Apparently only a very limited number of these USA-made Renaissance guitars were built. Which might explain why I've never heard of them before (not that I'm a walking encyclopaedia of guitar builders and luthiers).The body is made of a smoked effect transparent acrylic and has a neck of flamed maple with an ebody fingerboard. The pickups are a pair of DiMarzio humbuckers with a volume and tone control for each plus pickup selector. It would appear to have a pair of coil-tap switches also, allowing for a versatile range of sound options.
Note how the control cavity has a metal plate at the front and back of the guitar. It should be nicely screened, at least.
It's a classy-looking guitar, and with those DiMarzios in a perspex body, it should be able to scream and sustain along with the best of them.
I own one of these guitars. I bought it in 1980. I have sold or given it to a couple of friends in the years since, but it ended up back with me. Pics at http://s187.beta.photobucket.com/user/photo_Zathrus/media/Rennaisance2.jpg.html
ReplyDeletehttp://s187.beta.photobucket.com/user/photo_Zathrus/media/Rennaisance4.jpg.html
http://s187.beta.photobucket.com/user/photo_Zathrus/media/Rennaisance1.jpg.html
The other two switches, besides the three position pickup selector, are in fact a phase switch (reverses the wiring on one pickup for out of phase tones with both pickups on), and an on/off switch for the active bass/treble controls.
It originally had Dimarzio PAF and Super Distortion pickups (a common combination in the 70's), but I have tried other pickups in it since. The Super Distortion was microphonic, as many older Dimarzio's were.
It's a cool but quirky guitar. The neck is chunky. The fretwork was not the greatest, with a few being uneven producing some buzzing, and some sharp ends. The bridge saddles did not have the same radius as the fretboard, resulting in the middle strings being higher than the outer ones. Lots of lovely rosewood, walnut, and curly maple on the neck, and a pure black ebony fretboard. The tone is somewhat brittle, regardless what pickups I've put in it.
I'm always buying Renaissance guitars and basses. 717-361-9272
ReplyDeleteI have one exactly like this but it has a cut away (for you leg) behind the bridge and it says Sunn on the neck.
ReplyDelete