Whatever your opinion of the aesthetics of a distressed guitar (I, for one,
turn into a pretty good distressing technician
over the course of an especially exuberant
show), a good distressing and aging
job can make a guitar feel extraordinarily
playable. Dennis Fano is one luthier who
understands that the art of distressing goes
more than skin deep. And the Fano Alt
de Facto JM6 I spent the last month
with became a favorite companion precisely because of Fano’s skills in making a
guitar feel as comfortable as your favorite
recliner fresh out of the case.
Fano’s achievements are partly attributable
to a design philosophy rooted in
combining the best features of classic
American electric guitars. And the JM6 is a
perfect embodiment of that mix-and-match
approach. While it’s Jazzmaster inspired at
a few paces, its Lindy Fralin P-90s, Tun-o-matic-style bridge, stop tailpiece, and
carved, angled headstock effectively make it
much more akin to a non-reverse Firebird
in terms of tone and personality.
Well Worn
If you like your distressing job to look like
it’s done hard time, Dennis Fano is your
guy. One peek at this alder-bodied JM6
finished in nitrocellulose “shoreline gold,”
gives you the sense that Fano looks forward
to that part of the day when he can lay
down his intonation and neck-adjustment
tools and give his guitars a damn good
thrashing. There are some spots—particularly
the upper bout where a Jazzmaster’s
contours are subject to wear from the friction
and sweat of a player’s forearm—that
look slightly less convincing and more the
product of skilled sanding and thinning.
But on the whole, the JM6 looks loved to
death—a veteran of knocks on tight stages
and spills in cluttered rehearsal spaces. The
hardware, which includes TonePros Tune-omatic-
style bridge and stop tail piece, and
Gotoh reproductions of vintage Kluson
tuners, is also pitted and oxidized in a manner
that looks perfectly consistent with the
battle-scarred body.
The maple neck is a thing of beauty. It’s
carefully sanded (worn) to feel as comfortable
as a battered pair of sneakers, and it’s fast and
silky, with a beautiful, narrow “C” profile
that feels a lot like an early ’60s Telecaster. It’s
joined with the body using a cool carve and
a compact neck plate that facilitates access to
higher frets on the treble side.
Getting Dirty
If you love P-90 tones, but dislike the heft
of the mahogany slabs with which they’re
typically paired on a solidbody, the JM6
will be a delight to sling over your shoulder.
It’s a super-light guitar—at least as light as
the most featherweight Fenders I’ve played,
which can vary in heft considerably—but
it is very well balanced. And it’s quite possible
that the lighter alder body also has a
great deal to do with the JM6’s bright, hot-rodded
sonic personality.
To explore the JM6’s voice I plugged it into a Fender Vibroverb 2x10 reissue (they
make a very handsome pair, I might add), as
well as a silverface Twin Reverb. Predictably,
the JM6’s P-90s conspired with the 40-watt
Vibroverb and the 10" speakers to kick out
a snarling and dirty range of sounds. Before
long, I found myself on the bridge pickup
working some skanky, suspended Chris
Robinson-style riffs in open-G tuning. The
Fralin P-90s thrived in the open tuning,
communicating overtone detail that many
pickups would lose amid the grit.
If you love P-90 tones, but dislike the heft
of the mahogany slabs with which they’re
typically paired on a solidbody, the JM6 will be
a delight to sling over your shoulder.
Sonically, there just isn’t much to complain
about with the JM6. The Fralin P-90s
are hot, and things can feel and sound a
little full-throttle if you’re used to the low
output single-coils of a vintage Fender.
The light alder body also seems to impart
a brightness that can get less than subtle in
quieter arrangements and which requires
careful use of the tone knob—often a challenge
given that Fano opts for a ToneStyler
on the tone control rather than a standard
sweep potentiometer. That said, you’ll
probably never find yourself sounding too
muddy playing the JM6.
I did experience some issues with tuning
stability on the JM6, which could probably
be abated to some extent with heavier
strings than the .010-.046 set that the guitar
is shipped with. But in many cases, it
seems more attributable to a certain amount
of flex in the neck that will likely be familiar
to vintage SG and non-reverse Firebird
players. The upside is the expressive potential
of all that leverage—you almost don’t
miss a vibrato system if you’re used to one.
The downside is that it can be hard to resist
leaning on the guitar to get that modulation
(it just sounds so cool), and you may
find yourself stomping on your tuning
pedal somewhat regularly.
The Verdict
The Fano JM6 is a fantastic rock ’n’ roll
machine. It’s light and comfortable, with
a beautifully fast and satin-smooth neck
that invites fast power chording and ripping
legato and finger vibrato moves. The
hot Fralin P-90s have the ability to make
you forget you ever had an overdrive pedal
on your board. And the body imparts a
top-end kick that works as well as a treble
booster for certain leads and arpeggios. At
the same time, the JM6 loves a fuzz box.
And it’s equally at home with low-watt
amps, where it barks and struts with an
other-side-of-the-tracks swagger, or highceiling
rigs where it shows off its capacity
for bell-like clarity.
The price can seem steep, especially if
you like new guitars to look new. On the
other hand, finding a neck as comfortable
as this distressed bit of maple could take
years. And few guitars, regardless of price,
so successfully marry the balance and feel of
a vintage Fender with the rowdy bellow of
a ’60s Gibson. Given Dennis Fano’s skills, I
wouldn’t be surprised if this design sees further
refinements in the years to come, and
becomes quite a monster in the process.
Buy if...
you dig gritty P-90 tones, comfortable contours, and distressed aesthetics.
Skip if...
you prefer different tones and putting your own wear and tear on your instrument.
Rating...
