Left Handed Archtop Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

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

This guitar definitely has the tone and mojo of the 1930s. The price seems good as similar in other brands go for over 1,000. But unfortunately the quality control with the finish are below par. For instance there was a piece of fabric underneath the finish. This is a guitar that looks great from a distance but up close The blemishes become apparent.acc321

Have always wanted an esp guitar . Huge fan of Kirk Hammett the guitar looks great and sounds great . Definitely would buy again if I ever needed too . If you are looking for a great guitar look no further this is a great guitar with awesome sounds and the look of the guitar is awesome really like the frets with the skull inlays .Esp makes some great guitarsTommy373

In stock this guitar deserves no more than 3 stars but I can give it 4 because you can really work with it and upgrade it to become a better sounding instrument. The tremolo is not very good but it works fine and gets the job done. It can go out of tune easily if not set-up properly. The tremolo on mine deteriorated over time and has now been destroyed but that's not a problem for me as I will upgrade it. The pups aren't bad but they aren't good; you get what you pay for. Other than that it is an okay instrument for practicing and learning specially if you're a Metallica fan boy. The thin U-neck is very comfortable and the jumbo frets make it easy to play but there are way better guitars out there for the price.TheHomieDavid

Great build quality, action didnt need much adjustment, frets are not scratchy as often new ones are. Floyd rose trem is fine, but have replaced springs with noiseless ones; top locking nut needed a little fettle so it didnt click at full trem arm depression. Screws on back plate had a little rust, which would suggest at some point it was stored in a damp environment……. but apart these little issues, a great guitar …… now to replace the stock pickups, as they are a little muddy and i like an EMG set…. thats just preference!!!Reviewed by Absolute Music custo

Sound: This guitar I by far the smoothest I have ever played. The tone is great and playing leads on it is like no other. Features: Everything about this guitar is perfect from the type of wood to the electonics. Ease of Use: This is an easy guitar to play if you have experience. Beginners will have to get used to it. The jumbo frets is where people will get messed up because of the spacing of the strings. Quality: This guitar will last a lifetime. Value: It is a very good price Manufacturer Support: I did not have to use any of the manufacturing numbers or talk to anyone this guitar was perfect right out of the box. The strings are great and it was in perfect tune right out of the box. The Wow Factor: The looks Overall: Great guitar for looks, price, and playability just get it. I own one and I will probably get it buried with me. This is the best guitar I played and currently own.Tom

I've wanted one of these for a long time and finally took the plunge. I'm very happy with the sound and construction of this guitar. Note that at least as of early 2018, there is no longer a "KH-602" inlay on the 24th fret. There are two small skull inlays like on the new Purple Sparkle model. The neck is super smooth on this guitar as mentioned by everyone else. The only thing I am having trouble getting used to is the extreme bevel of the fret ends. If I'm not careful it's easy for me to push the low E off the fretboard. Tuning the Floyd Rose bridge takes some patience, but once you get it dialed in it stays locked down. I like it.Rockman

I played on an Ibanez S-series for years and it was my go to for playing metal. I also own an American Standard Fender Stratocaster. I bought this guitar because I love playing Metallica songs and solos just jamming at home. This is by far my favorite guitar to play on now. The extra jumbo frets make soloing a cinch and have improved my capabilities. The heavy metal crunching sound is AWESOME and I only play on a Line 6 with one 12" speaker. My only disappointment is with some buzzing frets. The repair technician at Guitar center told me I have uneven frets, which would need to be repaired to get rid of the buzzing on both E strings, which is still present even after having the guitar set perfectly to spec by Guitar Center. You can't hear the buzzing through the amp, but I expected to receive near perfection from ESP/LTS when paying such as high price tag. QC those frets better before you release the guitars ESP South Korea! Or cut the price!Brosche

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

Never played a seven before (20+ guitar owner) and actually was looking more towards a 6-baritone. But cripes, the sale price and hearing about how nice Jackson was making stuff…? Pulled the trigger. Still not too sure what the heck I am doing, but having a great time with it. Maybe I AM a nu-metal head after all. Regardless, it is fun to play. I was amazed that the fret ends weren't garbage, the they needed a bit of a polish, but were otherwise really nice. With the specs like carved top, compound radius, neck reinforcement (I think?), and maple board, the value is incredible. I'm a sucker for maple board too, really wish I wasn't, but I am and this thing is cool. Am I gonna play it all the time? No. But I might play it every day for a bit. Was really impressed with the pickups as well. Figured it would be a mud bath. Maybe the B gets more lost than I was expecting, but was way more articulate overall that I was expecting. I am assuming ceramics, and zero hangups about that. Cons: The tuning machines are poop. If you change direction, expect a 1/4 turn before anything moves. I mean they are pretty poor. And since it is a seven string, that is a touch more complicated to replace.Josh G

Got this guitar to get back into shredding again. Hadn't played metal since the early 90s and shredding is a good way to keep the arthritis from destroying the joints in my fingers and wrists. For the money, this is an overall great guitar. It does what I want it to and that's what matters. The only real gripe I have is the tuners. This is a guitar I can do a lot of mods on and not worry about lowering the value. For those who are beginners, this guitar is an excellent choice to get started on. For those who want to get into shredding – or get back into it as I am – you can do so without breaking the bank. This instrument is not on par with an American made Fender or Gibson but it will most certainly do the job it's designed to. A great buy!Chris S.

