Warren Arlen Roth Signature

Has a fast maple neck with a satin finish that feels really great. Only slight buzzing on upper frets on low E but easily adjusted. This thing is light and there???s a sweet natural ring to the wood. Mine is white with black hardware and pickguard. It has 3 Lindy Fralin pickups with a 5-way switch. There are push/pull pots on volume and tone knobs that will keep you busy for a while looking for yet another new sound. It has a modern bridge as opposed to the classic Tele bridge.

This is the best guitar I???ve owned (or played) by a country mile. There seems to be an unlimited variety of sounds available. It even sounds great acoustically. Obviously it does the Tele thing perfectly, but it also goes beyond that with the combination of the 3 pu???s and the push/pull pots. This is ostensibly one of the most versatile guitars to be found outside Don???s Classic model. I play through a Carvin Belair 212.

The finish is superb. Since I???m fairly anal, I have to mention two very minor issues: the lower screw on the control plate can???t be tightened properly and there is a slight misalignment between the pickguard and the control plate.

So far so good, but, obviously, only time will tell. Which is why I feel uncomfortable rating this category. Not being a professional musician I suspect it will outlive me fairly easily.

Have not required after purchase service but all through the building process Don was patient (he wasn???t convinced with all my choices but went along anyway :-) and made some good suggestions. I didn???t feel the need to contact him regularly because just talking with him I somehow knew the guitar was going to be just fine. But he was always available and quick with responses. Although I suspect I drove him a little crazy with my black hardware fetish!

I've been playing on and off for 42 years. I???m not one of those musicians who owns a bunch of classic and vintage instruments so I can???t brag about that. But I did play a 65 Tele back in 65 and a new ES-335 back in 82. Both fantastic guitars.

Why did I choose Don Warren? I???m a big fan of Arlen Roth and when I found out Don had built him a signature model that was more than good enough for me. When I received the guitar and opened that great-looking case my heart literally skipped a beat. It was exactly as I had pictured it. This is an instrument I could not afford, and I don???t regret buying it. If you???re contemplating a custom-made instrument you owe it to yourself to put Warren Guitars on your short-list.

Lighting fast maple neck. No buzzing anywhere. Perfect intonation.
Extremely light. 3 tone burst finish. 3 Lindy Fralin pickups/
5 way switch. Push/pull pots on volume and tone knobs

I'm still discovering new sounds daily. This guitar covers all
the classic Tele sounds and more. Classic Strat, Stevie Ray plus
Gibson and Gretch tones. Even almost acoustic tones too. Super sustain. The push/pull pots and the tone knob offer so many variations its amazing. I'm playing through a Mesa Boogie Lonestar with 2 12's plus a THD cabinet with 2 12's. I'm using a Fulltone GT500 pedal.

This guitar was shipped via the postal service and arrived
in pristine condition. It was so comfortable to play and
everything was right. If you've ever bought and played a new guitar
that wasn't right ( buzzing strings, intonation not right, pickups
improperly aligned) you know what I mean. This guitar is perfect.

Built like a tank. From my conversations with Don, I know he
personally tests each guitar rigerously before it ever leaves
his shop.

I spoke with Don several times on the phone during the purchase
process, build and subsequent shipping of the guitar. First of
all he's extremely friendly and easy to talk to. You can tell
immediately he really cares about each and every guitar he makes.
As I'm located on the west coast and Don is in New York, I thought
it might be hard to catch him on the phone. But as I found out
he not only builds guitars, but he teaches guitar too. He called
me several times at 11:00pm his time(8:00pm my time)after arriving home from giving lessons. He was never in a hurry and was eager
to answer any questions I had. It's rare in this day and time with so many industries being shipped or lost to overseas to find
find an honest person and also an American craftsman". Don is rarity.
I told him don't ever change. I know if I had an issue with the guitar, he'd be there to fix it.

