Fret-King Black Label Series JD
immaculately installed. The rounder vintage-style 7.25in (184mm) radius might a bit unfashionable these days when flatter fingerboards seem to be all the rage but it nevertheless still feels extremely comfy due to how naturally the more pronounced curve seems to suit the natural fall of the player’s fingers. If it’s good enough for an avowed string- bending champion like Jerry Donahue, it will definitely be good enough for you! The Fret-King a delight to play,
The Wilkinson WTB bridge features individual adjustable intonation on each string
capacitor and resistor wired in reverse phase that delivers a Strat-like ‘quack’-tone that is noticeably louder and more punchy than other guitars using three single coils and a five way switch. Position five features the bridge
single coil by itself. The vintage style staggered pole pieces are Jerry Donahue’s preferred configuration, insisting that staggered poles deliver a better-balanced tone across all six strings. The bridge pickup is also custom wound for increased output and sustain, single note solo runs soar with the flavour of a beefy, yet very versatile single coil sound that’s ideally matched for just about any classic blues and rock tones that one could possibly need. Noodling with our own string
bending techniques, it’s quite apparent how Donahue’s wiring and switching system makes this the Fret-King guitar stand out. Even extreme JD-style strings bends that test the strings to their limit still retain all their sonic glory without loss of output or definition. “It’s all down to calibration,”
Trevor Wilkinson tells us, “Back in the 50’s a major brand wanted to build double cutaway guitars with a bolt on neck as quickly as possible. It was pretty crude really. Mexican ladies sat with copper wires running through their fingers capped with masking tape. As they chatted about the time of day, they’d often under or over-wind by mistake, this is where the term ‘scatter wound’ came from! The finished pickups were literally thrown in a box and passed on to the assembly point where any pickup went in any position on the guitar, hence some double cut, bolt on 3 pickup guitars from the ‘60’s may have had a 6.2k unit at the neck and a 5.4k at the bridge which is totally the wrong way around, because of the extra string movement at the neck position there’s no need for all the output.” Trev explains that the
The five-bolt, low profile neck heel improves neck access
Fret-King Black Label JD’s pickup specs were carefully chosen to reflect a vintage vibe whilst also finding a workable, well-balanced performance between the bridge and neck. “The Fret-King JD neck pickup is wound to 4.7k, which is far lower than the bridge pickup. For both units to sound properly balanced, we have to over- compensate at the bridge as there is less string movement there and less electricity produced in comparison to the neck pickup. Over the years we’ve learnt how to calibrate the pickups exactly for their positions on the guitar and experiment with reverse wound and reverse polarity. For me this was a challenge, as I don’t wind my own pickups in the UK, I use people to make them to a specification, and to me it’s proven that this myth and mystique that a pickup doesn’t have to be made in California at great expense before it’s any good, after all it’s just a mixture of wires and magnets and with all the machines we can get consistency with tone and output.” Vintage buffs might be somewhat disappointed at Trev’s characteristically prosaic approach to solving the mystery of obtaining authentic vintage tones but the proof is to hand. Unplugged, the JD’s acoustic volume and vibrant natural sustain are all very apparent with a build quality and attention to detail that smacks of a high-end custom shop guitar in every department. Most luthiers and guitarists believe that the wood chosen for the body and top are the most important factors in determining the tone quality of the instrument, and once again in the JD’s case, the results depends on close collaboration from both parties.
Construction Wilkinson explains, “Trying to meet a realistic price point using high quality wood is also a challenge. I’d rather have
continuity within perfectly good tonewoods, than pick ridiculously expensive grade A timbers.” Alder is the chosen wood for the
body. This guitar feels lightweight and highly resonant with plenty of rich tonal properties evident throughout the low and mid range. Alder also exhibits excellent highs with character and sustain, and a firm favourite in Donahue’s book of tonewoods, as he describes, “You know, I’ve played so many
guitars over the years and never really been happy with the wood choices. But now with the warmth of the alder body along with the definition and immediacy the ash top contributes with the string response, and the brightness of the maple neck and V profile fingerboard, for me, are the ultimate choice of tone woods.”
The five-bolt neck joint features a
reduced neck heel for easier access to the higher frets. The neck profile is a very subtle V shape that is gently rounded off at the edges. The satin finished fingerboard is finished with 22 medium jumbo frets that are
and the factory set up is perfect. Even the old intonation problems with the traditional vintage Tele bridge have been addressed via three Wilkinson intonated saddles within the chrome ash tray style bridge plate. The brass bridge saddles tilt laterally to cure all those inherent tuning problems that stem from the less adjustable original vintage design. We also shouldn’t overlook that
the Fret-King Black Label JD is a very handsome looking guitar; the natural gloss finish highlights the figured ash top, which is neatly offset with black top-edged binding, and a 3-ply black-white-black scratchplate. It’s the little but often forgotten touches that make the difference: the perfectly cut nut made from friction free material for example has been smoothed off at the edges, and instead of the all-too-common plastic surrounded jack socket found on so many guitars, we find a good quality chrome plated steel socket recessed within the body. The Fret-King JD is a superb
introduction to the company’s Black Label Series. We definitely look forward to seeing what other high profile guitarists come aboard to help further develop the brand. PM
SHOULD I BUY ONE?
At £599 the Black Label Fret-King JD sits around mid price range, but even without a custom shop price tag this Fret-King still feels like a very high quality guitar. The input from JD and Trev Wilkinson translates directly into every aspect of the feel and sounds; close your eyes and you could easily believe that you are playing something that costs twice the price. Great build quality and a wealth of tones – all of which are highly usable – also demonstrate that this Fret-King is a real player’s guitar. There is little in this price range to challenge it – the Mexican Fender Baja Telecaster is probably its closest competitor – but whilst the Baja is a great guitar for the money it still can’t touch the Fret-King in terms of the extra attention to detail. You don’t need to be a country music specialist to appreciate its qualities, either. Rock, blues and function-band guitarists should also find that this Fret- King delivers, right across the board.
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