35 guitars under $500

8/12/2019 35 guitars under $500

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LIKE FORD AND HONDA DRIVERS WHOpine over Ferraris and Maseratis, anyguitarist worthy of his or her G.A.S. (GearAcquisition Syndrome) marvels at mega-

buck vintage models, unique custom-shopcreations, and other high-ticket beauties.But, for most, these dream instruments willstay parked in the realm of reverie. In theworld of players with limited discretionaryfunds, the real action is in the budget arena.Online forums constantly debate the value,playability, workmanship, and tones ofaffordable models from numerous makers,and there’s an almost Crusades-like fervorin discovering new guitars that delivermaximum delight for minimum dollars. And,as many a forum member has learned,bashing the fave $300 guitar of a posse ofacolytes can unleash a tsunami of onlineflames. You just don’t mess with someone’sbeloved “big value” guitar.

So to provide a meaty summary of what’scurrently available for street prices of under$500, the GP staff sent out roundup invi-tations to 50 guitar manufacturers. The 35makers represented here are the full

account of those who wished to participate.Of those who declined, two companies werein the process of redesigning their lines(Malden and Xaviere), several makers

didn’t have current models that met theprice point (Carvin, Ernie Ball, Framus,Hagstrom, and others), Rondo opted toshowcase just one of their many lines (Agile),and the others did not respond to repeatedrequests.

To continue the 2007 roundup policy ofbringing in diverse viewpoints to informGP ’s final ratings, every editor was taskedwith evaluating every guitar (with theexception of Jude Gold, who was on tourwith BX3). Each guitar was tested througha Mesa/Boogie Lonestar Special and aBudda Limited Edition Tenth AnniversaryTwinmaster. Cables used include a Core OneBullet Cable, an Accusound Silver StudioPro, and models by Mogami and PlanetWaves. To further promote comprehensiveand varied assessments, we invited twomembers of the GP online forum to reviewthe guitars (see the sidebar, “Peer ReviewDuo” on p. 98).

We’re also trying out a new way of impart-ing information by breaking critical elementsinto categories and giving each category anumerical rating (averaged from the total

ratings culled from all the individual staffeditors). This tactic is obviously inspiredby the savvy “circle” ratings utilized byConsumer Reports , and we hope it makes iteasier for readers to assess a vast quantityof qualitative data. The numbers should betranslated as follows: 1 = poor, 2 = belowaverage, 3 = average, 4 = very good, and5 = excellent. In addition, every editor offershis own personal “tasting notes” for eachmodel (although most redundant commentswere deleted from the chart).

The staff has expended a lot of effortand brainpower to ensure these big prod-uct roundups deliver the data readers needto make better-informed purchase deci-sions. Please help GP continue to improveits review processes by visiting our forumsat guitarplayer.com, and letting us knowwhat you liked, and didn’t like, about thisunder-$500 guitar roundup.

—Michael Molenda

3 5 E L E C T R I C G U I T A R S U N D E R $ 5 0 0

TESTED BY THEGUITAR PLAYERSTAFF

Originally printed in May 2007 issue of Guitar Player. Reprinted with the permission of the Publishers of Guitar Player. Copyright 2007 NewBay Media, LLC. All rightsreserved. Guitar Player is a Music Player Network publication, 1111 Bayhill Dr., St. 125, San Bruno, CA 94066. T. 650.238.0300. Subscribe at www.musicplayer.com.

8/12/2019 35 guitars under $500



8/12/2019 35 guitars under $500


74 M AY 2 0 0 7 G U I TA R P L AY E R

FEATURE Hot Little Numbers

MAKE/MODELAGILE

SEPTOR 7-STRINGARIA

PE ELITEAXL

BLOODSPORTFIREAX

BC RICHASSASSIN

OUTLAW PX3

CORTCURBOW

DAISY ROCKROCK CANDY

CUSTOM SPECIAL

DANELECTRODANO PRO

STREET PRICE $399 $419 $350 $399 $499 $399 $249WORKMANSHIP 3.5 3 3.5 4 4 4.5 3.5

HARDWARE 3.5 2.5 3 3.5 3.5 4.5 3FRETS 3.5 2.5 3 3 4 5 3

PLAYABILITY 3 3 3.5 3 3.5 5 3.5VERSATILITY 3 3 4 4 3 4 2.5

SOUND 3 4 3.5 4 3 4 4VIBE 3 3 4 3 3 4 4.5

VALUE 3.5 3.5 3 4 3 5 4

EDITORCOMMENTS

MATTBLACKETT

Great maple top,Decent range of

tones.

Warm, full tones.Sweet maple-burst

top. Pickupselector switchintermittent.

Glenn Tipton-approved body

makes boldstatement. Greatsounding pickups.

Solid workmanship.Great tones. Fretsout on big bends.

Nice setup.“Custom bass” look

polarizing. Smallbody doesn’t sit on

lap well.

Plays flawlessly.Sounds amazing.Fabulous guitar.

Vibe for days.Great, spanky clean

tones. Bridgepickup could be

louder.

BARRYCLEVELAND

Good bottom end.Warm, yet sparklyneck pickup with a

nice-soundingcoil-tap option.

Warm neck pickupsounds great withdistortion. Pickup

switch shorted out.Neck Tone controlgets bright, then

dull.

Good sound.Intonation

inconsistent above12th fret. Difficultto tune, but staysin tune once there.

Comfy bodycontour. Nicetones, thoughslightly thin

sounding. Looseinput jack. Twangy

coil-tap option.

Pretty woods.Pickups good

overall, thoughcoil-tap sounds

weak.

A joy to play.Pickups lively and

well balanced.Volume and Tone

controls have goodrange.

Fun to play. Knobsslip off shafts.Pickup switch

unstable. Nut cutunevenly. Lots of

personality.