I've been playing 46 years. I currently own a Eric Johnson model Strat, Gibson ES335, Rickenbacker 12 string, Fender 1952 Hot Rod Tele, 1966 Rickenbacker 330. Wechter Acoustic. 1967 Vox Cambride Reverb, Fender Cybertwin, Lonestar Mesa Boogie and even a "Esteban
amp from that guy who dresses like Zorro and plays spanish guitar
and sells them on HSN.
I became aware of Don's guitars purely by chance while surfing the
internet. I was looking at Danny Gatton video's on Utube and that
led to Roy Bucannon and of course Arlen Roth, which led to Don's
video of him playing the Arlen Roth Sig model. I was so impressed
by the tones, that I must of watched that video 50 times. I researched Don and his guitars on the web and could find nothing
but good things. I decided to take the plunge and give him a call.
I'm certainly glad I did. If this guitar was lost or stolen (over
my dead body) I would immediately place an order for new one.
If your considering a high end guitar from one of the "major"
manufacturers, you owe it to yourself to give this Guitar serious
consideration. This is a handmade instrument by a real craftman
who really cares about the product he's selling. Unlike
a lot of the garbage that comes off the assembly line from one of the "major" guitar companies. Don tells me he'll be coming out with
a new model shortly. I'm very curious to see what it is.
I could type more, but I hear my Warren guitar calling me to come play.

This review is for a Warren Arlen Roth T style guitar, ordered new and recieved about 10 months ago. The guitar is finished in a beautiful butterscotch finish, with a dark amber back and sides over a one piece swamp ash base. All in all a really great looking guitar. Other features of the AR model are maple neck, 3 single coil pick-ups by Lindy Fralin and a unique 5 way switch with push pull volume and tone pots for a wide variety of sounds. Finish and assembly is absolutely first rate.

I purposely waited a while before writing this review as I wanted to really get to know this guitar before offering any opinions on it. When it arrived last january, my initial impression when I first opened the case was "wow"! Now that I've had a chance to really get accustomed to this guitar, my impression is "WOW"!!! This guitar is everything I could have hoped for in looks, playability and sound. It gets positive comments from everyone who sees and hears it. My expectations were high, and Don delivered in a big way.

This is my first Telecaster type guitar and my decision to order it was based on two things. First was listening to Arlen's tone and this guitar hits Arlens vintage tone squarely on the head. Secondly was my frustration in finding an "off-the-shelf" T style from other makers that felt right in my hands, and this guitar feels like an old friend. It was a huge leap of faith for me to place my order, but I'm really glad that I did.

This one guitar produces so many great usable tones, that my other guitars have seen very little use since this came into my hands. this includes some really nice vintage Les Pauls, Gretschs, and Fenders. Check out the sound clips on Don's site, they're all inside this guitar and easilly dialed in by way of the unique wiring that Don uses. I play through a Carr Rambler(6l6)and its a match made in heaven!

Exactly what you'd expect from someone like Don who clearly puts his heart and soul into making these guitars. Not a flaw to be found.

I've not had any issues in my 10 months of playing this guitar virtually every day. Hardware is first rate across the board.

Don was tremendously helpful throughout the build process. We spoke by phone and e-mail pretty regularly. I had no issues whatsoever during the build and I can only assume based on that experience that were there ever any need for support that Don would be a good guy to deal with.

I've been playing for over 30 years, mostly for my own enjoyment these days. I own a few vintarge LP's, a vintage Gretsch and a late 60's Strat. I play a variety of music basically 60's R&R and blues.If this was stolen, I'd be on the phone to Don the next day to see if he still has the paint code! This is the most comfortable neck I've ever played and if something happened to the guitar, I think I'd have two choices...look for a 50's telecaster to replace it, or call Don and order another one.

