Left Hand Jazz Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

This guitar has a great neck, a hair wider than a typical Gibson, with a low-friction finish, and nice relatively small frets (none of that "jumbo" nonsense). I've got it set up almost dead flat and there's no fret buzz, with monel 13s for strings and the bridge adjusted to give about 2.5mm clearance at the 12 fret (heavy swing strumming). However, the nut was cut too high, so barring at the first fret is tough. I'll get around to that eventually. Some more negatives: 1. The pickup vibrated sympathetically while playing, and emitted some terribly annoying buzzes. I corrected this by removing the pu cover and bedding the guts in felt. This cured the buzz but had the side effect of reducing some acoustic volume and high end. 2. One of the feet of the bridge is not well-contoured to fit the body, so that's another project to tackle. I'll probably replace the whole thing with rosewood. 3. The metal "tone" label fell off the tone knob. I had to reglue it. Still, for the low, low price I paid, I'm quite satisfied.Miles

I walked into a local music store today just to check out the toys. I had no intention to purchase anything. I just like to look. I was forbidden by the family from buying anymore gear. Oops. I started out looking at amps. I could sneak one of those past the family. They only notice new guitars. After I plugged in a few guitars to test out the amps, I notice the Godin 5th Ave Cognac Burst all by itself calling me. It was love at first strum and the amp was not even turned on. Two minutes after I turn the amp on I was headed toward the register. I have been playing for two hours straight now and only took a break to write this review. I will be worth sleeping on the couch for a few weeks.Mr.G the Foster Care Recruiter.

I found myself un-obligated, bored and holding a fist full of cash one Friday afternoon, so I wandered into my local guitar shop. With a new found love of single coil pickups I had been eyeballing the Gretsch and Guild hollow bodies unfortunately too poor to actually buy one. On this afternoon, however, I played the Godin 5th Avenue Kingpin. It was love at first strum. Mine is called Cognac Burst. The satin finish on these instruments is beautiful, and give it a vintage, played look. This guitar has a really nice feel in terms of the neck and the thickness of the body. I have fairly long fingers and the neck is comfortable to play. It feels to me, a bit like the thicker necks on the Les Pauls of the late 50s. When I got the guitar, the shop said they'd dial it in for me for free, but frankly, I have no complaints as it is. With the classic style floating bridge you can drop the action impossibly low before you start to get fret buzz. After I brought mine home, I did just that and it plays like a dream. The frets are finished well and there is a bevel on the edge of the fret board and frets that keep them out of the way if you're in the habit of sliding your hand up and down the neck quickly. The Kingpin has a warm mellow tone when unplugged that is perfect for playing jazz and blues. I also enjoy the lower volume of the guitar since it has f holes when I play later in the evening. Plugged in, the P90 kills and sounds good clean and driven. It also retains that warm, mellow tone when played without distortion. I haven't had any trouble with feedback as I tend to keep the volume a bit lower for small spaces. All in all, this guitar is a great choice and plays as well as my Gibson Les Paul and my buddies Gretsch 51… whateverSlowleadmccey

After months of searching for my next guitar I finally settled on the Ibanez Prestige AZ series. As a lifelong strat player, my goal was to find a guitar that married modern features with classic American Strat-like qualities. The obvious choice might be the modern Suhr series, but the pricing on those was too high for me to even entertain exploring. The Ibanez Prestige AZ2402 is the perfect rendition of the featuree I was looking for and after 3 weeks of playing, I could not be happier with this purchase. I was able to secure the guitar for a few hundred less than new, as it was labelled as "minor blemish" on the AMS site. I immediately jumped on it and am ecstatic that I did so. To this day 3 weeks later, I cannot tell what the "blemish" could be. This thing looks, feels, plays and sounds like a brand new guitar. Out of the box the guitar was set up and only just slightly flat of tune. To meet my preference, some minor adjustments were made to the neck and bridge, but the 20 minutes or so that it took to slap some fresh strings on and make the measurements was well worth it. I have even had to do this on product that was brand new before, so I could not even attribute this to the "minor blemish" label. Th pickups are amazing. The coil switch mechanisms are great for added versatility, but the standard humbuckers are excellent and the guitar should still be considered even if you do not plan to use the switching system. The neck is super creamy and clear as a bell, while the bridge is just hot enough for metal and crystal clear enough to jangle some clean chords. The bridge is very solid with comfortable saddles and screams top quality. Tuning stability has not been any sort of issue, even with the use of the bar. I am not an extreme whammy bar user, but I did do some tests on deep dives and the guitar tuning needed no adjustment afterwards. In fact, since I changed the strings and did the setup on the second day, the guitar has not gone out of tune at all. I will highlight that the neck is way thicker than what I was anticipating, but in a few hours I was right at home with the feel. I have played many wizard necks and it simply was not what I was looking for, being accustomed to chunkier modern strat necks. The AZ neck is big, chunkier than the strat but I am now in love with it and this guitar has become my go to #1. Definitely recommend even at the full new price. This same guitar made in the US with all the exact same appointments would cost in excess of 4K. Great Guitar!Ryan

