Emperor Guillotine
The Almighty Ruler
This AW Enigma was the first signature model offered by Balaguer for Andy Williams of metalcore legends Every Time I Die.
I originally received this guitar sometime back in the first quarter of 2020.
Specs:
• Body wood: mahogany
• Body finish: gloss peach pink
• Scale length: 648mm (25.5")
• Neck construction: set-neck
• Neck wood: maple
• Neck profile: Balaguer's "Comfy C"
• Neck finish: satin/matte
• Fretboard wood: ebony
• Fretboard radius: 406mm (16")
• Fret number: 22
• Fretwire: medium-jumbo
• Pickups: Balaguer Gorillabucker (bridge) and Balaguer Thunderlips (neck)
• Controls: 3-way pickup selector blade, volume knob
• Bridge: Tune-o-matic bridge with stoptail piece
• Tuners: Non-branded locking tuners (18:1 ratio)
Are you an ETIDiot?
Do you wish that you were inducted into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame?
Does the idea of ruination make you want to raise a glass in toast while in good company?
Do you want to just have a good ol' time with a heavy slab of wood that you can use to channel some slammin’, chaotic, energetic riffs?
If you answered yes to any (or all) of the above, then this is the guitar for you!
Only 20 of these pink AW Signature Enigma Standards were made, as confirmed by an employee at Balaguer.
There were also 20 of the AW Signature Enigma Selects made, which was a slightly higher-tier version (+$300 upcharge) that came in a gloss seafoam green finish with a roasted maple neck, roasted maple fretboard, and a tortoise shell pickguard.
Despite being a pretty hardcore ETID fan for a while, the Enigma body shape actually took some time to grow on me before I received the opportunity to purchase this pink AW Enigma Standard. After gradually coming around, I began to appreciate that the Enigma body shape was something different than what we're usually used to seeing in the market nowadays. Pretty cool that it was based on an old Guild design from the 1970s. The second signature model that Balaguer offered Andy (his signature AW Toro) hasn't appealed to me at all in the same way. Maybe because the Toro model looks just like any other bland, generic, off-the-shelf Superstrat.
Let's discuss some qualms that I had with the guitar that led to me selling it several months ago.
First and foremost, Balaguer's "Comfy C" neck profile is a somewhat beefy neck profile. Balaguer's site lists the neck's measurements as .800″ at the 1st fret and .880″ at 12th fret; however, to me, the neck felt thicker in my hands. (This is just subjective personal observation.)
The white binding all along the fretboard and the headstock is a very cheap binding material that yellowed rapidly. I purchased the guitar secondhand barely 3-4 months after the model was initially released into the market; and by the time that I received the guitar, the binding was already very, very yellowed in some spots.
The particular slab of ebony that was used for the fretboard of this guitar was really dark and solid in color; but after a few months, it seemed to dry out at a much quicker rate compared to the fretboards of my other guitars (not just my other guitars with ebony fretboards, but with any type of fretboard wood).
If you are a physically smaller/shorter individual, the upper horn of the Enigma body shape will dig into your chest while playing, regardless of whether you are sitting or standing.
"When in Rome, we shall do as the Romans. When in Hell, we do shots at the bar."
I originally received this guitar sometime back in the first quarter of 2020.
Specs:
• Body wood: mahogany
• Body finish: gloss peach pink
• Scale length: 648mm (25.5")
• Neck construction: set-neck
• Neck wood: maple
• Neck profile: Balaguer's "Comfy C"
• Neck finish: satin/matte
• Fretboard wood: ebony
• Fretboard radius: 406mm (16")
• Fret number: 22
• Fretwire: medium-jumbo
• Pickups: Balaguer Gorillabucker (bridge) and Balaguer Thunderlips (neck)
• Controls: 3-way pickup selector blade, volume knob
• Bridge: Tune-o-matic bridge with stoptail piece
• Tuners: Non-branded locking tuners (18:1 ratio)
Are you an ETIDiot?
Do you wish that you were inducted into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame?
Does the idea of ruination make you want to raise a glass in toast while in good company?
Do you want to just have a good ol' time with a heavy slab of wood that you can use to channel some slammin’, chaotic, energetic riffs?
If you answered yes to any (or all) of the above, then this is the guitar for you!
Only 20 of these pink AW Signature Enigma Standards were made, as confirmed by an employee at Balaguer.
There were also 20 of the AW Signature Enigma Selects made, which was a slightly higher-tier version (+$300 upcharge) that came in a gloss seafoam green finish with a roasted maple neck, roasted maple fretboard, and a tortoise shell pickguard.
Despite being a pretty hardcore ETID fan for a while, the Enigma body shape actually took some time to grow on me before I received the opportunity to purchase this pink AW Enigma Standard. After gradually coming around, I began to appreciate that the Enigma body shape was something different than what we're usually used to seeing in the market nowadays. Pretty cool that it was based on an old Guild design from the 1970s. The second signature model that Balaguer offered Andy (his signature AW Toro) hasn't appealed to me at all in the same way. Maybe because the Toro model looks just like any other bland, generic, off-the-shelf Superstrat.
Let's discuss some qualms that I had with the guitar that led to me selling it several months ago.
First and foremost, Balaguer's "Comfy C" neck profile is a somewhat beefy neck profile. Balaguer's site lists the neck's measurements as .800″ at the 1st fret and .880″ at 12th fret; however, to me, the neck felt thicker in my hands. (This is just subjective personal observation.)
The white binding all along the fretboard and the headstock is a very cheap binding material that yellowed rapidly. I purchased the guitar secondhand barely 3-4 months after the model was initially released into the market; and by the time that I received the guitar, the binding was already very, very yellowed in some spots.
The particular slab of ebony that was used for the fretboard of this guitar was really dark and solid in color; but after a few months, it seemed to dry out at a much quicker rate compared to the fretboards of my other guitars (not just my other guitars with ebony fretboards, but with any type of fretboard wood).
If you are a physically smaller/shorter individual, the upper horn of the Enigma body shape will dig into your chest while playing, regardless of whether you are sitting or standing.
"When in Rome, we shall do as the Romans. When in Hell, we do shots at the bar."
Last edited:
