35 ELECTRIC GUITARS UNDER $500 - Reverend Guitars

Originally printed in May 2007 issue of Guitar Player. Reprinted with the permission of the Publishers of Guitar Player. Copyright 2007 NewBay Media, LLC. All rights 

reserved. Guitar Player is a Music Player Network publication, 1111 Bayhill Dr., St. 125, San Bruno, CA 94066. T. 650.238.0300. Subscribe at www.musicplayer.com. 

35 ELECTRIC GUITARS UNDER $500 

LIKE FORD AND HONDA DRIVERS WHO 

pine over Ferraris and Maseratis, any 

guitarist worthy of his or her G.A.S. (Gear 

Acquisition Syndrome) marvels at megabuck 

vintage models, unique custom-shop 

creations, and other high-ticket beauties. 

But, for most, these dream instruments will 

stay parked in the realm of reverie. In the 

world of players with limited discretionary 

funds, the real action is in the budget arena. 

Online forums constantly debate the value, 

playability, workmanship, and tones of 

affordable models from numerous makers, 

and there’s an almost Crusades-like fervor 

in discovering new guitars that deliver 

maximum delight for minimum dollars. And, 

as many a forum member has learned, 

bashing the fave $300 guitar of a posse of 

acolytes can unleash a tsunami of online 

flames. You just don’t mess with someone’s 

beloved “big value” guitar. 

So to provide a meaty summary of what’s 

currently available for street prices of under 

$500, the GP staff sent out roundup invitations 

to 50 guitar manufacturers. The 35 

makers represented here are the full 

account of those who wished to participate. 

Of those who declined, two companies were 

in the process of redesigning their lines 

(Malden and Xaviere), several makers 

didn’t have current models that met the 

price point (Carvin, Ernie Ball, Framus, 

Hagstrom, and others), Rondo opted to 

showcase just one of their many lines (Agile), 

and the others did not respond to repeated 

requests. 

To continue the 2007 roundup policy of 

bringing in diverse viewpoints to inform 

GP’s final ratings, every editor was tasked 

with evaluating every guitar (with the 

exception of Jude Gold, who was on tour 

with BX3). Each guitar was tested through 

a Mesa/Boogie Lonestar Special and a 

Budda Limited Edition Tenth Anniversary 

Twinmaster. Cables used include a Core One 

Bullet Cable, an Accusound Silver Studio 

Pro, and models by Mogami and Planet 

Waves. To further promote comprehensive 

and varied assessments, we invited two 

members of the GP online forum to review 

the guitars (see the sidebar, “Peer Review 

Duo” on p. 98). 

TESTED BY THE GUITAR PLAYER STAFF 

We’re also trying out a new way of imparting 

information by breaking critical elements 

into categories and giving each category a 

numerical rating (averaged from the total 

ratings culled from all the individual staff 

editors). This tactic is obviously inspired 

by the savvy “circle” ratings utilized by 

Consumer Reports, and we hope it makes it 

easier for readers to assess a vast quantity 

of qualitative data. The numbers should be 

translated as follows: 1 = poor, 2 = below 

average, 3 = average, 4 = very good, and 

5 = excellent. In addition, every editor offers 

his own personal “tasting notes” for each 

model (although most redundant comments 

were deleted from the chart). 

The staff has expended a lot of effort 

and brainpower to ensure these big product 

roundups deliver the data readers need 

to make better-informed purchase decisions. 

Please help GP continue to improve 

its review processes by visiting our forums 

at guitarplayer.com, and letting us know 

what you liked, and didn’t like, about this 

under-$500 guitar roundup. 

—Michael Molenda


reserved. Guitar Player is a Music Player Network publication, 1111 Bayhill Dr., St. 125, San Bruno, CA 94066. T. 650.238.0300. Subscribe at www.musicplayer.com.

FEATURE Hot Little Numbers 

MAKE/MODEL 

AGILE 

SEPTOR 7-STRING 

74 MAY 2007 GUITAR PLAYER 

ARIA 

PE ELITE 

AXL 

BLOODSPORT 

FIREAX 

BC RICH 

ASSASSIN 

OUTLAW PX3 

CORT 

CURBOW 

DAISY ROCK 

ROCK CANDY 

CUSTOM SPECIAL 

DANELECTRO 

DANO PRO 

STREET PRICE $399 $419 $350 $399 $499 $399 $249 

WORKMANSHIP 3.5 3 3.5 4 4 4.5 3.5 

HARDWARE 3.5 2.5 3 3.5 3.5 4.5 3 

FRETS 3.5 2.5 3 3 4 5 3 

PLAYABILITY 3 3 3.5 3 3.5 5 3.5 

VERSATILITY 3 3 4 4 3 4 2.5 

SOUND 3 4 3.5 4 3 4 4 

VIBE 3 3 4 3 3 4 4.5 

VALUE 3.5 3.5 3 4 3 5 4 

EDITOR 

COMMENTS 

MATT 

BLACKETT 

BARRY 

CLEVELAND 

DARRIN FOX 

MICHAEL 

MOLENDA 

ART 

THOMPSON 



Great maple top, 

Decent range of 

tones. 

Good bottom end. 

Warm, yet sparkly 

neck pickup with a 

nice-sounding 

coil-tap option. 

A metal machine 

with surprising 

clean sounds when 

you turn down the 

Volume. Good 

setup. 

Great Malt-O-Meal 

thickess. Plays 

well. Some fret 

buzzes. 

