Take sneak peek at the all new Hottie 318 double-cutaway on our Facebook and Flickr pages. Coming Summer 2012!
When Eddie Van Halen stripped his guitar’s electronics down to the bare essentials (a single humbucker and volume control), he proved that the best way to get the biggest, boldest tone is to keep things simple. The Hottie 429 confirms this philosophy, but it also shows that simple doesn’t need to mean no frills. Featuring high-quality materials and construction, the Hottie 429 looks classy and elegant with its nitrocellulose lacquer finish, numberless volume and tone knobs, inlay-free fretboard and metallic finish (my test model was a stunning Malibu Goldtop). But it also delivers incredibly versatile performance courtesy of a single “Bettie” high-output bridge humbucker, TonePros Tune-o-matic bridge and Bigsby vibrato. Despite having a single humbucker (two-pickup model also available), the 429 can summon pretty much any tone you need, thanks to its tone circuit and coil-splitting capability. When the tone control is rolled down, the pickup produces the fat, singing midrange honk usually associated with a neck pickup. Pulling up the tone knob splits the coils to deliver bright, sparkling single-coil spank. The intonation, setup and playability of my example were spot on right out of the box. With its exceptional tonal range and incredibly comfortable feel, the Hottie 429 is a guitar you’ll want to rock with all night and day. —Chris Gill
Be sure to check out the video review: http://www.
Electrified: The Art of the Contemporary Electric Guitar offers a visually stunning selection of guitars by the finest builders at work today, showcasing instruments by 125 master artisans and custom shops from fifteen different countries. More than 250 spectacular color photographs, many of them full page, of killer guitars by luthiers who have custom-built instruments for the likes of George Benson, Eric Clapton, Billy F. Gibbons, Kirk Hammett, Steve Miller, Keith Richards, and Stevie Ray Vaughn. All but a handful of the guitars in the book have been built within the last few years, so it offers a spectacular overview of the current scene. A must for every guitarist, this is a substantial.
We’re extremely pleased to announce that Hottie Guitars® are now available at select Guitar Center locations. Customized Hottie 327, 429, and Limited Edition 454 models will be stocked at Guitar Center’s Hollywood, Nashville, and Manhattan stores. Hottie Guitars® will also be available at www.gcplatinum.com All Hottie products are proudly handmade in the U.S.A.
Portland-based Hottie is not the first guitar company to use cars as an inspiration for instruments. But where most builders employ a simple hot-rod-style finish with a rally stripe or cool graphics, Hottie guitars are more a melding of guitars and cars, with elegant body shapes, smooth contours, and clean, stripped-down look.
Hottie instruments are designed by Jean-Claude Escudie and hand-built (using no CNC) by luthier Saul Koll. They boast outstanding attention to detail that complements their custom/hot-rod vibe – from the glass-like flawless finish, meticulously finished frets, recessed jack plate, precisely fitted components, and hand-cut Corian pickup ring all make this guitar look fast and muscular.
The Hottie 429 has a one-piece bound Honduran mahogany body, carved maple top with a nitrocellulose lacquer finish over Daytona Blue paint, a hand-carved set mahogany neck with a soft V profile (C profile also an option), a 12″ radius ebony fret board with side markers only (no inlays), 1/16″ bone nut and TonePros nickel hardware.
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Website: http://www.threeguitars.com/
Location: Portland, Oregon
Date & Time: June 5th 2011
Hottie 327 and 454 Guitars – Tested by Dave Hunter
Newly introduced by Hottie Inc, the Portland, Oregon, based company known for Hottie Amps and Hottie Pickups, Hottie Guitars are made by respected independent luthier Saul Koll, also of Portland, and Hottie owner Jean-Claude Escudie. Blending Koll’s design ethos with Escudie’s affection for muscle-cars, the 327 and 454 present a sultry, stripped-down hot-rod look that is at once original and somehow familiar, an esthetic that makes them easy to embrace right from the start.”. Broadly speaking, both are Gibson-esque in specs and construction, but in each case several original stylistic touches and design twists coalesce into a whole that is unique. More than just a vehicle for Hottie’s humbucking pickups, they also provide another avenue for the work of one of the country’s most adventurous, yet under-recognized, makers to reach the guitar-buying public. Each comes with a super-cool, mock-crock formfitting hardshell case made in the USA by Cedar Creek Cases. I tested both guitars with a wide range of amps, but spent most time ramming them through a TopHat Club Royale MkII 1×12 combo.
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WHAT IT IS: These custom-built guitar amplifiers are made from vintage toasters, fitted with a six-inch Jensen speaker and custom-painted by a hot-rod detailer. Powered by a 9-volt battery, Hotties are the coolest practice amps around and can be hooked up to an external cabinet for even more volume.
HOTTIE 454 ELECTRIC GUITAR REVIEW:
Hottie Inc. joins the guitar game with muscle-car-inspired retro rocker.
In this modern age we live in, everything we buy is all about function and portability. We’re all concerned about acquiring the latest and greatest technology and fashion, but there are a few exceptions to the rule, and I’m glad to say that the guitar-playing community goes against the grain. We might be modern in our lifestyles, but we’re classic in our tastes when it comes to guitars. The hottest trends in guitars right now are custom-made, vintage- style instruments and relics, and only a guitar player would pay more for a guitar that looks like it’s been through a war. Read the rest of this entry »
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HOTTIE AMPS: Turning old toasters into guitar amplifiers may seem like an idea you’d only come up with when you’re a little toasted, but that’s exactly what Jean-Claude Escudie of Portland, Oregon, is doing with his line of Hottie Amps. By retrofitting vintage toasters from the ’40s and ’50s with a 9-volt battery-powered amplifier and a 6″ Jensen speaker, Escudie has given new life and utility to these classic icons of the American household.
