Disclaimer: these are anecdotal observations, and I am not trying to make definitive statements. I too have limited data to draw from and only want to foster discussion for the benefit of players, especially those just starting their journey! Check out the Firefly stuff here: guitarsgarden.com The audio on some of the plug-in capture for this video got a little fudged in OBS. So bear with me as I try to work out some kinks! 😂
Yes. And where is the threshold of diminishing returns? Is there an objective way to measure the benefit of spending more money, and if so, where is the tipping point where more money is basically just feeding an ego or becoming a status investment?
that's a personal question. I find a high-end user guitar somewhere between 800$ and 2k reasonable depending on what it is & its condition. Of course, others would consider that too expensive
Thanks. Sometimes the ad lib and edit method works! Sometimes I have to put a little more thought into the structure, but I try not to go off any script or prompt unless it gets super technical.
Thanks, a checking out your page now. I need to roll the dice on another and see what kind of consistency I get. I have a suspicion I got a little lucky here just based on some of the feedback when k post this video on forums and pages. But, I can’t complain too much given the price point!
I just bought a Firefly FFLX explorer (transparent red) off Amazon for $200, they are normally $220 but there was a $20 off coupon. The guitar really surprised me. It played perfect out of the box. Frets were a touch scratchy but that went away after some playing. The neck is nice and chunky, and the pickups sound great through my half stack (not microphonic at all). The only down side is the flame is almost non existent, but the fit/finish is spot on. It has red binding around the body and up the neck that looks amazing. It just plays great and sounds fantastic, and I am floored how good it is for $200. I would buy another one.
I think these guitars are mostly great for the price. There have only been a handful of horror stories that I have seen and confirmed myself. But on average the quality seems to be worth the cost in most cases. The only models I have seen have consistent issues are the strat models. I think though one you start adding floating bridges to the mix the chance for issues goes up.
Ha! Bullet strats, even those made out of ply wood, have been one of my favorite used finds in shops. $80 for one of the most playable necks you can get!
I have a firefly 335 ,the fit and finish is wonderful. Good sound as well. Now I'm looking into a solid body style. Thinking about a schecter omen6 extreame
Nice black beauty style guitar for $200. I have a black 2004 Epiphone LP Custom built in Korea. The LP Custom is my favorite Lea Paul. The original Gibson PAF pickups were not wax potted. That's why they have that sound and do feedback at higher gain volumes. They were not designed for death metal through played two Mesa Boogie Rectifier double stacks at full volume.
Did you notice the stainless steel frets? I've wanted one ever since they started making their LPs with them. I have 2 strats and a Tele (EART) with stainless frets. EART just made me fall in love with stainless frets. Obviously I'm curious about the feel on an LP style neck.
This one I got was actually one of the last they made that I can find that still have nickel frets with cut ends. So I can’t really speak to that. My only hang up with SS is that if they are not done well, they can be a headache to fix. But if they are good, they are an invaluable feature!
@BaritoneGoatStudio agreed. I had the neck with SS installed by a professional, and set up (any leveling and the regular). It would have been only 45 to 65, since he was also installing the neck. With the SS frets, it was 145... with the cost of the neck, it was MORE than my Firefly, but I have the unique flag strat that I love though. Like playing BUTTER!
I have that same guitar and I agree with everything you’ve said. My pickups were also microphonic and I put a jb in the bridge position. It really brightened up the tone. I will say the sp i bought after that one came with much better pickups. I think it may have been a bad batch. I too would compare mine to a mid level epiphone. I will absolutely be buying several more fireflies and look forward to seeing what i find in that journey
i own a documented 58 explorer and a 59 Flametop, 61 and 79 stratocaster, dimebag blackhack, and dozens mire vintage and hi ends, Also 4 Firefly bats and 3 Madcat flys. All live in the same room...
I love Firefly guitars and have 5 of their FFSP’s (4 elite bats and a classic in natural birds eye maple). I do change out the pickups, usually replace them with pups out of epiphones, or I have a couple that are getting Chinese epiphone pups off of ebay but they’re waiting to be installed by my guitar guy. I also have to buy new bridges for them as the bridges that come with them don’t intonate all the way. I’m eventually going to change out the machine heads as well just because I want to put the typical les Paul tulip heads on them. My only wish is that Guitars Garden will start shipping to Canada.
Where did you buy that one? I got the 338 from Guitar Garden, but I did not see that one. Also, how is the neck? I have been thinking of biting the bullet on a Gibson, the only thing I have felt on Gibsons is that their Neck feels super good. Other than that, even a sound is not much different.
@@extremesecrecy I got it from guitars garden as well. They don’t always have the same designs all the time. They seem to do batches. The neck is thicker like a 50s less Paul. Feels similar to a Gibson, but the finish is poly instead of nitro so it won’t soften over time. The one I got here still has nickel frets, but they (firefly) are starting to put stainless steel on their newer ones. Gibson still uses nickel, but they also pleck all their guitars. If you like the Gibson, it is hard to fully compare these 1:1, but I would grab one of these over most Epiphones I have played recently.
