Best guitar channel on RUclips... doesn't overhyped anything, presents you with what you need to know, nice variety of playing/demonstation... love it!
I have a firefly thin line tele that I’ve been modding. When I finish it will have Grover mini locking tuners and the electronics are a twisted tele bridge pickup wired into the control plate esquire style and the goes to a 3 way toggle for actual pickup slelction and the neck pickup is a modern 4 wire Fender Wide Range wired into jazzmaster circuit with the exception of the jazz switch is now a coil split but the volume and tone control are the roller wheels mounted under the scratch plate beneath the strings. It’s starting to look pretty wild! One of the projects that have been distracting me from life’s woes. Also to anyone NOT subscribed to this channel... you’re really missing out! It’s more than just guitars. The Positive Metal Outlook series is really great. I’ve been getting a lot out of it myself. And Max, if you see this can I suggest a topic? Strength in the face of adversity. It’s sometimes easier to push back when your back is against a wall. But it’s harder to stand that ground on your own two feet. Both scenarios have their merit but finding the stable ground when the earth is shaking is a task unlike any other. Keep the content coming; you’re making a bigger impact in the world than you know. Thanks.
You’re making a strong case for me to keep it. Still up in the air. I haven’t taken it back out of the bag since you returned it, but you nailed some major tones for this video.
@@exhumus Possibly. I’ve thought about it. I even contemplated a blender pot below the neck pickup, and having 1V/1T below the bridge & tailpiece. The jury is still out on it, which includes me having it listed on OfferUp at the moment just in case a good offer appears that’s more appealing than an overhaul.
Crazy imaginative features on that guitar… neck binding, inlay, body binding, the pickups look modeled after Gretsch toaster pickups… never saw control layout with volume below each pup… headstock shape is passable… tweaking an EQ pedal can compensate easily for pups that don’t give you just what you want right out if the box… thanks for the review, Max!
I have had one for about a month- had to level frets.reduce fret sprout,do intonation,restring,action,adjust pickups etc.took about 4 hours,but now sounds and plays great.if you aren't comfortable with setting up a guitar don't pull the trigger.they are available on zuwei-starshine website.
Just ordered one. $279 CAD, free deliver. I was constantly looking for a "build yourself" project....but this had too many features to pass up. Am not a fan of tremelo systems...but I may try and make this guitar "my own". As someone mentioned in an earlier comment....he wanted one in black and gold. I will see when I get it....if I want to jump in and change this lovely instrument.
That is a wildly beautiful guitar. With so many budget guitars out there, I wonder how many are made in smaller shops, and how many are more mass produced and rebranded?
I got the blue one back when they had a dark blue top. Thought I glimpsed quilt figure, scraped it down to its great quilt grain, and tru-oiled it (yeah, looooong process). Ditched the Bigsby - don't need more trem axes. I replaced all hardware and trim with good stuff. Bridge dual rail on a tele plate, filtertron neck, 2 volumes and 2 tones on a tele knob plate, and made a varitone circuit with a blade switch. It's a beautiful "opera singer" . The neck is a mots inlaid version of a $9000+ Gibson LP, and has been perfect for nearly 2 years.
Surprised Saab is out of business. I've known about their quality forever. Have a friend in Dallas who loves them -- and he could be driving anything (he's a mechanic). Glad you're keeping it running. Kudos on driving a turbo.
Max, Sir, very stylish indeed. Any brands doing that type of gear are not that well know about. AS you say, it's sort of a "designer" instrument . Somewhat unique Max. Max, thanks indeed for doing something different. That is a real interesting video and guitar. IT sounds to me, for sure, it has a wide array of sound signatures. .......O___o......... beautiful. ..............really........ Vin.
I checked the specs on this unit, and it is made from some decent woods, that is for sure. While the hardware may be a bit cheap, that is not anything that cannot be upgraded in time. I would probably buy one of these as a project guitar and hotrod the snot out of it. If you view the customer feedback from Amazon buyers, almost everyone says it needs truss rod adjustments out of the box to get the fretboard and neck in check, which is slightly discouraging as that would be between 60 and 90 bucks depending on the shop; however, you would still be under 420 bucks for a very handsome looking piece. I would put a new set of pickups and a Freeway 3+3 toggle in it so that I had voicing options replace the two volume pots with stacked concentric so that I had two tone and volume controls, one for each pickup, and hook up the single tone control as a master volume or eliminate it and put in a killswitch. Replace the tuners with a set of lockers, and put a set of roller string trees on it, and it would be a custom shop piece for under 1k. Max, I did not see a description for the material that the nut was constructed out of; what is your assessment? Is it adequately cut, or would you replace it with a graphtech? I know that the cheap plastic ones wear rather quickly and do not have the lubricity in movement commonly found on bone or the graphite composite offerings. I mean, the strings are not going to be moving around in the slots nearly as much with a vibrato style trem system as they would with a Floyd Rose full-floater would but still, for tuning stability, a well-cut quality nut is important. Thanks for sharing this with us; it is definitely a piece worth checking out for a project build.
