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Arched mahogany body w/maple cap
Set-in mahogany w/rosewood fingerboard
Full body, neck and headstock
Logo - 12th fret
22 medium-jumbo
24.75"
2V, 2T, 3-way switch
2 covered alnico V humbuckers
Nickel
Vintage Burst

As anyone who has been to a music store or shopped online lately knows, it's not difficult to find a good-quality solid body electric for a great price.  The hard part is in picking the right model from literally hundreds of choices.  And, as most of the less-expensive instruments originating from Korea, Taiwan, and China are generally well made and offer good playability and sound, what really matters are the design objectives each importer has specified for a particular line--and this is where you need to look closely to find the qualities that are most important to you. you.

Take the Malden Karma, for example, which has two noble attributes: an extremely fast-playing neck and a relatively thing and lightweight body.  A classy looking ax with a slightly-wider-then-Les Paul body, the Karma is nicely finished in a high-gloss walnut shade.  The tiger striping of the maple top is visually arresting, and the nickel-plated hardware and dark gold knobs compliment the wood tones perfectly.  A small amount of color bleed onto the binding is evident, but that's par for the course on the guitars in this price range.  And while most of the binding looks very good, in a few places around the headstock some of the smaller pieces aren't precisely mitered.

The 22 medium-jumbo frets are lightly polished and sport fairly flat crowns.  They're also tightly seated, and their ends are even in length and rounded off to give your hand a smooth ride along the neck.  The bone nut is slotted correctly, and it fits reasonably flush with the fretboard.  The only inlay is Malden's star logo, which is crisply rendered in pearl at the 12th fret.


PLAYABILITY AND TONES

Thanks to its slim neck, low action, and light-gauge strings, the Karma guitar plays like greased lightning.  Its easy setup invites some string buzz above the 12th fret, but not enough to hinder the sound.  I could see some players needing to raise the action a tad to facilitate string bending, but those with a light touch and a need for speed will find this setup rules.  The action is also great if you suffer from tendonitis, or experience hand cramping when playing heavily strung guitars.  Speaking of ergonomics, the Karma balances well on a strap, and its deeply beveled back is very comfortable--you could shoulder this guitar for hours without getting fatigued.

The Karma intonates properly and sounds musically in tune.  Plugged into 50-watt Marshall and Komet heads (both feeding a Marshall 4x12 loaded with Celestion greenbacks)--as well as a '68 Fender Twin and a Mesa/Boogie Lonestar--the Karma delivered warm-sounding tones that had a noticeable midrange emphasis. 

The dual Volume and Tone controls allow for the broadest range of textures when using both pickups, though some players would probably prefer a master Tone control for the sake of simplicity.  The Karma doesn't have a lot of top-end sparkle to begin with, and it becomes even less bright sounding when turned down--if you're into buttery lead tones, this guitar is for you.  The pickups aren't particularly high output, but I had no problem driving the Marshall and Komet amps into thick distortion.  Also, I like the pickups' independent wiring scheme, which ensures your sound won't go dead when you flick to the dual-pickup setting when one of the Volume knobs is accidentally set to zero (which is what typically happens when you make that mistake with a Les Paul).


GOOD KARMA

With its excellent playability and a range of tones that are well suited for blues, classic rock, and old-school metal, the Karma is a good choice for young players, as well as hard-working vets who may prefer not to gig with their prized vintage or custom guitar.  Malden may be a new name in the guitar biz, but anyone on need of a hip ax that doesn't cost and arm and a leg should give the Karma a try.

Guitar Player