Slotted Headstock Electric Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

This is the first Acoustic/electric that I have owned that I actually love playing. The action is great even with the large gauge acoustic strings on it. Comes with a very nice gig-bag/case. I love the way the neck and back of the guitar looks. I also love the Strat 5-way switch that selects the degree and type of acoustic sound. The only downside with this guitar is the cover that serves as a cover for the electronics and pick guard. It looks cheap, more like a decal than a cover. I think Fender can do better on this detail for the price of the guitar. However, if you can get past that then it is a fine playing and sounding guitar. I have owned several Acoustic and Acoustic/Electric guitars. The action on even high-priced acoustics was so terrible I just ended up selling them. I also do not like the large back ends of most acoustic and acoustic electric guitars, but this guitar is small and easy to play. I would give it an A-.Bill

The research I did on trying to learn more about this instrument via general internet, YouTube, assorted standard Music Company's like Sam Ash; Sweetwater; Guitar Center; Alamo; and other assorted Music Guitar critics provided a good array of opinions and product test results that produced a positive majority with impressive perspectives for the instrument I purchased. The Fender American Acoustasonic Stratocaster Acoustic-Electric Guitar Cocobolo I purchased from Sam Ash was not a disappointment. Aside from the 10 different options of Guitar unique sounds it provides from Acoustic and Electric mixes. The one-of-a-kind Cocobolo wood identifies a further fingerprint in supporting its own private one-of-a-kind signature sound with relationship to the Cocobolo wood unique to it alone. That just blows me away with how special the sound of specialty signature sound it produces with the ten different built in technical sounds the Fender Guitar company developed with this special edition. I feel overwhelmed in learning to continue how to play this guitar. It allows me so many more possibilities with playing soft country to hard rock a really strong guitar enjoyment experience.Guitar Enthusiast

Overall, I am very happy with this guitar. It exudes classic Fender looks and tone. The quality and craftsmanship are decent for the price point. I have a US Tele and, after putting some TLC into this player strat, it feels and plays almost as good as the Tele. I would give it five stars if it were not for fretwork that was needed. Body – The finish and surf pearl color are gorgeous. The wood grain is barely visible (raised) so I would not say the finish is flawless, but the grain is very subtle and adds character in my opinion. The routed cavities for the electronics (top) and the tremolo springs (back) are precisely cut and clean. The electronics cavity was even finished with black paint. Neck – The finish and appearance are great. However, all 22 frets had sprouted; some as much as 1/32". I can't say this is a craftsmanship issue as the frets were probably fine when it was assembled. It must have been a very high humidity environment, though. Nevertheless, after painstakingly filing and redressing all 44 fret ends it feels good. The frets themselves were well seated and leveled. The 3rd and 11th frets were a few thousands of an inch high, but not enough to cause any buzzing issues. The frets were well rounded and polished. Hardware – The tuners are just okay. One of them feels a little rough turning, and they seem to have a low turning ratio making it very touchy to dial in perfect pitch. The 2-point fulcrum tremolo bridge seems like a better design than the traditional (six screw) bridges, but I did not test it. I prefer to block them for more stable tuning, which worked great with this bridge. I have upgraded electronics I had planned to install in this guitar, but the stock pickups aren't bad. They are very quiet and have good tone – there is no rush to replace them. Setup was a breeze. Truss rod adjustment was smooth, nut slots were to spec, and intonation was perfect. The action needed adjustment since I blocked the tremolo, but that was easy.Dave S.