This review is for a Don Warren "Arlen Roth" telecaster. If you have ever heard a great telecaster in the hands of Arlen Roth, Danny Gatton, and other tele masters you know what I mean when I say I wanted a tele that could give me a piece of that magic. Seeking an awesome vintage Telecaster for some time now, I've played alot of them, Fender Vintage, Fender custom shop and a lot of custom makes. This Warren Arlen Roth tele is the no-brainer, hands down winner. This Warren Arlen Roth (model) Telecaster was specifically designed/built for Arlen Roth to duplicate the playability and specifically the "sound" of Arlen's beloved 53 tele. I think Arlen said "Don Warren made it happen when others failed" and that's exactly how I feel. Special care was made in copying the neck profile of Arlen's 53 as well as the overall tonality, balance, and feel of Arlen's magical 53. These features alone make my AR tele a unique and amazing guitar. (more on that later). The Body is a gorgeous piece of ash, neck is beautifully grained maple with what appear to be medium-jumbo frets. This neck has a profile that is beefy yet extremely comfortable for my medium sized hands and plays like warm butter. The absolutely perfect finish is a glorious vintage butterscotch. Tuners are staggered height vintage Kluson-style. Pickups are tele configuration (but includes a middle p-up as well) that are Don Warren's "Special mix". The vintage-style Bridge is a special steel to Don's specs and this guitar has Don's "special blend" alloy saddles that giving this guitar more, oh-so-special tone and vibrant ring. We then get to Don Warren's "Wiring magic", which includes special wiring of his custom push/pull pots and 4-way switch that sets this tele apart from any other with an amazing array of tones you can get from this tele monster. (more on that below). My guitar was also hand signed by the Master himself, Arlen Roth. Did I mention the neck on this guitar is FABULOUS and it resonates through you like a Mother to her child.

The sound, playability and tones from this guitar separate it from any other guitar I have owned or played. As a 'tele' this guitar just rips, snarls, chimes and breathes tele fire and sparkle. Sustain is fabulous. The neck is easy, fast and the guitar's unplugged resonance just jumps from the guitar. Its crystal clear nature and overall tremendous balance from top to bottom beg you to experiment, letting your emotional self, express to its fullest. The bottom end of this guitar is very deep and tight, mids are pristine, crystal clear, highs are deliciously extended but never harsh. One of my favorite aspects of this guitar's sound is that the bridge pickup is clear, tight and can deliver great punch but is never harsh. Angus Young from AC/DC once said "Everyone has someone inside them screaming to get out" this guitar allows that to happen. The array of tones from this guitar are simply amazing: vintage strat, humbucker fat, VERY convincing acoustic (no kidding) and every possible tele tone you could imagine from oh-so-smooth to snarling, ripping, searing and everything in between. The way Don has designed his volume/tone pots/controls is simple, intuitive, and begs creativity. It's a true joy to play. Of special note is the way this guitar sounds clean through a great amp, you get these AMAZINGLY pristine tones and bottom-to-top balance that catches you off guard. Don's special 1-volume/1-tone-pots allow amazing control of your tones with your pinky unlike any other guitar I have played. You can thicken or thin the tone to be Humbucker, strat or tele instantly, swells are easy, easy , easy just amazingly useful creative tools. Don clearly spends ALOT of time on his fretwork. His 'rounding' of the upper edges of the fretboard and frets provide a very worn in feel and uncanny control. This allows my fret hand to relax, move faster and more accurately along the fretboard. This Warren tele has the best fretwork and feel of any neck I have played to date.

The action, fit and finish of this guitar is second to none and easily the best of any tele I have played or handled. The neck pocket is perfect and I mean TIGHT. The balance is excellent. This guitar weighs in approx 6.5- 7 pounds. Everything feels solid, tight and comfortable to play. The balance is very good so the guitar hangs nicely and plays well on the lap. I cant imagine this guitar having problems. Don tells me the woods used for this guitar have been aged and I believe it, it FEELS like a vintage instrument, it has that "solid" feel to it that special guitars have. The neck has this uncanny feel that is like great sex - it fits, and it wants to play.

I cannot imagine having problems with this guitar. It stays in tune extremely well, is easy to tune and intonation is dead-on perfect up/down the neck.

Don takes a huge amount of pride in his guitars. He is clearly a "perfectionist" and it shows. He is easy to reach and responds extremely well to all inquiries, questions and concerns. Don is also extremely knowledgeable of what makes a vintage instrument play and sound like it does. Don isn't simply copying vintage instrument. He is taking the best from them (their essence) and then improving on them to provide the guitarist a broad palette of tonality and emotion.