Plays easily in 

spite of extra-wide 

neck. Delivers 

metal-approved 

heaviness. Can also 

romp in other sonic 

realms. 

Warm, full tones. 

Sweet maple-burst 

top. Pickup 

selector switch 

intermittent. 

Warm neck pickup 

sounds great with 

distortion. Pickup 

switch shorted out. 

Neck Tone control 

gets bright, then 

dull. 

Sweet looker. 

Flutey front pickup 

tones. Biting rearpickup 

textures. 

Could use more 

dynamics on back 

pickup. 

Badass tones. Nice 

feel. Quality of 

switches and 

controls suspect. 

Warm, balanced 

tones with extra 

punch, thanks to a 

snappy bridge 

pickup. 

Glenn Tiptonapproved 

body 

makes bold 

statement. Great 

sounding pickups. 

Good sound. 

Intonation 

inconsistent above 

12th fret. Difficult 

to tune, but stays 

in tune once there. 

Very dynamic 

Volume control. 

Middle-position 

single-coil gives it 

a ton of versatility. 

Rear humbucker 

sounds thin. 

Fun little shredder. 

Diverse, ballsy 

tones. Fiveposition 

toggle 

switch feels weak. 

Classic hot-rod 

look sucked me in, 

but tones left me 

wanting. Good 

thing flat sounding 

humbuckers can be 

paired with livelier 

single-coil. 

Solid workmanship. 

Great tones. Frets 

out on big bends. 

Comfy body 

contour. Nice 

tones, though 

slightly thin 

sounding. Loose 

input jack. Twangy 

coil-tap option. 

Satisfyingly taut, 

chunky high gain 

tones. Tapped 

tones feeble. Neck 

too shallow for my 

taste. 

Mean machine. 

Rockin’ tones. Fast, 

slim neck. 

A slick player that 

delivers a wide 

range of sounds. 

Nice setup. 

“Custom bass” look 

polarizing. Small 

body doesn’t sit on 

lap well. 

Pretty woods. 

Pickups good 

overall, though 

coil-tap sounds 

weak. 

Fangy, carnivorous 

humbucking tones. 

Weak tapped 

tones. 

Body contours feel 

nice when playing 

standing up. Easy 

to play. Sounds 

okay. 

A litte too bass 

styled for my 

tastes, but it plays 

well and is 

extremely 

compact. 

Plays flawlessly. 

Sounds amazing. 

Fabulous guitar. 

A joy to play. 

Pickups lively and 

well balanced. 

Volume and Tone 

controls have good 

range. 

Every tone I 

wanted, I got. One 

of the most 

impressive budget 

axes I’ve seen. 

Simply stunning on 

all fronts. A blast 

to play. 

I love this guitar’s 

great setup and 

superb balance of 

meatiness and 

shimmer. 

Vibe for days. 

Great, spanky clean 

tones. Bridge 

pickup could be 

louder. 

Fun to play. Knobs 

slip off shafts. 

Pickup switch 

unstable. Nut cut 

unevenly. Lots of 

personality. 

Tons of fun. Nasally 

lipstick tone for 

days. Sounds great 

acoustically. Not 

sure about the 

brown smears on 

the pickguard. 

Love the snap and 

growl of those 

lipsticks. Hard to 

reach high frets. 

Pegs the retrocoolness 

meter, 

though the staining 

on the sides and 

pickguard makes 

me want to run it 

through the 

washer.

MAKE/MODEL 

DEAN 

CADILLAC 1980 

EASTWOOD 

AIRLINE H44 DLX 

EPIPHONE 

FADED G-400 

Hot Little Numbers FEATURE 

ESP 

LTD MH 250NT 

FENDER 

STANDARD 

STRATOCASTER 

FERNANDES 

REVOLVER X 

FIRST ACT 

LOLA CE140 

STREET PRICE $499 $499 $299 $399 $399 $349 $399 

WORKMANSHIP 4.5 4 3.5 4 4 2.5 3.5 

HARDWARE 4 2.5 4 4 3 3 3 

FRETS 4 4 4 4.5 3 2.5 3 

PLAYABILITY 4 4 4 4 4 3 3.5 

VERSATILITY 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 4.5 3 3 

SOUND 3.5 4.5 3.5 3 4 2.5 3 

VIBE 4.5 4.5 3.5 4 4 3 3 

VALUE 3.5 3 4.5 4.5 4.5 2.5 4 

EDITOR 

COMMENTS 

MATT 

BLACKETT 

BARRY 

CLEVELAND 

DARRIN FOX 

MICHAEL 

MOLENDA 

ART 

THOMPSON 



An absolutely 

bitchin' guitar. 

Pickups lack depth 

and detail. 

Sounds great on all 

settings. 

Extremely 

versatile Tone 

controls. 

Looks awesome. 

Plays great. Nice, 

beefy neck. Tones 

are a tad dull. 

Plays like an 

expensive beauty. I 

expected a little 

more roar and 

articulation, 

though. 

This budget version 

of Dean’s 

classic glam 

machine plays 

great and summons 

the spirit of ’80s 

excess. 

Great tone and 

vibe. Delightfully 

chunky neck. 

Slightly shaky 

wooden bridge. 

Swampy 

overdriven tones. 

Surprisingly jazzy 

clean tones. Hefty 

low end. Wooden 

bridge moves 

around. 

A funky delight 

with an almost 

laughably hefty 

neck, and round, 

bellowing tones. 

Totally kick-ass 

playing experience. 

Fun, fun, fun. 

Raging tones. 

