Re: More Klein Questions

[Tim Nelson <tcn62@ici.net>]

At 07:42 PM 7/15/01 -0500, George Washington wrote:
Are the methods so refined and unique that they cant be 
>copied? How would a guitar that used the same woods, scale lenght, body 
>shape and electronics sound any different than a klien?

Well, it's a bit of a cliche, but you get what you pay for. (Sometimes...)

Consider the Stratocaster (or the Les Paul, or any commercially successful
guitar design); there are lots of "strats" out there that aren't Fenders,
and they run the gamut from being horrible cheapo knockoffs to finely
crafted boutique instruments, all using the same scale length and body
shape, and sometimes purporting to use the same (or 'superior') woods and
electronics. It's not the fact that it's a copy that determines the quality
of the instrument per se, but if you want something that's going to
approach the workmanship of a Klein, it ain't gonna be cheap.

If you have a copy built, it's likely either going to be disappointing or
very expensive, and if you're going to shell out the bucks for a pricey
hand-crafted guitar, you'd probably be better off going with something
other than a copy. A luthier skilled enough to make a convincing Klein copy
would probably much rather build you something of his own design after
discussing with you what features, sound, ergonomics and materials you're
looking for.

If you know you ultimately REALLY want a Klein, but are balking at the
delay involved in having one built, rather than having something built for
you to tide you over until you can replace it with the real deal, you could
certainly find a quality off-the-shelf guitar that would serve you well as
a backup after the delivery of your dream Klein. If you specifically want a
headless guitar with trans-trem, a used Steinberger would be 1) infinitely
better than a _cheap_ Klein copy and 2) considerably more affordable than a
_good_ Klein copy. Why spend more than necessary or go to the trouble of
having something custom-built for you if intend to replace it as soon as
you can anyway?

If your heart is set on a Klein, the sooner you order it the sooner you'll
own it...

-t