Sound: A sign of a good electric guitar is how well it sounds unplugged. This 1000BV is loud, full, and sustains very well before it's even plugged in. I bought the 1000BV with EMG pickups. Most people associate EMG with metal, and yes it goes a long way in that genre but they are equally adept and great sounding for blues, jazz, rock, and clean tones. I am very happy with the tonal versatility of this guitar. Cleans are clear and full, heavy drive has the chunk you want, and in between they just growl like they should. Features: I appreciate the locking tuners and Tone Pros bridge. The tuners are ESP branded but are smooth and seem to stay in tune quite well. The TOM bridge was easy to adjust and lock back into place.Active pickups are a matter of taste. I chose EMG because I like the sound they give, and I already have another guitar with the Duncan JB's. Ease of Use: The guitar came out of the box set up perfectly to ESP specs. Having said that, ESP thinks low action is 2mm at the 12th fret for low E, and 1.5mm on the high. This is way too high for my tastes. Adjusting the truss rod, string height, and intonation was a breeze. In a world filled with Floyd Rose, you lose appreciation for how easy a TOM bridge is to work with!The neck is definitely thinner than a Les Paul, but not super thin like a Jackson or Ibanez neck. It is similar to the PRS Wide Thin carve. Very playable if shredding or legato is your thing, and equally comfortable with the thumb over style. The neck finish is matte and feels as smooth as an unpainted neck. Moving up and down the fretboard is comfortable and easy. Quality: The quality of this instrument is superb. I have gone over it with a fine tooth comb and cannot find even the slightest imperfection in fit and finish. If you were to hand this to me blindfolded, I would easily believe it to be a guitar costing twice the price. It was that good. Fret work was spectacular and on par with my American PRS CE-24. Rolled off edges, no burrs or sprouts, smooth all the way up and down the neck. Value: This guitar is a tremendous value. For a list price of $899 you get every penny worth and more. I would put this up against any American made instrument costing 2 or 3 times more. High quality name brand components installed on a beautifully constructed instrument are what this guitar is about. Manufacturer Support: I have not had to deal with ESP directly yet, but they did suspend my account from their support forum for no known reason lol That's why everyone has more than one email right 🙂 The Wow Factor: It's an unassuming looking guitar that would fit on stage playing metal or smooth jazz. It sounds amazing clean or dirty and is a great alternative for someone who loves the traditional look of a single cutaway guitar but desires a more playable neck and less heft. Overall: I had been eyeing this guitar for quite awhile. I admit that when I found out production of the 1000 series moved from Korea to Indonesia I was very disappointed. The internet is full of horror stories about instrument quality dropping after models start getting produced in different countries, especially after having a great reputation for quality at the previous factory. I wavered back and forth and had second thoughts even after ordering. Thankfully zZounds has a great return policy so I took a chance.I AM SO GLAD I DID!!!!!!!If you are looking for a solid body single cut guitar you HAVE to give the EC-1000 a look. For half the money of most other domestic single cutaways you get a great playing and great looking guitar that is just a joy to play. Build quality is absolutely top notch and on par with or better than some of the best domestic instruments I've owned over 4 decades of playing.Allan

Where do I start? I love everything about this guitar and it is my favorite that I own. If you’re looking for something that sounds very sweet and beautiful clean, this is not the guitar for you. That’s not to say that you can clean it up a bit with maybe some stereo chorus reverb or delay but as this guitar stands on its own, it truly suits one purpose for me , it is true metal madness euphoria. Not only do the pick up scream but this guitar is not only beautiful but constructed perfectly. It is the best most comfortable neck I’ve ever played and it is rocksolid!!! The satin finish on the back of the neck makes it effortless to slide up and down. I’m typically not a fan of gold on guitars but with the black matte finish it actually is pretty sharp and not too Goddy in my opinion. I am mediately replace the strings on this guitar with some nice thick ones for drop C tuning. Even with the 24.75 scale it Plays drop tuning nicely without string floppige. As long as you have the right strings on this exit is no problem. This current model has the EMG pick ups. I am seriously considering getting another EC 1000 with the Pegasus sentiment pick up combo. It’s a little heavier than I thought it would be but in a good way. This guitar is perfectly balanced and the body is definitely thinner than a Les Paul. That’s one thing I didn’t like about Les Pauls is it was thick bulky heavy and a baseball bat neck. I honestly couldn’t be more pleased with this guitar. Love the EC 1000 and the great service I always get at American musical supply. I’ll be honest, i’ve went through about half a dozen brand new guitars and returned every single one of them except for this one. I believe I am pickier than most, if I spend $1000 on a guitar I want to fall in love with it and not settle. If you like playing James Taylor and Crosby stills and Nash I suggest you look elsewhere. If you want to rip some faces off get this guitar!!!!Brett m

I bought this LTD EC-1000 after playing it at the shop for over an hour. This guitar delivers in spades the metal tone I was looking for. (I tried against Duncan Seymour version) With the right setup, it will CHUG! The chugs that is produced is so satisfying and inspirational to downstroke riffs like Papa Het for hours. Action is set at 2mm low E and 1.5mm at high E. A bit higher than I am used to but easy to get used to. This guitar is a beauty and plays and sounds great! You can't go wrong!Kalyan R.

