00:50 I absolutely love the character of this guitar as well! It should only have the most modest and stingy of modifications for fear you'll lose the speech it has! Don't forget that Barbara Streisand was once told to get a nose job by an idiot. She obviously didn't because changing her nose would completely alter her voice!!!
Man I wish I could play the guitar I'd buy this one. my hands aren't capable of holding the strings down, however. I have this ukelele I can't even play :(
@@NinjaNezumi You can put on some really light strings that bend easily and lower the strings to make it a lot easier to press the strings down on the frets. Makes a world of difference, I promise.
I've been waiting for this! Based on your review, I bought the same guitar, though from eBay not Amazon because Amazon seller does not deliver to my country. They were super responsive and helpful with my questions and I placed the order on Sunday and they put it in mail on Monday morning and received it on Thursday. 84 euros with delivery. Super happy with it out of the box, also took it to my local guitar shop for TLC setup. Heh, even the store owner was pleasantly surprised by it. The moment he took it into his hands, said it's a very interesting instrument. After he was done with it, had nothing bad to say about it (except he also said that them strings were not very good but I had him put in new lighter strings any ways). It was then when asked what it cost me and made big eyes when I told him. In his words, it was not bad at all for that price. I had never played an instrument before, and my musical education was what I got in primary school, but I have always wanted to learn guitar, my family just never had any money for it and as an adult I was too busy. But now, I have time and money and this price convinced me to take the plunge. It's super difficult but I am determined to learn.
Good for you! Learning guitar as an adult is a challenge, but just remember three things: Play, play and play. It gets better, easier and more fun! 2. Scales are your friend, in any and all keys. Yeah, I know it can be tedious. but it will just make playing more fun down the line. And 3. Have fun. Above all. Don't take it seriously (unless you choose to do so) and NEVER let it be a chore. Although some people enjoy chores because of the rewards. But you're on the right track. You have a good axe to learn on and you're enjoying yourself. Don't worry about how good you're getting or how quickly. You're not gigging (yet!). You've so much joy in store! Peace out.
Awesome! Start slow and keep practising ✌🏼. For learning guitar i would advice you to watch: Marty music! His tutorial vids are awesome and very easy to understand. Helped me out a great deal 😄 enjoy the guitar man!
@@DanieltheTruebadour Scales definitely are your friend. Great for finger flexibility and getting a feel for the keyboard. Also remember you have four fingers; that (often ignored) pinkie is surprisingly useful once "trained".
@DanieltheTruebadour can you send me the link or what it was called Icant seem to find it and the Amazon seller doesn't deliver to my country . Thanks
Nothing is coincidental. Everything happens for a reason… I’m just not sure why the universe needs me to stub my toe on sharp rocks so frequently but, I feel secure that it was for a greater purpose than I will ever understand.
Nice to see this and the first review as it wasn't the usual "I compared this £70 guitar to my £20000 seasoned guitar and WOW it's poop" This is looking like a really nice starter guitar and at that price point you don't have to worry about a novice being a little too rough on it.
Smart move not replacing the pickups! Seriously. I had a friend with a POS plywood Strat rip-off but the pickups had a jangly quality (for lack of better words) that one couldn't replicate in better pickups.
Definitely! Some people will change the pickups as soon as they buy a new budget guitar without giving the stock pickups a chance, but I've found those stock pickups are almost always perfect for my liking... the only time I've ever needed to change pickups was on a Cort Les Paul, and that was only because I wanted a coil split option, which wasn't possible to do with the original pickups
From Leo: Just keep playing it. I have better guitars that came at a way more dear price, but I also have a couple of cheapies like yours that I did a good fret dress, nut slot adjustment and set up and they are enjoyable to play. It is amazing how smooth bargain tuners can be with the smallest possible drop of teflon oil. Spin each oiled tuner with a power string winder for a minute before replacing the strings.
I rarely watch videos like this, but the 1st video sucked me into this one. Your explaination and process is really great. Ive been a luthier for 40 years and enjoyed these 2 videos. Great job, and that tone was really Animalistic👍🏼
I’ve been playing for 58 years and enjoy customizing inexpensive guitars, first thing to go are tuners then the plastic nut strings are a given then fret job pick ups depend on if it goes in my collection I really enjoy watching your videos Keep On Picking Great stuff 👍🏼
This is the way to go...! It took me a few fairly expensive guitars to notice that you save money while having same quality, if you buy a solid low or medium budget guitar and upgrade it... New pickups, tuners, the nut and maybe new electronics, it doesn't matter... In 9/10 times you save money even after all these mod's, compared to the average 1500€-2000€ guitar... If you dont really care about wich name is printed on the headstock and if you know how to solder and such you are in a much better position as the average gear snob...☝🏼
I love the matte black finish. I've been looking at cheap guitars for a possible art project, but I'd be tempted to leave that one alone. Pop some matte black hardware on it. Have it looking like a tactical assault strat.
For the record, there are more than 20 factories in Asia producing guitars since the 1980s. The amount of guitar parts laying around (over stocked) is silly, hence why one can get a complete guitar really cheap. You did the correct repairs, 99% of the strings are cheap and the frets are only pressed in and the side cut off and barely sanded. 80% of the cost of guitars goes into the fret work. As long as the neck pocket and neck heal are cut correctly and fit nicely, it is absolutely worth changing springs and leveling the frets. Sometimes the nut is also an issue (cut too deep or not deep enough, it is a hit or miss). Cheap tuners are pretty common on such prices, but what i would also recommend is upgrading all the potentionmeters to at least 250K (500K if you like the pickups). All the cheap guitars i had (€90 to €200) hat 16K Pots, they are cheap (€6 to €10 each) and make a huge difference, i actually recommend chaning Potentionmeters before pickups. But very nicely done, everyone should be able to understand and self "repair" budget-/cheap guitars, because these issues (except the electronics) will happen to every guitar at some point, regardless of brand and price.
FANTASTIC! This is the 3rd Video of yours I have watched. I HAD to Sub on the 1st one! Great Content and I love that You are Quality and Real and Honest. This is the content I look for! I do not play guitar (tried and struggled) But As I sit here grinning and watching you basically do a Guitar "strip down" and upgrade, I feel MUCH like when I watch Car Mods and Home Repair and Improvements Etc. I Love watching Artist and Craftsmen/women Ply their trade and allow me access to tips, tricks, and secrets. Keep the content as is man! You have earned the Subs!
I love the unique sounds of difference pickups. I have an old Samick that has been rewired but i kept the original pickups because they give it a unique sound
I was taking guitar lessons, and one night, there was a Samik fretless bass I got to try. That was enough to go through several basses, but that Samik just felt so right
I got a Encore Strat copy worth about £100 or 80 dollars. It's all round good for practicing on, the pickups sound good on low volumes but not so good loud and recorded.
I just bought one of these from Amazon for £70. Replaced the nut, dressed the frets, and correctly set up the bridge and truss rod. And it sounds (and plays) awesome! I'm well chuffed, so thanks for the tip.
Strings are the best upgrade one can make for a cheap instrument. Whatever they ship with are not worth wasting your time with. Nice Stew Mac sponsor, they got a lot of my money back in the early days of my learning guitar maintenance
I am almost 70, and started playing guitar at around 14 years old. It really blows my mind how good cheap guitars are now. And amps too. I remember buying my first amp, can't remember the brand name. I brought it to band practice and just about got laughed out of the room. Now a cheap guitar and amp are giggable. Jut amazing! Great video!