I just got one of these and they are pretty awesome, especially considering the price. The pickups sound somewhere between a humbucker, a mini-Humbucker and Fitlertrons. It is very light and surprisingly small (which is not a bad thing.) I am always interested in finding unique looking and distinct-sounding guitars so this model checks both of those boxes well. Thanks for the review video Max, keep up the great content.
I wouldn't really wouldn't want to replace the pickups because they have a unique sound. However, if one of them were to ever crap out, I would put a set of Filtertrons like the ones in the Nick 13 signature model from Gretsch@@todds.6028
@@daddymidwest4111 I’m giving you my experience from buying a Zuwei. First off it was a Grote. When I emailed the seller I told him that the Zuwei your selling must be a mistake, and told him I bought the identical guitar from Amazon. He emailed back saying, they put the logo on after there mass produced and there all the same, made in same factory. The one I bought was one beautiful flamed red color. In pics and better in person. The catch was it was all plastic saddles and plastic locking tuners, 17 of the 21 frets probably had to be leveled and crowned. The worst guitar I ever played. It was a T-style 2 humbucker solid body. O, and in a week the fretboard cracked about inch and half, and I treat my guitars like there all 59 LPs! So I don’t know how Max could make it sound good. Either a lot of post editing or he received a decent one. Either way, By a Harley Benton or something. Shipping is free now for anything $135 and over. Anything but these! Just a heads up!
@@rockinrob2004 Not these? There useless! Maybe a paperweight or weapon for some college kid in a dorm room. I had the Grote double Humbucker tele and it was absolutely beautiful in pictures and even better when I got it. It was all plastic! Saddles and bridge, plastic tuners w/little metal, and the fretboard cracked when I was pushing down a high fret with my fingers. Not using a hammer or banging it. The headstock had nothing on it in some of the pics, and in the background it said Zuwei. So I emailed them, and was told, they put the decals on last, and when I needed any information once I already purchased it, they kept disconnected me during live chat on there customer service site, and wouldn’t call back when leaving messages. They had know idea what I meant by radius. He told me 380. That was the best answer ever! 20 more then an actual complete circle! So, in defense of RB, it’s perfect for a wall! I couldn’t even mod it, because it was a set neck t-style and the dimensions of the bridge was so weird, not one reputable company could help me find something without drilling extra holes! I Just remembered that. They are so beautiful though, it’s really amazing! If it was 20% better quality, I would have made it a project, which was my intentions the whole time! Just FYI
@@GuitarMAXMusic I should have mentioned what a great channel you produce. I appreciate the time you take to dive into the "players" guitars. Keep up the fun!!👍🎶🎵🎶
Love the retro looks of this, it's a very beautiful guitar, and I love its quite wide range of available tones from your demos. I wonder also, if the pickups were chosen to sound less warm and with less mid than a standard humbucker to put it somewhere between a standard Tele sound and a standard humbucker sound? If it had full range humbuckers fitted it might just end up sounding like any other dual humbucker equipped guitar, whereas it actually has a more unique tone with a bit of Tele single coils and Filtertron mixed with regular humbucker. Great review as always Max, and at the price this Tele is offered you might have convinced me to break my current "no more guitars" rule!
I have the same one, it has a lot of hum when you take your fingers off of the strings. It does look cool on the wall with my collection. So far I just haven't gelled with her. Maybe after this video, I'll pull her down and try again.
Another excellent review !! Since I've gotten back into playing I have really become a Tele fan. Even though I'm not big on trems I would love to have that guitar.
Always fancied a Tele-type guitar but could never afford a Fender. None of my electric guitars have a whammy bar either. That guitar looks and sounds great! Buying one asap. Cheers!
Ahhhh! Saab! That car 🚗 brings back memories. My dad used to deal in Saab’s and as a family we went through a few. Great cars! Not a bad guitar either! 😂
It's as though Gretsch made a Tele. I'd be really tempted if those were actual filtertrons, but as it is, it's a very interesting and unique guitar. I just don't have much use for anything like it right now. I will say that the last little playing demo nailed a nice vintage EVH tone, which was awesome.
This guitar was made for someone that loves Gretsch and tele but can't decide. This thing has actually been around a long time as I've considered it many times but am not sure it's worth the upgrades I'd want to do to make it a rockabilly machine. It was once marketed under the name Benson.. Benson guitars.. they disappeared for some reason but had good reviews.
I've got one the light blue one's I think all the parts are just unbranded everything on mine is quality I was reading a story about them it said when the owner of one of the biggest factories makes his own line of guitars
This thing looks super cool - a little bit different from everything else out there. I think I'm about to have to buy the blue one and do some upgrades like new pickups, better electronics, a roller bridge, and maybe even a six way switch or push/pull pots for coil splitting. But I'm definitely a fan of the aesthetic. The only thing I worry about is maybe replacing the pickguard with silver pearl or something. Not quite sure where I'd be able to replicate that one and I definitely don't think I'm ready to do it myself.
