Ultratone Guitars Product Spotlight : Vintage V100AFD Paradise Flamed Amber Electric Guitar

Vintage V100AFD Paradise Flamed Amber Electric Guitar

It’s true to say that the best guitars are built from the inside out, and Vintage enjoys a well-earned reputation for building great guitars.  And now, the superb line-up of exciting Vintage electric guitars just got even better. Working with acknowledged guitar industry guru Trevor Wilkinson, Vintage has now introduced a fantastic new line-up of Wilkinson-equipped Vintage electrics and semi-acoustics. Using Trev's excellent range of pickups, tuners and hardware has taken Vintage electrics to the next level.

Vintage guitars – great looking, great sounding, great to play – and all at unbelievably competitive prices.

Today, we look at the Vintage V100AFD Paradise Flamed Amber Electric Guitar.  At first it will recall a very notable guitar played by a certain guitarist who wheres a black top hat!

This instrument is an irrestible package of attitude and power.  This guitar features a solid mahogany single cutaway body with a genuine carved maple cap and flame maple veneer top, the V100AFD Paradise Flamed Amber electric guitar comes with single ply ivory coloured binding and a cherry red back.

With its mahogany set neck and rosewood fingerboard, this is a guitar that looks just as amazing as it sounds. The Paradise comes with a pair of WVHZ Wilkinson Zebra humbucking pickups that provide a seismic punch of chunky rocking tones.

As well as the Wilkinson tuners and bridge (a Vintage standard), the Paradise includes a set of chrome straplocks – ideal for those moments when you want to scale the PA stack without your guitar ending up in bits.

Vintage V100AFD Paradise Flamed Amber Electric Guitar Features:

Mahogany Body with Carved Maple Cap

Set In Mahogany Neck

Rosewood Fretboard

24.75" Scale Length

22 Frets

Pearloid Crown Neck Inlays

Chrome Wilkinson WJ44 Tuners

Tune-O-Matic Bridge

2 Wilkinson WVHZ Humbucker Pickups Zebra Coils

Chrome Hardware

2 Volume, 2 Tone Controls

3 Way Pickup Selector Toggle

  

DBZ Guitars by Dean B. Zelinsky - Ultratone Guitars Manufacturer Spotlight

Dean B. Zelinsky, born February 20, 1957, is an American guitar luthier that founded Dean Guitars in 1976 and more recently, DBZ Guitars in 2008.  Today, Dean has a completely new factory with all the familiar tools used in his first guitar company.  DBZ Guitars headquarters and the Dean USA Custom Shop are located in Houston, TX.  DBZ manufacturers and imports a wide range of electric guitars including the Imperial, Bolero, Barchetta, Cavallo, Venom, Royale, and the Bird of Prey as well as acoustic models named Verona and Tuscan.  The USA Manufacturing plant is capable of producing hand-detailed, and precision laser carved tops.  Some even so detailed to resemble alligator or crocodile skin as seen on the USA Custom Bolero and Peacekeeper models.  DBZ has these different designs that are available in a wide array of configurations, and selected models are available with custom graphics.  Graphite saddles and nuts are standard when applicable.  According to Dean, "There are those who fancy themselves as guitar makers, and there are those willing to do everything it takes to become and remain viable no matter what."

For years, Dean's guitars have been played by various artists: Kansas, Michael Schenker, Leslie West, The Cars, Heart, Pantera, Nils Lofgren, Def Leppard, ZZ Top, The Doobie Brothers, Poison, Bret Michaels, Dave Mason, Jefferson Starship, Triumph, Iron Maiden, Sammy Hagar, Karl Sanders and many more.  A close look at artists on stage will reveal Dean's guitar designs in photos, videos, web snippets, music videos, and concerts.  Dean's guitars have been featured on the Howard Stern radio show, at the Grammy's Awards show, even in James Bond novelist Raymond Benson's recent book.  It was Dean who was calle dupon by ZZ Top to created the spinning fur guitars for the "Legs" video.  Blender.com lists the "Spinning Furs" along with the ML as members of "The 28 Most Recognizable Guitars."

