#6020- James Tyler Black Classic – USA – used/2004

Overview Comments :- Sadly James Tyler is no longer with us, but he certainly left behind a first class reputation for building some of the finest modern boutique guitars – Custom Shop pioneers  like Jackson and Charvel  largely moved down the pointy headstock route, often coupled with a Floyd Rose locking trem package – Whereas the bulk of sales, for the likes of Suhr, Anderson and Tyler, came from a more traditional source, with strong influences borrowed  from the classic Strat – I suppose the likes of Valley Arts and Schecter were two companies who first introduced us to the ‘Super Strat’ in the late 1970’s – Later, Suhr, Anderson and Tyler  picked up the baton, with the single aim of building exceptionally fine ’boutique’ guitars, all tweaked to enhance the playing performance  – Please read below a host of product details with regards to this used James Tyler Black Classic from 2004  

Product details – In no particular order : – 

• The Classic is/was effectively the Tyler Michael Landau signature model
• Whole guitar weighs 7lbs and 9oz
• Ash body with a classic black finish
• 1/4 sawn maple neck with the chunkier ’59’ C profile – measures .869″ around the top nut end, then fattens out to .995 around the 12th fret – Silky smooth satin feel for that played in character
• Rosewood fingerboard
• 25.5″ scale length
• 10-12″ compound fingerboard radius
• 22 medium jumbo frets (narrow tall similar to 6105)
• Contoured neck/body heal + neck plate
• Kluson non-locking machine heads – split post + staggered height
• Wilkinson VS50V 2 post fulcrum trem assembly
• Tortoise shell trem back plate + scratch plate
• Screened pick-up control cavity
• Early example so spec’d then with Suhr single coil pick-ups – neck + middle measure 7.6K
• Bridge humbucker is spec’d as Landau Bucker – I’m led to believe these are a Seymour Duncan custom spec’d model, wound to Landau and Tyler’s spec – based on the Seymour Duncan Trembucker  with alnico V magnets – measures 9.74K
• 5 way switch
• Master volume pot + tone neck + tone middle – hence bridge humbucker is wired straight through to 10 Includes a copy of the original order form with some spec info
• Condition – Black is probably the worse colour to hide any subtle graze – It always looks worse on black compared to just about any other colour – This Classic might not quite look in that ‘mint/as new condition’ but it is very very clean – Any hint of a blemish is minimal – There is a slight hint of lacquer checking, but not unusual with such a thin lacquer – A few pick marks on the scratchplate – But overall a very clean guitar and when you realise it is now planning its 21st birthday it has either been well cared for and/or played occasionally

Feel and playability :- The magic of a Tyler Classic is not about how it looks on a web site, or indeed how it looks on a dealers wall, it is about the tonal character and playing performance – Two key attributes that only shine through when you actually pick one up and play it – If you compare a Fender Custom Shop Strat along side a Tyler, I certainly do not believe it is a case that one guitar is better than another, as they both have various attributes – The Tyler is more slick with regard to its playing action and feel, but that does not necessarily suit everyone – To sum it up I’d say the Fender Strat is more organic, along the lines of Stevie Ray, whilst the Tyler is more refined, along the lines of Steely Dan – But that does not mean it lacks soul, expression and emotion – It just delivers it in a more refined way, but not to the point of sounding pure or clinical –  The more you play the Tyler Classic, the more you realise that it has a great deal going for it, to the point were you find it is a very infectious instrument – It certainly feels slick and easy to play, but equally sit back, chill out and dig in a bit for some sleazy blues – How well it plays is undoubtedly the Tyler’s greatest asset and to me this is a key criteria to producing a great tone – If your left hand is struggling to handle the neck and the action, then to me you are fighting the guitar, with the end result that you can’t deliver the emotion and tone that you require – The neck is spec’d with a Std 59 profile – Not exactly slim, but certainly not chunky – It possesses enough depth to enrich the tone but not so that you can’t handle it – Overall it is very comfortable and rounded,  which in-conjunction with the compound fingerboard radius and chunky frets, allows for a very fluid easy playing action – The thin satin finish on both the neck and fingerboard also ensures it feels played in from day one

Tone wise:-  You’ll experience a crisp clean and spanky vibe that is pure and angelic, but not clinical – Plenty of snap and attack plus very responsive to you and your technique – Acoustically it has a natural lively tone to it – Plugged in and it is very transparent – It is warm and smooth with big clear lows that are rich and round – Sparkling crisp highs that glisten – Transparent mids – Subject to your amp setting, the Tyler Classic can be aggressive and kick  dirt, but somehow it works  best when it is polite and well mannered, both on a clean or overdriven amp setting – It likes to perform with a hi-gain amp setting, but again somehow less is more when it comes to overdrive levels, as this allows  the Tyler  to breathe and express its full tonal vocabulary – On an ovedriven amp setting, roll back the guitars volume pot for more of a chilled out clean tone – Let this be your base tone, then dial in more volume, as required, for more overdrive and bite – Hence it is not short of emotion and soul – The humbucker adds girth and balls, but it does not take over and rule the single coil pick-ups – It is a nice balance between funky single coil and fat humbucker – More Larry Carlton and less EVH  – The Tyler Classic  certainly works with you, to fully allow you to express your own personality upon it as you explore different musical styles and voices

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Call: 01335 345777 or email: mark@guitars4you.co.uk. Please note that showrooms visits are strictly by appointment only.

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Guitars4You is not another corporate high street guitar store - My selection of premium grade guitars is about quality not quantity. Every guitar has been selected, inspected and approved by me, with particular attention to the set-up and playing performance. Every sale, phone call, email and mail order transaction is handled by me. A journey that is now over 40 years old, has fuelled my knowledge, experience, love, devotion and passion for exceptionally fine guitars.