Malden Karma - Guitar One

	Malden Karma Guitar One, August 2004 Tested by Douglas Baldwin Instant Karma’s Gonna Get You! "...there’s a whole lot of music waiting to be played out of this guitar.”
	Malden may be a new name among guitar brands, but their initial offerings are certainly causing a stir. They’ve designed some classy-looking axes with real attention to playability and tone, and by capitalizing on overseas labor, they bring the goods home at very comfy prices. The Malden Karma, their latest design, is a perfect case in point. NO MERE KARMA CHAMELEON Rather than hide behind a cookie-cutter design, the Karma boasts a fifties-cool approach to the classic single-cut body design. It’s a somewhat ovoid elongation of the traditional outline paired with a slightly thinner body depth and a comfy ‘belly route” around back, adding up to a set of curves that no photo can do adequate justice to (sorry, art department!). A classic headstock design and minimal inlay – an understated yet perfectly executed Maltese cross on the headstock, repeated on the fretboard – guarantees that this axe will give the most jaded guitar-watchers stiff necks from the numerous double-takes it will elicit. The reviewed Vintage Burst finish handsomely complimented the satiny three-dimensional flames of the arched maple top, and the creamy binding matched the pickup mounting rings perfectly. REBORN TO BE WILD (OR MILD) The immediate challenge to any single-cut humbucker-equipped guitar is how well it stands up to its classic predecessors. While some dodge this bullet altogether with exotic pickup wiring or longer scale lengths, the Karma meets this challenge head on. The neck is on the modern side of a “sixties C” contour and, with a set of perfectly finished medium frets, feels both fast and friendly. The hardware begs comparison to any two-grand axe, and the pickup selector switch was rattle-free. The setup was delightful straight out of the box, just begging to be plugged in and played. With a bright and clean amp, riffs like the one below demonstrate that the Karma can easily handle a whole lot of classic single-cut humbucker chores. There’s loads of detail in the highs and a nice kerrang to the mids, especially in the dual pickup setting. The neck pickup can chime with the best of them and the tone controls (which take about a half-turn to kick in) dish out all manner of dusky shadings without sounding muffled or damp. Add some gain to the signal and the Karma’s cutting edge comes forward with a toothy high end and a bit of a high midrange hump. With just a shade less girth than the very best single-cut axes, the Karma sounds like it would nestle in beautifully with a multi-instrument combo or handle lead chores with aplomb. Simply put, there’s a whole lot of music waiting to be played out of this guitar. The Malden Karma is a must-try (and a recommended buy) if you’re in the market for a great instrument in the under-$1,000 range. Features: Body: mahogany body with flamed maple top Neck: set mahogany neck with rosewood fretboard, 24.75” scale, 22 medium frets, 1 11/16” nut Controls: 2 volume, 2 tone, 1 3-position pickup selector switch Pickups: unbranded vintage style Alnico Tuners: closed back, unbranded Finishes: Natural, Walnut, Vintage Burst Price: $759.00 list, $769.00 in vintage burst finish