Sound: The Hyperion pickups do a great job overall and offer up a nice array of different sounds for just about every style of music. When in HH mode it goes from blues to rock and beyond with no problem. When the DynaMix switch is engaged the guitar takes on a completely different characteristic from jangly to warm and has some great tonal options for clean and crunch. I like the versatility of this guitar. It takes a bit of time to get used to all the options and you’ll have to tweak your EQ here and there to avoid them sounding thin or shrill, but I think you'll be able to find quite a few useful tones with this guitar. Features: The Gotoh tuners are sturdy and stable. The ratio is great and they really smooth with no issues at all holding tune. I had never used them before and I had to YouTube how to unlock them lol, but they work great. I prefer locking tuners with the knob on the back, but that's just personal preference. The Gotoh bridge feels spectacular. The titanium saddles are so smooth, no more rubbing your palm raw over rough saddles or screws. I don't use a trem much these days but it does a good job staying in tune even with some dive bombs and flutters. The roasted maple neck is beautiful and has a great smooth feel on the back. The cutaway and contours are very comfortable and the recessed input jack is a thoughtful highlight. And yes, most wireless transmitters will fit. I could not get my Line 6 G10 transmitter to fit in the AZ Premium I had. The Prestige is not as deeply recessed and the transmitter fits just fine. This is my first go around with stainless steel frets but I do like the feel of them and they look good too. Ease of Use: It’s a fairly straightforward guitar to use and maintain. Nothing overly complicated here. Changing strings on a 2 point trem is a breeze compared to Floyd Rose or Edge terms and with the locking tuners you can get through the task in just a few minutes. All the back panels open easily for access to trem springs, input jack, and electronics. The exposed truss rod socket makes adjusting the neck a snap. The included multi-tool is really all you will ever need for quick changes. Quality: This is where everyone will say they have high end made in America PRS, or Custom Shop whatevers and this is just as good or better. They will say that for a good reason because it’s the truth. Fit and finish are spectacular. No gaps or wiggles to be found. Fret work and fingerboard are simply top notch. It feels like it’s been your guitar for years. Electronics are smooth and there is an overall premium feel to this instrument. The hype is real…. FujiGen makes great guitars. Value: Value is a subjective measure. This is an expensive guitar for sure but when compared to similar “modern player” guitars out there the 2402 sits right in the middle price-wise. I feel it’s well within reason for what you get and it’s a good value for your money. I’d rather get a painted body with stainless steel frets than a bookmatched top and standard frets. Manufacturer Support: Haven't needed it The Wow Factor: In my humble opinion the wow factor is somewhat unseen. The story behind the AZ series is quite novel in that Ibanez reached out and met with some of the best and brightest guitarists around today. Over a period of 2 or 3 years and through several prototypes they compiled all of those suggestions into this amazing series of instruments. If all the artists involved really feel that this is their ultimate guitar then that’s pretty wow in my book. Overall: OK first let’s talk about the 800 pound gorilla in the room. That neck!!!! If you have done any research on the AZ series you already know it’s not a Wizard neck, but you may be surprised at how big it is. When I first grabbed it I was thinking I was going to return it, but after playing on it for a few days it felt like home. Like a lot of things about this guitar, the neck is a paradox. It shouldn’t feel this comfortable to someone who prefers Charvel and Jacksons, but it does. It doesn’t feel like a shred neck, but you can play that way remarkably well on it. It has its own unique shape like nothing I’ve played before. If I had to compare it to something I’d say somewhat resembles a Fender American Elite neck but more of a U shape with bigger shoulders. I can say that I don’t notice a huge change when going back and forth with my other guitars. It’s easy to transition between them without a lot of readjustment time to ‘get the feel’. I’ve seen a lot of forum posts asking about how the AZ Prestige stacks up to other instruments. Here’s my opinion. I own a Charvel Pro Mod DK24 HSS with the roasted neck and I really like that guitar a lot. The 2402 is a little lighter and sleeker and has a higher quality feel. I think the Hyperions as humbuckers are more versatile than the Full Shred. The 2402 neck is thicker and feels a little wider vs the DK which is more like a very thin Strat neck. I also briefly owned the Premium version of this guiAllan

So many professional guitar players choose this Ibanez Prestige AZ2402 and when you get your hands on one you know exactly why. Where to start?!? First off the Japanese craftsmanship on these guitars a second to none! Perfect execution in every way! Neck, body, frets, tremolo everything just fits together in joyful harmony to make for an awesome axe that practically plays itself. Stainless steel frets will last a life-time and pickups offer a wide array of tone arsenal. If you need just one axe in your collection i would recommend this for sure. Its worthy of calling it your #1 if you are a shredder, prog, or jazz player. This guitar is for everyone!usbzoso

Alright, so the first one of these new SG Specials in Pelham Blue showed up with a giant crack (not finish checking) that wrapped from the input jack to the control panel. I knew I had to return it but tuned it up and noodled a bit and tested pickups to make sure it was worth the exchange. The guitar was so good I almost kept it. My girlfriend convinced me to return it for a new one and it's the best decision I've ever made regarding gear. I've had the new one for a few days and it is just better in every way compared to the damaged but also incredible guitar I originally received. The resonance, sustain, comfort, aesthetic, playability, P90s, even the smell… all perfect. Gibson even learned to cut a nut. The fretboard is darker (better), the setup and finish is better. It just feels and sounds better. There is no neck dive on this one, although the first one did have a neck heavy feel (nothing a leather/suede strap couldn't fix). I say all this to remind everyone that every guitar is different and just hope you get one with mojo. I went to a competitor today and played a new Les Paul Standard that was tagged at $1K higher than this SG. No comparison. I was laughing at how much better the SG was in every single department. I can't wait to take this on the road as my new #1 and I seriously doubt it will ever be topped. New or vintage. Gibson is taking this rebuild seriously, and these Original Collection models are the best step they could have taken.UglyRunnerMusic

I am astonished at how quiet the P90's are in this SG. The hum is negligible — substantially less than the high gains in my Rickenbacker and only barely more the Lace Sensors in my strat (which are 99% silent). I had anticipated ordering some hum-canceling Lindy's to go in there, but that won't be happening. These sound phenomenal. They're just about all I could ever want from a pickup. The guitar came with the neck set almost completely straight. Just a smidge of relief (the perfect amount, really). Fretwork is essentially perfect. No sharp ends, frets are perfectly even and well-polished. The action was set a bit high, but was fairly easy to remedy. So why 4 stars instead of 5? The lower set screw (high E side) on the lightning bar wraparound bridge arrived stuck. Under no tension, it could not be adjusted in or out with the 1/16 hex key on the included Gibson multi-tool. I had to use an extractor plier to get it out out of fear of grinding down the end of the hex. Upon inspection, some of the threads near the cup point on the screw were malformed. There were no issues with the screw on the upper (Low E) side. Tracking down a replacement #5-40 3/8" set screw in small (< 100) quantity was actually kind of difficult. A stuck screw on a bridge is not catastrophic, but it does seem like something that should have been caught in QA. Aside from the one issue, everything else was immaculate. Also, great service from Musicians Friend.Justin

