damianbacci.com Recently I've seen a few people posting videos of this very cheap Grote Jazz Hollow-Body sold on Amazon. I thought it would be fun to see what all the commotion is about. Enjoy the review. :)
Nice playing. I'm 68 years old and a brandy new beginner. I just bought my first guitar. I bought a Gretsch G5420T in Aspen green. I'll never be good but I have fun trying to learn lol. Good Vid.
If you want it bad enough, you can do it, even at 68. It takes 10000 hours to master an instrument. For example, 4 hours of playing per day for 6 years. But to get good, not master, is about 1/4 of that. 1 hour per day for 6 years, or 2 per day for 3 years, and you'd be good enough to play rythm for local gigs, if that were your goal.
@@eventhisidistaken This is some good perspective. And it demonstrates why I still suck after a little more than 2 years. I just don't practice enough, nor correctly. :) I have fun though, and I'm only playing for me, so it works out. ;)
I am your age too, recently retired and I have taken up the guitar and piano. I don't expect to play in a band but it is satisfying to see that I can learn to play some easy tunes after only a month of practicing an hour a day (30 minutes for each before I go to bed). RU-vid has so much material to build your confidence. Good luck!
I know Im asking the wrong place but does anybody know of a trick to log back into an instagram account? I somehow lost my password. I would appreciate any assistance you can give me.
This video is so refreshing. A dude that doesn't snob out! He tells us that it is not the best guitar, but for under $200 that it is fun to play. It sounded great and looks great. Damian is one of the best on RU-vid!
I don't understand if it looks great and sounds great so what is the problem, just because of the price it is junk , I like somebody judge this guitar by giving it a test drive without knowing the price
@@transformer889 When my Wife and I visited friends back east. My one mission was to find a decent acoustic guitar. Where I went was a hotbed of guitars! There were guitars of almost every makeand model. I was looking for one particular Axe. It was a guild fg30. And it has great sound and tone. All of my friends back there were chiding me for not looking at Gibson Hummingbirds, Yamaha Acoustic, Gretsch, Takamine and Martin's. I wanted a Guild. And I found it in a small pawnshop downtown. I've never given much thought to the higher priced items. As such, 12 years later, I play it religiously every day. The ONLY way to play, is what particular Guitar you find and love from the moment you pick it up. Be Well Transformer. And don't forget to practice everyday!!🤝👍👍👍
I wandered here by accident - not my style of playing, and I'm not interested in budget guitars. But your presentation hooked me from the off, and I stayed to the end. Can't pay you a bigger compliment.
That is the most common insult to a manufacturer that is veiled as a compliment . So this guitar can be pure crap but Damien made it sound good? There are shit instruments that are unplayable and no player posses magic to make it playable.
In my observation, a guy who can really play an instrument can play the instrument, from cheap to quality, and make them all sound pretty good. I once bought a cheap tenor sax and took it to a repair shop to get repadded. Even with old, dried out pads (two missing!) and dry pivots, this guy played some hot jazz and some cool blues. When it was all fixed up, I struggled to get any kind of tone out of it all. Sigh...
Absolutely. In my over 40 years of musical experience, I can play any decent guitar and make it sound fine. As long as the fretwork is good enough to not lacerate via the fret ends and the action isn't stupid high - with dead frets - I can play something on it. Fact is, I have gigged with Epiphone and Squier instruments with my Gibsons and Fenders... one of my cherished instruments is a Korean Squier Strat my wife bought me.
Yup. I ride off road motorcycles, and I get so sick of all the guys with more money than sense deliberating excessively over all the tech specs of which is the best. My reply is always get better at riding. 99% chance that if you have to ask random people online their opinion then you can’t outperform your machine.
If we're being perfectly honest, and we've been there, not all of those old vintage guitars were always that great. Gretsch, for example, had some pretty bad Quality Control. And not every Gibson or Epiphone that came off the line was "spectacular". SO, if I can get a decent guitar at $200 that's probably as good as a lot of the originals...then that's a damn good deal. And at that price, I can mod it anyway I like, without any guilt at all. ...or just leave it stock....sounded like a ES-T to me.
ive heard a guy playing 2 old 40's gibson acoustics, same model, unrestored, one sounded like a cat in a blender and the other sounded like a world class choir
You're really not supposed to play this well on a RU-vid guitar demo. There was no horrible out of tune bending or wobbly vibrato. Also your phrasing was great. I can't support any of this.
