Red Electric Guitar Aesthetic For Sale (2024 Update)

A lot of the reviews posted here are for Strats, so I'm not sure what's going on. Anyway, I bought the red sparkle Squier Bullet Tele. The finish is gorgeous and that's what prompted me to do a spontaneous purchase. I have only experienced owning USA Teles, but I've played some Squiers that really impressed me. This one? Not so much. I don't detect any finish on the back of the neck although I'm sure it has a sealer of some sort. The body finish is nice, but the bridge hardware is cheaply made and I'll be replacing that for sure. Same goes for the tuners. I'm pretty sure it has some high frets because it goes dead starting at the 10th fret, but some of that was back bow. I loosened the truss and got rid if it, but now when I sight down the neck the forward bow is pretty obvious. I don't notice the frets being sharp on the ends. It now plays plays pretty good after sitting long enough for the truss Rod to settle, but I may need to tighten it just a little to get rid of some of the forward bow. The neck has a very comfortable profile. The body is thinner than my American Teles, but it doesn't bother me – in fact it's lighter which I enjoy. The body is Poplar and that's fine by me. I may leave the back of the neck alone for now because it actually feels pretty good, aesthetics are certainly lacking, but the body makes up for that. I'm sure with a little patience and help from my friends I'll have a nice instrument. All the basics are there. As is, it's not all that great, but still better than my first electric guitar! -!an old Kalamazoo single pickup thing with a bolt on neck back in the mid sixties. Like the title says, this thing has potential. I probably couldn't buy a finished body for what I paid.Ronnie

I bought my black metallic Squier Bullet eight years ago when GC was having a Columbus Day sale. I was looking for a guitar to which I could permanently mount my Roland GR-33 guitar synth's GK2a pickup. Previously I had the pickup mounted on my '96 Strat, and I didn't like this fit because I couldn't close my Strat's case with the pickup installed. I have a gig bag for this Squier, and it fits fine in the bag with pickup installed. Anyway, about the guitar. Right out of the box, it played great, requiring only a minimal amount of action adjustment. I was surprised at how good the pickups sounded, it being a Bullet and all. But the humbucker sounds especially nice when playing the guitar through my Marshall. The neck pickup has a decent sound, but not quite up to the snuff of a good alnico pickup. Still, for what the guitar cost, I really can't complain. If I want to, at some later date, I can always change out the neck pickup to a better alnico model. One thing I especially like about this black Bullet is its looks. The photos here at GC don't show it off all that well, but the guitar body's finish is metallic and the pickguard is a heavy metal flake. It looks spectacular under the lights. And the black hardware does a great job of completing that black look. The Bullet's body is thinner than a typical Strat or Squier Affinity or Classic Vibe body. The result is a light weight guitar, but there is no sacrifice in tone.Michael

I would first like to begin with- I normally would be giving a 5 star rating of this unit/Squier, as I have typically never had problems prior to the recent/earlier this year upset regarding shipping containers/etc being paused/sitting in the ocean/etc, delaying container delivery. PLEASE READ ON FOR FULL EXPLANATION. Two imperative points- 1. The fret ends were so sharp, when I say it was not playable (both sides/neck in its entirety), I mean, it was not playable (THE DATE OF INSPECTION WAS EARLIER THIS YEAR, AND I IMMEDIATELY ASSOCIATED THE FRET ENDS PROBLEM BEING DUE TO THE SHIPS BEING DELAYED/SITTING IN THE OCEAN/ETC- It looked to me like maybe between March and July of this year, although, I couldn't quite make out the stamped month). As well, the serial # of the guitar, of course, was of this year/'22. I maintain/work on most all my guitars, and I normally would've tightened up the fret ends myself, however, there was a hairline crack on the red sparkle finish at the bass side neck joint (which i just couldn't accept, visually), as well as a small tooling gash along the top edge of the headstock. The replacement/reordered guitar arrives tomorrow. 2. THE NEWER UNITS (AS, ONCE AGAIN, THIS IS A 2022-BUILT UNIT) ARE TOP-MOUNT/STRING THROUGH THE BACK OF THE BRIDGE, NOT "STRING-THRU" as the description indicates (and, with Squier bridge mounting, these are 5-screw mount plates, which, if ever you want to upgrade your hardware, particularly, w/the bridge, you must find an aftermarket unit that is "string through the back", along w/the correct string spacing (with Squier, they're 54mm, typically), and you'll typically need to redrill given it's rare to find plates that have Squier mounting dimensions that provided string through the back holes. I'm upgrading to a Babicz, given the results found. Also, there are two string trees (the second being a tree for both the D and G strings), and it looks great, actually, with both. Overall, I was impressed with the finish, as it was nearly flawless (aside from the hairline finish crack mentioned previously). The fretwire/fretwork, felt great….I found maybe two or so "slight" dead spots, which weren't enough of a "ping", or string buzz to be of concern, or critiquing the fretwork negatively. Rather, I was impressed with the fretwork. As well, it's important to note that the mounting of the bridge, along with the neck positioning/etc, was spot-on. No misalignment of the bridge mount/etc (and the same goes for the nut spacing). I've always been impressed with what Fender/Squier/Jackson are putting out. The quality is typically quite high…as for this unit, the quality is high, but the results of the environmental dilemma with either being stuck in a container offshore, or, sitting in a facility for weeks/months/etc, have had quite the impact on this guitar. As an important example, I had purchased a Bullet Tele last year (the unit in Burst color offered here through MF), and it was/is flawless, and I completely upgraded every part. As I own approx'ly 53 guitars ranging primarily from ESP to Jackson (some of which in the better than $2K range), I love to take what's titled as a "beginner" guitar, and totally hotrod it with high end parts (such is the case w/this guitar). As mentioned above, I've reordered the guitar, as MusiciansFriend provided me a generous discount (without having to ask) to accommodate me. Upgrades- 1. Babicz Full Contact Tele "Ashtray" bridge Gold, 2. Genuine Fender Gold control plate, 3. Fender Infinity Gold strap locks, 4. Gold input jack Ferrule, 5. Custom built Gold Sparkle w/star cut-outs Tele pickguard, 6. Philadelphia Luthier Tools "Fat" neck plate/Gold w/gold neck mounting screws, 7. Earvana compensated nut (Ivory), 8. Philadelphia Luthier Tools Gold string trees, 9. Fender locking tuners, Gold, 10. EMG T-52 set (black), or, EMG T-set, Red., 11. EMG Gold Telecaster knobs. 12. Powder coated Red pickguard screws, 13. Gold pickup mounting screws. Beginner guitar?……no more (ha).Dave