A time machine 

that looks and 

sounds like something 

you’d see in a 

Chicago pawnshop, 

circa 1963. 

Looks good. Plays 

great. Tons of 

attitude. Average 

tones. 

Dual Volume and 

Tone controls add 

versatility. 

Squawk and howl 

for days. Casting 

seam apparent on 

adjustable bridge. 

Pure Angus for the 

ground chuck 

budget. Plays 

beautifully. Sounds 

mean. 

I don’t care much 

for the satin finish, 

but this guitar 

delivers thick SG 

wail in spades. One 

of the best fret 

jobs of the bunch. 

Beautiful setup. 

Great sustain. 

Uninspiring 

pickups. 

Good sustain. 

Pretty finish. Nice 

inlay and binding 

work. 

A great looking 

guitar. Super-easy 

to shred on, but I 

wanted a bit more 

tonal meat. 

Looks like a super 

model. Aggro 

tones. Sensual feel 

to neck and 

cutaways. 

Great sustain. 

Wooly sounding. 

Getting any sparkle 

requires putting 

the pickups in split 

mode. 

Good frets. Nice 

setup. Great neck. 

Great feel. Minor 

tuning issues with 

vibrato system. 

The classic tones 

you know and love 

are all here. Kind of 

hard to screw this 

one up. 

A really cool Strat 

for a great price. 

A cool Strat for an 

insane price that 

delivers good 

cluckiness in the inbetween 

settings. 

Plays well. Floyd 

very dive-bomb 

friendly. Pickups 

sound flat. 

Vibrato system 

vibrates easily and 

feels insubstantial. 

Ragged fret edges. 

Uninspiring sounds. 

Worst frets of the 

bunch. Lackluster 

tones. The Floyd 

Rose was fun, 

though. 

Plays nice. Prickly 

frets a bummer. 

Crack in finish by 

neck pickup. 

Uninspiring, heavy, 

and clunky. Unusual 

amount of trem 

gargle, due to the 

light, 2-spring 

setup. 

Nice sparkle on 

clean tones. Neck 

pickup too wooly 

on distorted tones. 

Good garage-rock 

tones. Drifts out of 

tune easily. Limited 


controls. 

Great feeling neck. 

The clucky, middleposition 

clean 

tones were my 

fave. 

Great sustain. Cool, 

punky tones. A 

neck that’s fun to 

dig into. 

Punky ’60s look 

offset by squaresounding 

pickups. 

But they do sound 

pretty vibey when 

combined. 

GUITAR PLAYER MAY 2007 75


MAKE/MODEL 

G&L TRIBUTE 

ASAT SPECIAL 


GODIN 

REDLINE 1 

GRETSCH 

ELECTROMATIC 

G5246T 

HAMER 

XT SATQ 

HOHNER 

MR-800F 

IBANEZ 

ARX320 

JACKSON 

DXMG 

STREET PRICE $489 $449 $489 $479 $449 $399 $469 

WORKMANSHIP 4 4.5 3 5 3 5 4.5 

HARDWARE 4 4 3 4.5 3.5 5 4.5 

FRETS 3.5 3.5 3 4.5 3.5 4 3.5 

PLAYABILITY 4 5 3.5 5 3.5 5 4.5 

VERSATILITY 3.5 3.5 3 4 3 4 3 

SOUND 4.5 5 2.5 4.5 3.5 4.5 3 

VIBE 4 4 3 5 3.5 5 3.5 

VALUE 4.5 5 3 5 3 5 3 

EDITOR 

COMMENTS 

MATT 

BLACKETT 

BARRY 

CLEVELAND 

DARRIN FOX 

MICHAEL 

MOLENDA 

ART 

THOMPSON 



Plays a little stiff. 

Frets out on big 

bends. 

Wide range of 

robust, yet clear 

tones. 

Plays easily. 

Some uneven frets. 

Wonderful 

spanking tones. 

Plays outstanding. 

Nut slots are 

deeper than the 

Grand Canyon. 

Articulate and 

chunky tones. Nice 

neck. 

Feels indistinguishable 

from a 

U.S.-made ASAT, 

other than the 

fretboard being a 

bit sticky. 

Good setup. Great 

tone from single 

EMG humbucker. 

Looks a tad 

utilitarian, but 

kicks ass. 

Responds 

beautifully to 

playing dynamics. 

Cleans up well 

when volume is 

reduced. 

One pickup, one 

volume—no 

problem! More 

tones than many 

feature-engorged 

contemporaries. 

A simple, deadly 

weapon. Sounds 

great. The more 

you play it, the 

more you dig it. 

Superb rock tones 

spoken here. Hot 

EMG a great match 

for this light, 

fast-playing guitar. 

Great look. 

Bland-sounding, 

imbalanced 

pickups. 

Classy look and 

vibe. Plays easily. 

Tuning issues with 

vibrato system. 

Weak output with 

masked highs. 

Looks hip. Plays 

nice. Bigsby— 

headaches and all— 

is a cool treat. 

Tones lacked zing 

and magic. 

Retro fabulous. It 

fights you a bit, and 

sounds somewhat 

muted, but it still 

delivers roots-rock 

goodness. 

Captures the 

Gretsch visual 

experience right 

down to the screwon 

strap buttons, 

but tones are 

surprisingly 

lifeless. 

Looks great, plays 

great, and all the 

tones are 

incredibly threedimensional. 

Inspiring to play. 

Versatile tones. 

Great intonation. 

Great overall feel. 

Instant vibe. 

Plays perfect. An 

amazing guitar. 

