Product: Tradition Jerry Reid Artist Series
Price Paid: US $575.00
Submitted
10/16/2004
at
04:57pm
by
Coldfire36
Features
:
9
The "Artist" Series is a "Tele" style guitar and has basically the same features as the "Pro" series (see the "Pro" reviews for the specifics) except that the fret inlays are the Tradition "T" inlays, done in mother of pearl and abalone, and the body is contured or carved like a Strat or PRS. Mine is quilted black cherry with cream binding on the body.
Sound
:
9
I play classic rock and blues. (Think Zep,Clapton,Who,Stones,SRV,Beatles etc.) I use this with a Blue-Voodoo-60 head w/BV 4-12 cab, A-B"d w/ a Crate TV-60 1-12 combo w/matching 1-12 Vintage-30 cab. Effects are Cry-Baby Wah and Digitech Tonedriver Overdrive, Turbo-Flange and Multi-Chorus. Guitar has typical noise levels depending on if it is in single-coil or humbucker mode. It is capable of a rich and full or bright sound and anything in-between. The only thing that I am planing on changing is the bridge single-coil. Tradition is going to offer a tapped humbucker replacement that will fit in this position and as soon as it is available, I will have one! With three dfferent style tapped humbuckers, this guitar will be incredible!
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
10
Everything on this guitar was well constructed and my dealer knows how I like my set-up. (Low,fast action with Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinky's) I have played this model directly out of the box and it was already well set-up. Although these are imported guitars, Tradition does the final set-up and fret dressing right here in the USA before the instruments are sent to the dealers!
Reliability/Durability
:
10
These guitars are extremely well made and should last a lifetime. (They come with a limited lifetime warranty.) Everything about this guitar is rock-solid and although I always gig with a back-up,in the year that I have been using this, I have never had any problems...not even a broken string.
Customer Support
:
10
The company has always given me timely responses to my questions. I have never had to have it repaired and as I said,it has a limited lifetime warranty. If I did have a problem, my dealer is an authorized service center.
Overall Rating
:
10
I've been playing off and on for 36yrs.(Played in a band for 3yrs and then didn't pick up a guitar again until 3-almost-4yrs ago when the wife and kids bought me my first Tradition guitar (and subsequently the first of many Traditions) for Christmas. They had heard my friends and I talk about the good-old days with the band, but of course they had never heard me play. Now the old band is back together and not only playing music, but also playing the old "He who dies with the most guitars...wins game!"
During this rebirth of playing I have obtained several guitars, among them Gibson and Epi Les Pauls, Fender Stats and several Traditions. After I got the stupid notion out of my head that the name on the headstock matters, I realized that how it feels in your hands and sounds in your head is what really counts, and I keep coming back to my Traditions!
Finally, I have to say that this entire line of guitars is an excellent value and many of the over-priced American manufactuers could learn from them!