I am primarily a bassist but I honk around a bit on guitar and I am drawn to Telecasters . I saw this Zuwei on Amazon and had to have it . Aesthetically , I'm loving this axe but I absolutely agree that the control layout is kinda quirky . Unfortunately , the one shipped to me either got bounced around in shipping or Zuwei's quality control leaves something to be desired as the neck pup is highly unresponsive... something I'll certainly get sorted out , possibly even changing out the pups . Not crazy about the tuners but that's an easy upgrade . A bit quirky but , IMO , this is a really attractive instrument (especially at a sub $300 price point) .
Sounds like it holds tune. That’s really the main thing with these budget guitars. The pickups are gonna almost always need to be upgraded to really sounds good though
OK...I was 'wrong'...The Jag in the last video didn't belong to Max...Dammit. Nothing negative intended about his beloved SAAB Convertible. BUT...You gotta love his "Go For It" attitude!!!! Not to mention that Max's Cat gets Screen time!!! Again!!! LOVE IT!!!!
Good job on the video! I know I am a little late to the game/video, but this style of guitar is my bread and butter. I am a Punk Rock/Psychobilly/Americana player so this is in my wheelhouse. Heads up, this is a long thread but has good info. First off I would say this guitar occupies the $250-325 tier guitar that the old Squier Standards used to be. Visually the guitar is channeling a "Tele meets Gretsch" vibe. I could tell looking at this on Amazon it is neither. The good news is that this is a great guitar to mod. Visually it is striking as said in the video. The "Tree of Life" is a very Ibanez Jem and high end Epiphone feel. The electronics make very little sense because the volume pot on near the neck pickup on a Gretsch is a Master volume. On a Gretsch hollowbody like an Electromatic you have a Master Volume, two individual pickup volume pots, a Master Tone and a three way switch. This electronics layout is the same as a Schecter S-1 style of guitar, two volumes, a tone and the threeway switch. Now even though the pickups are looking like Filtertrons, I can tell you they do not act like Filtertrons. The advantage to full sized humbuckers on here is you can drop just about ANY humbucker in here. If you want the Gretsch experience, I would recommend a used set of Gretschbuckers, just keep in mind you will want to use the pickup rings it comes with (they are chrome) as those pickups have three screws per humbucker and the stock rings here will not work. If you want to go with the next beat thing I could recommend a set of GFS Nashville/Surf 90s/ Dream 180s to capture that Gretsch vibe on a budget. TV Jones and Lollar-Trons are pure overkill on this. The control layout is cool as you can do a regular Tele layout with a Volume, Tone, three way switch and you have an extra hole that a killswitch would be awesome. Personally I would do the volume where the Neck volume pot is, the Tone where the Bridge volume is, move the three way switch to where the Tone pot is and put a mini killswitch where the three way switch is. I would upgrade the pots, if you go full size CTS or Bournes pots I am pretty sure you will need to ream the holes out. Amazon sells JD Moon switches and they are definitely an upgrade to whats in here for $10 a switch. I would also do a Switchcraft jack while I am at it. The white topped GFD Surf 90s would look perfect in this guitar, they sound like a DeArmond and a P 90 had a baby. The vintage style vibratos do blue notes very well. For those that do not know a blue note is not a half step down. So on the fretboard you would have the A note next to a B note and that would be one fret difference since they are right next to each other. A blue note is not quite an A note, not quite a B note, so somewhere inbetween. Bigsbys are kings of blue notes. This vintage vibrato is a Bigsby B 50 knock off. Some knock offs are better than others. Now IF you have a Bigsby or a knock off vintage vibrato, do yourself a HUGE favor... Wrap each string ALL THE WAY down the string post on the machine head. I do a top wrap and then a bottom wrap to pinch the string through a standard machine head and wrap it down to near the washer. This will provide way more tuning stability as well as it provides a few more degrees of downward pressure that keeps the string firmly in the nut. USUALLY tuning issues are both a nut that needs help and someone who did not wind the string down. Unless the guitar needs serious professional help, every dumbass that complains about a Bigsby (this also goes for tradtional Strats too) usually only has two wraps per string. Of course it plays like crap, sounds like crap and goes out of tune at the drop of a hat but that is YOU being a lazy ass. First off it is purely lazy, secondly there is not enough downaward force past the nut (it was designed for that downward force), and thirdly you will gwt the string unwinding and have Sitar drone types of issues. I have three full hollow body guitars, two Ibanez Artcores (one is in my pic) and a upgraded Gretsch Electromatic. I also have several other guitars with Bigsbys and a knock off (GFS X-Trem). If you wrap the strings like I said, tuning stability should be good. I do have a Squier Partscaster Tele with the X-Trem and I have locking tuners on that. The tuners help but even with shorter posts, the wraps are not as angled as wrapping the string close to the washer. It works fine but I still prefer my over/under wrapping style on a regular machine head. If you upgrade the vintage vibrato to a Bigsby B50 you will probably end up upgrading the bridge and tuners as well. In that case this guitar becomes a $600 plus guitar with electronics, Bigsby, pickups, bridge, and tuners real quick. That is also if you do the electronics work yourself as well as the physical installation of the tuners ans Bigsby. I recommend a professional setup after you put it all together as it will better, sound better and play better than trying ro keep it cheap. Also better parts are heavier so this might add a pound of weight too. Keep this in mind if you take this on as a project guitar.