I've got one of these, and I love it. I added a 1/8" shim under the pickup. I also swapped the ceramic magnets in the pickup with Alnico 4 magnets, which I think improved the tone. The biggest thing - the bridge was held on with double stick tape, and was poorly contoured to fit the soundboard. Removing the tape, and contouring to get more surface area against the body made a very noticeable improvement in the sound, particularly with regard to sympathetic resonance and acoustic volume. The bridge/neck has a weird radius; about 16 degrees. I would do the bridge fitting work before you replace it outright; I think the metal one sounds alright, to be honest.
From Leo: Thanks for your demo. What a great rock a billy guitar. You are right abut the P-90. I have shimmed several of them and that really opens up the sound of that P-90. 5/64th's off the string seems to be the sweet spot. In a day when a couple of premium replacement pickups cost $200, that is an amazing guitar.
I think the #1 thing I got from your video was: a great guitarist can make anything sound good! You, sir, are an exceptionally talented guitarist. Thank you!
I bought one of these in this same finish. I swapped out the tuners for some Grovers, put a bone nut on it, raised the pick up, and tweaked the intonation. With these few improvements it has become an instrument I really enjoy playing. I find a surprising amount of sweet spots with the stock pick up and will be keeping it.
Major props for using heavier strings with a wound 'G.' I used to have a Guild X-500 and I used a 12 ga set with a wound 'G' and it really gave me the jazz tone. Also more props for your playing, you old jazz man, you.
If you don't use a wound G with most wood bridges the intonation will be WAY off! The wound 3rd has to be closer to the neck than a plain 3rd; it's hard to get a clear view but it appears he changed the intonation on the tune-o-matic type bridge and moved the 3rd string saddle forward.
I've bought guitars since the late 50's and haven't stopped. I have several inexpensive brands from $100. to $500. None disappoint. Today's world is entirely different, so participate in it! Thanks!
Thank you so much for playing it like a jazz guitar first, before adding effects. There's a lots of reviews on here that start off playing it as if it were a rock solid body and never getting around to playing it like it's design to be. So refreshing! Nice sound.😎
I've got a grote 335 ish. I bought it from Amazon for 150. I installed better pickups it's.a beautiful thing. Thanks for playing without all that crunch everyone else seems to think is music.
I didn’t know it was on Amazon, I bought it on Reverb for 230, but the dude put a new set of strings on it and set it up nice so no complaints. I cannot keep my hands off it.
I have and know a couple of people who have managed to pick up second hand antoria jazzstars cheap (like £250) they're amazing for the money. They're huge + weigh an absolute ton, top frets and neck, plays nicer than a Les Paul/gretsch electromatic, heavy guage flatwounds and a few experiments with pickups and I have my dream guitar. (But the stuff they come with as a standard is good). Worth sticking on the watchlist
Been playing cheap guitars for a long time. Squier and Epiphone do a great job with the budget guitars. I love hollow body guitars now LOL. Watching your channel, you're always playing them. Last year I finally treated myself and bought an Epiphone ES-339, and it's quickly become my favorite guitar I've ever owned. Amazingly, it was much cheaper than my Gibson Les Paul and completely blows that guitar out the water. It's something about the ES that sounds lively and has a better feel than my Les Paul. It's been 8 months now and I still don't want to go back to playing my Gibson
You put guitars to the test in ways most reviewers do not. I can tell by your tshirts and posters that you also know some other genres to throw at a guitar. I don't think it would be a bad idea at all for you to do more reviews.
Just goes to show... I'm a bass player and own a few. I've got a 1979 Musicman Sabre that I paid far too much for, but it doesn't sound as good or have nearly as much mojo as my 1996 Squier P-Bass that I paid not very much at all for. Most of it is technique and a decent amp helps. _Loved_ your playing though, Mister! Lovely stuff.
I own the red variant of this guitar and I LOVE mine. It has a bit of red paint on the binding and that's the only flaw that I can see so far other than the horrible pack job. I use distortion when I play and this guitar actually sounds good with crunchy/distorted tones.
I just got my T50 last week! What was I thinking? Oh the pain!!!! Good job. Great show & tell. Dang, I was joking but now hearing you play it, maybe I need a backup! LOL.
