Product:
Fernandes Retrorocket Elite

Suggested Retail:
$1299.00

Hairball Music Retail: $812.99

Fernandes Retrorocket Elite basic features-

• Body: Basswood.
• Neck: Maple Bolt-On, 1 5/8" Bone Nut.
• Scale: 25.5", 22 Medium Frets, 14" Radius.
• Fingerboard: Rosewood.
• Pickups: Neck- Sustainer Driver/Single Coil. Middle- Double Blade Humbucker. Bridge- Double Blade Humbucker.
• Controls: Volume, Tone, Sustainer Intensity Volume, 5-way Pickup Selector, 3-way Sustainer Mode.
• Selector Mini-Switch (Standard/Mix/Harmonic), Sustainer On/Off Mini-Switch.
• Hardware: Satin Chrome Gotoh Tuners, Satin Chrome Wilkinson Tremolo Bridge.
• Other Features: Fernandes Sustainer System, Antique Neck Finish, Mint Green Pickguard, Rear-Mounted 9-Volt Battery Compartment.
• Color: 3-Tone Sunburst.
• Origin of Manufacture: Japan.

Let me start by saying that I felt at home with this guitar from the moment I picked it up. The look, fit and feel immediately reminded me of a vintage American Strat or an older G&L. The one-piece maple neck and headstock is very nicely done with a comfortable fretted rosewood fingerboard that provides extremely low action. Fernandes went out of their way to provide a smooth and clean antique look high gloss finish on the neck and headstock, similar to a Fender SRV Strat. The headstock is not angled-back but offset approximately ˝ of an inch which can create a potential problem if the low E-string is not wound properly onto the peg. The satin chrome Gotoh tuning heads complement the antique neck and head finish. The steep angle of the low E-string from the nut to the tuning peg would be better suited to a locking string peg to avoid slippage or string over-wind, but that would detract from the retro look. The neck is attached to the body with 4-bolts and does not utilize a neckplate. This gives the guitar a very clean look but moves the guitar serial number to a tag located on the back of the headstock. This is one of the few things that I would like to see changed. I would prefer the serial number to be stamped into the back of the headstock instead of a detracting self-adhesive tag.

OK… I think I have gotten most of my bitching out of the way, so lets move on to the body. The body finish is spectacular. Sunburst used to be designated for guitars that had flaws or mistakes. Unfortunately, this is still true in the industry, but not with this baby. The 3-tone sunburst blend is flawless and the basswood body grain is beautiful on the front and back of the guitar. The pickguard displays a hint of mint green which adds to the retro-style beauty of the guitar. The pickups, knobs, satin chrome Wilkinson tremolo bridge and selector switches are nicely done and again add to the retro look. In general, the fit and finish do justice to the Japanese technicians at the factory, and the set-up from the Los Angeles facility is excellent.

And now for the sound. The sustainer system in conjunction the double blade Humbuckers overemphasized the highs without clean crisp lows. I could not find a pickup selection that gave me the sound I expected and was forced to EQ the highs and lows on the amp to get my desired "West Coast" Strat sound. This is obviously a function of the sustainer system and the necessity to place the pickups close to the strings. Once dialed in to my desired sound, I was able to cook on this guitar. I found the neck clean up to the 22nd fret with some drop off of the highs. When I engaged the sustainer, this guitar turned into a whole new beast. The guitar became alive. Infinite sustain at any volume level with three sustain modes, standard, mix and harmonic. Imagine getting 3rd and 5th harmonics at relatively low volumes and on demand. Wow! This could be a dangerous guitar for me. I could learn to rely on the sustainer so much that I could forget 30+ years of experience by the flick of a switch and a 9-volt battery. Anyways, if I could change anything about this guitar, it would be the pickups. I don't know if it is possible to integrate different pickups with the sustainer system, but it would be nice to obtain a clean, well balanced sound without the need for EQ. If this is the only flaw, I could easily live with it.

And now for the official Lighter Guy rating of the Fernandes Retrorocket Elite Guitar: 7.5 lighters out of a possible 10 lighters. A guitar that takes on a life of its own at the flick of a switch.