Yeah, pickups are fine. In blind test after actual blind test, people actually said they preferred the warm sound of ceramic pickups (yes, they do sound warmer than alnico) over alnico pickups. Also, about the nut. Had a luthier tell me that plastic nuts are fine. He said once you fret a string the nut is no longer in its sonic profile. So, he didn't get the hype about expensive nuts. As long as they are cut well and lubricated, they are fine. One thing I do like to do is pull out the thin pot metal bridge block and replace it with a solid brass one. In my opinion it does slightly increase sustain if that is your goal. They even make slightly shorter ones for non-full size guitar bodies. But that's just me. Pots? Smaller pots are fine if they are well made. By the way, for the last 20yrs, all pots, even CTS, Bourne and Alpha, are made in SE Asia. There are no American made pots. So small pots are fine. Capacitors? I prefer orange drop but that's just a preference. Switch and jack? Just get ones that doesn't look like they will fall apart anytime soon.
Andy, a few weeks ago, I took delivery of my first Harley Benton, this one being their red and white, maple fretboard travel guitar -- the one that looks like what I first encountered as a "pickguard" guitar. Without the rather hefty shipping charge, this thing was about $90US. Obviously, the pickups have to be cheap -- but dayum, they sound good. I usually can't stand the sound of a Strat's bridge single coil and the first thing I do is swap it for a single-coil-sized humbucker. THIS time, though, not only am I considering leaving the neck and middle pickups stock, but I MAY do the same with the bridge pickup! Haven't decided on that yet, but I would say that it's gotten very hard to find cheap pickups that actually sound bad. It's still possible, but good and cheap pickups are way more easily found than they used to be!
Great vid. I have a Chinese Squier that played really wonderfully when I bought it from a boot fair for 25UKP. It was all stock and came with a Squier 10w amp. The pickups were sierra hotel 1 tango so I got a second hand set of Artec pups from fleabay for 20UKP. It now sounds awesome and plays like a dream for less than the cost of a takeaway. I even floated the trem. Sometimes things just go well!
@@drewwesley9506 I've no idea what it was called. Nothing but Squier on the headstock. It was one of the very first batch of Chinese Squiers back in the 90's
Thanks for the update... it's a very good public service you're doing. Helps people think and get creative with quality and possible improvements. All the best, Always!
I really wish I could get this guitar in the states. Unfortunately according to the link, it’s not available here in the states. You really sold me on this Guitar. I was looking forward to trying it. Thank you for the video.
Alas, not in Canada either. I'm a piano player who has been struggling for years to get any proficiency in guitar. A paramedic recently told me to "go electric" and after watching the first vid, I got all excited, thought I'd found the one I want to try. ... darn, eh.
Floating the bridge will result in the guitar going out of tune when/if you break a string plus more chance of binding at the nut (which is why lubricating the nut becomes necessary). Fender originally designed the trem to sit flat on the body with the mounting screws raised about 1 1/2 mm above the plate (about 1/16"). It helps to file the slots a little on some guitars to avoid string binding too. I like that you took the time to work on the frets because that does make a world of difference. I also agree on the pickups. Some of these have a great sound and I've upgraded many guitars with higher end pickups that don't really improve the tones (but they will have higher output and can get rid of hum which so many people want).
I got a $150 Rogue 5 string bass 20 years ago and out of the box it was great! I think the weakest point on it was it had noisy bridge pickup and the pickups had very low output, but other than that, I used it quite a bit gigging.
I have a "First Act" strat copy I bought from Walmart some time mid 90s? It is my most frequent "go to", it is actually a surprisingly great guitar. I paid $65.00 US for it back then, still jave all the tags, documents, lesson book, and all the accessories it came with. I've never had to do anything to it other than the basic setup standards. And the fret/neck quality was amazing since day one, actually better than my Squier Strat which needed quite a bit of fret work. I love this guitar you got, very nice Donner actually puts out some decent guitars as well for a nice very affordable price, aside from their tele I got where the high E consistently runs off the fret board and gets stuck on the side of the neck 🤨🤬 The problem is in the nut, which im just too lazy to fix/replace
It's amazing that the tremolo actually works, and that it stays in tune in use. I've had a couple of Strats that the trem needed repeated tweaking. I agree, that's great tone for a seventy five buck guitar. I'd recommend that over one of the fake guitars to learn on.
I haven’t even gotten through the ads yet. But I just want to say I love this kind of video. Thank you. It inspires me to learn to work on my own guitars.
I’m so glad you came up in my suggestions I really enjoy your channel. I do not play any musical instruments but like most people I really enjoy those that can.
I like to mod cheap guitars and have had some good results. I bought a Southwest Acoustics, $165, red sunburst HSS, strat shaped guitar. Overall, good as a $165 guitar is. Tunable and playable outa the box. It was intoned. What I did: Removed neck and saw metal inserts in the neck pocket for the machine screws, plastic hammered down high frets (nothing awful, just four of them), polished frets with 2000 grit paper, put DR. Duck's on fret board(it needed it), tightened nuts holding the tuners and put it back together, I did some work on the nut, adjusted the truss rod and got a mm of relief in the neck, lowered the bridge and intoned. Action is really low, intonation at worst is within 1 or 2 cents anywhere and no buzz anywhere. I bought some used Squire Stagemaster pickups and put them in. They sound great.
I love how your ear goes to the bridge and for using on recordings. That's freakin awesome. I wouldn't change anything on it now. The hell with potentially losing that sound by upgrading a pickup or the tremolo system in it. That dirty bridge sound is like finding gold, Runaway is going to be used for recording on the bridge pickup.....I'm sorry I named it runaway haha. I have named alot of the guitars I've seen on your channel, I'm just now getting comfortable putting comments out. Not much of commenter for everyone to see.
When you played the MSA guitar and then the Fender, I was confused and ready to (respectfully) disagree with you because I was expecting you to say something like "of course the Fender sounds better but not much, but for the price the MSA is still good", but then you shared a similar opinion to mine. And this was surprising and another big selling point for me. I was already keen to buy it (using the affiliate link, of course) when I watched your first video, but now it is settled! Thanks for the great videos!
Very fun and useful video. Thanks for sharing. I'm a beginner and just bought a cheap strat, and it's clear at this point that instruments like this are totally enough for people like me.
I like my bullet mustang for much the same reason. The pickups sound really raw and aggressive. If I upgraded them, I'd probably have a cheap guitar with good pickups that I don't love as much.
You really nailed the "You really got me now" sound with that cheap guitar. Fantastic sound with just the string change, tho your other steps brought it to pro gig level.