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

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

A light weight, fun to play guitar. Sounds great through my Spark amp.Responsive concentric control knobs. Sturdy tailpiece, easy to set intonation.Action was good out of the box.Harv

I've been playing a long time. When I was learning how to play back in the late 1970s, cheap guitars were, well . . . cheap. Things have changed since then, for a variety of reasons. Even so, I am shocked at how good this guitar is. The set-up was great out of the box and it plays like a dream. Intonation is perfect to my ears. The funny thing is that this guitar is based on one of those cheap guitars of the 1950s, and surpasses the original in just about every way. The designers tried to copy the original lipstick style pickups exactly and they sound great to me. I play into vintage-style tube amps, mostly clean with a slight overdriven edge, and the guitar has a wonderful vintage, single-coil sound. If you like that sound, I don't see how you can go wrong with this guitar. I'm used to paying well over 1K for quality guitars. This guitar has me rethinking that approach. And, oh yeah, it's so fun to play that I can't put it down!Lee

Just got my silverburst silvertone today UPS and on first inspection and after several hours playing it I am extremely impressed at the quality and sound of it. I have been playing guitar since 1990 and have a American stratocaster, Godin LG, several 20 year old Danelectro's etc and this silvertone is just as nice if not nicer than any of them. I highly recommend this Silvertone guitar it has a extremely fine clean tone and I even played some heavy metal with it and it ROCKS!!Jay

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

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

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

This guitar is the Squire Stratocaster Bullet by Fender. The guitar is an excellent guitar for the price. The tones have a wide range. You can get a very clean sound, a very bluesy sound, and good distortion when running through a pedal. I use a Zoom II 505 effects pedal and a Marshall practice amp. When I do not want to disturb the neighbors I can use just the pedal with headphones. Bright sharp sounds are crisp when run through the pedal. This is great for rhythm and leads because the guitar can get clear notes on distortion when playing from the Double Humbucker position. Playing from the neck pickup results in a rich tone that can sound like Iron Maiden. The fret board has a good feel to it. The frets are not as good as on higher end guitars, but a good player will feel comfortable with the smoothness in playing this guitar. The guitar also stays in tune remarkably well. I have not played in some time so I have yet to be adventurous with the Tremolo. So I do not have an opinion of how it stays in tune when using Tremolo. When holding the guitar on the lap it tends to slide on the leg. Strats are best played while standing up, moving around and playing with your whole body involved. The light weight of the guitar allows a freedom to move. The neck is a good shape and easy onthe hand. The body has a great finish and the wood grain comes through the lacquer. This makes for a very attractive instrument that will look good on stage or in front of your friends in the living room. Disclaimer: If you are a good guitar player you will get a great sound. If you are not a good guitar player you will get a sound like someone killing cats no matter how expensive the guitar is. That is what makes this guitar such a great guitar. For a starter guitar, you won't spend a lot on it. If you give it up then you haven't wasted a lot of money. If you get better and make the guitar sound great, you will want to keep it even when you buy a more expensive guitar. Why, because this is a great guitar with great sound, great feel and great look at a great price!!!chuckamania35mm

Overall great beginner or budget guitar, sounds great with both the single coils and humbucker, quality wise there were a few issues I found with the fret work on my particular guitar but nothing a little filing can’t fix. Superb service from PMT as always, arrived exactly when they said it would and packaged great.George F.

I had been looking for a first guitar for a while. After lots of research I decided to go for the Squier, knowing the build had a relation to Fender. I'm happy with the guitar. You can see where they have cut corners to save money, things like the volume and tone knobs are quite plasticy, but for a first guitar I'm very happy. I went for the hard tail option as I didn't feel I needed a tremolo. Overall very happy.Jack H.

