Michael Kelly Electric Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

Overall: I have a small, but carefully curated collection of guitars. I can't/don't spend big bucks on each guitar, so I want to make sure whatever I get ticks a lot of boxes and, for me, this is perfect. It's light weight, super comfortable (has both arm and belly cuts) and plays like a dream. And with all the super thin necks that are so prevalent today, it's nice to find something a bit more standard for those of us with bigger hands. I did upgrade to locking tuners, but I don't think I'll be touching the pickups. Overall a great pick for a T-style daily player!Grant

The good: Very resonant acoustically before being plugged in, this is the most important sound test, pickups can be changed, a dull instrument is a dead end. The nut was cut well. The fit and finish was excellent, no blemishes, overspray etc. The binding looked perfect. Weight was very good, not too heavy. I really liked the neck and shape, not ultra thin but not too bulky either. They seemed to find that happy medium. The tuners are very good, but I'll probably swap them out for a set of hipshot locking tuners just to make string changes a little quicker. Pickups are very nice. I was assuming that I would upgrade them but after playing this a while, I'm not sure the improvement would be worth the cost as these sound great. The 4th selector option that converts the two singles to a humbucker sound is very nice, I've found my self gravitating there in certain situations. This pickup option takes a great all around tele and makes it a complete workhorse for live shows. I have a Gibson Les Paul, PRS CE, several high end Ibanez guitars, a very nice Godin Velocity as well as various other guitars. This guitar was to check the telecaster box for me and it makes me wonder why I didn't get one sooner. Great all around guitar, this could very easily become my go to live guitar just because it's such a player and is much less expensive than my other ones. It can definitely cover all the bases of the other ones. I can't compare this to a high end Fender because I don't own one but I imagine the differences would be minimal. I recommend this guitar as a good mid tier option. It punches higher than it's weight and is a great value for the money.Jeremy

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

Overall: I have a small, but carefully curated collection of guitars. I can't/don't spend big bucks on each guitar, so I want to make sure whatever I get ticks a lot of boxes and, for me, this is perfect. It's light weight, super comfortable (has both arm and belly cuts) and plays like a dream. And with all the super thin necks that are so prevalent today, it's nice to find something a bit more standard for those of us with bigger hands. I did upgrade to locking tuners, but I don't think I'll be touching the pickups. Overall a great pick for a T-style daily player!Grant

The good: Very resonant acoustically before being plugged in, this is the most important sound test, pickups can be changed, a dull instrument is a dead end. The nut was cut well. The fit and finish was excellent, no blemishes, overspray etc. The binding looked perfect. Weight was very good, not too heavy. I really liked the neck and shape, not ultra thin but not too bulky either. They seemed to find that happy medium. The tuners are very good, but I'll probably swap them out for a set of hipshot locking tuners just to make string changes a little quicker. Pickups are very nice. I was assuming that I would upgrade them but after playing this a while, I'm not sure the improvement would be worth the cost as these sound great. The 4th selector option that converts the two singles to a humbucker sound is very nice, I've found my self gravitating there in certain situations. This pickup option takes a great all around tele and makes it a complete workhorse for live shows. I have a Gibson Les Paul, PRS CE, several high end Ibanez guitars, a very nice Godin Velocity as well as various other guitars. This guitar was to check the telecaster box for me and it makes me wonder why I didn't get one sooner. Great all around guitar, this could very easily become my go to live guitar just because it's such a player and is much less expensive than my other ones. It can definitely cover all the bases of the other ones. I can't compare this to a high end Fender because I don't own one but I imagine the differences would be minimal. I recommend this guitar as a good mid tier option. It punches higher than it's weight and is a great value for the money.Jeremy

