Man I'm telling you, manufacturing has gotten better and in my opinion, there's no need to spend thousands on guitars anymore. Unless you're just a collector, it would be silly to buy high in guitars just to say you have them. And let's not forget that EVH played with a extremely budget friendly guitar that became one of the most popular guitars in history.
I bought this guitar last night. Mine is ice blue. Guitar, tiny practice amp, tuner, strap, capo and a few Allen wrenches for $159 usd. Just received the Donner djc-1000s today. The neck is an absolutely beautiful piece of well figured maple. Also on sale for $139 usd
It's nuts what has happened! Noticably over the last 5-10 years. At this point, it's gettin' to be serious competition! Sure the tuners might not be as nice as the big known brands - but those can be replaced for not much $$$! The major name brands are forced into "upping" their game! "The Cat is Outta the Bag" on high quality manufacturing folks! Welcome to 2022!
Another addition to the party, pun intended. I have no need for another budget guitar, but it is nice to see that folks today can get instruments that play well for 200 bucks.
Yeah as a old guy like Steve i grew up when you just could not get a great guitar for under $500! Back then $500 was a LOT OF MONEY! in today's economy that is the same as $1500. All the cheaper guitars were pure junk like my $75 Bradly Les paul copy back in 81. Yeah it got the job done and served me for a few years but when i finally got my Charvel strat in 1982 i was in heaven! That Charvel was $700 and was the best guitar i ever owned. It is a collector item now wish i would have kept it!
Surprisingly that has Korean Made pickups which are much better than the MIC ones. Since it has a Poplar body I am getting one to put a better neck on. I have a really good all maple strat neck to put on that body. It will be a extremely great playing and sounding guitar when i get done with it!
Interesting how you say American English is the 'modern' English. Yeah, your correct. Language is always evolving and morphing and the many Americanisms in English are being adopted just about everywhere apart from the UK.
It is insane the amount of gear Donner Puts out. Some kits they run actually review quite nicely for medium to low end great for recording. I cannot wait to try one of their products. HSS. Nice way to go.
This comes in numerous colours , weve ordered for our son whos in his first year of playing .Hes got a Fender , and hes looking forward to this arriving tomorrow
I opted for the DST-400 like others who've posted here as well (alder vs. poplar and translucent paint). I was really impressed with the finish and feel of the neck & frets - really nice Donner! My only complaint is it could have better shielding because there is some noise when playing with distortion. I'll likely add some metal tape to improve that, so it's not difficult to address.
Yeah i also love that color and am buying one for a strat neck i have laying around. that guitar is Poplar(same as basswood) and the pu's are Korean made so it is worth putting a better neck on it.
@@These_go_to_eleven_1959 I was thinking the same...with a Fender neck. I would be curious to know how that works out...how good the Fender neck matches up fit-wise with the Donner body.
surprised you dont do a quick output reading on the PU's (in general, not for this on particular) , not that I think its a big deal. Hoping you and your family has a great relaxing day tomorrow. Ive chosen to make Chicken Marsala for 13 people, nobody wanted to really cook and seems like turkey isnt what peeps want so i thought, chix and Marsala which is a gravy so It should pair well with everything else.
But Steve! You're sooo damn good at playing, you make any guitar sound amazing! That's an unfair advantage! lol! But hey, this guitar sounds very good, especially considering the price! Wow~!
I hate to say it, because I've said it so many times, but back in ~1970 when I started playing guitar you couldn't buy anything like that for ~$180! Gibson's and Fender's didn't cost near what they do now either, there just wasn't anything like the Donner. With decent low price guitars, and TH-cam instruction, new players have it made now!! LOL 8) JMHO --gary
Looks like a solid budget S style guiar. Nice tone. Good to know the fretwork and setup are decent. I would embrace this more if at some point during livestreams we saw a guitar like this featured instead of those $3000+ freebies that are nice of course but those of us out of pocket on instruments are not taking those to the jam session lol
That guitar is made as well as any Fender in history. Better components maybe. A good guitar is a good guitar. No matter what it says on the headstock. That wasn't a knock on Fender either.
