At first glance, the Vintage ProShop Distressed V52, does indeed look like its spent decades surviving every musical trend since the 1950s, from country to blues, punk to hard rock and is still coming back for more.
This striking solid bodied single cutaway guitar, originally a classic Vintage V52 from the ICON Series, has received the incredible aging process by the Vintage ProShop team, the only way they know how.
The original top coat has now been sanded by hand right back to bare wood, a white undercoat applied, followed by a black lacquered top coat which again, has been meticulously taken back by hand, revealing the Eastern poplar/alder body in all the right places, to portray a guitar that had lost its original high gloss glow decades ago, having spent most of its life working hard on the live circuit, whilst having been cared for impeccably along the way.
The team’s accurate and highly professional approach to guitar aging also applies to the hard rock maple neck with ‘skunk stripe’, headstock and all hardware, including the Wilkinson WTB intonatable bridge which in itself a masterpiece of design, along with Wilkinson Deluxe WJ55S machine heads for increased tuning stability.
With a Wilkinson WVTN Alnico pickup at the neck and a WVTB Alnico in the bridge position, the Vintage Distressed V52 delivers traditional tones in abundance, whilst chords and solo note runs are shivered and shacked with the installation of a Bigsby B50 vibrato which is also aged to blend in with the pre-worn picture.
For something a little exciting and different, the team have also installed a momentary kill-switch within the control panel, which adds an additional sonic concept to the sound by muting the pickup signals when operated, creating an on-off stuttering staccato effect or by performing as a handy individual ‘mute’ control.
The Vintage ProShop Distressed V52, like all models form the series, evokes stunning individuality, as a one-off custom guitar that’s been through the hands of the Vintage ProShop team of skilled luthiers. It’s the finest details within the incredibly authentic and expertly applied worn concept that have earned the Vintage ProShop Series guitars respect from players around the world.
It’s been said many times: Do the Vintage ProShop Series of instruments really sound as cool as they look?…you bet!
Like all models in the series the Vintage ProShop Distressed V52, includes a full ProShop set up:
• Fret-level, crown and polish.
• Fingerboard dress and comfort treatment.
• Truss rod adjustment and set.
• Action height, radius, intonation and pickup height adjustment.
• Nut slot regulation.
Review by Guitarist Magazine
Features
Body:
Eastern poplar body provides resonance, tone and ‘correct weight’ comfort, enhanced with correctly radiused contoured body.
Bridge:
The Wilkinson WTB intonatable bridge featured on the Vintage V52 is a masterpiece of design, eliminating age-old intonation problems often found in three saddle, fixed bridge designs.
Pickups:
Pair of Wilkinson Single Coils for traditional tones combined with contemporary power, courtesy of a WVTN pickup at the neck and a WVOB in the bridge position.
Controls:
Single master Volume and Tone controls with three-way pickup selector switch. Momentary Kill-Switch
Machines Heads:
Wilkinson Deluxe WJ55S for increased tuning stability.
Neck:
Hard rock Maple with classic Vintage ‘soft C’ profile for instant comfort, speed, accuracy and great feel.
Fingerboard:
Maple, with traditional 10" radius fingerboard provides positive feel and superior playability.
Scale Length:
25.5" / 648mm.
Frets:
22 Medium profile frets add to comfort, accuracy and overall positive feel of the Vintage ProShop Distressed V52.
Nut:
43mm Graphite nut, smooth and friction free.
Headstock:
Classic Vintage headstock design for balance and visual appeal.
The V52PU0005 is a Vintage® ProShop Unique guitar designed in the UK by the Vintage® ProShop design team.