DARRIN FOX

A metal machinewith surprising

clean sounds whenyou turn down the

Volume. Goodsetup.

Sweet looker.Flutey front pickuptones. Biting rear-pickup textures.Could use more

dynamics on backpickup.

Very dynamicVolume control.Middle-position

single-coil gives ita ton of versatility.

Rear humbuckersounds thin.

Satisfyingly taut,chunky high gaintones. Tapped

tones feeble. Necktoo shallow for my

taste.

Fangy, carnivoroushumbucking tones.

Weak tappedtones.

Every tone Iwanted, I got. One

of the mostimpressive budget

axes I’ve seen.

Tons of fun. Nasallylipstick tone for

days. Sounds greatacoustically. Notsure about the

brown smears onthe pickguard.

MICHAELMOLENDA

Great Malt-O-Mealthickess. Playswell. Some fret

buzzes.

Badass tones. Nicefeel. Quality ofswitches and

controls suspect.

Fun little shredder.Diverse, ballsy

tones. Five-position toggle

switch feels weak.

Mean machine.Rockin’ tones. Fast,

slim neck.

Body contours feelnice when playingstanding up. Easyto play. Sounds

okay.

Simply stunning onall fronts. A blast

to play.

Love the snap andgrowl of those

lipsticks. Hard toreach high frets.

ARTTHOMPSON

Plays easily inspite of extra-wide

neck. Deliversmetal-approved

heaviness. Can alsoromp in other sonic

realms.

Warm, balancedtones with extra

punch, thanks to asnappy bridge

pickup.

Classic hot-rodlook sucked me in,but tones left me

wanting. Goodthing flat soundinghumbuckers can bepaired with livelier

single-coil.

A slick player thatdelivers a wide

range of sounds.

A litte too bassstyled for my

tastes, but it playswell and isextremelycompact.

I love this guitar’sgreat setup and

superb balance ofmeatiness and

shimmer.

Pegs the retro-coolness meter,

though the stainingon the sides andpickguard makesme want to run it

through thewasher.


8/12/2019 35 guitars under $500


G U I TA R P L AY E R M AY 2 0 0 7 75

Hot Little Numbers FEATURE

MAKE/MODELDEAN

CADILLAC 1980EASTWOOD

AIRLINE H44 DLXEPIPHONE

FADED G-400ESP

LTD MH 250NTFENDER

STANDARDSTRATOCASTER

FERNANDESREVOLVER X

FIRST ACTLOLA CE140

STREET PRICE $499 $499 $299 $399 $399 $349 $399WORKMANSHIP 4.5 4 3.5 4 4 2.5 3.5

HARDWARE 4 2.5 4 4 3 3 3FRETS 4 4 4 4.5 3 2.5 3

PLAYABILITY 4 4 4 4 4 3 3.5VERSATILITY 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 4.5 3 3

SOUND 3.5 4.5 3.5 3 4 2.5 3VIBE 4.5 4.5 3.5 4 4 3 3

VALUE 3.5 3 4.5 4.5 4.5 2.5 4

EDITORCOMMENTS

MATTBLACKETT

An absolutelybitchin' guitar.

Pickups lack depthand detail.

Great tone andvibe. Delightfully

chunky neck.Slightly shakywooden bridge.

Looks good. Playsgreat. Tons of

attitude. Averagetones.

Beautiful setup.Great sustain.

Uninspiringpickups.

Good frets. Nicesetup. Great neck.

Plays well. Floydvery dive-bombfriendly. Pickups

sound flat.

Nice sparkle onclean tones. Neckpickup too wooly

on distorted tones.

BARRYCLEVELAND

Sounds great on allsettings.

Extremelyversatile Tone

controls.

Swampyoverdriven tones.Surprisingly jazzyclean tones. Heftylow end. Wooden

bridge movesaround.

Dual Volume andTone controls add

versatility.

Good sustain.Pretty finish. Niceinlay and binding

work.

Great feel. Minortuning issues withvibrato system.

Vibrato systemvibrates easily andfeels insubstantial.Ragged fret edges.Uninspiring sounds.

Good garage-rocktones. Drifts out oftune easily. Limited

Volume and Tonecontrols.

DARRIN FOX

Looks awesome.Plays great. Nice,beefy neck. Tones

are a tad dull.

A funky delightwith an almostlaughably heftyneck, and round,bellowing tones.

Squawk and howlfor days. Castingseam apparent onadjustable bridge.

A great lookingguitar. Super-easyto shred on, but Iwanted a bit more

tonal meat.

The classic tonesyou know and loveare all here. Kind ofhard to screw this

one up.

Worst frets of thebunch. Lacklustertones. The Floyd

Rose was fun,though.

Great feeling neck.The clucky, middle-

position cleantones were my

fave.

MICHAELMOLENDA

Plays like anexpensive beauty. I

expected a littlemore roar andarticulation,

though.

Totally kick-assplaying experience.

Fun, fun, fun.Raging tones.

Pure Angus for theground chuckbudget. Plays

beautifully. Soundsmean.

Looks like a supermodel. Aggro

tones. Sensual feelto neck andcutaways.

A really cool Stratfor a great price.

Plays nice. Pricklyfrets a bummer.Crack in finish by

neck pickup.

Great sustain. Cool,punky tones. A

neck that’s fun todig into.

ARTTHOMPSON

This budget ver-sion of Dean’sclassic glam

machine playsgreat and summons

the spirit of ’80sexcess.

A time machinethat looks and

sounds like some-thing you’d see in aChicago pawnshop,

circa 1963.

I don’t care muchfor the satin finish,

but this guitardelivers thick SG

wail in spades. Oneof the best fret

jobs of the bunch.

Great sustain.Wooly sounding.

Getting any sparklerequires putting

the pickups in splitmode.

A cool Strat for aninsane price that

delivers goodcluckiness in the in-between settings.

