Best Boutique Guitar Brands (2024 Update)

Without a doubt, this instrument is on par with the most expensive jazz guitars I have ever picked up in 45 years. The workmanship, detail, and component quality are right up there with the best. I did change the strings to LaBella Flats because I like flat-wounds on jazz instruments rather than the round-wounds. The action was perfectly set at 5/64th on delivery. I readjusted the bridge for a flat intonation of the high E, but that's it. I have the HB model (humbuckers) because I prefer them to P90's both sonically and cosmetically. The humbuckers are wide response with excellent output level. The only things you might object to is 1) the matte finish if you prefer glossy, and 2) lack of individual Volume/Tone controls for each pickup – but the feel, sound, and action match the best. I am a Godin fan for life! What a great value.bbqbob

I have been using this guitar for 3 weeks now. Beautiful instrument, it really stands out from the crowded guitar market with its unique design. I do not see any technical or presentation flaw on the instrument. The neck is very comfortable to play up to the 12th fret. Beyond this, the continuous play is not terribly comfortable due to the size of the body (I always had solid body guitar in the past). But that is fine for jazz. The sound is great! when it is unplugged, it has a beautiful resonance and tone (especially with flat-wound strings). Furthermore, due to the strings beyond the bridge, there is great sustain and overtones. Maybe even a bit too much. When the guitar is plugged in, it has a beautiful rich tone. I had a gig with a jazz quartet when I played in front of the amp, and there was no feedback at all. The mini-humbucker pickup is a little quiet compared to my other guitar that has Seymour Duncan active pickups, but that is ok. I just need to turn the volume a bit more up. The guitar is super light weight! It is nothing compared to my mahogany solid body guitar. This is again a great feature when you have to stand for long during a gig. The body size is not too large, not too small, very comfortable to play for longer periods. The case is similarly superb: lightweight and really solid construction. The only problem is that it does not fit in the boot of my car anymore (Mazda 3).. Overall, great guitar, fully recommend it. In terms of delivery, the only issue was that it was not stated upfront that the guitar has to be ordered from Canada. My impression was that it was available in the store already, but after ordering, it turned out that there was a waiting time. It was not bad, I have received the guitar in 2 weeks (including professional setup). It could have been worse. Apart from this communication issue, Richard was really supportive and set the guitar up without a flaw. Everything went really smoothly, though I was really itchy during the waiting time to finally receive this great guitar.Attila L.

This is a very nice guitar. The only thing I did to it was lower the action and change the strings to flatwounds. Because it does not have a heavy lacquer finish the tone really comes through. It is not fancy, but the wood is beautiful. The humbucker pickups are very clear and the tone knob changes the tone without muting the sound. Only one volume and one tone controls, so not lot of choices. At this price point this guitar is a great value. I really hated the TRIC case that comes with this guitar. It is made from Styrofoam with stretch canvas over it. It has cheap plastic hinges and the zippers don't always want to work. The handle is to tight and hard to get your hand around and the Velcro will not stay together. It is very large and bulky. It has backpack straps on the back side, but is too large to carry on your back. I don't know what they were thinking when they design this thing. I pull out my guitars and found that an Epiphone Emperor hardshell case (SKU 540810) will fit it perfect. In the TRIC case the guitar would move around, but in the Epiphone case it stays put. (See picture). I just put a Made in Canada sticker over the Epiphone logo and you would not know that in did not come in this case. 5 stars for the guitar and 1 star for the TRIC case. 🙂DonV

This is one of the better guitars I've played in my life. Right out of the box it was intonated perfectly but needed to be tuned. If you haven't used a D-Tuna before (like me), I highly recommend looking up a video on how to properly tune it. Having owned floating floyd rose bridge guitars before, I expected tuning to be a hassle. But to my surprise, it tuned just like a regular guitar and I barely had to use the fine tuning pegs. My only problem that I've adjusted to my comfort would be the tension on the bridge was a bit too much for me, removing the cover on the back and taking out one of the springs fixed this problem for me. But everything else is perfect, you're getting the sound of a Les Paul in a strat style body. It's hard to not want to play this guitar. The neck is the smoothest I've ever played, it's finely sanded down and just feels like butter. The gloss black body is also stunning to look at, but keep a cloth around because it's a finger print magnet. If you're a fan of EVH or looking for a good hybrid between Fender and Gibson, this is the guitar for you.Glenn

Fantastic and great looking guitar but the lack of "strat contours" on the Specials has me returning it and getting EVH Standards. I knew they laced the contours when I purchased but I really wanted to love this guitar. Love the feel of the neck and the sound of the pickups. Recessed Floyd in the arched top is too clunky sounding landing back on the top. Pickup selector is noisy, not the electronic sound but the actual clicking sound when going into the middle position. Those two things could just be my guitar and might have a remedy. Ultimately returning because, the non contour (non-strat) shape of the Special is uncomfortable at my chest and forearm when sitting. Just my preference, a lot of guitars lack the contours. Bought two Standards (Bomber Black and Transparent Amber) and love every thing about them.Patrick