I actually got a T-type for $78 (USD) + $30 shipping from Thomann (Harley Benton TE-20) and I didn't need to change anything at all. I've owned it for 2 yrs, never had to adjust anything besides new strings and truss rod for summer/winter humidity changes (I'm in Florida, it's exaggerated big time) and it's honestly, the guitar I play the most out of the 6 I own... It has that tele twang in the bridge, I can pump distortion through it with minimal 60 cycle hum and for my own personal enjoyment because it was already a cheaply made guitar I did a relic on it... I'm of the opinion that the snobs can have their $X,000 custom shop guitars all they want, but modern guitars with all their tweaks and 'advancements' will never give you the authenticity of the original guitars because they're being made with 70 years of knowledge behind them. Early electric guitars have that unique sound imo because it was still new and fresh and there wasn't all this knowledge behind them. So these cheap guitars, when massaged and caressed to play well, give a better representation of an early strat or tele or LP than Gibson or Fender will ever actually give you... They're more true to the early days of electric guitar BECAUSE they're built a bit more crudely, like the originals were. You just have to be willing to make the effort like was done in this video to get the guitar to a place where it feels and plays well...
THANK YOU for hitting on this. So many times tuning stability is blamed on "bad tuners." It's rareellllllly the tuners in my experience.. but when people change the tuners they change the strings at the same time.. maybe even lube the nut.. and then wala, it's fixed, so they THINK it was the tuners.. but it wasn't! Good strings and a nice smooth nut, and tuning stability you have 99/100 times! And yes that's even with a dead-cheap junk trem's!
I've dabbled with guitar a little over the years but I'm no guitarist and wouldn't even call myself an amateur really, I still find guitars fascinating and I've been toying with the idea of trying to learn a bit more. This video was really entertaining and I'm now considering getting one of these to play with since the financial barrier for entry is so low. I subbed to the channel, thanks for the video!
You seem like a very good and honest man with a true passion for guitars. The way you describe the guitar in part 1 and 2 is amazingly detailed and easy to follow for me who is wanting to get an electric guitar on budget… so I bought this guitar today and because of you, I am exited to start my guitar journey. Thanks for the videos and I’ll make sure to watch and learn more from you 🙏
@Im_Allergic_To_Chapstick For me who is a complete beginner, this guitar gave me a lot of fun so far. Being someone who just wants to get into it and learning the basics, I prefer to start with a guitar in this price range instead of jumping in with a 500€ guitar I had my eyes on. The guitar feels good quality for its price as well, great experience so far, better than expected. Hope that answers your question.
@MisterStoke thanks for the description. I'm in the same dilemma as you, I've been told to go expensive but for a begginer I'd want to start a little cheaper, this helps me make my choice!
@Im_Allergic_To_Chapstick Glad I could help! Starting with some ‘cheap’ fun that is pretty decent for its price, is nice before making the commitment to go more expensive and professional. We all gotta start somewhere imo. And if you find out guitar ain’t your thing after all, then you have spend only 80* ish instead of €500.
Wow, now I'm tempted, if I didn't already have so many guitars in my small apartment I'd go for one of these immediately... they also come in so many colours, and the purple one's a real beauty! I'm also wondering how these compare with Harley Bentons, as they're in a similar price range (with the Vision being slightly cheaper)
Dunno if you read this but if you wonder why the pickups have a different timbre sometimes it is simply the placement. On a Fender they are placed under a specific harmonic node, this is what some guitars get wrong. Tele neck pup vs strat neck pup is a good example. A few mm offset under a different node. Measure from 12 fret (half of string length on the 25.5 inch scale) to the bridge pup position to see what I mean.
Thanks for the Video. I got one in black and gold (Limited Edition) for learning guitar playing together with the Katana Mini Amp. I am a Truck Driver from Germany and learn to play guitar on Tour. Perfekt Match. Thank you very much!
A great video for those of us who play another primary instrument (piano and keyboards like me) but also own guitars, you showed basic guitar set up. You took a good sounding guitar out of the box made it great with just a change of strings and minor fret dressing. I will tell you that my first guitar was a Teisco del Ray in 1968 and it cost the same as this guitar, but it wasn't near the quality (guitars like that, Kent, etc. were awful) and almost made me quit trying to play. Love that 60's sound with the bridge pickup, but noticed a slight tonal change when the strings were replaced. Did you hear that or is it my imagination? NICE!
What an entertaining clip, and I'm not even an electric guitarist (acoustic)! I love the analytical take but not taking yourself too seriously. Made me smile and want to buy a 75 euro cheap electric guitar. More reviews should be like yours.
i saw the first video of this series a few days ago and im so glad i did. im new to playing and this gives me hope that i can get good stuff affordably.
Well I've never played a guitar,, but I've thought about getting a cheap one to practice with,, and you have convinced me that this one would be a great starter. I thought it sounded good before the string change,, and agree it sounded much BETTER AFTERWARDS. Maybe some day I can get one.and if I only learn Mary had a little lamb,, then I would be happy!!
This goes to show that if your guitar is accompanied with a proper setup, a good amp, and good technique, it’ll sound great no matter what. It may be less versatile and require fine tuning to dial in sounds that truly sound good, but this is a very validating video for cheap gear lovers.
Bought it, just for fun. I might leave it as it is or I might use it as a lab platform. After all, it will be my 12th guitar. EDIT: Hey, it arrived! Good construction quality, decent neck and fretboard job. It needed intonation, action, tuning setup but overall I can confirm this video review.
I got a great shape Epiphone Gibson Les Paul special in black just plug into my peavey vyper amp and it kicks ass paid 80 bucks n got gig bag with guitar might be slightly used and I did one tuner repair hi E and cleaned guitar and fretboard polished frets 3000 grit paper and set action and some intonation next new Ernie ball 09 s
I KNEW I HEARD HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN! I was about to comment what that sounded like and then you said something LOL. Love your videos. I recently bought a Fender Telecaster Custom and am so hyped to learn!
Good video. I have made many cheaper guitars sound and play great and always replace the plastic nut for a bone one which definately helps with keeping it in tune if using the floating tremolo. I also replace the ceramic pickup magnets with 5x1mm neodymium disc magnets which improves the tone and sustain, try this if you have not done so and be surprised.
A genuinely great find. Probably could've still changed the other two pups (if you've a mind to.) I understand the impulse to 'over-mod'. But I bought a Harley Benton strat model for €125 and normally I've had great luck with their guitars around that price point. However, in this case the only thing salvageable on it was indeed the body and the neck. I always automatically replace the tuners with Fender Locking Tuners. Replaced the trem system because it was just plain bad (as it kept scratch/cutting the edge of my hand) with a Wilkinson trem. And, replaced the pickups/electronics with a Fender pre loaded Tex Mex pickguard. So, serious money got spent. But the body (with its roasted maple neck) was worth the cost put into my Strat-kenstein.
Sincere Thanks for doing this video! I'm in the process of compiling tools, to do what you did here, to get my guitars in shape. I, like you, enjoy the surprises you get with the inexpensive genre of guitars. This video is a must learn for new guitar owners. Thanks again!
What i hate about cheap guitars (which is NOT their fault) is that they can really be made into something great but after all that money and work, you rarely get any value out of it if you were to sell. Granted, if you are just looking to have a great playing guitar, that's fine. And I'm sure (based on your review) this would be a super affordable way to get a guitar to play and also a cheap bed to build on. But as you sink money into it, you would likely barely get you money back for the upgrades alone... Which is sad. But i love seeing the basic guitars that are able to be quality enough, out of the box, to keep a beginner interested in continuing to learn. Great review!
