MusicRadar

• Review

The latest range from Eggle includes some models that indicate a determined intention to depart from established Eggle tradition and instead explore fresh avenues of design. The Wave Deluxe falls firmly in this category, employing original styling already seen on earlier examples in this series.

 

Design and construction

 

Looks owe little to Eggle's past or indeed any other maker, while construction incorporates concepts claimed to be innovative and beneficial to performance. The Wave name is well chosen, as the body horns and cutaways suggest an appropriately aquatic appearance. There are hints of Rickenbacker and early BC Rich, but this Eggle succeeds in being both original and appealing.

 

While body styling may be all-new, the Wave sticks with the standard, neat and tidy Eggle headstock, which actually matches well. It carries a set of locking Sperzel tuners, arrayed to ensure all-important straight string travel, along with shallow but sufficient break angle off the nut.

 

Like the body, the glued-in neck is English sycamore (which has similar characteristics to maple). It comes with a two-way adjustable truss-rod and a comfort-inducing shallow-ish C-profile, while width is mainstream finger friendly. The smooth rosewood fingerboard also contributes to a high stay and play quota, as does a 22-strong set of impressively finished, medium gauge frets. The 20th marks the neck's meeting point with the body and the appropriate join is accomplished via a sturdy heel, with airy cutaways ensuring easy upper-end excursions.

 

The body's two-piece sycamore top features some fair flame figuring and comprises almost half the overall depth. It's mated to a slightly thicker rear section executed in a single slab of strong-grained sycamore, complete with numerous knots on the review example. All are visible via a satin sheen, nitro-cellulose finish in blue-green, while the front has a lighter-toned, subtly shaded equivalent that Eggle call Adriatic 'burst.

 

Body depth is a super-slim 28mm at the edge, but is thicker further in, as the face employs a gently indented 'German Carve' around the edge. A complimentary-shaped, single soundhole on the bass side indicates air inside and the semi-solid construction apparently employs computer-calculated cavities and ports, all aimed to enhance inherent response. There's no front or rear contouring, but the slim depth and well-balanced proportions help keep things comfortable, as does a lighter-than-usual weight.

 

Electrics and hardware

 

Pickup-wise, the Wave Deluxe plays it pretty straight, packing a pair of Patrick Eggle-branded humbuckers said to be closely based on Seymour Duncan designs. The neck position pickup emulates the Alnico Pro II model, while its bridge partner is akin to the Custom Custom. Their surrounds are cream coloured and angled, but their slope is steeper than that of neck to body, so pickups aren't parallel to the strings, which means the flat alternative might be better.