I own that guitar! How much set up did the owner have to do? I found that the fret ends are a little sharp. I also think I want to put a HB sized P90 in the neck to change the tonal qualities. I think maybe a roller bridge would round out the modifications. At that price point it makes it more capable for customization. I actually have another Zuwei, a LP Goldtop copy with P90’s, single volume single tone controls.
I like the ideas for a P90 neck position and roller bridge. Roller bridges can be very specialized, though, I have discovered. I wonder if they make one that would fit?
I tried buying this one during covid but they couldn’t get anything out of their Chinese warehouse. They ended up sending one already in the states with a more understated fret board and a nice tobacco burst
One thing I've learned is when I see a thumbnail with Max holding a guitar in my feed, I know I can afford it before even clicking on the video lol
Same I got a real great deal on a RRXT 24-7 AND I LOVE IT ITS A COPY BUT BETTER THEN A REAL JACKSON
I know right!
@RustyKnight1217 hmm 🤔. Here you are again. You appear to really hate this guitar. Is it so offensive to your eyes, or has it wronged you in some way?
Best guitar channel on RUclips... doesn't overhyped anything, presents you with what you need to know, nice variety of playing/demonstation... love it!
I’ve had my eye on this for awhile, glad someone finally reviewed it!
Looks crazy cool and sounds great. Nice solo.
I have a firefly thin line tele that I’ve been modding. When I finish it will have Grover mini locking tuners and the electronics are a twisted tele bridge pickup wired into the control plate esquire style and the goes to a 3 way toggle for actual pickup slelction and the neck pickup is a modern 4 wire Fender Wide Range wired into jazzmaster circuit with the exception of the jazz switch is now a coil split but the volume and tone control are the roller wheels mounted under the scratch plate beneath the strings. It’s starting to look pretty wild! One of the projects that have been distracting me from life’s woes. Also to anyone NOT subscribed to this channel... you’re really missing out! It’s more than just guitars. The Positive Metal Outlook series is really great. I’ve been getting a lot out of it myself. And Max, if you see this can I suggest a topic? Strength in the face of adversity. It’s sometimes easier to push back when your back is against a wall. But it’s harder to stand that ground on your own two feet. Both scenarios have their merit but finding the stable ground when the earth is shaking is a task unlike any other. Keep the content coming; you’re making a bigger impact in the world than you know. Thanks.
That does look cool!
You’re making a strong case for me to keep it. Still up in the air. I haven’t taken it back out of the bag since you returned it, but you nailed some major tones for this video.
What? He's already returned it!? You mean he doesn't do this stuff live?
🥺😧😮😲🤯
@@GreyMatterStew I sure hope you’re not serious as the various cuts kinda give that away.
Hard to argue with those clean tones yeah? Would be nice to rearrange the controls if you could fill the hole on the lower horn with something.
@@GuitarMAXMusic Fabricate a new scratch plate?
@@exhumus Possibly. I’ve thought about it. I even contemplated a blender pot below the neck pickup, and having 1V/1T below the bridge & tailpiece. The jury is still out on it, which includes me having it listed on OfferUp at the moment just in case a good offer appears that’s more appealing than an overhaul.
Crazy imaginative features on that guitar… neck binding, inlay, body binding, the pickups look modeled after Gretsch toaster pickups… never saw control layout with volume below each pup… headstock shape is passable… tweaking an EQ pedal can compensate easily for pups that don’t give you just what you want right out if the box… thanks for the review, Max!
Thanks for the review.
That is really cool looking!
Love how it looks and it sounds pretty good to.
I had a Saab 9-3 also, but not a convertible. Best car I ever owned
That bluesy intro jam was quite tasty Max, that guitar sounds pretty great too!
wow that thing is awesome i love it. thanks for showing that one. take care from your pal Helcat in Australia.
I have had one for about a month- had to level frets.reduce fret sprout,do intonation,restring,action,adjust pickups etc.took about 4 hours,but now sounds and plays great.if you aren't comfortable with setting up a guitar don't pull the trigger.they are available on zuwei-starshine website.
Very, very nice guitar skills....and guitar looks killer
"I just needed any car to get from point A to B, and I felt the same with this guitar"
As he has that wall behind him 😅
Looks and sounds awesome
I have 2 Zuwei guitars; have had them for a while and they hold up pretty good. No complaints at all.
