Boya&Ziqi seen the video and sent us this email. I thought I would share it I've watched the video and it's great! Please pass on my thanks to Phillip ! Thank him for pointing out what needs to be improved on this guitar, I will reflect his suggestions to the factory in order to provide the player with more perfect guitars.
Hey Philip let me know when they make as good a guitar for Left-handers. I watched that Braun guy's evaluation of this guitar and it sounded great went to Damazon and guess what......RHT Hand Only. Same old story.
Leave it to a Chinese brand to understand what you are trying to do in your videos and high end brands taking offense to it... No wonder they are loosing. It's kind of a bummer really. But I'm glad they were happy and not an annoyance. Great work!
I need the Amazon link for that guitar, if you have it handy. Not saying I'm a buyer, but interested...and yes, also a luthier/repair/setup, etc. Dropped the other response below your vid title. Grateful for the response you just received, and posted.... We DO need the Amazon LINK, if you or the OEM could provide it....Amazon search turned up NOTHING on this model guitar. Thanks for all you do (new subscriber)...
The name Boya & Ziqi (pronounced like Zichi) refers to a famous Chinese story. Boya was a renowned musician and Ziqi was essentially his muse. When Ziqi died, Boya destroyed his instrument and refused to play again because he lost the only person who truly understands his music. Their logo refers to "Lofty Mountain and Flowing Water", Boya's most well-known work.
Dear Philip, thank you for this, not just as a review of the guitar but also a demonstration in being civil polite and professional, that gives your comments real authority and it is the way things are done in the big wide world and it is good example to see from anyone, whatever they do in life. Thank you.
Absolutely love your format for these videos! The commentary is exactly what we want and need! Give us the raw price to performance and don't try to hype things up!
Well it happened with Silvertone, Teisco, etc. But those were unique designs with cool pickups. I dont know how much the lawsuit guitars were going for back in the 80s but I did buy a used Gibson black custom for $500 in '88. I was going to buy a new white one for $1100, but the salesman told me about the black one.
Hi Phil, your Deep Dives just keep getting better & better. Loved this review showcasing an inexpensive guitar & how it can work for anyone with some careful checking upon receivable. Cheers ✌️🎸
Top notch review. I liked the low output alnico II humbuckers sounds very much. The separate coil splits for each was icing on the cake. It gives the guitar a unique feature set and lets it stand out from the others in its class.
Hi Phil...At 5:57 you demonstrated how after hammering the fret, it spread and put a hole in the nylon glove. The hole was on the high "E" side of the guitar. Later, (around 6:34)to resolve the fret burr problem that made the hole, you rounded the fret on the wrong side of the guitar... the low "E" side. Just an observation with all due respect.
I was looking to get a budget semi-hollow body style guitar last year and ended up buying a Guild Starfire 1 DC. It has all the features I was looking for and it was different enough in appearance to not try to be an outright 335 clone. It came flawless out of the box and the only thing I did was to take the factory 11's off and put a set of Elixir 10's on instead. Very versatile guitar for anything from classic rock to rockabilly stuff and it was hard to beat at under $600. I have seen alot of off-branded guitars on the cheap but, I have always stayed with established brands that are well regarded just out of being cautious.
I have 3 Jay Turser guitars (among my collection of fifteen guitars) and I'm amazed that a nice guitar like mine and these can be made for so little. And I know guitars. I owned many classics.
Awesome review Phil. I mean right down to the brass tacks! I'm impressed with the sound of that guitar. Too bad I have a beautiful Washburn HB35 already, and too many other guitars that prohibit me from buying another. 🎸
Awesome video Phll I’m guessing the work you did on the fretboard is probably a way bigger problem than what people ever imagined. I know I bought a brand new The Schecter E-1 FR S Special Edition Trans Purple Burst TPB Floyd Sustainiac Electric Guitar + CASE guitar, and I was a little shocked when I opened up the because the first string was snagged under the fret and you could see it was pulled up a little bit and I didn’t really want to have to send it back so I was emailing people saying hey should. I try to press this back in or tap it back in and go from there I had gotten one of the first of these with the case. I really bought it as an investment. I still haven’t even played it yet. A lot of guys are using these as a studio guitar. I’m guessing because of the Sith Staniak and they’re comfortable with that through body neck.
That's a good buy and can get it done, but I can't agree more on the Gretsch option. Those few dollars more give any player a guitar that is fantastic out of the box. I now own 3 Gretsch axes and I'm very pleased with all three (says the guy with a Yamaha SG800S as his avatar).