This is so interesting,I am a metal fan and I want to play guitar in the future but I don’t have much money and this seems like a very good Possibility for a cheap guitar,thank you very much!
Hi, good video! Just want to say, since I was around and played guitar in the 60s, Fenders were not the most popular guitar for the genre. Many of the bands then played Gretsch, Gibson and Rickenbacker including the Animals. Fender became popular later when Jimi Hendrix arrived on the seen in 1967. By the end of that decade everyone wanted a Stratocaster! Thanks for your video.
Would disagree to some extent - it was the Shadows using Strats that brought them to the attention of the UK groups (we all used Hofners and Epiphones until then) . Look at pictures of groups prior to 1964, very few Fenders and Gibsons. It was about then that UK changed some import details and the US guitars started to arrive in force.
Can anyone tell me what was the name / source of the tune that he played on the fender guitar at 1:42? It sounds very familiar to me yet I can't remember where I heard that tune before.
In 2013 when I was working in Fort McMurray AB I got drunk after work and bought a new guitar. A flat black Fender strat with gloss black pick guard like that one but with maple neck and dual humbuckers. I upgraded the pickups for Seymore Duncan and the volume pot as well, leveled the frets myself (will never do that again, took f'ing forever) intonized it and all that and out of the 7 guitars I've owned it's still my absolute favorite. Sounds incredible. I just love looking at the f'er haha.
I am so pleased by this video (and the first one), as i own the very same guitar, but with another finish. I wasn't really sure, if i was getting a price-worthy item, as i am not an expert in Guitar Tech. So, thanks a lot, although this video is a few month old when i comment it..
"It sounds like nothing else I own.".....you basically just said exactly what I've been trying to say haha. That's so cool man, please don't change anything on the low budget guitar. If I had my choice to change 3 things about it, first, I'd get standard strat neck pickup in there cause that neck pickup just isn't doing justice for such a beautiful instrument, secondly, I'd upgrade my tremolo system, and thirdly......I'm thinking.....id probably just upgrade those 2 things. I guess I'd probably have it set up to where it's just got a 3 way selector switch instead of a 5. I'd love to play it because then my whole approach to the low budget guitar would change. I'd assume out of every 10 low budget guitars there's probably 3 or 4 that are gonna be as good as this. Lmao one could believe that you maybe was the one who opened up the box??? I'm kidding, you did give that company a shout out with a smile in the first video! Maybe they already knew where this one was going
I've just came across Your channel, and your previous video on this guitar fascinated me to watch your second video on this make. I decided to subscribe when I watched your video on you being threatened by a company who made or is making guitars, and is trying to have you be who you are not. Once I watched that video I immediately subscribed. I wish you the absolute best.
those early recordings were probably not done on high quality 2K+ guitars in the first place. Nor amps for that matter. Also take into consideration recording microphone used... lots of room for original tome to be altered. Tone chasing is near impossible but it still makes sense why the cheap guitar would sound closer to the original recordings.
I just recently got a (second hand) Harley Benton SG for ultra cheap, where I am about to do a fret job. But now I am getting REALLY curious about this guitar as well. Tempting :) By the way, I like how you also cover fret levelling/polishing, short and concise, yet with all the important steps shown. This guitar seems great, I got this fun "Tarantino movie" 60s vibe the second you started to play it, there is something about this sound I like as well. Insane for 70 EU shipped...
I can't play guitars but i agree with everything he said (soundwise). i like the sound of this guitar and like he said depending what kind of sound you want/need i don't see any problem buying a cheaper guitar. i wonder if people get abit 'snobby' with what somebody is using even though it's perfectly fine and for their needs.
AHH thanks for the follow up! I’ve been wanting to find a good beginner guitar that’s in my budget! I’m 17 and I really wanna start ! I just started my new job and this is definitely the first thing I’m getting!
I've been debating buying a used Squier Classic VIbe Tele so I can learn/practice things like wiring (doing the Nashville mod), changing PUps to some hand-wound Canadian ones and a few other things .. Thanks for showing this - awesome ..
Excellent job! You're right about the character and having something that sounds unique. The only time you want a true clone is if you need something close ta hand in case of a string breaks or as a spare for gigging. I just got a couple of cheap house brand guitars and they are amazing. They both had scratchy frets and needed some fretboard hydration as well as a small truss rod and intonation adjustment. But they come with a GraphTech nut (!) and solid tuners. Basically there's not much in the way of setup work done out of the factory with the cheapos, so if you can at least do that without having to hand it to a luthier to pay for a set-up, there are bargains to be had.
This is 1 of the best guitar video. This cheap guitar sounds like any mid range guitar or better after a few adjustment. Secondly, beginners can learn their first diy skill on this cheap guitar from this video. Thirdly, the essential tools to buy for the adjustment n minor repair. Thanks bro ❤
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Video Part 1 - ruclips.net/video/DPPOIThqRLI/видео.html
00:50 I absolutely love the character of this guitar as well! It should only have the most modest and stingy of modifications for fear you'll lose the speech it has! Don't forget that Barbara Streisand was once told to get a nose job by an idiot. She obviously didn't because changing her nose would completely alter her voice!!!
Man I wish I could play the guitar I'd buy this one.
my hands aren't capable of holding the strings down, however. I have this ukelele I can't even play :(
They won't deliver to UK 😢
@@NinjaNezumi You can put on some really light strings that bend easily and lower the strings to make it a lot easier to press the strings down on the frets. Makes a world of difference, I promise.
@@Laerei I really can't hold my wrist around a guitar neck.
This is genuinely a good video to send people to to give a nice overview of setting up a guitar. Nice one.
Cheers Chris!
Ps, Vision Guitars are from Spain and importet and Setup from MSA in Germany (Bavaria)
I've been waiting for this! Based on your review, I bought the same guitar, though from eBay not Amazon because Amazon seller does not deliver to my country. They were super responsive and helpful with my questions and I placed the order on Sunday and they put it in mail on Monday morning and received it on Thursday. 84 euros with delivery.
Super happy with it out of the box, also took it to my local guitar shop for TLC setup. Heh, even the store owner was pleasantly surprised by it. The moment he took it into his hands, said it's a very interesting instrument. After he was done with it, had nothing bad to say about it (except he also said that them strings were not very good but I had him put in new lighter strings any ways). It was then when asked what it cost me and made big eyes when I told him. In his words, it was not bad at all for that price.
I had never played an instrument before, and my musical education was what I got in primary school, but I have always wanted to learn guitar, my family just never had any money for it and as an adult I was too busy. But now, I have time and money and this price convinced me to take the plunge. It's super difficult but I am determined to learn.
Good for you! Learning guitar as an adult is a challenge, but just remember three things: Play, play and play. It gets better, easier and more fun!
2. Scales are your friend, in any and all keys. Yeah, I know it can be tedious. but it will just make playing more fun down the line. And 3. Have fun. Above all. Don't take it seriously (unless you choose to do so) and NEVER let it be a chore. Although some people enjoy chores because of the rewards.
But you're on the right track. You have a good axe to learn on and you're enjoying yourself. Don't worry about how good you're getting or how quickly. You're not gigging (yet!). You've so much joy in store!
Peace out.
Awesome! Start slow and keep practising ✌🏼. For learning guitar i would advice you to watch: Marty music! His tutorial vids are awesome and very easy to understand. Helped me out a great deal 😄 enjoy the guitar man!