Nice shirt haha
Just ordered one. $279 CAD, free deliver. I was constantly looking for a "build yourself" project....but this had too many features to pass up. Am not a fan of tremelo systems...but I may try and make this guitar "my own". As someone mentioned in an earlier comment....he wanted one in black and gold. I will see when I get it....if I want to jump in and change this lovely instrument.
That is a wildly beautiful guitar. With so many budget guitars out there, I wonder how many are made in smaller shops, and how many are more mass produced and rebranded?
That’s sweet I love strange guitars , crazy body styles , why I picked up that Burning Fire 🔥
I’ve played them before, they’re nice guitars
This one's really unique. I like where they placed the neck volume knob. For me, that's where I'd like it on a Strat too.
My Kinda Guitar. Your Playings Gettin Better everytime I watch. Thanks!!!
Bigsby's always sound so Retro !!
I got the blue one back when they had a dark blue top. Thought I glimpsed quilt figure, scraped it down to its great quilt grain, and tru-oiled it (yeah, looooong process). Ditched the Bigsby - don't need more trem axes.
I replaced all hardware and trim with good stuff. Bridge dual rail on a tele plate, filtertron neck, 2 volumes and 2 tones on a tele knob plate, and made a varitone circuit with a blade switch.
It's a beautiful "opera singer" .
The neck is a mots inlaid version of a $9000+ Gibson LP, and has been perfect for nearly 2 years.
I’ve been staring at that guitar on Wish wondering if it’s nightmare or dream. Looks super cool
Thank you
I just saw the rubric! Awesomeness lol 🎸🤘🏻🤓
Surprised Saab is out of business. I've known about their quality forever. Have a friend in Dallas who loves them -- and he could be driving anything (he's a mechanic). Glad you're keeping it running. Kudos on driving a turbo.
Max, Sir, very stylish indeed.
Any brands doing that type of gear are not that well know about.
AS you say, it's sort of a "designer" instrument . Somewhat unique Max.
Max, thanks indeed for doing something different. That is a real interesting video and guitar.
IT sounds to me, for sure, it has a wide array of sound signatures.
.......O___o.........
beautiful. ..............really........
Vin.
Man ... I could listen to you play all day.....soundin Good !!
Thank you!
i just got one, super freaking cool!
That was actually some sweet playing you did there
Stunning guitar
Really cool looking guitar!
Wow wow wow... I loved this guitar at the first sight. 🎸🤔
Dude!! Saab’s are AMAZING cars!! LOVE your Exorcist shirt too!!
That thing is not an abomination, it's super cool & I really dig the way it sounds. That solo in the beginning was also superb.
I checked the specs on this unit, and it is made from some decent woods, that is for sure. While the hardware may be a bit cheap, that is not anything that cannot be upgraded in time. I would probably buy one of these as a project guitar and hotrod the snot out of it. If you view the customer feedback from Amazon buyers, almost everyone says it needs truss rod adjustments out of the box to get the fretboard and neck in check, which is slightly discouraging as that would be between 60 and 90 bucks depending on the shop; however, you would still be under 420 bucks for a very handsome looking piece.
I would put a new set of pickups and a Freeway 3+3 toggle in it so that I had voicing options replace the two volume pots with stacked concentric so that I had two tone and volume controls, one for each pickup, and hook up the single tone control as a master volume or eliminate it and put in a killswitch. Replace the tuners with a set of lockers, and put a set of roller string trees on it, and it would be a custom shop piece for under 1k.
Max, I did not see a description for the material that the nut was constructed out of; what is your assessment? Is it adequately cut, or would you replace it with a graphtech? I know that the cheap plastic ones wear rather quickly and do not have the lubricity in movement commonly found on bone or the graphite composite offerings. I mean, the strings are not going to be moving around in the slots nearly as much with a vibrato style trem system as they would with a Floyd Rose full-floater would but still, for tuning stability, a well-cut quality nut is important.
Thanks for sharing this with us; it is definitely a piece worth checking out for a project build.
What pickups would you recommend?
I just got one of these and they are pretty awesome, especially considering the price. The pickups sound somewhere between a humbucker, a mini-Humbucker and Fitlertrons. It is very light and surprisingly small (which is not a bad thing.) I am always interested in finding unique looking and distinct-sounding guitars so this model checks both of those boxes well. Thanks for the review video Max, keep up the great content.
Are the pickups bright or muddy dark
@@jerryfurr8116 I find them to be brighter and slightly hotter than the typical PAF-style humbucker.
I bought one too. The aqua colored model. If I were to replace the pickups, what would you recommend?
I wouldn't really wouldn't want to replace the pickups because they have a unique sound. However, if one of them were to ever crap out, I would put a set of Filtertrons like the ones in the Nick 13 signature model from Gretsch@@todds.6028
beautiful guitar.
Kudos to you for keeping that Saab on the road. Very unique cars.