I have had this guitar for about a month now. From the first day, I have absolutely loved this guitar. The included Seymour Duncan pick ups sounds amazing and the push/pull function gives you a nice range of voices. Everything about the build of this guitar feels amazing. The neck and the frets are smooth and well cared for, the quality of the hardware is top shelf. If you want a Les Paul, just forget about Gibson. This is what you want, of course there are many versions of this guitar, Any one of the EC-1000's are great, but the finish on this one is pretty outstanding in person.Logan C

I got the natural black color. Its a really nice looking guitar. With a different name on the head stock it would cost thousands. Sounds great, you can play any type music on it. Perfect out of the box . No setup at all needed to be done. I saved almost 200.00 with a blemish model model that was basically perfect.Ltd

I sat down tried all of the Ibanez, D'Angelico, Epi, and Gretsch's from $400-1k and walked out with this one. If buying online please read… The frets are not medium jumbo… more like vintage medium, they are thinner and shorter than a typical medium jumbo. Also the neck profile in the hand is a tad thicker than an Epi 335 and also a bit narrower… closer to my LP with a 50's neck… which for my hand was perfect and why I chose this over the Epi's/D'Angelico's. I will say all of the Streamliner Gretsch's in the store played well. You can tell the guitars were set up nicely prior to shipping and came out of the box that way. I was able to grab a new in box from the back of the store and the setup was great. No fretwork needed at all… which is something I RARELY see in the sub 1k price point. Tuners are die-cast nickle but they are smooth as can be and do not feel the need to change. Pickups sound good to me as well. The neck is very Jazzy and soft and the bridge has some bite but in the upper-mids, not ice-picky, and cuts well. Because they are standard humbucker size, replacement options are plenty. In order to make this guitar stay in tune with the Bigsby, you'll need to work that spring in a little and do some work and lubing the saddles and nut. Not a knock, just a warning if this is your first Bigsby bridged guitar. All in all a great playing guitar with a good size and comfortable neck with room to grow/upgrade if you feel the need. I was looking for a semi-hollow with Bigsby preferably to add to the collection, and this fit the bill perfectly. Plenty of that Gretsch vibe and at no point does it look like nor do I feel like I am playing a cheap guitar… Which is what ultimately drove me away from the Ibanez's in this price point.JJ in SC

Great guitar for the money. Bigsby included. The Torino Green is a great colour and at night or in the shade the guitar looks like black on black, with the pick guard standing out. All the trim is immaculate, though the machine heads are not the best and may need changing out for stability of tuning. The setup is pretty damn good straight out the box though I adjusted the string height to lower the action and checked the intonation which is all quite easy with a small screw driver. The playability is great though one needs to go easy on the strings when playing chords so as to not unintentionally bend them out of tune (Typical for a Bigsby setup). But, as I got this guitar more for playing leads and melodies this is not an issue and will facilitate ease of bending. All in all, a great guitar that looks great, feels great and sounds great, at a pretty unbelievable price. Well done Gretsch.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Guitar came set up great for my playing feel. The neck shape feels really comfortable for my hand, with great playability up and down the neck. I typically practice at home on the couch with no amp, and the acoustic sound is great, and quiet enough to not bother my wife. I have been a Strat player for a long time, and wanted a guitar with a different sound for some of the different bands I play with. This guitar does a good job of taking me out of my "comfort" zone. I typically play pretty hard with a heavy pick for solos, and thus can break strings more than I would like. That being said, this is not a good guitar to have a string break on , as changing a string on a gig with this Bigsby is quite a challenge to do quickly . I always have a spare guitar with me for this reason. All in all this is a great affordable guitar!ridinrog

After playing religiously throughout adolescence and my teens, I fell off the practice wagon and piece by piece, my collection dwindled to nothing. After a nearly 7 years absence, I decided it was time to pick the instrument back up and this turned out to be perfect specimen to do so with. THE GOOD – it's a Gretsch – long had I dreamed of owning a Gretsch when I was younger, it seemed to meet the perfect amount of "cool" without being a typical gibson or fender option. – playability out of the box – this thing required very little work to get it into playing condition. The action was near perfect for my preference and the pickup positions weren't too hard to hone in to my desired tone. – the looks – this thing is a gorgeous piece of equipment. I went with the Bristol fog coloration and couldn't be happier. It has a unique mix of vintage yet new age appeal to it that fits my tastes exactly. THE BAD – fret buzz – as some others have said, yes there is a small amount of fret buzz out of the box. However it isn't enough to be a real issue. The buzz doesn't even translate through to the amp. So you only really hear it when you're playing unplugged. – the knobs – while i understand the desire to find a niche, the pickup volume knobs are just weird. It doesn't really make sense to me why I would want to have volume control instead of tonal control when I could just switch the pickup with the switch. It really only works in the middle position, and even then the effect isn't really noticeable unless you have one turned all the way down. Which At that point it makes more sense to just switch to the neck or the bridge instead of both.Thom