@@DanieltheTruebadour Scales definitely are your friend. Great for finger flexibility and getting a feel for the keyboard. Also remember you have four fingers; that (often ignored) pinkie is surprisingly useful once "trained".
Hi could you send me the link please as I can't find one on ebay cheers Chris
@DanieltheTruebadour can you send me the link or what it was called Icant seem to find it and the Amazon seller doesn't deliver to my country .
Thanks
uploaded on amazon prime day, a smart dude he is 😂🎸
Or a TOTAL coincidence….
Nothing is coincidental. Everything happens for a reason… I’m just not sure why the universe needs me to stub my toe on sharp rocks so frequently but, I feel secure that it was for a greater purpose than I will ever understand.
@@PooNinjawhat a load of old tripe😂
@@blacksquareknight it’s what i do . See my screen name for reference. 😂
Means nothin’ if you don’t live in Germany/Austria….they don’t ship to UK.
I don't think ive ever seen a better in video ad. It was just a natural part of the video! Bravo!
That guitar definitely has a character of its own. A good setup will make a cheap one play and sound great. Well done Sir!
Nice to see this and the first review as it wasn't the usual "I compared this £70 guitar to my £20000 seasoned guitar and WOW it's poop" This is looking like a really nice starter guitar and at that price point you don't have to worry about a novice being a little too rough on it.
Smart move not replacing the pickups! Seriously. I had a friend with a POS plywood Strat rip-off but the pickups had a jangly quality (for lack of better words) that one couldn't replicate in better pickups.
Jangly is the correct term. Pair that with an amp that has a nice bonkle? Scringo, baby.
Definitely! Some people will change the pickups as soon as they buy a new budget guitar without giving the stock pickups a chance, but I've found those stock pickups are almost always perfect for my liking... the only time I've ever needed to change pickups was on a Cort Les Paul, and that was only because I wanted a coil split option, which wasn't possible to do with the original pickups
I have a early 90s Squier Japan made Tele - I wouldn't change the pickups; they're perfect.
From Leo: Just keep playing it. I have better guitars that came at a way more dear price, but I also have a couple of cheapies like yours that I did a good fret dress, nut slot adjustment and set up and they are enjoyable to play. It is amazing how smooth bargain tuners can be with the smallest possible drop of teflon oil. Spin each oiled tuner with a power string winder for a minute before replacing the strings.
I rarely watch videos like this, but the 1st video sucked me into this one. Your explaination and process is really great. Ive been a luthier for 40 years and enjoyed these 2 videos. Great job, and that tone was really Animalistic👍🏼
Same. Thinking of buying one for my daughter now (she's having lessons and renting a guitar now)
I’ve been playing for 58 years and enjoy customizing inexpensive guitars, first thing to go are tuners then the plastic nut strings are a given then fret job pick ups depend on if it goes in my collection I really enjoy watching your videos
Keep On Picking Great stuff 👍🏼
This is the way to go...!
It took me a few fairly expensive guitars to notice that you save money while having same quality, if you buy a solid low or medium budget guitar and upgrade it...
New pickups, tuners, the nut and maybe new electronics, it doesn't matter... In 9/10 times you save money even after all these mod's, compared to the average 1500€-2000€ guitar...
If you dont really care about wich name is printed on the headstock and if you know how to solder and such you are in a much better position as the average gear snob...☝🏼
0:56-1:06...VERY Nice! Sergio Leone-esque Clint Eastwood Spaghetti Western Sound-Always LOVE That!
Its from the House of the rising sun by Animals
I love the matte black finish. I've been looking at cheap guitars for a possible art project, but I'd be tempted to leave that one alone. Pop some matte black hardware on it. Have it looking like a tactical assault strat.
For the record, there are more than 20 factories in Asia producing guitars since the 1980s. The amount of guitar parts laying around (over stocked) is silly, hence why one can get a complete guitar really cheap. You did the correct repairs, 99% of the strings are cheap and the frets are only pressed in and the side cut off and barely sanded. 80% of the cost of guitars goes into the fret work. As long as the neck pocket and neck heal are cut correctly and fit nicely, it is absolutely worth changing springs and leveling the frets. Sometimes the nut is also an issue (cut too deep or not deep enough, it is a hit or miss). Cheap tuners are pretty common on such prices, but what i would also recommend is upgrading all the potentionmeters to at least 250K (500K if you like the pickups). All the cheap guitars i had (€90 to €200) hat 16K Pots, they are cheap (€6 to €10 each) and make a huge difference, i actually recommend chaning Potentionmeters before pickups. But very nicely done, everyone should be able to understand and self "repair" budget-/cheap guitars, because these issues (except the electronics) will happen to every guitar at some point, regardless of brand and price.
Just for the record, Vision Guitars are from Spain and importet and Setup in Germany by MSA
I don't play guitar but i always enjoy when you see someone skilled in a craft showing affordable options and how to upgrade them
FANTASTIC! This is the 3rd Video of yours I have watched. I HAD to Sub on the 1st one! Great Content and I love that You are Quality and Real and Honest. This is the content I look for! I do not play guitar (tried and struggled) But As I sit here grinning and watching you basically do a Guitar "strip down" and upgrade, I feel MUCH like when I watch Car Mods and Home Repair and Improvements Etc. I Love watching Artist and Craftsmen/women Ply their trade and allow me access to tips, tricks, and secrets. Keep the content as is man! You have earned the Subs!
Thanks! That was a great read. Welcome to my channel
I love the unique sounds of difference pickups. I have an old Samick that has been rewired but i kept the original pickups because they give it a unique sound
I was taking guitar lessons, and one night, there was a Samik fretless bass I got to try. That was enough to go through several basses, but that Samik just felt so right
I got a Encore Strat copy worth about £100 or 80 dollars. It's all round good for practicing on, the pickups sound good on low volumes but not so good loud and recorded.
I just bought one of these from Amazon for £70. Replaced the nut, dressed the frets, and correctly set up the bridge and truss rod. And it sounds (and plays) awesome! I'm well chuffed, so thanks for the tip.
Strings are the best upgrade one can make for a cheap instrument.
Whatever they ship with are not worth wasting your time with.
Nice Stew Mac sponsor, they got a lot of my money back in the early days of my learning guitar maintenance
Hello brother from another mother!
Strings are an easy upgrade and will elevate that cheap guitar for sure.
See you soon!
I am almost 70, and started playing guitar at around 14 years old. It really blows my mind how good cheap guitars are now. And amps too. I remember buying my first amp, can't remember the brand name. I brought it to band practice and just about got laughed out of the room. Now a cheap guitar and amp are giggable. Jut amazing! Great video!
You truly are a geek and I loved every minute of this and the first. Thanks from Colorado.
