Best off Brand Guitar you've ever owned

[houseofpain]

So we're all guitar nuts here, and we all own a variety of gear. So I was thinkin', I've owned lots of off-brand guitars over the years and I know my brother has too. So I was just wondering, who out there has owned an off brand guitar that they really fell in love with? Personally, I've currently got two that I would put up against anything.
1) I've got a Ventura acoustic electric 6 string that I bought brand new for $200. About a month after I bought it, I sold a Fender Gemini IV acoustic cause I liked the tone and playability of the Ventura much better.
2) I bought a Dillion LP copy off Ebay about 5 years ago. When I bought it, I was playing in a band with a guy who owned a Joe Perry signature Les Paul and a Custom Shop LP, and he would tell me, "I can't believe how much better your axe is than mine." For the way I play, the Dillion is perfect. It has a Dimarzio Tone Pro and a Dimarzio Super Distortion. Its a heavy, heavy guitar, and it plays exactly the way I want an axe to play.

[Diamondjimi]

Well, it was a bastard of sorts I saw @ a local used/custom guitar shop. It was a Lado Strat shaped body (HB + SC pickup config.) someone had repainted to A Gibson like gold with a Rosewood Valley Arts neck . I paid $150.00 for it.
I took it home sanded down the neck to a soft "C" profile. Added a pair o Duncan JB's , added a gold Floyd Rose and a vol. + tone control.
Amazing tone, sustain for days.

I would'nt sell it for a thousand bucks....

[jhale667]

Do all of my parts-mongrels count?

[Diamondjimi]

Well ,tough call. I got lucky with that body/neck config.

Go for it , let's hear 'bout dem freaky guitars ya got there!

[ELVIS]

Agile!

Great guitars!

[Coyote]

Tokai LP copy...

Slap some decent p'ups in it, and you're set.

[ZahZoo]

Agile!

Great guitars!

Agreed. I got an Ovation Celebrity style acoustic. Best damn $169 I ever spent on a guitar!!


Several years ago I had a Univox ES-335 copy that was great.

[Nitro Express]

In the early 1980's I bought a Tokai Strat because I couldn't afford a Fender. That guitar was my main squeeze for years. Now people seek the old Tokai guitars. I can remember when Ibanez was an off brand in the 1970's. My first electric was an Ibanez from the late 70's purchased because I couldn't afford a Gibson.

[indeedido]

GTX Les Paul. Black with aged creme binding. I changed the tuners to Schaller, changed out the pickups to Dimarzio Super Distortions, took a chisel to the center and added a third pickup ala Ace Frehley, changed the bridge and tail piece and BOOM, Black Beauty. It played great before the mods, so I sold my Gibson Les Paul. They felt way too similar and I only gave a Morley wah and DOD phaser for this guitar.

Who is GTX? I emailed the parent company Kaman and this is what I got: (Kaman makes/distributes Genz Benz, Takamine, Hamer, Ovation, etc. ) The GTX model GR36 dates back to 1990 when the retail price was $499.00 USD. Specs included a single cutaway body style, carved from a block of wood - mahogany on the back glued to spruce on the top, 2 classic-style humbucking pickups, suspended pickguard, adjustable bridge with "set neck stop" tailpiece and vintage knobs, 3-way selector p/u switch, Indian rosewood fingerboard with trapezoid pearl inlays, chrome hardware and 24" scale length. The GTX line was made in Korea. That's all we could dig up in the archives!

[al3d]

it's no brainer...Fender / Gibson...what else..

[Fuct Jup]

PRS Custom 24 10 Top

Martin HD-28

[ELVIS]

How are Fender, Gibson, PRS or Martin OFF BRAND GUITARS ????

Read the fuckin' thread title asswipes...

[rocknrolldork]

I have an 81 Ibanez Blazer bass I bought for $50.00 about 10 years ago. It has turned out to be the greatest $50.00 I've ever spent. This thing toured the US and parts of Europe with me. It took severe beatings about everynight too. Still plays great! Mine is way more beat up than the one in the pic, but it gives you an idea of what it looks like. Looks and plays like a P-bass, but sounds better IMO.




Guitar-wise, I have an 81 Ibanez Blazer guitar. Now it's white with a PRS artist in the bridge and Gilmour pup's in the other 2 spaces, but here is a pic of when it was still a one trick pony. It just did that 1 thing really well.

[hideyoursheep]

It wasn't an off brand, but this Washburn with EMG's I had was one of the best I've ever played. Don't ask me what kind, cause I don't know...It was red with a painted neck...one of the few the pawn guy had without neck trouble and I skipped out with it for 100 booyahs.
Hold on...

