Publication

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Publication

FRET-KING MASTER July 2013 st_Layout 1 02/08/2013 10:31 Page 2
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2015
At Fret-King® we have a saying...
“Knowledge is Power.”
What does this mean?
Black Label
Decades of listening to guitar players’ needs has taught us that while we have
some great ideas, it is your goals which must be ours too!
With a design team led by the legendary Trev Wilkinson, the father of Fret-King,
we use our knowledge positively; we have a determination to produce guitars with
flair, and creative innovations that give you an amazing, tactile and emotional
guitar playing experience.
Our love for what we do means that we create with a passion.
Trev Wilkinson's decades of guitar building expertise and unrivalled guitar
hardware and pickup know-how mean that we can go where other guitar makers
don’t, using innovative, meticulous construction methods and premium materials
and components throughout the whole Black Label building and finishing process.
We embrace obsession, follow our hearts, not our heads, and revel in detail to
make Fret-King guitars stand apart, consistently outclass the established benchmarks, yet be comfortable, friendly and familiar.
Our passion for thinking outside the usual constraints, while keeping a close eye
on the styling cues we are all comfortable with, and the classic tones we all enjoy
produces guitars you’ll feel you’ve played all your life.
Our vision is to inspire you.
There are standards to be acknowledged, surpassed and improved upon.
Fret-King meets these three tasks head on.
The result, Fret-King Black Label™ – the newest member of the Fret-King family.
Elise
Esprit I
Perception
4-string
Bass
Esprit V
B
Ventura
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Esprit III
Esprit I
Bass
Perception
5-string Bass
Mick Radford – international recording artist/session player, Fret-King STVDIO Ventura 60.
Image: William Hines Photography ©2012
STVDIO
STVDIO
In the Fret-King workshop – an airy, vibrant and
atmospheric atelier in an elegant Victorian workshop in
the genteel seaside town of Southport on England’s North West
coast – Trev Wilkinson, working with Mike Smith, his master builder
of many years’ experience, craft the occasional extra special, unique
Fret-King STVDIO guitar to show what can be done when the creative process is
allowed to break free of the bounds of conformity.
Beyond even the excellence of UK-built Fret-King Green Label guitars, these unique styling
exercises are exotic one-off creations and can be many things; stunning custom finishes, a
particular combination of esoteric specifications or materials, rare and beautiful tone
woods, an embellishment of precious metal, an experimental pickup configuration or
switching, a new take on a body shape... But whatever, while hovering between the
boundaries of master-built musical instruments, exclusive luxury goods, and art, a
Fret-King STVDIO guitar is the embodiment of Trev Wilkinson’s imagination, and
showcases the capabilities of the Fret-King styling studio, with each creation being an
awe-inspiring and highly desirable object of beauty.
No Fret-King STVDIO guitar will ever be repeated exactly and the discerning few who will
own one will possess a peerless and very collectable player’s guitar.
Hand-built in the UK.
www.fret-king.com/stvdio.htm
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Fret-King JD Duncan
“Of all the special guitar projects I’ve ever been involved
with in my quest for the perfect guitar, the Fret King
JDD beats them all – at any price, it’s the best,
and the most affordable.
Having guitar designer Trev Wilkinson and pickup guru
Seymour Duncan working with me on this very special
project has resulted in truly the best electric guitar I
have ever played - I honestly could not be happier!”
JDD Pickup Selections
One: (Neck). The custom designed Seymour Duncan
Jerry Donahue APS-2JD signature pickup yields the
rich and unmistakable, sparkling neck position tone
of the traditional three-pickup guitar. The result: that
unmistakable vintage single-coil sound that echoes
the soaring, majestic blues tones of the '60s and '70s.
Two: The neck pickup (now with a special capacitor
engaged) affords this position a special tonal quality
ordinarily expected from a full-body jazz guitar!
Engage an overdrive and you capture that classic late
'60s ‘Woman Tone’.
Three: The neck and bridge pickups are in a
customised parallel wiring, producing an enhanced,
more contemporary version of the customary middle
position timbre on the classic two-pickup guitar.
Four: By combining both pickups with a capacitor
and resistor in a controlled degree of reversed phase,
this position offers the popular ‘in-between quack
tone’ found in this position on three-pickup guitars.
FKV25JDD
Natural
Five: (Bridge). The Seymour Duncan APTL-3JD
Jerry Donahue signature bridge pickup captures that
amazing gutsy lead sound found on the very best of
those traditional two-pickup guitars, including his own
personal ’52!
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Fret-King ‘JD Duncan’
Decades of tone in one guitar!
Jerry Donahue, known as ‘The doyen of the string benders’ and co-founder of The Hellecasters, is an
outstanding player whose talents have seen him feature with stellar artists the world over.
Jerry’s in depth knowledge of guitar tone, and how to get it has been developed over decades of playing.
When the opportunity to cooperate with legends Trev Wilkinson and Seymour Duncan to create a
Fret-King ‘JD’ guitar which would be the match for his prized ’52, and be the very pinnacle of his tonal
ambitions, epitomising ‘ultimate JD tone’, the project was born.
