Duncans. Tone woods used are a mahogany body and neck with figured maple cap and ebony fingerboard.
Both have two pots v & T with coil tap on tone pot and toggle selector. Both have wilkinson locking trems and both are strung light
9-42. Both have sperzel tuners. The early one has a box case, the latter a shaped green Eggle case. The early one has jumbo frets and the latter medium.

Of the two my favourite is the early one,owing to the blusey tone from Kent Armstrong alnico humbuckers, the seymours are brighter but lack the soul of those Armstrongs. The set up with coil taps allows these guitars to cover nearly all guitar tones from bright purcussive to woman tone aka Cream. They`ll rock all day as well and sustain well, ZZ top no problem yet on single coil neck, sound clear and sweet, back off the vol after selecting both single coils and you`ve got reggae. Can`t ask for much more can you! I`m not a whammy bar man but good use can be put to the floating trem which is smooth topped for a comfy palm rest where vibrato can be added by slight movement of the wrist. No need for a chorus pedal and always ready to go, esp useful on open chords. Given that I use super lights which do not tension the trem springs to a great deal, tuning is always spot on. These Berlin Pro`s are super versatile and look great and sound great. In my book they offer the best value for money on the UK market when a top class instrument is required.

This guitar is designed perfectly. Slick ebony action, no sticking at the nut, perfectly aligned string routes over nut owing to the perfect positioning of the tuners and Sperzels at that! The best!!
Keep your PRS, I sent one back, the heel on the Berlin is far better designed being a smooth arc into the body and small. The PRS heel is like a cart horse by comparison and makes access to the 24th fret a joke. With the Berlin access to the highest fret [24th] is easy and my fingers are not long ! The PRS did not have coil taps either, it was the sigle cut away, the Berlin is a better designed guitar.

My early one is still playing as well as new, in all these years it has only needed a change of pots, owing to dust crackle. All trem guitars are an acquired taste and I personally love the small and smooth topped Wilkinson. Who wants a trem thats a metre long with a cluster of fine tuner screws in your elbow! A scrap merchant or Schwartzenegar. I must admit PRS trems are neat.

Over the years I`ve been in touch twice with the firm, helpful and always polite.

Playing 20 yrs plus, been semi pro and still jamming every week. Odd party turn out. Play into two Marshall AVT`s, split via Boss CE3 pedal. Own early Yamaha SA 2000s and Tokai MIK Loverock `les paul`.
Given that the Berlin Pro is far cheaper than the PRS yet offers more
tone variation, equals it in finish & woods, has spertzels as standard and a far more playable neck to body join. Buy The BERLIN, let the name tag posers blow it on an inferior US copy!

Bought this October 1992 Eggle from a chap on eBay for #680. This was made when the man himself was stil involved with the day-to-day running of the factory and rumour has it that quality control was better then...

This is totally original, maple top under transparent green 'Emeraldburst' finish, mahogany set neck, ebony fingerboard with dot inlays, two Kent Armstrong open HB's (we'll come to them later) 24 frets, Volume, 3-way tone selector (coil tap) and three way pick-up selector. Sperzel locking tuners and the nefarious Wilkinson trem. Came with Patrick Eggle monogrammed case.

I play Bluesy/Metal type stuff (Gary Moore, Zakk, Slash, all your pentatonic stuff...) and this guitar is great; I can get a thick Gibson sound and when I hit the coiltap biting Strat/Telesounds too.. In fact, if I've got a criticism its that the Bridge Pickup is a little too bright and harsh on the ear.

I play through a Line 6 Flextone live and Guitarport at home the PC. I don't need any external pedals. NOW, lets talk about the Wilkinson Trem...I've never been a divebomber a la EVH....just as well as this thing is dreadful!!! I've had it professionally rebuilt and now I can get away with the odd harmonic wiggle but anything harder and I;m tuning up all over again - good job I'm not a big trem user I suppose...

It needed work when I bought it, frets uneven truss-rod needed adjusting and of course the Wilkinson unit needed attention. The pickups are OK - I've toyed with idea of replacing them with more powerful units but as the guitar is totally standard I thought better of it. The overall finish on his guitar is superb and aside from replacing the nut I've had no problems with it, the neck and fingerboard are great and allow for a really fast action.

The only comment I would make is that the 3-way coiltap selector looks a bit odd, juys a big black control knob with nothing on it and looks like I've stuck it on myself!! but its standard so I am told.

These days I just do a few numbers at my local blues club so I don't really put this guitar through its paces anymore, Its not a super strong instrument but will withstand normal use..... the finish and hardware is in very good condition bearing in mind the little raver is 13 years old.

Its never ever let me down but I always take two guitars to any gig out of habit.

Haven't had any issue with the company I'm afraid so no comment. (I like their website and user forum though)

Ive been playing professionally and for fun for 25 years and have owned more guitars than I can recall - I do remember from my youth (mid 70's) my Avon SG copy, my Kimbara Strat Copy (superb quality) and then my first Gibbo, a 1970s LP deluxe Goldtop.

These days I have my 1992 Eggle and my 1979 Yamaha SG2000 (frightening instrument, weighs a ton, sustains forever and for playing rock music, beats anything that exists in the modern world including all yer pointy headstocks, PRS's and funny shapes).

If I lost this guitar I'd scour the earth for an equivalent. Its one of those guitars that really endears itself to you and I be heartbroken if I lost it.

In terms of comparisons, quite honestly when I play about with other guitars I think 'thank god i've got the Eggle at home' There was a Gibson Les Paul once that wa on a par but it was #5000 so there you go!!!

*My PE was built in 1995/1996 in Birmingham,
*24 frets, 3-way toggle with 3 way selector (9 ways in total)
*2 passive humbuckers: neck: Seymour Duncan Alnico; bridge: Seymour Duncan Custom Custom
*Body: Mahogany with a thick maple top; neck: mahogany with ebony fingerboard (yes!!!)
*Finish: yellow translucid fornt and red translucid in the back
*Body style: PRS
*Bridge: AWFULL WILKINSON TREM :(:(:(:(
*Tuners: Sperzel Locking Tuners
*Neck: thin, whith slightlky rounded frets and -as I said- ebony fingerboard; very low action: PLAYS LIKE HEAVEN!! Extremely smooth, fast and precise!!!

I give it a 9 because of the WILKINSOM TREM.
I bought this guitar because the other guitar player of my band already owned a PE Berlin DLX for years and it sounded and played soooo well I HAD to buy one. He didn't use the trem at all and blocked it at both sides with pieces of carton. The trem is parallel with the strings and completely blocked now, so it works like a hardtail. I did the same thing and the guitar stays marvelously in tune and the action stays very low. Without blocking the trem: it's bullshit. It's detuning all the time!!! Actually, I got blessed by the previous owner for buying this piece of junk (can you imagine???) He'd bought this guitar to play with tremolo: BIG MISTAKE: DON'T DO THIS!!!

I play mostly Metal and Hardcore. This guitar doesn't look metal at all (think Santana). But I don't care; it is very versatile and -did I mention it before?- it plays unbelievably smooth.
You can make it sound very close to a Strat or a Les Paul. Turn your volume knob to the max and you ahve a very fat, rich sound; cut it down a bit and you will have a very crisp and bright tone (with quasi no feedback when distirted!!) but with a huge amount of attack. The sound of the guitar at low volume follows an exponential curve: when you hit the strings slightly it sounds like playing "acoustic"; hit them fiercely and it opens the gates as if the volume knob was turned to the max!!!
It's as good for blues, funk, rock as it is for death metal or furious hardcore.
One problem: sometimes the guitar picks up the local radio station :)

Original set-up: good except for the tremolo I guess
Pick-ups: perfectly adjusted
Top & Bridge: see tremolo
The previuos owner said he had problems with the 3 way toggle and he had to replace it.

I play in C with this guitar, I use a .013 -.056 set of strings so I had to make few adjustments to the guitar, but now it sounds perfectly well and the action is even lower!!!
The rest of the guitar is very well built and finished beautifully. Most amazing feature: the neck!!!!

PS/ top string saddle doesn't accept much wider strings than .056!!!

This is alreday ten years old and looks like new (except for a little dent in the body work (I think the instrument fell on a blade or something)
the other guitar player seems to have problems with the backside of the neck, as the laque seems to wear of, but I can't really compare beacause it is an other model and it has been built in another era (1992) of PE manufacturing.
I would certainly use it without a backup! it is a quite but not too heavy piece of machinery (and I like it beacause it helps for the sustain) and you can easily knock some fans out with it in a mosh pit.. :)

I've been a few times on thei website, and they are very dedicated personnel and proud of their products. When you tell them the serial n? of your guitar, they almost remeber making it!