I didn't have high hopes for a guitar in this price point, but it has had rave reviews so I ordered one. When I unboxed it after about 5 hours, the very first thing that I noticed was the build quality. The neck set is absolutely perfect and the guitar is very nicely playable right out of the box. The finish on this guitar is superb. It is a Plain Jane but it's pleasing to the eye as a solid, well built guitar. It tuned up well and I played a couple of sets on it, and after one retune, it sang out quite nicely. The only change I will make to this guitar is changing the nut and the bridge to bone, since the plastic polymer just doesn't sustain like this guitar is capable of doing. The additional 50 dollar investment is well worth it, I would be comfortable playing this guitar anywhere, it's well worth the money, and it's easy to see why the reviews have been so good on it.Taylor W.

When the guitar arrived, I was not disappointed. The "sandburst" finish was fantastic–satin on the body, matte on the neck, which made playing a breeze. The fret work has no issues. The only change I will make is to have a tech file the nut grooves so the action is easier on the first fret; this is not uncommon with new guitars from any manufacturer. Other than that, the guitar is ideal. The bass response makes my fillings rattle (in a good way) and this guitar is loud when I need it to be. An important factor is this FG800 comes with a solid top spruce–this can't be emphasized enough. With laminate tops, you might get lucky with a decent tone, but the odds will be against you. A solid top will bring you closer to the sound you want. I don't believe in "beginner" guitars, which is another term for paying less in case you don't want to play the guitar later. If you're a guitar player, you'll know what you want. The FG800 passes for a quality guitar that will last your lifetime and that of the person you might bequeath it to.Dave

I’m impressed by the build and sound quality of this acoustic guitar! Easy to tune and play. I used to play on a Taylor GS mini (Koa) but couldn’t bring it with me when I moved to the UK. I was thinking about buying the same model here but they’re quite expensive and paying for international shipping to bring mine from my home country wouldn’t be cheaper as well. That’s when I saw online reviews of this Yamaha FG800 and decided to give it a shot. PMT shopping experience was very smooth and the delivery was very fast – next day. Couldn’t be happier! Now I have something to play after 6 months after moving. And it’s a good quality guitar.Victor T.

I bought this a few months ago (elsewhere). Mine has a translucent cherry finish (beautiful). Its offset body reminds me of a Salvador Dali painting, or a drunken SG. Sound/tone is great for everything. I noticed it produces a very subtle/natural/cool "feed-back" that is easily avoidable when needed, but is also welcomed when creating. It's pretty light weight, and balanced nicely. The neck/fingerboard feels comfortable. The open-back tuners are great and hold their own. The pick-ups are pretty unique sounding – thin to thick. Very fun and minimalistic controls that are highly functional and create a diverse array of tone. This axe screams: "Look at me. Listen to me".NoChrome66

I have been wanting the Gretsch version of this guitar but couldn't and wouldn't put that much money out, however I am glad they re-issue this Guild model from the 60's. I found it to be fun to play, responsive and the looks of the Vintage Sunburst is awesome. Definitely a keeper and will sing many genres of music with this fine Korean guitar.JSTJEAN

Guitar has a lot of potential but the one I received was a really poor quality guitar the Fretts were so unlevel that there were several complete dead notes on the guitar and musicians friend charge me to return it because they say it's not defective.Unsatisfies

I've originally bought the ML3 in hot blue and it was cool looking guitar however there were some manufactured issues with the electronics and wires being damaged (melted to be precise) so i contacted the Andertons who reposed straight away and was happy to swap it for me straight away and i even choose a different colour (maybe blue was unlucky) so within few days i have received replacement and was very pleased that all electronics were in order and there was no damage to pots or wires. So all in all customer service is excellent as always and guitar is awesome. Yes the stock pots are not the best buy but hey those are cheap to replace with decent cts pots and worth considering changing the cap as well as re do all ground wires and you have one amazing instrument. Thanks Andertons.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

This guitar is amazing! The weight is perfect (7.37 lbs for mine). Fit and finish is great with no visible blemishes. The pickups sound great. The tuners are stable. Frets are finished perfectly, and the neck is very comfortable. It appears that Chapman has applied years of lessons learned to perfect instrument manufacturing at this price point. Well worth the wait!Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

The quality of this guitar is above my skill level so I can't comment on the technical side of things. But I absolutely love the finish – it's darker than in the images on the Andertons site (which I prefer) and more closely matches the darkness of the fretboad. The roasted maple neck has some girth at the neck but is narrower than the standard series with a nice satin finish which is a pleasure to stroke and fondle! A detail I really like is that the colour of the neck closely matches the rim of the body which doesn't happen on the flamed maple necks of the standard line (I borrowed a friends before purchasing). The pickups sound great, but also it has quite a nice acoustic sound when not plugged into an amp – which is how I do a lot of my noodling.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

