166 PREMIER GUITAR NOVEMBER 2009 www.premierguitar.com
matter of personal taste, and the glory is that
if you don’t like them you can just change
them. Jarrett offers several different kinds
including Duncans, Gibsons and Bartolinis,
and are open to custom choices. So whatever
your preference for pickups, just tell ‘em!
The only issue I found was that the good-looking wooden pickup rings were not
well fitted to the top and I could see a gap
between the ring and the top. They just
didn’t want to lay flat on the top. I contacted
Jarrett about this and I was told that they
rushed to get the guitar ready for review and
the wrong rings were used. OK, I can buy
that. They said they would, of course, make it
right for a customer, and I can buy that, too.
So, it’s not really a big deal, but I always want
to tell the whole story.
I also want to mention the body shape. I
have never been comfortable with Les Pauls.
I think they look very nice, but I can never
get comfortable with them. While the Jarrett
does have the look and overall vibe of a
Les Paul, it just works a lot better for me.
Because it is wider, it sits in your lap better
and seems … well, just more correct in terms
of how deep the body is compared to how
wide it is. The fact that it’s chambered means
it is a bit lighter to hold, and it still sustains
great. The body width also feels more com-
fortable on my right arm as it hangs over the
body. The peghead may seem a bit unusual
to some, but to me it looks pretty classic, in
an art deco sort of way, and I like it. I showed
the Zaffiro to some friends and got mixed
reactions. For some, the peghead can make
or break the deal and that has always amazed
me. If a guitar plays and sounds great, why
would you worry about how the peghead
looks? To each his own, right?
All this got me asking myself, “What I would
do differently if I were to order one?” Hey,
you don’t end up reviewing guitars unless
you can envision yourself owning every guitar
that goes by, right? To answer the question, I
would have a slightly narrower neck, but with
a thicker profile like my trusty ES-330. I think
I could also go for some way cool P- 90 pick-
ups, and maybe jumbo frets for sure. I might
go for a sort of Gretsch orange color as the
finish. Actually, I lie awake at night thinking
these sorts of thoughts … do I need help?
What would you pick for options?
The Final Mojo
Jarrett is doing the direct sales thing à la
Carvin, and they are making a great product
at a very reasonable price. These are made-in-the-USA guitars with a one-year parts
and labor warranty, and they even give you
seven days so you can make sure you like it.
Jarrett also seems very open to making the
customer happy, which is not only good but
necessary in direct sales. As we all know too
well, one unhappy customer can mean a lot
of lost sales, thanks to the internet. Jarrett
can do custom work that includes six body
styles and you get to pick the rest. Style,
tone, playability and even a nice case—what
more do you want? So considering the
price, the custom features, quality and just
that it is a kick ass guitar, I would recommend it for sure. Ratings-wise, I wound give
this guitar a 5, knock off a half point for the
pickup rings, but add a half point for the
quality-to-price ratio.
Jarrett Guitars
MSRP $1495
jarrettguitars.com
you want a high quality American-
made guitar at an import price.
Buy If...
Skip If...
I can’t think of a reason. Perhaps
if you want a body shaped like
a croissant?
Rating... 5.0
ONTHEWeb
Click here to hear sound clips
of the guitar in action at
premierguitar.com
Zaffiro XJ
JARRETT
