“These lists seem to be really popular...they’re fun to make so they must be fun to watch?” Conveniently leaves out the point of consistently providing top tier content and information with a humble and down to earth approach that everyone can appreciate. Well done, as always, Phil 🤘
Lists are popular because they summarize as much as possible. It's easier for people to find what they want to hear for a given product and it gives people confidence on where their potential purchase ranks on a chart. (Also a lot of people like to show up post-purchase to validate it too lol)
Yup, with you on Fender at #1 here. Back in the '90s, a MIM Fender was pretty much the go-to for everyone. Nearly every music store had them, they were within reach for most of us price-wise, and they were solid, giggable instruments. Not much has changed in 30 years...in fact, I think the MIM line has only gotten better with time.
I was recently looking at getting a Jaguar. I was specifically interested in the Player Series Jaguar. I went to a store to check them out because they had 3. All 3 had frets that would cut your hand as did most of the other MIM Fenders there. The pickups were ok but nothing fantastic. I played lots of guitars that day, Gibsons, Epiphones, high end Squiers, and the MIM Fenders. The Fenders were the only ones with such horrific fret sprout and poorly done frets, so much so that the Squiers I played felt way better. I only played the higher end Squiers but still. I asked the store about it and they told me that they see this problem every year with Fenders, a few months every year where the frets are done poorly. They told me it wouldn't cost all that much to have them fix the frets up but for a $900 new guitar that's kind of ridiculous. They had some new Gibsons for 100 bucks more, they were perfect with absolutely fantastic pickups. . The Squiers were perfect, the Epiphones were perfect. Its been years since I've played a MIM Fender but they didn't seem as good as I remembered them as. I wasn't a fan of the pickups on the older MIM but they felt better than the ones I played recently.
@@ChrisEck13 In my opinion, no store should put a guitar that costs that much out for sale until they fixed them. Send them back to Fender, or fix them in-house. It makes Fender and the store look bad. It's like selling a new car with a flat tire.
@@TexanUSMC8089 I do think they should probably be sent back to Fender. But with the amount of MIM Fenders that have horrible fret sprout recently, I don't really think this would solve the issue. I'm sure Fender is aware, it's been a pretty common topic of talk recently and if any of their reps ever visit dealers they will see for themselves. I do think that dealers have some responsibility in regards to what they're selling and letting the customers know of issues, but I don't think that a dealer should have to fix frets on every Fender they receive and even if they did, the problem is likely to come back. Fender really needs to start drying out their woods and using higher quality woods. I haven't seen this issue on high end Squiers, Epiphones, Gibsons, USA Fenders or any other brands. It's only the ultra budget guitars and MIM Fenders
This is one of my all time favorite RU-vid channels for reviews and info. Phil never wastes my time, comes at everything in an honest and easy to follow manner and I really love the way he keeps an eye on value. I've bought a few brands based on his high ratings and I've yet to be disappointed. Just popped on a Schecter PT Special because of the many positive things Phil has said about Schecters. Thanks as always!
The biggest guitar shop round here laughed at me when I asked if they carried any ESP LTD as if it were below them. Went elsewhere to buy my LTD Snakebyte and it is one of the best guitars I've ever played over my 25yrs of (amateur) playing.
I got an LTD Eclipse last year and it's my favorite guitar I've owned. Top notch features, the neck is really comfortable, and personally I think they've got the best LP-style body shape. I just ordered an Arrow (which is their offset V equivalent) as an early midlife crisis guitar, and I'm eagerly looking forward to trying it out.
I've gotten the same treatment before. Between 2011 and 2018 guitar shops and music stores would shame anyone who didn't own a Gibson/epiphone or a fender/Squier. The reason being is that the immense level of competition at many different price points makes it hard for guitar shops to make easy money. Especially when the major brands like fender and D'angelico are giving huge kickback to guitar center.
I'd say you were pretty spot on with this list! I was happy to see Schecter come is as high as it did. I have a $600 C-1 platinum sitting directly to my left and it's one of my favorite guitars! Loving these ranking vids!! Stay safe and healthy Phil!!
