AXL Badwater

I just picked this guitar up yesterday, i traded in my dean acoustic flying V straight up. All i can say is Holly ****, for a guitar that is this cheap, it dosn't play or sound remotely cheap. Basic features are a maple neck that is worn looking and actually feels really nice in my hands, pick ups are two emg single coils(one at the neck, one in the middle) and an emg humbucker at the bridge with a 5 way selector and two tone knobs and a volume knob. All the pickups sound pretty nice, the humbucker is a little dirtier than i'd like, but when used with some killer distortion/overdrive, it screams. The single coils sound great clean and distorted but a little muddier than the humbucker, and hitting harmonics with this guitar is a breeze and all the pickups respond brilliantly. Fender S style bridge with adjustable saddles. Antiqued hardware that fits the overall style well.

My style of music is extreamly broad. I love blues and jazz but also love metal and rock. This guitar is great for both, although i'm sure for metal the pickups could be a little hotter, but for a novice to a mid-experienced player, they wouldn't know the difference, it works well for the metal i play, but for the blues and rock, this thing is in its element. I've been playing it threw a line 6 spider, all effects i've used on it respond well with the guitar. There does seem to be a little bit of noise with the single coils when using the insane distortion/overdrive, but you can't notice it when playing. Sustain is good, and it can sound bright or warm depending on the pickups you use. Like i said before, it responds great to harmonics. I can't find anything i dislike about the guitar yet.

I bought the guitar used, but it was bought from a kid new in january at the same guitar store, and it dosn't look like he ever set it up, so i'm guessing it was still at the factory settings. The intonation was a little off on the G string(which is probably why he got rid of it, most newbies don't know how to set intonation), but that was an easy 5 min fix. Action is great how it is. Some of the lower frets on the high E need to be filled a bit, but other than that, it was set up great. Playability was bang on. I love this guitar and will probably buy another in the near future.

I would deffiantly play this guitar live, i was in a band a few yrs back that gigged excessivly and i wish i knew about these guitars then. The hardware looks rugged, there are no name brands on them so i'm guessing they are just AXL factory hardware, but they work well, the tuners respond and the strings don't get hung up on the nut so keeping it in tune is no problem.

Wouldn't know and i do all my own repairs. I bought mine used, but i'm sure they have a decent warrently if bought new, and for the price, you can't go wrong.

Ive been playing guitar for about 15 yrs, i've played several guitars that cost 3-4 times as much as this and don't play or sound nearly as good. The people at AXL know what guitar players want. I would deffinantly buy another.

I picked up this up at a shop in Hamilton, Ohio (Mehas Music)..very nice place..

Badwater Sro (Strat Style axe...) Off-White/Brownish Crackle finish that looks So much better than those $1500.00 "Worn-in Finish" Fender Strats...Nice neck feel..The Pickups could be better, so I'm looking at upgrading those to some "real" passive EMG's..Alder Wood Body, Rosewood Neck..

Pickups are Noisy for recording situations, but you definitely get that Single-coil Strat Sound! But hey, for under $250.00 I ain't complaining!
I have an old Mesa Boogie tube amp, a Line 6 ax212 that I use All the time, and one of those Roland Cube 30x's...it sounds good in all of these...I use light top-Heavy Bottom strings too, so that adds to the tone...Like a Strat, this guitar is great whether I'm playing Jazz-Fusion, R&B/Soul or Funk...very versatile.

The place I bought it at set it up, so I can't say what the Factory was doing....

Well, it seems durable, plus I don't go anywhere without a backup...in fact, this Is the Backup guitar( Lol!!)

I deal with the Store I bought it from, & they're very cool folks...Haven't had any issues...

Been Playing, writing & Producing R&B/Soul & Jazz-Funk (Acid Jazz) for over 20 years...For the money this Guitar has all the Fundamentals (Solid Body, Good Wood, Nice Neck Feel)....The sound is Okay, but Better pickups, Maybe some new tuners? One could customize it to your taste...I mean, the price point is right so you could add a few mods & have something unique to your style and still be under 500 bucks!! Plus the Crackle/Off White finish looks real nice...I use Roland guitar synths, so I've got one of those hex pickups installed & it works great for the music I'm doing.

