They just had a flash sale and $20 clipped coupon for sunburst. It was a 15 minute sale. I had it on my follow list. I got one for about $117. No brainer. I got the Donner travel guitar on Black Friday. I love it. I am impressed with their quality at that price point.
We're going to buy one of those for quite a while now kept putting it off and I found an offer on claimed it I couldn't refuse on New Year's Eve. I've heard so some demos of it but if it sounds anything like it does with you playing it I can't wait to get it. A Stratocaster guy. I don't something LP sounding that's a great tone in your fingers I love that overdrive sound you're using great demo
Thanks! I am actually a LP guy for the most part and I actually really like the one I got. I am amazed how good the one I got was. But it sounds like the QC has been an issue for some, but mine was fantastic! Hopefully yours is just as nice.
I and my brother have a guitar channel and we've only done one Donner which had really bad sharp fret ends which we thought would be a problem for a beginner guitarist, however after dressing the frets it was a pretty good guitar. Ours was a ST style guitar, but the guitar you just reviewed (great job by the way) sounds great and I personally did a kit build for the channel and after that I found out just how difficult it is to get a guitar to shine like that. I truly enjoyed listening to you play, and watching your review. You have a new subscriber!
Thanks! I appreciate the kind words. That is a bummer yours wasn't great. I bought a Donner bass and was impressed, especially for the money, then a ST style guitar, then this one. For the money I think they are really quite good. But I did note as well that the ST style had the sharpest frets of the bunch. A foam sanding block knocked those down really easy though! I will check out your channel as well, thanks again for the follow.
@@nickagervasi Yeah, I used a sanding sponge as well. It wasn't really a problem, but my brother is kinda persnickity when it comes to his fingers. Lol 😆
Awesome! Thanks for watching! I am curious how yours is. Pop back in and let me know. I have seen mixed reviews. Hopefully yours is as good as the one I got.
Think I'm gonna pick up one. I've been playing guitar for the better part of 30 years. If there's one thing I have learnd. For me anyway if u pa any more then 500.00 for a guitar. U just paying for the name. Guitars now are a million times better then thay were even 20 years ago I don't care how makes the guitar. As long as its a good guitar. Have fun with music. Life is to shoot to worry about what everyone else thinks.
yep the big companies. build them for around 500.00 us and around 300.00 for a guitar built in indonisia andvor korea. i can buld a guitar out of bought parts for around 550.00 and thats with name brand hardware. so yeah anythingnover 500 is rediculase ive bought a washburn dime that was stripped just neck and body cost me 175.00. and i just finish a funky monkey that had the top stipped off got it for free in a guitar sale for the one i just mentiond at first. yeah guitar companies over charge for guitars bigbtime. i know theres research and dev but still if they sold 20 guitars for 500.00 that would prob pay for alot.
Got one yesterday that's so badly damaged it is unplayable. Broken tuning pegs, broken pick ups, etc. Obviously happened during shipping. Donner's response was "please don't bother sending it back, a new one is on the way now." Easy solution and I did appreciate that plus the diligent customer service updates. Is it worth the small amount of time, effort, and $ to get one? Absolutely, and the silver lining for me re: the damaged one, I can use it to learn about replacing parts & pickups w/out worry or having to ship it back..
That's awesome! Those are skills everyone should learn. I have been working on guitars for almost 2 decades now and wish I had some parts I could have learned on. Good luck! I hope the new one comes in great shape.
Donner is just knockin' it out of the park with every swing. Price and performance. I love mine. Only con, cheap electronics and cheap tuners. These are an easy upgrade though. Really fun guitar .
Yeah, the tuners are for sure the only major con to me. The pickups are at least fairly usable. The switches and pots are "fine" in my opinion. But I agree. New tuners, new pickups with new switches and pots would make these things even better. Thanks for watching!
I bought a Donner Tele. I Swear I did not and have not done anything to it. I am looking at this LP. I am in the future considering changing out some parts but as of now until I'm better at playing it will remaind all Natural. Great Video! You play very well. I'm 60 and have played Acoustic for years but the fingers are giving out with Arthur. So I'm learning a new thing. Ty.
