Lipe Guitars USA Brochure - NAMM.org | believe in music

Lipe Guitars USABrochure

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Mike Lipe for decades was creating, building, and customizing guitars exclusively for megastar guitar players. In the year 2000, Mike started his very own company Lipe Guitars USA to make his craftsmanship available to the general public as well.

Lipe Guitars are High End Boutique Instruments which are handmade one at a time by Mike Lipe himself. The finest materials and highest standards of craftsmanship are usedto bring you the best instrument imaginable. These guitars are designed to last a lifetimeand inspire the best of a players’ creativity.

In today's digital age, CNC operated machines have taken over, replacing the art form of guitar-building with a mass production guitar cloning process. Lipe guitars are one of the last representatives of a dying breed proudly caring the flag of genuine old school craftsmanship where guitars have individual soul and personality that can't be duplicatedexactly the same.

Lipe Guitars are recognized by their stunning selection of woods, tasteful musical tone,effortless playability, and feel that only a genuine handmade guitar by a Master can possess.

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The wood is the heart and soul in a guitar. Aware of this fact, Mike personally selects the wood for each instrument with extreme care. The moisture content, stability, and acousticproperties are always double checked before use.

Alder, Mahogany, Swamp Ash, and Korina are the standard woods used for the body core. The laminated tops are highly figured Flame Maple, Quilted Maple, Spalted Maple, Koa, Redwood, Walnut and Mikes personal favorite, Hawaiian Mango, which has become a Lipe Guitar trade mark due to it's incredible sonic properties and very extravagant looks.

The necks are made from Hard Rock Maple, Mahogany, or Korina with large variety of fingerboard woods such as Ebony, Indian Rosewood, Madagascar Rosewood, Maple,Flat Swan Maple, and Quarter Sawn Maple.

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Wood

After years and years of painstaking research Mike has discovered that Amalfitanopickups are the best match for his line of guitars. Amalfitano are high end boutiquepickups hand wound in the heart of Texas by Jerry Amalfitano. Jerry's pickups seem toamplify most accurately the true voice of the guitar without altering but complimentingits very nature. This is why Amalfitano pickups come standard on most Lipe Models;except The Ivo model which is equipped with Dimarzio Area Series, PAF 36th anniversary,or Vintage Minibucker.

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Pickups

Most models come standard with Hip Shot Bridges, Tremolos and Tuners. Hip Shot is anAmerican Company producing the finest guitar hardware made in the USA. The tuning stability, tone, and classy styling made Hip Shot an instant match with Lipe Guitars. The fully floating tremolo unites state of the art design and highest quality materials with super hard steel alloy ball bearing system to insure excellent return to pitch, accuracy, maximum tone, sustain, and durability. The stainless steel no wobble vibrato arm gives you a superb feel and years of reliable trouble free service.

The necks utilize the Bruce Johnson single-two way truss rod, which is the best of both worlds. It has the better tone of a vintage single truss rod with the flexibility of a moderndouble truss rod.

The neck joint incorporates threaded brass inserts in the neck butt which along with the stainless steel bolts and recessed neck plate creates much stronger contact point betweenthe neck and the body with superior tone transfer, sustain, and rock solid stability.

The listed woods, pickups, and hardware options above are strong suggestion based onextensive tests and lifelong experience. However, Lipe Custom Shop can meet any custom order different from the standard option according to the customer preferences to rareexotic woods, different pickup manufacturers, and different hardware etc....

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Hardware

KoaThe Koa adds a beautiful look as well as clarity and richness to the guitar's sound. It’s an oilier wood like Rosewood and denser than Mahogany. That dampens some highs in the attack and produces sounds more in the upper midrange than the highs. Worksbest with Mahogany and Korina.

Quilted MapleQuilted Maple is not only beautiful but it produces singing highs with a tight low end. It sounds wonderful over Alder or Mahogany. Maple adds crispness to the mahogany, but the lows and low mids of mahogany are still as apparent. The open resonance of the Alder comes through with the sharper attack and brightness of the Maple on the top end.

Spalted MapleSimilar to Quilted Maple but it produces singing highs with a tight low end. It sounds wonderful over Alder or Mahogany. Maple adds crispness to the mahogany, but the lows and low mids of mahogany are still as apparent. The open resonance of the Alder comes through with the sharper attack and brightness of the Maple on the top end.

RedwoodRedwood responds with a crisp balanced sound with richness in the lows. The bassresponse is particularly round and full. Redwood is balanced, warm and rich with brighttrebles.

WalnutSimilar to Koa, it has some of the warmth of rosewood and the crispness of mahogany. Walnut has less compression and combing of tones with Mahogany backs.

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Body Top Woods

AlderAlder is light in weight with soft tight pores with large swirling grain pattern to it with harder rings and sections. That adds to the stiffness and the complexity of the tones. Alder has a strong, clear, full-bodied sound with beefy mids and excellent lows so it has a broader spectrum of tones. It retains more of the highs which are not harsh while leaving some room to the lows. It offers a decent amount of sustain while weighing less than denser woods.

