Unboxing One of The BEST Affordable Guitars!! 

Just got the Donner DST-400 today. Awesome guitar. The tones out of this thing are amazing. I saw a few vids of it and this was one of them, all positive. After playing with it for a couple of hours, this thing is now my favorite out of all my guitars. Not a blemish on it. Set up great. I would not call it an "entry level" guitar at all.

Very nice! They really have packed in the features for the price on this one. When Donners first started showing up in a lot of videos, I thought they were just a step up from Glarry and the like, but they really have taken things up another notch.

Seriously impressed with the size of the trem block and the alder body.

After watching one of your previous videos featuring a Donner guitar I bought one and have not regretted it for a minute. It holds tune, and thought it isn't a high end instrument it is perfect for a beginner and plan on gifting to a family member so they can learn and I can upgrade✌

Another great video Darrell. I love new guitar day and I always wonder about those. I cant believe the two point trem.

I PLANNING ON GETTING THIS GUITAR MYSELF FOR MY BIRTHDAY THIS MONTH! THEN MOD IT,GREAT FOUNDATION FOR MODS !!

That sounded really good! I was quite surprised!!

Hello Darrell, love the videos man, keep up the good work!

You have just proved to me that there is no substitute for putting in the time to master and musical instrument. Well played!

Very good demo! You are honest, direct and I see there is a lot of work! RESPECT FROM ROMANIA!💪🇷🇴

Yet another great video! Seems like a very quality guitar for great price. Always enjoy your videos! Thx

Very nice looking and sounding guitar! Thanks for sharing 👍!!!

I just got mine through Amazon so I must have ordered it right after viewing this video. Can't believe I pulled the trigger so quickly! I currently play an Epiphone Riviera P93, and I've been looking for a decent entry-level Strat clone. I may have more to say after playing it for a while, but so far I'm impressed.

Your enthusiasm is so fun to see! You make me want to buy the thang...pop-in bar for the trem is something we need from Fender!

Awesome looking guitar love the color thanks for sharing Darrell awesome sounding guitar to

Looks like Donner is stepping up it's game. I like that they changed their name logo design and dropped the musical note "D" style in their name. This should compete nicely in the Squire Affinity, Yamaha 112j and V versions and Ibenez range of beginner guitars. The two point trem with push in bar alone makes this guitar worth it if it is decent at holding tune. The split coil is another big plus. Not to mention Alnico pickups. It's selling on Amazon right now for $189.99. That is one heck of deal for anyone looking for a decent beginner guitar that is going to sound pretty good. Heck, Get a Fender Mustang 25 for $150 or a used Katana 50 for $200-$225 on July 4th and you basically have an excellent guitar setup for under $400 - $450 bucks that will impress most people.

Nice affordable guitar, pretty color, working tremolo, what's not to like right out of the box. I think the pickups would probably sound thicker and richer if they were raised a bit - But, it's always hard to tell exactly how close they are to the strings in a video like this.

Today, I acquired an Epi Les Paul Standard (plus top). I’m a total noob, but I wanted to check off my Les Paul box. For a few extra bucks, the quality goes through the roof.

I really need to try one of these. Good stuff Darrell.

great job of demonstrating different playing styles

I just bought one and I'm waiting for delivery. Your video makes me feel good about my choice. Thanks!

I reviewed this one and the other two DST models last summer. The 400 is in my regular gig rig, and almost all of my pedal reviews. It's a brilliant guitar.

Darrell. I just bought that exact same guitar for my first guitar. It’s so beautiful with the wood grain and the green is gorgeous. So comfortable to hold. Love it. ❤️🎼🎸

Bought one and it was decent out of the box. Bought a new Seymour Duncan humbucker, and had the fret ends rounded, the frets levelled and crowned as well as intonation set… absolute ripper guitar. Spend about $700 Canadian in total and ended up with a guitar that would rival $2000 - $3000 strats. Very pleased

Looks nice and has some nice features, but I think your skill and amp make it sound better than it ever would for most people. Love the vids, keep ‘em coming.