Yeah, pickups are fine. In blind test after actual blind test, people actually said they preferred the warm sound of ceramic pickups (yes, they do sound warmer than alnico) over alnico pickups. Also, about the nut. Had a luthier tell me that plastic nuts are fine. He said once you fret a string the nut is no longer in its sonic profile. So, he didn't get the hype about expensive nuts. As long as they are cut well and lubricated, they are fine. One thing I do like to do is pull out the thin pot metal bridge block and replace it with a solid brass one. In my opinion it does slightly increase sustain if that is your goal. They even make slightly shorter ones for non-full size guitar bodies. But that's just me. Pots? Smaller pots are fine if they are well made. By the way, for the last 20yrs, all pots, even CTS, Bourne and Alpha, are made in SE Asia. There are no American made pots. So small pots are fine. Capacitors? I prefer orange drop but that's just a preference. Switch and jack? Just get ones that doesn't look like they will fall apart anytime soon.
Andy, a few weeks ago, I took delivery of my first Harley Benton, this one being their red and white, maple fretboard travel guitar -- the one that looks like what I first encountered as a "pickguard" guitar. Without the rather hefty shipping charge, this thing was about $90US. Obviously, the pickups have to be cheap -- but dayum, they sound good. I usually can't stand the sound of a Strat's bridge single coil and the first thing I do is swap it for a single-coil-sized humbucker. THIS time, though, not only am I considering leaving the neck and middle pickups stock, but I MAY do the same with the bridge pickup! Haven't decided on that yet, but I would say that it's gotten very hard to find cheap pickups that actually sound bad. It's still possible, but good and cheap pickups are way more easily found than they used to be!
Great vid. I have a Chinese Squier that played really wonderfully when I bought it from a boot fair for 25UKP. It was all stock and came with a Squier 10w amp. The pickups were sierra hotel 1 tango so I got a second hand set of Artec pups from fleabay for 20UKP. It now sounds awesome and plays like a dream for less than the cost of a takeaway. I even floated the trem. Sometimes things just go well!
Which one, the Debut?
@@drewwesley9506 I've no idea what it was called. Nothing but Squier on the headstock. It was one of the very first batch of Chinese Squiers back in the 90's
Thanks for the update... it's a very good public service you're doing. Helps people think and get creative with quality and possible improvements. All the best, Always!
Very cool. I'm a newbie player and love working on and modifying cheap guitars. Its fun and relaxing working on your own guitar.
Agree. And a good way to know your instrument, how it is made, how it works.
I really wish I could get this guitar in the states. Unfortunately according to the link, it’s not available here in the states. You really sold me on this Guitar. I was looking forward to trying it. Thank you for the video.
Alas, not in Canada either. I'm a piano player who has been struggling for years to get any proficiency in guitar. A paramedic recently told me to "go electric" and after watching the first vid, I got all excited, thought I'd found the one I want to try. ... darn, eh.
it definitely has that old sound ,was nice to hear it again ,thank you
Floating the bridge will result in the guitar going out of tune when/if you break a string plus more chance of binding at the nut (which is why lubricating the nut becomes necessary). Fender originally designed the trem to sit flat on the body with the mounting screws raised about 1 1/2 mm above the plate (about 1/16"). It helps to file the slots a little on some guitars to avoid string binding too. I like that you took the time to work on the frets because that does make a world of difference. I also agree on the pickups. Some of these have a great sound and I've upgraded many guitars with higher end pickups that don't really improve the tones (but they will have higher output and can get rid of hum which so many people want).
I got a $150 Rogue 5 string bass 20 years ago and out of the box it was great! I think the weakest point on it was it had noisy bridge pickup and the pickups had very low output, but other than that, I used it quite a bit gigging.
that white strat sounds AMAZING!
Great channel, you have clearly found an eager audience, including me, good for you!
I have a "First Act" strat copy I bought from Walmart some time mid 90s?
It is my most frequent "go to", it is actually a surprisingly great guitar.
I paid $65.00 US for it back then, still jave all the tags, documents, lesson book, and all the accessories it came with.
I've never had to do anything to it other than the basic setup standards.
And the fret/neck quality was amazing since day one,
actually better than my Squier Strat which needed quite a bit of fret work.
I love this guitar you got, very nice
Donner actually puts out some decent guitars as well for a nice very affordable price, aside from their tele I got where the high E consistently runs off the fret board and gets stuck on the side of the neck 🤨🤬
The problem is in the nut, which im just too lazy to fix/replace
It's amazing that the tremolo actually works, and that it stays in tune in use. I've had a couple of Strats that the trem needed repeated tweaking. I agree, that's great tone for a seventy five buck guitar. I'd recommend that over one of the fake guitars to learn on.
that clean sounding lick you played after you got done with the mods sounded like yellow ledbetter by pearl jam XD
I haven’t even gotten through the ads yet. But I just want to say I love this kind of video. Thank you. It inspires me to learn to work on my own guitars.
I’m so glad you came up in my suggestions I really enjoy your channel. I do not play any musical instruments but like most people I really enjoy those that can.
I like to mod cheap guitars and have had some good results. I bought a Southwest Acoustics, $165, red sunburst HSS, strat shaped guitar. Overall, good as a $165 guitar is. Tunable and playable outa the box. It was intoned. What I did: Removed neck and saw metal inserts in the neck pocket for the machine screws, plastic hammered down high frets (nothing awful, just four of them), polished frets with 2000 grit paper, put DR. Duck's on fret board(it needed it), tightened nuts holding the tuners and put it back together, I did some work on the nut, adjusted the truss rod and got a mm of relief in the neck, lowered the bridge and intoned. Action is really low, intonation at worst is within 1 or 2 cents anywhere and no buzz anywhere. I bought some used Squire Stagemaster pickups and put them in. They sound great.
I love how your ear goes to the bridge and for using on recordings. That's freakin awesome. I wouldn't change anything on it now. The hell with potentially losing that sound by upgrading a pickup or the tremolo system in it. That dirty bridge sound is like finding gold, Runaway is going to be used for recording on the bridge pickup.....I'm sorry I named it runaway haha. I have named alot of the guitars I've seen on your channel, I'm just now getting comfortable putting comments out. Not much of commenter for everyone to see.
When you played the MSA guitar and then the Fender, I was confused and ready to (respectfully) disagree with you because I was expecting you to say something like "of course the Fender sounds better but not much, but for the price the MSA is still good", but then you shared a similar opinion to mine. And this was surprising and another big selling point for me. I was already keen to buy it (using the affiliate link, of course) when I watched your first video, but now it is settled! Thanks for the great videos!
I’m really glad I could help. Enjoy whichever Gitarre you have, and I hope you stick around for more videos.
Very fun and useful video. Thanks for sharing. I'm a beginner and just bought a cheap strat, and it's clear at this point that instruments like this are totally enough for people like me.
I like my bullet mustang for much the same reason. The pickups sound really raw and aggressive. If I upgraded them, I'd probably have a cheap guitar with good pickups that I don't love as much.
You really nailed the "You really got me now" sound with that cheap guitar. Fantastic sound with just the string change, tho your other steps brought it to pro gig level.
Sometimes a minimalist upgrade is the best upgrade, did that to a used peavey Reactor and now it stays in tune and sounds awesome.
I actually got a T-type for $78 (USD) + $30 shipping from Thomann (Harley Benton TE-20) and I didn't need to change anything at all. I've owned it for 2 yrs, never had to adjust anything besides new strings and truss rod for summer/winter humidity changes (I'm in Florida, it's exaggerated big time) and it's honestly, the guitar I play the most out of the 6 I own... It has that tele twang in the bridge, I can pump distortion through it with minimal 60 cycle hum and for my own personal enjoyment because it was already a cheaply made guitar I did a relic on it...
