Artisan Deluxe  # 206

Body: Korina
Top: Flame Maple
Neck: Birdseye Maple (Tru-oil)
Fretboard & Headcap: Cocobolo
Bridge: Thorn 1-pc. tremolo w/ Tremol-No installed
Pickups:
Bridge: Tyler Supercharged Studebaker
Middle: Pasadena '57
Neck: Wolfetone Dr.Vintage
Controls: Vol. / Tone (Push/Pull splits the hums) / 5-way
Inlays: Orange Spiney Firesuns / Paua centers
Purfling: Paua
Color: Orange w/ thumbnail burst

Toneage:
This is a great wood combination for tight powerful tones.
The korina body reduces some of the low-end, just enough to cut out on darkness. The maple neck brings a nice attack and brilliance and help cops F-tones from the quack-settings.
This guitar features a couple new pickups I haven't used before.
First off the Tyler is a rocker! Gutsy and in your face with a little snarl and lots of harmonics...I liked it quite a bit for rockin' out.
The Pasadena '57 single coil in the middle is only "on" in the #2 and #4 positions to bring the Strat-vibe into the mix. It sounds great coupled to the hums and when they're split the quack is perfect. Very funky and clear. The Bridge+Middle is especially sweet sounding.
The Wolfetone in the neck is a perfect rhythm pickup. Smooth, warm, and not too flubby. Roll back the Tone and it's pure woman-tone when cranking the amp.
What surprised me is how well all 3 of these pickups worked together. Nothing sounded too "out-there" and each and every position is very usable.

Looks:
The neck is amazing. Because it's a little more rift sawn than your typical flat-sawn birdseye, the treble side of the neck is intense birdseye and the bass side looks like wide flame to match the top. There even appears to have a slight quilting along the back....beautiful.
Cocobolo fretboard and matching bookmatched headcap...very cool. It's a stunning wood and these pieces are no exception. Still, to this day, the only wood the bothers my sinuses. Even sanding down the truss rod cover sent me into a sneezing fit. Weird.
The top is a clean wide-flame with lots of flip-flop action as you move it around.
The color and burst was Mike's idea, I think it came out great and looks different but yet "correct". I really like the orange tie-ins on the fretboard and inlays. Well done Mike.

That just about covers it. Mike, I've said it a few times and I still mean in...you rock!
Thank you for staying cool as a cucumber all these years, showing up at the Thorn Shin-digs in January and laying low, and for always being enthusiastic and supportive every time I sent you an email - this is all very much appreciated.

Enjoy it my friend, thank you!
Ron