I want to start by saying I did not get it from GC. I got it from another site where they had a charcoal option. This is a review on the guitar and not the supplier. They say a good guitar isn't necessary how it looks. I also read a lot about "a PRS sounds somewhere between a Les Paul and a Strat." For some reason people hold these sounds as the "gold standard" for musical guitar tone. Now I don't know about that either. What I can tell you is that what makes this a good guitar is how inspiring it is and how creative it's making me play. I don't know how to describe it- maybe a more experience person can weigh in (I've been playing on and off for a few years) but I seem so much more creative in my playing when I'm jamming with this as compared to my Gibson SG standard or Fender Player. At the end of the day, you want a guitar that not only sounds great (which this absolutely does) but also feels great and inspires you to play out of your norm. It does not have as much rock power when distorted when compared to my SG, so if you're looking for a rock heavy guitar, I don't know if this is for you. But it sounds incredible clean (which is how I mostly play). My Player sounds great clean too, but I love the wider and thicker neck profile it has compared to my strat (I got big gorilla hands so I like a chunkier neck). I've only had this for 2 weeks but it's become my grab guitar.Robbie A

I was looking for an entry level guitar that was priced right and built well. First of all, how can you go wrong with this beautiful style. It is also very light and wont leave you with back pain after a couple hours of riffing. Tuning keys are solid without any dead spots and dont slip. The guitar stays in tune very well with only slight adjustment needed due to temperature changes. Pick up selector is smooth and not notchy. Havent used the whammy bar and have been playing with studio headphones, so sound is subjective, but as someone that has been playing several instruments for 30 years, I like to think I have a good ear. All in all a great purchase decision.oxouk

To start with this review I would like to point out in two different sections. The buying experience with the shop and the guitar set up. 1-The buying experience was great, fast shipping, very well package, tracking feedback. No complaints at all. The guitar, as I said before, came really well package, in two cardboards and bubble plastic. 2-The guitar set up: Out of the box, the guitar set up is horrible, and let me tell you again, horrible. The worst guitar set up I have ever received. My guitar which was "inspected" by a music technician before being shipping to me. I do not know what type of inspection was that but sincerely I think the guitar was not by any means checked. It arrived with crazy fret buzzing through all the neck, gritty frets (almost impossible to do bendings), Sharpen fret edges that felt like knives cutting my fingers, super dry fretboard( I can understand this because of the Indian Laure fretboard), no neck relieve at all ( Truss rod adjustment is needed if you want to play any music with this guitar), the tremolo bridge was rattling like crazy, all strings out of intonation, not to confuse with out of tune. All these things made the playing experience awful. Now I understand why there are so many B-Stocks of this guitar. I thought that being a Chicago Music Exclusive (FSR) product will be take care much better. Do not get me wrong, this is a heck of guitar for the money but be prepared to spend an extra 150 bucks to make this guitar useable. IJ D.

My wife got me this guitar for Christmas and it has more than exceeded my expectations. I had a Fender Jaguar MIJ candy apple red back in the early 90s and it ended up missing. I’ve been waiting for a guitar like that again as it was my absolute favorite guitar to play. I saw this one online and told her this is the one I’d like to have to replace my other Jaguar. I LOVE the tone on these as they give so much depth to the mid and high ranges. The notes just ring so much depth. I must say it sounds even better than I remembered. The matching headstock is another positive for me and sold the look of the guitar. While the tremolo is a little different than I remember (tremolo bar screws in vs push into place) it is probably a better thing that it is that way now. American Musical has always shipped our orders in a few days and didn’t disappoint my wife when it showed up just a few days after ordering and was ready to play directly out of the box. I would recommend this guitar to anyone who wants that perfect surf punk sound.A. Smith

I had a red 2012-ish era Casino for a few years that I liked but didn't love. I was a big fan of the overall vibe of hollow-body plus 2 P90s, but the pickups were a little dark, and it didn't play very well (small cramped neck, some fit and finish issues, fret buzz even after a professional setup, etc). I ordered this new model back in December and just received it last week (7 months later). It was absolutely worth the wait. It fixes everything I didn't love about the previous model – better sounding pickups, wider neck, improved fit and finish. I wouldn't consider myself a "real" guitar player (mostly just play for songwriting and recording projects), but this new Casino is extremely fun to play and has reignited some of the passion I had for playing back in my teens. The techs at CME clearly did a great job setting up the action before shipping, and the color is truly unique and handsome – my partner has remarked several times about how beautiful of an instrument it is! Highly, highly recommended.Eric S.

First ever guitar that was perfectly setup out of the box. Not only is the fit and finish perfect, all it needed was to be tuned and played. I tried to do some setup, but I couldn't improve on it. It plays as smoothly as any guitar I've ever handled and I love the tone of the P90s on the hollow body. I've had it about two weeks. It took a while to get the hang of the breakup levels through my tube amps. It's definitely different than the humbuckers on my Gibsons. The finish is rich and deep. I have a Chinese Casino in the same finish, but you can tell the difference between them from a distance. Look closely and the USA is absolutely gorgeous. The difference in sound between the two is like night and day and I used to like the way the Chinese one sounded. I haven't found any flaws in fit or finish. I got it out of the box and put my gauges on it. Everything was in spec so I tuned it up. It was a half step low all the way around. Tuned up, the intonation was perfect. I've just been playing it ever since and it gets a little more comfortable every day. I love the neck and being light as a feather doesn't hurt either. This will be my gigging guitar for the foreseeable future.RTonka