I was looking for a good beginner's guitar, and I wanted something with nylon strings. I did a pretty extensive search in order to find an instrument that was relatively inexpensive yet had some degree of quality. I read reviews on this particular model, and most seemed to be pleased. I was able to purchase one that, I'm guessing, had been returned, and I was very pleased with both the reduced price and the condition/quality of the guitar. The guitar itself has a very beautiful and mellow tone. It stays in tune, only requiring minor adjustments from time-to-time. I would not recommend this for young people or those adults with smaller hands, as the neck is somewhat wider than one might expect. All-in-all a very fine instrument for the price.Swewpa

This is the best beginner/student classical guitar there is bar none. It's full size and the intonation is spot on, the tuners (whilst basic) are fully functional and consistent. The bridge saddle has 3rd string compensation and is set to a low-ish action. Putting a new set of EJ45's opens up the sound considerably (don't play with the crappy strings that are on it). Great second or studio guitar for the experienced player. Stick it in a half decent case and you'll have a fantastic holiday guitar for around £150. The spruce soundboard already sounds good and will improve with age. Buy, play it – chuck it about. – it's very well made and robust. Finish is shiny and cleans with a wipe. Buy it today.Warwick M.

We purchased two of these for my pre-teens, who have been studying guitar in school. Both loved the instruments, which match the model they use in school. Nice, clean, warm sound, and clearly well-made instruments.Amy Beee

This is an incredible axe! Fender wasn't lying when they said it's their most versatile guitar yet. You'll pull sounds out of this thing that you only used to dream about. It's light on the shoulder but not at the expense of tone and voice, actually I should say voices. It replaces at least 10 of my guitars. It's a giggers dream come true. Worth every penny. I just hope that it can take a licking and keep on picking. Thanks Fender and thanks Sam Ash! Jake at the San Diego store went the extra mile that I've come to expect from Sam Ash. They never disappoint me.Night Train

From the 1st time I saw this guitar it peaked my interest. I play an electric guitar and found it difficult to play an acoustic guitar. This guitar IS A CHAMP! Although it is an acostic-electric guitar, I love that it is made like the traditional electric Telecaster guitar. The neck is slimmer just like my electric Telecaster and the body of the guitar is also slim and light weight. This guitar is awesome with all the voicing and new cool functions that makes it comparable to an electric guitar. I can finally play on this Acoustasonic Telecaster the songs that I struggled to play on my standard acoustic guitar. It's an awesome transitional instrument. The next time I have band rehearsals, I will bring both my Telecasters. 😊😁 If I could, I definitely buying the Acoustasonic Stratocaster and the Acoustasonic Jazzmaster!Kami

I got this guitar because I wanted an acoustic guitar and I'm used to the feel of electric guitars. I find that the ability to dial-in different tone to be a vey nice feature and I like to be able to amplify my sound. The different tones is are a bonus. What I really, really like after the sounds, is the weight and balance overall and the feel of the neck. It is much nicer than a bulky acoustic which usually requires a sitting position. The one drawback that I've run into is that the amplification hardware is battery driven (rechargeable) via a USB cable and it appears that it discharges even when not being played. Its rated at 20 hours but even if I don't play it, it needs a recharge in a day or two. I hesitate to leave it on the charger every time I put it down.JKS

Sound: The vintage tone noiseless pickups are perfect for what I wanna play on this guitar. All my other are humbuckers, high gain passive and active humbuckers at that, so the vintage tone single coils give me that sound I simply cannot get from my other guitars. Granted, my other guitars have split coil options, but there is a noticeable difference between a split humbucker and a noiseless single coil. Features: The S1 switch serves me no purpose, just turns the tone into mud. Ease of Use: It's not rocket science, but I'm used to 3way pickup selectors, and an all or almost nothing attitude when it comes to my other guitars volume controls, and never touch the tone controls, so for me personally there is a learning curve when it comes to all the tonal possibilities that come with a typical Strat setup.If I could change one thing on the guitar, it would be using 6100 jumbo frets, but generally speaking the guitar is a breeze to play, after a day or so… It's very stiff out of the box.The tremolo has a very nice feel to it, and the pop in arm should be standard on all trems at this point. Quality: The guitar is very well made. This is a professional guitar! Value: This is where my issue is… I just can't see how this guitar is worth $400 more than the Professional series. With everything being made on CNC machines, that little contour on the cutaway and the compound radius fingerboard seem like an unjustified mark up, the only thing on this guitar that should be a logical price mark up are the locking tuners and the pickups, neither of which equate to $400 in parts… But I liked the finishes more, and didn't feel like swapping out tuners and bridge saddles. Manufacturer Support: Never had to deal with Fender customer service. Overall: This guitar is a purists nightmare, but it's a dream to me. Compound radius fingerboard and satin neck finish are up my alley.Rob