This list was especially exciting. It also will made me sweat with the air conditioner running. My brain did not know what to do. Buy, buy, buy! Really appreciate the work you put into these Phil.
Godin is #1 in my opinion. Although it’s all subjective on fit and finish and feel, the fact that they are made in Canada makes it #1 for me. The feel of their Stadium and Passion series rivals the fender customs shop but for a fraction of the price.
Fender imports have always been amazing. I've owned a player strat, an earlier Mexican tele (2003 or so, I think?), and a Japanese strat, and they were all killer.
My first electric guitar was a MIM Strat. Never sold it and I find myself playing it much more than my other, more expensive guitars I have since purchased. I think you are spot on... you can’t go wrong with MIM Fender product for the price.
Have A 97 MIM start I bought used at a guitar show for $300 bucks. It was my first guitar. Put about $100 bucks into if swapping out the bridge pick-up for a hummbucker and getting it set up properly. Luv that thing. Great little home use axe.
Great list Phil. Love my Godin but to add weight to it’s inclusion on both import lists, a lot of their guitars are handmade still in Canada at their Quebec factories. My Radium is a good example as well as I believe the Radiator models. Easily some of the best guitars I’ve played (ok, I may be biased being a Canadian 😂).
I had to take my first SE Standard 24 back, that was box fresh. It was actually better than the replacement bar a small section where the lacquer was lifting on the side of the neck and would have just broken away quickly.
My first PRS was an SE Standard Indonesia (lowest price point). IT went back to PRS for a number of problems, the worst of them was the neck kept moving. I had to adjust the neck weekly. I firmly believe there was an issue with the truss rod. I have bought three2014 Korean SE's that have been fantastic guitars, another Indonesian (2019 Paul's Guitar) which was also fantastic, and most recently 2020 USA CE (nicest guitar I have). I almost swore off PRS after the problem with the first one, but I'm glad I changed my mind.
Christopher Nicoll Sorry to hear about your troubles...I bought an Indonesian made PRS SE Custom 24 for dirt cheap from Proaudiostar a few months ago and it’s been my go to guitar. I also apologize for my smartass comment...I didn’t think it would offend so many people and open up old wounds...I hope all is well and you enjoy your guitars...I do know for sure that PRS customer service is amongst the best...I hope they made things right for everyone
Great list! I’d personally switch the Fender and Schecter. For instance, my Schecter Nick Johnston Diamond DESTROYS every Player model I’ve ever played. Just holding them... not even playing them... the Schecters feel like a much higher priced guitar, especially compared to the Players. Plug them in and the quality is even more apparent. Either way, still a great list. Keep it up!
@Quiksilver To each their own. The NJ Diamonds are $699-$799 in the States, so no, the price doesn't kill anything here. They come ready to play with locking tuners, consistently beautiful fretwork, great pups, and a fit-and-finish at least as nice as my American Pro Tele and Lincoln Brewster Strat (both of which are amazing). Why on earth points would be lost because it's a signature model is beyond me, but as I said, it was just an example. Pick up whatever Schecter you want in this price range--same. 🤷🏻♂️
@@DougHinVA There are a ton of great deals out there. Moreover, if someone does want a new one, retailers (SW, MF, etc.) can often get 15%+ off from Schecter if you ask them. Either way, hard to go wrong with anything in the top ten of his list.
@Quiksilver Wow! KILLS and SLAUGHTERS. 🤦🏻♂️ Dude, chill. Didn't mean to poke your fanboi. I said it was an example of a Schecter that, in my experience, plays and feels superior to the half-dozen or so Fender Player models I've played. Schecter makes plenty of other guitars at this price point. And if my European friends have to pay more, that's too bad, but it's irrelevant to my opinion, as in the States they are $699-$799 and easily found for 10-15% less--that is, about the same price as a Fender Player model over here. 🤷🏻♂️ Personally, I really like the rings in the board, so if you feel the need to go all Boomer on another one of my personal opinions, take a whack at that for awhile. 🤣 👋🏻
I don’t think any guitar destroys another . The reason Guitar Acquisition Syndrome is so prevalent is because there are so many great guitars out there. They’re all good in their own ways .
