I bought one just because of the price and because it was so beautiful. Wow, it sustains almost (very close) to my Gibson Les Paul. I was going to to change the pickups for some 490r and 498t I have in another build, but, the more I play it, the more I consider just leaving it as it is. The craftsmanship all around is outstanding.
Another great reveiw Joe, amazon just canceled my gearit 100 order, so I went on guitar center to look for a replacement, I found a new ms450 for $159 marked down from $199, so I jumped on it, I must have got the last one, when I went to look for it again it was gone! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!
Good video 📹 👍 the way i see mitchell guitars in my retired years from professional music is the guitar i want because price makes sense and no ones using them. Has the sexy look with the grain and fake flame looks. The locking tunners wins me over everytime. If any complaint is neck profile wish they had a slimmer tapered offering. If so be perfect for me. They are only guitar that catches my eye these days i am still to buy. I dont know why but when i play them they feel like a dirty secret and premium to me. But neck always makes me go why. As i dont play much anymore as its barely a revenue source for me my hands are not used to stretching anymore. I used to love D and C shape but mitchell pisses me off a bit. Idk why though. Past professional song i sold was rain in to 2023 to funimation the anime company. Beyond that i barely sell music i make anymore.
I like the input jack on mine, it's angled design allows you to run cable thru guitar strap so that it doesn't bind or pop out when you're standing while playing. Love this feature rich guitar, locking tuners, thru body strings, coil tap, maple binding on body and neck, Alnico pickups and D'Addario XL premium strings. All features you find on guitars costing twice as much. Sounds good, feels good and looks really cool. Got mine in black cherry for $179 brand new, what a steal! It doesn't sound like a Les Paul but I have two of those anyway.
It's actually 2 volume controls and one tone , according to Mitchell. I have one and a vox vt40x and love both. The two loose push-pull knobs are separate volume for each pickup and the harder to turn knob is the tone
I see every time I am at GC and they look really nice. Man, you can't beat the locking tuners, coil split for the price. I did not know they were made in Vietnam; they produce some good stuff.
Thanks for stopping by Scott! Yes these are a great "bang for the buck"! Harley Benton, Wolf Guitars, IYV , select ESP are all made in Vietnam. Excellent stuff coming out of there.
Hi, I own both the Mitchell MS450 and the MS400 and both look, sound and play beautifully. My MS450 is, as Average Joe mentions, made in Vietnam, but my MS-400 was made in China. The only other difference, aside from the different (gorgeous figured maple) finishes, seems to be that the MS450 has covered humbuckers, and the MS400 pickups are uncovered. I've been playing guitar for over 60 years and focusing on electrics for the past 10 years and these Mitchell (sort of) Les Paul copies are not only the "best bang for the buck" they are beautifully crafted and, in my opinion, are in the same league as my Eipiphone Les Paul Standard and Les Paul Custom -- in playability, tone, and fit& finish. Musician friends who've played my two Mitchells are astounded when I tell them I got each one on sale for under $300. ONE CAVEAT: The very first MS450 I bought arrived with the truss rod protruding from the headstock, slightly lifting the truss rod cover. I contacted Musician's Friend and they sent me a UPS form to return the guitar and refunded my money. I was leery about buying another one, but I finally did, and it arrived in perfect condition in every way. I didn't even have to file the fret ends, just lowered the action a bit and changed the strings to 11s. I loved it so much, that I ordered an MS400 and it, too, arrived in perfect condition -- a 2nd perfect guitar in every way. I own 15 solid body guitars; Strat, Teles and Les Pauls, and my two Mitchells are as good, or better, than any of them. I know that statement seems like hyperbole, because Mitchells are often referred to as "Entry Level" or "Beginner" guitars and the price is so low, but they are (once again, in my opinion) pro level solid body guitars.
One more difference between the two models: The MS450 has a Pau Ferro fretboard and the MS400 has an Indian Rosewood fretboard. Both of mine benefited from some fingerboard oil, they were quite dry. The rosewood 'board now looks dark, almost ebony, which I love.
I'm no expert but have been lucky to have flipped many guitars from budget to intermediate and this one stands out, picked it up used for less than the sale price, it is outstanding in every way as the video mentions.
I just picked up this guitar yesterday, and honestly I think I prefer it over my Fender strat. I have a Mitchell MX430 AE and I like it so much, I figured I'd give this MS450 a shot at the sale price. Couldn't be happier with my purchase.
I too prefer my Mitchell MS450 to my MIM Powerhouse Deluxe Strat I purchased brand new in 2005. I feel I have to fight to play the Strat when the Mitchell just plays like butter. So does my Mitchell D120SCE.
