Encore E1B

This was my first electric guitar (id been playing acoustic for 5 years), and it suits me fine. It couldnt be easier to use:
1 volume knob,
1 tone knob,
1 pickup.
Because i got it second hand there was no manual.

As it was my first electric, the first week i thought the noises i was making were great.. it sounds pretty good, especially with a new set of strings.
i use that plugged into my Korg AX30G into a 25 watt Peavey amp,
ive practised with my band using this setup.

However, as soon as you play a "proper" electric (well, an expensive one) you will want to get something more upmarket (always the case),
but when i have still kept hold of it because i've worn it in (and nobody will buy it off me!)

It sounds fine to me - average...

Yes, i can depend on it. When i play i really beat my guitar (not literally) i hammer the strings etc, and its never broken. It stays in tune easy enough, again, not really a problem - although i tune my guitar up anyway for safety after each song almost.
I would gig without backup.
Only problem ive had was that the pots came off. but it was solved by a stronger glue than the manufacturers had used!

Never dealt with them. Dont know how anyay.

I like the size of the guitars body, and the neck is where it should be. but it doesnt satisfy my music style: grunge, punk, rock, ska, blues etc.
I rate it spot on for first electric guitar (well, for a younger player anyway).
I would not buy another if it were stolen or lost- id just be pissed off!
If I could, id have a guitar with this size body, the full size neck it has, a better humbucker AND a single coil, and pots that stay stuck on.
I have written songs on it, but i prefer my SG copy.

I bought this guitar from a nieghbour hoping maybe to make a quick buck at the local boot fair.

There was a very basic manual with a device to allow the guitar to play through headphones. And after it was sitting on the shelf for well over a year, dusted it off and found this guitar (suprisingly for the price) really pleasant to play, had a Nice action, and was light and comfortable.

Its has one pickup and a volume and tone knob- both a but vague. A small black body( I thought at first it was a half size guitar but has a full fretboard!.

Im not an expert on electric guitars Im more of a acoustic player but Ive played throygh headphones and the new Korg Ax100g effects pedal and it sounds Ok. Keeping it in tune is a problem, but I may get round to changing the tuners, that might solve the problem.

Reliable enough apart from the tuning!

Importers web site a bit limited for information regarding this model

I ve been playing for over 20 years mainly acoustics. Play mainly popular, folk and perform onstage solo and as part of small folk/contemporary group.

As previously stated play acoustics, a 12 string and a hand built six string. But intend to maybe introduce more electric sound to the group perhaps some up tempo country.

If it were stolen I might get another I just love the smallness, the simplicity and total allover black of the guitar.

I cant complain for what I paid for it but maybe another pickup might be nice!

Im certainly going to give it a go on stage, what the hell!!!.

Okay so I bought this guitar for my fancy dress on New Years Eve from a cash converter shop (pawnbroker type 2nd hand retailer) it cost #40 and is made in Korea.

The whole thing is black with one pick up that looks like a humbucker without the lid on there is one volume and one tone control and thats it.

The body shape looks like a runt strat but no scratchplate it seems like a dwarf but has a full 22 fret neck and is as heavy as my Gibson SG STD circa71.

It has a simple tailpiece which is adjustable for action and individual string pitch and I will be working on that side of things pretty soon!

No manual clueless about the manufacturers number it just has Encore written in white underneath the black marker pen I customised it with for my "Crow" thang!

It plays really well and despite a very slight curved neck (no truss rod!) from the string tension, it's the business. I think this may drift back straight now that I have tuned it properly as it was about 3 semi tones too hi in the shop.

Bought a Marshall MS-2 again for the "Crow" outfit cranked it up and wandered into the Fancy Dress Party playing a "grunged up" version of "Friends" theme tune, it went down a bomb and put the other "Crow" in attendance somewhat in the shade the (he didn't even have a guitar and lets not go into the face makeup or dodgey wig)

This little amp/guitar combo is ideal for practising and street busking especially if you are not too good technically like me. and on the over drive with the tone on the guitar turned right down it makes for some really creamy lead work a la Santana.

For any metal heads, punks etc this is a great fun guitar although it sounds as flat as a tod when put through my might Fender Twin Reverb and alas will never replace My SG Std or Ibanez Destroyer II for sound, that said they cost a heck more money and I have played this more and it's got me back into music again after about a 20 year lay off.

The machine heads are cheap and nasty and although the strings can be tuned up for lonnger periods for real dirty work thay are the ones that are set on a metal strip and not independent, the Pick up has little character through the real amp either and trying to keep it in tune only compounds the inadequacies as you would expect of a budget guitar.

However #40 for so much fun and a born again guitarist it's hard to complain really! I'd just like to hear anyone else who's seen this one and I think it must have been the kind of thing you get from a direct mail catalogue and pay #1 a month for life.

In putting it sounds terrible please note the tongue in cheek meaning it sounds terribly good and terrbly bad depending on what it's pumped through.

I can depend on it to go out of tune and sound lifeless using pro gear but for fun stuff through a little practiced amp with the volume and overdrive switched up it has been a revelation and it was worth the effort of buying a cheap guitar on a whim, incidently despite my fantastic costume and add ons the Statue of Liberty won the 1st prize hmm Philistines!

I would and will use it on a gig it would ideal for Pistols, Lurkers, Buzzcocks theough a distortion pedal I'd have the SG as a back up! Ha!

Can't seem to find anything out about them on the net so help would be welcome!

Small but imperfectly formed.

I play all sorts of stuff ranging from Wishbone Ash to Heavy Metal & Classical/Rock Fusion (which is a category I've just made up incidently)and now I have this little gem not forgetting the amp I will be taking it when I work away and playing it in the hotel room. Sooo much fun for so little money the whole rig cost me #50.

For me it will become a project guitar and the first thing I'm going to replace is you guessed it the tuners, after that I'm going to stick in a good pick up and then maybe alter the machine head cosmetically make it a bit more thorny looking, plus put on a trem arm.

I can take it and leave it in the back of the motor if it gets stolen I'll be sad but I would most definately replace it with another if i could find one or another cheap guitar as it got me kick started again and for that it has brought me an immense amount of happiness. Something that seems to be in short supply these days.

The most important thing is that is does hold pitch and is accurate all the way up and down the frets which is paramount for a beginner my first guitar was, I later discovered untuneable, and I thought I couldn't play.

This E 1 B would have been a godsend then and compared to my first semi/electric columbus (which fed back like a strangulated cat at higher volume)I could have been a pro guitarist instead of becoming a family man (at least I'm still alive!)

Still hindsight is as always a very exacting science. Thanks for the site and all the user reports about the top of the range, vintage stuff that cost an arm and a leg or is now in a private collection but I thought a bit of grass roots Average Kid Joe stuff wouldn't hurt.