While the Biscayne is Swopes budget-priced model, this guitar is an incredibly well built, fun and inspiring instrument to play. It features a unique "Swimming Pool" style pickup route, so that one can put whatever pickups he or she pleases into this guitar, without any modification to the body. Currently the guitar features a very lively and dynamic set of Swopes hand-wound "Formvar 53 Telecaster style bridge pickups" The neck pickup is also a 'Tele-Style bridge pickup wound for the neck position, giving you bite and clarity in all three positions. Both of these hand-wound pups sound exceptional in this very lively hollowed-out instrument.
The body is much like a vintage Danelectro with it's Masonite Top material and Formica sides. The fretwork and feel of the neck are both top-notch as with all Swope Guitars. This Biscayne plays very well with a nice low action of 3 & 4 64ths E to E at the 12th fret.
From Swope Guitars
"So what’s that all about? Well, the Biscayne is designed to be a platform guitar. By this, I mean that it is built to modify and have fun with. The single pickup model still has a switch route, it’s just plugged. I will be offering a variety of my pickups in pre-loaded pickguards that you can purchase separately, later on, should you want to try something else other than your initial order. Likewise, if you have a drawer full of pickups that you’ve collected over the years, I’m happy to make and sell a guard for you so that you can have fun with some of that old stuff, too. I’ve gone through every point in my build of materials to see how I can save a little here or there in an effort to bring the price down without sacrificing tone. So, satin finish on the neck instead of a deep gloss, a burned in headstock logo rather that a waterslide decal that requires building up layers of lacquer both underneath and on top, non staggered vintage style gears instead of the staggered ones on my other guitars, my own twist on the dano-style build with a swamp ash semi solid construction with high density grained top and back and tolex rims rather than a nitrocellulose glossy lacquer finish that takes a month to cure, a 2-way truss rod adjustable from the headstock rather than the more labor intensive vintage style one way rod with the spoke wheel heel adjustment, simple points like plastic fingerboard dots instead of pearl, a gig bag instead of a hardshell case, and my own takes on classic pickup designs rather than the original design pickups that are on my Geronimo, GTO, MG models…. you get the idea."
Specs:
Neck: 25.5″ scale, Maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, 2-way truss-rod,
Bone nut 1 5/8"
Neck shape: Med Thick C: .83"-.95"
Finish: Satin nitro topcoat over shellac
Body: Swamp Ash core with Masonite and High Pressure Laminate back and top (White Sand Top and Back)
Hardware: vintage style gears, sawed off T Bridge with Gotoh In-Tune saddles
Pickups: Formvar 53 Double Slant Telecaster style pickups
Weight 7lbs 0.6oz
Gigbag Included
