Michael Kelly Acoustic Electric Guitar For Sale (Jan 2023 Update)

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 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 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 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 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 lead worship at church and needed a backup acoustic for my Martin OMC. I picked one of these up for under $350 and have had several people including the sound guy tell me they like the tone of this better than my Martin. Its great to play and is a great value. I highly recommend this guitar. Only issue was the nuts holding the metal bridge plate were loose and rattled but I was able to get in with a socket and tighten them.raduns123

This thing has an incredibly pleasant tone band the craftsmanship is out of this world! You can't beat this thing out of tune with a hammer lolPandaStarr

This guitar just flat out amazes you over and over. From the large soundport that not only turns this into a boomer when it needs to, it's location on the top of the instrument allows you to hear yourself playing easily. The construction, fit, finish and intonation rival anything I've ever played from the big names up to 2k or higher. Michael Kelly has truly reconstructed the sound board bracing and created a larger sound field which, for the price, is simply amazing. I had tried the Galaxy model which I believed would come with the same port configuration, but it is a very spunky slimline that lacks the overall character of this guitar. This could be purchased just as a work of art as it is. Couldn't be happier with my purchase.Joey

This is a great guitar for the money. Really good value. As a lefthanded guitar player choices are always very limited so when I started looking for a hybrid guitar with both piezo and magnetic pickups there were not too many choices. I watched a lot of YouTube videos and decided to pull the trigger on this Michael Kelly guitar. First of all, the looks of this guitar are absolutely stunning. I got the spalted maple burst finish and it is gorgeous. It has maple pickup covers/rings and knobs. A very nice touch to add to the acoustic looks. The action was super low out of the box but not a single buzz anywhere on the fretboard. The piezo sound is very nice, equal to pretty much any bridge piezo system out there I've heard. The magnetic pickups are surprisingly nice. Very smooth and clear with a split coil option for even more tonal options. The one issue I had upon arrival is that the piezo pickup was pretty unbalanced across the strings, which is a common problem for this type of pickup. I emailed Michael Kelly and heard back the next day with some suggestions. I was able to get it much more balanced by taking the bridge piece out and shimming it a little. Still not perfect but it's much better. I may put some clay in the slot to even put the pressure. It is string with .010s so increasing the string gauge would probably help with this as well. Overall I am super happy with guitar and have been playing it nonstop since I got it. I've been playing guitar for over 35 years, own 20+ guitars and this one has become a new favorite. When paired with my Line 6 Helix Floor I can easily switch between the acoustic and electric tones with great sounds on both.Jeremy

The switches are easy. The Sound is "In Your Face" You can Play as an Acoustic, or Electric, or both. The quality of sound is full, and bright. Depending on how you want to play it, (style-wise) you will be able to manipulate your sound with ease! I Love the look, the weight, and the feel.Discovering Guitar Passion

Overall: The guitar itself is great. Good- Fit and finish are excellent. Plays well, frets are nice, finish and looks are amazing. Bad- Fret buzz on high E upper frets. Battery for Fishman pickup is dead. Hunbuckers are nice but very mellow- don’t be fooled by the videos, you will need a pedal to get growl out of these. Running through the Orange Micro Terror and there is no bark at all from these. And the Orange gets a nasty tone when you max it out. Worse- zZounds is supposedly known for customer service but nit this time I guess. When I contacted them about the battery and feet buzz, they said the expectation is everyone will take it to a luthier for a set up. Maybe if I was adjusting something or wanted it set differently. I just wanted to be able to play it out of the box and can’t because of the buzz issue. I guess $850 doesn’t buy you much anymore. Not at all happy with zZounds. I hate to rate this low because if it all worked this would be an amazing guitar. Didn’t happen in this instance though.Thad

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 don't personally like the guitar. I had two guitarists play it on my YouTube channel and I don't know what they thought of it, but I think it's poorly setup and sounds kind of "Twangy" for all it's buzzing frets. My brother likes it, so I gave it to him for a birthday gift.Leo & Dan Ryan