The Mahogany body and maple neck through construction is enough for the price alone. On top of that you get Duncan Designed HB 103's which are some of the best passive pickups on the market. Next you get gold floyd rose hardware on a beautifully finished guitar. The binding and craftsmanship were excellent. All I had to do was ser the intonation. The tuners are fine except a little tight on a couple of them. Other than that, it is a flawless instrument. The only thing I might upgrade are the zinc alloy string blocks on the fr bridge but I like the way they sound for now. Just not sure if they will strip later on as zinc is a softer metal. The feel, tone and sustain is exceptional. This guitar produces the most brutal tones and I would put it up against a USA made model any day. Being made in Indonesia did not hurt the quality one bit. This guitar is a monster and my favorite 6 string.ZerovoreZ

This is a great guitar, overall, especially for the price. I replaced the pickups with Seymour Duncans, as I am partial to them…but the stock pickups are really pretty good. I will say that I was very disappointed, when I changed the pickups, to find that I had to replace the locking nut, as one of the bolt holes was stripped and I could not lock the E & A strings down. Thanks be to God, I have several extra ones on hand…but most people don't… But, having replaced the nut, and given the frets a light sanding and polish, and oiled the neck…this guitar looks and plays great! As well as any high end guitar… I also love the Jackson Floyd Rose bridges. They are great quality, and they do everything that an expensive tremolo bridge does. The bar fits tightly, it always floats right back in tune, no matter how hard you abuse it…you can do flutters, dive bombs, etc…a very good bridge in my opinion. I highly recommend this guitar for anyone who is looking for a versatile guitar (but mostly metal), and doesn't want to spend $800 on a pro series. This baby will do the job every bit as well, with a bit of TLC and the gift from God to play. Seriously.disciple7777

I purchased this guitar when it was $95 off full price. So that kind of makes it a worthwhile purchase. Definitely not worth full price in my opinion. Poorly packed with insufficient padding in the box allowed two of the strings to be bent during shipping. I assume this happened during shipping. They wouldnt send bent strings right? Thankfully they provided back up strings… The nut is very poorly crafted. You can visibly see burrs and imperfections in the nut that cause the strings to ring out of tune on certain parts of the fret board even after tuning. The pick-up selector nob fell right off first time I adjusted it. I will have to glue it myself. When the notes do play out true the triple pick ups sound better than the Peavy beginner guitar I used to have– Which only had two pickups and came in a similar starter package but was about half the price as this guitar. I think if I research how to fix some of the issues I can make it playable. But this guitar is far from playable out of the box. Fairly poor quality control.Cody

I was looking forward to ordering this as my first guitar after taking some classes a couple years back. The shipping was remarkably fast–however, when the product arrived the amp was completely broken. Upon plugging the guitar into the amp and strumming, it would make a horrendous scratching, broken sound. Plucking strings has the exact same effect, and occasionally the amp will cut off after a second of playing. I've tried adjusting the dials, turning overdrive on and off, I even bought a new cord thinking that was the issue to no avail. To make matters worse I have called the customer support number multiple times asking if I could recieve a partial refund, or ship back the amp for a functioning replacement–every time I'm left on hold before the call disconnects, if I can even get through to begin with. The only reason this isn't a one star review is that the guitar itself works fine and looks beautiful! I wouldn't reccomend buying the full set if they don't bother to make sure one of the most essential parts is functioning before shipping however.James B.

