When Adam Black told us the price of the Orion, we told them to stop messing us about, we’ve got deadlines to meet. They weren’t. This is officially the sexiest thing you can do with a week’s salary.

The Orion is touted as a “hard rocker hidden beneath a classic-looking exterior” and backs this up with a cock-eyed alder body and humbuckers so badass that they’ve been served with anti-social behavioural orders (sort of). Then there’s that raised central stripe. “It not only looks great,” claims Mr Black, “but it also slightly increases the mass for improved sustain.”

Having stirred our loins with visuals not unlike Tom DeLonge’s signature Gibson, the Orion continues to impress with a physical performance that never feels like corners have been cut. The quirky, staggered cutaways let you right up to the 24th fret, while the weight and the unfussy neck carve mean you’ll quickly feel at home. It’s not tailored to shred, but eats up gutsy hard rock and blues licks.

Verdict

If you call your humbucker the ASBO, you’d better make sure it rocks. These do. The target market should love the spit ’n’ sawdust tone that can be coaxed from this electric. You don’t get the warmth you’d get from a mahogany model, but there’s plenty of punch and great sustain. It’s not quite the best here on test, but it’s the sexiest.

3 Stars

Pros: Sorted tone, unfussy feel.
Cons: We just liked others more.

Next: Aria Diamond DM-380