Yes that is how i am seeing this guitar. I have a really nice all maple strat neck laying around and a pre painted body is over $200! So i will buy one of these and use the body and a few other parts. Poplar is the same as basswood basically so that is not a issue.
Im sorry to ask but how did you change the sounds of your guitar in clean tones and pickups through your computer? Is there a software that you used to make it sounds different?
I wish i could get just the guitar! I do not need all that other stuff. I just want the guitar to put a really good strat neck i have laying around. Those pu's are Korean made so they can stay and the body is poplar which is basically the same as Basswood,
I had the same initial thought, but that mini amp has been awesome as a bench amp. I had a Boss Katana Mini before, but this is half the size and doesn't need a power supply. It uses a lithium ion rechargeable battery, so I charged it up and it works perfectly for checking pickup connections, cables, etc. Let's see how long it lasts, but it's easily charged with a USB phone charger.
Its working for me, but I've only been using it for about a week. I'll keep you posted if it suddenly stops. I hope it doesn't, because I like it over the Boss as a bench amp. I'd be bummed to give up the bench space and open plug space on the power strip again.
China has flooded the market with decent cheap guitars so much so that the market may no longer bear the U.S. price point..that's bad news for Gibson and Fender
STEVE! That is a sweet Deal 4 a Great Guitar, Never held a Donar or even seen or heard of them!! Except From U Steve From BOSTON!! TY Brother, Hope U had a Really Good Thanksgiving with Family, Friends & Good food?? Enjoy The Price & Quality, Who knows Steve U might get Donor To Pair With U 4 A Promo To Give 1-2 Away!? 4 Holidays?? Happy Thanksgiving/Holidays 2 U & Your families Steve, Everyone Of My Music-In-Laws and Chat Happy Holidays to All, God Bless Everyone 🤠🦃🎄🎊🎆🤘🫶🙏✌️
they're calling that indian laurel? huh? they must be staining it black then, how's it feel, my fingertips are so freekin picky whats the fingerboard feels like, fobia er some shyt
I cant comment on the fretwork or the initial setup but I thought the pickups sounded extremely unmusical even with plenty of distracting processing. I would not place that guitar in a new students hands purely on that basis because they need something that can make music, not just produce sound. Something he says later in the video is that they're vintage output, but i think its more accurate to say they sound like cheap ceramic and would impede a student from learning the instrument.
Not quite esteban levels of shilling because im sure i could spend an hour with one and get it semi playable but having met a few beginning students who are victims of donner, orangewood, etc. I think its important we clear the air about something. We should point students towards only reputable brands and encourage them to get help from local shops. Hearing a salespitch and ordering online is not the way to take care of beginners. Send them to the local shop with a list of names like yamaha, ibanez, squier, epiphone and encourage them to ask for help getting set up with what they need. Theres no skipping the middleman. The middlemen welcome students into the world of music with the intention of keeping them there, not taking their money and running. Thats because music is a tradition passed on by the community. Its not a video advertisement or an order placed on amazon.
You can only go so far with the cheap guitar thing. Nobody wants to spend inordinate amounts of time and money fiddling with it to keep it playable. I'm not prone to spending less than around 5-6 hundred and expecting it to be something worthy of extensive mods. So thats how I've always approached buyin inexpensive new guitars. If it's not good enough to keep you interested in getting it sorted right away, don't bother. I've got a Sterling in the same exact color, and it's stunning.
