One of the problems of online guitar buying is you don't get to test it first. If you're a beginner, head over to your local store and they will most likely have a guitar around the same budget that you can try before you buy and have a conversation about. Great content as always Andy!
I've always had that concern with online instruments. I've played 2 identical guitars in a big box store and found one had smoother fret edges than the other. A tiny detail, but who wouldn't rather buy the specific guitar that *didn't* have an uncomfortable though minor defect?
@@Longplay_Games Yeah, something like that. Or you'll find that out of 2 identical models, one is a lot heavier/lighter or just feels a lot more lively/less lively. Along those lines.
Mostly beginner guitar player here, and this is a fantastic point. I've been in 2 or 3 local guitar stores and they have all been great about letting me play a potential purchase, or having a more experienced player demo it for me. They gave me the choice on that one.
Welcome to the world of being a Lefty too. I can't play anything beforehand, guitar stores just don't carry left-handed models. I have 5 guitars and I've bought every one from the internet.
@@adamprice3466 Hi Adam. I have 3 Donner pedals on my board of 20 and the ones I have are excellent, Boss pedals are my favorite and I'm guilty of being a bit of a pedal snob lol.
One trend I've seen on some new inexpensive guitars are rounded frets, apparently pre-rounded before installation. I guess they figured out sharp frets meant returned products.
Hi, guitar player of 60 years here. For my 70th. birthday, treated myself to an Epiphone Viola Bass. Put on some LaBella flatwounds. Built myself a 50 watt Bass amp Based on a Valco Aztec/Mk1 bassman.Sweet sounds as you say, and lots of fun! Keep on noodling forever!
We're on the same wavelength. I got my Epiphone Viola two days ago, and I turn 70 in March! I love the bass and can't seem to put it down. Playing it through an Ampeg RB12. Also put 50-100 flats on it and raised the neck pup. Fantastic instrument. Unbelievable value.
I’m a little surprised Donner dropped the ball on this model. I own a DJP-1000 (their hollow body take on a 335) and a Hush-X, both of which, after a proper setup, are spectacular guitars punching way above their street price.
When I read "street price", I imagined a guy in a trenchcoat in a dark alley selling electric guitars. "Ey, you got some Donner?! -Got summin' way better, mate; a Harley Benton, pure!"
Donner needs to be careful, you hear all kinds of good things about them but that guitar could harm their reputation. I would rather guitars didn’t come with cables, rather the money went into the guitar. Having said that, if you’re going to include a cable, make it a useable one like they do. It’s a tough market, Harley Benton, Jet, Antiquity, EastCoast and others, they have to get it right every time.
I had the 'burst' version of this I got in the sales... The jack socket fell out, the frets were uneven which made it almost unplayable and as in this vid it they would literally shred your hands, the cable lasted a week before the plug broke and left a bit inside my amp and the truss rod was so badly adjusted you could mistake it for a hunting bow. The zip on the bag went, the strings were made from fence wire, the intonation was so far out it it was dropping acid back in the 60s and the most annoying thing was a lack of earthing where everything buzzed as you touched it. The holes were there but they just decided not to earth any of it. The hex/allen key for the truss rod adjustment was ok though😄
While I am mostly new to guitars, I've been soldering for over 40 years and your opinion on the connections on the electronics is spot on. I'm mildly surprised the pick up switch works at all, as all of the connections to it look like cold solder joints. Nice review.
Not only do you learn how to play, you learn valuable Luthier skills!!! WHAT A VALUE! 😂😂😂 I appreciate your honesty. I've seen many cheap guitar reviews where they do $300 worth of work and then claim the instrument was great!
@@TheGuitarGeek A friend of mine purchased Donner's Stratocaster copy, I had to ask her after seeing this video. She confirms that it's "butt cheeks". Oh well..
@@Chuck-Bob The problem is, the uninformed public buys a guitar like this and expects it to work. Students think it's them and not the instrument... Buy a guitar from a reputable dealer where you can play it before you take it home.
Your videos are always great. Even when the product is bad, your reviews are always honest and entertaining. Furthermore, you tell us what we actually need to know - which is appreciated.
Its the roll of the dice but i'd rather have a $100 dud than a $2000 dud. I love my DLP124. I modded it to put humbucker sized p90s in it, a duesenberg lestrem, locking tuners, roller bridge, new knbos etc. its all black and gold. its one of my favourite guitars. the frets were actually decent and didnt require much work! much less than some guitars ten times the price.
I used this guitar as a mod platform and it's excellent for me. EMG 81/85s Hipshot locking tuners So, everything for less than 450 or so and it's a beast. 🤷♂️
I owned a Donner Strat for a little, one of the mid tiers with the vintage trem... it was fine, but the pickups were pretty cheap save for a decent humbucker, and the frets were sharp. Not a bad deal, but so many youtubers ranted about how close it was to a Mex strat... id say it was about Squier bullet level, with less interesting finishes and much lower quality pups.
Interesting - other reviews really rate this model as great. Variability obviously is very common. I did have one of these guitars and it was excellent - except for fret sprout that proved impossible to control or correct, even after several redressings. I now have their DST152 which is utterly different - no hassles at all . . . except for generic strings. (Donner fit D'Addario to the 400 Strat model. Check out reviews for the 152 .
This exact one isn’t even available on Amazon. These cheap builders have a habit of installing the bridge backwards. Would flipping it aid in the intonation?
Appreciate the honest review here. Seems like something salvageable if you can: A) get it cheap, and B) Know how to correct the issues. Temu has a later iteration available for chump change right now.
Most guitars with those tune-o-matic bridges, the screws face toward the neck for adjustment. Every Dean, Jackson, Epiphone and even my Squier contemporary Jag is like that. However, the consistency of the saddle angle is not the same on every one of those guitars either. Maybe that's why it has intonation issues? Might have to (shouldn't have to on a new guitar) rotate the saddle 180 degrees on the ones you can't get back far enough.
Perilla: Asian hardwood tree. Often the leaves are used in Korean dishes. Nice straight upright growth with very cold en very hot seasons. Would be something that might work for a violin soundboard....
So, with the Laney at 7:34 & 8:21, was there a fuzz pedal on? That sound, with the higher gain, startled me with how sharp it was, and the distortion/saturation sounds like *heavy* fuzz. And that you so much for providing such an honest review. (And now I'm curioius if Donner will send you another budget guitar to review. 😁)
One thing you might try to fix the intonation: Sometimes, the neck isn't fully seated. You might loosen the neck screws and push the neck into the body. I hate it when they screw up the location of the saddle. I've had to return a couple of guitars because of this.
I’ve been looking out for inexpensive guitars to ‘fiddle’ with, .earn setup, fret level etc. I don’t think I’d go near thi! The Epiphone bolt on les Paul’s are really quite good and second hand between £60 and £90 is fair and good for a dunce like me to fiddle with.
I like how, even though the one you received was not good, you try to give it a fair shot. As you said, this "may" be just one that slipped through the quality check. Intonation issues can be common even with guitars that cost more than this Donner. The pickups sound okay until you put them through higher gain. It seems that, had the fret ends not been so sharp you may have recommended this guitar for the beginner or those on a super low budget. Beginners can be discouraged because of the pain the strings cause until they grow callouses, having their hand sliced by sharp fret ends might put them off even wanting to look at a guitar again.
Uh, I had a shipment done once, frets sprouted and lifted. This time of year is especially hard on thpse necks as many are not dry yet and it's cold. They go from warm to cold over and over before getting to you. It doesn't surprise me. It's a gamble for sure and that's what many love about some companies, good return policy.
I'm surprised on this Donner not being up to snuff. I don't think I've ever heard anything bad about them and I have 2 of them that are great. I don't get how Donner sends you a guitar to demo/review for free but doesn't pay you for the review. That's bad for business!
Honestly, I like that you gave an honest, objective negative review when it was deserved. So many reviewers subscribe to the "if I don't like it, I just won't review it" ideology, and while I understand not wanting to bury a brand or put more negativity out there, I feel it's incredibly important to have active reviews that aren't favorable. Nobody needs to bury the company that made it, or be hateful in their review, but when someone is starting out, it's very important to have objective views on quality that they can understand so they know when to keep away from instruments that might - or probably would - hinder their ability to learn or frustrate them into quitting.
Very Cool, Thankyou. Nice Honest Review. Shame you weren't happy with your experience. I picked up one of these in 'Sunburst' in 2022 on Super Discounted Black Friday Sale. I must have got lucky as the guitar played great straight out of the Box. I also got The 'Sunburst' Tele style on Super Discounted Black Friday Sale and it also played great straight out of the Box. I find both guitars Fun to play, Sound amazing and have had only great experiences with Donner Products, (Pedals, Guitars etc) and Service. All the Best. Cheers
Glad i didn't see this review before buying one. I actually love mine so much i bought another. It was set up perfectly and no fret sprout at all. Pickups sound pretty good and action was low and perfect. In fact when i decide to play i usually pick the Donner 124b up. I have been playing over sixty years and remember when you bought a guitar for under 500. you usually got a piece of junk. If you figure for inflation since the sixties for instance, you could pay over a grand and still get junk. I think you just got a bad one. I have not heard many (if anyone) complain in the other reviews. Yep, you got a bad one for sure. Good luck and thanks for your honest review.
I just bought one of these for under a C-Note, just for it's appearance. Same problems with essentially what he stated in his video. I'll do some work on it and see how it works out.
I just got one a few days ago, 27Dec24. Mine is actually pretty good. I need to file two or three frets, but really it’s OK. The one volume and one tone control is crap. I need to replace those with stacked pots so I can get individual controls for each pickup. I bought this as a mod platform, so I’m OK with it. The pickups aren’t horrible, but I’m replacing them anyway.
I've got a few Donner pedals, pedal board and power supply. Really happy with all of them. It's a shame if the same quality doesn't extend to their guitars. 😮
I would be interested to see on these super cheap guitar reviews, a review of 5 of the exact same model to see if they are consistent at all. You could have gotten a true lemon (or their best one, as you said).
I've got 2 Donner guitars, DLP124, &DST200. Fret ends were good enough on both, but much lower style fret than I like. Tuners were horrible on dst, minimally useful on dlp. DST had a bone nut, which also just fell out.