What a shame - I can't find these guitars or the company website searching the US, UK and China. That didn't last long - I wonder why? Looks like a great guitar for the price and that top is gorgeous! 😎👍
Thank you for sharing this bill on this guitar I really enjoyed watching you play and I would subscribe to buying one when I can save some money before the prices go up on this guitar it's perfect for doing blues and jazz on it can't go wrong with the bone nut😂🎉😅
That actually sounded great. The split coils have a real zing to them, and I love the brand name and story. Personally, I think you should give the guitar some credit. It's looks and tone sound well above the price.
This is a wonderful guitar. Priceless. My friend have an original Epiphone bass from 60s, with all original parts. One of the humbuckers are mounted into the wood at the back where the bridge is:) The bass value was around 8000 Euro. That looks exactly like this guitar. One thing though, a couple of weeks ago we were going to jam in his basement, and he lost the grip on the bass on his way down to the basement. Those stairs are going straight down. hahahaha that face was priceless also hahah. The neck broke in 2 places. Humbuckers fucked, nobs, 3 huge rifts in the body etc. hahah now its maybe worth 800 Euro or less😂 😂
Hey Phil, I hope you can read this message. I’ve been watching your channel for a long time. I was wondering if you could show how to change the tone know on a push and pull les paul. Thought I’d help me and be a great video. Thanks man!!
Phil, Out of curiosity, I looked & searched about any form/variation of brand/model # or body style/label (OEM) imaginable OR pricepoint ($369, US)... No results. Found Donners etc etc... But none of this guitar. Do you have Amazon link? Thanks...looks like interesting guitar & possibilities...to go with my OTHER multitudes of guitars. Thanks, & nice demo... solid lead & rhythm parts, a really solid vid. --- Doug, songwriter (former touring, etc. ...Studio/recording & sound engineer...all the "boring stuff"). Always looking for a good sounding hollow/semi-hollow)...
I admit on needing a good semihollow, but the Epi is meh, and the Gibson is EEK. That one has promising stuff, and a coil tap? I might change the pickups, but it sounds like it might fit my needs
Hey Phil, really love the content as always. I think the brand reads "Boya & hzi-chi" it's an ancient chinese story about two friends really get each other, understand each other, and how they communicate is through the playing of "Qin", an ancient stringed instrument, it resembles friendship and understanding - later the names" Boya&hzi-chi" are used to refer classy, deep and solid friendship.
Love the tech tips Phil, as someone who's yet to be able to purchase a higher end guitar I end up having to do my own maintenance on the few guitars I have and it's always scary!
My prediction is that this will not inspire Epiphone to add more features to compete, rather, it will inspire Epiphone to price increase based on their groupthinked perception of Epiphone brand pedigree. In all likelihood, Boya & Ziki will pivot from this video and start gluing frets and maybe even ball ending them. Gibson has been tone deaf to the fact that smaller Chinese builders are ghost building everyone elses guitars, and they theyre slowing owning the 400 dollar-ish market.
All the while, the Gibson people are blowing their vintage class instruments out at greater prices than it would cost for somebody to get a new car and possibly a house while constantly dragging Armadillo Enterprises (the owners of Dean) into court for patent infringement. They are not thinking remotely about achieving customer satisfaction.
I think this is exactly what prompted the introduction of the "Epiphone 335" alongside the Dot, whose market share is probably being cannibalised by this, the Sire Larry Carlton and the many better brands. If they cared, they would've redesigned the Dot rather than going for the $700 segment to compete with D'Angelico.
Gibson's target audience seem to be people who care about their guitars being vintage or traditional. I can't see why Gibson would want to change or incorporate modern improvements such as stainless steel frets.
The honesty is great along with your detailed reasoning. I’m a believer of spending a little more for brand and not having to upgrade to reach the same level for an almost same product. The goal to for all to play and enjoy music so…get there how it serves one best! Rock on!
No nonsense and informative as always! Question: do you ever consider or adjust intonation on such tests? Also: a friendly suggestion to put your camera on a stand when doing desktop shots like the one with the neck profiles in this video. No offense, though. Great work!
Unfortunately all too often budget guitars are not for beginner guitarists as they require work which makes them not so much budget anymore and there's the downtime while fixing.
Got a very similar ES-335 knock-off under the "Latitude" brand. Other than upgrading to a set of $35 set Rotomatic style locking tuners it really doesn't need a thing. The fretwork is superb; rounded ball ends and highly polished medium jumbo frets, bone nut and a roller saddle bridge too. Fretboard was a little dry and the "flame maple" is probably photo finish. Couple of finish imperfections but other then oiling the rosewood and doing a little set-up with fresh strings it was ready to play.