Not really the best match up. ..with this guy's phrasing and licks, he'd be way better suited with a custom shop Gibson, a semi-hollowbody Novo, etc. It takes more than just "talent" to express that kind of emotion, true musicality, and inspiration with an extremely cheap ebay special.. and this guy has it! Most experienced and good guitarists have spent so much of their time focusing on the "perfect" set up/action, invested lots in high-end tuners, upgrading pick-ups, etc, that when they encounter a no-name/cheap guitar, they're distracted by fret ends, nut height, and a long list of attributes behind why the guitar is inexpensive.. and they're unable to simply relax and let themselves get lost while jamming. As I'm probably just as guilty as most others, I'm not trying to talk badly or throw any insults as much as share truth. This review was refreshing.. and humbling. I think we should all spend a little more time enjoying the music we make and pay less attention to the marketing hypes and fantasizing about the next "better" guitar or piece of gear. If you've got a guitar that's playable and sounds ok/decent, focus on using your fingers and touch to make it sound spectacular. ..all of our favorite guitar legends could do it. That's why it's easy to recognize their sound, regardless to if they were playing a Fender, a Squire, or a partscaster.. Spectacular review, sir! Sending love from Missouri -Todd
First of all, you are an extremely talented player, but the guitar is great as well, to be honest one of the best guitars I have seen in that price range. This "cheap" guitars are anyway made by companies that produce guitars for big companies so they have the experience to make reliable instruments with cheaper materials. I think it sounds amazing for the price.
Very nice playing. I bought a red one of these and had to send it back. The neck had twist in it and you could cut yourself on the fret ends. I have a lot of guitars, 28 and 80% Asian make. I have an Aria Pro II FA71 archtop, that I play out (I brought it to every gig for the past 10 years) Went through 3 of them to find the right one,( none were bad) the same with the Firefly ES335 copy had two to get one good one , and still had to change some of the hardware and pots. Even with Epiphone's 2 Casinos to find a good one. There is very little consistency from guitar to guitar . I have a china copy of a Les Paul special double cut way that played great right out of the box.. Many of these Guitars out of the box are a real bargain and playable but it is a crap shoot . Glad you got a good one. I may try again as I really liked the guitar and was going to buy the Epi reissue of the Century, but the Grote is a third the price . But I need to thin the herd a little first :)
Thanks for watching the review. I've always thought Aria Pro II guitars are pretty good. In fact there's a few models that I really like. I really like their Jazz guitars. One day maybe I'll own one. Keep on Rockin' DAMIAN
Wow! Pleasantly surprised. Makes me want to sell one of my old guitars to get something like this one. I have too many metal guitars. This would be a nice change of pace. ;)
Now that was pure guitar entertainment. Well worth the price of admission. It's now February 2021, or about seven months post-unboxing of this charmed instrument. How's the neck look? Still straight and true? Have any of the stock parts or "economy" construction presented any issues? Let us all know. And THANKS kindly for all the inspiration you bring to the world. :-) Cheers from San Francisco!
Thanks for watching Kevin. The guitar is still doing good, no issues have come up yet. I'm actually looking at getting another Grote guitar. I saw that they recently put out another Jazz guitar and it's peeking my interest. :) Keep on Rockin' DAMIAN
I added a pickup shim, upgraded the tuners and replaced the softwood bridge support with a rosewood one - HUGE improvements for a very low cost. The fretboard is very thirsty for several applications of mineral oil. My intonation was a bit off and I cleaned up the nominal fret sprout with a 3M sanding sponge. What a bargain!
Someone once shipped me an epi phone Broadway guitar I’m sure considerably heavier than that guitar in the same kind of box with minimal packing from Germany it was in transit for three weeks and the box was all torn up but the guitar did not have a scratch
I went all hook line and sinker on this guitar got the cherry red one, and priced at 169$ Amazon of course, changed strings after high E popped but that was a given. Sounds great, fret ends are very good, only a couple need some buffing but not a problem , setup good out of the box, great buy.
Yeah nice looking and nice sounding for the money. I was looking at that Epiphone 1966 century replica. Even those are 399. I'm a thinking I'm going to get me one of these. Great video thank you! From North Port Florida we're neighbors.👊😎
Hey Damian, as always your video does not disappoint! You made that bargain sing right outta the box. I myself am NOT a guitar snob as I found that a real bargain can be turned into a great sounding guitar. Thanks for the demo and keep doing what you do- you rock! Stay safe buddy!
