Who should buy $200 guitars? - Firefly FFLGS unboxing and first impressions - Afford-A-SG? 

WOW! I was so excited to open my new FIREFLY guitar. What a letdown. The guitar right out of the box was damaged. Not damaged by freight, but was improperly assembled at the factory. I had four or five blisters on the front of the guitar. I look like screws from the top are backing out and were finished over to hide them. Worst of all was the response from Firefly. After sending them photos of the guitar, they offered me $22.00 to cover the damage. NO RLPLACEMENT, NO NOTHING. What a scam. Buyer beware!

I've been a pro (full time) musician since 1979. Born in 1952. Yes, I was an original hippy. I own over fifty guitars including two Fireflys, the 335 in red and this same FFLGS. I own vintage Gibson and Fender. Hell, I'm vintage. Are my "expensive" guitars head and shoulders above my two Fireflys? Not even close. I've watched the quality of Gibsons go down, down, down as the prices go up, up, up. Both my Fireflys were in amazing shape with fit, finish, playablity... and inexpensive! I've been on a "inexepensive, not cheap" buying spree the last couple of years buying used Corts, Peavey, Squire Strat/Tele's... I am going to do a series of videos showing these guitars with some I purchased as low as $75 and in mint condition. The Firefly FFLGS being the most expensive of them all. When I was a wee lad you either got a Gibson or Fender or a total piece of crap. I teach 30 students now beside playing live and they can get a wonderfully playing guitar for under $200. These are the days, my friends...

It's clear that makers of budget priced guitars are paying attention to video critiques like yours, and are taking steps to improve their products. It's not a coincidence that suddenly we're seeing beautiful fretwork, and much better sounding pickups. I think tonally, the pickups on your last two Firefly guitars sound great. The microphonic sensitivity is a problem, but by pointing it out, I think they'll take notice and figure out how to wax pot the pickups properly so it's not a problem. Just looking at their guitars, you can see they take pride in the work they're doing. And from a business standpoint, it makes sense for them to get the critical features working properly and sounding good.

I just ordered the same exact one after watching. $179 plus $27 in shipping. Can't beat that. I have been wanting an SG Style and love the way it looks. Thanks for the review.

Because of guitars like the budget ones you review, I now have a few "walls of guitars" like what I see in the background of your studio/garage. In fact, I have 59 guitars now. I know, a bit too much but I'm addicted to working and building up guitars. I do have a few top tier very expensive guitars as well, but I learned how to basically build up a guitar and set it up from installing parts (tremolo bridges, tuning pegs, bolt on necks, etc...) to doing complete wiring regarding installing selector switches and pups on these types of budget guitars. I'm a new subscriber and I totally watch your reviews on budget guitars for research regarding buying new budget guitars. I look forward to your budget guitar reviews every time you put an episode out. Thanks for your honest and thorough opinions for it helps me decide whether or not to buy certain brands that you review. Keep up the great vids. And, love your sense of humor too. Peace.

I just bought my first firefly and it was $169. I love it! I’m not in a band and just play for fun. Feels great! I think your review is spot on.

I've never been a big fan of SG shape, but this Firefly looks really nice to me

Nice video. I am fascinated with inexpensive guitars and effects. Years back when I played live I was a gear snob, but inexpensive stuff in the 80s and early 90s was generally junk so i never paid attention to the stuff. But over the past few years I've seen a lot of great gear for low prices. I loved your affordaboard videos. Keep up the great reviews and ways of keeping the hobby (or profession) interesting.

I recently bought an Epiphone SG. After seeing this demo I wish I had gotten the Firefly instead. I like the 3 Firefly's that I have. Ryan's Firefly videos have helped me make informed decisions on guitar purchases! Always very honest and entertaining. No guitar fan boy crap!

Nice review Ryan. You talked me into one, just put in the order! Killer outtake piece!