The Fret-King JDD features Jerry’s California built, Seymour Duncan APTL-3JD signature pickup in
the bridge position. This unique pickup was designed by Seymour to duplicate the warm, punchy
bridge pickup tone of Jerry’s favourite ’52 touring guitar.
The neck position of the JDD is loaded with Jerry’s custom designed, California built covered
APS-2JD signature pickup. Seymour designed this masterpiece with a balanced field for even
response, to distort "earlier", yet retain a clean, vintage-like tonality.
With a five way switch and circuitry tuned to Jerry’s exacting specification the Fret-King JDD
meets his vision of having a single guitar which really can sound like many of the most instantly
recognisable solid-body and semi-acoustic tones of the last 50 years.
Soaring blues tones, rich dark midnite jazz tones, ‘woman-tone’, the elusive `in-between quack-tone'
and country twang! In just the flick of a switch, it's all there in spades.
From the playability point of view, the soft ‘V’ profile neck, and 7/14” radius fingerboard radius round off a
real player’s guitar.
Three legends combine to create a new benchmark guitar.
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JDD specification. Body: two-piece centre-jointed American alder with bound ash top. Neck: custom profiled Canadian hard rock maple. Fingerboard: maple, 7 1/4” radius, 22 medium jumbo frets, black dots. Scale:
25.5”/648mm. Nut: graphite. Pickups: Seymour Duncan APS-2JD (Neck), APTL-3JD (Bridge). Controls: volume & tone, custom wired 5 way lever switch. Hardware: Wilkinson WTBS bridge and WJ05 tuners. Luxury
Fret-King carry bag included.
Versatility, a key part of the Fret-King philosophy of
doing it all right, is built into the Country Squire Semitone
De Luxe, which is a true journeyman players’ instrument;
comfortable, capable, and complete.
FKV22HB
Country Squire
Semitone
Honeyburst
Constructed from the tonewoods of choice for the style;
the two-piece centre-jointed American alder body with
alder top, Canadian hard rock maple neck and rosewood
fingerboard create a solid platform for superior tone and
performance.
The extended tenon neck/body join and chambered
semi-acoustic body couple outstandingly well to add an
airy lightness to the feel and voice of this great guitar,
and the gently offset body, with sculpted heel and slim
horn, provides terrific balance and enhanced upper fret
access.
FKV22TR
Country Squire
Semitone
Thru Red
The unique and eclectic pickup configuration provides
for a depth of tonal possibilities approached by few
other guitars.
The breadth of control over the pickups, courtesy of FretKing’s Vari-coil control, offers players an almost limitless
range of benchmark tones.
Semitone
De Luxe
Black Label Country Squire Semitone De Luxe
The De Luxe has a secret! The Wilkinson Vari-coil, set in a dual concentric pot with the tone
control, allows either the bridge-mounted WHHB or the neck mounted WDG Focusfield™
humbucker to roll smoothly and progressively to single coil.
Flick the ergonomically positioned selector switch down to the bridge position, roll the Varicoil back, roll the tone on and it’s direct to classic single coil bridge tone, in a ‘three single
coil classic’.
Roll the Vari-coil forward, and the Hotbucker leaps to life. Click up one for a beefed up
classic ‘out of phase’ tone position. Click up to the Focusfield, roll the tone back,
crank up the gain and you find ‘woman tone’ waiting for you!
The Country Squire Semitone De Luxe features the unique Wilkinson WVT bridge.
This twin post, hybrid ‘wave’ vibrato features a heat treated steel baseplate with two
strings per brass saddle to solidly anchor the saddles to the bridge baseplate,
ensuring the maximum mechanical coupling so crucial to giving you all the tone and
power you need. The Wilkinson staggered post height E-Z Lok tuners, stagger drilled
steel block and adjustable, pre-intonated barrel style natural brass saddles ensure
spot-on intonation and tuning, with superb return to zero, whatever the whammying.
Thoughtful innovation – another Fret-King attribute – pervades the exceptionally playable and
supremely useful Semitone De Luxe.
Country Squire Semitone De Luxe specification. Body: semi acoustic chambered centre jointed 2pc American alder with tortoiseshell binding. Neck: maple. Fingerboard: rosewood, 10” radius, 22 medium jumbo
frets, pearl dots. Scale: 25.5” /648mm. Nut: graphite. Tuners: Wilkinson E-Z Lok. Bridge: Wilkinson WVT vibrato bridge. Pickups: Fret-King WDG mini humbucker (N), WHS single coils (M), WHHB humbucker (B).
Controls: volume & tone/Vari-coil dual concentric knob, 5-way lever. Hardware: chrome. Luxury Fret-King carry bag included.
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“I'm extremely proud to have a Fret-King with my name on it.
The GW plays great, looks great, feels great, stays in tune,
and the natural sustain is superb.”
