With a career legacy like Alan Entwistle, a genius guitar designer responsible for a host of successful guitar lines and accessories, who better to redesign the new generation Saffire 6 and 12 string solid bodied electric guitars?The Saffires make their debut as the latest line of solid boded electric guitars under Entwistle’s recently launched and highly successful, redesigned Rapier brand, based on iconic models that played a major role in the industry of British guitars, serving countless up and coming 60’s British Beat groups and helped launch the careers of many guitarists in the 60’s and 70’s.
Now offered in a beautiful 3-Tone Sunburst, Greenburst and Vintage White offset with chrome hardware and 3-ply, split scratchplates and black gloss headstock with redesigned Rapier decals, the new generation Saffires look stunning.
Whilst Entwistle has again, successfully retained all the glorious charms and characteristics of the original 6 and 12 string Sapphire models, significant and meticulous attention has been made within hardware upgrades, construction and playability.
Selected specifically for its natural sonic characteristics, Okoume, from Central Africa, is the chosen tonewood for the body, whilst for speed, comfort and accuracy, the 4-bolt, soft ‘C’ profiled neck with fully adjustable truss rod, is now crafted from hard rock Canadian maple, with a 12in radius, bound rosewood fingerboard, block inlays and 22 medium jumbo frets (including zero fret).
For accurate intonation, tuning stability and perfect return to pitch from the original vibrato design, the new generation of Saffire 6 string guitars now feature a smooth, friction-free, precision cut 43mm GraphTech Nubone nut, Wilkinson E-Z-Lok machine heads and high spec’d roller bridge.
Hardware upgrades also include a trio of Entwistle’s custom wound, Astrosonic single coil pickups, constructed with 7mm alnico 5, rod magnets mounted on a steel base plate, delivering a full rich dynamic response throughout all frequencies via a 5 way selector switch and single volume and tone pot. The latter, is wired with Entwistle’s own Smooth Track Tone Control circuitry, ensuring a gradual response and clarity throughout the full sweep of the tone control.
It’s quite apparent that Entwistle himself is a creative genius, as witnessed once again within the Saffire wiring, which includes the Entwistle ATN5, a 5-way rotary housed on the top horn offering a wide range of additional tonal extremities, from acoustic-like qualities, mid-range boost and high-end chime and clarity for extreme tonal versatility.
Aside a fixed bridge, the Saffire Electric 12 shares identical tonewood and hardware upgrades and, engaging the ATN5 enhances the natural and familiar resonance associated with multi-strung guitars. Say’s Entwistle, “I’ve designed the Saffire Series 6 and 12 models as players guitars that effortlessly lend themselves to all styles, from country, jazz, pop, to blues and rock. The Saffire electric 6 is extremely versatile, whilst, the 12 itself, has been designed with a generous 49mm fingerboard width at the nut, allowing musicians with large hands to enjoy the freedom of first position chords and engaging the ATN5 on this model offers jangle in abundance.
The new generation 6 and 12 string solid bodied Saffire guitars, offer exceptional playability and performance, and will evoke nostalgic memories for old-school players and collectors, whilst being the professional choice for Britain’s new young talent.
Rapier Saffire 6 string guitar £479 rrp.
Rapier Saffire 12 string guitar. £549 rrp.
The 6 and 12 string Rapier Saffire Series of electric guitars is a collaboration between Alan Entwistle and JHS, the worldwide trade distributors of Rapier™ guitars.
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