Shabat Lynx HSH Alder S-Style w/ Rosewood & Gold Hardware – Cosmic Sapphire

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.

The Lynx offers a lightweight alder or swamp ash body, hand-sanded and contoured to feel right at home. Set in the body is a rock-solid Gotoh Fulcrum Bridge with a steel block to provide fat tones with no tuning issues and a great-feeling tremolo response. Its fast-playing neck profile is still meaty enough to keep the guitar alive, and the Lynx offers a variety of pickup configurations, from SSS to HSS and HSH.

What Do We Think?

What a ride! This guitar was a NAMM 2024 showcase piece, and for good reason. Remarkably, it doesn’t show even a touch of play wear. The guys at Shabat restrung it and got it all polished up, from frets to finish, before sending it our way. There’s not a mark or scratch on the body; just some gorgeous finish checking when you catch it under the light.

The Lollar pickup ensemble consists of a standard wind Imperial humbucker in the neck, high wind Imperial in the bridge, and a Vintage Blond single in the middle. You’d think that single coil would have trouble keeping up, but think again.

Starting with the neck position, you have tones with nice bite and expression through a clean amp. Unequivocally warm, but equally clear and lucid in the middle and upper registers thanks to these being the uncovered variants of the Imperials. Whereas a nickel cover rounds off and mutes the upper frequencies a bit, the uncovered variety rings more unguarded and vibrant. Kick on some gain and this position gives you creamy, liquid sustain.

The high wind Imperial in the bridge position has an extra kick to the midrange, not quite nasal but definitely focused. It riffs harder than probably any other Strat in your arsenal, with incredible punch and tightness in the low end. But it’s also very nuanced through a clean amp, reflecting even a Tele-ish clarity under light pick attack. The second tone knob is wired to the bridge pickup and can be rolled back all the way to “3” without losing definition, with tons of superb lead and rhythm tones in between.

The Vintage Blonde in the middle holds its own. This is where you’ll land to get your traditional single coil fix. Often an overlooked position on a Strat, this one has great pluck through a clean amp and a nice raw… even rude… sizzle through some dirt.

The in-between positions combine the roundness and compression of either humbucker with the snap and clarity of the single coil. The result is a Strat tone that sits like it’s been full mixed and mastered in a track. In the neck/middle position especially, you’ll find even your little combo amp to sound like a big Steel String Singer. The bridge/middle combination has more quack and midrange nose, capable of laying down some great funk parts with plenty of support underneath.

The Gotoh 2-pivot trem is smooth to operate and provides such excellent tuning stability that we encourage you to use it generously. The tremolo arm is precision threaded and fits snugly inside a bushing that removes the “play” found in a traditional screw-in design. You can also adjust the bushing to either hold the trem arm in place or allow it to drop out of the way when not in use.

The Cosmic Sapphire colorshifting finish is one of the more subtle colorshifts among the Shabat offerings. It shifts from a warm teal to a dark Lake Placid blue effortlessly under the light. This guitar also sports a really dark piece of rosewood on the neck, and you’ll never hear us complain about a sexy set of gold hardware.

How Does It Play?

The neck is a slim ‘60s C, measuring approximately 0.79” at 1^st fret and  0.92” at 12^th. But it’s the shape of the shoulder that allows this neck to feel simultaneously fast and supportive. The back is lightly sanded to cut down any stickiness. The string action measures 4/64” on the low E string at the 12^th fret without any fret buzz.

Weight: 8lb 1.4oz

The G&G custom hard case pictured is included!

Specifications

Body: Alder

Contours: Neck Heel Contour

Bridge: Gotoh 510TS-FE1 2-point tremolo

Pickups: Lollar Imperial SW/HW + Vintage Blonde S

Headstock: 6-in-Line

Tuners: Kluson Deluxe

Nut: Tusq

Inlay: ¼” Faux Clay

Radius: 9.5-12” compound

Neck: Hard maple – plain

Fretboard: Rosewood

Frets: 22, Dunlop 6105 nickel fretwire

Nut: 42mm (1.65”) TUSQ

Neck Profile: ‘60s Slim C (0.79-0.92”)

Hardware: Aged Gold

Covers/Knobs: Black

Finish: Cosmic Sapphire colorshifting nitro

Pickguard: 4-ply Red Tortoise

Aging Level: Minimal

Electronics: CTS Pots with Del Ritmo oiled paper capacitors, Switchcraft input jack, 5-Way pickup selector

Strings & Tuning: 10 gauge, E standard

Case: G&G custom hardshell

Notes:

Natural headstock

NAMM 2024 Showpiece

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