I think she did alright getting the squier. Ended up getting a better guitar than the one that hadn't been delivered. The maestro may well be a good guitar but a squier strat is just so much more. I wasn't even aware that maestro by gibson exists, and don't understand why people wouldn't just buy a cheap epiphone. I have a £220 epi les paul studio e1 and its a great guitar. A bit plain from the factory but it plays great and sounds great.
Hi Basil :-) You're right about the Squier and an Epiphone would most likely leave this guitar in the shade but the reason why people would want one is probably because it says Gibson on it. Cheers, Gary :-)
great vid as usual Gary, look forward to the full review, if only they were around when we were kids imagine turning up with a Gibson !!, catch you Saturday👍
It will be interesting to hear the full review of this one. Now you've worked a little bit on it, it seems to have a lot of potential. Shame they don't come out of the box that way.
Hi Reeldin :-) Yes, they could've spent a little more time on them and that way their reputation may not have suffered and we'd still be seeing them. I'm looking forward to the review, too. Cheers, Gary :-)
I bought one for €20 in a charity shop as the volume knob was missing fixed it up and set it up. Brought it to band practice and the heads laughed at me however tuned up with a clean sound and 3 repeats on delay ran through a few songs and nobody was laughing when I finished plays like a dream and for the knockers I have gone through over 200 guitars fender Gibson Parker high end and low end just have 14 now and this one is a keeper AND for the posers remember the mantra. A good amp is the great equalizer cheers and bop till you drop Matthew Leech in the Emerald Isle
Hi Matthew :-) I had a similar story with a Yamaha Pacifica. Bought it for buttons and can't part with it. The Maestro has certainly been the pick of the crop in terms of work required to get it playing ok. Totally agree with you about the amp! Cheers, Gary :-)
I've got one of these. We had a flood. It's one I got to restore. Neck was snapped in half and fretboard was off. I put my own logo on the headstock and inlaid a quarter into it. Laquered. Looks good. I was gonna paint the body but it was cold checking so I kept it as is. Put new pots, well, not new, old pots, but new to it. And put a new pickup in it. Looks good. Sounds good. I can't figure out what I did with the truss rod cover. Lol.
Hi Randall :-) It's so satisfying doing a job like that :-) As for the truss rod cover it sounds to me like you'd have no difficulty either making one or adapting one from something else. Maybe use the blank side to fix a Gibson decal? Cheers, Gary :-)
Paid $50 for mine. Fun project, did a considerable amount of upgrading and it turned out to be a great guitar, plays and sounds very much like my '69 SG. I'd add a picture of it but this thing won't let me.
Hi Norse Alchemist :-) I reviewed one of those a couple of years ago and thought back then that these were ripe for modding. I liked the flat top - reminded me of a custom Gordon Smith from the Manchester days. Cheers, Gary :-)
In addition to my other comment, I just want to point out that if you have to Shim a new guitar as he said he may have to do, the quality is crappola: just buy an Epiphone or Squire, they're MUCH better these days & don't require shimming out of the box. Additionally, on the one I had not only did the one I had 2015, have horrible fretting and a bad neck, when I plugged it in the cheap pots & pickups sounded cheap. Maybe that's improved but doubt it since its not a mainstream Guitar subsidiary like Epiphone or Squire. Good luck guys
Hello again Robert :-) As the CEO of Fender said in a meeting "we don't need to shim our guitars". All well and good until their chief engineer pointed out that they're almost shimmed. You get what you pay for, I reckon. Cheers, Gary :-)
Just checking Gary did you lower the action using Imperial Tads ? or Metric Tads and was the implement used your Tadpole ?? And was it a JIS (japanese industrial standard ) tool or Whitworth ( British) your fans deserve the truth old bean,,,,😅👍
Hahahahaha, hi Bil :-) I used an adjustable Tadometer to determine the gap and it gives readings in both Imperial and Metric. I have been told though that using an Imperial adjustable spanner can damage Metric bolt heads. One to watch out for! Cheers, Gary :-)
I have one I love it tbh it cost 90 from Argos a couple of year ago , tbh the little amp isn’t as bad as you’d think I use it with a digitech rp50 and it packs a little punch to be fair!