I may be in a camp by myself but I’m a big fan of microphonic pickups. They’re actually the reason I didn’t change the pickups in my global sg, not only do I like the sound but they’re very microphonic and it sounds cool to me

I bought that exact guitar three weeks ago. I did the following to the instrument: 1. Straighten neck 2. Oil fret bd. 3. Nut was cut high, corrected that 4. Fret ends, and polish frets (there was fret sprout on mine) 5. Set up, for proper action. The pickups are microphonic, no crazy squeal through a Marshall stack, just good tone after setting the height to “my” liking. (Vintage PAF) resistance=7.68k ohms neck, 9.68k ohms bridge. Still looking for any flaws in the finish. All controls work properly, neck is excellent, plays great. Yes, it is definitely fun to play! I have several different brands of higher end pick ups in my parts drawer. I’m not going to put $180.00 pick ups, in a $180.00 guitar. It sound’s great, play’s great, and look’s great.

I really like the pickguard shape, its different and not overbearing.

Solid review. Solid guitar 🎸😎. I like the pickups. For this price point...it all works.

Really good video dude, I've been going back and fourth with myself about getting this exact guitar. I wan an SG style guitar to learn on and this might be the one for me.

I love my FFLG! I did add a GFS Xtrem, roller bridge, GFS hot Liverpool mini bucker bridge pickup, a Gretsch Fidelisonic P90 Neck pickup an on/on/on switch for series/split/parallel, all new CTS pots, new tuners, knobs, drilled out the side for a tele style jack and added some pickguard flare.I love it.

I've been taking down the gloss finish on my inexpensive guitar necks following a video I watched using 12000 grit wet sand pads to start and working down to 2500. Really does the job of getting a smooth satin finish. Definitely an improvement. You can get the whole pad set cheaply online.

Another awesome video!

Hey Ryan, before too long your beard is going to be playing your guitars for you. 😁

I don't know. I'm in the crowd where mine was a dud and like others, my customer service emails are never returned. Nut fell off, frets are not polished, ground buzz when hands off. Return policy has me getting a refund of the cost of the guitar - what I paid to have them ship it to me - the shipping cost back to them--there is a reason why they are no longer sold on Amazon. Hassle-free returns and a full refund. So nice that they offer well-crafted guitars for vloggers to review.

Awesome review! Just subscribed to your channel

Hi there ! Digging your reviews !! I just got the F.F. 338 . It's really clean ! ...Im learning alot !!

Really appreciate you reviewing budget guitars, but I appreciate your honesty even more. Based on your reviews (and others) of Firefly in the past, I went with the IYV IJZ-300 instead. I’d love to hear your opinions on the IYV brand as well! Hopefully they hit you up sometime!

Have 3 fireflies love working on them!! Replaced all the tuners with grovers and Seymour duncan pickups and now they rock!! Good guitars to learn from absolutely

Nice build. I'll grab one of them next. I love the LP and the 338 is amazing.

Expensive guitars always let me down. They never live up to expectations while a $200 guitar often surprises me how good it is after I set it up and mod it some. Like Squiers, after I set them up and switch out the pickups I really can't tell the difference between them and a $1500 Fender, especially one that hasn't been set up.

I like the way this review is honestly laid out, you sort of walked us through every impression as you were having it! Great Channel! But on a more serious note I'm commenting regarding your car's extended warranty!!! HAHA...

Nice review Ryan. I believe the LG/SG Firefly line is the best model they make! I've got the 3 pickup Yellow and the Spalted Maple Elite models and the tuning stability and playability is unmatched compared to the LP models. I just purchased a Walnut ($179) SG with uncovered higher output (9.4k and 13.6k) pickups and we'll see if that takes care of the low output and squeal.

That neck pickup sounds great!! Really impressive.

if it stays in tune for 5 minutes, it's better than a gibson SG

I have a Firefly LP Classic and a 338 and I enjoy playing them as much as 70s Gibsons I used to own. They both have inherently good tone, construction, and playability, even without changing the pickups,bridge, etc. They are FANTASTIC guitars for the money!

