Shabat Lion 1-pc Swamp Ash "Esquire" T-Style Guitar – Vintage Blonde

Information

Brand New w/ Warranty. We are an authorized Shabat Dealer.

Like what you see? All photos are of the exact instrument you will receive.

Every guitarist needs one single-coil guitar that delivers the perfect amount of bite and twang to cut through the mix—enter the Shabat Lion Standard. With an array of T-style pickups from Lollar to choose from and a feather-light body (ash, alder or pine) fitted with either a Gotoh three-saddle or modern six-saddle bridge, the Lion Standard offers incredible punch, sustain and resonance.

What Do We Think?

This is a guitar of one’s. One Lollar Special T, one-piece swamp ash body & one-piece maple neck. And in true Shabat form, it’s also worthy of the moniker “one-of-a-kind.”

For starters, the swamp ash body is acoustically resonant but hits hardest in the low and middle registers. A good strum unplugged will reveal the guitar has a naturally controlled top end, the perfect platform for an Esquire-inspired build.

The Eldred Mod wiring gives the guitar 3 distinct voices, all of which you’re sure to use and enjoy. Pickup selector all the way back in “bridge” position bypasses the tone pot, feeding your amp every bit of the punch, bite and sizzle coming off the Lollar Special T. Expect this position to be exceptionally lively, even a bit untamed.

The middle position routes the signal through the tone pot, tapering off the top end just a hair even with the tone knob on 10. Your amp will see a touch softer output coming from the guitar as well, imparting a smoother ride all around. Roll the tone back a touch and you’ll find an incredibly sweet, smooth sustain that you may not be used to getting on the bridge pickup of a Tele. Hey, there’s something to be said for removing the magnetic pull of the neck pickup from the equation.

The “neck” position puts a small capacitor before the volume knob but once again bypasses the tone pot. It sounds a little like a cocked wah and a whole lot like its own thing altogether. What we really dig is that it does not go immediately “dark.” Nor does it lose output. Not the same as rolling down the tone knob, it colors the midrange and only tapers the top end rather than cutting it excessively.

Put all that together and you get our favorite way to exercise the guitar… roll back the tone just a bit and capitalize on all that sugary sweetness in the middle position of the 3-way switch. Then switch forward for a warm, quasi “neck position” tone that is unique and yet familiarly fond of overdrives. And throw the selector all the way back for the raw, uninhibited grind of the pickup wide open. One pickup, three distinct voices.

How Does It Play?

The neck is a soft V with beautifully-dressed frets and perfectly rounded fret ends. The neck fits the hand so well that I missed the V altogether, only coming to my attention as I perused the spec sheet and then took a visual gander at the back of the neck to confirm. Soft V sure enough! And it transitions smoothly to a round C as you reach the upper frets.

The string action measures just 4/64” at the 12^th on the low E string, and even lower on the high E. All without a hint of fretbuzz… pluck and bend to your heart’s content without fear of any choked notes.

Weight: 6lb 11.2oz

The G&G custom hard case pictured is included!

Specifications

Body: 1-pc Swamp Ash

Neck: 1-pc hard maple

Neck Profile: ‘50s Soft V (0.88-0.98”)

Scale Length: 25.5”

Nut: TUSQ XL

Radius: Compound 9.5-12”

Frets: Nickel 6105

Hardware: Nickel

Tuners: Kluson Deluxe

Bridge: Gotoh Bridge with Brass Saddles

Pickups: Lollar Special T

Electronics: CTS Pots with Del Ritmo oiled paper capacitors, Switchcraft input jack, 3-Way pickup selector

Finish: Nitrocellulose Lacquer

Strings: D’Addario .010–0.46

Case: G&G custom hardshell

Reviews