Barron Wesley Alpha 2011 Natural Finish. Very High Quality Handmade Guitar. Few Built. Very Rare.

BARRON WESLEY ALPHA GUITAR.

 EXTREMELY RARE.

 HAND MADE GUITAR.

  Summary: From new luthier Russell, of Memphis, TN, comes an amazingly affordable custom guitar that’s a joy to play, and has a unique sound without losing that classic tone that you’d expect from a PAF-equipped guitar.

Pros: All hand-made. I’ll estimate its weight to be around 8 lbs, so it’s easy on the shoulder. Position of the neck is perfect, making it easy to get into the high frets. Tung Oil finish is wonderful, giving the wood a real natural feel.

This is a guitar that will become a "must have" guitar sooner than later simply because it is so well built by hand.  Only a very few were made and each one is unique.  

 BARON WESLEY GUITARS “ALPHA”  SN: 008. Built Oct, 2011 by Luthier Russell LaRoche, Memphis, TN.

Features

·        Scale length: 25″

·        Frets: 22 (medium)

·        Color: Natural

·        Top Wood: Figured Maple

·        Back/Neck Wood: Honduran Mahogany

·        Finish: Hand-rubbed Tung Oil & wax.

·        Fingerboard Cocobolo Rosewood

·        Nut Material: Bone

·        Bridget TonePros AVT II

·        Pickups: Manilus Vintage/Modern PAF+

·        Controls: RS Super Vol/Bourns Push-pull Master Tone

·        Tuners: Gotoh Magnum Locking

·        Weight:  7 lbs, 8oz.

 Online comments about the Barron Wesley Alpha custom guitar:

 -has unique sound without losing that classic tone expected from a PAF guitar.

- Russell’s attention to detail in the finish of this guitar was spot on. No crooked or uneven joints; everything fits well together.

- The guitar also “feels” sturdy, is a guitar that could be gigged with on a regular basis.

- The neck shape is much like a 50′s Les Paul neck.

- The cocobolo rosewood fretboard is a dream. Though harder than Brazilian and Indian rosewood, to me, it feels like ebony as it has a lot of oil content, but with a rosewood texture. This makes it VERY easy to move around the fretboard.

-The body shape is also perfect, and it is super-easy to get into the high frets. I like the 25″ scale length as well. It’s very close to a Les Paul, so again, I felt right at home playing this guitar.

 Enter Russell LaRoche of Barron Wesley Guitars. He’s a newcomer to the luthier scene, and has only formally been in business since the beginning of this year. He’s the epitome of the saying that there’s always room in the world for someone who’s good, and I think he’s onto something with his guitars. If the model I played is any indication, I have no doubts that he should see some success.

This is an excellent example of a dedicated and talented luthier pursuing his dream of building a guitar that is unique, beautiful, but also payable.  This was one of Russell’s first group of builds.  I see that he is on Facebook with a note that the may begin to build guitars again.  For all of us who love the feel of handcrafted guitars, let’s hope so.  And his price should be more than he started at-the quality et al is there and provides excellent value.