I thought that guitar sounded excellent especially on the coil splits which usually are garbage on cheap guitars and the pedal sounded GREAT. DO A QUICK DEMO ON THAT PEDAL!!
Normally I'd be all for buying a decently well built budget no name copy of a high end guitar. However, not with semi-hollow 335 types and definitely not for $400. Every budget guitar is going to suffer from poor electronics which normally isn't a big deal to swap out. It's a huge deal to do it on a 335, and a massive pain even if you know exactly what you're doing. These guitars are more difficult to manufacture which means there is more room for error. You are far more likely to have those errors the lower you move in price. The higher you move in price, it starts making less and less sense to buy a no name copy. This guitar seems decent enough but its not without flaws as Phil showed here. For $400 I think you would be far better served with a new Gretsch or Ibanez semi hollow or a used Epiphone 335. These guitars, at the very least, will retain some of their value if you decide to upgrade to the real thing or something premium. In the $500 range you have even more great offerings like new Epiphone 335s, and D'Angelico semi hollows. If you buy this guitar for $400 and in a year or two decide to sell it for something better......good luck. Maybe you can get $150 for it tops if you're lucky. This is one of those random pop up Chinese brands on amazon that will sell guitars for 6 months to a year, disappear, and then rebrand as something else and create more youtube hype to start the charade all over again.
Thanks for the look Phillip. I have to admit I'm not really interested in semi-hollow guitars right now. But I love to see your technical reviews of guitars at any price point. Good job as always.
You should check them out. With the right setup and pick ups...they are very versatile. With nice pups my hamer echotone does...literally...everything...metal to jazz. No sacrifices (except whammy bar LOL?)
dude, Gibson just monopolized the market on V-shaped guitars, killed Dean (their only competition at player grade) and then doubled the price of their Epiphone Z's and V's with no improvements/upgrades being made (AMS had the same guitars for $650 last year). Gibson doesn't give a crap about giving you a good guitar at a good price.
Boya & Ziqi were 2/3 of a Japanese comedy troupe, along with the third member, Curly. They were the Japanese version of The Three Stooges. They later introduced a lower-priced line of instruments, such as the Shemp Ukulele.
I couldn't tell in the video if the top and bottom is a multi-layered and pressed/formed laminate, like Gibson's. But in any case, a center block semi-hollow is a lot of pieces, takes time and is hand work a machine can't do yet. It's impressive they, and other makers like Ibanez, offer these guitars at such a low price!! Don't forget the distributor and dealer still get a cut, so they get maybe $269? That is a very narrow margin to make any $$ on them!! Another thought, SS fret wire is 50% more expensive than nickel-silver too, and harder to install!! 8-0 --gary
Incredible, a guitar with +- all the specs matching what I prefer and sounding decently, for that price! One detail: sounds a little out of tune when playing chords near the top nut. Difficult to guess if it can be corrected (eg by filing the nut slots, ...), but it's an annoying thing that many Gibsons also have. Thank you for making us aware of this instrument. Unfortunately, not available on European Amazon sites, and import from US doubles the price.
Son, you got a panty on your hand.... Sorry Raising AZ joke, lol.. Yeah, this sounds like a guitar I need. With people asking $450 for a used base model Epiphone Dot, this is a worthy alternative. Plus coil splits and Stainless frets, it's hard to go wrong for the price point. I have bought a few newer Epiphones since 2020, but I am kind of done with them with their pricing. Thankfully I got a firebird when it was still $599, and they promptly raised the price after the first run. Both of my 50's Epi Standards are wonderful guitars with no issue, but $650 a pop.. Ouch. Keep in mind an Epi plus top pro LP in 2017, was about $430... It did have coils splits at least... Now you get no coil splits and it's $220 more. Two other Amazon sold brands have also been well worth their cheap price. Grote and IYV... I have bought 3 Grotes and two IYV. Are they perfect? Hell no.. Most are very playable, and knock on wood, no fret issues to speak of. Every one of them has been $205 or less, so that's a win any way you look at it.
Good review. Fair summary. You do a great job reviewing these guitars and the technical advise is spot on. I appreciate All of your time and effort. You are the best at what you do. Not a Fan of Chinese made Guitars. But fair competition is always a good thing for the market IMHO Indonesian Guitars are a leap in quality and and Play-ability. Also the Used market is currently full of great guitar values. Rock On!😎
Great guitar for such a budget-level instrument. We live in a great era for guitars... other than the big company price increases these past couple of years.
