Larry Carlton - H7T LH Cherry Sunburst

The flamed maple of the Sire Larry Carlton H7T LH catches the light in Cherry Sunburst and announces a tonal colour halfway between the jazz hollowbody and the rock solidbody: the semi-hollow body with maple centre block aerates the harmonics without letting feedback settle in, even at high volume. The LC Filtertron double-coil pickups add their own layer of sound to this base - more compressed than a P90, less neutral than a standard humbucker, they describe a fleshy, articulate midrange, characteristic of the country and sixties rock repertoire that this guitar naturally inhabits.

The mahogany C-profile neck, glued to the body in a Set-Neck junction, extends the vibration from the nut to the heel without a break in mass - the sustain of held notes benefits directly from this. The 304.8mm radius Edgeless™ ebony fingerboard provides a dense surface under the fingers, conducive to bends and large extensions of the left hand without edge friction. The 43mm bone saddle and 2.7mm Medium Jumbo frets delineate a generous playing corridor for open chords and first half-neck positions. The Sire Premium oil-bath tuners resist mechanical disruption over time.

The Goldo/Sire G7 vibrato combined with the Tune-O-Matic is the distinguishing feature of the H7T model compared with the H7V: it allows for gentle chord inflections and controlled dive effects without destabilising the overall tuning. The 3-position selector with 2 independent volumes and 2 tones sculpts each pickup separately. The black 3-ply pickguard, square white pearl markers and chrome hardware give this instrument a consistent vintage look.