FKV6GW
Vintage White
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Black Label Corona ‘GW’
With a career spanning over four decades, Geoff has
featured in iconic, seminal rock bands like Crawler, where he filled
the shoes of the incomparable Paul Kossoff, he's been the long-time
guitar sound of Roger Chapman's band, and featured as Procol Harum's
lead guitarist since 1991. An in-demand and tasteful player, Geoff's also worked
with the likes of Eric Clapton, Sir Paul McCartney, Bad Company, The Who, Kevin
Ayers, Elkie Brooks, Manfred Mann, Billy Ocean, and many others, so if anyone
needed a versatile, consistently high-performing guitar that cuts through the mix, it's
Geoff Whitehorn.
The GW Corona is a thoughtful take on a classic, but with an edge, and, like Geoff's
playing, is precise, melodic and articulate.
Sonically, with the somewhat unorthodox pickup combination of a P90 in the neck
position, a throaty single coil in the middle, and a roaring Wilkinson Prizefighter™
humbucker in the bridge position, the GW covers an immense range of
fundamental tones.
With a control layout orthodox in appearance, but more comprehensive than meets
the eye, the GW has master tone for the neck and middle pickups, and separate tone
control for the bridge humbucker.
Add to this a push-push switch on the neck/middle pickup tone control which switches the
neck and bridge pickup together, as well as a second push-push switch on the bridge pickup
tone control which taps the Prizefighter to single coil and, as Geoff says, "if you can't find the sound
you want with this guitar, maybe it doesn't exist."
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Corona GW specification. Body: two-piece centre-jointed American alder body. Neck: Canadian hard rock maple. Fingerboard: rosewood, 10” radius, 22 medium jumbo frets, pearl dots. Scale: 25.5”/648mm.
Nut: graphite. Pickups: Fret-King humbucker WP90B, WHS vintage voiced single coil and WHHBCa Prizefighter. Controls: volume, two push-push tone, and five way lever switch. Hardware: Wilkinson WV6 bridge and
WJ07 E-Z Lok tuners. Luxury Fret-King carry bag included.
FKV6SPOCB
Original Classic Burst
FKV6SPBK
Black
FKV6SPFR
Firenze Red
Corona
Black Label Corona SP
The Corona SP is a tour de force, combining high-end building techniques, premium materials,
player-friendly innovations and classic vintage tones with the usual Fret-King twist of delivering
more than looks suggest.
Trev’s decades of hands-on experience with designing guitars and hardware have always
had a focus on perfecting the vibrato bridge.
The Wilkinson WV6SB ‘Five plus One’ knife edge bridge has little touches like a delrin
bushed, adjustable tension and height arm, which makes it so easy to use. The
tempered steel base plate, steel tone block, and vintage spec bent steel saddles
provide superior tone. The stagger drilled tone block and Wilkinson E-Z Lok staggered
post height tuners need no string tree and guarantee the best return to zero you’ll find.
The bridge mounted Fret-King P90 is stacked, and routed through a Vari-coil
control, allowing the pickup to be wound back to absolutely authentic bridge single
coil. With tradition infusing the rest of the pickup and control layout the Corona will
give you all the tone you need to do justice to its effortlessly classic vibe and your
music.
With a two-piece centre-jointed American alder body, Canadian hard rock maple neck
and rosewood fingerboard, the Corona is tradition embodied.
Featuring a sculpted heel design for easy access to the upper frets, and with an extended
tenon neck/body join for outstanding stability and sonic coupling, the Corona SP is the
journeyman player’s best friend.
Corona specification. Body: two-piece centre-jointed American alder body. Neck: Canadian hard rock maple. Fingerboard: rosewood, 10” radius, 22 medium jumbo frets, pearl dots. Scale: 25.5”/648mm Nut: graphite.
Pickups: Fret-King stacked humbucker WP90SKb and two WHS vintage voiced single coils. Controls: volume, tone, Vari-coil and five way lever switch. Hardware: Wilkinson WV6SB bridge and WJ07 E-Z Lok tuners.
Luxury Fret-King carry bag included.
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“What I love about the Elise is that
not only can you get all those classic
semi-acoustic tones,” says John,
“but with a simple turn of a dial I can
get Nashville twang and single-coil
sparkle…it’s like taking four larger
guitars to every gig. Playability wise,
the compact body, lightness, and an
ever so slightly wider fingerboard
make this possibly the most
comfortable guitar I’ve ever played.”
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FKV3JE
Honey
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Black Label Elise ‘JE’
Designed in conjunction with the highly respected and often emulated jazz/rock
supremo himself, the ’JE' has an impressive specification.
John is held in high regard as one of the top guitarists in the world. In a career of decades he
has worked work with the likes of Stephane Grappelli, John Williams, Dizzy Gillespie, Yehudi Menhuin,
Nigel Kennedy and of course legendary jazz/rock fusion group The Soft Machine.
Not just another great guitarist, John is a master of the instrument and he knows how to use
it to best effect in an enormous range of settings. He is fast, a great chord man, inventive but
subtle, as good with a pick as finger style, as at home on acoustic as on electric guitar.
John needs a guitar that can offer a wide variety of tones and a huge range of styles.