[ELVIS]

Ibanez, PRS, Washburn, Gibson, Fender, blah, blah, blah...


Can't any of you FOOLS follow simple ROOLS ???


I don't get it...

[hideyoursheep]

Ibanez, PRS, Washburn, Gibson, Fender, blah, blah, blah...


Can't any of you FOOLS follow simple ROOLS ???


I don't get it...

No, I guess not.

When you mention off-brand, cheap and inexpensive come to mind...that's the only one I remember that stood out....sorry ELVIS!



Lighten up a little..

[rocknrolldork]

Ibanez, PRS, Washburn, Gibson, Fender, blah, blah, blah...


Can't any of you FOOLS follow simple ROOLS ???


I don't get it...

When I think of off brands, I think of knockoff guitars. To me..... Pretty much any pre-Steve Vai Ibanez is an off brand. Ibanez made a shit ton on knockoffs in the 70's and early 80's. SG's, LP's, etc... I'm pretty sure the 1980 Blazer bass was the last lawsuit guitar they had. They changed the headstock and some of the pup config's starting in 81. Their guitars were well built, but I don't remember them having a huge roster of players until the mid-late 80's. Maybe they did but I don't remember it.

[ELVIS]

I was about to make a list of Chinese copy guitars complete with images and I gave up...

They're far too many and it's pointless...

[ZahZoo]

Here's my Agile...

[indeedido]

Here is my "Aced" up GTX. What a great guitar. Threw some decals on it for kicks

[indeedido]

Here is my "Aced" up GTX. What a great guitar. Threw some decals on it for kicks

[ELVIS]

Here's my Agile...

Nice, they don't make those anymore. I think that model was shut down with a law suit as it was a copy of an Ovation Collector's Series...

I have two Agile lefty acoustic Ovation Celebrity copies. One black and one with a cool matched ash top...

I also have a lefty Made in Korea Ovation that in no way compares to and Agile i've owned or seen...

[Hardrock69]

I have a pair of neck thru body JB Player Strats made in 1985. While the neck is a little clubby, the fingerboard is rosewood, the are as heavy as a Les Paul, but play great, and have good tone.

[GAR]

I have had an Electra LP copy, flimsey body but nice straight neck with the small frets I sometimes enjoyed - also had a Hohner H-76 tobacco burst LP copy. That had a good weighted body super thin neck, but shit pickups.

I changed those out, the tuners were shit I installed a used set of Grovers from off my real 76 LP and it was a wonderful thing. Pawn shop off Olympic near Soto, $80 with the case, but it took lots of work to clean up.

Hohner's a major distributor known for their harmonicas but their guitar line is spotty because what they'll do is import a run of Asian copy guitars for several years, 3 or 4 years and then they'll disappear off the face of the earth again. I've seen strats, telemonstrosities.. permutations of flying V's that aren't quite right.. their les pauls were okay.

I haven't seen a new Hohner electric nor acoustic in a guitar store in 15 years.

[houseofpain]

If we are talking about thrown together guitars...
I have the body of a 94 Squire that a stripped and routed the bridge cavity. Bought a mighty mite pickguard and pickup set off the net for 20 bucks and an Ibanez roadstar neck. redfire painted the body white with black stripes, VH 1 guitar. Bought a tremolo off the net too, thru that on there. Its actually a really good sounding guitar. Not crazy about the neck though. Its to thin for me.

redfire has one that he bought all the parts off ebay...a flame shaped body, like Vai played with Dave. On that, he has a Charvel neck with locking nut. Bought the Floyd Rose trem for it, and a Seymore Duncan Screamin' Demon. Its a pretty sweet sounding guitar.

[jhale667]

I'll have to take some new pictures of my Charvel, Warmoth and Musikraft mutts...they look a little different since I changed out the pickups and hardware on a few of them...

[GAR]

Whose initials or order #'s are penciled in the neck pocket, or control cavity?

[GAR]

If we are talking about thrown together guitars...

In the vernacular of the trade, they call that a "players' axe" when they're pieced together.

We can always talk about those style of junk guitars like JHale loves to value so much, all day long. We all got some of that kinda crap.

What I think we're lookin' for in this thread, is some good experiences over below-radar brands.

For example, I did some work for this *cough*actress*cough* who does mostly the video type acting. She gave em a big tip with which I then used to pick up a 1985 Aria Pro flying V, with Original Floyd Rose and was already refretted with the 6100 Dunlop Jumbos. With orig case, $225 and it came home with me.

