REVIEWED
Vintage Icon VS6MRPCR & VS6MRMA
VINTAGE Icon VS6MRPCR & VS6MRMA
Two lean n’ mean tributes to a classic solid body guitar that will get you grinnin’ from ear to ear…
Words: Tim Slater
Vintage Icon VS6MRPCR
Let’s be honest, what guitarist wouldn’t love to own an old axe that has seen it’s fair share of battle in the Arena of Rock and got the scars to prove it. Even if you are one of the lucky ones to already possess such a highly coveted instrument, chances are that if you’re even remotely sensible you won’t be taking a genuine vintage axe out on the road and risking getting it damaged or even stolen! UK-based company John Hornby Skewes Ltd offer an ingenious solution for those who want an affordable alternative to their treasured golden oldie for live work or as a way of enjoying the cool vibe of a genuine vintage and rare guitar without needing to remortgage your granny to afford the ‘real thing’. Fully kitted out with high-quality Trev Wilkinson pickups and hardware and
VINTAGE VS6MRPCR & VS6MRMA
VS6MRPCR VS6MRMA
ACT
£309.00 £349.00
All prices include VAT CONT
JHS Ltd T:
W:
01132 865 381
www.jhs.co.uk
brimming with a convincing ‘vintage’ vibe these Vintage Icon guitars fairly scream ‘play me…now!’ Well, it would be rude not to…
Worn to do it… Both guitars reviewed here are based on the instantly recognizable SG design and each has its own unique and distinctive identity.
The single pickup VS6MRPCR (you sometimes can’t help wishing that JHS could come up with snappier names for its axes!) is a no-nonsense stripped for action street-fighter sporting a single Trevor Wilkinson designed WC90P single coil pickup and a meaty looking wraparound bridge whose artificial aging effect gives it the wizened look of an old knuckle duster! Its twin pickup counterpart the VS6MRMA also harks back to a bygone era and represents the signature model of ex- Jethro Tull guitarist and British blues/ rock legend Mick Abrahams, being closely based on his own personal favourite late 60s Gibson SG Special. The Vintage Icons’ twin horned bodies are fashioned from solid mahogany whose comfortable beveled edges lend a more sculpted feel to what would otherwise be a fairly mundane slab of timber. Both guitars’ mahogany set necks are comfortable and moderately chunky. Their profile was apparently inspired by the neck pattern of a genuine early 60s Gibson Les Paul
30 3pickup
Jr. once owned by Trev Wilkinson himself. The VS6MRPCR’s unbound 22 fret rosewood finger board accurately duplicates the early 60s SG Junior that it is based on, whilst the VS6MRMA’s fingerboard is trimmed with white edge binding that has been subtly treated to speed up the gradual yellowing effect of the aging process. The frets on our review Mick Abrahams model were also highly polished compared to the single pickup model. Not that the finishing
on either guitar was below par in any way but the Mick Abrahams’ gleaming frets seemed to have slightly more time spent on them. The low friction nut fitted to both
Vintage Icon guitars is one of the few obvious concessions to modernity but in this context it is entirely forgivable and actually welcome. One of the SG design’s most popular features is its virtually unparalleled neck access thanks to its unique twin cutaway design allied to the
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