Overall: I have a small, but carefully curated collection of guitars. I can't/don't spend big bucks on each guitar, so I want to make sure whatever I get ticks a lot of boxes and, for me, this is perfect. It's light weight, super comfortable (has both arm and belly cuts) and plays like a dream. And with all the super thin necks that are so prevalent today, it's nice to find something a bit more standard for those of us with bigger hands. I did upgrade to locking tuners, but I don't think I'll be touching the pickups. Overall a great pick for a T-style daily player!Grant

The good: Very resonant acoustically before being plugged in, this is the most important sound test, pickups can be changed, a dull instrument is a dead end. The nut was cut well. The fit and finish was excellent, no blemishes, overspray etc. The binding looked perfect. Weight was very good, not too heavy. I really liked the neck and shape, not ultra thin but not too bulky either. They seemed to find that happy medium. The tuners are very good, but I'll probably swap them out for a set of hipshot locking tuners just to make string changes a little quicker. Pickups are very nice. I was assuming that I would upgrade them but after playing this a while, I'm not sure the improvement would be worth the cost as these sound great. The 4th selector option that converts the two singles to a humbucker sound is very nice, I've found my self gravitating there in certain situations. This pickup option takes a great all around tele and makes it a complete workhorse for live shows. I have a Gibson Les Paul, PRS CE, several high end Ibanez guitars, a very nice Godin Velocity as well as various other guitars. This guitar was to check the telecaster box for me and it makes me wonder why I didn't get one sooner. Great all around guitar, this could very easily become my go to live guitar just because it's such a player and is much less expensive than my other ones. It can definitely cover all the bases of the other ones. I can't compare this to a high end Fender because I don't own one but I imagine the differences would be minimal. I recommend this guitar as a good mid tier option. It punches higher than it's weight and is a great value for the money.Jeremy

Years ago a friend of mine lent me his "Nashville" t-style guitar and I fell in love with the thing but had other guitars to buy. When I saw this I figured I'd take a chance. Price is good, features are good, what could go wrong? The pickups. The pickups went wrong. The bridge pickup is okay, if a bit on the thin side. Workable, but only just. The neck pickup is one of the muddiest things I've ever tried to use. You can get a good tone out of it but then your bridge is an icepick and if you turn on the middle pickup it gets even worse because of all the "air." Also the middle pickup is an s-style pickup without a cover, so have fun changing that one out. What's especially disappointing is that this is a very well built guitar. Absolutely no issues with the actual construction quality. Tuners are smooth, pots and switches seem solid enough, bridge is fine… everything about this guitar is quality. But the pickups bring it so far down it's going back. Why do I still recommend it? Because if you're the type that already has some extra pickups laying around you'll absolutely love this thing. It's a solid platform to start from and tweak into something special. Bone stock, however, it's disappointing.Michael M.

Overall: I have a small, but carefully curated collection of guitars. I can't/don't spend big bucks on each guitar, so I want to make sure whatever I get ticks a lot of boxes and, for me, this is perfect. It's light weight, super comfortable (has both arm and belly cuts) and plays like a dream. And with all the super thin necks that are so prevalent today, it's nice to find something a bit more standard for those of us with bigger hands. I did upgrade to locking tuners, but I don't think I'll be touching the pickups. Overall a great pick for a T-style daily player!Grant

The good: Very resonant acoustically before being plugged in, this is the most important sound test, pickups can be changed, a dull instrument is a dead end. The nut was cut well. The fit and finish was excellent, no blemishes, overspray etc. The binding looked perfect. Weight was very good, not too heavy. I really liked the neck and shape, not ultra thin but not too bulky either. They seemed to find that happy medium. The tuners are very good, but I'll probably swap them out for a set of hipshot locking tuners just to make string changes a little quicker. Pickups are very nice. I was assuming that I would upgrade them but after playing this a while, I'm not sure the improvement would be worth the cost as these sound great. The 4th selector option that converts the two singles to a humbucker sound is very nice, I've found my self gravitating there in certain situations. This pickup option takes a great all around tele and makes it a complete workhorse for live shows. I have a Gibson Les Paul, PRS CE, several high end Ibanez guitars, a very nice Godin Velocity as well as various other guitars. This guitar was to check the telecaster box for me and it makes me wonder why I didn't get one sooner. Great all around guitar, this could very easily become my go to live guitar just because it's such a player and is much less expensive than my other ones. It can definitely cover all the bases of the other ones. I can't compare this to a high end Fender because I don't own one but I imagine the differences would be minimal. I recommend this guitar as a good mid tier option. It punches higher than it's weight and is a great value for the money.Jeremy

