2015 Echopark Custom Crow Case Study Boutique Semi-Hollowbody Electric Guitar w/ ohsc, QOTSA

Up for sale, a 2015 Echopark Custom Crow "Case Study" electric guitar in exceptional condition and in perfect working order. Originally based in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles and recently relocated to Detroit, Gabriel Currie hand crafts each instrument using the highest quality components available and decades of experience going back to his years working under Leo Fender at G&L and Tak Hosono of Hasono Guitar Works. Only building a limited number of instruments every year, Echopark guitars have become highly sought after, ending up in the hands of musicians such as Joe Perry and Brad Whitford of Aerosmith, Josh Homme and Troy Van Leeuwen of Queens of the Stone Age, and even Johnny Depp.

The Custom Crow is perhaps the most recognizable Echopark model due to its high profile use by Josh Homme of QOTSA, and purportedly this is the only Custom Crow model made which is not owned by the band! In fact, this guitar was used by QOTSA on tour rehearsals before being purchased by a record label executive and sparingly played since. This Custom Crow features an old growth Redwood top (roughly 350 years old) as well as ribbon mahogany back and sides. This particular guitar is part of the "Case Study" series, which are best explained by Gabriel himself:

"The Case Study Series represents the pinnacle of what I aim for in the Echopark Guitars experience. These are select versions of my models and custom built one-off creations. This is my opportunity to create solely as an artist with no limitations on specs, dimensions, etc. In a nutshell, they are 100% unique. I build these throughout the years and no detail is overlooked, they are my dream guitars."

This Custom Crow has the same pickup configuration as Josh Homme's guitar, with a pair of handwound pickups from Arcane Inc. Pairing an Ultratron in the bridge position with a gold foil design at the neck yields a particularly wide tonal range, and both pickups are perfectly suited to the combination of a solid redwood top and mahogany back and sides. There's quintessential Filter’Tron glassy treble and chewy midrange in the bridge position and the pickup is designed to edge into PAF territory too. Acoustically, the Redwood top has a silky, articulate sound, and this is balanced by a crispness and percussive clarity from the gold foil. It's easy to eek out hollow twang and a distinct midrange grunt when both pickups are engaged and the overall sound of the guitar is defined by a clarity and incredible attack that doesn't sacrifice warmth. This Custom Crow weighs in at 10lbs 10oz. Professionally setup here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar, this guitar plays very well with low action, solid intonation, and 11-50 strings.

The neck profile is unique in that it begins as a deep 1938-style soft V that has significant roundness and heft, graduating to a D shape by the time you reach the 9th fret. It's a very intuitive profile designed both for resonance and for comfort on long gigs. The nut measures 1 11/16"  and is a hand carved, unbleached piece of Bison bone. The advantage of using unbleached Bison bone is not only its warm tonal properties that match fretted notes very well, but also for its self-lubricating properties, which help stabilize tuning and intonation. The fretboard is a piece of rosewood that appears to be from the same NOS batch of CBS-era Fender stock used on a few other Echopark models in 2015. The fretboard sports pearloid dot position markers, mahogany side dots, and 22 medium jumbo Jescar frets that are in immaculate condition, with smooth crowns and virtually no signs of playwear. The headstock boasts a rosewood veneer and a set of Grover "pre-war" style open back 18:1 tuning machines that turn smoothly and hold pitch well. There is also a factory installed ancient coin at the crest of the headstock.

The top sports a natural finish with light bursting on the edges that highlights the intense figuring on the Redwood, wood binding, a real celluloid nitrate tortoise pickguard, Davies Dakaware knobs, black switch tip, and the perfect pairing of a roller bridge and Bigsby vibrato. Electronically, everything works as it should with the pickups wired to a three-way pickup selector, individual volumes, and a master tone control.

In terms of cosmetic condition, while we hesitate to call anything "mint", this guitar is simply in phenomenal shape, with virtually nothing to mention in the way of wear as this guitar is showroom clean. This guitar is a great example of what a true professional can build when given the right materials, and would be a fantastic showpiece in anyones collection, not to mention perfect for a plethora of recording and gigging situations.

The original hardshell case is included, along with the Certificate of Authenticity.