First things first, the manager and the guys at Guitar Center in Pensacola were very helpful. About 3 weeks ago I bought the Plus Top Stratocaster and I loved the guitar but wanted to upgrade to the Ultra so I started shopping around for one and found one at a different music store down the street for a significantly lower price than what was advertised at the local Guitar Center. So I figured I would have to return my guitar to the store. When I got there I asked about the price match guarantee that Guitar Center provides and I brought it up to them that I found the Cobra Blue Ultra guitar at a lower price at another store and after a few minutes and the manager doing some research he pretty much told me " if you're are going to buy this guitar, I would rather you buy it from us " I was very surprised. In my mind I thinking that he was going to come up with some sort of excuse to not match the price. That is what customer service is all about!!!! Middle finger to other stores! From here on out I am a lifelong customer of Guitar Center. Oh and this guitar is the best of the best!! It's like being handed the keys to a brand new Corvette ( or a Ford Cobra, whichever you prefer). So, hands down the best guitar and the best customer service you could ask for!! I'm already looking forward to getting an Ultra Tele this year!Steve

This is my third Fender. I previously owned an "standard" Ultra that I traded towards another guitar, and I also currently own a Lincoln Brewster model strat. While those guitars are very good, the Ultra Luxe is next level. The craftsmanship, feel and sound of this guitar truly deserves the "Luxe" name. Before ordering, my biggest concerns were how the stainless steel frets would affect the tone and how the new neck shape would feel. But I have ordered from Musicians Friend off and on since the late 90's and have always had excellent service, so I figured I could return the guitar it I didn't like it. Both concerns were put to rest within moments after plugging in. The tone is definitely that unmistakable Fender strat sound and I had no trouble dialing a nice funk and a very serviceable SRV tone. You can also get a pretty good variety of other tones thanks to the switching. I was kind of expecting a thin neck shape based on reviews/descriptions that I read, but it is pleasantly thick without being too chunky. I can't stand thin Ibanez style necks and thankfully the neck on the Luxe is not like that. It fits the hand nicely. Not a chunky as the Lincoln Brewster model (which I also really like) but feels a little thicker than the neck on the standard Ultra. I believe it has the same bridge found on the standard Ultra model which is the push-in style. So no thread to wear out over time. Overall, I am so happy that I bought this and it has already become my new #1 guitar.Matt

Seeing this guitar intrigued me — it is beautifully designed, natural glow finish on neck and body, pearl-look pick guard and tinted neck and headstock. I had been looking for a new Telecaster because – well, who doesn't want a really good Tele. I was a bit unsure because I wasn't sure if the thin line models still had the 'REAL' Telecaster tone. I got this one from AMS in 2 days, opened it up and was amazed ad the workmanship, finish and playability right out of the box. AND.- it is ALL Telecaster! Light, easy to play with tones for days! What else could you ask for? If you are thinking about getting one — do it now.BigBuzz

TL;DR: I'm still rather new to playing electrics but this is my eight in about a year. Having had it two days, it is already my favorite. The neck is the most suited to me of any guitar I own or have tried. It is on the thinner side but not at all extreme. For reference, I'm also quite fond of the Fender Player neck. This is just a little thinner. The fingerboard is nicely rolled. This guitar sounds great (clean and crunch on Katana 100) and the fit/finish is spectacular. This is my first semi/hollow and I still can't get over how light it is, without negatively affecting the feel or tone. I passed by this guitar many times on the wall of my local GC until recently it spoke to me. I played it for a while and was quite enamored with the feel of it. I bought the demo unit and took it home. After a little more playing, I learned that the top end of the 13th fret was bad/unlevel. The issue could be very much heard and even seen. But, I was in love. I took it back to the store and there was no fuss at all having them order me a replacement. The replacement, new in box, is in perfect shape. Action and intonation on mine were spot on out of the box. No blemishes whatsoever and while I was rather turned off by the aesthetic of this guitar for a long time, thus having passed by it so many times, it is growing on me. Regardless, she's got a great personality.Kenny

This was my upgrade from a Lucero 150se and what a difference it made. In terms of playability there's no comparison, the Cordoba is superior in every way. Start with the tuners/nut which are perfectly smooth allowing you to make small adjustments even on steel strings. Playing the Cordoba is simply easier and there were things I could not do well on the Lucero due to the thickness of the wood neck. Mind you I'm not talking about the nut width which is 50mm on both, I'm talking the actual thickness of the wood neck itself below the fret board. The slimmer profile of the Cordoba meant reaching certain chords easier, changing chords faster, and giving my hands the ability to put pressure when needed. The factory strings on the Cordoba appear to be superior as well although I would still upgrade them if you can afford it; the steel strings on the Lucero wore out at about 85hrs. No fret noise of any kind on the Cordoba (so long as you play the chord right) whereas on the Lucero I would get buzzing on frets 5 & 6 from both 5th and 4th strings with anything other than light strumming, even with perfect finger placement. The sound of the Cordoba is more sharp, crisp, and clear than the Lucero. My only con is that the shallower body does create a slightly more "twangy" sound than I'm used to but its a negligible difference I quickly settled with in exchange for the other qualities. You get what you pay for. This is a very solid guitar for the price. I would recommend nothing less for serious beginners.Joe T

