@@timtaylorguitarnut glad to help... But you know what if you watch the next 2 videos, this thing turned out great and is a killer guitar hahaha just sucked out of the box !
Jayman, I want to thank you so much for taking on this particular guitar. This brand and style is something I’ve been looking at. And your complete honesty without being a bully sort of speak is very helpful. I think for all of us you must get in contact with this company And address these issues. I’m looking forward to the final playability and thoughts.
That damned wrap around bridge! I don't like those things! lol Looking forward to the next video to see how this thing turns out, I'm sure you will have to use a nice, thick neck shim to get that thing playing well! :-)
Kudos for level frets. They at least shielded the control cavity. If this was an $89 dollar Ammoon I could understand the fit of the neck to body but even that fit better on your Ammoon. It'll be interesting how you solve all the negativity with this one.
Thanks, brother man. Excellent deep dive. Thanks for sharing the journey with us. Look forward to seeing what their reply if any will be. Makes me wonder about traditional tele models.
Philip McKnight also found level frets in his review. He did not mention the problem of having the bridge lowered into the guitar body but many other people have and say it's difficult to change strings. Also, I hope you can at least adjust the saddles back and forth for intonation. Part of the problem is that they have been selling these for at least 10 years. 10 years ago, this was a steal. Now there is so much competition.
I agree with you on everything you said. Im not sure what the reason is for the bridge route? Maybe it has something to do with the neck pocket? Is the neck pocket 5/8's deep?? Thanks for the information. I do enjoy your videos. Have a great day.
Really appreciate the deep dive! This video was super insightful. I always appreciate that you share the good, bad, and ugly. Sad to see so many exaggerations by Guitar Fetish. I accept some level of quality inconsistency at this price point but not false advertising. I’ve had good luck with them so far on parts and pickups (+ one “whole” guitar) and all of the above were pretty much as advertised so that’s a little disappointing. Still looks like a fun guitar once it’s dialed in. Thanks again!
I think this compares to the Harley Benton TE90FLT. Toggle switch is up top like a Les Paul and there's a tone and volume knob Goes for $225 CAD + $105CAD shipping. Add import fees and taxes of about $75CAD your total for equal guitar is $405CAD. Ouch! Got my used Gretsch for $375CAD!
By putting plumbers tape on the lugs you have removed the ground? Or am I talking too soon? Also as for the bridge pocket. When you are dealing with a bridge for a angled neck on a Fender style guitar you never know if you will have clearance so you need to add that pocket to assure good action. As a builder of guitars I have had these issues.
@@Johnny.D there is no ground from what I can see. If so I'll swap the plumbers tape with copper shielding tape... Yup I understand the physics but it's no good if once recessed in the cavity you can't move the bridge position on the post to gain the necessary angle for correct intonation if the saddle travel isn't enough. So either the heel of the neck should be thicker so that the bridge position is higher, or the cavity has to be wider at the back to allow for Bridge post adjustment...
wowzerrz very diffrent specs that youre discovering! sean at scar my guitar told me that hes had issues with gfs for some reason(fitment issues?) and doesnt deal with them anymore... i always had great luck with pickups and hardware parts from them... so the wigglestick wont go into the big steel block i got from them...its ok cause i dont mess with wigglesticks anyway hahaha!
I been looking at some of guitar fetish off set bodies for a build im doing,Ive been watching a lot of videos and reading a lot of reviews about this company im pretty sure all there stuff is made in china.There the cheapest place to get alder and ash fender style bodies so I think ill take a chance on one of there bodies
@@Jettblack_ China for sure! I like this guitar, it just doesn't match up to the description. Working on it now. I think it's gonna be a rocker hahaha!
That bridge is clearly THE weakest link in this guitar, sadly. I wonder if you wouldn’t be better off finding a different adjustable wraparound bridge (WITH new posts) that fits the existing post holes-maybe something like the Wilkinson or MusicLily 52.5mm “badass”-style bridges? (ASSUMING the bridge posts on this guitar are 52.5mm spacing, which I don’t really know.) I think radiusing a new bridge with proper ToM-style intonation adjustments would be a lot less work than radiusing the frets, and would leave a lot less room for error, not to mention keeping more fret material. BTW, you can also (within reason) radius Gibson-style bridges by filing the slots on the bridge saddles with your nut files, and if necessary, raising the bridge slightly to compensate.
UPDATE: I suppose another solution would be to replace the bridge with a ToM/stopbar tailpiece combination… You could then buy an unslotted ToM bridge, and radius it to your liking with your nut files. Only trouble is, you’d have to fill in that recessed bridge route, and that in turn might necessitate raising or angling back the neck.
