COLE CLARK - True Hybrid TL2ECBLBL-HSS

HOLY HYBRID! WHAT an intriguing acoustic/electric premise, promising the best of both worlds.

- JIMMY LESLIE

Straight outta Melbourne, Australia, Cole Clark has been in business since the millennium flip and is probably most associated with Hawaiian superstar Jack Johnson's acoustics. They ceased making electrics in 2012, and have recently focused on manifesting the perfect fusion by blending advanced electronics with easy playability. Noticing the trend of players adding magnetic pickups to their acoustics, Cole Clark launched a range of dual-output thinlines with built-in humbuckers in 2019. Their popularity led the company to dig deeper into the hybrid concept, ultimately releasing three models that truly straddle the acoustic/electric fence. The True Hybrid range features Cole Clark's three-way PG3 acoustic system augmented by their three-way electric system consisting of either three single-coils, a pair of humbuckers or the HSS configuration on this review model, the True Hybrid TL2EC-BLBL-HSS. Being a bit of a crossbreed connoisseur, I was intrigued when the guitar caught my attention at the NAMM show and eager to take it for a test drive.

This True Hybrid's aesthetic embodies its crossover concept. Sustainably sourced Australian Blackwood with a natural nitro satin finish provides an earthy backdrop for white single-coil pickups with white control knobs and a bowling ball-style pickguard that look like they could have been plucked from a vintage surf guitar. The teardrop-shaped sound hole on the top upper bout adds a cool splash, as does the golden humbucker that matches the golden control knobs and the tuners on Cole Clark's classic headstock crest. Teal abalone dot inlays adorn a she-oak fretboard. Somehow it all comes together harmoniously. The only element my eye finds slightly askew is the hard corner of a rectangular bridge bumping up against the curvaceous pickguard. A bit of rounding off would make it flow together better, but for being a bit of a unicorn, the True Hybrid looks pretty swift.