Squier Telecaster. Review

 
Features: I really enjoy playing this guitar. It is a US made guitar. 21 frets and really comfortable and quick action. The body of the guitar is sleek and is very durable. I have it in Butterscotch color. I the only problem I have had with the guitar so far is that one of the wires was not properly secured to the 3-way pickup controls. Other than that, the clean sound is very good for David Bowie songs and also for more modern bands. The distortion is very good as well. It produces a sound that fit's perfectly with a fast, punk-rock sound. If the tone is put down, it creates a good fuzzy sound, like The Black Keys. However, not all sounds (metal, grunge, etc.) can be perfect with the guitar. Everything else is pretty good. Take the time to think about what music you want to play and test the guitar before you buy it. // 9
Sound: The guitar fit's my style of music perfectly. I used an Epiphone Les Paul Jr. And the sound was too clean and produced a hum. This Affinity produces a minimum hum, and produces a punk sound on distortion. The sound is more focused on a 90s rock to modern rock basis. It is a full sound. The guitar, on clean, is very rich and you can hear every string. For what I use the guitar for, it has fitted my needs perfectly. // 10 Action, Fit & Finish: The action of the guitar is very quick, especially for solos. Pending what gauge of strings of you use (I use D'Adarrio Extra Lights [.09]) and the action for the strings offer great control over what is being played. The body and neck of the guitar are in almost perfect condition. When I bought the guitar, there was a slight nick in the neck of the guitar right after the 7th fret, but it did not affect the sound and neck of the guitar. The wood does not scratch that easily and it fits anyone Who is an intermediate guitar player. The pick ups are in good placement and work really well. It was very well put together. // 9
Reliability & Durability: I have used this guitar at several shows so far and it still sounds like the first time I plugged it in. I usually only bring this guitar to my shows, it's rare I bring anything else. The finish is very good for jumping around and being able to be knocked around for a bit. I have dropped it on occasion, but it did not effect the guitar too much, there was nothing but a scratch that came off when the guitar was cleaned. // 9
Impression: I play punk music and it fit's perfectly to my needs. I have been playing for about 3 years. I own a Marshall amp and a Fender amp. I also own a Mega Distortion pedal. All of my equipment suit's my guitar to what I need. I would indeed buy this guitar again if it were missing. I never really hate anything about my guitar, I find it very fitting to me. I compared it to another Squire, a Strat and a Yamaha guitar. I was very thankful I bought this guitar, I have had it for a year and still works like the first day I bought it. I would recommend this guitar to anyone still learning guitar, but knows a lot of the basics and can do some soloing. // 9

Epiphone Les Paul Studio. Review

 
Features: This guitar is amazing. It has 2 humbucker pickups and 22 frets. This guitar has a tone and volume knob for each pickup and a 3 way Switch. It has a set mahogany neck and a mahogany/alder body. Mine is new and made in 2003. Mine also came with a gig bag. // 10
Sound: This guitar is great. I like playing a lot of classic rock like van halen and this guitar is perfect. the treble pickup I found great for punk rock. I also love elvis I love that old time elvis rock and roll and I was quite surprised to find out how great this guitar is for old time rock n roll. In fact I did a few elvis gigs with this guitar and it was great. You can also get some pretty wicked solos goin and it's also great for blues. This guitar has a huge variety of sounds. I can't even seem to find a style of music this guitar isn't awsome at. // 10  
Action, Fit & Finish: This guitar was pretty well set up when I got it. But I still recomend people who own one to get it all checked up and tuned after a couple of months. After a couple of months and getting it all checked up this guitar should last a long time. With mine I totally fuck the shit out of it and it stays in mint condition. I traded in my Strat for the guitar and it was worth it. I used to have to get my Strat fixed all the time but with this guitar I'm golden. // 10
Reliability & Durability: This guitar is awome and like I said with this guitar you can fuck the shitty fuckin brains out of it and it'll be like brandnew. The strap buttons are solid and the finish is great. Like I said I really lay a beating on this guitar because I like grung and heavy metal and when I do those kind of shows I really get into it and I've had no problems. And I always use it at gigs without a back up. // 10
Impression: Overall this guitar is great. I had an actual Gibson Les Paul Standard that I only use when recording and practicing so I got a Epiphone for doing gigs. I actually ended up selling my Gibson because I liked this guitar better it is definitely worth the money and more. If any one tried to take my guitar I would hunt them down because this guitar is great. If you have a Strat and want to get something better I recomend this guitar because I traded in my Strat for it and it was definitely worth it. // 10

