Larry Carlton - X5 LH Transparent Black Satin

The Sire Larry Carlton X5 LH arrives with a clear sonic identity. The LC Modern humbucker pickups in dual configuration, with high output, are not designed to whisper - they saturate with a density that holds up in rehearsal as well as on stage. Yet the 5-position selector opens up unexpected ranges of timbre for such a rock and metal-oriented format: between the intermediate positions, the sound becomes more nuanced and refined, without losing its tension.

The mahogany body with ash veneer is a combination that works both ways: the mahogany thickens the lower midrange, the ash adds a layer of attack on the pick. The C-shaped hard maple neck on a 647.7 mm scale gives clean string tension - the bends are responsive and the natural harmonics sound clean. The Edgeless™ rosewood fingerboard with rounded fret edges accompanies position shifts without catching, a not inconsiderable point during an intense set.

The Floyd Rose Special is the true centre of gravity of this guitar. The double locking system - 41.3 mm locking saddle on the headstock side, Floyd bridge on the bridge side - locks the tuning even under aggressive vibrato. The 355.6 mm radius, flatter than average, allows bending down the top of the neck without strangling the notes. The 24 x 2.7 mm Medium Jumbo frets cover two full octaves per string, giving access to high positions without a punishing neck end.

The fittings are finished in full black - standard Sire tuners, black dome buttons, 4-bolt neck/body junction with bushes - giving the whole instrument a visually consistent matte finish with no chrome sheen. No pickguard interrupts the grain of the satin-finish ash veneer. The mother-of-pearl/abalone block markings on rosewood remain legible without breaking the raw character of the whole. This left-handed approach is straightforward: a tool for aggressive styles, delivered without detours.