Hot or Not? Michael Kelly: Forte Port X

Jbird

Jbird

Kick Henry Jackassowski
mkfpxn-new.png


SPECIFICATIONS
BODY
  • Top: Quilted Maple
  • Back Material: Quilt Maple
  • Side Material: Quilt Maple
  • Binding: Black Triple Ply
NECK
  • Neck: Mahogany
  • Fretboard: Rosewood
  • Fretboard Radius: 12 Inch / 30.48 cm
  • Number of Frets: 20
  • Inlays: Forte Celtic Knot 12th fret custom inlay with Mini Dots
  • Headstock: Quilt Maple
  • Scale Length 25.5 in / 647.7 mm
  • Truss Rod Type Dual Action
  • Neck Profile Standard C
  • Nut Material: Fast Black Nylon
  • Nut Type: Standard
  • Nut Width: 1 11/16" / 43 mm
  • Strings: D'Addario EXP16 Coated Phosphor Bronze, Light, 12-53
ELECTRONICS
  • Electronics: Discrete Fishman Sonitone Active System
HARDWARE
  • Hardware Finish: Black
  • Bridge Type: Michael Kelly Bridge
NOTES
  • Special "Port" offset soundhole placement with Port bracing to enhance top resonance
  • Extreme cutaway body shape that provides enhanced access to upper frets and great balance
  • Side soundport, personal monitor
https://www.michaelkellyguitars.com/en/products/view/forte-port-x
 
If that guitar was an outfit, anyone wearing it would be presumed to be a struggling streetwalker with an utterly hopeless addiction problem.
 
At first I was going to say it might work without the insane top and twelfth-fret inlay. Then I realized that those were just distracting me from how ugly the body, bridge, sound hole, and cutaway are.
 
I'd like to see it in a less showy wood; as it is, there is too much going on to really judge.

Oddly enough, a local guy lost almost everything he owned in a fire, though he was able to wake his neighbor up so she could get out. He has a Go Fund Me campaign that I contributed to. One thing he wants is one of these guitars. (He is a professional musician so it isn't as frivolous as it might seem to some.) Strange to see the same guitar in two different places.
 
I see they have the "partial eclipse"
mkfpxpe.png


Make it a full eclipse and it could be interesting, maybe.

This is more to my liking
MKFPN.png


On the whole, though, I personally like the more traditional look for what I do.
 
I like the idea of not dropping your pick into the sound hole.

Don't like much else about it, unfortunately.
 
Gary Blanchard said:
I see they have the "partial eclipse"
mkfpxpe.png


Make it a full eclipse and it could be interesting, maybe.

This is more to my liking
MKFPN.png


On the whole, though, I personally like the more traditional look for what I do.
Click to expand...
I agree, the more traditional finish is much nicer. It still feels like something is missing...maybe it needs a pickguard. There's just too much "nothing" going on in the center.
 
Nope. That lovely body looks like it is waiting for something to happen to improve it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top