The Brent Mason arrived - pics and initial review

If you haven't already, I would record some random stuff with it just to see or hear what's really going on.

I recently had a discouraging run of amps. Was wanting to change things up and go for a different sound. I think maybe my "go to" was keeping me from accepting anything different than the amp I've been playing since 1994.
 
That's strange, man. The one I spent time with was plenty bright. But that was through an HXDA, which is a bright amp overall.

The Mason and the Paul's are two very different guitars, though. Different construction, scale length, woods.
 
Well, everybody...I solved my issue. The mystery of the Brent Mason has been solved. I didn't mess with it yesterday - well, I didn't play at all yesterday. I woke up this morning with a fresh attitude and approach....

Here's what I realized. The Brent Mason has more in common with an Ibanez RG550 than it does a PRS (aside from the construction aspect). Thinking I am going to get PRS-type sounds from the BM is what was frustrating me.

Here's what I discovered:

1) Les was right. Using an amp rig built around a BIG, clean amp was key. Once I went into the Helix and had access to tons of "amps", "cabs" and "mics" I was able to create a platform that allowed the BM to begin to shine. My basic "amp" platform ended up being a Bassman, on the bright channel, set clean and "loud". I ran that through a cab I would never usually use - in the Brent Mason Rig Rundown I heard Brent mention he uses these speakers....a Mesa 4x12 with V30s. I HATE those cabs in real life, but it works well in this situation.

2) Once I had the "right" amp ("cranked" to the right level), the BM began to take on a VERY Strat-like quality. That is when I really began to realize that the guitar is really just a fancy HSH, bolt-on. Once this sunk in, it became easier to dial the guitar in. The strat tones are glorious!! The humbucker tones are great!! It's still not as bright as I was thinking it'd be, but that's okay - everything is providing usable sounds.

I did make some more adjustments to the bridge and TR to fine-tune the action and playability more. It's where I need it to be. All issues with bending are gone. So, YAY - the problems I initially had are gone. Thanks for your input and suggestions!! Everything helped.

Now, I just need to decide if I need a PRS RG550, lol....
 
Some people love it, but I have yet to play a Korina or Koa guitar I have liked. And its usually heavy which I do not like either.
 
Some people love it, but I have yet to play a Korina or Koa guitar I have liked. And its usually heavy which I do not like either.

While I got the guitar to a point where I feel satisfied, I don't think it'll ever become a "go-to". There is just something about it. It's an oddball. It's certainly not as bright as I was thinking it would be - or need it to be. It's certainly not holding any Telecaster DNA - it's all Strat DNA....or, like I said above, it has A LOT of RG550 DNA too....

I was rocking it for a little while yesterday before Sharknado-fest started, and I was vibing off the sound. Here's the thing though, when I am going for a Hendrix-type of Strat sound, my EG-3 KILLS the Brent Mason. The BM just doesn't have the type of "twang" I was hoping for, considering Brent Mason is a country guy.
 
pickups mounted in a guard make a difference. They have a "tone", especially on the necks. Doesn't matter what guitar, or what kind of pickups they are. Every strat I have owned or played had it, my PRS Starla has it, etc. They do this "thing" and I really lack the vocab to describe it in any meaningful way.... basically once you have played enough with guard mounted pickups you start to recognise the quality. I don't think it's a bad thing, in fact I feel right at home with it.
 
While I got the guitar to a point where I feel satisfied, I don't think it'll ever become a "go-to". There is just something about it. It's an oddball. It's certainly not as bright as I was thinking it would be - or need it to be. It's certainly not holding any Telecaster DNA - it's all Strat DNA....or, like I said above, it has A LOT of RG550 DNA too....

I was rocking it for a little while yesterday before Sharknado-fest started, and I was vibing off the sound. Here's the thing though, when I am going for a Hendrix-type of Strat sound, my EG-3 KILLS the Brent Mason. The BM just doesn't have the type of "twang" I was hoping for, considering Brent Mason is a country guy.

I wanted another tele and ended up with a Fender American vintage. I tried a bunch, and they made them in both swamp ash and Korina. For me, it was night and day. The Korinas all had an odd honky tone that sounded nothing like the Swamp ash models, and they were all a pound or 2 more. Exactly the same guitar all the way around except for the wood. That was the final straw for me and Korina. Not my cup of tea at all. It sounds to me like you are hearing the same things I did, and it explains the weight issue as well. IMO a Strat type guitar should never be more that 7.5 lbs max, or they sound dead. 6 to 7.5 lbs is prime. Sure there are exceptions, but its rare.

