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September 19th, 2007, 14:38 GMT · By

The Devil's Work Unveiled: Devillian's Centerfold Guitar

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Even though some players which are way more enthusiastic than I am will strongly disagree with me, I'll still say "NO" to the Centerfold. Should I be a little more permissive I'd say, "Not yet". So, what's the catch, you might be already asking. Well, it's all about a guitar that claims to be revolutionary because... it folds down. The Devillian's Centerfold is an electric flip and fold axe that is said to solve one of the potential problems encountered by players: carrying the guitar!

The Centerfold is handcrafted at a rate of 300 guitars per year and
comes with Grover tuners and DiMarzio picks...and that's a good thing so far. DMs usually sound great and Grovers do a good job no matter how big your strings are. OK, they say the joint is made from aircraft super-strong aluminum, with a steel bolt keeping the neck in place when the Centerfold looks like a guitar.

They also say that the guitar retains an almost perfect tuning if no one plays with the tuners. That's OK also. What's friggin' not OK is the fact that you actually roll up the strings as you flip the guitar and (doh!), strings aren't made for this kind of things! You simply can't expect your flip-guitar to sound like my Jackson with Dean Markley steels after tearing it down a couple of times! Why? Again, because the damn strings are made to be tuned, played, then thrown away!

As for the rest of the engineering, Devillian claim that the sustain is "somewhere between a bolt-on and a glued neck"... hmm, that might be, if the joint is that tightly secured as you say. The manufacturer insists that the whole process is quite simple and even fast and they may be right. What's troubling me is what are the players going to do when things get a bit out of control: tuning problems, strings behaving weird intonation problems and the like... Devillian say such a thing won't happen, because this is an expensive guitar and such problems are out of question with expensive guitars... May I "LOL"? Any experienced guitar player knows that s**t can happen almost any time, that's why backup guitars are being hauled along with all the gear...
As for the last part of my rant...some psycho-social view on the "big and nasty problem players have often faced"... carrying their guitars. If you're a serious player then you clearly agree with what comes "with the job": carrying a lot of gear with you, venue to venue, night after night, and no matter how much you would happen to hate this, it's the job, man! Even I got mad when switching from the cool and handy floor processor to the racks and all the wiring and differently powering up each component and so on... but it's the job!

So stop complaining about how unfortunate you are for having to carry a guitar with you just to make a neat impression on the blonde classmate: pick up a serious guitar and start rocking. And then you'll get the chicks, trust me!

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Comment #1 by: do_re_mi_man on 27 Dec 2010, 18:22 UTC reply to this comment

Thoughts on this story, huh? Okay…here's a few:

First, this reviewer misspells the name of the guitar (it's DeVillain, not Devillian). Then, after spotlighting the DeVillain's many good points with "and that's a good thing so far," he/she makes his/her major complaint; that it's "friggin' not OK" that "you actually roll up the strings as you flip the guitar and (doh!), strings aren't made for this kind of things!" which leads me to seriously question whether Mr/Mrs/Ms Florin Tibu has ever played a guitar in his/her life as all guitar strings come packaged in little paper pouches, ROLLED UP in a similar manner to how the DeVillain actually rolls them — Strike One!

Second, he/she states his/her objections to the claimed sustain; that the neck joint is somehow suspect with "What's troubling to me is what are the players going to do when things get a bit out of control: tuning problems, strings behaving weird intonation problems and the like". Tuning problems? Well, Florin, if you get "out of control" and bend your strings out of tune, you tune them :) And, for weird intonation issues, how 'bout setting the intonation prior to playing it…or, again, have you no experience neither setting intonation nor playing a guitar? …does make one wonder — Strike Two!

Lastly, Florin states that there is no need for a folding guitar nor any other type which might lessen the struggles of hauling around the typical bulky gear associated with touring, reminding us all that, "it's the job, man!" and that we all should go out and "pick up a serious guitar and start rocking" — he lists his "serious guitars" earlier in his comments as "my Jackson with Dean Markley steels"…oookay — only, the DeVillain isn't intended to replace all gear nor all guitars. Its only purpose is for those who desire an easily stowable, compact, folding guitar that handles, plays and sounds much like a Les Paul Standard without the hassle, bulk or travel-size issues of an full-sized electric guitar…assuming you have the wherewithal to afford the $3,370.00 price tag — [oddly enough, this is the ONE, most obviously objectionable issue with the DeVillain that Mr/Mrs/Ms Tibu completely missed] — Steeerike Three and careful not to trip on your way back to the dugout…we're on primetime ;)

Mr/Mrs/Ms Tibu, here's a tip: Next time, get one, check it out, put it through its paces, think it through, and THEN offer a more objective and less-inane review, 'cause rolled strings are how guitar string manufacturers prepare them, tuning/intonation issues are non-issues with the DeVillain, and it was never designed to replace your sainted Jackson, merely join it in the play-rotation or, at the very least, serve a useful (albeit expensive as hell) role as a travel companion to confuse the limited intellectual capabilities of the TSA …lol… personally, I love mine!

See ya at the airport, kiddies ;)


Comment #2 by: do_re_mi_man on 28 Dec 2010, 15:59 UTC reply to this comment

P.S. Just thought ya might benefit from the following information: There are actually some of us out here in the real world who travel, who play, and do so for the love of music — not just to "get the chicks" ;)

With this in mind, I'd invite you to go out, buy a new set of strings — good ones, not the ones "behaving weird" — learn to set your intonation, and enjoy a brand spanky new DeVillain (Jackson/Dean-Markley-steels groupies notwithstanding) for your travels (on tour or not) and you'll thank me … trust me! ;)))

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