Newport, DE (December 14, 2016) -- Coming off the line, full throttle, with a top fuel collection of monstrous guitar design features is The Cara 10th Avenue Deluxe. Traditional looks easily mask the tricks underneath the hood of this street tough solid body. It’s built for rock, inspired by innovative modifications made famous by Jimmy Page, Peter Green, Paul Kossoff, Brian May, Mick Ronson and Mark Bolan. From its bare-knuckle satin yellow maple top to its 16” radius ebony board, zero fret, and remarkably unique custom-wound DiMarzio neck pickup, the 10th Avenue is the street and stage machine that’s gonna give you an advantage right off the line..
Starting with a flat 16" radius ebony fretboard and zero fret, get ready for the lowest, smoothest 24 fret playing action you've ever seen. The 24" scale (a scale also found on Brian May’s design) and smoothed-out access cutaway ensure you can reach those double octave bends with ease. Working with DiMarzio, we’ve painstakingly designed a true silent neck Humbucker with bell-like single-coil chime. A Cara hot vintage style bridge pickup is matched electronically and mechanically to create a highly musical pickup combination.
Super low, buzz-free action, perfect intonation, astounding upper register access that allows near full octave bends if you dare! Trower can get ready to “sigh” when you flick the traditional 3-way switch up for crystalline noise-free goodness from a proprietary DiMarzio Humbucker. Flick it down, and you're into raw, gritty LP territory that Kosoff, Ronson, and Marc Bolan made legendary.
Many of the Blokes liked to strip the paint off their maple tops, and this where the 10th Avenue Deluxe borrowed a little of their mojo. This unique 10th Avenue Deluxe satin yellow standard maple top is a tribute to them, with a nod to Ronson’s gnarly rehash of the Broadway tune of the same name.
The Cara Guitars 10th Avenue Deluxe offers a combination of unrivaled playability, usable features, ergonomics, tone, and a classic look that’s yet to be seen on a single cutaway solid body electric guitar.
Features:
- 24” scale ebony fretboard with 24 jumbo frets
- Smooth carve, full access, no-heel neck all the way to the 24th fret
- Fat, gritty British tones and hollow crystalline single-coil chime on the same instrument
- Custom-wound neck Humbucker designed by DiMarzio. Although a standard “side by side” Humbucker, expect the tone of the best single-coil pickups without noise or hum!
- 24 frets allow the player access up to two full octaves, and the smooth cutaway will inspire you to reach for the 1st and 2nd strings and stretch into upper third bends with ease!
- Zero fret for finer intonation and clarity
- Two piece fully adjustable ABR style small-post bridge and standard tailpiece.
- Wilkinson premium hardware
- Each Cara Guitars 10th Avenue Deluxe comes with its own plush-lined, form-fitting hardshell case.
- MAP Price $1299.00
For more information:
Cara Guitars
“The Player II Series represents our continued evolution in design and functionality,” said Justin Norvell, EVP of Product, FMIC. “We listened to the feedback from musicians around the world and incorporated their insights to refine and innovate our instruments. The re-introduction of rosewood fingerboards is a restoration of the ‘original Fender recipe’ and will no doubt be a fan favorite - but we didn’t want to stop there. We’ve also incorporated our rolled fingerboard edges for a broken-in feel, upgraded hardware, and have some new body options as well- which underscores our commitment to providing players and creators with the tools they need to express their unique sound and style. The Player II Series is not just an upgrade, it's a detailed re-imagining of our core silhouettes, highlighting our dedication to quality and the continuous refinement of our instruments.”
Additionally, Player II offers new options for chambered ash and chambered mahogany bodies for the Player II Stratocaster and Telecaster models, which will be available in October. Designed for musicians ready to elevate their craft, the Player II Series sets a new standard for quality and performance in the mid-price range.
Fender Player II Stratocaster HSS Electric Guitar - Coral Red
Fender Player II Jaguar Electric Guitar - Aquatone Blue
The 2018 CCL Deco Custom, in all its Pelham blue glory.
Anyway, we became friends and I started working on him pretty early—my 40th birthday was approaching, and that meant it was time for us to start designing his first solidbody build. If you stopped on this page, it’s because the photo of the finished product caught your eye. Beautiful, right? The 2018 CCL Deco Custom: Never shall there be another.
Old National Glenwood guitars were my design inspiration, but I wanted a slim waist like a PRS and the like. We used a solid block of korina to start, routed like MacGyver to get the knobs and switches where I wanted them. Dale builds all his own lathes and machines (usually out of lumber, y’all), as the task requires. This beast took some creativity—it’s tight wiring under that custom-steel pickguard. Many were the preliminary sketches. Four coats of Pelham blue, 11 coats of nitro. Honduran mahogany neck, Madagascar ebony fretboard with Dale’s signature not-quite-Super-400 inlays. He designed the logo; I just said, “Make it art deco.”
We sourced all the bits and bobs from StewMac and Allparts and Reverb and the like, mostly to get that chrome look I so adore. Graph Tech Ratio tuners, Duesenberg Radiator trem (had to order that one from Germany), TonePros TP6R-C roller bridge. The pickups were a genius suggestion from the builder, Guitarfetish plug ’n’ play 1/8" solderless swappable, which means I have about 10 pickups in the case to choose from: rockabilly to metal. And both slots are tapped, with the tone knobs serving as single- to double-coil switches. I put the selector on the lower horn to accommodate my tendency to accidentally flip the thing on Les Pauls—definite lifesaver.
Reader and guitar enthusiast, Cody Lindsey.
Dale offered to chamber this monster, but I said what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. It weighs in at 11 pounds, if it’s an ounce. We carved the neck to match a ’60s SG, so it’s like the mini bat you get at the ballpark on little kids’ day. Easy peasy. 1 11/16" nut, 25" scale, jumbo frets, just 2 1/8" at the 12th fret.
Delivery in its lovely, hygrometer-equipped Cedar Creek case actually happened a month or two shy of my 41st, but hey, you can’t rush these things. We ended up with a studio Swiss Army knife; it does a bit of everything and does it effortlessly. A looker, too. Dale didn’t spend his career doing this kind of thing—he was in IT or some such—and I imagine he’s winding this “hobby” of his down these days, enjoying retirement with a bottle of Killian’s and a lawn chair at Duluth Blues Fest. But this guitar will live on as a marker of his skill and otherworldly patience. It sits at the head of the class in my practice room, welcoming any visitors and bringing a smile to my face every day. And Dale, my friend, I’ll be 50 before you know it....
Cody requested that Dale design an art deco logo for the guitar’s headstock.