I typically skip over videos about cheap guitars, but I'm a fan so I actually watched yours :) It sounds like this one is rather worse than typical for Donner. I've heard reports of some Donners being halfway decent. For me, it strikes out on all accounts because I don't even like GOOD Les Pauls :D rock on!
I am quite surprised. I have bought several Donner guitars and they have been well set up with good fretwork right out the box. You may have been sent one that slipped through quality control? Good review though man.
My Epiphone inspired by gibsons frets came that way from Guitar Center. I should say it was the dead of winter and they used only bubble wrap inside the D'Angelico box. It was ice cold and I bought a fret end file
I'm guessing this is the second revision because they didn't have this color at first. I have the vintage looking burst one and it's perfect for the 75 euros brand new. First revision was for sure okoume neck with either dyed laurel or techwood as the fretboard. Mine holds the tune very well, I can leave it for months and it will stay mostly in tune (it might go a couple cents sharp or flat) I like the pickups a lot but the cavities are cut a little off center. Which is more on the visual side because it's not severe enough that I'd get one string quieter. Also I didn't have to do any fret work it was good out of the box. I did however gave the neck a slight relief, it was too straight for me.
It looks nice. Would make a nice wall hanger next to a neon beer sign behind the bar at a chain restaurant or sports pub. Sounds pretty good to me actually, to be more than fair. A good, almost reasonably-priced opportunity for novices to learn how to do setup and fret work by watching YT videos while they wait for their hands to heal. Overall, this review was almost enough to make me consider resubscribing to your channel for the third time.
At this price just get a epiphone special 2 it has good pickups and feel and it’s nearly he same as this guitar with the Gibson/epiphone brand behind it , also the strats and pedals from dinner are phenomenal and as a beginner people should 100% use them the les Paul’s they offer are less than optimal to say the least
Thank you for your honest review. There are far too many TH-cam reviews claiming that bottom-budget guitars are great, when the truth is, they invariably represent a waste of money. By choosing a guitar just a couple of price points up, new guitarists can find instruments that will serve them well for years. When I was young, my choices included Woolies guitars (atrocious), 1970s Japanese copies (up there with the Donner; maybe a touch better), or expensive "proper" guitars. Well nowadays, a proper guitar is so cheap that no one needs to be fooled into buying bottom-budget garbage. And another thing: online reviews have their place, but when looking for a guitar, go out and try them in real music shops.
Donner amongst a few other ‘budget’ guitars help keep me in business. January’s an especially lucrative month with the backlog of mail ordered brand new unplayable instruments that are little short of junk… keep them coming!😂✌️
they seem to do well with the S types i have one of the earliest HSS S types did have some fret sprout not horrible like that one and i replaced the tuners (didn't have to i just didn't like the ones it came with though they worked fine ) over all i am happy with it for what i paid ,i am slowly upgrading all the electronics they were average for the price range it plays really well and the fit and finish was vey good so it is a great mod platform i have seen quite a few not so good reviews on all the other models they have but the S types seem to do pretty well on reviews perhaps they should just stick to those
I bought a Donner Hush guitar after seeing some TH-cam clips of people playing them. Seemed quite ideal for my needs and what the hell, it was cheap! Well, I'm here to tell you that yes, in this case, cheap really DOES mean nasty. It's an unplayable pile of shit with action you can drive a double-decker bus under. Even after a fair bit of corrective action, it's still an unplayable piece of shit.
The problem with super cheap budget guitars is while they can be hit or miss, the misses are pretty bad. Even though you can generally get them to be playable, and often make them into really nice guitars for the price, the real target for the guitar doesn't have the technical skills to make the fixes or even do a setup and they often don't have the knowledge to know when it is a bad one and can get turned off of playing all together. My first guitars were all chinese copies and by the time I'd spent the money fixing them I could have gotten a nice squire/epiphone/G&L tribute and had a better guitar for less money.
WELL! For $149.99 @ Amazon, 100+ were purchased last month per the US site.... Looks Like I'll run right out and buy one! NOT, NOPE, NOT EVEN CONTEMPLATING IT! Thanks for the information. There are cheaper guitars out there, for the body and neck only offer a greater value than Donner for even a personal build/upgrade.
I have a couple Donner Pedals that actually punch above their price point BUT Thank Goodness you didn't turn this into another "I turned this $160 Guitar into a Les Paul Custom" video. ; )
Looks pretty at least. That'd be a fun project to get up to spec with some mods. I'm doing something similar with the first guitar model I ever bought. 150$ CAD Zellers Guitar from 2010-2011, haha.
If you pretended to be reviewing a better guitar through a boutique amp and used the audio from this review I guarantee there would be people talking about how amazing the gain is.
Good video, what started out as a dog, sounded pretty good (clean 1st amp). First amp sounded great, second amp (Laney) was harsh, but yeah tone is always subjective. Great video Thanks.
Thanks for the video. Well, a pro is that they didn't send you a ringer? As a matter of fact and fiction, it seems like they may have sent you a lemon. What an odd marketing strategy. At least the story had a somewhat happy ending. This typed, I had a good experience with Donner products several years ago (an e-drum kit, ukulele, drum throne, and several other small items). That typed, I've written them several times, including recently, and never heard back. All the best.