@@BaritoneGoatStudio I went to a guitar show and tried many Gibsons and honestly they don't have magic dust hahaha, I was expecting it to be magical. The new ones do have some frett boards that just feel great. The sounding part, I can do the mods like you did and get to sound how I want it. I love the Sonic pickups, that is what I am getting on my 338. So far that 338 is great! Thanks for answering!
Ha! Right. I can’t believe I pulled that outta my brain. As soon as I said it I was like… “yeah that is BS”… wax potting did mess up what I liked about the pickup. But I can definitely get down with wax dipping a harmonica and trying to play it.
@@BaritoneGoatStudio Wait is that a legit process? I'm genuinely curious - lmk if you have any vids about wax dipping (or make one! sounds weird as hell lol)
@@douchecraft3113 it is. Pickups, passive ones anyway, are usually vacuum potted with paraffin/bees wax to keep the copper in the coils from vibrating and becoming microphonic. If the copper vibrates against the poles you will get a microphone! You can check out many videos on YT that go over it!
@@BaritoneGoatStudio I"m always surprised how quick people toss them for being microphonic, like they're no good. I've found some to be quite good after dipping them. In your case, I wonder if popping the cover off might have helped?
i own American and Japanese Strats i own a Japanese Ibanez RG550 etc and one of my current favorite guitars is a Fesley FDK800 i paid $189 for, go figure. no need to change the pick ups or tuning machines as both are great , it looks and sounds incredible, if i could make one critique it might be the ever so slight fretsprout but even that is so minimal i feel embarrassed bringing it up as it in no way hinders my ability to shred up and down the entire neck. the only caveat here is that ordering online with budget brands the QC may not be as consistent, no problem you have 30 days to return it and ask them to ship another, and ive had to but only because UPS poor handling wrecked the first one i got (chipped paint from being thrown on and off who knows how many trucks) , bottom line being i am super impressed with Fesley so far
I'm about to pull the trigger on a Squier strat. I've got a Squier tele I like, and just want a start too. I wouldn't even consider it if I were paying for a branded Fender.
Things have changed mightily since the pandemic. Beforehand, I used to laugh at guys with their "-" killer Epi that was like $800 new. I have 1600ish in a 1H Melody Maker, a 24 fret 1H SG, and a beautiful Les Paul Studio with AAA top. I saw a Tommy Thayer Epiphone going for $200 more than my LP in the same market weeks after I bought it. I think that's kinda nuts. Now? An Agile 3010SE that I paid over the 10 years ago new price ($400) is a relative bargain. All my Gibson guitars doubled in value, but that isn't a trend that's going away, and I won't sell - because I wouldn't be able to replace them later. If you can get the real thing, do it. If it's not, there's little shame is a well made budget axe, and especially nowadays. But, I still think it's funny that there are Epiphones with higher price tags than a Gibson Tribute, currently $1399.
The Epiphone situation is almost comedic. Gibson is pushing the inspired by narrative hard. And to be fair, they are killer guitars some of them. But the ones that come out of China, some are near 1k, are still suffering from some issues like uneven fretwork and rough hardware. I don’t think people should have to roll the dice when paying near 1k for a guitar. As I said in my video, I have a high threshold for issues as I know how to deal with most of it… but that isn’t true of the average consumer. I am impressed with how Fender/Squier is keeping thier low cost products pretty consistent. I got a chance to play on an entire lot of the Sonics. Basically every version was on display at my local shop. They all were near perfect matches between each other and played well. Mediocre electronics to be sure, but the one I bought had alpha pots and an orange capacitor. Minor fret end stuff up near the neck joint, but that was really it.
@@BaritoneGoatStudio I've owned 3 Slick SL59 "juniors" and their P bass. You should give them a try, the Fender types are really cool, and now they have sandblasted ash finishes in addition to the relic types. Swamp ash, brass & rosewood, good shit for under 3 bills. Brass hardware, graphite nut, crowned leveled & polished frets, good pickups, raw neck (I just slather some coconut oil on once I make sure there's no need to return it. Wipe off & play.) The 2024 SBS line have roasted flame maple necks, alder or poplar, gloss or relic, jumbo frets, floyds, again good pickups, and come in trad strat, superstrat & offset shapes. Selling my SL59 again to make room for an SBS. I don't know about Xaviere, but the Slick and SBS lines are really hard to beat in the under $400 category. The relics get way cooler with a little real battle scarring, perfect stage & rehearsal beaters. Guitar Fetish sells a steel & brass Floyd for about 80 bicks, only thing I might upgrade on any of them. FWIW, I find the 24 3/4" models really satisfying to play as a Gibson guy, and are unique enough that the differences vs the inspiration don't matter. They're their own thing, and it's good - bought it 3 times! 😁
That guitar does sound nice. Listening to you talk about the setup I was like oh I need to learn that’ll stuff. 😂 you really don’t have to spend much for a good sounding guitar. I’d like to try a 10S single cut from China
Just buy a beater guitar to play with. Rip out the electronics, get a fret leveler… watch even more TH-cam! Turn it in to the best guitar that you ever spent $80 on!
any beginner buying a new low-end guitar shouldn't have to spend more replacing parts. It's basically a waste of money with zero return on investment. Logically, if they consistently grow as a player, they're certainly going to replace the guitar with something better. It's just a question of time
Beginners shouldn’t need anything replaced on a guitar to be playable. I like inexpensive guitars that can function from the factory, but also can be tinkered with to match preference. Historically, cheap guitars haven’t been the best for beginners due to their need for modification or fixing issues. That seems to be less the case these days. I still think going to brick and mortar shops to try out guitars is the best to way, even for beginners, to know if one is worth buying. Online buying, even expensive guitars, come with risk.
