35 Electric Guitars Under $500
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Originally printed in May 2007 issue of Guitar Player. Reprinted with the permission of the Publishers of Guitar Player. Copyright 2007 NewBay Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Guitar Player is a Music Player Network publication, 1111 Bayhill Dr., St. 125, San Bruno, CA 94066. T. 650.238.0300. Subscribe at www.musicplayer.com. 35 ELECTRIC GUITARS UNDER $500 LIKE FORD AND HONDA DRIVERS WHO account of those who wished to participate. We’re also trying out a new way of impart- pine over Ferraris and Maseratis, any Of those who declined, two companies were ing information by breaking critical elements guitarist worthy of his or her G.A.S. (Gear in the process of redesigning their lines into categories and giving each category a Acquisition Syndrome) marvels at mega- (Malden and Xaviere), several makers numerical rating (averaged from the total buck vintage models, unique custom-shop didn’t have current models that met the ratings culled from all the individual staff creations, and other high-ticket beauties. price point (Carvin, Ernie Ball, Framus, editors). This tactic is obviously inspired But, for most, these dream instruments will Hagstrom, and others), Rondo opted to by the savvy “circle” ratings utilized by stay parked in the realm of reverie. In the showcase just one of their many lines (Agile), Consumer Reports, and we hope it makes it world of players with limited discretionary and the others did not respond to repeated easier for readers to assess a vast quantity funds, the real action is in the budget arena. requests. of qualitative data. The numbers should be Online forums constantly debate the value, To continue the 2007 roundup policy of translated as follows: 1 = poor, 2 = below playability, workmanship, and tones of bringing in diverse viewpoints to inform average, 3 = average, 4 = very good, and affordable models from numerous makers, GP’s final ratings, every editor was tasked 5 = excellent. In addition, every editor offers and there’s an almost Crusades-like fervor with evaluating every guitar (with the his own personal “tasting notes” for each in discovering new guitars that deliver exception of Jude Gold, who was on tour model (although most redundant comments maximum delight for minimum dollars. And, with BX3). Each guitar was tested through were deleted from the chart). as many a forum member has learned, a Mesa/Boogie Lonestar Special and a The staff has expended a lot of effort bashing the fave $300 guitar of a posse of Budda Limited Edition Tenth Anniversary and brainpower to ensure these big prod- acolytes can unleash a tsunami of online Twinmaster. Cables used include a Core One uct roundups deliver the data readers need flames. You just don’t mess with someone’s Bullet Cable, an Accusound Silver Studio to make better-informed purchase deci- beloved “big value” guitar. Pro, and models by Mogami and Planet sions. Please help GP continue to improve So to provide a meaty summary of what’s Waves. To further promote comprehensive its review processes by visiting our forums currently available for street prices of under and varied assessments, we invited two at guitarplayer.com, and letting us know $500, the GP staff sent out roundup invi- members of the GP online forum to review what you liked, and didn’t like, about this tations to 50 guitar manufacturers. The 35 the guitars (see the sidebar, “Peer Review under-$500 guitar roundup. makers represented here are the full Duo” on p. 98). —Michael Molenda TESTED BY THE GUITAR PLAYER STAFF Originally printed in May 2007 issue of Guitar Player. Reprinted with the permission of the Publishers of Guitar Player. Copyright 2007 NewBay Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Guitar Player is a Music Player Network publication, 1111 Bayhill Dr., St. 125, San Bruno, CA 94066. T. 650.238.0300. Subscribe at www.musicplayer.com. Originally printed in May 2007 issue of Guitar Player. Reprinted with the permission of the Publishers of Guitar Player. Copyright 2007 NewBay Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Guitar Player is a Music Player Network publication, 1111 Bayhill Dr., St. 125, San Bruno, CA 94066. T. 650.238.0300. Subscribe at www.musicplayer.com. FEATURE Hot Little Numbers AGILE ARIA AXL BC RICH CORT DAISY ROCK DANELECTRO MAKE/MODEL SEPTOR 7-STRING PE ELITE BLOODSPORT ASSASSIN CURBOW ROCK CANDY DANO PRO FIREAX OUTLAW PX3 CUSTOM SPECIAL STREET PRICE $399 $419 $350 $399 $499 $399 $249 WORKMANSHIP 3.5 3 3.5 4 4 4.5 3.5 HARDWARE 3.5 2.5 3 3.5 3.5 4.5 3 FRETS 3.5 2.5 3 3 4 5 3 PLAYABILITY 3 3 3.5 3 3.5 5 3.5 VERSATILITY 3344342.5 SOUND 343.54344 VIBE 3343344.5 VALUE 3.5 3.5 3 4 3 5 4 EDITOR COMMENTS Great maple