Warren Special

This review is of a gorgeous Warren Special I played during a visit with Don Warren. Aesthetically this guitar looked like a very high quality strat with carved/flamed maple cap. I had placed deposits for a few Warrens by this time having the "gut" feel I had finally found a guitar maker who was really up to something very, very special in producing truly great guitars that offered tonal flexibility. The "special" in this review was Don's personal axe, a number of years old and in his words this guitar represented about 60% of what a current Warren offers. If this is the case then...whoa. This stunning guitar is a S/S/H utilizing Don's "magical" combination of wiring, pots, pickups that all add up to one amazing array of incredible tones from a guitar that isnt electronic/active. Sperzel tuners, The Warren tremolo (more on this later) completes what is appears to be a strat style guitar...but is so much more. If you call 8-10 VERY outstanding tones "features" then this guitar deserves a 20 in this category. Maple Top was a beautifully flamed/finished and the body is alder I beleive on this guitar. Neck is bolt-on maple with a rosewood board and standard dot markers. 3 push/pull pots (2 tone, 1 volume I think) and a 5-way switch all appear quite traditional yet offer so much more. Selling price of this guitar is about $2000-2100 I think. The traditional strat (his Classic-ll) sold for $1899.

I arrived at Don's expecting a quality guitar offering some unique tones, but I was not prepared for the quality of these tones and how this guitar REALLY does what Don says it will. Sustain?...forever. Balance?...tonally perfect balance top to bottom. Character?....perfect, sweet, gutsy, soulful, etc. Each pickup was perfectly voiced to complement the other. Anything...and I mean just that...could be coaxed from this guitar easily with minor pickup/control adjustments...searing bridge leads, jazz warmth, tele twang, awesome vintage strat, awesome acoustic!!..you name it this guitar can do it. Just amazing. Don educated me on tremolo design and specifically the mettalurgy that needs to be understood to produce a great guitar tremolo. This Warren sustained forever and the trem was perfect, responding effortlessly and staying in tune. The harmonics, tonal balance and intonation of this guitar was perfect. An absolute tone monster. I auditoned this guitar using a Peavey Classic 50 4-10 and a pedal board of various effects.

Absolutely perfect in this category, not a flaw anywhere. Don's neck is pretty amazing. Its ultra fast and plays buttery smooth. I am not sure of its profile but what I found interesting is that I have small hands and usually like a thin neck. The neck on this guitar was fatter than I ususally like BUT it felt perfect to me. Don's neck finish is awesome (not glossy/sticky) and the feel of the neck top to bottom felt the same no matter where I played, also unusual and very rewarding.

I was informed this guitar has not been set-up in a few years and I have every reason to beleive Don in this regard. If thats the case...then this guitar is a rock. Neck joint was perfect and incredibly tight. Finish was flawless. Selection of woods superb (visually and tonally). Everything worked smoothly and the action was very low...AND...not a buzz anywhere. Don's insistence on correct wood selection, his seeming obsession about quality shows in this guitar. Don says his custom tremolo is made to his exact specifications using the exact metals he specifies based on years of investigation. Whatever the case its clear this tremolo delivers the magic.

Don is a super great guy, absolutely no hype or attitude. Don is very professional and has HUGE passion for what he does. He makes it very clear during informal conversation that the intregrity of his guitars is first priority. His ability to make great electric guitars is very apparent in his keen understanding and knowledge or past and present methods, materials and design. Warren guitar owners report great customer service.

Playing on/off for many years I've played/owned a vast array of electric guitars. What Don Warren is doing with his guitars is nothing less than a new paradigm that deserves success because his guitars simply deliver so much more at a level of quality second to none. After my visit and many emails and phone calls, I've gotten to know Don Warren fairly well and I beleive the man a genius who delivers the goods at VERY reasonable pricing. He has wildly succeeded in developing guitars that look fabulous and deliver musical flexibility no other solid body electrics anywhere can match. I am awaiting delivery of my first Warren and will review it here. If you are considering a Warren, feel free to contact me.

This guitar was hand made by Warren Guitars and sports a s/s/h pickup setup. I chose the tiger eye finish, and I ended up getting a great piece of wood with a beautiful natural wood birthmark on the front side. The main feature of this guitar was the different pickup combinations that are easily obtained. All I have to do is pop up the last tone pot...and BAM, instant stratocaster instead of a fat stratocaster. Pulling up the first tone knob turns the humbucker into a single coil, pulling up the second tone knob makes the second and fourth positions much fatter, and pulling up the volume knob activates the neck pickup anywhere in the series (i.e. with the volume knob up in the first position you have an instant telecaster). In addition to the TONS of awesome features it included a very nice hardshell case.

Where do I begin...? In this guitar is contained every possible sounds you would ever need. Strat, fat strat, tele, acoustic, prs, and the list goes on... You'd think that such a versatile guitar couldn't sound good in EVERY setting, but it does. If this guitar was just made as a strat or fat strat copy it would be worth buying because of its genuine sound, but every single setting sounds just as perfect. One of the biggest problems of manufactured strats today is that the bridge pickup is shrill and has no tone. Don's guitar sings brightly in the bridge position and he could certainly teach Fender a few things about making guitars. There is only one word to describe this guitar and its sound, perfect.

Everything about this guitar was perfect right off the bat. It looked exquisite and played even better. I never thought that I could actually fall in love with a guitar but it has happened with this one.

Haven't had it too long, but I know Don will be there if anything goes wrong.

There is no other company that you can buy a guitar from where you can go and talk to the guy who made your guitar. Don is friendly, and willing to help with any problems or questions. It is the best possible customer support possible.

I've been playing for just over two years and I'm confident that I will never need to go looking for another guitar. Combine the beautiful appearance, the outstanding sound, and the incredible customer support and you have a Warren guitar. No other guitar on the market can compare to the perfection of a Warren guitar.