"Did you compare it to other guitars? Which ones? Why did you choose this one"?....Well,

...I wanted a Strat-style guitar with out the High Price, and after I set it up the right way the Badwater worked out...everyone thinks I've bought a "Custom" strat, like a Zion or a Tom Anderson, something Super-expensive!! If it was stolen I'd go out & get another one (as long as the price is still reasonable)

I wish it shipped with Grover tuners, but that's alright-I can do that at any time..

strat shape,
traditional strat features,
2 single 1 humbucker,
And an amazing "aged" look , really does fool some people

the pickups are designed by EMG , so they are bound to be good , they may not be the real deal , but for the price i payed they work for me. I mainly play classic rock / blues and it gives you what you want , good sounding single coils worthy of EMG , and a Humbucker which mixes things up to give you a more rockier sound. It is quite noisy through the amp , but single coils are , switch to the humbucker and it is silent.
The tone controls give a nice full/fat sound all the way through to a bright crisp sound.
Overall a good quality sound for the price.

Not much to say here , the guitar arrived in tune , the finish is something else , no guitar is the same . it really looks like it has been to hell and back , of course it isnt a patch on the quality of Fender replicas , but again for the price you would be hard searched to get a better looking one.

I think this guitar should withstand gigging , i have never used it , so i really cant comment.

All i can say though is you shouldnt be scared of dropping it , it will just improve the finish! lol ko.

Allways play with a backup thats all i can say!

Nerver needed it , friendly people tohugh

If i lost this guitar i would definetly buy another one , it has become a proud member of my collection , i have been playing for some time now , so i think i can pass judgement!
The crown jewel of my collection is of course my Vintage VS6 (i have a review on it on this website).

This guitar really is great value for money , if you want a cool guitar to turn heads at gigs , get into your pocket and purchase one of these now! After all i think it was won guitar of the year 2007 if im not mistaken...or golden guitar of the year..............
(something like that)

These guitars are quite hard to find now , with only 4 on ebay , 3 now since i got one.
if you have any questions please feel free to conntact me on jasonwatson44@yahoo.co.uk please no spam mail

Axl Badwater.

Very cheap pick-ups. I get feedback instantly with high volume... also it buzzes when on distortion. Clean channel is alright, but kind of bright. It doesn't sound clear when on distortion. I play through a Madison Divinity II amp, so it's not a matter of the amp, but of the pick-ups.

Action is alright, but I had to have the guitar re-set up immidiately when I purchased it. Pick-ups were super high, and felt loose... the finish on my guitar was great. but thats about it.

I would use this for a back-up guitar.... if I played in a Rancid cover band at the highschool talent show.

The guitar has an edgy cool vintage look... but seriously that's about it. You're getting what you pay for. It's a cheap guitar so don't expect it to sound like anything otherwise. save your money.

Just got the Badwater SRO SE model. It is a Strat style guitar with a worn and faded white finish. It also has a design of two theater masks etched below the bridge. It is a great looking guitar.

It has a traditional Strat sound. It has two single coil and a humbucker pickups at the bridge. The pickups are EMG designed. Direct to the amp, the guitar is relatively noise free, but through my 8 pedal chain it is a touch noisy. I've tracked the noise to be most influenced by the compressor. However, the compressor (BBE Organge Squash) really enhances the sound.

I run a lightly distorted tone in an alternative rock band and this guitar fits perfectly.

The setup was pretty good although the bridge was floating quite a bit over the body. The intonation was pretty close (only two strings needed adjustment). Once I adjusted the spring tension on the bridge, I had to redo the intonation. The action was set a bit lower than I was used to, but is free from fret buzz.

The tremelo bar was a bit tight going in. I had to WD40 it to get it to have a little play in it. Also, I did not fully wind the tremelo in as it seemed to get tighter the further it went in.

Fairly light guitar with a pretty good balance. It feels like it will withstand gigs and maintains its pretty well. The strap buttons were a bit bigger than my other guitars and would not fit within my strap lock. I've ordered a new strap.

Before buying I sent the company an email that was never answered. I purchased it largely on the strength of a 2007 Guitar World review that is on their site and YouTube.

It comes with a limited life time warranty. Being pretty close to a Strat, it would be easy to upgrade or repair.

