Post by LeoThunder on Dec 24, 2018 10:41:06 GMT
How much difference is there between the elusive ST-62 DLX models and the regular ones? And are these Roswell pick-ups any good?
The DLX models, in Olympic or Vintage White are a little more expensive (169€ vs 119€) and not readily available (3 to 9 weeks).
They come with gold hardware and pickguard, a "modern D" profile with skunk stripe, 21 frets only and a bone nut.
I just received one, as a replacement for the regular Vintage White I regretted returning so I can compare it to the regular Sunburst I have. I got the Sunburst as an improvement over the Vintage White in the first place but I kept wanting that colour, so here we go.
The hardware and pickguard are what they say. The vibrato has black screws, which look nice. All other screws are gold, even for the white back plate. The neck plate is gold too. If you don't like gold, you're probably not even reading this.
Tuners are the same, Klusen-type, not great (some are a little hard) but functional. The guitar I returned last year (Nov. 2017) worked better and had split shafts. These two have not. I suppose they are older. Better tuner with split shafts are a recent improvement, so I guess this is one more good thing to be looking forward to when buying a new one.
Neck:
The "skunk stripe" on the back of the neck is purely cosmetic, just a dark line, not an actual piece of wood closing an opening. The wood is nicer on the DLX. It could be the result of selection or just luck. The colour of the gloss finish is the exact same. Both have that "vintage" yellowish tint. I had wondered about this after seeing pictures and videos taken in widely varying light conditions.
The "modern D" neck profile is very similar to the regular "C". It is not the same, I can see a clear difference in the way the neck ends where it meets the body but there is no difference in feel in my hand.
Both are equally thick with just 0.7 mm less on the "modern D" at the 1st fret.
Regular "C": 23 mm (1st fret), 24.5 mm (12th fret)
DLX "modern D": 22.3 mm (1st fret), 24.5 mm (12th fret)
The 22nd fret is missing on the DLX model, as promised. I wonder how that is a "feature". The fingerboard is a little shorter which only means there is less of it above the pickguard. I would expect both pickguards to have the same dimensions and be interchangeable.
The bone nut looks just the same as that of the regular model. Same colour, same size, same feel under the nail. Both are well cut. They might be the same.
Pick-ups are different. The older Sunburst has Wilkinsons so I was curious to hear them in direct comparison. They are very similar. I doubt anyone would hear them apart in normal, non inquisitive listening conditions. The Roswell were obviously chosen so as to come as close as possible to what they replace, which is wise and fortunate, given the amount of praise this model has received. I think Henning must have been the first to rave about it and he had one with Wilkinson pick-ups.
There is a difference, tough, still clear after adjusting heights to similar levels, and I don't think it comes from the strings, which sound similar acoustically. The new Roswell are a little softer, "nicer" sounding, with a little less of that quacky mid-range. Maybe they are more level. Dynamics are the same, character is the same for all three. I have a slight preference for the Roswell but this is subtle.
The DLX models, in Olympic or Vintage White are a little more expensive (169€ vs 119€) and not readily available (3 to 9 weeks).
They come with gold hardware and pickguard, a "modern D" profile with skunk stripe, 21 frets only and a bone nut.
I just received one, as a replacement for the regular Vintage White I regretted returning so I can compare it to the regular Sunburst I have. I got the Sunburst as an improvement over the Vintage White in the first place but I kept wanting that colour, so here we go.
The hardware and pickguard are what they say. The vibrato has black screws, which look nice. All other screws are gold, even for the white back plate. The neck plate is gold too. If you don't like gold, you're probably not even reading this.
Tuners are the same, Klusen-type, not great (some are a little hard) but functional. The guitar I returned last year (Nov. 2017) worked better and had split shafts. These two have not. I suppose they are older. Better tuner with split shafts are a recent improvement, so I guess this is one more good thing to be looking forward to when buying a new one.
Neck:
The "skunk stripe" on the back of the neck is purely cosmetic, just a dark line, not an actual piece of wood closing an opening. The wood is nicer on the DLX. It could be the result of selection or just luck. The colour of the gloss finish is the exact same. Both have that "vintage" yellowish tint. I had wondered about this after seeing pictures and videos taken in widely varying light conditions.
The "modern D" neck profile is very similar to the regular "C". It is not the same, I can see a clear difference in the way the neck ends where it meets the body but there is no difference in feel in my hand.
Both are equally thick with just 0.7 mm less on the "modern D" at the 1st fret.
Regular "C": 23 mm (1st fret), 24.5 mm (12th fret)
DLX "modern D": 22.3 mm (1st fret), 24.5 mm (12th fret)
The 22nd fret is missing on the DLX model, as promised. I wonder how that is a "feature". The fingerboard is a little shorter which only means there is less of it above the pickguard. I would expect both pickguards to have the same dimensions and be interchangeable.
The bone nut looks just the same as that of the regular model. Same colour, same size, same feel under the nail. Both are well cut. They might be the same.
Pick-ups are different. The older Sunburst has Wilkinsons so I was curious to hear them in direct comparison. They are very similar. I doubt anyone would hear them apart in normal, non inquisitive listening conditions. The Roswell were obviously chosen so as to come as close as possible to what they replace, which is wise and fortunate, given the amount of praise this model has received. I think Henning must have been the first to rave about it and he had one with Wilkinson pick-ups.
There is a difference, tough, still clear after adjusting heights to similar levels, and I don't think it comes from the strings, which sound similar acoustically. The new Roswell are a little softer, "nicer" sounding, with a little less of that quacky mid-range. Maybe they are more level. Dynamics are the same, character is the same for all three. I have a slight preference for the Roswell but this is subtle.