Reader Guitar of the Month: Koyukicaster

Name: Rany Eskinazi

I’m a big anime fan. I really like the anime TV series Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad. The hero of this series had a blonde rosewood-necked Telecaster that looks like one that was made in the late 1960s or early ’70s. I’d been considering buying a new guitar for quite some time. When I discussed that matter with Mick Walker (lead singer for the Circles), who I really admire as a singer/songwriter/guitarist, he told me about J. Davey Guitars and how he feels luthier Jamie Davey built him the best guitar he’d ever played.

So I turned to Jamie, and after some chats and conversations, I decided to go for it.

There were three criteria that I wanted:

1. It had to be made in the U.K.
2. It had to look like Yukio “Koyuki” Tanaka’s Telecaster (a character in Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad).
3. Mick had to personally sign it.

All the above criteria were done big time. When I finally got the guitar, I was really excited. I opened the case with awe and there it was lying comfortably in it. It was like telling me: “Grab me. I’m all yours.”

When I first played the guitar (unplugged), it was like I had known it for a long time. It felt that comfortable, like an old friend, and it was very resonant. When I plugged it into a valve amp, the guitar purred clearly when clean, but roared with a vengeance when overdriven.

Jamie was super nice and extremely responsive to each and every question I asked. I’ve been recommending him to friends who are considering buying a new guitar.

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