Washburn Paul Stanley PS2000CRB

The PS2000CRB does a splendid job of redefining the radical shape of Paul Stanley's older Ibanez Iceman while upgrading it with some classic rock guitar features of the Gibson school. The choice of mahogany, maple and ebony tone woods, the Gibson scale length and the Duncan pickups all come together to produce a guitar that is both radical and conservative.

The Stanley model's construction is immaculate. The two-piece pearl and abalone block inlays are microscopically perfect, and the abalone's color and figure are particularly beautiful. Fretwork and setup details are spot on, with wide, nearly jumbo frets crowned and polished to perfection. The action, at 4/64 inches across the board, felt perfect for the scale length and fretboard radius. The tightly flamed maple top is finished in a deep gold that has the faintest hint of a dark sunburst effect at the edges.

The sound of the PS2000CRB is just a drop darker than a Les Paul Standard, probably due to the body's larger size. At clean settings, the bridge pickup has a woody attack and a nicely rounded high end. The neck pickup is predictably darker, yet still well defined. That said, you'll still want to run this instrument through at least a moderate dose of overdrive. The resulting sound-wide, fat, and aggressive-will not disappoint.