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LsL Mongrel “Capry”

LsL Mongrel “Capry”

Price: $---SOLD

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hard shell case included

It’s very difficult to truly capture the gestalt of a vintage S-style guitar in a current instrument, let alone forge something new from Leo Fender’s original designs. The LsL Mongrel is an exceptional design that captures both the vibe of Strat and Tele guitars from the 50s, and at the same time, breathes new life into the genre.

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CRAIG'S POV

It’s very difficult to truly capture the gestalt of a vintage S-style guitar in a current instrument, let alone forge something new from Leo Fender’s original designs. The LsL Mongrel is an exceptional design that captures both the vibe of Strat and Tele guitars from the 50s, and at the same time, breathes new life into the genre.

The design was originally drafted by noted luthier Gene Baker and guitar great Matt Henderson. Lance Lerman of LsL took over the design in 2010. When re-envisioning a classic instrument, its essential to get the feel right, and players of vintage Teles or Strats (or both!) can pick this guitar up and feel right at home. The guitar sits perfectly on your body like a good Strat, so it feels especially comfortable standing. It’s even more comfortable sitting, with the Tele style squared treble side of the body.

The bridge and pick ups are Tele style, but with three pick ups and a five way switch, you can get both Strat versatility and Tele tonalities from this guitar. The neck pick up is capable of tremendous warmth, and the bridge pickup can give you more of a Tele sound or more of a Strat sound with a simple twist of the tone control.

Plugged into an amp, the warmth of the clean tone envelops you at any pickup/tone setting. Overdriven, the warmth of the clean sound just gets magnified.

It is truly a rewarding guitar to play, and even though it is a “hybrid,” it speaks with its own clear identity. You never wonder if you are playing a Strat or a Tele. You’re playing a Mongrel. The neck is worth special attention, too. It is exceptional. Lance Lerman is one of the few bolt-on style makers that crafts his necks from raw wood, and his mastery really shows in every one of his guitars. The grain on this neck is as similar as any I have ever seen to my 50s Strat, and the very soft V/C neck profile and 12” radius feels wonderful and gives it bit of a modern slant. Somehow, the neck just feels as warm as the guitar sounds! Plus, Matt and Lance worked on the neck/body joint, easing the edge of the treble side so you’ll get a more comfortable access to the upper frets.

I particularly love the 3 tone lightly reliced finish on this baby. It’s got some dings, finish cracking, and hazing - but what strikes me about it is that it looks REAL and warm. Most of the examples of this model I’ve seem come in butterscotch finish. To my eye, I think this is way more original and cooler. And yes, it it’s all pure nitro.

This is a very versatile guitar that would shine in any type of music. Jazz players who like Strat and Tele guitars will love this guitar. So will players who love distortion.

I think this is guitar you’ll really enjoy, no matter what kind of music you love to play.

If you'd like to find out more about this item, just call or e-mail me. It would be my pleasure to talk to you about it.

ABOUT LsL GUITARS
The LSL Guitars motto is, "Never sell a guitar you don't want to keep." It all started when Lance Lerman experienced an eBay scam where he paid for a '73 Tele that never arrived. At that stage in his career Lance had had at least two stints as a builder/repairman of instruments and had generated 25 years of professional woodworking experience, running multiple large woodworking companies in the US and China. In response to his eBay experience Lance took it upon himself to build a Tele from scratch. With some dread he brought it to the amazing guitar guru, Tommy Kay, handed it over and let him play it. Tommy said, "YOU made this?" "Yeah, I made it" was the reply. Tommy: "You made the body?" And again the answer was "Yes." "You made the neck?" "Yes, I made the whole thing, all of it, except the metal parts, from lumber - planks of wood." Tommy's answer: "I'm blown away!, I'm totally blown away!" Then the question that started a guitar company: "Can you make more of these?" From that point forward, Lance started turning out guitars which kept selling immediately - sometimes within hours. This continued until it became apparent that this was the job Lance was really looking for. A job he felt passionate about, loved doing and quite possibly was one of the few things one could still make in the US successfully. So LSL Instruments was born, and they are finding success with the delivery of every instrument.

Bodyhandmade awamp ash body
ShapeTele style squared treble side, Strat style carved bass side
Neckhand shaped one-piece maple with walnut skunk strip
Fingerboard radius12”
Nut width1 5/8"
Finish3 tone nitro vintage sunburst
Weight6.95 lbs.
Bridgevintage with 3 LsL brass saddles
Pickups3 hand-wound LsL custom vintage style tele
Frets6105
Pickguardblack bakelite
Tunersvintage style Kluson
Casehard shell
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