Well, that was a nice story about scoring a collectible guitar, but it doesn't belong in this thread since Aria Pro has a continuous and proliferant history of well made guitars.

What about Memphis copies? Or Matchbox. Or Hagstrom?

I have a Hoyer semihollowbody bass, that neck is one super slim fast neck for a bass.

I would recommend Hoyers, it has a zero fret nut, great original styling and apparently made in Sweden or some shit.

[jhale667]

We can always talk about those style of junk guitars like JHale loves to value so much, all day long. We all got some of that kinda crap.

Whatever, jackass...

[GAR]

Is that a plywood Charvel body?

I have one of those right now. It sits in the garage with the other parts guitars, forlorn and rusting of string.. waiting, waiting for me to say hello to it. But I never do.

I has no case. It doesn't deserve a case!

[jhale667]

Is that a plywood Charvel body?

You've got to be kidding me. No, it's Northern Ash. Plywood bodies are for assclowns like...

I have one of those right now.

Of course you do.

[GAR]

Oh, "northern ash" that would be where the climate grows the tree growth rings denser, and more heavier.

Have you ever weighed that guitar and how does your left shoulder enjoy the unnecessary burden..

[al3d]

How are Fender, Gibson, PRS or Martin OFF BRAND GUITARS ????

Read the fuckin' thread title asswipes...

Jesus dude...relax, you wont live to see retirement with a mouth like that. and you're a mod in here!...it's the internet..but been polite never hurts anyone.

[al3d]

Oh..and ANYTHING not Fender or Gibson is a freaking off brand..not hard to understand...every single company either copied fender or Gibson for 98% of the time. other time..gretch..at best.

[ELVIS]

Don't fuckin' tell me what to do or what is and what isn't...

Asswipe!

[Diamondjimi]

Don't fuckin' tell me what to do or what is and what isn't...

Asswipe!

Wow, sounds like someone needs to go out and get laid...

Lighten up Francis!

[Diamondjimi]

Here is my "Aced" up GTX. What a great guitar. Threw some decals on it for kicks

Shit dude ,nice lookin knock off. Does it have a set neck or bolt on?

My very first guitar looked exactly like that one ,except it had a bolt on . I was 13 and I was happy as fuck!

[Diamondjimi]

I have had an Electra LP copy, flimsey body but nice straight neck with the small frets I sometimes enjoyed - also had a Hohner H-76 tobacco burst LP copy. That had a good weighted body super thin neck, but shit pickups.

I changed those out, the tuners were shit I installed a used set of Grovers from off my real 76 LP and it was a wonderful thing. Pawn shop off Olympic near Soto, $80 with the case, but it took lots of work to clean up.

Bullshit!

[QUOTE=GAR;1352481]

In the vernacular of the trade, they call that a "players' axe" when they're pieced together.

You mean in your trade of selling manpussy?

We can always talk about those style of junk guitars like JHale loves to value so much, all day long. We all got some of that kinda crap.

Hmm,Hales guitars seem to confuse you a little. Why Gar,because you didn't read about them in your Google searches?!

For example, I did some work for this *cough*actress*cough* who does mostly the video type acting.

*Cough*Actor*cough* Fluffer*cough...

She gave em a big tip with which I then used to pick up a 1985 Aria Pro flying V, with Original Floyd Rose and was already refretted with the 6100 Dunlop Jumbos. With orig case, $225 and it came home with me.

Well, that was a nice story about scoring a collectible guitar, but it doesn't belong in this thread since Aria Pro has a continuous and proliferant history of well made guitars

.

Hmm yeah. The bolt on Flying V knock off market is about to boom. Sheesh ,ya shoulda hung on to that puppy....

I have a Hoyer semihollowbody bass, that neck is one super slim fast neck for a bass.

No you don't...

Is that a plywood Charvel body?

WTF, are you using Google Thailand again?

I have one of those right now. It sits in the garage with the other parts guitars, forlorn and rusting of string.. waiting, waiting for me to say hello to it. But I never do.

Just because all of your guitars are bolt on plywood knock offs...

Oh, "northern ash" that would be where the climate grows the tree growth rings denser, and more heavier.

Googleclown!

[indeedido]

Shit dude ,nice lookin knock off. Does it have a set neck or bolt on?

My very first guitar looked exactly like that one ,except it had a bolt on . I was 13 and I was happy as fuck!

It has a set neck. Great sustain. It is a good chunk of wood.

[Diamondjimi]

It has a set neck. Great sustain. It is a good chunk of wood.

Nice! How much did this one run ya?