January 17, 2009
Michael Kelly Patriot
I'm on a hunt for new guitar. You see, we had a raffle on www.thefret.net and it so happened I won the pot! I never win stuff, so I was very surprised. Now, the deal is that I have to spend the money on guitar gear, and while I didn't win enough to cover the total cost of a new guitar, I'll chip in some savings so I can get a nice but affordable guitar.
I will make my purchase at Music Centre Canada here in Camrose, and I've been spying on the guitars there for the last week. My mind has been set on either a Hagstrom Viking or a Swede, but then the other day, I tested a Michael Kelly Patriot Shadow guitar sitting there plugged into a Peavey Vypyr. So I tested it. Whoah, this thing rocks! I was very impressed. It has a very good sound, and the humbuckers are fat and hot. I usually prefer low output pickups, but on the other hand, maybe I should get a guitar that is very much the opposite to the ones I have. This would be such a guitar.
I played it with high and medium gain amp models, and boy, it just screams. I had so much fun playing 80's rock stuff and some of my lame shredding attempts. Since the pickups are high output, you get a soaring sustain with this thing. And that's fun sometimes...
I figure I can use this a LP substitute. It will give me more crunch and gain than a regular LP, but I noticed it sounds nice with the volume knob rolled off a bit too. My amps are quite clean sounding by default, so this guitar would give me some fat, distorted tones without much help of pedals. Sweet!
I think it looks awesome too. All black and mysterious... I love the looks of it.
I also have to say that the workmanship impressed me considering this is really a cheap guitar. It doesn't feel cheap though. On the contrary, the neck is very nice and smooth. No fret ends sticking out, and the ebony fretboard makes if fast and fun to play. I definitely think the sound and feel of this guitar is a step or two above the norm for a guitar at this price point.
I'll soon decide which guitar I'll get. I very much think it will be either a Hagstrom Viking or a Michael Kelly Patriot Shadow.
In summary, a rocking axe worth having! You should definitely try one out, if you are interested in a rocking axe with fat sounding humbuckers.
By Robert Renman - www.dolphinstreet.com
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