The Fender FSR Made in Japan guitars are excellent for $899 if you like vintage-spec guitars. I have 2 Japanese FSR Teles and their craftsmanship is superb, IMO.
Can't wait for the over 1K list. My Fender Jim Root Tele is still my favorite player and it opened the door to me when I purchase now. MIM guitars are no longer scary to me.
Nice Shijie I think its custom shop quality for a third of the price. Haven't tried one, but every video and comment I've seen it says it's really amazing, just as good as any video review to there. If they shipped to my country I would have purchased one. So glad to see it in the list! And nice to see Reverend top 3, damn I love those guitars!
Love my 2017 MIM Fender Player Limited Edition...aged and black\black. On sale, I paid $499 (couldn't pass that up). And, plays "as good" in my opinion as the American version. Good choice for #1.
I couldn't give an opinion to most guitars on your list. I have not got my hands on them. However, I've owned multiple Reverend guitars. I've NEVER been dissatisfied. Reverend makes great stuff. I'm happy to see them in the top three. For me, they stand up to bigger name brands that can be significantly more expensive. I've experienced this first hand.
I’m not surprised by your selection of Fender MIM guitars. I’ve owned a ‘70s USA made Telecaster Deluxe as well as an American Standard Strat and now have a Mexico made Stratocaster HSS that surpasses both in quality, playability and especially ease of set up.
I really wish that ESP would lose the LTD logo on their headstock. They would DOMINATE. I mean, ALL the biggies have High and Low End guitars and are PROUD to put their Brand on everything they send out the door (ie: Jackson, Ibanez, Fender, Gibson, etc... ). IMHO 🤘
While they don't put the ESP name on their cheaper guitars, it still seems to me that they're much prouder of their low end line than other brands. They've featured even the lowest end LTD on their IG account. I can't say I've seen any Gios on Ibanez social media accounts
All I'm saying is ESP can work on it. Hell, I like the PRS SE logo design now. And, Gretsch moved the Electromatic logo from the headstock to the pickguard.
I absolutely love my Charvel San Dimas Style 1 Candy Apple Red! (Recently purchased used) Yamaha is always a great choice when you just don't know but you want a good quality instrument for the buck! Ibanez will always hold a special place in my heart. Thanks for the great vids man!
I completely agree about the Fender line. I have a MIM Nashville Tele and a Player series Strat. The Mexican line is no longer the guitar you have to settle for because you can't afford the American line.
I have an Indonesian made schecter Nick Johnston signature, and i would put it over the fender MIM stuff, which I had prior to my Schecter. I would even say that the Schecter has a better feel and look over my Fender performer series strat. And also the fretwork, I would say, is superior as well. Can't complain for an $800 guitar.
15:08 - Because of you I bought the Ibanez RGRT421 which is very impressive for the low price ($400). I switched the pickups to Seymour Duncan Black Winter, so in total, I paid $600 for amazing quality. I couldn't afford a Solar guitar, but I'm very happy with the Ibanez.
I bought a Ibanez Rg6003fm Guitar Center Musicians Friend special brand new for 275 and that has wizard III neck fast playing light guitar with Quantum Humbuckers. Love this thing go to player
Yooooo, Michael Kelly made the list! The one I got is my favorite, and I've only ever talked to a handful of people who are actually aware of the brand, so cool to hear it be praised like this!