If you are a beginner, DON'T get a cheap POS guitar like this. You will become frustrated and give up. You don't need to break the bank, but there are much better guitars out there for around the same price. I got my grandson a Squier Bullet Strat hardtail. Five years ago. And we've had no problems with it. A beginner does not need a tremolo, especially a poorly made one. Don't let the looks fool you. It's easy to make something look good. But a guitar is a precision instrument. I have seen too many of these cheap off brand guitars. They use the worst quality materials. The frets are junk, the tuners are junk, the strings are junk, the neck will be crooked, the electronics will fail, the whammy bar will bend like a wet noodle, the body tends to crack where the neck is attached, pretty much everything that could be wrong will be wrong. There is a reason why they are able to include all that stuff, and even have free shipping for under $200 and still make a good profit.
I get what you're saying, I just sold a Squier Bullet hard tail that I personally set up and I never had any problems. I agree a beginner doesn't even need a tremolo. If I could get this with a hard tail I would. I'm not a beginner, just a guy who wants something cheap for the living room. I'll set it up just like my Squier. If it tunes up nice and I can get it intonated, I'll keep it. It's full thickness and I like that over a bullet or a sonic or the new debut. The frets look better, rolled fretboard, push pull split humbucker. And I've heard the pickups and they sound fine for my purpose. I don't see how a low end Squier is really any better. Worse Imo. But hey, I'll find out Monday. If it's hot garbage I'll send it right back and buy the Squier. Your right though, buying a cheap guitar is very risky. And trusted brand's are almost always better. But for 150 on sale, I'll take a chance.
Man I'm telling you, manufacturing has gotten better and in my opinion, there's no need to spend thousands on guitars anymore. Unless you're just a collector, it would be silly to buy high in guitars just to say you have them. And let's not forget that EVH played with a extremely budget friendly guitar that became one of the most popular guitars in history.
Exactly.
Jeff Healey played a Squier but I think he changed the pickups.
I spent $329.99 + tax on a Schecter Diamond series and I gotta say its an amazing cheaper guitar.
Yep broke ass guitar players rejoice!
...that's most of us
I have a Donner 400st. It's actually really good. "Another day, another Donner." Steve you crack me up!
I bought this guitar last night. Mine is ice blue. Guitar, tiny practice amp, tuner, strap, capo and a few Allen wrenches for $159 usd. Just received the Donner djc-1000s today. The neck is an absolutely beautiful piece of well figured maple. Also on sale for $139 usd
That's a beautiful looking guitar. It seems the quality of lower priced guitars has really improved over the years.
It's nuts what has happened! Noticably over the last 5-10 years. At this point, it's gettin' to be serious competition! Sure the tuners might not be as nice as the big known brands - but those can be replaced for not much $$$! The major name brands are forced into "upping" their game! "The Cat is Outta the Bag" on high quality manufacturing folks! Welcome to 2022!
Yeah Chinese luthiers been at it what, near 50 years now? they getting good at it.
Another addition to the party, pun intended. I have no need for another budget guitar, but it is nice to see that folks today can get instruments that play well for 200 bucks.
Wow. What a treat for any beginner. Excellent first guitar for anyone really.
Looks like a really good deal, esp for a beginner. Great to see Gear prices starting to come down a bit. Thanks for posting!
Yeah as a old guy like Steve i grew up when you just could not get a great guitar for under $500!
Back then $500 was a LOT OF MONEY! in today's economy that is the same as $1500.
All the cheaper guitars were pure junk like my $75 Bradly Les paul copy back in 81.
Yeah it got the job done and served me for a few years but when i finally got my Charvel strat in 1982 i was in heaven! That Charvel was $700 and was the best guitar i ever owned. It is a collector item now wish i would have kept it!
That is a nice looking S type guitar. Love the dark fretboard as well. Good job, Donner 👍🙂
Surprisingly that has Korean Made pickups which are much better than the MIC ones.
Since it has a Poplar body I am getting one to put a better neck on. I have a really good all maple strat neck
to put on that body. It will be a extremely great playing and sounding guitar when i get done with it!
Real Nice for the price, 22 frets,like the silver/platinum color, sounds good.coil tap too--------heck yeah!
