Fishman NeoD Humbucker

Quick Test
Øivin Fjeld G Sharp £279
150 JULY 2007
Kenny Baker’s dream axe, or a ‘proper’ little guitar?
by Mick Taylor
RATING
Verdict
The G Sharp’s highly credible design
and good tone certainly elevate it
beyond novelty guitar status, which
is refl ected in the asking price. Cost-
effective build and QC let it down,
however, via a couple of very sharp
fret ends and a number of cosmetic
imperfections. Nevertheless, a quick
fret job transforms the G Sharp into a
loveable little guitar for travel, practise
or indeed adapting wholesale into your
music. Short on fi nesse, long on
charm – and we know which we’d
rather have.
530mm scale
length. You
position the
single-piece
bridge using an
included plastic
intonation template when stringing
up. The tailpiece is a simple metal bar,
recessed so that there’s good downward
string pressure over the bridge. Add a
pitched headstock with a bone nut, and
this should sound like a little belter via
its single-coil pickup and push/push
volume pot.
SOUNDS: Tuned G# to G#, the tone
reminds us of a capo’d-at-the-fourth-
fret Tele, but with better sustain as the
open strings can ring out. There’s
natural presence and sparkle played
clean, and the pickup positioning means
depth in the bottom end too. That
makes the G Sharp fun for chording and
lead playing alike, or indeed slinging
across your lap with a slide and tons of
drive – Fjeld makes a nut and bridge
extender kit for this very purpose.
THE G SHARP GUITAR IS
designed by Norwegian luthier Øivin
Fjeld, and was used as a project in fi rst
principles for his former guitar-building
students. Following positive responses
to the results, Fjeld has commissioned
this Chinese-built production model.
We have a solid mahogany body, set
mahogany neck with adjustable truss
rod, and a fl at maple fi ngerboard over a
Pining for the Fjeld: a
possible companion
on your next voyage
Jim Dunlop JHF1 Jimi Hendrix Fuzz Face
£179
rhythm. We like the JHF1 best with
single-coil pickups, just expect there
to be a fair bit of extraneous noise.
Verdict
Some players will fi nd the whole
experience somewhat bewildering due
to the distinctly old-school nature of the
unit, but its lack of bells and whistles is
extremely liberating. Turn on, turn up
and rock out!
RATING
KEY INFO ❘ JIM DUNLOP JHF1 ❘ PRICE: £179 ❘ TYPE: ANALOGUE FUZZ PEDAL ❘ TEL: JHS 01132 865381 ❘ WEB: WWW.JHS.CO.UK
JIMI’S USE OF
the Dallas Arbiter
Fuzz Face is well
documented, and that pedal
is probably second only to the Tube
Screamer in terms of the sheer quantity
of boutique imitations it has spawned.
In developing this new unit, Dunlop
examined numerous vintage units. The
JHF1 generates dirt via a silicon BC108
transistor – a more stable option than
The spirit of ’69 harnessed in a stompbox?
by Chris Vinnicombe
JIM DUNLOP JHF1 TEST RESULTS
Build quality
Features
Sound
Value for money
■ WE LIKED Lush range of meaty and
organic fuzz tones; attractive vintage
stylings
■ WE DISLIKED Some may fi nd it a little
prehistoric, and expensive
G SHARP TEST RESULTS
Build quality
Playability
Sound
Value for money
■ WE LIKED Original design; lovely tone
■ WE DISLIKED Sharp fret ends; a little on
the pricey side
Fuzz Face: it’s also
been spotted in the
skies above Nevada
KEY INFO ❘ ØIVIN FJELD G SHARP ❘ PRICE: £279 INCLUDING GIGBAG ❘ TYPE: SHORT-SCALE ELECTRIC ❘ TEL: FSC MUSIC LTD 07771 638924
germanium and consistent with the
Fuzz Faces that were being
manufactured in late 1969-70. Vintage
authenticity means that there is no
provision for mains power, nor an LED
indicator, and battery access involves
removing the pedal’s base plate. Inside,
the hand-wired brown circuit board
looks the part, but it would have been
nice to see some sort of clip to stop the
nine-volt battery rattling around.
SOUNDS: On plugging in, we cannot
resist the temptation to crank both the
volume and fuzz controls right up and
unleash some mayhem. And what a
sound! It’s easy to forget just how much
fun a thick, raucous fuzz tone like this
can be; everything is fi lthier and more
exciting with the pedal engaged. Rolling
back the guitar’s volume control it’s
surprisingly easy to clean things up, and
experimentation with the level of fuzz
dialled in yields appealing crunchy
GIT291.rev_quick 150 18/5/07 08:26:14