Introducing... Powers Electric
Introducing… Powers Electric
The Rock Inn are excited to announce that we now have the opportunity to offer the amazing Powers Electric guitars to our customers. Powers Electric is the end result of a painstaking exploit in pursuing a passion for design and a drive to create something truly unique.
If you visit San Diego, California, like I have recently had the pleasure of doing, you cannot help but notice how deeply ingrained in the local culture surf and classic cars are. Glistening hot rods beaming under the California sun. Miles and miles of coast with crashing waves adorned with hundreds of surfers taming some of mother natures wildest forces. It’s quite the sight and it’s inescapable in that part of the world.
So it’s no wonder really that, when seeking to design something new and truly unique that Andy Powers turned to these things as reference points in design; both in their aesthetics but also in their tactile nature.
Design
The A-Type is not an attempt to redesign well known classic electric guitars. It’s a guitar that has been considered for every aspect and how it effects the tone.
Firstly, it’s incredibly lightweight. A hollow body design with two internal sound posts, as opposed to a solid block down the centre, allow the top and back of the body to move together, maximising the body’s resonance whilst also reducing feedback and maximising sustain.
The neck and fingerboard are Honduras Rosewood (chosen for it’s unique resonant qualities) and the fingerboard has an asymmetric radius. This means that the treble side is flatter than the bass side allowing for smooth lead playing, but still affording the comfort of a curvier radius for bar chords etc.
Pickups
Unsurprisingly, the pickups are a completely new design too. There are two types on offer; the FF42 which is going to give you plenty of warmth and clarity or the PF42 which will give you a firmer, brighter response. I’ve played both and they’re both awesome!
Camshaft tailpiece (Camtail)
Another unique feature of this guitar is the Camtail Vibrato system designed by Andy himself out of a desire to get a more musical bend from the vibrato system.
“I LOVE THE TACTILE EXPRESSION OF A VIBRATO BUT HAVE NEVER LIKED THE WAY THE STRINGS AREN’T IN SYNC AS THE PITCH CHANGES. I ENGINEERED A ‘CAMSHAFT’ TAILPIECE (‘CAMTAIL’) WITH STRING RAMPS COMPENSATED FOR TENSION AND GAUGE SO THE STRINGS MOVE IN PITCH RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER. FOR A PLAYER PREFERRING A FIXED-PITCH SETUP, I DESIGNED A TOPLOADER HARDTAIL THAT LOCKS IN YOUR SOUND AND MAKES STRING CHANGES A SNAP.”
Andy has really nailed the design here and the Camtail is extremely expressive and musical as result. I found the tuning stability to be far superior to other vibrato systems and found the tactile nature of the surfboard resin tip (the same material is also used for the knobs) to make this a real joy to play.
Summary
This is a guitar that we’re really excited to get into our customers hands. It’s everything we love about a boutique guitar, it is incredibly well put together and plays like a dream. It somehow manages to be a completely new and unique instrument, yet feels incredibly familiar in your hands. This guitar is available in a huge array of finish options and our first shipment is well on its way. So get in touch now about ordering your very own Powers Electric!
- Curtis