Love this Guitar!!! This is an amazing Michael Kelly build and I highly recommend this Guitar. Thank you very much to AMS for helping this happen.Mark

I lead worship at church and needed a backup acoustic for my Martin OMC. I picked one of these up for under $350 and have had several people including the sound guy tell me they like the tone of this better than my Martin. Its great to play and is a great value. I highly recommend this guitar. Only issue was the nuts holding the metal bridge plate were loose and rattled but I was able to get in with a socket and tighten them.raduns123

This thing has an incredibly pleasant tone band the craftsmanship is out of this world! You can't beat this thing out of tune with a hammer lolPandaStarr

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 is a great guitar for the money. Really good value. As a lefthanded guitar player choices are always very limited so when I started looking for a hybrid guitar with both piezo and magnetic pickups there were not too many choices. I watched a lot of YouTube videos and decided to pull the trigger on this Michael Kelly guitar. First of all, the looks of this guitar are absolutely stunning. I got the spalted maple burst finish and it is gorgeous. It has maple pickup covers/rings and knobs. A very nice touch to add to the acoustic looks. The action was super low out of the box but not a single buzz anywhere on the fretboard. The piezo sound is very nice, equal to pretty much any bridge piezo system out there I've heard. The magnetic pickups are surprisingly nice. Very smooth and clear with a split coil option for even more tonal options. The one issue I had upon arrival is that the piezo pickup was pretty unbalanced across the strings, which is a common problem for this type of pickup. I emailed Michael Kelly and heard back the next day with some suggestions. I was able to get it much more balanced by taking the bridge piece out and shimming it a little. Still not perfect but it's much better. I may put some clay in the slot to even put the pressure. It is string with .010s so increasing the string gauge would probably help with this as well. Overall I am super happy with guitar and have been playing it nonstop since I got it. I've been playing guitar for over 35 years, own 20+ guitars and this one has become a new favorite. When paired with my Line 6 Helix Floor I can easily switch between the acoustic and electric tones with great sounds on both.Jeremy

The switches are easy. The Sound is "In Your Face" You can Play as an Acoustic, or Electric, or both. The quality of sound is full, and bright. Depending on how you want to play it, (style-wise) you will be able to manipulate your sound with ease! I Love the look, the weight, and the feel.Discovering Guitar Passion

Overall: The guitar itself is great. Good- Fit and finish are excellent. Plays well, frets are nice, finish and looks are amazing. Bad- Fret buzz on high E upper frets. Battery for Fishman pickup is dead. Hunbuckers are nice but very mellow- don’t be fooled by the videos, you will need a pedal to get growl out of these. Running through the Orange Micro Terror and there is no bark at all from these. And the Orange gets a nasty tone when you max it out. Worse- zZounds is supposedly known for customer service but nit this time I guess. When I contacted them about the battery and feet buzz, they said the expectation is everyone will take it to a luthier for a set up. Maybe if I was adjusting something or wanted it set differently. I just wanted to be able to play it out of the box and can’t because of the buzz issue. I guess $850 doesn’t buy you much anymore. Not at all happy with zZounds. I hate to rate this low because if it all worked this would be an amazing guitar. Didn’t happen in this instance though.Thad

A friend and ex-coworker told me about MK a couple of years ago. I saw him again recently and he asked if I had checked it out. I hadn't but I did this time. Glad I did! I ordered the Patriot Decree in Caramel Burst with a case. Both the guitar and case are beautiful! Excellent instrument and snug case. Plays and sounds like a dream. The only issue I found was when you turn the tone control all the way down on the bridge pickup it kills the volume? An MK rep told me this was normal. I have a LP, a 335 and an SG, all with humbuckers, and none of them suffer from this malady, but I would rarely, if ever, use that setting so I can live with it. Other than that I'm very pleased with this guitar and the usual great experience with AMS.G2