This is my second Michael Kelly (both from AMS). The bridge humbucker is throaty and coil split so you can run both pick ups single for a classic tele sound. If it weren’t for the lack of a skunk line in the back, you’d swear it’s a Fender. But it’s also real pretty with the quilt. Satin finish for the black was a great choice.Will in FL

I bought the tiger color, very nice FMT. Humbuckers are full bodied and ring nice when tapped. Neck is wide for a tele, but not thick. Plays like an $800 Fender in my opinion and I love Fender…Will in FL

I have one Telecaster and this is a great Telecaster copy. It has 2 humbuckers like my Fender but this has the front contours like my Stratocaster. This I call a great maple cherry burst like my Les Paul and this the best deal ever and from Wal-Mart. I have bought guitars from American Music Supply and Sweetwater but Wal-Mart is the best. Walmart saved me 250.00 and I thank them. Thanks and God bless.steven

Dressed the frets and it was ready to go. Comfortable to play, sounds good, it's light, and looks great. I have the Tele style also and it's good tooRick

Overall: I have a small, but carefully curated collection of guitars. I can't/don't spend big bucks on each guitar, so I want to make sure whatever I get ticks a lot of boxes and, for me, this is perfect. It's light weight, super comfortable (has both arm and belly cuts) and plays like a dream. And with all the super thin necks that are so prevalent today, it's nice to find something a bit more standard for those of us with bigger hands. I did upgrade to locking tuners, but I don't think I'll be touching the pickups. Overall a great pick for a T-style daily player!Grant

The good: Very resonant acoustically before being plugged in, this is the most important sound test, pickups can be changed, a dull instrument is a dead end. The nut was cut well. The fit and finish was excellent, no blemishes, overspray etc. The binding looked perfect. Weight was very good, not too heavy. I really liked the neck and shape, not ultra thin but not too bulky either. They seemed to find that happy medium. The tuners are very good, but I'll probably swap them out for a set of hipshot locking tuners just to make string changes a little quicker. Pickups are very nice. I was assuming that I would upgrade them but after playing this a while, I'm not sure the improvement would be worth the cost as these sound great. The 4th selector option that converts the two singles to a humbucker sound is very nice, I've found my self gravitating there in certain situations. This pickup option takes a great all around tele and makes it a complete workhorse for live shows. I have a Gibson Les Paul, PRS CE, several high end Ibanez guitars, a very nice Godin Velocity as well as various other guitars. This guitar was to check the telecaster box for me and it makes me wonder why I didn't get one sooner. Great all around guitar, this could very easily become my go to live guitar just because it's such a player and is much less expensive than my other ones. It can definitely cover all the bases of the other ones. I can't compare this to a high end Fender because I don't own one but I imagine the differences would be minimal. I recommend this guitar as a good mid tier option. It punches higher than it's weight and is a great value for the money.Jeremy

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

The guitar looks much better in your hand. The photos do not do justice to how nice this guitar really looks. The ebony fretboard is amazing and smooth. The tone options give you a range of creativity, sounds great. This guitar gives you a lot for the value. Just awesome.Eli

