| At first glance, the Mirage GT has a Fifties sci-fi look that's exacerbated by the metallic blue finish on the instrument's vaguely Strat-like contours. Once your eyes land on the distinctive "open" headstock, however you'll realize there's nothing retro about it. Borrowing from the nylon-stringed, classical guitar paradigm, the Mirage's headstock design effectively eliminates spurious resonances commonplace with a full headstock, while retaining solid construction via a graphite overlay and a metal reinforcement bracket between the headstock's two "forks." The net result sounds every bit as cool as it looks, giving the GT an even response from bottom to top. |
| The maple neck of our review instrument has a wide, flat feel to it - something like a cross between a Jackson or Ibanez with a Gibson. The discomfort associated with many "shred guitar" necks ( caused by the sharp edge of the fretboard shoulder) is thankfully eliminated here by working in a smooth bevel along the neck's edge. This is the kind of detail that gives the Mirage an invitingly "well-played" feel. The GT's ebony fretboard and its medium-sized fretwire are flawless, and the understated beauty of the guitar's unique design is enhanced with simple mother of pearl inlays at the fifth, 12th, and 19th frets. |
| The GT's neck is glued into the body, and the neck joint is recessed and without the traditional heel, thus allowing for excellent access to all 22 frets. Truss rod adjustments are easily accomplished via a nut at the end of the headstock, eliminating the need for a cover and keeping the GT's lines clean. |
| Speaking of clean lines, it's tough not to notice the subtle peaks flowing from the cutaway horns toward the body's center. Further credence to Mark Johnson's excellent craftsmanship is the way that these sculpted waves are uninterrupted by an "entry panel" on the guitar's face. This panel cleverly allows different pickup configurations to be used without adding a pickguard to the instrument's face. Another nice aesthetic touch is a slightly concave dip bordering the instrument's carved maple top. This adds nicely to those liquid lines, although as a player, I couldn't help but notice that dug uncomfortable into my forearm. |
| The GT takes its electronics cue from the venerable Telecaster. A set of Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro pickups provide a warm vintage voice, controlled by a passive volume and tone pot and a three-way selector switch. A look inside the GT reveals neatly soldered cloth-covered wiring and neat-as-a-pin shielding paint. And more points for attention to detail should be awarded for the use of threaded brass inserts to hold the back plate in place; you'll never strip the screws on this baby. |
| One bone of contention with the Gt's electronics pertain to the inexpensive, .05 pF ceramic capacitor used in its tone circuit. On clean settings, it rolled off too much signal too quickly, causing the tone pot to function more like a second volume control. Add enough high gain, and this little clay "wafer" resonates annoyingly, somewhere around the high D, and regardless of the volume setting. Blow the extra buck on a fat Orange Drop cap, guys, and I bet the evil banshee will disappear. |
| Otherwise, the Mirage GT has a tonal warmth and evenness which belies the expected Tele twang. Fingerpicking and light strumming have an even, bell-like shimmer, and the spank and clang doesn't emerge until you give the string a little goose. Add a little crunch to your amp, through, and the Fender genealogy begins to emerge more obviously. |
| Overall this is one buff axe that really stands apart from the crowd. MJ Guitars is essentially a custom shop, giving you endless options regarding finish, pickups and setup specs, so factor this in to what might seem like a price point. |
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