Uninspiring, heavy,and clunky. Unusual

amount of tremgargle, due to the

light, 2-springsetup.

Punky ’60s lookoffset by square-sounding pickups.But they do soundpretty vibey when

combined.


8/12/2019 35 guitars under $500




MAKE/MODELG&L TRIBUTEASAT SPECIAL

GODINREDLINE 1

GRETSCHELECTROMATIC

G5246T

HAMERXT SATQ

HOHNERMR-800F

IBANEZARX320

JACKSONDXMG

STREET PRICE $489 $449 $489 $479 $449 $399 $469WORKMANSHIP 4 4.5 3 5 3 5 4.5

HARDWARE 4 4 3 4.5 3.5 5 4.5FRETS 3.5 3.5 3 4.5 3.5 4 3.5

PLAYABILITY 4 5 3.5 5 3.5 5 4.5VERSATILITY 3.5 3.5 3 4 3 4 3

SOUND4.5 5 2.5 4.5 3.5 4.5 3VIBE 4 4 3 5 3.5 5 3.5

VALUE 4.5 5 3 5 3 5 3

EDITORCOMMENTS

MATTBLACKETT

Plays a little stiff.Frets out on big

bends.

Good setup. Greattone from singleEMG humbucker.

Looks a tadutilitarian, but

kicks ass.

Great look.Bland-sounding,

imbalancedpickups.

Looks great, playsgreat, and all the

tones areincredibly three-

dimensional.

Good, punchytones.

Nice hardware.Plays super fast.

Great look. Coolhardware. Bigrange of tones.Beautiful finish.

Well built. Easy toplay. Lackluster

pickups.

BARRYCLEVELAND

Wide range of

robust, yet cleartones.Plays easily.

Some uneven frets.

Responds

beautifully toplaying dynamics.Cleans up wellwhen volume is

reduced.

Classy look and

vibe. Plays easily.Tuning issues withvibrato system.

Weak output withmasked highs.

Inspiring to play.

Versatile tones.Great intonation.Great overall feel.

Versatile tones.

Nice inlays. Nut hasgap under one side.Slight string buzz.

Anemic necksingle-coil.

Wonderful dynamic

response. Lots ofcharacter. Greattones on all

settings. Inspiringto play.

Plays well. Locking

vibrato remains intune. Relatively lowoutput. Slightly

wooly sound.

DARRIN FOX

Wonderfulspanking tones.

Plays outstanding.Nut slots are

deeper than theGrand Canyon.

One pickup, onevolume—no

problem! Moretones than many

feature-engorgedcontemporaries.

Looks hip. Playsnice. Bigsby—

headaches and all—is a cool treat.

Tones lacked zingand magic.

Instant vibe.Plays perfect. Anamazing guitar.

The shreddiestneck in the

roundup. Tauttones with nice

clarity.

Big neck is a gas toplay. Great dirty

tones. Good cleantextures when youblend humbuckers.

Plays fast. Good,solid dynamic

tones.

MICHAELMOLENDA

Articulate andchunky tones. Nice

neck.

A simple, deadlyweapon. Soundsgreat. The moreyou play it, themore you dig it.

Retro fabulous. Itfights you a bit, andsounds somewhatmuted, but it still

delivers roots-rockgoodness.

It’s a monster!Astounding feel,playability, and

tones.

Slim, satin neck issuper fast and a joyto play. Love bridgehumbucker. Buzzy

frets.

Stunning finish.Rocks like a

banshee. Plays likea dream.

Fast neck. Nicefeel. Could rage a

bit hardersonically.

ARTTHOMPSON

Feels indistinguish-able from a

U.S.-made ASAT,other than the

fretboard being abit sticky.

Superb rock tonesspoken here. Hot

EMG a great matchfor this light,

fast-playing guitar.

Captures theGretsch visual

experience rightdown to the screw-on strap buttons,

but tones aresurprisingly

lifeless.

Look no further ifyou want an

amazing lookingguitar with great

tones andplayability.

Pickups soundexcellent—veryspanky for hum-

buckers. Tonecontrol has good

range.

Get past theflawless bindingsand finish and youfind an exceptionalplayer that deliversspectacular tones.

This classic rockerwows in theplayability

department, but itspassive EMGssound tame.


8/12/2019 35 guitars under $500


G U I TA R P L AY E R M AY 2 0 0 7 77

Hot Little Numbers FEATURE

MAKE/MODELJAYTURSERCUTLASS F

LINE 6VARIAX 300

MICHAEL KELLYPATRIOTLIMITED

PARKERP-42

PEAVEYGENERATION CUS-

TOM EX

PRSSE SOAPBAR II

REVERENDVOLCANO

STREET PRICE $298 $499 $499 $459 $439 $499 $499WORKMANSHIP 4 3 4 4.5 3 5 5

HARDWARE 3 3 2.5 4 3 5 5FRETS 4.5 3 4 4 3 4.5 4

PLAYABILITY 4 3.5 4 4.5 3.5 4.5 4.5VERSATILITY 3 5 4 4 4 4 4.5

SOUND3 3 4.5 4 3 5 5VIBE 4 2.5 4.5 4 3 5 5

VALUE 4 3 4 4.5 3 5 5

EDITORCOMMENTS

MATTBLACKETT

Low-outputpickups with nice

tones. Ace Frehley-quality burst is

delicious.

Thousands ofsounds. Alternate

tunings. A powerfultool that still left

me cold.

Unique look. Goodplayability. Great

sounds. Flimsyknobs andswitches.

Very articulate,thick tones. Plays

amazingly well.Weighs nothing,

but sounds chunky.

Amazing sustain.Interesting look.Good versatility

from piezo bridge.Some workmanship

issues.

Incredibly sweettones.

Unbelievableplayability. PRSquality at a great

price.

Great vibe. Nicetones. Playsawesome.

