VIDEO SECTIONS: 1: Unboxing! 2. First Impressions - 2:08 3. What are the specs? - 3:07 4. What does a $200 LP sound like? - 5:35 5. What about the construction? - 9:04 6. Final Thoughts - 12:51 HUGE thank you to the subscriber who sent this to me to demo!
@@austinpowers8089 Shagadelic baby...yeah!!! So long as you are happy with your guitars thats all that matters. I keep getting Squires and honestly I am quite happy with them overall. They make great mod platforms. I'm not saying that my Squires are better than a American made Fender but once I have them dialed in I usually will prefer that over most stock Fender models.
@@gringogreen4719 haha, I didn't fill a name in when I made the account, so Google just called me this :) I love my HB's. A lot of guitar for the money. They're cheap because the makers sell them direct to the public, and cut out a huge part of the supply chain, and yes, they also make a good modding platform :)
As long as the guitar sounds good, looks good, feels good and plays good, that's all that really matters! I've played some very expensive, name brand guitars that didn't even come close to meeting all these criteria! This is one hell of a bargain!
There's to much snobbery amongst some guitar players.....e.g. Unless it costs a lot of money and has a well known (preferably American) brand name, it's not worth buying.
Because Gibson is the standard. Eventually, when someone has the $$, they buy the real deal. I just ordered this firefly for my son. It’s a ridiculous value! $29 shipping $0 tax
It's amazing how the affordable guitars today are made now. If I was a kid starting out today I'd be in Awe. Especially with all the great TH-cam videos to help you learn. I'd probably be a much better player if I started all over again.
Full specs: FFLP • Solid mahogany body with carved cap and single-ply binding on Classics, 7-ply on some Elites. Variable weight relief. • Quality enclosed die-cast tuning machines - the FFLP should have Jin-Ho tuners. • Set mahogany neck, scarf joint and rosewood fretboard (some "rosewood" fretboards were substituted with richlite during the CITES embargo) • Most have a 43 mm bone nut • Most Classics have a 14-degree headstock angle. Some Elites have a 17-degree headstock angle • Some Classics have a single ply bound neck and headstock, some Elites have multi-ply binding on the headstock • 24.75" scale • 12" fretboard radius • Most have a 60s style neck profile. Some Blue Metallic top guitars have more of a 50s style neck. • Tune-o-Matic style bridge with retainer spring and fixed stop tail • 2 humbucking pickups (some Elites have 3 pickups), ceramic magnets • 2 Volume knobs, 2 Tone knobs, (3 pickup Elites may be 3V 1T), 3-way switch . Full size pots, Orange Drop - type caps. • 17 ½” body length, 2” body thickness at edge, 9 ½” upper bout, 7 ½” waist, 13“ lower bout, 39 ½” overall length. • Belly carve and access cut at the heel on blue metallic top only.
Your honesty about the guitar’s condition is very appreciated. You let us know what defects it truly has without trying to sell us a POS or less than quality. My dream guitar is a Misha Mansoor Jackson pro blue/white burst for $1000 but I’ve been settling on these $200-$300 guitars. Maybe one day I’ll take that step up.
Darrell Braun I'm actually excited to say thanks to some of your lessons (and lessons from other youtubers), I started doing set ups and work on guitars for friends and other musicians. Still learning so much.
Thing is, compared to cheap guitars from the 80s, this seems pretty amazing in terms of sound. I know the finish isn't all that, but as a teen all you'd really want is to sound amazing and this seems such good value for money. You also wouldn't worry playing gigs with this either!
I’ve never seen you show us what amp you’re testing these guitars through. Makes a big difference to me. To me the amp is atleast 50 percent or more of the guitar sound. The amp is part of the instrument not just something to make it louder.
Firefly guitars always seem to get great ratings. Would love to see a back to back blind sound test with a Gibson Les Paul. Would also love to see you demo a Wolf guitar.
@@flintdavis2 Listening through a pair of Sony WH-1000XM4s so not quite as bad as a phone but I know what you mean. Talking about a comparative sound. Listening in person is always going to be a tad more mellow with slightly richer tone.
I bought four Firefly's (two LP's one 335 and one SG less than $800.00) and am very happy with them and amazed at the quality, look and playability. WOW. Peace.
I just got the MG3 version with 3 pickups in Grey burst and absolutely love it. Great out of the box. I still tweeked a little for my preferences, but very impressed, and I will buy another style from Firefly soon.
Note the brand name, money-no-odds snobs on here. I got rid of my Epi Les Paul (uncomfortable neck) and MiM Strat (I only play at home so wasted on me). Replaced with HB SG type DC400 and HB ST-62SB Strat, both a pleasure to play at much less cost & I've been playing over 50 year. I also have a Squier Affinity Tele which I'm happy with.
@@NitronicZombie my first Teisco Tulip guitar back in 1974 had a bridge made out of a metal spoon handle! Modern manufacturing has brought us into a great age of affordable guitars that are actually playable.
Ahahaha so true. When we all started so many decades ago my buddy started on a Domino 3 man model. 3 man because you needed 1 guy to make the chord, another to strum and one to force the action down from its resting 6inch height!
@@hkguitar1984 New players today have no idea of the unplayable junk we started with. My first full size kit was made by Ralston which later morphed into Tama. They didnt get much better with the name change, but instead of Poplar, maple or birch wood, mine was constructed, I believe from BALSA wood. The shells wouldn't resonate to the next room and if you attempted to tension the Bass Drum skin, the lugs would start to RIP through the shell. Cymbals that sounded like trash can lids rounded out the entire pile of garbage quite aptly
I bought my Firefly FFLP about 3 months ago. I got the gold top version and it looks fantastic. However, there were some quality issues. On mine, the tuners were terrible and I had a tough time getting the guitar to stay in tune. So I replaced them with some basic grovers and that problem was solved. Next was the bridge saddle. The strings guides on the saddle were cut very deep and the strings actually got stuck in them. Again, a simple replacement with a gotoh saddle and that solved that issue. The last issue was the bridge pick up. For some reason, the bridge pickup had a significant volume decrease from the neck pick up (yes, I did check the volume setting). After checking it out, I could not figure out why this was occurring. So I replaced them with some golden age vintage zebras and it works great. Other than that, I am very pleased with the guitar. I did not have the excess nut glue issue that you had, the neck is in great shape and I think the fret work was done very well. The binding looks great and I have zero finish flaws on mine. So with $200 (including shipping) for the guitar and about $160 in upgrades, I now have an LP style guitar that looks great, feels great, and I enjoy playing! Thanks for your videos.
I own a 1978 Les Paul Standard in cherry sunburst and a 2019 Firefly FFLP Elite in lizard burst. The Firefly feels and plays as good as the Gibson. The Gibson humbuckers have better overall tone, but the Firefly comes close. The build quality on the Gibson is flawless, while there are minor imperfections in the Firefly, noticeable only on close inspection. I do not have the excess glue problem at the nut that Darrell has. The finish on the Gibson is high quality nitrocellulose that, aside from minor dings, looks as good as when I bought it 40+ years ago. The firefly finish is amazing and it is the first guitar that I have purchased for appearance over tone, having never seen anything like this lizard burst. I bought the Firefly as a project guitar with the intent of upgrading it with Whole Lotta Humbuckers, CTS push-pull pots, Sprague orange drops and Switchcraft toggle and jack in a Jimmy Page wiring scheme. I wanted to keep my Gibson stock. I will eventually do the work, but it has been nearly a year since I bought the Firefly and upgrade parts. The JP wiring will be time consuming as I will be hand wiring it myself with splits, series/parallel and phase in/out. Still, I enjoy playing the Firefly as is. The Firefly FFLP Elites are hard to find. I do not own a regular FFLP, so I cannot compare the two. I purchased mine NWT on eBay and paid about $50 over retail. This gave me the ability to choose a great finish and the opportunity to look at close up pics of the guitar before I purchased it. Well worth every cent as there were no surprises upon unboxing.