Overall: Well I didn't get to play it because zZounds sent me a customer return with a snapped neck that apparently didn't get checked prior to shipping. But even with just looking at & feeling the guitar it didn't feel worth the money. I'd say the cheapest Epiphone Les Paul Special is a way nicer feeling & looking instrument. I read great reviews that these play and sound good but to me it look and felt like cheap laminate wood grain with an uglier finished than the pictures show. Definitely won't order another one after returning this damaged one.Cory

So I had a hiccup in the beginning with this guitar, but besides the blemishes even though it was a brand new guitar american took lead and made it right with me. As far as the guitar goes well she’s bad out the box. Yes I have different tuners and different strings now but that’s a players choice. What comes in the box is amazing. Rich beautiful highs on bridge and smooth blues tone on the neck and neck with bridge together there’s no stopping that sound. This guitar is simply amazing in my books. I have purchased many of guitars and this one is by far the best out of the box. I would recommend this to a beginner or intermediate player as they don’t have to waste money as it is well equipped out of the box.Gabriel

Overall: Acoustic Basses are quiet when unplugged and this one is no exception. However, it is loud enough for practice in the living room and maybe with an acoustic guitarist playing softer. The tone unplugged is above average, very woody with some brightness.BUT this thing absolutely shines when plugged in. I was blown away at the crisp tones and ballsy lows I was hearing. I usually play a Fender 5-String American Standard Jazz so I’m used to lots of sizzle and growl. I am beyond happy to add this acoustic bass to my lineup. The Fishman Presys+ is amazing. You have so much control over your time and can almost get anything you want out of it. The notch and phase features are especially useful for maintaining clarity and tone at high volume and eliminating feedback and distortion. The fit and finish of this bass is exceptional at the price point. It’s like a piece of artwork and even more beautiful in person. Definitely gets bonus points for style.I’m giving this bass and bass alone 5 stars but I must also say this. If you get a case with it, pony up the cash for the hard shell. I got the gig bag and the quality is questionable. It arrived with a small tear and some frayed stitching. It will be adequate for protection for now but I may upgrade to the hard shell eventually. Also the stock tuning pegs aren’t the best but they work and have held tune fine so far, just feel cheap.Tyler

I am a worship director and songwriter. I use this bass in tracking things in my home studio and occasionally when gigging. It sounds fantastic, has good intonation, and is an absolute stunner to look at. I couldn't be happier. The box was a little beat up upon arrival, but the bass was packed well and I damaged in shipping.Zoo Station Studios

Overall: I've been playing music for over 50 years and when I first saw this instrument, just by the looks, I knew exactly what I was getting into!When I played this bass, It left me with a"smile that you can't buy"!! When I was able to say something,all I could say was Wow.I recommend this multi-facet , guitar to both pro and starter level musicians.I can guarantee that the new owners of these basses will be completely satisfied and will tell everyone about this wonderful stringed masterpiece.Andrew

Simply put, this bass is a lot of bang for your buck. Whether your plugging it in or just noodling around with friends the clarity of each note fills the area around you. The upgraded presys plus system is incredibly versatile and extremely user friendly when trying to dial in any tone. Right our of the box between the looks and how rich and full it sounded, it blew me away. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a good, playable acoustic bass that plays as good as it looks.Nick

Great looking 5 string acoustic bass. Setup was playable out of the box, no truss rod adjustment needed. Only thing that I feel is definitely needed is upgraded tuning keys as there is too much play in the stock ones. I replaced with Gotoh GB707 which are much sturdier and 20:1 ratio which is much improved. Stock holes need a tiny sanding out to accommodate these tuners but only takes a couple minutes and then an easy drop-in replacement. Since I am playing primarily through an amp, I inserted one of those rubber feedback eliminator discs in the soundhole and changed strings to La Bella white tape wound to eliminated lots of finger noise when amplified. Now plays great, maintains tune and sounds wonderful. With a little tweaking this bass is a welcome addition to my gear.JL