Just flat-out cool.

BARRYCLEVELAND

Plays well.

Beautiful wood. Afew imperfectionson otherwise niceinlays. Decent, ifnot particularlyexciting tones.

Models sound

largely convincing,though notparticularly vibey.

Voice-selectorswitch slightly

loose.

Unusual look.

Inspiring to play.Excellent pickups.Cheap controls and

pickup selectorswitch.

Plays beautifully.

Excellent clean andoverdriven tones.Solid controls.

Bland look.

Bridge pickup has

nice squawk.Low action withslight fret buzz,

which wasaccentuated whenusing piezo pickup.

Understated

elegance. Greatsetup. Quietsingle-coils. Lots

of inspiring sounds.Very similar to U.S.

models.

Great sounds on all

settings. Cool BassContour control.Nice wood. Solid

controls.Wonderful feel.

DARRIN FOX

Low-outputhumbuckers nice

and airy. Neckbinding has a ton of

black scuffs.

Plays nicely, butmodeled guitar

tones don’t stir mysoul as much as the

real thing.

Fattesthumbucking tones

of the bunch.Toggle switch, andVolume and Tone

controls veryunsturdy.

Amazing string-to-string clarity.

Humbuckers hadenough detail that Inever used the coil-splitting function.

Plays okay. Niceshape to neck.

Humbuckers lackoutput and heft.

Unreal setup.Action is actuallytoo low. Delicate,

yet surly P-90-typetones. If you can’t

get it on this guitar,give up.

Believable andorganic single-coiltones in a honkin’

humbuckermachine.

MICHAELMOLENDA

Beautiful recast ofLes Paul. Excellent

meat-and-potatoes tones.

Fun to play. Crazygood value.

Unparalleledtone-generating

machine. Killer deal:Go for the electron-

ically identical$299 red model.

Totally fun to play.Fab tones.

Dungeons andDragons vibe a bit

much for me.

Marvelous tones.Plays like butter,

baby. You can reallyrip on this neck.

I love the stately“white tie” look.

Tonal options bestwhen piezo isrouted to an

acoustic amp.

This is almost aswonderful a guitar

as any big-buckPRS. Aninsane

value.

One of the coolestV-inspired guitarsI’ve ever played.

Plays and soundssuperb.

ARTTHOMPSON

I dig almosteverything aboutthis guitar exceptits pickups, whichare low in outputand extremelymicrophonic.

More sounds thanany solidbody on

the planet.Suffers a bit fromlatency and atonalartifacts on some

settings.

Fantastic top andengraved pewterknobs. Excellentpickups delivereverything from

warm jazz texturesto screaming rock

tones.

Light and comfy.Broad tonal range.

Sweet feeling,natural-finished

neck.

Unfinished neckfeels overly raw.

Piezo bridgepickup sounds lo-fithrough standard

electric-guitaramps.

Proof you don’thave to spend a tonof money to own a

killer-soundingPRS with

off-the-hookplayability.

Impressive take onthe classic V.

Offers great tonalrange, courtesy of

its happeningpickups and BassContour control.


8/12/2019 35 guitars under $500




MAKE/MODELRKS WAVE SAMICK

TORINO TR3SCHECTERLADY LUCK

SPECTORARC6 PRO

SQUIER VINTAGEMODIFIED

TELECASTER SSH

WASHBURNWI-64

YAMAHARGX A2

STREET PRICE $499 $499 $449 $499 $299 $479 $499WORKMANSHIP 3.5 5 5 4.5 3 4.5 3

HARDWARE 3.5 4 5 4.5 3.5 4.5 3FRETS 3 4 4.5 4 3 3.5 4

PLAYABILITY 3.5 4 5 4.5 3.5 4.5 4VERSATILITY 3.5 4 4.5 4 4 5 2.5

SOUND3.5 5 5 4.5 3 4 2.5VIBE 3.5 4 5 4 3.5 4.5 3.5

VALUE 3 4.5 5 4 3 4 2.5

EDITORCOMMENTS

MATTBLACKETT

Good, spanky tonesthat blend great.

Frets out on bends.Don’t like voicing of

tone control.

Nice finish. Verygood playability.

Great tones.

Wow. Gorgeousfinish. Beautiful

hardware. Flawlessfrets. Plays like adream. Soundsgreat. Bravo.

Killer pickups.Super-musicalTone controls.

Top-notchhardware. Uniquely

beautiful finish.

Big range of sounds,but two-pickup tones

are thin, and neckpickup is too wooly.

LowE knocks againstbridge pickup pole

piece.

Home run! Greatfinish. Plays likebutter. Tons of

tones withinnovative VCC(Voice Contour

Control) circuits.

I like what they’regoing for, but someelements fall short.Tuners, bridge, andknobs aren’t great.

BARRYCLEVELAND

Warm, pleasant

bridge pickup.Controlsawkwardly placed.String buzz on lowE above 14th fret.

Nice wood. Solid

controls. Goodoverall feel.Pleasing and well-balanced sound.Versatile Tone

control.

Produces a wide

range of greatsounds withexceptional

sustain.Textured knobs a

nice touch.

Unique finish.

Beefy bridge.Clean inlay work.Sounds good on all

settings.

Nice maple neck.

Weak pickups.Slight buzz onupper frets whenbending notes.

VCC controls add

versatility,but behaveeccentrically with

highs coming in andout. Intonation

excellent.

Didn’t care for

barrel-style tunersand rotary pickupselector. No tonecontrol. Pickups

sound thin.

DARRIN FOX

Zingy clean tones.Decent chunk

sounds. Didn’t digthe placement ofpickup toggle. Not

sure about thiswhole plastic thing.

Expansive cleantones. Dirty soundsare rife with chirpymidrange. Super-figured top a bit,uh, over the top.