@@BaritoneGoatStudio well, whatever you like tinker with is fine, but not what the vast majority of beginner players need. Historically, cheap guitars were quite good as far as materials & build quality, and I've found quite a few over some 40yrs from the late 50's to early 70's that i've repaired & sold including several: Kays, Harmony, Silvertone, Stella, Danelectro, Vintage, etc...
@@rodnyg7952because I think it’s going to be worth the extra money to upgrade the guitar. Sometimes it is. Maybe that will help someone who’s considering upgrades.
I love my firefly LPs, my champagne pink metallic elite is a favorite, but I have moved to chibson, the cherry burst standard LP with a one piece body and one piece neck, sold me on trying one,plus the nitro finish out shines the flys, and for $220 delivered to my door, why not, we buy budget guitars, so we can have something as close to the real thing,as we can get,my chibson LP blows my fireflys away,if you can get over the logo,the guitars are what a great guitar should be, extremely playable,with no upgrades needed, or fretwork, even the pickups rock, since Gibson is making a copy of a fake,ie Slash guitar,they made it ok to own a fake,so I do now and couldn't be happier.
Yeah. With how they have been treating the Epiphones as of late, and the prices! I can’t blame anyone for going the Chibson route. I am actually just not a big fan of nitro finishes myself. I own a couple Gibsons, but I have preferences for other brands in terms of looks and features. Although, I have been keeping my eye out for an older MIJ “Les Paul” in decent condition to pop up.
@@ColdBrew_1 random sellers off aliexpress choose one with good reviews,I just go with the lowest price best review rating sellers,check Fulton street beats you tube channel for more info.
Yeah. That makes sense. They do seem to be fairly active in the realm of social media and I would be curious to find it more about their business structure. They are at least not some enigmatic black box like some of the “brands” on temu and AliExpress.
I have a couple Gibson LPs. The way they built these elite black ones are ticker than an EC1000 and very heavy. There is no belly cut either on this one. It feels closer to a Gibson than my LTDs, although the neck isn’t as thick. Firefly seem to have redesigned the heels on the LPs to be more modern now, and they seem to be making more variations of the LP shape. Crazy how they can have so much variation, but maybe that is part of having things contract built in batches.
@@BaritoneGoatStudio yeah I have a firefly elite with a slim tapered neck and a lizard burst LP that has a neck like a 58 LP ,super thick neck but really comfortable to play.
Like everyone has, I've heard all the talk about the Chinese knockoff Gibson copies. Some horror stories, some others have had seemingly good experiences with them. Myself, I'm all about buying American made and keeping our economy up. However, I've never been a wealthy individual and buying a Gibson was more of a dream than a real possibility. So I decided to roll the dice and take my chances with a chibson les Paul from Ali express. To be honest I was surprised at the quality of the build as well as the finish. Don't get me wrong, the pickups and the electronics were both total crap but I didn't expect much for what I had paid. Which was about 170 bucks. So, never having done any wiring whatsoever, I gave it a shot. First time was a bust and had to buy another wiring harness, different soldering iron, new wire, different solder, etc. Second time was awesome. New switch, orange drop caps, full size pots, new input jack and tone rider pickups. I still have only invested between 4 and 5 hundred in this guitar but I like it better than any I've ever owned or even played. I'd put it up against any guitar that cost twice as much.
@@jasonbutler5113 well said. And when it comes to investing in a USA made brand, there is some accountability and expectations that the company often will try to meet in most cases. I like all my Gibsons I own or have played, but if I were to spring for a U.S. made Les Paul I would probably buy a Heritage made in the original Gibson factory in Kalamazoo!
@@BaritoneGoatStudio that, of course, is the ideal course of action for any and every American that's ever fretted a note. But...as it stands right now or until I can afford the real McCoy, the zipper head special will have to do.
WTF? You start by saying (paraphrasing here) While holding a FF.LS. Sating this guitar feels authentic, I haven't put it down. I changed some stuff, ..A lot of stuff. But to be clear I didn't have to change anything. To make it playable or sound good. Then by the end you're saying that a cheap guitar; is not good for a "beginner". Because they .. (The beginner) .. Will need to cough up an addental 2 or 3 hundred Bucks, To make one (a cheap guitar) playable. So buy a $500.00 guitar that will be better Makes no sense? Especially after your Epiphone story, I'm outta' here. A good guitar is a good guitar, Regardless of "Price Point or Name on the headstock. The same goes for a bad guitar. PS. Don't talk to me about "Gibson" Quality I know better than that; on a personal level.
