6 String Electric Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

Overall: I read some of these negative reviews and can't understand what they're talking about. This guitar is probably the best guitar for $200 I ever played , right out of the box it was setup perfectly. All I did was tune it , I've even got the same strings it came with. Which I normally change whenever I get a new guitar. The tuners are unbelievably tight , this guitar barely goes out of tune even if it has been sitting for weeks. Also I never attached the whammy bar , so I can't speak on that throwing it out of tune. Since I have over a dozen guitars I don't usually play it daily , but when I do it always makes me glad I purchased it. This is a very versatile guitar , I play mostly metal and this thing shreds. But I also play blues and it sounds just as good as my custom strat. I bought an Epiphone SG special in the same price range and let's just say the setup is night and day , the tuners absolutely sucked , "already replaced them" and the intonation was off. It was a mess , I've already put it on Craig's list and bought a G400 Pro instead , 10x better quality and setup , but I digress. I've got many high priced guitars but always go back to the GRX , the playability and neck feels so comfortable to play. The only thing I'm going to do eventually is throw in a Seymour Duncan humbucker and I'm definitely keeping this guitar. I don't know how Ibanez can sell this for $200 and keep the quality , but I'm certainly not going to complain. Whether you're a beginner or experienced this guitar delivers. Definitely will be purchasing another Ibanez down the road.Mike

Sound: Does not have the cleanest sound due to the picks. Putting the right pedals and effects in line and cranking up the distortion makes it an awesome beginner / intermediate metal guitar. Features: For the price the materials feel great. Ease of Use: It sounds great on my Fender Champion 20 or Positive Grid Spark amp. Not the cleanest tone but a great metal sound and extremely easy to play. Quality: It feels made well, especially in the $200 range. I feel like this is one I'll have for years and once I get better definitely see this is a good platform for future mods. Value: This guitar is excellent value and at this price an amazing guitar. Manufacturer Support: I have not dealt with Ibanez. The Wow Factor: I must admit the aesthetic. It's extremely hard to find good looking purple color-based guitars. If I could dream up what I want a guitar to look like this is it. It helps that its quality is awesome. Overall: I love this guitar. Purple is my favorite color and a hard one to find good guitars in. It looks great. It feels great and I have yet to find any significant issues with it. No problems with the frets or fret buzz. Action is easy and low. It sounds great with my Positive Grid Spark amp. The pickups sound great. The HSH setup is very versatile. Not the greatest with clean tones like my Stratocaster, but amazing with the right effects.Josh

I decided, after months of thought, to try my hand at guitar playing once again. At the age of 66, I'm not anticipating being on stage. I simply felt like fiddling around with a decent guitar at home; sort of as a hobby of sorts. After checking out numerous guitars and amps, I decided the Squire Bullet series was a good fit. I bought the Limited Edition in red sparkle. I also bought a Fender Champion 20 amp. The pros: A really nice looking guitar. No visible flaws. Nice slim neck, excellent for those looking for a great starter guitar, especially if your hands and fingers aren't big/huge. Could be a potential candidate for modification further down the line. Super pick ups for a guitar in this price range! Cons: One, some fret buzz on the 5th and 6th string. Not 100% sure though that this is caused by the guitar or my novice playing skills.Joe G.

This was my first guitar and I must say the feel is better than my American standard strat. It's very light, the Finnish is stunning and keeps in tune pretty well. Although there were a few minor flaws for one one of the screws running heads popped off. I was just playing and I popped off. Another thing the pickups are really really sensitive and playing through an amp will make it sound dirty. Also the frets will buzz a bit.Lastly some of the fret ends were minor lay sharp. This guitar is good but it had a "cheap" fell to it. I would only recomend this for beginnersColin

It's a cheap guitar. Don't kid yourself – this isn't some custom shop rarity. But: with the red metal flake finish and playing the ones in the inventory to find the best one, it's a bargain and a ton of fun. I've always wanted a red metal flake electric guitar, but that's not exactly everyones cup of tea. But this is the sort of axe that will dazzle the audience – it looks like a much more expensive guitar. It plays nicely enough after some time for basic setup. Just do your homework before you plunk down the cash.Rowdy

This is the first Acoustic/electric that I have owned that I actually love playing. The action is great even with the large gauge acoustic strings on it. Comes with a very nice gig-bag/case. I love the way the neck and back of the guitar looks. I also love the Strat 5-way switch that selects the degree and type of acoustic sound. The only downside with this guitar is the cover that serves as a cover for the electronics and pick guard. It looks cheap, more like a decal than a cover. I think Fender can do better on this detail for the price of the guitar. However, if you can get past that then it is a fine playing and sounding guitar. I have owned several Acoustic and Acoustic/Electric guitars. The action on even high-priced acoustics was so terrible I just ended up selling them. I also do not like the large back ends of most acoustic and acoustic electric guitars, but this guitar is small and easy to play. I would give it an A-.Bill

The research I did on trying to learn more about this instrument via general internet, YouTube, assorted standard Music Company's like Sam Ash; Sweetwater; Guitar Center; Alamo; and other assorted Music Guitar critics provided a good array of opinions and product test results that produced a positive majority with impressive perspectives for the instrument I purchased. The Fender American Acoustasonic Stratocaster Acoustic-Electric Guitar Cocobolo I purchased from Sam Ash was not a disappointment. Aside from the 10 different options of Guitar unique sounds it provides from Acoustic and Electric mixes. The one-of-a-kind Cocobolo wood identifies a further fingerprint in supporting its own private one-of-a-kind signature sound with relationship to the Cocobolo wood unique to it alone. That just blows me away with how special the sound of specialty signature sound it produces with the ten different built in technical sounds the Fender Guitar company developed with this special edition. I feel overwhelmed in learning to continue how to play this guitar. It allows me so many more possibilities with playing soft country to hard rock a really strong guitar enjoyment experience.Guitar Enthusiast