Guitar Fetish has some winners and losers across everything they sell. I like a handful of their pickups. Guitar wise i have had less then perfect experience with them. Sad that this isn't too close to spec really. They used to sell some very hollow semi-hollow tele and strat shaped guitars that I would buy for the body and put a better neck on. On another note I would love to see what you think of the LeoJamz collection or supreme necks they have on Amazon, I will buy one soon to check on, but specs look killer.
@@j-man9457 that's silly, there is a reverb and eBay neck seller based in Ontario I believe, that sell necks with SS frets. They claim Made In Canada and leveled frets, I would say bunk to both and the SS is likely ss, but lower grade quality. Still they have some nice stuff from time to time. Northern Refish Guitar or Chernobyl41. Also nut wise try a Tone Ninja and see if you like it better than Graph Tech. I liked them back a few years ago, have to try one again to make sure they are the same. Personally in this guitar I would put a highly polished brass but to go with the theme.
@@pastorkev777 yeah, I thought the same... Why wouldn't they use a brass nut? Never heard of tone Ninja. I'll check those out thanks. Not sure about the neck guy. Haven't seen him before🤔
I guess I'm a pickup snob, every build now I keep dropping 150-200 bucks on the good ones as soon as I get it to play well. 4 terrible Nuts replaced with graph techs.
All of that is why I was never attracted to buy a GFS guitar, especially in US dollars when we can get better here in CDN dollars for less. I saw many GFS guitar videos in the past and it turned me right off of them. When I built my first 3 tely's from 99% GFS parts, you recall how the necks wouldn't fit into the bodies. when I told GFS of these issues, I got lip service that their parts are built to spec. It's likely the intension, but the results not so much. A flatter board is better for bending not to choke out, but with that 12deg bridge, the D&G strings will a tad higher when you get the two E's actioned correctly. If it's not bad for you, then ok. But, if not, you may want to try the leveling the frets with the 12" block and re-crown again.
That`s the way to review a guitar. That bridge is a no go for me. It`s starting to seem like low cost guitars are a way so experienced guitar players can buy something to set up. Which is ok but not for beginners.
@@barackmycat9448 well yeah that's my point exactly... You shouldn't have to do any major set up to a new guitar, beginner or not. It's frustrating for sure!
Designed by Slick after a weekend bender. 🤦🏻♂️😂 I know you'll be able to make it playable but could you imagine a newb getting this guitar? What a pos.
Hey J, nice tear down! I agree with all your thoughts on that Slick guitar! But you’ve gone and ruined the Sustain by using that plumber’s tape , remember, we have to have Wood to metal contact for ultimate sustain😆😆😆😆😆 Only string thru body or direct screws into the wood will do for the perfectionist 😆😆 All kidding aside, when you put your skills to it, it’s gonna be way cool! Looks like you’re taking care of that finger too! I think that nut is not what it wishes it was! See ya in the next installment! Heal up my friend!!
No real surprises except for that huge waste of space bridge.What were they thinking,certainly not "simple is best." Wasting time and materal doesn't make something better..........................................................
The saddles no big deal as every guitar player has a mill in their house.🤣 Your email will probably fall on indignant ears. The owner of Guitar Fetish is Jay Abend former owner of Bedrock Amplifiers. He will not acknowledge or entertain any questions about Bedrocks. Guitar Fetish is another cowardly company without a phone number. Why not shim the neck rather than run out of adjustment on the bridge?
I used to have GAS for these but never ordered one. I'm glad I didn't. Thanks Jman🎉
@@timtaylorguitarnut glad to help... But you know what if you watch the next 2 videos, this thing turned out great and is a killer guitar hahaha just sucked out of the box !
I learn so much from watching your videos J. I really appreciate the work you put into these videos.
@@MitchHaman thanks man!
Jayman, I want to thank you so much for taking on this particular guitar. This brand and style is something I’ve been looking at. And your complete honesty without being a bully sort of speak is very helpful. I think for all of us you must get in contact with this company And address these issues. I’m looking forward to the final playability and thoughts.
@@mannydecastro8604 thanks man! Yup email sent. Now we wait hahaha
I am so glad you are looking at the Slick line. I have a Slick Strat and I love it!
@@phogmasheeen hope this one dials in nicely !
That damned wrap around bridge! I don't like those things! lol Looking forward to the next video to see how this thing turns out, I'm sure you will have to use a nice, thick neck shim to get that thing playing well! :-)
@@1revwilly hahaha it's coming working on it now. Stay tuned!
Kudos for level frets. They at least shielded the control cavity. If this was an $89 dollar Ammoon I could understand the fit of the neck to body but even that fit better on your Ammoon. It'll be interesting how you solve all the negativity with this one.
@@rainerjaschke5216 working on it hahaha!
This was very informative. 👍 And good luck with that finger.
@@bennylarsen1907 thanks buddy!