Got mine direct from Donner UK - £100 free p&p. Fast delivery. Excellent instrument. Weighs in at just 7lbs. Thinner body than a standard LP clone, but (for the money) excellent pups and very effective, smooth tone and volume controls. No fret sprout. I'll refit with D'Addario, 10/64s. Tuners seem OK but I'll wait and see. Guitar certainly good enough to be worth buying good quality tuners. Action excellent and was lowered without issue. All-in-all . . . a fantastic buy for £100. Perfect for noodling and as a backup. Excellent for a beginner.
Bought one . Im in Australia and it cost that , 159 dollars . I own a few expensive guitars , and have no problems with this one . Did my own setup , and its my go to guitar to just play . 👍✔🎸
I too own several expensive guitars. I was also surprised at how nice the neck feels and how well it plays for the price. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Yeah, it is amazing value this guitar offers in my opinion. It won't have the resale of an Epiphone, but as far as something to play in a low budget, it is outstanding in my opinion. Thanks for watching the video!
@@nickagervasi curious, how do you think it compares to a Epiphone? I can’t really decide from the two. I was going to buy one but they are currently out of stock 😩
@@SingPsalms @SingPsalms I actually liked this better than most of the Epiphones I have played. But it has been a few years since I picked up an Epiphone. I don't think Epiphone makes much under $200. I think Zzounds.com has the Epiphone Special II on sale right now for $179 though. So that might be an option. But I can't speak for the calibur of that instrument.
That gash in the back of the packing box is caused by the material handlers using metal hooks to move boxes off of stacks of boxes. Recently I went to my local Guitar Center to pick up an Epiphone G-400 and the box had a similar hole in it and it was in the middle of the box so it damaged the back of the guitar a big gash that showed white wood. Had to re-order. The package handling industry has everything in place for them to handle packages as poorly as they warrant to just do things fast.
Good to know. I was fortunate that this came with a gig bag and was somewhat protected, but I have had many things recently handled poorly. So that makes sense.
@@nickagervasi I contacted them, they asked ‘if the guitar worked normally, if I would consider keeping it’, and offered me a whole $18.00 refund for doing so. 😳 My first choice was Sunburst, 2nd choice was Red... Black was my last choice. If you’re a fan of Black ‘Strats’ it looks great.
Thanks for the feedback! Let me know how yours is when you get it. I am curious about the QC but I have bought 3 instruments from Donner and all have exceeded my expectations at the price point.
@@stevepierce5108 man, I must have gotten a good one. Glad yours sounds good. Too bad about the fret sprout. I have ordered 3 Donner Instruments. A bass that had a LITTLE fret sprout that was easily fixed, a strat style guitar that was good and this one that was great. I have kept the bass and gifted the others.
Thanks for watching! I gifted this Donner to my brother-in-law and yes, my initial impressions are still valid. I pick it up and play it every time I go over there. I still find it is very comfortable to play and everything still works fine on it.
this one looks like LPJ so much except this has neck pickup. love the color! i wish this is same as Donner DST series which is selling $101 on amazon now. For $150 , we can actually get an epihone les paul special already
My personal opinion here is that the Donner plays, sounds and looks nicer than any $150 Epiphone I have ever played. I also used to work at a large musical instrument retailer and played a lot of them. With that said, if you plan to resell down the road or brand name matters to you, the Epiphone is going to net more on the used market almost certainly. Hope that helps. Thanks for watching!
Welcome to guitar playing! It is a different guitar from most Epiphones. Most Epiphones are going to be arch top like a Gibson. This is flat more like a Fender Telecaster. This had a satin finished neck which I like the feel of. Epiphones usually have gloss. Overall though I would say the one I got is as good as many Epiphones. It sounds like some people were not as lucky as me, but mine was pretty good right out of the box.
It has been a few months but I presume it was done with my standard for easy recording through my Line 6 Helix. My go to rig on the Helix is a Soldano SLO100 amp model with my own custom IR that I made of my old JCM 900 cabinet using a SM57 and a MXL860 ribbon mic blended.
Hi Nick, are you still happy with the guitar? I love good cheap guitars and this one looks well finished and sounds really good. Btw, I've been playing for about the same amount of time as you and I've never bought a really expensive guitar. If this guitar was used in a band situation I'm pretty sure no one would be able to tell whether it cost $200 or $2000.