However great the value, I don’t expect to have to fix a brand new guitar or just about any purchase for that matter. Great video as usual though Phil.
If people only knew that most electrice guitars built outside of usa are made in a handful of asian factories in spite of the brand, they would realize how much we have all been ripped off by Gibson Fender etc.
I'm gonna say it again, my Harley Benton out performs my USA strat every time, it's not how good the cheaper guitars are, it's how bad the expensive ones are 🤘
Phil is a true pro you can learn a lot from this man just gotta remember wood is wood metal is metal the two dont mix on their own even the $5000 instruments can have these "problems" just less of them and sometimes the issue is our understanding of a problem the price doesnt matter i promise you will find a high fret some where on expensive guitars production isnt perfect the wood and metal isnt any different i love all my guitars and keep them in tip top shape everything from core PRS to bottom of the barrel squier and not a good one either and they all play like a million bucks set it up right and sometimes put the right parts on it and you cant tell the difference between the "cheap" and "problematic" ones and the "expensive" "good" ones yes even your first act can sound like a prs given you took the time to upgrade parts and in labor ie. making nuts saddles reinstalling/reseating frets and other laborious work sure its work but at some point in learning it all you wont trust anyone else to work on your guitar my point is anyone reading follow Phil he will point the way working on your own instruments can be the most satisfying and gratifying thing on earth and im sure a lot of you will agree 👍😉👌
In my case, thus far, I'd have to factor in the price of a Luthie, since the only thing I can do is change strings and make a truss adjustment. Some day I'll try to get up the nerve to file some fret ends.
Just buy a fret file from StewMac and try it. I just did a complete refret on my Japan built Takamine for my first ever attempt. Everything came out great!
@@im58woody Agree 100%. I was afraid of filing sharp fret ends, but that StewMach file, plus what Phillip showed in this vid makes it easy and rewarding!
Boya&Ziqi seen the video and sent us this email. I thought I would share it
I've watched the video and it's great! Please pass on my thanks to Phillip ! Thank him for pointing out what needs to be improved on this guitar, I will reflect his suggestions to the factory in order to provide the player with more perfect guitars.
Hey Philip let me know when they make as good a guitar for Left-handers. I watched that Braun guy's evaluation of this guitar and it sounded great went to Damazon and guess what......RHT Hand Only. Same old story.
Leave it to a Chinese brand to understand what you are trying to do in your videos and high end brands taking offense to it... No wonder they are loosing. It's kind of a bummer really. But I'm glad they were happy and not an annoyance. Great work!
I need the Amazon link for that guitar, if you have it handy. Not saying I'm a buyer, but interested...and yes, also a luthier/repair/setup, etc. Dropped the other response below your vid title. Grateful for the response you just received, and posted.... We DO need the Amazon LINK, if you or the OEM could provide it....Amazon search turned up NOTHING on this model guitar. Thanks for all you do (new subscriber)...
This guitar sounds great!
@@davidcochran6291 if they don't make a lefty version they a just expensive canoe paddles.
The name Boya & Ziqi (pronounced like Zichi) refers to a famous Chinese story. Boya was a renowned musician and Ziqi was essentially his muse. When Ziqi died, Boya destroyed his instrument and refused to play again because he lost the only person who truly understands his music. Their logo refers to "Lofty Mountain and Flowing Water", Boya's most well-known work.
Thank you.
Appreciated!
Very interesting and informative!
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Mr. Wiki 😎🤘🏻
Dear Philip, thank you for this, not just as a review of the guitar but also a demonstration in being civil polite and professional, that gives your comments real authority and it is the way things are done in the big wide world and it is good example to see from anyone, whatever they do in life. Thank you.
I love how you showed fixing that. I have that stuffed pretty figured out but I'm sure this helped tons of people. Best box opening ever
Absolutely love your format for these videos! The commentary is exactly what we want and need! Give us the raw price to performance and don't try to hype things up!
This company actually makes decent instruments ive seen several reviews highly impressed with this brand
Thanks for your great support Mr. McKnight!
Nice to see brands I've never heard of. Always looking despite having "enough"
Wouldn’t it be hilarious if in 50 years these no name guitars became really sought after and rare and expensive 😂
I have a 60s Sears Harmony 338 that apparently the kids are paying $1500 for these days.
Well it happened with Silvertone, Teisco, etc. But those were unique designs with cool pickups. I dont know how much the lawsuit guitars were going for back in the 80s but I did buy a used Gibson black custom for $500 in '88. I was going to buy a new white one for $1100, but the salesman told me about the black one.
