This month's guitar review comes from one of the most talented luthiers that this industry has seen in some time, David Thomas McNaught. Although McNaught Guitars have been produced for the past five years, it seems that this past year has brought this brand to the forefront of the boutique guitar market. Exquisite cosmetic beauty, contemporary design and precise attention to detail characterizes a DTM guitar. Proven traditional hand built techniques in craftsmanship, combined with modern day technology and quality parts and construction, DTM's guitars are truly artistic endeavors. To see a McNaught guitar is one thing, to play a McNaught is appreciation. In my appreciation here's my thoughts on the McNaught Singlecut...
Out Of The Box:
My curiosity is about killing me, just like a kid who can't get his new hot wheel out of the package quick enough. In cutting open the box and removing the packaging, McNaught has chosen a TKL standard black Tolex hardshell case. Good choice, sturdy with tight hardware, nice foam lining, ensuring adequate protection for such a worthy investment. Nice tight pack job by the way fellas.
First Look:
Absolutely breathtaking, but ya know what? I expected that from a McNaught Guitar. Safari is what McNaught labels this finish. Flamed maple top of course, sporting an absolutely overwhelming charcoal black and creme flame. The top (like all McNaughts) would make your momma cry. Topped off nicely of course with matching headstock and I may add with a classy new DTM headstock design. Mahogany with a book matched flamed maple top, back and sides, the neck is also mahogany bound with flamed maple (very nice touch) mother of pearl reverse crown inlays flawlessly inlaid. Two black Rio Grande humbuckers complimented well by creme pickup rings which is a great cosmetic look with the creme in the flame. Chrome Tone Pros stop bar and Tune-O-Matic bridge, nothing but the best here,
three on a side chrome mini Schaller tuners, four black standard Gibson type speed knobs with matching three position toggle and black cavity control covers finish out the McNaught cosmetically.
The Neck:
The neck on this McNaught is truly a work of art and deserves a separate section to talk about. The neck is not as bulky as say a Les Paul Custom, and certainly isn't a Strat radius either. It is just right. Enough neck to grab a hold of but does not feel like a baseball bat. Les Paul lovers will love this neck. Dave McNaught has a very clever way of shaving a bit on the high "E" end side to allow flawless access on that side of the neck to upper registers. The low "E" side retains enough bulk to wrap your thumb around. Standard medium jumbo 22 fret neck perfectly dressed. McNaught utilizes a construction design of a "Set thru neck", utilizing proven concepts of the stability of a set neck and the added sustain of a neck thru. Here's the genius. This neck designs extends a full 12" into the body. By adhering more of the neck to the resonance of the body, this allows for less of an angle in the neck. The Tone Pros Tune-O-Matic is mounted directly into the body, as opposed to any elevation. This is a HUGE benefit in increasing sustain and retaining more acoustic and electrified volume from the guitar. Absolutely Brilliant! This neck sports flawless inlay work and is 100% gap free with 0% tolerance. This is an improvement from earlier McNaught models, you can certainly appreciate the quality detail of this neck, it is Awesome!
Let's Play:
Eddie Van Halen once said that a great electric guitar would sound great even without an amp. I agree and that's why I always play a guitar acoustically for some time before I plug it in. Acoustically the McNaught rings loud and clear and very distinctive. I can tell that a great deal of time has been allocated to this guitar's set up. It has incredibly low action with no buzz or fretting anywhere on the neck that I can find. Intonation is as tight as 
Tonto's headband and stays in tune remarkably well. When I unpacked the guitar it was pretty much in perfect tune. So here we go with a six pack and into the vault to...
Plug That Bad Boy In:
First of all I feel like this guitar screams to be rocked. Based upon this theory, I am choosing only one amp to test through. My Marshall Silver Anniversary JCM 800 half stack. It's one of my all time favorite amps in my collection. I've also added a few toys to the signal path such as a MXR Micro Amp for a bit more gain, and a BBE 482 Sonic Maximizer to tweek primarily the low end. Upon plugging in and taking the amp off stand by, I immediately knew I have to get one of these! Dave McNaught through a process of trial and error, now offers Rio Grande pickups as his choice, I now "hear" why. These pickups are sweet. For lack of words to describe, these pickups sound "ROUND" to me not square. Let me explain. Some pickups have a certain frequency that tends to stick out to your ear. Normally in the upper mid range. These frequencies are necessary to get the "cut" you are looking for but can also sound harsh if not EQ'd properly. The Rio Grandes do not have this. They are Fat, Warm and Sparkly. Great balance resulting in tone to die for! In the clean mode, these humbuckers are surprisingly clean. Even through a Marshall, I am able to retain great note separation and a nice high end sparkle that articulates picking techniques nicely. The bridge pickup retains clarity and warmth, the neck pickup has a real sweet bluesy tone. Kick this demon into overdrive and look out. Smooth, creamy overdrive with not to much and not to little. In the over driven mode utilizing the bridge pickup leads are clear and distinguishable with a great sustain and harmonic chime. Chords are full and the bottom end doesn't waffle or break up, but still provides plenty of punch, and I like a good tight low end in my guitar, I want it to wooofff! The neck pickup over driven is cream city, sweet and melodic and sustains until the cows come home. These pickups are directly mounted into the body. This allows for the wood and the pickups to resonate together creating undeniable sustain. This along with the set neck thru design we talked about earlier makes this guitar a punchy, sustaining beast.
Final Mojo:
I am a very fortunate individual. My job has allowed me to review and discover the greatest guitars in the history of guitar luthering. The McNaught Singlecut is no exception. The more I learn and understand how great guitars are built, I gain an education and a further understanding of why some guitars just simply look, sound and play better. Believe me, I am not just trying to pacify or suck up to an advertiser, the McNaught simply looks, sounds and plays like a guitar of this caliber should. Completely and totally handmade, one at a time, and all work is done at the McNaught factory. Impeccable design and workmanship with absolutely no short cuts. All hardware is the best available. The DTM Singlecut is an artistic statement. Undeniably beautiful, incredible to play, and unsurpassed tone is really what this guitar is all about. 
At a retail price of , the McNaught is a serious investment. For those who can appreciate the true art of luthering, the McNaught is a "must have" guitar. I sh!? you not, that I personally have to get one of my own!
For product information or general questions please email us at scott@splawnguitars.com
<That's My New Baby.............
