Sure, great tone always involves a learning curve. It can
take a while to really get to know your gear, and it often
pays off handsomely if you’re patient. But isn’t it nice,
once in a while, to find something that makes you feel
like you know it right away? For the gear that lets us get
right to playing, and lets us stay there, here’s our User-
Friendly Premier Gear Award.
2008
Premier Gear
AWARDS
USER-FRIENDLY
Catalinbread Serrano Picoso
The Serrano Picoso doesn’t try go too far in coloring your tone, but instead imparts a clean, transparent boost rarely seen in nature. Said reviewer
James Egolf [March ’08, online], “The Serrano
Picoso sounds like the mythical “More” pedal
guitarists have been clamoring for, adding enough
boost to be noticed, all while staying off of your
rig’s inherent tonal fingerprint.” With an equally
tiny footprint and price, this one’s a no-brainer.
Huss & Dalton
00-SP Custom
The small-bodied 00-SP is remarkable in that it
does just what it’s supposed to do extremely well,
with no surprises—good or bad—up its sleeve.
It’s incredibly beautiful, with flamed Australian
blackwood back and sides and great appointments. The guitar has a 12-fret scale, but manages to retain low-end focus and cohesive sounds
throughout the neck. There’s no breaking in this
guitar, you’ll love it from the word go.
“If you dig quality gear and are
auditioning small-bodied acoustics for fingerstyle chores, do
yourself a huge favor and check
out a 00-SP.”
– July ’08