Not a fan of thefinish, but thisguitar is waysweet. Feels

wonderful in yourhands. Sportsmyriad tones.

A real breeze toplay. Tones are topnotch. I couldn’t putthis sucker down.Bowling ball finishan acquired taste.

A hefty gap in theneck slot could be

why the tonesnever really get

there.

Love the look, thefeel, and the tones.Turning down theVolume has majordulling impact onguitar’s otherwisesweet shimmer.

Recessed knobstough to

manipulate. Forgetabout switching

pickups on the fly.

MICHAELMOLENDA

I’m a fan. Dig therecessed controls,

although pickupswitch was loose.Totally fun to play.

Decent tones.

Comfy feel. Neckinvites riffing andshredding. Ballsy

tones.

Near flawless witha sense of

whimsical danger.Brilliant. Fun.

Fabulous.

Real head turnerwith fangs.

Articulate, beefy,and soaring tones.

Plays great.

A lot of tonaloptions for threebills. Plays well.Could be more

sonically inspiring.

Feels great. Neckinspires unfetteredriffing. Unleashesmassive waves of

tonal fury.

Sophisticated,modern design.

Light. Playswonderfully. Sound

could rock more.

ARTTHOMPSON

Has its own soundwith plenty ofbrightness and

snap. Plan a littletime to suss the

control locations.

What’s not to loveabout this guitar’s

awesome finishand thick, badassSG-style tones?

This guitar flat outrules with itsdistressedhardware,

excellent pickups,and dual Volume

controls withcoil-split option.

I like everythingabout this guitar,

except itsclaustrophobiccontrol layout.

The multiplepickups are

tantalizing, but theneck humbucker is

the only settingthat really gets it.

This is a hip guitar.Voice ContourControl worksgreat. Tones

quickly becomedull when you turn

down Volume.

Though very lightand easy to play,

tones areunderwhelming.Rotary pickup

selector slowerthan a toggle

switch.


8/12/2019 35 guitars under $500



AGILE SEPTOR 7-STRINGStree t Price $399

Manufacturing Plant KoreaNut Width 1u "

Neck Bolt-on maple, 252 " scaleFretboard Ebony

Frets 24 extra jumbo

Body BasswoodPickups Info not providedControls Volume, Tone, 3-way switch

Hardware Ajustable bridge, Grover tunersFactory Strings Info not provided

Weight 7 lbsContact Info rondomusic.net

ARIA PE ELITEStree t Price $419

Manufacturing Plant ChinaNut Width 1h "

Neck Set maple, 24 3 " scaleFretboard Rosewood

Frets 22 jumboBody Mahogany with carved flame-maple top

Pickups Two Aria OH-1 humbuckersControls Two Volume, two Tone, 3-way switch

Hardware Aria SPTbridge and QH tailpiece, die cast tunersFactory Strin gs D’Aquisto, .009-.042

Weight 8.35 lbsContact Info (800) 999-5558,

ariaguitars.com

AXL BLOODSPORTFIREAXStree t Price $350

Manufacturing Plant ChinaNut Width 1y "

Neck Bolt-on maple with bubinga stripe,252 " scale

Fretboard RosewoodFrets 24 jumboBody Alder

Pickups EMG-designed alnico (one single-coil,two humbuckers)

Controls Volume, two Tone, 5-way switchHardware Floating tremolo with locking nut,

AXL sealed tunersFactory Strin gs AXL, .008-.042

Weight 7.4 lbsContact Info axlguitars.com

BC RICH ASSASSIN OUTLAWPX3Street Price $399

Manufacturing Plant KoreaNut Width 1.69"

Neck Bolt-on maple, 252 " scaleFretboard Rosewood

Frets 24 jumboBody Basswood

Pickups Two Rockfield Mafiahumbuckers

Controls Volume, Tone withpush/pull coil tap,3-way switch

Hardware Tune-o-matic bridge,die-cast tuners

Factory Strin gs D’Addario, .009-.046Weight 8.5 lbs

Contact Info (866) 722-7424; bcrich.com



8/12/2019 35 guitars under $500



FEATURE Hot Little NumbersDEAN CADILLAC 1980

Street Price $499Manufacturing Plant Korea

Nut Width 1h "Neck Set mahogany,

243 " scaleFretboard Rosewood

Frets 22 medium jumboBody Mahogany

Pickups Two Dean high-outputhumbuckers

Controls Two Volume, TwoTone, 3-way switch

Hardware Tune-o-matic bridge,Grover Rotomatictuners

Factor y Strings D’Addario, .009-.042Weight 7.85 lbs

Contact Info (813) 600-3920;deanguitars.com

CORT CURBOWStreet Price $499

Manufacturing Plant IndonesiaNut Width 1y "

Neck Bolt-on maple,243 " scale

Fretboard RosewoodFrets 24 mediumBody Swamp ash

Pickups Two Mighty MiteBluebuckers

Controls Two Volume,Tone

Hardware TonePros-licensed bridgeand tailpiece,sealed tuners

Factor y Strings D’Addario,.009-.042

Weight 6.25 lbsContact Info cortguitar.com

DAISY ROCK DAISY ROCK ROCKCANDY CUSTOMSPECIAL

Street Price $399Manufacturin g Plant China

Nut Width 1y "Neck Set mahogany,

243 " scaleFretboard Rosewood

Frets 22 mediumBody Mahogany

Pickups Two DuncanDesigned HB-108Detonators

Controls Volume, Tone withpush/pull coil tap,3-way switch

Hardware TonePros bridge,Grover tuners

Factory Strin gs D’Addario EXL 110Weight 7 lbs

Contact Info (877) 693-2479;daisyrock.com

DANELECTRO DANO PROStreet Price $249

Manufacturin g Plant Korea/ChinaNut Width 1.65"