I waited about 5 months for my Warren-Arlen Roth Tele. I'd do it again in a heartbeat and in fact have 2 other Warren guitars on order. I am selling most of the other guitars I have (some very nice customs), because this Warren tele (and the other Warrens I played at Don's) are just superior in every way and allow amazing flexibility in tones. I finally have a guitar that puts the tone in my hands as opposed to relying heavily on an array of effect pedals. Do yourself a favor, check out Don Warren's guitars: www.warrenguitars.com Get a Warren in your hands and you'll never be satisfied with anything else. For the price you'd pay for another decent telecaster, you get a true tele monster that delivers Sooooo much more. Feel free to email me with questions.

Features? How about the best sounding and easiest playing guitar you have ever laid hands on?period. This unprecedented claim is well-documented on the Warren Guitar?s website (and Harmony-Central) by the many players, and therein you will find the science behind these replicable masterpieces is explained by the builder himself, Don Warren. After waiting seven months for my new guitar to find out if this was a ton of hype or the Holy Grail of solid body electric guitars, I?ve verified that Don Warren is a veritable genius in the artistry of guitar building. The body is beautifully figured medium weight ash. The finish is gorgeous semi-transparent butterscotch. The Maple neck is the far and away the best I?ve ever played, and so it goes with others who have had the privilege of playing a Don Warren hand-carved neck (just see what Arlen Roth says on the web site). The pickups are three single coil custom hand wound by Lindy Fralin. The volume pot can pull out to activate the neck pickup anywhere in the chain so it can be on the same time you are in the number two position (bridge and middle). Of course, this would make no effect in the four, as it is already there. The other pot activates the number two and four in series, making it fat like a humbucker. The volume pot does not loose tone as you roll it back so it can go from an overwound sound to a more early vintage tone Tele. The bridge is a classic Tele cut at the bottom to allow finger-picking closer to the bridge saddles which are classic Tele and made of brass. Tuners are vintage Kluson style. The features of this guitar and their unequivocal quality surpass anything I?ve ever laid hand on in 35 years.

To limit my Warren Guitar to a 10 in Sound seems a huge injustice. Why? Simply because this instrument has no equal when it comes to tone, sustain, and variety of sound. With an unbelievable sonic response across the entire range of the instrument, the guitar sounds like the finest acoustic guitar but it's electric (Arlen Roth says they should be miked for their unplugged tone alone, and he's got a point). It's magic. The clarity, sweetness, and sustain are unequalled. For example, I own a 35-year-old Johnny Smith that has a jaw-dropping sweet, full, singing tone, and yes, this solid-body Arlen Roth Signature Model has more tone and sustain, but it accomplishes that amazing feat with slinky little .10 strings, unlike the beefy .13?s on my Johnny Smith, not to mention the large hollow-body with f-holes and the thick neck. It seems to defy the laws of physics because it generates this immense tone from .10?s. I?m the kind of player who previously would put .12?s on a Strat just for the tonal benefits, and then suffer through the string bends, but this guitar makes that approach irrelevant. My wife, who is a guitarist herself with a well-trained ear, thought I was playing my Johnny Smith when she knew I had just received this guitar and was dying to play it. Hard to believe, I know, but it?s absolutely true. With an nearly unlimited palette of sounds, this guitar suits my musical styles which are wide-ranging from Blues, Jazz, Country, Pop, Reggae, Bluegrass, and Classical. I currently use a very clean sounding Fender Custom Shop Vibro-King amp which does a good job of keeping the incredible sound of this guitar unadulterated. When I need to modify the sound, I use effects from Analog Man mostly. The variety is stunning. That this guitar offers the best sounds of a classic ?53 Tele and vintage Stratocaster is just the start of what it can do, but that?s a lot right there. What I like about this is, FINALLY, I can express myself. Tonally, I sound as good as or better any live performance or recording I have ever heard. I've been searching for this sound my entire life. I've never played a better sounding guitar.