Ibanez RG470. Review

 
Features: 24 fret Ibanez made 02 in Japan, Floyd Rose bridge, 5 way selector. // 10
Sound: This is a really good guitar, I've been playing for 8 years on various guitars, and it wasn't until I played on my friends RG470 that I really understood how good this guitar was. The Ibanez neck is very thin, that really improves the speed in certain scales and solos. The sound is also very impressive alltrough my amp is not. I also have an Epiphone Les Paul Studio and the difference is remarkable. I play both metal and slower classical guitar and it works superb. // 10  
Action, Fit & Finish: I bought this guitar second hand in a musicstore in Sweden. The prevoius owner treated this guitar the way it deserved (or maybe he just liked to look at it) because it wasn't any scratch and the neck look like it just was made. I guess that is why the secound hand price (and the fact that it was japanese) made it quite expensive. The only thing that is a bit negative is that the swingstick (English is not my first language as you might see, hope you get it) can loosen a bit when played, still it's just a tiny problem, still worthy of a 5. // 10
Reliability & Durability: I haven't played live with this guitar yet, but that is absolutly nothing that I'm afraid of, it sound great and yet I havn't had any problem with it. Then I am afraid of loosing a string on stage and that is not the guitars fault. I havn't played on the korean made RG470 yet but I know from earlier that the Japanese guitarbuildes really put in everything when the construct their guitars, their mentality is diffrent from ours, it's an honour thing I guess. // 10
Impression: I think I've said what needs to be said on this matter. There is a lot of good guitars out there. Students like me can't afford the Ibanez JEM customs and the Gibson's Les Paul series. But this time I really think that this is defenitly good enough. The next thing I'll buy is not a new guitar, it's a new amp. // 10

Godin Kingpin. Review.

Brand New Godin Kingpin with a single P-90 pickup in cognac burst. Made entirely in Canada. This guitar is an archtop. It is very light and comfortable to play. The neck is fairly thin and is very easy to play. The tuners that come with the guitar hold a tune very well. Here are the specs from Godin's website:

Canadian Wild Cherry archtop
Canadian Wild cherry back & sides
Silver Leaf maple neck
Contoured high-gloss black headstock
Custom Polished Finish reminiscent of the
french polish of the 19th century
Rosewood Fingerboard
Adjustable Tusq Bridge by Graphtech
Cream Binding
1x Godin Kingpin P90 single-coil pickup
1x Volume, 1x Tone
16" (406 mm) fingerboard radius
24.84" (630 mm) Scale
1.72" (43 mm) nut width
Colors: Black, Cognac Burst & Natural

There is a very cool case for this guitar called a TRIC case. It isn't much to look at, but it is very lightweight for a hardshell, very sturdy, resistant to temperature change, and waterproof. This case was not included with the price I paid, but the case only costs around $80, which isn't any more than you would pay for any other hardshell case. // 9
Sound: This guitar is very well suited for jazz and blues, both of which I enjoy to play. I plug this guitar into a Fender Hot Rod. The clean sound is very balanced and full. It really is ideal for jazz rhythm guitar or mellow lead parts in any style of music. It is also great for a singer songwriter or just for quiet practicing. The guitar has a very glossy sound, especially on the higher strings. There isn't much variety in the this guitar's sound given that it only has one pickup, but what you are able to tweak on your amp in combination with the tone knob on the guitar should give you enough of a different sound. There is some feedback from the pickup if you are within a few feet of your amp, but that is common of most hollow bodies. The P-90 handles distortion very well, should you ever find the need to play with distortion on this guitar.

