PRODUCT REVIEW
PEEKAMOOSE
Model 3
BY BEN FRIEDMAN
Once Upon a Time
When the editors at PG first heard about
Peekamoose Guitars, the initial reaction
was that there had to be a nursery rhyme
within that unique name. After meeting
Peekamoose owner Paul Schwartz, learning about the company’s history, and
having an opportunity to play one of his
guitars, I can’t help but conjure up that
nursery rhyme to kick off this review:
At Peekamoose there’s a luthier named Paul
Who fixes guitars big and small
He’s studied his arts
And he has all the parts
And he builds a guitar that’s a ball
other renowned professionals, such as Larry
Dimarzio (who wound pickups for LoBue
Guitars), Steve Blucher, Sherwood “Woody”
Phifer, Ralph Novak and Bob Sindorf. For
several years thereafter, Paul was immersed
in the 48th Street guitar community, provid-
ing repair and warranty support services.
These invaluable experiences served as
the foundation for the designs he uses in
the four models currently available from
Peekamoose Guitar’s Custom shop, including
the Model 3 under review here.
In reality, Peekamoose is not a nursery
rhyme, but rather one of the tallest peaks
in the Catskill Mountains, and the name
of a trail in Highmount, NY, where Paul
Schwartz skied in his youth. In keeping
with his vision of differentiating his offer-
ings from the mass guitar makers, Paul
chose the name when he formed his gui-
tar lutherie and repair
business in 1983.
Prior to forming
Peekamoose, Paul
had the unique
experience of an
internship in the
early seventies
with one of New
York City’s most
prominent luthiers
and repairmen: Charlie
LoBue, founder of
Guitar Lab and LoBue
Guitars. While at
Guitar Lab, Paul
not only learned
about the
fine art of
fretwork
and guitar
design,
but he also
worked
around
Here, Moosie Moosie
At first glance, it might be easy to mistakenly
label the Model 3 as a mere update to the
classic Fender Jazzmaster design. Looks can
be deceiving, as the only genetic code the
Model 3 shares with the Jazzmaster is its body
shape and 25. 5" scale length. Beyond those
two similarities, every other design decision in
the Model 3 is derived from Paul’s experience
in order to create an instrument with a broad
sonic palette, a high degree of responsiveness and solid reliability. The Model 3 features
a two-piece solid southern ash body (f-hole
semi-hollow is also available), finished in an
opaque blonde using nitrocellulose lacquer.
The body features both a top arm contour
and tummy cut. The quartersawn maple neck
is also finished with nitrocellouse lacquer and
sports the unique Peekamoose headstock. The
neck carve, like other features of the guitars,
draws from time-proven designs and is best
described as a combination of a ‘50s Strat and
a ’50s Les Paul. The neck is topped off with an
8"– 12" compound-radius fingerboard made
of a generous cut of highly-figured, slab-style
rosewood. Maple and ebony are also available. The rosewood contrasts nicely with the
22 polished, 18 percent nickel-silver frets
(.057" x . 100") and mother-of-pearl dot fret
markers. The sleeved, single action truss rod is
accessed at the headstock.
Playing the Moose
The guitar is voiced with a pair of zebra
custom-wound Seymour Duncan humbuckers that use the Seth Lover model (Alnico
2 bar) as a foundation. The goal was to