In December 2020, I purchased the Beginner Electric Guitar Kit w/ Case, 10W Amp, Tremolo Bar – 39in. The packaging was excellent and the delivery was on time. Initially, I purchased it for my kids but they did not express any interest. So, I took up the guitar myself and started learning via YouTube. I popped a few strings and when I took it to the guitar shop to have the strings replaced, they were pleasantly surprised by the quality workmanship of the guitar. Since then, I've learned to tune the guitar and replace the strings myself – courtesy of YouTube. The guitar is really great and I play it everyday. Thank you BCP for the great service, affordable pricing and an awesome guitar!Tony

It's an itty bitty little thing. It's so lightweight it almost floats away! It was perfectly set up out of the box, it arrived with no damage. First, I tuned it. (It was close, whoever set it up musta tuned it before shipping). It's got very accurate tuning pegs, not like a Squier or Glarry, with slack in the pegs. Then I sat down and ran through some scales, and strummed some chords. It's got a fast playing neck. I can play faster on this guitar, than any I've tried, and I've played hundreds of guitars from an American Fender 52 reissue Telecaster, down to the terrible cheap electric guitars of the 1960s. Anyway, I finally got around to plugging into my Blackstar Fly 3 battery amp, and wow those Mitchell humbuckers are HOT! I love this little thing, it's going to be my main axe, and I'm going to order it a new hard shell case, so it stays looking great.The Volkswagen Cowboy

For the most part; this a pretty nice beginner's guitar. It has nice features that aren't usually found on cheaper guitars. I was very impressed with the body contours, pickup arrangement, sealed tuners, & string through body. I purchased this as a Christmas gift for my son. I paid a little extra for expedited shipping & it arrived less than 48hrs after I ordered it! Everything was great until I tuned up the guitar & found that the claims that "every guitar receives a stateside set up" are entirely false. The ends of the fret wire are extremely sharp; there's no way that I'd let a child attempt to play this without first filing down/ dressing the frets to avoid gouging your hands. It seems to stay in tune fairly well; which is rather surprising as the neck is NOT properly bolted to the guitar body. There is a relatively large gap between the neck & body- large enough to see daylight! The gap is likely due to common machine assembly w/ poor quality control. I'm somewhat excited to see how well this guitar will play after I disassemble the neck, drill the body holes 1/16" larger, file the frets, & reassemble w/ some higher quality strings. Even with the additional work that's necessary; it's still a rather nice guitar & definitely cheaper than a project guitar. Last time I checked; it was around $20 or so to have a guitar set up by a Luthier- so it still works out to be a decent buy if you bought it & paid to have it set up. I'm just rather disappointed that the only problem with the entire transaction is a very simple issue that could be avoided w/ a couple tweaks of the CNC machines spitting these out by the 100's…Jonathan

I am quite fond of short scale guitars, and I rate this one quite high on the list of must haves! Frets are adequately dress, it is quite light, finish (walnut satin) is excellent. Playability is quite good, intonation is spot on, even the pickups are ok, though I did change them out on mine, along with putting some shielding paint in the pickup and control cavities and swapping out the potentiometers (none of this was necessary, but you know how us guitarists can be!). The kind of music I like is 70s rock, 80s and 90s metal, I don't play clean much – always some grit coming outta the amp! I got this on sale, so it was well below $100. Not sure what else to say, but if you are on the fence about getting one of these, either for yourself or a young, aspiring rocker, just pull the trigger, I don't think you'll be disappointed. Main thing to keep in mind on this is playability and setup are very good for a guitar in its price point even at full price, maybe even twice the price. Is it perfect? No, but it doesn't need to be, just needs to be good and it is. Just get the darn thing. it's a fun guitar to play, looks and sounds good as well.Scott

Got it for a travel guitar. It sounds pretty good. Feels solid for its size. I was worried the strings would feel floppy but, the string tension isn't bad.. There are plenty of videos to check out on YouTube. Fret ends needed a little work and I wish the gig bag was a little better quality. I think the price is fair for what you get. Overall, I'm happy with this purchase.Will

I love my mini Electric Guitar. It is so cute. I am having trouble tuning it, but other than that it is okay. It has a good tone for such a small guitar, not much difference to a full size one. I am very happy thank you.janise T.