@@truthwinseverytime8805 my comment didn't age well man 😆 It just took me some time to appreciate the Strat more. I haven't played the MS450 in months. I still play the MX430 sometimes though. They're both very nice, especially for the price. I'm just a strat/acoustic guy myself.
bought one the other day purely because of the price and looks. got it home and man this is a nice guitar for the money. honestly has the most features packed into $250 than my guitars 2-4 times the price.
I own a older MS400. I think the build quality is a bit better on that model. You can't beat the neck on either one. "For MY taste" these may have the best feeling necks ever made. Expect fantastic feel if you really like wider semi thin necks with a bit of fretboard radius (10" or so). I loved fat necks until I played this particular guitar. It has a VERY good "thin" feel. I like it A LOT. Tuning machines are very good. The bridge is decent. Worst problem with the guitar in that area is due to it being string through the strings hit the the rear of the bridge. That causes problems for some. I string EB Extra Slinky (old school .008s) so it's not an issue for me. Since it's not a $100 bridge you can take a small round file and make some clearance if you really need to. Only real quality problem I have had is the three way selector. I did replace it. However I have replaced those on a few guitars, some that cost WAY much more in $$$ and weren't very old either. That whole "classic" three way switch design seems pretty crap no matter who makes it. I've had a couple of "the go to" Switchcrafts go bad after a couple months. Stock pups are actually pretty damn good. Unless you really specialize in "uber metal" or "chicken picking" they have nice tone and drive fine. Decent general rock/light metal/harder country pups. Haven't researched who makes them but they are probably Artecs. I like them enough to not worry about any "upgrade". Best thing about my MS400 is the nut. It was cut correctly straight out the factory. 99.99% of guitar companies fudge the nut cut to keep things simple. My MS400 was perfect. The action on my guitar seems scary low to some people, and it's all due to the nut being done correctly. I have construction paper low at the first fret and around 1.2 MM at the 12th fret, while strung with .008s, and have no fret buzz. You could damn near fret my guitar by blowing on it. I really think the MS400 is the best budget guitar available, and actually would be one of the best guitars out regardless of price if you put a few extra dollars into it.
Just got my Sunset burst today. I got shipped a store demo since the warehouse was devoid of them. EXCELLENT flames. Plugged it in and tuned it up, stretched the strings etc. They sound pretty incredible, play well, and the neck profile fits my hand perfectly. I will likely polish the frets the first time I change the strings on it. I wasn't bothered by the jack location, and it has a higher end feel rather than ANOTHER 2 or 4 screw chrome jack plate. I will get some wax and grease remover and a Q tip to clean out the compound residue. Love the binding, love the neck inlays, and just pretty much love the guitar. BTW, I believe whole heartedly that these are made by Grote. Both Grotes I have bought in the last year have the same horribly stinky/smelly fretboard as this one did. OMG, it's like fermented fish oil or something. Whatever it is I wish they would stop using it.
Have you checked the ohms on the pickups. I cannot find my multi-tester at the moment. They have to be in the upper range, because this thing has the sensitivity light on my compression pedal lit for a solid 8.5 seconds. Most of my other PAF style guitars barely light it up for 4 seconds on a good day.
Got mine last week. Same finish. Got a B Stock with MINOR clear coat issues. May buff out. I don’t care if they don’t. You have to be in just the right light to see it. $159!!!!!!!’ Insane deal! Mine had that same jack issue. No biggie to clean out.
I will admit, I have a Mitchell in my guitar rack!....It's sitting between my Les Paul, and Jackson Soloist......so it gets played a lot. Maybe I just got a freak build, but it's dialed in very well, and just Never had any problems.......I just looked at a 12-string Mitchell today, and again.......totally blown away, action was lower than a guitar Twice the price! Really impressed.
Joe - Sorry for the book as well.... but I also wanted to mention: Your tone and sound in this one.... is a fantastic upgrade! You sounded good, and it is nice to hear a guitar playing through more than just a cheap 10W amp. This was good.
Got the same one nice guitar took the cavity covers off the back every thing is shielded which I never expected for the price and all the other features
I just got mine yesterday. The film on my pickups peeled right off and was not wrapped under. Maybe they heard the complaints and solved that issue? Very happy with mine. Can’t beat that price for what you get.
Love these Mitchells...happy to see them get the positive attention they deserve (the whole line, right down to the MD200, is fabulous). Unfortunately I acted too late on this one - ended up getting stuck in MF backorder purgatory. In the end I just cancelled because there was a strong chance of getting a floor model from some store somewhere. But best of luck with it...enjoy!