I love my Firefly LP. My son stole it to use in his high school band concert, he want it for the humbuckers and way I keep the strings tuned. His guitars are mostly single coil, and his LP he keeps detuned with heavy strings for metal. When his concert is done I hope to get it back. Worth the $200

Sounds pretty darn good to my ears. I think they've nailed this SG clone pretty well. To me, that is a lot of sound for very little $$.

I totally dig it! For $200 it is something I would definitely buy one of my kids to learn on and would probably be a better bet than the $150 pawn shop squire I started with lol. And to boot, the finish is really pretty and I like the pickguard!

I just received my 2nd Firefly V today and it like the first one was amazing right out of the box.

Those frets remind me of the ones on my Ibanez GSR200 bass, really nicely done for the price. My Squier Bullet Telecaster isn’t bad, but I can definitely feel a difference. They are not sharp, but feel a bit rough on the ends. The pickups on my guitar & my bass can also pick up my phone speaker, but that’s because speakers have metal coils in them that vibrate, it’s not picking up the actual sound.

Bought a Jackson JS 32 dinky arch top in natural wood with the same mind set of customizing it. It's fun trying to make a lower quality instrument match or surpass higher quality instruments. Just takes time, energy and smart purchases.

That might be the coolest color scheme on a guitar I've ever seen. Can't find one anywhere now!

I have the same guitar, I think it’s firefly’s best pickup attempt yet,you would think by now,that they would finally get it right,the rest of the guitar is fine,just a little steel wool on the back of the neck might help,or will it require more sanding,to get rid of the gloss,not a bad guitar other wise.

I have the 335 firefly style guitar, Les paul style guitar and a telecaster model from firefly. All three guitars were set up ok and play well. Each guitar has small issues. No deal breakers. So three guitars for the price of one decent guitar. Works for me.

If you choose right, some of the sub $200 guitars compete with the $500 guitars of 15 years ago. I think the big companies really have to watch themselves - high quality doesn't have to mean high prices

Awesome Demo/Review, Thanks. I am in Australia and have never seen a Firefly guitar, but they always impress with Looks and Sound at very affordable prices. We in Australia have a 'local' Company "Artist Guitars" that have Factory in China making some Outstanding affordable guitars, apparently they Have Online Store/Warehouse in USA. Would love to see a Review of them. Thankyou. Cheers

They're great for people with more time than money, those who enjoy tinkering as a hobby, and (especially) beginners. Truly, there has never been a better time to be a beginning guitarist. $200 will get you a functional instrument with everything that matters, one that will hold up to years of use and upgrades.

We have a $135. Blue burst 335 style Firefly that was bought a few years back. The neck is still straight but , it is kept in a hard case. I've made a few mods to it , Bigsby style vibrato , roller bridge and locking tuners. I like the pickups as is.

Microphonic is the least of my worries....if that's the only problem you hit the lottery. Nothing a hot plate, and 3.00 box of parrafin wax from walmart won't fix (if you have a soldering iron) ....wax pot them correctly. Easy fix. Those pickups sound good without a lot of gain. wonder what the resistance is on the pickups. A good Eq with a line level can do wonders on those pickups. You can get the punch.

What is the green guitar with leopard print pickguard at screen left? Thanks

HEY I don't see the 15 watt stage right in the background. Just wondering why.

Looks very nice and seems pretty versatile... plenty of twang. An effects processor can fill out the tone on the bridge pickup if needed. I use a strat for jazz sometimes.

Would love to see you review some IYV guitars. Priced around $170, generally, and if Amazon reviews are to be believed, very good values.

I have a LP Firefly and I am more than happy with it. I am constantly trying to keep myself from buying another one.

Can you change out to better pickups and which ones would be good

I've purchased two Firefly's. I wax potted the pickups in both and now both guitars are no longer microphonic. You should do a video on wax potting.

PS, I just bought an SG Firefly Listening to you play the guitar I am well satisfied with my purchase !

Thats a nice looking SG!

