ethan_clark's Reviews

The Perfect Crossover

With an obvious Tele-style bridge setup, but with the cut-aways and pick-up config of a Strat, as well as a thin 'D' shaped neck and sharp 'metal' head-stock... this guitar is the perfect "jack of all trades"; visually and playing-wise. Maybe it is just the visual cues of a metal influenced Telecaster that causes me to think this way; but once you feel how easy it is to run your hand up and down the neck, you will understand the variety of musical tones you can achieve with this instrument. Think of a Tele and it's tonal response to bending, and the crisp sound of it's natural gain and 'twang', but then throw in the ability to just dig-in and 'shred' the neck with no loss of comfort or tone at all. The best word i can think of to describe this guitar would be 'Fluid'.

I would just like to mention that this guitar influenced me to like a variety of more guitar styles. I was a Les Paul kid. This guitar and how it came to be in my hands has given me a bigger appreciation for all kinds of guitars, and how people may think one body type may be better for a certain musical style than the other. If i had to choose between a les paul style versus a tele nowadays.. i would now say i'm more of a Tele guy. But i am always going to compare any guitar i ever feel in my hands back to this Samick Marie Roadster, and im probably always going to think about the functionality of it's JTR signature pickups and 5-way selector.

I got this guitar in 2015, 5 years after it's apparent creation in 2010. I had actually looked at numerous times in a pawnshop in town, not fully understanding why i was so attracted to it, in comparison to any other guitars i considered buying. I went back to the pawnshop one day, and the guitar was gone. I seemingly missed my chance of owning such a unique guitar, perfect for my tastes... instant regret. Months later, christmas day... my roommate brings out the guitar which had been hidden away in his closet. Quite the mind blowing gift. Ill never understood how it ended up in that pawnshop in such perfect, unscathed condition, but i'm eternally grateful that it did. A guitar for life.