Overall, I am very happy with this guitar. It exudes classic Fender looks and tone. The quality and craftsmanship are decent for the price point. I have a US Tele and, after putting some TLC into this player strat, it feels and plays almost as good as the Tele. I would give it five stars if it were not for fretwork that was needed. Body – The finish and surf pearl color are gorgeous. The wood grain is barely visible (raised) so I would not say the finish is flawless, but the grain is very subtle and adds character in my opinion. The routed cavities for the electronics (top) and the tremolo springs (back) are precisely cut and clean. The electronics cavity was even finished with black paint. Neck – The finish and appearance are great. However, all 22 frets had sprouted; some as much as 1/32". I can't say this is a craftsmanship issue as the frets were probably fine when it was assembled. It must have been a very high humidity environment, though. Nevertheless, after painstakingly filing and redressing all 44 fret ends it feels good. The frets themselves were well seated and leveled. The 3rd and 11th frets were a few thousands of an inch high, but not enough to cause any buzzing issues. The frets were well rounded and polished. Hardware – The tuners are just okay. One of them feels a little rough turning, and they seem to have a low turning ratio making it very touchy to dial in perfect pitch. The 2-point fulcrum tremolo bridge seems like a better design than the traditional (six screw) bridges, but I did not test it. I prefer to block them for more stable tuning, which worked great with this bridge. I have upgraded electronics I had planned to install in this guitar, but the stock pickups aren't bad. They are very quiet and have good tone – there is no rush to replace them. Setup was a breeze. Truss rod adjustment was smooth, nut slots were to spec, and intonation was perfect. The action needed adjustment since I blocked the tremolo, but that was easy.Dave S.

I have bought several guitars in the 100 to 300 range. I was surprised on the quality of this guitar and felt it was superior to many other brands in this range. From neck joint to fret polish & leveling and finish this guitar is quality except the tuners, however the guitar stays in tune and rarely goes out. The neck is not a Fender Strat or Tele neck so don't expect it to play like one, Its its own thing. It is not wide at the nut so if you need a wide neck at the nut it may not be for you. I find it fine and would not consider it narrow. The neck is slightly fatter than a Squire neck but it is still a C shape and a bit thicker as you go up the neck to higher frets. It plays great. Its set up well for Rock and Blues playing, neck adjusted with a light bow and strings set low (but not to low to buzz). Bridge saddles are stainless steel and this make the strings ring out bright and loud even when not plugged in. Intonation was spot on. Frets are tall enough to allow for string bending (there not super low). As regards pickups this is a personal thing. Pickups are very basic and do okay, one may want to upgrade them to ones own liking other wise there fine.pchapm

I was hesitant when ordering the guitar, but after I received it worry washed away from a single glance. I'm not good at instruments, I never played anything than doing ukulele club when I was a kid so I didn't expect myself to buy a guitar. It's delicate and beautiful, feels great to hold and sounds just as good. I do not regret buying this guitar at all, in fact I'm greatful that I'm able to own it. I strive to become great at playing it, little by little . Thank you!Nazma B.

It's a beautiful guitar and really well made. I bought it for my 9 year old daughter and she loves it. I don't know anything about guitars as I'm a pianist myself, but her guitar teacher was absolutely delighted with it. It's definitely worth paying the extra for the upgrades. I can definitely see it lasting her as it feels really solid, and the knobs and twiddly bits etc feel really solid. I genuinely can't get over how nice it is. Makes me want to learn the guitar myself!Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

First a much deserved word about Musicians Friend. Having made numerous purchases in the past year (5 guitars, two amplifiers & two sets of powered monitor speakers) hats off to Musicians Friend. They are professional, courteous and a pleasure to purchase from. They truly have treated me like a friend over the last decade and a half. My guitar arrived in pristine shape, no issues, of course. For me this is a beast of a guitar and cannot be beat, not even close, at this price range, nothing I've played compares. Love the sculptured maple top and head to toe creamy binding, simply beautiful. The setup was very good, slight string height adjustment, neck did not need adjustment and pickup height was good. Someone is paying attention with quality control. The neck is fast, silky smooth and easy to navigate, I can accomplish sweep picking with this guitar. Coil split is always nice with humbuckers adding to the available tone palate. Everything works and works well. Check it out if in the market for a very nice modestly priced guitar. Doubt you'd be disappointed.Stratocasterplusplayer

Totally stoked on this purchase. I was looking for something solid with an inexpensive price point and came across this Schecter. I've never owned a Schecter before so I was unfamiliar with them but they put some serious quality into this instrument. Feels good in my hands and plays really fast and it looks fantastic. I do recommend upgrading the pickupups but if you're just looking to play around the house with this, it's set up and ready to go. Highly recommendableSmooks

I understand why people call this a beginers guitar. Some the components are cheap and the guitar felt unfinishhed. I own 8 guitars. All of them are higher end Made in America guitars. This guitar caught my eye solely because of looks. I decided to purchase it as a project guitar. After receiving the guitar it needed to be properly set up. I straightened the neck, leveled and radiused the fret board, re-crownded the frets, filed the fret ends and rolled the edge on the neck binding. I proceded to replace the bridge with a Graph-Tech Resomax NV2, and the tuners with Schaller M6 ones. I replaced the tone capacitor with an Orange Drop NOS .027 UF. The pickups are versatile and offer a wide variety of sound. I now have a guitar that has a fast articulate neck and fret board, great tone and sustain all for $160.00 in parts and my labor. This is no longer a " beginers guitar" . The guitar has great bones and was easy to convert to a guitar that you would pay over $1000.00 dollars for. Good job Schecter!Hodigity