Awesome looking guitar, l've never seen these on sale anywhere near by. So l'm assume you gotta order these on line. Looks they're worth the price

I have a Firefly LP. Here is the deal with the microphonic thing. If you're in a small room with high gain, just about any guitar is going to screech. I'm not saying that Firefly guitars are perfect, but I've seen huge bands screaming into their pickups on stages where they're cranked. But in a good home studio you'd have the cabinets in another room, and mic'ed. I simply turn my cab sideways and I don't deal with any feedback, but I'm not cranking my Amp, or doing high gain metal. And these guitars are designed more for hard rock, blues, jazz. Firefly's are jot perfect but the whole microphonic thing is not an issue. Unless you're a planning to use the guitar for high gain metal in a small room.

@21:45 you mentioned that you think you put Sonic pickups in your blue green Gibson? Do you remember what type they are? Actually, I _really_ liked the sound of the FF pickups (except for the feedback), but the Sonics seemed a step up.

This guitar, with that slight offset shape, is almost like a cross between a Gibson SG and a Fender Jazzmaster. In fact, I believe this Firefly is more a copy of the ESP Viper than anything else. I wonder if that’s why the pick guard has that wonky contour-maybe it was designed for a standard SG, and they shoehorned it on to their model, not realizing it didn’t quite fit the offset contours. Just a thought.

Who should buy? The bastards that buy them then post them for sale at double retail.

You give yourself a hard time about your guitar skills. But I wish I was as good as you! Keep up the great work Ryan!

I have a JSN Les Paul DC and it plays amazing, honestly as good as my Gibson SG, I did change all the components out though. Pickups pots and switch all to gibson stuff

I just spent $387 modding my firefly what a great guitar!

Wow an SG that stays in tune for an hour. 😯 I though SG isn't for me, but now... maybe. Good video.

Please tell us, does it neck dive??? I won't be able to play like Angus Young unless it does.😉

Thank you for your honesty in reviewing the products you are sent, too many fall victim to "the grift" (as I call it). Also thank you for keeping on reviewing the low priced and budget items. There will always be some kid looking for their first guitar, and pulling up one of your videos to watch.

Gonna be honest it sounds Amazing with just clean tones, we will see what gain brings!

I'm about to buy an FFLPS from them tomorrow. With these guitars you are really paying for the beautiful design/colored body, a good neck, and good frets. They make an excellent foundation to add your own pups, tuners and maybe even an electronics upgrade if you think they need it. For around $200.....worth every penny. I paid a few hundred more for an Epiphone LP Custom and still wanted to upgrade to a Seymour Duncan in the bridge and Grover locking tuners. Plus it seems they have upped their game since your video. So. yeah, Firefly is worth every penny.

These guitars a just mod platforms. They generally need new pickups, different electronics, and a good set up, including neck work. These are hobbyist delights. The aftermarket loves these type of guitars.

I picked up the limited run of the Scorpion SG. They send it with the pickguard optional. I love the neck on these, chunky and fast.

Would pot(wax) the pickup help with the feedback?

Looks like a solid straight guitar for the $$. Ya, You always have to change pickups in these...lol. Hey is there poly protective film on that little piece by the neck? I see there is poly on the rear cover! ?

Cool guitar. Not in love with the finish or creme bits but nice. btw, $75.00 for a HSS S type about 10 years ago. Still plays great.

Did the fretboard radius seem flat to you? I’ve seen some reviews state that it’s 20 degrees which surprises me.

Ryan, for your first mod on that guitar: rotate the bridge pickup 180, lower it, and raise the screw pole 3/16ths, then adjust the height for volume output you want. I've done this on several guitars and it gives a P90 style of tone. Screw poles of a real P90 are just about in that same distance from the bridge. Beefier and thicker bridge pickup tone that way.

I have the Explorer version, basically the same w a different body. Forget the price, its fine as a guitar. I have their hollow body , P-90 Tele as well, also a fine guitar. The only negative I have found is that all the V & T controls interact w both p-ups. The P-ups sound good, if somewhat microphonic.