As a 70 year old I find it amazing how we can buy decent guitars that look good and play well for a small sum. In my day a cheap LP style guitar was much dearer in real terms. The first decent one was an Ibanez Les Paul that cost more that 1000 in today's money and I then put on better tuners and Gibson humbuckers to make it decent.
for the price the minor faults could easily be rectified! i can imagine a young kid would love this as a first guitar ,and if they love it they will more tempted to pick it up and learn to play on it.these entry level guitars are getting better and better.
wet wood is not minor..yes he made a vid to make it look good..but pick it up again tomorrow..it wont be intune..it will probably buzz its head off..martin are right..a piece of wood still thinks and behaves like a tree for 15 years
I’ve always said that as long as a guitar looks good, plays well and sounds good, I couldn’t care less what the headstock says. Sometimes it’s nice to have certain brands in your arsenal, but little known brands can do a lot of the same things, and sometimes even better than well-known ones.
Hello, I purchased an Indio strat model. did all the mods as you indicated. it took me a while lol but I just finished today . Plays amazing and it stays in tune. Thanks for your videos. Very professionally presented.
For what it's worth -- on this guitar (identical) which came to me Dec. 2022, I found no visible construction or cosmetic issues at all except for a little bit of a glueline on the tuner side of the nut. Plays great, sounds great, looks great. Recommended!
I've watched so many reviews of Firefly guitars on TH-cam, pretty much all of them have given them a thumbs up too. The one thing all of the reviewers will agree on is the difficulty you're going to have laying your hands on one of the blighters. I get the impression you pretty much have to be checking their website every day until an order arrives, and even then they can all be gone in a matter of hours.
I’ve owned some very expensive guitars over the years, most extremely good but not value for money. More recently I’ve been checking out sub £300 guitars and I’m stunned. The build quality is fantastic. A pro set up (£50) and they compare to guitars costing 3x as much.
Just had my Cobra Burst delivered today. It’s in near flawless condition only one place on the pickup cover had a small ding. Reviewing all of the items that were looked at on this review they are quality. No sharp edges on frets they are smooth and polished well. This really is an amazing value at this price point.
as a person on a very limited income , I have enjoyed all the different inexpensive guitars that have shown here .After i purchase the Glarry Telecaster guitar I now have added this Firefly Les paul copy. it looks and plays better than my Epiphone Les Paul Studio so it now in my wish list. I also checked out the glarry 50 watt tube amp. it is now in my wish list too. thanks for turning me on to your inexpensive guitar and amp tests. you saved me a lot of time contacting the manufacters,to get info on their products.
I love when Darrell Braun proudly announces how he's Canadian, making all of us Canadians stand and cheer. The bad news? No guitar this amazing of a deal is ever easy to get into Canada. Or with some guitars I've seen here, it's not even possible. Why do you tease us Canadians so, Darrell? ;)
What? He's Canadian? That simply won't do. Unsubbed........I'm kidding. It's a joke. No need to destroy the inside of your pants with bodily fluids now.
Try an Eart, Donner or Indio. I have all guitars from all three brands, have worked tirelessly setting them all up, and 'skeleton-wise' these guitars are actually quality at the core. Pickups and tuners are actually much better than anything similarly priced from Epiphone or Ibanez GIO, and I love those brands too, but they are getting destroyed by Chinese made, CNC'd guitars.
I'm in Canada too, so I know theyre super cheap and easy to get into Canada. Prices are going up these days, though. Act fast if you're looking at anything! Eart explorers have gone up $50 on Amazon in the last 6 months, for example.
It's an hell of budget guitar! Beautiful, sounds good, with some little upgrades could be a must have, of course it's in fingers that flow the music, and your playing is flawless as always. Greetz from Italy! 🇮🇹
I purchased an artist cimmeron for 199.00 Inc a hardcase. Plays unbelievable sounds unbelievable. Heavy as hell at 9lb 13oz. Tell you in ten years if it’s ok. It’s a keeper.
Have to say the tone from that guitar is very nice and for $200 absolutely outstanding. Anyone just starting out playing this is all the guitar they are going to need for years. While the cosmetic imperfections are noticeable you kind of have to look for them. I think after sorting out the glue around the nut it would be liveable with. Still can't believe it's only $200 for an instrument that plays that well out of the box.
For a beginner that'd be great for basic and advanced learning. Sharing one at a live jam for some to play would be awesome as well. I'm sure they'd be joyed to play this guitar!
After watching this great video, I bought the FFLP this past week in a burst color that I can only describe as a "caramel burst". The maple top was book matched and had a very good flame to it. The binding was excellent. The inlays were set neatly and there were no rough fret edges down the side of the neck binding. The pickups are much better than I expected, especially since my Gibson LP's have either vintage PAF's, P90's or Seymour Duncan pickups of various varieties. It was setup very nicely from the factory in terms of the action. No fret buzz, especially above the 12th fret when bending up the G, B or E strings. The neck is straight and free of bows. The frets are nicely set and properly finished. But, like any new guitar, it needs a proper intonation, which isn't to say that the intonation was out or terrible. But, it does need a tweak or two. The only criticisms I can come up with is when the selector switch is in the center position and one of the pickup volumes is turned all the way off, the remaining pickup still produces a signal unlike the LP that shuts off all signal from both pickups in the center position when either volume knob is turned all the way down. At first, I thought it may be some version of a coil split, which would've been very cool. But, it wasn't. The other criticism is you really need to have a light touch or else your fingers can easily pull the strings out of tune. So, there was a bit of getting used to going on there. I like to play 10's (10 to 48 gauge) and I think the strings on this guitar are light 10's (10 to 42) which probably represents the bulk of that problem. I'll know more when I change out the strings. Other than that, the craftsmanship, tone, playability, appearance and features are exceptional. I've owned and played guitars that easily cost 5 to 10 times as much that don't play, look or were built as well as this guitar. I think I'm going to buy another, maybe the Explorer version or semi hollow body? Who knows? For around $200 s'moleons, you can't go wrong. If you're looking for a knock-around guitar or if you're just learning or looking to buy a good quality and affordable guitar for your kid who's just starting, this is the brand to look at.
I just received my FFLPS I played a Gibson Les Paul in 78/79 but sadly sold it . I haven't played in roughly 30 years and wanted to pick it back up without spending a lot of money. I started with epiphone then went solo kit then I saw tou review on Firefly I'm impressed so far. Thank you for your reviews. Darryl
Same here except mine was a 62 strat re-issue I bought in 1986....I was 20 years old....I haven't played in about 30 years either 😢 If I had youtube back then I'd never quit playing. I also had a 77 telecaster I bought from a coworker for 300 bucks including a 1970 twin reverb. I hate myself for selling it all but I struggled to learn songs by slowing albums down. If youtube existed back then I wouldn't have quit. It's so easy now with youtube backing tracks, Guitar Pro. TABS everywhere etc. My 1st guitar was a LP import which was ok but nothing like these new cheap copies quality. Sorry for the long rant😂
Great sounding guitar Darrell. I bought a second house in Florida & needed an axe there but wasn’t shipping any of my others from Chicago. Ordered a Kramer Focus VII. Paid $130. Yes $130. Can’t believe how good this guitar is. Sounds as good as my Fender super strat. Came set up, no paint issues, gorgeous maple fingerboard, comfy neck & trem works well. And a HSS setup, so many sounds. Should get one for the channel if you can get one. They sell quickly.
Glad to see genuinely good guitars at a realistically affordable price -- unlike the big-name guys. Sure, in many cases the neck and frets can use a little simple TLC; but the same might be true of a Fender or Gibson as well. I just wish such things could be made in America.
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I just opened a Firefly FFLPS from my son and wife for Christmas. Other than my fingers turning back from playing it (I'm guessing fret polishing compound) this is an amazing instrument based on my limited knowledge. I'm never going to own a true Les Paul, so this is one of the most amazing gifts I've ever received. Frets are amazing to me, action was just about dead-on, and maybe a couple blemishes on the body that anybody would really have to look hard to spot. After opening this up, the Positive Grid Spark has been ordered (I'm playing for me, no aspirations of gigging anywhere) and I can't wait to have fun with this.
I have an IYV lps in green.i really dont know how they do it.color,grain,finish is way beyond the price point.came setup and plays magnificently.pickups arent crappy either..great time to be buying cheap,solidly crafted instruments.mods are always a bonus to perform as well.
Darrell, thanks again for another great review! My first Firefly was purchased eye's wide open, a 335 look alike. It had some needs, like a nut, action lowering and 3 frets lowered ànd th tuners replaced. It is now virtually nearly as nice to play as my GRETCH COUNTRY GENTLEMAN. After 44 years of hard work the Country Gentleman needed a fret job and a complete rewiring job. I needed the Firefly to fill in for it for 6 months... just a perfect fit. I practice on the Firefly almost daily. The bone nut I had installed was the one thing I see this guitar comes with.. I might have to buy this Les Paul. I sweat tho.. will they ALL come out of the box like this one?