Equatorial MahoganyHarvested in Africa and Central America, open grained with large pores, it is fairly denseand constant. Mahogany has a more uniform grain pattern with medium to heavy wood weight. The constant density compresses the mids a bit and can be considered a thick sound, because it does still produce good lows and low mids is considered a warm tone but well balanced. There is usually good depth to the sound.

KorinaAn African wood related to mahogany, its grains are similar and so is its sound, referred toas super-mahogany. It’s a fairly light hardwood with a fine grain with attractive long thin streaks. Korina has a sweeter midrange and responsive while warm, resonant, andbalanced. It has great clarity, definition, and sustain.

Swamp AshSwamp Ash has huge, open pores with hard and soft layers with a broad grain. Basically it has a very rigid skeleton with open and softer pores throughout. It is both light and resonant across the whole frequency spectrum. It has clear bell-like highs, pronounced mids, and strong lows.

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Body Woods

Flame Maple / Flat Swan / Quarter Swan Maple: Maple has a unique tone, strong in the midrange with a sweet high end. It produces tremendous amounts of tight higher tones with most bass leaning harmonics andvariations in pick attack are filtered away. Very bright and dense, Maple is highly reflectiveand will cut through when you need it and never muddy on the bass. Maple is good foroverdrive with good harmonics.

Ebony:Ebony has a crisp attack with a stronger fundamental tone than Maple. It has the densityof Maple however the grains are more brittle with oilier pores. It has a tremendous amount of overtones in the pick attack that mute out shortly than to foster long sustain.

Indian Rosewood:Indian rosewood tends to darken the tone a bit, adding warmth to the neck and generallyto the whole tone. A rosewood neck will produce excellent sustain while also smoothening out the highs. Generally with greater sustain comes a brighter top end. This is not true of Rosewood. It mutes the high frequency overtones, producing a strong fundamental that still has the complexities of mid and low mid overtones.

Madagascar Rosewood:Madagascar rosewood tonally is considered a kindred spirit to Brazilian rosewood,boasting zesty, articulate highs, deep lows and ample dynamic range, and rewarding players with rich sustain and complex overtones.

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Fretboard Woods

Rock Hard Maple / Flat Swan Maple / Quarter Swan MapleIts tone is highly reflective and focuses more energy onto the body wood. It will have thetightest lows for the extended range. Low notes will have a sharp attack, plenty ofharmonics, and excellent sustain. Maple is strong and stable, and it has less reaction from environmental changes than other hardwoods. Maple necks are less of afactor on the guitar’s tone and emphasize the body wood.

Quarter Swan MahoganyMahogany’s even density makes stable necks, and the open pores make the neck a little more responsive than a maple neck. The Mahogany will absorb a bit more of the string vibration and compresses the attack and the highs a little.

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Neck Woods

Body : Alder / Equatorial Mahogany / Swamp Ash / KorinaBody Top : Mango / Quilt Maple / Spalted Maple / Koa / Redwood / WalnutNeck : Hard Rock Maple / Quarter Sawn Mahogany / KorinaFretboard : Ebony / Flame Maple / Quarter Swan Maple / Flat Swan Maple Indian Rosewood / Madagascar Rosewood Headstock : 7 Degree AngleNut : 1 5/8" Bone or Black TUSQRadius : 12"RFretwire : DunlopPickups : AmalfitanoBridge : Hip Shot Tremolo / GotohTuners : Hip Shot Locking / Sperzel LockingFinish : Polyester FinishCase : G&G Hardshell CaseOthers : 2way Single Truss Rod w/ Brass Bar

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Virtuoso


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Classico Virtuoso


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Soldato


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Twisted Soldato

Body : Alder / Equatorial Mahogany / Swamp Ash / KorinaBody Top : Mango / Quilt Maple / Spalted Maple / Koa / Redwood / WalnutNeck : Hard Rock Maple / Quarter Sawn Mahogany / KorinaFretboard : Ebony / Flame Maple / Quarter Swan Maple / Flat Swan Maple Indian Rosewood / Madagascar Rosewood Headstock : 7 Degree AngleNut : 1 5/8" Bone or Black TUSQRadius : 12"RFretwire : DunlopPickups : DimarzioBridge : Hip Shot Tremolo / GotohTuners : Hip Shot Locking / Sperzel LockingFinish : Polyester FinishCase : G&G Hardshell CaseOthers : 2way Single Truss Rod w/ Brass Bar

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The Ivo

Body : Alder / Equatorial Mahogany / Swamp Ash / KorinaBody Top : Mango / Quilt Maple / Spalted Maple / Koa / Redwood / WalnutNeck : Hard Rock Maple / Quarter Sawn Mahogany / KorinaFretboard : Ebony / Flame Maple / Quarter Swan Maple / Flat Swan Maple Indian Rosewood / Madagascar Rosewood Headstock : 7 Degree AngleNut : 1 5/8" Bone or Black TUSQRadius : 12"RFretwire : DunlopPickups : AmalfitanoBridge : Hip Shot / GotohTuners : Hip Shot / Sperzel Finish : Polyester FinishCase : G&G Hardshell CaseOthers : 2way Single Truss Rod w/ Brass Bar

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Luparo Bass P-J - 4 strings / Luparo P - 5 strings

Mike was the original head man at Ibanez USA Custom Shop in LA. He is the one who built Satrianis Chrome Boy that was stolen. This guitar has an HSS pickup config, Alder body, flame maple top, 1 piece hard rock maple neck, brazilian rosewood fretboard, hipshot trem, spirzel locking tuners, 22 jumbo frets and Jerry Amalfortono pickups.