It’s a monster! 

Astounding feel, 

playability, and 

tones. 

Look no further if 

you want an 

amazing looking 

guitar with great 

tones and 

playability. 

Good, punchy 

tones. 

Nice hardware. 

Plays super fast. 

Versatile tones. 

Nice inlays. Nut has 

gap under one side. 

Slight string buzz. 

Anemic neck 

single-coil. 

The shreddiest 

neck in the 

roundup. Taut 

tones with nice 

clarity. 

Slim, satin neck is 

super fast and a joy 

to play. Love bridge 

humbucker. Buzzy 

frets. 

Pickups sound 

excellent—very 

spanky for humbuckers. 

Tone 

control has good 

range. 

Great look. Cool 

hardware. Big 

range of tones. 

Beautiful finish. 

Wonderful dynamic 

response. Lots of 

character. Great 

tones on all 

settings. Inspiring 

to play. 

Big neck is a gas to 

play. Great dirty 

tones. Good clean 

textures when you 

blend humbuckers. 

Stunning finish. 

Rocks like a 

banshee. Plays like 

a dream. 

Get past the 

flawless bindings 

and finish and you 

find an exceptional 

player that delivers 

spectacular tones. 

Well built. Easy to 

play. Lackluster 

pickups. 

Plays well. Locking 

vibrato remains in 

tune. Relatively low 

output. Slightly 

wooly sound. 

Plays fast. Good, 

solid dynamic 

tones. 

Fast neck. Nice 

feel. Could rage a 

bit harder 

sonically. 

This classic rocker 

wows in the 

playability 

department, but its 

passive EMGs 

sound tame.

MAKE/MODEL 

JAY TURSER 

CUTLASS F 

LINE 6 

VARIAX 300 

MICHAEL KELLY 

PATRIOT LIMITED 

Hot Little Numbers FEATURE 

PARKER 

P-42 

PEAVEY 

GENERATION CUS- 

TOM EX 

PRS 

SE SOAPBAR II 

REVEREND 

VOLCANO 

STREET PRICE $298 $499 $499 $459 $439 $499 $499 

WORKMANSHIP 4 3 4 4.5 3 5 5 

HARDWARE 3 3 2.5 4 3 5 5 

FRETS 4.5 3 4 4 3 4.5 4 

PLAYABILITY 4 3.5 4 4.5 3.5 4.5 4.5 

VERSATILITY 3 5 4 4 4 4 4.5 

SOUND 3 3 4.5 4 3 5 5 

VIBE 4 2.5 4.5 4 3 5 5 

VALUE 4 3 4 4.5 3 5 5 

EDITOR 

COMMENTS 

MATT 

BLACKETT 

BARRY 

CLEVELAND 

DARRIN FOX 

MICHAEL 

MOLENDA 

ART 

THOMPSON 



Low-output 

pickups with nice 

tones. Ace Frehleyquality 

burst is 

delicious. 

Plays well. 

Beautiful wood. A 

few imperfections 

on otherwise nice 

inlays. Decent, if 

not particularly 

exciting tones. 

Low-output 

humbuckers nice 

and airy. Neck 

binding has a ton of 

black scuffs. 

Beautiful recast of 

Les Paul. Excellent 

meat-andpotatoes 

tones. 

Fun to play. Crazy 

good value. 

I dig almost 

everything about 

this guitar except 

its pickups, which 

are low in output 

and extremely 

microphonic. 

Thousands of 

sounds. Alternate 

tunings. A powerful 

tool that still left 

me cold. 

Models sound 

largely convincing, 

though not 

particularly vibey. 

Voice-selector 

switch slightly 

loose. 

Plays nicely, but 

modeled guitar 

tones don’t stir my 

soul as much as the 

real thing. 

Unparalleled 

tone-generating 

machine. Killer deal: 

Go for the electronically 

identical 

$299 red model. 

More sounds than 

any solidbody on 

the planet. 

Suffers a bit from 

latency and atonal 

artifacts on some 

settings. 

Unique look. Good 

playability. Great 

sounds. Flimsy 

knobs and 

switches. 

Unusual look. 

Inspiring to play. 

Excellent pickups. 

Cheap controls and 

pickup selector 

switch. 

Fattest 

humbucking tones 

of the bunch. 

Toggle switch, and 


controls very 

unsturdy. 

Totally fun to play. 

Fab tones. 

Dungeons and 

Dragons vibe a bit 

much for me. 

Fantastic top and 

engraved pewter 

knobs. Excellent 

pickups deliver 

everything from 

warm jazz textures 

to screaming rock 

tones. 

Very articulate, 

thick tones. Plays 

amazingly well. 

Weighs nothing, 

but sounds chunky. 

Plays beautifully. 

Excellent clean and 

overdriven tones. 

Solid controls. 

Bland look. 

Amazing string-tostring 

clarity. 

Humbuckers had 

enough detail that I 

never used the coilsplitting 

function. 

Marvelous tones. 

Plays like butter, 

baby. You can really 

rip on this neck. 

Light and comfy. 

Broad tonal range. 

Sweet feeling, 

natural-finished 

neck. 

Amazing sustain. 

Interesting look. 

Good versatility 

from piezo bridge. 

Some workmanship 

issues. 

Bridge pickup has 

nice squawk. 

Low action with 

slight fret buzz, 

which was 

accentuated when 

using piezo pickup. 

Plays okay. Nice 

shape to neck. 

Humbuckers lack 

output and heft. 

I love the stately 

“white tie” look. 