Carved from a solid mahogany blank, the Elise ‘JE’ body features an offset heel and
lower horn scoop for enhanced upper fret access. Acoustically tuned chambers,
a full length centre block and a double carved solid maple cap create a light, vibrant
semi-acoustic body. This, combined with the Fret-King long-tenon neck joint, mated
precisely to the body under the neck pickup, maximises the retention and
transmission of the Elise’s fundamental acoustic properties.
The ebony fingerboard with 45mm nut width and traditional block inlays provides a
supremely positive playing feel, whilst the elegant retro-styled ebony tailpiece with
stagger drilled through body stringing further enhances the Elise’s inherent tonality,
and provides perfectly balanced playing tension.
Two Wilkinson WVC double coil pickups give the Elise the authenticity, definition and
power required for everything from mellow jazz to full-bore blues. The addition of the
Fret-King ‘Vari-coil™’ allows you to wind the WVC pickups down to single coil progressively,
opening up a whole raft of useable tones.
Finished in an attractive honey with pinstripe binding and an ebony Fret-King ‘signature’ pick guard,
the JE looks just as good as it sounds.
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Elise ‘JE’ specification: Body: Solid Mahogany chambered with double carved maple top. Neck: Solid Mahogany. Fingerboard: Ebony. Scale: 24.75"/628mm. Frets: 22 medium jumbo. Nut: 45mm Graphite.
Pickguard: Ebony. Bridge: Tune-O-Matic. Tailpiece: Solid ebony, direct mount, stagger drilled, string-thru-body. Tuners: Wilkinson WJ455. Pickups: 2 x Wilkinson WVC. Hardware: Chrome.
Controls: 1 x Volume 1 x Tone 1 x Vari-Coil. Finish: Honey. Luxury Fret-King carry bag included.
FKV3HTSB
Tobacco
Sunburst
Elliot Randall
Award winning guitarist and
producer.
Ex Steely Dan/Doobie Brothers
Elise
FKV3HHB
Ash Blonde
Black Label Elise
Inspired by a long heritage of semi-acoustic excellence, the Elise is an
incredibly light, yet exceptionally resonant guitar with superior sonic
performance and versatility.
Carved from a solid mahogany blank, the Elise body has acoustically
tuned chambers, a full length centre block, and double carved solid
maple cap to create a vibrant semi acoustic body.
The slick mahogany neck, with deluxe rosewood fingerboard, employs
the Fret-King long-tenon neck joint, which mates precisely to the body
underneath the neck pickup, forming a rigid fixed bond between neck
and body, maximising the retention and transmission of the Elise’s
fundamental acoustic properties.
Fret-King WVC humbuckers give the Elise a voice with unassailable
authenticity, definition and the power required for everything from mellow jazz
to full bore blues. Fitted with the Fret-King Vari-coil, the WVCs can be
progressively wound back to emulate a P90, or produce sparkling traditional
single coil tone.
The Elise sounds just like it looks, and then produces voicings never associated with this
style of guitar, but which would be at home on Ocean Boulevard or a Nashville ‘Honkey Tonk’.
Elise specification. Body: solid mahogany chambered body, solid maple cap and tortoiseshell binding. Neck: mahogany. Fingerboard: rosewood, 12” radius, 22 medium jumbo frets, pearl dots. Scale: 24.75”/628mm.
Nut: graphite. Pickups: Fret-King WVC humbuckers with solid nickel covers and backing plate. Controls: volume, tone, Vari-coil and 3-way toggle switch. Hardware: direct mounted tune-o-matic style with stop tailpiece
and Wilkinson WJ01 tuners. Luxury Fret-King carry bag included.
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FKV75HVTB
Tobacco Burst
FKV75HBK
Gloss Black
Black Label Esprit V
The Fret-King Black Label Esprit V takes style and versatility to a new level.
Familiar, but different to anything you will have seen, heard or played before, the Esprit V's
distinctive reversed six-a-side in-line peghead, striking asymmetric body, chrome covered pickups
and signature oversized pickguard add up to a statement of style with individuality and attitude to
spare.
The long tenon set-neck construction, combining a three-piece centre block agathis body with fastplaying maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, and a direct mount Tune-O-Matic bridge, creates
a solid platform for you to build your Esprit V’s tone.
The twin humbucker Esprit V is a classic rock layout, nodding towards tradition, then adding
versatility.
The reverse string tension and twin WHHBs give the Esprit V a huge range of tones.
Master volume and master tone add to the dynamic and tonal range, while the Fret-King
Vari-coil allows each of the pickups to be wound progressively back to single coil.
The Vari-coil and traditional three way toggle switch allows permutations unavailable
outside of Fret-King. Roll it all forward, and the high output bridge humbucker will
rage; switch to the neck pickup, back off the tone a little, roll the Vari-coil back a
touch, and you could be listening to the sweetest neck mount P90 ever; switch to
the middle, turn it all up, and get a massive wall of sound for the most amazing
rhythm setting ever.