Sound: YES COMPARABLE TO MORE EXPENSIVE MODELS THE AMERICAN MADE P90s sound outstanding….However the chrome finish wore OFF in just a few months. And the finish on the GUITAR BODY scratches VERY easy..The bridge saddles move on their own while playing..I would LOOK into that ..or change it to a roller bridge. It plays MUCH smoother and no more adjustments had to be made tuning machines are a little on the loose side .The pickup select switch on mine sometimes DOESN'T ALWAYS make a good connection on the bridge pick up (although I believe it's a switchcraft switch ) Also it took about a month of playing before the BLACK residue from the fingerboard stopped coming up on my fingers. But besides all that minor stuff I love the guitar… and is there any way you could bring the Cutaway up more about four frets?? Overall: It plays and sounds BEAUTIFUL…however the chrome finish wore off rather quickly…also the saddles in the bridge had to be reajusted frequently because they moved on their own.. Also went out of tune alot BUT..OTHERWISE plays like silk and I absolutely love the sustainability and sound of the P-90sLarry

Overall: I live in a large city and it is still impossible to find a Gibson 335 that plays and sounds great, has no issues or questionable history and comes with a price tag lower than a new one to justify the gamble. As a result, I decided to pull the trigger on a new one and went for the figured, not so much for the flame but for the lower weight and select wood, knowing both my back would thank me and that the guitar would probably be a bit more open and resonant. Block inlays are certainly nice and that may have helped sway my decision too. The 335 arrived with an impeccable setup, right out of the box from the factory. In my 35 years of playing, I’ve never had this happen. I’ve heard of it happening but never to me. I always have to tweak the truss rod to straighten the neck a bit, adjust the bridge action, widen the nut slots and intimate the guitar. Every time. The only adjustment I’ve had to make is lower the pickups a bit for balance, that’s it! Plays like an absolute dream. Here is why you want this guitar rather than a used one—. the neck. None of that weird pencil thin 335 necks from the past or those horrible and slow baseball bat necks… this is perfect. I don’t know what Gibson is doing in Nashville now, but they are making these guitars better than they ever have. Having always been a fan of Classic ‘57 pickups, I read about these T Type pickups being bright. It is true that they are bright, however it works so well in this guitar. Roll back the tone knobs for the mellower and darker sounds, especially when in the neck position for a classic straight-ahead jazz sound, or rolled back in the bridge to fatten up rhythms…but the thing is, roll the tone up for that beautiful bite and thunk in single line solos. I have had bright guitars in the past and there is nothing you can do for them. No matter the pickups or amp, it remains bright and pingy. This is not a bright guitar and has such a beautifully balanced and mellow acoustic voice, the pickups suit it well and I will not replace them. Is it an insane amount of money? Yes. It is. In 10 years when I have blown through $4K many times over and have nothing to show for it, will I still have this 335? Yes. I will. It’s an investment and zZounds makes it possible for someone like me to have something nice. This is an absolutely breathtaking guitar. In playability, sound, and appearance—Gibson is on top of their game these days and I think the future will look back at this era as their new golden age.Michael

Upon opening the case, the case was hard to open, like it didn't fit top cover to bottom cover. The guitar smells of cheap carnauba wax (if you wax your own car you know there are great waxes that smell good) this is not the great smell of the past Gibson guitars I have purchased in the past. There was a light haze to the guitar like the wax was dried but not wiped off completely. The was not common of years pasts Gibson's. Its a very light weight guitar. Nice to hold and even sitting with it to play does not dig into the underarm like a thick acoustic does over time. The ice tea version does look great front to back. I can't tell if it's AAA but its very nice. The head stock look s like it wasn't cut symmetrically compared to the other side or sanded to much. The neck is nice and thick and wider top to bottom which I like for fitting all my fingers on the 1-5 frets for chords. Their is a lot of fret buzz on the G string throughout the range of the neck, It looks like the G string is higher than all the other strings in an attempt to reduce the buzz. I thought these were machine prepped ?? I can most likely (hopefully)make some adjustments for this. The frets feel thinner than my Les Paul's. Not sure if I like this but I can get used to it. The sound on a clean channel is great. I really like the sound. The volume knobs have no volume from 0 – almost 2, they don't change the volume a lot from 3-7, from 8-10 is almost all the volume change. I have never had this experience before. The tone knobs actually lowers the volume from 1-3 which I thought is also strange. I have no experience with a ES model so maybe this is normal. If it is, then I am not sure I would have purchased. I don't regret the purchase but I was expecting perfection for this price.Just Me

I love 335 but played several that I found meh. Preferred the Heritage H-535 I bought to most Gibbies I tried. Until I played that one at my local GC store. Was immediately captivated with the tone. Went back several times, and took the plunge despite the sticker shock. At home, in my amp it sounded even better than in the shop. Absolutely wonderful guitar, that feels and sounds as good and sometimes even better than vintage 60s 335 I tried or owned. I am in love! But what a price tag…Gibson CS is becoming unattainable fast.Stéphane

P90 purity. An absolutely iconic sound that can spirit you back to the 50s on normal gain – and melt faces through hi gain channel. Set neck sustain and the lower string tension of the Gibson scale make it a dream to play. It also looks amazing, the mirror-like ebony finish is a joy to behold.Richard F.

Purchased a 2020 LP Junior in ebony from AMS. Arrived with chipped and bubbling paint at the neck joint. Can't believe any respectable quality control engineer would allow this out of the factory. Having purchased a 2019 Les Paul Special last year through AMS, I thought Gibson had turned the corner! And although AMS has a great return policy, I can't purchase another until the guitar has been inspected and credited to my account. So 5-7 days before I can reorder! Total Disappointment! Looks like my Gibson buying days at AMS are over. Never had a problem with my Fenders!EJ Maynard

I had a red 2012-ish era Casino for a few years that I liked but didn't love. I was a big fan of the overall vibe of hollow-body plus 2 P90s, but the pickups were a little dark, and it didn't play very well (small cramped neck, some fit and finish issues, fret buzz even after a professional setup, etc). I ordered this new model back in December and just received it last week (7 months later). It was absolutely worth the wait. It fixes everything I didn't love about the previous model – better sounding pickups, wider neck, improved fit and finish. I wouldn't consider myself a "real" guitar player (mostly just play for songwriting and recording projects), but this new Casino is extremely fun to play and has reignited some of the passion I had for playing back in my teens. The techs at CME clearly did a great job setting up the action before shipping, and the color is truly unique and handsome – my partner has remarked several times about how beautiful of an instrument it is! Highly, highly recommended.Eric S.