Honestly, firefly is great. I've owned one of their lp's for about a year and it still sounds great with no complaints. However they are almost never in stock so good luck trying to buy one. They've been out of stock of all guitars for about 3 months so far.
I bought a black one, partly on your review. It is amazing for the price. Only one real issue, missing the bridge selector knob. I have a strat and a Taylor acoustic. For the money this thing rocks!
TBF if i was a young pup planning on being Slash or insert guitar hero and someone bought me this for xmas, I would be over the moon... The fact they can produce this quality build for the money, would suggest that the big brands, need to start rethinking their approach, when it comes to price.
These guitars are really good modding platforms. A bit of cleaning up to do, change tuners and put in pickups you like and you're getting a good guitar for very cheap.
Darren, now that's one really good looking guitar. The price is under a Epiphone and the head stock is more Les Paul looking than the Epi, meaning less teeth grinding when you admire it on your guitar stand...
Damn, What a Great sounding, Playable, and looking Guitar for $ 200 Bucks, you can;t go wrong here,, I don;t know how they can build a Guitar for this price, Rock On, Cousin Figel
I bought a Epiphone lo100 years ago that cost me 250 and it was a cheap version of a lp. Flat top no carving no binding simple walnut wood. But it was nice heavy awesome sounding guitar. The neck wasn't too beefy and it has simple dot inlaid fret markers but was a solid nice guitar. I got the heritage cherry burst paint and the wood underneath had fine flaming going on.i took out the simple stock humbckers put on some zack wylde emg's and the sound was amazing. It held notes for days. I still have that guitar. I've had it since like 2007
As a guitar designer and builder that has been to many of the factories in China, I feel for those poor workers that are turning these out. Guarantee you if this guitar retails for $200 USD the work conditions are awful.
I'd like to hear more details. Can you tell me about the Yako/Zhangzhou Fender Squier factory or Qingdao Epiphone factory conditions? I'll listen to any part of it, as it is and also as compared to other of the many factories you have visited. Also, even on models marketed as AMERICAN one finds Canadian Maple and Indian/Brazilan Rosewood, Ebony, Mahogany etc NOT from the US.... and even things like Canadian Maple shipped TO China, to then return as finished product for many branded guitars. How does all that shipping overhead to a China factory and back then translate to price, and employee conditions and compromises to make it so? Any info on factory/employee conditions when comparing where the China EC256 is made, vs where the S.K/Indonesia EC1000 is made? How to reconcile the fact that it's still the parent company's employees regardless of what landmass their factory is on? How might you yourself design and craft with a workaround regarding any single guitar component's point of origin and related worker conditions? Any insight from your experience is appreciated, thank you!
@@arlizan6473 I used to work for ESP Guitars in North Hollywood but while I was there I was in a different capacity and never visited those factories. Regarding Yako, I’ve been to that factory multiple times. They have excellent working conditions and very little employee turnover. Some of the floor managers have even been there for 25 years plus. This makes for a more consistent product as well as happier employees. The equipment is state of the art and it’s a clean well run facility. Regarding the transfer of wood stock from country to country, I can’t tell you much details about that. Suppliers often change to these factories based on quality and availability. Even hardware, bridges, pickups, pots, switches etc can vary year in/out based on how well the suppliers are doing. Hope this helps.
If you dont buy those Guitars it wont make any difference except those poor people wouldnt have any job. ALL factories over there are sweatshops. I would rather see them have a job than starve.
I have two FFLP'S (Transparent Orange and Sunburst). Let's give a realistic review. Stock tuning machines, nut, pots, pups, jack, and bridge are pretty much junk on these. Frets are nicely polished (which is refreshing), but there were several high spots on mine, and there was some buzz. The bright spot is that it's a $200 guitar, so, you can build it for fairly cheap into a guitar that can realistically compete with Gibson, Fender, Kiesel, PRS, et al, soundwise. I made the following mods: 1. Tone Ninja locking tuners 2. TUSQ nut 3. Fret level / polish 4. Seymour Duncan SH-5 Custom (neck) 5. Seymour Duncan SH-1n '59 (neck) 6. CTS 500k pots 7. Tune-O-Matic roller bridge 8. Pure Tone full contact jack 9. Lowered action to suit my preference In its current state, I'd put it up for playability and tone against all but the most elite Gibsons and Fenders. For only $500 total, it sounds and plays like a dream. Guitar = $200 Parts = $325
I got a similar guitar some years ago. It was beautiful to look at, fit and finish were good, great fretboard.... but it just never sounded great. Eventually ditched in favor of an Ibanez Artist double-cut solidbody that sounds exactly like Billy Gibbons’ LP.
I put some emgs in mine and now I play it over my fender most days. Not much gain with the stock pickups. But spend $150 on some new pickups and now it plays like a $1000 guitar
They were in stock this last time for almost 6 weeks up to around 5 days ago. It was about the same with the time before that. If you want one you have to check during the daytime because they remove all the links at night. I’m not joking. People think they almost never have any because of this. They usually restock in 3-6 weeks, but if you really want one (trust me, you do - my last 4 out of over 40+ guitars have been Firefly) you need to check once or twice a day, during the day.
@@BrandonOutside short answer: they want to keep prices low and only have so much time to devote to that. TL:DR Answer: I can only make an informed guess, which would be: I’ve been told Guitars Garden is only two guys in Los Angeles who want to keep their prices as low as possible for as long as they can, so they aren’t ready to scale it up yet. To do that they’d most likely have to hire an accountant first to keep accurate sales numbers, sales tax and employee’s income taxes, somebody to keep inventory, order, track, and receive stock, shipping, and so on and on. Guessing again that they do it all themselves now, sacrificing profit margin in exchange for the number of guitars sold. In short, they’ll sell more guitars at the current very low price point, and a lot fewer if the prices make the huge jump if they scaled up. However, they must know that the market will bear a price jump because eBay scalpers re-sell them for up to twice their price and more. Guitars Garden must know it’s going on because they also sell them on eBay, but at their regular price. So, yeah, just some guesses but I think I’m right.
They are never in stock. I watch for them over three times a day in the past year. Somebody must message people when they do become available, not fair,but thems the deal!
You need to join the "Firefly Guitar Fans" group on FB if you want to get one. The owners keep that group in the loop on when releases will occur. They usually sell out in less than a week once they drop. Also, for some reason they take the guitars down off the website in the evenings and then put them back online in the mornings. They only keep them posted during business hours. It's weird, I know.
You touched the gold finish on the metal parts and it didn't wipe right off on contact so I immediately know it's better than my Peavey JF-1 with "gold washed" hardware that DID lose the gold on first contact.
Yes, for some odd reason it can be rather difficult and frustrating getting certain guitars into Canada. I remember I had a hard time finding a company that would ship an Ibanez AS73L to Canada. I think the website of Sam Ash was able to. I then purchased my Fender acoustic locally. After that I brought a Gibson SG, but had it shipped to a US address and I drove down to pick it up. Oh well. It is what it is. Also, I should add that I am left-handed so my first challenge was finding left handed models. :/
I wish you were my dad. But that would be a little odd considering I'm 54yrs. old. lol I'd send you my Dillion LP copy for review, but I'd want it back. (unless you liked it so much that you'd buy it.) 😀
I have a hollow body Firefly and I enjoy playing it as much as my PRS 30th Anniversary model. For the price amazing guitars. If I had the $200 I'd be buying this one too!
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@Chris Putt I believe the only copyright infringement that Gibson could action would be the “open-book” headstock design. Do these guitars hurt Gibson? probably not much - they’d only be concerned if people were plunking down close to the original price for a counterfeit.. that good examples of these guitars play well and sound good is a testament to Gibson’s enduring design
I've just noticed, that the Neck pickup is on a slant like my Tenson LP-Style guitar. I don't know if thaat's just a manufacturing error, but when I took it to a luthier to be set up, he propped up the front of the neck pickup with some foam to get a better sound.