I have twenty Fenders, including seven telecasters, and this is better than all of them. The neck feels like its been played for years, and the shape is perfect. Heavy rolled edges make it a pleasure to play with my thumb over the neck. First guitar I have bought that I had to raise the action slightly on the top two strings. Set up for fast playing or chords straight out of the case. The colour is sparkly brownish, but looks black in most light. Very well made guitar. The pickups are noiseless and are silent even with pedals. They sound like standard pickups, no loss of signal because of the extra windings for the noise cancellation. Sound fine. I must say, the pro 1 series pickups sound better. All in all a lovely instrument, well worth the extra few quid.STEVEN T.

Overall: I have an Ultra Strat in Cobra Blue, an Ultra Jazz Bass in Texas Tea, a Les Paul Standard Gold Top and other guitars. This has the most beautiful finish (Sunburst). Way better than the picture or videos. The tone is amazing. Light weight at 6.2 pounds. Officially my favorite guitar. Add to that they shipped it to me in 25 hours after promising 5 days. Ordered Monday noon and here it is. They had it in a warehouse near Reno and I got it next day. zZounds you ROCK.William

The Fender Ultra Telecaster Texas Tea is an amazing guitar, at first I noticed the D-Shape neck and quickly adapted to it. The neck feels silky smooth, hand glides over frets and is easy to play. The sound from pickups are brutally brilliant, and wit the S1 switch built into the tone knob, sends a slightly different signal, bit more gain with full richness depending on the selector position of course. I went initially seeking for the Jimmy Page Dragon Guitar and walk out of the shop with this Ultra instead, and for the few hundred dollars more, this guitar is totally worth it. The look of it is killer, and so classy – if there is an ultra guitar series in your guitar shop locally, don't hesitate to pick it up and test it out. This guitar is HOT! It's difficult to see in these photos but the colour under certain light angles are different and has small sparkling metallic substances mixed in with the colour. It's a black oily dark grey/brown. The neck has a vintage tone colour and the rosewood neck and skunk stripe just makes this guitar special.Jim T.

Overall: I bought this brand new from zZ! It came quite swiftly. It was packaged good and no damage was observed! The guitar was not ready to play right out of the box. I had to adjust the bridge and the truss rod. Once I changed the strings, and got the guitar set up…I was really surprised how good it actually plays! The neck is one of the best feeling necks that I have ever played on! It is slim and fast. The finish on this guitar is really nice! I got the red sunburst. It's a poly finish and very pretty! The craftsmanship is really good for a mid priced guitar. The hardware is really nice and quite durable! I like the fixed bridge. The tuners are really good and it stays in tune well! The electronics are good. Decent Pots and knobs! I was surprised how good the pickups sound! I use a Blackstar HT40 Club amp, and this guitar sounds great through it. The guitar has a five way switch that allows for humbucking and coil tap sounds! The tonal options are very versatile. You should be able to use this guitar for Any genre you want to play! I really am pleased with this guitar! It looks great, plays awesome, and is very versatile. I wouldn't hesitate to take it on the road as my main guitar…it's that sweet. You get a lot of guitar for a very good price!Michael

Right out of the box this guitar was setup and ready to shred. I love the Wizard III neck and the Pearl Black Fade Metallic looks so good. I've been an Ibanez player since 1999 and played many models. The RG421 is up there with the best of them. The Quantum pickups are excellent, so no need of changing them. I own many RGs and this one has become my go to guitar for any style of music. I can't put it down. Well worth the price. Thanks Ibanez for another good sounding quality guitar, and AMS for the quick ship!Louie

What a brilliant guitar and superb value package! I have owned ‘real’ Gibsons over the years and bought this outfit as a birthday gift for my granddaughter who is learning to play. She has had a fender acoustic for a couple of years and now wants her own electric guitar. I chose this outfit as having previously owned one in the past I like Epiphone guitars. Before giving it to her I thought it best to check it over and set it up but there was nothing to do really, after tuning this guitar was perfectly playable right out the box! The feel, balance and weight is very like my Gibson and the sound is superb. The amp is excellent and packs enough punch to put a smile on your face too. She’s delighted with the built in tuner as well as the other essentials included in the outfit. What’s not to like? I can’t find a better value package!W O.

My original review still stands, but I made cosmetic-only upgrades for less than an average couple's meal at a casual restaurant that makes this look much, much more expensive. No tuner, pickup or pot swaps. Replaced black plastic parts with cream, added cream pickguard, replaced chrome tuner knobs with Klausen-style ivory-look knobs. Installed chrome pickup covers. Replaced speed knobs with gold top-hats.Easily done to make this look like a proper Les Paul. I'm happy with the looks for the little extra money spent.Steve

As the song says: "I'm a Sucker for a Cheap Guitar". I own over 30 – some cheap, some not so cheap. This one arrived perfectly set up: low action, no buzzing, no sharp fret edges, easy to play – amazing for a guitar in this price range. Although not great, the pickups even sounded acceptable. It's heavy, which to me means good, though not as heavy as my Gibson. It's OK-looking, but needed something to enhance it – a pickguard. I added one and it looks much better – more expensive. Instead of cutting off part of the guard to accommodate the knob as I've seen some others do, I drilled a hole big enough for the nut on the body underneath the knob to fit through the guard (see photos). Since the guard isn't much thicker than the nut, it allowed the guard to fit flush with the body and the knob to turn without any restriction of motion, and the pickguard is not butchered. It's a very clean look – like it came that way – not modified. So, I am pleased with this instrument, and would recommend it to anyone for any purpose: especially beginners to play or someone like me who just collects cheap guitars to hang on the wall of their studiio.Steve