The Jackson JS22 Dinky is the best Sounding, and the best feeling guitar I own. I have used Washburn, Schecter, and a few more brands, but this one felt and sounded the best in my opinion. It has sharkfin inlays, amaranth fretboard, and the Jackson speed neck. My only complaints is that the stock tuners suck, and the pickups could be better, but still good enough for some Slayer songs. But get locking tuners. I will see if I can get some Seymour Duncan Invaders, or EMG H4 Pickups.Kawliga

I cant believe how good this D'Angelico is. Workmanship is perfect – It looks stunning. I got the vintage tint natural color which looks so beautiful to me, and the flamed maple rims and back are very classy almost 3D looking and really set it off I removed the factory fitted roundwound strings which were quite bright to my ears, and put on a set of flatwound D'Addario Chormes 12's which made it sound so much louder and feel much nicer. Acoustically it is pretty loud. When plugged in, it sounds superb, the Kent Armstrong pick up is simply wonderful – full, clear and fat sounding and it has that big warm classic jazz sound. I tried out a lot of archtops in the same price range and this was way by far the best of them. I almost bought a Ibanez LGB30 which was fantastic, but this one for me was the better of the two and more of the jazz tone I was looking for. It came with a nice hard shell case too. I will be keeping this guitar. Its exceeded my expectations in every way.6 stringed picker

I'm a recent convert to D'Angelico guitars. I had seen them at big box retailers for a couple of years, but always dismissed them as overpriced imports until I saw one heavily discounted and picked it up. I had been looking for an inexpensive jazz box to experiment with and it fit the bill (EXL-1 model), so I took it home. Once I really starting playing it I was blown away by the quality. These are not your typical imports. The fit and finish are better than most and absolutely the equal of (or better than) any American made guitars. Once I was sold on the brand, I started checking out some of their other offerings. I have a custom shop '59 Les Paul reissue, but it's too expensive for me to leave it out as a daily player, so I've been looking for another HH to serve as my daily driver. The SS does everything I want. It's lightweight, but not so light that you get neck dive (like an SG). The neck profile is very comfortable to me – it's smaller than the '59's neck, but thicker than the typical modern C. The pickups on the Excel-level model are very good. I would say they're slightly warmer than a standard PAF but not muddy. The pickups on this Deluxe model are fantastic. Seymour Duncan '59's (you can disregard the mfg.-specific DA prefix – they're the SD '59's you'd get straight from them and you can find plenty of reviews and discussions of them online). They'll give you any tone you want from a humbucker. What sends this Deluxe model into "perfect guitar" territory is the addition of the 6-way switch. You can split any humbucker, but you won't necessarily like the single-coil sound from any humbucker. These could have been designed for splitting. Also, nearly every maker uses push-pull pots for splitting which, for me, is ridiculous. If you happen to want to split coils while playing, it's nearly impossible to pull the pot without turning it some at the same time. The 6-way switch is fast and snappy. When you throw Grover locking tuners and the other premium components into the mix, I can't think of anything that could possibly be done to upgrade this guitar. If you haven't played one – give it shot. You won't regret it.Big Pete

This is just a terrific instrument. It's what we've come to expect from the quality producers in S Korea. The trim is flawless, and the matte midnight was the perfect choice. Intonation is perfect. The sustain stays on or nearly on pitch throughout attenuation. Pots are sensitive/effective from ~2.5 to 10, which in my experience is better than most. The six-way switch locks in distinctly different sounds. I play mostly jazz/blues, so I can't comment on the harder rock side of things, but it's beautiful clean. And IMHO, clean is where the test should be.Delivery was impressive, ordered early Thanksgiving afternoon, delivered Saturday morning. They must have known I was going to buy, and had it on the truck addressed and ready to go when I made the purchase! Seriously, this is a fine instrument, and compares well to models up to twice the price.Rwjax-79612