When you see videos it generally means it's too late. First time I get on their website there was stock but since I don't know if they ship in Europe I didn't buy it
@@Jay-wk9xj Agree, and check often. Don't give up hope, they are on and off, you'll find them if you're persistent. One more thing is that they only take a couple of weeks to be delivered after purchase, unless things have changed in the recent past.
@@ZitherBeast First, my qualifications to write about this subject: I own four Firefly guitars. That should be enough LoL.😂 So...first of all, they are sold from the Guitars Garden website. Google it and you will find it. They just sold out the most recent lot about 4 days ago and didn’t sell completely out for at least 5 or 6 weeks. The next lot should be up in a few weeks, but you still need to check at least once a day if you want one...and the key word is “day.” Like @J. R. mentioned above they do remove the links at night, then restore them in the morning. I’ve found it best to check between 10am and Noon every day. One variable is that they usually restock the Les Pauls until they sell out, then they restock with the 338s, which are every bit as amazing as the LPs. I think they’re all $185, except for maybe the spalted maple finish which is a little more. I got *SUPER* lucky with a top that’s not only spalted, but flame, too. I’d say about A- or AA-a grade flame. The action and intonation on all four is nothing short of phenomenal. They were all absolutely worth the wait. Good luck!
Many are to dumb to add upgrades, or to rich and don't want to learn n just pay people to do it for them, my Gibson 70's sg pro 2 cost me 100.00 bare bones needing a truss rod, fixed it up myself, people pay 1k for an I phone that's out dated in a yr also, which i don't understand
I purchased a very inexpensive guitar for playing at the beach, park, whatever. The Leo Jaymz Vintage Telecaster. Exact (really) copy of a '52 Fender. Right down to the brass compensation saddles. $169. 🤯 Had it set up. Dude at the shop says "This is a really good guitar!" My bf has played for 42yrs and says it's as good as his Fender.
I, at one time mentioned my belief to a friend (in the industry) that the only "good" guitars were the big names (Gibson, Fender etc.) He told me that was wrong and that everyone is building better guitars these days because of the advancements in building technology. He basically said that if a company consistently builds crap, they will go out of business. I am, more and more, finding that this is true. My philosophy is that when I find a guitar that I like I don't worry about the name brand..... I just get it then take it to my "guitar repair guy" and just let him transform the "cheap" guitar into a magical instrument. Anyway, thanks for your vids! I always look forward to seeing your next post! Peace my friend!
You do an amazing job. And amazing how some of the cheap guitars look and sound great. I'm interested in the flame shaped electric guitar from wish for the visual aspect of it. Just wondering of this guitar has crossed your path? 🙂
I just found this channel and love how we are seeing how well put together and playable "no name" guitars are today. This is a tremendous help in getting people to make much better choices and to give the BIG guitar names a run for their money. When you have a knowledgeable guy like Darrell showing you the reality here (of super sound and playability with good aesthetics) its really really hard to go for that expensive big name on the headstock rather than these excellent budget guitars. Cheers Darrell.
Edd. I own an original double cut P90 they made when they first came out. They are amazing plays great sounds great. Ive watched many many demos of firefly and every one is comparing them to a 4 to 6 hundred dollar epiphone to me thats incredible for 200.
For a real shocker, leave all knobs on the guitar on 10 and turn the treble down on the amp to about 1 and a half, and get surprised in the neck position to hear one of the best jazz tones out there. When I first got my HB Cobra Burst I was a bit disappointed in how trebly the pickups where. I wanted to swap them out, and then I discovered the settings I just mentioned and discovered I finally found the incredible jazz tone I have been looking for. In the same guitar in the Spalted Maple the pickups are a lot deeper, and much different.
$200 is incomprehensibly low. How cheap do the materials have to be, and how little do the people who built it need to be paid, for Firefly to make even a tiny profit? Or is this just a loss leader for PR purposes?
. Reviewers like Darrell need to think about why this and some other China-made guitars with decent appointments are so inexpensive, instead they express being surprised and impressed when a guitar like this can be sold for $200. Not everything coming out of China is poorly sourced and/or made with slave wages but a lot is and I fear as consumers we hide our purchase justifications of impossibly low cost guitars behind price alone & reviews like this
I have 2 gibsons and even the epiphones don't compare. Maybe its my imagination but I sound better on my les paul than other guitars... thats inspiring. Inspiration is huge too. Most of us average or in my case below average plinkers, having a nice instrument in your hands makes you want to play and handle it. Sometimes I pick it up and play it just because its a gibson les paul... its gratifying.
1958...Gibson launches Les Paul bursts....at 365 (or so) Dollars......fast forward to 2021....Firefly sells "beatyful" looking "LP" style guitars at almost half that price..... nobody could have imagined that 60 years ago....
VIDEO SECTIONS:
1: Unboxing!
2. First Impressions - 2:08
3. What are the specs? - 3:07
4. What does a $200 LP sound like? - 5:35
5. What about the construction? - 9:04
6. Final Thoughts - 12:51
HUGE thank you to the subscriber who sent this to me to demo!
Thanks for the time stamps, and I appreciate each of your uploads.
SOLI DEO GLORIA!
Awesome review
OMG I can't find it!
Thanks Darrell! What a value.
They don't make a lefty. Like so many brands and models
Man, the fact that companies can put out guitars like this for less than $300 makes me question how Gibson is still in business
It's in the brand name and the fact that they are made in the USA. Also, these guitars are nowhere as close to a Gibson
@@aayushkhare656 absolutely, but you could spend about $200 on upgrades and get something pretty close
@@aayushkhare656 gibson have arent rlly good for what ur spending tho, u can get like a 700$ guitar that is better or the same at this point
@@aspicio thats true. But the rest of the money's going into the brand name, isn't it?
@@brendenkucken9117 probably
after a lifetime of lusting after expensive guitars, I'm now genuinely more interested in how good cheapos can be
I'd say go more for quality vs price. You will be far happier.
I think this is what growing as a person looks like, either that or you just got bored of the same old stuff.
I've got 4 Harley Bentons, and they are all really good.
@@austinpowers8089
Shagadelic baby...yeah!!!
So long as you are happy with your guitars thats all that matters. I keep getting Squires and honestly I am quite happy with them overall. They make great mod platforms. I'm not saying that my Squires are better than a American made Fender but once I have them dialed in I usually will prefer that over most stock Fender models.
@@gringogreen4719 haha, I didn't fill a name in when I made the account, so Google just called me this :)
I love my HB's.
A lot of guitar for the money.
They're cheap because the makers sell them direct to the public, and cut out a huge part of the supply chain, and yes, they also make a good modding platform :)
As long as the guitar sounds good, looks good, feels good and plays good, that's all that really matters! I've played some very expensive, name brand guitars that didn't even come close to meeting all these criteria! This is one hell of a bargain!
I thought it was a LTD Eclipse EC-256
There's to much snobbery amongst some guitar players.....e.g. Unless it costs a lot of money and has a well known (preferably American) brand name, it's not worth buying.
I agree.
Because Gibson is the standard. Eventually, when someone has the $$, they buy the real deal.
I just ordered this firefly for my son. It’s a ridiculous value! $29 shipping $0 tax
@@stevesmith1493and what u think about guitar? !
It's amazing how the affordable guitars today are made now. If I was a kid starting out today I'd be in Awe. Especially with all the great TH-cam videos to help you learn. I'd probably be a much better player if I started all over again.
I love how this guy jumps right to the case, not wasting time with unimportant stuff.
Full specs:
FFLP
• Solid mahogany body with carved cap and single-ply binding on Classics, 7-ply on some Elites. Variable weight relief.
• Quality enclosed die-cast tuning machines - the FFLP should have Jin-Ho tuners.
• Set mahogany neck, scarf joint and rosewood fretboard (some "rosewood" fretboards were substituted with richlite during the CITES embargo)
• Most have a 43 mm bone nut
• Most Classics have a 14-degree headstock angle. Some Elites have a 17-degree headstock angle
• Some Classics have a single ply bound neck and headstock, some Elites have multi-ply binding on the headstock
• 24.75" scale
• 12" fretboard radius
• Most have a 60s style neck profile. Some Blue Metallic top guitars have more of a 50s style neck.
• Tune-o-Matic style bridge with retainer spring and fixed stop tail
• 2 humbucking pickups (some Elites have 3 pickups), ceramic magnets
• 2 Volume knobs, 2 Tone knobs, (3 pickup Elites may be 3V 1T), 3-way switch . Full size pots, Orange Drop - type caps.