If I had the extra money, I'd buy that guitar just to hang on the wall. It is pretty.
I'd have to play it...pix go on the wall here not guitars
If I had the extra money, I'd buy it and play it. I'm holding out for a P-90 goldtop I can afford.
@@daddymidwest4111 I found a blue 1!
@@daddymidwest4111 I’m giving you my experience from buying a Zuwei. First off it was a Grote. When I emailed the seller I told him that the Zuwei your selling must be a mistake, and told him I bought the identical guitar from Amazon. He emailed back saying, they put the logo on after there mass produced and there all the same, made in same factory. The one I bought was one beautiful flamed red color. In pics and better in person. The catch was it was all plastic saddles and plastic locking tuners, 17 of the 21 frets probably had to be leveled and crowned. The worst guitar I ever played. It was a T-style 2 humbucker solid body. O, and in a week the fretboard cracked about inch and half, and I treat my guitars like there all 59 LPs! So I don’t know how Max could make it sound good. Either a lot of post editing or he received a decent one. Either way, By a Harley Benton or something. Shipping is free now for anything $135 and over. Anything but these! Just a heads up!
@@rockinrob2004 Not these? There useless! Maybe a paperweight or weapon for some college kid in a dorm room. I had the Grote double Humbucker tele and it was absolutely beautiful in pictures and even better when I got it. It was all plastic! Saddles and bridge, plastic tuners w/little metal, and the fretboard cracked when I was pushing down a high fret with my fingers. Not using a hammer or banging it. The headstock had nothing on it in some of the pics, and in the background it said Zuwei. So I emailed them, and was told, they put the decals on last, and when I needed any information once I already purchased it, they kept disconnected me during live chat on there customer service site, and wouldn’t call back when leaving messages. They had know idea what I meant by radius. He told me 380. That was the best answer ever! 20 more then an actual complete circle! So, in defense of RB, it’s perfect for a wall! I couldn’t even mod it, because it was a set neck t-style and the dimensions of the bridge was so weird, not one reputable company could help me find something without drilling extra holes! I Just remembered that. They are so beautiful though, it’s really amazing! If it was 20% better quality, I would have made it a project, which was my intentions the whole time! Just FYI
Love your channel, thanks for all the good tips amigo!
Glad you like them!
Hair on point in this one.
Franken guitar. Loved it
Nice car! I have a 2003 Saab 95 Aero Turbo...fantastic fun ride! Way ahead of its time.🎶🎵🎶
Right on!
@@GuitarMAXMusic I should have mentioned what a great channel you produce. I appreciate the time you take to dive into the "players" guitars. Keep up the fun!!👍🎶🎵🎶
Crazycaster. Lovin’ it. Cheers Max!
I got so excited at this vid that I went downstairs to my moms dinner party and peed on the floor in front of everyone
You must be a natural born performer!
@@GuitarMAXMusic no man, its the scene in the beginning of the exorcist homie!!
@@davidp7833 never seen it. Worth watching?
@@camilo1455 ive seen it plenty of times. It's in a class by itself.
Don't ya hate when your movie references don't get recognized?! 🤣🤣
Love the retro looks of this, it's a very beautiful guitar, and I love its quite wide range of available tones from your demos. I wonder also, if the pickups were chosen to sound less warm and with less mid than a standard humbucker to put it somewhere between a standard Tele sound and a standard humbucker sound? If it had full range humbuckers fitted it might just end up sounding like any other dual humbucker equipped guitar, whereas it actually has a more unique tone with a bit of Tele single coils and Filtertron mixed with regular humbucker.
Great review as always Max, and at the price this Tele is offered you might have convinced me to break my current "no more guitars" rule!
That guitar is awesome, I see Fender, Gretsch, Ibanez and Les Paul! Is there anything they didn’t emulate?!
Cool Tele- Max you are a cool dude man seriously love your channel brotha!
Thanks! Glad you enjoy it!
I have the same one, it has a lot of hum when you take your fingers off of the strings. It does look cool on the wall with my collection. So far I just haven't gelled with her. Maybe after this video, I'll pull her down and try again.
Like your shirt, and yes, weird controls layout!!
Beautiful I love it
Another excellent review !! Since I've gotten back into playing I have really become a Tele fan. Even though I'm not big on trems I would love to have that guitar.
Thanks for the review. Love the quirkiness. Best "Tele-Thing" I think I have ever seen. Kudos to them for trying it :-)
Always fancied a Tele-type guitar but could never afford a Fender. None of my electric guitars have a whammy bar either. That guitar looks and sounds great! Buying one asap. Cheers!
Did you?
It's a beautiful car guitar guy. And it fits you very well.
Ahhhh! Saab!
That car 🚗 brings back memories. My dad used to deal in Saab’s and as a family we went through a few. Great cars!
Not a bad guitar either! 😂
0:45 you right saabs are great cars
Max, good music choice, keep it up!
