Not your average Mexican Fender
Written: Nov 05 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Rare, Humbucker/Coil versatility, Nice weight, Quality construction, Pearl pickguard, not too expensive, Great colors
Cons: Rare, a bit expensive in this price segment, May need minor adjustments/setup
The Bottom Line: A solid guitar which is as suitable for the beginner as it is for the pro. Versatile tone and unique- a safe bet.
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| mykel8's Full Review: Fender Cyclone Electric Guitar |
I first saw this very unusual guitar at my good friend's house. He's a pack-rat of sorts, actually he's more of a spender. Whatever catches his eye the right way, he'll immediately buy, ponder and then forget about. Needless to say, the perfect Chrome Red finish/pearl pickguard on this guitar caught my attention quickly.
When reading any qualified review, I find it is always good to know where your author's impressions are coming from, so read on. I've been playing guitar for two years now. I first started on a cheap Yamaha acoustic but I moved up to the solid body electric once I realized I was in fact 17 years old, and now was the time in my life "to rock". I'm no virtuoso... I don't obsess about playing with metronomes, I don't read music, I only took a dozen simple guitar lessons before I couldn't afford any more. Still, after fretting strings for two hours every night for over two years, I'd like to think I recognize a decent solid-body electric guitar when there's one in front of me. Anyway, now you see where I'm coming from as a reviewer... no, I'm not Steve Vai, but since this guitar isn't going to require thousands of dollars upfront, you have no worries. Also, don't press me on the actual specs, I don't make it much of a point to know about truss rod adjustments, that's what guitar repairmen are for, I just play 'em :).
So, on with the review. I'm sitting in my friend's room... the guitar catches my eye and screams "yeh, I'm red and shiny... play me!" My friend gives the "nod of approval", so I head over to my future baby and hook up to my friend's small, but effective 10 watt Marshall practice amp. Before even trying out the simple chords, I take a look at the newest axe to meet my grips. It has got the classic "Fender feel", but this particular guitar has "mixed parents". Basically, I see elements of a Stratocaster, Jaguar and Mustang all rolled into one sweet looking machine. Sitting on the pearl-white pickguard are two distinct electronics, a "Strat-like" single coil pick-up in the neck position, but also, a chunky humbucker down by the bridge... before even amping up, I see that this axe can be versatile. I plug in, turn the amp to clean, and hit a nice Nirvana-like riff. WOW! I've got the humbucker selected, and all of a sudden I sound just like Kurt Cobain did. Of course, my Boss DS-1 distortion pedal is at home, but it doesn't matter, the guitar sounds like Kurt's right there in the room with me, whoa! I'm pleased with the humbucker, it's not too growly- but also grungy enough. I change the pickup selector switch to the neck single-coil. Cool stuff, the Nirvana sound has gone, but now I can instantly see myself plugging in a Crybaby pedal and hitting out some 50s/60s rock tunes. Unlike typical Stratocaster pickups, this pickup leaves me with a little more twang... a bit more funk or personality if you will- it's unique in a good way to say the least.
The pickup selector has one more setting, the one which activates both pickups and leaves you with a fairly mainstream Les Paul / Stratocaster combo sound... it's not particularly well identified, but you can play this setting any time and have great success with it. Besides the pickup switch, I find a volume knob and tone knob... and the input jack. It's a simple affair... meaning this is a perfect beginner's guitar (of course, a pro would see great promise in it too). The guitar itself looks great. Made in Fender's Mexico digs (which are just 200 miles from their American facilities), this guitar feels like an American made machine. The quality is superb, the frets are the right size... allowing perfect slide and the rosewood fretboard makes for a fast, warm, elegant neck. The headstock is classic Fender, the tuners move confidently and this guitar holds tune as well as a Strat. The shape of the body is nice and different, you won't look like every other Strat player on the block, and Fender even offers this beauty in four or five different colors, nice. I believe the wood used is Poplar, I'm no wood-expert, but the tone and natural sound of this guitar is extremely satisfying. The guitar is weighted well, not too heavy, not too light. It's a shorter neck than most guitars, and since I'm only 5'7", this is good. Overall, it's a fine guitar.
Now, I'll finish my personal story. My friend let the guitar go, but for a price. He paid $400 for it some years ago, in 1999 I think. I gave him $250, I did well... because new with a gigbag, this guitar costs about $450. $450 is a bit steep, but it's worth the money. No guitar is perfect, and every player will have a different opinion about how to improve an axe. Right away, I had this guitar re-setup with Elixir Polyweb coated Super-light strings, I had the action lowered just a tad, and I installed Schaller strap-locks, a perfect fit and absolutely necessary equipment. Anyway, now this guitar is the perfect "second electric" to my Standard Strat. It has given me the humbucker, which I don't have on the Strat, and just as importantly, I can stand out in an impromptu jam session. For some odd reason, Cyclones just aren't too common, despite the fact they're sold at all major online music retailers. I get tons of comments/questions on this guitar, from players and spectators alike. I highly recommend this guitar, especially to those players who focus on punk/grunge/alternative/pop music. Thumbs up.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
mykel8
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Location: Miami, FL, USA
Reviews written: 14
Trusted by: 3 members
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