Guitar of the Week/Updates- October 24

Before I introduce my pick for guitar of the week I want to give everyone an update on the past few weeks.
First let me say, Spawn Guitars is now an officially registered trade mark-
As many people know, we've been working on our new Reaper model as well as our new Vanquish model.
Sometimes, things don't always go as planned, as has been the case thus far. What should we do ? Get pissed ? Give up ? Nah, we just carry one. I'm having fun in the shop, fun in the paint booth and having fun spending time with my dad... who has really been a huge help the past few weeks. He's been taking on some of the less desirable jobs like- sanding, re-sanding, mixing paint, cleaning the paint guns, fixing stuff, and cleaning up.. And I for one appreciate all of his help.. In case you haven't figured it out.. Spawn Guitars isn't just a one man outfit, but it's probably not what you think either.. I know when I need help.. I have the best help in the world, and some of the only people I trust working with me.. My mom helps by watching and taking care of my awesome baby girl while I'm working at the shop.... My sis helps by doing graphic design and artwork... My wife helps by not only having a job (I like to eat) but also helps in the office... So when you think family owned and operated.... You can put Spawn Guitars in that category.  And I am thankful I have a family who believes in Spawn Guitars enough to give up their own time to make it happen...
And I know I can also count on our Spawn Artists to lend a hand when called upon.. Thank you all.

Ok ! So that was fun huh ? Thanks for reading that. On to my pick for guitar of the week-
I was going to go with one of our newer models, but I decided since we're going to be unveiling the new Reaper really soon- why not show off the discontinued Reaper.. ? That guitar was a very cool, beginner/intermediate players guitar. Although the new Reapers are built for total domination.. there is a big difference in not only body styling, but also woods, hardware and finish..
Here it is the 2009 Spawn Guitars Reaper-

Guitar of the Week

While we're finishing up the two new guitar designs... The all new Reaper and Vanquish-X; I've decided to post a few of our current models... In no particular order.
This week I want to feature the SS-87FR Metal Top (MT)
It's not a real diamond plate top, but rather plastic... Even up close and to the touch it's hard to tell the difference. The guitar is " heavy metal" through and through. It has killer looks and tone... and it is well rounded nice feeling and playing guitar.
The guitar is available in both a single humbucker and dual humbucker set up.
Here are the specs:
Body: Mahogany
Neck: Maple
Fretboard: Rosewood
Frets: 24
Inlays: Half Moon
Machine heads: Spawn
Bridge: Licensed Double Locking
Pickups:  Tesla plasma-fh1
Electronics: Master Volume w/coil tapping.
(2hb) 3 way blade selector switch
Accessories: Spawn Gig Bag
Strap Locks
Check out the website for more information as well as ordering information- SS-87FR MT
Remember, if you want a custom guitar built at an affordable price contact us at: info@spawnguitars.com

TESLA PICKUP REVIEW BY JIMI FORREST

Artist: Jimi Forrest

Current Band(s):  Fuzz Box, Sir Deville, Baby Jayne

Primary Guitar: Spawn SS-87 Custom

Pickups: Tesla Plasma-3 humbuckers (neck and bridge)

Artist Background:

Over 20 years experience in studio recording, live performance and professional guitar instruction.  I have played with, recorded with and worked for many musicians on the local, national and international level.  Guitar technician experience includes setting up, customizing and maintenance of guitars for virtuosos Tony MacAlpine and Michael Fath among others.

I have also written guitar/equipment columns for Mid-Atlantic publications as well Peavey’s Monitor magazine.  I am currently performing and recording with several projects as well as guitar instruction on a weekly basis.

Product Review:

My Spawn SS-87 Custom arrived with two Tesla Plasma-3 humbucking pick-ups.  Dual humbuckers are my preference in both my studio guitars as well as my live performance guitars.  After setting up the guitar from it’s original shipping state, I spent plenty of time putting the instrument through it’s paces for upcoming live performances and recording.

Starting with clean amp channels, the first thing I noticed was the warm, tight tone from the plasma-3’s.  Through a tube amp, they produce a well-rounded sound.  There is plenty of mid and high frequency response without losing the punch of the lower frequencies.  The Alnico 5 magnets do a nice job of not pulling the strings out of rotation for a long-lasting sustain.

