The Fire Aurora Series features 10 electric guitar models with a Paulownia body, flamed maple veneer top, roasted maple neck with an Eko Low C profile, 22 Modern Narrow frets, a short 628 mm scale length, a 42 mm bone nut, two ceramic H610 humbuckers with push-pull coil-splitting, an Eko Modern 2-Pivot Tremolo bridge and Eko Locking Tuners. Two versions are available: the 401 features a roasted maple fingerboard, no pickguard and open-coil pickups, while the 400 comes with a rosewood fingerboard, pearloid pickguard and covered pickups.

Watch the Eko Guitars Fire Aurora Series video

The Models:

Fire 400 Aurora Flamed Grey Burst
Fire 401 Aurora Flamed Grey Burst
Fire 400 Aurora Flamed Amber Burst
Fire 401 Aurora Flamed Amber Burst
Fire 400 Aurora Flamed Green Burst
Fire 401 Aurora Flamed Green Burst
Fire 400 Aurora Flamed Blue
Fire 401 Aurora Flamed Blue
Fire 400 Aurora Flamed Caramel
Fire 401 Aurora Flamed Caramel

How the Series Is Built: Two Versions, Five Finishes

The series comprises ten models that share the same construction specifications and differ in just two respects: the version and the finish. There are two versions, the Fire 400 Aurora and the Fire 401 Aurora. Each version is available in five finishes: Flamed Amber Burst, Flamed Grey Burst, Flamed Caramel, Flamed Green Burst and Flamed Blue. Choosing the right model doesn't mean having to compare ten different guitars. Instead, it comes down to answering two straightforward questions: which fingerboard feel do you prefer, and which finish best reflects your style? Everything else is identical.

If you prefer a dark, open-grain fingerboard with a warm feel under your fingers, complemented by a pearloid white pickguard that frames the top and enhances its visual contrast, the Fire 400 Aurora is the right choice, featuring a rosewood fingerboard. If you prefer a light-coloured, smooth and fast-playing fingerboard, with the flamed top taking centre stage without any visual interruptions, the Fire 401 Aurora is the model for you, featuring a roasted maple fingerboard. For clean arpeggios, funk and bright tones, roasted maple delivers a more immediate attack. For warm, rounded and bluesy tones, rosewood offers a softer response.

The Body: Paulownia, Flamed Maple and Gloss Finish

The body is made from Paulownia, a lightweight, low-density tonewood with high resonance. From a technical standpoint, its low density means less weight to support and a more immediate vibrational response. The guitar resonates more freely, producing an open acoustic sound while remaining remarkably lightweight, even during extended playing sessions. It's an excellent choice if you play standing up, spend long hours rehearsing or are moving on from heavier guitars and want to reduce shoulder and back fatigue.

The top features a flamed maple veneer, a thin layer of maple with a distinctive rippled grain pattern that creates the characteristic three-dimensional figuring effect beneath the gloss finish. The body features the Fire Shape design with a double cutaway, providing easy access to the upper frets all the way up to the 22nd fret, along with a neutral, well-balanced feel whether playing seated or standing.

The Neck: Roasted Maple, Eko Low C Profile and Satin Finish

The neck is made from roasted maple, which is maple that has undergone a specialised heat-treatment process. Roasting reduces the wood's residual moisture content, improves its dimensional stability in response to temperature and humidity changes, and gives it a darker colour and a more seasoned feel. In practical terms, this means a neck that is less prone to seasonal movement, requires fewer truss rod adjustments and holds its setup more consistently over time.

The neck features the Eko Low C profile, a slim, low-profile C shape with reduced depth. Designed for speed and comfort, it allows your hand to wrap around the neck naturally, provides immediate thumb support and makes transitions between open chords, barre chords and upper-fret positions effortless, without having to change your grip.

The neck has a satin finish, which is smooth, non-glossy and non-sticky to the touch. Unlike a gloss finish, which can cause your hand to drag as perspiration builds up, the satin finish allows your hand to glide freely along the neck. It's a detail you notice after ten minutes of playing rather than in a photograph, and one that can make all the difference between a guitar you enjoy playing and one you eventually put aside.