I actually gifted it to my brother in law. I still loves it but I had too many dang guitars! He loves it and I play it every time he brings it over to learn stuff. Still think it is WELL WORTH the money!
I too have several US made guitars. All sound good. But I agree. This particular one sounded great. As I think I stated, I wouldn't hesitate to play this in a gig. Thanks for watching!
Hi... Two questions for you. Did the guitar have any high frets on the neck? And also how was the truss rod in the neck, were you able to adjust the truss rod easily?
I was pretty fortunate, right out of the box no high frets and even did not need any truss rod adjustment. It was truly ready to play right out of the box.
@@nickagervasi Thanks for your reply. You did a really great review of this one. I know some guys get this guitar for free from Donner for reviews, unfortunately they are not being as receptive "to me" as other companies. I actually write and record commercially licensed msuic (under performance rights organization BMI, Inc). Before that, I used to play in cover bands back in the early 1990s (even 1908s.. ya.. I'm an old guy) and I had an Epiphone Les Paul just like this in black, play that guitar all over South Eastern, New England (U.S.A.) area.. but the guitar broke because of someone's negligence (long story). I have some other branded guitars that "look like Gibson and Fender".. kind of on the fence between this one and an actual Epiphone. I'm using it on an upcoming album.. sound great in your video.
No problem about the reply and I appreciate the kind words. I do think that this guitar straight out of the box (at least the one I got) is a great guitar and I wouldn't hesitate to play it out live. I did gift it to my brother-in-law who is just learning guitar, but he brings it over to learn stuff sometimes and I am still impressed with it. Hope that helps.
Great review! The packaging for this guitar is not really acceptable. It's a wonder it wasn't damaged with that hole in the box! Great playing, but I wished I could have seen all the neck and your left hand! U.K. Viewer.
I own to really expensive guitars and rest of my guitars are just budget guitars and I've got a plan like a dream. I've been looking at this Donner. Online for a while. I don't have any LP guitars I'm Strat guy. I think I'm going to take a chance with it hope I get a good one. I'm in no way guitar snob budget guitars I like expensive guitars anime that plays good that sounds good I don't care what name is on it I didn't plan for 35 years plus. This day in age you can get great guitars for not alot of money
Agreed. I hope you get a good one too! The one I got was really great for the money. As I said in another comment, I ended up gifting it to my brother-in-law because he was just getting interested in guitar. But I have played it since and still think it is a GREAT value.
We all have our preferences. I like my cleans to be close to edge of break up. The beauty of tone is, it is all subjective. One person's clean may be the next person's dirty. Glad you enjoyed the video and thanks for the feedback!
Great video!
Love mine, picked it up for $125 this past Black Friday on Amazon! It’s a great guitar!
Thanks for watching and for the compliment! Glad yours was as good as the one I got.
I've watched quite a few reviews of this guitar and your review is good! Thanks!
Thanks for watching and for the feedback! It is greatly appreciated!
They just had a flash sale and $20 clipped coupon for sunburst. It was a 15 minute sale. I had it on my follow list. I got one for about $117. No brainer. I got the Donner travel guitar on Black Friday. I love it. I am impressed with their quality at that price point.
I will say, I was also shocked. For the money it is a stupid good deal.
I hope your channel grows beyond your wildest imagination, excellent production on the cam, excellent playing too. Thanks for this review.
Thanks Robert! I appreciate the kind words.
We're going to buy one of those for quite a while now kept putting it off and I found an offer on claimed it I couldn't refuse on New Year's Eve. I've heard so some demos of it but if it sounds anything like it does with you playing it I can't wait to get it. A Stratocaster guy. I don't something LP sounding that's a great tone in your fingers I love that overdrive sound you're using great demo
Thanks! I am actually a LP guy for the most part and I actually really like the one I got. I am amazed how good the one I got was. But it sounds like the QC has been an issue for some, but mine was fantastic! Hopefully yours is just as nice.
Great review. Got one in solid black. Freaking awesome . No way are you gonna get better for the money ! Jam? This ones a honey!
I agree. The guitar I got was a GREAT guitar. Really hard to beat for the money. Thanks for the feedback on the review.
Looks and sounds great. 😊
Good honest review I'm thinking of getting one of these and set up for slide in open tuning.
I bet it would be good for that with a proper set up for that. I am still impressed with the guitar for the price. Thanks for watching!
