We all know that Canadian Luthiers make some amazing and world-class acoustic guitars, but now we can claim the same thing about electrics. I had the opportunity to test the new Fury (Strat-style) electric.

The Fury Guitar Company located in Saskatoon SK have developed a very high-end product that looks and feels custom from the moment you open up the case.

All the signs are right with the Fury BBM, a three-pickup electric solid-body that is easily equal to the excellent Tom Anderson guitars, yet priced lower. The suggested retail on the BBM model is $1449 with hard shell case.

Fury Guitars has been making quality instruments in Canada since 1962. Under the guidance of design engineer Glenn McDougall, Fury has created a line of guitars that live up to their claim of making "noticeably finer musical instruments." Their line includes other six-string models plus a baritone, a 12-string and a bass.

Each body style in the brochure is unique and pleasing to the eye, plus numerous pick-up configurations and customized accessories make it possible to have your own guitar built specifically to your taste and style.

The patented Fury ZP pickups actually increase string motion by concentrating the magnetic force on the outer rim of the pole pieces.

On this Strat-style I'm testing, the quality is absolutely first class. The colour is emerald green on this model. The 1 1/2 inch thick offset double cutaway body is beautiful, and elegantly contoured at the back (the "belly cut") as well as across the bout where your right arm rests. The body is also relieved under the base of the neck, giving you extraordinary access to the upper frets. The neck edge is ideal for thumb placement during string bends. Soft maple is used for most of the body to produce a creamy tone, but is constructed with a centre block of hard maple for increased sustain. The nitrocellulose and acrylic lacquer finish was superb (and the company offers it in 18 colour choices).

The four-screw bolt-on neck has the reassuring solidity that comes from eastern rock maple and it has been shaped to be halfway between a big "half a baseball bat" style neck and a thin shredder's neck. It has also been finely sanded to perfection and lacquered to a highly pleasing sheen. The nine-inch radius is comfortable and permits fast playing and accurate string bending.

With an unusual scale length of 25.064 inches, the guitar splits the difference between the short scale Gibson style (24 3/4 inches) and the standard scale Fender style (25 1/2 inches). The deep cutaway is at the 22nd fret, allowing you access to the entire fingerboard. The jumbo frets are set and finished as nicely as any you'll see.

 Using what the company calls a Balanced High-Mass Bridge/Tailpiece, the unit is machined from solid mill-rolled brass, then plated in chrome or gold. The bridge saddles are among the longer ones on the market, permitting precise intonation adjustment no matter what gauge of strings you prefer. Adjusting the height of the bridge is quite simple. Controls are conventionally placed and include tone, volume, five-way pickup selector switch, and a humbucker coil tap toggle. 

The headstock utilizes a four-hole string tree and six in-line Schaller tuners. The hard acrylic Uninut is a special design by the company and is cut quite deep. It also seems more solid than most and lets open string notes ring out with clarity. The deeply-cut grooves make for softer playing action at the first fret.

The only components on the guitar not made at the factory are the Schaller Machine Heads, that's it. This is an all Canadian instrument and McDougall and Garchinski at the Fury Guitar Company have a lot to be proud of. (Enough flag waving).

The two single coils and one humbucker on this model are another design exclusively called the Fury ZP. As noted above, the tubular pole pieces eliminate magnetic force in the center, instead pulling the string from the outer edge to lower resistance to string motion. Combined with sensitive attack dynamic, a lack of microphonics and total isolation of the pickup structure from transient resonance all contribute to what can only be called a monstrous sound. Played straight into an amp, the Fury produces nice varieties of tones, from glassy quiver to a glorious grind. 

I recommend that every guitar player check this thing out. Regardless of what style you play you'll have fun with this guitar.

For more product information, contact

Fury Guitars, 743 Costigan Place, Saskatoon SK S7J 3R3 (306) 244-4063, Fax: (306) 374-0633, info@furyguitar.com