I'm of the opinion that the snobs can have their $X,000 custom shop guitars all they want, but modern guitars with all their tweaks and 'advancements' will never give you the authenticity of the original guitars because they're being made with 70 years of knowledge behind them. Early electric guitars have that unique sound imo because it was still new and fresh and there wasn't all this knowledge behind them. So these cheap guitars, when massaged and caressed to play well, give a better representation of an early strat or tele or LP than Gibson or Fender will ever actually give you... They're more true to the early days of electric guitar BECAUSE they're built a bit more crudely, like the originals were. You just have to be willing to make the effort like was done in this video to get the guitar to a place where it feels and plays well...
THANK YOU for hitting on this. So many times tuning stability is blamed on "bad tuners." It's rareellllllly the tuners in my experience.. but when people change the tuners they change the strings at the same time.. maybe even lube the nut.. and then wala, it's fixed, so they THINK it was the tuners.. but it wasn't! Good strings and a nice smooth nut, and tuning stability you have 99/100 times! And yes that's even with a dead-cheap junk trem's!
Daddario XT and NYXL changed the string game for me. Solid choice sir. Great content as always.
I've dabbled with guitar a little over the years but I'm no guitarist and wouldn't even call myself an amateur really, I still find guitars fascinating and I've been toying with the idea of trying to learn a bit more. This video was really entertaining and I'm now considering getting one of these to play with since the financial barrier for entry is so low. I subbed to the channel, thanks for the video!
I bought a squirr strat for 75 usd put new strings and cleaned frets and oiled fret board. Tuned and omg it's incredible.
That Strat is just screaming for stickers! Lots of ‘em!
Seriously though, very nice work, and you’re right about those pickups. Great sound.
i bought an old peavey raptor 2 used for like 120 canadian (82 eros)did a setup and fret cleanup and put a fender trem in and wow great player
You seem like a very good and honest man with a true passion for guitars.
The way you describe the guitar in part 1 and 2 is amazingly detailed and easy to follow for me who is wanting to get an electric guitar on budget… so I bought this guitar today and because of you, I am exited to start my guitar journey. Thanks for the videos and I’ll make sure to watch and learn more from you 🙏
@@MisterStoke was it worth it?
@Im_Allergic_To_Chapstick For me who is a complete beginner, this guitar gave me a lot of fun so far.
Being someone who just wants to get into it and learning the basics, I prefer to start with a guitar in this price range instead of jumping in with a 500€ guitar I had my eyes on.
The guitar feels good quality for its price as well, great experience so far, better than expected.
Hope that answers your question.
@MisterStoke thanks for the description. I'm in the same dilemma as you, I've been told to go expensive but for a begginer I'd want to start a little cheaper, this helps me make my choice!
@Im_Allergic_To_Chapstick Glad I could help! Starting with some ‘cheap’ fun that is pretty decent for its price, is nice before making the commitment to go more expensive and professional. We all gotta start somewhere imo.
And if you find out guitar ain’t your thing after all, then you have spend only 80* ish instead of €500.
You are very welcome!
Wow, now I'm tempted, if I didn't already have so many guitars in my small apartment I'd go for one of these immediately... they also come in so many colours, and the purple one's a real beauty! I'm also wondering how these compare with Harley Bentons, as they're in a similar price range (with the Vision being slightly cheaper)
subbed because of first video. awesome content man!
Welcome aboard!
Dunno if you read this but if you wonder why the pickups have a different timbre sometimes it is simply the placement. On a Fender they are placed under a specific harmonic node, this is what some guitars get wrong. Tele neck pup vs strat neck pup is a good example. A few mm offset under a different node. Measure from 12 fret (half of string length on the 25.5 inch scale) to the bridge pup position to see what I mean.
Thanks for the Video. I got one in black and gold (Limited Edition) for learning guitar playing together with the Katana Mini Amp. I am a Truck Driver from Germany and learn to play guitar on Tour. Perfekt Match. Thank you very much!
Wait what 😭😭
@@ghost3d497 for what
A great video for those of us who play another primary instrument (piano and keyboards like me) but also own guitars, you showed basic guitar set up. You took a good sounding guitar out of the box made it great with just a change of strings and minor fret dressing. I will tell you that my first guitar was a Teisco del Ray in 1968 and it cost the same as this guitar, but it wasn't near the quality (guitars like that, Kent, etc. were awful) and almost made me quit trying to play. Love that 60's sound with the bridge pickup, but noticed a slight tonal change when the strings were replaced. Did you hear that or is it my imagination? NICE!
Ditto! I too love that sound and am glad it was pointed out so well. I join the crowd wishing for these guitars to come to North America.
What an entertaining clip, and I'm not even an electric guitarist (acoustic)! I love the analytical take but not taking yourself too seriously. Made me smile and want to buy a 75 euro cheap electric guitar. More reviews should be like yours.
i saw the first video of this series a few days ago and im so glad i did. im new to playing and this gives me hope that i can get good stuff affordably.
We live in a golden age of good cheap guitars! Enjoy your journey.
Wild, love the work on this! And it’s encouraging that there are quality affordable instruments potentially available
Thanks for the new video, I'd love to see this guitar get another video sometime down the road!
Well I've never played a guitar,, but I've thought about getting a cheap one to practice with,, and you have convinced me that this one would be a great starter. I thought it sounded good before the string change,, and agree it sounded much BETTER AFTERWARDS. Maybe some day I can get one.and if I only learn Mary had a little lamb,, then I would be happy!!
Very Cool, Thankyou. Awesome looking and sounding super Budget guitar. Love the 'Satin' look body with the 'gloss' Pick-guard. Nice Work. Cheers
Hey thanks for the heads up!! I appreciate your attentiveness to your subscribers. 👍
Great video
Yes, I'd like to see MORE of this guitar.
im sold, i will definetly buy this one. tysm for these reviews
Very good. Clear audio, well shot and edited plus entertaining
Well done Andy
Pete Woodroffe Music UK
Thanks Pete
You’re right. That bridge pickup sounds like a dream. Wow!
This goes to show that if your guitar is accompanied with a proper setup, a good amp, and good technique, it’ll sound great no matter what. It may be less versatile and require fine tuning to dial in sounds that truly sound good, but this is a very validating video for cheap gear lovers.
Bought it, just for fun. I might leave it as it is or I might use it as a lab platform. After all, it will be my 12th guitar.
EDIT: Hey, it arrived! Good construction quality, decent neck and fretboard job. It needed intonation, action, tuning setup but overall I can confirm this video review.
Did you get into the USA? I can’t find it on Amazon.
I got a great shape Epiphone Gibson Les Paul special in black just plug into my peavey vyper amp and it kicks ass paid 80 bucks n got gig bag with guitar might be slightly used and I did one tuner repair hi E and cleaned guitar and fretboard polished frets 3000 grit paper and set action and some intonation next new Ernie ball 09 s
I KNEW I HEARD HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN! I was about to comment what that sounded like and then you said something LOL. Love your videos. I recently bought a Fender Telecaster Custom and am so hyped to learn!
