ffp by Almuse

Aimed somewhere between the "budget" and "intermediate" price range, these finely fettled playthings present unrivalled attention to detail and customer specification.

These guitars usually start life as far-eastern manufactured components, complete guitars (eg. Squiers, Westfields etc) or a combination but that is just the beginning of the story!

Mass production is essential to keep costs low but inevitably, attention to detail suffers; particularly in the "playability" area so guitars destined to carry the ffp logo are immediately stripped down to their component parts for a spot of improvement.

The neck and fretboard are the first  to be worked on - the neck is checked and tweaked for straightness and followed by a light fret dressing. On "Strat" type guitars, the vibrato unit is a common problem area so some judicious removal of metal improves both string life and tuning issues.

The next consideration is whether these guitars will be fit for purpose. Choice of the aesthetic and functional parts are taken into account - maybe a black scratchplate instead of a white - maybe a change of pickups or internal electronics since every guitarist will have their own idea of their dream axe!

Finally after assembly, the guitar is set up with special attention given to the nut, action and intonation. Vibrato units are set to the "one semitone up" method and all string bearing areas are lubricated with "Nut Sauce" for smooth tuning and "Divebombing" confidence.

ffp guitars are available by special order although a small stock is usually held (see the For Sale section) and prices start at around £140.00.