These are great guitars. I have one in each color (RFR, PN, and DY). Very fast neck, very easy to play once it's set up to my preference. Tremolo works great. I've had Ibanez RG560, 570, and 550's before back in the 90's and the Edge bridge is the best on the market, and I'm a longtime Floyd Rose user. Edge is super stable and stays in tune great. Finish is perfect, no issues. Neck is very stable (I live in the south where the humidity is bad in the summer). I used the RFR and PN at an outside show last month and they performed flawlessly. The only weak spot in these guitars is the pickups, they are not my tonal preference so I changed them out on all my 550's. Other than that, you can't get a better guitar for the price. The build and craftsmanship are fantastic.mvnbikes

I've owned an original black '87 since'89 and never have stopped loving it. If it's possible, I love my new 2019 RG even more. Why? Two things – I really wanted it in yellow back in the day, but found that fantastic black one and traded a guitar for it. So when Ibanez started making these again (in Japan!), I jumped all over it and got my yellow RG550 finally! I also love the neck. Originals weren't glossy per say, but they were indeed a shiny finished neck. These Super Wizard necks are the stuff! Satin finish and extremely strong 5 piece necks with the volute which makes me feel better about the strength of the neck. Superb looking, playing, and sounding guitar. I dig the stock pickups. They're incredibly versatile. Warm cleans will blow you away,especially in the 2 and 4 pickup setting.AustinPaul

Sound: The stock pickups sound great especially with high gain. Nice crunch and break up. Features: For me the reason that I bought this model is that it is the least expensive way to get a real Edge tremolo. I can do subtle things with the Edge that I can’t do on an Original Floyd Rose. The bar is easier to position and it stays where ever you put it. As long as the torsion bushings on the bar aren’t worn out, the pop in bar is neither too tight or too sloppy. Value: This guitar is worth every penny. Manufacturer Support: I did not use Ibanez customer service and I did order half a dozen sets of torsion bushings, but had to order them from different places. The Wow Factor: I love the color of this one, Desert Sun Yellow. Overall: In the last 2 months I’ve bought 5 different Ibanez guitars, both lower and higher price. I must say that this guitar is the most bang for the buck out of any of my 21 guitars that I own.Got more than 200 bucks off on mine as it was sold as a slight blemish. When the guitar arrived, I noticed it did have a hairline crack in the paint on the bass side at the neck pocket. That was the only flaw I could find and it probably would have happened anyway if I would have got a “new” one.This is the shreddiest guitar that I have. The only thing that I had to address is that the 6th fret was a little proud. Other than that the fret job was good. All the frets were shiny and smooth and no fret sprout.This is the guitar that is at the price point where if you spend more money, you aren’t going to get much better. And the fit and finish were top notch.Scott

I got this guitar on September 14th, 2021, and have had some minor issues with it. When I receive this guitar, it was perfect. Not a single case of fret buzz, the nut was perfect, and it was an all around great guitar. However, after about a month. I realized the tuners were a bit out of wack. I would be a bit flat, and turn the tuning peg over and over and over, only to not tighten the string at all. Then when I finally did one last turn, I'd be sharp by a whole note! Whatever, just replace the tuners. I had been putting that off. The next issue was a bit weird. I play really hard, and over time, the bridge pins were starting to get loose, and eventually a whole screw came out, and I had to take the guitar to a tech. I know this is probably user error, but still. I eventually just decided to turn it into a Jonny Greenwood tele, with lace sensors, a kill switch, and all. And let me tell you, this guitar is perfect now. The neck is (and always was) exactly what I was looking for. It's a bit thinner that my Squier Affinity Strat, but I like a thinner neck. Bottom line, I would recommend this guitar if your okay with getting new tuners. No one else I know has had problem with the bridge, so consider that. (P.S. I forgot to say that the stock pickups are amazing! I almost just kept them, they sound really good)Cory

I picked up the Surf Green Ltd Ed. Bullet Mustang a few days ago off the rack. They had two. One had rusty strings and sharp frets but the one I picked was almost perfect. These Mustangs are great for smaller learners and older guitarists that may enjoy the lighter string tension due to the short scale. I love the sound of both humbuckers. The bridge one gives you a nice grungy Nirvana like tone while the neck is smoother but both love to be driven. I picked up the Imperial Blue Mustang HH a few weeks ago. They both use the same humbuckers, The only difference I believe is the wood type, Basswood vs Poplar. Both guitars are quite light with the Basswood Surf Green one being somewhat lighter.These Mustangs are ideal for modding but for now I've only changed the cheap pickguard on this Surf Green one, putting a Tortoise Shell on it. So far I'm loving both of them and my Fender P90 Mustang is getting quite lonely.Tingman

