There are guitars you play, after which there are guitars you expertise. The Duesenberg Starplayer TV, dressed right here within the show-stopping Balboa Pearl Blue end, firmly belongs within the second camp. It is the type of instrument that turns heads earlier than you have even plugged in — and when you do, it turns into clear why this form has discovered its means into the palms of gamers like Joe Walsh, Tom Bukovac, and even Johnny Depp. This can be a guitar constructed to be seen and heard in equal measure, and after spending some correct time with it, we will verify it delivers on each fronts.

First Impressions

Duesenberg guitars are in-built Germany, and that heritage of precision engineering is clear the second you raise the Starplayer TV out of its case. The Balboa Pearl Blue end is genuinely hanging — a deep, shimmering sparkle that appears to shift character relying on the sunshine hitting it. Duesenberg calls this their Balboa Pearl Sequence, designed particularly to come back alive underneath stage lighting, and having seen it catch studio lights throughout this overview, we will say that declare holds up. This is not a delicate end. It is a assertion.

The semi-hollow development, full with a middle maintain block, arched laminated spruce prime, and chic f-holes, provides the Starplayer TV a stunning resonance within the palms even earlier than amplification. There’s actual acoustic voice right here, a byproduct of that hole chamber design, and it is a reminder that this guitar was constructed with tone because the precedence, not simply seems.

Construct High quality and Particulars

Choose this guitar up and the eye to element turns into apparent quick. The frets are hand-finished and individually leveled, and you’ll really feel it — the whole lot is easy, constant, and cozy up and down the neck, with no tough edges wherever to be discovered. Duesenberg’s personal Z-Tuners are a very good contact, tucking string ends neatly contained in the tuner shaft reasonably than leaving sharp trimmed ends poking out. It is a small factor, nevertheless it speaks to the type of considerate design that runs via this complete instrument.

The {hardware} continues that theme. A Duesenberg metal saddle bridge pairs with the model’s personal Radiator vibrato system, giving gamers easy, steady pitch manipulation with out the tuning complications that plague lesser tremolo designs. It is not a Bigsby, nevertheless it channels that very same classic spirit whereas feeling noticeably extra refined in use.

Pickups and Tone

Tonally, that is the place the Starplayer TV actually earns its fame. The neck place homes Duesenberg’s “Phonico” P90-style Domino pickup, whereas the bridge carries their Grand Classic humbucker. It is a intelligent pairing — the neck pickup presents that woody, barely gnarly P90 character for blues and roots tones, whereas the bridge humbucker steps in with extra push and readability when you want to lean into rock territory.

Duesenberg’s pickups have lengthy been recognized for a transparent, slicing voice that does not require extreme quantity to make itself heard, and that fame is properly deserved right here. Whether or not rolling via mellow jazz chords or driving into full-blooded rock rhythm work, the Starplayer TV cuts via a combination with actual character. There is a top-end sparkle and midrange chunk to those pickups that feels distinctly “Duesenberg” — not fairly Gibson, not fairly Fender, however very a lot its personal factor.

In Use

Enjoying the Starplayer TV is a genuinely fulfilling expertise. It sits comfortably in opposition to the physique because of its semi-hollow design and contoured bent sides, and the neck feels quick and alluring, helped alongside by these fantastically leveled frets. Chord work has a stunning bloom to it, courtesy of that arched spruce prime, whereas lead strains via the bridge humbucker have loads of snap and definition. This can be a guitar that rewards dynamics — dig in and it responds, again off and it cleans up gracefully.

The Verdict

There is not any getting round it: the Duesenberg Starplayer TV sits in a premium worth bracket, and it desires you to understand it. However spend any time with this instrument and the reasoning turns into clear. That is German craftsmanship at a genuinely excessive degree, married to a set of pickups with actual character and a construct that is been completed with apparent care at each stage — from the fretwork to the tuners to that beautiful Balboa Pearl end.

Is it for everybody? No — and it would not should be. This can be a guitar for the participant who desires one thing slightly totally different, slightly particular, and who’s prepared to pay for the privilege of proudly owning it. For that participant, the Starplayer TV will not disappoint. It is a ravishing, characterful, completely well-made instrument, and one which totally justifies the corporate it retains on levels world wide.

A surprising, boutique-feeling semi-hollow with actual tonal versatility and standout construct high quality — a real special-occasion guitar for gamers able to put money into one thing distinctive.

For extra data, go to Duesenberg’s web site