First ever guitar that was perfectly setup out of the box. Not only is the fit and finish perfect, all it needed was to be tuned and played. I tried to do some setup, but I couldn't improve on it. It plays as smoothly as any guitar I've ever handled and I love the tone of the P90s on the hollow body. I've had it about two weeks. It took a while to get the hang of the breakup levels through my tube amps. It's definitely different than the humbuckers on my Gibsons. The finish is rich and deep. I have a Chinese Casino in the same finish, but you can tell the difference between them from a distance. Look closely and the USA is absolutely gorgeous. The difference in sound between the two is like night and day and I used to like the way the Chinese one sounded. I haven't found any flaws in fit or finish. I got it out of the box and put my gauges on it. Everything was in spec so I tuned it up. It was a half step low all the way around. Tuned up, the intonation was perfect. I've just been playing it ever since and it gets a little more comfortable every day. I love the neck and being light as a feather doesn't hurt either. This will be my gigging guitar for the foreseeable future.RTonka

Sound: YES COMPARABLE TO MORE EXPENSIVE MODELS THE AMERICAN MADE P90s sound outstanding….However the chrome finish wore OFF in just a few months. And the finish on the GUITAR BODY scratches VERY easy..The bridge saddles move on their own while playing..I would LOOK into that ..or change it to a roller bridge. It plays MUCH smoother and no more adjustments had to be made tuning machines are a little on the loose side .The pickup select switch on mine sometimes DOESN'T ALWAYS make a good connection on the bridge pick up (although I believe it's a switchcraft switch ) Also it took about a month of playing before the BLACK residue from the fingerboard stopped coming up on my fingers. But besides all that minor stuff I love the guitar… and is there any way you could bring the Cutaway up more about four frets?? Overall: It plays and sounds BEAUTIFUL…however the chrome finish wore off rather quickly…also the saddles in the bridge had to be reajusted frequently because they moved on their own.. Also went out of tune alot BUT..OTHERWISE plays like silk and I absolutely love the sustainability and sound of the P-90sLarry

Great buying experience! CME does a tremendous job checking the guitar over and making sure it’s totally right. This Fender short run exclusive was exactly what I was looking for! It does what a Jazzmaster is supposed to do … once you take the time to dial in your setup! The setup is a bit tricky for sure because everything has to be balanced and intonated just so to prevent the strings from buzzing on the adjustment screws OR on the bridge itself. It also helps to have the absolute tiniest amount of relief possible in the neck and to raise the bridge and angle it to the sweet spot for ideal string vibration and a high enough break angle to anchor the strings within the slots. Once you do these things and set the pickup height, the guitar truly sings, rocks, plays great, and stays completely in tune, even with serious tremolo arm use! My pickups are set to spec: 3.5 mm on the bass side and 3.2 mm on the treble side. If you aren’t comfortable doing a detailed setup, be prepared to locate a professional. I have set up MANY Fenders so I was able to do it myself in a couple hours of tinkering. The 65 pickups sound amazing! Cleans are shimmery and huge. Dirty sounds are fat and ringing. Perfect for indie and shoegaze styles. You can also roll off the tone for a darker, blues or jazz lead tone and, unlike the original jazzmaster bridge, the strings will stay PUT and allow you to pick hard and bend as much as you like even with 9 gauge. No need for a rhythm circuit in my opinion. This wiring setup keeps it simple, lowers the cost, and still gives you the full Jazzmaster experience. Buy one before they are gone! Love it!Joseph

Mine arrived looking beautiful but had a lot of hum/noise and I figured it had something to do with the pickups or 1 meg pots. I opened it up to shield it and the bridge ground wire was never soldered to the ground wire on the pot. After soldering it I plugged it back in and it was silent. I went from thinking it was ok to being my favorite guitar at the moment. This guitar looks, sounds and plays great and its priced very low too. It nails that classic Jazzmaster tone and does what a Jazzmaster should do. Before you jump into the Jazzmaster pool understand that these guitars require tinkering with. Saddle rattle can be fixed by adjusting the screws on the saddles. They tend to loosen and tighten when changing strings and if they're even slightly uneven they will rattle. Another way to fix this is to shim the neck so there's a slight backbow to it like a Les Paul. This will increase the break angle and put more pressure on the bridge preventing rattle. Using 11's or 12's helps too but the nut on these ones is perfect for 10-46. The 4th position is actually very usable and I find myself using this position more than I thought I would. This is a great guitar at a great price and CME is the gold standard in online purchases. Besides the ground wire mine came set up perfectly and almost in tune. The ground wire was never even tinned so I know it was never attached but again, it took me 5 minutes and 0 dollars to fix. I'm sure had I complained they would have fixed it for me. I bought the Silver Blue Metallic. The Shell Pink was definitely my favorite color but I wasn't secure enough to buy a pink guitar.john g.