I mostly play rock/popular music gigs but wanted a classical nylon guitar for that particular sound on home recording projects. I researched intermediate level guitars and thought I'd found what I wanted when I chanced on a review of the Cordoba C7 and decided to spend a little more and go with that. I haven't been disappointed. The build quality and tone have been worth that little extra. It would have been nice if a gig bag was included to give it some protection but it wasn't a deal breaker.David

I had a misconception regarding this brand. The only Cordoba's I noticed in stock at the store were inexpensive ukuleles. So when I began the search for a proper classical guitar, Cordoba was nowhere on my list. I ordered a used european built guitar by a reputable brand. It arrived with a bad up-bow in the neck. That's when I learned that traditional classical guitars have no truss rod. (Just my opinion, but wood isn't what it used to be, and you aren't going to get an instrument built with old growth timber under several thousand dollars.) So began my search for a "traditional classical guitar", but with a truss rod. That google search led straight to Cordoba. (All their models have truss rods.) I ordered a C7 (built in China) and a 45CO (built in Spain) to see what this brand was about. It would be a battle royale for build and sound quality. The loser is… my bank account, because I'd like to keep both. The two have a different build and likewise a different feel and sound. (see Cordoba's website for details.) Fit and finish is impeccable on both guitars. The C7 projects more, while the 45CO has perhaps a slightly more refined tone. My past experience has been that nylon string guitars are difficult to play, have poor intonation and need to be tuned more than played. None of that is the case with these two. My steel string acoustic and electrics are collecting dust while I obsess over this genre of guitar. My conclusion is… classical guitars are awesome, and Cordoba should definitely be on your test drive list. What I received are well priced instruments that are not only well made but intoxicatingly fun to play.JRH

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

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

This has got to be the most value I've ever seen in a budget instrument. Out of the box it was set up good. Finish was perfect. I purchased the ruby red version. Stock pick up is aggressive and hot. Tremolo works as it should. Although I ain't a big user of them I can dive like EVH does on the first record with this thing and it comes back up in tune. Many people prefer something better but this works perfect for me. The only flaws I could find was one of the drill holes on the back plate was not lined up correct and a screw fell out. Not a big thing because I have take. It off for access to the springs and to change strings. The hardware is not the best. The screws on the claw stripped a little when I was taking it out for whammy use. Over all a very enjoyable guitar. Incredibly hot sounding and fast. The look is great too. I don't plan on upgrading anything just yet. Many buyers of this do hot rod them and that's also a very cool thing. Maybe in the future I'll consider some upgrades but stock is fine. I'd trust it on a stage no problem. Get them before they all go! There's a reason why very little of them are on the used market. For this price you cannot go wrong! Maybe if a yellow one of these was to come along I'd be all over it. Would definitely buy again!Cris w

Overall: I have never purchased a guitar online but my have things changed. My Son ordered an Ibanez AS7312 as a gift for me. I unboxed it and it was stunning and I am particular. I looked high and low for a flaw but found none. I checked the neck relief, it was perfect, fret rocker, perfect – fret sprout, none, it was tuned 1/2 step down and the intonation was as close as you could with 6 saddles on a 12 string guitar. Then I plugged it in and I remembered why I missed my old 12 string so much. All I can say is great job Ibanez and great job zZounds.Stan

I have owned my Ibanez Artcore AS7312 for about a year now, and I will say it is one of the best guitars I own…..and I own many. I was looking for an electric 12 string without the price tag of a Rickenbacker. Even though I looked at this Ibanez many times, it took me a while to order it because I was trying to decide if on a semi hollow body design that the jangly, cutting thru sound that I was looking for would be there. When the guitar came in and I plugged it into my Fender Twin I could not have been happier. The sound continues to amaze me even after a year of hearing it. I don't think I realized at the time I ordered it that it had a solid maple block that the pickups were mounted into much less realize what a difference in the sound, and sustain that this would make. The solid center block, and the back and sides are all maple. The block gives the guitar bite and sustain, while the maple back and sides tends to project with a more brighter sound…….perfect for a great 12 string sound….at least to me anyway. I should have known Ibanez would know what they were doing, but I guess I more equate Ibanez with solid body guitars so it took me a while to order it. I equally enjoy just putting on 6 strings and playing it that way too. I have a '64 ES-335 but I actually like the sound to this guitar better probably because it sounds more like a solid body and that is mostly what I play. It was a little hard pressing down 12 strings until I read that a lot of players tune down a whole step and then capo back up to the 2nd fret. This made all this difference and was then easy to play. This guitar has a great action, great tone, and is pure elegance and eye candy on stage, lol If you're looking for a great 12 string electric at a decent price I would highly recommend this guitar.kareydunn1805