My experience of Donner guitars was not a good one, i bought a DST152 in last years sales and if it wasn't for the fact that i didn't have time to send it back i would liked to have wrapped it round the nearest lamp post. The fret ends were like razor blades, the frets were as level as a cobbled street and were so thin that there was so little metal to try and make them anywhere near level. No way are these guitars suitable for a beginner, it would end up under the bed! There are way better guitars avaialble for a little more money and as said below you need to try before you buy.
@@gibson2623 no bias there at all on your part, sorry I meant Gibson "fretboards... horrible things, seriously a pair of decent pickups this is better bang for buck than anything gibson gave produced in 50 years
@@toneranger Bang for buck doesn t mean it s better, it is merely an economicist point of view. You want to actually compare this to a Gibson? Are you serious?
I heard lots of good opinions on Donner's cheap guitars, but tbh I never liked any of them. Overall quality of budget guitars has increased a lot, so I think there are better brands to choose around. The do-it-yourself kit i bought for less than 70 € is way better than that thing
Andy I want a closed eyed test, rigs, one of them ths guitar and Laney on gain channel, and the other rig, Gibson Les Paul with Falcon amp. cranked up 😂😂. Let's see if we can know which one is which. Hahahahha.
It sounds like the guitar is a Gibson Falcon amp, and that Laney is a Gibson Les Paul 😂😂😂. Hahaha sorry I am just joking. :D Hahaha Very cool review Andy!
I don't get why it is so common to get shitty strings on cheap guitars. The savings are so little, especially when you have money to add a decent cable. A 25 pack of D'Addario EXL110s is 132€ on Amazon, that's 5.29€ per set including tax. So for a business that gets like a thousand, they would pay... maybe 4€? I can't imagine the cheap factory strings being less than 2€. Why would you save that little on something that has such an impact?
ok hear me out For $149 US, is it possibly worth it as a project piece? something to strip down and refinish? Would that be something to consider? Also i didn't see it in sold color, just a tobacco burst.
Ah donner… from what I’ve seen they’re either really good or horrible. But in my experience with the DST-152, it’s pretty good so I can say they’re good sometimes
Im confused bcz lots of other guitarists are giving exceptionally good feedback abt this budget guitar. But this is the first channel I heard the opposite. Lots of buyers are of good opinion abt this guitar. Now who is telling the truth???!
TH-cam is *full* of videos of creators telling us all that a $200 guitar you get from Amazon (or some other online store where the guitar in question has NO retail store presence) are just as good or better than Epiphones or Squiers that cost twice as much. It's all BS. These guitars are, as a rule, NOT GOOD. Stick with a known quantity with the customer support backing of both the manufacturer and the retail store. Remember, bargain shoppers always buy twice.
One of the problems of online guitar buying is you don't get to test it first. If you're a beginner, head over to your local store and they will most likely have a guitar around the same budget that you can try before you buy and have a conversation about. Great content as always Andy!
Now that is a good tip. 100% agreed.
Even with more expensive guitars, it's always good to try them first. They can vary quite a bit.
I've always had that concern with online instruments. I've played 2 identical guitars in a big box store and found one had smoother fret edges than the other. A tiny detail, but who wouldn't rather buy the specific guitar that *didn't* have an uncomfortable though minor defect?
@@Longplay_Games Yeah, something like that. Or you'll find that out of 2 identical models, one is a lot heavier/lighter or just feels a lot more lively/less lively. Along those lines.
Mostly beginner guitar player here, and this is a fantastic point. I've been in 2 or 3 local guitar stores and they have all been great about letting me play a potential purchase, or having a more experienced player demo it for me. They gave me the choice on that one.
Welcome to the world of being a Lefty too. I can't play anything beforehand, guitar stores just don't carry left-handed models. I have 5 guitars and I've bought every one from the internet.
I know what Donner have done... They've taken the phrase 'axe' literally. Hence all the sharp, flesh-slicing capabilities built in.
I call my guitar the penis because it’s so smo……………never mind.
Lofl
Donner pedals are actually alright.
@@adamprice3466 Hi Adam. I have 3 Donner pedals on my board of 20 and the ones I have are excellent, Boss pedals are my favorite and I'm guilty of being a bit of a pedal snob lol.
Made in CHINA. By a chinese company. What do you expect.
One trend I've seen on some new inexpensive guitars are rounded frets, apparently pre-rounded before installation. I guess they figured out sharp frets meant returned products.
Hi, guitar player of 60 years here. For my 70th. birthday, treated myself to an Epiphone Viola Bass. Put on some LaBella flatwounds. Built myself a 50 watt Bass amp Based on a Valco Aztec/Mk1 bassman.Sweet sounds as you say, and lots of fun! Keep on noodling forever!
We're on the same wavelength. I got my Epiphone Viola two days ago, and I turn 70 in March! I love the bass and can't seem to put it down. Playing it through an Ampeg RB12. Also put 50-100 flats on it and raised the neck pup. Fantastic instrument. Unbelievable value.