I just received this guitar today. There is a lot of negative talk about the noiseless pickups, but it sounds phenomenal to me. Many complaints include that it sounds too "dark", but it sounds terrific through my 1966 Bassman. There is a tremendous range of fantastic tones that are possible with this guitar, but it is definitely not for metal. It gets a great tone for classic rock, alt rock/indie, jazz, funk, and stoner rock. I've gotten a great Gilmour tone to Hendrix to QOTSA, and it honestly doesn't take long to learn the guitar's wide tonal capabilities. The neck plays so well that I found myself inspired to get into new sonic territories and genres. I own a lot of guitars, and this is my favorite one currently. It's my pick over my Les Paul Traditional, Telecaster, Ibanez S Premium, and the others. Do yourself a fiver and try it out with an open mind. Don't listen to the naysayers. This thing rocks!The Hammer

First of all, why I waited so long to add a Les Paul to the collection is beyond me. This thing is so comfortable to play, between the weight balance and the neck feel. I mostly play slim taper as I've smaller hands, but theres just something about this 50s neck. The feel is something I'd describe as substantial, like you're not just playing something that's super light and borderline weightless, but instead an extension of yourself. The range on the P90s is absolutely bonkers. The lows actually give you some great clarity, while the higher you go, the more it pushes and begins to punch. The neck pickup (and middle position as well) sound wonderfully warm and comfortable, especially through my Orange TH30. I do not understand why I waited so long to get my first Les Paul, and I can safely say this guitar will not leave my side for a long long time. Bonus points for how quick this shipped…ordered on a Friday, delivered on a Saturday! Freaking fast, and faster than I anticipated, but not complaining at all. Thank you so much AMS for helping me be the rock star I know I am!Matt

So I have several guitars and have come to enjoy the sound of p 90 pickups. Wow. This thing does not disappoint. The quality of build is outstanding. The Tv yellow is beautiful. Being mostly a Fender player, I was very unsure of the neck size. Wow, I actually love it. Being a bit older, this guitar neck is actually a little easier for me to dig into. The frets are amazing. I can do thinks on this neck that I can no longer do on my thinner necked guitars. It's an awesome guitar. I never owned a Gibson but wow.. the Case itself is worth the purchase. Holy moly every guitar should automatically come with a case like this. Awesome purchase.Dorje Champa

This guitar has an amazing vibe to it. The P90s are awesome. They have that midrange snarl that we all know and love. The 50s neck is very chunky, but in a good way. The feel of this guitar literally throws be back in time to the 50s. Combine that with the retro look and the classic TV yellow finish, it just makes me want to jam to some good old school rock and roll. Being a couple pounds lighter than my Standard, I can play this one all night without any shoulder issues. There is so much to love about the look and feel, but let's not overlook that fact that this is a tone monster! I will definitely be using it in some upcoming recordings. That being said, there are some not so awesome issues that need to be mentioned. A very minor issue is the intonation. All the strings were slightly sharp at the 12th fret. This was even across all the strings, so it has nothing to do with the wrap around bridge. This could have been set properly before leaving the factory with a small turn of the set screws in the bridge. No biggie though. A couple minutes with a screwdriver and a tuner and I have that issue fixed. The bigger issue is the condition of the binding and the fretboard. It looks to me like they were both damaged by the Plek machine during the factory setup. There are compression dings in both, the binding and fretboard. There is also a section that looks like a file carved into the fretboard. There is a similar compression ding in the binding right behind the nut. If that wasn't enough, the binding on the low E side is uneven and looks like a groove is carved into it lengthwise. You can see these in the attached photos. I don't know how these defects made it past quality control. If I was doing the final setup at the factory I would have flagged this one as a factory second. I guess the rumors about the improved quality at Gibson is a matter of the luck of the draw, because the fit and finish in the areas I mentioned are quite poor on mine. Yes, these flaws are cosmetic and won't affect the playability in any way, but I still expect better from Gibson. I guess some things will never change over there and this is what we have to expect if we want their name on the headstock. I give this guitar an A+ for tone and feel, a D for quality control and defects. All things considered it gets an overall C+. At the end of the day it is still a keeper because I love playing it, defects and all.Mike

Having previously purchased a lemon drop second hand I was impressed with the vintage brand. I've previously owned custom shop guitars by Fender and Gibson so have perspective on how "good ones" should sound. The v6 was ordered from Richard as I enjoyed his YouTube videos and liked the thought of the guitar being essentially hand picked and set up prior to delivery. Richards pricing is not the cheapest but it does ensure that the guitar you receive plays as well as it possibly can. The guitar itself arrived in tune, set up to my specifications with a blocked trem and 10 gauge strings. The finish was flawless and the fact vintage spec the correct woods for these guitars (alder and maple) really sold me. It has a full size tremblock, bent steel saddles and sounds like a good strat should. The Wilkinson pickups in the lemon drop where excellent paf approximations and the single coils are no exception. Plus the bridge is wired to the second tone pot which is something I always do as I tend to roll off the treble when soloing. The guitar is also very light and can be played comfortably for hours. Packing was top notch. Double boxed. Comms excellent and I would wholeheartedly recommend purchasing from Richard again. In fact I have Gas for a Eastman Les Paul in 2020😊Matt S.

If you've ever put a guitar together from after market parts, even 2nd hand, its doesn't take long to rack up an expense. For Richard to offer this guitar for £287 with a full setup is quite extraordinarily extraordinary. The QC on this one is exceptional from Vintage and despite thorough inspection I cannot find any flaws at all. It is a very lightweight guitar, slightly neck heavy, so I'd recommend purchasing a good quality leather strap to prevent slippage. The highlight of the VS6 would be the neck which is a wide C profile and very enjoyable to play. The setup from Richard again is exceptional and you really have to applaud the effort invested making these very affordable guitars so playable. On that note, I would also recommend that these are perfect guitars to learn some basic setup skills on; though very well setup I have made small adjustments as can be expected as you break a guitar in. All in all, a great value guitar which Richard and his team have helped punch well above its weight.Jordan T.

I can't speak highly enough of my experience with Richards Guitars. The guitar itself is great value for money. Highly playable and light-weight. Lovely finish, and great to look at, which is saying something, as I've never been into 'road-worn' finish, generally speaking… The instrument feels great in the hand, and it's been played every day since I got it 🙂 The setup on the guitar was spot-on too, so I couldn't be happier. Richard (and team) agreed to have the guitar ready and delivered in a pretty tight time-window too, and it was right on time, which was greatly appreciated. Last but not least, I needed the exact dimensions of the guitar in a pinch. Richard answered the phone and got the measurement for me while I waited. Quality 🙂Tim C.