I just received our Gretsch 5220 in Jade Grey after eyeing it for a few years. I'd read all the glorious reviews and was prepared to be underwhelmed but it's all it was advertised as an more. The 2020/21 models seem to differ from some earlier ones in that it has a great black walnut fretboard as well as full sized pots. The taper is different from my other guitars but it allows for some great alternative tones. The finish is flawless and the Broad'trons have a unique voice as compared to both the standard probuckers that came on my Epi Les Paul as well as the Seth Lovers I dropped into it. For the price it is without question the best guitar purchase I've ever made when factoring everything in. I highly recommend this guitar to someone who is looking for a versatile guitar that is different from the standard LP/Strat/Tele.JFie14B2

Overall: My initial feelings about the guitar were ones of disappointment. The box had arrived smashed up from FedEx. I unboxed the guitar and inspected it carefully and couldn't see any damage. However, the neck pickup was almost completely sunken into the body cavity. The adjustment screws had almost completely backed themselves out of the guitar. In order to tighten and raise the treble side of the pickup I had to remove the pickguard. I want to remove the pick card I found a dime-sized blemish in the finish of the guitar. This wasn't a scratch or a ding, it was a flaw in the paint. I debated sending it back, but then I plugged the guitar in.This is where the disappointment ends. This guitar sounds amazing. From crystal clear cleans to grungy rhythm sounds this is a versatile guitar. I really like the master volume setup I can adjust the neck and middle pickups to my liking and then raise and lower the overall volume without changing the balance between the pickups. Right now I can't see any reason for swapping out the pickups. The binding around the guitar is nice and neat, the mahogany back looks spectacular, nice deep color, beautiful grain and nicely matched. You really have to look hard to see where the individual pieces were joined. The frets could use a bit of a polish but they were nicely beveled at the ends, no sharp or rough spots. The neck binding is flawless. The neck is a bit shallow, I prefer a chunkier neck, but that's personal preference and I got used to it quickly. The only other place that I think the guitar falls short is with the tuning pegs. I will swap them out for some locking tuners in the near future. But overall for its price this is a great guitar.When it arrived besides the loose pickup, the action was very low and the truss rod needed to be tweaked, I had a professionally set up and now it plays incredibly well. Overall this is a fantastic guitar especially given the price.Pete

I've always wanted an ML and this one looked so beautiful online. It's even better when it's in your hand. Pickups are awesome, nice full tone and great crunch on the distortion side. Love the matte finish on the back of the neck. It has great sustain too, you can feel the tone through the whole guitar when you play a note and I prefer that solid feel when I play. My only two complaints is there are a couple fingerprints under the clear coat on the back. Obviously missed during the QC checks at the factory. But they're barely noticeable and they're on the back. Gives it character to have a workers fingerprints as part of my guitar. The other thing is the frets could've been polished a little better. But when I changed the strings, I took another 30 mins and polished them and that was that. This is my 10th guitar and it's tied for number one favorite. I play it every day and love it. I bought the case for it as well, it's enormous, but great fit and quality.Will

I was initially a little disappointed, the neck seemed really “dry” and not pleasant to use, the frets were really rough and scratchy and there was an audible “ping” every time I bent the the 1st and second strings. I oiled the neck, polished the frets and eventually replaced the nut (after much filing). Now it plays really nicely but before that was not great. For an experienced player it is no problem to have to do a bit of work to get a guitar playing well but for a beginner it could have been off putting and demotivated them from playing this instrument.Phil C.