Phil LOVES him some pointy hair metal, skinny nut guitars, and Fender or fender knockoffs. I liked Reverend when they were $700 new. But they keep jacking up the prices. Now, once you throw in sales tax, even their less expensive models don't even really fit on the sub $1k list,
Most of their guitars can be had new from retail for 1000, and the used market they can be found every day in droves for 600-800, mint condition often with a case *but i agree, like 3-5 years ago you could get them used for like 4-500. But, the newer ones are also better- roasted maple, full paint jobs instead of black backs, upgraded nut, neck binding and fretboard inlays on more models, etc
Because Reverend still manufactures all of their guitars in the South Korean factories known for producing outstanding instruments. However, the cost to produce guitars in those Korean factories has increased, and this is the reason for most Reverend models being priced between $900 - $1100. It’s also the reason the production of PRS SE and most sub $1000 Schecters and ESP LTDs has moved to Indonesia. As for the South Korean-made Schecter’s, they are almost all well over $1000 and some over $1300. The same is true of D’Angelico’s Korean-made guitars, some of which are over $1500!
@@sketchyold Great point- it's definitely not just Reverend raising prices. For me though, if I'm buying new (which is foolish IMO anyway), I'm never going to pay that much for an import. In the $1k-2k range it's tough to find a better value than the PRS S2 line. I'm cheap though- I'd rather pick up a Core PRS cheap because it has a scratch on the front that's driving the original owner/lawyer crazy every time he sees it
@@mgreene300 I would be willing to pay up to $1000 for a Reverend or Schecter, because they are just as well-made (if not better) than lower-priced Gibson’s and USA Fenders. I’m over the myth that foreign guitars are always inferior to American-made (and often with better components). The same was once said of Japanese guitars, but now they are among the best in the world. If I’m confident about the feel, components, and fit-and-finish of a guitar, I’m not concerned with resale value. If I enjoy a guitar but decide to sell it one day for half (or less) of it’s original price, I consider that “loss” the price I paid for the time I used and enjoyed the guitar. I will never pay $1200 or more for a Gibson LP faded, just to say I have a Gibson.
Love these list videos! Can't wait for the under $300 video list! No wonder you have been so busy making content. Great work and thank you for sharing your expertise with us.
Are you, by chance, going to do lists for basses in different price categories since you also play bass? That would be great to see one on here since most music stuff is regular guitar oriented videos.
Gotta say, I love the Kramer with the allen wrenches on the back of the headstock. I'm gonna have to retrofit my most used guitars with that. I've never seen it before but I think it's great.
The Allen Key holder has been used off/on on Jackson and Charvels since the 80's alongside Kramers and a few other brands. Many different flavors of retention, some are thumb screw, others have felt or O-ring inside, and I have seen a few use a allen cap bolt to hold an allen key ;). They are available to retrofit any guitar from All Parts, Stew mac etc.
Bought a Mex/Tele about 6 months ago when I got tired of waiting for the PRS SE that was looking like it would never make it to our shores. Wanted a new playing buddy so decided to go old school with the Tele. Have come to love it! Blew right through "buddy" status and hit "new girlfriend" status in 60 days or less. Complete with name, "Natalie". Still want that PRS, yes I love pretty quilted maple even if it is laminate. Anyway, again Phil great video and proud to be one of your subscribers.
Ibanez has really done A LOT to improve their sub-prestige lineup of guitars in general over the past few years. They've been offering more interesting designs, good quality pickups (if you're able to spend $1,100 you will find multiple guitars with Bareknuckle or Fishman pickups), outlandish and fun colors, and more at a quality level that matches the price. It's a lineup that's a dream come true, especially for a metal guitarist. Lately, when I buy a "new" guitar, I first go to Reverb to see what Ibanez Pestiges are available for around $1,000, and I've found multiple with some really impressive after market mods (including Bareknuckle pickups 🤤).
I love Ibanez. They have been my favorite brand ever since I played an SA260fm as a student back in 2005. But one think I've learned from owing scores of ibanez guitars from every range barring J-Custom...they have legendarily dodgy QC across the entire spectrum. The first run of premiums was insane though imo, they really knocked it out with that. AZ's, I had pretty bad luck with
I'm glad you've had nothing but positive experiences with the sub-prestige range! I wanna like them as much as you, but I've come across a number with really sketchy QC. Things like really sharp fret ends, finish problems, cracky electronics, cheap hardware, etc. I find the Iron Labels and anything cheaper to be the culprits the most, but every once in a while a Premium will have its share of problems as well. Let's not forget the Premium Universe reissues which had misaligned necks and/or bridges. A damn shame.
