I say select range because it is clear that Peavey has taken great care with the materials and finishes of this guitar. We will look at it closely in the following sections of this review, but you only need to glance at the spec sheet to see that no expense has been spared on materials in order to achieve a good product. I begin this article by doing justice to the guitar's high quality, acknowledging Peavey's place at the top of the market for particularly interesting guitars in this price bracket, especially after testing this HP Signature XP Tiger Eye.
Unboxing
My first impression on opening the box and taking the unplugged guitar in my hands was one of good "architecture," thanks to its reasonable weight, finish and well-adjusted strings; in other words, a pleasant feel.
Looking at the back, I assumed two more things: first, that the woods were high-grade (judging by their appearance), and second, that the neck-to-body joint was interestingly built.
I played a couple of phrases, still unplugged, and I was especially pleased by how low the strings sat to the fretboard. On the other hand, the guitar was perfectly in tune even after traveling thousands of miles before reaching my hands. This is a sign of balance. I am sure the instrument underwent temperature changes and rough handling while it was traveling. Therefore, the fact that it arrived in tune reveals great balance in its woods (type and drying), which are resistant to climate changes and conditions that are hardly favorable for holding a tuning.
As for the design, it struck me as having a PRS vibe, a resemblance you can see in the photos.
Construction
Next I took a look at the spec sheet: a one-piece neck and materials such as mahogany, ebony and maple... first-rate ingredients; things are getting interesting.
As I said at the beginning of this text, the manufacturer has clearly opted for good materials in pursuit of a good instrument, and it has managed to convey this quickly to the guitarist holding it. To wrap up the praise in this section, I should mention the good choices made in the construction and assembly of the neck.
The view held by many guitarists, who increasingly support Korean manufacturing every day, is backed up by the guitar in today's review. In other words, I believe that, given the construction materials (as papsy used to say: top-notch), prices would be sky-high if it were not made there. So I find an appealing relationship between the place of manufacture, the price, the materials and the end result, and I join those who believe that Korean manufacturing is gaining ground every day.
The aesthetics are too subjective to evaluate. What I can say is that the instrument is well designed, the body fits the torso nicely and it is a sleek guitar. Depending on the "look" you are after, this hard-rocking "tiger eye" finish may suit you better, or the black or the cherryburst.
The feel
The guitar is smooth, with very low action and no fret buzz. It is especially suited to "shredding," since you gain speed by having to move your fingers less. The balance between string tension, string height above the fretboard and body of sound is well achieved.
Electronics and hardware
Two classic-style humbuckers are the electronic heart of this Peavey. The humbucker "artillery" gives it the characteristic dark, round color we have talked about before, which lends itself to good combinations with distortion.
We continue with precise Grover tuners and a Tune-o-matic bridge; all the hardware has a gold finish, which adds touches to the vintage look of this guitar.
The sound
As always, once the instrument has successfully passed the feel, materials, design and construction sections, we are left with the most important part: how does it sound?
It scores well in this respect. On many occasions (though not always) when I have guitars in my hands, I detect sonic intentions heading down one of two paths: Les Paul or Stratocaster (to be fair and accurate I would have to widen the range of models a bit, but I will leave these references as a summary). Many of these times I am left with the feeling that the sound resembles one of these two "branches" but does not quite get there. It is rare for an instrument to offer me something new, to have a personality of its own and to suggest new "points" unique to the brand that I have not found in other guitars. Fortunately, there are brands and models that, on the contrary, do have their own flavor. This is one of those cases. I could not classify the sound of this Peavey either as a decidedly dark color with excellent natural sustain (perfect for maximum saturation, with the shortcomings this kind of guitar has in other styles) or as the typical bright guitar with a strong treble presence and a piercing attack. Even so, the guitar holds its own perfectly on both fronts, with a pleasant blend under distortion, thick but well-defined tones, while at the same time displaying a powerful range of crystalline highs and interesting attacks on somewhat cleaner sounds.
The middle ground between these extremes is what caught my attention most in this Peavey. A curious midrange area, with very defined sounds, body, sparkle and a totally personal flavor that is characteristic of this guitar.
Conclusions
If you have read all the previous paragraphs, you will see that the summary could be: excellent construction materials, stable tuning, comfortable and pleasant feel, good sound (personal, its own) and a remarkable value for money.
Considering the price, its woods and sound, it is a good purchase if your idea is to climb the ladder and improve your setup before reaching the most powerful (and expensive) rung. It clearly outdoes some other brands and stands in a competitive position within the range of guitars in its price bracket.
