Stevenson Custom

Stevenson guitars is a fairly new company based in Montreal, Canada. At present they only sell direct but I have been informed that they may be opening up some dealers soon. My guitar is called the Stevenson Custom and boy does it rock! The strat shaped body is made of one piece mahogany and is painted in a high gloss cherry red lacquer. The neck on this guitar is a real mind blower. It is crafted out of a single piece of unfinished wenge which I am told is really stable. Dunlop 6100 frets were recommended by Ted Stevenson, who by the way is a really friendly guy, top notch all the way. I ordered his standard slim C neck which is extremely comfortable for most any style. Electronics consist of two Duncan custom wound humbuckers and a Duncan single coil in the middle. The controls a fairly simple and very effective; a five way switch for pickup selection, a standard volume control which works beautifully (very even response)and a mid boost control. An active mid and gain boost preamp is standard on all Stevenson guitars. A three position mini switch is used to select 1)preamp bypass, 2)mid boost and 3)mid and gain boost, totally amazing. A Floyd Rose trem is standard but they do not use a locking nut. Instead they use a graphite nut and locking Sperzel tuners. I thought that there was no way the guitar would stay in tune as well but surprisingly enough it does, even with heavy trem use.

I play mostly rock and some blues and this guitar is perfect. When plugged into my Soldano SLO the sound is nothing short of amazing. The preamp really adds a whole new dimension to the sound as it gives you that little extra boost just when you need it. The sound could be described as fat and searing, just what I need for classic rock. By the way the electronics are dead quiet and definitely studio quality. Although this is a strat style instrument, the tone is closer to that of a Les Paul. Heavy!!!!

What can I say, I have never played a better guitar in all my life. I've owned many high end instruments (PRS, Fender, Gibson etc.) but have never come across a guitar that feels this good. Everything about the setup is perfect including the 22 perfectly installed frets. The finish as well was flawless, great color.

I've only had this guitar for two months so I can't say anything about the durablility, but judging from the way it's made this should not be a problem. Everything on the guitar is solid and I have not neede to make adjustments yet. This guitar is definitely gigworthy and the only reason I would need a backup is in case of a broken string.

I haven't need any warranty servicing yet, but judging from the great service I got when I ordered the guitar I'd say that they stand behind their product. Having talked to Ted Stevenson himself many times I have nothing but great things to say about the company.

I have been playing for 15 years and I wish I had this guitar much sooner. I would definitely order another one if this one were stolen. In fact I have already put in an order for another one, this time it's a tele with a bookmatched flamed maple top. I'll let you know how that one turned out when I get it.