top, Warm, full tones. Glenn Tipton- Solid workmanship. Nice setup. Plays flawlessly. Vibe for days. Decent range of Sweet maple-burst approved body Great tones. Frets “Custom bass” look Sounds amazing. Great, spanky clean tones. top. Pickup makes bold out on big bends. polarizing. Small Fabulous guitar. tones. Bridge MATT selector switch statement. Great body doesn’t sit on pickup could be BLACKETT intermittent. sounding pickups. lap well. louder. Good bottom end. Warm neck pickup Good sound. Comfy body Pretty woods. A joy to play. Fun to play. Knobs Warm, yet sparkly sounds great with Intonation contour. Nice Pickups good Pickups lively and slip off shafts. neck pickup with a distortion. Pickup inconsistent above tones, though overall, though well balanced. Pickup switch BARRY nice-sounding switch shorted out. 12th fret. Difficult slightly thin coil-tap sounds Volume and Tone unstable. Nut cut CLEVELAND coil-tap option. Neck Tone control to tune, but stays sounding. Loose weak. controls have good unevenly. Lots of gets bright, then in tune once there. input jack. Twangy range. personality. dull. coil-tap option. A metal machine Sweet looker. Very dynamic Satisfyingly taut, Fangy, carnivorous Every tone I Tons of fun. Nasally with surprising Flutey front pickup Volume control. chunky high gain humbucking tones. wanted, I got. One lipstick tone for clean sounds when tones. Biting rear- Middle-position tones. Tapped Weak tapped of the most days. Sounds great DARRIN FOX you turn down the pickup textures. single-coil gives it tones feeble. Neck tones. impressive budget acoustically. Not Volume. Good Could use more a ton of versatility. too shallow for my axes I’ve seen. sure about the setup. dynamics on back Rear humbucker taste. brown smears on pickup. sounds thin. the pickguard. Great Malt-O-Meal Badass tones. Nice Fun little shredder. Mean machine. Body contours feel Simply stunning on Love the snap and thickess. Plays feel. Quality of Diverse, ballsy Rockin’ tones. Fast, nice when playing all fronts. A blast growl of those MICHAEL well. Some fret switches and tones. Five- slim neck. standing up. Easy to play. lipsticks. Hard to MOLENDA buzzes. controls suspect. position toggle to play. Sounds reach high frets. switch feels weak. okay. Plays easily in Warm, balanced Classic hot-rod A slick player that A litte too bass I love this guitar’s Pegs the retro- spite of extra-wide tones with extra look sucked me in, delivers a wide styled for my great setup and coolness meter, neck. Delivers punch, thanks to a but tones left me range of sounds. tastes, but it plays superb balance of though the staining ART metal-approved snappy bridge wanting. Good well and is meatiness and on the sides and THOMPSON heaviness. Can also pickup. thing flat sounding extremely shimmer. pickguard makes romp in other sonic humbuckers can be compact. me want to run it realms. paired with livelier through the single-coil. washer. 74 MAY 2007 GUITAR PLAYER Originally printed in May 2007 issue of Guitar Player. Reprinted with the permission of the Publishers of Guitar Player. Copyright 2007 NewBay Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Guitar Player is a Music Player Network publication, 1111 Bayhill Dr., St. 125, San Bruno, CA 94066. T. 650.238.0300. Subscribe at www.musicplayer.com. Hot Little Numbers FEATURE DEAN EASTWOOD EPIPHONE ESP FENDER FERNANDES FIRST ACT MAKE/MODEL CADILLAC 1980 AIRLINE H44 DLX FADED G-400 LTD MH 250NT STANDARD REVOLVER X LOLA CE140 STRATOCASTER STREET PRICE $499 $499 $299 $399 $399 $349 $399 WORKMANSHIP 4.5 4 3.5 4 4 2.5 3.5 HARDWARE 42.544333 FRETS 4 4 4 4.5 3 2.5 3 PLAYABILITY 4444433.5 VERSATILITY 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 4.5 3 3 SOUND 3.5 4.5 3.5 3 4 2.5 3 VIBE 4.5 4.5 3.5 4 4 3 3 VALUE 3.5 3 4.5 4.5 4.5 2.5 4 EDITOR COMMENTS An absolutely Great tone and Looks good. Plays Beautiful setup. Good frets. Nice Plays well. Floyd Nice sparkle on bitchin' guitar. vibe. Delightfully great. Tons of Great sustain. setup. Great neck. very dive-bomb clean tones. Neck Pickups lack depth chunky neck. attitude. Average Uninspiring friendly. Pickups pickup too wooly MATT and detail. Slightly shaky tones. pickups. sound flat. on distorted tones. BLACKETT wooden bridge. Sounds great on all Swampy Dual Volume and Good sustain. Great feel. Minor Vibrato system Good garage-rock settings. overdriven tones. Tone controls add Pretty finish. Nice tuning issues with vibrates easily and tones. Drifts out of Extremely Surprisingly jazzy versatility. inlay and binding vibrato system. feels insubstantial. tune easily. Limited BARRY versatile Tone clean tones. Hefty work. Ragged fret edges. Volume and Tone CLEVELAND controls. low end. Wooden Uninspiring sounds. controls. bridge moves around.