I picked up the black today for 199 on MF STOTD...alot of bang for your buck in these times of high INFLATION.....nice review THANKS!!!...the clean sounds AWESOME...what amp are you running Joe?
@4:10 you say there is only one Volume knob and 2 tone. That is incorrect. There are 2 push/pull volume pots (coil tap) and one tone knob. Just thought I would clarify that.
I bought one musician friend ,bad news fret sprouting! Dull fret wire action was set why high,toggle switch for pickup loose ! Did work on it 2 hrs worth of time! Guitar playable can't lower neck has twist ,at $200! I'm not going back and forth till I get good one! If you get a good one great ! Otherwise be prepared ship or repair guitar! But for price $ what do you want!
Nice review Joe...Can you please answer some of these question ? 1) I am learning acoustic guitar in last 6 months...Is this good idea to learn electric guitar or is that too soon ? 2) Is this Mitchell MS450 better than the Squier telecaster bullet series ?
The Mitchell MS450 is better than the BULLET Squire Tele or Strat. Hands down. I think even in some respects the MS450 is better than the Affinity Series guitars also.
@@truthwinseverytime8805 I have the earlier MS400 and I believe it's SLIGHTLY better than the new MS450 series (and yes I have played several). Fit and finish is a touch better on the 400 and the wood seems to be just a little higher grade. I can also honestly say my MS400 is not just better than most Squier guitars, it compares to my SE Santana, LTD EC256, and my Mexi Strat and those cost $250+ more.
Got my ms450 a few days ago. Still waiting for the amp. 🙁 I've never had a guitar with locking tuners. Apparently good for light gauge strings or if you have a whammy, which I don't so not sure I'll ever use them. Thanks for the video.
Zappa- this is my first with locking tuners as well. Seem to work fine. No wammy on this one and I have 9's on it- so not sure if it will make much of a difference. Enjoy your guitar!
That's a really cool guitar, Average Joe. Man - I dig that one. In my experience with Mitchell.... I am feeling compelled to say that you got lucky with this. LOL I hate to say that. But I think it's true. I've played several of them in G-C, and I've actually (briefly) owned 2 of them. In fact, I had this exact model 3 or 4 years ago. It was gorgeous, and so unique looking. Same flame maple top - but mine was a really interesting orangish amber. The perfect blend of yellow amber, and orange. Never seen anything quite like it. I couldn't take my eyes off of her... I mean it. But it was a piece of junk. Aside from the near perfect, and beautiful finish... the guitar was a mess. Not (usually) a big deal for me. I can do most anything I need to do with a cheap guitar. And you know how much I love me a cheap axe! But that one was a dud. I even took it in to G-C, and they laughed at me. I wanted the tech to try to work on the neck and frets, and he and the manager at the time.... told me they would not work on it - that it was a waste of everyone's time.... because those guitars were so cheap - and so "hit-and-miss." They basically said it was a 50/50 thing.... at best. I was very disappointed, b'c I wanted to keep that guitar so bad! I seriously considered keeping it as a wall-hanger. But they refunded me - 100%, and gave me a gift-card. I added to it a couple times, and put that money towards an (actual) Gibson Les Paul Studio - the 57 tribute, with maple cap. It almost looks like it has the cap like the full monty. It's an incredible instrument, and..... I still have it. Probably always will. Anyway - it genuinely looks like maybe you got a good one! And I'm glad, because I have always thought these MS450's were so cool. That thing is beautiful.
Jimmy - completely agree! I have had several Mitchell "duds". Definitely a crap shoot with these. The color and design caught my eye. Got a great deal and a little LUCKY! Thank you for your fantastic feedback - as always! You're the best brother.
@@AJgeartalk No problem, Bro. I feel the same way about you. And I really dig that particular Mitchell. I went into one of my local G-Cs today .... and they only had one of these. it was the $399 version, even on the President's Day sale. No dice. I'm out of the sweet spot now, for a Mitchell. $299 ish sounded good on the one you got. Have fun with it !
@@jimmyz2098 I just bought 2 of them. They were onsale for Pres Day on Musician's Friend. GC matched the price for my Sunset burst at $219 and my son wanted the Purple Burst but GC didn't have them so we ordered his on MF which is back ordered until May 5th. Mine plays and sounds effing awesome. I hope my son's Purple Burst is the same as mine as far as sound and playability.
I just picked one one.. first was a dud. I returned it for another and it is great;. I like playing it as much as my player stratocaster. I play through a fender blues deluxe and I am very happy.