I and my brother have a guitar channel and we've only done one Donner which had really bad sharp fret ends which we thought would be a problem for a beginner guitarist, however after dressing the frets it was a pretty good guitar. Ours was a ST style guitar, but the guitar you just reviewed (great job by the way) sounds great and I personally did a kit build for the channel and after that I found out just how difficult it is to get a guitar to shine like that. I truly enjoyed listening to you play, and watching your review. You have a new subscriber!
Thanks! I appreciate the kind words.
That is a bummer yours wasn't great. I bought a Donner bass and was impressed, especially for the money, then a ST style guitar, then this one. For the money I think they are really quite good. But I did note as well that the ST style had the sharpest frets of the bunch. A foam sanding block knocked those down really easy though!
I will check out your channel as well, thanks again for the follow.
@@nickagervasi Yeah, I used a sanding sponge as well. It wasn't really a problem, but my brother is kinda persnickity when it comes to his fingers. Lol 😆
Great review lad, i got mine coming in, cant wait to play it :)
Awesome! Thanks for watching!
I am curious how yours is. Pop back in and let me know. I have seen mixed reviews. Hopefully yours is as good as the one I got.
Think I'm gonna pick up one. I've been playing guitar for the better part of 30 years. If there's one thing I have learnd. For me anyway if u pa any more then 500.00 for a guitar. U just paying for the name. Guitars now are a million times better then thay were even 20 years ago
I don't care how makes the guitar. As long as its a good guitar. Have fun with music. Life is to shoot to worry about what everyone else thinks.
I agree. Have fun with whatever you play and if a $100 or a $1000 guitar brings that joy, go for it! I think this one was a great value.
yep the big companies. build them for around 500.00 us and around 300.00 for a guitar built in indonisia andvor korea. i can buld a guitar out of bought parts for around 550.00 and thats with name brand hardware. so yeah anythingnover 500 is rediculase ive bought a washburn dime that was stripped just neck and body cost me 175.00. and i just finish a funky monkey that had the top stipped off got it for free in a guitar sale for the one i just mentiond at first. yeah guitar companies over charge for guitars bigbtime. i know theres research and dev but still if they sold 20 guitars for 500.00 that would prob pay for alot.
Thanks Nick. Great review 👍👍👍🎸🎸🎸🎸
Thanks for the kind words. I am glad you found it helpful.
Great looking and sounding guitar, and great price. EXCELLENT video.
Thanks for the kind words! I always appreciate feedback. Thank you for watching.
Got one yesterday that's so badly damaged it is unplayable. Broken tuning pegs, broken pick ups, etc. Obviously happened during shipping. Donner's response was "please don't bother sending it back, a new one is on the way now." Easy solution and I did appreciate that plus the diligent customer service updates. Is it worth the small amount of time, effort, and $ to get one? Absolutely, and the silver lining for me re: the damaged one, I can use it to learn about replacing parts & pickups w/out worry or having to ship it back..
That's awesome! Those are skills everyone should learn. I have been working on guitars for almost 2 decades now and wish I had some parts I could have learned on. Good luck! I hope the new one comes in great shape.
@@nickagervasi thanks Nick! I’ll post an update when I get it!
Donner is just knockin' it out of the park with every swing. Price and performance. I love mine. Only con, cheap electronics and cheap tuners. These are an easy upgrade though. Really fun guitar .
Yeah, the tuners are for sure the only major con to me. The pickups are at least fairly usable. The switches and pots are "fine" in my opinion. But I agree. New tuners, new pickups with new switches and pots would make these things even better. Thanks for watching!
I bought a Donner Tele. I Swear I did not and have not done anything to it. I am looking at this LP. I am in the future considering changing out some parts but as of now until I'm better at playing it will remaind all Natural. Great Video! You play very well. I'm 60 and have played Acoustic for years but the fingers are giving out with Arthur. So I'm learning a new thing. Ty.
Thanks for watching! I have not tried their tele, but maybe I should in the future. 🤔
Got mine direct from Donner UK - £100 free p&p. Fast delivery. Excellent instrument. Weighs in at just 7lbs. Thinner body than a standard LP clone, but (for the money) excellent pups and very effective, smooth tone and volume controls. No fret sprout. I'll refit with D'Addario, 10/64s. Tuners seem OK but I'll wait and see. Guitar certainly good enough to be worth buying good quality tuners. Action excellent and was lowered without issue. All-in-all . . . a fantastic buy for £100. Perfect for noodling and as a backup. Excellent for a beginner.