Imo, ymmv etc etc.
 
pickups mounted in a guard make a difference. They have a "tone", especially on the necks. Doesn't matter what guitar, or what kind of pickups they are. Every strat I have owned or played had it, my PRS Starla has it, etc. They do this "thing" and I really lack the vocab to describe it in any meaningful way.... basically once you have played enough with guard mounted pickups you start to recognise the quality. I don't think it's a bad thing, in fact I feel right at home with it.

Yes, I notice it - VERY clear. I notice it more with the BM than I do with any of my S2 Standards. Weird. I LOVE the tone of those guitars. I am definitely much more accustomed to guitars with direct-mounted or ring-mounted pickups. I am thinking with the Brent Mason it is a lot of factors added up - the steel bridge, the wood, the pickguard....things you don't think about, but in this case ALL of these things have added up to give me something I don't love, lol....

I wanted another tele and ended up with a Fender American vintage. I tried a bunch, and they made them in both swamp ash and Korina. For me, it was night and day. The Korinas all had an odd honky tone that sounded nothing like the Swamp ash models, and they were all a pound or 2 more. Exactly the same guitar all the way around except for the wood. That was the final straw for me and Korina. Not my cup of tea at all. It sounds to me like you are hearing the same things I did, and it explains the weight issue as well. IMO a Strat type guitar should never be more that 7.5 lbs max, or they sound dead. 6 to 7.5 lbs is prime. Sure there are exceptions, but its rare.

Imo, ymmv etc etc.

I have a parts Esquire I built using a Basswood body. Not my favorite choice in woods, but MAN....does that thing twang. It snarls. It roars. It does everything you would expect it to do. It is not without its own quirks, but for the recording applications I need it for - DANG is it perfect. Here's my issue with the Brent Mason, and it's purely economic....

I paid $2100 used for a guitar that isn't doing what I want it to do, lol. Because of that, I just keep moving toward moving it on. In fact, as of right now I am 99% sure that's what is happening....

If I do move it, I'm gonna grab another Vela. I had one of those when they first came out and really liked it. Timing was bad and I had to sell it, but I always said I'd get another. I am thinking now is the time....
 
Maybe....it has been in and out of shopping carts MANY times, lol. The Brent Mason was gonna "top" them all - funny how that works sometimes....
Ain't that the truth! I thought the BM would replace all my strats, with a better, more versatile guitar that played like a PRS! But I've never even seen one to play.

And the S2 Studio seems like a natural fit for you, since you dig the other S2s so much. I'll be watching...
 
The Brent Mason arrived today. There is no silly story this time around, just a little background on what I am hoping it will do - along with my initial thoughts based on a couple hours with it in the studio this afternoon.

Background:

In all my personal silliness, I am trying to find a PRS to "replace" my trusty Gretsch Duo Jet and home built Equire for recording sessions. I don't really NEED to replace them - they work. Clients like them, I am getting the tones I need....everything is hitting it "right" with those guitars. It's just one of those "guitar player" things - CAN I find a guitar that will give me what those already do....



Most of the sessions I do tend to be singer-songwriters that have songs a little more on the folk/Americana/rootsy side of the spectrum. Not at ALL what I do on my own stuff, which is a bit harder and more driven. For my own music I have reached a place where I have a few PRS guitars that are "go-to" instruments. For all those singer-songwriters I figured,

"Why not grab the most recorded guitarist's signature model????"

I mean, if it's good enough for a REAL session guy, then it should be good enough for a guy on the C-level local circuit working out of small project studios, right?



Initial Review:

Visuals:
Upon opening the case, the first thing that caught my attention was how BIG this guitar seemed to be. The 25.25 scale makes the neck look longer to me, and the shape seems longer as well. Continuing to look it over, I was quite taken back at how (typical) attractive of an instrument it is - but I was also stuck on a time machine back to the 90s and all the Super-Strats I had with HSH pickups and mini-toggles. From a visual standpoint you could say I am torn between feeling like I am looking at a "classy" instrument and a Japanese shredder. I am NOT knocked off my feet like when I see a gorgeous carved top, figured maple PRS....



Weight: Picking the guitar up for the first time I noticed it has a bit more weight than my usual PRS guitars. In fact, the only other one that feels similar in weight is my Paul's Guitar. The scale said 8.1lbs. It's still comfortable and balanced, of course, but there does seem to be a bit more girth. Could be the different shape....

