James Tyler L.A. Studio Classic

Sonic Evaluation

Everyone in the office was smitten with this James Tyler L.A. Studio Classic, and the infatuation only grew when I plugged it in. This thing smokes! It has powerful acoustic resonance that translates to a rich, harmonically complex voice when amplified. The bridge pickup is an utter rock machine: muscular, articulate, warm, and open with plenty of juicy overtones. The single-coils have a beautiful bright, bell-like sparkling tone with lush chiming overtones and a lovely vocal quack. However, when you engage the midboost circuit, you get into SRV territory quickly, which makes this guitar quite versatile. It also has seemingly endless sustain, which makes it a joy lean into a big bend and let it ring. If you need a versatile guitar that covers all the bases while also being tremendously inspiring, this James Tyler will take care of more business than Bachman-Turner Overdrive!