Shergold Masquerader Standard SM11 | Review

Shergold Masquerader Standard SM11 | Review

MSRP: (UK) £409 / (US) $TBC

The Shergold Masquerader Standard SM11 combines classic style with modern performance. Featuring a solid poplar body and a versatile P90 and humbucker pickup setup, it delivers warm, articulate tones with smooth sustain. Redesigned by renowned British luthier Patrick James Eggle, this 21st-century reinvention of an iconic 1970s British guitar pays homage to its roots while forging a bold new path. Perfect for players seeking vintage vibes with a fresh, modern twist. Nick Jennison reviews.

The Shergold Masquerader (specifically the 2017 reissue) holds a very special place in my heart. It's one of the first instruments I reviewed for GI way back when, and I was very impressed with the quality and spec of this beautifully engineered guitar. I shot lessons using it, a number of my students bought them… good times!

To say I was pleasantly surprised to find a Masquerader waiting for review is something of an understatement. This newest model—the Masquerader Standard—is a more affordable take on what is already a very affordable and extremely high-quality guitar. It shares the same 1970s outline and eminently playable neck profile of its more expensive siblings but trades out some of the pricier accoutrements for less costly alternatives without sacrificing the quality or vibe that I liked so much about the original reissue.

The changes come in two flavours: woods and hardware. The rosewood neck is replaced by Canadian roasted maple with a laurel fretboard, and the body is poplar rather than mahogany. You are free to decide for yourself how much difference woods make to the tone of an electric guitar—I'm a "believer", but I won't try to sell anyone on the idea. What we can all agree on is that the maple neck feels excellent to play, and while the laurel fretboard doesn't have quite the same lustre as rosewood, it still looks very nice. The only grievance I have is that the poplar body makes for a guitar that's a little light for my tastes, but I'm a big lad and I like heavy guitars.

In terms of hardware, the T-style bridge has been replaced with the same six-saddle design found on the Telstar (another guitar I'm a big fan of), which is a very solid bridge that holds the saddles snugly in place to prevent any side-to-side movement. It doesn't look as cool, but it does the job very well indeed. Similarly, the Seymour Duncan pickups have been replaced by a pair of generic AlNiCo V models—a humbucker in the bridge and a P90 in the neck. You'd be foolish to pre-judge these pickups on their lack of provenance, though: they sound excellent and very well-balanced. Interestingly, the model I looked at came wired with the pickups out of phase in the middle position, which may or may not be standard, but it sounds super cool for Peter Green blues lines and for adding articulation to blown-out fuzz tones. If it's not a stock feature, perhaps it should be!

Shergold continue to impress with excellent guitar after excellent guitar—all super affordable and all with the same overwhelming sense of mid-century cool. Their decision to focus on three core designs and offer them at varying price points has resulted in guitars that are focused, streamlined, and with very clearly defined identities—no easy task these days!

For more information, please visit:

shergoldguitars.com