Thanks, brother man. Excellent deep dive. Thanks for sharing the journey with us. Look forward to seeing what their reply if any will be. Makes me wonder about traditional tele models.
@@TedTalksGuitars Time will Tell hahaha stay tuned 😃
@@j-man9457 - Will do.
use copper tape on the bridge post with ground instead of Plummers tape
Christopher?
@@DMSProduktions
DMS what's your seemingly objection? Copper shield tape is conductive and corrects the slop in the posts. Just one wrap does it.
@@2bikemikesguitartopics145 hmmm good idea!
@@2bikemikesguitartopics145 Objection? LOL no!
Seems my pun at your spelling mistake went WHOOSH!
@@DMSProduktions
Yup, now I get it, and fixed it
Philip McKnight also found level frets in his review.
He did not mention the problem of having the bridge lowered into the guitar body but many other people have and say it's difficult to change strings.
Also, I hope you can at least adjust the saddles back and forth for intonation.
Part of the problem is that they have been selling these for at least 10 years. 10 years ago, this was a steal. Now there is so much competition.
@@AnnoyingCritic-is7rp yeah that description could be from years ago and never updated!
I agree with you on everything you said.
Im not sure what the reason is for the bridge route?
Maybe it has something to do with the neck pocket?
Is the neck pocket 5/8's deep??
Thanks for the information.
I do enjoy your videos.
Have a great day.
@@Vern859 yes 5/8 deep exactly. It's gotta be for action adjustment but it's not a really well thought out rout IMO...🤔
Really appreciate the deep dive! This video was super insightful. I always appreciate that you share the good, bad, and ugly. Sad to see so many exaggerations by Guitar Fetish. I accept some level of quality inconsistency at this price point but not false advertising. I’ve had good luck with them so far on parts and pickups (+ one “whole” guitar) and all of the above were pretty much as advertised so that’s a little disappointing. Still looks like a fun guitar once it’s dialed in. Thanks again!
@@billgregg6836 Thanks man. It's coming together nicely... Will post part 3 soon!
I think this compares to the Harley Benton TE90FLT. Toggle switch is up top like a Les Paul and there's a tone and volume knob Goes for $225 CAD + $105CAD shipping. Add import fees and taxes of about $75CAD your total for equal guitar is $405CAD. Ouch! Got my used Gretsch for $375CAD!
@@calbrockocat8728 yeah you did well!
That design means every one of those guitars has the same issues. How? Why? 🤣
@@Stratisfied22 that's my question too!
Wow. There’s a lot of specs not met….
@@joereddy3146 yeah I'm surprised
By putting plumbers tape on the lugs you have removed the ground? Or am I talking too soon? Also as for the bridge pocket. When you are dealing with a bridge for a angled neck on a Fender style guitar you never know if you will have clearance so you need to add that pocket to assure good action. As a builder of guitars I have had these issues.
@@Johnny.D there is no ground from what I can see. If so I'll swap the plumbers tape with copper shielding tape...
Yup I understand the physics but it's no good if once recessed in the cavity you can't move the bridge position on the post to gain the necessary angle for correct intonation if the saddle travel isn't enough. So either the heel of the neck should be thicker so that the bridge position is higher, or the cavity has to be wider at the back to allow for Bridge post adjustment...
wowzerrz very diffrent specs that youre discovering!
sean at scar my guitar told me that hes had issues with gfs for some reason(fitment issues?) and doesnt deal with them anymore...
i always had great luck with pickups and hardware parts from them...
so the wigglestick wont go into the big steel block i got from them...its ok cause i dont mess with wigglesticks anyway hahaha!
@@birdman316 hahaha!
Update on what they say please.
@@joereddy3146 yup... Email sent. Now we wait haha!
I been looking at some of guitar fetish off set bodies for a build im doing,Ive been watching a lot of videos and reading a lot of reviews about this company im pretty sure all there stuff is made in china.There the cheapest place to get alder and ash fender style bodies so I think ill take a chance on one of there bodies
@@Jettblack_ China for sure! I like this guitar, it just doesn't match up to the description. Working on it now. I think it's gonna be a rocker hahaha!
That bridge is clearly THE weakest link in this guitar, sadly. I wonder if you wouldn’t be better off finding a different adjustable wraparound bridge (WITH new posts) that fits the existing post holes-maybe something like the Wilkinson or MusicLily 52.5mm “badass”-style bridges? (ASSUMING the bridge posts on this guitar are 52.5mm spacing, which I don’t really know.) I think radiusing a new bridge with proper ToM-style intonation adjustments would be a lot less work than radiusing the frets, and would leave a lot less room for error, not to mention keeping more fret material. BTW, you can also (within reason) radius Gibson-style bridges by filing the slots on the bridge saddles with your nut files, and if necessary, raising the bridge slightly to compensate.