As it has been appropriately stated elsewhere, Don Warren is a perfectionist and it shows in his workmanship. The construction and adjustment of this guitar, the neck, the headstock, the body, the finish, the pickups, and the bridge are superlative. The scale of the guitar is perfect for my hands, arms, and body. It cradles in my grasp perfectly. This fine instrument plays with such precision and ease. It becomes an extension of myself instead of an obstruction. Oh, and the neck, what a neck. You forget it?s there because it becomes an extension of yourself--lowest action ever without string buzzing--silky string tension?perfect intonation across the fret board. Arlen says it?s the best neck he?s ever played; I agree. Immediately, this neck enabled me to play passages with stretches I have never been able play before, and any issues found on other guitars with string buzzing, intonation, vibrato, and/or speed quickly become a distant memory. The neck surpasses any Fender custom shop neck or that of any other instrument. Intonation is excellent, and it stays in tune. The medium jumbo frets are perfect; they immediately improved my technique, especially string bends. But here?s my best example of the playability of this superb guitar: about the same time I ordered my guitar in October of 2004, I damaged a nerve in my left hand and couldn't play at all. In fact, I had a cast on my thumb to protect the nerve from further damage and irritation which was simply letting it touch anything (I was real blue). Then, I ordered this guitar and waited for my hand to heal. Then I got her, and after not playing for seven months, I played much better in a few days with the Arlen Roth model than I had when I was forced to stop playing (which was many, many hours a day over many years). Unbelievable! I thought it would take me months to resume playing with ease, but with the Warren neck, my technique advanced ahead of anywhere I would have been on my other guitars.

The Arlen Roth Model is as solid as any guitar available today. With top-shelf materials, construction, and components, issues with reliability and durability are extremely unlikely with normal maintenance and care. A simple once over confirms these characteristics, but when you actually play this guitar, it has the most solid, quality feeling of any instrument. The hardware is all top shelf; that?s one reason this guitar achieves such pleasing sounds. The finish is immaculate and durable. This is creme de creme of handmade solid body electric guitars. No short cuts to a finished guitar are found here. The strap buttons are so solid and wide that I don?t have to tie my strap or use strap locks. I absolutely will depend on this during my gigs and without a backup.

Don Warren and I corresponded over many weeks via email during the design and decision making process of this guitar (I could have called him any time, but I prefer email for specifications). He took the time to get to know my preferences and issues with playing, such as having smaller hands as it relates to neck size. Don gave me scrutinizing personalized attention not found many place these days. He took my input to heart and let me know exactly where we were in the whole process of building my guitar. He even sent me photos of the neck and body right after he had finished them. Don is a wonderful and down-to-earth Master Builder, so it was a total pleasure working with him. And, he has done me a great deed. For someone who loves guitar as much as I do, obtaining this masterpiece is a major life event. I?ll never be able to thank Don enough!

My overall rating of this guitar is it?s simply a sonic masterpiece that befits any virtuoso. That fact that this thing, as a solid body, has as much as or more tone and sustain than the finest acoustic steel string (or classical nylon string) guitar proves the amazing engineering and guitar design. This is the Stradivarius of electric guitars, and I would hope such an accomplishment will get its due recognition someday because Don Warren has done something no one else has done. The Warren tone and workmanship clearly surpasses that of all others including PRS, Suhr, Baker, Fender Custom Shop, Anderson or anyone else out there. I?m just the next guy who came along and discovered this, so my comments are only echoing those of the other reviewers no matter which Warren model is discussed. I've been playing since 1969. Currently, I own a 1970 Johnny Smith, a 1969 Les Paul, a recent ES335, a Fender Custom Shop Strat. My favorite amp is a very clean Fender Custom Shop Virbo-King. If my Warren guitar was lost, stolen, or irreparably damaged, I?d suffer immensely until it was replaced. My favorite feature is how the instrument?s superb quality eliminates issues present in other guitars and allows an unobstructed expression. I chose this guitar because of the incredible claims that were being made about Warren-made instruments; as someone who suffers from a truth-seeking personality, I wanted to see if it was true or not. It?s all true. The only downside to this guitar is it makes all of my other guitars mostly irrelevant since it gets all of those sounds and plays easier.