Acoustically, this guitar has a very midrange sound, and is maybe about half the volume of a dreadnought Acoustic guitar. It could be used to accompany an Acoustic guitar. When unplugged. If you try one out though, I would strongly suggest that you plug into an all tube amp with a very clean sound to unleash the full potential of this instrument. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: Coming straight from the factory, this guitar arrived very well set up. The action was very low, but there was no fret buzz. As soon as I tuned it up, it was ready to be played. Godin's entire product line is just fantastic, and this guitar is no exception. I don't think that any product of theirs has left their factory in poor shape. Godin's pride in quality shines through in this guitar. // 10

Reliability & Durability: Knowing Godin, I would not hesitate to travel with and play Live with this guitar. The hardware is of very high quality, as is the flawless finish. I could definatly depend on this instrument for Live playing, but I will work with this guitar more in the studio, so I'm sure that I will have the guitar forever. // 10

Impression: One of the biggest features that isn't mentioned anywhere is just how beautiful this guitar is. So much thought was put into the design, and it shows. In my opinion, the cognac burst looks the best, but I also like the look of the ebony model. Very classy look. Something I would like see is this guitar equipped with two P-90s, like many old jazz guitars did, but the one does just fine. If lost or stolen, I would buy another in a heartbeat, if I could find one. It took me a long time to find this guitar in a store near me. Godin is producing a large quantity of these at the moment. They weren’t prepared for the amount of demand that that got for these guitars. I really like the feel of the body, it is very light. The neck isn't very fast, so it won't replace hollow bodies like an ES-335 or something similar, but for the money, this guitar simply cannot be beaten. I first started my search for a hollow body with Gretsch, but they are not made nearly as well, and the models comparable in price to the kingpin are all manufactured overseas, in Korea I believe. I bought this guitar after playing it for an hour in the store. You will not find a guitar of this caliber any cheaper anywhere. // 9

Demo:

Epiphone Blues Custom 30 . review

Features: This is an all tube amp: preamp tubes, 5X Sovtek 12AX7A's, Power tubes- 2X Sovtek 5881s, Rectifier 1X 5AR4 (I believe it's also a Sovtek. This is a two channel amp, clean/overdrive. It is switchable from 15-30 watts. Weight: ~70lbs (heavy). Nice vintage look with the creamy white piping around the grill cloth and chicken head knobs. It's got two 12" Eminence Lady Luck speakers rated at 70 watts each. A fan is located in the back for keeping things cool. No headphone jack or effects loop. // 9

Sound: I've tried my cheap strat knock-off with single coils. This gives a terrible tinny sound. I suspect I'd get the same effect though with any amp using this guitar. I mainly play my Ibanez Jetking2 with splitable humbuckers thru this amp, playing blues, classic rock. I also hook up a DigiTech DF-7 effects pedal when I'm looking for a little more crunch. This amp gives a real bluesy sound in the clean setting and classic crunch in the overdrive setting for classic rock sounds. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This amp is built like a tank, I've been playing it for about 6 months now and I'm still discovering new sounds with it. I don't foresee any problems. I don't gig, just play at home. I am planning on putting some castor wheels on it for ease of movement. // 10

Impression: Overall Impression: I've only been playing for a few years now and this is the first tube amp I've owned. It may well be the last as I'm very happy with it. If it were stolen I'd buy another for sure. It is a great bargain given the price, sound, and build. // 10

Fender Stratocaster USA '02. Review

Features: My guitar is a 2002 (if I'm not mistaken) made in U.S.A. model, with 22 Standard frets on a maple fretboard (I'm not a big fan of rosewood fretboards), Heritage cherry color, transparent finish, classic Strat bridge, a 5-way selector switch, 3 standard issue single coil pickups, and classic Fender tuners. // 10
Sound: I am a fan of classic rock, and play just about anything originating from that genre. This guitar is the very essence of classic rock in my humble opinion. My influences include Mark Knopfler, Ritchie Blackmore, Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, and the list goes on and on. This guitar is perfectly well suited to my style of music. I run it through a Marshall MG30DFX amp and use a Marshall Guv'nor GV-2 pedal, which I think suit's it just fine. Obviously, because of the single coil pickups, it has a very bright sound to it, and the bridge pickup sounds amazing with distortion, very agressive. On the other hand, I can get a Slash sound out of it on the neck pickup. I can't say however, if it has a good sound on a clean channel because my amp is a piece of s**t and the guitar doesn't work well on it (on a clean channel, of course). The only style it can't play is metal (by metal I mean Metallica and thrash metal in general, not NWOBHM). It's truly one of the most versatile guitars out there. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was set up ideally. It had no problems what'soever! Those people in Corona know what they're doing! No Factory flaws on it, but I myself have nicked it a few times. There is honestly nothing that I can complain about, and believe me, I complain a lot. I myself have adjusted the pickups numerous times in order to get the sound I'm looking for. It hasn't had anything happen to it. // 9