I just got the "racing stripe" 338 in red...fret ends are like a cheese graters. Super sharp. The action is high. I cranked the bridge down as far as it will go and still too high but now the 1st fret everything is dead, fine on all the other frets. The nut is cut too high, so I'm going to have to do some fret work. Finish is pretty great, very minor flaws, which is expected. The neck carve is great, so I'm hoping I can get everything dialed in.

Does anyone know where/how to get Firefly guitars in the UK?

You know, I have figured out the perfect guitar body for you. The nose of a surfboard with a giant shark bite on the back end. Luv the channel. Rock on.👍✌️

The increase in quality at the lower end of the price spectrum is amazing. For that thing to be $200 is the equivalent of being able to buy a decent guitar in the 1960s for $20. And even cheap guitars back then weren’t that cheap! My first electric guitar was $85, a St. George-branded Teisco, the sort that brings $300-$400 in today’s overinflated vintage market. It was a piece of cr@p in 1964, and it would still be a piece of cr@p today in 2022. For that Firefly to have some issues (that are mostly fixable) at $200 is to be expected. If the neck’s good and the overall construction is solid, you’re good to go, even if you have to install double the cost of the guitar in parts. I actually really liked the sound of the pickups, but the microphonic feedback would drive me nuts. So-replace the pickups, pots and wiring and you’d have a pretty nice guitar!

Where do you get a catalog of these guitars

A really good soldering iron for 50 bucks is the one from harbor freight. It's a station,it will be the only one you will ever need. It's cools in between soldering, so the tips last for hundred hours. At least mine has.

I have owned the 338 (twice) the TL, the LP Elite and now the PR. Playing since 1964 as a serious guitarist and owning over 40 guitars during that span of all price ranges and brands here is what I think of Firefly guitars in general. As many have said one has to be realistic about what you expect at this price point. If your a beginner this a very good starting point. If your a novice player with a few tweeks in general it makes for a decent instrument. If you are a working player you can look at it like this, with a reasonable amount of money at your favorite repairman he can turn it in to a good piece you can use all the time without the worry of your 59 Les Paul or 57 Stratocaster or your $8000.00 10 Top PRS disappearing after the show or getting damaged by a careless roadie or whatever else can happen. I still own 3 of the Firefly's and use them all the time. Yes, I did put some money in them but not so much as it wasn't worth the investment. Even with the money you invest, you will still be miles away from what your vintage and collectable pieces would cost you to replace and if something did happen, God forbid, your not out the small fortune that the other ones cost you. So at the end of the day, IMHO, Fireflys in general are a great modding platform especially at their initial cost.

when you buy an inexpensive instrument it's on you to pull all the little bits of plastic sheet off it. because for the factory to do it is extra time and money. the plastic for pickguards is covered in a protected sheet so it doesn't get scratched when they are cutting it. some places will quickly ripped the plastic off when they put the strings on, but I don't understand why they bother because bits are stuck under the screw heads anyways.

I have several 200-300$ guitars mainly purchased as guitars to be set in extra tunings for live shows and then one expensive guitar specifically for studio stuff

Both the L.P. and SG styles that you got in look great (for those liking those styles of guitars.... that's not me) but I would not be happy with the microphonic pickups. When you add in the cost of replacing pickups....I'd choose something else over the Firefly brand personally. I've bought 3 Harley Benton guitars (2 CST Series...and 1 "Classic Series" ..a 12 string) A CST-24-T solid body and a CST-24-HB semi-hollowbody ... and each was a "B-Stock" (zero issues with either!) and they were under $210.00 each...including the shipping to my door! No microphonic pickup issues....and pretty darn nice finish work on each. The third H.B. was a 12 string...the Classic Series (think Rickenbacker styling) and the only thing "sloppy" was inside of the "F" hole chambered out area being rough. I did the most setup work on the 12 string. It had some back-bow on the neck and needed to pickups raised and 2 sets of strings needed to be intonated. The 12 string was $320.00 delivered! Great guitars at amazing prices. I greatly appreciate your channel, your enthusiasm, and that you welcome the inexpensive stuff that some other channels turn their noses up at. Good look at the Firefly! UPDATE! I did grab a Firefly Guitar! I went for the FFJA Jazzmaster style ... and I got it to do a project of creating a guitar that is between a standard & a baritone. I got a little heavier strings and tuned it to "C#". It has the lowest cost Wilkinson trem which works great (I did need to find an arm that had a longer "insert" section to raise it a little higher over the volume knob. Decent tone...probably a little beefier than standard Jazzmaster pickups.... not quite as jangly, but I'm going for more of an Ambient Guitar sound so that is just what I need.