Dean, DBZ, is an influential figure in the development of modern electric instruments, bringing innovations like custom-wound pickups and bold body designs to the music world.  His guitar shapes not only look unique, but each and every appointment is designed to add to the sound of the instruments.  So, every radical tailpiece, angled headstock, foundry metal insert, and every smooth curve you see not only looks cool, but makes the DBZ guitar sound like no other on the market.

Superior Bracing Systems on Acoustic Guitars by Ultratone Guitars

In the search for something new in the design corner of the acoustic guitar world, the makers Ovation, Takamine, Fender, Gibson, Taylor come to mind far too easilly.  While these makers do turn out a high quality product with design patents of their own on models, Morgan Hill Music has turned our eye with their Suspended Bracing System (SBS) featured on their acoustic guitars.  Morgan Hill Music's line of Boulder Creek Guitars are the only guitars on the market to feature this unique bracing system.

Boulder Creek Guitars has restarted the otherwise stalled evolution of the acoustic guitar.  150 years ago or so, the "X" bracing system was patented as a design for the acoustic guitar.  Ever since then, the status quo has regined supreme.  In walks Morgan Hill Music with their unique bracing systems on their acoustic guitars.  The "SBS" is a suspended bracing system and the first of its find within the music industry.  It focuses on freeing the soundboard and allowing more vibration to produce a better tone and more sustain.  The system works by using aluminum tone bars that not only make the construction of the instrument more durable, but also allows the top to be free from the constrictions of the standard "X" bracing system.

Patented in the 1850's, the "X" bracing sustem has been the industry standard since that time.  Many years ago, a designer decided that there must be a better way to brace the soundboard of the guitar to allow more vibration and yet keep the strength and stability of the guitar top.  It seemed that if the bridge could be secured without using traditional X-bracing, the top would vibrate more freely.  This would allow greater sustain, volume, and an overall richer tone.  In retrospect, there are not many other new technologies used since the pre-civil war era.  While other have been happy to remain in this design rut, Boulder Creek Guitars believes that relying on covention has hurt the industry and that it is time for a change.

The "SBS" system utillizes the best of the "X" bracing system with new technology, giving the player the best of all worlds; tone, balance, sustain, and voume.  When the "SBS" bracing system was incorporated witht he new Boulder Creek Sollitaire Series guitars, the sustain and tone quality became even more prealent.  By not cutting a large hole in the front soundboard of the guitar, the soundboard area is increased and the top vibrates more evenly and greater sustain is achieved.  By relocating the soundhole on the top of the guitar's shoulder, the player hears the deep rich tones that come from inside the chamer of the guitar.  Since low frequencies are omni directional, the lows are heard all around the guitar.  Mids and high frequencies that come from the front of the guitar are also increased. Put all of this together and you have a totally new way for a totally new sound to be produced from an acoustic guitar.

The Suspended Bracing System was developed by Mile Shellhammer in conjunction with Morgan Hill Music in the Silicon Valley of California.  By using less points of contact and less bracing around the bridge area, the guitar top vibrates more freely but maintains its strength and stability.  The exclusive aluminum tone bars allow the top to vibrate up and down, but not flex when string tension is applied.  The aluminum bars secure the bridge but are suspended 1/2 inch below the top to avoid dampening the vibration.  The bars are then attached at each end of the soundboard to secure the bridge.

The SBS system is simply a better way to brace a guitar.  The tone, balance, and additional sustain are the results.  Try not to compare the sound of a Boulder Creek Guitar with the sound of other guitars in the same price range.  It's just not fair to the other guitars!

Resources, Reviews and Video Links!

http://www.bouldercreekguitars.com/media/guitar808supp.pdf

http://www.bouldercreekguitars.com/media/gwholiday.pdf

http://vimeo.com/42265709