There is no denying that James Trussart Guitars have a unique and distinctive vibe about them with regard to their visual attributes - And certainly this was my first attraction towards this James Trussart Deluxe Steelcaster, with a rust on bamboo finish - Yet looks alone is not a reason to buy any guitar, so with that in mind, Trussart does not have to worry about the playing performance and tonal quality of his guitars

I believe one of the greatest assets that Trussart possesses is the growing number of well known artists who have purchased his guitars - Note the word purchased, as Trussart does not give away his guitars to our guitar hereos in exchange for some free publicity - A list of artists that are now associated with Trussart Guitars includes, Billy Gibbons, Robert Cray, Tom Morello, Joe Perry, Metallica, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, Keith Richards, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Raconteurs and many many more

Visual Appearance :- to describe the character of this Deluxe Steelcaster, some will say, different, idiosyncratic, cool, wierd or simply unusual - I adore the rust on bamboo finish on the hollow steel body, that is matched with 'aged' hardware, along with an aged, bamboo scratchplate and headstock facia - The hollow metal body on the Deluxe Steelcaster is the Thinline style with an f-hole, whilst the rear of the body features the Holey (perforated) format

Neck/Feel/Playability :- The Oval C profile found on the bolt-on maple neck is straight from Fenders 60's golden period, so home territory for many guitar players - Now enrich the playing performance with a 9" radius on a rosewood fingerboard, along with a set of Dunlop 6105 jumbo frets, all of which allows for a well balanced fluid action and effortless string bending without the choking that can be asscociated with the traditional 7.25" radius that can be found on vintage guitars - To give you that instant 'played in' feel, the maple neck is spec'd with a thin satin finish, so all in all a very comfortable guitar to play - Set-up with a set of 10's and a nice fluid playing action - Finally, note that the Deluxe Steelcaster still features the traditional 25.5" scale length - The hardware includes a set Tone Pro tuners with the 'Kluson' style slotted string post, whilst the bridge is a vintage style but with 3 pairs of compensated brass saddles to improve intonation and enrich tone, susatin and harmonics

Tonal qualities - A hand wound pair of Arcane pick-ups are chosen to bring out the best tone on the Deluxe Steelcaster, with a warm sounding paf based humbucker in the neck position and a ballsy early 50's single coil pick-up in the bridge position - Initial thoughts will lead you to a regular 3 way switch, with a master volume and tone control, yet the volume pot has a push/pull function to give you access to split coils on the humbucking pick-up - More to come, as the tone pot has a similar push/pull function, to allow you the option of selecting an 'out of phase' tone when both pick-ups are on together (ie 3 way switch in the middle position) - Despite what you initial expectations maybe, the tone is not hard, brittle or sharp - On clean amp settings the neck pick-up is warm enough with plenty of depth to even satisfy any jazz requirements, with a delightful hollow woody vibe about it - Again on clean amp settings the bridge pick-up has a vintage full bodied twang about it, musically warm and certainly not brash - As good as any vintage flavoured instrument you may have heard in the past - On crunch or hi-gain amp settings the same applies with lush smooth tones from the neck pick-up and those classic crunchy Tele tones from the bridge pick-up, that work well on both chords or single notes - From sweet and soft to hot and aggressive, this Trussart is loaded with character, very dynamic and responsive to your playing needs - Incidentally, there is no feedback issue with this instrument, even when cranked up with a hi-gain amp setting

Included with the price is a quality oblong hard shell case + certificate/warranty card

finally click here and click here to listen to a few video clips of a Trussart

Guitars4You Offers Reliability, Integrity and Expertise

Every guitar in stock at Guitars4You has been personally selected, inspected and approved by me, with particular attention paid to the set-up and playing performance - Every sale, phone call, mail order transaction or e-mail is handled my me - Mark Hopkin, the owner, Managing Director, cleaner and coffee maker (Jo, my wife helps with the coffee) - A 35 year journey has fuelled my knowledge, experience, love, devotion and passion for exceptionally fine guitars - This reflects in every aspect of our business

I have no desire to run an Amazon style 'click to buy' guitar shop, that lacks any soul or passion, or indeed to fill a showroom with a selection of dirty, shop soiled or dusty guitars that are in need of a set-up