Learn to work on them yourself and youll be fine. Ive seen bad and good reviews off budget brands and name brands. Buyer beware and learn to work on them
I have a question..... Is "Garden Guitars" the ONLY place to find these firefly guitars? Because their selection of guitars totally suck A** ..... Thanks for any feedback 😎
Guitars garden are the primary place. They drop a new batch of guitars almost monthly. The same models and color options aren’t always available. They do limited runs and sometimes they have a lot of stuff, other times it is slim pickings. They also have a handful of guitars right now on Amazon, SG styles I think. They have an eBay page too.
I had 1 of the thinline Tele guitars from firefly but sold it. It was a really good axe, but just didn't care for the semi hollow tone. But great guitars for the price
Cheap guitars will only ever be that. They're likely not getting you your money back if you sell them. X guitar is not a Les Paul killer. A Les Paul or SG or any American guitar from the big brands will hold value and increase in value. If you have inexpensive guitars, just play them and have fun. Hoarding them and pretending it's a collection is a waste of time.
I generally agree in terms of investment potential. The market is a bit more diverse it would seem in respect to some of these inexpensive brands. Anecdotally, in terms of legacy brands, I have been able to flip a Squier for more than I paid through the used market, but with Epiphone I typically break even or take a hit. Gibson, and to a lesser extent Fender USA will always keep value on the resale market and they can appreciate. Brands like Harley Benton and now Firefly have developed cult followings and there is a market for them. HB and Firefly often do sell above thier MSRP on FB marketplace and Reverb. The Firefly’s more so due to the nature of the “drops” that guitar garden does. They are random and more specialized to specific colors and features (planned scarcity in a way), and HB is mostly US and Canadian buyers not wanting to pay fees and shipping to import from Thomman. Ultimately, no one can upend a legacy brand by making a similar quality product for cheaper. It is just a different kind of product really. The majority of consumers will entertain owning both cheaper products that are worth having and more expensive products due to brand integrity or familiarity, or hell, even pride! I know I am not running to sell my Japanese ESPs to fund having a bunch of sub $200 guitars anytime soon!
In my experience, cheap guitars are great for the studio, as long as you put nice pickups in them and you know how to do a correct setup. I also enjoy setting them up.
why sell one? if you're buying to sell, then yeah. it's no Rickenbacker. but the important thing is do you play it and are you happy with it. I have three, I didn't buy them to resell them. it's a moot point.
@@TWANGROCKS I don’t think most people would be doing so. I myself typically only sell something if it seems redundant or it isn’t getting used for anything (rare but it happens). Also, if it is inspiring me to play more because it is a good guitar. I would need to be desperate to let it go. But, the argument for seeking something out as an investment gets levied against the “value” of cheaper guitars all the time. I don’t think that aspect of it is holding true anymore. Obviously a $200 guitar won’t turn into a $2000 guitar at the current inflation rate, but certain cheap guitars seem to get eaten up on the used market at cost or higher. I have been seeing the mid range guitars being the ones going for less. I think it has to do with the microeconomics of affordability in the short term.
The changes were mostly made due to preference. But as it was out of the box, none of the crucial aspects of playability were problematic. Ultimately, do you feel like the issues that I observed and dealt with were beyond your personal threshold? Even for a cheap guitar? Do you of think cheap guitars as beginner instruments, or do they offer a platform for experimentation and modification? Can they be both as long as minimum criteria are met for playability? Should a cheap guitar offer comparable quality in terms of electronics and hardware to more expensive ones, or do we accept some level of mediocrity due to the price?
So you're doing a review of a guitar that you changed just about everything on so you can do the review of a cheap guitar? This is more or less review of your changes not the cheap guitar.
Disclaimer: these are anecdotal observations, and I am not trying to make definitive statements. I too have limited data to draw from and only want to foster discussion for the benefit of players, especially those just starting their journey! Check out the Firefly stuff here: guitarsgarden.com
The audio on some of the plug-in capture for this video got a little fudged in OBS. So bear with me as I try to work out some kinks! 😂
A better question would be are expensive guitars worth it?
Yes. And where is the threshold of diminishing returns? Is there an objective way to measure the benefit of spending more money, and if so, where is the tipping point where more money is basically just feeding an ego or becoming a status investment?
No they are not worth it
that's a personal question. I find a high-end user guitar somewhere between 800$ and 2k reasonable depending on what it is & its condition. Of course, others would consider that too expensive
This is such a cool channel! Love how you do your vids!
Thanks. Sometimes the ad lib and edit method works! Sometimes I have to put a little more thought into the structure, but I try not to go off any script or prompt unless it gets super technical.
Great video. I love the firefly for what it is, several mod videos on my channel.
Thanks, a checking out your page now. I need to roll the dice on another and see what kind of consistency I get. I have a suspicion I got a little lucky here just based on some of the feedback when k post this video on forums and pages. But, I can’t complain too much given the price point!
