To offer readers an outside perspective of the 35 affordable guitars tested for this roundup, the staff invited two members of the online GP forum to participate in the evaluations. Patrick Simms is a musician, studio owner, engineer/ producer, radio personality (California Music Box, 6 pm - 10 pm on piratecatradio.com), and actor. Check out myspace.com/27591491 to explore Simms’ DJ Nylon page. Alex Walsh leads the Alex Walsh Band (alexwalsh.net). He typically looks for
guitars in the price range of this roundup, and then adds better hardware and pickups.
Simms and Walsh were allotted several hours to examine and play the guitars without any interference, and they plugged into the same Mesa/Boogie and Budda amps used by the editors. The views expressed are solely their own. Their text was edited for length and grammar, but both players approved the final copy that appears in the magazine.
“Alex and I didn’t find any guitars in this roundup that were unplayable or poorly made—although some models stood out more than others,” says Simms. “The first thing I did was check the intonation of each guitar, as staying in tune is very important in my world. I found myself playing and enjoying the PRS SE Soapbar II above most. I have never been drawn to PRS—mostly due to price—but this affordable model sounds, plays, feels, and looks like a PRS that’s in the $3,000 range. It stays in tune, and handles my strange altered tunings without sounding like I have rubber bands for strings. The Michael Kelly Patriot Limited plays, sounds, and feels great. It’s a little small for my frame, and I wish it had separate controls for each pickup, but it stays in tune and delivers the goods. The Gretsch Electromatic G5246T has the sound and feel of a model three times its price, and it works well with alternate tunings. However, I did tend to hit its Bigbsy a little too hard, and knock the strings out of tune. I was pleasantly surprised at the ESP LTD/MH 250NT, because I’ve never been drawn to guitars with sharp, angled headstocks. But this model has a really good combination of a Gibson-style neck on a thin, contoured body, and the sound is bright and tight in the lows, and sparkly in the highs. The Ibanez ARX320 has a thick, dramatic sound with lots of sustain. It’s a tonally rich guitar that works well for jazz, rock, and other popular forms of music.”
“I tried all of the guitars using the clean channel of the Budda Twinmaster,” details Walsh. “I’m mostly a roots-rock player who sometimes uses a distortion pedal. Out of this batch, I like the PRS SE Soapbar II the best. It feels great, and the pickups sound good in all positions. I’d just put heavier strings on it. My other favorite was the G&L ASAT Special. It had a beefy rhythm sound—especially on open chords. My third pick was the Dean Cadillac 1980. It kept coming back into my hands—
probably because it has a Les Paul vibe. Even though it feels a little cheap (I’d probably replace the pickups and get it set up better), I still like it. The ESP LTD/MH 250NT is a model I didn’t expect to dig at all, but it sounds and plays great. The Ibanez ARX320 produces lots of nice sustain, and the Michael Kelly Patriot Limited, Aria PE Elite, Fender Stratocaster, and Hamer XT all sound and feel good (although the Patriot’s odd finish reminds me of Hobbits). Although the Eastwood Airline H44 DLX feels a bit like a toy, it has a real woody vibe—
probably due to its baseball bat-sized neck—and one great rhythm tone. I love how the Schecter Lady Luck feels and sounds, but it’s a bit too tacky looking for me. I didn’t like the RKS Wave. The neck is nice, but the place where I position my right hand just below the strings is cut out, and the overall feel is too slippery.”