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Download Example 1
Clean - Each pickup through all positions, single-coil, P-90, then humbucker. Pickup order: neck, neck/middle, neck/bridge, middle, bridge/middle, bridge.
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Download Example 2
Dirty - (rhythm) single-coil neck and middle (solo) bridge pickup, first in single-coil, then in P-90
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We introduced you to guitar builder Jason Z. Schroeder with a
review of his Radio Lane model in the November 2009 PG. To
briefly recap: Schroeder began exploring luthiery by building himself
a bass, and this led to an interest in exotic tonewoods. While
raising a family and working as a geologist, he moonlighted as a
luthier. When legendary archtop maker Bob Benedetto advised,
“Do what you love, the money will come,” Schroeder shifted his
main career toward guitar building.
Although he recently became a member of the Premier Builders
Guild—which has no relation to this publication and also includes
builders like Gene Baker, Mark Bartel, Dennis Fano, Roger Giffin,
Johan Gustavsson, and Saul Koll—Schroeder continues to build
custom instruments at his shop in Redding, California, in addition to
the three standard models he has built at PBG under the supervision
of master builder Gene Baker. “My purpose in joining PBG was to
give customers the option to play some of my guitars at a dealership
before they buy,” says Schroeder. PBG also enables interested
buyers to avoid the wait associated with a custom guitar.
For this review, Schroeder sent us one of his custom instruments
that is near and dear to his heart. As a guitarist in the band Clear
Cut, he plays around 10 gigs a month,
which gives him an ideal testing ground
for his guitars. Clear Cut performs a wide
range of music, and this requires Schroeder
to deliver a variety of sounds. Tired of taking
a carload of instruments to each gig, he
decided to design an electronics package
that could handle it all. The result became
the pickup combination you see here in our
review version of the Edge Doublecut.
Weighing In
Unpacking the Schroeder from its shipping
box, I had to eschew my usual method of pulling
it straight up out of the end, as the weight
made it more than my decidedly un-Schwarzenegger
physique could handle. Instead I
placed the box lengthwise on the floor and
extracted the guitar sideways. That’s when I
discovered that a significant part of the hefty
load stemmed from an extremely sturdy hardshell
case. Removing the guitar, I discovered
that, while no lightweight, it proved no heavier
than many Les Pauls. Strapped on, the instrument
balanced beautifully. The burden felt
comfortable enough for a two-hour show—if a
little heavy for a four-set club gig.
Aside from the three unusual-looking pickups
(more on them in a moment), the first
thing I noticed about this model was the
stark contrast of the dark-brown cocobolo
neck and fretboard against the body’s mattewhite
finish. Matching cocobolo pickup rings,
knobs, and even strap buttons are features
that will appeal to exotic wood fans. Those
fans might have preferred that the one-piece
black limba (korina) body remained unpainted
or at least coated with a translucent finish.
Still, it adds up to a striking instrument.
(Schroeder responds, “Visually, the pair of
ridge lines running down the body get completely
lost on a piece of wood like black
limba that has contrasting grain. The limba
was used strictly for tone.”)
Schroeder has modestly left his name off of
the headstock, inlaying instead a stylized
“S.” The only inlay on the fretboard is an
“S” that consists of two arcs and is folded
over in a manner that recalls a yin-yang.