Hi Mr Chezlor :-) It makes such a refreshing change to get a positive comment about these little beauties! There's only one the value's going to go, too. Cheers, Gary :-)
Hi Gary, Guitar Acquisition Syndrome or (GAS) for short Gary. 🎉 A guitar is your Friend for Life, mate. Just like certain friends and in my case and yours Cats! Ever since I was 11-12yrs old. I've been fascinated by Instruments & Music.etc. Lonnie Donegon & Hank B Marvin's whom I first caught the bug off in the UK.Still got the Bug Gary. Take care mate. I never miss your show. Keep on Rockin Gary. 🙏🎸🇬🇧🆒️🐈👍🏻
Hi Stewart :-) So it was you who got the good one! I suppose it can be a bit pot luck whether they'll play well or not but they can always be made to play nicely. Cheers, Gary :-)
Hey mate, yeah, lol. I can't remember where I bought it (I want to say Argos or something) but it was such a weird out of nowhere guitar, I couldn't resist (I was playing Gordon Smith's at the time) . It was under the Baldwin name though not maestro.
I picked one up used and swapped a p90 into it with a Dremel and a goof ring. After that and a good setup, it's one of my favorite guitars. At less than $100, it's my cheapest by far. These are gems if you know what to do with them.
Yeah! Cool that youre diving in to these. This one is just like my Talent by Gibson... which I really do enjoy, after some work on the neck. The pickup is not bad at all on mine. I think I like it all the more because its such a disliked (by many) underdog.
Hi Carl :-) Out of the three Gibson/Baldwin guitars this has been the best out of the box so far. Definitely worth a look and a few quid with the local tech to get them playing correctly. I'm looking forward to doing the demos. Cheers, Gary :-)
I have this guitar but can’t get it to intonate. The bridge is also tilting towards the neck and the two screws on both sides of the bridge don’t really do anything as far as intonation goes. Any advice?
Hi Deez :-) These bridges are a compromise and won't always provide decent intonation. There's a Schaller bridge (455 I think) that'll do the trick but they're a bit pricey, however, Wilkinson do one that's affordable and should transform your experience. A trip to a guitar tech might be worthwhile, too. The grub screws are to move the distance of the bridge to adjust the intonation but you'll need to slacken the strings off to move and experiment with it at different distances. Probably worth trying that first before spending anything. Cheers, Gary :-)
Had one & they're NOT good, the frets were horrible with jagged edges that literally cut my hand (I don't know if just got a bad one or what but if so the quality control sucks) and the action was WAY too high & after I set it up as well as possible the neck had buzz spots. Wouldn't recommend one, would be better off with an Epiphone by Gibson in my opinion. BTW ALL guitars come in a BOX (when new) , including my Gibson Les Paul Classic & Fender American professional II 🤔
Hi Robert :-) Yes, they all come in box :-) I agree about the poor finish with these ad th amount of work that has to go in to getting them playing ok probably outstrips the value. Cheers, Gary :-)
It says since 1935 on the box. Gibson was founded in 1902. Baldwin in 1890. The first guitar related product known to the internet with a Maestro label on it was a fuzz box from 1962. The plot thickens... 😂 oh nevermind.
Hi Smollande :-) I saw that about the fuzz box and I can't find anything that links Maestro to 1935 either. You can buy a T-Shirt that says Maestro since 1935 though.Maybe we should ask Trogly! Cheers, Gary :-)
@@FoxysGuitarShow Hello Gary! I read somewhere that Maestro was actually a brand that Gibson created for their accordion and guitar amplifiers. The earliest such Maestro amp I could find on the internet was from 1957 (GA series). However, there's a book entitled "Gibson Amplifiers : 1933-2008, 75 Years of the Gold Tone", which may contain information about Maestro products from 1935. Best regards, Cathy.
Hi Norse Alchemist :-) Hum is usually either a ground wire fault like you found or a jack output socket that's been wired back to front. You'd be surprised how often I see those! Cheers, Gary :-)