@@Sternodox Nice birthday present
donner is know for sending reviewers perfectly set up guitars, so I am surprised you got this unit
I’m a little surprised Donner dropped the ball on this model. I own a DJP-1000 (their hollow body take on a 335) and a Hush-X, both of which, after a proper setup, are spectacular guitars punching way above their street price.
I have some Donner pedals that are pretty good
When I read "street price", I imagined a guy in a trenchcoat in a dark alley selling electric guitars. "Ey, you got some Donner?! -Got summin' way better, mate; a Harley Benton, pure!"
I agree, they do produce some good instruments.
Donner needs to be careful, you hear all kinds of good things about them but that guitar could harm their reputation. I would rather guitars didn’t come with cables, rather the money went into the guitar. Having said that, if you’re going to include a cable, make it a useable one like they do. It’s a tough market, Harley Benton, Jet, Antiquity, EastCoast and others, they have to get it right every time.
Thanks, you need a coffee after that 😂
Thank you mate!
I had the 'burst' version of this I got in the sales... The jack socket fell out, the frets were uneven which made it almost unplayable and as in this vid it they would literally shred your hands, the cable lasted a week before the plug broke and left a bit inside my amp and the truss rod was so badly adjusted you could mistake it for a hunting bow. The zip on the bag went, the strings were made from fence wire, the intonation was so far out it it was dropping acid back in the 60s and the most annoying thing was a lack of earthing where everything buzzed as you touched it. The holes were there but they just decided not to earth any of it. The hex/allen key for the truss rod adjustment was ok though😄
…..🤔🤔🤔🤔, so you wouldn’t recommend it either….😜👍
@@billyaitken7461 it depends, I mean do you need an allen key? 😄
@@jezza8558 well played sir 🤣👏👏👏👏
Yeah don't believe you
While I am mostly new to guitars, I've been soldering for over 40 years and your opinion on the connections on the electronics is spot on. I'm mildly surprised the pick up switch works at all, as all of the connections to it look like cold solder joints. Nice review.
Thank you for playing it so we don’t have to!
Not only do you learn how to play, you learn valuable Luthier skills!!! WHAT A VALUE! 😂😂😂
I appreciate your honesty. I've seen many cheap guitar reviews where they do $300 worth of work and then claim the instrument was great!
I’ve done the work and it’s still not good. I may have a lemon but that’s how it goes!
@@TheGuitarGeek A friend of mine purchased Donner's Stratocaster copy, I had to ask her after seeing this video.
She confirms that it's "butt cheeks". Oh well..
@@TheGuitarGeek Whats odd is I've seen many good reviews of that guitar but nothing recent so maybe things have changed with QC.
@@Chuck-Bob The problem is, the uninformed public buys a guitar like this and expects it to work.
Students think it's them and not the instrument...
Buy a guitar from a reputable dealer where you can play it before you take it home.
Not only luthier skills, but first aid as well.
Your videos are always great. Even when the product is bad, your reviews are always honest and entertaining. Furthermore, you tell us what we actually need to know - which is appreciated.
I appreciate that!
Its the roll of the dice but i'd rather have a $100 dud than a $2000 dud. I love my DLP124. I modded it to put humbucker sized p90s in it, a duesenberg lestrem, locking tuners, roller bridge, new knbos etc. its all black and gold. its one of my favourite guitars. the frets were actually decent and didnt require much work! much less than some guitars ten times the price.
I used this guitar as a mod platform and it's excellent for me.
EMG 81/85s
Hipshot locking tuners
So, everything for less than 450 or so and it's a beast. 🤷♂️
When Donner gives you lemons… 🥲🍋🍸
I owned a Donner Strat for a little, one of the mid tiers with the vintage trem... it was fine, but the pickups were pretty cheap save for a decent humbucker, and the frets were sharp. Not a bad deal, but so many youtubers ranted about how close it was to a Mex strat... id say it was about Squier bullet level, with less interesting finishes and much lower quality pups.
Interesting - other reviews really rate this model as great. Variability obviously is very common. I did have one of these guitars and it was excellent - except for fret sprout that proved impossible to control or correct, even after several redressings. I now have their DST152 which is utterly different - no hassles at all . . . except for generic strings. (Donner fit D'Addario to the 400 Strat model. Check out reviews for the 152 .
Maybe the bridge could be reversed so the screws are facing the pickups, and that might give the space required to intonate it properly.
perhaps the nut is too high, causing intonation issues 🤷🏻♂️
This exact one isn’t even available on Amazon. These cheap builders have a habit of installing the bridge backwards. Would flipping it aid in the intonation?
Appreciate the honest review here. Seems like something salvageable if you can: A) get it cheap, and B) Know how to correct the issues. Temu has a later iteration available for chump change right now.
Most guitars with those tune-o-matic bridges, the screws face toward the neck for adjustment. Every Dean, Jackson, Epiphone and even my Squier contemporary Jag is like that. However, the consistency of the saddle angle is not the same on every one of those guitars either. Maybe that's why it has intonation issues? Might have to (shouldn't have to on a new guitar) rotate the saddle 180 degrees on the ones you can't get back far enough.
Perilla: Asian hardwood tree. Often the leaves are used in Korean dishes. Nice straight upright growth with very cold en very hot seasons. Would be something that might work for a violin soundboard....