First of all the AR420 is a beautiful looking guitar with the abalone giving just a perfect amount of bling. The setup and action were great out of the box. The pickups are pretty good sounding alnicos and the tritone switching on each pickup give a wide variety of tones. The parallel sounds are a great alternative to the full humbucker and aren’t as thin as the split coils. The neck is very comfortable, fret ends are well finished and the hardware all seems fine. I find it very nice to play and easy to get the sounds I want. Design-wise the shape gives very good access to the upper frets but that also leads to the primary drawbacks, neither of which is an enormous issue for me but just annoying. Firstly the guitar is neck heavy so it does want to dive and secondly the pickup selector switch is directly above the neck pickup as it had to be brought forward towards the bridge due to the cutaway. That does make it susceptible to being knocked while playing with a resultant pickup selection change. Overall I am very happy with this guitar.Andrew C.

I left a comment a few years ago. Now, after playing this guitar in many venues and different genres I will add to my earlier praise; this guitar sounds better and better, and now that is has some age in the wood the tone is more gorgeous. I've found that with a "back buster" sound hole cover I get a very soulful tone. I prefer it and leave the cover on all the time — especially with slide, the tone is really smooth. Again, you simply cannot find a better guitar in this price range and as I said before it stands up to all guitars in higher range. Plus I really like the autumn burst, matte finish. It really stands out in a crowd.Brian

There is nothing not great about me selecting the Entourage CW. After much research on the brand and a few "lap dances" at the local GC (dreaming on it, Youtube also), it was an easy choice for me AND for what I'm doing musically at this point in my life (60 years old, between any further band project that will doubtfully arise), she has the perfect tone for the 60-70's rock, 80-90's country, open chord creations, all that I lean towards. This guitar sounds awesome to me unplugged. I can feel the vibratory hum next to my torso. It is soft and whispering to my soul to "play me more often, Pops!" But plugged into my Roland Street Cube, with little adjustment, or my ancient PA, is when she comes alive. It is truly like no other sound from other guitars I've owned or researched online. For me, we are a lifelong match. Nuts and bolts? I have nothing bad to say about this acoustic guitar choice at all. I've been playing guitar and piano since the late 60's as a novice and intermediate performer, owned the $2300 Gibson J45 Standard a few years back, the Martin DX1RAE after that, many fine Yamahas, but my new guitar is the one I've fallen in love with. Good luck on your choice but choose wisely. These instruments of fine wood and steel need their rightful owner to come along and stay forever. Trust me on that. Take your time but choose wisely, choose Seagull! You won't be disappointed!Guitar Man

I've owned this guitar for about a year, I like to live with things for a while before reviewing. This is a fantastic guitar for the price. It is nicely set up right out of the box with a nice low action and good intonation. The guitar sounds great and is well balanced with crisp clear highs and a round warm bass sound. It responds well to both light touch finger picking as well as heavy strumming. My only criticism when playing is that it feels a little tight when finger picking. I will also comment on the thin neck. I like the feel of the thin neck on this guitar, but it might be a turnoff for others. I would recommend playing in a store before making a final decision. I do have one minor quality issue and I'm not sure if it's common or not. A few months ago the pickguard on my guitar began sliding out of place. There is now unsightly and sticky glue exposed on the guitar top. I contacted Seagull and they sent me a new pickguard and advised me on how to remove the old one. I will say they have good customer service. I'm a little nervous that the new pickguard will do the same thing, but time will tell. Overall this is a great guitar for the price and I'm sure I will enjoy playing it for many years to come.Michigan Steve

For the price, this guitar is awesome. The overall feel and look is outstanding, and the bridge pickup is clear and articulate (the neck is ok). The split coil sounds are chimey but not harsh and brittle which was surprising. No high frets, the nut is cut well for the strings, the tuners are pretty stable. Cosmetically the finish and general build quality is very good with some exceptions. Mine came with a crack in the veneer at the heel of the neck near the pickup. There are some pretty gnarly tool marks on the fret board and frets, but mostly on the higher ones which is pretty typical on something at this price point. there are some chips and what looks to be excess glue to where the nut is installed. Cosmetic stuff isn't THAT important to me, especially for lower priced instruments, although the crack in the veneer bummed me out so that contributes to taking away one star. What also is keeping it from being 5/5 is that the saddles could be a little more rounded off because the low E saddle has it's corner digging into your palm when muting, not painful just uncomfortable. Then finally I needed to add a shim because the angle of the neck was far too steep for me to get the action I wantedRuss