Good video. I have made many cheaper guitars sound and play great and always replace the plastic nut for a bone one which definately helps with keeping it in tune if using the floating tremolo. I also replace the ceramic pickup magnets with 5x1mm neodymium disc magnets which improves the tone and sustain, try this if you have not done so and be surprised.
Dude the first vid got an instant sub, this one was just cream... brilliant stuff. absolutely love the Stew Mac stuff did not know about it at all...
A genuinely great find. Probably could've still changed the other two pups (if you've a mind to.) I understand the impulse to 'over-mod'. But I bought a Harley Benton strat model for €125 and normally I've had great luck with their guitars around that price point. However, in this case the only thing salvageable on it was indeed the body and the neck. I always automatically replace the tuners with Fender Locking Tuners. Replaced the trem system because it was just plain bad (as it kept scratch/cutting the edge of my hand) with a Wilkinson trem. And, replaced the pickups/electronics with a Fender pre loaded Tex Mex pickguard. So, serious money got spent. But the body (with its roasted maple neck) was worth the cost put into my Strat-kenstein.
Sincere Thanks for doing this video! I'm in the process of compiling tools, to do what you did here, to get my guitars in shape. I, like you, enjoy the surprises you get with the inexpensive genre of guitars. This video is a must learn for new guitar owners. Thanks again!
What i hate about cheap guitars (which is NOT their fault) is that they can really be made into something great but after all that money and work, you rarely get any value out of it if you were to sell. Granted, if you are just looking to have a great playing guitar, that's fine. And I'm sure (based on your review) this would be a super affordable way to get a guitar to play and also a cheap bed to build on. But as you sink money into it, you would likely barely get you money back for the upgrades alone... Which is sad. But i love seeing the basic guitars that are able to be quality enough, out of the box, to keep a beginner interested in continuing to learn. Great review!
This is so interesting,I am a metal fan and I want to play guitar in the future but I don’t have much money and this seems like a very good Possibility for a cheap guitar,thank you very much!
Definitely take that trem off, and lube the screws. It is insane how much your tuning stability and feel improve.
I love the satin finish on the body. It is a great looking guitar
Hi, good video! Just want to say, since I was around and played guitar in the 60s, Fenders were not the most popular guitar for the genre. Many of the bands then played Gretsch, Gibson and Rickenbacker including the Animals. Fender became popular later when Jimi Hendrix arrived on the seen in 1967. By the end of that decade everyone wanted a Stratocaster! Thanks for your video.
Hey! That’s very interesting. Thanks for stopping by.
Would disagree to some extent - it was the Shadows using Strats that brought them to the attention of the UK groups (we all used Hofners and Epiphones until then) . Look at pictures of groups prior to 1964, very few Fenders and Gibsons. It was about then that UK changed some import details and the US guitars started to arrive in force.
Happy for you. Fine vintage Sound. I will test the strings on my StratoTele. Thank you.
Can anyone tell me what was the name / source of the tune that he played on the fender guitar at 1:42? It sounds very familiar to me yet I can't remember where I heard that tune before.
@@antaripghosh1254 The Animals - The House of the Rising Sun 😎🤙
In 2013 when I was working in Fort McMurray AB I got drunk after work and bought a new guitar. A flat black Fender strat with gloss black pick guard like that one but with maple neck and dual humbuckers. I upgraded the pickups for Seymore Duncan and the volume pot as well, leveled the frets myself (will never do that again, took f'ing forever) intonized it and all that and out of the 7 guitars I've owned it's still my absolute favorite. Sounds incredible. I just love looking at the f'er haha.
I am so pleased by this video (and the first one), as i own the very same guitar, but with another finish. I wasn't really sure, if i was getting a price-worthy item, as i am not an expert in Guitar Tech. So, thanks a lot, although this video is a few month old when i comment it..
"It sounds like nothing else I own.".....you basically just said exactly what I've been trying to say haha. That's so cool man, please don't change anything on the low budget guitar. If I had my choice to change 3 things about it, first, I'd get standard strat neck pickup in there cause that neck pickup just isn't doing justice for such a beautiful instrument, secondly, I'd upgrade my tremolo system, and thirdly......I'm thinking.....id probably just upgrade those 2 things. I guess I'd probably have it set up to where it's just got a 3 way selector switch instead of a 5. I'd love to play it because then my whole approach to the low budget guitar would change. I'd assume out of every 10 low budget guitars there's probably 3 or 4 that are gonna be as good as this. Lmao one could believe that you maybe was the one who opened up the box??? I'm kidding, you did give that company a shout out with a smile in the first video! Maybe they already knew where this one was going
That sounds thoroughly proper.
Play something form The Cars first album.
It has some Eliot Easton vibe to the sound.
I've just came across Your channel, and your previous video on this guitar fascinated me to watch your second video on this make. I decided to subscribe when I watched your video on you being threatened by a company who made or is making guitars, and is trying to have you be who you are not. Once I watched that video I immediately subscribed. I wish you the absolute best.
amazing video high quality, thinking of picking up a guitar soon.
those early recordings were probably not done on high quality 2K+ guitars in the first place. Nor amps for that matter. Also take into consideration recording microphone used... lots of room for original tome to be altered. Tone chasing is near impossible but it still makes sense why the cheap guitar would sound closer to the original recordings.
I heard Del Shannon's Runaway as well as House of the Ring sun in your playing. Awesome Video.
I just recently got a (second hand) Harley Benton SG for ultra cheap, where I am about to do a fret job. But now I am getting REALLY curious about this guitar as well. Tempting :) By the way, I like how you also cover fret levelling/polishing, short and concise, yet with all the important steps shown. This guitar seems great, I got this fun "Tarantino movie" 60s vibe the second you started to play it, there is something about this sound I like as well. Insane for 70 EU shipped...
Both videos in this series were amazing! Thanks!
I can't play guitars but i agree with everything he said (soundwise). i like the sound of this guitar and like he said depending what kind of sound you want/need i don't see any problem buying a cheaper guitar.
i wonder if people get abit 'snobby' with what somebody is using even though it's perfectly fine and for their needs.
AHH thanks for the follow up! I’ve been wanting to find a good beginner guitar that’s in my budget! I’m 17 and I really wanna start ! I just started my new job and this is definitely the first thing I’m getting!
I've been debating buying a used Squier Classic VIbe Tele so I can learn/practice things like wiring (doing the Nashville mod), changing PUps to some hand-wound Canadian ones and a few other things .. Thanks for showing this - awesome ..
Excellent job! You're right about the character and having something that sounds unique. The only time you want a true clone is if you need something close ta hand in case of a string breaks or as a spare for gigging.
I just got a couple of cheap house brand guitars and they are amazing. They both had scratchy frets and needed some fretboard hydration as well as a small truss rod and intonation adjustment. But they come with a GraphTech nut (!) and solid tuners. Basically there's not much in the way of setup work done out of the factory with the cheapos, so if you can at least do that without having to hand it to a luthier to pay for a set-up, there are bargains to be had.
a major advantage is that the strings are totally straight from the nut to the tuning poles.
This is 1 of the best guitar video. This cheap guitar sounds like any mid range guitar or better after a few adjustment. Secondly, beginners can learn their first diy skill on this cheap guitar from this video. Thirdly, the essential tools to buy for the adjustment n minor repair. Thanks bro ❤