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I bought a Blitz by Aria Pro II (kind of like Squier by Fender or Epiphone by Gibson) SG knockoff for about $148 a couple of years ago, and was really impressed with how easy it was to play, and also how good it sounded (albeit after i swapped the bridge PU to a Duncan Custom and redid the controls from 2 vol, 2 tone to 1 vol). My daughter added some visual flair to it this past summer, by applying a whole bunch of stickers from her Wonder Pets sticker book that my sister gave her.
Anyway, I then found out that they made semiacoustic guitars as well, and went to the only guitar shop in my area that had one in stock. As the employees at the store were completely ignoring me for whatever reason, I gripped the neck, found it to be comfortable, went home, and ordered it online.
Here it is, New Guitar #1, my $289 (with hard case) ES 335 knockoff.
It was so cheap that I had expected it to be made in Indonesia, but apparently it was made in China. Although I don't agree with the PRC government's policies, the cheap labor does enable consumers to buy big bang for the buck products.
It is my first semiacoustic, so I didn't know what kind of sound to expect. Unplugged it is louder than my solid body guitars (obviously), but plugged in to my 30 watt practice amp at home, there was no real discernable difference. I brought it to a rehearsal studio and played it through a JCM900. I noticed that the bridge PU was bright to the point of being grating on the ears unless the tone was turned at least halfway down. Since then I've watched a bunch of videos on youtube with people playing "real" ES 335's, and apparently this is a trait that's common to such guitars. So perhaps this knockoff is actually a pretty faithful reproduction of the original.
Now on to New Guitar #2.
My daughter has become very "girly" lately, in that she insists on wearing skirts instead of pants even when it is cold outside, loves to have ribbons in her hair, and loves the color pink. Her birthday is coming up later this month, but we had her birthday party this past weekend, as we expect my wife to be laid up in the hospital on her actual birthday. Grandpa and Grandma gave her a pink bicycle, and Daddy (me) got her this:
This pic was taken after I intonated the bridge and oiled the fretboard (you can see the bottle of Fret Doctor on the mantle behind the couch). It is a short scale guitar and on the box it said "Ages 5 and up". Just like Frank Zappa, I don't like for people who sit at desks in corporations to decide how smart/how musically talented my kids are, so I went ahead and gave it to her although she is 3 years old. It's a 22.75" scale mini guitar with 20 frets, but it is still a little big on her. Meh, she loved it and will grow into it, I guess!
About my wife being laid up in the hospital later this month, expect a NBD (New Baby Day) thread in a few weeks!
Anyway, I then found out that they made semiacoustic guitars as well, and went to the only guitar shop in my area that had one in stock. As the employees at the store were completely ignoring me for whatever reason, I gripped the neck, found it to be comfortable, went home, and ordered it online.
Here it is, New Guitar #1, my $289 (with hard case) ES 335 knockoff.
It was so cheap that I had expected it to be made in Indonesia, but apparently it was made in China. Although I don't agree with the PRC government's policies, the cheap labor does enable consumers to buy big bang for the buck products.
It is my first semiacoustic, so I didn't know what kind of sound to expect. Unplugged it is louder than my solid body guitars (obviously), but plugged in to my 30 watt practice amp at home, there was no real discernable difference. I brought it to a rehearsal studio and played it through a JCM900. I noticed that the bridge PU was bright to the point of being grating on the ears unless the tone was turned at least halfway down. Since then I've watched a bunch of videos on youtube with people playing "real" ES 335's, and apparently this is a trait that's common to such guitars. So perhaps this knockoff is actually a pretty faithful reproduction of the original.
Now on to New Guitar #2.
My daughter has become very "girly" lately, in that she insists on wearing skirts instead of pants even when it is cold outside, loves to have ribbons in her hair, and loves the color pink. Her birthday is coming up later this month, but we had her birthday party this past weekend, as we expect my wife to be laid up in the hospital on her actual birthday. Grandpa and Grandma gave her a pink bicycle, and Daddy (me) got her this:
This pic was taken after I intonated the bridge and oiled the fretboard (you can see the bottle of Fret Doctor on the mantle behind the couch). It is a short scale guitar and on the box it said "Ages 5 and up". Just like Frank Zappa, I don't like for people who sit at desks in corporations to decide how smart/how musically talented my kids are, so I went ahead and gave it to her although she is 3 years old. It's a 22.75" scale mini guitar with 20 frets, but it is still a little big on her. Meh, she loved it and will grow into it, I guess!
About my wife being laid up in the hospital later this month, expect a NBD (New Baby Day) thread in a few weeks!
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