Tonal options best 

when piezo is 

routed to an 

acoustic amp. 

Unfinished neck 

feels overly raw. 

Piezo bridge 

pickup sounds lo-fi 

through standard 

electric-guitar 

amps. 

Incredibly sweet 

tones. 

Unbelievable 

playability. PRS 

quality at a great 

price. 

Understated 

elegance. Great 

setup. Quiet 

single-coils. Lots 

of inspiring sounds. 

Very similar to U.S. 

models. 

Unreal setup. 

Action is actually 

too low. Delicate, 

yet surly P-90-type 

tones. If you can’t 

get it on this guitar, 

give up. 

This is almost as 

wonderful a guitar 

as any big-buck 

PRS. An insane 

value. 

Proof you don’t 

have to spend a ton 

of money to own a 

killer-sounding 

PRS with 

off-the-hook 

playability. 

Great vibe. Nice 

tones. Plays 

awesome. 

Just flat-out cool. 

Great sounds on all 

settings. Cool Bass 

Contour control. 

Nice wood. Solid 

controls. 

Wonderful feel. 

Believable and 

organic single-coil 

tones in a honkin’ 

humbucker 

machine. 

One of the coolest 

V-inspired guitars 

I’ve ever played. 

Plays and sounds 

superb. 

Impressive take on 

the classic V. 

Offers great tonal 

range, courtesy of 

its happening 

pickups and Bass 

Contour control. 

GUITAR PLAYER MAY 2007 77


MAKE/MODEL 


RKS WAVE SAMICK 

TORINO TR3 

SCHECTER 

LADY LUCK 

SPECTOR 

ARC6 PRO 

SQUIER VINTAGE 

MODIFIED 

TELECASTER SSH 

WASHBURN 

WI-64 

YAMAHA 

RGX A2 

STREET PRICE $499 $499 $449 $499 $299 $479 $499 

WORKMANSHIP 3.5 5 5 4.5 3 4.5 3 

HARDWARE 3.5 4 5 4.5 3.5 4.5 3 

FRETS 3 4 4.5 4 3 3.5 4 

PLAYABILITY 3.5 4 5 4.5 3.5 4.5 4 

VERSATILITY 3.5 4 4.5 4 4 5 2.5 

SOUND 3.5 5 5 4.5 3 4 2.5 

VIBE 3.5 4 5 4 3.5 4.5 3.5 

VALUE 3 4.5 5 4 3 4 2.5 

EDITOR 

COMMENTS 

MATT 

BLACKETT 

BARRY 

CLEVELAND 

DARRIN FOX 

MICHAEL 

MOLENDA 

ART 

THOMPSON 



Good, spanky tones 

that blend great. 

Frets out on bends. 

Don’t like voicing of 

tone control. 

Warm, pleasant 

bridge pickup. 

Controls 

awkwardly placed. 

String buzz on low 

E above 14th fret. 

Zingy clean tones. 

Decent chunk 

sounds. Didn’t dig 

the placement of 

pickup toggle. Not 

sure about this 

whole plastic thing. 

I’m a fan. Dig the 

recessed controls, 

although pickup 

switch was loose. 

Totally fun to play. 

Decent tones. 

Has its own sound 

with plenty of 

brightness and 

snap. Plan a little 

time to suss the 

control locations. 

Nice finish. Very 

good playability. 

Great tones. 

Nice wood. Solid 

controls. Good 

overall feel. 

Pleasing and wellbalanced 

sound. 

Versatile Tone 

control. 

Expansive clean 

tones. Dirty sounds 

are rife with chirpy 

midrange. Superfigured 

top a bit, 

uh, over the top. 

Comfy feel. Neck 

invites riffing and 

shredding. Ballsy 

tones. 

What’s not to love 

about this guitar’s 

awesome finish 

and thick, badass 

SG-style tones? 

Wow. Gorgeous 

finish. Beautiful 

hardware. Flawless 

frets. Plays like a 

dream. Sounds 

great. Bravo. 

Produces a wide 

range of great 

sounds with 

exceptional 

sustain. 

Textured knobs a 

nice touch. 

Not a fan of the 

finish, but this 

guitar is way 

sweet. Feels 

wonderful in your 

hands. Sports 

myriad tones. 

Near flawless with 

a sense of 

whimsical danger. 

Brilliant. Fun. 

Fabulous. 

This guitar flat out 

rules with its 

distressed 

hardware, 

excellent pickups, 

and dual Volume 

controls with 

coil-split option. 

Killer pickups. 

Super-musical 

Tone controls. 

Top-notch 

hardware. Uniquely 

beautiful finish. 

Unique finish. 

Beefy bridge. 

Clean inlay work. 

Sounds good on all 

settings. 

A real breeze to 

play. Tones are top 

notch. I couldn’t put 

this sucker down. 

Bowling ball finish 

an acquired taste. 

Real head turner 

with fangs. 

Articulate, beefy, 

and soaring tones. 

Plays great. 

I like everything 

about this guitar, 

except its 

claustrophobic 

control layout. 

Big range of sounds, 

but two-pickup tones 

are thin, and neck 

pickup is too wooly. 

Low E knocks against 

bridge pickup pole 

piece. 

Nice maple neck. 

Weak pickups. 

Slight buzz on 

upper frets when 

bending notes. 

A hefty gap in the 

neck slot could be 

why the tones 

never really get 

there. 

A lot of tonal 

options for three 

bills. Plays well. 

Could be more 

sonically inspiring. 

The multiple 

pickups are 

tantalizing, but the 

neck humbucker is 

the only setting 

that really gets it. 

