The 24-fret neck, 25.5” scale, and 1 11/16” nut give the guitar a spacious Gibson-like feel, and the extra fret preparation performed once the Asia-built DockStar arrives stateside really shows. The neck pickup has a unique roundness-evoking tones somewhere between Larry Carlton and B.B. In general, the build quality, look, and feel of the DockStar was in line with other similarly priced semi-hollow models. But that little extra little bit of forward lean in the body profile gives the guitar more balance when wearing it. Overall, the body shape is a bit more offset than say, a Fender Starcaster, which it resembles to a degree. The hollow mahogany body is covered by flame maple veneer on both the top and back that gives the guitar an expensive vibe and look. It’s incredibly light and can almost feel like a toy at times. The DockStar is also a potential lifesaver if you dread the notion of slinging a Les Paul through yet another four-hour gig. It’s easy to forget how smooth and welcoming a set-neck design can feel when heading into the upper frets, but the DockStar’s feels great. The design elements that PHRED takes from Languedoc and other offset models flow together like a raging “Scarlet Begonias” from ’77. But Los Angeles-based PHRED Instruments, which has a strong affinity for the music and instruments of the Grateful Dead and Phish, builds guitars inspired by rarities like Jerry Garcia’s “Tiger” and Anastasio’s own Languedoc, which is the primary influence on the DockStar Flame Maple reviewed here. That gets a whole lot harder when the instruments in question are specialized or one-of-a-kind custom instruments like Trey Anastasio’s hard-to-find Paul Languedoc creations. Too-cool-for-school players may be reluctant to admit it, but we love to play the guitars our heroes play.
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