I am so happy with my new Michael Kelly 5 String Fretless bass. Grandon your Luther at our local Sam Ash store here in Indy, did an amazing job. Grandon replaced the strings and completed the set up on this bass and now it is my favorite bass. Grandon has this guitar sounding amazing, with no string buzz. Thank you Grandon! and Thank you Sam Ash.KEN

This is my 4th MK and all of them are beautifully appointed instruments. The Birdseye maple really pops, and she plays like a strat. Does a good kid sounding like a strat as when you split the humbucker. Buy one and you’ll want another…Will in FL

What a beautiful guitar and the options are limitless playability right out of the box my only gripe is you have to go to website to get the pickup selection directions could of put it on paper in the boxLes

I've been playing guitar since I was 6. I'm now 53 and own many guitars including Gibson USA, Ibanez, USA kremer and this guitar is my favorite. Great service, outstanding instrument. Thanks so much Sam Ash.Michael

This is the first guitar I've ever bought, just started learning how to play. Wasn't perfect when I bought it but after some adjustment it seems to be playing very, very wellJSTAFF

Sound: Sounds good with new pickups in it. Features: It has locking tuners and a good tremolo just make sure you can intonate this guitar before you do anything to it. Ease of Use: Plays nice now after new pickups and a complete setup and intonation. Quality: It's made pretty well for an import guitar it's going to need some work. Value: For the price it's a good deal but only if you know how to work on a guitar or are willing to pay someone else to do it. Manufacturer Support: I bought another Michael Kelly guitar a few years ago and it was pretty good also changed the pickups in that one too. The Wow Factor: I think this guitar looks really nice and it plays nice too- now. Overall: I ordered this guitar because it had all the features I wanted, even though I had my doubts about (Indonesia) quality control.When I got the guitar I was surprised how good it looked and also how heavy it was- this is not some basswood peashooter that weighs nothing. I would say it weighs anywhere from seven and a half to 8 lbs. The body wood they use is some Asian version of Ash and it is heavy and 1-3/4" thick! Looking at the front the first thing you'll think is that it's some kind of photo veneer, but it is not it is the real wood grain. The neck is very nice not too thin but not fat either somewhere in the middle and no dead frets. Frets look like medium jumbo- which I like. Has locking tuners that seem of very good quality. Neck is also tinted like the body very nice job. So you're saying 'what's the catch?' well there is a catch and it's the electronics. The pickups are all cheap ceramic ones and while they could get you through a gig I'm sure, if you're used to good pickups you're not going to like them. I ripped them all out and put an alNico V humbucker and alNico V single coils from GFS that I just happened to have laying around. Sounded much better still a little harsh, so I removed the little chicklet capacitor and put a 0.47 paper and oil capacitor like a bumblebee but I think it's Russian (very good quality) and that really helped smooth things out. The tremolo seems a very good quality and it works excellent. I did have a small issue with the intonation because the tremble bridge although set perfectly centered and square to the nut was 3/16" short. What this means is that the edge of the tremolo is supposed to be 25-1/4" inches from the nut but the actual length was 25-1/16". I decided to keep the guitar and try to intonate it as is, and I could- but just barely on the low E which is the one that goes furthest from the nut. The neck needed a small half a turn on the truss rod and it was perfect. With the new pickups it now sounds very good. This is a really good modding platform guitar. The closest thing to this is when Fender was making the (Mexican) Ash strats a few years ago which were very nice but also have garbage electronics.So if you know your way around a guitar, and around a soldering iron then by all means buy this and go to town on it. If you're looking for a $1,500 American strat for $429.00 you're going to be very disappointed. But for the money you get a really decent body and neck with some nice hardware just put in the good electronics and you're all set and make sure you check that you can intonate it before you do any work. Good luck.John