Conventional? Somewhat. Quirky? Sure! Individual? Yep! For you?
Absolutely... why not?
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Esprit V specification: Body: Agathis. Neck: maple set neck. Fingerboard: rosewood, 10” radius, 22 medium jumbo frets, pearl dots. Scale: 25”/634mm. Nut: graphite. Tuners: Wilkinson WJ04. Bridge: Wilkinson direct mounted Tune-O-Matic style with stop tailpiece. Pickups: 2 x Fret-King WHHB humbuckers. Controls: volume, tone, Vari-coil, 3-way toggle. Hardware: Chrome. Luxury Fret-King carry bag included.
FKV73PLB
Laguna Blue
FKV73PCAR
Candy Apple Red
FKV73PVW
Vintage White
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Black Label Esprit III
The three pickup Esprit III is a rock monster in
disguise with its feet firmly rooted in tradition, and a flair
and versatility which belies its looks.
The long tenon set-neck construction, combining a three-piece centre
block agathis body with fast-playing maple neck with rosewood fingerboard,
creates a solid platform for you to build your Esprit III’s tone.
The distinctive reversed six-a-side in-line peghead, asymmetric body and WP90s, vintage
'60s 'Long Tail' engraved vibrato and signature oversized pickguard all add up to a real statement
of style with attitude.
The reverse string tension and three stacked Fret-King WP90s give the Esprit III a huge range of
core sounds. Master volume and master tone add to the dynamic and tonal range, while the
Fret-King Vari-coil allows each of the stacked pickups to be rolled progressively back to single coil.
The Vari-coil and five-way switch offer endless permutations such as classic neck P90, that
definitive bridge single coil, hot bridge humbucker, and then some. Can you imagine neck and
middle, with the Vari-coil half way back, mid-tone and volume backed off a little, sweetness
and power like no other guitar, or a middle position humbucker, swept back to a neck and
middle ‘out of phase’ setting in the flick of a switch?
The smooth-as-silk Wilkinson, vintage ‘60s 'Long Tail' vibrato and the Wilkinson roller
bridge, which features superb return to pitch, add even more dynamic and performance
opportunities to the Esprit III – a guitar which never fails to surprise, with a huge
range of sounds, some very familiar, some a surprise, all exceptionally useable.
Unconventional? Possibly. Versatile? Certainly. A strong statement of individuality?
Most definitely!
Esprit III specification: Body: Agathis. Neck: maple set neck. Fingerboard: rosewood, 10” radius, 22 medium
jumbo frets, pearl dots. Scale: 25”/634mm. Nut: graphite. Tuners: Wilkinson WJ04. Bridge: Wilkinson roller bridge with vibrato. Pickups: 3 x Fret-King stacked WP90s. Controls: volume, tone, Vari-coil, 5-way selector.
Hardware: Chrome. Luxury Fret-King carry bag included.
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FKV71PVW
Vintage White
Esprit I
FKV71PGHB
Gun Hill Blue
Black Label Esprit I
Instantly recognisable iconic styling, radical, yet oh-so-familiar, yet somehow different, may be
the best way to describe the Fret-King Black Label Esprit.
The distinctive reversed six-a-side in-line peghead and striking asymmetric body add up to a
statement of style with individuality and attitude to spare.
The single pickup Esprit I is a stripped down, no-nonsense rock 'n' roll machine.
The long tenon set-neck construction, combining a three-piece centre block agathis
body with fast-playing maple necky with rosewood fingerboard, creates a solid
platform for you to build your Esprit I’s tone.
The reverse string tension and single Fret-King WP90SK stacked pickup mounted
hard up against the chromed aluminium GTB Lite wrapover tailpiece bridge let
the Esprit I sing, scream, wail, moan and roar! Tamed with master volume,
mutated with master tone and nuanced with the Fret-King Vari-coil control, this
is a guitar that has subtlety as well as shredding power; the Esprit I just begs
to be thrashed!
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Esprit I specification: Body: Agathis. Neck: maple set neck. Fingerboard: rosewood, 10” radius, 22 medium jumbo frets, pearl dots. Scale: 25”/634mm. Nut: graphite. Tuners: Wilkinson WJ04. Bridge: Wilkinson GTB.
Pickup: 1 x Fret-King stacked WP90SK. Controls: volume, tone, Vari-coil. Hardware: Chrome. Luxury Fret-King carry bag included.
FKV5HMMLB
Laguna Blue
FKV5HMMBK
Gloss Black
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FKV5HMMBK
Candy Apple Red
Black Label Ventura
Working live, on stage or in the studio, the
Black Label Ventura captures, then transcends,
the classic tones of those time honoured ‘bolt-neck’
classics.
With stand out looks, the Ventura is typical of Trev Wilkinson’s fine eye for
detail and building purpose into design. 21st century edginess and poised
angularity blends with gracious curves to create a style which echoes iconic musical
eras and genres.
A premium American alder body provides the Ventura’s tonal bedrock, and the 22-fret maple
neck with rosewood fingerboard provides a smooth, positive playing response with choke-free
bends.
