Guitar World Staff Picks: Paul Riario’s Top 5 Electric Guitars of 2012
Choosing an electric guitar can be somewhat overwhelming, but I always say it comes down to the type of player you are. You should grab a guitar that suits the style of music you play.Considering it’s the end of the year, a time when we love to look at lists of the things we want or need, below is my list of five very different guitars that will certainly appeal to the type of player you are — or aspire to be.
选择一把电吉他的诱惑总是无法抗拒的，然而我总认为，选择一把怎样的电吉他最终都取决于你本人。你应该选择一把适合你音乐风格的吉他。
考虑到现在是年底了，又是我们列出我们心愿单的时候了。下面是我的一份风格迥异的吉他的列表，它或者它们中的一员将毫无疑问的吸引像你一样的音乐人——或者你期待成为的音乐人。
05. AXL USA Bulldog & USA 1216 Classic (tie)
Both the USA Bulldog ($549.99) and the USA 1216 Classic ($349.99) put familiar yet clever spins on the classic Les Paul shape. The thing to note here is the body and neck wood on both guitars are produced overseas, but final assembly (fretwork, pickup and hardware installation, etc.) is done in the USA.The 1216 provides the bottom end and note definition that Les Pauls are known for but with a pro-setup and hefty sound that rivals just about every other Les Paul-style guitar five times its price.The USA Bulldog is a flat-out rocker with its minimalist design inspired by the Les Paul Junior. What makes it exceptional are the TonePros wraparound bridge and Kluson-style tuners, Graph Tech nut, CTS pots and Orange Sprague drop capacitors and Lindy Fralin P90 pickup, all of which are premium components craved by professional guitarists.Combining that with the meticulous fretwork and butter-like playability makes this Bulldog the one to adopt.
More info: axlguitars.com
第五名：AXL USA Bulldog与USA 1216 Classic
USA Bulldog和USA 1216 Classic巧妙融合了广为人知的经典的Les Paul款型内。这里要注意的是吉他木制部分的琴身和琴颈都产于海外，但在最终的组装（木雕细工，拾音器和硬件安装等）都在美国完成。
完美展现了让Les Paul扬名在外的设计，同时带有预先设置功能和浑厚音色的1216与Les Paul款系的价格为其五倍，与其他吉他相比具有极高的性价比。
USA Bulldog则是有着狂热力十足的摇滚范，其简约的设计灵感来源于Les Paul的初级形态。其独特之处在于TonePros wraparound bridge和Kluson-style弦钮，配备P90拾音器，所有这一切都是专业的吉他手梦寐以求的理想组件。
结合了一丝不苟的细节做工和极致手感的USA Bulldog是一个很好的选择
更多信息请参考：axlguitars.com
04. EVH Wolfgang USA Stealth
The EVH Wolfgang USA Stealth ($3,999.99) is pricey for sure, but what you get is the exact custom guitar Eddie Van Halen plays. I must admit I was never a fan of the Wolfgang guitar shape, but in this new matte black finish and ebony fretboard, it looks and sounds pretty badass.The Stealth features an EVH branded double-locking Floyd Rose tremolo and EVH D-Tuna — a must have device that quickly drops your low E string from an E note to a D and back in a flash without having to retune. You’ll get plenty of raw and edgy tones from the guitar, thanks to the EVH humbuckers being screwed directly into the wood, while the quartersawn maple neck and compound radius ebony fretboard with stainless steel frets makes fretting out near impossible.For rocking out and guitar pyrotechnics, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better axe.
More info: evhgear.com
第四名：EVH沃尔夫冈美国隐形EVH沃尔夫冈美国隐形（$3,999.99）确实是昂贵的，但你得到的是也确实是艾迪范海伦演奏的定制吉他。我必须承认我从来不是沃尔夫冈吉他的粉丝，但它的磨砂黑色涂层和乌木指板的新形象，使它看起来和听起来都相当棒。
隐身的特征功能是EVH品牌标榜的双锁弗洛伊德玫瑰颤音和EVH D-金枪鱼 ——一个必须具备的设备，使从E音到D音瞬间迅速降至低E弦而无需重新调整。通过这把吉他你会得到大量的原始而前卫的音调，多亏了EVH把拾音器直接旋入木头中，而四开枫木琴颈和不锈钢乌木复合指板，使杂音几乎不可能出现了。
对于想用吉他玩出激情四溢的摇滚风格的玩家，除了它你会很难找到一把更好的利器了。
更多信息请参考：evhgear.com
03. Schecter Diamond Series Blackjack SLS C-1 FR-S
With so many super Strat-style guitars available for shredders and metal players alike, I can’t help but find that the Schecter Blackjack C-1 FR-S is the absolute leader among them. It combines a Floyd Rose 1000 series double locking tremolo for dive-bombing and a built-in active Sustainiac system, which doubles as a neck pickup.The Sustainiac, for some guitarists, is like an Apple product; it’s something you didn’t know you wanted but once you have it, you can’t imagine your life without it. The Sustainiac infinitely sustains any note and provides endless feedback or harmonic-rich overtones to that note depending upon what mode you set from its switch.Other quality appointments include Seymour Duncan Full Shred bridge humbucker, Grover Rotomatic tuners, black multi-ply binding, ebony fretboard, skull inlay and 24 jumbo frets. There’s so much packed into this guitar that I haven’t even told you how fast and furious the neck feels.Do yourself a favor and check it out.