I love Ibanez but I hate how they discontinue all their guitars. I fall in love with some and before you know it, it's not on the market anymore. Guitars like Strats and Les Pauls, I can get one any day. I like the 90s- early 2000 RG series Ibanez. The ones now that they make don't look as good.
@@TobyKBTY I'm with you, Toby. Fret ends that could cut a cheap steak and cracks in the finish at the neck. I so want to like Ibanez, but after the issues I had with them, they just leave a bad taste for me. :/
You missed the middle child of Dean Zelinsky: Diamond (formerly DBZ) Guitars. World Music in Korea not only makes them again, they now own the brand and are fantastic guitars.
Nope you're not the only one! I'm a big fan of letting someone else drive it off the lot, and buying used in Excellent or Mint condition. Phil's tip that saved me a bunch of $ is always make an offer on Reverb, or at the brick store even if they're not asking for one. Just be realistic with it.
I used to buy new but did not like over paying for just the name. I only buy used, usually full thickness squiers and epiphone, then upgrade the to full Fender or Gibson levels. Great satisfaction doing all the work myself too at a fraction of a new price guitar.
I've only bought 1 electric. My first guitar was a cheap late 90s korean Tele copy that was a gift from my grandparents, I bought an Ibanez Artcore TM71 Talman in 2005 and that's it. My acoustics have all been used, the first two were awful because I was a 'kid' and had no idea what I was doing, my current acoustic is a Fender FR-50 round neck resonator and it is awesome but I grabbed it for $75-80 used and maybe I just got a good one but I love it. Currently I'm trying to decide if I want a Gretsch G5222 double jet, a Yamaha Revstar 502T, or a Squier Mustang Classic Vibe and will probably but it new.
FYI, Fujigen (フジゲン) is pronounced with a hard G (i.e., You go back, Jack, do it a-GEN), not Fuji-Jen (soft G). 弦 (Gen, not jen) means "string" (as in guitar strings or stringed instrument).
@@dtohara135 Just because someone mispronounces a word doesn't make them arrogant. And for your information, most Americans are not arrogant. You've maybe watched too much television?
Like many with the gear curse, I cannot even begin to tell you how many guitars I have owed over my 36 year musical life. Hundreds. I have built them from scratch (i.e. Warmoth parts) and they have been priced from $6700 down to $150. And everything in between. I would have to say, just based on price vs what you get for that price the winner for me has to be Schecter. My C-1 (from Korea) was priced at $1180, I got it brand new from Zzounds for $700. I had been a return and then discontinued. It's satin black, ebony board, with the Full Shred in the neck, a Sustainiac in the bridge, real Floyd and Grover machines. The real secret is when you move the toggle switch to the middle, it drops out one row of magnets (I think) and gives you this really sweet, sexy single coil tone. It is so nice. But it NEVER goes out of tune and has no cosmetic flaws. The Sustainiac is a ton of fun once you've mastered how to use it properly and the Full Shred is like a JB's big brother. A real screamer. All that for almost a thousand? No Gibson can come close to the value. Few other brands can't either for that matter.
If you buy a $1000 guitar ask yourself the question ‘is it worth $1,000?’ Maybe it’s worth $700, $800 or $900 . Don’t be fooled by clever strategic marketing. Maybe it’s worth paying $1100 for a guitar that was reduced from $1500. So easy to pay too much or end up with a lesser guitar than you may have expected at this price point . JMHO
Hi, if I may ask, I would love to see your review of most popular guitar brands/models, and how much you would price them regardless of their actual price. Thanks.
Good review. I agree with your number one pick, MIM Fenders are great. I personally think they are as good as the made in usa Fenders. It looks like those outside of the top 10 where not favorably reviewed based on you criteria. The $600 to $800 range guitars is the sweet spot for many people in my view. A side note, I really like Squier VM and Classic Vibe line. They are just as good as MIM Fenders, just need to upgrade the pots. Great job.
