Classic thirtieth Anniversary VS6 | Evaluation

MSRP: (UK) £599 / (US) $TBC

Celebrating three a long time of killer tones, Classic marks its thirtieth Anniversary with a restricted run of six-string fashions—and the VS6 may effectively be the true showstopper of the pack. Wearing a hanging Inexperienced Metalflake end, it boasts a stable construct, a snug neck, and sufficient tonal flexibility to deal with the whole lot from basic rock crunch to clean blues. Sam Bell tells us extra.



Classic Guitars is a UK-based firm owned by JHS and partnered with Trev Wilkinson. Their mission is straightforward: to deliver musicians nice guitars at an inexpensive value. Their devices are based mostly on basic, well-loved designs—however slightly than chopping corners with regards to {hardware}, electronics, or tonewoods, they deal with reverse-engineering superb specs and let the value observe, slightly than permitting price to dictate construct high quality. The consequence? Musicians get entry to the texture and sound of iconic guitars, fitted with pro-level elements, with out the boutique price ticket.

On this subject, I will be having a look at a guitar from their restricted version ‘thirtieth Anniversary’ collection—a celebration of 30 years of Classic Guitars. The lineup features a vary of reimagined classics, based mostly on single-cut, SG, T-style, S-style, and J-style designs.

Right here, I am diving into the gorgeous VS6 mannequin, completed in a really hanging Inexperienced Metalflake with a vintage-style vibrato arm.

First off, that Metalflake end is one thing to behold. It actually pops—with flecks of gold that catch the sunshine superbly, this one is a assured head-turner. The guitar options an all-mahogany stable physique with a double-cut offset form that permits for wonderful higher fret entry. It is paired with a mahogany neck and rosewood fingerboard, full with elegant block inlays. You get 22 medium-jumbo frets on a 12″ radius board—tremendous snug for each rhythm and lead work.

The guitar makes use of a basic 24.75″ scale size and features a Graph Tech NuBone nut together with Wilkinson WJ44 tuners. The result’s a construct that is stable, secure, and completely prepared to tear. This factor performs like a dream. No surprise gamers like Allan Holdsworth might be seen again within the mid-’70s shredding his fusion legato licks on an analogous double-cut design; this design is the unique basic rock shred machine.

Pickup-wise, you are getting twin Wilkinson Platinum Sequence humbuckers, wired up with CTS pots, twin quantity and tone controls, and a 3-way selector. These pickups ship the basic low-to-medium output vibe of a classic PAF—excellent for heat cleans, biting leads, sustaining bends, harmonically wealthy chords, and the whole lot in between. In brief, it is a full-on basic rock machine.

The vintage-style trem relies on basic techniques discovered on unique variations of this guitar’s design. If we predict again to Bigsby, Maestro, and Vibrola-inspired {hardware}, you will see the place this design comes from. It is mounted to the physique and paired with a curler bridge, which helps preserve the strings transferring, lowering friction and aiding tuning stability. This fashion of trem works nice for including shimmer to surfy chords, haunting single-note strains, and all types of quirky expressions. It’s extremely clean, and the arm itself feels very snug—it swivels out of the best way when wanted.

When you’re searching for a classic SG-style instrument with a little bit of aptitude and uniqueness, the VS6 is effectively value a glance. For the retail value of £599, it might be thought-about one in all Classic’s dearer guitars, however in comparison with others available on the market, it’s extremely cheap. For that value, with Classic, you are getting quite a lot of bang to your buck. This can be a restricted version mannequin, so you will have to get your arms on one fast earlier than they promote out! If the SG design is not to your style, don’t fret—there are different basic fashions within the thirtieth Anniversary collection. Nevertheless, if you happen to’re searching for a flexible rock/blues guitar with a classic vibrato and standout end, verify one out now!

For extra data, please go to:

jhs.co.uk/classic