More info: schecterguitars.com
第三名：谢克特钻石系列Blackjack SLS C-1 FR-S
看到这么多的超级战略风格的粉碎风格和重金属风格的吉他玩家出现，我不由自主的想到具有绝对领导者风范的谢克特酒杯C-1 FR-S。它融合了一个能进行俯冲轰炸弗洛伊德玫瑰1000系列双锁颤音和一个内置的有源Sustainiac系统，其中双打作为琴颈拾音器。
Sustainiac，对于一些吉他手，就像是一个苹果的产品；它是那种自己并不十分确定自己是否想要的东西，但一旦你拥有了它，你的生活从此以后便少不了它。基于你在开关设置的模式， Sustainiac可以支持无限的任一音调并提供无尽的反馈或无穷的谐波泛音。
其他硬件设备包括Seymour Duncan的全切丝桥拾音器，Grover Romomatic的调谐器，黑色多层绲边，乌木指板，头骨镶嵌和24个巨型马桥。这把吉他已经拥有这么多的优点，可我还没有告诉你这吉他的琴项有多么迅速和强烈。
为了你自己好赶快去搜寻它吧。
更多信息请参考：schecterguitars.com
02. Fender American Vintage Series ‘58 Telecaster
There are three Stratocasters, three Telecasters, a Jaguar and Jazzmaster in Fender’s brand-new American Vintage Series. All these classic guitars are recreated and precisely retooled from original-era examples using upgraded processes in their creation.Honestly, I’ve tried them all and could pick just about any one of these instruments and tell you they’re all amazing, but it just so happens I really dig Teles now, and the American Vintage ’58 Telecaster ($2,499.99) is my favorite one to play. The ’58 pickups are wound to period-correct specs and sound as twangy and responsive as an untouched, vintage Tele hiding underneath your grandmother’s bed.My only suggestion is to try all of the Vintage Series and find the neck shape you are most comfortable with because depending upon the model year, you’ll quickly discover whether you’re a C, D, soft V or U-shaped fan — and I’m not talking bra sizes.
More info: fender.com
第二名：Fender美国复古系列“58Telecaster”
全新的美国复古系列包含三种Stratocasters，三种Telecasters，一种Jaguar和Jazzmaster。所有这些经典的吉他都在初始时代的样品上在创作中使用升级了的流程而被重新创建和精确改良。
毫不谦虚地说，我已经试过这个系列所有的乐器，随便挑选其中任何一个我都可以告诉你，它们有多么了不起，只是我最近碰巧特别喜欢Teles，而且美国复古系列中的“58的Telecaster（$2,499.99）”是我的最喜欢使用的。 “58”的拾音器缠绕得恰到好处，拨弦和反映的音调音色都是逼真纹丝不差的，赶快把躲在你奶奶的床底下的复古Tele取出来宝贝宝贝。
我唯一的建议是尝试所有的Vintage系列，因为根据车型年，你很快就会发现，无论你是一个C，D，软V或U形粉丝——当然咯，我不是在说文胸尺寸，都需要找到在琴项部位你感觉最舒服的那一款。
更多信息请参考：fender.com
01. Epiphone Ultra 339
Epiphone consistently impresses with the quality of workmanship in its guitars while remaining surprisingly affordable, and the Epiphone Ultra 339 ($1,332.00) easily falls into this category.The Ultra 339 uses the compact body shape of a Les Paul but with the double cutaway and semi-hollow design of the ES-335, which is the perfect combination for guitarists who play jazz and blues. But the real secret weapons of the guitar are the inclusions of a pickup-ring-mounted tuner, NanoMag pickup for acoustic sounds and USB output for direct computer recording capability — all built-in to the Ultra 339.So while the Ultra 339 handles rock and mellow tones with ease into a guitar amplifier, it also can be routed into an acoustic amplifier via the multiple input jacks (Mono, Stereo, USB) so both amplifiers can be used together or one at a time. By simply pushing in the upper tone knob, you can quickly access the NanoMag’s acoustic piezo sounds, the ProBucker pickups or a blend of both simultaneously. The Ultra 339 feels expensive and sounds silky smooth, and that’s a combination that’s hard to ignore.
More info: epiphone.com
第一名：Epiphone Ultra 339
Epiphone吉他始终令人印象深刻的不仅是它的做工质量，还有它一直保持着令人惊讶的大众价位，且有Epiphone Ultra 339（$1,332.00）很容易落入这个类别。
Ultra 339采用Les Paul的小巧的机身形状，并保有双剖面和ES-335的半镂空设计，这对于玩爵士和蓝调的吉他手而言是一个完美的结合。但是，这吉他真正的秘密武器是拾音器环式调谐器，NanoMag原声拾音器和USB输出转电脑直接录制功能的融合——全内置于Ultra 。
因此，Ultra 339不仅能很轻松将摇滚浑厚的音调转入吉他扩音器，它也可以通过多输入插孔（单声道，立体声，USB）被路由到一个原声扩音器，所以这两个扩音器可以一起使用或一次使用一个。通过简单地把音旋钮推上去，您可以快速访问NanoMag的声压电声音，或者ProBucker拾音器抑或者同时融合二者使用。感觉昂贵的Ultra 339声音如丝般柔滑，这是一个难以忽视的组合。
更多信息请参考：epiphone.com
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