I bought the Squier Classic Vibe '70s Stratocaster Electric Guitar Natural. The fretboard is rough and extremely dry. Frets seem too tall, or something?? — my fingers seem to be pushing to hard, doesn't feel good. Strings were rusty. I've spent a couple hundred at luthier trying to get it right, and it's still not quite there. I had pickup switch replaced. I've been using Fender Super 250 10s. I'll try 9's. NOT impressed with fretboard at all. The trim where neck goes into body was loose and dangling. OTHER THAN THAT — It's a beautiful guitar. Sounds nice. I'll figure it out eventually. The quality control people were asleep on this one.Michael

Pro – Great sounding pickups, wouldn't change a thing. It is really easy to get all of vintage Strat sounds you want out of this. Pro – Really well made. Pro – The neck profile is a lot closer feeling to that era Strat then Fenders previous reissues of this guitar. Pro – It has the 5 way pickup switch as opposed to the three way that was on the original. Much better option. Pro/Con – (Con) Having to pull the neck off to adjust it is a drag. (Pro) To be fair it is like that on the originals and as such needs to be like that to be an accurate reproduction. Con – The setup out of the box was pretty bad. Not a problem, but if you don't do your own setups factor it in as an additional cost. Con – I could not get the stock tuners that came on it to stay in tune for long. I kept having to retune it. I replaced them with some vintage replica locking tuners (like the ones that come stock on the Vintera 50's modified) and it is now perfect. To be fair the tuners are meant to be replicas of the vintage ones so if you are used to guitars with higher end tuners this will through you off. Again just consider it an additional cost if it bugs you. With the locking tuners and a set up this guitar plays and sounds great. I would recommend it if you are looking for class Strat tones.Included pics of stock -vs- locking tuners, it does not really take much away from the look and makes the tuning much more stable. I would buy it again without hesitation.phez10

I’m no stranger to custom shop strats. No, it doesn’t have the nitro smell or the perfectly rolled edges, but this is one spectacular guitar. First impressions out of the box, it felt really nice in my hands, kind of similar to the deluxe Lone Star Strat I used to own, but the neck on this one is a lot more comfortable to me. I couldn’t find any flaws in the finish or the fretboard and frets. And best of all is how this guitar resonates, it’s deep and soulful when unplugged. Plugged in it sounds just like a strat should. I see no reason to change the pickups. The setup was a little off. A minor truss rod tweak and trem spring adjustment were all it really needed. I always put .10’a on anyway. The fret ends were nice and smooth and the fingerboard edges, while not “rolled,” felt rounded and smooth regardless. It really does feel like a high end USA made instrument. I was worried about the lighter brown colored Pau Ferro, but it really looks fantastic on this guitar. Also, the mint green pickguard is much greener than the photos and matches really well. Also the tint on the headstock and neck is perfect. It’s nice and dark but not too dark. It’s just right to make it look old and classy. The fretboard was very dry, though and a bit of oiling really brought out the grain and made it look a bit darker and much nicer. The ice blue is a nice color but it’s kind of weird. Almost looks green in certain lighting. The vintage frets are not for everyone but I absolutely love them. Also the radius is just fine, no fret-outs anywhere like everyone tries to tell you. I can see why most people would want the modified version if you’re a speed demon, but if you like a luxurious and smooth feel, you can’t go wrong with this one.Michael R.

I've played a lot of Stratocasters and this is the best vintage feeling guitar I have ever played. For being vintage I have no fretting out and the neck plays smooth and fast for me. I don't understand the complaints about this guitar, if your into a modern thin uncomfortable c shape and hum buckets or noiseless pick ups with jumbo frets that go out of intonation with hardly any wear than this isn't for you. If your looking for the absolute best bang for your buck that fender has ever produced than this guitar is for you. I've played American strats and deluxe and I don't like where my creative mind goes. You really get the authentic feel of what a Stratocaster is. Only recommendations I have as far as upgrading would be electronics. 65's would fit this guitar perfectly. But if your playing clean tones alot then the clean tones on this guitar are beautiful. Fender hit a deer spot here. I have 17 years of experience playing stratsEd