I cant believe how good this D'Angelico is. Workmanship is perfect – It looks stunning. I got the vintage tint natural color which looks so beautiful to me, and the flamed maple rims and back are very classy almost 3D looking and really set it off I removed the factory fitted roundwound strings which were quite bright to my ears, and put on a set of flatwound D'Addario Chormes 12's which made it sound so much louder and feel much nicer. Acoustically it is pretty loud. When plugged in, it sounds superb, the Kent Armstrong pick up is simply wonderful – full, clear and fat sounding and it has that big warm classic jazz sound. I tried out a lot of archtops in the same price range and this was way by far the best of them. I almost bought a Ibanez LGB30 which was fantastic, but this one for me was the better of the two and more of the jazz tone I was looking for. It came with a nice hard shell case too. I will be keeping this guitar. Its exceeded my expectations in every way.6 stringed picker

I'm a recent convert to D'Angelico guitars. I had seen them at big box retailers for a couple of years, but always dismissed them as overpriced imports until I saw one heavily discounted and picked it up. I had been looking for an inexpensive jazz box to experiment with and it fit the bill (EXL-1 model), so I took it home. Once I really starting playing it I was blown away by the quality. These are not your typical imports. The fit and finish are better than most and absolutely the equal of (or better than) any American made guitars. Once I was sold on the brand, I started checking out some of their other offerings. I have a custom shop '59 Les Paul reissue, but it's too expensive for me to leave it out as a daily player, so I've been looking for another HH to serve as my daily driver. The SS does everything I want. It's lightweight, but not so light that you get neck dive (like an SG). The neck profile is very comfortable to me – it's smaller than the '59's neck, but thicker than the typical modern C. The pickups on the Excel-level model are very good. I would say they're slightly warmer than a standard PAF but not muddy. The pickups on this Deluxe model are fantastic. Seymour Duncan '59's (you can disregard the mfg.-specific DA prefix – they're the SD '59's you'd get straight from them and you can find plenty of reviews and discussions of them online). They'll give you any tone you want from a humbucker. What sends this Deluxe model into "perfect guitar" territory is the addition of the 6-way switch. You can split any humbucker, but you won't necessarily like the single-coil sound from any humbucker. These could have been designed for splitting. Also, nearly every maker uses push-pull pots for splitting which, for me, is ridiculous. If you happen to want to split coils while playing, it's nearly impossible to pull the pot without turning it some at the same time. The 6-way switch is fast and snappy. When you throw Grover locking tuners and the other premium components into the mix, I can't think of anything that could possibly be done to upgrade this guitar. If you haven't played one – give it shot. You won't regret it.Big Pete

This is just a terrific instrument. It's what we've come to expect from the quality producers in S Korea. The trim is flawless, and the matte midnight was the perfect choice. Intonation is perfect. The sustain stays on or nearly on pitch throughout attenuation. Pots are sensitive/effective from ~2.5 to 10, which in my experience is better than most. The six-way switch locks in distinctly different sounds. I play mostly jazz/blues, so I can't comment on the harder rock side of things, but it's beautiful clean. And IMHO, clean is where the test should be.Delivery was impressive, ordered early Thanksgiving afternoon, delivered Saturday morning. They must have known I was going to buy, and had it on the truck addressed and ready to go when I made the purchase! Seriously, this is a fine instrument, and compares well to models up to twice the price.Rwjax-79612

This was my second run at a D'Angelico. My first try was an all mahogany acoustic offered through M/F as an exclusive. The neck on that one required the full run of the truss rod, and even then didn't come close to straight. I thought about sending that one to the luthier, but traded it at GC. So, this was my second try (I really want to like this brand). It is a pretty guitar (all white), but it just doesn't like to be looked at up close, like a car that looks great from fifty feet away, and then you find out it's all bondo… Again, neck straightness problems. But even more troubling, was a flaw in the neck on the treble side between the 6th and 7th fret. Looked like an impact to the neck, binding, and fret board during the manufacturing or packaging process, maybe after paint. The finish was cracked, and had a noticeable ridge when playing. A strong light source parallel to the neck revealed the damage that was clearly felt. There were paint runs on the neck, as well. The pickups were mounted in reversed position, neck mounted at bridge, bridge mounted at neck so it was impossible to level the neck pick up, and tone was weak and muddy, so the wiring was suspect as well. There were small wounds in the fret board that were visible. The binding didn't line up well at joints. Guitar was well packaged (so was the acoustic) and came in a hard case, so can't blame UPS. I didn't make it to checking out the setup and fret condition, as every defect showed itself in the first ten seconds. I hope other people have been luckier with this brand than I have, but sometimes it just works out like this. All in all, I regret going through the hassle of ordering this guitar, it was a stupid deal of the day/clearance special at more than 50% off list, even at that price, and then returning it. I'm afraid it will show up as an open box…. ps. gave it a star for the packaging and case, and gave it another star 'cause it sure would look pretty hanging on a wall somewherebarn

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

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

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.