Home run! Great 

finish. Plays like 

butter. Tons of 

tones with 

innovative VCC 

(Voice Contour 

Control) circuits. 

VCC controls add 

versatility, 

but behave 

eccentrically with 

highs coming in and 

out. Intonation 

excellent. 

Love the look, the 

feel, and the tones. 

Turning down the 

Volume has major 

dulling impact on 

guitar’s otherwise 

sweet shimmer. 

Feels great. Neck 

inspires unfettered 

riffing. Unleashes 

massive waves of 

tonal fury. 

This is a hip guitar. 

Voice Contour 

Control works 

great. Tones 

quickly become 

dull when you turn 

down Volume. 

I like what they’re 

going for, but some 

elements fall short. 

Tuners, bridge, and 

knobs aren’t great. 

Didn’t care for 

barrel-style tuners 

and rotary pickup 

selector. No tone 

control. Pickups 

sound thin. 

Recessed knobs 

tough to 

manipulate. Forget 

about switching 

pickups on the fly. 

Sophisticated, 

modern design. 

Light. Plays 

wonderfully. Sound 

could rock more. 

Though very light 

and easy to play, 

tones are 

underwhelming. 

Rotary pickup 

selector slower 

than a toggle 

switch.





AGILE SEPTOR 7-STRING 

Street Price $399 

Manufacturing Plant Korea 

Nut Width 1u" 

Neck Bolt-on maple, 252" scale 

Fretboard Ebony 

Frets 24 extra jumbo 

Body Basswood 

Pickups Info not provided 

Controls Volume, Tone, 3-way switch 

Hardware Ajustable bridge, Grover tuners 

Factory Strings Info not provided 

Weight 7 lbs 

Contact Info rondomusic.net 

ARIA PE ELITE 


Manufacturing Plant China 

Nut Width 1h" 

Neck Set maple, 243" scale 

Fretboard Rosewood 

Frets 22 jumbo 

Body Mahogany with carved flame-maple top 

Pickups Two Aria OH-1 humbuckers 

Controls Two Volume, two Tone, 3-way switch 

Hardware Aria SPT bridge and QH tailpiece, die cast tuners 

Factory Strings D’Aquisto, .009-.042 

Weight 8.35 lbs 

Contact Info (800) 999-5558, 

ariaguitars.com 

AXL BLOODSPORT FIREAX 

Street Price $350 


Nut Width 1y" 

Neck Bolt-on maple with bubinga stripe, 

252" scale 



Body Alder 

Pickups EMG-designed alnico (one single-coil, 

two humbuckers) 

Controls Volume, two Tone, 5-way switch 

Hardware Floating tremolo with locking nut, 

AXL sealed tuners 

Factory Strings AXL, .008-.042 

Weight 7.4 lbs 

Contact Info axlguitars.com 

BC RICH ASSASSIN OUTLAW PX3 



Nut Width 1.69" 




Body Basswood 

Pickups Two Rockfield Mafia 

humbuckers 

Controls Volume, Tone with 

push/pull coil tap, 

3-way switch 

Hardware Tune-o-matic bridge, 

die-cast tuners 

Factory Strings D’Addario, .009-.046 


Contact Info (866) 722-7424; bcrich.com




DANELECTRO DANO PRO 


Manufacturing Plant Korea/China 




Frets 19 medium 

Body Chambered masonite/ 

plywood 

Pickups Dano lipstick 

single-coil 

Controls Volume, Tone, 

3-way switch 

Hardware Adjustable bridge, 

sealed tuners 

Factory Strings Custom Korean 

made, .010-.046 

Weight 8 lbs 

Contact Info (805) 389-4605; 

danelectro.com 


CORT CURBOW 


Manufacturing Plant Indonesia 

Nut Width 1y" 

Neck Bolt-on maple, 

243" scale 



Body Swamp ash 

Pickups Two Mighty Mite 

Bluebuckers 

Controls Two Volume, 

Tone 

Hardware ToneProslicensed 

bridge 

and tailpiece, 

sealed tuners 

Factory Strings D’Addario, 

.009-.042 


Contact Info cortguitar.com 

DAISY ROCK DAISY ROCK ROCK 

CANDY CUSTOM 

SPECIAL 



Nut Width 1y" 

Neck Set mahogany, 

243" scale 



Body Mahogany 

Pickups Two Duncan 

Designed HB-108 

Detonators 

Controls Volume, Tone with 


3-way switch 

Hardware TonePros bridge, 

Grover tuners 

Factory Strings D’Addario EXL 110 

Weight 7 lbs 

Contact Info (877) 693-2479; 

daisyrock.com 

DEAN CADILLAC 1980 



Nut Width 1h" 


243" scale 


Frets 22 medium jumbo 

Body Mahogany 

Pickups Two Dean high-output 

humbuckers 

Controls Two Volume, Two 

Tone, 3-way switch 


Grover Rotomatic 

tuners 



Contact Info (813) 600-3920; 

deanguitars.com





EASTWOOD AIRLINE H44 DLX 



Nut Width 1h" 




Body Ash 

Pickups Two custom-wound EW-44 mini humbuckers 


Hardware Floating wooden bridge, trapeze tail, vintage 

open-back tuners 



Contact Info (416) 294-6165; eastwoodguitars.com 

EPIPHONE FADED G-400 



Nut Width 1h" 

Neck Set mahogany, 243" scale 



Body Mahogany 

Pickups Alnico Classic (neck), Alnico Classic 

Plus (bridge) 

