For some years already, Patrick Hufschmid's creations made my jaw drop.
Finally a guitar maker who is looking for something different when it comes to wood selection, far from the usual marketing.
Middle 2010, having the adequate budget, I decided to contact him.
FEATURES:
-one piece sapelli mahogany body
-master grade oregon myrtlewood bookmatched top
-one piece sipo mahogany neck with the exclusive Hufschmid HR neck reinforcement system
-master grade pauo ferro fingerboard, 24 frets, 20'' radius
-28.31'' baritone scale
-only 3.6kg!
-top notch hipshot tuning machines and bridge
-blackdroidslip string retainer and nut
-2 volumes + one 3 way switch
-oil finish
-the bridge pickup is a Hufschmid Corrosion handmade by Kent Armstrong himself
-the neck pickup was custom built for me in order to achieve the same Q-tuner type crystal clean sound that I was looking for, again handmade by Kent Armstorng himself
EASE OF USE:
Patrick had asked me to send him a tracing of my left hand (I am right-handed) to model the neck for my hand.
Today again I am still amazed that from a simple drawing he was able to make a neck so perfectly
adapted to my morphology.
It feels like I've always had the guitar!
The body is thin and the guitar is perfectly balanced.
Fretwork is flawless and all the guitar is oil-finished
I like the feel of wood and not having a guitar under a 'glass window' with millions of coats of lacquer!
SOUND QUALITY:
The instrument is amazing !
I play a lots of different things, no need to change guitar, I can do everything with it.
The tone is never muddy, very tight and defined on every string, and it sounds better everyday.
It only has 2 humbuckers but when you use the volume pots, the pickups become so versatile that you can litterally play all the sounds you can imagine, from strat-style to über distorted sounds.
RELIABILITY:
No doubt that this guitar is built for a lifetime !
During the first 6 months, I just had to check the temperature and the rate of humidity of my room where my guitar stays (I live in a very dry apartment) but now, no problem, the guitar stays in tune, even after many hours of playing.
Another thing is that sometimes you have a new guitar, you're very happy (honey moon time ahahah) but after a few months, you look for a new one (G.A.S), but with my guitar , no need, I'm always very proud and happy to have it because it sounds so huge and fits me so well!
OVERALL RATING:
When I serioussly contacted Patrick (not just for a simple quote), he was always available to talk to me, he took the time to answer all my questions is a very honest way.
He kept me informed by emailing me daily on the build progress, including numerous pictures more often than not.
He also contacted me on SKYPE for lengthy conversations to make sure that I was totally happy.
It's very simple :
-You want amazing sounds?
-You want an amazing look?
-You want an amazing ease of use?
Order a Hufschmid guitar - period!
