guitar hiro said:
so, some quick observations about the Sonix LP Special
Model. LPS-56 A.F MAHO/ROSE/LQ
Color. VS
The above is exactly as printed on the original Sonix warranty card.
This example looks to be all original as there are no indications of any changes.
Weighs in at just a hair under 7 lb. - 4 oz., chunky neck thickness/not thin & not baseball bat, aluminum stop tail, acoustically VERY lively & SUPER resonant.
I have owned a very good representation of Deviser produced solid body guitars & basses.
These are typically either 1 piece body construction, or 2 piece/center seam body construction.
The 2 piece/center seam examples are typically very easy to identify because of either (1) the finish color allows for visual ID, or (2) the center seam typically leaves a very minute indication of the seam in the finish. I had no idea if this example would be a 1 piece body, or a 2 piece, as the seller had no idea.
I have tried to no end to locate any indication of a center seam on this example and have found nothing.
Because of this I am currently assuming this example has a 1 piece body. Further investigation is in order to prove/disprove this.
The finish on this guitar is SUPER thin; it's almost not there it's so thin. :lol:
It is what Deviser calls a NBF aka 'non buffing finish' which is a super thin lacquer that is of course, not buffed to a gloss after drying.
The top color is a dark burst/tobacco burst, and the sides & back are a very unusual very dark cherry. To see any grain thru the very dark cherry finish you have to take the guitar into the sun light, or use a flash light.
Construction, fit & finish, fret work, everything on this guitar is top shelf quality one would expect from a Deviser produced instrument.
This Sonix is a great chunk of Mahogany & could be the one LP Special that I actually end up keeping; time will tell.
So, I had some time to explore the Sonix LP Special a bit more recently.
Removed the two pickups to check for a few things and discovered:
* AlNiCo magnets (silver)
* steel braided pickup leads
* there is NO indication of a center seam in either pickup route
At this point I have no doubt the body is a 1 piece construction 8) as I cannot locate any indication of a seam anywhere on the body
The pickup poles had never been adjusted & when I tried to move them they were glued in with wax.
I had to break out the heavy duty screw driver to get the poles loosened up :-?
After some adjustments of the poles I must say these P-90s sound as good as any I have heard 8)
The tones are more like a STRAT on steroids; I'm loving the tones
Frets are in excellent condition; from observing the frets alone it looks as if the guitar was not played much at all.
Fret wire size is .096" H x .058" W and the fret work is flawless; it is a Deviser build after all
Stop tail/bridge is aluminum construction, made by Gotoh Japan = perfect.
The neck thickness at fret 1 is .880" which is only .003" less than the reported average neck thickness of .883" from 1959 LP Standard examples in the BOTB.
I have yet to locate any items, or any indication on this guitar that would lead me to believe that it is not 100% original which is nice, because I prefer to have guitars in original condition, if at all possible.
Having only this one Sonix example to judge by, I would certainly recommend Sonix branded guitars to anyone considering a purchase.
Of course these are 'store brand' guitars that are made in extremely limited amounts so, the likely hood of locating a Sonix for sale is conversely likely to be a very limited opportunity.
I would consider this example to be 'top spec' because of the 1 piece body & also the build quality is typical Deviser; impeccable.
The only thing that comes to mind that could possibly make this 'better' (is that possible?) would be Honduran Mahogany but IMO that is not required.
I have owned a few LP Specials over the years and this one may be the one that stays; time will tell.