I had this on my wish list for a couple of years and after finally getting to try it out at my local Sam Ash, it did not disappoint. Online reviews were consistently good with a few mentions of the strings being coated and how it gave an unusual feel and sound. According to the Michael Kelly website, the strings are D'Addario EXP16 Coated Phosphor Bronze, Light, 12-53, so they shouldn't be some off the wall knock offs but my experience over the last few weeks has been that after a few minutes of playing, the tips of my fingers on my fret hand and the palm of my strumming hand turned black. I've never had this happen on any other guitars I have. I tried rotating after 15 minutes between my Jackson, my Strat, my Martin Backpacker and then my Michael Kelly and, every time, after a few minutes of playing the Forte Port, my fingers turned black. I've played a lot of guitars since the 80's (not professionally) and this is a new one on me. Obviously, the strings can be changed but I feel it is worth mentioning because for someone's first guitar, it may be off putting if they are unaware. If I can edit a review, I'll try to add a pic of my fingers (there's no way to make that sound right…) when I get time. That's my two cents…Sean

Overall: I was reluctant to buy this Michael Kelly. I like to try it before I buy it . With that being said , The guitar come it flawless. It was packaged very good . I played for about an hour after opening the box. The action is spot on. It plays and feels more like an electric guitar. Hammer on pull offs pitch bends are perfect. The sustain goes on forever. The neck feels a touch wider than my Martin, but that's a good thing for me. There are no fret buzzes at. It's vert light and comfortable , light weight is a must , I have had shoulder surgery 3 times. The balance and weight are near perfect . Michael Kelly may not have the prestige of Martin. Gibson and such , but as far as the sound and quality build , it simply can not be beat in this price range.Mark

This guitar sounds Amazon, incredibly easy and fun to play. I called to order this and spoke to Jeremy, he took great care of me, hooked me up with a discount and was incredibly helpful.David

I purchased this guitar last year after seeing it in the "Open Box" listings. The photos were not clear but it was freight damaged in several places on the top and sides. BIG cracks. MF sold it me at cost. My guitar tech repaired the cracks which took a couple of weeks but didn't charge much for the repairs. When I finally played it after it was set up it was AMAZING. Even at the regular price point it's a steal. Blows Martins right off the stage. If buying it, like any other instrument, it needs to be professionally set up for it to play right and sound good. My tech found no other issues other than the freight damage. He agrees with me that it's an amazing instrument. If need be I would buy another without any hesitation.Sid

I plat solo with vocals in concerts, at church both solo and with a band, at sing-alongs, song-writing, jamming, Just about everywhere with and without amplification and sound modelling. I live in Pennsylvania quite near to a famous well established major acoustic guitar manufacturer. Most of my friends own guitars of that brand. But when they play my Artwood guitars they look at their CFMs with a jaundiced eye. Compared to their "auditorium" size X models my grand concert size Artwoods are equal to and in most cases superior to theirs. Both have solid sitka spruce tops chrome tuners and Fishman electronics. Mine have rosewood fretboards and bridges; theirs are made out of black plasticized paper materials called richlite and coriian. Mine have bone nuts and saddles and theirs have plastic ones. Mine have laminated mahogany WOOD back and sides; theirs have some kind of synthetic laminate material (Formica perhaps?). Mine have black and ivory perfling with mock tortoise shell bindings; theirs are unbound. Theirs were made in Mexico, where making quality stringed instruments is a 500 year long tradition; mine were made in China where quality stringed instruments have been made continuously for over three thousand years. Their guitars play well and sound good. Mine play and sound even better and cost hundreds less. QUESTION: Why pay extra Benjamins just for a name?Cat

I am a beginner (able to play only a few chords at this point). I find this guitar fairly easy to play. The neck feels good in the hand and the matte finish makes it easy to slide the fretting on the neck. The craftsmanship is very good. My only complaint is that one side of the back on my guitar is noticeably darker than the other (which is why I deducted one star). The finish looks and feels almost like smoothly sanded raw wood. Don't buy this guitar if you are wanting something flashy. Overall, I think it is a good value.Dennis

My first electric. Got it in a combo kit with amp and bag. Hook it into my computer now and rarely use the amp for anything. That being said, as many people have mentioned the bridge. If this isn't your first guitar, or you are looking for a second guitar – don't get this one. I learned about intonation and action and all that while having this guitar. You can only set the intonation on the outside E's and everything else is just what you get. My the height of my bridge for medium action on the low E is maybe a 1/16 from bottoming out, any lower it will buzz more. To get the same range of action on my high E my bridge is almost a 1/4" in the air. I do not know enough to get into shimming the neck to get it leveled out more, I just know enough to assume a 1/4" rise over 3" space probably isn't a good thing. However! I've learned plenty on it over these last 6 months. I bought this guitar because I did not want to invest a lot of money into it if I wasn't going to stick with it. I bought this in February of 22. The first 5 months I probably played on it maybe 50-60 hours. These last 4 months I've probably played on it 1-3 hours a day. I started using apps to learn and being able to plug it directly into my computer has been amazing. It's served it's purpose, I'm now getting to the level of playing where I'd like a better quality instrument and am looking in the $400-$500 range. For a first guitar, and you're not sure if you're going to stay with it, this was great for me and I will pass it on to someone else to get started with. Other than the bridge intonation and probably not flat fret board, I have had 0 mechanical issues with it.Jay