Excellent info for all. In fact, it's not the rankings that are important, it's again the info. All of us have different tastes in guitars and would rank 'em accordingly, but the info is presented here about manufacturers choices. Thanks.
I’m curious why you didn’t rank Shijie higher? Sounded like you gave them some very strong praise in terms of quality that would befit top five kind of territory.
First, great video!! Before health issues got in the way, I was gigging 4 to 5 nights a week. Mostly, I have top end guitars, which are 3 Les Paul Standards and a 1988 Jackson Cutom Shop Soloist. Only having one Floyd Rose guitar, I wanted a backup. I got a 2000 ESP/LTD GL500K Kamikaze. I figured as a backup, it'd be worth the $250. I was shocked. The guitar payed well, fell good, and sounded pretty good. All I've done to it to date, is rounded the fretboard, to make it feel more like an old player, did a complete setup to my specs, and I did add Seymour Duncan Screamin Demon and single coils, which really woke this guitar up. I ended up playing this guitar a lot. Definitely great guitar, for the money.
I love my fender but I don’t think fender should be #1 when I ordered it the first one was unplayable and so was it’s replacement. I had to get it set up, which isn’t unusual, but they should at least be playable out of the box.
Fender factory setups are disappointing. Both Mexico and Corona in my experience. Yet the Charvels are decent. Very strange. A guitar goes through a lot once it's made and packaged. Hot/cold trucks. Hot/cold warehouses. Zero humidity control. Boxes stacked on top of one another. Boxes dragged and dropped. Plus, how long was it sitting in the box? You never know what kind of journey it's had.
I got a dud as well years ago from musicians friend. Instead of returning it I brought it in for a setup, found out they put a Jaguar neck on a jazz master body(I have no idea how this happened) and since I brought it to a tech I voided the warranty to return it. Long story short, musiciansfriend are huge assholes and luckily I was able to replace it through samash who is an authorized fender dealer. Since then I have never ordered a guitar online, and have only used musicians friend maybe a handful of times just for stupid deal of the day stuff. My advice is Musician friend are scumbags and buy guitars you can physically play first to avoid returns and shipping headaches.
Critical Mindset yeah but fenders setups are just sad like I bought my dad a gretsch and it was set up perfect out of the box and it’s from over seas. The intonation on the fender wasn’t even close there were random bids buzzing and rattle ing and both of the fenders had a string that sounded like a sitar
Ruby dragon 456 like if your more into metal or heavy rock Schecter and IBanez Rock but if it’s traditional or blues I think Fender . I think you can get the odd bad issue with any brand though . Fortunately it’s not too common
Currently loving Hagstrom as a not talked much about brand - I have two and love both of them. Thought they would land higher on this list but more cuz I just want to get them props. I think Godin is going to be my next purchase - thanks for making this list - very entertaining and informative
The Strat is still the best designed guitar ever made. Leo hit it outta the park with that one. I don't know maybe he was smoking alien weed when he designed it.
Not surprised at all with the placement of the top two. I own several of the represented brands at the top of the list and in one case, I bought two identical MiM (spoiler alert) guitars as a main and backup - they're that good.
Rivolta is designed by Fano and is the sub brand of Novo guitars, Fano guitars has been sold and is no longer under Fano himself. I believe they are set up in America like reverend
Great list. Don't have a lot of experience with many on the list. However, I've owned quite a few on your top 10 including Fender, Chapman and Schecter, all of which are great guitars. My father recently purchased. Hagstrom Swede SE P90 and we're both blown away with the quality. The pickups are probably the weakness, but they didn't compromise on the build, fit or finish. A new set of pickups and it competes with anything. Although, the same thing could be said for many of the guitars brands that made your list. Anyways, great job putting this together. Really enjoy the content!
I literally have the exact Schecter you labeled as your favorite, the Hellraiser Hybrid, trans-black and all, but it's actually Korean made! It's been nice checking out your channel and seeing somebody else talk about this brand, and it's nice to see someone else finally rate it so highly! Love the videos!
