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G&L Doheny Pharaoh Gold Metallic Matching Headstock

For G&L fans and soon-to-be fans, the wait is over: The Doheny is G&L's tribute to Leo's offset design, and a continuation of his work. With its own unique 21-fret Modern Classic neck, specially developed Magnetic Field Design (MFD) pickups and their precision Dual Fulcrum Vibrato, this guitar is unadulterated G&L. Their new Pharaoh Gold accentuates the clean lines and simplified hardware layout, letting you know this guitar is more than just a reissue.

This USA made Doheny features:

  • Pharaoh Gold finish on Basswood, 8 pounds
  • Matching headstock
  • 3-ply Tortoise Shell pickguard
  • G&L 'Modern Classic' neck profile, 9.5" radius, 1-11/16" nut width
  • Optional Rosewood fingerboard
  • Clear satin finish hard rock maple neck
  • G&L drilled and split tuners
  • (2) Wide-bobbin MFD pickups
  • G&L Dual Fulcrum Vibrato
  • Passive treble-bass tone system, 3-way switch
  • Plek? Laser Guided fret finishing
  • G&L non-compression truss rod for consistent, even relief
  • G&L deluxe tolex hardshell case
  • Made in USA with G&L custom build sheet

Test Gear: Little Walter 50 amp and matching 1x12 with Eminence GS-SC64

The Doheny is G&L's foray into the Leo's Jazzmaster "Gumby" shape developed around 1959. Priced above the Stratocaster and aimed at the Jazz market, it bombed in that respect but caught hold with Surf Bands, and later Punk and New Wave. While it makes sense that G&L would carry over their Dual Fulcrum Vibrato and Passive Bass and Treble (PTB) controls, these features add to the overall functionality of the guitar, and provide a cleaner look than the original Jazzmaster. Maybe blasphemy to a Jazzmaster purist, but G&L players know a good thing when they see it. Overall it's a curvy, sexy 60's shape with a sparkling gold finish that mixes old and new school in a wonderful way.

The big deal of course are the new pickups, a wide bobbin version of the Magnetic Field design. In short they have all the hallmarks of the MFD design: Strong output, touch sensitivity and a very broad dynamic range. Some describe the MFD design as "Hi-Fi" and without a doubt they have a broader flatter frequency response than traditional pickups. The secret of the MFD is their fairly low resistance coil combined with a strong ceramic magnet mounted at the base of the pickup. While that may sound like a P-90, there is something else in their special sauce, and the MFD's are breed unto themselves.

The secret to the Doheny is not to automatically turn all the controls to "10" and go. The more you experiment with the Doheny's controls the more you are rewarded. Rarely did we have the guitar wide open, and overall the pickups sound best to us around 8, with various levels of treble or bass roll-off depending on mood and style of music. While G&L's passive bass and treble controls are used on a number of their models, they've never been more useful than on the Doheny.

The neck pickup has a beefy piano-like low end, rich mids, and characteristic MFD high end airiness. By using the passive treble and bass controls it can range from truly jazzy to funky and snappy. It's very responsive to picking nuances, and like all MFD pickups it makes a great platform for both distortion and modulation effects. For sake of comparison, the Doheny MFD neck pickup is brighter and more percussive than the ASAT Classic, but not as scooped and "Strat" like as the ASAT Special.

The Doheny bridge pickup carries over many of the bright, twangy characteristics of the original, but tempers it with fuller mids and better low end. As with the neck pickup, the top end has an inherent sweetness that makes it shimmer when strummed broadly. Rolling back the volume a tad smooths it out nicely, and both pickups together are a luscious combination of warmth and chime, and bring out some of the best qualities of the MFD design.

The original Jazzmaster bridge was one of its most controversial features for a number of reasons. While G&L took the easy way out by using their Dual Fulcrum Vibrato, if it works why mess with it? With the DF vibrato you can pitch bend both up and down, and provided you don't get overly enthusiastic it's stable, well engineered, and has great chime.

While the Doheny may not satisfy hardcore devotees of the original, it's arguably much more adaptable to a wide range of musical styles. It will check the box on surfer twang, but also has the muscle and to rock out with surprising authority. If you are looking for an offset guitar that can you can live with on a daily basis, the Doheny is for you.

We are an authorized G&L Premier dealer located in Bellingham, Massachusetts, and this is a new guitar with all tags, tools,paperwork and certificates. We have over 40 G&L's in stock at all times,and please feel free to browse our other listings, or contact us for information on a custom order.