Vola Guitars ever evolving and growing range now has a rather fetching and track worthy addition in the form of the Joss Allen Signature OZ JAM J1. Signature guitars have become increasingly popular as of late, with more and more people looking to imitate the players they idolised in the beginning years of playing. Now what constitutes a Signature model? Small changes to an existing model? Or a complete re interpretation of something? With Joss’s guitars its a double edged blade that allows both classic fans and more extroverted players to pick and choose what visual route they want to take.
Right, what are we talking about when I say “ Race Car Inspired “, There are two finishes you can choose from: the Le Mans Metallic Green, A colour that Joss decided to go with after seeing a rather beautiful Aston Martin on tv… Just go look up Aston Martin DBR9 and you will know exactly what we're talking about. It's a beautiful take on a classic guitar finish like a British Racing Green but with a metallic sparkle to it. This colour and the tortoise shell scratch plate lends its hand to a more classic and refined feel, image walking into a huge Library and in there is a fire place that stands as tall as you and sitting on a guitar stand right next to the very pricey cigars is this guitar.
The next finish is the Charger Orange, pretty self explanatory but for those who do not have in-depth American muscle car knowledge, it's the Dodge Charger orange. The entire premise to Joss is that you have the British side of his life ( seeing as he is English ) And the other side standing for the endless stream of American artists that have influenced him from an early age. Its a loud finish but that’s the point: you have the choice between the two. What route will you take?
Down to Brass tax let's talk about the specifications on these guitars, Both have exactly the same specs so when you fall in love with the specs it's only the colour that you have to agonise over. First is the body, we have Mahogany! If it's good enough for Guthrie Govan it's good enough for you right? If you believe in the tone wood argument ( like me ) then the midrange HONK you get from that wood allows the guitar to cut through the mix when recording. Bolted to that body is a beautiful Roasted Maple neck and Fretboard, all the rage right now BUT FOR GREAT REASON: the stability and natural state the neck is in makes it a no-brainer. Both guitars feature a HSS set of pickups that have been designed in house at Vola Guitars, even though Joss is seen as a metal guy the guitars design has had diversity in mind 100 percent of the time.
The Guitars are drenched in quality, all hardware courtesy of the rather prestigious company Gotoh from the trem to the locking tuners. The main spec that really makes this guitar stand out is the 24 fret change. Both guitars are based on the OZ RMN model but those guitars feature a 22 fret neck, Joss wanting to change it to something he would be more comfortable with went with 24.
Little bit of info for you these guitars are the only 24 fret model Oz guitars you can get right now, The guitars also feature deep contouring on the lower horn and heel to maximize upper register access. With these guitars being made in Japan I feel like we do not even need to talk about quality, but rest assured these guitars are built to an unbelievable high spec and quality just like the rest of the Vola Guitars range.
So in closing if you are looking for a guitar that is just COOL as hell or are a fan of the player himself, you can not go wrong with the brand new Vola Guitars JAM J1.