AXL Badwater Dual Pickup 1216 Electric Guitar, Antique Brown Review

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(More customer reviews)I've been an active musician for over ten years, with bass being my main instrument for the first 7-8, and (due to a pinky injury) guitar becoming my main for the last few. Another thing you might like to know is that this is my first LES PAUL-based guitar. In other words I've never had a short scale guitar before, so it's kind of a new experience for me in a way.

Before I give you the pros and cons as I see them, let me just tell you that for the money IT ABSOLUTELY ROCKS! You will not find a guitar this cheap and is this gorgeous, plays and sounds this well. So, just keep that in mind.

Appearance: This is the strong point of this company in general. The guitar looks amazing! Although the color you see on the stock photo is not exactly the same, in real life it's more solid dark brown than the woody color seen in the pics, but still very beautiful. Even though the body is supposed to be "distressed", it seems that out of all the Badwater series this one is the least distressed. At worst, it looks like a guitar that's been actively used for a couple of years. The front of the body looks almost brand new, while the back of it is lightly worn out as if the guitar was played in a standing position. There are a few scratches, but almost invisible. I guess they thought this one is too beautiful as it is, and they felt sorry to damage it :). Now, the binding looks very filthy and old, so it does not balance the body's "age" well, but it's no biggie. Hardware is aged nicely, and the inlay blocks are cool as well. Otherwise, a total Les Paul knock-off.

Set-up: Again, very impressive. For a guitar at this price level, I've never seen a guitar so well set up. The intonation is close to perfect, and there is virtually no fret-buzz.

Sound and features: The pickups are very good, not top-notch, but hey it's a $225.00 guitar! They sound vintage-y, in other words - very nice. Great for blues, rock and hard-rock but not a metal axe, though. The tuners are the weakest point, as far as I can tell. They hold up OK, but not as good as I was hoping, so I might replace them eventually. The body is alder, so it doesn't weigh nearly as much as mahogany, something the Les Pauls are notorious for. I'm still getting used to the feel of the short scale and the softness of the strings, so if you are used to a longer scale guitar (Fender, Ibanez etc.) keep in mind that you will not get the same "spank", and you won't be able to strum as hard (strings might bend out of pitch), but it is a lot easier to fret barre chords and bend strings. I might get thicker gauge strings, and raise the action a tad.

All in all, the guitar is amazing. I would give it 4.5 out of 5, because of the tuners, and the fact that it's not as distressed as the rest of the Badwater series guitar. Nothing this good in this price range out there.

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Product Description:
The Badwater 1216 (AL-820) is built with a set rock maple neck, 2 EMG-designed Alnico humbuckers and a classic-style single cutaway design. The guitar's rosewood fretboard helps deliver a warm, thick tone. The scale length is a traditional 24 3/4" for vintage punch. Each 1216 guitar body has been distressed individually by the AXL workshop, so no two are alike. The 1216 comes with carefully distressed pickguard, tone and volume knobs, and anodized tuning machines, bridge assembly and strap buttons for a unique look and vintage feel.

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