Jeff has released seven CDs, written a guitar instructional book and CD, released an instructional video, and a live video. He has toured the U.S., Europe and Mexico, and has been featured in Guitar, Guitar Player, Guitar School, Guitar World, and EQ magazines, as well as numerous magazines in Japan and Europe. Jeff writes columns for hm, and Musician's Hotline magazines, and for truefire.com. The Jeff Scheetz Band's current CD "Beggars, Rogues & Thieves" is available at www.jeffscheetz.com. You can email jeff at jeff@jeffscheetz.com

I must admit, I opened the box with the new Zion Elite GT guitar in it with a bit of trepidation. Usually when any company comes out with anything in a "more affordable model" that usually means they have cut corners and quality, and you get junk ­ albeit name brand junk mind you. Not the case with the Zion.

First impressions when you pick up a guitar mean a lot. This guitar felt great right out of the box ­ even out of tune it played well! These guitars are not some mass produced version of a hand made Zion. They are a real handmade Zion, it's just that there are a limited number of options and colors ­ sort of pre-determined custom if you will. These are made in the U.S.A. by the Zion craftsmen. The guitar has Sperzel tuners, a Wilkinson VSV bridge, an Alder body and a 25" scale neck.

I immediately liked the feel of the neck. I like a wide flat neck for shred stuff and a more Strat like neck for bluesy bends and funk. The Zion seems to be right in the middle of these ­ it felt fine for blues leads, and it had a natural very fast playing action when it was time to rip. The 12" radius neck seemed to be the perfect balance and fit my hand great! The neck played evenly from the first fret to the last one. The pickups sound really nice. They did a good job matching the pickups to the guitar on these.

Overall tone was bright and crystal clear. The neck position sounded great and really sang through an old fender twin. I am always a sucker for a good second position "out of phase" sound and this guitar has that sound spot on! It will really quack if you dig in; very nice. The humbucker was very punchy in the midrange and cut through really well when played through a Yamaha/Soldano T-100 and a 4x12 cabinet. All pickups are hum-canceling as well.

The body is fairly small and lightweight, and the craftsmanship was flawless. Excellent finish that had great depth from any angle, and smooth electronics make this one a joy to play. It really did feel like I was playing my guitar instead of one I had just gotten out of the box. As a matter of fact, I used it on a studio session for an instructional column I do for Truefire.com ­ it sounded great in the studio and came through with flying colors!

At a list price of $1499, this is definitely not an "entry level" finger shredder like some companies put out when they try to introduce a less expensive model. This is a pro guitar with the playability and tones you would expect from a top quality guitar.

The bottom line is this, if you want a great sounding and playing American made guitar from guys who really take the time to build Oem right, then take a look at the Zion Elite series. And if you decide you want an all out crazy custom one with a built in fish tank and GPS settings on the fingerboard ­ give Zion a call also, they can do about anything. My advice would be to forgo the fish tank and get yourself one of these Elites, you won't be disappointed. Besides, those fish tank guitars can be a real pain when touring the Midwest in the winter. This guitar gets an overall thumbs way up!
Jeff Scheetz