I bought one of these several months ago. Ok I'm not good guitarist so take that into into consideration but I have player series strat and have always played strat style guitars and I'm not saying i love this guitar more than the Fender I love them both but as far as the guitar is concerned she got so much potential tonally. I have no complaints about the ascetic she beautiful sexy gorgeous took a little getting used to the weight and contours compared to the strat there is adjustment period but she just rocks. I never played a Gibson but if this guitar had Gibson I guess it be a little better but also 2grand more. If I have any complaint is she is finger print magnet always wiping down get some dunlop 65 and microfiber cloth. The Glossy neck won't appeal to all but I can deal with it. Fret work perfect. I'm not a gigging musician but i have no doubt she gig worthy. Oh also, get the pro coverage cause I found out ALL Les Paul are extremely fragile at the neck,It has to do with the angle of the neck, Google it, do your research on owning a led Paul little different than strat anyway the guitar is 600-GREAT VALUE then with 2 years pro coverage plus tax it was under 900 or somewhere around there. And if you get a bad quality then ask for another cause it is coming from Asia so there is variability in workmanship but mine is PERFECT. If I ever get rich maybe ill buy a Gibson but for now this satisfy my Les Paul needs. I wanted an alternative to my strat to emulate Slash sound lol I need to work on my technique but this definitely rocks a Les Paul sound. I did see a review or 2 that liked the sound of the 1950 better but I played them both and liked the 60s better but check them both out the inspired by Gibson line is definitely worth the money if you want a Les Paul without breaking the bank. Just take your time do your homework if you can go to a GC and play it then do that In rarely write reviews especially this long but I love this guitarMichael L

1 month review with guitar being setup professionally: Great pickups and tone and overall good sounding guitar after a proper setup, gorgeous nitro finish and paintjob. Relic effects are beautiful. The nitro finish feels thin enough for you to eventually make your own marks from repeated playing – a perfect way to tell a story and give the guitar character. Worn in neck feels amazing to play and not sticky to touch. Worth noting that the Pure Vintage 59 pickups on these don't have a reverse-wound middle pick, so there will be hum including positions 2 and 4. If you are easily annoyed with single coil hum, these pickups might not be for you. Also worth noting that these pickups do sound a bit warmer than a stock Fender Player pickups. These respond so MUCH better to high gain type of playing, all while still sounding amazing on low-gain and clean playing. Despite the pros, there are still some areas are lacking and needs improvement. The guitar had razor sharp frets along the binding that could easily cut you, meanwhile I have a $700 MIM fender player didn't have this problem straight out of the box. It's crazy to think that $700 guitar went through better QA than a $1200 guitar, but whatever, the frets are bound to be polished and worked on anyway with your initial setup regardless. CME's shipping page policies say "Every guitar gets a full inspection, as well as basic setup." Guitar came with an inspection card that had overall playability specs checked but some of it was questionable. The guitar was not playable at all out of the box despite letting it acclimate for over a day before opening BUT that is a given considering it spent time in a delivery truck trunk in freezing winter. However, it was a bit bogus how they even checked off volume output when the pickups were NOWEHERE near the appropriate height out of the box and there was BARELY any audible output on the treble side of the guitar. I highly doubt weather and temperature fluctuation will make the pickup screws spin by themselves to the degree at which the pickups came out of the box. Secondly, the tremolo springs at the back also weren't ******* in the appropriate depth for a either a floating or flushed trem setup – it was just sort of in the middle of the cavity. Weather fluctuation from their shop and may have affected string tension, but I also don't think it would make the claw springs in the back unscrew themselves to the degree the guitar came. Makes me wonder how thorough the inspection was. These might not matter as much to some especially those who will get their new guitars setup anyway, but it's good to note that you may still need to budget for a setup if you aren't doing it yourself. Although there could've been improvements on Fender and CME's part that I don't think could be blamed on external factors such as weather and climate fluctuations, overall, I would still 100% recommend this guitar, and it's a gem. The guitar played well after a proper setup, so I'm happy with it now. The price may be too expensive for some considering it's not made in USA, but it must be considered that this is the cheapest proper nitro-finish guitar you will currently find. The next best thing are Fender custom shop, so this guitar is perfect for those looking to enjoy vintage style paint/nitro body finish, and vintage specs without paying custom shop prices. The appearances are just a plus, since they sound and play amazing after a proper set up.Carlos T.

I've been playing for a little while, I rehearse with my band once/twice a week so my guitars definitely get played quite a bit, I've preferred Stratocasters from an early age. The shape is legendary and the tone is versatile. I own Chinese, Japanese, U.S. and Mexican Strats. This one is very comparable to my American Professional Stratocaster, the neck profile, the weight and intonation. Electronics are great, single coils produce a sweet twangy clean tone and the humbucker roars really nice with the right amount of gain/distortion. Makes it a very comfortable instrument that plays as easy as mantequilla on a hot tortilla. Only issue, (hence the 'almost comparable to MIA strats comment in the headline) are the frets… They are a little bit on the sharp side, I'm guessing it comes down to a player's preference? A competent luthier can dress the fret ends and make this one a real player/main axe. Other than the sharp frets, everything else is pretty solid and straight, the vatos down in Ensenada MX do great work producing these!Benjamin

