Wow, this is pretty cool. You can buy Paul Westerberg’s guitar for only $160!
The Star Tribune has the story:
Boston-based six-string manufacturer First Act — whose $159 instruments caught Westerberg’s eye in a Wal-Mart a couple years ago — recently recruited the former Replacements frontman to design his own guitar for retail.
Featuring a slim body and “punk-rock plaid” pattern on its pick guard, the PW580 is already on sale at Amazon.com and will soon be available in Wal-Mart stores. Retail price: $159.
Westerberg wanted “…something not too heavy, that I could play quietly or full volume. It has a single pick-up, and it sort of snarls. It’s lean, clean, and mean, and it doesn’t have that big, overdriven, fuzzy sound. You can get that with an amp, but the guitar itself doesn’t put it out, and that’s what I was looking for. There’s a definite old-school thing—it belongs in a garage. It probably sounds best in a garage playing surf music or something like that.”
According to First Act: “The story goes that Westerberg was on tour somewhere in the middle of America, and he stopped into a mass retailer to buy shaving cream, and bought one of our crimson ME501 electric guitars on impulse, right off the shelf. He debuted the guitar onstage that night, and quickly brought it into heavy onstage rotation for the rest of the tour.”
Check out its specs. Has anybody out there actually heard a First Act guitar in action, or played one? How do they sound? Because this is a pretty cool thing. Although I’m not quite sure about that “punk rock plaid” pickguard…
Via the rope.
I’ve never plaid (ha, ha) an electric First Act, but I’ve bought several of the kid-size acoustic guitars ($25-ish) for hiking trips. They’re nice because they’re playable, light, and who gives a damn if they get beat up or corroded? I’d bet that they sound better than the “backpacker” models you’ll find in music stores.
I think it’s cool that Westerberg puts his name on a cheapo garage axe. Who wouldv’e thought Walmart could ever do something kinda cool?
I just got mine from Amazon about a week ago and I have to say it’s not a bad little guitar, very cool clean sound from the single coil p/u, nice playing neck and it sounds pretty damn good when it’s run through an overdrive pedal. I plan on using it onstage for songs that need a clean guitar sound. Hard to beat for $160 (would like the body to be a bit larger but that is just personal preference)
Guitar plunker and trader, trucker.
I bought one of the cheap First Act guitars, and I was actually amazed at how good it is. With an expert set-up, its neck and action was every bit as good as the 60’s Fenders. It could use a better pickup, though.
The ME501’s keep their value about the best of any of the cheap First Acts, but First Act (up in Boston) does have an artist studio where they make guitars costing multi-thousands.
Just received my guitar from Amazon. Originally just purchased because I’m a huge Replacements/Westerberg fan, but to tell you the truth about the guitar it really plays well for a buck fifty guitar. Stop giving good reviews because I’m sure if they get enough they’ll jack the price up. Really though it’s a great axe. First Act does have their act together on this one. Thanks!