Interesting how you say American English is the 'modern' English. Yeah, your correct. Language is always evolving and morphing and the many Americanisms in English are being adopted just about everywhere apart from the UK.
It is insane the amount of gear Donner Puts out. Some kits they run actually review quite nicely for medium to low end great for recording. I cannot wait to try one of their products. HSS. Nice way to go.
Morning Steve. Fredo from Brooklyn NY here. Dig the show rock on bro👍
I always loved the inca silver/pewter colors fender uses.
This comes in numerous colours , weve ordered for our son whos in his first year of playing .Hes got a Fender , and hes looking forward to this arriving tomorrow
Donner has been my favorite affordable brand i bought the Donner dst 152 in black with the maple birds eye neck and i love it
Hell of a guitar at that price point!
That paint... 🤯 Is gorgeous!!
Everything Else seems To be pretty good too.
Donner makes some pretty solid stuff for the price. I’ve had a blast with my Yellow Fall delay from them.
Impressive for a sub $200 guitar! Looks like a steal for an entry guitar. Thanks for posting!
I opted for the DST-400 like others who've posted here as well (alder vs. poplar and translucent paint). I was really impressed with the finish and feel of the neck & frets - really nice Donner! My only complaint is it could have better shielding because there is some noise when playing with distortion. I'll likely add some metal tape to improve that, so it's not difficult to address.
That and the DST 400 are both great guitars 👍🏆
With all these guitar reviewers smiling, Donner must be doing something right.
Damn.. that fretboard looks darkk. Maybe it's just the video I don't know, looks great Steve!
10:38 Kinda had that DLR Skyscraper Perfect Timing tone right there mixed with some Hysteria tone. You make everything sound killer!
Cool guitar! Love the color. Wish I had found this one before my last custom strat project…
Yeah i also love that color and am buying one for a strat neck i have laying around.
that guitar is Poplar(same as basswood) and the pu's are Korean made so it is worth putting a better neck on it.
@@These_go_to_eleven_1959 I was thinking the same...with a Fender neck. I would be curious to know how that works out...how good the Fender neck matches up fit-wise with the Donner body.
@Thesegotoeleven1968 ?!? Poplar and Basswood are entirely different species.
Sounds incredible for that price.
This would make a great Christmas gift for the beginning guitar player
. Everything you need in one package. Great deal Donner guitars ✌️🤟🤘👍🤓🎶🎵🤯🎸🎸🎸
wow this looks insanely nice for the low cost
surprised you dont do a quick output reading on the PU's (in general, not for this on particular) , not that I think its a big deal. Hoping you and your family has a great relaxing day tomorrow. Ive chosen to make Chicken Marsala for 13 people, nobody wanted to really cook and seems like turkey isnt what peeps want so i thought, chix and Marsala which is a gravy so It should pair well with everything else.
9
I don’t know. I got one of these Donners recently and while it plays ok it somehow doesn’t feel too fun.
Steve, you could make a Mott's 5 and 10 plastic guitar sound good
This guitar is 250$ in my country
U shoulda demo-ed the amp too. Looks like the Blackstar Mini.
But Steve! You're sooo damn good at playing, you make any guitar sound amazing! That's an unfair advantage! lol! But hey, this guitar sounds very good, especially considering the price! Wow~!
Any review of the Dasher and Blitzen coming :D
Steve - Whats the best sub $200 Strat you have found so far?
Great video Steve.
Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy watching the Patriots😃👍🏉
Steve, nice review, as always! Question for you: what amp sim/software/interface are you using?
I saw a Sawtooth guitar with Original German made Floyd Rose like for $500 this week in their webpage. Seems good deal
Yeah, these Donner's are decent guitars!
Bought my Kramer Baretta after watching you , absolutely amazing quality and playability for the money , please don't do this to me again!!!!!