So, with the Laney at 7:34 & 8:21, was there a fuzz pedal on? That sound, with the higher gain, startled me with how sharp it was, and the distortion/saturation sounds like *heavy* fuzz. And that you so much for providing such an honest review. (And now I'm curioius if Donner will send you another budget guitar to review. 😁)
Is the Laney going direct w/o cabinet? It sounded so fuzzy and that seems not related to the guitar.
One thing you might try to fix the intonation: Sometimes, the neck isn't fully seated. You might loosen the neck screws and push the neck into the body. I hate it when they screw up the location of the saddle. I've had to return a couple of guitars because of this.
4:24 quality cutting,
If Building and upgrading are the plan’s practice on a hand cutter can be fun and educational
I’ve been looking out for inexpensive guitars to ‘fiddle’ with, .earn setup, fret level etc. I don’t think I’d go near thi! The Epiphone bolt on les Paul’s are really quite good and second hand between £60 and £90 is fair and good for a dunce like me to fiddle with.
I like how, even though the one you received was not good, you try to give it a fair shot. As you said, this "may" be just one that slipped through the quality check. Intonation issues can be common even with guitars that cost more than this Donner. The pickups sound okay until you put them through higher gain. It seems that, had the fret ends not been so sharp you may have recommended this guitar for the beginner or those on a super low budget. Beginners can be discouraged because of the pain the strings cause until they grow callouses, having their hand sliced by sharp fret ends might put them off even wanting to look at a guitar again.
i dont know man. I have a Donner thinline tele, and its excellent
Uh, I had a shipment done once, frets sprouted and lifted. This time of year is especially hard on thpse necks as many are not dry yet and it's cold. They go from warm to cold over and over before getting to you. It doesn't surprise me. It's a gamble for sure and that's what many love about some companies, good return policy.
Should figure out a way to use picking the super sharp frets for percussion while playing music.
I got the DLP-124B, it needed a couple adjustments to fix some buzzing but after that it's an amazing guitar for a low price.
I'm surprised on this Donner not being up to snuff. I don't think I've ever heard anything bad about them and I have 2 of them that are great. I don't get how Donner sends you a guitar to demo/review for free but doesn't pay you for the review. That's bad for business!
Honestly, I like that you gave an honest, objective negative review when it was deserved. So many reviewers subscribe to the "if I don't like it, I just won't review it" ideology, and while I understand not wanting to bury a brand or put more negativity out there, I feel it's incredibly important to have active reviews that aren't favorable. Nobody needs to bury the company that made it, or be hateful in their review, but when someone is starting out, it's very important to have objective views on quality that they can understand so they know when to keep away from instruments that might - or probably would - hinder their ability to learn or frustrate them into quitting.
Very Cool, Thankyou. Nice Honest Review. Shame you weren't happy with your experience. I picked up one of these in 'Sunburst' in 2022 on Super Discounted Black Friday Sale. I must have got lucky as the guitar played great straight out of the Box. I also got The 'Sunburst' Tele style on Super Discounted Black Friday Sale and it also played great straight out of the Box. I find both guitars Fun to play, Sound amazing and have had only great experiences with Donner Products, (Pedals, Guitars etc) and Service. All the Best. Cheers
Glad i didn't see this review before buying one. I actually love mine so much i bought another. It was set up perfectly and no fret sprout at all. Pickups sound pretty good and action was low and perfect. In fact when i decide to play i usually pick the Donner 124b up. I have been playing over sixty years and remember when you bought a guitar for under 500. you usually got a piece of junk. If you figure for inflation since the sixties for instance, you could pay over a grand and still get junk. I think you just got a bad one. I have not heard many (if anyone) complain in the other reviews. Yep, you got a bad one for sure. Good luck and thanks for your honest review.
I just bought one of these for under a C-Note, just for it's appearance. Same problems with essentially what he stated in his video. I'll do some work on it and see how it works out.
I just got one a few days ago, 27Dec24. Mine is actually pretty good. I need to file two or three frets, but really it’s OK. The one volume and one tone control is crap. I need to replace those with stacked pots so I can get individual controls for each pickup. I bought this as a mod platform, so I’m OK with it. The pickups aren’t horrible, but I’m replacing them anyway.
I found one of these at Guitar Center for $69 used and it's great.
Perilla wood is also known as Agathe. It is a very dark purple. It is Brazilian IIRC.
Did you set string height before intonation? You'll always have trouble if the strings are too high.
Er ....you're patronising him in a CLASSIC TH-cam Armchair Expert manner....!
...thanks for reinforcing my prejudice........!!!
I've got a few Donner pedals, pedal board and power supply. Really happy with all of them. It's a shame if the same quality doesn't extend to their guitars. 😮
yes i have the donner "eternal bind" loop/delay pedal and its great. i paid 20$ for it ten years ago and its still going strong
I would be interested to see on these super cheap guitar reviews, a review of 5 of the exact same model to see if they are consistent at all. You could have gotten a true lemon (or their best one, as you said).
I've got 2 Donner guitars, DLP124, &DST200. Fret ends were good enough on both, but much lower style fret than I like. Tuners were horrible on dst, minimally useful on dlp. DST had a bone nut, which also just fell out.