First of all, this is a ton of value for the price. I got it on sale which made it even a bigger steal. Now, this guitar needs a lot of setup out of the box. You should polish the frets since they are as coarse as beach sand. Otherwise, string bends will be impossible and will most likely damage the cheap supplied strings (which should be changed immediately as with most new guitars). Expect some fret buzz, so be ready to adjust the saddles and the truss rod (I like my action quite low so this was a minor tweak for me). The intonation was actually quite close to perfect, it only needed a bit of tweaking on the A string. The nut and string trees are the ones you typically get on Squiers, which are good enough but won't do wonders for your tuning and should be replaced unless you are patient enough to tune your guitar every so often. Be sure to change these first before changing the tuners/bridge if you have tuning problems, I haven't changed the tuners or bridge on mine and don't plan to – they just work. Finally, the pickups are surprisingly good for the price, not too mellow and you can get some nice tones from the bridge pickup. You might soon outgrow them, though, and might opt for better humbuckers or P90s. For all these reasons, this guitar is not the best as a first guitar or for beginners unless it gets a proper setup first or if you're really planning to learn how to setup or change electronics/other parts in a guitar. However, those are the same reasons (plus the low price and simple design) that make this a really fun modding platform, and if you don't feel like modding it, with the right amount of work it's still amazing. It's light as a feather and the neck is very fast; you can probably muscle through hours of playing with barely any effort at all. The stock tones are reasonable enough, and in my opinion it looks awesome. You can't get a better deal for the money once you're aware of the above.Carlos, M

I like this guitar because of the 24" scale length. Everything else was pretty bad out of the box. The strings were a 1/4" off the fretboard. The fretboard was super dry. There was fret sprout. The frets felt like sandpaper on bends. The E strings are too close to the edge of the fretboard. When you play you're constantly hitting the pickup selector switch. The finish on the neck is supposed to be satin but it looks unfinished to me and there are light and dark areas on the neck which look bad. It is the worst finish on a neck I've ever seen on a guitar and I'm going to have to put some kind of finish on it. Trying to load strings is tricky and not as easy as on most other guitars you have to bend the end of the strings to get them to load. So that is the bad. The good? The tuners are your typical Chinese tuners that come on all cheap guitars these days, and they are fine. The pickups sound good. The 24" scale is great and really fun to play bends on!Steve

I am a 59 year old guitar player, had expensive and cheap gear over the years. I don't think I'm technically great but know how to get a good sound. When looking for a cheap guitar to sit with, my Les Paul and even my '88 Strat often got a bit uncomfortable , I decided to try one of these, you can return them after all, no trouble. What a great little guitar! Obviously GAK probably don't get these out of the box to check them, my box was still stapled shut from the factory, and this is OK at this level but I worry a beginner would be put off if the guitar is poorly set-up. First off the finish is superb, no rough edges to the frets, the colour and gloss on the body was perfect, the unvarnished neck just sits comfortably in the hand, I picked this above the more expensive 'Affinity' as apparently the nut width is a little wider. I didn't need to adjust the neck, I just cut the nut a little lower on the G,B and E strings for comfort. The frets needed a light rubbing with fine wet and dry and that was it, a perfect, light practise tool. I would even gig with this no problem. Each and every one of the tuners work smoothly and firmly. Sound wise, it sounds like a Tele to me and this is always a very subjective and personal thing anyway, I don't like overly powerful pickups (my Les Paul has '57's) I prefer to push the sound with pedals. All I can say is, if not sure, 'Buy one'. I have done nothing but played this to death since I got it 4 days ago, hard on the finger tips as I haven't played regularly for a while. I hope I haven't just got a 'good one' and would like to think any of them would be as good, all the reviews I read suggests so.Customer

I wish I had purchased this a long time ago. It was a champ right out of the box. This is one of the very few times in 50 years of buying guitars that I actually purchased an instrument and not a project. I’m amazed at how well it was set up to rock from the get-go. AMS must take great care of their stock because this was perfection in a box when i got it. Crisp and clean, aesthetically astounding. The sound encompasses everything I look for but i got it in this one guitar. Rough and rugged tones for grinding out ripping leads, sweet mellow tones for ambient music, unmatchable warm and hot tones for clean country and soothing jazz. You just cannot beat this guitar in quality and sound in this price range! You gotta get one of these!DC Collins

I’ve read almost every single review on this model and the overall take was hit or miss. Well I musta lucked out because this thing plays great! I had no paint blemishes, was smooth around the monkey grip, frets level, neck relatively straight and after a home set up, twice oiling the fretboard, with a fresh set of Super Slinky’s dropped down half a step she was solid. Tremolo unit not as bad as I had read or expected. The bar will get loose after use but I’ve got it holding tune very well. You can’t pull the bar up like the big brother Jems without an almost immediate fret out and the obvious answer is raise the bridge but then the action is too high to enjoy playing. Pickups are really decent. They clean up well. Was probably the main factor over the White or Black. The White Jr just looked and felt plain in comparison. After owning a JEM7v and playing a thousand gigs on it this is a nice little reminder of what fun that was!Ryan

Purchased in Westminster, CA Sam Ash store. Had a hard time locating these in SoCal stores. Their online store said it was in their inventory, but it was not on display. Bryan, my sales rep, located the guitar and setup and tuned as quickly as possible. He located an amp to suit my style and plugged me in. He was very attentative, well spoken and enthusiastic – asking questions that were very helpful. Big shout out to Bryan for all his heolp and personability. This Jem Jr in Pink acheived all the tones I was looking for in one guitar from clean to shred. Pretty sturdy and stayed in tune quite well even after thrashing the trem bar to see if I could get a string to break. No fret edges, though the fretboard was dry (oiled then neck at home). No scratchy pots or finish issues. The weight was pleasant and easy to carry around. Got a great deal from Sam Ash and their service was good and meaningful and I left with a sense of a solid purchase. Will visit this store again and I recommend the Jem Jr if you can't afford the upper end Jem guitars.BaconFire