Controls Two Volume, two Tone, 

3-way switch 

Hardware LockTone bridge, Grover tuners 

Factory Strings GIbson Brite Wire, .010-.046 


Contact Info (800) 444-2766; epiphone.com 

ESP LTD MH 250NT 



Nut Width 1y" 

Neck Set maple, 25w" scale 


Frets 24 extra jumbo 

Body Agathis with quilted maple top 

Pickups EMG-ESP LH-300 set 

Controls Volume, Tone with push/pull coil tap, 3-way switch 

Hardware Floyd Rose licensed tremolo, locking nut, 

sealed tuners 

Factory Strings SIT, .010-.046 


Contact Info espguitars.com 

FENDER STANDARD STRATOCASTER 


Manufacturing Plant Mexico 


Neck Bolt-on maple, 25w" scale 



Body Alder 

Pickups Three Fender Standard single-coil 

Controls Volume, two Tone, 5-way switch 

Hardware Vintage Style Synchronized Tremolo, Fender/ 

Ping sealed tuners 

Factory Strings Fender Super Bullets, .009-.042 


Contact Info fender.com




FIRST ACT LOLA CE 140 




Neck Set maple, 

25" scale 



Body Mahogany 

Pickups Two First Act alnico V 

“bikini” humbuckers 

Controls Volume, Tone, 3-way 

switch 

Hardware First Act string-through retainer system, 


Factory Strings First Act, .009-.042 


Contact Info (888) 551-1115; firstact.com 

GODIN REDLINE 1 


Manufacturing Plant Canada (parts), U.S.A. (assembly) 

Nut Width 1h" 

Neck Bolt-on rock maple, 243" scale 

Fretboard Indian rosewood 

Frets 22 super jumbo 

Body Silver leaf maple 

center, poplar wings 

Pickups EMG-81 active humbucker 

Controls Volume 

Hardware Hardtail bridge, 

Godin high-ratio 

tuners 

Factory Strings Godin High Definition 

E-9 Nickel, .009-.046 


Contact Info godinguitars.com 


FERNANDES REVOLVER 



Nut Width 1y" 




Body Alder 

Pickups Two Fernandes high-output 

humbuckers 


Hardware Floyd Rose licensed tremolo, 

locking nut, Gotoh-style tuners 



Contact Info (800) 343-0353; 

fernandesguitars.com 

G&L TRIBUTE ASAT SPECIAL 



Nut Width 1y" 


Fretboard Hard rock maple 


Body Swamp ash 

Pickups Two G&L, U.S.-made Magnetic 

Field Design single-coils 


Hardware G&L Saddle-Lock bridge, 

sealed tuners 

Factory Strings D’Addario, XL110 


Contact Info (800) 233-8346; glguitars.com




HAMER XT SATQ 



Nut Width 1y" 


243" scale 



Body Mahogany 

Pickups Two Duncan Designed 

humbuckers 

Controls Two Volume, Tone, 

3-way switch 

Hardware Tune-o-matic 

style bridge, 

Hamer tuners 


.010-,046 

Weight 7 lbs 

Contact Info hamerguitars.com 


GRETSCH ELECTROMATIC G5246T 



Nut Width 1h" 


243" scale 



Body Mahogany (chambered) 

with arched laminated 

maple top 

Pickups Two TV Jones designed mini 

humbuckers 


Hardware Bigsby B50 Vibrato 

tailpiece, Adjusto-Matic 

bridge, vintage-style 

tuners 

Factory Strings Gretsch, .009-.042 


Contact Info (480) 596-9690; 

gretschguitars.com 

IBANEZ ARX320-MS 



Nut Width 1y" 


243" scale 



Body Mahogany with 

quilted-maple top 

Pickups ACH1-S (neck), 

ACH2-S (bridge) 

Controls Volume, Tone, 

3-way switch 

Hardware Gibraltar III 

bridge, Quik 

Change III 

tailpiece 


.009-.042 


Contact Info (215) 638-8670; 

ibanez.com 

HOHNER MR-800F 





25w" scale 


Frets 24 Dunlop 6105 

Body Rock maple with 

flame top 

Pickups Tesla VR-1 (neck), 

Tesla VR-III (bridge) 

Controls Volume, Tone, 3-way 

switch 

Hardware Tune-o-matic style 

bridge, Grover tuners 

Factory Strings D’Addario, EXL120 


Contact Info hohnerusa.com




JACKSON DXMG 


Manufacturing Plant Japan 

Nut Width 1h" 

Neck Bolt-on rock maple, 25w" scale 



Body Alder 

Pickups Two EMG HZ 


Hardware Floyd Rose licensed tremolo, locking nut, die-cast tuners 

Factory Strings Fender, .009-.042 


Contact Info jacksonguitars.com 

JAY TURSER CUTLASS F 



Nut Width 1y" 




Body Mahogany 

Pickups Two Artec alnico mini humbuckers 


Hardware Stop tailpiece, die cast tuners 


Weight 8 lbs 

Contact Info (631) 773-6411; jayturser.com 

LINE 6 VARIAX 300 

Street Price $499 (black finish), $299 (red finish) 


Nut Width 1y" 


Fretboard Indian rosewood 


Body Agathis 

Pickups N/A 

Controls Volume, Tone, rotary Model Select knob, 

5-way switch 

Hardware Digital I/O, XPS mini power supply, standard 

bridge with LR Baggs saddles, sealed tuners 



Contact Info line6.com 

MICHAEL KELLY PATRIOT LIMITED 



Nut Width 1h" 




