August 11, 2020
For the price, it's definitely an instrument, but wasn't very playable out of the box. That's okay: I was expecting issues for a sub-$80 guitar, and I didn't buy it even expecting it to be something I play much, if hardly at all. I bought it to learn how to do repairs and setup, and for that, it's fantastic, as it has plenty of little issues out of the box that a good setup will mostly eliminate.
Out of the box, it did not hold tune well, and while the pickups sound a little cheap, I find tha ...
For the price, it's definitely an instrument, but wasn't very playable out of the box. That's okay: I was expecting issues for a sub-$80 guitar, and I didn't buy it even expecting it to be something I play much, if hardly at all. I bought it to learn how to do repairs and setup, and for that, it's fantastic, as it has plenty of little issues out of the box that a good setup will mostly eliminate.
Out of the box, it did not hold tune well, and while the pickups sound a little cheap, I find that they give it a somewhat charming "cheap guitar" sound that I might actually make use of. Using the trem puts it noticeably sharp every time, so I'll probably block that off at some point. After putting a new set of strings on it and taking the time to set the action and intonation, though, it holds tune a lot better (though still not with any trem use) and feels better to play. I haven't tried doing much in the way of bends with it yet, though I suspect that will throw off the tuning with the weak trem action.
It weighs less than half what one of my other guitars does, and is easily the lightest guitar I own, but that's not a turn off: it makes it a bit more comfortable to wear and easier to carry, but it's not so light that it feels completely useless.
All in all, you get what you pay for, but if you're willing to spend a little time and put some work in with this guitar, I think you could get something that will play alongside most $200-$300 guitars for under $100.
If you're getting this for a beginner, I recommend either finding someone who can do a basic setup or referencing a youtube tutorial, at the very least get new strings and mount them using one of the "locking" methods for non-locking tuners you'll find. And maybe drop a block of wood behind the trem plate to help with tuning stability until you're ready to troubleshoot and fix it.