On 2005-09-30, Faulkner rated this Austin AU762 a 5...(11167)
History: Been playing guitar (acoustic mostly) for about 20+ years - started off with trumpet in the junior high school band, suddenly dawned on me in high school, trumpet players don't get laid...Dad was always a player (ala Buddy Holly, Johnny Cash styles)...sister played banjo, little brother discovered finger style (chet atkins) - so it was a natural transition...
Played with lots of local musicians in hometown of Oxford, Mississippi (great musicians there - 2 currently in Widespread Panic) - formed several acoustic acts to play around the Ole Miss campus in mid 90s...
best bands we had:
"oh brother..." (w/my bro) acoustic blues
"mobile home boys" (w/bro & xta) acoustic blues, bluegrass stomp
flash forward to today - just turned 42 yesterday, still playing, still enjoying it more than anything in the world - best damn "girlfriend" I've ever had and has outlasted all of the previous real ones.
Influences -
Delta Blues - Son Thomas, Robert Johnson,etc
Old Country - Johnny Cash, Waylon/Willie
New County - Dwight Yoakum
Alt Country - Go to Blazes
Alt - Eels, Camper Van,
Classic - Floyd, Zep, Eagles, etc
love it all!!
thanks,
Joe Austin
Oxford, Ms
Purchase: I had just moved back to my hometown of Oxford, Ms from Atlanta...went to check out local guitar shop w/o any plans of buying anything - and really looking for an amp for my Yamaha acoustic - started chatting with dealer and introduced myself, he chuckled at my last name (Austin) and said he had a "guitar with your name on it..."...
He brought over this Telecaster copy and plugged it into a Line 6 spider (212) and I let er rip...I bought both guitar and amp 30 minutes later and haven't regretted it yet.
Pros: Well constructed and solid - has that classic Telecaster look/feel and a remarkably close Tele sound. I love the neck on this thing - it just feels right in your hands and doesn't inhibit moving around the fretboard.
Since the price was sooooo good and it's a knock-off, I refused to put it on a pedestal and pamper it...having said that, I have abused the living crap outta this thing and it hasn't failed yet. Stays in tune despite everything I can throw at it (and that includes a couple of wayward beers!)
I can't say enough about this guitar - If you don't have the budget for the real deals, seek Austin guitars out and give it a try.
Cons: didn't come with a hard shell case - not many choices as far as finish goes...I got the cream model, wished they'd had something with a natural finish.
Quality: Hey, this ain't a Paul Reed Smith guitar granted, but I swear it's solid construction all around for the player who isn't playing professionally and wants something to beat the shit outta of while they play "rock star" with drum tracks at home.
Review Summary: Austin Guitars are filling a void that has long existed - classic guitar models with stunning finishes at rock-bottom prices.
If someone you know wants a great entry-level electric, you can't go wrong with this line.