Neck: The neck is SMOOTH. It's satin finished and feels like somebody powdered it, lol. Naturally, the fretwork/fingerboard feels perfect - typical PRS. The profile is beefy though. MUCH more so than I was expecting. I like a thick neck, so no big deal, but I think some people might be shocked. It feels bigger than a wide/fat - could be wrong, but that's how it felt to me.



Going back to the scale length.....I don't like it. Simply put, the added tension makes me feel I am playing a different brand. I have gotten VERY spoiled with the "sponginess" of the PRS 24.5" and 25" scale lengths. I am sure I can get used to it - especially since I have been spending MOST of my playing time on 24.5" scale guitars over the last month or so....

The guitar came with the action WAY higher than I like - which is crazy because I play with pretty high action. No big deal, I just spent a few minutes adjusting the bridge. But, even after getting the action where I like it, and doing a little truss rod adjustment, I still found bending to be a bit of a struggle. I am gonna be curious to see where this goes. Will I adjust or not?



Sound: A lot of guys would refer to this section as "tone". I have never been a fan of that word, for whatever reason. With the Mason, I find the word "sound" even MORE appropriate than usual. For a frame of reference, I have experience with the Narrow 408 pickups via my Paul's Guitar:



I understand what I should be getting out of them, and how to adjust them to give me the "best" performance. I really dig my PG. It does EXACTLY what it was advertised to do. I have used it, extensively, live and ALWAYS managed killer tones.

I think you know where I am going....

The BM? After almost an hour of adjust the 408 pickup height, I was not able to get the type of sounds I was expecting to get. Certainly nothing NEAR the PG - though I wasn't expecting it to sound like the PG.....they are TOTALLY different guitars.

It leaves me with these questions:

1) Is Korina really THAT different????
2) Could it be the suspended pickups on the pickguard????
3) Is it the steel saddles on the bridge????

The "sound" differs in that the Narrow 408 pickups sound muffled in the BM compared to the PG. I was also having a difficult time getting the output balanced. If I got the dirt sounding good, but then went to a clean sound, something was lacking. VERY frustrating.

(For reference, I was using a Rivera M100 w an EVM12L speaker - a rig I got in 1990 and used for AGES)



Positives of the electronics???

Well, I LOVE the 305/513 single coil. It sounds amazing alone. It adds character to the 408s. The blade switch works VERY well. Silly, but when you are tracking on somebody else's dime not having "screw ups" because the of the blade switch is a good thing, lol. I'll slightly move the mini-toggles to make them more ergonomic for how I flick them. The volume and tone are VERY responsive and affect the sound in a pleasing way.



Verdict:

As of right now I am NOT digging the guitar. It didn't crunch enough. It didn't twang enough. It was uncomfortable to play. It lacked the clarity I like to have in a recording guitar. I feel like the BM is just an odd instrument. I wasn't sure WHAT to expect - sometimes that's good, sometimes it's bad. This time I think it's bad. I am gonna work with it for a while and see what happens. I'll open it up to see if there have been any resistors added that could suck the sound. I'm sure I just need to get used to it, and I am looking forward to spending time "learning" the guitar. It's not like I just got a CE24 with HFS/VB pickups....if I had I'd be on my way to the asylum, lol.....

What a beautiful Guitar. I recently picked up a Mint DC3 and it is Fantastic in the studio. I’d also suggest tracking down a 513. It truly is a versatile and monster for tones. It’s loud and full sounding. I have been a Strat player for years and after coming across the DC3 recently, I am a PRS faithful follower now....
 
Before you ditch the guitar, a couple of questions. Do you like the neck and scale length? A new volume pot with a higher value may be the way to get everything you want. I did that to an SE custom 24 a couple of weeks ago, and it's a new world, buddy! I went to a 575k pot.
 
Sorry to hear that the BM isn’t all you expected/wanted. You might find it fits somewhere else in your armoury.
 
Before you ditch the guitar, a couple of questions. Do you like the neck and scale length? A new volume pot with a higher value may be the way to get everything you want. I did that to an SE custom 24 a couple of weeks ago, and it's a new world, buddy! I went to a 575k pot.

How did that change the tone - brighter? This is interesting...I like how the guitar plays, just not how it sounds. It needs more bite....
 
Yes, it made my Se noticeably brighter, and added tremendous clarity to the top end. Another one just arrived. It may go in my SE singlecut trem. And it's a really cheap mod, once you find the pot.
 
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