I want to see/hear Brother Damien swingin' AND rockin' & rollin' with a three-stringed-electric-shovel-guitar!! I swear by Bill Haley's Comets, Brother Damien can pick-up anything with strings (get it? pick-up? groan!!), and he'll make it sound Absolutely-Awesome and Super-Swingin'!!!! There's no way around it, Brothers & Sisters, play & practice, along with a healthy dose of nature-given talent!!!! Brother Damien, you inspire us to pick-up(!!) our guitars and and you bring joy to us when you help us to play something we never did before. Thank you for your time, for sharing your knowledge, and for giving us a chance to get better at something that we love soooo much!!!! You are a total class act, Brother!! As for the new Grote, maybe a pick-up(!!) swap? Or just leave it alone and play the heck out of it?! Either way, HAVE FUN!! Take care, Bro!! Your fan & Guitar Bro in Montreal, Canada, Norman.
Very good guitar sounds a well , sound, it's a steal $180, yup it's a real bargain mate cheers for the Demo you sure play well say have you ever heard of the meteors there a cycobilly band from outside london farmbourgh, but of course the masters are the n y.c. finest the STRAY CATS, have a great day sir stay safe I'll be checking out more o yor tunes, peace, Ali. Boston, 🙏🏴🙏
When you see a decent playable guitar for under $200, it makes you wonder why the hell some guitar companies sells a guitar as much as $1,000 to $5,000???
This was great Damian! Oh no, you've got me curious. Might just stroll on over to Amazon. Lot of fun & great musicianship, I'll be back. Thanks man! Dave in the Adirondacks
I think it's better that he NOT be paid - paying someone for a good review starts to tilt the perceived objectiveness of any reviews done in the future - like only good eviews will ever be posted in hope of getting free gear. The whole point of unsolicited reviews without any compensation is that they are totally objective. That's the problem with reviews in most guitar mags - they are either sent guitars for free in hopes of getting a review (and mags rarely - if ever - review BAD guitars!) or they are reviewing guitars made by their paid advertisers, who would reduce their ads if bad reviews were published, They are ALL subjective reviews!
Great demo, wish more demo's covered as much ground as you did here. Ive worked on several Grote guitars for players, put on new strings, neck and pickup adjusting, some fret work. Weakest point in relation to the actual sound is if they have a plastic headstock saddle. Replace that, and with a few touches here and there Grotes are very decent playing and sounding guitars. Grote also seems to do better with set neck designs than bolt on, overall.
Great playing ! it sounded wonderful and it looks like a lot of fun to play. Thank you for letting Us hear the guitar , abstaining from using a shitload of distortion , and playing heavy metal licks on it. Nothing against metal, but on this style of guitar, the licks and chords you’re playing, are what I want to hear.
First off, your playing is a joy, I’ll be checking out your lesson videos. Some fantastic clean tones there too. I’ve ordered myself a red one of these. I just wanted to ask, you put electric 12s on it, I’ve seen people put acoustic strings on it. Would you attempt that, or do you think it’s a bad idea?
I got one of these 6-10 months ago and I have to say it is very decent. Well worth the cost and I think the quality is beyond the price for sure. Mine has a VERY bright P90 to my ears, but the Tone control does enough to get me any darker tones I want. Super lightweight, being fully hollow, and the acoustic tone is great for couch noodling. Could it use a pro setup? Sure. Does it need it to be playable? Nope. I was very happily surprised at the quality. Figured for $150 it was worth the risk and it was more than worth it to me. Would I put a Fralin or Lollar P90 in it at some point? Or throw in a bridge pickup? Maybe. Mostly I would polish the frets more and leave it at that. I would buy it again and recommend it to friends looking for a Casino.
I bought one on Facebook marketplace for $115 and immediately went home and posted it for sale for $250 and sold it 3 days after I bought it. These are great for making money
Sounds good to me , sounds good enough for jazz or rockabilly stuff , I give it a 7. Nice looking too. I would buy it . Have you checked out Wolf guitars, I think there from Japan.
I think it sounds good! and under 200 bucks! Looks great too! I have the GROTE Jazz Electric Guitar Semi-Hollow Body Trapeze Tailpiece Bridge and I love it! I did a set up on it and replaced the tuners and strings! Sounds GREAT! and it was just over 200 bucks NEW including shipping!