I typically skip over videos about cheap guitars, but I'm a fan so I actually watched yours :) It sounds like this one is rather worse than typical for Donner. I've heard reports of some Donners being halfway decent. For me, it strikes out on all accounts because I don't even like GOOD Les Pauls :D rock on!
I am quite surprised. I have bought several Donner guitars and they have been well set up with good fretwork right out the box. You may have been sent one that slipped through quality control? Good review though man.
My Epiphone inspired by gibsons frets came that way from Guitar Center. I should say it was the dead of winter and they used only bubble wrap inside the D'Angelico box. It was ice cold and I bought a fret end file
I'm guessing this is the second revision because they didn't have this color at first. I have the vintage looking burst one and it's perfect for the 75 euros brand new.
First revision was for sure okoume neck with either dyed laurel or techwood as the fretboard. Mine holds the tune very well, I can leave it for months and it will stay mostly in tune (it might go a couple cents sharp or flat)
I like the pickups a lot but the cavities are cut a little off center. Which is more on the visual side because it's not severe enough that I'd get one string quieter.
Also I didn't have to do any fret work it was good out of the box. I did however gave the neck a slight relief, it was too straight for me.
I have a Donner strat copy and it’s great.
It looks nice. Would make a nice wall hanger next to a neon beer sign behind the bar at a chain restaurant or sports pub. Sounds pretty good to me actually, to be more than fair. A good, almost reasonably-priced opportunity for novices to learn how to do setup and fret work by watching YT videos while they wait for their hands to heal. Overall, this review was almost enough to make me consider resubscribing to your channel for the third time.
At this price just get a epiphone special 2 it has good pickups and feel and it’s nearly he same as this guitar with the Gibson/epiphone brand behind it , also the strats and pedals from dinner are phenomenal and as a beginner people should 100% use them the les Paul’s they offer are less than optimal to say the least
What's the pink single pickup guitar hanging behind you? I need that shape in my life!
I'd love to know too. that thing looks killer
You know the review is gonna be spicy when there is blood involved. Your description of the intonation reminded me of Getting in Tune by The Who.
Wind the G and B. String up instead of doun. Will stay in tune better
Thank you for your honest review. There are far too many TH-cam reviews claiming that bottom-budget guitars are great, when the truth is, they invariably represent a waste of money. By choosing a guitar just a couple of price points up, new guitarists can find instruments that will serve them well for years. When I was young, my choices included Woolies guitars (atrocious), 1970s Japanese copies (up there with the Donner; maybe a touch better), or expensive "proper" guitars. Well nowadays, a proper guitar is so cheap that no one needs to be fooled into buying bottom-budget garbage. And another thing: online reviews have their place, but when looking for a guitar, go out and try them in real music shops.
Donner amongst a few other ‘budget’ guitars help keep me in business. January’s an especially lucrative month with the backlog of mail ordered brand new unplayable instruments that are little short of junk… keep them coming!😂✌️
they seem to do well with the S types i have one of the earliest HSS S types did have some fret sprout not horrible like that one and i replaced the tuners (didn't have to i just didn't like the ones it came with though they worked fine ) over all i am happy with it for what i paid ,i am slowly upgrading all the electronics they were average for the price range it plays really well and the fit and finish was vey good so it is a great mod platform i have seen quite a few not so good reviews on all the other models they have but the S types seem to do pretty well on reviews perhaps they should just stick to those
Finally a new very very very budget guitar from amazon🎉
I bought a Donner Bass Synth (a 303 clone) and it's splendid and great value. But who knows about build quality.
Great review, Andy. But that sucks about your hands! I would think that Donner would have been more attentive to the details here.
What is that pink guitar in the background? I must have it
I bought a Donner Hush guitar after seeing some TH-cam clips of people playing them. Seemed quite ideal for my needs and what the hell, it was cheap! Well, I'm here to tell you that yes, in this case, cheap really DOES mean nasty. It's an unplayable pile of shit with action you can drive a double-decker bus under. Even after a fair bit of corrective action, it's still an unplayable piece of shit.
The problem with super cheap budget guitars is while they can be hit or miss, the misses are pretty bad. Even though you can generally get them to be playable, and often make them into really nice guitars for the price, the real target for the guitar doesn't have the technical skills to make the fixes or even do a setup and they often don't have the knowledge to know when it is a bad one and can get turned off of playing all together. My first guitars were all chinese copies and by the time I'd spent the money fixing them I could have gotten a nice squire/epiphone/G&L tribute and had a better guitar for less money.
@AndyGuitarGeek have you ever tried the Jet series guitars? I love mine!
WELL! For $149.99 @ Amazon, 100+ were purchased last month per the US site.... Looks Like I'll run right out and buy one! NOT, NOPE, NOT EVEN CONTEMPLATING IT! Thanks for the information. There are cheaper guitars out there, for the body and neck only offer a greater value than Donner for even a personal build/upgrade.
I’m sorry but is that bridge not upside down?
DO you play any where around Wien `?