There is plenty to like about this guitar, and I got it for the features I was looking for: locking tremelo, 24 frets, fast neck, 5 way pickup selector, and nice looks. My first impressions of the guitar was slight disappointment with how sloppy Ibanez was. The tops and bottoms of the frets needed to be beveled as they were pretty sharp, there was a noticeable nick on the fretboard, and there was a black smudge on the back of the neck. None of those was a huge deal. The main two issues I have with the guitar are that the middle pickup, the single coil, has such low output that the middle three positions are much quieter than the neck or bridge pickups alone. I do like the tone of the single coil in conjunction with the humbuckers, but those positions are somewhat useless considering how quiet they are, and I have ordered a humbucker to replace it. The single coil alone (middle position) has too much noise AND is too quiet. Not a big deal to replace a pickup, but why they are selling it this way, I'm not sure. The second issue is the volume control. Instead of a gradual swell, there is a sharp dropoff in volume at one point in the rotation of the dial, making it pretty much useless other than having it full on or all the way off. I am not sure if that is fixable, but if it is, I'll need to have that done as well. All that said, if the guitar had not arrived in such sloppy condition and the two problems were resolved, I'd give this guitar 5 stars.hickory spork

The Ibanez RG 450 or any of the RG's are with the exception of the factory p/u and electronic. capable of becoming one of the best performance guitars to own. The base Ibanez Floyd Rose system is fiddley but, after learning how to adjust/tune quickly becomes appreciated for holding tune no matter the severity of attacks you use with the tremolo. The Wizard(ll or lll ?) You would need to go to custom built to exceed the easy play and comfortable frets you will find on and RG. This recent RG450 I upgraded to equal the higher priced models by adding the De Marzio Tone Zone (B), Air Norton (N). And instead of going with the True Velvet. Added the Seymour Duncan Vintage Hot Stack for the middle position and added better electrics to even out the upgrades.. End result; This guitar plays and sound equal to guitars costing over $1,000.00!! Good bones! Yes this can be played well and many will find happiness with this as stock., and, will perform well against the competition dollar for dollar!ikeus

I used to own an '89 Ibanez VBK JEM that I regrettably sold to buy a gaming pc. I wanted to get a newer entry level RG so I could have a floyd,HSH superstrat in E standard. I've had this RG for long enough to know it's a keeper. This thing has the same feel and vibe of my old JEM! Minus the monkey grip and other features obviously. The neck feels fantastic and I only had to do very minor setup adjustments to my liking. I would have liked a rosewood or ebony fingerboard but of course this is the lower end model. The Jatoba feels good under the fingers, similar to rosewood but with a slightly lighter shade to it. Like most guitars you buy online mine came desperately needing some good oil and cleaning. The Jatoba fingerboard seems to require a bit more lubrication than rosewood. The neck binding is done well, not perfect but to a good standard. I do wish the trem was an Edge lo-pro… But again, this is the lower priced model. There is nothing wrong with the Edge tremolo, it stays in tune well with whammy bar abuse but it is one of the bulkier Original Floyd Rose style bridges. The stock Quantum pickups are among the best stock Ibanez pickups I've tried. They are hot but versatile. However I did swap them out with the classic Dimarzio Air Norton/Steves Special combo and a True Velvet middle. I do believe a higher end Ibanez will obviously sound better than this but for the price it really is hard to beat! Well done Ibanez and AMS!Nevin

I bought the Honey Burst because I didn't have a burst and honestly not a big fan of "bursts." But when I saw this honey, and it lacking a really dark edge like most bursts do I decided to play it. Sounded fantastic, played so sweetly, just as fine as my Miami Blue American Pro II, and my American Showcase. Don't spend the extra money on one of those if you're on a budget, tryin to save some money, but want USA made, this performer stacks right up with them, you won't be missing much if anything. I uploaded a YT vid, its my American Showcase, In the process of making a vid of this Performer, like sub and stay tuned! If you mention this review and leave a link to on of your vids I will reciprocate!CHARLES

Manufacturer Support: Did not contact manufacturer. Overall: I just got done demoing the floor model at my local big box store and I have to same I'm really impressed. For comparison, my main Strat is an American Special with three single coil Texas Special pickups and the new Yosemite pickups and the Doubletap humbucker have a lot more output. I used a floor model Boss Katana amp (distortion) as well as a Marshall amp (clean). The Doubletap humbucker sounds great with light to heavy distortion. Even with max distortion, it is very clear and pronounced and I was able to distinguish all the notes being played without it sounding muddy (first position and coil split off.) The second position (coil split off) sounds amazing. Even with heavy distortion, I was able to get some great sounding blues solos with the first and second position. With positions three, four and five, I was able to get those classic Strat tones that everyone loves. Going from humbucker to the single coil via coil split, the pickup still seemed to have a higher output than the Texas Specials. Just to make sure it wasn't the coil split, I also demoed the traditional three single coil setup and still, they seemed very hot. I played the opening riff and the solo to Paranoid and was very happy by the sounds the guitar made but the clean sounds are what really sold me. I played various chords (major, minor, 7th, different positions, coil split on/off, etc.) and was not disappointed at all by what I heard. To me, it sounds very different from any other Strat I've played. I use my current Strat as an all round guitar but that's soon to change. The finish is satin and for those who haven't played a guitar with a satin finish, the finish may feel a little rough as if it needs to be sanded but it doesn't. I prefer a gloss finish myself but that aspect can be easily overlooked if you want an amazing sounding guitar.Russell

Tim Shaw double tap humbucker with yosemite pickups great combo! Covers a wide range. The humbucker in the bridge gives you that fat extra distortion. And when you want that single coil sound pull up on the tone knob and split the coils. Well balanced. Plus you can still get that Sweet Home Alabama sound in position 2 with the HB in single coil mode ! Yosemite Pu's have classic Strat tone in clean channel. The rosewood neck plays and feels good. Came set up out of the box. Fender did a nice job on their Performer Series. Definitely worthy. Kudos!Mikeb

