Balaguer Typhon Review: One Year (and a Half) Later
Balaguer Guitars is a brand I’ve been following closely on social media for quite a few years now. Back in Spring of 2022, I finally pulled the trigger on ordering a Select Custom Typhon, as I’d been on the hunt for an Explorer-style guitar for quite some time. The guitar arrived in March of 2023, and at the time, it absolutely exceeded all of my expectations, as evidenced by my unbridled excitement in the unboxing video I made. At the time of writing, it has now been a year and half since that video was filmed. Now that the hype and excitement of new guitar day has long passed, the time has come to consolidate my thoughts on this guitar.
Construction
Korina Neck and Body
Rosewood fingerboard
16” fingerboard radius
Stainless steel frets
24.75” Scale length
Tone Pros Tune-o-matic
Balaguer Locking tuners
Balaguer Evergreen Pickups
1 Volume, 1 Push-pull tone control (for coil splitting)
With this particular guitar, I tried to come up with something that would combine classic elements and aesthetics with some more modern features and conveniences. I had been searching for the “perfect” Explorer-style guitar ever since I was a teenager, but I never could find something that met all of my (admittedly very specific) requirements whilst also not breaking the bank. Outside of this Balaguer, I have yet to see another guitar in this style sporting modern features like stainless steel frets, locking tuners, and the heel truss rod adjustment similar to those on EVH and Music Man guitars. In my experience, a guitar may have one or two of those specs, but rarely all of them and never on a guitar with a more classic visual appearance.
As far as the quality of the build, it’s mostly top-notch with a few notable exceptions. The finish across the entire guitar is exceptional and, in my opinion, came out looking great. As I mentioned in the unboxing video, the guitar also arrived incredibly well setup and almost perfectly in tune, and the guitar has proven to be fairly stable in the time since as well. I haven’t had any issues with the tuners, bridge hardware, or electronics, and the included 3-way selector switch is satisfyingly robust to the point where it feels akin to an amplifier power switch.
The exceptions to the otherwise great build quality are small, though still worth addressing. Sometime after filming the unboxing video, I noticed that the truss rod adjustment wheel looks slightly oxidized (i.e. rusting). This isn’t something I’ve ever seen on any of my other guitars with the same wheel-style adjustment, and it is especially surprising given that the guitar has not been exposed to any excess moisture in the time that I’ve had it. What’s more, the Typhon has remained indoors in a humidity-controlled environment and has been stored in the included gig bag when not being played.
I also noticed two possibly minor issues with the nut area. First, the nut itself is slightly narrower than the fingerboard. While this is somewhat difficult to show in a picture or video, it is fairly obvious when holding the guitar and it can definitely be felt. Second, from certain angles, it appears as if the nut slot wasn’t cut quite wide enough from top to bottom, thereby preventing the nut from sitting completely in that nut slot. When looking at the guitar, it seems like the top edge of the nut has been rounded to compensate for this, but the end result is that the nut looks like it is sitting slightly on top of the “ledge” of the slot rather than between this ledge and the fretboard. Despite these issues, I haven’t had any significant tuning stability problems with the guitar, so it’s possible that these nut issues are only aesthetic and won’t affect functionality.
Feel
In my unboxing video, I mentioned that the Typhon was a fairly comfortable guitar to play. While I still think it is comfortable, I admit that this neck isn’t exactly what I was expecting. I ordered the “Comfy C” profile, but the neck on this guitar feels noticeably flatter and is closer to what I would consider to be D-shape, albeit a slightly thicker one than what you’d find on an Ibanez. The neck is reminiscent of Gibson’s “Soloist” carve on my 2016 Les Paul HP, but with more defined shoulders. I actually thought that the guitar was built with the wrong neck profile by mistake, but after reaching out to Balaguer’s customer support (who were very nice, by the way), we confirmed this is in fact the “Comfy C” profile, so no harm done. These days, I have been preferring rounder necks rather than the more modern, flat profiles like this one, but I’m sure this take on a C-shape will be very comfortable to plenty of other people.
Aside from my changes in preference regarding the neck, I would say that the Typhon is still a very easy guitar to play if you’re a fan of this body style. It definitely sits up against you differently than something more “conventional” like your Les Pauls or Strats, but the guitar is incredibly well balanced and lightweight despite its size. I’m also pleased to report that this Typhon is decently loud unplugged and fairly resonant, so that helps elevate the playing experience quite a bit.
Sound
Plugged in, the Typhon sounds decent, but I’m not as in love with these Evergreen pickups as I was on day one. To my ear, the guitar sounds clear, but fairly neutral across most frequencies. Pickups like this certainly have their place, but for this guitar, I find myself wanting for something a little hotter and with some more attitude. There’s absolutely nothing “wrong” with the Evergreens and I definitely think they could work well for plenty of people, especially if you are looking for a clear, semi-modernized take on the PAF sound. I just don’t think these are the best pickups for me in this particular guitar.
Conclusion
My feelings about the Balaguer Typhon have changed somewhat since initially receiving the guitar last Spring. That said, I still think this is an excellent guitar despite the minor issues with the nut and truss rod wheel. Visually, this guitar is exactly the sort of thing I had been searching for ever since I was a teenager, but with a suite of modern improvements that I haven’t seen on any other guitar in this style. I definitely would have preferred a rounder neck profile, and, in hindsight I probably should have asked for a hotter set of pickups than the Evergreens. Even with those admittedly minor gripes, I’m still having quite a bit of fun with this Balaguer Typhon a year and a half later.
