NGD - Wood Library Modern Eagle V (WL MEV) - RW neck, BRW fretboard

Likewise! That’s my thing, though. Sucker for it.

As for the finish, I would suspect that is the same nitro finish that they use on Private Stocks.
That is exactly what one of the hang-tags said. Does that mean this is or isn't Nitro over CAB?:

This guitar has a nitrocellulose lacquer topcoat. It is the same material we use on our Private Stock Instruments. This finish has beautiful clarity, luster, and feel. PLEASE NOTE - some everyday chemicals will harm this finish.
 
Is not Nitro/CAB. It would be the high gloss nitro they use in PS.
Well, that's cool! So keep it away from cheap surgical tube hangers and stands, and take off leather straps (or straps with leather ends) when done playing, then.
 
After a much longer waiting period than expected/predicted, but unsurprising based on other experiences related by other users, my Modern Eagle V, Wood Library edition from Brian's Guitars, with IRW neck and BRW FB, in Teal Black Fade, finally arrived.

3k4No8S.jpg


The quilting on it is not as strong as another WL (509) that I have, and is probably the weakest of the batch that Brian did, but the graining is rather nice:

aqAFycR.jpg


The quilt does show up depending on angle and available direct light:

6wtyiVL.jpg


The color seems to change to your eyes depending on the "local color temperature" (i.e. inside under incandescent lighting, outside in direct sunlight vs cloudy, etc), shifting to a bluer or greener color.

You will note there is no microswitch for 250 vs 500 kOhm volume pot switching - from what I have seen, that is true of all the IRW/BRW neck/FB with hog body instances from this run at Brian's, whereas all of the maple neck with Swamp Ash bodies do have the switch. Maybe PRS decided it was not a useful trait for this combo of woods, as they have done for the Core model? :shrug:

So how does it play? Pretty darned good, and I could nicely replicate all the various tones that Brian Ewald showed off on the latest Core MEV video.

It seems to sustain quite nicely, and has a "less-midrangy" sound compared to the SC594 SH that I was using as a back-to-back with it.

The single coil modes sound nice and strat-ish.

This is my first chance to mess with a guitar with Paul's guitar pickups, and I do like the tone. Reminds me of my LP Deluxe with the miniHBs (as a relative comparison to the full HB version of a LP).

The guitar came with a hang tag that noted it has a nitrocellulose finish ("usually only available on Private Stocks" or somesuch, so sounding like not the nitro over CAB that is now a defacto finish) , and to be careful with various substances or somesuch. Is it actually different from the current core Nitro over CAB finish, or is the tag just to warn the user that this isn't one of the old "poly" finish types?
What an absolutely gorgeous guitar!
 
Thanks everyone for the nice compliments on the guitar. I've not played it today (did play a regular acoustic to practice a song for live performance later this week, gotta stay in shape!), so no further thoughts or insights. Maybe tomorrow night at band practice!

I really need to do a back-to-back with my WL509, which has a Swamp Ash body (w/ maple cap) and a maple neck and fretboard. I think that will be a very interesting comparison of opposites and similarities. Both HSH, with trem, 22 fret, but 509 slightly longer scale length at 25.25".
 
Oh, I just realized I hadn't posted an image of the back/neck. Even Brian isn't sure why this one got a solid black back. Maybe they couldn't find a tint that worked with the teal and black front fade, or maybe the back wood had some visible wood grain flaws:

9fno0lg.jpg
OHHH WOW!! Almost missed this... a Rosewood NECK!!! Awesome!

I want a Rosewood neck..... I want it NOW!!


 
I really need to do a back-to-back with my WL509, which has a Swamp Ash body (w/ maple cap) and a maple neck and fretboard. I think that will be a very interesting comparison of opposites and similarities. Both HSH, with trem, 22 fret, but 509 slightly longer scale length at 25.25".
I took a break today from work (long day anyway, I needed it) and did just that. I played them back to back, and I could hear a difference, for sure. But just to make sure I wasn't "hearing with my eyes", I used a looper pedal to record a couple of phrases on each, back to back (i.e. phrase 1, gtr 1; phrase 1, gtr 2; phrase 2, gtr 1; phrase 2, gtr 2), using position 2 on the pickup selector, with both guitars set up for the bridge HB in single coil mode. The WL509 definitely was "brighter/spankier" whatever, or if you like the MEV was warmer while still maintaining high-end sparkle. I'm sure a little of that comes from the actual pickup differences themselves.

The WL509 could be "dialed down" in tone using the tone knob to more closely match the MEV, but it lost the high-end equivalent to the "sparkle" that the MEV has with tone at 10 - I assume this is due to the RW neck have a bit of a "scooped mids" tone compared to the maple neck.

I also did some checks of how long the guitars sustained, unplugged. The MEV sustained longer - using my imperfect aural environment (fridge running in the next room, etc), I could play an A (major) chord and it would sustain for about 2 seconds longer on the MEV, for example, before becoming lost in the noise. The MEV also seemed louder overall - not as loud as the SC594SH I also compared, but louder than the WL509.

So...take that for what it's worth - a bunch of anecdotes collected not-really-scientifically. But the MEV definitely sounds different than my WL509, and I'm gonna take advantage of that and get inspired with new tones. Actually, already have - I came up with an intro / atmospheric riff sequence and a related chord sequence useful for a verse, using a lightly pushed DMBL pedal with mild reverb/delay into an Archon.

A related question: does anyone have a Rosewood neck 513 (or 509) and also played a RW-neck MEV? Any comments regarding how similar or different they sound? A RW-neck 513 is on my GAS list, but if this MEV covers those bases, maybe I can apply the GAS elsewhere...
 
Back
Top