So my story goes like this, I flew into Portland Oregon for work and immediately drove from the airport to Guitar Center. Upon walking in, someone was shredding on a guitar and it went on for a good 10 minutes. The guitar he was playing was the Candy Red Burst Fender Stratocaster Player Series. After he was done, I grabbed it and saw why he played it so long. It felt just solid in the hands. The strings, fret board and neck were silky smooth; Super easy to glide up and down with no fret buzz. The pickups are all Fender Player Stratocaster series which I have had no issue with and perform great out of the box. Also, just holding the guitar is a treat in the hands. It's a beautiful guitar. The Candy Red Burst has a very high functioning coat that gives a deep black fade anyway you turn it. It also fit my bill for something to remember Oregon by since the guitar is a deep Rose Red and Portland is know as the City of Roses.The Pau Ferro fingerboard is also eye candy as it has black veins that run through the grain matching the black hardware of the guitar. Other then that, I have had this guitar for 5 months as of this review and absolutely love it. The guitar holds its tune very well I enjoy playing it every time. Wait, you still reading this? Go get one already!Allan

Sound: The stock pickups sound great especially with high gain. Nice crunch and break up. Features: For me the reason that I bought this model is that it is the least expensive way to get a real Edge tremolo. I can do subtle things with the Edge that I can’t do on an Original Floyd Rose. The bar is easier to position and it stays where ever you put it. As long as the torsion bushings on the bar aren’t worn out, the pop in bar is neither too tight or too sloppy. Value: This guitar is worth every penny. Manufacturer Support: I did not use Ibanez customer service and I did order half a dozen sets of torsion bushings, but had to order them from different places. The Wow Factor: I love the color of this one, Desert Sun Yellow. Overall: In the last 2 months I’ve bought 5 different Ibanez guitars, both lower and higher price. I must say that this guitar is the most bang for the buck out of any of my 21 guitars that I own.Got more than 200 bucks off on mine as it was sold as a slight blemish. When the guitar arrived, I noticed it did have a hairline crack in the paint on the bass side at the neck pocket. That was the only flaw I could find and it probably would have happened anyway if I would have got a “new” one.This is the shreddiest guitar that I have. The only thing that I had to address is that the 6th fret was a little proud. Other than that the fret job was good. All the frets were shiny and smooth and no fret sprout.This is the guitar that is at the price point where if you spend more money, you aren’t going to get much better. And the fit and finish were top notch.Scott

Overall: This guitar was a total impulse buy and I’m so glad I bought it! It’s easily worth twice the price of it. Can’t get too many mid tier guitars that are neck thru with decent pickups and a 5-way switch that has a fast and slim neck at this price. I mostly play baritone 6 strings and 7 strings but I needed a 25.5” scale for drop C and this is perfect for it with 10-54 strings. I did upgrade the nut with a Graphtech tusq nut and Hipshot locking tuners with knurled tuner buttons and looks even more badass while staying in perfect tune! I have an Ibanez rgib6 Iron Label 28” baritone and this is up there with that as far as quality and playability. The stock pickups aren’t bad at all and definitely surprised me cuz that’s usually the first thing I’ll change in an inexpensive guitar. As you can see by the other reviews people say it’s a great guitar and they’re not lying so if you’re on the fence about getting it then go for it! You won’t be disappointed at all and if for some reason you are then zZounds has a return policy within like 30-45 days so you won’t be stuck with a guitar you don’t love.Josh

Overall: I read some of these negative reviews and can't understand what they're talking about. This guitar is probably the best guitar for $200 I ever played , right out of the box it was setup perfectly. All I did was tune it , I've even got the same strings it came with. Which I normally change whenever I get a new guitar. The tuners are unbelievably tight , this guitar barely goes out of tune even if it has been sitting for weeks. Also I never attached the whammy bar , so I can't speak on that throwing it out of tune. Since I have over a dozen guitars I don't usually play it daily , but when I do it always makes me glad I purchased it. This is a very versatile guitar , I play mostly metal and this thing shreds. But I also play blues and it sounds just as good as my custom strat. I bought an Epiphone SG special in the same price range and let's just say the setup is night and day , the tuners absolutely sucked , "already replaced them" and the intonation was off. It was a mess , I've already put it on Craig's list and bought a G400 Pro instead , 10x better quality and setup , but I digress. I've got many high priced guitars but always go back to the GRX , the playability and neck feels so comfortable to play. The only thing I'm going to do eventually is throw in a Seymour Duncan humbucker and I'm definitely keeping this guitar. I don't know how Ibanez can sell this for $200 and keep the quality , but I'm certainly not going to complain. Whether you're a beginner or experienced this guitar delivers. Definitely will be purchasing another Ibanez down the road.Mike

