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Product Description

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Artist AT53 Black Relic Electric Guitar w/ Hand Made Pickups

The latest in our much-lauded range of TC-style guitars, the Artist AT53 pairs the best elements of vintage guitar design with modern features to bring you an instrument that straddles the line between innately familiar and excitingly new. With a classic-looking roasted maple neck finished with a comfortable satin feel, the high-grade locking tuners and rosewood fretboard (at a lightning-quick 14-inch radius), make for a guitar that belies its own old-world aesthetic. While the AT53 comes pre-battle worn, the nitrocellulose finish, a material used mainly on guitars crafted prior to the 1970s will wear and age just as you do. 

Having tested untold amounts of pickup options, we settled on a set of high-end, hand-made single coils wound by the Laohao workshop, a small team producing boutique batches of custom pickups to a frankly unbelievable standard. Paired with 250k pots, the AT53 sounds far brighter than its relic'd finish suggests! Every detail has been pored over with this one - a bone nut, copper foil shielding, a wheeled string tree and locking strap buttons are among a host of modern features that make this old battler anything but!


The Tech Features

Body
Body Material: Paulownia
Body Finish: Black Relic
Body Paint: Nitro
Body Construction: Solid

Neck
Neck Material:
 Quarter-Sawn Roasted Maple
Neck Construction: One-Piece
Neck Joint: Bolt-On
Neck Finish: Satin
Neck Shape: 22mm C Profile
Scale Length: 650mm / 25.5"
Fretboard Material: Rosewood
Fretboard Radius: 350mm
Number of Frets: 22
Fret Material: Stainless Steel
Fret Size: Medium Jumbo
Nut Material: Bone
Nut Width: 42mm / 1.65"
Position Inlays: Abalone Fret Dots
Binding: N/A
Side Dots: Glow in the Dark 
Truss Rod: Dual Action 2-Way

Electronics
Bridge Pickup:
 Laohao Hand Made Alnico V Single-Coil Pickup
Middle Pickup: N/A
Neck Pickup: Laohao Hand Made Alnico V Single-Coil Pickup
Switching: 3-Way Switch
Configuration: SS
Special Electronics: Copper Foil Shielded Cavity

Hardware
Bridge:
 Vintage Style Bridge With Brass Saddles
Hardware Finish: Chrome​​​​​​​
Machine Heads: Premium Locking Die-Cast​​​​​​​
Pickguard: Cream

Miscellaneous/Special Features
Strings:
 Ernie Ball 10-46 Regular Slinky​​​​​​​
Weight: 2.7-3.2kg / 6-7lbs

Accessories
Included Accessories:
 Instrument Cable, Truss Rod Adjustment Key, Bridge Adjustment Key, Picks, Strap Locks​​​​​​​
Optional Hard Cases: REC300RC, REC350FTB, EC500
Optional Bags: HGBAGST, BAGST

(18089)


Reviews (6)

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This Guitar Kills All Other Budget T-Type Guitars

By: on 21 September 2024
I made a video review which took hours to make: here it is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iou4WGG0O10

Artist Guitars Response
Thank you for making the video. We really appreciate it!

A killer guitar for the money!

By: on 27 June 2024
stainless frets! out of the box they shine like mirrors even the fret ends are dressed well, what a nice suprise at this price. The neck itself seems more like rift sawn with mine but all good does have some back bow though ive got it set up nicely minimal fret buzz low action 1.25mm-1.5mm the weight is great if you hate heavy stuff this thing is light and comfy. The relic finish actually doesnt look bad at all ive seen some cheap relics look like garbage but this looks classy i mean new looking hardware is a out of touch with the relic idea add some relic hardware/vintage tuners and a relic finish neck and it would come together a bit more nicely but saying that i do like how this is. The pickups sound great but for me they do feel a little modern for what this is but im not complaining thats personal preferece at the end of the day but these are pretty dynamic and tight under low-high gain without much noise im sure the shielding is to be thanked for this as well. All round this is killer for the money i couldnt be happier. I would recommend artist anyday over other well known brands

Artist Guitars Response
Thanks so much for your review! Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions.

Wow

By: on 23 April 2024
Bought this from the bargain bin so wasn't sure what to expect Out of the box i was pleased with how light the guitar is A slight action adjustment and stretching of the strings and wow. What a great instrument. The stainless frets are all level with zero movement on my fret rocker with no sharp edges No neck adjustment was needed. The locking tuners seem much better than the ones that are on my other artist guitars (not that they are bad) Never thought id buy a reliced guitar but im glad i did. love it Highly recommended

Artist Guitars Response
Thank you so much for your review. We really appreciate it.

The "Relicaster" is ridiculously good!

By: on 21 April 2024
I have had this guitar for a few weeks and it is exceptional. The locking tuners are a huge upgrade and work amazingly, coupled with ridiculous quality neck and look, with an excellent finish. This guitar has quickly become on of my favourites.

Artist Guitars Response
Thank you so much for your review. We really appreciate it.

Terrific Tele style

By: on 18 April 2024
Lots of fun. Well thought out design with good specs at an affordable price. Thank you for the attention to detail Artist guitars!

Artist Guitars Response
It's our pleasure and thank you so much for taking the time to leave feedback. We really appreciate the support!

It does the thing

By: on 28 March 2024
The neck looks and feels really nice and frets are great, no high spots, no sharp ends, and polished super smooth. Tuners are also really good and feel solid to use. Setup was great, only needed a slight neck relief. Body is really light, too light for my liking and causes the guitar to neck dive. The relic is exactly as pictured, meaning they use a stencil or similar. Full sized alpha pots, PCB switch, and copper shielding. Pickups sound good but neck was very microphonic, picking up every touch on the body, so I’ll look to swap that out. A fun guitar for the price, with some nice features, and room to modify and break in.

Artist Guitars Response
We are glad to hear that you are happy with the item. Thank you so much for your review.