• 17 ½” body length, 2” body thickness at edge, 9 ½” upper bout, 7 ½” waist, 13“ lower bout, 39 ½” overall length.
• Belly carve and access cut at the heel on blue metallic top only.
I'm really impressed over all a nice guitar for $200.
Your honesty about the guitar’s condition is very appreciated. You let us know what defects it truly has without trying to sell us a POS or less than quality. My dream guitar is a Misha Mansoor Jackson pro blue/white burst for $1000 but I’ve been settling on these $200-$300 guitars. Maybe one day I’ll take that step up.
Just amazing how such a beautiful looking guitar can also sound so good at that price.
Those tones from the neck pickup were an absolute dream. Wow!
You know it's a good day when Darrell posts a video
Eyyyup!
Agreed. Definitely brightens my day.
Darrell Braun I'm actually excited to say thanks to some of your lessons (and lessons from other youtubers), I started doing set ups and work on guitars for friends and other musicians. Still learning so much.
Thing is, compared to cheap guitars from the 80s, this seems pretty amazing in terms of sound. I know the finish isn't all that, but as a teen all you'd really want is to sound amazing and this seems such good value for money. You also wouldn't worry playing gigs with this either!
I’ve never seen you show us what amp you’re testing these guitars through. Makes a big difference to me. To me the amp is atleast 50 percent or more of the guitar sound. The amp is part of the instrument not just something to make it louder.
In the description he mentions which amps he uses
So a super affordable LP type guitar with that kind of finish? looks awesome! Not a bad sound for the money either.
Firefly guitars always seem to get great ratings. Would love to see a back to back blind sound test with a Gibson Les Paul. Would also love to see you demo a Wolf guitar.
IYV, EART , AIO are great, Donner is OK.
I have a wolf, there awesome. I put Duncan's in mine. An even more amazing guitar now.
The sound isn't quite as rich as the cheapest Gibson but if this guitar was twice it's price it would still be pretty good value sound wise.
@@schrodingerscat1863 you can tell that by listening through your phone?😂
@@flintdavis2 Listening through a pair of Sony WH-1000XM4s so not quite as bad as a phone but I know what you mean. Talking about a comparative sound. Listening in person is always going to be a tad more mellow with slightly richer tone.
I bought four Firefly's (two LP's one 335 and one SG less than $800.00) and am very happy with them and amazed at the quality, look and playability. WOW. Peace.
I just got the MG3 version with 3 pickups in Grey burst and absolutely love it. Great out of the box. I still tweeked a little for my preferences, but very impressed, and I will buy another style from Firefly soon.
Note the brand name, money-no-odds snobs on here. I got rid of my Epi Les Paul (uncomfortable neck) and MiM Strat (I only play at home so wasted on me).
Replaced with HB SG type DC400 and HB ST-62SB Strat, both a pleasure to play at much less cost & I've been playing over 50 year. I also have a Squier Affinity Tele which I'm happy with.
It sure is a great time to be a cheap guitar player. So many good choices these days, not like the '70s
Yup. No more busted up Teisco guitars that are vaguely in a strat shape with 10 inch bridge action.
@@NitronicZombie my first Teisco Tulip guitar back in 1974 had a bridge made out of a metal spoon handle! Modern manufacturing has brought us into a great age of affordable guitars that are actually playable.
Ahahaha so true. When we all started so many decades ago my buddy started on a Domino 3 man model. 3 man because you needed 1 guy to make the chord, another to strum and one to force the action down from its resting 6inch height!
@@rf396 funny and true!
@@hkguitar1984 New players today have no idea of the unplayable junk we started with. My first full size kit was made by Ralston which later morphed into Tama. They didnt get much better with the name change, but instead of Poplar, maple or birch wood, mine was constructed, I believe from BALSA wood. The shells wouldn't resonate to the next room and if you attempted to tension the Bass Drum skin, the lugs would start to RIP through the shell. Cymbals that sounded like trash can lids rounded out the entire pile of garbage quite aptly
That binding is so damn pretty. And the gold hardware is a perfect accent for a black bound guitar
I bought my Firefly FFLP about 3 months ago. I got the gold top version and it looks fantastic. However, there were some quality issues. On mine, the tuners were terrible and I had a tough time getting the guitar to stay in tune. So I replaced them with some basic grovers and that problem was solved. Next was the bridge saddle. The strings guides on the saddle were cut very deep and the strings actually got stuck in them. Again, a simple replacement with a gotoh saddle and that solved that issue. The last issue was the bridge pick up. For some reason, the bridge pickup had a significant volume decrease from the neck pick up (yes, I did check the volume setting). After checking it out, I could not figure out why this was occurring. So I replaced them with some golden age vintage zebras and it works great. Other than that, I am very pleased with the guitar. I did not have the excess nut glue issue that you had, the neck is in great shape and I think the fret work was done very well. The binding looks great and I have zero finish flaws on mine. So with $200 (including shipping) for the guitar and about $160 in upgrades, I now have an LP style guitar that looks great, feels great, and I enjoy playing! Thanks for your videos.
I really appreciate comments like this. A honest review with what went wrong for u and how you fixed it 10/10🤧
I own a 1978 Les Paul Standard in cherry sunburst and a 2019 Firefly FFLP Elite in lizard burst. The Firefly feels and plays as good as the Gibson. The Gibson humbuckers have better overall tone, but the Firefly comes close. The build quality on the Gibson is flawless, while there are minor imperfections in the Firefly, noticeable only on close inspection. I do not have the excess glue problem at the nut that Darrell has. The finish on the Gibson is high quality nitrocellulose that, aside from minor dings, looks as good as when I bought it 40+ years ago. The firefly finish is amazing and it is the first guitar that I have purchased for appearance over tone, having never seen anything like this lizard burst.
I bought the Firefly as a project guitar with the intent of upgrading it with Whole Lotta Humbuckers, CTS push-pull pots, Sprague orange drops and Switchcraft toggle and jack in a Jimmy Page wiring scheme. I wanted to keep my Gibson stock. I will eventually do the work, but it has been nearly a year since I bought the Firefly and upgrade parts. The JP wiring will be time consuming as I will be hand wiring it myself with splits, series/parallel and phase in/out. Still, I enjoy playing the Firefly as is.
The Firefly FFLP Elites are hard to find. I do not own a regular FFLP, so I cannot compare the two. I purchased mine NWT on eBay and paid about $50 over retail. This gave me the ability to choose a great finish and the opportunity to look at close up pics of the guitar before I purchased it. Well worth every cent as there were no surprises upon unboxing.
As a 70 year old I find it amazing how we can buy decent guitars that look good and play well for a small sum. In my day a cheap LP style guitar was much dearer in real terms. The first decent one was an Ibanez Les Paul that cost more that 1000 in today's money and I then put on better tuners and Gibson humbuckers to make it decent.
for the price the minor faults could easily be rectified! i can imagine a young kid would love this as a first guitar ,and if they love it they will more tempted to pick it up and learn to play on it.these entry level guitars are getting better and better.
wet wood is not minor..yes he made a vid to make it look good..but pick it up again tomorrow..it wont be intune..it will probably buzz its head off..martin are right..a piece of wood still thinks and behaves like a tree for 15 years
I’ve always said that as long as a guitar looks good, plays well and sounds good, I couldn’t care less what the headstock says. Sometimes it’s nice to have certain brands in your arsenal, but little known brands can do a lot of the same things, and sometimes even better than well-known ones.
Hello, I purchased an Indio strat model. did all the mods as you indicated. it took me a while lol but I just finished today . Plays amazing and it stays in tune. Thanks for your videos. Very professionally presented.
For what it's worth -- on this guitar (identical) which came to me Dec. 2022, I found no visible construction or cosmetic issues at all except for a little bit of a glueline on the tuner side of the nut. Plays great, sounds great, looks great. Recommended!
I've watched so many reviews of Firefly guitars on TH-cam, pretty much all of them have given them a thumbs up too. The one thing all of the reviewers will agree on is the difficulty you're going to have laying your hands on one of the blighters. I get the impression you pretty much have to be checking their website every day until an order arrives, and even then they can all be gone in a matter of hours.