Haha 😂 if the idiots in the market pay it.
As 60s cheep garbage Japanese vintage is demanding absurd money today.
What if the iyv guitars are worth thousands of dollars in the
Straight to the point and best advice at the end of the video for beginners.
Hi Phil, your Deep Dives just keep getting better & better. Loved this review showcasing an inexpensive guitar & how it can work for anyone with some careful checking upon receivable. Cheers ✌️🎸
Top notch review. I liked the low output alnico II humbuckers sounds very much. The separate coil splits for each was icing on the cake. It gives the guitar a unique feature set and lets it stand out from the others in its class.
Hi Phil...At 5:57 you demonstrated how after hammering the fret, it spread and put a hole in the nylon glove. The hole was on the high "E" side of the guitar. Later, (around 6:34)to resolve the fret burr problem that made the hole, you rounded the fret on the wrong side of the guitar... the low "E" side. Just an observation with all due respect.
Great video! I really like how fair and realistic your perspective is.
You are THE guy and always so helpful Thank You!
Always learn a Thing or two from yer videos. Thanks bro
I was looking to get a budget semi-hollow body style guitar last year and ended up buying a Guild Starfire 1 DC. It has all the features I was looking for and it was different enough in appearance to not try to be an outright 335 clone. It came flawless out of the box and the only thing I did was to take the factory 11's off and put a set of Elixir 10's on instead. Very versatile guitar for anything from classic rock to rockabilly stuff and it was hard to beat at under $600. I have seen alot of off-branded guitars on the cheap but, I have always stayed with established brands that are well regarded just out of being cautious.
I started off with a semi-hollow a Greko 1974 75 ? I believe it was I wish I would have kept it always keep your first guitar☆
I have 3 Jay Turser guitars (among my collection of fifteen guitars) and I'm amazed that a nice guitar like mine and these can be made for so little. And I know guitars. I owned many classics.
I love the deep dives Phil!
The pedal was phenomenal.
Awesome review Phil. I mean right down to the brass tacks! I'm impressed with the sound of that guitar. Too bad I have a beautiful Washburn HB35 already, and too many other guitars that prohibit me from buying another. 🎸
just to let you know I admire you I wish i had the smarts and patience you have for guitar repair.
Awesome video Phll I’m guessing the work you did on the fretboard is probably a way bigger problem than what people ever imagined. I know I bought a brand new The Schecter E-1 FR S Special Edition Trans Purple Burst TPB Floyd Sustainiac Electric Guitar + CASE guitar, and I was a little shocked when I opened up the because the first string was snagged under the fret and you could see it was pulled up a little bit and I didn’t really want to have to send it back so I was emailing people saying hey should. I try to press this back in or tap it back in and go from there I had gotten one of the first of these with the case. I really bought it as an investment. I still haven’t even played it yet. A lot of guys are using these as a studio guitar. I’m guessing because of the Sith Staniak and they’re comfortable with that through body neck.
That's a good buy and can get it done, but I can't agree more on the Gretsch option. Those few dollars more give any player a guitar that is fantastic out of the box. I now own 3 Gretsch axes and I'm very pleased with all three (says the guy with a Yamaha SG800S as his avatar).
Hahaha, that's funny. My ES-339 just arrived back from the Luthier with stainless steel frets and graphtec saddle.
Hey Phil. There's a timber from S.E Asia called Marranti. (we get it in Australia too) commonly called Pacific Maple. That's what it liked like to me
Excellent video, great explanations, useful tips and pretty slick playing.
Enjoyed your coverage, yet I missed any sweep of how the tone controls sound from stop to stop
Great review! Very comprehensive and instructional 👍👍
What a shame - I can't find these guitars or the company website searching the US, UK and China. That didn't last long - I wonder why? Looks like a great guitar for the price and that top is gorgeous! 😎👍
Thank you for sharing this bill on this guitar I really enjoyed watching you play and I would subscribe to buying one when I can save some money before the prices go up on this guitar it's perfect for doing blues and jazz on it can't go wrong with the bone nut😂🎉😅
Terrific video of a very interesting guitar.....and at such an incredible price!! Nice job Phillip.
That actually sounded great. The split coils have a real zing to them, and I love the brand name and story. Personally, I think you should give the guitar some credit. It's looks and tone sound well above the price.
Agreed. I thought the (rather amazing) sound demo put the minor fret issues in the shade.
Phil had to return mine the sprout was 1/16 of inch was tough on fingers. But it sounds decent.
