Taste Of The Xotic

The quality pedal manufacturer from Van Nuys, California dives into the electric guitar market, taking inspiration from down the road in Fullerton

- Neville Marten

Anyone with an ear for tone will know all about US manufacturer Xotic, whose pedals have graced the ’boards of the great and the good for two decades. Units such as the EP Boost have reached almost mythical status with many players leaving theirs permanently on because they add that classy ‘something’ to the sound. The question is, can Xotic bring that same expertise to a range of boutique remakes of classic Fullerton designs such as this California Classic XSC-2, a more-thana-little-obvious nod to Leo’s Stratocaster?

The XSC-2’s body is alder and our guitar boasts a AAAA ‘master grade’ roasted maple neck and a covered humbucker at the bridge. Otherwise, at its heart is the 65-year-old recipe we all know and love, with several decades of artificial ageing that includes expert lacquer checking and much of the finish being worn away. Radical relic’ing is de rigueur these days, but divides opinion more than ever. Whatever your view, when it’s done this well the workmanship can’t fail to impress.

Pickups, vibrato springs and bridge saddles are Xotic’s own Raw Vintage brand (two RV-50 single coils and an RV-PAF humbucker). The company makes a big deal about forensically analysing vintage components, and how its use of period-correct materials (including Alnico V magnets, Formvar wire and nickel plating directly onto steel) has a cumulative affect on overall tone. Even the springs’ tension is recalculated; Xotic recommends the use of all five for operational stability yet surprising ease of waggle.

Tuners are Gotoh’s ‘Kluson look-alike’ Magnum Locks with no rear thumbwheel. Instead, you simply thread the string through the peg, tune up and it self-tightens: a brilliantly simple and elegant solution to an age-old tuning problem. The bridge base and vibrato block are Gotoh, too, only the saddles being Raw Vintage.