Equator Instruments
~hand-made, custom guitars~
|
~reviews~
Posted by Lewis Cole who bought a "Standard"
The neck carve is a reasonably thick “C” shape which is something I turned onto after playing a few
old Kramer “baseball bat” necks; it makes for comfortable chording up and down the neck and doesn’
t make my hand cramp up like some “thin” neck styles do. The back of the neck is glossy; but is thin
enough not to be sticky. I always find the neck is the hardest part of the guitar to get right; I’ve had to
pass on a fair few guitars that had a beautiful sound but the neck didn’t “fit”. In contrast this guitar is
like a pair of old jeans; it’s totally effortless to play.
The acoustic sound of this guitar is breathtaking; this is easily one of the most resonant guitars I’ve ever
played. When you hit an open E-chord the headstock vibrates wildly, the sheer volume of the guitar
hits you right away as well. For an electric hollowbody this thing is extremely loud, considerably louder
than my Gibson. That being said it is not a “boomy” loudness which is the trouble with some
hollowbodies, it is quite a “delicate” sound and is extremely touch sensitive. Don’t think that the single
notes and octaves lack body however; they have a nice plump low end. I’m seriously impressed,
being a smaller hollowbody I was a little concerned that it would suffer the “thin weedy sound”
syndrome that some have, I keep looking inside the instrument to try and work out how David did it; so
far I haven’t worked it out!
Posted by Grant Gallagher, who bought a "Mini":
"First off, the way it looks is truly flawless. I couldn't find one imperfection on the binding work and neck
joint is great, amazing upper fret access. Unplugged, the guitar resonates like crazy. Its not just loud
either, it actually sounds like an acoustic guitar. Plugged in is where all the real sweetness comes
through. I used a set of nickel covered Seymour Duncan 59s. Clean, the guitar has an amazing
frequency response. I don't think I've ever laid hands on a guitar which has such a strong, tight yet
thick, bass, lush mids and very crisp treble without approaching ice pick territory. The sound is just
dripping with fatness while still remaining very articulate. Under some mild OD, it dirties up nicely and
again, still remains very articulate. Slap on a cranked tube screamer and you have that classic Trey
Anastasio endless sustain that goes into very harmonically focused, controllable feedback. Even when
clean or under mild OD its so easy to coax it into some sweet feedback. I think its safe to say this guitar
is everything i hoped it would be and more. Its a finely crafted instrument with a stellar tone. I can't see
this guitar ever not being my number one."
Received from Justin Fox who bought a "Mini"
I recently had a Mini Hollowbody (very Langudoc-ish, but 8-10% smaller than a G2) built by David from
Equator Instruments. David is great to work with, a true professional and very much an artist. His
communication skills are excellent and made me feel at ease during the whole process. My guitar
(upon his recommendation) has a carved cedar top, masacare (sp?) sides and walnut back. The neck
(I believe) is made of a wood called Colorado, and the headstock has a clavalin veneer. The neck is a
perfect size for me, and falls somewhere between a Les Paul/SG and a PRS for thickness, which is about
as good as it gets. The fretwork was excellent, and after a setup (I mean come on, the thing traveled
all the way to Minneapolis from Ecuador, of course it needs a tweak or two) it plays perfectly. The
upper fret access is amazing and the tone is outstanding. The mellow cedar top really smoothes out
the Seymour Duncan ‘59s nicely, and it sounds absolutely HUGE, even unplugged. You can tell David
has great attention to detail, as the finish work is great, and the binding and neck joint are fantastic
(two very easy spots to find shoddy workmanship). Overall I’m very pleased with the instrument that
Mr. Coleman has produced here and will definitely work with him in the future on more custom
projects. Thanks David!
Posted by Greg Belanger, who bought a "Mini":
Hi David - Hope you are well. I've been meaning to write this email to you for months, but it's hard to
type when you refuse to put the guitar down.
I wanted to thank you for building such a beautiful instrument. Your workmanship is impeccable - very
clean, crisp lines, with an incredible attention to detail. You really let the natural beauty of the woods
you chose to shine through. It's a very well balanced instrument that looks and feels like a work of art.
But of course, it's a guitar, and what sets it apart from all others is the sound and feel. That balance
carries through the entire instrument, leaving you with with a guitar that feels comfortable in your
hands, that fits. The neck is very comfortable. Again, it just feels right in your hand. The action is low
and fast without giving up power and drive.
And that tone - that full, woody, resonant sound that I crave. It's hard to find an electric guitar that
maintains the woodiness of the sound, but still rips when you want it to. The sustain is something else -
very natural sounding, riding that fine between tone and feedback. This is one of those rare guitars
that sounds beautiful clean, loaded with drive, distorted, tubed up, compressed, fuzzed, phased and
funked. I couldn't be happier.
I'm sure I'll be in touch with you again.
I'm going back to playing now.
Thanks again, and best wishes,
Greg
Posted by Ed Eagerton who bought a "Mini":
Well, I only got to play her for a couple of days before I left for vacation. I wanted to bring her with me,
but the risk of her getting lost or broken on the airlines and their lack of accepting liability and
responsibility for luggage forced me to leave her at home.
That said, David's work is beyond my expectations. When the case finally showed ... See Moreup (she
spent a few days at customs) and I opened her up, I was instantly smitten. The photos David takes
certainly depict beautiful work, but when you get it in your hands, the detail really becomes apparent.
For instance, I was okay with the Colorado neck, though it was not my first choice in woods. However,
having her in my hands, that wood is far more beautiful than the pictures depict. The grain is really
pleasant to look at. The same with the mascare sides.
The finish is superb but the shape, contours and trim are just downright sexy. The finish just brings it all
together, with a coat that really let's the woods shine, accentuating the beauty of the wood.
But the real magick comes when you play it. I have a PRS that I love very much, but now that I've
played one of David's guitars, I have no desire to even pick up my PRS. In fact, I'm trading it in for a
down payment on a new amp.
When I first played her, before I took her in to my guy to set it up, I was instantly taken aback by how
earthy and warm the natural tone was. It was a very organic sound, as though you could really hear
the wood itself, not just the strings, singing with every chord you played.
Then, once I took her to get set up, I got to play her on the deluxe reverb amp I'm now going to buy.
It was pure bliss. The natural sustain of the guitar is amazing. It can almost get away from you without a
little dexterity. The tone was voluptuous and rich, almost a fine wine of guitar tones. Having set up the
electronics like a Languedoc, the sonic options were a little more diverse, but even without the coil
drop and series parallel, the 59's were just perfect in picking up the diversely gorgeous tone this
instrument resonates.
Taking her home, I feel as though I was being challenged by the guitar, as though I should strive fir
higher levels of playing. I'm happy with what I play, but once I got her set up and home, I found I was
playing in areas of music I never had before, almost like when you add a new effect into your loop and
it's tone or effect causes you to play things a liitle differently.
Just in the couple of days I played it before leaving to catch some Phish shows, I had already started
writing music in styles I rarely play at all. I'm very grateful for this guitar. Though I'm glad to be on
vacation, part of me would rather be at home playing her. In fact, in the couple of days I did play her,
I got very little sleep and found myself waking up and playing before doing anything else.
I can't wait to get back to her, that's for sure.