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Alder
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Malden has been on the scene for barely two years, but in that brief span, it has become obvious that this company is seriously committed to raising the standard for imported guitars. With fresh yet familiar designs, intelligently chosen features, and exceptional attention to detail, Malden has succeeded in capturing the elusive and intangible feel-factor that emanates from instruments built by folks who are sincerely concerned about quality. In the past, American companies could feel smugly secure knowing they had a lock on the handcrafted mojo, but now it’s clear that others have begun to crack the code. Combine this level of craftsmanship and custom-shop feel with an extremely inviting price, and you have a tough act to follow. As the most recent addition to the Malden line, the Korean-made Mozak gives off a kitschy-cool retro vibe with its jaunty asymmetrical body and a tasty sunburst finish that’s complemented by a tight-grained rosewood fretboard and a 3-ply white pickguard. Its pickups are faithful recreations of familiar themes, and its cast-bodied tuners feel solid and smooth. For authentic twang-factor, the classic chrome-plated steel bridge is fitted with three brass saddles. For quick and painless neck adjustments, the trussrod is easily accessible at the headstock. I’m especially impressed with the smoothness and depth of the body’s sunburst lacquer finish, and the way the red hue gracefully emerges from the black outer edges, morphing into a warm yellow toward the center. The neck feels great, too, with its hand-rubbed feel and a seductively contoured C-shaped cross-section. The fretwork is top-flight—every fret is nicely crowned and tightly seated, with consistently rounded and polished ends that further enhance the Mozak’s luxurious feel—and the perfectly slotted nut allows each string to sit at the optimum height. No matter how closely I scrutinized the Mozak, I simply couldn’t find any detail issues to quibble about. Okay, maybe the three-piece basswood body doesn’t have the most attractive figuring, but there’s nothing about this instrument’s workmanship that even hints at its budget price tag. And dig the extra touches like the little felt pads that are placed between the strap buttons and body. What more could you ask for? Some of you might be thinking, “Well, how about some really good-sounding pickups?” If you’re used to automatically swapping out an import’s pickups, you’re going to be pleasantly surprised when you hear the Mozak’s alnico V magnets that are carefully wound to vintage specs. The bridge pickup sounds authentically vintage and appropriately twangy, with a seasoned upper-midrange and treble complexity, and the neck pickup is rich, dark, and smooth, with a breath of acoustic-like detail. The 3-way toggle switch selects both pickups when set to the middle position, which produces a combined tone that’s sweeter and airier than either of the pickups soloed, and I found this position’s veiled jangle complemented the sound of EL84-powered amps especially well. |
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