First Act Paul Westerberg Signature Guitar Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I'll admit it: I'm a Paul Westerberg fan. No shame in that. When I decided to buy this guitar, I did it with my heart rather than my head. I figured if it sucked, I could return it. I didn't know what to expect, other than Paul picked a different FirstAct model up at a discount store and played it on tour. Now I can understand why. My other electric is a Squier Strat (Japanese!) which has the 80's metal setup -- floating tremelo, high-output humbuckers, etc.

It was nice to jump to a hardtail guitar with a bit less output -- something that doesn't scream, "I've got a wang bar, and I'm going to use it!" The first thing I noticed was the sustain. I think that's mostly the lack of a tremolo and fewer magnets under the strings. The pickups have a vintage sound which works well with a slightly-crunchy amp setup.

The finish is nearly-flawless.The neck has a satin finsh, and fairly high action out of the box. It plays well, however. It will be interesting to see how it ages and how the finish wears.

My three biggest complaints aren't that serious.The machine heads are midrange. They're not as bad as I've seen on inexpensive guitars (I feared they'd be worse). They're not as good as the ones that came stock on my Strat. They don't have that super-positive, fine feel that I'd like.I've got a similar set on my acoustic guitar and they broke down a bit after 10 years, but still work passibly (the knobs wiggle).

Second in the complaint department are the frets. I don't know if it is the metal or the finish, but they don't feel super-smooth. There's a bit of a grind as you bend the strings. Some playing time and/or emery paper will probably take care of that, but we'll see.

Finally in the world of complaints are the strings. They made my fingers black. I cleaned them with a bit of alcohol, but I'll probably replace them.

I'm not a guitar connisseur. I think I had a good Japanese Strat even if it was the "Strat in Metal Clothing." The PW580 is top-to-bottom a solid guitar. For $159, I'm impressed. FirstAct is trying to build their image with the artist line and the custom-built guitars. If they keep building value guitars like this, their image will continue to grow.

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Product Description:
First Act signature artist Paul Westerberg is one of the most influential artists of his generation--a pioneering songwriter, guitarist, and frontman of legendary status. As the leader of The Replacements, he helped pave the way for the 90s alternative rock revolution. The indie rock icon has recently been spotted on stage playing a guitar with a unique provenance. While on tour, Westerberg stopped into a local mass retailer to buy shaving cream, and bought a crimson First Act me501 electric guitar on impulse. Westerberg debuted the guitar onstage that night, and quickly brought it into heavy onstage rotation for the rest of his tour. First Act and Paul Westerberg have come together to design a great signature rock guitar, the me580. A killer electric with a rock and roll soul. Westerberg described his vision of the guitar: "...something not too heavy, that I could play quietly or full volume. It has a single pick-up, and it sort of snarls. It's lean, clean, and mean, and it doesn't have that big, overdriven, fuzzy sound. You can get that with an amp, but the guitar itself doesn't put it out, and that's what I was looking for. There's a definite old-school thing... it belongs in a garage. It probably sounds best in a garage playing surf music or something like that."

Designed for rock revolutionary Paul Westerberg of The Replacements, this solid body is ready to rock! The contoured custom body shape was designed in our Studio for Artists. A deep single cutaway offers high fret access. The maple neck cradles a smooth rosewood fretboard.

One vintage-voiced single coil pickup offers a classic vintage tone. Punk rock plaid punctuates the pickguard. A tilted 3+3 headstock and string-through retainer system maximize sustain. Die cast tuning machines provide accurate tuning. Volume and tone knobs offer quick access to sound tweaks.