December 2009 \ Features \ Premier Gear Awards \ 2009 Premier Gear Awards

2009 Premier Gear Awards

Premier Guitar Editors

2009's award-winning gear - all in one place! Read our picks for awards in these categories: Small Package-Big Tone, Two-for-One, Tons O'Tones, Toe-to-Toe, The Kitchen Sink, Artisan, Fresh Approach, Redux Deluxe, Tone Enhancers and Nice Price.
Premier Guitar December 2009
(11 of 11)

Nice Price
With terms like, recession, economy, and downturn becoming more worn out than Willie Nelson’s Trigger, the current importance of affordability goes without saying. With that in mind—and because of your suggestions—we reviewed a lot of mid-range affordable gear this year. The winners of our Nice Price award provided quality, versatility and features on par with any of our other winners; their pricing was the cherry on top.
Carvin CS6MCarvin C6SM

Chances are you’ve crossed “high-end American-made custom solidbody” off the list of things you can afford this year. Carvin, long known for their affordability through selling direct to consumers, introduced the CS6M this year, bringing that dream guitar back into an affordable range. The CS6M single-cut solidbody (June 2009) features a figured top and a Tune-o-Matic bridge, plus a range of options that allow for 50,000 different combinations—all of which are executed to the highest standard. Reviewer Gary Guzman explains, “I have owned a Carvin DC127 guitar for many years, and the CS6M is leaps and bounds ahead of it, in terms of construction, quality and playability. I honestly couldn’t think of anything I didn’t like about this guitar.”
Base MSRP $1349
carvinguitars.com
Read the full review...


Cole Clark Fat LadyCole Clark Fat Lady 1 AC

Cole Clark is a young Australian company that’s been combining modern technology with sustainable, local wood sources to create beautiful acoustic guitars. The 1 AC (July 2009) is a cutaway dreadnaught with simple styling and a beautiful Bunya top. It features top-of-the-line construction elements that are rare at its price point, and a lightweight, comfortable frame. The guitar’s tone is well proportioned, and, as its name implies, it really sings. Cole Clark’s custom-built electronics are natural sounding and intuitive. “The Fat Lady is one of the finest acoustics you’ll encounter in the sub-$2000 market,” concluded reviewer Adam Moore.
MSRP $1540
coleclarkguitars.com
Read the full review...


Jarrett Zaffiro XJJarrett Zaffiro XJ

Jarrett is a small shop that hand-builds guitars in Connecticut. Like Carvin, Jarrett sells direct, which keeps the prices down. The model we reviewed, the Zaffiro XJ (November 2009), features a figured top and the customizability you’d expect from a hand-built guitar. The Zaffiro XJ’s tone excels at jazz guitar, with low action and excellent playability, but would fit into almost any musical situation. Says reviewer Pat Smith, “Considering the price, the custom features, quality and just that it is a kick ass guitar, I would recommend it for sure.”
MSRP $1495
jarrettguitars.com
Read the full review...

« Previous    1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11   

Related Articles

Best of 2011: Premier Gear Awards
The Best of 2008


Comments

 (5 comments) display by
UsernameComment
Chris Tomlinson
on 03/14/2010 		These are great. However, everything from floyd upgrades is a rip. You can get it all for less in other places. Heck, even the big block is all over ebay from some other dude. It works just as good and a much better price (and his is the 42mm version). But yes, the stuff you can do to a floyd is great, just don't waste your money with "floydupgrades.com".
Garrison Vest
on 01/29/2010 		yep the Floyd rose "big Block" upgrade is worth the $. alot more sustain and clarity added
Garrison
www.daggerrocks.com
Vince L.
on 12/11/2009 		I ditto Dave V's comments about floydupgrades.com's products. I own a couple of late 80's Jackson's. The tone improvement and weight balance is almost immeasurable!
Dave Valliere
on 12/09/2009 		floydupgrades progresses my guitar tones to new dimensions! Superb resonance with Herculean sound! Sustainability reaches new levels, allowing me to hang on a few choice notes while enjoying my music! Dave Valliere (Val Year) www.davevalliere.com
Dan Marois
on 11/20/2009 		"Economic woes may have put a damper on the grand plans of buyers and sellers alike, but the gear … the gear that came our way this year was every bit as cool, innovative, beautiful, ingenious, exceptionally crafted and great sounding as it was the year before." There was still a lot more expensive new gear than I expected to see in these so-called hard times. I guess not everyone is feeling the pinch. Or maybe only consumers and workers got the memo - companies are still sifting through their hate mail. :-) Manufacturers and builders could have used the opportunity to reinvent themselves. One would have thought they could have used a bit of ingenuity to make their products more affordable. You know, to get them out there. The media must take a large portion of the blame - they didn't stop parading expensive equipment these past two years. Of course, we all know why they do that right? Magazine reviewers want to get their hands on the "best" stuff not for our benefit but for their own. :^)



Your Comment:  

All comments are subject to editing or deletion by the Premier Guitar staff.

Your Name:  


Please enter the text you see in the image:  
10

15D00EA6-C78C-4A05-8640-BD0B34715AA6