Love content by Darrell Braun. Thanks for sharing 🎸🤠👍

the finish really is gorgeous

Freekin amazing Darrell don't know how Donner does it and fantastic demo brother

Perfect video for my birthday Darrell! I might have to request a late birthday present now 😊

Looks and sounds good. They seem to have taken note of your views and of others regarding the logo on the headstock. It's much better now and more subtle.

love the vibrato bar. btw you can make a 6 screw system stay in tune by loosening the screws

That color is so reminiscent of the 1991 Fender Strat Ultra I used to own. That finish never was too common but nowadays it’s almost nonexistent.

sweet guitar bro! i have the same model/same color! on mine the back coil is on when ya pull the rear pot...might be the same on all of the dst400 im not sure... the block is aluminum but still a big block tho... i also installed a "gillmour" mod switch so i now have 14 tones on mine! the wiring job looks nice and in my opinion the back coil on the h/b has a tele twang to it...the front coil on my other modded h/b has the "stratty" bridge single coil sound...which is still nice but given a choice id choose having the back coil on in split mode... o ya the body appears to be laminated which im ok with...such a work of art here!

Darrells enthusiasm for the cheapies keeps me comin back for more.

Donner seems to be a good company especially for inexpensive guitars with pretty good quality. I have the es-335 style and the Tele thin line 1000s guitar so far. Now i'll be looking into this too. Good review!

this guitar has a classic vibe! plus the extra cost savings!!

2 point term, coil splitting, alnico magnets, man I want to get one of these. But I already own like 5 Strat styles with an American Fender leading the way. That looks as good as a Mexican Strat at half the cost. Get them while you can.

I have two American Strats and two Les Pauls and a few other guitars. I was looking to buy a new guitar...but just couldnt bring myself to pay the high prices these two companies are asking for their guitars. Their high prices are now driving me to look at other options. So I saw the various reviews on the Donner DST 400. I bought this exact guitar from Amazon. Four days later it arrived. I opened the box, tuned it up and it was ready to play. Actually I couldnt believe it. I played on it for a few days and it stayed in tune and had no issues. I am very happy with this guitar. After a week I decided to really put in some TLC on this guitar because it is a keeper. So I changed the strings and put some oil on the fretboard and polished it up. This guitar is very nice, and at $259.00 ..I saved $1300,00 if I had bought one of the two bigger named company guitars above. I am an intermediate to advanced player.....so when I whip this guitar out ,,,next time I play a gig..some of the guys will be surprised. I had a great experience with this guitar and hope you do too. Thanks Darrell for sharing the video about this guitar.

Great video Darrel. Could we get a follow up where you upgrade the tuners, trem and possibly pickups for cheap? Would love to see your recommendations to make this even better for $200 CDN.

I'm very happy with my Donner. Had I known this would have been my first electric.

I just ordered one! Yay!

I bought one on the strength of this and a few other favorable reviews. What a great guitar..!! The ONLY issue that I noticed was the trem springs vibrating waaaaay too much but a bit of cushion stuffing in the spring cavity solved that. It's one of my main gigging guitars at the moment. Looking at buying another but in the trans black color.

Amazon has these for$260 today, 6-9-22. Great color too. These budget guitars are very advanced compared to even 5 years ago.

I've heard of Donner for their cheap pedals but didn't know they sold guitars. Looks great. If I had known about them a couple years ago, I probably would have bought it instead of my Squier Vintage Modified HSS. The Squier is a good guitar too though. I like the Duncan Designed pups.

I may want this for Christmas.

My guy! That guitar looks great!

I have a Donner Flanger. It works great. Would love to try this guitar out.

That's actually beautiful. I wrote donner a while back and instead of being emailed no....They probably listened and looked at my channel and laughed. Hahahahahaha. Still going to try one. Will be fun to try and mod one up or hell maybe leave as is??? Great review man!!!! Always.

I always see these advertised thanks for sharing one

I love that colour!!

bought a few donner products, including their hush travel guitar. if you know what to look at, you'll see quickly that their quality and finish are very good. a newish but solid brand. it's earning my respect more with every product.

Dang that alot of value for the money, Im Impressed. Alder body 2. Yea you get alot for alittle.

The finish is reminiscent of the Squier Protone series from 1996. That included a transparent teal.

Really nice guitar!

I really like this guitar, Darrell. Had I known of it before I made my most recent guitar purchase, I would have considered it. I probably would have gone with the Jackson I actually did buy, because it has one thing that the Donner doesn't: A "compound" radius fretboard. My Jackson was $60 cheaper, too. Many players will appreciate a more traditional guitar than Jackson's offerings, though, so the Donner seems well suited for that market.

Looks just like my Yamaha Pacifica that I purchased in 2002 (and sold a few years later). First guitar!

Nice job, Darrell! I’ve always enjoyed your videos. Keep up the good work!

Cool Guitar and Review/Demo. Thankyou. I Am looking at a Donner Les Paul style, Currently on Sale.. Look to be well made guitars.

