Gear Reviews

gerboard, abalone inlays, and a mango great with palm-muted chugging and headstock overlay. The Virtuoso is rocking riffs, bringing every line and outfitted with Hipshot locking tuners chord tone to life. It’s equally im- Back to the and vibrato bridge, Graphtech nut, pressive for lead tones, maintaining Dunlop strap locks, 6155 fret wire, fullness even into the upper register, and powered by two single-coils and without becoming screechy. Blues a humbucker wound by Amalfitano and shred tones are easy to coax; the Future Pickups, mounted directly into the neck and middle pickups have warm, mango top. Some builders feel direct fat tones that ably cover the Hendrix/ mounting derives a more powerful, SRV/Clapton spectrum. And the low The Mike Lipe Virtuoso immediate tone from the pickups. fretboard action allows for easy tap/ Control of them comes from a single sweep combinations and all other Tone and Volume and a five-position types of shred lickology. One improve- Mike Lipe has built guitars for perstrat” configuration. The figured pickup selector. ment compared to a vintage shredder top players and guitar companies (no- top of the guitar is made from mango From the moment you pick it up, is the lack of a locking nut, thanks tably heading up the Ibanez Custom , which lays upon a korina body. it’s clear the Virtuoso is a superbly to excellent hardware (most notably, 1 Shop in the ’90s). In 2000, he struck The 25 /2" neck is constructed of crafted instrument. Lead guitarists locking tuners) and construction that quartersawn korina (quarter sawing will enjoy the fast feel of the neck – its bypasses the need for the cumbersome gives a piece of wood slim profile is built for speed and the devices of yesteryear. satin finish feels natural to the touch. So, who’s going to want a Lipe Fretboard action on our test guitar Virtuoso? Presumably, it’ll end up was swift and buzz-free, thanks to a in the hands of a player raised on 12" radius and an immaculate setup. the stun-guitar heroics of the ’80s The body of the Virtuoso is surpris- and ’90s, but two decades later has ingly light, as well as attractive, while acquired a taste for excellent materials the headstock has a shape vaguely and workmanship. It

reminiscent of a Telecaster but might have been fun to with a mango overlay that matches whiz around back then in a red Pon- the guitar’s top. Other touches include tiac Fiero or Dodge Viper, but today’s a smooth neck heel that facilitates more-mature rocker wants a Porsche upper-string bends. or Audi with the same sexy vibe, Through various tube and digital but immensely better workmanship. modeling amps first set to clean, the That’s where Mike Lipe steps in – the Virtuoso supplied punchy tones in Virtuoso acknowledges the slinky Mike Lipe Virtuoso the bridge position, while the neck guitars, tones, and lines of the past, but out on his own. His Virtuoso model is Price: $4,000 pickup displayed dark, jazzy tones. combines it with upscale materials and a solidbody that takes a familiar theme Contact: lipeguitars.com; phone (818) It sounded especially excellent on quality build you associate with the but lifts it up to custom, handmade 352-6212 ringing arpeggios and open chords. fine guitars in life. And in that respect, heights. The Virtuoso really takes off when Lipe nails it with the Virtuoso. This In essence, Lipe’s Virtuoso is an greater stability and often, distinct played with distortion, where it offers is a handsome guitar that gets it right upscale refinement of the classic “su- figure) with an Indian fin- immense power and depth. It sounds in every way. – Max Prown

Vintage Guitar July 2012 VintageGuitar.com