Neck Bolt-on maple, 25" scaleFretboard Rosewood

Frets 19 mediumBody Chambered masonite/

plywoodPickups Dano lipstick

single-coilControls Volume, Tone,

3-way switch

Hardware Adjustable bridge,sealed tuners

Factory Strings Custom Koreanmade, .010-.046

Weight 8 lbsContact Info (805) 389-4605;

danelectro.com


8/12/2019 35 guitars under $500




EASTWOOD AIRLINE H44 DLXStreet Price $499

Manufacturing Plant KoreaNut Width 1h "


Frets 20 medium jumboBody Ash

Pickups Two custom-wound EW-44 mini humbuckersControls Volume, Tone, 3-way switch

Hardware Floating wooden bridge, trapeze tail, vintageopen-back tuners

Factory Strings D’Addario, .010-.046Weight 5.8 lbs

Contact Info (416) 294-6165; eastwoodguitars.com

EPIPHONE FADED G-400Street Price $299


Neck Set mahogany, 24 3 " scaleFretboard Rosewood

Frets 22 jumboBody Mahogany

Pickups Alnico Classic (neck), Alnico ClassicPlus (bridge)

Controls Two Volume, two Tone,3-way switch

Hardware LockTone bridge, Grover tunersFactory Strings GIbson Brite Wire, .010-.046

Weight 6.35 lbsContact Info (800) 444-2766; epiphone.com

ESP LTD MH 250NTStreet Price $399

Manufacturin g Plant IndonesiaNut Width 1y "

Neck Set maple, 25 w " scaleFretboard Rosewood

Frets 24 extra jumboBody Agathis with quilted maple top

Pickups EMG-ESP LH-300 setControls Volume, Tone with push/pull coil tap, 3-way switch

Hardware Floyd Rose licensed tremolo, locking nut,sealed tuners

Factory Strings SIT, .010-.046Weight 7.35 lbs

Contact Info espguitars.com

FENDER STANDARD STRATOCASTER

Street Price $399Manufacturin g Plant MexicoNut Width 1.65"

Neck Bolt-on maple, 25w " scaleFretboard Rosewood

Frets 21 medium jumboBody Alder

Pickups Three Fender Standard single-coilControls Volume, two Tone, 5-way switch

Hardware Vintage Style Synchronized Tremolo, Fender/Ping sealed tuners

Factory Strings Fender Super Bullets, .009-.042Weight 7.9 lbs

Contact Info fender.com


8/12/2019 35 guitars under $500


GODIN REDLINE 1Stree t Price $449

Manufacturin g Plant Canada (parts), U.S.A. (assembly)Nut Width 1h "

Neck Bolt-on rock maple, 243 " scaleFretboard Indian rosewood

Frets 22 super jumboBody Silver leaf maple

center, poplar wingsPickups EMG-81 active hum-

buckerControls Volume

Hardware Hardtail bridge,Godin high-ratiotuners

Factor y Strings Godin High DefinitionE-9 Nickel, .009-.046

Weight 6.75 lbsContact Info godinguitars.com


FEATURE Hot Little NumbersFERNANDES REVOLVERStreet Price $349

Manufacturin g Plant ChinaNut Width 1y "


Frets 24 jumboBody Alder

Pickups Two Fernandes high-outputhumbuckers

Controls Volume, Tone, 3-way switchHardware Floyd Rose licensed tremolo,

locking nut, Gotoh-style tunersFactory Strings D’Addario, .009-.042

Weight 8.25 lbsContact Info (800) 343-0353;

fernandesguitars.comFIRST ACT LOLA CE 140

Street Price $399Manufacturin g Plant China

Nut Width 1.72"Neck Set maple,

25" scaleFretboard Rosewood

Frets 22 medium

Body MahoganyPickups Two First Act alnico V“bikini” humbuckers

Controls Volume, Tone, 3-wayswitch

Hardware First Act string-through retainer system,die-cast tuners

Factor y Strings First Act, .009-.042Weight 8.4 lbs

Contact Info (888) 551-1115; firstact.comG&L TRIBUTE ASAT SPECIAL

Street Price $489Manufacturing Plant Indonesia

Nut Width 1y "Neck Bolt-on maple, 25w " scale

Fretboard Hard rock maple

Frets 22 mediumBody Swamp ash

Pickups Two G&L, U.S.-made MagneticField Design single-coils

Controls Volume, Tone, 3-way switchHardware G&L Saddle-Lock bridge,

sealed tunersFactory Strings D’Addario, XL110

Weight 8.45 lbsContact Info (800) 233-8346; glguitars.com


8/12/2019 35 guitars under $500




GRETSCH ELECTROMATIC G5246TStreet Price $489


Neck Set mahogany,

243

" scaleFretboard RosewoodFrets 22 medium jumboBody Mahogany (chambered)

with arched laminatedmaple top

Pickups Two TV Jones designed minihumbuckers

Controls Volume, Tone, 3-way switchHardware Bigsby B50 Vibrato

tailpiece, Adjusto-Maticbridge, vintage-styletuners

Factor y Strings Gretsch, .009-.042Weight 7.2 lbs

Contact Info (480) 596-9690;gretschguitars.com

IBANEZ ARX320-MSStreet Price $399


Neck Set mahogany,243 " scale

Fretboard RosewoodFrets 22 mediumBody Mahogany with

quilted-maple topPickups ACH1-S (neck),

ACH2-S (bridge)Controls Volume, Tone,

3-way switchHardware Gibraltar III

bridge, QuikChange IIItailpiece

Factor y Strings D’Addario,.009-.042


ibanez.com

HAMER XT SATQ Stree t Price $479


Neck Set mahogany,243 " scale

Fretboard RosewoodFrets 22 mediumBody Mahogany

Pickups Two Duncan Designedhumbuckers

Controls Two Volume, Tone,3-way switch

Hardware Tune-o-maticstyle bridge,Hamer tuners

Factory Strings D’Addario,.010-,046

Weight 7 lbsContact Info hamerguitars.com

HOHNER MR-800FStreet Price $449

Manufacturin g Plant ChinaNut Width 1.69"