UPDATE: I suppose another solution would be to replace the bridge with a ToM/stopbar tailpiece combination… You could then buy an unslotted ToM bridge, and radius it to your liking with your nut files. Only trouble is, you’d have to fill in that recessed bridge route, and that in turn might necessitate raising or angling back the neck.
@@zuperdee great suggestions... I think this is gonna turn out ok. Working on it now. Stay tuned haha!
@@j-man9457 Can’t wait to see what solution you come up with!
@@zuperdee hahaha wasn't as bad as I thought!
Guitar Fetish has some winners and losers across everything they sell. I like a handful of their pickups. Guitar wise i have had less then perfect experience with them.
Sad that this isn't too close to spec really.
They used to sell some very hollow semi-hollow tele and strat shaped guitars that I would buy for the body and put a better neck on.
On another note I would love to see what you think of the LeoJamz collection or supreme necks they have on Amazon, I will buy one soon to check on, but specs look killer.
@@pastorkev777 hey man yeah I'd love to get a Leo Jaymz, but I can't get them here. A few sellers will ship to Canada but it's more than the guitar!😔
@@j-man9457 that's silly, there is a reverb and eBay neck seller based in Ontario I believe, that sell necks with SS frets. They claim Made In Canada and leveled frets, I would say bunk to both and the SS is likely ss, but lower grade quality. Still they have some nice stuff from time to time. Northern Refish Guitar or Chernobyl41.
Also nut wise try a Tone Ninja and see if you like it better than Graph Tech. I liked them back a few years ago, have to try one again to make sure they are the same.
Personally in this guitar I would put a highly polished brass but to go with the theme.
@@pastorkev777 yeah, I thought the same... Why wouldn't they use a brass nut?
Never heard of tone Ninja. I'll check those out thanks. Not sure about the neck guy. Haven't seen him before🤔
@@j-man9457 I built a couple guitars with necks from them.
@@pastorkev777 cool. And how did they turn out?
I guess I'm a pickup snob, every build now I keep dropping 150-200 bucks on the good ones as soon as I get it to play well. 4 terrible Nuts replaced with graph techs.
@@timscarrow9151 that's the way to do it! Haha
All of that is why I was never attracted to buy a GFS guitar, especially in US dollars when we can get better here in CDN dollars for less. I saw many GFS guitar videos in the past and it turned me right off of them. When I built my first 3 tely's from 99% GFS parts, you recall how the necks wouldn't fit into the bodies. when I told GFS of these issues, I got lip service that their parts are built to spec. It's likely the intension, but the results not so much.
A flatter board is better for bending not to choke out, but with that 12deg bridge, the D&G strings will a tad higher when you get the two E's actioned correctly. If it's not bad for you, then ok. But, if not, you may want to try the leveling the frets with the 12" block and re-crown again.
@@2bikemikesguitartopics145 yup not sure what I'll end up doing... I hate releveling level frets hahaha
That`s the way to review a guitar. That bridge is a no go for me. It`s starting to seem like low cost guitars are a way so experienced guitar players can buy something to set up. Which is ok but not for beginners.
@@barackmycat9448 well yeah that's my point exactly... You shouldn't have to do any major set up to a new guitar, beginner or not. It's frustrating for sure!
Designed by Slick after a weekend bender. 🤦🏻♂️😂 I know you'll be able to make it playable but could you imagine a newb getting this guitar? What a pos.
@@sixstrings4568 hahaha
Hey J, nice tear down! I agree with all your thoughts on that Slick guitar! But you’ve gone and ruined the Sustain by using that plumber’s tape , remember, we have to have Wood to metal contact for ultimate sustain😆😆😆😆😆
Only string thru body or direct screws into the wood will do for the perfectionist 😆😆
All kidding aside, when you put your skills to it, it’s gonna be way cool! Looks like you’re taking care of that finger too!
I think that nut is not what it wishes it was!
See ya in the next installment! Heal up my friend!!
@@guitarzan0515 thanks buddy!
No real surprises except for that huge waste of space bridge.What were they thinking,certainly not "simple is best." Wasting time and materal doesn't make something better..........................................................
@@russellharris5072 hahaha nope! Earl is Slick I guess hahaha!
The saddles no big deal as every guitar player has a mill in their house.🤣 Your email will probably fall on indignant ears. The owner of Guitar Fetish is Jay Abend former owner of Bedrock Amplifiers. He will not acknowledge or entertain any questions about Bedrocks. Guitar Fetish is another cowardly company without a phone number. Why not shim the neck rather than run out of adjustment on the bridge?
@@keenedgedesigns you may be right about the e-mail. Part 3 uploading now. All worked out. She is dialed in and the bridge is stellar!😀