I just bought a Firefly FFLX explorer (transparent red) off Amazon for $200, they are normally $220 but there was a $20 off coupon. The guitar really surprised me. It played perfect out of the box. Frets were a touch scratchy but that went away after some playing. The neck is nice and chunky, and the pickups sound great through my half stack (not microphonic at all). The only down side is the flame is almost non existent, but the fit/finish is spot on. It has red binding around the body and up the neck that looks amazing. It just plays great and sounds fantastic, and I am floored how good it is for $200. I would buy another one.
I think these guitars are mostly great for the price. There have only been a handful of horror stories that I have seen and confirmed myself. But on average the quality seems to be worth the cost in most cases. The only models I have seen have consistent issues are the strat models. I think though one you start adding floating bridges to the mix the chance for issues goes up.
Love my 8 ff
I have a squire bullet that i put an emg in its great! You should do a video on it.
Oh yeah! You allready did! Thats how i found your channel.
Ha! Bullet strats, even those made out of ply wood, have been one of my favorite used finds in shops. $80 for one of the most playable necks you can get!
I have a firefly 335 ,the fit and finish is wonderful. Good sound as well. Now I'm looking into a solid body style. Thinking about a schecter omen6 extreame
Nice black beauty style guitar for $200. I have a black 2004 Epiphone LP Custom built in Korea. The LP Custom is my favorite Lea Paul. The original Gibson PAF pickups were not wax potted. That's why they have that sound and do feedback at higher gain volumes. They were not designed for death metal through played two Mesa Boogie Rectifier double stacks at full volume.
Did you notice the stainless steel frets? I've wanted one ever since they started making their LPs with them. I have 2 strats and a Tele (EART) with stainless frets. EART just made me fall in love with stainless frets. Obviously I'm curious about the feel on an LP style neck.
This one I got was actually one of the last they made that I can find that still have nickel frets with cut ends. So I can’t really speak to that. My only hang up with SS is that if they are not done well, they can be a headache to fix. But if they are good, they are an invaluable feature!
@BaritoneGoatStudio agreed. I had the neck with SS installed by a professional, and set up (any leveling and the regular). It would have been only 45 to 65, since he was also installing the neck. With the SS frets, it was 145... with the cost of the neck, it was MORE than my Firefly, but I have the unique flag strat that I love though. Like playing BUTTER!
I have that same guitar and I agree with everything you’ve said. My pickups were also microphonic and I put a jb in the bridge position. It really brightened up the tone. I will say the sp i bought after that one came with much better pickups. I think it may have been a bad batch. I too would compare mine to a mid level epiphone. I will absolutely be buying several more fireflies and look forward to seeing what i find in that journey
I think both FFs I have bought have been solid outside of their pickups.
i own a documented 58 explorer and a 59 Flametop, 61 and 79 stratocaster, dimebag blackhack, and dozens mire vintage and hi ends, Also 4 Firefly bats and 3 Madcat flys. All live in the same room...
I love Firefly guitars and have 5 of their FFSP’s (4 elite bats and a classic in natural birds eye maple). I do change out the pickups, usually replace them with pups out of epiphones, or I have a couple that are getting Chinese epiphone pups off of ebay but they’re waiting to be installed by my guitar guy. I also have to buy new bridges for them as the bridges that come with them don’t intonate all the way. I’m eventually going to change out the machine heads as well just because I want to put the typical les Paul tulip heads on them. My only wish is that Guitars Garden will start shipping to Canada.
get a non solder wiring harness from gunstreet. no soldering and it would be an upgrade to your pots as well
Where did you buy that one? I got the 338 from Guitar Garden, but I did not see that one. Also, how is the neck? I have been thinking of biting the bullet on a Gibson, the only thing I have felt on Gibsons is that their Neck feels super good. Other than that, even a sound is not much different.
@@extremesecrecy I got it from guitars garden as well. They don’t always have the same designs all the time. They seem to do batches. The neck is thicker like a 50s less Paul. Feels similar to a Gibson, but the finish is poly instead of nitro so it won’t soften over time. The one I got here still has nickel frets, but they (firefly) are starting to put stainless steel on their newer ones. Gibson still uses nickel, but they also pleck all their guitars. If you like the Gibson, it is hard to fully compare these 1:1, but I would grab one of these over most Epiphones I have played recently.
@@BaritoneGoatStudio I went to a guitar show and tried many Gibsons and honestly they don't have magic dust hahaha, I was expecting it to be magical. The new ones do have some frett boards that just feel great. The sounding part, I can do the mods like you did and get to sound how I want it. I love the Sonic pickups, that is what I am getting on my 338. So far that 338 is great! Thanks for answering!
New series idea: "Does it Wax?" Where you dip various things in wax and see how it changes the tone or sound of something musical.
Ha! Right. I can’t believe I pulled that outta my brain. As soon as I said it I was like… “yeah that is BS”… wax potting did mess up what I liked about the pickup. But I can definitely get down with wax dipping a harmonica and trying to play it.