Nice paint job - love the translucent! Nice sounding bridge humbucker, until....splitting the coil. 😖 To me that sounded unusable - thin and grating. But I dislike the bridge pick-up on most Strat style guitars so if this was mine it would stay on humbucker permanently and I think I would be fairly happy with it. I mainly play on the neck anyway. I have a couple of cheaper Strats already, so can't see I would need one of these, but I have been curious to know what the Donner guitars are like so thanks for that, very useful review as always. But.......hmmmm, that paint job does look awesome....lol

Donner can deliver if your in the market for an affordable guitar. Personally, I'm still trying to find one of their Dumble Drive pedals.

Great review, beautiful guitar. Mine are also, but you make me go " hmm, maybe one more..."

Nice Guitar, great colour! 😎👍🇨🇦

Hey man, I've been wondering for a while but what amp do you usually run the guitars through? I want to know the settings to get that crisp tone that comes through in these reviews

I own the exact model that wasn't cherry picked. Can't be intonated due to trem being set too close to neck side. Would need 7's. Donner doesn't do returns without paying to return it along with multiple videos approving any return...so you get a project guitar for $200 that needs to be dowelled and reset. Might be a scattered issue, but it's something that should be considered when avoiding the brands for $100 more who have good customer service.

That Donner is Blitzin!

Another great video!. How about a review of the solid body EART tele? I'm thinking of getting one for my first tele and it fits the budget.

Luv the color.

Reminds me of my Washburn MG401 deluxe. Almost the same finish.

I miss the tear-downs, o/w great demo and description.🙏🏻

Those tuners have the slot in them to assist with winding up the string as well, normally a feature on mid to high-end strats. You don't get that with Player series.

Well, Darrell, I have an update for ya ... This last Friday I ordered one of these girls and am awaiting its arrival. This price was decent, the vibrato is said to have a "cold-rolled steel block" (which would work to make a new vibe unnecessary), the axe has a coil split, and the split-top tuners are intriguing. You mention (properly) that ceramic single coils will yield a "bigger, heavier-type tone"; I will be considering just such a tone for this guitar, but I do have one guitar essentially optimized for these types of Strat tones. I may still go for the ceramic sound, but I'll decide that after I hear the guitar's stock tones. This guitar I see as my next effort to product a "stage guitar," something that (were I actually playing out) I could use on stage without it being too heavy in weight or too light in tone or versatility. The other rather traditional "near-Strat" I own has a brass and steel vibrato that lends the axe warmth from heaven, but makes the guitar heavy as hell! I see this pairing or guitars as being one of a studio guitar (the heavy one) versus a stage guitar (the one I'm going to work on now). The stage axe should duplicate all the capabilities of the studio axe in a lighter package suitable for hours-long use. I want to equip the whole package with great tones, excellent playability, killer sustain and versatility befitting a guitar used by a good cover band player. I could see a weekend warrior cover band guitarist assembling a rig consisting of a good digital guitar processor, either a dedicated stereo FRFR amplifier/speaker setup or a couple of cables into the PA system, this guitar and one or two more -- one with humbuckers and a Floyd and maybe one with humbuckers and another two-point or a hard tail I think you actually managed to help me at this late date. One reason I took this long to pull the trigger is that I wanted to be as sure as I could that the vibrato solution is one I could use and live with. While a few other reviewers seemed to consider this trem hopeless for whatever reason, you actually showed what your guitar could do on arrival. I would never expect a vibrato to hold tune well without considerable work by the buyer at this price point. Indeed, I expect to need to replace the nut immediately. I don't like plastic, and the stock nut probably is made of that. I can polish the frets easily enough if I want to, or I can replace the neck entirely with one that has a more bend-friendly 12 inch fretboard radius -- as opposed to the Donner's "Fender modern-classic" radius of 9.5 inches -- and that I've already given a fret job to. I could wish that you had checked out whether the vintage-style saddles the Donner's bridge comes with are steel or not. I don't expect steel, though, and have at least the option of preexisting BRASS saddles to swap in. All in all, I am hopeful that this Donner DST-400 will prove as value-driven as the Jackson JS Series JS22 Dinky DKA I bought about sixteen months ago. It will, if it is even a little easier to work on.

Great playing, as always! I used to have a Squier Affinity and it had a narrow neck. The strings up near the nut were super close together. Does this guitar have a really narrow neck? The nut width doesn't always seem to be an indicator as to how wide or narrow the neck is. Thanks!

