Caparison Dellinger-JSM V2

WAY BACK IN the dark ages (a.k.a. the Eighties), there were two distinct types of guitar shredders who occupied opposite sides of the spectrum: the hard rock player whose weapon of choice was a super Strat versus the country picker who inevitably opted for a Telecaster.

- Chris Gill

The lines were clearly drawn, and never the twang shall meet.

Over the years we’ve seen a lot of cross pollination as far as players and styles go, but guitars that crossed that gap were few and far between... until now. The new Caparison Dellinger-JSM V2 is a signature model designed with Killswitch Engage’s Joel Stroetzel that merges the sexy asymmetrical cutaway curves of a super Strat with Tele-style appointments like a fixed bridge, chrome control plate with three-way blade switch and master volume and tone controls, and signature Tele-style upper bout pickguard. A Fishman SSA single-coil neck pickup and a dual-voiced Fishman Fluence Ceramic Killswitch Engage bridge humbucker with coil tap deliver tones that range from cluck to clang at the flick of a switch.

Playability

If you know anything at all about Caparison, you already know the reason for the five-star ratings. Caparison’s Japanese craftsmen deliver some of the most finely detailed and meticulous work and most immaculate tone woods you’ll ever find on a super shred guitar. Simply put, they threw the wabi-sabi out the window and went straight for the highest possible standards of perfection.