Best guitar I have owned yet and have played. Completely hand made/carved. Jerrys pickups are vintage oriented, Alnico V in middle and neck and Alnico 2 in the bridge bucker. The bridge bucker may not be what metal heads or super hard rock players like, but it sounds awesome for fusion, left hand playing and is just a wonderful singing sound. When it comes to leads, I am in love. As for chord work or muted alternate picking, a little is left desired. The single coils sound killer. Full, mid rangey and reactive with a hint of over tone that is not ear piercing. A true Strat tone. Position 4 is todie for and the neck pickup sounds awesome in every way possible. Jerry also missmatched the coil in the bridge pup so that the 2nd position is a true strat tone, sounds great. Playability is effortless and Mike is a true master of building guitars. I am going to order another one of his guitars in the future. - http://www.seymourduncan.com/forum/showthread.php?t=193109

This part is simple. Lipe Guitar build instruments that are on a par with the finest builders in the world. I have owned Andersons, Suhr's, Paul Reed Smith's. Mcnaughts, Brian Moores, Gibsons, Fenders, Valley Arts and many, many more. This guitar takes a backseat to no one. In fact I can find more attention to detail in this instrument than in most I haveowned. It is truly handcrafted with extreme care by someone who understands what a musician needs to excel at his/her craft. To me this is a Suhr style instrument with an injection of love that delivers instant MOJO. I should addthat the tasteful selection of woods and uber high quality hardware really create an amazingly beautiful instrument. I think if you peruse the Lipe website and study their guitars against Suhr, Anderson, PRS, etc you will see a certain richness in these instruments that the others don't quite deliver. Don't get me wrong these are all Porsche's andFerrari's, I just think Lipe slightly outclasses the others at this point. Finally, I think the pricing at Lipe is extremely fairwhen compared to other instruments of this quality. If there were WINE SPECTATOR this one would get a 98 and if itwere STEROPHILE this one would be CLASS "A". Can't go wrong here! - http://www.harmonycentral.com/products/130585

I've either owned or currently own Tom Anderson, Suhr, Grosh, PRS, Fender Custom Shop, Gibson, McInturff, Steinberger, .... and the list goes on. While I hold many of these other guitars and their builders in high esteem, and would have great things to say about them as well my first experience with Lipe Guitars has truely been in class all by itself.For those of you who have never heard of Michael Lipe I encourage you to go to his website (http://www.lipeguitars.com) and prepare to be blown away by his history..... Is it any wonder that this guitar has left me spellbound? When you order a guitar from Michael Lipe rest assured that you’re getting a true hand built guitar from a masterbuilder with more credits and experience to his name than perhaps ten of the most popular builders put together. His is not a CNC shop overrun with apprentices or aspirations of abandoning the build process in favor of someday cranking out as many guitars as possible. Michael Lipe remains committed to putting his artistic and precise expertise into every singleguitar build. Perhaps this one of the reasons he is continually sought after by so many of the finest professional players within the music industry. And I leave you with this, in most cases you'll spend a lot more money pursuing one of the other guitars I mentioned earlier because they have so much more overhead to pay for. Michael Lipe's is not bound to the astronomical budgetary constraints imposed upon the other giants in the industry. Consequently you get a lot moreguitar for your money! - http://www.harmonycentral.com/products/110130

Classico Virtuoso (Amico)

Mike Lipe Virtuoso 009:

The Ivo

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Reviews

Coco Montoya @ Lipe Guitars USA (Winter NAMM 2009) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OtwRgAMCWM

http://www.premierguitar.com/Video/20090304/589/Lipe_Guitars_Virtuoso_Luparo_Jr_Bass_More.aspx

Lipe Guitars USA / Mike Lipe Preview 2012 Namm Show - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSG9d7kjGHI

Lipe Guitars USA Virtuoso Model 014 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOWko7mMUWA

Lipe Custom Shop USA Masterbuilt Carve Top Virtuoso - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4Oqx48b7Cc

Lipe Guitars USA The Ivo Dimarzio PAF 36th Anniversary - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C13--n-AuFQ

http://www.jemsite.com/jem/wood.htm

http://www.soundunlimited.co.uk/article_Guitar_Tone_Woods_39.html

Informational

Video Demos

Guitar Wood Types & Tones

brochure design - [email protected]

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Links

Mike Lipe

Phone: 818.352.6212Cell: 818.383.8241

email: [email protected]

Contact Info

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Lipe Guitars USA Brochure - NAMM.org | believe in music

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