Novo Serus P2 Custom Block Inlays (Bull Black/CAR, 2023)

Custom built in 2023, in as-new condition, with a spec sheet to match: medium distress colour-over-colour finish, a subtly flamed neck, smart MOTO block inlays and Fralin hum-cancelling P-90s you can't order any more.

It cost $4,350 plus $350 freight at the time, which with import duties of over €1,000 came to roughly €5,300 in 2023. Today the same guitar would be a good €400 more again, as Novo's prices have risen.

The ageing is superbly done and gives the whole thing a slightly aggressive look you don't usually get from Novo — while somehow still coming across as classy and classic. You have to see it in person. The flamed neck was kept deliberately understated at the customer's request, so the guitar doesn't end up looking too precious.

P-90s have always sat in that sweet spot between single-coil wire and humbucker. Lindy Fralin has solved the hum problem without losing anything: these hum-cancelling P-90s give you the real, unfiltered P-90 character — dynamic, midrange-forward, cutting — and stay quiet.

The tone is warm, woody and bell-like, but the low end never loses its shape. Perfect for bluesy lines, jazzy chords or crunchy rhythm work that finds its place in a band straight away.

Middle position: bell-like and funky. The resonance of the Novo build means this position sits beautifully in a mix. Ideal for clean picking or dynamic country twang.

At the bridge the Serus P2 cuts through with a slight midrange honk. It's raspy and earthy, with exactly the dirt you want from a good P-90 guitar, and it never gets shrill up top.

Price€4,490 VAT not outlined (§ 25a UStG)