I blindly trust your next guitar review will spread so much happiness around the world. 😮
I have a couple Donner Pedals that actually punch above their price point BUT Thank Goodness you didn't turn this into another "I turned this $160 Guitar into a Les Paul Custom" video. ; )
Looks pretty at least. That'd be a fun project to get up to spec with some mods. I'm doing something similar with the first guitar model I ever bought. 150$ CAD Zellers Guitar from 2010-2011, haha.
If you pretended to be reviewing a better guitar through a boutique amp and used the audio from this review I guarantee there would be people talking about how amazing the gain is.
Hahahahaha
Good video, what started out as a dog, sounded pretty good (clean 1st amp). First amp sounded great, second amp (Laney) was harsh, but yeah tone is always subjective. Great video Thanks.
What an odd location for the pickup switch.
We should all buy one of these and then get together and have a Donner party!
Thanks for the video. Well, a pro is that they didn't send you a ringer? As a matter of fact and fiction, it seems like they may have sent you a lemon. What an odd marketing strategy. At least the story had a somewhat happy ending. This typed, I had a good experience with Donner products several years ago (an e-drum kit, ukulele, drum throne, and several other small items). That typed, I've written them several times, including recently, and never heard back. All the best.
Have 3 of them all perfect. You need to return it.
doesn't sound too bad.
How does this compare to the harley benton sc450 in white?
The sc450 models I’ve played are far superior
@AndyGuitarGeek ill hold out for the white HB. Thank you
That's a shame. I bought a set of their drum pads, strictly for use as MIDI input in recording, and they were adequate.
Thanks. You just saved me a headache
Respect, I would have given up early.
My experience of Donner guitars was not a good one, i bought a DST152 in last years sales
and if it wasn't for the fact that i didn't have time to send it back i would liked to have wrapped it round
the nearest lamp post.
The fret ends were like razor blades, the frets were as level as a cobbled street and were so thin that there was so little
metal to try and make them anywhere near level.
No way are these guitars suitable for a beginner, it would end up under the bed!
There are way better guitars avaialble for a little more money and as said below you need to try before you buy.
I love it. That fretboard looks better than anything you'd get on a Gibson with their faded cheap looking rosewood necks
You are out of your mind dude
@@gibson2623 no bias there at all on your part, sorry I meant Gibson "fretboards... horrible things, seriously a pair of decent pickups this is better bang for buck than anything gibson gave produced in 50 years
@@toneranger Bang for buck doesn t mean it s better, it is merely an economicist point of view. You want to actually compare this to a Gibson? Are you serious?
@@gibson2623 from the looks of it, it's definitely better build quality than your average Gibson
I heard lots of good opinions on Donner's cheap guitars, but tbh I never liked any of them. Overall quality of budget guitars has increased a lot, so I think there are better brands to choose around. The do-it-yourself kit i bought for less than 70 € is way better than that thing
Andy I want a closed eyed test, rigs, one of them ths guitar and Laney on gain channel, and the other rig, Gibson Les Paul with Falcon amp. cranked up 😂😂. Let's see if we can know which one is which. Hahahahha.
The gainier sounds into the Lainey sounded really bad. There seem to be many better options at, or near, this price point.
Are you miccing the strings acoustically on a solid body electric? Weird, but everyone has to have their thing, I guess...
Are you ok?
It sounds like the guitar is a Gibson Falcon amp, and that Laney is a Gibson Les Paul 😂😂😂. Hahaha sorry I am just joking. :D Hahaha Very cool review Andy!
I don't get why it is so common to get shitty strings on cheap guitars. The savings are so little, especially when you have money to add a decent cable.
A 25 pack of D'Addario EXL110s is 132€ on Amazon, that's 5.29€ per set including tax. So for a business that gets like a thousand, they would pay... maybe 4€? I can't imagine the cheap factory strings being less than 2€. Why would you save that little on something that has such an impact?
ok hear me out
For $149 US, is it possibly worth it as a project piece? something to strip down and refinish? Would that be something to consider? Also i didn't see it in sold color, just a tobacco burst.
Well it`s the perfect guitar - if you need some decoration on the wall and a spare cable ;-)
I wonder what the great blues players from beginning of the previous century would say and complain about this guitar.... yea...
Thanks God I have a real Les Paul from 1959. But that one was looks nice, at least that.
Paul Stanley specials
Such a shame, I bought the Donner DTC-100 (telecaster copy) and it's been a brilliant little guitar.
the guitar is actually quite nice looking, you could probably make it into something remotely good with a little more modding
Ah donner… from what I’ve seen they’re either really good or horrible. But in my experience with the DST-152, it’s pretty good so I can say they’re good sometimes
Im confused bcz lots of other guitarists are giving exceptionally good feedback abt this budget guitar. But this is the first channel I heard the opposite. Lots of buyers are of good opinion abt this guitar. Now who is telling the truth???!
TH-cam is *full* of videos of creators telling us all that a $200 guitar you get from Amazon (or some other online store where the guitar in question has NO retail store presence) are just as good or better than Epiphones or Squiers that cost twice as much.
It's all BS.
These guitars are, as a rule, NOT GOOD. Stick with a known quantity with the customer support backing of both the manufacturer and the retail store.
Remember, bargain shoppers always buy twice.