Orange Amps' collaboration with Blast Cult's Jason Burns bears fruit as the stunning OE-1 Custom Guitar is unveiled

British guitar amp giant Orange has unveiled the OE-1 Custom Guitar, a high-end electric guitar designed by technical director Ade Emsley and built-to-order by luthier Jason Burns of Blast Cult in his London warehouse.

The high-end singlecut comprises a seasoned lightweight mahogany body with no weight relief, and a matching neck that is glued to the body, carved into a vintage-friendly V to C profile, and topped by an ebony fingerboard with a 12" radius for a vintage Les Paul feel.

Visually, the OE-1 is quite something, with a two-tone gold and ivory top and dark mahogany back, finished in nitro with a cream bound fingerboard, and chessboard binding around the body and headstock. The hand-cut MOP Orange logo on the dark ebony headstock looks incredible. 

Orange has used brass for the control knobs and shoulder-mounted pickup selector, with high-quality 500k Switchcraft pots for tone and volume controls . When it comes to pickups, you have a choice: Mojo Filtertrons or 50s-style Staple P90 pickups. Elsewhere you've got a nickel ABM Kalamazoo Tune-O-Matic bridge and stop-bar tailpiece, and matching Grover tuners.

All this comes in Hiscox case. At present Orange is only able to ship the OE-1 within the UK and there is a four-week lead time from placing your order. Priced £3,840, it is available now. For more details, see Orange Amps.

Jonathan Horsley

Jonathan Horsley has been writing about guitars and guitar culture since 2005, playing them since 1990, and regularly contributes to MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitar World. He uses Jazz III nylon picks, 10s during the week, 9s at the weekend, and shamefully still struggles with rhythm figure one of Van Halen’s Panama.