2 disclaimers: I got this 5 days ago. I've had an Jackson RR tattoo for years. She's a looker… never thought I'd get a purple guitar but the purple quilt w/ gold hardware and white binding is gorgeous and I love how the reverse headstock has the color and quilting too. It plays fast as F. You'll wanna shred on it. It makes me wanna play Crazy Train, Holy Wars and the like but it may make you wanna play stuff that's way above my skill level and you can! Never had a Floyd Rose before but tuning it up wasn't too bad out the box (and it's super fun!); we'll see what happens when a string snaps. The frets and unlacquered back are smooth so it's easy to do fun slides and bendy things! The sustain is pretty good thanks to the mahogany body and the thru neck and it just feels solid. I've read this is heavy compared to other V's but it's the lightest of my 3 electrics and it feels quality and well balanced – there's no neck dive. I love that it comes installed with Dunlop button strap locks which I've had to purchase & install previously on my other 2 electrics. The pickups sound great with distortion and I haven't/am never going to play this w/o distortion so who cares about clean but I will say comparatively it doesn't sound as good as the EMG's on my EC-1000. There are some QC issues: There's fret buzz on the low E, some purple paint smudges on a small part of the white binding and the blending of the paint in some areas (which you generally never look at) could be better. I didn't have any of these issues on my (similarly priced) LTD EC-1000 and (my much cheaper) Ibanez AR-325 so these are pretty disappointing. Bottom line: I haven't put it down yet. It's fun to play and my other guitars currently feel unloved. If you like metal or you've always wanted a V this shape you should get it. I'm going 4/5 stars for the QC issues which are super disappointing but well reported on Indonesian Jacksons. Let's be honest – this purchase is mostly about speed and style. It sounds great and it delivers both of those in spades.Rishav

Paint job is just ok, but not great. It has a cheap quality to it, but looks good from a little distance. Matte is a hard paint job to be fair, and this is entry level, but still, this is a review. Pickup colors don't match at all. I bought black plastic pickup covers, which made it look a lot better fairly affordably. The plastics of the backplate, the humbucker rings, and the pick guard are super cheap and kinda bent, maybe from heat? Once again, entry level, but still, I've bought guitars at this price point without these kinds of issues. The Jackson version of Floyd Rose seems pretty ok considering. I've never had a Floyd rose that stayed in tune for very long, so this seems to be about right. The pickups sound very aggressive and bright, which was surprising. There is a loose wire that I had to tape down because of it hits the right spot, it cuts off the pickups (maybe a ground wire? Everything works still) The high string is a little too close to the edge of the edge of the neck for my liking, but I think that's just a personal preference. The body and neck seem solid, the neck is left unfinished, which I usually prefer, though this neck is like completely unfinished, so I'll probably need to get some sort of wood treatment for it. The fret inlays are great at this price point (not dots) and the frets don't have any burrs, which is a good thing for your fingers. The outline of the neck in white is also a classy touch, and the headstock is beautiful. Overall, it's an ok guitar. I would maybe get a different finish, and wouldn't expect it to be the greatest guitar ever, but it has a personality to it and is still a Randy Rhodes. Plays fairly well, definitely shredable. Accessing the 24th fret is a little bit of a reach, but that's ok. If I were Jackson (fender), I'd raise the price $20 and put decent plastics on it because it really does cheapen the guitar overall. I'll probably replace those parts myself over time, but I really shouldn't have to.Zachary

I have twenty Fenders, including seven telecasters, and this is better than all of them. The neck feels like its been played for years, and the shape is perfect. Heavy rolled edges make it a pleasure to play with my thumb over the neck. First guitar I have bought that I had to raise the action slightly on the top two strings. Set up for fast playing or chords straight out of the case. The colour is sparkly brownish, but looks black in most light. Very well made guitar. The pickups are noiseless and are silent even with pedals. They sound like standard pickups, no loss of signal because of the extra windings for the noise cancellation. Sound fine. I must say, the pro 1 series pickups sound better. All in all a lovely instrument, well worth the extra few quid.STEVEN T.

Overall: I have an Ultra Strat in Cobra Blue, an Ultra Jazz Bass in Texas Tea, a Les Paul Standard Gold Top and other guitars. This has the most beautiful finish (Sunburst). Way better than the picture or videos. The tone is amazing. Light weight at 6.2 pounds. Officially my favorite guitar. Add to that they shipped it to me in 25 hours after promising 5 days. Ordered Monday noon and here it is. They had it in a warehouse near Reno and I got it next day. zZounds you ROCK.William

The Fender Ultra Telecaster Texas Tea is an amazing guitar, at first I noticed the D-Shape neck and quickly adapted to it. The neck feels silky smooth, hand glides over frets and is easy to play. The sound from pickups are brutally brilliant, and wit the S1 switch built into the tone knob, sends a slightly different signal, bit more gain with full richness depending on the selector position of course. I went initially seeking for the Jimmy Page Dragon Guitar and walk out of the shop with this Ultra instead, and for the few hundred dollars more, this guitar is totally worth it. The look of it is killer, and so classy – if there is an ultra guitar series in your guitar shop locally, don't hesitate to pick it up and test it out. This guitar is HOT! It's difficult to see in these photos but the colour under certain light angles are different and has small sparkling metallic substances mixed in with the colour. It's a black oily dark grey/brown. The neck has a vintage tone colour and the rosewood neck and skunk stripe just makes this guitar special.Jim T.

