EMGs hi-fi efficiency and power enabled the V-Hawk to retain high-end sting even when using a long cable. If you’re looking for a metal weapon that also has a warm, soft side, however, the V-Hawk may not be your implement of choice. Even when using very different settings on the Mesa, the V-Hawk empha- sized mids and treble frequencies, which tended to sound a bit one-dimensional when I tried to play more sensitive licks. There wasn’t much tonal “give” or sag to extend the expressiveness of the instrument beyond a tighter-than-a-drum onslaught of overdrive. Granted, the V-Hawk isn’t designed for classic rock and jazz, but it
was difficult at times to exploit the natural
advantages of a neck-through-body design
in non-bludgeoning, take-no-prisoners
contexts. Though the acoustic resonance
of the body and neck made me think that
digging into string bends at the right gain
levels would produce a pleasing, overtone-
rich bloom, the pickups consistently
imparted the indelible sonic fingerprint
their known for. Even with the gain turned
down to moderate levels, the tone was
a little too flat to play more nuanced or
bluesy licks or melodies. Plugging into a
1981 Marshall JCM800 half-stack added
some detail to the midrange guts, yielding
a tone perfect for thrashy mayhem. But,
again, it was difficult to summon tones
well suited to subtlety. To be certain, this
guitar wants to go full bore!
The Verdict
For those who need to lead their metal
forces into battle on a budget, the
Fernandes V-Hawk Deluxe is an excellent
choice—particularly given the top-notch
construction. The guitar is a straight-up
fire-breather, with a comfortable, well-contoured neck that’s one of the best I’ve
seen in its price range if you’re looking to
scorch eardrums. If your metal preferences
lean more toward late-’70s and early-’80s
metal in the fashion of, say, Judas Priest,
you might find the guitar’s tone a little too
modern and focused. But if you need the
tight, raging tones that define mid-’80s to
mid-’90s thrash, the V-Hawk Deluxe is a
superior choice.
Rating:
Buy If...
you’re on a budget and need
an aggressive, modern-voiced
metal weapon.
Skip If...
you need to occasionally chill your
molten metal tones down to warm,
classic-metal levels.
Fernandes Guitars
Street $799
fernandesguitars.com
. . . the neck-through construction
and 14"-radius ebony fretboard feel
fantastic, with a near-perfect setup
and a combination of mass and thin
profiling that begs for shredding.
or use a mobile device to watch a
video review of the guitar at
HEADOnline…