I could never deal with a guitar that heavy but this certainly makes me wish I could.
man 9lbs isn't that heavy hahaha
I have two fireflies, and I’m amazed in the quality for the price
It's easy when you use slave labor.
@@dennisapplegate7553 were all slaves, thier just cheaper.
@@dennisapplegate7553 why and or how are you so sure Firefly uses slave labor?
I think the US made guitars are made by the president himself 🤠
They are amazing looking guitars, but why are they soo cheap?( in price not quality)...
I’ve owned some very expensive guitars over the years, most extremely good but not value for money. More recently I’ve been checking out sub £300 guitars and I’m stunned. The build quality is fantastic. A pro set up (£50) and they compare to guitars costing 3x as much.
Just had my Cobra Burst delivered today. It’s in near flawless condition only one place on the pickup cover had a small ding. Reviewing all of the items that were looked at on this review they are quality. No sharp edges on frets they are smooth and polished well. This really is an amazing value at this price point.
as a person on a very limited income , I have enjoyed all the different inexpensive guitars that have shown here .After i purchase the Glarry Telecaster guitar I now have added this Firefly Les paul copy. it looks and plays better than my Epiphone Les Paul Studio so it now in my wish list. I also checked out the glarry 50 watt tube amp. it is now in my wish list too. thanks for turning me on to your inexpensive guitar and amp tests. you saved me a lot of time contacting the manufacters,to get info on their products.
I love when Darrell Braun proudly announces how he's Canadian, making all of us Canadians stand and cheer. The bad news? No guitar this amazing of a deal is ever easy to get into Canada. Or with some guitars I've seen here, it's not even possible. Why do you tease us Canadians so, Darrell? ;)
Great point, dude
@@JPMarques Maybe we've stumbled on to an idea for a future DBG video. "How to purchase a hard-to-get guitar model in Canada."
What? He's Canadian? That simply won't do. Unsubbed........I'm kidding. It's a joke. No need to destroy the inside of your pants with bodily fluids now.
Try an Eart, Donner or Indio. I have all guitars from all three brands, have worked tirelessly setting them all up, and 'skeleton-wise' these guitars are actually quality at the core. Pickups and tuners are actually much better than anything similarly priced from Epiphone or Ibanez GIO, and I love those brands too, but they are getting destroyed by Chinese made, CNC'd guitars.
I'm in Canada too, so I know theyre super cheap and easy to get into Canada. Prices are going up these days, though. Act fast if you're looking at anything! Eart explorers have gone up $50 on Amazon in the last 6 months, for example.
Darrell has become a guy i lookout for when i want to see a demo on certain brand that no one else seems to do.
It's an hell of budget guitar! Beautiful, sounds good, with some little upgrades could be a must have, of course it's in fingers that flow the music, and your playing is flawless as always. Greetz from Italy! 🇮🇹
I purchased an artist cimmeron for 199.00 Inc a hardcase. Plays unbelievable sounds unbelievable. Heavy as hell at 9lb 13oz. Tell you in ten years if it’s ok. It’s a keeper.
Have to say the tone from that guitar is very nice and for $200 absolutely outstanding. Anyone just starting out playing this is all the guitar they are going to need for years. While the cosmetic imperfections are noticeable you kind of have to look for them. I think after sorting out the glue around the nut it would be liveable with. Still can't believe it's only $200 for an instrument that plays that well out of the box.
Out jumps Mark with the war cry, “play authentic” and smashes that LP inspired guitar on the ground
😂😂😂
Puts tape over the headstock logo and laughs.😂😂😂
Play authentic for 200 bucks ?
If playing authentic means slave labour and endangered tree deforestation threatening and bully rivals then i think I'll stick to budget brands.
Llleeeeerrrooooyyyyy Ggggggggiiiibbbbssssuuuhhhhnnnnnn!
For a beginner that'd be great for basic and advanced learning. Sharing one at a live jam for some to play would be awesome as well. I'm sure they'd be joyed to play this guitar!
After watching this great video, I bought the FFLP this past week in a burst color that I can only describe as a "caramel burst". The maple top was book matched and had a very good flame to it. The binding was excellent. The inlays were set neatly and there were no rough fret edges down the side of the neck binding. The pickups are much better than I expected, especially since my Gibson LP's have either vintage PAF's, P90's or Seymour Duncan pickups of various varieties. It was setup very nicely from the factory in terms of the action. No fret buzz, especially above the 12th fret when bending up the G, B or E strings. The neck is straight and free of bows. The frets are nicely set and properly finished. But, like any new guitar, it needs a proper intonation, which isn't to say that the intonation was out or terrible. But, it does need a tweak or two.
The only criticisms I can come up with is when the selector switch is in the center position and one of the pickup volumes is turned all the way off, the remaining pickup still produces a signal unlike the LP that shuts off all signal from both pickups in the center position when either volume knob is turned all the way down. At first, I thought it may be some version of a coil split, which would've been very cool. But, it wasn't. The other criticism is you really need to have a light touch or else your fingers can easily pull the strings out of tune. So, there was a bit of getting used to going on there. I like to play 10's (10 to 48 gauge) and I think the strings on this guitar are light 10's (10 to 42) which probably represents the bulk of that problem. I'll know more when I change out the strings.
Other than that, the craftsmanship, tone, playability, appearance and features are exceptional. I've owned and played guitars that easily cost 5 to 10 times as much that don't play, look or were built as well as this guitar. I think I'm going to buy another, maybe the Explorer version or semi hollow body? Who knows? For around $200 s'moleons, you can't go wrong.
If you're looking for a knock-around guitar or if you're just learning or looking to buy a good quality and affordable guitar for your kid who's just starting, this is the brand to look at.
I just received my FFLPS I played a Gibson Les Paul in 78/79 but sadly sold it . I haven't played in roughly 30 years and wanted to pick it back up without spending a lot of money. I started with epiphone then went solo kit then I saw tou review on Firefly I'm impressed so far. Thank you for your reviews. Darryl
Same here except mine was a 62 strat re-issue I bought in 1986....I was 20 years old....I haven't played in about 30 years either 😢
If I had youtube back then I'd never quit playing.
I also had a 77 telecaster I bought from a coworker for 300 bucks including a 1970 twin reverb. I hate myself for selling it all but I struggled to learn songs by slowing albums down.
If youtube existed back then I wouldn't have quit. It's so easy now with youtube backing tracks, Guitar Pro. TABS everywhere etc.
My 1st guitar was a LP import which was ok but nothing like these new cheap copies quality.
Sorry for the long rant😂
Great sounding guitar Darrell. I bought a second house in Florida & needed an axe there but wasn’t shipping any of my others from Chicago. Ordered a Kramer Focus VII. Paid $130. Yes $130. Can’t believe how good this guitar is. Sounds as good as my Fender super strat. Came set up, no paint issues, gorgeous maple fingerboard, comfy neck & trem works well. And a HSS setup, so many sounds. Should get one for the channel if you can get one. They sell quickly.
Hey Darrell 👋
Always love when I see you post a video! You are always a blessing to watch.
Soli Deo Gloria brother!
if slight cosmetics is the biggest issue.. for 200$.. think relic.. for free!!! 😄
Lol never thought of that
Ahahaha awesome comment
Glad to see genuinely good guitars at a realistically affordable price -- unlike the big-name guys. Sure, in many cases the neck and frets can use a little simple TLC; but the same might be true of a Fender or Gibson as well. I just wish such things could be made in America.
Thanks for watching and commenting ,❤️ you have been randomly selected from comments as winner for today giveaway
Send a direct message to claim your price 👇👇👇
@Official_Darrellbraunguitar
I just opened a Firefly FFLPS from my son and wife for Christmas. Other than my fingers turning back from playing it (I'm guessing fret polishing compound) this is an amazing instrument based on my limited knowledge. I'm never going to own a true Les Paul, so this is one of the most amazing gifts I've ever received. Frets are amazing to me, action was just about dead-on, and maybe a couple blemishes on the body that anybody would really have to look hard to spot. After opening this up, the Positive Grid Spark has been ordered (I'm playing for me, no aspirations of gigging anywhere) and I can't wait to have fun with this.
I have an IYV lps in green.i really dont know how they do it.color,grain,finish is way beyond the price point.came setup and plays magnificently.pickups arent crappy either..great time to be buying cheap,solidly crafted instruments.mods are always a bonus to perform as well.