The Fingerboard: 22 Modern Narrow Frets, 14-Inch Radius and Short 628 mm Scale Length

The fingerboard features 22 Modern Narrow frets, measuring 2.15 mm in width and 1.10 mm in height. These narrow, modern frets provide a precise contact surface and fine control over intonation. Compared to wider and taller Medium Jumbo frets, Modern Narrow frets allow for more controlled legato playing and reduce the tendency to play sharp when applying excessive finger pressure.

The fingerboard has a 14-inch radius, making it relatively flat. From a technical standpoint, a flatter radius allows for lower action—the distance between the strings and the fingerboard—without causing fret buzz during bends. A more curved radius, such as 7.25 inches, favours open chord playing but can make wide bends more challenging. A 14-inch radius is therefore an excellent choice for players who use bends, vibrato and lead techniques, and prefer low action for fast, effortless playing.

The scale length is 628 mm, making it a short-scale guitar. Compared to the standard 650 mm scale, a shorter scale length produces lower string tension: the strings feel softer, bends require less effort, extended chords are easier to play and the overall feel is more expressive and fluid. For beginners, the shorter scale makes learning more comfortable and helps reduce finger fatigue. For experienced players, it provides a softer, more responsive feel that's particularly well suited to blues, melodic rock and expressive lead playing.

The fingerboard binding is Vintage White, a light-coloured trim running along the edge of the fingerboard. It protects the fingerboard edges, adds a refined visual detail and improves fret visibility on stage and in low-light conditions. The neck is attached to the body with five bolts, a bolt-on construction that ensures a secure joint, easy maintenance and efficient vibration transfer between the neck and body.

The guitar is equipped with a dual-action truss rod, which allows the neck relief to be adjusted in both directions, correcting either excessive forward bow or backbow. This is the most versatile technical solution, allowing a guitar technician or luthier to achieve a precise setup in virtually any climate or environmental condition.

The Electronics: Two Ceramic H610 Humbuckers with Push-Pull Coil-Splitting

The guitar is equipped with two ceramic H610 humbuckers. Compared to Alnico magnets, ceramic magnets deliver higher output, a faster attack and a more aggressive response in the high frequencies.

The control layout consists of a master volume pot, a tone pot with a push-pull coil-split function and a 3-way pickup selector switch. Coil-splitting is the feature that sets the Aurora apart from a standard dual-humbucker guitar. Pulling up the tone control disengages one coil of each humbucker from the circuit, allowing the pickup to operate in single-coil mode. The result is a more open, brighter and more sparkling tone, with a distinctly twangy character, lower output and increased dynamic response.

In practical terms, a single pull of the tone knob gives you six distinct tonal combinations. In neck humbucker mode, you get a warm, rounded tone, ideal for lead playing and smooth rhythm parts. In neck split-coil mode, you get an open, bright sound, perfect for clean arpeggios and blues. In the middle position with both pickups in humbucker mode, you get a full, balanced tone, ideal for rock rhythm playing. In the middle position with both pickups split, you get a defined, sparkling sound, perfect for funk and pop. In bridge humbucker mode, you get an aggressive, cutting tone, ideal for rock, hard rock and lead playing. In bridge split-coil mode, you get a bright, punchy sound, well suited to rhythmic clean parts and vintage-inspired tones.

The Hardware: Eko Modern 2-Point Tremolo Bridge and Locking Tuners

The bridge is an Eko Modern Tremolo Chrome 2-Point system. Unlike vintage-style tremolo bridges, which use six mounting screws, a 2-point tremolo pivots on two posts. Mechanically, two contact points mean less friction, smoother movement and a more accurate return to the neutral position. The result is more controlled vibrato, improved tuning stability after using the tremolo arm and a more modern, responsive playing feel. It's an excellent choice if you use the tremolo arm for subtle vibrato, expressive effects and adding movement to chords.

The guitar features Eko Locking Tuners in a 4+2 configuration, with four tuning machines on one side of the headstock and two on the other. Locking tuners feature an internal locking mechanism that secures each string without requiring multiple wraps around the tuning post. This significantly reduces string slippage, improves tuning stability—particularly when using the tremolo arm or performing bends—and makes string changes faster and cleaner.