I agree with your number 1 choice. Myself and many people I know who take lessons at my local music shop all have fender player series guitars. Amazing quality for the price. I would highly recommend them to new and old players. Thanks Phil for all you do! Your channel brings me so much happiness in these crazy times.
Just talking about looks, the pics posted from Fender look a lot better than any other brand in the vid, this just speaks volume, a mere random online product instantly shows a good looking product. They have that aspect nailed, while other brands in order to do sthg different (logically BTW), end with some designs being a bit fugly, though the'll have their public. With Fender nowdays making their old designs look so good, with lots of color variations and just a good eye with combinations. I think Sterling and Yamaha also nails it in such department.
My beef with Schecter is the dopey names - the Omen, the Hellraiser, etc. Some of them look nice, but I'm a grown man and I'm not dropping real cash on a guitar playing that angle.
I bought a Schecter Omenn Extreme (6). Under $500.00. The same week I bought it I played with two friends, one playing a Les Paul Standard, and one playing a Fender Tel. Both tried my guitar, and both couldn't set it down. They LOVE my guitar, as do I.
Great list, thanks! Love my Schecters, LTDs, and Solar, good to see them all in the top 10. The only one I was surprised by was Hagstrom. I have the Pat Smear model, and I am blown away by it. It probably has the most acoustic projection (played unplugged) of any solid body I have, and it just overall feels very alive. No issues at all, solid build, great pickups, the only thing it needs is locking tuners (because all guitars should have them). Granted, I may have just gotten very lucky, and I also got it just over a year ago, new, not b-stock, for like $670 I think, but now places have it listed for much more than that. Thanks again!
@@PiNkPrObLeM13 They're amazing!!! They're made by the famous luthier Trev Wilkinson from vintage, Fret-King to the Wilkinson brand that's seen on high end Fenders and Gibson's.. If you want a really cool super high end quality guitar for under $1,000, Italia is the way to go!! I play a bunch of Fender stuff but now I only pick up my Italia guitars.. My Modena Challenge is my dream guitar, it has a Korina body and a bigsby. It sounds and plays like a dream, I only wish that the tone selection was a little more dramatic, so I might change out one of the pick-ups.. But other than that, these guitars are amazing and there's a huge cult following.. There's Italia Facebook groups too.. Oh, and one more thing, they also make Sitars and Res-O-Glass top guitars like my Mondial Classic that has dual input jacks to blend the piezo pickups and humbuckers together..
@@LucaPasini They're actually made in Korea where Duesenberg guitars are made.. The brand is called "Italia" and their guitars are named after Ferrari race cars and cities in Italy because Trev Wilkinson fell in love with the old vintage Italian guitars that he'd see in pawn shops but he hated the way they played, so he decided to recreate the look of the old Italian guitars from the 1960's but make the quality and playability top notch... The look of Italia has changed more away from the vintage Italian look but you can still find some of those older Italia guitars used on Reverb.. Italia guitars have been around for over 20 years and it's all I ever play anymore
Great video Phil, well thought out and considered. I'll shout out ShiJie -- I have one of their standard series, can't fault it, they have a small factory but they are turning out quality product. In the future I may well go for a Schecter or Ibanez semi-hollow, as much as I want a Gibson or Gretsch, can't afford them.
The Charvel Pro Mod So Cal 2-24 is incredibly hard to beat for a 6 string. At 899 US you get a roasted maple neck, locking tuners, and Fishman pick ups. It's alot of guitar for the price.
Play with it. Before judging, just demo the guitar. Never get upset about the product you order before it is even delivered. Imo, you'll fall in love with it. 😄😄😄
If you want to know how Shijie is pronounced, type "world" into google translate and translate into Chinese. A working anglophone pronunciation would be something like "sure-jyay."
If you seen the LTD I bought for $999, it would be higher on your list , absolutely beautiful dark green finish and came with Seymour Duncan pick ups . Fast action neck with 24 frets cut away in the neck area for better fret access and a cut away on the back so it sits on your stomach more comfortable while playing.