This is a wonderful guitar. Priceless. My friend have an original Epiphone bass from 60s, with all original parts. One of the humbuckers are mounted into the wood at the back where the bridge is:) The bass value was around 8000 Euro. That looks exactly like this guitar. One thing though, a couple of weeks ago we were going to jam in his basement, and he lost the grip on the bass on his way down to the basement. Those stairs are going straight down. hahahaha that face was priceless also hahah. The neck broke in 2 places. Humbuckers fucked, nobs, 3 huge rifts in the body etc. hahah now its maybe worth 800 Euro or less😂 😂
Hey Phil, I hope you can read this message.
I’ve been watching your channel for a long time.
I was wondering if you could show how to change the tone know on a push and pull les paul.
Thought I’d help me and be a great video.
Thanks man!!
During the Pandemic, I bought a Grote, also a 335 clone, and it was of excellent quality, for a bit less than this guitar we have here.
Sounds great, look great.
Appears to be a decent buy for the price.
Phil, Out of curiosity, I looked & searched about any form/variation of brand/model # or body style/label (OEM) imaginable OR pricepoint ($369, US)... No results. Found Donners etc etc... But none of this guitar.
Do you have Amazon link? Thanks...looks like interesting guitar & possibilities...to go with my OTHER multitudes of guitars. Thanks, & nice demo... solid lead & rhythm parts, a really solid vid. --- Doug, songwriter (former touring, etc. ...Studio/recording & sound engineer...all the "boring stuff"). Always looking for a good sounding hollow/semi-hollow)...
A big "Boya-N-Zinkie" to you!
love listing to a expert
The game changer is the CNC machines. You don't have to be a great luthier anymore to make a guitar that's gonna play true and accurate.
Hi Phillip, it would be cool if you talk about the LTD M300 - FM
Great demo Phil thanks, very interesting, I agree we might be looking at an introductory price? 🏴👍👍👍🥃Respect to you mate.
I always chuckle when I see the sock test. I just imagine Phil walking out of his local Target with an armful of women's pantyhose :D
i learned some things. thanks
great vid Phil
I admit on needing a good semihollow, but the Epi is meh, and the Gibson is EEK. That one has promising stuff, and a coil tap? I might change the pickups, but it sounds like it might fit my needs
check out all in one guitars from california.
Have you reviewed any of the Iyv guitars on Amazon?
Nice!
It is a pretty guitar. They make cheaper guitars look so nice anymore.
I would ask them to make Leftys too, but it won't let me review it. I only buy leftys. No compromise.
Available absolutely NOWHERE!
13:56 My Bridge on my Guitar started tilting recently how does one fix that?
I love how you always solve the problem and just continue on with your review without making a big deal out of it.
Well, if the guitar was 3699 instead of 369 he definitely would. At this price point those sorts of issues are to be expected.
Agreed, always appreciate him showing us how to solve problems
Hey Phil, really love the content as always. I think the brand reads "Boya & hzi-chi" it's an ancient chinese story about two friends really get each other, understand each other, and how they communicate is through the playing of "Qin", an ancient stringed instrument, it resembles friendship and understanding - later the names" Boya&hzi-chi" are used to refer classy, deep and solid friendship.
Nothing scares PRS, Fender, and Gibson more than stainless steel frets.
😂😂😂
I agree completely about Epiphone must up their game a bit to compete with these. SS frets I like to see these on the Epiphones
Love the tech tips Phil, as someone who's yet to be able to purchase a higher end guitar I end up having to do my own maintenance on the few guitars I have and it's always scary!
You really know what you're doing! Still, after 8 years of me watching, that deserves reiteration.
Love it!! Semi hollow epi-clones are getting better than the real thing! Great review as always Phil!
You make every guitar sound awesome Phil!
So hard to gauge, because your playing is so good!!!
Incredible video! So many tips and explanations! Keep up the great work Phil!
My prediction is that this will not inspire Epiphone to add more features to compete, rather, it will inspire Epiphone to price increase based on their groupthinked perception of Epiphone brand pedigree. In all likelihood, Boya & Ziki will pivot from this video and start gluing frets and maybe even ball ending them. Gibson has been tone deaf to the fact that smaller Chinese builders are ghost building everyone elses guitars, and they theyre slowing owning the 400 dollar-ish market.
All the while, the Gibson people are blowing their vintage class instruments out at greater prices than it would cost for somebody to get a new car and possibly a house while constantly dragging Armadillo Enterprises (the owners of Dean) into court for patent infringement. They are not thinking remotely about achieving customer satisfaction.