Man, you always have the coolest shirts! I need to start wearing better shirts in my youtube videos... you have inspired me!
I love the looks of that guitar I gotta have one where can I get it how much does it cost
It's as though Gretsch made a Tele. I'd be really tempted if those were actual filtertrons, but as it is, it's a very interesting and unique guitar. I just don't have much use for anything like it right now.
I will say that the last little playing demo nailed a nice vintage EVH tone, which was awesome.
This guitar was made for someone that loves Gretsch and tele but can't decide. This thing has actually been around a long time as I've considered it many times but am not sure it's worth the upgrades I'd want to do to make it a rockabilly machine. It was once marketed under the name Benson.. Benson guitars.. they disappeared for some reason but had good reviews.
Throw in some real Filtertrons and it would be a FrankenGretschJemCaster.
Dammit he’s talking to ghosts again
I want one like that I like the color and looks like a tele to me ,,,all good.
TUNERS!
We have 2 Saab 93s. They're great.
Have seen any of the IYV guitars from Amazon?
I've got one the light blue one's I think all the parts are just unbranded everything on mine is quality I was reading a story about them it said when the owner of one of the biggest factories makes his own line of guitars
Can you please list which one of Tim's Backing tracks you used? Thanks so much!!
Hello Max, I just purchased this guitar, how was the setup when it was delivered ?
Hi Dennis! Unfortunately I don't know that since I borrowed this from a friend and did not get it new myself.
@@GuitarMAXMusic Thanks for the prompt reply !
Would this be a solid 1st guitar? Something I could learn on?
I SAW THIS GUITAR ON AMAZON AND I DIDNT KNOW IF IT WAS ANY GOOD
TYSM FOR THIS REVIEW
This thing looks super cool - a little bit different from everything else out there. I think I'm about to have to buy the blue one and do some upgrades like new pickups, better electronics, a roller bridge, and maybe even a six way switch or push/pull pots for coil splitting. But I'm definitely a fan of the aesthetic. The only thing I worry about is maybe replacing the pickguard with silver pearl or something. Not quite sure where I'd be able to replicate that one and I definitely don't think I'm ready to do it myself.
On the website it shows a Blue version of this guitar, but not one for sale. If I can get one in Blue, I'd buy it. Looks pretty cool.
I am primarily a bassist but I honk around a bit on guitar and I am drawn to Telecasters . I saw this Zuwei on Amazon and had to have it . Aesthetically , I'm loving this axe but I absolutely agree that the control layout is kinda quirky . Unfortunately , the one shipped to me either got bounced around in shipping or Zuwei's quality control leaves something to be desired as the neck pup is highly unresponsive... something I'll certainly get sorted out , possibly even changing out the pups . Not crazy about the tuners but that's an easy upgrade . A bit quirky but , IMO , this is a really attractive instrument (especially at a sub $300 price point) .
Lol I bought the blue one a few months ago. After a couple of upgrades it's a very nice sounding and easy playing guitar.
Sounds like it holds tune. That’s really the main thing with these budget guitars. The pickups are gonna almost always need to be upgraded to really sounds good though
OK...I was 'wrong'...The Jag in the last video didn't belong to Max...Dammit. Nothing negative intended about his beloved SAAB Convertible. BUT...You gotta love his "Go For It" attitude!!!! Not to mention that Max's Cat gets Screen time!!! Again!!! LOVE IT!!!!
Wait... I did say that I have a "project car" right?
@@GuitarMAXMusic Outstanding!! I guess i missed that part!!! Oops...
Cool Tele. I hope they ramped up production on these before the video lol
They didn't.
Are the pickups muddy and dark !!!
Thumbs up for the Exorcist shirt!
I Loved My SAAB!
Impressive
i saw that on line almost bought it
Nice guitar!
Good job on the video! I know I am a little late to the game/video, but this style of guitar is my bread and butter. I am a Punk Rock/Psychobilly/Americana player so this is in my wheelhouse. Heads up, this is a long thread but has good info.
First off I would say this guitar occupies the $250-325 tier guitar that the old Squier Standards used to be. Visually the guitar is channeling a "Tele meets Gretsch" vibe. I could tell looking at this on Amazon it is neither. The good news is that this is a great guitar to mod. Visually it is striking as said in the video. The "Tree of Life" is a very Ibanez Jem and high end Epiphone feel.
The electronics make very little sense because the volume pot on near the neck pickup on a Gretsch is a Master volume. On a Gretsch hollowbody like an Electromatic you have a Master Volume, two individual pickup volume pots, a Master Tone and a three way switch. This electronics layout is the same as a Schecter S-1 style of guitar, two volumes, a tone and the threeway switch. Now even though the pickups are looking like Filtertrons, I can tell you they do not act like Filtertrons. The advantage to full sized humbuckers on here is you can drop just about ANY humbucker in here. If you want the Gretsch experience, I would recommend a used set of Gretschbuckers, just keep in mind you will want to use the pickup rings it comes with (they are chrome) as those pickups have three screws per humbucker and the stock rings here will not work. If you want to go with the next beat thing I could recommend a set of GFS Nashville/Surf 90s/ Dream 180s to capture that Gretsch vibe on a budget. TV Jones and Lollar-Trons are pure overkill on this.
