This may be the last guitar you will ever want to own! The US MASTERS Sportster Flame Top is part of the "Skinny" Series, and I believe is one of the finest guitars made in the USA today. [emphasis added] This was my first experience with a US MASTERS product (made in Middleton, Wisconsin). In fact, it was the first time I've ever heard of them, so I had no preconceived expectations.

.I started playing guitar 27+ years ago, back in the metal and early Punk days. The idea of a minimalist guitar rig was appealing back then because I couldn't afford a lot in the way of gear. However, as my playing and my income progressed so did my taste for guitars, amps and effects. (Not unlike many of you reading). I now wanted to own as many of the best guitars, cool amps and effects as I could afford to make sure all styles of music and tones would be achievable. The brands and models continually changed, but the "need" to have a smokin' collection of guitar gear continued to grow. During my gigging days in the 90's, I had my favorites. Mainly, Gibson Les Paul's and Ernie Ball EVH models, played through an elaborate Bradshaw pedal switching system mixed with digital and analog effects and then into Marshall or Peavey stacks. In many ways this was incredible, but it also became very cumbersome. My band brought so much gear into the studio to record three demos and two full length CDs that we would trip over guitar cases. I began to long for simplicity again as I had in the early days. I hoped that one day I could be happy with one or two guitars and one hot amp to play nearly any style of music.

When I opened the ivory colored, hard shell case to unveil the US MASTERS Sportster Flame Top, I thought, "WOW", this is a beautiful guitar. It is a single cut-away style with a sunburst maple flame top over solid mahogany (about 1.3 inches thick, slightly slimmer that the standard Sportster), and perfect cream binding matched with a Pao Ferro (Brazilian rosewood) fingerboard on a Birdseye maple neck. (There is a slight resemblance to the Ernie Ball EVH and non-arch top Peavey Wolfgang models.) Later, I found out that US MASTERS uses "5" tops on all their guitars. On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the best, it's great they insist on using only the best. US MASTERS also employs a patented, hand-fitted Compression-Set Captive Neck Joint that provides a better fit for this four-bolt design. The neck design is innovative and feels better than anything I've played in years, including Paul Reed Smith, Gibson Historic, Fender Custom Shop and my own favorite custom Warmoth Strat. [emphasis added] The weight of the guitar is about seven pounds, it's well balanced and very comfortable to play for long periods of time. The action and intonation are set just right, the frets are slightly higher allowing for more precise fingering. Your speed will increase with great ease allowing you to play every scale, lick, riff and chord flawlessly.

It has two pickups that are custom designed humbuckers by US MASTERS and made in America. There is a 3-way switch that allows control for neck only, both, and bridge only, plus single volume and tone control. The tone control employs a push/pull coil tap. The knobs are rubber coated to help those that sweat a lot while playing…fewer problems for slippery fingers.

This guitar produces so many great tones that, regardless of your style of music, there are no disappointments. [emphasis added] It was so easy switching between single coil and humbucker. For many of our readers, the only other gear you would ever need is an acoustic guitar and a dual channel tube amp (which you probably already own).


After the first night of playing the Sportster Flame Top, I wanted to learn more about US MASTERS. In checking on the website http://www.usmasters.com, I couldn't find this guitar, but noticed five

other gorgeous axes, plus a couple of basses. The more I read about US MASTERS, it became clear that there was more to know about these fine Midwest Luthiers. So I called Dave Regenberg. Dave and his brother created US MASTERS about six years ago to build the best sounding custom guitar for an affordable price. While there are many other manufacturers who say they do this, US MASTERS really delivers on their promise. The Sportster Flametop, part of "Skinny series" is a brand new model which retails for $2199 and sells on the website for $1599. It is a lightweight, alternative to the current Sportster model without sacrificing tone or playability. I could tell right from the start that Dave understood the heart, mind and soul of guitar players. He is truly passionate about guitars, which got me even more excited about US MASTERS. Every guitar they make includes premium American made components throughout, with Wilkenson bridges, Sperzel "locking" tuning machines and custom designed US MASTERS pickups. The available wood tops and finishes are outstanding. Their patented neck joint design is a major enhancement over the conventional bolt-on design since each one is hand made and appeared to be interlocked as well as pressure fitted. Dave tells me this is actually a better design than "neck through body". As a long time Gibson fan, my curiosity was peaked, so I needed to give the Sportster a real workout. This guitar has so much sustain it made me forget about my "54 reissue gold top Les Paul. I love the Sportster Flame Top and find it amazing that you can buy a new US made, custom guitar of such high quality for less than $2000. [emphasis added]

This Sportster Flame Top does everything well. Every note can be perfectly heard. With some guitars there are sweet spots or they just sound better on certain songs, but this was not the case here. If you only want to play one guitar, get the Sportster Flame Top. During my first week with this guitar I found myself playing more and liked how it sounded even unplugged. It is such a comfortable guitar that many nights while watching TV or listening to music, I could sit on my favorite recliner for hours just noodling on the Flame Top.

Some of you may be reluctant about buying an expensive guitar online without playing it first-don't be. I did some additional research on Harmony Central (an excellent internet resource - http://www.harmonycentral.com) and read dozens of favorable reviews written by owners of other US MASTER guitars. Their customer service appears to be very responsive and helpful.

US MASTERS is a manufacturer that may be one of the best-kept secrets for guitarists. We need to spread the good news. If you are in the market for a versatile, handcrafted, excellent sounding beautiful instrument, look no further that US MASTERS. If you want to push your playing to a new level and focus on music, here's the "skinny" - buy this guitar!

Christian Musician Magazine
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