I agree completely. Thanks for the view and comment.
Bought one . Im in Australia and it cost that , 159 dollars . I own a few expensive guitars , and have no problems with this one . Did my own setup , and its my go to guitar to just play . 👍✔🎸
I too own several expensive guitars. I was also surprised at how nice the neck feels and how well it plays for the price. Thanks for watching and commenting!
@@nickagervasi absolutely love the neck , better than me SG I reckon . 🤙✔️🎸
They are decent guitars. Currently70£ in the UK. I bought one and was well impressed. Nice video review
Thanks for watching! I agree, they are really decent for the money.
I just got this very same guitar with the same finish. I paid $132 total from donner's own website. I am really loving it.... And Page uses 9s.
Yeah, it is amazing value this guitar offers in my opinion. It won't have the resale of an Epiphone, but as far as something to play in a low budget, it is outstanding in my opinion. Thanks for watching the video!
@@nickagervasi curious, how do you think it compares to a Epiphone? I can’t really decide from the two. I was going to buy one but they are currently out of stock 😩
@@SingPsalms @SingPsalms I actually liked this better than most of the Epiphones I have played. But it has been a few years since I picked up an Epiphone. I don't think Epiphone makes much under $200. I think Zzounds.com has the Epiphone Special II on sale right now for $179 though. So that might be an option. But I can't speak for the calibur of that instrument.
That gash in the back of the packing box is caused by the material handlers using metal hooks to move boxes off of stacks of boxes. Recently I went to my local Guitar Center to pick up an Epiphone G-400 and the box had a similar hole in it and it was in the middle of the box so it damaged the back of the guitar a big gash that showed white wood. Had to re-order. The package handling industry has everything in place for them to handle packages as poorly as they warrant to just do things fast.
Good to know. I was fortunate that this came with a gig bag and was somewhat protected, but I have had many things recently handled poorly. So that makes sense.
You’re lucky. They sent you the color you selected. I ordered Sunburst, and they sent me Black
Oh man, that's unfortunate. Did you contact the seller to get the right color? Or does the black also look nice?
@@nickagervasi I contacted them, they asked ‘if the guitar worked normally, if I would consider keeping it’, and offered me a whole $18.00 refund for doing so. 😳
My first choice was Sunburst, 2nd choice was Red... Black was my last choice. If you’re a fan of Black ‘Strats’ it looks great.
Mine's in the mail, excellent video and demo!!!
Thanks for the feedback! Let me know how yours is when you get it. I am curious about the QC but I have bought 3 instruments from Donner and all have exceeded my expectations at the price point.
Hey Steve, what did you think of yours? Was it as good as the one I got?
Quite a bit of fret sprout, otherwise, it sounds and looks great!!!
@@stevepierce5108 man, I must have gotten a good one. Glad yours sounds good. Too bad about the fret sprout. I have ordered 3 Donner Instruments. A bass that had a LITTLE fret sprout that was easily fixed, a strat style guitar that was good and this one that was great. I have kept the bass and gifted the others.
Yes, I really like this one, I'll have the frets repaired!!!
Nice playing!
Thanks Joshua! Always appreciate the feedback.
Very Cool, Thankyou. Picked up one of these guitars on Black Friday Sale, Bargain.
Hi Nick, thanks for the video, do you still have this Donner? are your initial impressions still valid?
Thanks for watching! I gifted this Donner to my brother-in-law and yes, my initial impressions are still valid. I pick it up and play it every time I go over there. I still find it is very comfortable to play and everything still works fine on it.
this one looks like LPJ so much except this has neck pickup. love the color! i wish this is same as Donner DST series which is selling $101 on amazon now. For $150 , we can actually get an epihone les paul special already
My personal opinion here is that the Donner plays, sounds and looks nicer than any $150 Epiphone I have ever played. I also used to work at a large musical instrument retailer and played a lot of them. With that said, if you plan to resell down the road or brand name matters to you, the Epiphone is going to net more on the used market almost certainly. Hope that helps. Thanks for watching!