Reliability & Durability: This guitar will withstand just about anything you throw at it! Or on it, for that matter. As I mentioned above, I've had this guitar for two years and it hasn't had any major (or minor) problems. The hardware is rock solid, and looks like it will last a very long time. The pickups are as good as new and there's not a hint of oxidization. The strap buttons are perfectly reliable. I say this because it has only come loose once. This guitar is the ideal guitar to take to a gig without a backup, without a doubt. I would know, as I have already done so. I play on average about 1.5 hours a day and can safely say that, if you don't take vitriol and spray the guitar with it, the finish will last a long time indeed! // 9

Impression: As I have mentioned before, I have a Marshall MG30DFX amp and a Marshall Guv'nor GV-2 pedal. I honestly wish I had not bought a transistor amp because it just doesn't suit my guitar. I feel it deserves better. I have been playing for about 3 years now and the guitar I had before this one, a Squier Strat, was inferior in each and every way. Would I buy it again? No, I would seek out the person Who stole it, kill them, and then retrieve it. Failing that, then yes, I would buy another, exact same model. I compared it to an Ibanez (can't remember which model), a Gibson SG, and a Fender Tele. For my style of music, this guitar was the one and only. At the shop, it cost around 1000$ but I got it for about 200$ off, a bargain in my opinion! If you're an aspiring classic rock musician, then this is the guitar for you! // 9

Epiphone Dot. Review

Features: 2002 Korean made (Un Sung) Cherry Red dot. 22 Medium frets, pressed into a rosewood fretboard with dot markers (hey, what's in a name). Neck is made out of mahogany, the body is made of (laminated) maple, with a nice grain! Neck has the '60s profile, much shallower than the fat '50-ies model. The finish is a High Gloss Cherry-red. The guitar is designed after the Gibson es335, so it's a semihollow one. Standard Gibson features, like a 24.75" scale length, 2 vol & 2 tones, 3way Switch and two alnico humbuckers. TOM-bridge and stopbar tailpiece. My guitar features Gotoh "Epiphone signature" tuners. I received my guitar with a Epiphone case and strap, strings, picks, cloth. Even a Gibson t*shirt! // 10
Sound: I play mainly blues & classic rock, and together with the Epiphone G400 "SG", this is the ideal combination for playing everything between the Elvis, over Big Brother & The Holding Company, to The Doords, Led Zeppelin. I run the dot thru a Fender Blues Deville, and the tubes are doing the guitar justice. On the neck pickup, you het the nice soft & warm bluessound, while the bridge pickup gives you a nasty twang. Both pickups delivers you the sound, ideal for strumming. The guitar isn't at all noisy, although it isn't shielded. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: Guitar was set up perfectly, though I recommend to change the strings to GFX flatwounds. Nothing to say on this one, the guitar was build to stand for years (if you would handle it with care). The woodwork was done properly, as wel as the hardware. The chrome won't come off. // 10

Reliability & Durability: It's a Epiphone, sure it would withstand liveplaying, but you'll have to be carefull, because the body sides are very thin, and can be damaged quickly when you drop your guitar (hollowbody's don't bounce like a Telecaster). The finish is "Bullet proof", I can't get a scar in it, but the wood dents very fast. // 10

Impression: Like I said, mainly blues & classic rock, and it's a very good match fot those styles. Also, it's a classic design, it looks really nice! I've been playing over 8 years now, and this is the best Epiphone I've put my hands on. I would guard it, so it won't get stolen, but if so, I'm gonna buy another one, but with the '60s profile. // 10