@@BaritoneGoatStudio Wait is that a legit process? I'm genuinely curious - lmk if you have any vids about wax dipping (or make one! sounds weird as hell lol)
@@douchecraft3113 it is. Pickups, passive ones anyway, are usually vacuum potted with paraffin/bees wax to keep the copper in the coils from vibrating and becoming microphonic. If the copper vibrates against the poles you will get a microphone! You can check out many videos on YT that go over it!
@@BaritoneGoatStudio I"m always surprised how quick people toss them for being microphonic, like they're no good. I've found some to be quite good after dipping them. In your case, I wonder if popping the cover off might have helped?
I took a hot wax bath and can confirm my screams sound louder, clearer, and higher pitched.
i own American and Japanese Strats i own a Japanese Ibanez RG550 etc and one of my current favorite guitars is a Fesley FDK800 i paid $189 for, go figure. no need to change the pick ups or tuning machines as both are great , it looks and sounds incredible, if i could make one critique it might be the ever so slight fretsprout but even that is so minimal i feel embarrassed bringing it up as it in no way hinders my ability to shred up and down the entire neck. the only caveat here is that ordering online with budget brands the QC may not be as consistent, no problem you have 30 days to return it and ask them to ship another, and ive had to but only because UPS poor handling wrecked the first one i got (chipped paint from being thrown on and off who knows how many trucks) , bottom line being i am super impressed with Fesley so far
Fesley is on my radar after seeing a couple other YT channels look at them recently.
The Tone Zone is my favorite pickup.
It is a great pickup. I really like the texture it has with some gain.
I'm about to pull the trigger on a Squier strat. I've got a Squier tele I like, and just want a start too.
I wouldn't even consider it if I were paying for a branded Fender.
Forget the Squier. I have one, and it's going to be sold and replaced by a Firefly.
I got the Fusion 3 HB....sweet guitar for the price with its features...
Things have changed mightily since the pandemic.
Beforehand, I used to laugh at guys with their "-" killer Epi that was like $800 new.
I have 1600ish in a 1H Melody Maker, a 24 fret 1H SG, and a beautiful Les Paul Studio with AAA top.
I saw a Tommy Thayer Epiphone going for $200 more than my LP in the same market weeks after I bought it. I think that's kinda nuts.
Now? An Agile 3010SE that I paid over the 10 years ago new price ($400) is a relative bargain. All my Gibson guitars doubled in value, but that isn't a trend that's going away, and I won't sell - because I wouldn't be able to replace them later.
If you can get the real thing, do it. If it's not, there's little shame is a well made budget axe, and especially nowadays.
But, I still think it's funny that there are Epiphones with higher price tags than a Gibson Tribute, currently $1399.
The Epiphone situation is almost comedic. Gibson is pushing the inspired by narrative hard. And to be fair, they are killer guitars some of them. But the ones that come out of China, some are near 1k, are still suffering from some issues like uneven fretwork and rough hardware. I don’t think people should have to roll the dice when paying near 1k for a guitar. As I said in my video, I have a high threshold for issues as I know how to deal with most of it… but that isn’t true of the average consumer.
I am impressed with how Fender/Squier is keeping thier low cost products pretty consistent.
I got a chance to play on an entire lot of the Sonics. Basically every version was on display at my local shop. They all were near perfect matches between each other and played well. Mediocre electronics to be sure, but the one I bought had alpha pots and an orange capacitor. Minor fret end stuff up near the neck joint, but that was really it.
@@BaritoneGoatStudio I've owned 3 Slick SL59 "juniors" and their P bass.
You should give them a try, the Fender types are really cool, and now they have sandblasted ash finishes in addition to the relic types. Swamp ash, brass & rosewood, good shit for under 3 bills.
Brass hardware, graphite nut, crowned leveled & polished frets, good pickups, raw neck (I just slather some coconut oil on once I make sure there's no need to return it. Wipe off & play.)
The 2024 SBS line have roasted flame maple necks, alder or poplar, gloss or relic, jumbo frets, floyds, again good pickups, and come in trad strat, superstrat & offset shapes.
Selling my SL59 again to make room for an SBS. I don't know about Xaviere, but the Slick and SBS lines are really hard to beat in the under $400 category.
The relics get way cooler with a little real battle scarring, perfect stage & rehearsal beaters. Guitar Fetish sells a steel & brass Floyd for about 80 bicks, only thing I might upgrade on any of them.
FWIW, I find the 24 3/4" models really satisfying to play as a Gibson guy, and are unique enough that the differences vs the inspiration don't matter. They're their own thing, and it's good - bought it 3 times! 😁
Bought a bunch of dean md24 soloists. They play just as good as my usa jackson. Cheap guitars are worth the risk!!!