Neck Bolt-on maple,25w " scale

Fretboard RosewoodFrets 24 Dunlop 6105Body Rock maple with

flame topPickups Tesla VR-1 (neck),

Tesla VR-III (bridge)Controls Volume, Tone, 3-way

switchHardware Tune-o-matic style

bridge, Grover tunersFactory Strin gs D’Addario, EXL120

Weight 6.75 lbsContact Info hohnerusa.com


8/12/2019 35 guitars under $500




JACKSON DXMGStreet Price $469

Manufacturin g Plant JapanNut Width 1h "

Neck Bolt-on rock maple, 25w " scaleFretboard Rosewood

Frets 24 jumboBody Alder

Pickups Two EMG HZControls Volume, Tone, 3-way switch

Hardware Floyd Rose licensed tremolo, locking nut, die-cast tunersFactor y Strings Fender, .009-.042

Weight 7.75 lbsContact Info jacksonguitars.com

JAY TURSER CUTLASS FStreet Price $298

Manufacturin g Plant KoreaNut Width 1y "


Frets22 mediumBody Mahogany

Pickups Two Artec alnico mini humbuckersControls Volume, Tone, 3-way switch

Hardware Stop tailpiece, die cast tunersFactor y Strings D’Addario, .010-.046

Weight 8 lbsContact Info (631) 773-6411; jayturser.com

LINE 6 VARIAX 300Street Price $499 (black finish), $299 (red finish)

Manufacturin g Plant ChinaNut Width 1y "

Neck Bolt-on maple, 25w " scaleFretboard Indian rosewood

Frets 22 mediumBody Agathis

Pickups N/AControls Volume, Tone, rotary Model Select knob,

5-way switchHardware Digital I/O, XPS mini power supply, standard

bridge with LR Baggs saddles, sealed tunersFactor y Strings D’Addario, .009-.042

Weight 7.5 lbsContact Info line6.com

MICHAEL KELLY PATRIOT LIMITEDStreet Price $499

Manufacturin g Plant KoreaNut Width 1h "

Neck Set mahogany, 24 3 " scale

Fretboard EbonyFrets 22 medium jumboBody Mahogany with splated maple top

Pickups Two Rockfield SWC humbuckersControls Volume, Tone with push/pull coil

tap, 3-way switchHardware TonePros bridge, Grover tuners

Factor y Strings D’Addario, EXL110Weight 7.9 lbs

Contact Info michaelkellyguitars.com


8/12/2019 35 guitars under $500




PARKER P-42Street Price $459

Manufacturing Plant KoreaNut Width 1.653"

Neck Set maple, 25 w " scaleFretboard Ebony


Pickups Two Parker Stinger alnico humbuckersControls Volume, Tone with push/pull coil tap, 3-way switch

Hardware Stop tailpiece bridge, Grover 18:1 tunersFactor y Strings Vinci, .009-.042

Weight 7 lbsContact Info (800) 877-6863; parkerguitars.com

PEAVEY GENERATION CUSTOM EXStreet Price $439



Frets 21 mediumBody AlderPickups Two Peavey vintage-wound humbuckers, piezo with

Analog Acoustic Modeling circuitry (ACM)Controls Volume, Tone, piezo/ACM volume, 3-way mini-

switch (piezo, humbuckers, or both), 5-wayswitch

Hardware Peavey vintage tunersFactor y Strings Peavey, .009-.042

Weight 8 lbsContact Info peavey.com

PRS SE SOAPBAR IIStreet Price $499


Neck Set mahogany, 25" scaleFretboard Rosewood

Frets 22 medium jumboBody Mahogany with flame-maple veneer top

Pickups Two P-90-type soapbarControls Volume, Tone, 3-way switch

Hardware PRS stoptail bridge, die cast tunersFactor y Strings D’Addario, .010-.046

Weight 7.2 lbsContact Info prsguitars.com

REVEREND VOLCANOStreet Price $499




Pickups Two Reverend humbuckersControls Volume, Tone, Bass Contour,

3-way switchHardware Tune-o-matic bridge, Wilkinson

EZ-Lock tunersFactor y Strings SIT, .010-.046

Weight 7 lbsContact Info (586) 775-1025;

reverendguitars.com


8/12/2019 35 guitars under $500



RKS WAVEStreet Price $499

Manufacturing Plant Oxnard, CaliforniaNut Width 1y "

Neck Bolt-on hard rock maple, 25w "scale (Buzz Feiten Tuning System)

Fretboard RosewoodFrets 22 Dunlop 6105Body Interchangeable hollow composite

PickupsTwo custom Lace humbuckersControls Volume, Tone, 3-way switch

Hardware RKS tuners, RKS hardtail bridge,RKS Groove knobs and Posiflypickup selector switch

Factor y Strings Elixir, .009-.042Weight 7 lbs

Contact Info rksguitars.com


SAMICK TORINO TR3Street Price $499




Pickups Duncan Designed HB101 (neck), HB102 (bridge)Controls Volume, Tone, 3-way switch

Hardware Adjustable bridge, stop tailpiece, Grover tunersFactory Strings GHS, .009-.046

Weight 7 lbsContact Info gregbennettguitars.com


8/12/2019 35 guitars under $500


FEATURE Hot Little Numbers SQUIER VINTAGE MODIFIEDTELECASTER SSH

Street Price $299Manufacturing

Plant IndiaNut Width 1.65"

Neck Bolt-on maple, 25w " scaleFretboard Maple

Frets 21 medium jumboBody Indian red cedar

Pickups Duncan Design TE-103Bstack (bridge), MH-101 MiniHumbucker (neck), SC-102Stack (middle)

