Shergold Guitars has unveiled the Masquerader Standard, offering its super-versatile Patrick James Eggle-designed S-style at a more approachable price point.
The market for electric guitars under 500 bucks is keenly contested. Players are not wanting for choice. It pays, then, for brands to differentiate themselves, to offer something that the others don’t. On that count, the Masquerader Standard could have quite a case; it has a lot that makes it worth auditioning.
For a start, that PJE design is perennially underrated. We haven’t played a Masquerader we did not like. The Classic Series resurrected the British guitar brand, which was once played in anger by the likes of Joy Division and Genesis.
The Masquerader was presented with a variety of electric guitar pickup configurations, and featured an upscale build that belied its price point (expect to pay around £765). Its body shape strikes the right balance between vintage and modern. Shergold puts it best: “This modern reinvention of the iconic British guitar makes a polite nod to its 1970s heritage, then quickly heads off in its own new direction.”
This Standard Series version is cut from the same cloth, and once more you’ve got an interesting pickup configuration here, with a neck-positioned P-90 partnered by an uncovered humbucker at the bridge, both with Alnico V magnets.
A three-way blade-style selector switch is positioned by volume and tone controls. And there's no skimping here. Shergold has used 500K pots so they should have a nice taper.
Of course, guitars are but wood, metal, and artificial bone (the nut here is), so they all weigh a little differently but Shergold estimates that these hit the scales at the magical 8lb mark. They are not heavyweights.
Shergold has used solid poplar for the bodies. Necks are roasted Canadian maple and are bolted to the body, topped with a laurel fingerboard with a Gibson-esque 12” radius and inlaid with one of the brand’s signature details, the lined fret markers.
They look cool. Don’t worry if you think they are a little minimalistic; there are also side dot markers markers to help you navigate the Masquerader Standard’s 22 medium-jumbo nickel frets.
There’s a real plug-in-and play vibe about these electric guitars. There’s no messing around with a vibrato. There’s a tidy six-saddle chrome bridge hardtail, and, remarkably for the price, there is a set of locking tuners, too. Not bad.
Shergold is offering the Masquerader Standard in high-gloss Quartz White and Astral Blue, both with black pickguards, and they are available now. For more details, head over to Shergold Guitars.