Sound: Does not have the cleanest sound due to the picks. Putting the right pedals and effects in line and cranking up the distortion makes it an awesome beginner / intermediate metal guitar. Features: For the price the materials feel great. Ease of Use: It sounds great on my Fender Champion 20 or Positive Grid Spark amp. Not the cleanest tone but a great metal sound and extremely easy to play. Quality: It feels made well, especially in the $200 range. I feel like this is one I'll have for years and once I get better definitely see this is a good platform for future mods. Value: This guitar is excellent value and at this price an amazing guitar. Manufacturer Support: I have not dealt with Ibanez. The Wow Factor: I must admit the aesthetic. It's extremely hard to find good looking purple color-based guitars. If I could dream up what I want a guitar to look like this is it. It helps that its quality is awesome. Overall: I love this guitar. Purple is my favorite color and a hard one to find good guitars in. It looks great. It feels great and I have yet to find any significant issues with it. No problems with the frets or fret buzz. Action is easy and low. It sounds great with my Positive Grid Spark amp. The pickups sound great. The HSH setup is very versatile. Not the greatest with clean tones like my Stratocaster, but amazing with the right effects.Josh

I have a few guitars that are worth thousands, but they are all Telecasters (except for one 1977 Mustang). I had a Stratocaster, but I sold my it over 15 years ago. I didn't want to spend a lot of money on another guitar, so I thought I would give this Squire Bullet a try. I have never owned any type of Squire so I figured why not? My first impression was that it is a very pretty guitar. The finish is good and the neck feels smooth. The NECK feels smooth. I would like to emphasize that. Some of the FRETS on the other hand, are so sharp that I cut a groove in one of my fingers while sliding up the neck. To be precise, it was the 11th and 12th fret. Several others are sharp as well, but those two could be put in a Ninja's arsenal. I actually expected to see blood when I pulled my hand away from the neck. Jeez. Sharp frets suck, and should NEVER happen no matter what the price of the guitar. But, I can fix that. The only other issue I had with this guitar was the volume pot didn't want to work correctly. Being that it is a new guitar and I did not want to void any warranty it might have, I took it to the local Guitar Center (across two towns from me). The tech pulled the pick-guard off and sprayed the pot with cleaner. Easy solution. It works great now. No charge. I can't say enough about that particular Guitar Center. The folks there are always helpful and friendly. I will take care of the sharp frets myself. I could send the guitar back, but then I would not know what I was going to get in return, so I will keep it unless some other problem pops up. Why did I want to buy this thing in the first place? I missed the "Quack" of my old Strat. This might not be the best Strat out there, but it is serving it purpose. I just wish somebody would take care of those knife edge frets before selling these things. :p I would not hesitate to recommend this guitar friends, but I would warn them about the frets.JACB

I decided, after months of thought, to try my hand at guitar playing once again. At the age of 66, I'm not anticipating being on stage. I simply felt like fiddling around with a decent guitar at home; sort of as a hobby of sorts. After checking out numerous guitars and amps, I decided the Squire Bullet series was a good fit. I bought the Limited Edition in red sparkle. I also bought a Fender Champion 20 amp. The pros: A really nice looking guitar. No visible flaws. Nice slim neck, excellent for those looking for a great starter guitar, especially if your hands and fingers aren't big/huge. Could be a potential candidate for modification further down the line. Super pick ups for a guitar in this price range! Cons: One, some fret buzz on the 5th and 6th string. Not 100% sure though that this is caused by the guitar or my novice playing skills.Joe G.

This was my first guitar and I must say the feel is better than my American standard strat. It's very light, the Finnish is stunning and keeps in tune pretty well. Although there were a few minor flaws for one one of the screws running heads popped off. I was just playing and I popped off. Another thing the pickups are really really sensitive and playing through an amp will make it sound dirty. Also the frets will buzz a bit.Lastly some of the fret ends were minor lay sharp. This guitar is good but it had a "cheap" fell to it. I would only recomend this for beginnersColin

Looks great, sounds great, plays great. One of the nicest gig bags I've ever seen. Came out of the box at the store set up and tuned! Fit and finish were perfect and the wine red just pops under stage lighting…unlike the one that was on display…and this is why I don't buy guitars online! Got it home, changed the strings to the gauge I prefer, lowered the string height a smidge, and checked the intonation which was spot on. Took it to a pro jam out in the valley where it got lots of compliments from the other players for it's sound and looks…it's as nice a Les Paul as I've ever played. If you get one like mine you won't regret it! But go to the GC and pick yours out and save yourself some possible grief. You won't regret that either!Stephen

I bought my first Les Paul in 1974. I was a little concerened about the new "lightend and improved" version but it turned out to be great. Pickups are better. Feels great, plays great and all around great guitar at a good price. Required minimal set up to play really good. I liked it so much, I bought another one 3 weeks later. I love my Strats but right out of the box, they require a lot of work to make them play and stay in tune. Got my first Strat in 72. If I was a kid (I'm in my 60's), I would choose this Les Paul Studio first. Because it is easier to set up and play right out of the box. I love my Strats, but this is a really good guitar.Stephen C

