From the Southern terrain of the Louisiana bayou and the land of Mardi Gras, hails a small guitar luthier that is certainly worthy of some serious attention. As a follow up to our December issues "Builder Profile" series, master luthier Vincent Guidroz of the New Orleans Guitar Company has submitted his "Voodoo Custom" model for review this month. A single cut model that sports some of the most exotic woods I have ever seen. Must be a Louisiana bayou thing! So into review mode we go, to check out the Mojo on the New Orleans Guitar "Voodoo Custom" ...

FIRST IMPRESSION...
First impression of the Voodoo custom is nothing short of awesome! Hauntingly classy vibe that screams "Play Me! Play Me"! One of the first things that you notice is the quality of the top and the unconventional exotic woods that this guitar is built with. For starters, this particular Voodoo Custom has a heart built of Black Limba wood, laminated neck thru design. The carved top comes from a 300-year old piece of quilted crotch sinker cypress in flamed red. An eye catching unique feature of this design are the curly maple strips that run the length of the neck thru body. Believe me, you will certainly appreciate the quality and uniqueness of these woods. Even the fret board is unconventional, Cocobolo fret board and headstock. Even the pickup rings, volume and tone knobs, headstock are bound with three ply dyed curly maple, the Voodoo Custom is equipped with two DiMarzio pickups, a classic PAF in the neck, and an Air Zone in the bridge. Three on a side chrome Grover tuners, chrome Tone Pros bridge and stop bar, volume, tone, three way toggle style pickup selector and a mini toggle coil tap switch are standard equipment on this guitar. Cosmetically, the Voodoo Custom is truly a work of art with impeccable detail handwork that you certainly come to appreciate and expect from a boutique instrument.

FIRST CHORD...
Any guitar that looks this good, you assume has to play impeccably, however I have been surprised a few times. Upon the fist few chords strumming acoustically, the first thing I notice is the neck radius. The Voodoo custom sports a huge neck! This is my kind of neck, something you can really grab a hold of and wrap your wrist around. Somewhat reminiscent of a 70's Les Paul Custom, but more comfortable. Equipped with a Tone Pros bridge and stop bar (my favorite) the Voodoo Custom rings strong and articulate. Super low action with precise intonation, allows this guitar to chime out with confidence, and has a very well balanced, rock solid feel. Weighing in at seven pounds, the Voodoo Custom is just right. Not too little, and not too much. Unique single cut design that sports an upper bout somewhat like a "Tele", and a lower cutaway bout that is not overly routed, allowing flawless access to upper registers.

THE NECK...
There are some very innovative design techniques that luthier Vincent Guidroz of New Orleans Guitar applies to his neck design that are worthy of further discussion. The Voodoo Custom incorporates a "neck thru" design that is constructed of a five-piece book matched chunk of black limba wood that features opposing grain construction. The back of the neck features curly maple stripes that run the entire length of the neck and thru body. Very cool. The neck incorporates a two-way truss rod and the rear of the headstock is carved with a swollen spine to make up for a truss cavity. Fretboard wood is Cocobola, which is a very unique wood, less brittle and less bright then ebony, and tends to be a bit brighter then traditional rosewood. This neck also incorporates a mother of pearl, flame inlay that starts on the fifth fret and ends on the 13th fret. This is a very classy touch, not overly done. The Voodoo Custom also incorporates a "zero fret" radius. The first fret is inserted 1/4" or so from the nut. The Zero fret theory is nothing new, it was used with some of the mass produced guitars of the 1980's, even guitars dating to the 1930's. This is a system that more effectively establishes a straight line for extending string length, thus allowing for super low action and improved intonation. The Zero fret is stainless steel, and the remaining 23 frets are nickel silver of medium jumbo size. The neck is fully bound with curly maple. I found this neck extremely comfortable; it's big, fat, and rock solid. For those of you who dig the big baseball bat type of neck, reminiscent of early Les Paul's, you will be right at home. Super low, fast action allows for flawless bends and pull offs, impeccable set up without a buzz anywhere.

WIRED FOR TONE...
For testing purposes, I used a Marshall JMP I tube preamp, powered by a Mesa Boogie 20/20 power amp, through a Marshall 4x12 cab with vintage 30's. As mentioned earlier, this bad boy is loaded with two DiMarzio hums, a classic PAF in the neck and an Air Zone in the bridge. I initially dial up clean tones and must admit I am immediately impressed. A great feature of the wiring of this guitar is a coil tap switch that is wired to the neck pickup only. This setting provides a single coil tone but retains a good tight low end. Great for funk type seventh and ninth chord progressions. Really a clever option to apply the coil tap option to the neck pickup only, seems like it is where you would tend to use it the most. As we add a bit more to the gain structure into a clean-crunch mode, these pickups retain a punchy, tight crunch tone, that isn't too wimpy or too brittle. In my opinion, these pickups are a great match to the woods used in this guitar. Limba wood is a relative of Mahogany and retains similar tonal characteristics, most notably a slight enhanced midrange voice. However, in my opinion Limba, which is an African wood, has a tighter low-end response. Combine this with the crotch sinker cypress top and since cypress is a warm dense wood, you in theory have a warm sounding instrument with a nice tight low end. Guess what! That's what ya got here!

In the heavier overdriven gain stages, the Voodoo Custom is a powerful sounding instrument, warm, fat and ballsey. Somewhat reminiscent of a heavy 70's Les Paul Custom, yet tighter sounding with a more refined low end. The PAF in the neck sings with a Vintage vibe. The Air Zone in the bridge delivers the goods with this guitar, just enough but not too much. In fact, classic rock players will really appreciate the well-balanced crunch tones from this pickup.

FINAL VOODOO...
The New Orleans Voodoo Custom is a unique piece of luthier art. The use of non traditional exotic woods are incredibly beautiful, but also project a one of a kind tone that offers a truly distinct tone. It simply doesn't sound like everyone else's guitar. Playability is superb, no compromise components, unique body style and neck design. Meticulous attention to the most minuet detail is ever so evident in the construction of this instrument. It would be a welcome addition to anyone's collection that appreciates truly handmade luthiered guitars. The Voodoo Custom, despite its boutiquish appearance is a true players guitar. Nonetheless, it is a boutique instrument that carries a boutique price tag. Retailing at $3800 with a street price of around $3200, this guitar should receive serious consideration of your investment dollars...

INFORMATION...
New Orleans Guitar Co.
523 B North Alexander St.
New Orleans, LA 70119
Email: noguitar@bellsouth.net
Web: www.neworleansguitar.com
504-482-9019