That guitar does sound nice. Listening to you talk about the setup I was like oh I need to learn that’ll stuff. 😂 you really don’t have to spend much for a good sounding guitar. I’d like to try a 10S single cut from China
Just buy a beater guitar to play with. Rip out the electronics, get a fret leveler… watch even more TH-cam! Turn it in to the best guitar that you ever spent $80 on!
any beginner buying a new low-end guitar shouldn't have to spend more replacing parts. It's basically a waste of money with zero return on investment. Logically, if they consistently grow as a player, they're certainly going to replace the guitar with something better. It's just a question of time
Beginners shouldn’t need anything replaced on a guitar to be playable. I like inexpensive guitars that can function from the factory, but also can be tinkered with to match preference. Historically, cheap guitars haven’t been the best for beginners due to their need for modification or fixing issues. That seems to be less the case these days. I still think going to brick and mortar shops to try out guitars is the best to way, even for beginners, to know if one is worth buying. Online buying, even expensive guitars, come with risk.
@@BaritoneGoatStudio well, whatever you like tinker with is fine, but not what the vast majority of beginner players need. Historically, cheap guitars were quite good as far as materials & build quality, and I've found quite a few over some 40yrs from the late 50's to early 70's that i've repaired & sold including several: Kays, Harmony, Silvertone, Stella, Danelectro, Vintage, etc...
I got mine to tinker with but I like it so much that I’m going to put some DiMarzios in there and use it as a workhorse.
@@udertyrat why would I care about any of that? Is there a reason why you're telling me this?
@@rodnyg7952because I think it’s going to be worth the extra money to upgrade the guitar. Sometimes it is. Maybe that will help someone who’s considering upgrades.
I love my firefly LPs, my champagne pink metallic elite is a favorite, but I have moved to chibson, the cherry burst standard LP with a one piece body and one piece neck, sold me on trying one,plus the nitro finish out shines the flys, and for $220 delivered to my door, why not, we buy budget guitars, so we can have something as close to the real thing,as we can get,my chibson LP blows my fireflys away,if you can get over the logo,the guitars are what a great guitar should be, extremely playable,with no upgrades needed, or fretwork, even the pickups rock, since Gibson is making a copy of a fake,ie Slash guitar,they made it ok to own a fake,so I do now and couldn't be happier.
Yeah. With how they have been treating the Epiphones as of late, and the prices! I can’t blame anyone for going the Chibson route. I am actually just not a big fan of nitro finishes myself. I own a couple Gibsons, but I have preferences for other brands in terms of looks and features. Although, I have been keeping my eye out for an older MIJ “Les Paul” in decent condition to pop up.
Thats nice! No upgrade or work on a Chibson makes me so curious and excited. Where did you buy your Chibson? And whats the name of the store? 😁
I got a number of MiJ Orville LPs, HMU man, would love to see one on your channel @@BaritoneGoatStudio
@@ColdBrew_1 random sellers off aliexpress choose one with good reviews,I just go with the lowest price best review rating sellers,check Fulton street beats you tube channel for more info.
don’t be shy .. send the link to the chibson.
Company is in China. Distribution warehouse is in California.
Yeah. That makes sense. They do seem to be fairly active in the realm of social media and I would be curious to find it more about their business structure. They are at least not some enigmatic black box like some of the “brands” on temu and AliExpress.
black beauty is a three pickup
That’s true. I never could get into that setup. Firefly does make one though.
If you’re hoping to test drive a Gibson LP get a chibson,firefly LPs are more like a viper or LTD guitars.
I have a couple Gibson LPs. The way they built these elite black ones are ticker than an EC1000 and very heavy. There is no belly cut either on this one. It feels closer to a Gibson than my LTDs, although the neck isn’t as thick. Firefly seem to have redesigned the heels on the LPs to be more modern now, and they seem to be making more variations of the LP shape. Crazy how they can have so much variation, but maybe that is part of having things contract built in batches.
@@BaritoneGoatStudio yeah I have a firefly elite with a slim tapered neck and a lizard burst LP that has a neck like a 58 LP ,super thick neck but really comfortable to play.
Like everyone has, I've heard all the talk about the Chinese knockoff Gibson copies. Some horror stories, some others have had seemingly good experiences with them. Myself, I'm all about buying American made and keeping our economy up. However, I've never been a wealthy individual and buying a Gibson was more of a dream than a real possibility. So I decided to roll the dice and take my chances with a chibson les Paul from Ali express. To be honest I was surprised at the quality of the build as well as the finish. Don't get me wrong, the pickups and the electronics were both total crap but I didn't expect much for what I had paid. Which was about 170 bucks. So, never having done any wiring whatsoever, I gave it a shot. First time was a bust and had to buy another wiring harness, different soldering iron, new wire, different solder, etc. Second time was awesome. New switch, orange drop caps, full size pots, new input jack and tone rider pickups. I still have only invested between 4 and 5 hundred in this guitar but I like it better than any I've ever owned or even played. I'd put it up against any guitar that cost twice as much.
@@jasonbutler5113 well said. And when it comes to investing in a USA made brand, there is some accountability and expectations that the company often will try to meet in most cases. I like all my Gibsons I own or have played, but if I were to spring for a U.S. made Les Paul I would probably buy a Heritage made in the original Gibson factory in Kalamazoo!