First off I was surprised with the overall quality although the tuners are it's weak point and should probably be changed unless the nut is causing the issue. Everything looks amazing and the sound is very impressive. The alnico neck pickup sounds beautiful. The bridge pickup does what you want to without a problem and overall sounds surprisingly great for rock and metal. The neck is very comfy thanks to those rolled edges and smooth roasted maple satin type finish and makes a big difference in the feel and comfort of the neck. This is a Fender Strat Killer. You get way more for the money and the overall attention to detail you just don't get with Fender unless you do it yourself. A little heavier than I would l would like it but an above average guitar in this price range.Doug

I’ll start with it out of the box. Please keep in mind this isn’t every guitar, just the one I paid for. The set up was pretty dreadful to be honest. I’m not sure if it was set up like that ready to ship, if it was sat in a warehouse like that before hand or if the shipment itself caused the major back bow. In either case, that caused a lot of fret buzz. A simple fix. I can’t fault it for being out of tune out of the box. The finish is great! A lovely, deep red that’s kinda sparkly. Very pretty… Apart from the tone knob which has dug into the guitar causing a scratch in the shape of a ring. The tone knob itself fell off after a day of having it (I think it’s quite funny as that happened to my 2015 ML1 after a few years). I imagine this being another issue caused by shipping. Fairly minor things for a guitar but not what I was expecting from one purchased brand new. I was really looking forward to loving this guitar but it seems somebody somewhere along the way didn’t put the care in to it. Next I want to talk about feel because that’s the thing you can’t understand until you’ve got it in your hands. It’s incredibly resonant and you can feel the guitar vibrate through your hands just like my Korean ML1. The neck is fairly thick, I like that. Some people don’t but that’s not the guitars fault. It feels like the Korean ML1 I mentioned earlier, just a little longer because of the scale length. The neck itself could do with being 5mm wider across to accommodate for the over crowned fret ends, leaving almost no room for the low B string to be fretted. Thus making it far too easy to pull (what would be the high and low E strings) off from the fretboard. I think that may be a flaw in the overall design of this guitar, particularly if you think about the floppiness of the strings even if they weren’t horribly down tuned. The fretboard looks much better in person and feels like an ebony fretboard [insert happy face] The frets are slightly dull and more importantly, heavily over crowned which makes it difficult to play those thick chuggy riffs we all know and love. Functionality: The locking tuners would’ve been a great addition to this guitar if they kept the guitar in tune. I might be going a little hard on this point but staying in tune is a vital part of any guitar and this one isn’t great at keep itself in tune. The pickups are ok, I love the ability to coil split and get some lighter tones out of a guitar. I’ve found myself spending more time with the coil split and it’s lovely. The full humbuckers just don’t have the bollocks they need. I would’ve preferred a HS or HSS set up but that’s a me thing and no fault of the guitar.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

I purchased this guitar for my 11 year old daughter. I wanted to find a quality instrument that is smaller in size, easy to play, and stays in tune. I have owned other Yamaha guitars before, and they are a great guitar for the price. The Yamaha FG JR1 did not disappoint! The guitar is easy to play, stays in tune and it sounds pretty good for a small guitar. The strings do feel a little heavy for a beginner. I would definitely recommend changing the strings to a lighter gauge for a beginning player. I recommend the Ernie Ball Earthwood Silk and Steel Extra Soft 10-50. They’re a great string for tender young fingers.Jimmy

I bought the Yamaha JR2 for my daughter as a Christmas present and I was surprised. I didn't expect it to be that good because of its price but WOW!!! The resonance is unbelievable given that it's not made from solid wood and the neck is so comfortable, perfect for kids who are learning. This is my third guitar from Better Music and they never disappoint me. The guitars are well set up and the packaging is unbelievable every time. It just shows how much they value their customers and that's why I keep coming back. I don't usually leave reviews but I appreciate what these guys are doing. Keep up the good work!Marvin B.

I bought this on the 7th birthday of one of my twin girl. I was on a tight budget of around $100 and then I thought to speak to one of the representatives at SamAsh. After having a talk with him I was convinced to get a good guitar to start even though I have to stretch my budget. Since my family is a newbie in musical instruments i am happy that my girl is interested in learning music. She is very happy and we are thinking to take her to few lessons. It's well-made and offers a good tone. Great buy!!Preeti

Hello Ola, I am thrilled with my new Boden Original NX-8. Combined with my Fusion NX-6, I have excellent, hand & wrist friendly, very high quality guitars. I am using a Mono Y-Cable with the NX-8 so that guitar oriented pedals and amp are used for "guitar", while bass i sent to bass-supportive pedals and amp. Really takes better advantage of the 8 string features. My only regret is that I am challenged in trying to add my Roland GK-3 pickup to either Strandberg for use with my GR-55. The very ergonomic, minimalist bodies leave little room for attaching the synth hex pickup. But, still trying since I have been a Roland guitar synth player for many years. Oh well, challenges make life more interesting, right? Thank You and Take Care, David SlowikDavid S.

