The 2000 Golden Axe Awards

Guitar Best Value (#10 thru #6)

<- Back to Introduction | To Electrics #5 thru #1

Honorable Mention: Alvarez

This wonderful acoustic comes from Alvarez. Note the beautiful vine inlay up the fret board. This type of work is usually only found on much more expensive instruments. The list price of $899.00 makes a classy instrument like this affordable to many guitar players.

The guitar has a solid spruce top (excellent sound), solid rosewood back, fingerboard, and bridge. The inlay work and binding are all done in abalone with gold hardware. A nice value in a class acoustic. Check out the rest of the Alvarez line at www.alvarezgtr.com.

(Click for a view of the back)

#10: Hamer: Vanguard

This is a Silver Sparkle Vanguard from Hamer Guitars. The Vanguard priced at $1,299 is a perfect example of what I'm talking about. This hand made semi-hollow honduras mahogany instrument is a great performer. Armed with Seymour Duncan P-90 pickups, the sound of this instrument makes it a great working musician's piece.

To find out more go to www.kamanmusic.com.

#9: Anderson Guitars

(Click for a close-up of the body)

Now, you may think that this Tom Anderson guitar, with a price tag of $2,740, would hardly be considered a great value. However, this instrument has an extremely wide range of tones. To produce a similar range of tones would take several high end Fenders and Gibsons. Plus, you would still have to buy a semi-hollow guitar to make up for the piezo pickup system (optional L.R. Baggs bridge pickup).

Considering all guitars that this one guitar could replace, it's actually a great value. Then of course you have to add on the simply gorgeous fire burst maple top and the value keeps going up. The instrument has a basswood body, maple top, maple and rosewood neck, and three custom Anderson pickups that they make themselves.

To find out more about this custom shop builder from California check out www.andersonguitars.com. You can also read the interview with Tom Anderson done back in 1998.

(Click for a shot of the guitar's back)

#8: Garrison Guitars: G-40

From Canada comes this acoustic built by Garrison guitars. The interesting thing about this guitar is the way it is constructed. The bracing (the frame on the inside that the guitar's body parts are attached to) is made of a plastic polymer.

This one-piece bracing called the Griffiths Active Bracing System can be produced quickly and cheaply allowing more money to be put into the top, back, side and neck where most of the sound comes from. I was skeptical at first, but playing it put all my fears to rest. The instrument sounds big and full like any other good acoustic. The solid spruce top and Honduras mahogany sides give the instrument the sound most acoustic guitarists are looking for. The neck of the instrument is mahogany with a rosewood fingerboard and bridge. It also has a nice walnut inlay ring around the sound hole that gives it a nice look.

This model, the G-40, is the top of the Garrison line and is only $599.99. Other models are priced as low as $250 and still play and sound good.

See the entire line at www.garrisonguitars.com.

#7: ESP

Hmmm . . . mahogany body with a flame maple top, neck through design, EMG H2 pickups, has to be $1500 right? Try $849.00. How does ESP do it? I'm not really sure, but check it out, $849. Most neck-through guitars (a guitar where the neck is the length of the entire guitar and the pickups/bridge are actually attached to the neck) usually start at $1,000 or better.

It plays good, real good. It sounds good, real good. Plus, it looks really nice. Definitely high up on our Best Value list. With a street price probably around the price of a Standard Strat, how could you pass this up? ESP also placed 2nd in the Guitar Unlimited division with an incredible custom carved guitar, but you won't get that one for $849.

To see ESP's other guitar choices (and they have lots of them), go to www.espguitars.com.

#6: Fury Guitars

(Click for a view of the back of the neck)

If any guitar deserves to be in the Golden Axe Awards it's this one (boy is it gold). This has to be the ultimate gold top guitar from Fury Guitars out of Canada. I wish the pictures would do this guitar justice. This baby is GOLD! It looks sort of yellow in the pictures, but if you look at the body in the picture of the back of the neck you will get an idea of just how gold this is. Gold paint, gold pickguard, gold control knobs, and gold hardware.

However, the color (although cool) isn't what makes this guitar great. The neck makes this guitar great. You have to like thin necks to appreciate this guitar, but if thin necks are you're forte, WOW! You're fingers just about float over this neck. A real pleasure to play. Smooth as glass on the back of the neck and frets great. This gold beauty has a three piece maple body, pau ferro fret board, three Fury ZP pickups (S/S/H), passive Fury bridge, metallic pick guard, and 24k triple plated gold hardware.

The cost is $1,449 plus the current gold price (for plating) and includes the case.

Check out Fury at www.furyguitar.com.

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