I think this is exactly what prompted the introduction of the "Epiphone 335" alongside the Dot, whose market share is probably being cannibalised by this, the Sire Larry Carlton and the many better brands. If they cared, they would've redesigned the Dot rather than going for the $700 segment to compete with D'Angelico.
Gibson's target audience seem to be people who care about their guitars being vintage or traditional. I can't see why Gibson would want to change or incorporate modern improvements such as stainless steel frets.
Epiphone has priced themselves kur of the market IMHO.
@@ericbgordon1575 Nobody is nowadays. Absolutely no one.
The honesty is great along with your detailed reasoning. I’m a believer of spending a little more for brand and not having to upgrade to reach the same level for an almost same product. The goal to for all to play and enjoy music so…get there how it serves one best! Rock on!
No nonsense and informative as always! Question: do you ever consider or adjust intonation on such tests? Also: a friendly suggestion to put your camera on a stand when doing desktop shots like the one with the neck profiles in this video. No offense, though. Great work!
Unfortunately all too often budget guitars are not for beginner guitarists as they require work which makes them not so much budget anymore and there's the downtime while fixing.
Got a very similar ES-335 knock-off under the "Latitude" brand.
Other than upgrading to a set of $35 set Rotomatic style locking tuners it really doesn't need a thing.
The fretwork is superb; rounded ball ends and highly polished medium jumbo frets, bone nut and a roller saddle bridge too.
Fretboard was a little dry and the "flame maple" is probably photo finish. Couple of finish imperfections but other then oiling the rosewood and doing a little set-up with fresh strings it was ready to play.
This is a really nice instrument for that price, very impressive. And SO glad you showed the geeky rework, love the content 🙂
I thought that guitar sounded excellent especially on the coil splits which usually are garbage on cheap guitars and the pedal sounded GREAT.
DO A QUICK DEMO ON THAT PEDAL!!
Normally I'd be all for buying a decently well built budget no name copy of a high end guitar. However, not with semi-hollow 335 types and definitely not for $400. Every budget guitar is going to suffer from poor electronics which normally isn't a big deal to swap out. It's a huge deal to do it on a 335, and a massive pain even if you know exactly what you're doing. These guitars are more difficult to manufacture which means there is more room for error. You are far more likely to have those errors the lower you move in price. The higher you move in price, it starts making less and less sense to buy a no name copy. This guitar seems decent enough but its not without flaws as Phil showed here. For $400 I think you would be far better served with a new Gretsch or Ibanez semi hollow or a used Epiphone 335. These guitars, at the very least, will retain some of their value if you decide to upgrade to the real thing or something premium. In the $500 range you have even more great offerings like new Epiphone 335s, and D'Angelico semi hollows. If you buy this guitar for $400 and in a year or two decide to sell it for something better......good luck. Maybe you can get $150 for it tops if you're lucky. This is one of those random pop up Chinese brands on amazon that will sell guitars for 6 months to a year, disappear, and then rebrand as something else and create more youtube hype to start the charade all over again.
Thanks for the look Phillip. I have to admit I'm not really interested in semi-hollow guitars right now. But I love to see your technical reviews of guitars at any price point. Good job as always.
You should check them out. With the right setup and pick ups...they are very versatile. With nice pups my hamer echotone does...literally...everything...metal to jazz. No sacrifices (except whammy bar LOL?)
Thanks for explaining in a way even a brand new beginner like myself can understand! And for being honest !
dude, Gibson just monopolized the market on V-shaped guitars, killed Dean (their only competition at player grade) and then doubled the price of their Epiphone Z's and V's with no improvements/upgrades being made (AMS had the same guitars for $650 last year). Gibson doesn't give a crap about giving you a good guitar at a good price.
Boya & Ziqi were 2/3 of a Japanese comedy troupe, along with the third member, Curly. They were the Japanese version of The Three Stooges. They later introduced a lower-priced line of instruments, such as the Shemp Ukulele.
I couldn't tell in the video if the top and bottom is a multi-layered and pressed/formed laminate, like Gibson's. But in any case, a center block semi-hollow is a lot of pieces, takes time and is hand work a machine can't do yet. It's impressive they, and other makers like Ibanez, offer these guitars at such a low price!! Don't forget the distributor and dealer still get a cut, so they get maybe $269? That is a very narrow margin to make any $$ on them!! Another thought, SS fret wire is 50% more expensive than nickel-silver too, and harder to install!! 8-0 --gary
Incredible, a guitar with +- all the specs matching what I prefer and sounding decently, for that price! One detail: sounds a little out of tune when playing chords near the top nut. Difficult to guess if it can be corrected (eg by filing the nut slots, ...), but it's an annoying thing that many Gibsons also have. Thank you for making us aware of this instrument. Unfortunately, not available on European Amazon sites, and import from US doubles the price.
