Tanglewood NSP3GT Northstar Pro Double Cutaway Gold Top P90 Electric Guitar

Gold top style with P90 grit and bite

Twin P90 pickups and a Metallic Gold Top finish give the Tanglewood NSP3GT a vintage attitude. It is a double cutaway electric guitar with an arched top, aimed at players who want character and a little growl from their tone.

Sound

P90 pickups sit between a bright single coil and a thick humbucker. You get detail and bite on clean settings, then a rough, expressive edge once you push the amp. That makes this guitar a strong choice for blues, garage rock and alternative styles. Two of them gives you a neck pickup for warmth and a bridge pickup for attack.

Build and finish

The body is poplar with an arched top, which adds a more sculpted look than a flat slab body. The Metallic Gold Top is paired with a darker back, so it looks smart from the front and the rear. The maple neck is topped with a rosewood fingerboard that feels warm and smooth under your fingers.

Chrome die cast machine heads keep the strings in tune through regular playing. Combined with the one piece maple neck, the guitar feels solid and steady in the hand, which matters when you gig or rehearse several times a week.

The arched top also changes how the guitar sits against your body. Many players find a carved or domed top more comfortable than a flat one, especially over long practice sessions.

• Arched top poplar body with double cutaway
• Twin P90 pickups
• Maple neck with rosewood fingerboard
• Chrome die cast machine heads

Where it fits in the range

At £299 the NSP3GT is one of the dearer Northstar Pro models, and the pickups and the finish are the reasons. It suits you if you want something that looks and sounds different from the usual humbucker and single coil layouts.

If you would rather have more pickup variety, the NSP1CB offers a humbucker and two single coils for less. If you like the idea of a warmer, more hollow tone, try the NSP5BKG with its twin humbuckers.