J.Parsons Gideon Baritone, distressed black finish, made in Australia 2022. We don't do many brand new guitars around here, but something cool enough comes along, exceptions can be made. Jon Parsons is a luthier based in Launceston, a couple of hours north of the store. He generally builds fairly strictly to order, so if you were after one of his creations brand new, you'd have to wait til he opens up slots on his waitlist for 2023, as he's all booked up for this year. This particular example was a 'builders choice' concept and Jon's first foray into the lowlands of the baritone. The body shape is called a Gideon, influenced by Fender's Mustang and Jazzmaster shapes but with some curves and lines that are all original. The neck is 27.7" scale and carved to a gorgeous moderate C shape, it's comfy and agreeable in the hand with easy access to the upper frets. The roasted maple looks beautiful, with a rich caramel colouring highlighting the grain lines, but it's also super stable, which is handy when dealing with long scales and heavy strings. The pao ferro board has a couple of attractive dark streaks up the middle and the little abalone inlay at the twelfth fret makes it pop perfectly. There's a lot of little details to appreciate: a zero fret and unbleached bone nut, staggered tuners, Evo Gold fretwire, the classy Mastery bridge, the rubbed style control plate... dang. The body is carved from a piece of douglas fir, reclaimed from a support beam in a house. It's fairly light in weight, naturally resonant and decorated with some beautiful oceanic lines not similar to a great piece of swamp ash. The bridge is positioned in such a manner that this doesn't feel altogether larger or clunkier than a standard Jazzmaster style guitar despite the extra 2" of sale, it's very intuitive. The pickup is made by USA wizards McNelly, combining their gold foil style pickup with their 'Duckling' Tele neck option in one housing about the size of a Wide Range HB. That means you get three distinct tonal options via the switch: a Strat-neck style sound, an in-between sound with a plenty of snap and a warm, rich clear gold foil style sound. Frankly, it sounds obscenely good. It's especially great for legato chord work and bluesy lead lines, with a rich fullness and dripping complexity adding nuance and depth to everything you play. Time flies with this in your hands, it's a really addictive player. The relic-style rubbed black finish allows some grain to show through and adds a certain streetsmart chic to the quirky vintage lines, it's very cool. If you miss this one, you can always order another one, but that'll set you back an extra $1.5k+ and you'll be waiting at least a year. Thanks JP!

Model: J. Parsons Guitars Gideon Baritone
Made: Launceston, Australia, 2022
Finish: Distressed Black Lacquer
Body: reclaimed douglas fir
Neck: roasted maple, pao ferro fretboard, 9.5" radius, 27.7" scale, Evo Gold fretwire, moderate C shape
Bridge: Mastery M9.2
Weight: 3.485kg
Mods: brand new and all original
Pickup: McNelly Custom Gold Foil + Duckling combo pickup
Case: Mono M80 Sleeve

Cosmetic condition notes: negligible finish wear. The guitar is brand new, with only the lightest of play wear on show. The finish is a relic-style finish, so there's some rub wear included around the body. Overall: brand new condition (10/10)

Playing condition notes: Action is low, neck is straight, intonation is good, truss rod works. Frets are new, 10/10 for fret life left. All electrics tested and working properly. Wearing big heavy strings and tuned in B standard.