Darrell, thanks again for another great review! My first Firefly was purchased eye's wide open, a 335 look alike. It had some needs, like a nut, action lowering and 3 frets lowered ànd th tuners replaced. It is now virtually nearly as nice to play as my GRETCH COUNTRY GENTLEMAN. After 44 years of hard work the Country Gentleman needed a fret job and a complete rewiring job. I needed the Firefly to fill in for it for 6 months... just a perfect fit. I practice on the Firefly almost daily. The bone nut I had installed was the one thing I see this guitar comes with.. I might have to buy this Les Paul. I sweat tho.. will they ALL come out of the box like this one?
Ouch. When I think of all the money I've wasted on a Gibson... Nah, it's great. But this is an AMAZING guitar for the price! Thanks for sharing.
Honestly, firefly is great. I've owned one of their lp's for about a year and it still sounds great with no complaints. However they are almost never in stock so good luck trying to buy one. They've been out of stock of all guitars for about 3 months so far.
Today they have three pages of LP models listed as in stock.
I bought a black one, partly on your review. It is amazing for the price. Only one real issue, missing the bridge selector knob. I have a strat and a Taylor acoustic. For the money this thing rocks!
TBF if i was a young pup planning on being Slash or insert guitar hero and someone bought me this for xmas, I would be over the moon...
The fact they can produce this quality build for the money, would suggest that the big brands, need to start rethinking their approach, when it comes to price.
You always showcase the best cheap guitars! Kudos as always!
Thanks so much RC! 😊
@@DarrellBraunGuitar Cheers!
Best guitar around for the price ! Great video ! Enjoyed it !
I just bought one last month and I love it!.
These guitars are really good modding platforms. A bit of cleaning up to do, change tuners and put in pickups you like and you're getting a good guitar for very cheap.
Darren, now that's one really good looking guitar. The price is under a Epiphone and the head stock is more Les Paul looking than the Epi, meaning less teeth grinding when you admire it on your guitar stand...
If I closed my eyes and heard this guitar without seeing it, I would have sworn that it was pricey.
He got a nice amp tho
Damn, What a Great sounding, Playable, and looking Guitar for $ 200 Bucks, you can;t go wrong here,, I don;t know how they can build a Guitar for this price, Rock On, Cousin Figel
That thumbnail was so tempting so here I am
Welcome here! 😁
Wait am I dreaming....or did you just reply to MY comment!?
I bought a Epiphone lo100 years ago that cost me 250 and it was a cheap version of a lp. Flat top no carving no binding simple walnut wood. But it was nice heavy awesome sounding guitar. The neck wasn't too beefy and it has simple dot inlaid fret markers but was a solid nice guitar. I got the heritage cherry burst paint and the wood underneath had fine flaming going on.i took out the simple stock humbckers put on some zack wylde emg's and the sound was amazing. It held notes for days. I still have that guitar. I've had it since like 2007
I noticed that it has a set neck.
That's a bonus too.
As a guitar designer and builder that has been to many of the factories in China, I feel for those poor workers that are turning these out.
Guarantee you if this guitar retails for $200 USD the work conditions are awful.
I'd like to hear more details. Can you tell me about the Yako/Zhangzhou Fender Squier factory or Qingdao Epiphone factory conditions? I'll listen to any part of it, as it is and also as compared to other of the many factories you have visited. Also, even on models marketed as AMERICAN one finds Canadian Maple and Indian/Brazilan Rosewood, Ebony, Mahogany etc NOT from the US.... and even things like Canadian Maple shipped TO China, to then return as finished product for many branded guitars. How does all that shipping overhead to a China factory and back then translate to price, and employee conditions and compromises to make it so? Any info on factory/employee conditions when comparing where the China EC256 is made, vs where the S.K/Indonesia EC1000 is made? How to reconcile the fact that it's still the parent company's employees regardless of what landmass their factory is on?
How might you yourself design and craft with a workaround regarding any single guitar component's point of origin and related worker conditions? Any insight from your experience is appreciated, thank you!
@@arlizan6473 I used to work for ESP Guitars in North Hollywood but while I was there I was in a different capacity and never visited those factories.
Regarding Yako, I’ve been to that factory multiple times.
They have excellent working conditions and very little employee turnover.
Some of the floor managers have even been there for 25 years plus.
This makes for a more consistent product as well as happier employees.
The equipment is state of the art and it’s a clean well run facility.
Regarding the transfer of wood stock from country to country, I can’t tell you much details about that.
Suppliers often change to these factories based on quality and availability.
Even hardware, bridges, pickups, pots, switches etc can vary year in/out based on how well the suppliers are doing.
Hope this helps.
If you dont buy those Guitars it wont make any difference except those poor people wouldnt have any job. ALL factories over there are sweatshops. I would rather see them have a job than starve.
@@robertleath9913 no, all the factories over there are not “sweatshops”.
Have you been?
Some are good and some are not.
boo whocares
Great channel, great reviews. Appreciate all the work you put into these videos!
Best thing about these that nobody seems to mention is you don't have to worry if it gets stolen or damaged like a 5K+ guitar
I have two FFLP'S (Transparent Orange and Sunburst). Let's give a realistic review.
Stock tuning machines, nut, pots, pups, jack, and bridge are pretty much junk on these. Frets are nicely polished (which is refreshing), but there were several high spots on mine, and there was some buzz. The bright spot is that it's a $200 guitar, so, you can build it for fairly cheap into a guitar that can realistically compete with Gibson, Fender, Kiesel, PRS, et al, soundwise.
I made the following mods:
1. Tone Ninja locking tuners
2. TUSQ nut
3. Fret level / polish
4. Seymour Duncan SH-5 Custom (neck)
5. Seymour Duncan SH-1n '59 (neck)
6. CTS 500k pots
7. Tune-O-Matic roller bridge
8. Pure Tone full contact jack
9. Lowered action to suit my preference
In its current state, I'd put it up for playability and tone against all but the most elite Gibsons and Fenders. For only $500 total, it sounds and plays like a dream.
Guitar = $200
Parts = $325
I got a similar guitar some years ago. It was beautiful to look at, fit and finish were good, great fretboard.... but it just never sounded great. Eventually ditched in favor of an Ibanez Artist double-cut solidbody that sounds exactly like Billy Gibbons’ LP.
I put some emgs in mine and now I play it over my fender most days. Not much gain with the stock pickups. But spend $150 on some new pickups and now it plays like a $1000 guitar
Yeah, these might be in stock sometime this year for a few days.
They were in stock this last time for almost 6 weeks up to around 5 days ago. It was about the same with the time before that. If you want one you have to check during the daytime because they remove all the links at night. I’m not joking. People think they almost never have any because of this. They usually restock in 3-6 weeks, but if you really want one (trust me, you do - my last 4 out of over 40+ guitars have been Firefly) you need to check once or twice a day, during the day.
@@jamesthe-doctor8981 That's good to know....I always check later on the evening and never see anything for sale.....this would explain why
@@jamesthe-doctor8981 That's bizarre, why do they do that?
@@BrandonOutside short answer: they want to keep prices low and only have so much time to devote to that.
TL:DR Answer: I can only make an informed guess, which would be: I’ve been told Guitars Garden is only two guys in Los Angeles who want to keep their prices as low as possible for as long as they can, so they aren’t ready to scale it up yet. To do that they’d most likely have to hire an accountant first to keep accurate sales numbers, sales tax and employee’s income taxes, somebody to keep inventory, order, track, and receive stock, shipping, and so on and on. Guessing again that they do it all themselves now, sacrificing profit margin in exchange for the number of guitars sold. In short, they’ll sell more guitars at the current very low price point, and a lot fewer if the prices make the huge jump if they scaled up. However, they must know that the market will bear a price jump because eBay scalpers re-sell them for up to twice their price and more. Guitars Garden must know it’s going on because they also sell them on eBay, but at their regular price. So, yeah, just some guesses but I think I’m right.
@@jamesthe-doctor8981 Yes, exactly this. Mine came in last week and I'm loving it.
These would be a great deal if they were ever in stock
They are never in stock. I watch for them over three times a day in the past year. Somebody must message people when they do become available, not fair,but thems the deal!
@@psongman9536 you gotta check for them on amazon as well
You need to join the "Firefly Guitar Fans" group on FB if you want to get one. The owners keep that group in the loop on when releases will occur. They usually sell out in less than a week once they drop. Also, for some reason they take the guitars down off the website in the evenings and then put them back online in the mornings. They only keep them posted during business hours. It's weird, I know.
