XOX Audio Tools "The Handle" Guitar

2010-03-25

XOX Audio Tools has raised the bar by creating a new guitar that has some real innovation and creativity. The Handle is completely manufactured out of carbon fiber that at just over four pounds, you don’t have to worry about a back breaker either.

One of the most appealing feature of The Handle is the unique body design. While staying true to a traditional single cut outline, the body contains some very art deco cutout shapes adding to its contemporary appeal. It’s only when you grab hold of this lightweight (4.85 lbs) instrument that you realize it’s not made of wood, but of something way more exciting – carbon fiber! The Handle is the first single piece, mono-chassis body manufactured of carbon fiber from the headstock to the bout of the body.

Closer inspection reveals the beauty of rolled carbon fiber — there’s something very beautiful to behold in the weaved pattern of the carbon material, much like the latest racing bicycle or tennis racquet.

The fretboard is constructed of a pressure-formed thermostat laminate containing twenty-four full-scale frets, and the neck has a slim tapered profile measuring a 12” radius. One of the best advantages to a carbon fiber neck is that it maintains tuning under the most extreme temperature and humidity changes – and it is not likely to snap or crack, either. From an adjustment standpoint, the neck is fitted with a dual action truss rod to enable full adjustment as desired.

The Handle is equipped with one anodized aluminum Volume knob and one Tone knob. A somewhat unique three-way Blend control knob manages pickup selection. A center detent marks dual-pickup operation while turning the knob left or right will blend all tones in-between until reaching full bridge-only or full neck-only position.

The body contour is concave in form, providing added comfort and playability.

The two main factors when considering an instrument are playability and tone — and if you’re one to get bored fast or aren’t fortunate enough to have multiple instruments, you may want to consider flexibility. The Handle provides quite a bit of flexibility yet maintains very identifiable characteristics of its own. We found the guitar excellent for rock, jazz-fusion, and jazz in particular, though it might not fit your taste if you are looking for a high gain, over the top, shred guitar.

The Handle offers a wide range of tonal options due in part to the pure sonic characteristics of carbon fiber, the hollow chamber of the body, and the 3-way Blend control knob — the options are endless. However, if you like to change pickup settings at the flick of a switch (like instantly switching from your neck to your bridge pickup), you won’t be able to do that here.

We’ve seen a lot of different knob configurations and designs to help improve accessibility and pinky finger control. XOX Audio Tools got it right – with the “Scream” knob located directly under the high E string and positioned between the bridge and bridge pick-up, pinky finger control while playing was a breeze. In most applications using smaller diameter knobs, you would run out of pinky before you reached your desired volume level. The diameter of the “Scream” knob provided excellent control in just the right proportions for volume swells and fades.

The Handle is equipped with twenty-four frets, and to our pleasure, they are all accessible with ease. The slim tapered neck provided added comfort and ease in playing our blistering solo lines (we’re all rock gods in our own minds).

From a cosmetic standpoint, The Handle is all but conservative. Strap this guitar on and it’s pure attitude — young, new, and vibrant, sexy, bold, and gregarious. This guitar will take you to a whole new place that just makes you feel like you want to rock, and rock hard. Everything we played from rock to funk to fusion – it all provoked a hint of edge.

XOX Audio Tools provides a variety of custom options for The Handle, including: a single-dot or zig-zag neck inlay, Hipshot Baby Grand or Stetsbar tremolo bridge, polished, matte or lacquered color finishes, and they also offer Baritone or Piezo models. Special requests for other custom options will also be considered.