Controls Volume, Tone, 5-way switchHardware Vintage 6-saddle bridge,

die-cast tunersFactory Strings Squier, .009-.042


squierguitars.com

SCHECTER LADY LUCKStreet Price $449

ManufacturingPlant Korea

Nut Width 1y "Neck Set mahogany, 25 w " scale

Fretboard RosewoodFrets 24 jumboBody Mahogany

Pickups Two Schecter Alnico Plushumbuckers

Controls Two Volume, Tone withpush/pull coil tap,3-way switch

Hardware TonePros bridge, Schectertuners

Factory Strings D’Addario, .010-.046Weight 8 lbs

Contact Info schecterguitars.com

WASHBURN WI-64Street Price $359

ManufacturingPlant Korea

Nut Width 1y "Neck Set mahogany, 24 3 "

scaleFretboard Rosewood


Pickups Two WB630 high-outputhumbuckers

Controls Two Volume, Two Tone,Voice Contour, 3-wayswitch

Hardware Tune-o-matic bridge,Grover tuners, BuzzFeiten Tuning System

Factor y Strings Vinci, .009-.042Weight 6.25 lbs

Contact Info washburn.com

YAMAHARGX A2

Street Price $499Manufacturing

Plant N/ANut Width 1h "

Neck Bolt-on maple,25w " scaleFretboard Rosewood

Frets 22 mediumBody Alternative Inter-

nal Resonancewith falacatacore and mapletop and back

Pickups Two Yamahaalnico humbuckers

Controls Volume,3-position rotarypickup selectorknob

Hardware Yamaha

SPECTOR ARC6 PROStreet Price $499

ManufacturingPlant China

Nut Width 1.69"Neck Bolt-on maple,

25" scaleFretboard Rosewood

Frets 22 jumboBody Basswood with

quilted maple topPickups Two Tesla VR60

Classic humbuckersControls Two Volume, two

Tone, 3-wayswitch

Hardware BM 0004 bridge,Ping tuners

Factor y Strings D’Addario EXL110Weight 7 lbs

Contact Info (800) 825-8810;spectorguitar.com



8/12/2019 35 guitars under $500



P E ER R E V I EW D U OTo offer readers an outside perspective of the 35

affordable guitars tested for this roundup, thestaff invited two members of the online GP forumto participate in the evaluations. Patrick Simmsis a musician, studio owner, engineer/ producer,radio personality (California Music Box, 6 pm -10 pm on piratecatradio.com), and actor. Checkout myspace.com/27591491 to explore Simms’DJ Nylon page. Alex Walsh leads the Alex WalshBand (alexwalsh.net). He typically looks forguitars in the price range of this roundup, andthen adds better hardware and pickups.

Simms and Walsh were allotted severalhours to examine and play the guitars withoutany interference, and they plugged into the

same Mesa/Boogie and Budda amps used bythe editors. The views expressed are solely theirown. Their text was edited for length and gram-mar, but both players approved the final copythat appears in the magazine.

“Alex and I didn’t find any guitars in thisroundup that were unplayable or poorly made—although some models stood out more than oth-ers,” says Simms. “The first thing I did was checkthe intonation of each guitar, as staying in tuneis very important in my world. I found myselfplaying and enjoying thePRS SE Soapbar II abovemost. I have never been drawn to PRS—mostlydue to price—but this affordable model sounds,

plays, feels, and looks like a PRS that’s in the$3,000 range. It stays in tune, and handles mystrange altered tunings without sounding like Ihave rubber bands for strings. The Michael KellyPatriot Limited plays, sounds, and feels great.It’s a little small for my frame, and I wish it hadseparate controls for each pickup, but it staysin tune and delivers the goods. The Gretsch Elec-tromatic G5246 T has the sound and feel of amodel three times its price, and it works wellwith alternate tunings. However, I did tend to hit

its Bigbsy a little too hard, and knock the stringsout of tune. I was pleasantly surprised at the

ESP LTD/MH 250NT, because I’ve never beendrawn to guitars with sharp, angled headstocks.But this model has a really good combination ofa Gibson-style neck on a thin, contoured body,and the sound is bright and tight in the lows, andsparkly in the highs. The Ibanez ARX320 has athick, dramatic sound with lots of sustain. It’s atonally rich guitar that works well for jazz, rock,and other popular forms of music.”

“I tried all of the guitars using the cleanchannel of the Budda Twinmaster,” detailsWalsh. “I’m mostly a roots-rock player whosometimes uses a distortion pedal. Out of thisbatch, I like the PRS SE Soapbar IIthe best. It

feels great, and the pickups sound good in allpositions. I’d just put heavier strings on it. Myother favorite was the G&L ASAT Special. Ithad a beefy rhythm sound—especially on openchords. My third pick was the Dean Cadillac1980 . It kept coming back into my hands—probably because it has a Les Paul vibe. Eventhough it feels a little cheap (I’d probablyreplace the pickups and get it set up better),I still like it. TheESP LTD/MH 250NTis a modelI didn’t expect to dig at all, but it sounds andplays great. The Ibanez ARX320produces lotsof nice sustain, and the Michael Kelly PatriotLimited, Aria PE Elite, Fender Stratocaster ,

and Hamer XTall sound and feel good (althoughthe Patriot’s odd finish reminds me of Hobbits).Although the Eastwood Airline H44 DLXfeelsa bit like a toy, it has a real woody vibe—probably due to its baseball bat-sized neck—and one great rhythm tone. I love how theSchecter Lady Luckfeels and sounds, but it’sa bit too tacky looking for me. I didn’t like theRKS Wave. The neck is nice, but the place whereI position my right hand just below the stringsis cut out, and the overall feel is too slippery.”

Patrick Simms(left) and Alex

Walsh in the GP

“guitar room.”


35 guitars under $500

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