Michael Kelly Guitar Company is proud to announce that it has teamed up with award-winning Country music artist Blake Shelton to create a unique, new signature model guitar. The Blake Shelton model is based on the company’s popular line of Patriot electric guitars but features a distinctive camouflage design motif on its body and headstock.

Shelton, who has charted six No. 1 Country hits to date, has enjoyed considerable success with his song “Hillbilly Bone,” a duet with Country artist Trace Adkins. Shelton recently earned his first Academy of Country Music Award for “Vocal Event of the Year” and is now nominated for a 2010 CMT Music Award for collaborative video of the year.

“We are excited to have Blake endorse our guitars and to present this special instrument to the music community,” said Bill Xavier, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Hanser Music Group, the parent company of Michael Kelly Guitar Company. “We believe this signature model reflects Blake’s artistry as a musician and his one-of-a-kind personality.”

The Blake Shelton Signature Michael Kelly guitar is a solidbody electric with a thick, deeply arched Maple top, Mahogany body and neck, Ebony fingerboard, Grover Rotomatic tuners and two Rockfield humbucking pickups. It produces big, rich tones with excellent sustain and – due to its thick Maple top – an articulate treble response. Its retail price is $999, with an approximate “street” price of $699.

To connect the guitar to Blake’s Country worldview, the instrument features a classic “cammo” design that utilizes green, brown and black colors. Unlike the intent of camouflage, this Michael Kelly guitar will make players stand out in a crowded marketplace.

Information courtesy of Michael Kelly Guitars.

We are excited to offer our review of the Michael Kelly Patriot Premium guitar! The Patriot Premium line of guitars from Michael Kelly offers the player an unbeatably powerful tone along with a wide array of advanced features that make the Patriot Premium series one of the best bargains on the market for under $1000.  Fitted with the classic EMG 81/85 combination pickups, the selection of tones is vast and guarantees not to disappoint.  The powerful EMG 81/85’s allow the player to easily transition from clean full sounding rhythm tones all the way through to scorching lead tones.

A Tone Pros bridge, ebony fingerboard, set neck construction along with a mahogany built body and a solid ½” maple cap are just a few of the features that give the Patriot Premium line of guitars a custom metal growl, while still offering dynamic tonal versatility.  Electronics consist of 1 tone, 2 volumes, and a three-way toggle switch to control the EMG 85 neck pickup and the EMG 81 bridge pickup.

The mahogany neck and ebony fretboard offer amazing ease of playability on all 22 medium jumbo-sized frets.  The action is lowered and set to perfection making the experience of playing these guitars seemingly effortless when moving from the lower frets all the way through to the highest fret.  Other great features that come standard include real pearl fingerboard markers and a full abalone binding on the body, neck, and matching headstock, all further enhancing the beauty of this instrument. 

The Grover tuners on the Patriot Premium ensure that your guitar will stay in tune no matter what you can dish out.  The string through body and Tune-O-Matic bridge offer unbeatable sustain, while also making it quick and easy to restring. 

The Patriot Premium is easily worth more than twice the price!  Easy playability combined with outstanding tones makes this one of the best deals on the market right now!  Simply put, this guitar has it all….amazing sound, ease of playability, solid construction, and a beautiful array of different finishes that guarantee to provide any player with a most enjoyable experience! Click Here to check out the Patriot Premium for yourself!

Craig P.
Guitar Tech at ZoZo Music