But I actually do not have been in contact with them for any problems

PS: they have a lot of useful tricks how to set up your axe!!! Check out their website!! www.patrickeggleguitars.com

I play for over ten years now. I am currently playing in three bands and do occasional fill in gigs.
Amplification: I have a Hughes&Kettner 120W WARP-T amp and a ENGL Tube Toner preamp (my gig gear), a Hughes&Kettner Tubeman preamp, an KMD GV-100 SD (for blues), a ADA Microfer 2*50 poweramp and a Peavey Studio Pro 110 for home use.
Guitars: I own an Ibanez (RG series), a Shecher Scorpion (bariton), a Viper-400 (LTD) and a 1989 customized Gibson SG Deluxe (Dimarzio X2N pickup and Schaller locking keys).

My PE is my favourite guitar but it as also the worst features that I ever encountered.
I am deeply in love with the versitality of the instrument, the sound, the neck and it's action and the great craftmanship. I hate the trem, but since I manage to block it, it shouldn't be considered as a problem. I am thinking of selling all my guitars and a big deal of my amplification to buy another one. I wouldn't sell my Schecter because it is a different instrument (feels like a bass) and it is completely made to be tortured at Hardcore shows (but it has lousy pick-ups), but my PE does everything else my other guitars (my 1699? Gibson included) do and won't do. If anyone is interested in a trade :) ??

The reviewed guitar is a Patrick Eggle Berlin Pro with 22 Frets and a Wilkinson Trem.
The serial number is 8121 and - according to Patrick Eggle - indicates, it was made in 1998.
I bought it new in 1999 at the Music Factory - a guitar store in Mannheim - Germany.
The guitar has a very beautiful turquoise finish with dark horizontal stripes, Sperzel lockers and a Wilkinson Trem.
The Sperzel lockers are so good, reliable and easy to handle, that it makes me wonder, why Sperzel lockers are not the standard on every guitar, which is sold today).
The only thing about this guitar, that really sucks, is the Wilkinson locking trem. It's not worth, to describe in detail how horrible this thing is - it should just be replaced - the sooner the better!
I also had some trouble about the neck, because 5 frets had to be worked over just a few weeks ago, cause they moved upright from their original position - but to my surprise, that wasn't expensive at all and now it works perfect again.

Anything else was described in other reviews, so I guess it doesn't make sense, to repeat that in this review.
Without the Trem I would give 10 points but the Trem was part of the guitar, so it's only 8.

I play this guitar maosty through an Engl Screamer 50 Combo and it really offers a broad variaty of great sounds - clean and distorted.

Specially the clean sounds with the "single-coil" setting are really incredible - very powerfull rich and open sound.

Beside this Patrick Eggle I use a Gibson Les Paul Classic and a Gibson Les Paul 1954 Oxblood and the Patrick Eggle covers all the rest of sounds that might be needed beyond the two Gibsons - there is no need for any Fender guitars if you own an Patrick Eggle.

Beside the serious trouble with the Wilkinson Trem and the trouble with the frets - the fret problem interfered with the Trem Problem and all that ended in an action that was much to high, so that the playability of the guitar really wasn't that good at all for a while.

Now everything is great and the guitar feels wonderful and is very easy and a lot of fun to play.

The finish and everything is very, very beautiful - I would never give it away just for the looks. Everything is done at a high quality level - specially the neck with the natural wood at the back and the ebony at the top looks incredible and I enjoy it literally every time I see it - this guitar is a gem.
It would be 10 points without the Wikinson Trem - so it's only 8.

Got serious problems with the trem and problems with the neck, so that could have been better.

Only contacted them once via E Mail, to find out about the date when my guitar was manufactured. They answered within 3 days, which is really good.

I would never give it away, because it's great to play, sounds incredible, offers a broad variety of great sounds and looks awesome.

Beside these aspects, Patrick Eggle is a small company, so the distribution of these guitars is relative small, which is another attribute, that makes this guitar something special.

I would buy it again.

My PE must have been made in England. Birmingham, to be precise (that's the only place they make them, so there's no other option really). There's nothing on the truss-rod cover, so I'm not exactly sure which model it is. AT first I even had doubts as regards its authenticity. But hey, who'd make copies of such fancy gear. You get Strat copies, LP copies, PRS copies, and so on, but PE ain't that popular. Presumably its the Pro V model. The guy who sold it to me didn't know either, so i took it to Mr Witkowski, one of the best luthiers in Poland (check out his site) and he certified to its authenticity. What's more, he was very impressed with the guitar. He set it up for me but admitted it was an ordeal. 24 thin frets. Mahogany body with maple top. 2 Kent Armstrong humbuckers. Translucent ocean blue finish. Beautifil. Wilkinson tremolo. Select mahogany set-neck with ebony fingerboard. Sperzel locking tuners.

