Fernandes Review: Vertigo Deluxe (2000)

History:

Purchase: I saw an add for Fernandes guitars in an issue of Guitar World about a year back, and I went to the website to check 'em out. The Vertigo was the one that really caught my eye. I got the totally badass Black Burst model off eBay for a very good $430.

What I Like About This Fernandes Vertigo Deluxe (2000): It's got a great body shape, totally unique, and the black burst transparent flame maple top looks like it's seething with evil. The rosewood fretboard is very high quality for any mass produced guitar, and the real abalone inlays (not plastic like Gibsons and Epiphones) are quite large, very nicely polished and cut very well too, with not gaps or glue out over the edges or on the fretboard. The new model comes with an EMG 81 pickup in the bridge and the Sustainer for the neck (the 2001 was the first year for that, smack to the balls for the 2000). The finish is great looking and the construction is also of a high quality. The only weak point on the Vertigo were the crappy pickups, and now that's been changed, so if I ever lost it or if it got stolen, Musician's Friend has got it for $599, so it's bound to be less elsewhere, making it a great deal, seeing as how you could sell the pickup combo for half the value of the guitar. Next on my list is the Schecter S-1 Plus Transparent Black Cherry Burst. Damn I love flame maple tops.

What I Do NOT Like About The Fernandes Vertigo Deluxe (2000): The neck is a tiny bit too thick for my tastes, but is really fast and thin in comparison to my Les Paul, so I suppose it's fairly average I guess. The pickups in the 2000 model sucked big time, noisy, low output, but the new Vertigo comes with a Sustainer/EMG 81 combo, so it's a complete package. I could complain for a carved top to match the body contouring on the back, instead of a flat top, but it does have a forearm contour, so I can't really complain that much. There really isn't anything worth complaining about.

Fernandes Vertigo Deluxe (2000) Quality Rating: Everything is really solidly constructed, much better than my more expensive Epiphone Les Paul, and it has better quality parts too. The pickups on the new Vertigo are great, the abalone inlays are done perfectly and the fingerboard is one of the best pieces of rosewood I've seen on a mass produced guitar, with the exception of PRS and other exorbitantly priced manufacturers (Gibson, USA Fenders, other over priced crap...)

Review Summary: One of the best values I've seen, not to mention it's so wicked looking. It's solid as hell, like you could kill someone with it, and it'd come away scratch free, the construction is flawless, the quality of parts and appearance is top notch for this price range and many guitars that are much higher, and it sounds great with the new pickups, so theres not much more you could want, unless maybe you absolutely have to have a tone and volume for each pickup, and midi controls, ie stuff you don't really need or could even expect anywhere near this price.

Rating of this Fernandes product: 5

This Fernandes Vertigo Deluxe (2000) Electric Guitars Review Submitted By: John America

Review Date: 2002-09-26