Description
This Alastair Miller Barncaster from From 2016 pairs a figured Cocobolo neck with a Relic Red Swamp Ash body for a really great looking and playing instrument.
Taking obvious cues from classic T-style designs and modifications, this guitar has a snappy response with plenty of sustain and note separation, with less high end treble than a Maple neck. It is very well built to custom specifications, with early 1950's style hardware including slot head screws, modified 'ashtray' bridge with brass saddles. The pickups, a neck humbucker and vintage style bridge model, are custom built by Miller.
The body finish is a reliced red, close to Fender's 1960 - 69 'Dakota Red' with blonde undercoats, suggesting a factory blonde body refinished in red. Refinishing like this was a common practice when particular colours rapidly became popular and the builders had stock of other colours.
The neck finish is an oil and wax and very comfortable. The bridge is a reliced Fender part with custom scooped sides for better string access.
Sold with its original, rectangular tweed hard shell case by TKL.
Alastair Miller Barncaster Materials and Construction
Based on the classic Telecaster design and hewing close to early hardware types, this 2016 Alastair Miller Barncaster uses Swamp Ash for the body, routed for standard electronics and a humbucking pickup at the neck. That particular pickup setup was one of the first modifications players made to Telecasters, starting almost immediately after Gibson released humbuckers and continuing to the present day.
Unlike any standard Telecaster, the neck is hand carved from a piece of figured Cocobolo. The truss rod is mounted in the vintage manner with a body-end adjuster and a Maple 'skunk stripe'. The neck profile is relatively slim, the fret wire is a narrow but medium height to provide plenty of grip without accidentally bending notes sharp. The neck finish is an oil and wax and works well.
In 1951, Fender started to shift from slot head screws to Phillips heads, which provide better grip and appearance. However, they still had stock of slot head screws, and so the slot head screws appear until late 1953. Except for the cocobolo neck, this guitar aims for the look of an early 50's Tele with the common 1960's mod - the neck humbucker - and red refinish, followed by a lot of playing time.
The hardware appears stock for the time, with Kluson style Gotoh tuners, a Fender vintage style bridge with brass saddles plus treble and bass scoops, short dome control knobs and aged finish to the metal parts.
The 'Barncaster' name comes from Miller's series of guitars built from woods recovered from a barn on a family property, and has stuck to many of his non-barn wood instruments.
Overall this is an exceptional piece. It's very comfortable and resonant, with a bright yet warm tone and lots of definition between notes.
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There are no refunds or returns on used items unless authorized in advance by a Twelfth Fret Sales Associate at time of sale. View Our Full Terms Here |
DETAILS:
- Instrument Model: Barncaster
- Instrument Manufacturer: Alastair Miller
- Instrument year: 2016
- Instrument Finish: Relic Red
- Instrument Class: Solidbody Electric Guitars
- Instrument serial number: N/A, built during 2016 at Toronto, Canada
- Country of Origin: Canada
- Instrument Condition: Very Good
- Right-handed
- Instrument Weight Imperial: 7.568 lbs
- Instrument Weight Metric: 3.44 kgs
- Scale Length Imperial: 25.5 in
- Scale Length Metric: 647.7 mm
- Nut Width Imperial: 1.648 in
- Nut Width Metric: 41.86 mm
- CITIES Documentation Required: No
- Case included: Yes
- Case original: Yes
- Items in Case: N/A
- Case Type: Rectangular Tweed HSC by TKL
- Consignment: Yes
- Product ID: 191174
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There are no refunds or returns on used items unless authorized in advance by a Twelfth Fret Sales Associate at time of sale. View Our Full Terms Here |