PRODUCT REVIEW
454
Hottie
BY ToNY PAsko
In this modern age we live in, everything we buy is all about
function and portability. We’re all concerned about acquiring the
latest and greatest technology and fashion, but there are a few
exceptions to the rule, and I’m glad to say that the guitar-playing
community goes against the grain. We might be modern in our
lifestyles, but we’re classic in our tastes when it comes to guitars.
The hottest trends in guitars right now are custom-made, vintage-style instruments and relics, and only a guitar player would
pay more for a guitar that looks like it’s been through a war.
Crazy Like a Fox?
The vintage-styled guitars we grew up with are as much a part of
our being as the classic cars we fantasize about, and some new guitar manufacturers are figuring this out. But how do you sell a new
guitar when so many of us want to play what we know and are comfortable with? How do you make it look and feel like an old friend
without being a direct rip-off? Hottie Guitars, a company already
well know for Hottie amps and pickups, is taking inspiration from
the classic muscle cars of the early ’70s to come up with a guitar
that is fresh but familiar, classic and retro: the Hottie 454.
When you first lay your eyes on this guitar, you’re instantly taken
back to an era when muscle cars roared down the streets and
you spent Friday nights cruising the strip looking cool and feeling badass. This guitar has instant sex appeal, and it’s designed
to be played with lots of attitude. When you first pick up this
guitar, you can feel right away that this is a quality instrument
made from top-shelf custom parts and materials. The one-piece
Honduran mahogany body and neck have girth, and the whole
weighs in around the same as a vintage Les Paul. Mahogany
comes in many different grades, and they’re priced accordingly.
I can tell you the 454’s mahogany is the best grade you can buy.
They also offer alder and ash body options. The carve top is
comfortable and made from Eastern hard rock maple.
Hottie offers two types of neck shapes: a soft-V and a ’59-C. The
review model came with the soft-V, and it felt very comfortable
right out of the gate. A “V”-shaped neck can take a while to get
used to, but this one is probably one of the best I’ve played in a
long time. The ebony fretboard came with medium/jumbo frets,
and the setup and fret job were perfect right out of the case. I