I hate to say it, because I've said it so many times, but back in ~1970 when I started playing guitar you couldn't buy anything like that for ~$180! Gibson's and Fender's didn't cost near what they do now either, there just wasn't anything like the Donner. With decent low price guitars, and TH-cam instruction, new players have it made now!! LOL 8) JMHO --gary
Put a surh pickups with stainless steel Jumbo or schollup out
Looks like a solid budget S style guiar. Nice tone. Good to know the fretwork and setup are decent. I would embrace this more if at some point during livestreams we saw a guitar like this featured instead of those $3000+ freebies that are nice of course but those of us out of pocket on instruments are not taking those to the jam session lol
dunno if I'd like playing a Donner? prolly be cold and hungry the whole time, a little lost..
I guess I’m the only one who got that reference.
You can always just cannibalize some parts off of it. 🧐
Steve, are the saddles sharp or the smooth block style??
What type of effects were used ? I need to buy that sound.
What doze it play like. Do you need to change pickups.cos the power chord sound a little buddy
That guitar is made as well as any Fender in history. Better components maybe. A good guitar is a good guitar. No matter what it says on the headstock. That wasn't a knock on Fender either.
looks great nice paint
Yes that is how i am seeing this guitar. I have a really nice all maple strat neck laying around and a pre painted body
is over $200! So i will buy one of these and use the body and a few other parts. Poplar is the same as basswood
basically so that is not a issue.
@@These_go_to_eleven_1959 yes i agree marshall law
that is one exquisite harley bentoine
Im sorry to ask but how did you change the sounds of your guitar in clean tones and pickups through your computer? Is there a software that you used to make it sounds different?
Yamaha gigmaker came with a 15watt amp and a much better guitar. Try to get the ERG121 version which is better than the Pacifica.
Christmas presents? What's that?? Thanks
At 16:30 your noodling sound like Amsterdam!
Are thiese with slotted gears?
Fretboard looks nice and dark
Is that Donner’s ice blue finish? Yours looks straight-up silver metallic.
There definitely is a blue tinge to it, but I agree, the paint looks more silver on camera. But under low light, it definitely looks more bluish.
Thank you Steve!
I came here to ask that same question. I have the white 152 and love it, but if they ever come out with a silver one.....
Color reminds me of Testors silver
Im not liking push pull ?{ im into bass looking at guitars so idk ?} hmm sounds great .
I wish i could get just the guitar! I do not need all that other stuff. I just want the guitar to put a really good strat neck i
have laying around. Those pu's are Korean made so they can stay and the body is poplar which is basically the same as Basswood,
I had the same initial thought, but that mini amp has been awesome as a bench amp. I had a Boss Katana Mini before, but this is half the size and doesn't need a power supply. It uses a lithium ion rechargeable battery, so I charged it up and it works perfectly for checking pickup connections, cables, etc. Let's see how long it lasts, but it's easily charged with a USB phone charger.
@@SFBGuitar I seen a few online say the amp stopped working after a week or so? time will tell?
Its working for me, but I've only been using it for about a week. I'll keep you posted if it suddenly stops. I hope it doesn't, because I like it over the Boss as a bench amp. I'd be bummed to give up the bench space and open plug space on the power strip again.
@@SFBGuitar Bench amp...great idea. Done!
China has flooded the market with decent cheap guitars so much so that the market may no longer bear the U.S. price point..that's bad news for Gibson and Fender
Guitars are so ridiculously inexpensive these days, I'm buying new guitars almost every payday!
