Crews Maniac Sound KTR LC-02, made in Japan 2011, wine red. This is an astonishingly good LP. The 'Key To The Rock' series, KTR for short, was a collaboration between the Tokyo-based Crews custom shop and major Japan music retailers Musicland Key. They were made at the exceptional Terada factory that produces all the high end Gretsch guitars today and Orville in the 80s and 90s, among others. We've had a few of their Standard style LPs through, but the Custom style models are a lot trickier to source. First up, it looks spectacular. The wine red finish is superb: the thin gloss nitro topcoat lets the rich red colouring and the detail of the grain do all the talking. The ebony board, gold hardware, seven-ply binding, split-diamond headstock and witches-hat knobs bring it all together perfectly, it looks so, so good. The '02' in the model number refers to the neck shape, so this has a moderate 1960 style rounded neck, rather than a late 50s style 'baseball bat'. That suits me nicely, the shape is intuitive and friendly, slim enough for fast movement but beefy enough to not feel like a toy. What sets these apart is stellar wood selection and eye-watering build precision. The body and neck are made from rigid, resonant African mahogany, paired with a gorgeous dark ebony board and solid plain rock maple cap. Every little detail is perfectly executed, and you can really feel the care that's gone into the build when you play it. The KTR pickups were made specially for this series, delivering a very accurate take on the PAF-style sound. The neck is warm, thick and gooey, perfect for dense chords and legato leads, but still outlined with a sweet clarity on the top end. The bridge pickup is girthy and rich, with a pleasing balance of creamy richness and angular definition... plug straight into the amp and you're cooking straight away, no fancy overpriced overdrive pedal required. We love these Crews guitars around here, and it's not because we love bad guitars...

Model: Crews Maniac Sound KTR LC-02
Made: Japan, Terada plant, 2011 (serial 5D 190310)
Finish: wine red, gloss nitro
Neck: 1-piece African mahogany, Indian rosewood board, '60 moderate round profile, 43mm unbleached non-fat-removed bone nut
Body: 2-piece African mahogany, 2-piece solid plain rock maple cap, not weight relieved
Weight: 4.410kg
Mods: none
Pickups: KTR Original PAF-style humbucker x2
Case: Crews ABS hard case

Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. The headstock has no major marks. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, a couple of very minor dimples only. The back has no major marks, just a couple of light scuffs in the elbow area and near the back edge, no major marks. The sides have no major marks, just some very light scuffs near the jack and in the elbow area. The front has some very minor scuffs in the elbow area and very light play wear on the guard and horns. Overall: excellent condition (9/10).

Playing condition notes: Neck is straight, action is low, intonation is good, truss rod works. All electrics tested and working properly. Frets have very little wear, 9/10 for fret life left. Wearing fresh 10/52 Moonshiners strings.