strandberg asked me to review this product, and I replied that I was not pleased and that they probably did not want my review. Then… they asked me again. First, the positives. This ax is exactly what it says it is. It's compact, ergonomic, light and full of innovations. The fanned frets are just like everyone says.. you don't even notice. The same for the asymmetrical neck. The 3 way switch and controls give you a broad pallet of sounds, just like everyone says. The problem is that it felt, to me, that I was not playing a musical instrument. It didn't respond like an instrument. It felt like a piece of electronic equipment. The tones, while varied, never struck me as particularly musical. I suppose if you are depending on pedals to shape your sound, that's not a limitation. In that case the guitar is just a device for generating a signal. But that's not how I play. It didn't work for me. Remember… I TOLD strandberg all this, and they still asked for the review. My guess is that their algorithm simply registered that I hadn't submitted a review, so they asked me again. But that's it in a nutshell, isn't it? All machine. No soul.John S.

I've been eyeballing the Masvidalien Cosmo pretty much since it was released – I was hesitant to pull the trigger for two silly reasons: 1) I was stuck in this misguided notion that I needed an extended range guitar to play modern metal and 2) I was afraid that the high variability of the burled maple tops could somehow result in me receiving an ugly guitar. Like I said, silly. I started considering the artists I love who do mostly play 6 stringed guitars and decided that was a bad reason to hold back (look at Joe Haley of Psycroptic, or of course the man himself – Paul Masvidal of Cynic!) so after over a year I finally ordered my Cosmo. I was not disappointed! It's light as feather. Fretwork is immaculate. The EMG 57 sounds great, and that VMC control does really allow you to shape the sound (admittedly I need more time to play around with this). The burled maple top is exactly what I was hoping for. I don't see any tool marks, any hiccups in the paint, etc – in short, the guitar arrived flawless. I own one other guitar – a black Boden Original 8. Again, it's silly but I was concerned that I would have a hard time dropping down two strings. Like my fingers wouldn't know where to go. This wasn't the case at all. The slight 6-string multiscale feels just right and the EndurNeck is surprisingly effective (I figured it would play less of a role than on my 8 string since the 6 string neck is so much thinner, but I don't think that's the case at all). It probably sounds like I'm heaping too much praise on this instrument – that I'm being blindly positive. Maybe that's true. But it far exceeded my expectations, I haven't found a thing wrong with it, and I haven't been able to put it down since it arrived. Paul Masvidal and Ola Strandberg cooked up something truly awesome, and I feel very fortunate to be able to own a Cosmo. Highly recommended.Grim

This guitar looks and plays great. I love the Fishman pick ups. The set up was great. Frets have no issues. The color is amazing. I've had this guitar for 3 or 4 months now and it more than met my expectations. Wish more guitars had a case or gig bag included but not a big deal. ESP and AMS, you guys rock.McFly

This is my first guitar, the EC-1000 Violet Andromeda….Beautiful and in near perfect tune right out of the box ! Terrific long unamplified sustain as well. My younger friends were visibly impressed and uttered "That's Sick !" It is a fine instrument with great tone as well as a work of art !Curtis E

I traded in my ec1000 deluxe Korean made guitar with emg for this beauty. They both are amazing guitars but with the ability to coil tap and have these modern fishman influences.. it just called to me! I find this just in the area for me to expand my sounds with my other guitars. Def amazing neck profile and the weight is great! Would I upgrade this? Maybe in the near future for an esp but for this price I am very pleased and can't wait to start recording with it.Sergio

I was disappointed in this guitar. Having owned many Yamaha acoustics over the past 25 years, I found the quality to be lacking. The tuners were cheap, the intonation was bad, and the sound was very boxy. Even at the £330 sale price, it felt like a toy guitar. I was looking for something smaller than my FG5 and LJ16 to use on a casual basis and travel about. This did not fit the bill.Matthew H.

My ability to stretch my hand to finger chords is severely limited by dupuytren's contracture (google it for some depressing light reading). I hadn't owned an acoustic for five years as a result. I got the itch to own one again, and when I saw 23.5 inch scale, (excellent) gigbag included at this price, I went for it. And I'm glad I did. While the sound is not huge, it is good and the feel, fit and finish are outstanding. It has inspired me to play a lot more than I was playing, which was already over two hours a day. And that's really the best compliment that you can pay a guitar, isn't it?Jaye

I was excited to. receive this guitar having tried a showroom model. I have been playing it fir two weeks and have the food further examination llowing observation .1 batteries do not lasting (a week for me ). setup looked good a felt good to play except for a buzz on the g string. I noticed that 12th fret appeared higher. I know this is removable and would ask what I should do as it is under warrranty. but I am disappointed ate the thought of the hassle I nw have to get it fixed. over to you pmt ….P C.