PJE Legacy Mars - Electro - Khaya Mahogany

The importance of body shape:

The ‘Mars’ is based upon Patick’s historic ‘Kanuga’ shape, which is drop-shoulder or slope-shoulder dreadnought design. This body design concept was first seen in the early 1900s as two American guitar rivals tried to set themselves apart from each other. The rounded shoulders were offered as an alternative to the flatter, square shouldered instruments that had been available at that time. (See the Faith Saturn model for an example of a square-shouldered dreadnought.)

The dreadnought shape was originally designed for power – hence the naming after a battleship of the period – and this characteristic is still evident today with the Legacy Mars. This traditional beauty is a full-voiced, confident performer, sure to fill a room with an evenly balanced, warm tone.

What is Torrefied Wood?

Complementing the elegant design, a process of torrefaction or torrefication has been used to age the Sitka Spruce tops of these guitars. This Canadian Spruce is air dried to minimise moisture content before being ‘roasted’ in a kiln with precise controls over atmospheric conditions and oxygen levels, removing nearly all of the natural moisture. After this drying process however, as it cools, the wood has a controlled level of moisture re-introduced to its environment which then re-humidifies the wood to an exact, ideal level. This resulting ‘torrefied’ tonewood is not only enriched with a deeper colouration, but it is more stable thanks to a change in the cellular fibres of the wood.

A guitar with a ‘young’ top will, over years of playing, gradually vibrate its fibres into a steady state where they find a final resting position. At that point, the tonewood will sound its best, which explains why older guitars can so often have ‘that’ sound. And this is the secret of torrefaction. The precise drying and re-hydration process causes the fibres to settle into a steadier state very quickly, allowing the tonewood to ‘age’ rapidly, producing an even better tone much more quickly.

Which Tonewoods are used and Why?

When pairing this aged, caramel-hued, torrefied Sitka Spruce with the elegance and premium structural properties of African Khaya Mahogany, the tone produced is warm yet articulate with a mature voicing, reminiscent of a guitar already 20 years into its journey.

How does it all come together?

The Premium Top and Back woods are complemented by highly figured Flamed Maple binding; a Figured Ebony fingerboard, bridge and headplate; plus genuine unbleached bone nuts, saddles, and bridge pins for incredible resonant transfer. Each guitar also has a 1mm thick figured Ebony pickguard which will help protect your beautiful instrument as well as complete the classic appearance.

The Electronics:

Faith Legacy models are fitted with Fishman's FLEX-T-BLEND preamp system which features an undersaddle piezo pickup and condenser microphone located just inside the soundhole. By combining these two pickup types, a greater sound balance is achieved, plus percussive techniques can be fully explored as the body sound can be more easily ‘dialed-in’ when required. The preamp features 3 ultra-discreet knobs integrated into the side of the guitar; a built in tuner with a discreet screen; an EQ contour control; a pickup blend control (Piezo/Mic); and a phase control to control feedback. The battery is stored in a special bag located inside the guitar fixed to the neck block, and the jack output is combined with the strap button at the base.

The Case:

Your new Faith Legacy is complete in an ABS, moulded hardcase with plush interior. We recommend that you keep your guitar in its case whenever not in use.