Still a novice player, but decided that I had stuck with it long enough to justify spending a bit more than I had spent on my used Squier Strat. After reading a ton of reviews and watching a bunch of YouTube videos, I chose the LP Studio in Smokehouse Burst. Wow! What an incredible difference. I find it easier to play with a wider fretboard and the sound is just amazing. I'm not sure if I just got a good one or if Gibson has stepped up their QA game as mine does not display the defects described by other reviews here. I have not found any cosmetic or fit/finish flaws. The color also closely resembles the photos with just a slightly darker shade on the burst. It is an absolutely gorgeous instrument and I couldn't be more satisfied with it. I know that Gibson switched over to the soft case rather than the hard one to save costs, but quite frankly, I don't see that they could have saved too much. The soft case is very high quality and with the exception of shipping or air travel, I feel that my guitar is well protected when put away. Although, I doubt that I'll ever be traveling to perform in this lifetime. Thanks Gibson. Great job on a beautiful instrument.ArmchairAstro

Guitar was not setup properly had to adjust everything. The cheap Vinyl that's glued on otter edge already pealing. When it arrived there was glue seeping from the edges, didnt realize until I touched it & ruined my $$60.00 gold plated strings. I replaced truss rod cover, junk. Knobs dont match/ugly replaced. Nut was junk, not cut right, made my own in my shop. The glue seepage awful. Removed cheap Vinyl treating guitar to remove exess glue, ridiculous. Huge scratch on back chip on rear bottom of neck where vynil was joined. For the 60th anniversary edition… Worst I've ever seen! My original 59 still looks plays and sounds fantastic. Cutting corners using cheap materials and trying to save money is no way to honor guitars from our past. Sound not that great but I'll have to replace some wiring & tuners as well. stuff to get it to sound halfway decent. I play in a Zeppelin tribute band at all the hotels and in Vegas, definitely not stage worthy! What a major disappointment. Way over priced. My appraisal $80.00 and that's being generous. If you want one, build your own instead.niceguyvinny1968

Someone in the band said we should do one of those early 60's songs. I listened to it, and it clearly had that 12-string jangle so characteristic of the period. The best thing for that is a Rickenbacker 12-string, but I wasn't going to spring for that for just a few songs. So I zeroed in on a few possibilities, including this Danelectro, and the Dean Boca and the Ibanez Artcore in about the same price range. But the Dano is of course pretty much the exact same instrument that they made back then, and it is arguably better now than it ever was. It was always an inexpensive brand, but had the distinction that a lot of famous people played them. Therefore it has that "original vibe", like the Rickenbacker, but at a fraction of the price. So the Dano was the obvious choice, and I got this NOS version (No-S = no S or F hole which some other models have and the originals did). They say it is still made from Masonite, but you can't tell since it is completely painted and while the website says it is laminated, it is very light-weight. And it still has that textured plastic tape around the whole perimeter like it's supposed to have. The neck strap button is in an awkward location, so you may have to cut a piece off your strap to make it fit (I did, and I replaced my strap buttons with Schaller black strap locks). These guitars are made in Korea, and the build quality is excellent. I was afraid that I'd have get a setup, but the one I received has a fine neck with a nice rosewood finger board, has low action and plays easily enough (for a 12-string), so I'm going to leave it as is. The sound is great! It has that unique Dano sound because of the two lipstick pickups. It may be too bright when using the bridge pickup only, but the thing is you get used to the tone really quickly, so it may work just fine. It certainly will cut through the mix! It is louder when using both pickups, which is probably what I will use most of the time. In sum, I'm very happy with it! It will do!Willy

I didn't have high hopes for a 12 string electric at this price point, but I also couldn't resist, and WOW – am I completely satisfied! This guitar plays really well. It came with a good set-up and when I fine tuned it all the systems worked as they should. You can even adjust intonation on all twelve strings. Thus far the neck has been straight and easily adjusts to string or environmental conditions – I've given it a slight adjustment once it acclimated to my desert conditions and since it has been stable and true. Of course I should protect my guitar from the elements, and I bought a gig bag, but it stays out pretty much constantly and is used daily. This guitar is tons of fun. It easily does the Byrds style of 12 string sound. Also, I never knew just how many early Beatles riff where on 12 string until I started messing with this guitar. It's a blast. I own a Rick 6 string and have always wanted an electric 12. This Danelectro is great quality and great fun and it more than satisfies my itch (for now) at fraction of the price. You will not regret buying this guitar – it will unlock a new world!Mike

First & Foremost all around best axe you can get for the $$$$. I was skeptical at first, but I am so glad I went thru with it. I have 2 older Jackson Dinky models and Custom Soloist. This Guitar is almost as good as my Soloist after I put in a Seymour Duncan Hotrail and a Seymour Duncan Sh-JB Humbucker. It's got plenty of balls. Even fully stock you can't go wrong. Buy it! Buy it! Did you buy one yet? What are you waiting for?Tim R