I tried a few amp settings with various degrees of overdrive with equal success.  The tonal response continued to deliver.  Nice sustain and great response from overtones on sustained notes and chords.  Even with overdrive, the notes remained clear and responsive.

Next…it was full-on shred with high gain.  Rhythm structures with palm-muting produced tight tones without losing sonic integrity.  Plenty of punch!  Every note remained defined and sonically sound.  Without palm-muting, the notes rang with a long sustain with nice overtones.

After working with about every pickup on the market, (from guitar manufacturers to specialized pickup companies) the Tesla Plasma-3’s stack up to the competition.  Great tonal frequency response no matter what amp setting you use.  These pickups are marketed for Rock, Metal and Pop.  They are sure to make many guitar players realize their sonic potential.  This is a great quality product that should not be overlooked when searching for THAT tone.

Up to date-

I haven't blogged in a few weeks. So much has been going on.
We are busy, still, working on the new Reaper X1 guitars that will be released in a limited edition in mid October- just in time for Halloween.
We're also going to be working on a custom one off Vanquish X7 (7 string) for our good friend David Cantrell. It is going to blow your mind and melt your face off.
Thursday, we went down to Cape Coral to drop off 4 guitars for our endorsing band and friends Bill Carpenter and Danny Watts of Modern Superstar... it appears the airlines attempted to rape them out of $250.00 per guitar for a baggage fee... Seriously ? Yes, so they called me up, and we made sure they had the proper tools for the job :)
Our artist Johnny Bowman is getting together with is former band RAMPAGE for a one night show in October.
Song and Jimi from FUZZ BOX are opening tonight for KIX.
WIIKID is working on some new stuff and is tirelessly out gigging ...
D-Rock and NOT LIABLE are working a new tour co-sponsored by SPAWN GUITARS and NO TIME FOR HATERS...
So much rock and roll goodness...
So much else is going on at Spawn Guitars it has really just been crazy, hectic and FUN.
Stay tuned for more updates in the coming weeks...
Take care all and keep it HEAVY !

WELCOME TO THE BROOD: CLINT CHAMBERS

We are proud to welcome Clint Chambers from the band Anyone's Guess into the Spawn Guitars Brood.

Clint is a mainstay in the Orlando music scene; not only playing, but also promoting/helping other local musicians. He hosts "Orlando's Next Big Thing"... a great way for up and coming as well as established bands showcase their talents.

Clint is a great guitarist and a great guy. We're glad to have him endorsing Spawn Guitars.

Check out Clint's band: http://www.anyonesguessmusic.com/

REAPER-X and VANQUISH-X

This week we'll begin finishing some of our final projects for the year.
First we have a few custom SS-87's we're finishing up... Then we'll be finishing our REAPER-X (proto) and VANQUISH-X (proto) guitars... I am super excited about these last two guitars.
We'll also be working on a limited run of 10 REAPER-X guitars with Halloween inspired paint,

Floyd Rose® trem, Tesla AH-3 active pickups, and a KASES® polyfoam case.

We'll be posting updates and pictures of the progress.

BILL CARPENRTER SS-87FR CUSTOM SIGNATURE BIOSPLATTER

We have finished the BILL CARPENTER SS-87FR CUSTOM SIGNATURE BIOSPLATTER ELECTRIC GUITAR. That's alot to write...
We're very pleased with the outcome of the guitar, and we're sure Bill is gonna love it too...
We made a few upgrades and changes to his guitar...
First we updated the heel scoop.. We also added some shark tooth inlays..
To finish it off... we upgraded the pickups to the Tesla AH-3 active humbucker in the bridge and an AS-2 active single coil pickup in the neck.. Finally we trimmed it with gold hardware and gold Floyd Rose

® tremolo system...

It was very cool working with Bill on this project... Bill currently plays in the hard rock band Modern SuperStar, and has played with some of the biggest names in hard rock and heavy metal..

For more information about Spawn Guitars or to contact Spawn Guitars please visit our website:

spawnguitars.com