Chisels | soldguitars

2010 Hufschmid H7 BlackDroïd

"Chisels"

This was an exquisite, EXQUISITE guitar. By way of background, this was a Hufschmid H7 "BlackDroïd", of which there are very few. Try to find one for sale. Go on .. I dare you. These things seem to pass through the hands of private collectors and pro "Metalz" guitarist-types, without ever really making it onto the open market. It was on that basis that I jumped at the chance of owning this one.

Hufschmid guitars are handmade (and I mean ENTIRELY handmade) by Patrick Hufschmid, in a wine cellar somewhere in Switzerland. Patrick is a bit of a stickler, by all accounts. Everything has to be just so, or he throws away and starts again. As opposed to using CNC machines and big industrial bits of kit to churn out bodies and necks by the crate-load, Mr Hufschmid carves bodies and necks ... by hand ... using saws and chisels. Seriously. This neck started life as a plank of wood, and he turned it into a BEAUTIFUL guitar neck using some chisels, then a rasp, then a file, then sandpaper.

The result is really a piece of art ... a beautiful thing, albeit with rather a 'unique' appearance thanks to its utilitarian waxed finish. The body and neck are made from Hufschmid's usual lovely (and very pretty) Sipo mahogany, and the fretboard is not only bloodwood, but quilted bloodwood. You don't see boards like this too often ... that's some VERY rare wood.

Hardware is by Hipshot (a bulletproof bridge assembly and great locking tuners), and pups are Kent Armstrongs (an 'OTT' at the bridge and a 'Rocker' at the neck), which I understand are would to Patrick's exact specifications ... by Mr Kent Armstrong, no less. The control cavity is a bloody work of art, with the exposed multi-core conductors all soldered along their length, and each of the wires positioned precisely and bent so that they all line up PERFECTLY. You know I said that Patrick is a stickler for details? Well there you go.

Plug this in and all hell breaks loose. I found myself unintentionally playing chuggy Metal stuff, then I figured that it was simply the influence of the low B-string (being a seven-stringer). Once you learn to grow up a bit and play some regular stuff, you learn what the fuss is about. This is a GREAT player. The fretwork is flawless (although you CAN feel the fret tangs ... which I think is odd for such a high quality guitar), and the neck feels astonishing. One curious opint is that the fretboard has a radius of ... infinity. Its entirely flat, which is VERY unusual. The result is that it feels almost concave during use, at least to start with. The tone is sharp and punchy, with loads of attack as you might expect, with virtually no 'hootiness' from the neck pickup ... just clarity and warmth. Fantastic.

Although I was thrilled to own this guitar, a potential trade emerged shorty after I took delivery of this ... for a guitar that had been on my "must own" bucket-list for several years (the Jaden Rose ERO guitar). SO, this is consigned to the "Sold / Traded" section! I rather suspected that I might be given the opportunity to buy this one back at some point, but it was traded by its new owner, so I have not seen or heard of it since. That's a shame, as this was a wonderful guitar.