I've been playing guitar for 35 years. During that time I have owned many guitars and currently have 7 of them. This is a great guitar for the money. It has a unique look, great sound and plays well. Prior to this purchase I used my Epiphone Emporer Regent for our live shows. It is a large hollow body guitar that has a single mini-humbucker at the neck. While it is a great guitar to play, it is difficult to get a good tone out of for our style and is prone to feedback. The AXL guitar looks to be a solid replacement for live work.

What a Differents between two of the same guitars ! I wrote a review for the Axl Badwater Blue Crackle Finish And its a very nice guitar.
Now I purchased the Off White Axl Badwater and what a difference.
First it has the same specs as the Blue Crackle, only paint job is different.
These guitars are not you typical relic..they look like they were made in the Civil War time (even tho the electric guitar wasnt invented at that time ..lol) and found in a attic in 2008.
The first thing I notice about the off white badwater was there was no badge or branding of the Axl logo on the headstock, and the neck was totaly different than the blue one I had purchased. The blue one had a huge neck like a Jeff Beck Strat and the white one had the thinner c neck as described in the companys specs.
Also the rosewood fret board was soo dry nothing like my blue one.
And the headstock had a few marks from the wrench they used to install turners .
Lets examine the finish on this guitar..it is smooth flat finish that looks like it was a brown guitar and painted white with a brush and over time some of the brown showed thru. the guitar was relic with worm holes and screw (threads) indentations thru out the body .Like I wrote earlier these are not your typical relic guitars with worn spots on the body from your arm and belt buckle and of coarse the typical chips and scratches.
This is totaly a different type of relic but all and all its a cool guitar.

This Badwater sounded a little brighter than my blue one...assuming it was due to the thinner neck.
Again nice midrange and treble.

Not a bad set up..(I will set it up to my specs)
No Axl Badge or Branding of logo on headstock.
Volume knob shaft has some play to it.
Tone knobs a little scratchy
A couple of scratch marks from wrench on headstock.
Rosewood on neck seems dry.
The things listed above is no big deal to me..because most of the time I change the pots and switch and custom wire it.
Even tho these are a nice guitar and like anything you find flaws, I would be more upset if this guitar would had cost me more.

I feel this guitar is made well enough for gigs

N\A

Again not a bad axe to have in your collection, it sounds good and looks different and the price is right for a guitar that can cover many musical taste.

After waiting and reading reviews and seeing some internet video on this guitar I purchased one from Strings & Things Guitar Wholesale on E-Bay Thanks Tim for the great sevice & guitar. When the guitar arrived I pulled it out of the box and it was simply a great looking guitar..I puchased the Blue Crackel finish (Alder body strat style). It looked like it was strucked by lighting or caught in a house fire. It came with aged maple neck with rosewood board, the neck on my guitar seem rather thick which I loved being that I'm a big guy with big hands. The frets were nicely seated and seem fat, no sharpe edges.
The hardware & tremelo arm was aged and also was the pickgaurd and back plate.
It has 2 EMG design single coil p/ups and 1 EMG design humbucker (passive pickups). 2 tone & 1 volume knobs and 5 way switch.
It came with a 8 foot guitar cable and 2 allen wrenches..no gig bag or case.

After looking over the guitar for flaws I plugged into my Orange Crush R30 (which is a great sounding amp) and it seemed that the notes just came alive and bounced right off the fret board. This guitar might had only cost $150.00 But sounds and feels like one that cost much more.This guitar is no one trick pony, you can achieve many great tones and sounds from this guitar Blues,Jazz,Rock,Hard Rock and Metal and anything else you can congur up!
The EMG design pickups are loud and full of bite with a nice richness,
great mid range and treble (no ear bleeder here). And when you do volume swells with the volume knob it sounds great.
There is nothing I dislike about this guitar, with a great set up you got yourself a tone monster on your hands and remember its a $150.00 guitar

Action wasnt to bad considering it traveled all the way from China..lol
It was a cold day when mine arrived so I let it warm up , then I tuned it up and was blown away by the feel and sound.
This guitar had the tightest neck pocket I ever seen. And the neck felt like I played it for twenty years.Every thing on the guitar seemed to fit and feel great again no complaints considering that it cost $150.00 This guitar stands proudly with my other Strats & Fender Squire 51

Weather this is your first guitar or one of many its a great addition to your collection.And I would have no problem using it in a live gig and yes I would have a backup...every great guitar god has a backup..lol.
Being it looks like it was struck by lighting it would have no problem standing up to gigs

Havent directly dealt with company...I have dealt with Tim Mauery of Strings & Things Guitar Wholesale who I brought this guitar from...Tim seem very nice to deal with and currently I am purchasing the off white Badwater.

