The Guitar Magazine – September 2019

O

ur first encounter with Patrick

James Eggle’s impressive Macon

double-cut was back in 2015, and

the similarly gorgeous Single Cut

version followed two years later.

Available in dual humbucker and P-90

configurations with a solid, chambered or

‘semi-chambered’ body, this example was

built recently for Brit blues star Aynsley

Lister and features a couple of twists.

When the Les Paul Custom arrived

on the scene in late 1953 – black, “like a

tuxedo,” just as Les requested – it came

equipped with a P-90 at the bridge and a

‘staple’ pickup in the neck position with

alnico bar magnets. This combination was

consigned to history when the newfangled

PAF arrived in mid 1957, but it has

something of a cult following, offering

a very different experience to that of a

Goldtop fitted with a pair of soapbars.

Here in 2019, Aynsley has chosen an

early LP Custom-style combination of P-90

and Staple units wound by Mojo Pickups

main man Marc Ransley and an aluminium

PRS-style wraparound bridge made by ABM

in Germany. The tasteful hardware ageing –

also seen on the Kluson-style Gotoh SD90

tuners – is done by Eggle’s in-house team.

Although the Macon’s overall formula

doesn’t deviate too far from Kalamazoo in

the mid 50s, the belly-cut and set ‘slipper’

neck joint provide graceful concessions to

player comfort. Meanwhile, the centre-

joined flametop with its gloss nitrocellulose

finish and dramatic dish carve is glued to a

semi-chambered back that Patrick tells us

has around 20 per cent of the mahogany

removed (fully chambered being closer to

60 per cent).

The ebony fingerboard’s understated

frame inlays and unbound edges help

balance the impact of that eye-popping top

and make for an overall aesthetic with a

little luxury, but not too much flash. Aside

from the slightly flimsy feel of the gold

top-hat knobs, every aspect of this guitar

comes straight out of the top drawer and it’s

beautifully made, with just the right balance

of precision and personality.

IN USE

The Macon’s shimmering flametop and faux

binding may have the vibe of a PRS or Nik

Huber, the acoustic playing experience feels

closer to the source and is reminiscent of a

wrapover Goldtop with a long, shifting note

PATRICK JAMES EGGLE

MACON SINGLE CUT

WORDS CHRIS VINNICOMBE

Specially commissioned by British blues guitarist Aynsley Lister,

this take on the classic single-cut format comes equipped with a

wrapover bridge and an old-school pickup combination...

REVIEWS

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