I'm reviewing the gold top model. I own a lot of guitars but I didn't have a gold top Les Paul and always wanted one. This is an amazing guitar for the price! Fit and finish are perfect. It sounds and plays great. I love it. Note, always put a new set of strings on a guitar that comes with strings on it. It's a simple fix for a lot of problems you thought you had, but don't. Who knows how long they've been on or what brand they are. Now, the details. Frets were perfectly level, no sharp ends. Slight amount of oxidization. I polished the crowns and ends with Micro-Mesh pads. I used 6000>8000>12,000 grit pads. I wasn't taking metal off, just polishing them to a jewelery finish. Really makes bends and vibrato silky and smooth. I do that to all my guitars. I like the Indian laurel fingerboard. It's a good alternative to rosewood. I cleaned it with alcohol, then applied a very light amount of fingerboard oil/conditioner. Let it sit a few minutes then wiped it dry. It has a beautiful look and feel now. As for setup, the only thing that was set correctly was the intonation. So I lowered the bridge to the (low) action I like, and it was pretty clean, a little buzz on the upper frets. The neck was trussed completely flat, so I loosened the truss rod about 1/4 turn and that gave it the right amount of relief. No more buzz. Next, I filed the nut slots slightly wider and deeper. Action was too high off the nut. I use XL strings (9-42) and the slots were even too tight for them! That was the only real glaring problem on this guitar. Tight nut slots cause tuning issues and your average customer isn't going to have the tools or skills to fix that. I have a set of precision nut slotting files and feeler gauges to cut them to the proper depth. Man, that was the magic touch. The action is amazing now, all the way up the neck. No problems with tuning stability. And that's all I needed to do. It plays like a dream. I thought I would need to swap out the pickups but I like these. I'm old and play mostly classic rock, and these sound just right for the Les Pauls of that era. I get that sound that Gary Richrath (REO Speedwagon), early Joe Walsh, Duane Allman, Dicky Betts, Joe Perry, Page, Billy G, had in the late 60's – 70's. I ran it through a Goat distortion simulator and got Tom Scholtz Boston sound perfectly. It was actually better than another LP I have with DiMarzio super distortion pups. Easier to control the overdrive. All in all, Epiphone has really raised their bar. If you have typical electric guitar setup skills, you'll make this a sweet playing guitar. If you don't, it's worth it to find someone who does. Just a few minor adjustments and you'll have a fine axe to play.Rich

Hagstrom produces the best semi-hollow and hollowbody guitars not only in the upper-midrange price, but some of the best you will find anywhere, especially their 12 strings. Gretsch used to produce superior guitars in a similar price range, but their playability/action has deteriorated somewhat since 2010, due to proliferation, from the incomparable and tell-tale action they otherwise generate in their models. Hagstrom does not have a compromised playability at mid-range. Hagstrom arguably makes the best semi-hollows around (unless you want a Gibson instead of a car) with fine materials, particularly wood, a rich and ringing full sound from unique signature buckers, and superb quality, decorative, solid appointments that rival anything Rickenbacker produces. Gretsch, Ric, and Hagstrom are the best brands out there for semis and hollows, but only Hagstrom gives you the total package for under a grand. You can never go wrong with their semi-hollows. For this 33 year player and collector, Hagstrom has become THE brand to consider for this guitar type–a player, by the way, who loves Gretsch and Ric, and owns multiple instruments by all three brands. Try one. It's not hit or miss with these Swedish gems, when last I checked. And as an added note of interest, Zappa once played Hagstroms….so there it is.Chris

Overall, I am pleased with the purchase of my Guild Starfire VI. It sells new for $1499 and I bought it used for $750 with just minor scratches on the pick guard, and otherwise no cosmetic defects or problems. But it did need some work. Luckily, I am a guitar tinkerer so I was able to fix the issues and get it playing nicely. Pros: Great looking guitar, with blonde maple finish and gold-plated hardware. And it has a nice sound, too. The attack on the individual notes is nice, and the chords sound well balanced between highs and lows. The adjustment on the individual volume and tone controls makes it easy to dial up the sound you want quickly. The master volume control is nice, allowing me to adjust the overall volume without adjusting the mix between the two pickups. Cons: The major problem with this guitar is the whammy bar, which takes the guitar out of tune as soon as I use it. I found myself constantly tuning it, even after the new strings settled in. I was able to fix this, however. More on this below. Another problem was fret buzz on fret #7 and #10 on the 6th string. However, I was able to fix this, too. More on this below. Finally, I have an issue with the action of the master volume adjustment. It is not linear, when going from 1 to 9 (soft to full volume). Here's the rub: when I adjust the volume from 1 to 7 it doesn't change the volume that much. However, between 7 and 9 it goes from medium loud to very loud. I find myself making minor adjustments between 7 and 9 most of the time. I hardly use the range between 1 and 7. And adjusting the individual volume controls on the pickups to try various combinations did not help. So, I've just learned to live with it. To fix the whammy bar intonation issue, I purchased a replacement bridge on the Internet for $11.00, the kind that has rollers instead of the v-notches on the stock bridge. Then, I routed the strings straight from the back tension bar directly to the bridge, bypassing the middle bar. See my picture and compare to the factory picture. This caused a secondary problem which is that the length of string between the bridge and the tail piece is way long, causing parasitic oscillations. I fixed this by putting in some felt or foam to dampen the strings. Now it works nicely and stays in tune when I whammy. To fix the fret buzz, I used a fret buzz removal tool purchased for $17.00 and it did the trick. After adjusting the new bridge and setting the intonation, the guitar plays nicely and sounds great. Hope this helps.tempfinder

These guitars are pretty sweet. Cosmetically, these are well made. Gorgeous finish that honestly, Chinese manufacturers have mastered over the years. There's nothing I would change about the looks. The feel of the neck is perfect. There are some sharp fret ends which is expected from a Chinese made guitar, but not significant. The pickups sounds great clean and amazing when overdriven. Nice low end, but not too dark on the highs. I threw it through a TS-9 and a hard driven Rat distortion and it has a beautiful open KARRANNGGG and not that fuzz you get out of a pickup that can't handle heavy overdrive. This hollow body can handle hard rock. It stays in tune well. They were VERY wise to make their guitars have a stock tusq nut. Most thinking issues are due to lousy stock nut. No plans to change tuners like I usually do, they work well and the pegs are pretty unique, similar to D'angelico pegs. The electronics I would say are adequate, not incredible. The volume pots have a nice sweep, but the tone pots have most of their sweep on the bottom end of travel. The coil tap isn't great, but I've never been impressed with coil any guitar IMO 🤷‍♂️. There's a little popping when you switch pickups or coil tap as well. Overall, I'd say this is a well made guitar and well worth the money. If you are picky, you may wanna have the fret ends filed and swap out the electronics otherwise, great guitar to play.Josh p