STEVE! That is a sweet Deal 4 a Great Guitar, Never held a Donar or even seen or heard of them!! Except From U Steve From BOSTON!! TY Brother, Hope U had a Really Good Thanksgiving with Family, Friends & Good food?? Enjoy The Price & Quality, Who knows Steve U might get Donor To Pair With U 4 A Promo To Give 1-2 Away!? 4 Holidays?? Happy Thanksgiving/Holidays 2 U & Your families Steve, Everyone Of My Music-In-Laws and Chat Happy Holidays to All, God Bless Everyone 🤠🦃🎄🎊🎆🤘🫶🙏✌️
🔥🔥🔥🔥
laurel fingerboard you said rosewood
could the box be any bigger steve ha lol looks like a surff board ha lol
How's the amp sound? Looks powerful.
they're calling that indian laurel? huh? they must be staining it black then, how's it feel, my fingertips are so freekin picky whats the fingerboard feels like, fobia er some shyt
Nice guitar for the money but will pass due to the low output vintage pickups, not for me
There 9 , 9 and 12 that’s not low output
I cant comment on the fretwork or the initial setup but I thought the pickups sounded extremely unmusical even with plenty of distracting processing. I would not place that guitar in a new students hands purely on that basis because they need something that can make music, not just produce sound. Something he says later in the video is that they're vintage output, but i think its more accurate to say they sound like cheap ceramic and would impede a student from learning the instrument.
I think back to the pile of garbage that I played when I was a kid for way more money than this. Amazing
THESE GUITARS DO NOT STAY IN TUNE. DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY.
Not quite esteban levels of shilling because im sure i could spend an hour with one and get it semi playable but having met a few beginning students who are victims of donner, orangewood, etc. I think its important we clear the air about something. We should point students towards only reputable brands and encourage them to get help from local shops. Hearing a salespitch and ordering online is not the way to take care of beginners. Send them to the local shop with a list of names like yamaha, ibanez, squier, epiphone and encourage them to ask for help getting set up with what they need. Theres no skipping the middleman. The middlemen welcome students into the world of music with the intention of keeping them there, not taking their money and running. Thats because music is a tradition passed on by the community. Its not a video advertisement or an order placed on amazon.
You can only go so far with the cheap guitar thing. Nobody wants to spend inordinate amounts of time and money fiddling with it to keep it playable. I'm not prone to spending less than around 5-6 hundred and expecting it to be something worthy of extensive mods. So thats how I've always approached buyin inexpensive new guitars. If it's not good enough to keep you interested in getting it sorted right away, don't bother. I've got a Sterling in the same exact color, and it's stunning.
Barely played any clean
Paid promotion. Shut video off
How could this guitar be $200.00?! It's called communism.
😂😂
If you are a beginner, DON'T get a cheap POS guitar like this. You will become frustrated and give up. You don't need to break the bank, but there are much better guitars out there for around the same price. I got my grandson a Squier Bullet Strat hardtail. Five years ago. And we've had no problems with it. A beginner does not need a tremolo, especially a poorly made one. Don't let the looks fool you. It's easy to make something look good. But a guitar is a precision instrument. I have seen too many of these cheap off brand guitars. They use the worst quality materials. The frets are junk, the tuners are junk, the strings are junk, the neck will be crooked, the electronics will fail, the whammy bar will bend like a wet noodle, the body tends to crack where the neck is attached, pretty much everything that could be wrong will be wrong. There is a reason why they are able to include all that stuff, and even have free shipping for under $200 and still make a good profit.
I get what you're saying, I just sold a Squier Bullet hard tail that I personally set up and I never had any problems. I agree a beginner doesn't even need a tremolo. If I could get this with a hard tail I would. I'm not a beginner, just a guy who wants something cheap for the living room. I'll set it up just like my Squier. If it tunes up nice and I can get it intonated, I'll keep it. It's full thickness and I like that over a bullet or a sonic or the new debut. The frets look better, rolled fretboard, push pull split humbucker. And I've heard the pickups and they sound fine for my purpose. I don't see how a low end Squier is really any better. Worse Imo. But hey, I'll find out Monday. If it's hot garbage I'll send it right back and buy the Squier. Your right though, buying a cheap guitar is very risky. And trusted brand's are almost always better. But for 150 on sale, I'll take a chance.
Romania its saluting you..
Yeah we get it you got two cameras. Do you really have to put every piece in both camera I mean come on man.
Just subbed :)! The secret to success - 'PromoSM' !!!