I have only had this fine instrument for less than 24 hours, so this is very much only first impressions. The first thing I noticed about this guitar is that it is thoughtfully designed and extremely well made. The bolt on neck is secured with 6 screws with counter-sunk washers. The neck-body joint is very smooth and provides easy access to the highest frets. I was surprised by this, since in the pictures it looks like a typical bolt on neck-body joint, but when playing, it feels almost like a neck-through. The feel of the neck is quite good. It is similar in feel to the Ibanez prestige neck, but a tad more robust. It is a fraction of an inch wider at the nut and a rounder D shape than the Ibanez. I will hold off on a final judgement of the guitar's overall playability due to the fact that I do not like the strings that are currently on it and the action is a bit too high for my tastes. That being said, even in it's current state, it plays very nicely indeed. I will comment further after I have changed the strings and lowered the action. The frets are nicely finished with fret ends all very smooth and uniform. I will find out how uniformly level they are when I lower the action. The tuning machines are the best I have experienced so far. They have a very precise feel with zero slop. They do not have a brand name on them, but look like Hipshots. It has a drop-D tuner on the E string, which is nice as well, and probably was an option. The tone from this guitar is fantastic. It is equipped with Fralin jazz pickups and they sound great with absolutely zero unwanted noise. I will include some photos from which you can see the fit and finish are absolutely first rate. Also, I contacted Mike Kinal and he kindly, and quickly I might add, sent me the build list for this guitar. We had a pleasant conversation and he was very friendly and helpful. I must say, it is a real treat to be able to pick up the phone and talk to the actual person who made your guitar.
MK21
Swamp Ash body
Maple neck
Maple fretboard 34” scale - (it's actually bird's eye maple, and gorgeous)
Lindy Fralin Jazz Bass pickups
Bartolini preamp
Completed May 31, 2006
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