Product: Patrick Eggle New York DLX
Price Paid: 299 (gbp)
Submitted
05/11/2001
at
10:26am
by
Michael Parker
Features
:
8
This is a new guitar that I purchased in 2000 and it has a solid alder body with a 22 fret maple bolt on neck. The fingerboard is rosewood with small abalone dot markers but the country of manufacture is unknown. The neck is fairly flat with fat frets. There are 2 single coils and a bridge humbucker and all pickups are Kent Armstrong. There is only one volume and one tone control and a 5 way selector. The tuners appear to be sperzel and the bridge is Tune-O-Matic. It has a nice strat type red finish with a white pearloid scratch plate.
Sound
:
9
I play a mixture of country rock and jazz and this guitar is usable in all situations. I mostly use minimal effects, just reverb and some chorus, but the New York copes well with these styles. The out-of-phase between the single coils gives a stat type tone and the middle position is good for rhythm. However the guitar excells when the hmbucker is brought into play and what I particularly like is the ability to switch instantly from rhythm to lead. As with most tone controls on budget guitars, there is not a great variety but it is enough for most tastes.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
7
The guitar was well set up with only a little choking on the first two strings that was quickly rectified by raising the bridge slightly. Once in tune it remains so with only minimal re-tuning after extensive use. The finish is excellent and the whole guitar is nicely balanced and comfortable.
Reliability/Durability
:
7
The New York has a confident feel about it and I am sure it will stand up well to normal playing demands. I would never perform without a back-up but I am happy to use this as my main guitar on certain gigs.
Customer Support
:
6
The sale process via the internet was smooth, and delivery was next day as promised. However a worrying feature is that as of today the website does not seem to be available although this may be a temporary hitch. I am not aware of any warranty.
Overall Rating
:
8
I have been playing for 30 years and over this period I have collected a number of guitars. I have to say that I find myself continually going back to the New York as it is such a comfortable instrument and is adaptable to both rhythm and lead playing. I am very happy with my purchase and would recommend the instrument to anyone. It is certainly excellent value for the money and in my view could sell for over #500.