@@BaritoneGoatStudio that, of course, is the ideal course of action for any and every American that's ever fretted a note. But...as it stands right now or until I can afford the real McCoy, the zipper head special will have to do.
😂
WTF? You start by saying (paraphrasing here)
While holding a FF.LS. Sating this guitar feels authentic, I haven't put it down.
I changed some stuff, ..A lot of stuff.
But to be clear I didn't have to change anything. To make it playable or sound good.
Then by the end you're saying that a cheap guitar; is not good for a "beginner".
Because they .. (The beginner) ..
Will need to cough up an addental 2 or 3 hundred Bucks,
To make one (a cheap guitar) playable. So buy a $500.00 guitar that will be better
Makes no sense? Especially after your Epiphone story,
I'm outta' here.
A good guitar is a good guitar,
Regardless of "Price Point or Name on the headstock.
The same goes for a bad guitar.
PS. Don't talk to me about "Gibson" Quality I know better than that; on a personal level.
Learn to work on them yourself and youll be fine. Ive seen bad and good reviews off budget brands and name brands. Buyer beware and learn to work on them
Best thing you can do is learn to setup and solder! Save money and you can make most guitars playable!
I have a question..... Is "Garden Guitars" the ONLY place to find these firefly guitars? Because their selection of guitars totally suck A** ..... Thanks for any feedback 😎
Guitars garden are the primary place. They drop a new batch of guitars almost monthly. The same models and color options aren’t always available. They do limited runs and sometimes they have a lot of stuff, other times it is slim pickings. They also have a handful of guitars right now on Amazon, SG styles I think. They have an eBay page too.
I had 1 of the thinline Tele guitars from firefly but sold it. It was a really good axe, but just didn't care for the semi hollow tone. But great guitars for the price
Cheap guitars will only ever be that.
They're likely not getting you your money back if you sell them.
X guitar is not a Les Paul killer.
A Les Paul or SG or any American guitar from the big brands will hold value and increase in value.
If you have inexpensive guitars, just play them and have fun.
Hoarding them and pretending it's a collection is a waste of time.
I generally agree in terms of investment potential. The market is a bit more diverse it would seem in respect to some of these inexpensive brands. Anecdotally, in terms of legacy brands, I have been able to flip a Squier for more than I paid through the used market, but with Epiphone I typically break even or take a hit. Gibson, and to a lesser extent Fender USA will always keep value on the resale market and they can appreciate.
Brands like Harley Benton and now Firefly have developed cult followings and there is a market for them. HB and Firefly often do sell above thier MSRP on FB marketplace and Reverb. The Firefly’s more so due to the nature of the “drops” that guitar garden does. They are random and more specialized to specific colors and features (planned scarcity in a way), and HB is mostly US and Canadian buyers not wanting to pay fees and shipping to import from Thomman.
Ultimately, no one can upend a legacy brand by making a similar quality product for cheaper. It is just a different kind of product really. The majority of consumers will entertain owning both cheaper products that are worth having and more expensive products due to brand integrity or familiarity, or hell, even pride! I know I am not running to sell my Japanese ESPs to fund having a bunch of sub $200 guitars anytime soon!
In my experience, cheap guitars are great for the studio, as long as you put nice pickups in them and you know how to do a correct setup. I also enjoy setting them up.
why sell one? if you're buying to sell, then yeah. it's no Rickenbacker. but the important thing is do you play it and are you happy with it. I have three, I didn't buy them to resell them. it's a moot point.
@@TWANGROCKS I don’t think most people would be doing so. I myself typically only sell something if it seems redundant or it isn’t getting used for anything (rare but it happens). Also, if it is inspiring me to play more because it is a good guitar. I would need to be desperate to let it go.
But, the argument for seeking something out as an investment gets levied against the “value” of cheaper guitars all the time. I don’t think that aspect of it is holding true anymore. Obviously a $200 guitar won’t turn into a $2000 guitar at the current inflation rate, but certain cheap guitars seem to get eaten up on the used market at cost or higher. I have been seeing the mid range guitars being the ones going for less. I think it has to do with the microeconomics of affordability in the short term.
I've seen people selling my exact Firefly guitar for twice what I paid for it.
I’m not sure why you are talking about all the changes you made if the intent is to explore whether it’s worth it or not to order the guitar.
The changes were mostly made due to preference. But as it was out of the box, none of the crucial aspects of playability were problematic.
Ultimately, do you feel like the issues that I observed and dealt with were beyond your personal threshold? Even for a cheap guitar? Do you of think cheap guitars as beginner instruments, or do they offer a platform for experimentation and modification? Can they be both as long as minimum criteria are met for playability? Should a cheap guitar offer comparable quality in terms of electronics and hardware to more expensive ones, or do we accept some level of mediocrity due to the price?
So you're doing a review of a guitar that you changed just about everything on so you can do the review of a cheap guitar? This is more or less review of your changes not the cheap guitar.
NO!
Harley Benton makes killer stuff too. And check out WESTCREEK GUITARS