Love the look and sound of this donner im new to guitar is this donner on a par with epiphones version any advice welcome
Welcome to guitar playing! It is a different guitar from most Epiphones. Most Epiphones are going to be arch top like a Gibson. This is flat more like a Fender Telecaster. This had a satin finished neck which I like the feel of. Epiphones usually have gloss.
Overall though I would say the one I got is as good as many Epiphones. It sounds like some people were not as lucky as me, but mine was pretty good right out of the box.
@@nickagervasi thanks they both sound good
150 sounds decent what amp are you using
It has been a few months but I presume it was done with my standard for easy recording through my Line 6 Helix.
My go to rig on the Helix is a Soldano SLO100 amp model with my own custom IR that I made of my old JCM 900 cabinet using a SM57 and a MXL860 ribbon mic blended.
Hi Nick, are you still happy with the guitar? I love good cheap guitars and this one looks well finished and sounds really good. Btw, I've been playing for about the same amount of time as you and I've never bought a really expensive guitar. If this guitar was used in a band situation I'm pretty sure no one would be able to tell whether it cost $200 or $2000.
I actually gifted it to my brother in law. I still loves it but I had too many dang guitars! He loves it and I play it every time he brings it over to learn stuff. Still think it is WELL WORTH the money!
The thing sounds really good to me and I h as very some US guitars. I really like the defination
I too have several US made guitars. All sound good. But I agree. This particular one sounded great. As I think I stated, I wouldn't hesitate to play this in a gig. Thanks for watching!
Hi... Two questions for you. Did the guitar have any high frets on the neck? And also how was the truss rod in the neck, were you able to adjust the truss rod easily?
I was pretty fortunate, right out of the box no high frets and even did not need any truss rod adjustment. It was truly ready to play right out of the box.
@@nickagervasi Thanks for your reply. You did a really great review of this one. I know some guys get this guitar for free from Donner for reviews, unfortunately they are not being as receptive "to me" as other companies. I actually write and record commercially licensed msuic (under performance rights organization BMI, Inc). Before that, I used to play in cover bands back in the early 1990s (even 1908s.. ya.. I'm an old guy) and I had an Epiphone Les Paul just like this in black, play that guitar all over South Eastern, New England (U.S.A.) area.. but the guitar broke because of someone's negligence (long story). I have some other branded guitars that "look like Gibson and Fender".. kind of on the fence between this one and an actual Epiphone. I'm using it on an upcoming album.. sound great in your video.
No problem about the reply and I appreciate the kind words. I do think that this guitar straight out of the box (at least the one I got) is a great guitar and I wouldn't hesitate to play it out live. I did gift it to my brother-in-law who is just learning guitar, but he brings it over to learn stuff sometimes and I am still impressed with it. Hope that helps.
Great review! The packaging for this guitar is not really acceptable. It's a wonder it wasn't damaged with that hole in the box! Great playing, but I wished I could have seen all the neck and your left hand! U.K. Viewer.
Thanks for watching! And thanks for the feedback as well. That is something to put on my radar in the future. 👍
I own to really expensive guitars and rest of my guitars are just budget guitars and I've got a plan like a dream. I've been looking at this Donner. Online for a while. I don't have any LP guitars I'm Strat guy. I think I'm going to take a chance with it hope I get a good one. I'm in no way guitar snob budget guitars I like expensive guitars anime that plays good that sounds good I don't care what name is on it I didn't plan for 35 years plus. This day in age you can get great guitars for not alot of money
Agreed. I hope you get a good one too! The one I got was really great for the money. As I said in another comment, I ended up gifting it to my brother-in-law because he was just getting interested in guitar. But I have played it since and still think it is a GREAT value.
平坦な音なら、後の音処理次第で、十分使えますね！
見てくれてありがとう！このギターは本当に後で変更したい人のための素晴らしいプラットフォームです。それは良いギターの骨を持っています。義兄へのプレゼントとして贈りました。私は今でも彼を訪ねるたびに演奏していますが、それでも信じられないほどの価値があると思います。
packing is the worst.
I guess your idea of "Clean" is similar to your tripod - broken.
We all have our preferences. I like my cleans to be close to edge of break up. The beauty of tone is, it is all subjective. One person's clean may be the next person's dirty. Glad you enjoyed the video and thanks for the feedback!