Good page

Managed to play this one. One of the best out there in terms of a Strat variation.

Playing didn't take place before a quick re-string. I'm still waiting for a Tele-stryle to be available for the picking. There's one in store right now but after a thorough handling, it's not quite up there in terms of fitting despite sounding awesome. What I like about this John Page Ashburn:

• Outstanding default pickups- these are JP's own Bloodline model & they made the cut for both clean & driven. Nick Johnston would have been proud of them; it's that kind of tone, definitely.
• Superb tuners + nut slots- Tuners are simply above average in terms of response plus the fact that the nut slots were well cut at the factory, I'm giving them a thumbs up for sure.
• Controls- There are only 2 for Vol/ Tone. As such, there's room for the volume to be away from the bridge pickup & this addresses that common Strat issue. 
• Neck profile- It's a definite C-carve but it's slightly thicker than a contemporary American Fender. For a C-profile, I prefer it this way as it helps keep the thumb comfortable at all positions. For a D-profile, I get along better with a thinner carve because the thumb isn't arching during play so if it's thick, it's stressing out the rest of the fretting fingers- dunno if you realize this happening to you.

Blood page

If you think you know the last guitar you put away because you had enough of it, the best thing to renew your faith in it is to return with fresh ears. No, fresh ears would be impossible- more like fresh perspective. When I last played my John Page Ashburn you see here, I thought the Bloodline single coils were too trebly & twangy for my brand of music. However, a different EQ tweak (both at the pedal & amp ends) did renew some faith in this guitar. I was listening to Malmsteen's Blackstar prior to plugging this in so that helped somewhat. 

Many of us are too quick to give up on an impulsive investment. We think we made a grave mistake by doing so & getting rid of that guitar would end the nightmare. However, we might overlook the fact that some instruments fulfil different applications, just like tools. Screw drivers are not claw hammers despite getting the job done in a crude way; they're just not meant for that job scope. More often than not, it's the user who failed to assess the situation & bring out the right tool for the job. If you think you've given up on that piece of gear that sounded so wrong when you last used it, give it a rest. Come back to it when that awful tone stopped ringing in your head. You'd be surprised what some downtime could do for you. 

Mild driving & 'burning

Last weekend was good. I had ample time to test the JHS808 with my current favourite squeeze; the John Page Ashburn Classic with default Bloodline singlecoils. I used my Blackstar HT Metal for everything. The JHS808 is a sweet TS-type pedal as the name implies. It's discontinued & replaced by the manufacturer's acclaimed Moonshine version (which I also own). 

Utilizing the HTM's clean channel to begin with, the 808 manufactured very sweet drive leaving much single coil twang in tact. The treble wasn't that overwhelming partly due to the fact that the Bloodlines are subdued units output-wise. All manner of clean but driven tones in the light of SRV were achievable. Moving on to the dirty channel, with reduced gain at the amp end, the 808 maintained its capacity as a twang retainer. There was increased saturation & playing fast was a joy but more importantly, as the drive was cranked at the pedal end, single coil clarity remained in tact. Despite being discontinued, there were no regrets getting the JHS808 right off the shelf. I would have been contented with a used unit (someone is selling one in the after market here) but it's just worth every cent.

Metal 'burn

Before leaving the house last Monday, I managed to pair the John Page Ashburn with Blackstar's HT Metal. The objective was to hear if a high gain amp like this one could be useful with single coils if it's running on lowered gain. 

The Blackstar HT Metal range is pure distortion mayhem when cranked up. It has no crunch channel, you deal with clean or super saturated distortion, nothing in between. The only way to enjoy some restrained drive is to back the gain down. Some amps sound half dead with such settings but the HT Metal is no such amp. 

The Ashburn Classic here features a trio of vintage output single coil pickups. They don't sound useful at high gain settings. In fact, they inject frustration with the lack of punch & make you wonder if there's something wrong with the instrument. These Bloodline pickups thrive on mild drive; a Tube Screamer pedal or anything of similar performance would generate an awesome outcome. So how did they fare with a tamed beast like the HT Metal?

Simply put, they are impressive. If you fancy how Nick Johnston sounds like, this pairing generate tones as such. My version simply lacks a little warmth due to the maple fretboard there.

Arranged siblings

A wonderful evening with single coils for a change. Notice how similar the arrangements of the pickups are. We know John Page knows the goodness of a reverse slant bridge single coil. The Edwards on the other hand, underscores this goodness by virtue of its mischief- it wasn't meant to be that way in the first place.

Still on those pickups- while I appreciate John Page's Bloodline concept, they are not as appealing as the Seymour Duncans. It's a personal inclination, my ears still prefer the Duncans any time.

John Page looks east

If you are a Fender fan, you should know John Page because when Fender's Custom Shop started out, there were only 2 luthiers, Mr. Page was one of them. Forgive his guitars for looking like his employer's since he decided to unleash unto guitardom some fine guitars, em... this side of Fender (of course). But his guitars were beyond reach until the Classic series arrived- Made in Japan.

Why look East? Simple- trustworthy craftsmanship. Lest we forget, the '80s Fenders were all about Japanese goodness & you'd think John Page, a Fender employee, wouldn't recognize this? I was at Davis recently to have a feel of what a JP guitar is all about & the experience was pleasant. 

In fact, it was above pleasant considering the price-to-goodness ratio. About the price- coming from Japan, this guitar is at the upper end of the mid-price bracket. About the goodness- everything here is deserving of the John Page name; absolute quality & some good tones to boot. The inevitable query- so is it Fender-worthy? Please respect the John Page name & his quest to offer good guitars based on his interpretation of what it should be. Some Fender mojo manifested here like the round neck profile (despite a little wider from nut to heel), elbow slope & rear body belly bevel comfort & that unmistakable single tone- thumbs up! A little about the Bloodline pickups featured in this series- they aren't too jangly in all positions but you'd hear some very chunky single notes, very deserving of an instrument sporting a rosewood fretboard (maple option available- superb!), with warmth to boot. 

Are JP guitars exclusively for Fender fans? I'd say they are for single coil fans more than anything else. For players looking for that crucial difference that separates them from the Fenders but not going too astray.