Cheap & cheerful (2): AXL Badwater 1216

Many of us find the singlecut guitar design simple & desirable. However, acquiring a Gibson Les Paul would prove to be too prohibitive in terms of price considerations so we look at the clones out there in hope of finding that elusive value-for-money model. AXL's Badwater range has this 1216 model depicted above (I've featured this guitar here before, if you could recall...), listing for $295 $250 (@ Davis GMC). The traditional Les Paul fan would have second thoughts about the satin finish & that less pronounced cut away which is a little put-off in terms of design. But this isn't a design appraisal, the 1216 is a well built guitar with the Les Paul BFG philosophy clearly manifested- it pays very little homage to cosmetics but delivers the fundamentals in terms of playability & tone. The default alnico humbuckers possess this signature classic rock tones but with sharpen definition so it's an enticement for you shredders out there. If you can live without the gloss feel of the traditional Les Paul, the 1216 is indeed a cheap & cheerful pick.

AXL: Badwater 1216

I was at Davis GMC trying out pedals & stuff yesterday when I came across this AXL Badwater 1216. It reminded me too much of my (Les Paul) BFG; a well built guitar with sufficient finish to get by, nothing more. So if you are not into this realm of product presentation, you'd think AXL is trying to pull a fast one from you. The pickups are EMG designed Alnico humbuckers which proved to be the strength of this instrument; the satin finished guitar sounded so sweet with its rather light body, there's much clarity to be heard too. You'd notice the cutaway there having a less acute scoop compared to the typical LP design- it's complementing the set-neck's upper access trimming, very similar to the PRS make. All the attraction for a mere $250; one of the best bargain guitar out there.