I bought one for Christmas for myself after ignoring Jacksons since I was learning growing up. I picked up this entry level Jackson on somewhat of a whim after looking at RR models. I am really blown away, the craftsmanship alone on this thing is impressive for under 300. Out of the box it slays after a slight tune up. The front is impressive looking (pictures don't do much justice on here) and its maybe a bit heavier than I expected. I own several Ibanez in the same price range and its meatier (and somewhat nicer looking, playing) than the RG for sure. The only negative here is some slight defects in the paint. A millimeter or less bubble on the outer horn that you can feel with your finger is more of an annoyance than an issue. Then there are some blueish-black paint marks that are in the finish under the strings, again not more than a centimeter maybe. Upon first inspection they looked to be part of the quilt, but they are not. To be expected really unless your dropping over 500 on a brand new one. It screams and feels great in the hands. Time to check out these lower end Jackson models. Don't let the name fool you, there is nothing dinky about this guitar!Joe

I am a guitarist. I play in live shows with a band and have experience on the stage plus recording. This guitar is awesome. For the price? I am shocked. I play mostly death, black metal as well as ambient. I am a Jackson fan and this guitar delivers the punch I like and sounds great doing ambient. I realize musicians have their own preferences and styles. I respect that. But, in the end, we all develop our own personal styles and habits. I am sorry, nobody does sweep picking the exact same way. We all have our own finger prints. And I have mine. Yes, this guitar is a BEAST!Troy L.

I was amazed at the quality for the price on this guitar . I own over 20 guitars and actually purchased this one for my sons birthday. All my guitars will be my boys one day but wanted to ad one to his current collection and this was a great choice. I have been a AMS customer for over a decade and love their prices, selection and payment plans. I always recommend AMS to my musician friends, they are the best!!!!Mike

LOVE this guitar! It have a smooth rosewood fret board which makes soloing slick and precise. The tone is perfect for Metal & clean playing. It stays in tune & is all around well built. Great price too!traviveg_9

I expected better from Jackson. Pickups are iffy,tuners are junk will not stay in tune. Pickup selector switch is scratchy and works sometimes. Action is ok after a good setup and string change. Had it for about 5 months now and thinking about trading it in for something a little better. It does look great hanging on the wall though.Keith C.

I bought this item for my daughter for her birthday and she loved it, it came to our door on time, it was playable and very attractive, unfortunately a relative with a drug problem stole it within a day and we haven't been able to afford a replacement. It would be wonderful if BCP would be willing to ship another to us, but either way, very good product. I'll buy another one in time when we are able to afford it.Steve H.

I would give it 20 stars if I could. I’m not going to say that I can even play guitar. I am still trying to learn. I have a Stratocaster that I have been learning chords and following the lessons in a book that is instruction for learning scale. But the semi-hollow body has such a wounderful tone that I have to get better. It is so Inspirational that I have been practicing more than I ever did with my strat. LOVE IT! Thank you.Ronald P.

This is a solid build guitar, perfect for beginners. Mine worked well right out of the box (after tuning, of course). The amplifier works well also, for what it is; a low-power practice amp. If you're looking for a way to start learning to play guitar without breaking the bank, this kit should work for you.CrashC

The guitar kit came in fairly quickly, but right away there was a problem. It came with five strings, with what was left of the sixth stuck in the guitar, the tuner was shattered, and the kit was missing the Allen wrenches and the picks. The box was loosely packed with no styrofoam or anything, with the guitar in the gig bag and the rest of the stuff thrown into the pocket besides the amp. Seems like it was either a rushed job, or all come boxed like that. The guitar plays alright once the strings were replaced, but it loses tuning pretty quick. Theres obvious signs of neglect such as body chips near the neck, and scratches on the pick guard. The finish on the guitar is pretty nice, and it feels alright in the hands. I wouldnt recommend if you expect everything to come as described in the picture though.jonaba4165

Great little set for beginners or even intermediates as you get the whole package. The tuner is very nice and works well. Everything to get started and the guitar itself feels very solid and has better than average settings for the sounds you'd want. The extra strings were fine but I'm adding a better quality set which I already had anyway. Either way you can't go wrong on this package. The amp has good settings and sounds nice. Overall a good buy.alsmith029

Arrived safely, Tuned it up…Good. Truss rod adjust cover swings away for access. I did adjust mine a touch. Frets are polished..some..but ok .
fun to playRalph Nothhelfer

This guitar exceeded my expectations. Plays and sounds awesome right out of the box. I thought I might have to do some upgrades but after playing it for awhile now, I'm not touching anything on it. "This was a steal"😎😎👍👍.mason Williams

The new 400 modelOf the Donner line is one of the best I've ever seenI'm a luthierI bought every budget guitar the only oneEver came in goodImperfectMike Whelpley