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Franklyn Guitars “Skybeam Juno” Review – One Pickup is just Perfect!
Introduction
Time for another guitar review—this time, it’s the Franklyn Skybeam Juno Guitar! A single-pickup machine from the folks at Franklyn Guitars, this S-Type guitar features a single pickup and a single volume control. However, don’t be fooled—this is far from a one-trick pony! Let’s dive into the guitar’s specs, price, and features, and then get to everyone’s favourite part: the sound. After that, we’ll share our thoughts on this Red Monster.
I’ve known Chris from Franklyn Guitars for a while now, and we’ve discussed doing a review. I’ve finally got one in my hands! This guitar is on loan to me, and sadly, it will be going back once I’m done with it. So first up, let’s talk about the brand and the guitar, starting with who Franklyn is and what exactly the Franklyn Skybeam Juno is.
Franklyn Guitars Skybeam Juno
Franklyn Guitars is a small, custom, hand-built guitar (and Bass) maker based near the border of Hampshire and Surrey in the UK. Their goal is to create modern, functional guitars with a classic and iconic design, all while giving each guitar its own unique touch. Since each guitar is hand-built and made to order, no two Franklyn guitars are exactly alike. The one we have here is the Skybeam Juno. Cool name, but what exactly is it?
Let’s go through what the Skybeam Juno specs and features, but let us start with the the Skybeam is made of. The body is crafted from Meranti wood with a hardware oil/grain finish in a striking red, while the neck is maple with a baked acacia fretboard featuring mother-of-pearl inlays and a pinstripe going up the back of the neck. On the back of the guitar, you’ll find a plastic control cover and a set of Gotoh inline locking tuners.
More on the Skybeam Juno
As for electronics, the Franklyn Skybeam Juno boasts a simple yet effective setup. The heart of the guitar is a single Bare Knuckle True Grit P90 (You would be able to pick whatever pickup you wanted if you had one built). This pickup is wired to a single CTS volume knob and straight to the output jack—super simple, super easy, and low maintenance.
The Skybeam Juno is hand-built to the highest standards in the UK by Chris himself. Any questions or emails you send will be answered by the man behind the brand. Looking for something unique? Maybe you want to know if a particular build is possible or have a wild idea? Chris can help you out! He’s super friendly and always happy to answer any questions you might have. The version I have here retails at £1,800 and includes a hard case. However, the most important thing is how it sounds! So, how does it sound? Well, let us find out!
The Sounds
For sounds, we, of course, had to channel some ’80s hair metal! I created a hard rock, hair metal track to demo the amazing Bare Knuckle True Grit P90, while also showcasing some clean tones. All demo tracks were recorded with the Franklyn Skybeam Juno running into the Spirit of Vintage (Review here). For the solo, I used the Brelliott TODP into the front end (Review here).
After the demo track, we explored more sounds from this single P90 guitar and ran it through a few pedals. For all the sounds in the demo video, we used our Revv D20, and for pedals, we used the Boss SDE 3000D (Review here) and the JSA Hot Toddy (Review here).
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What are my thoughts?
First off, let’s talk about the looks of this guitar. It’s very minimal and “basic,” but I think it looks wonderful! I’m a big fan of the red finish paired with the cream pickup—such a lovely combination! The cream pickup also highlights the neck perfectly. This guitar has a very split aesthetic: on one hand, it has a retro rock/punk vibe, but thanks to the cream P90, it also carries a Fender/Gibson blues look. It’s a very attractive guitar!
I must say, the neck joint has been carved beautifully—one of the nicest I’ve ever seen! It feels incredibly smooth, which not only provides great access to the upper frets but makes it comfortable to play as well. Moving from the lower to the upper frets, you almost don’t “feel” the neck. Speaking of frets, the fretwork on the Franklyn Skybeam Juno is excellent! No sharp edges, the fretboard feels perfect, and in the best way possible, when you play this guitar, you don’t feel anything—which is exactly what you want!
Franklyn Guitars Continued
This guitar sounds insane! The single P90 covers a lot of ground. At full volume, the output is high, providing lovely saturation and overdrive, but it’s also very responsive to the volume control, allowing you to clean up the sound as you dial it down. This gives you a surprising range of tones from just a single pickup! I’ve always said that a P90 is a “grown-up pickup.” As a hybrid single-coil pickup, they can be tricky to manage, but as mentioned, the single volume knob allows you to easily control the gain and clean up your tone.
"You can feel a bit limited with just one pickup and one volume control"
A few small touches worth mentioning: you get a hard case with this guitar! For the price, that’s a nice bonus. I really love the look and feel of this guitar—the color and finish are top-notch, giving it a polished, “this guitar is complete” vibe. Plus, you will be supporting local, UK based guitar builders! How many of the big guitars companies is the Admin, Social, Builder and support the same person? You are getting a One man, one band service, which is so nice and comforting!
Complaints?
Anything I don’t like? Honestly, I’m loving this guitar! I think it’s perfect. However, while the volume knob allows for a wide range of tones, you can feel a bit limited with just one pickup and one volume control. If you’re the type of guitarist who frequently uses tone and volume controls or switches pickups, you’ll notice the difference.
Conclusion
So that’s our review of the Franklyn Skybeam Juno! A big thanks to Chris from Franklyn Guitars for letting me borrow this guitar to try out. It’s great to see more custom builders creating left-handed guitars! I can’t wait to see and try a few more from other builders.
If you’re in the market for a custom-built guitar, be sure to give Chris a shout on Instagram or his website. I’ve included his details below, so head over, give him a follow, and he’ll be happy to answer any questions you might have! While you’re there, make sure to check out our Instagram too!
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