It is close to being a 5/5 guitar for me. It plays very easily with the condition that the back of the neck feels a bit weird to me right now, I have only played it twice though so through playing this might very well go away. It's a maple neck and the back is non glossy which I like but the thin nitro coating they have sprayed it with feels a bit weird under the hand, it's not sticky in the slightest, it's just nothing like I am used to. Might just be me, and as always this should go away with playing. I like the colour and design of the guitar. I like the neck in general, I am not a metal player and thinner necks aint my thang but this neck is thin but also comfortable with it. The pickups are good, I have two Seymour Duncans in my only other *metal* guitar and I am not sure which set I prefer. This one has a JB in the bridge and a 59 in the neck. The 59 is well capable of Bluesy, rock and even Lead Tones. The bridge JB does Lead and can get clear clean tones especially if you roll some tone off on the guitar. I hear some people complain about the harshness or more like the bite of the JB but I think that's unfair. It's true this guitar does Blues, rock and metal well but for modern metal it is in the ballpark but not quite there. It's more suitied to 80's thrash metal than modern stuff and it does all rock well and you can do Blues with it in the neck position. So it's not an out and out metal guitar and so I like it better for that. It is versatile. I play Pink Floyd on it and it sings. Performs well with any type of rock and if you want Metallica early metal tones and onwards this does it really well. I am not much into modern metal anyway so I am not too bothered. I did Motorhead songs the other day and it kills it. The tuners are Jacksons sealed ones or whatever they are ,so not locking as far as I know but it stays in tune really well, maybe because of the floyd rose on it, which works really well. My first ever Floyd Rose guitar and it impresses me with how well it works and not as hard as you think when it comes to changing strings etc. Lastly the price is very good for what you get which is always a selling point for me.And what yiou get is a proper set of Seymour Duncans and a proper Floyd not the cheap ones you get in low budget offerings in a guitar that looks the part, the headstock alone is worth having it for! I got it for 600 quid. Complete no brainer.R O.

I had never played a 7-string guitar before but had been thinking about it for a while so I decided on this Dinky after seeing the price and reading the reviews. I didn't want to spend a ton of money since I didn't know if I would like the 7-string. After having it and playing it for a few days now, I must say that I'm quite impressed. Like so many of the other reviews say, it's set up pretty well right out of the box. I noticed that it is very lightweight compared to my Telecaster, which I really like. Some people mentioned some rough frets but I didn't notice that on mine; it feels really good. It took some getting used to the extra string but I'm really having fun exploring the new sounds I can get with an extended range. The pickups are decent for the price and I'm really happy with it. I may look at changing them out eventually but for now I'm happy with them. I agree with a lot of the other reviews that say that Jackson could easily charge twice as much for this guitar as they do. All in all, this guitar is excellent value for the price. If you're looking for an entry-level 7-string to noodle with and see if you will like it, you can't go wrong here.Madd Dogg

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

Overall: I ordered this from Sweetwater back on May 4th and was supposed to get delivery mid-June to only find out (after trying to contact them for weeks) at best it may be August when I get this guitar. I cancel my order last night and reordered at 5 pm from zZounds and it was on my doorstep the next morning at 11am. Truly amazing. This this is an absolutely beautiful looking guitar with amazing tones with the maple construction. This is a steal at this price.John

So disappointed in this model. Having owned several "Masterbuilts", I was expecting the same level of craftsmanship that I've enjoyed from Epi over the years. I purchased 2 of these from MF and both were sent back. The first one had issues with the pick guard being loose and high frets. The second had terrible fret dressing and the nut and saddle were too high and the neck was warped. I really love the "rope n cactus" and hope that maybe I'll stumble across a good one someday.James

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

Been playing about 20 years and I’ve had them all. I’m playing in a cover band and can get what ever sound I want (minus the compressed active sound) out of this thing. From 60s to 90s nu metal, the neck through and fixed bridge gives it sustain for days and the classic 59/ JB pick ups with a coil split gives you so many choices for tones. I have smaller hands and the 24.5 scale neck is so comfortable and fast. Only complaint is fret buzz on the E and A strings out of the box but that is it. If your looking for an all round player this is it. And always great service from AMSDennis

My wife picked up this guitar for me for my Father's Day/Birthday. Of course, I had a bug in her ear on which guitar to buy. Right out the box, it screams! Beautiful paint job, the white absolutely pops! It has a nice weight to it, it's sits perfectly on your lap, when you stand up to play it, it is very well balanced. The p/u's give a variety of tones, which wont disappoint. The head stock is what drew me to this guitar, a non-traditional head stock for a TE body style. Definitely a feature not seen on other guitar with similar body style. It was a half step out of tune when it came out of the box, but that was a simple twist of the locking tuners and it was ready to play! Added my Ernie Ball Strap locks and it was ready for the stage (my music room). This guitar definitely brings a smile on my face and hopefully for you as well.Dave