Rock solid Wilkinson E-Z Lok tuners are complemented by a Wilkinson WVP ‘wave’
leading edge fulcrum vibrato with solid stainless steel saddles, stagger-drilled steel
block and ultra-smooth action, all contributing to impressive total tuning stability.
Ventura factors in maximum performance and high excitement. A ‘total firepower’ pickup
option of a tone-filled Fret-King PAF-style WHHB bridge humbucker and two biting FretKing WDG Focusfield™ mini humbuckers in the neck and middle positions offers an
amazing range of tones.
As ever with Fret-King, player control is paramount, and so Trev's innovative Vari-coil rotary
control incrementally morphs the humbuckers through to single coil format, for maximum
versatility – further evidence of his ‘player priority’ design approach to guitar building.
How many guitars look this cool, and will take a player from searing slashing and shredding
through twang central, to sweet and mellow, from arena stage to intimate venue?
Only the Fret-King Black Label Ventura.
Ventura specification: Body: American alder. Neck: maple bolt-on. Fingerboard: rosewood, 10” radius, 22 medium jumbo frets, pearl dots. Scale: 25.5”/648mm. Nut: graphite. Tuners: Wilkinson WJ05 E-Z Lok. Bridge:
Wilkinson WVP vibrato. Pickups: Fret-King 1 x WHHB bridge humbucker, 2 x WDG mini humbuckers, chrome covers. Controls: volume, tone, Vari-coil, 5-way selector. Hardware: Chrome. Luxury Fret-King carry bag
included.
13
FKV1DC
"The way the Eclat DBC guitar rings,
even acoustically, is just incredible.
I love P90 pickups – and I have
done ever since I saw Steve
Marriott and Mick Ralphs using
them – so the Wilkinson W90B
is the business. The thumb
scoop is a great idea too, and
it allows me easy access to
those high frets, even when
the guitar is slung really low.
The DBC is exactly what it
says it is – a pure rock 'n'
roll guitar, and I’m pure
rock 'n' roll; I love it!"
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Black Label Eclat ‘DBC’
A hard working and hard playing rock guitar-meister, Bucket’s talents have seen
him playing to thousands of fans across the globe in his tenures with Paul
Rodgers’ Bad Company, and working with the likes of Humble Pie. A songwriter
of note too, his tracks have been covered by no less than the likes of Iron
Maiden, and his Bucket & Co. project cooperated with the likes of Steve Conte,
Edwin McCain, Danny Bowes, Spike from The Quireboys, Jaz Lochrie and
Adrian Smith.
The DBC is a no-fuss rock machine inspired by a workhorse instrument Bucket
has played for years.
With its no-nonsense single Wilkinson W90 ‘Dog ear’ pickup, wrapover combined
bridge/tailpiece and its innovative thumb-scoop for great upper fret access, the DBC is
a one-stop attitude machine.
Strap it on, feel the culmination of 50 years of guitar history rolled in to one and enjoy monster
tone, monster fun and all out rock ‘n’ roll.
Eclat DBC Specification. Body: two-piece, centre-jointed mahogany. Neck: mahogany. Fingerboard: rosewood, 12” radius, 22 medium jumbo frets, pearl dots. Scale: 24.75”/628mm. Nut: graphite. Pickup: Fret-King
WP90. Controls: volume, tone. Bridge: direct mounted wrapover tailpiece/bridge. Tuners: Wilkinson WJ15. Luxury Fret-King carry bag included.
14
FKV1HCSB
Cherry Sunburst
James Bell
Young Guitarist of the Year 2011
FKV1HBK
Black
magazine
FKV1HTSB
Tobacco Sunburst
Black Label Eclat Standard
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The Eclat Standard is one of the electric guitar’s
most enduring styles, and, for many players, a benchmark.
Our decades of knowledge in tonewood selection and attention to
detail in construction methods, electronics and pickups are all crucial
in the creation of the Black Label Eclat Standard.
The solid, natural grain, ¾” maple cap, selected two-piece centre-jointed
mahogany body, and mahogany neck with long-tenon neck joint all coalesce
to ensure the foundations of a guitar with amazing sustain.
The Eclat body features a rear contour and forearm scoop for an even more
comfortable and fluid playing experience.
The subtly extended cutaway allows enhanced upper fret access while maintaining
the Eclat’s purity of line and traditional elegance.
Tonally, the Eclat is as authentic as you could ever hope for.
Legendary Fret-King WVC humbuckers (built to the original recipe created by Seth
Lover, and gifted to Trev in the ‘80s) give the Eclat a voice which speaks with all
the depth and clarity you’d expect from a signature twin humbucker single cut guitar
designed by Trev Wilkinson.
The Fret-King Vari-coil control rolls those spectacular WVCs all the way down to
single coil for a range of tones which go from searing, saturated bridge humbucker
sustain, overloaded with delicious harmonics, all the way to tingling transparent single coil
bridge tones.
The Eclat Standard is truly one of the most versatile and useable guitars on the planet.
