Wildwoodians, we’re proud to present the Rickenbacker 480XC, a limited edition guitar released for Rickenbacker’s 90th Anniversary that has some of the most mouthwatering flavors of Rick tone ever to waft from the Wildwood Tone Kitchen. It’s also a tribute to one of the criminally underrated guitars from Rickenbacker’s back catalog, as they only made the original 480s from 1973 to 1984. Taking its design cues from the classic 4000 bass, the 480 cuts a sharp profile sure to turn heads before you even plug in!
Although neck-through construction gives the 480XC immense sustain and resonance, the overwound hot toaster pickups are the secret to the 480XC’s sauce. By overwinding them, the tone wizards at Rickenbacker have achieved something far greater than more output. Hot toasters just have more of everything: more midrange growl and bite, more overtones, more sizzle, more low-end, and more sparkle.
Check the 480XC along with our other slick Ricks on our Rickenbacker page!
Back at NAMM 2013, we filmed Pat Simmons performing for an excited crowd of long time fans. There are quite a few videos of Pat performing that day on our channel so go check ‘em out!
Full Video: https://youtu.be/C6fhk77CXdU Visit us @ https://wildwoodguitars.com/...
In the pantheon of all the stank faces ever made while evaluating guitars at Wildwood, the ones our resident guitar evaluator made while playing this guitar are among the worst/best. It’s appropriate that it’s a black Strat, too, because it definitely fits the David Gilmour mold of Strats: bright but with nary an icepick in sight, vocal, and downright snarly. The lows are beefy, the highs are sizzling with tons of harmonic content, and the mids have The Quack.
All in all, this Strat is a monster. If you’re looking for a vintage-spec Strat at a player-friendly price, we have no doubt it will make you stank face like you’ve never stank faced before! Check it out along with our other awesome pre-owned pieces on our Used Guitars page.
Wildwoodians, we are pleased to showcase the Original Collection ‘50s J-45, an acoustic thoroughbred with a workhorse’s spirit. Based on the classic J-45s of the 1950s, these guitars capture all of the J-45’s most appealing characteristics—versatility, dynamic response, and elegant good looks—in a modern package.
Click the link in our story to learn more about Serial 23392104 and Happy #GibSunday everyone.
What happens when a truck carrying Adirondack spruce and a truck carrying koa crash into one another? Well, you get a guitar like this fabulous Froggy Bottom H-12 (we’re not entirely sure if they use the truck-crash method to build guitars, but it’s our best guess). This guitar certainly hits with the force of an large motorized vehicle—even the high e string packs a wallop! It responds to your right hand with immediacy, and the attack is round and springy.
As is often the case with koa-bodied acoustics, this serial has opened up beautifully after having been played, and it has developed a robust overtone presence as a result. On a scale of bright to warm, it sits near the middle with its goes hanging into the warm side. Somehow, despite how full-bodied and complex it sounds, it manages to maintain excellent note separation. For fingerstyle, it works as marvelously as you’d expect, but its talents as a strummer are also surprising and delightful.This 12-fret terror would make an inspiring companion for anyone looking to experience the magic of a great handmade koa guitar, and we have no doubt it will inspire you to embark on all sorts of acoustic adventures!...
Wildwoodians, Tri a little tenderness and check out this gorgeous Custom Shop Les Paul in a rare Tri-Burst Metallic finish as part of the Coal Creek Collection. We’re rarely stumped here at Wildwood, but we can’t find any other examples of this model with this particular finish. Needless to say, it’s a pretty rare bird! It also sounds fantastic thanks to its Burstbucker pickups! Overall, it has a muscular, wide midrange response to go with fat lows and rich trebles laden with harmonic overtones. The bridge pickup is punchy and well-sculpted, and it makes rhythm lines sound beefy and lead lines sting. The neck pickup is MASSIVE, with expansive midrange, chocolate-y lows, and singing highs. If you’re looking for a Custom Shop LP with classic tone and eye-catching good looks that will make all the guitar players on your block green with jealous rage, this Tri-Burst Metallic Custom Shop Les Paul will get the job done!
In this week’s #TBT, we’re revisiting an interview between Paul Reed Smith & David Grissom. These two legends stopped by Wildwood Guitars all the way back in 2011 to have a chat and share some riffs. This is part 1 of a 4 part interview on our channel. Enjoy!
Full Video: https://youtu.be/q3TFrJxLqxc Visit us @ https://wildwoodguitars.com/...
If we had to pick one word to describe our reaction to the tone of this James Trussart Steelcaster, it would “gobsmacked” with close consideration given to “floored.” Metal-bodied guitars are a special interest of this caption writer, and this one is particularly great. It sustains F O R E V E R, and its touch-sensitivity is second to none. It can sound warm and open, with an almost chorus-like richness when you play softly, but when you dig in, it has an evil, aggressive snarl like a fanged church bell from the bowels of Hades. It has the capacity to sound sweet as can be or downright evil depending on the player’s mood, and it’s unbelievably lush-sounding.
If you’ve never experience the magic of a steel-bodied guitar, chances are this James Trussart Steelcaster will blow your mind and cause you to reimagine the way you think about electric guitars (and, if you’re already a fan, you’ll recognize it as an exemplar of the style!). We have no doubt it will inspire you to embark on all sorts of exciting fretboard adventures!
Wildwoodians, we’re lucky enough to be the temporary caretakers of some of the coolest used guitars in the world, and we wanted to highlight them for you in a new series called Used Guitar of the Day! We’re kicking things off with this awesome 1981 Heritage Series Standard-80 Les Paul, which is a killer piece of Gibson history! Basically, this model is Gibson’s very first attempt at recreating the ‘59 Les Paul through their Certified Vintage program. As a result, it shares a lot of DNA with its vintage forebears, which makes it a joy for the player and the people hearing it! It definitely fits the bill of a “Tele-On-Steroids”-type LP: it has a percussive, articulate attack with a pleasing thoonk to it, and its harmonic profile is full-bodied but warm and clear. Overall, it has a woody, warm, vintage-style tonality with open midrange, muscle-bound lows, and sizzling, singing highs. It also emphatically delivers a powerful fundamental tone alongside its sculpted overtone presence. The bridge pickup packs a focused punch with excellent balance between the sparkling highs and defined lows. The neck pickup is downright girthy, with vocal low mids, lows as woody and huge as an ancient redwood, and singing highs. Head on over to our used gear page and check it out along with all our other awesome pre-owned pieces!