before used on a production-model guitar. Each
pickup is housed in a Seymour Duncan Triple
Shot mounting ring—never before used on a
production-model guitar— which features miniature toggle switches for selecting coils to create
parallel, series, and single-coil configurations.
The pickups are selected by a standard three-way switch and controlled by master Tone and
Volume controls.
The Graph Tech Ghost Acousti-Phonic
preamp, which picks up string vibrations
through piezo bridge saddles, is powered by
a 9-volt battery that’s accessible through a
compartment on the back of the guitar. The
Acousti-Phonic system has its own Volume
control (which can be pulled to activate a
mid boost) and a mini switch (which I’d
prefer to see in matching gold rather than
chrome) that toggles between the various
circuits—the acoustic, acoustic plus electric,
and electric alone.
The craftsmanship of our review model,
which was made in Korea and set up in Indiana
with a Plek computer-controlled fret leveler,
was top-notch. The polyurethane sunburst fin-
ish was evenly applied, and smoothly buffed
throughout. And not surprisingly, given the
Plek treatment, the fret ends were exceptionally
smooth. In fact, there wasn’t a flaw to be found
anywhere on the instrument.
Panoramic Sound
When I removed the Pathmaker from its rectangular hardshell case, I was initially put off by its
substantial 9.16-pound weight (another single-cutaway mahogany electric with a maple cap
weighed in at 8. 28 pounds on my digital scale).
In seated position, the PM-7352 felt very well
balanced and the weight ceased to be an issue.
But those accustomed to featherweight guitars
may be in for a shock.
Even unplugged, the Pathmaker had a lively
character and impressive sustain—most likely due to
the resonant tonewoods, set neck, and the heft of the
steel block in the Wilkinson bridge. There weren’t
any dead spots on the neck, and a subtle natural
reverb was apparent on certain notes. In short, the
guitar was a joy to play right out of the box.
It was set up perfectly at the factory, with
an agreeable low action and precise intonation. With its 1. 68" nut width and medium C
profile, the neck was comfortable from the first
fret to the 24th. It felt silky smooth throughout, too, especially on glissandi and other
legato techniques. And major props are due to
Wechter for using the Plek system and remaining committed to making their guitar so playable from the first strum.
With the Pathmaker running straight into
an Electroplex Rocket 22 amp and the 7352’s
humbuckers set in series on the Triple Shot
mounting rings, I found the pickups warm
and gutsy, with lots of presence for both
shuffle-style chord accompaniment patterns
and jazzy lead lines.
I toyed around with the controls on the
Triple Shot mounting rings a little more to see
exactly how much I could shape my tone with
the pickups alone. I actually had to consult
the Wechter website to establish which switch
position correlated to what coil mode. Clearly,
it’s not quite as intuitive a process as using a
Studio mic in your guitar?
ANTHEM TM
TRU•MIC TECHNOLOGY
"I have only dreamed that someday technology would allow this quality of sound
outside the walls of my recording studio." Louis Drapp - Recording Engineer
Experience for yourself at www.lrbaggs.com/anthem
