Manson MA-1


cozy feeling is thanks to the very soft ‘V’ profile on the rear of the neck, where the angle of the shoulders is shallower than a traditional vintage-style ‘V’ profile, which tends to be far more pronounced. The radius of the ‘V’ profile


progressively flattens out as the neck shaft extends towards the body, mirroring the fingerboard’s compound radius that starts at 10-inches before gently flattening out to 12-inches beyond the twelfth fret. Compound radius fingerboards definitely lend an extra leg-up in terms of playability, the progressively flatter surface makes wide string bends much easier to perform without fear of the strings running aground against the frets or fingerboard whilst the 22 medium jumbo frets help to round off the general impression that this is a sleek, no-frills modern rock guitar. Our only quibble is the lack of position markers on the fingerboard. On one hand we can appreciate that the bare fingerboard does help to give the MA-1 a unique identity but from a practical standpoint finding your way around requires a little more attention. Maybe some slightly larger or more prominent side dots would be a good compromise? With that in mind if you wanted larger side-dots, Mansons would probably be happy to oblige if you asked.


Tele style knurled dome knobs, with a standard three-way pickup selector toggle switch. Chrome plated Japanese Gotoh sealed tuners with height compensated posts negate the need for a second string tree and the tuning stability, as one would expect, is uniformly excellent.


Sounds


A lot of the MA-1’s development was dedicated to making sure that all of its separate elements conspire to create a guitar with plenty of natural resonance and sustain. The bridge and tailpiece were deliberately chosen to help enhance the guitar’s mid-range presence, with the ultimate goal of provide a powerful Gibson like growl at the core of the guitar’s natural voice. It seems to work well and the guitar’s unplugged tone demonstrates an impressive balance between the muscular midrange push that Manson was looking for, plus the natural brightness and tight sounding bottom end contributed by the bolt-on neck and the 25.5-inch scale. The choice of pickups reflects a popular contemporary recipe; the Seymour Duncan JB bridge pickup is pretty much an industry standard insofar as it’s universal popularity is concerned and in this instance it is teamed up with a 59 model at the neck. In the past we have sometimes


The MA-1: simple lines, excellent finishing and great sounds The 59 neck humbucker sounds


The ribcage contour contributes to the MA-1’s superb balance


Hardware


The fixed bridge design is based on a traditional chrome plated stop tailpiece and separate bridge, which are both supplied by German manufacturer Schaller. Hugh Manson apparently favors this setup over a Fender-style string-through-body design for the forgiving and supple feel allowed by the strings’ shallow break angle over the bridge and in this context it definitely works. The Seymour Duncan JB and 59 dual coil humbucking pickups are separated by the flowing lines of an LP Junior-style pearloid scratch plate that provides a pleasing contrast with the glossy ‘Peckham Blue’ finish applied to our review model. The controls are simple but arranged in a no-nonsense ergonomically-friendly layout comprising a pair of rotary volume and tone controls topped-off with


been of the opinion that the JB can be a bit of an overbearing bully. It certainly takes no prisoners and in some circumstances it verges on the brutal but to its credit the JB always scores well because for all it’s phenomenal grunt it is nevertheless an extremely well balanced pickup, with a strident yet very smooth top end. The MA-1 has a ringing, slightly nasal quality to its treble response that, allied to the tight punchy bass, sounds more Fender-like than one might expect from this twin humbucking configuration, only with bags more power lurking under the bonnet! Teamed up with hi-gain overdrive the MA-1 has no trouble cutting through the mix like an industrial blowtorch, it sounds bright and punchy and there is no lack of clarity at the low end, either.


fractionally more scooped in the mids and consequently offers tones that are a little softer than its ferocious counterpart at the bridge. In fact, the 59 make’s an ideal partner for the JB; its more forgiving nature helps to greatly extend the MA-1’s versatility via more of the plummy roundness and warmth that dips a toe into more Gibson- esque waters. The MA-1’s powerful natural resonance certainly doesn’t diminish either pickup’s ability to hit home very hard when they want to but the 59 does do a very nice job of introducing a less aggressive vibe that translates into convincing vintage jazz and blues rock tones. Overall, the MA-1 has something of the feel of a ‘super-Tele’ about it.


It’s rugged construction, unfussy lines and practical design leave the way clear for getting on with the job, plus it will cover virtually any style of music – from metal to country – with a minimum of adjustment, responding to the players touch without need of anything beyond the balls to look the audience in the whites of their eyes and crank it up! Of course, Mansons have the


means to hand if you do fancy upgrading your MA-1 with any number of flashy extras à la Matt Bellamy - but judging by this entry level model, no matter what you decide to add, at its heart this is a very well made guitar. We can’t see any reason why you shouldn’t be very happy indeed. PM


SHOULD I BUY ONE?


If you’ve got a budget of around a Grand to spend on an electric guitar you’ve got several tempting options available. But the thing that makes the Manson MA-1 virtually unique at this price range is its direct link with such a well respected guitar maker as Hugh Manson and his team. This is reflected in the MA-1’s very high attention to detail, finishing and use of good quality components. In this instance you definitely a get one heck of a lot of guitar for your money, plus the option to add the custom upgrades is something that few competitors in this price range can rival.


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