controlled by a 5-way switch, one Volume,
and two Tone controls. But as on a Tele,
the guitar’s 1/4" output jack is located on
the lower bout’s treble side.
I’m presently on a small-amp kick, so I
plugged the Choptank into a recent-vintage
Fender Pro Junior and was impressed right
off the bat by the guitar’s tonal versatility.
It was easy to dial in that classic Tele twang
on the bridge pickup. The middle pickup
had a bit more bark, and the neck pickup
delivered darker tones that would work well
for modern jazz. The two in-between settings had a complex chime that was perfect
for sweetly voiced arpeggios.
The Kenai
While the Choptank bears an unmistak-
able Fender influence, the Kenai uses classic
The Choptank has a bit more sustain
than a typical Fender, probably thanks in
no small part to the glued-in neck and
bolted bridge. The sustain turned mon-
strous when I introduced a NerFuzz distor-
tion pedal into the equation. On the neck
pickup, the guitar sounded awesomely
thick and creamy, while with a bit of extra
gain the bridge pickup sounded surprising-
ly aggressive and nasty enough for punk-
rock rhythm work.
Gibson design cues as a springboard. The
single-cutaway mahogany body with maple
cap, 24 3/4"-scale mahogany neck with
rosewood fretboard, and twin humbuckers
are all Les Paul hallmarks. Unlike a Gibson,
though, the Kenai has details like a body
that is comfort-carved on the back and a
custom all-in-one bridge and tailpiece.
Like its cousin, our review Kenai model
was a looker. The flamed maple top was
positively striking in a finish called Winter
Solstice—a pale blue stain with a clear
coat that brought out a three-dimensional
quality in the grain. In contrast, the
neck and back of the guitar were a rich
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Plugged into the Fender Pro Junior, the Kenai
offered old-school, PAF-like warmth and tons of
body and sustain for both lead and rhythm riffing.
included maple body binding and an ebony
headstock overlay and matching truss-rod
cover.
The Kenai’s all-gold hardware lends a
regal appearance to the instrument, and the
three-in-line open-geared butterbean tuners—accessories more commonly seen on
ancient Martins and Gibsons than on modern electrics—were a nice touch, as was the
headstock’s “Morning Star” motif, repeated
nine times in progressively smaller fretboard
inlays. I only had one small complaint
regarding the design: on a high-end instrument like this, it seemed a bit odd to have an
unbound fingerboard. (Binding is included,
though, on a Tier 1 version.)
Craftsmanship on our Kenai was top-notch. As on the Choptank, the fretwork,
bone nut, and saddles were flawless. The
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