Eclat Standard specification. Body: two-piece, centre-jointed mahogany with carved solid maple cap. Neck: mahogany. Fingerboard: rosewood, 12” radius, 22 medium jumbo frets, pearl crown. Scale: 24.75”/628mm.
Nut: graphite Pickups: Fret-King WVC humbuckers with solid nickel covers and backing plate. Controls: volume, tone, Vari-coil and 3-way toggle switch. Hardware: direct mounted tune-o-matic style with stop tailpiece
and Wilkinson WJ01 tuners. Luxury Fret-King carry bag included.
15
FKV4+1OCB
FKV4+1BK
Black
FKV4VW
Vintage White
FKV4OCB
Original
Classic Burst
FKV4BK
Black
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Perc
Black Label Perception
There's a low-end rumble in the Fret-King jungle with the Black Label Perception Bass range.
A fabulous, versatile workhorse that stands up to everything a bass player can throw at it, the
Perception lays the foundation for a great groove.
Built with a two-piece centre-jointed American alder body, Canadian hard rock maple neck and
close grain rosewood fingerboard, the Perception is traditional in feel yet contemporary in
execution.
With a sleek neck profile, full width fingerboard, positive feel, enhanced upper fret access
and extended neck join, the Perception responds fluidly to your style and demands to be
played.
The pickups, specially created for the Perception, emulate the very best of classic vintage
tone, with bell-like clarity, depth and power to spare.
Notice too, the brass barrel saddles, which contribute so much to the positive tone of the
Perception, fitted to a simple, stamped tempered steel base plate designed to transmit all
that string energy to the body for maximum tone.
The Perception captures the solid, precise tonality that underpins so much music, and
demonstrates just how versatile a passive bass can be.
Available in four and five string versions, this is a ‘go-to’ bass that players the world over will
really appreciate.
16
Perception specification. Body: two-piece centre-jointed American alder body. Neck: Canadian hard rock maple. Fingerboard: rosewood, 10” radius, 22 medium jumbo frets, pearl dots. Scale: 34”/863mm. Nut: graphite.
Pickups: Fret-King WJBR and WPB. Controls: two volume, master tone. Hardware: Wilkinson WBBC bridge and WJBL 750 mini tuners. Luxury Fret-King carry bag included.
FKV41TR
Thru Red
Es
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Black Label Esprit I Bass
The Fret-King Black Label Esprit I bass, with its balanced, asymmetric styling, distinctive 4-inline peghead and signature pickguard, is familiar, radical, and comfortable on the eye.
Superbly balanced, the Esprit I bass is a delight to wear and play standing or sitting. The long tenon setneck construction, combining three-piece agathis bodies to fast-playing maple necks with rosewood
fingerboards, and a Wilkinson WBBC bridge with cold rolled steel baseplate and brass barrel saddles
directly fitted to the body for maximum tone, all creates a solid platform for you to build your Esprit I bass’s
tone and a great groove.
Talking of tone, the Esprit I is fitted with Fret-King’s distinctive WJM humbucker. Many pickups in one,
this Wilkinson masterpiece is a profound and powerful pickup which will hold its own in every musical
style.
Routed through a traditional volume control, passive tone control, and the Wilkinson Vari-coil,
which progressively winds the WJM back to the paired pole piece element, the WJM takes you
on a journey from jazz on to punchy slaps and pops, vintage to vicious, passive to an almost
active like depth, definition and power.
Flying in the face of convention is normal for Fret-King. The overall vibe of the Esprit I
bass is unconventional, and a statement of individuality, but it’s also a true bass player's
tool, with a level of comfort which bass players really need, a playing feel to die for, and
an astonishing range of sounds.
Esprit I Bass specification: Body: 2pc agathis. Neck: maple bolt-on satin finish. Fingerboard: rosewood, 10” radius, 22 medium jumbo frets, pearl dots. Scale: 34”/864mm. Nut: graphite. Tuners: Wilkinson WJBL200.
Bridge: Wilkinson WBBC. Pickups: 1 x Fret-King Platinum Series WJM. Controls: volume, tone, Vari-coil. Hardware: Chrome. Luxury Fret-King carry bag included.
17
FKLD
Trev Wilkinson is a legend in the guitar world for his
innovative and faultless guitar hardware and pickups,
which deliver stellar tonality.
His progressive approach to building guitars, and his
unerring ability to think outside of every design box,
is now presented in Fret-King FX pedals – his first
foray into the world of stompboxes.
With the emphasis set firmly on tone, Trev has
instilled his true boutique ethos into these pedals.
Each effect has been comprehensively researched
and benchmarked against an enviable collection of
highly collectible original vintage pedals and devices.
Line Doctor
Meticulously and authentically voiced, Fret-King FX
Pedals deliver tones you’ll recognise straight out of
the box.
Keeps tone 100% healthy no matter how hard you’re
pushing.
Choose the pedals you want, plug in, flick the switch,
and experience the way your music was always
meant to sound.
If you're playing big stages where you need long guitar leads, or if you're using true
bypass effects pedals, you need to pay a visit to the Fret-King Line Doctor.
