Product: Peavey Destiny Custom
Price Paid: US $660.00
Submitted
06/30/2001
at
06:41pm
by
Anonymous
Features
:
9
Peavey's attempt at the PRS market, The Destiny Custom (not to be confused with the bolt-on Destiny) is one sharp guitar. Besides the neck-thru (very smooth heel) it came with a quilted maple top in transparent red or amber. It was probably too expensive to be a Peavey--yet not pricey enough to appeal to boutique guitar buyers. The hardware is fine but the Floyd Rose is more of a hobby than a feature; I had the locking nut removed and reduced the time it takes to change strings from 3 hours to 10 minutes. Neck is flat & slim (not chunky) and appropriately for a pro-grade guitar, the fingerboard is super slick, beautiful black ebony, which is great to play on. 24-3/4 scale. The pickups on mine are lousy, however. I tried tried a Seymour Duncan humbucker & 2 Lindy Fralins but ended up with a set of EMGs.
Sound
:
8
Who do guys who can afford anything they want still play a Strat, a Tele, a Les Paul, a 335 or some copy on these? Because "Taking the best features of each" does not work. The Destiny Custom is like a light weight Les Paul with Strat pickups and this "super-Strat" thing is misguided, IMO. But put good pickups on this guitar and you have a slighty bright jazz/fusion guitar that's a dream to play. With the EMGs, the humbucker is terrific for overdriving and harmonics and the single coils are pretty good for jazz. Of course its a solid body so its not exactly mellow. If only it were possible to put a humbucker in the neck position. Sigh....
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
10
Lovely. My dentist, a PRS collector, was amazed. Don't expect to see an ebony fingerboard on many guitars though; after all, it adds about $15 to the price. Given the price, I'm still amazed when I see "Designed & Built in the USA" on the headstock. Gibson should have quality control like this.
Reliability/Durability
:
9
With the neck running the entire length the guitar is totally solid but the finish is on the soft side so it will pickup belt buckle marks. Pretty sure its polyurethene. For this money you don't get nitrocellulose.
Customer Support
:
10
Well, in the Peavey tradition, the guitar actually comes with instructions(!) But if you still need assistance the Peavey people are friendly, knowlegable. They have a listed phone number, they reply to email. Sort of the reverse of most other companies, no?
Overall Rating
:
8
If it matters, I've been playing since 1964. (Coincidentally) I have a Peavey Classic 30 tube amp which I use with a Yamaha DG Stomp and some Boss pedals. Got a couple Strats and a Rick 12, too. If you're in the market for a Strat or a Les Paul by all means, get one. But if you're considering a PRS or something else that's expensive, beautiful and without much personality, shoot, plunk down a few hundred bucks. This guitar's gotta be a rarity; its the sort of thing they put in the back of Guitar Player..