Body Mahogany with splated maple top 

Pickups Two Rockfield SWC humbuckers 

Controls Volume, Tone with push/pull coil 

tap, 3-way switch 

Hardware TonePros bridge, Grover tuners 

Factory Strings D’Addario, EXL110 


Contact Info michaelkellyguitars.com 

90 MAY 2007 GUITAR PLAYER





PARKER P-42 




Neck Set maple, 25w" scale 



Body Mahogany 

Pickups Two Parker Stinger alnico humbuckers 

Controls Volume, Tone with push/pull coil tap, 3-way switch 

Hardware Stop tailpiece bridge, Grover 18:1 tuners 

Factory Strings Vinci, .009-.042 

Weight 7 lbs 

Contact Info (800) 877-6863; parkerguitars.com 

PEAVEY GENERATION CUSTOM EX 



Nut Width 1y" 




Body Alder 

Pickups Two Peavey vintage-wound humbuckers, piezo with 

Analog Acoustic Modeling circuitry (ACM) 

Controls Volume, Tone, piezo/ACM volume, 3-way miniswitch 

(piezo, humbuckers, or both), 5-way 

switch 

Hardware Peavey vintage tuners 

Factory Strings Peavey, .009-.042 

Weight 8 lbs 

Contact Info peavey.com 

PRS SE SOAPBAR II 



Nut Width 1h" 




Body Mahogany with flame-maple veneer top 

Pickups Two P-90-type soapbar 


Hardware PRS stoptail bridge, die cast tuners 



Contact Info prsguitars.com 

REVEREND VOLCANO 



Nut Width 1h" 




Body Mahogany 

Pickups Two Reverend humbuckers 

Controls Volume, Tone, Bass Contour, 

3-way switch 

Hardware Tune-o-matic bridge, Wilkinson 

EZ-Lock tuners 

Factory Strings SIT, .010-.046 

Weight 7 lbs 

Contact Info (586) 775-1025; 

reverendguitars.com





SAMICK TORINO TR3 



Nut Width 1h" 




Body Mahogany 

Pickups Duncan Designed HB101 (neck), HB102 (bridge) 


Hardware Adjustable bridge, stop tailpiece, Grover tuners 

Factory Strings GHS, .009-.046 

Weight 7 lbs 

Contact Info gregbennettguitars.com 

RKS WAVE 


Manufacturing Plant Oxnard, California 

Nut Width 1y" 

Neck Bolt-on hard rock maple, 25w" 

scale (Buzz Feiten Tuning System) 


Frets 22 Dunlop 6105 

Body Interchangeable hollow composite 

Pickups Two custom Lace humbuckers 


Hardware RKS tuners, RKS hardtail bridge, 

RKS Groove knobs and Posifly 

pickup selector switch 

Factory Strings Elixir, .009-.042 

Weight 7 lbs 

Contact Info rksguitars.com


SPECTOR ARC6 PRO 


Manufacturing 

Plant China 



25" scale 



Body Basswood with 

quilted maple top 

Pickups Two Tesla VR60 

Classic humbuckers 

Controls Two Volume, two 

Tone, 3-way 

switch 

Hardware BM 0004 bridge, 

Ping tuners 

Factory Strings D’Addario EXL110 

Weight 7 lbs 

Contact Info (800) 825-8810; 

spectorguitar.com 




SCHECTER LADY LUCK 


Manufacturing 

Plant Korea 

Nut Width 1y" 

Neck Set mahogany, 25w" scale 



Body Mahogany 

Pickups Two Schecter Alnico Plus 

humbuckers 

Controls Two Volume, Tone with 


3-way switch 

Hardware TonePros bridge, Schecter 

tuners 


Weight 8 lbs 

Contact Info schecterguitars.com 

WASHBURN WI-64 

Street Price $359 

Manufacturing 

Plant Korea 

Nut Width 1y" 

Neck Set mahogany, 243" 

scale 



Body Mahogany 

Pickups Two WB630 high-output 

humbuckers 

Controls Two Volume, Two Tone, 

Voice Contour, 3-way 

switch 


Grover tuners, Buzz 

Feiten Tuning System 

Factory Strings Vinci, .009-.042 


Contact Info washburn.com 

SQUIER VINTAGE MODIFIED 

TELECASTER SSH 


Manufacturing 

Plant India 



Fretboard Maple 


Body Indian red cedar 

Pickups Duncan Design TE-103B 

stack (bridge), MH-101 Mini 

Humbucker (neck), SC-102 

Stack (middle) 


Hardware Vintage 6-saddle bridge, 


Factory Strings Squier, .009-.042 


Contact Info (480) 596-9690; 

squierguitars.com 

YAMAHA 

RGX A2 


Manufacturing 

Plant N/A 

Nut Width 1h" 


25w" scale 



Body Alternative Internal 

Resonance 

with falacata 

core and maple 

top and back 

Pickups Two Yamaha 

alnico humbuckers 

Controls Volume, 

3-position rotary 

pickup selector 

knob 

Hardware Yamaha




Patrick Simms 

(left) and Alex 

Walsh in the GP 

“guitar room.” 

PEER REVIEW DUO 

To offer readers an outside perspective of the 35 

affordable guitars tested for this roundup, the 

staff invited two members of the online GPforum 

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.” 

98 MAY 2007 GUITAR PLAYER PHOTO: MICHAEL MOLENDA

35 ELECTRIC GUITARS UNDER $500 - Reverend Guitars

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