I am an addict for a good guitar. I have been lucky to attain a few in my life. They are tools. They are friends. They collaborate with me on different projects, they help coax things out of my hands and heart. I am an addict for a good guitar.
My friend, George Burrows, contacted me while I was on tour with Cornmeal about an interview his site conducted with Chris Kroenlein, the owner/builder of K-Line Guitars. I might have heard the company name before, but didn’t really know much about them. George said that after the interview with Chris, they were really hoping someone would test out one of his instruments and write a review. I jumped at the chance. I spoke to Chris on the phone briefly that day. Gave him my address and phone number, and the day I got home from tour there was a beautiful sea foam green Truxton waiting at my house for inspection and review.
I have to say, after I spoke to Chris, I did a little bit of research on his company. I learned about his guitars, learned about the pickups used, the particulars of the body styles and builds. There is a current trend in the market of people making boutique guitars based on famous body shapes. I have learned of a few companies like this recently. Grosh, Nash, Fano are all companies making boutique built guitars based on old-school Fender specs and trying to get away from the mass-produced instrument. I have played a few, and while I have liked some, nothing has ever grabbed me as a “must have.” The boutique builds I have played haven’t swayed me to make that jump in price from a stock, assembly-line Fender to a boutique build. My world changed when I met this guitar that was waiting for me after two weeks on the road.
For those who might have seen me in Magic Box or Backyard Tire Fire, you know that I have a deep love for the Les Paul. They fit my hands well. I love the sound they make, they stay in tune. I have a few, they have been my main live guitar for years. What you probably don’t know is that I also have a deep love for Telecasters. On Magic Box shows, I usually have at least one in the arsenal. Sometimes it is a 76 Telecaster Deluxe, sometimes it is my 07 G&L Classic ASAT. Telecasters have been in my life for a long time. I have used them a ton in the studio, on gigs and for demos around the house. A good Tele is a versatile tool. It can create a bunch of different sounds without manipulation. These days I have been longing for another decent Tele style guitar for my arsenal. Recently I let go of a Fender 52 Telecaster Reissue. I loved the sound but never bonded with the neck. My guitars are here to be played. If one doesn’t feel good after a few years of trying to get to know it, it needs to get into someone else’s hands who will truly appreciate it.
The K-Line Truxton is a Telecaster shaped body. An American classic. When I spoke to Chris, I told him my love of a Tele-style guitar, and he told me about the Truxton. We both agreed that he should send me a stock Truxton. Chris can accommodate all kinds of different customizations, different pickups, etc. But we both thought for the sake of review, he should send out a stock model.
As happy as I was to see my family when I got home from tour, I was just as happy to see that box sitting in the foyer waiting for me. After some hellos and loading gear, luggage into the house, I quickly made my way to taking a look at the guitar. Right out of the box it was simply one of the most beautiful electric guitars I have seen. The finish was fantastic. I am not into relic’ing guitars (the process of making them look aged when they are new). This guitar looked like it had been relic’d a little (more on that in a minute). It was the first time I had seen a relic job that I thought was not only tasteful, but downright beautiful.
While I have some nice instruments, some of the truly amazing vintage stuff is out of my price range. But I have gotten to play some really cool vintage instruments in my time. One was a legendary 1960 Les Paul Burst. Unreal guitar. I have a few beautiful Les Pauls — nothing in the same boat as this thing. It had an overall presence that just came with being a 50-plus-year-old guitar. The other was a 1960 Fender Esquire. From the moment I had it in my hands, I realized I was in the presence of greatness. The build, the feel, the atmosphere it created was magical. These types of vintage instruments will never be in my arsenal. They were fun to play, but sort of like an intimate visit with a museum piece. At the end of the day, you know you have to give it back.
I laughed out loud as I picked the Truxton out of the case. It had the closest feel to that 1960 Esquire I have ever felt. New guitars don’t feel this good. It’s not that they are bad — I have a ton of them — but this guitar felt like it had been played and well maintained for 50 years. It had age, it had wisdom, it had experience. It was light but not too light. There was a balance in the weight of the guitar. That is really important to me. Some guitars have a section where you can feel an imbalance. Usually, it is the bottom of the body pulling down the rest of the guitar. The majority of this guitar’s weight felt like it came from the neck. Because of that you have this fully balanced instrument. It sits comfortably on your lap. It also is really comfortable when connected to a strap. This might sound like a minuscule detail, but for me it isn’t. A really well balanced guitar is something to treasure.