@@theworldhadteeth Thanks for the headsup, mucho appreciated!
they are in stock right now
You touched the gold finish on the metal parts and it didn't wipe right off on contact so I immediately know it's better than my Peavey JF-1 with "gold washed" hardware that DID lose the gold on first contact.
Yes, for some odd reason it can be rather difficult and frustrating getting certain guitars into Canada. I remember I had a hard time finding a company that would ship an Ibanez AS73L to Canada. I think the website of Sam Ash was able to. I then purchased my Fender acoustic locally. After that I brought a Gibson SG, but had it shipped to a US address and I drove down to pick it up. Oh well. It is what it is. Also, I should add that I am left-handed so my first challenge was finding left handed models. :/
I wish you were my dad. But that would be a little odd considering I'm 54yrs. old. lol
I'd send you my Dillion LP copy for review, but I'd want it back. (unless you liked it so much that you'd buy it.) 😀
That's how I feel about my Route 101 Solimar.
I have a hollow body Firefly and I enjoy playing it as much as my PRS 30th Anniversary model. For the price amazing guitars. If I had the $200 I'd be buying this one too!
Holy crap!!! That finish is gorgeous. It actually looks better than the new Gibsons over the past several years.
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@Official_Darrellbraunguitar
@Chris Putt I believe the only copyright infringement that Gibson could action would be the “open-book” headstock design. Do these guitars hurt Gibson? probably not much - they’d only be concerned if people were plunking down close to the original price for a counterfeit.. that good examples of these guitars play well and sound good is a testament to Gibson’s enduring design
So I am a 50ish beginner to guitar, I saw your video today and decided to give one a shot. Excited for it to arrive. Thanks for the budget reviews.
Give an update when you can.
Apparently NONE of the off brand guitars he reviews are actually available for sale
Yeah I've found that too.
I think they’re all sponsored also. It’s becoming like a commercial every video
Last time I was this early ibanez were still making les paul copies
Luv their RG L.P., it's a JEM.
I had an ART 120, it was great !
I'm going to send Darrell a rubber band..... Bet he gets fantastic tones from that!
I've just noticed, that the Neck pickup is on a slant like my Tenson LP-Style guitar. I don't know if thaat's just a manufacturing error, but when I took it to a luthier to be set up, he propped up the front of the neck pickup with some foam to get a better sound.
I just ordered the Tele semi hollow humbucker model for Father's Day, can't wait!
i’ve constantly been checking firefly, i saw this video and thought they might’ve been back in stock, nope!
When you see videos it generally means it's too late. First time I get on their website there was stock but since I don't know if they ship in Europe I didn't buy it
-I can't even find them online at all. I keep getting all this other crap instead.
They restock every few months... they also usually take them down at night for folks in the US so gotta check during daylight hrs..
@@Jay-wk9xj Agree, and check often. Don't give up hope, they are on and off, you'll find them if you're persistent. One more thing is that they only take a couple of weeks to be delivered after purchase, unless things have changed in the recent past.
@@ZitherBeast First, my qualifications to write about this subject: I own four Firefly guitars. That should be enough LoL.😂 So...first of all, they are sold from the Guitars Garden website. Google it and you will find it. They just sold out the most recent lot about 4 days ago and didn’t sell completely out for at least 5 or 6 weeks. The next lot should be up in a few weeks, but you still need to check at least once a day if you want one...and the key word is “day.” Like @J. R. mentioned above they do remove the links at night, then restore them in the morning. I’ve found it best to check between 10am and Noon every day. One variable is that they usually restock the Les Pauls until they sell out, then they restock with the 338s, which are every bit as amazing as the LPs. I think they’re all $185, except for maybe the spalted maple finish which is a little more. I got *SUPER* lucky with a top that’s not only spalted, but flame, too. I’d say about A- or AA-a grade flame. The action and intonation on all four is nothing short of phenomenal. They were all absolutely worth the wait. Good luck!
With all the upgrade electronics and hardware available today, why would anyone in their right mind pay $2500 for a decal on the headstock?
One word. .. Resale.
Many are to dumb to add upgrades, or to rich and don't want to learn n just pay people to do it for them, my Gibson 70's sg pro 2 cost me 100.00 bare bones needing a truss rod, fixed it up myself, people pay 1k for an I phone that's out dated in a yr also, which i don't understand
Resale is the key... Nice guitar no doubt; nice binding. Gotta be Fender or Gibson for me though.
Could you do a review on the WLP 750T? Maybe?
I purchased a very inexpensive guitar for playing at the beach, park, whatever. The Leo Jaymz Vintage Telecaster. Exact (really) copy of a '52 Fender. Right down to the brass compensation saddles. $169. 🤯 Had it set up. Dude at the shop says "This is a really good guitar!" My bf has played for 42yrs and says it's as good as his Fender.
I, at one time mentioned my belief to a friend (in the industry) that the only "good" guitars were the big names (Gibson, Fender etc.) He told me that was wrong and that everyone is building better guitars these days because of the advancements in building technology. He basically said that if a company consistently builds crap, they will go out of business. I am, more and more, finding that this is true. My philosophy is that when I find a guitar that I like I don't worry about the name brand..... I just get it then take it to my "guitar repair guy" and just let him transform the "cheap" guitar into a magical instrument.
Anyway, thanks for your vids! I always look forward to seeing your next post!
Peace my friend!
You and Tyler Larson should stream a jam session and just talk axes and amps!
I agree 10000000000%
I am in.
Larson is a condescending little twit. He is pretty good on the guitar though.
@@Krullmatic how so? I've never heard anything bad about him so I'm interested to hear.
You make $200 guitar sounds so good
You do an amazing job. And amazing how some of the cheap guitars look and sound great. I'm interested in the flame shaped electric guitar from wish for the visual aspect of it. Just wondering of this guitar has crossed your path? 🙂
I just found this channel and love how we are seeing how well put together and playable "no name" guitars are today. This is a tremendous help in getting people to make much better choices and to give the BIG guitar names a run for their money. When you have a knowledgeable guy like Darrell showing you the reality here (of super sound and playability with good aesthetics) its really really hard to go for that expensive big name on the headstock rather than these excellent budget guitars.
Cheers Darrell.
Edd. I own an original double cut P90 they made when they first came out. They are amazing plays great sounds great. Ive watched many many demos of firefly and every one is comparing them to a 4 to 6 hundred dollar epiphone to me thats incredible for 200.
For a real shocker, leave all knobs on the guitar on 10 and turn the treble down on the amp to about 1 and a half, and get surprised in the neck position to hear one of the best jazz tones out there. When I first got my HB Cobra Burst I was a bit disappointed in how trebly the pickups where. I wanted to swap them out, and then I discovered the settings I just mentioned and discovered I finally found the incredible jazz tone I have been looking for. In the same guitar in the Spalted Maple the pickups are a lot deeper, and much different.
1:14 The return of the king
$200 is incomprehensibly low. How cheap do the materials have to be, and how little do the people who built it need to be paid, for Firefly to make even a tiny profit? Or is this just a loss leader for PR purposes?
. Reviewers like Darrell need to think about why this and some other China-made guitars with decent appointments are so inexpensive, instead they express being surprised and impressed when a guitar like this can be sold for $200. Not everything coming out of China is poorly sourced and/or made with slave wages but a lot is and I fear as consumers we hide our purchase justifications of impossibly low cost guitars behind price alone & reviews like this
A guitar really doesn't cost that expensive to manufacture.
That is a nice guitar. I'm really surprised it has a bone nut. Great review man.
I have 2 gibsons and even the epiphones don't compare. Maybe its my imagination but I sound better on my les paul than other guitars... thats inspiring. Inspiration is huge too. Most of us average or in my case below average plinkers, having a nice instrument in your hands makes you want to play and handle it. Sometimes I pick it up and play it just because its a gibson les paul... its gratifying.
1958...Gibson launches Les Paul bursts....at 365 (or so) Dollars......fast forward to 2021....Firefly sells "beatyful" looking "LP" style guitars at almost half that price.....
nobody could have imagined that 60 years ago....
Wow! That guitar is both great looking and great sounding. Just amazes me that you can buy that much quality for $200, regardless of where it is made.