Son, you got a panty on your hand.... Sorry Raising AZ joke, lol.. Yeah, this sounds like a guitar I need. With people asking $450 for a used base model Epiphone Dot, this is a worthy alternative. Plus coil splits and Stainless frets, it's hard to go wrong for the price point. I have bought a few newer Epiphones since 2020, but I am kind of done with them with their pricing. Thankfully I got a firebird when it was still $599, and they promptly raised the price after the first run. Both of my 50's Epi Standards are wonderful guitars with no issue, but $650 a pop.. Ouch. Keep in mind an Epi plus top pro LP in 2017, was about $430... It did have coils splits at least... Now you get no coil splits and it's $220 more. Two other Amazon sold brands have also been well worth their cheap price. Grote and IYV... I have bought 3 Grotes and two IYV. Are they perfect? Hell no.. Most are very playable, and knock on wood, no fret issues to speak of. Every one of them has been $205 or less, so that's a win any way you look at it.
Good review. Fair summary. You do a great job reviewing these guitars and the technical advise is spot on. I appreciate All of your time and effort. You are the best at what you do.
Not a Fan of Chinese made Guitars. But fair competition is always a good thing for the market IMHO Indonesian Guitars are a leap in quality and and Play-ability.
Also the Used market is currently full of great guitar values. Rock On!😎
Great guitar for such a budget-level instrument. We live in a great era for guitars... other than the big company price increases these past couple of years.
It would have been nice if you played the guitar before you fixed the frets to see if it was playable upon receiving it.
Great content! I love how you rate the gear related to price point. Very friendly and objective
Thanks Phil. I always enjoy your content. Very clear and precise evaluation and some great playing. 🤓👍
However great the value, I don’t expect to have to fix a brand new guitar or just about any purchase for that matter. Great video as usual though Phil.
Marque name is good, showing confidence about Chinese culture. Bo Ya and Zi Qi are legends of Chinese traditional music.
If people only knew that most electrice guitars built outside of usa are made in a handful of asian factories in spite of the brand, they would realize how much we have all been ripped off by Gibson Fender etc.
You do such a good job with your videos, Philip. Learning to properly setup a guitar is something worth learning for sure.
Great review - thanks for the detailed analysis!
I'm gonna say it again, my Harley Benton out performs my USA strat every time, it's not how good the cheaper guitars are, it's how bad the expensive ones are 🤘
Sounded awesome! Coil split was amazing compared to other, Big Brand names! I would rock it!!
High frets are a common issue on even expensive guitars
Fenders are renown for poor fretwork.
Thank you for the tips. You've saved me a bundle over the past couple years.
I'm still waiting on a firefly...whenever they come back out.
Sounds respectable. Love the Texas Flood!
Phil is a true pro you can learn a lot from this man just gotta remember wood is wood metal is metal the two dont mix on their own even the $5000 instruments can have these "problems" just less of them and sometimes the issue is our understanding of a problem the price doesnt matter i promise you will find a high fret some where on expensive guitars production isnt perfect the wood and metal isnt any different i love all my guitars and keep them in tip top shape everything from core PRS to bottom of the barrel squier and not a good one either and they all play like a million bucks set it up right and sometimes put the right parts on it and you cant tell the difference between the "cheap" and "problematic" ones and the "expensive" "good" ones yes even your first act can sound like a prs given you took the time to upgrade parts and in labor ie. making nuts saddles reinstalling/reseating frets and other laborious work sure its work but at some point in learning it all you wont trust anyone else to work on your guitar my point is anyone reading follow Phil he will point the way working on your own instruments can be the most satisfying and gratifying thing on earth and im sure a lot of you will agree 👍😉👌
In my case, thus far, I'd have to factor in the price of a Luthie, since the only thing I can do is change strings and make a truss adjustment. Some day I'll try to get up the nerve to file some fret ends.
Just buy a fret file from StewMac and try it. I just did a complete refret on my Japan built Takamine for my first ever attempt. Everything came out great!
@@im58woody Agree 100%. I was afraid of filing sharp fret ends, but that StewMach file, plus what Phillip showed in this vid makes it easy and rewarding!
I like that it has the rounded horns. A lot of inexpensive 335 style guitars have a pointy profile.