A great feeling guitar all around. For those that are into telecaster shapes, but love the sound of humbuckers, can find a balance with this guitar. The rockfield pickup has a nice warmth to it that definitely helps with any high gain tones that most people go for, and the sunkai body has a nice weight to it that wont turn you into Quasimodo after playing for a while. My only complaint is the fret edges are a little sharp, but a good filing will fix that up quick.DUSTIN

This guitar was beautiful to play from the time I held it in the store. It plays really well (especially for my heavy metal band ! ) The humbucker pickups offer a rich and thick tone, and the neck pickups offer a nice warm tone for clean and jazzy sounds. The classic telecaster style body is awesome and the finish is beautiful!Creole Rock

I own three Michael Kelly telecasters each with a different pickup configuration. This is probably the best of the bunch or maybe the 53DB. It's a close race. The keyboard on this is fantastic, and the tones are to die for. Very chimy. It looks beautiful, and it plays even more beautifully. When I get my second stimulus check, I plan on buying another Michael Kelly guitar. I have four of them, counting the acoustic, and they are all well-made and well set up. I have a more expensive Fender Telecaster, but the MIchael Kelly's are right up there in quality, and probably better. I would highly recommend both the brand, and this specific guitar!Dennis

She's a beautiful looking guitar and sounds awesome with the Seymour Duncan Quarter-Pound pickups! I can not set this guitar down. The korina wood body produces a great tone and Duncan pickups just expand on it. I was looking for a T-style guitar. I tried many and for the money and quality, this was the best in my opinion! I received a great deal on it from Sam Ash and highly recommend them for purchasing any instrument. Their staff is top notch, very professional, very knowledgeable, and go the extra step to ensure you have a great playing/sounding instrument before you leave their store! Chris and Kurt are awesome!!!PETER

The sound is amazing. Its one of the easiest guitar i’ve ever played, kind on the fingers when I do bar chords/power chords. Better still, Better Music even matched a cheaper price after I had bought it. The customer service is outstanding. Can’t wait for Taylor GC I bought for $300 with the Taylor Days offer.pete b.

For starters the guitar is absolutely beautiful and built to perfection. The aesthetics and fit and finish reflects the price paid for this guitar. The grand concert size is very very comfortable. The 1 3/4" nut is ideal for me and the slightly shorter scale improves playability but it's not too short. On to the tone, I think the mahogany/blackwood combo makes up some of the best guitars in Taylor's entire line up regardless of price. On the grand concert specifically, the 322ce has a good low end response that to me is reminiscent of a Martin 000 or OM, the strong mid range typically expected from mahogany, and still has some of that Taylor brightness as well. It's almost like a mix of a more modern tone and old school warm and woody tone if that makes any sense. The guitar produces great volume (for its size), and great clarity and articulation anywhere on the fretboard which I'm sure the v class bracing plays a part in all of these traits. Although I find that spruce top models are a bit better in these categories, I also find the tonal range to be a bit brighter so it depends what you like and what your style is. The only negative thing I can say is I'm not a huge fan of the ES2 but it seems like most people aren't fans of it so nothing new there. The guitar sounds amazing mic'ed up. But all in all, except for heavy handed strumming, you can do a lot with this guitar. Fingerstyle, light/medium strumming, live gigs, record an album, singer-songwriter stuff, ect and you'll look great doing it all with this gorgeous guitar. Taylor knocked it out of the park with this one.Joseph

A while back I was using a Taylor GS Mini and I got rid of it because the sound was too bright for my taste. I got a Martin and loved it but I slowly fell out of love with it. After a lot of research I decided to pull the trigger on this guitar and let me tell you I am SO GLAD I did. This guitar looks amazing, sounds amazing, and feels amazing. I love jamming with it, and I recently got to record with it and man the sound is incredible. The sound is not as bright as most Taylors I've played like the 214 Koas and such. The tone is a lot warmer than most Taylors but not as deep as a Martin, but man it is truly an amazing guitar. I absolutely love this guitar and it was worth every penny.Ceez