Only $300 difference from standard and $500 from modern LP… tough choice. I like flame tops for sure but bored of tobacco burst, honey burst, cherry burst and other plain traditional bursts… so leaned towards something more classic modern and bold… so went with translucent cherry. And my back isn't great so wanted something lighter. The coil tapping is nice to have but isn't great… especially compared to my PRS guitars. I'm not sure why Gibson can't figure this out. Again nice to have but wish Gibson could do a better job with this. Coil tapping quality was the same on my studio. I absolutely love the pickups on this guitar… probably some of best humbuckers ever made because of the extra brightness and clarity. I've sold so many of my guitars with humbuckers and gravitated towards single coil guitars because humbuckers are typically muddy in comparison. These 61's are a game changer for me and got me interested in Gibson LPs again. I love the colors of the LP modern too… but not sure what you're are getting extra for the added $500 other than a carved heal joint which I'll never use… and ultra weight relief… which is good if you have a bad back. But I think the electronics are the same with slightly hotter pickups. I guess boils down to which pickups you prefer and color. I love the classic and modern LP colors… again tough choices…but classic is perfect for me… I really love them all for different reasons though.Thad

What we have here is a great American made Gibson Les Paul for a good price. I bought one a year ago and bought a second as a backup/different tuning for stage use. Not that the guitar requires a backup, but strings break and things happen. The 490 pickups are great all around work horses. While I'd recommend different pickups on a per person/per style situation, these are right in my ball park and do what I want them to (goosed with an OD or boost at times). All of the electronics and hardware are fine. Same with fit/finish and the gig bag (which is also very nice). As I said, I have two of these now. The first is a year old and has been through once a week rehearsals and twice a week gigs. The satin finish on the neck settles in nicely with a bit of playing and sweat. It gets slicker over time, shows age, and feels great. Same with the body as well. As with all satin finished guitars, it wont stay that way. Playability on both were perfect out of the bag. No sharp frets and setup/intonation were just to my liking. Now let's compare these Tributes to a Standard. I won't discuss the chambered body versus non nor the maple versus mahogany necks. You really won't notice the difference other than the weight. More weight does not always equal better tone. Here's the thing, I don't notice a difference in tone between the Tribute and Standard….well, not enough to justify the cost difference. I had my doubts when I ordered my first one that it could stand up to my Standard. But I dug it off the bat. To quell my doubts, I had the other guitarist in my band run it through its paces so that I could stand back and hear. That was the Les Paul tone….I was happy. As such, I ordered a second as they were in my stable to stay. Solid guitars with great tone that I will not cry about when they get dinged or messed with at a gig. Now, the Tributes are thinner than the Standards. And of course no bling such as binding or headstock inlays. Switch washer comes in the bag should you choose to install it. But the tone and playability is what you expect from a Les Paul. I would, and have, recommended these to my friends. Great instrument at a great price. BTW, the included case. This was an incredible surprise as I didn't know what to expect. It's a lether "type" exterior, great padding, pink fuzzy interior, LARGE front pocket, and double backpack straps. It's a VERY nice bag! Accessory kit gets you a picture of your guitar being setup, documents that you will probably not read, a few tools, and as of this posting, a nylon guitar strap. While lower in scale compared to the Standard (what with it's hard case, multi tool, and leather strap), it's still rather cool. All in all, these are my go to guitars for stage and studio right now. I have more expensive guitars, but cost doesn't equal tone or feel.Brandon

Bought this aight unseen. Never touched nor played a Legator m. But based on the specs it was perfect for me, and sure enough! The Korean quality is impressive I ordered an Ibanez AXION Label RG THE SAME TIME, and i was super disappointed in The compared workmanship. The ibanez had tool markings on the fret, and this on didnt. Ibanez was indonesia, but still WAY more expensive. You pay for the name…Eddie the lover

I've had this for over a week now, electronics are far better than older models. Super comfy to play on and super light, I've recorded with it, live practice with it and put it through the ringer. Overall great experience!Senses Dakota

Everything Works perfect on this guitar. Looks beautiful and sounds great as well. I would definitely recommend this guitar for anyone interested in a 8 string guitar. It really is a piece of art and I can't see myself picking up any of my other guitarsKyle

A light weight, fun to play guitar. Sounds great through my Spark amp.Responsive concentric control knobs. Sturdy tailpiece, easy to set intonation.Action was good out of the box.Harv

I've been playing a long time. When I was learning how to play back in the late 1970s, cheap guitars were, well . . . cheap. Things have changed since then, for a variety of reasons. Even so, I am shocked at how good this guitar is. The set-up was great out of the box and it plays like a dream. Intonation is perfect to my ears. The funny thing is that this guitar is based on one of those cheap guitars of the 1950s, and surpasses the original in just about every way. The designers tried to copy the original lipstick style pickups exactly and they sound great to me. I play into vintage-style tube amps, mostly clean with a slight overdriven edge, and the guitar has a wonderful vintage, single-coil sound. If you like that sound, I don't see how you can go wrong with this guitar. I'm used to paying well over 1K for quality guitars. This guitar has me rethinking that approach. And, oh yeah, it's so fun to play that I can't put it down!Lee

Just got my silverburst silvertone today UPS and on first inspection and after several hours playing it I am extremely impressed at the quality and sound of it. I have been playing guitar since 1990 and have a American stratocaster, Godin LG, several 20 year old Danelectro's etc and this silvertone is just as nice if not nicer than any of them. I highly recommend this Silvertone guitar it has a extremely fine clean tone and I even played some heavy metal with it and it ROCKS!!Jay