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MGR/Tim Heath « DeArmond Jetstar »
Published on 04/08/04 at 15:00I saw this really clean and tidy new/second hand Korean made DeArmond/Guild Jetstar electric guitar in our local guitar shop about two years ago, but price tag of £440 put it out of my reach. Two years later it was still there and i finally bought it for reduced sale price of £300. I just fell in love with it.
I like the fact that the whole guitar is non conventional being a curious mix of both retro and modern styling. I really like the fact that this is a non conventional instrument. The purple coloured paint job on mahogany woodwork reeks of quality and the neck and body are all superbly finished. The bridge and tuners are fine on mine and i have had no problems with tuning at all.The pick ups are the DeArmond Goldtone humbuckers. These babies cost a fortune on their own!When i got it home i plugged it into my 30-watt Marshall G30RCD amp and Boss DS-1 distortion unit and banged away. This guitar is explosive and heavy when you want all out power and sustain, yet when you want warm full bodied bluesy and non distorted tone's it obliges beautifully. The Jestar also balances perfectly on the strap and doesnt kill your shoulder when standing up playing for long periods.
There are only a couple of things i dont like about the guitar and that is the tone and volume pots. The quality of these is terrible and are the only things that let the guitar down. The problem is they are poorly manufactured and the end rims tend to break away. Though saying that mine are still the originals hence the broken off rims. I will probably buy some nice quality replacement pots to remedy this problem. One point is the fact that the bridge can be a little bit sharp and could gash an unwary strummer with poor technique, so this guitar would not suit a begginer.
As mentioned the construction of this guitar is excellent. It's built like a tank and is nice and solid with the one piece neck yet doesnt feel awkwardly heavy like a lot of instruments i could mention. The neck, fretting, paint job and pearl effect inlaying is also excellent. The bridge may be a little basic, but what the hell it works and it works beautifully.
I noticed that most of those who have reviewed the DeArmond Jetstar either love it or hate it. Have to say i love this guitar a lot and find it hard to put down. This is no begginers guitar as some have wrongly suggested. It's too good for a novice, and to play it effectively it requires good technique. At the RRP of £440 most novice players i know would not be able to afford a Jetstar. Though you can pick them up cheaper at some music stores. Be warned though they are becoming rare, especially in the UK as importation was limited due to the fact that the guitar was disliked by so many when it first came out in 1999. Guild have since been absorbed into the Fender company and a lot of the girls and guys who once hated this guitar are now looking for one. I woulndt part with my Jestar for any other guitar now. It's so individual and is such an eye catcher and has everything i need to play fast and hard and to play quieter melodies too.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com
I like the fact that the whole guitar is non conventional being a curious mix of both retro and modern styling. I really like the fact that this is a non conventional instrument. The purple coloured paint job on mahogany woodwork reeks of quality and the neck and body are all superbly finished. The bridge and tuners are fine on mine and i have had no problems with tuning at all.The pick ups are the DeArmond Goldtone humbuckers. These babies cost a fortune on their own!When i got it home i plugged it into my 30-watt Marshall G30RCD amp and Boss DS-1 distortion unit and banged away. This guitar is explosive and heavy when you want all out power and sustain, yet when you want warm full bodied bluesy and non distorted tone's it obliges beautifully. The Jestar also balances perfectly on the strap and doesnt kill your shoulder when standing up playing for long periods.
There are only a couple of things i dont like about the guitar and that is the tone and volume pots. The quality of these is terrible and are the only things that let the guitar down. The problem is they are poorly manufactured and the end rims tend to break away. Though saying that mine are still the originals hence the broken off rims. I will probably buy some nice quality replacement pots to remedy this problem. One point is the fact that the bridge can be a little bit sharp and could gash an unwary strummer with poor technique, so this guitar would not suit a begginer.
As mentioned the construction of this guitar is excellent. It's built like a tank and is nice and solid with the one piece neck yet doesnt feel awkwardly heavy like a lot of instruments i could mention. The neck, fretting, paint job and pearl effect inlaying is also excellent. The bridge may be a little basic, but what the hell it works and it works beautifully.
I noticed that most of those who have reviewed the DeArmond Jetstar either love it or hate it. Have to say i love this guitar a lot and find it hard to put down. This is no begginers guitar as some have wrongly suggested. It's too good for a novice, and to play it effectively it requires good technique. At the RRP of £440 most novice players i know would not be able to afford a Jetstar. Though you can pick them up cheaper at some music stores. Be warned though they are becoming rare, especially in the UK as importation was limited due to the fact that the guitar was disliked by so many when it first came out in 1999. Guild have since been absorbed into the Fender company and a lot of the girls and guys who once hated this guitar are now looking for one. I woulndt part with my Jestar for any other guitar now. It's so individual and is such an eye catcher and has everything i need to play fast and hard and to play quieter melodies too.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com