The control layout is cool as you can do a regular Tele layout with a Volume, Tone, three way switch and you have an extra hole that a killswitch would be awesome. Personally I would do the volume where the Neck volume pot is, the Tone where the Bridge volume is, move the three way switch to where the Tone pot is and put a mini killswitch where the three way switch is. I would upgrade the pots, if you go full size CTS or Bournes pots I am pretty sure you will need to ream the holes out. Amazon sells JD Moon switches and they are definitely an upgrade to whats in here for $10 a switch. I would also do a Switchcraft jack while I am at it. The white topped GFD Surf 90s would look perfect in this guitar, they sound like a DeArmond and a P 90 had a baby.
The vintage style vibratos do blue notes very well. For those that do not know a blue note is not a half step down. So on the fretboard you would have the A note next to a B note and that would be one fret difference since they are right next to each other. A blue note is not quite an A note, not quite a B note, so somewhere inbetween. Bigsbys are kings of blue notes.
This vintage vibrato is a Bigsby B 50 knock off. Some knock offs are better than others. Now IF you have a Bigsby or a knock off vintage vibrato, do yourself a HUGE favor... Wrap each string ALL THE WAY down the string post on the machine head. I do a top wrap and then a bottom wrap to pinch the string through a standard machine head and wrap it down to near the washer. This will provide way more tuning stability as well as it provides a few more degrees of downward pressure that keeps the string firmly in the nut. USUALLY tuning issues are both a nut that needs help and someone who did not wind the string down. Unless the guitar needs serious professional help, every dumbass that complains about a Bigsby (this also goes for tradtional Strats too) usually only has two wraps per string. Of course it plays like crap, sounds like crap and goes out of tune at the drop of a hat but that is YOU being a lazy ass.
First off it is purely lazy, secondly there is not enough downaward force past the nut (it was designed for that downward force), and thirdly you will gwt the string unwinding and have Sitar drone types of issues.
I have three full hollow body guitars, two Ibanez Artcores (one is in my pic) and a upgraded Gretsch Electromatic. I also have several other guitars with Bigsbys and a knock off (GFS X-Trem). If you wrap the strings like I said, tuning stability should be good. I do have a Squier Partscaster Tele with the X-Trem and I have locking tuners on that. The tuners help but even with shorter posts, the wraps are not as angled as wrapping the string close to the washer. It works fine but I still prefer my over/under wrapping style on a regular machine head.
If you upgrade the vintage vibrato to a Bigsby B50 you will probably end up upgrading the bridge and tuners as well. In that case this guitar becomes a $600 plus guitar with electronics, Bigsby, pickups, bridge, and tuners real quick. That is also if you do the electronics work yourself as well as the physical installation of the tuners ans Bigsby. I recommend a professional setup after you put it all together as it will better, sound better and play better than trying ro keep it cheap. Also better parts are heavier so this might add a pound of weight too. Keep this in mind if you take this on as a project guitar.
What locking tuners did you use? The Fender brand did not fit and I don’t really want to drill the headstock holes to be larger to fit.
I have the same guitar but in blue by the zuwei company bought it 4 years ago so they're not that new lol take care max stay safe love your channel
Do you know any Al Dimeola riffs?
i really want one in black and gold ... they dont seem to do that color choice :(
I particularly liked the clean tones. Wondering what the back of the guitar looks like, considering the spread out electronics. Thanks
The back is just black with the multi-ply binding.
At 9:34.
@@Phoenix_cataclysm_in_2040 Not the best view, but at least it's something. 👍
@@picksalot1
If you click on the link in description to this video it will take you to a website which has a clear picture of the back of this guitar.
@@Phoenix_cataclysm_in_2040 Thanks, the images on Amazon showed me everything I wanted to see.
You should try the IYV ils-300
I own that guitar! How much set up did the owner have to do? I found that the fret ends are a little sharp. I also think I want to put a HB sized P90 in the neck to change the tonal qualities. I think maybe a roller bridge would round out the modifications. At that price point it makes it more capable for customization.
I actually have another Zuwei, a LP Goldtop copy with P90’s, single volume single tone controls.
I like the ideas for a P90 neck position and roller bridge. Roller bridges can be very specialized, though, I have discovered. I wonder if they make one that would fit?
@@Southernguitar74 I see them on Wish (same place I bought the guitar😐🙄) and I think if you compared measurements you could find one.
I tried buying this one during covid but they couldn’t get anything out of their Chinese warehouse.
They ended up sending one already in the states with a more understated fret board and a nice tobacco burst
Yours truly on the demo at Amazon
That is the offspring of a Gretch White Penguin and a Fender Telecaster Deluxe!