Hi Darrell. Love your videos. That Sire FM sounded awesome but they are out of stock here at the moment. Just wish I could get the tone you do. I bought the Donner ST 400 but found it wanting. I might add though that the workmanship was excellent especially at this price. The pole pieces especially with the neck pickup did not match the strings but it still sounded pretty good although the volume of the top E was a bit soft. However the harmonics ( only tried the bass E string ) could not be adjusted enough to stop the octave being very sharp. I even removed the spring on the adjusting screw to get a bit more travel but it was still bad. Luckily I hadn’t removed any of the plastic protective coatings so I’ve emailed them ( in Australia) and will return it Cheers The Blackwood Mountain Man

Love the color

Wow sooo nice! Now Im torn between this guitar and Tagima t635. Please also do a review of Tagima T635. Also a very affordable but very good guitar.

Darrell,. I love this stuff,. Still want to get one of those Xavier LP style

Hey Darrell, love the channel brodda- I'm trying to think of a good project guitar in this price range? That has most of these features actually?, Gotta have the coil split as well?... Do you think this gtr would be a good choice? Maybe the black/grey one? Thanks Darrell, rock on my friend-

I love that green.

You need to do a series comparing guitars between the $800-$1100 price point. Professional grade work horse guitars. Which one is the best bang for the buck? I would be very interested in such a series. Currently, I am a huge proponent of the Ibanez genesis series. Recently got me an RG550 and it does everything but cook you breakfast. Any style I want, this thing can play. Retails for 999, made in Japan, superb quality and sounds just incredible whether clean or distorted. It’s just about the most versatile electric guitar I have ever owned in my life.

I just got one except in Void Black for only $150!! What a great deal on a really good inexpensive guitar.

Nice guitar! I like it!

Ordered a Donner DST-152 and the body is great, fretwork is brilliant and the humbucker has a really good grit. I'm sending it back though as the single coils might as well not be there. You have to hammer the strings to get a sound. Maybe a one off defect, but it's going back. Shame. I wanted the 400 but out of stock in their EU store or Amazon

that finish reminds me of the Purple Flame Dean strat i had one time

Man, that's a beautiful guitar 🎸

wow, incredible value for the money.

Any good amp can make any guitar sound great..And it really helps if you can play well.

Excellent review, as always! Thanks..

Hey @darrell any chance you can do a video comparing the stock pickups in an HSS player strat with the same guitar having replaced the pickups with dimarzio?

Would love to see the old intro again with the guitar thrown up on the shed roof in the snow...even if its just 1 time!

Good grief this thing is amazing!

That guitar is gorgeous.

For me the Vintage V100 Les Paul style guitar is almost unbeatable. I have friends who bought from Gibson who prefer to play my Vintage. Armed with full Wilkinson hardware, the build quality is awesome. I recommend trying one if you haven't.

The trem block looked to be cast zinc alloy in the full block vs thin block shape. Not bad though for a $ 270 guitar. If you really wanted to go after a solid steel or brass block that might be a Musiclilly upgrade ?

So, I've seen other reviews say it might be better than the Mexican Fenders 🤔 Maybe another side by side comparison of the 400 to a Fender? The split coil is AWESOME. I have a rare 80s HH Yamaha with that feature, and the Paul's PRS SE, but this looks so cool, plus the alnico pickups... I put one in my Amazon cart, bought one yesterday when the price dropped $60!!! Please, do a Donner vs Fender with this model! I also miss when you use to take them completely apart!

Off set screw holes on the trem cover , that's quite an attention to detail when it comes to a vintage fender style guitar.

I have this and got it for 160. I've changed the tuners, nut was trash now its bone, changed the saddles. Knobs, Trem still sucks I put 5 fender springs on and decked it and also put fender tree strings on. Now the guitar is fantastic and I'm at like 230 on it. Lol not too shabby

I too have caved in and bought this guitar. Will say, I wish people would comment on how it feels to play it vs say a stratocaster. I have to say it is a fretboard that is narrower across so it would be easier to play if you were starting out. I do like my Ibanez Gio better because they include medium frets. These are thinner, and if you an advanced player on a smaller budget you might consider the Ibanez Gio...Just my opinion. Same price range, but have to agree with Darrell on the Features. I replaced my string trees With the fender string trees and will eventually replace the tuners....Still Love playing it!

Gonna try to get this as my first guitar. Hopefully the Spark mini as well. Any headphone recommendations??

Reminds me of a squire pro-tone! Good looking guitar

You mean Squier Pro tone series, they had similar finish, translucent aquamarine 😀 then ruby red and cream white