that the tuning is stored, you depress the
button for another 10 seconds to re-lock
the system.
There are limitations to Strum ’N’
Store. There’s a two-step pitch range
limit in both flat and sharp directions
for each string. So players who favor
low tunings that drop the 6th string to
C, for instance, won’t be able to use the
preset function. The capstans can also
only handle a maximum string thickness
of .011 on the 1st string and .052 on the
6th, which covers most players, but leave
some heavy-string fans and slide players
who like fatter wire out of the mix.
No matter what the tuning, the Super-Matic has the tone-shaping potential to
get the most out of it. The combination
of the Vari-coil system and the 5-posi-
tion switch puts a lot of sonic flavors at
your fingertips. Running the Super-Matic
straight into a Vox TB35C2 Bruno and
a Fender Vibroverb, DADGAD and
open G tunings growled aggressively
and brimmed with harmonics, especially
through the hot bridge humbucker.
011_ad.pdf 4/26/11 1:23:20 PM
Rolling off the Vari-coil control and
splitting the bridge humbucker gave the
DADGAD setting a quieter, but crystalline quality that highlighted harmonic
detail, while open G chords kicked with
snappy Keith Richards sass.
The Fret-King Super-Matic does a truly
impressive number of things for a single
guitar, which should be little surprise
given the creative record of its creator.
None of the Super-Matic’s features reek
of gimmickry, though. The ATD HT440
system is smooth and intuitive once you
take a few minutes to acquaint yourself
with its rhythms and commands. And
the Vari-coil electronics and triple-pickup
array give you a million ways to highlight
the harmonic advantages of each tuning. A lot of guitars claim to be a guitar
for every performance situation. Such
an animal may never really exist, but the
innovative, high-quality, super-playable,
and ultra-versatile Fret-King Super-Matic
comes pretty close.
So Fine.
Rating:
Buy If...
hauling multiple guitars for alternate
tunings to gigs wears you out.
Skip If...
you have little trust in guitar innova-
tions past the development of
the Telecaster.
Fret-King
Street $1599
fret-king.com
or use a mobile device to download
audio clips of the guitar at
CLICKHere…
premierguitar.com/jul2011
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