This guitar is awesome! Made by Don Warren from New York (www.warrenguitars.com), this is the guitar for anyone wanting great tones from your axe. The neck has 22 frets and feels vintage, as in it's really comfortable to play. Strat style body with push pull knobs on volume, tone 1 and tone 2. It has a 5 way selector switch. S/S/H pickups, with every combination of them attainable by simply pulling one of the knobs. My guitar is a blue BMW color, which changes into a purple/reddish/greenish in the light, it's really neat. The bridge looks similar to a standard tremolo, but it stays wonderfully in tune even after a divebomb. The tremolo operates smoothly. The tuners are locking, which is great as it makes string changing a breeze. I can't say enough about the features of this guitar. My advice, drop what ever guitar your playing now and pick up one of the Warrens, it will change your musical life, I promise. I've had mine for only 5 days and I still can't get over how well this guitar handles. I doubt if I will ever use anything but a Warren again.

I play rock music mainly, but I dab into country, jazz, and blues occasionally. This guitar fits EVERY style I can think of. I still haven't fully explored the tonal possibilities of this guitar. Right now, I run it through a lengthy effects chain (MXR Comp, Tube Screamer, Mini Danelectro comp, MXR Phase 90,7 band EQ, Digitech Stereo Chourus, MXR Flanger, DD5 Delay, Digitech Digital Delay, Octave, Whammy Pedal, Roger Mayer Octavia, cheap wah, Vox Volume pedal--man im a gear junky), then to a splitter which goes into a Mesa Dual Rec. and a 5150, or a Fender Deville, depending on what sound I need. This guitar sounds great though it all. Actually, I hardly use most of the effects. With the Warren, I only use the delays, and phase stuff, no need for the compressors and EQ, the guitar has great sustain and is perfect in the EQ department. I haven't noticed any noise from the guitar. My efeects chain has some noise, but I plugged the guitar straight to the amp and the guitar makes no noise it shouldnt. The sound is very full. I love it, you will too. So far, there is nothing I dislike about the guitar. It's perfect for me.

With me living in Alabama, this guitar had to be shipped through the winter cold from New York. Oddly enough, a big suprise, the guitar was in tune and the neck aligned when I took it out of its case after a week in the mail system. Everything was adjusted just the way I like it. The finish is spectacular. Its hard to describe in words, you have to see it. It's blue, but when light hits it right, it turns purple and red and a bit of a green color.

I've only had this guitar a week, so I can't really make a comment about this. It seems really durable, but I never play anyplace without a back up guitar, but thats just being cautious about string breakings.

Haha, if you ever have a problem/question/comment about a Warren, you can talk directly to the guy that built your guitar. Now thats what I call customer support!

I have been playing for 8 years and have managed to collect quite a few guitars (24). I have several (4) Fender Strats, 2 telecasters, a les paul, 2 peavey Wolfgangs, a couple various acoustics, 2 bass guitars, and some cheaper electrics. The Warren Special is the flagship of them all. It has everything I look for in a guitar. If it were ever stolen or lost, I would definetly get another just like it. eek, I hate thinking of having this one stolen. I love everything about the guitar. My favorite thing on it though is the electronics. The way Don has designed this guitars guts, it's truly amazing. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

I have had my Warren Special since the summer of 1999. The basic features are the same as the Classic II that was reviewed by Mike on 06/20/2001 22:19. The addition of a humbucker in the bridge take the Classic II to the next level. Lets start with the awesome cherry sunburst on alder finish. I was hesitant about the finish on alder, but when I saw it for the first time the colors in the finish just radiated off the simplicity of the grains in the alder. I picked a solid black pick guard and chrome pots and hardware. All three pots are push pull with the addition of a 5-way switch. The pickups are S/S/H. The hum bucker makes this Warren Special unique from the Classic 2 (more about it in the Sound portion).

Yes I have found it. The search for the guitar that gives you the tonal qualities of a Strat, Tele, PRS, Les Paul, Ovation, etc... I thought it would take some fancy computer chip, but Don has taken all the features of the greats and put them in one package the old fashion way. I?m going to ride off Mike?s right up again because he has hit the mark. The only difference with mine is the S/S/H setup. With the Humbucker and all the possibilities of setting the other single coils you can create deep full tones that of the Les Paul and PRS. If you want to switch the humbucker to a single coil pull up the last pot for a great clean strat sound. While you?re at it, pull up the volume pot (activating the neck pickup) and have an instant tele. Swircing between the incredible variety of tones is easy and seamless due to all volumes being equal from setting to setting. After three years owning this guitar I?m still finding new tones every time I pick it up.

The neck feels like a preformed shoe that fits your feet perfect and doesn?t need breaking in. Action is set to your desire. The guitar is adjusted appropriately for the weight of your requested strings. I have never felt a neck this comfortable. I don?t know how he makes it feel like I?ve owned it all my life. It really does feel like an extension of myself.

Three Years and still going strong, this guitar was built to last with the excellent craftsmanship and detailed quality in the materials.

How many times do you call a manufacture for customer support and actually talk to the guy that designed and built your guitar. NEVER!!!!!!! Don Warren is the exception to that statement. This guy stands behind his product and he is always there to provide customer support.

I have been playing for 20 years and have found the Ex Caliber of guitars. My first loves were the classic Strat and the Les Paul. Then I found that really awesome affair with a PRS that I had for a few years and became bored with it. Then?finally, came my soul mate. The Warren Special . I have experienced new tones and abilities that are fresh like a love that never fades away. I really believe I?m a better guitar player with this guitar that has been custom built to fit the way I play. I?m saving my pennies for the next addition to Warren?s Family.