Add to this the usual Fret-King standards – rugged,
durable die-cast aluminium casing, true bypass
technology, classy design, and dual paired inputs
where necessary – and you have pedals that will
take your playing to new levels, define your sound,
and fill stadiums.
Basically, the more stuff that gets between your guitar and your amp, the more
your tone – and volume – will suffer, and we can't have that. The Line Doctor is a
simple yet ingenious buffer circuit that, when activated, will gently boost your
flagging signal, replacing anything that has been lost somewhere along the way.
That means you're free to use as many true bypass stompboxes as you like, and
your lead can be 20ft long – or 200ft! The Fret-King Line Doctor doesn't discriminate,
and will bring your tone back to full health whatever the conditions.
Fret-King pedals – treat your tone.
P
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Classic Wah
The original, pure wah tone.
Ever since the swinging 60s, the wah pedal has helped
guitarists own stages – and crowds – with its unique ability to
mimic the human voice, its piercing tonal sweep, and its
unmistakeable 'wacka-wacka' sounds. With the Fret-King Wah, Trev
Wilkinson has gone back in time, found that original, pure wah tone,
and brought it kicking and screaming into the 21st century!
One of the keys to an authentic wah sound and response is using the right style
of inductor. Naturally, Trev has made sure to use a custom designed, classic-style
'halo' inductor on the Fret-King wahs, so you can be sure you'll get all the vintage
voicings you need in your playing.
The Fret-King wah features a uniquely versatile tonal sweep – from crystal clear bass through
to crisp, sweet trebles, and anywhere in between. Jimmy, Steve or Shaft, the Fret-King classic
wah is your best friend.
18
FKWW
FKCB
FKBP
Clean Boost
Power Boost
For the ultimate volume gain.
When you need to ‘turn it up to 11’.
The Fret-King Clean Booster is so simple, so self-explanatory – and so effective.
You're approaching that moment in the song where you need to go one step
louder, one step bigger, but you need your signal to stay clean. This is where the
Clean Booster comes in.
A real revelation when you need to 'turn it up to 11', the Fret-King Power Boost
gives you up to 20dB of boost to your signal, and it'll also break things up ever
so slightly, giving you that sweet tone of a tube amp just starting to let rip!
Dial in up to 20dB of extra power for the parts that really matter, and play them
as clean as a whistle. The Clean Booster will not colour your sound in any way,
and it certainly won't distort your tone or overload your amp. In short, it's just
what you need if you want to keep it clean – and loud.
Ideal as a boost for huge, crunchy rhythm sounds, or as the secret ingredient in
a stadium-filling solo, the Power Boost sounds great with a clean amp, or over
the top of an overdrive pedal. Just use the simple level control to choose how
much of a boost you need, and step on it! Instant power...
FKKD
Klassic Drive
Full, smooth and creamy low gain tone
Derived from an original example of one of the greatest overdrive pedals of all
time, the Fret-King Klassic Drive will give you a full, smooth, creamy low gain
tone that will be music to your audience's ears. Use it to break your clean tone
up, or to drive your valve amp at crucial moments, and you'll be rewarded with a
sound that doesn't go over the top, but stays sophisticated, crisp and direct.
The Klassic Drive is sublime for anything from classic rock rhythms through to
blues noodling and smooth jazz chords, and is destined to become... a klassic.
FKDXXX
Distortion
XXX
A gift to the world of gain
The Fret-King Distortion XXX is Trev Wilkinson's gift to the world of gain! Ideal
for players who like a dirty sound, and perfect for everything from blues and
indie to rock, punk and all-out metal, the Distortion XXX is incredibly versatile.
Set the level, then use the gain knob to dial in anything from smokey jazz chords
to howling solos, and the tone control can configure amounts of bass and treble
– whatever you need, it's here in spades. Trev has lovingly modelled the
Distortion XXX after one of his favourite distortion pedals of all time, and we
know you'll love it too.
19
www.fret-king.com
Front Cover: Parker Lundgren – Queensrÿche, Fret-King Black Label Country Squire Semitone.
Back Cover: Mick Radford – international recording artist/session player, Fret-King STVDIO Ventura 60.
Images: William Hines Photography ©2012
Distributed in the U.S. by RBi Music
1400 Everman Parkway, Suite 400
Fort Worth, Texas 76140
Phone: 817.335.2561 x 105
rick @ fre t k ing -v int ag e .com
www.jhs.co.uk
WORLDWIDE TRADE DISTRIBUTORS:
JOHN HORNBY SKEWES & CO. LTD., SALEM HOUSE, PARKINSON APPROACH, GARFORTH, LEEDS LS25 2HR,
UK.
©2013 JHS & Co. Ltd. All rights reserved. Specifications and colours are subject to change without prior notice.
Fret-King® is a registered trademark of JHS & Co. Ltd. Wilkinson® is a registered trademark of Trev Wilkinson Design Associates. Wilkaloid™, Vari-coil™, Acoustibridge™ are trademarks of Trev Wilkinson Design Associates.

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