A truly universal guitar. I play the blues-rock kind of stuff and it suits perfectly. The previous owner of my PE played in a lousy punk-rock band so i guess it works with punk rock just as well. Great for jazz too. I play it thru a Marshall JCM900 head into a soundman 2*12 Celestion Vintage box. Lovable. Thanks to the 3-way toggle swith you can get a wide range of sounds. I usually use the bridge humbucker for distorted playing (rich and bright sound) and the neck one for clean playing (marvellous!). the material is so good that you can tell it's gonna sound great even before you plug it in. No dislikes whatsoever.

I don't know about the factory set-up. The Witkowski guy told me my PE was built aroud 1994 when Patrick Eggle Guitars was a small workshop run by Mr Eggle and some helpers. This means that my PE might have been made by Mr Eggle himself so I guess the set-up was fine originally. I don't know the history of this guitar but surely previous owners knew how to bungle the set-up. Now everything works great, though perhaps I'll change the 11 to 10 strings, which means setting up the Wilkinson bridge again. This ain't easy but once done works fine forever. You'd have to bludgeon it to put it out of order.
I've examined this babe to a hair and found no flaws at all.

This PE has withstood dozens of punk-rock gigs, bigger and smaller. I ain't used it on stage yet but I'm certain it'll do fine. I play it a couple of hours every day, plugged in and everything. Nothing's been wrong for two months. This babe is unbreakable! You can play it on a gig without any backup, no question about it.

I don't know. I ain't dealt with those guys. I didn't need to.

I've been playing this cutie for 2 months now and I'm absolutely charmed. I also own a Fender Standard Strat and I must say I can play a lot of different thing now. Those two guitars perfectly complement each other. I only wish I could learn the history of this guitar. I don't know how to do it. The serial number isn't there any more. I guess it might have been grinded away during some treatment, if there ever was a serial number at all. I'd get seriously depressed if it was stolen. There's nothing I hate about this guitar. The sound is gorgeous and I get praised on the looks (the ocean blue colour is simply wonderful). My girlfriend fell in love with this guitar at first sight and she still hates my Strat. PE is a fabulous instrument, no doubt about it!

year: 1992
frets: 24
cherry burst quilted top
controls: volume tone with coil tap and 3 way selector
pickups: h/h
make of Pickups: Kent Armstrong
mahogany body and neck ebony fingerboard
was fitted with wilkinson locking trem with sperzel locking tuners

Suites my music style perfectly, i play a lot of blues jazz and melodic and it hasnt failed me yet,
currently running it through a line 6 spider 212 which really complements the guitar, dont honestly dislike anything about this guitar really

the setup when i got it was perfect really low action and not a fault i could pick up, i believe that it was professionally setup by the man himself before it left the factory

only guitar i will play now even though its taking long enough to find one like it

10/10 quality instrument

Made 1994 at the old factory just before they went T**s up. Hardtail 24 frets,Honeyburst quilted top with mahogany body & neck with a beutiful ebony board that slips under your fingers like a dream.
Seymour Duncs(don't know the model) non locking tuners with a pull coil tap.

I have played most styles,soul, blues ,RnB,rock.At the moment I play in a covers band playing everything!
My rig at present is a Marshall JTM60 combo with a JCM900 2x12 extention, Marshall Bluesbreaker and Supervibe pedals.I have just got a Behringer V-Amp effects but no comment yet as I have not gigged it.
This set up gives me everything,no adverse comments at all really, great guitar that gives any sound I want.

I swapped a US strat and an old Antoria Les Paul for my "Paddy" with a guitar dealer friend of my brother in 1998.It was a bit of a dog when I got it but Ritchie at Tomson Guitars (Wigan)soon sorted that out.
The guitar itself was Immaculate, as brand new.

I have been gigging virtualy non stop since '96 and I have used my Paddy on nearly every one since I got it.
It still looks great, even after some real heavy treatment.
A couple of fret dresses and set ups, plus my own fiddling and it is exactly the way I want it.
Suits my little chubby fingers down to the ground!!
The only thing I have had to change is a volume pot in all the time I have had it.

I found them very helpful.I wanted to trace the history of my guitar and they told me when it was made etc.Apparently it was destined for Germany.

I have been playing since I was about 14.
I also own a '79 Strat, Fender DeLuxe Tele, Tokai Tele, and I have tried or owned many,many others (including PRS Eggle copies)this is what happens when your big 'Bro is a collector, play them all at no cost!,but every time i come back to this guitar.I really don't need any other as I cannot think of one negative.Looks great,sounds great,plays like a dream.What else is there to say.
For sheer value for money I dont know any other guitar to touch it and I would have another one tommorow.