Ultimately, while guitars like Equator or Artinger are a step above, something like the Phred will get the job done, they can play nicely with a good setup, and the sound that the end listener hears will be relatively close - much more so than a hollowbody that isn't designed to be similar to the Languedoc because being fully hollow with the right pickups, long fretscale, and trapeze bridge are important factors IMO. The tone is a bit more rich at the cost of the snappiness of laminate, and it feels more substantial for better or worse. I have to assume it was made in the same factory, but it has a hardwood body (maple on mahogany). I currently have a hollowbody that I got in a trade (for a headless hollowbody), which appears to be very structurally similar to the Phred. Freddy Rose is a great guy to work with too! The neck is Maple with an Ebony fretboard, scale length is 25.5 with 24 medium jumbo frets. The top & back are Koa or Flame Maple veneer and have traditional style bound F-holes. My biggest complaint about the Phred was that the veneer wasn't all that attractive, but it looks like the new models are much nicer, at least from the pics. The PHRED DockStar has a lightweight hollow-body made of Mahogany. The Artinger was also more of a jazz box than a rock instrument: the spruce/mahogany construction combined with the larger size made it a bit too warm to have the bite I wanted (a different tonewood would have made for an awesome guitar for my needs). The Artinger is a work of art, but I had no money (I was a grad student) and, while I had also gotten a great price on the Artinger, I didn't feel comfortable taking a guitar that sells for $5K+ new to dive bars in shady areas of town. I got a good deal on the Phred, which was the decision maker to sell my Artinger. At least when I owned one (got it a few years ago), the guitars were made from laminate, which gives a brighter tone, probably actually more structurally stable (in my understanding?), and it was very, very light, which was great after I got past the fact it didn't feel as substantial. A 10-foot wide oak tree fell on my car as I was unpacking from a gig during a storm, damaging the guitar, so I no longer own it (sold it "as-is"). I did like the Phred - comfortable and played well.
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