This incredible guitar is made by Don Warren in upstate NY as a model originally designed for guitar great Arlen Roth. Being a student and friend of Arlen, I had the opportunity to play his original guitar and was blown away. It has a light-medium weight ash body with one of the prettiest and flawless butterscotch finishes I have ever seen. Maple neck with a satin finish that just feels so right.
There are three single coil pickups that are custom wound by Lindy Fralin. The neck pickup is hand wound by Lindy. The volume pot is a push/pull that thickens the tone in the two and four positions.One master tone pot that does wonders (more on that later) The bridge is a classic Tele with a twist. It is cut at the bottom to allow some of the crazy Arlen-style finger-picking closer to the bridge saddles which are classic tele and made of brass. Tuners are vintage Kluson style. I give features a 10 since the array of incredible sounds easily obtainable with this guitar are phenomenal.

I play most;ly blues with some country, jazz and finger-picking variations. I am also an avid and knowledgeable collector of vintage guitars and amps. First of all this guitar rings out acoustically like a dream. To me that is a great sign since even the best pickups cannot make up for poorly chosen woods and poor craftsmanship.
I cannot even begin to tell you how beautifully responsive this guitar is and how perfectly the pickups are voiced to complement and bring out an array of tonalities that truly make this a fabulous instrument.
I have played the guitar through a 1959 tweed deluxe, a 1959 Bassman, a 1957 Twin, 1965 Deluxe Reverb, 1967 Marshall 18 watt combo, 1966 Park 45, 1965 Marshall JTM45, Soldano SLO100 and a DrZ Maz 18 Junior.
Besides having all the classic Tele tones, I can also get some of incredible Strat-like sounds. The neck pickup can be Tele sharp or Stevie Ray-like with just a little turn of the tone pot. That is actually the greatest electronic feature on this guitar. In the neutral positions you have all the vintage tones available. By turning it clockwise, the mids are subtly increased for some sweet thickness. Turning it counter clockwise, brings you some cool nasal "woman" tones and some acoustic-like sounds buy also backing down on the volume pot.
On the 2 and 4 positions, by pulling on the volume pot, the tone is beautifully tickened and some of the "quackiness" is lost for great use with various lead tones. The bridge pickup can cut like a razor blade without being to harsh or brittle. By turning the tone pot, the sweet mids can bring it close to a humbucker thickness with perfect clarity though. This guitar is now my main axe and I own vintage strats, Teles, 1950s Les Pauls, and many PRS. This guitar does exactly what you want a great guitar to do and does it perfectly.

Don Warren is a perfectionist and it shows. We are not dealing with factory made stuff here. The guitar is set up perfectly to respond to every player's demands. The wood was carefully chosen for weight and tonalities and it is also beautifully figured piece of ash.
The neck plays like a dream and the fretwork is one of the best I have ever seen. As good as Tom Anderson or PRS.
Everything on this guitar is designed to deliver ultimate TONE and PLAYABILITY.

The guitar is basically a Tele style so what else can you say about a design that has withstood the test of time? This guitar will offer many, many years or reliability. The neck has a satin finish so none of that sticky glob of finish. It will feel even better with lots of playing. Everything is rock solid.
I know nothing is perfect, but this guitar will make any player very, very, happy and feel special indeed. Remember everything has already been said and done in the guitar world and that happened from 1951 to 1959. A subtle improvement made on a Tele, Strat or Les Paul style guitar is all we can ask for.

Just call Don and he'll have is tool box ready for any adjustments. He's a phone call or email away.

I have been playing for 20 years and own more gear than probably deserve or that anyone will ever need. I should probably open a store.
If this guitar was lost or stolen, I would only hope that Don could replicate his magic.
I highly recommend it to anyone that can appreciate a quality instrument and can bring out all its amazing voicings.
It's a keeper!!