I just might need that guitar...but will it even be available as most Fireflys are gone before one can order one...the color is killer.

Modded guitars are fun!!! I bought a $188 Harley Benton (as a mod platform), put +$350 of upgrades in it, and it is one of my favorite guitars that I have ever played. Yes, I could have spent that on a good condition used guitar with similar specs, but I wanted the experience and personalization that comes from a mod project. I actually clicked on this video to see if Firefly guitars would fit into the same category. As long as the guitar is made of decent wood, has a comfortable neck, a workable fretboard and action out of the box, and decent paint it will function as a good mod platform. The SG in the video had good looking body wood and finish (there were acceptable blemishes), a serviceable neck which can be softened with a scrub pad to get that "satin" feel, frets that are very acceptable even if not polished, and plays (when tuned) out of the box without extensive work. That gives me a great starting spot. I can then tidy up the frets, replace pickups, replace nut/bridge if needed, locking tuners, straplocks, cosmetic additions, and swapped plastics/pickguards when applicable.

I purchased a firefly V and it’s a good platform to mod, I immediately changed the hardware and tuners, pickups leave something to be desired. If you are starting out everything is perfectly serviceable. In regards to cosmetic issues, my Gibson SG was not perfect cosmetically but it’s looked at as being handmade and the headstock says Gibson so it’s “okay”. The binding on the firefly was better than on my Gibson. That said the Gibson is better in all regards and will appreciate in value the Firefly will always be a 200 dollar guitar. I won’t be buying another Firefly but I am happy with my V and will be happier when I swap out the pick ups.

That microphonic car warranty thing was hilarious

Can you make a video for a affordapedal board John mayer inspired?

Love mine! I did have to wax pot the pickups though. Fixed the squealing.

19:00 ;a man after my own heart. ,and yep, they do cut through the mix:) (so bright they must be wet down with reverb of some kind to take the edge off). *that kind of wax potting seems fairly common, its the proper vacuum wax potting method that is required.

their green finishes look neat, i am curious about the P90 looking one

I genuinely did a double take on your thumbnail. That thing is gorgeous

Even with minor issues this is exactly one zillion times better than the first guitar I bought in 1981 for $200.

I bought an SX guitar for less than $200. It wasn't microphonic. I upgraded it and still came in under $200. with some budget pickups, a new nut and a roller bridge. I polished the frets which didn't really need much attention and did a neck adjustment. It's my favorite guitar. It's better than the $600. Epiphone Les Paul that I had sold to buy the SX. This guitar looks awesome though if you wanna upgrade the pickups. They should sell these guitars without pickups.

Speaking as someone who will be celebrating their 70th birthday this year, you have no idea how significant this is. When I was hoping for my first guitar, the equivalent of $200 got you a guitar-shaped object- we weren’t quibbling about inlays, because a guitar from Sears didn’t HAVE any!

Minor quality control issues of the cosmetic variety aside, the Firefly brand, having been taken up by Amazon as a global retailer, is undeniably great value for money. You could say that these instruments are ok for a beginner, but they will need a “ proper” quitar as they get more skilful. A decent guitar tech could fettle a Firefly or a Harley Benton into a very playable machine, and the use of inexpensive components and woods, and leaving it to the customer to sort out minor wrinkles is how these companies work.

Hey Bro! Sweetwater link isn't working, fyi.

I like it, and I just may may buy one. It sounds better than my 2004 Epiphone SG with vibrola. I think I'll be selling that SG. It never did sound right.