It’s no secret that I like Cozart guitars. (If you need proof, check out my love affair with this Rickencopy and blanket-covered T-style.) They make some interesting instruments that are always in Bottom Feeder territory, but you have to be careful. Some of these China-made guitars are built great, while others can be train wrecks. It’s hard to know in advance what you’re getting. That is, unless you happen to know the seller.
I saw this baby on eBay a while back. It was being offered by a seller I’ve bought from before. He gets good cheap guitars, modifies them to make them better, and then sells them for a profit. He nicknames his guitars “Custom Shack” creations.
This guitar intrigued me from the git-go. It was a Cozart T-style with a burl-maple top and an F-hole. The seller had changed out the 3-way bridge to a nicer Wilkinson with compensated brass saddles, installed Schaller-type locking tuners, and swapped out the cheap pickups with better ones. I asked the seller who made the guitar’s pickups, and how much the guitar weighed. He replied it weighed 5.5 pounds and that the bridge humbucker was made in China and measured 9k. Then he told me something interesting: The neck pickup was really muddy until he took the chrome cover off. Then it was “5 times better sounding.”
I thought about the guitar for a while, and later asked him if the neck had any issues. He said it was better than most Cozarts he had played, and had very little string buzzing. Then he shot me an offer. I made a counteroffer and we settled on $160, which included shipping.
Image 2 — Although the Hipshot bender was added by our columnist, this close-up also shows the Wilkinson bridge with compensated brass saddles that was among the seller’s mods.
Bottom Feeder Tip #284: Sometimes buying a cheap guitar is much sweeter if someone has already modified it and taken care of potential problems. They’ve done all the hard work, and now you can simply enjoy it.
When I received the guitar three or four days later, it was more than I expected. It’s very easy to play, the pickups sound great, and the intonation is spot on. It’s also very lightweight, which got me wondering: Why are most U.S.-made guitars so heavy compared to China-made ones? It’s a question that pops up every time I pick up an American-made Tele that weighs eight or nine pounds. I’ve even had some in the 11- to 12-pound range.
Image 3 — The headstock on this T-style boasts that it’s “custom hand made.” Still, the quality of these guitars varies widely.
So, how do I like my Cozart Custom Shack? It’s one of my favorite T-Styles. After 20 minutes playing it, I went ahead and slapped a Hipshot bender on—a sure sign it’s staying in my collection for a while. The pickups really have some nice sizzle. I especially love the neck pickup. Listen to my MP3 and you’ll hear what I mean. Is it a keeper? Well, hell yeah!
Guitarist Dave Harrington concedes that while there are a few mile markers in the music that he and musician Nicolas Jaar create as Darkside, improvisation has been the rule from day one. The experimental electronic trio’s latest record, Nothing, which released in February on Matador, was the first to feature new percussionist Tlacael Esparza.
Taking the record on tour this year, Darkside stopped in at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl, where Harrington broke down his complex signal chains for PG’s Chris Kies.
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Express Yourself
Harrington bought this mid-2000s Gibson SG at 30th Street Guitars in New York, a shop he used to visit as a kid. The headstock had already been broken and repaired, and Harrington switched the neck pickup to a Seymour Duncan model used by Derek Trucks. Harrington runs it with D’Addario NYXL .010s, which he prefers for their stretch and stability.
The standout feature is a round knob installed by his tech behind the bridge, which operates like an expression pedal for the Line 6 DL4. Harrington has extras on hand in case one breaks.
Triple Threat
Harrington’s backline setup in Nashville included two Fender Twin Reverbs and one Fender Hot Rod DeVille. He likes the reissue Fender amps for their reliability and clean headroom. Each amp handles an individual signal, including loops that Harrington creates and plays over; with each amp handling just one signal rather than one handling all loops and live playing, there’s less loss of definition and competition for frequency space.
Dave Harrington’s Pedalboards
Harrington says he never gives up on a pedal, which could explain why he’s got so many. You’re going to have to tune in to the full Rundown to get the proper scoop on how Harrington conducts his three-section orchestra of stomps, but at his feet, he runs a board with a Chase Bliss Habit, Mu-Tron Micro-Tron IV, Eventide PitchFactor, Eventide H90, Hologram Microcosm, Hologram Chroma Console, Walrus Monument, Chase Bliss Thermae, Chase Bliss Brothers AM, JHS NOTAKLÖN, two HexeFX reVOLVERs, and an Amped Innovations JJJ Special Harmonics Extender. A Strymon Ojai provides power.
At hip-level sits a board with a ZVEX Mastotron, Electro-Harmonix Cathedral, EHX Pitch Fork, Xotic EP Booster, two EHX 45000 multi-track looping recorders, Walrus Slöer, Expedition Electronics 60 Second Deluxe, and another Hologram Microcosm. A Live Wire Solutions ABY Box and MXR DC Brick are among the utility tools on deck.
Under that board rest Harrington’s beloved Line 6 DL4—his desert-island, must-have pedal—along with a controller for the EHX 45000, Boss FV-50H volume pedal, Dunlop expression pedal, Boss RT-20, a Radial ProD2, and another MXR DC Brick.