I've owned the 53OP for about 5 weeks now and I'm very pleased. It's comfortable and very easy to play in that everything just seems to be in the right place. I swapped out the pickguard because I just hated the white pearlescent. I swapped out the pickups, because I already had a set I love and I knew I would use them in whatever tele I bought, but the stock pickups didn't sound bad. I also already had a set of Highwood saddles, so I swapped them in as well. None of these changes were necessary, but I already had 'em, so why not. The "bad". A few of the frets on the high e side had fret sprout(?). The nib and the tang could be felt extending out of the fretboard. Cautious use of a small file and finishing with a 3M #320 sanding sponge fixed it right up, and believe me when I say that I'm no Luthier. I have several fairly expensive guitars in the rotation, and the 53OP does not disappoint. I love the tone I get out of it. Sometimes you get a guitar and you feel it lacks "something". I'm getting none of that from this mildly priced tele style guitar. This 53OP is replacing a Squire Standard I didn't much care for.Nate

The guitar is well made only problems I had was neck nut was not cut right had chips in it and was set to low causing buzzing but I can fix that but shouldn't have too at this price range. It was missing hex keys and some were loose in package.TJ

This guitar is awesome! Plays good and sounds good. It literally changed my life. I was unable to play electric guitar for a few years because of a back injury. I am able to do so now. I want to thank Michael Kelly and his group. This is a great deal! Quality materials used in making this guitar. You wont regret this purchase. Beautiful guitar that weighs under 6 pounds.randelladams

Like the feel of a tele, but don't like the single coil sound. With the Fishman Powerbridge activated the tones you get out of this unlike anything you can explain. The feel on the neck is smooth and not sticky. Over all it is a joy to play and hard to put down. I have only heard of Michael Kelly guitars at Sam Ash, so I did a lot of research before and heard the pros and cons. But what it comes down to it that tele feel, with a thick tone.Joey Bag 'o Donuts

THIS GUITAR IS THE BEST OF TWO WORLDS. IT INCORPORATES THE TIMELESS ASTHETIC FROM SIXTY YEARS AGO WITH SOME FANTASTIC MODERN APPOINTMENTS. THE BRIDGE IS A VAST IMPROVEMENT OVER THE OLD DESIGN. INTONATION IS NOT A PROBLEM ON THIS GUITAR. THE PICKUP CONFIGURATION BRINGS A VERY VERSATILE SONIC PALETTE TO THIS INSTRUMENT. GREAT JOB!JCOFFEY

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

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 is absolutely phenomenal. The build quality is exceptional and amazing. Jackson kills it again with phenomenal gear and hardware. I did swap out the pups, but even the stock Jackson pickups are great with high output. The binding is gorgeous and the setup was pretty good out of box.Derek

Overall: I'm kinda bias on this one.. since I started playing when I was a teenager I always looked up to this guitar. The one guitar shop in town was loaded with Jackson and metal guitars. So I always wanted one. Thanks to zZounds they made it possible for me to get one. I love the way everything feels on this guitar. Now I'm no artist or anything just a below amateur trying to get back into it..Chase

I picked up my Kelly a few years ago. It came with a Bengal tiger finish. Not only is the paint job totally killer, but this is everything a Jackson Kelly is cracked up to be. Killer neck, playability, thick sound, fast neck, no problems staying in tune, The neck is fast and comfortable. Yes it is expensive, yes you are going to have to wait, yes are going to have second thoughts plunking down all the money when you can buy guitars for much cheaper. After you unbox and play it, you will not have any regrets. Period.Jay

Overall: I'm kinda bias on this one.. since I started playing when I was a teenager I always looked up to this guitar. The one guitar shop in town was loaded with Jackson and metal guitars. So I always wanted one. Thanks to zZounds they made it possible for me to get one. I love the way everything feels on this guitar. Now I'm no artist or anything just a below amateur trying to get back into it..Chase

I own a quite a few guitars. This Jackson Kelly has quickly became my favorite to play. I really like the feel of maple fret boards. That has been hard to find in a Jackson Kelly. I was excited when I first seen this guitar. And it did not disappoint. It is the best playing guitar that I own, and it looks great as well. I would buy another if it was offered in a different color with the maple fret board.Matt