This has got to be the most value I've ever seen in a budget instrument. Out of the box it was set up good. Finish was perfect. I purchased the ruby red version. Stock pick up is aggressive and hot. Tremolo works as it should. Although I ain't a big user of them I can dive like EVH does on the first record with this thing and it comes back up in tune. Many people prefer something better but this works perfect for me. The only flaws I could find was one of the drill holes on the back plate was not lined up correct and a screw fell out. Not a big thing because I have take. It off for access to the springs and to change strings. The hardware is not the best. The screws on the claw stripped a little when I was taking it out for whammy use. Over all a very enjoyable guitar. Incredibly hot sounding and fast. The look is great too. I don't plan on upgrading anything just yet. Many buyers of this do hot rod them and that's also a very cool thing. Maybe in the future I'll consider some upgrades but stock is fine. I'd trust it on a stage no problem. Get them before they all go! There's a reason why very little of them are on the used market. For this price you cannot go wrong! Maybe if a yellow one of these was to come along I'd be all over it. Would definitely buy again!Cris w

Looks incredible and sounds heavy. Comfortable to play standing up or sitting down. Good, balanced weight too so it hangs/rests nicely when playing. Feels nice to play, neck isn't too chunky and the action is decent, although some may prefer it to be lower past the 12th fret. I'd recommend wearing a sweatband (like Hetfield) as the top edge of the body can catch your lower arm when playing. Comes with a big, sturdy, lockable, hard case too.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

I will start by saying I returned the guitar to the store where I bought it after about 10 days. It took some time for me to discover some small scratches on the back and a torn "wrap" around the neck pick-up. I decided I had a "used demo" and not a brand new guitar. However, I liked the guitar very much over-all. The finish is beatiful and the tone also very nice. I was a little unsure about the amaranth fretboard playability even though the set up was perfect. When bending strings it seemed to be just a little sticky. Not a whole lot, but enough to make me think that rosewood or ebony is a better choice. I also found that I really didn't like the sharp pointed headstock. Barely room to attach a tuner. So I deduct one star because of these "issues" . All in all, still a very good guitar and probably perfect for just the "right" player.JIm

Love this guitar. Neck and quilted purple body finish is amazing, pickups sound better than I thought they would. They sound real nice for stock pickups. Now the Jackson Floyd Rose…works flawlessly. GC guitar tech put some cobalt ernie ball 10s and a small set up and "wow" what a difference that made. This guitar came out of the box mostly in tune and set up with 9s. Sounded great but now plays and sounds so much better. Floyd stays in perfect tune even after a lot of abuse. Very impressed with the guitar for sure. So glad I bought this!Don M

Play through my effects to Sheffield Bandit miked to my Marshall. Heavy thick sound, versatile for metal to 70's rock and some rock-pop. No malfunctioning or cracking/breakage- used heavily for 18 months now. With the medium frets no problem re-doing the frets as they wear further. After setting it up, with new strings and a bit of noodling then moving the tremolo arm a bit, the licensed tremolo stays in tune. I'm very particular with pitch and use the micro-tuners as needed anyway. But no problem getting through a tune in tune. But also I don't slam the tremolo hard, a tiny touch is all that is needed for 90% of metal anyway. Good fit for venues, etcetera. More than adequate. Rather not risk my Strat, SG, Jr. etcetera so there is that as well. Already bought a Jackson JS34, almost identical backup still in the box in case of loss of this one. Mod? I may later replace bridge pick up with a higher level one and neck pickup with a antenuator/sustainer is the only modification I'd do probably. Recommend? For the reasons above-mentioned (general use, price/risk, functionality, genre of music) I would.Kryt Havoc

AMS had the guitar shipped extremely quick! Schecter USA did an great job setting up the guitar as well as the guitar was already completely set up to play. As a whole this guitar really delivers in every aspect! My favorite feature is the ultra-thin C neck. The sustainiac gives you pretty much endless options when playing any A7X riffs or your own. 5-stars because I would highly recommend this guitar to anyone as well buying from AMS!!!Vocantem

This guitar is absolutely awesome! Great look, great feel,and great price! Schecter has made this an awesome guitar! This thing rocks! I would recommend this guitar to anyone out touring with a band or just jamming out with friends at home. AMS has always delivered the best gear at the best prices. Ams can't be beat when it comes to customer service and the gear is always delivered quickly and in perfect condition. Absolutely recommend this schecter guitar and any equipment/gear you need from AMS.C.