The Solus M1 finds Dennis Fano and crew getting back to basics.

Why We Love This

Inspired by late 50s single pickup Gibson guitars, the M1 has a few tricks up its sleeve that keep it from simply being a replica - far from it, actually.

The M1's offset body shape visually skews things into a Fender-esq direction while contributing to a comfortable, balanced playing experience - and let's be real, it just looks awesome on this style of guitar. The other interesting Fender-esq addition comes via the M1's bolt-neck construction and use of a tempered pine body and tempered maple neck (pine has long been associated with Fender guitars).

Plugged in, the M1 delivers great snap and top-end clarity mixed with a rich and punchy midrange - think fat Tele with slightly less twang and you'll be in the ballpark. It's a heck of a lot of fun and subtle tweaks of the volume and tone controls go a long way in pulling different tones from this simple setup.

Capped off with a beautiful Lake Placid Blue finish, a Fralin Dogear P90 pickup, and a compensated wraptail bridge, the short-scale M1 manages to combine the best bits of both Fender and Gibson style guitars into something unique and utterly Novo-esq.