Wesley Review: Archtop EX100os

History:

Purchase: I bought this guitar directly from Wesley, via their ebay auction/store. The full list price is £179 (UK sterling) I won my auction with a bid of £70.88. Total cost inc delivery and insurance, approx £87.

What I Like About This Wesley Archtop EX100os: This guitar is stunning to look at. Based on the old Gibson D-series jazz guitars, it has all the same features. All in all, it is a pleasure to play.

What I Do NOT Like About The Wesley Archtop EX100os: There's nothing really to dislike, especially at the price I paid, tho' if I was being ultra critical, I'd have to say the tone pots are a bit 'all or nothing' in use. The nut was set too high for my taste, but this isn't a criticism of this guitar, it's the same on a lot of guitars. Having said that, it was a simple job to adjust.

Wesley Archtop EX100os Quality Rating: It has a 10.cm depth hardwood body, with a ash top, finished in sunburst. A 'fattish' 22 fret maple neck with rosewood fretboard with block inlays and unknown diecast tuners. Dual humbuckers, 2 volume/2 tone controls, floating tunomatic style bridge, a harp tailpiece and a 3 way toggle switch. Weightwise, this guitar is a real featherweight, I've played heavier acoustics. Overall, the finish/setup was near flawless, the action was fine out of the box (there were a couple of fret buzzes, but nothing that careful use of a fret file couldn't put right) and the pickups correctly setup. Both picks give a nice sound, maybe not the fattest/brightest I've ever heard, but more than adequate. More importantly to me, the pickups are silent when used to record to my pc, even when heavy distortion is used.

Review Summary: I should be stunned at the quality of this guitar, particularly in relation to the cost, but I already own 2 other Wesley guitars, so it came as no surprise how good this is. If anyone reading this has ever wanted a 'budget' big body jazz type guitar, this Wesley Archtop will be perfect. Don't let the low price, even the full list price, put you off, it really is good. Quite how Wesley can produce/sell guitars of this quality at these prices, is a mystery to me, but I'm grateful they do. This guitar is highly recommended, if mine is typical.

Rating of this Wesley product: 5

This Wesley Archtop EX100os Electric Guitars Review Submitted By: Ian B

Review Date: 2006-05-07