SLICK

SL56

- ART THOMPSON

A GUITAR WITH a Jaguar-style, offset semihollow body and a Tele/Gib pickup setup could easily describe a pricey boutique affair that borrows from Fullerton and Kalamazoo designs of the '50s and '60s to create a cool modern-day hybrid. It also describes to a tee the Slick SL56, which, besides being extremely affordable, goes all the way into boutique territory by featuring a P-90 in the neck position and a T-style single-coil sitting next to a custom solid-brass wraparound bridge with six chunky brass adjustable saddles. Brass was deemed the "musical metal" in the days of yore, and its use is straight out of the playbook of Alembic and others from the late '60s and '70s, when brass was thought to equal greater sustain and generally better tone. Here it adds an interesting throwback twist that makes the SL56 a unique beast.

The Aged Crimson Ash finish (one of six available colors) looks neat in a raw sort of way, with the red and black shades highlighting the open-grain wood. Slick says no grain filler or polyurethane sealer is used, and that just a single coat of old-fashioned automotive paint is sprayed on and sanded back. The process prevents the pores from becoming clogged, so the wood can breathe. It seems to work, as you can hear the acoustic resonance when tapping on the body.