The neck has some serious meat to it. I am used to big necked Les Pauls; the Truxton’s neck isn’t that big. It isn’t a baseball bat. But it also has room, it has comfort when moving around and bending strings. There are places to go and easy roads to get there. The neck felt nicely worn. The edges of the neck into the fingerboard are nicely rolled, giving a really nice feel. I cannot say enough good about the neck on this instrument. It seems to taper up a bit, meaning it gets a little wider on the higher frets. It does it in a very subtle fashion. Adding just a little more space as you get higher up so your fingers aren’t crammed while chording or bending. The finish of the neck is something to savor, too. It is not a high-gloss coat, it doesn’t get sticky. It had a nice, understated finish. It is not a dull or matte finish. But it is also not a high gloss finish. It feels like a well worn, well maintained neck.
I plugged it into a late 60s Princeton I own and just listened to it. Again, I had to laugh. There is a resonance to this guitar unlike anything new I have heard. Chords ring and linger, notes come up to the surface, shine and then fade like sunset. Total joy. I played around, I tried to find sweet spots and was baffled and pleasantly surprised to realize the whole neck was a sweet spot. The model that was sent to me has Klein Pickups in it. I know that K-Line also uses Lollars, great pickups as well. I have to say that the Klein Pickups in this guitar are a perfect marriage with its alder body. The neck pickup was really woody sounding but clear and airy. It never gets woofy or muddled in bass. The middle position is pure butter. Most surprising to me was the bridge. I feel like most modern strat or tele style guitars have bridge pickup sounds that are too bright, they pierce. The bridge position of this guitar has a brightness to it, but it also has some serious midrange that balances out the highs. It never sounds shrill. This is not just a sign of good pickups. This is a sign of good wood. This is also the sign of a builder who takes the time to really sound out and spec a guitar. Someone who wants an instrument to reach its full potential in every aspect.
I spoke to Chris a few days and a few gigs after having the guitar in my possession. What I found fascinating was he had no real big secrets to unveil. There was no special sauce in the mix. For him it is a matter of building a quality, consistent instrument. He says he builds about 100 a year. I asked him about the differences between boutique builds verses assembly line. He didn’t badmouth assembly line guitars at all. He didn’t knock any major corporate guitar facility at all. In fact, he pointed out those places still make some good guitars. But, what he did say was that being in charge of every aspect of building a guitar lets him dedicate a special attention to each instrument that can get lost in a factory. He spoke of how he picks the wood of each body, how he carefully finds a neck to fit the body and how each neck joint is a little different to accommodate the nuance between the neck and body. I enjoyed learning about his process, but more importantly, hearing the pride in his voice as he spoke of his process. The man truly loves guitars and loves what he does for a living.
Oh yeah, as far as the relic’ing. I had mentioned to him that I was not one who was really into relic’ing guitars, but I thought that he did a really tasteful job of making this guitar look worn in. He said that this is his guitar and it has been around for a few years. He then explained to me that while he might have helped this guitar to look a little aged, the reality is that it’s aging like an old-school guitar because of the grade of nitrocellulose used. Whereas most companies these days are using plasticizer in their finishes, he is using old-school nitrocellulose. No plasticizer. Not only does it bring out the warmth in the wood on the instrument. It also ages and checks like the old instruments.
Last night I had Dave Nelson, guitarist from Heartsfield and Dick Smith, over. After handing him a beer, I handed him the Truxton plugged into the Princeton. As soon as he hit that first E chord his face lit up and he laughed, “This this is incredible.” Like me, he had problems putting the guitar down. I feel like that is one of the highest compliments a guitar player can give to a guitar or guitar company. We are fortunate to get to play and own a lot of instruments. We pass them around at parties, we talk of them all the time. It is a truly special instrument to break through that foundation of pleasantries and hook a player. It is a truly special instrument that looks lonely sitting by itself. Throughout my conversation with Dave, if he didn’t pick up this sea foam green Truxton, I did.
Keith Richards once said that the electric guitar was one of the few inventions that came out perfect from its inception. There was no room to improve, it was already perfect. The Truxton is based on old-school principles. It is based on the tradition of building a beautiful beast. I think the main obstacle for a company like K-Line is proving to people why they should pick up their boutique builds. On the surface, people might think, “it looks like another Telecaster” or strat or whatever. But this guitar is so much more. It is more than a tool, it is an absolute joy. All you have to do is put it in your hands to find out.
