Of the three, the CruzTone sounded most like the Rickenbacker. It had a bit more twang (which could easily be dialed out if not desired), and probably a bit more sustain, owing to the longer scale length, and body design and mass. The string spacing is identical to the Rickenbacker. By the way, the Rick is my "go-to guitar" and my benchmark for good tone. If you like the Rick tone, you'll like the sound of the CruzTone.

The Hipshot bridge works very well, but it isn't really my thing. I'm more comfortable twisting the tuners to change tunings. I can see where someone with less experience or trust in their ears might really like the convenience of the Hipshot though.

The esthetics are pretty much Gibson Ultratone, but with an updated, anodized aluminum look. The markings on the headstock in particular are very nice looking. The volume and tone knobs are conveniently located for volume and tone swells while playing.

I was surprised at how much I liked the Rick Turner pickup. There's been a lot of talk over the years on the Forum about horseshoe pickups, what constitutes a "real" horseshoe pickup. I know the Turner pickup's shoes are not magnatized, unlike the Rickenbacher (and Lollar/Aiello's ), so they are not a true replica of the Rickenbacher. This may be the case, but Rick Turner has worked some kind of magic into this pickup...it sounds really good and compliments this guitar well (note - Colin is also offering the guitar with the Lollar/Aiello horseshoe pickup).