I been playing for 15 years and owned about 100 guitars or more thru my playing years..currently I own a SRV Strat,06 Honey Blonde Highway 1,a Special Edition Seafoam Green Highway 1 (only 150 made),Lite Ash Telecaster,Reverse Head 60's Strat, First Act Garage Master VW, Fender Squire 51,Crackle Blue Badwater and soon the worn white one,.
As far as amps I have a Fender Tweed Blues Jr.,Orange Crush Series R30 amp w/changed speaker,and a few smaller amps. Ived owned many of amps and currently wanting to buy the new fender super champ dx, and the new fender vibro dx.
Anyway if this guitar was stolen I would buy another one , it makes a great addition to any collection and you can beat the price.

Distressed finish in crackle blue looks like it's either been underwater a while, or maybe a bit like lightning. Strat style body, adjustable bridge with whammy, no-name Schaller style tuners that work well, thin C shape neck. Came with a cheap 1/4" amp cable and a couple of allen wrenches. Made in China. 21 frets, 25 1/2" scale length, frets and fretboard are nicely finished. 2 tone controls and one volume control, 5 position pickup selector switch, passive humbucker at bridge and 2 passive single coils at middle and neck. Neck is maple, fingerboard is rosewood, and body is alder. All the hardware is distressed except for the pickups themselves. The sound cable jack is on the side corner of the body, rather than on top of the body like with most strats.

I'm a banjo player but play the guitar some too. I mostly play Country/Bluegrass & Christian/Praise & worship music, but also some metal so I wanted a versatile guitar. With this pickup configuration it was good choice. I have a Behringer V-Tone modeling amp and a cheap First Act practice amp. The middle single coil gives a nice clean tone for Country style rhythm playing. Playing both the neck and middle single coils gives a poppy tone for Christian music. The humbucker is very crunchy and heavy with the right settings so I'm very happy there, gives exactly the metal tone I like to hear. There is a little too much "mud" in the tone of the single coils for my taste but they aren't bad. The humbucker is just excellent. I'll admit that as a banjo player I'm more used to a very trebly/twangy cutting sound, and I may have unrealistic expectations for the single coils.

Action was a little high for my taste, but intonation was absolutely perfect so the distributor must have done a set up before shipping. The routing in the body seems of good quality and overall the fit and finish is very good for a Chinese made instrument. There were a couple minor flaws in the side of the body in the finish, but the entire instrument is factory distressed so it doesn't make any difference. The sound cable jack was loose when I got it but that was easily fixed.

It should be fine for live playing and the hardware seems decent. The tuners stay in tune and light use of the whammy does not cause detuning. The finish is solid but I don't know how well the distressed crackle finish will hold up over time. The strap buttons seem solid and are holding fine so far. I would never do any gig without a backup instrument.

Have not dealt with customer support. Factory warranty.

I'm not a great player but this is a very versatile choice for a solid body electric and for playing different styles. The whammy bridge works pretty well and doesn't detune constantly, guitar looks good, has a nice neck profile, and decent fit and finish. For the price this is an impressive guitar, and the pickups seem better quality than what you typically get on a starter or lower end solidbody electric. If it were lost or stolen I would get it again. I like the crackle finish & antiqued hardware, the nice neck profile, and the decent quality of the pickups. I was looking for a decent HSS solidbody electric in the $150 range and was comparing this to the Yamaha Pacifica, used Peavey Predators, and the SX SST series. This Axl was a good choice and I don't regret it.

These are minor complaints but I wish the whammy bar was a little thicker, it's somewhat flimsy. Also the potentiometers for the volume and tone controls "give" a little at their extreme ranges. The posts might be hard plastic or thin metal that needs beefing up slightly. The fret ends are slightly sunken into the sides of the fingerboard, but this is aesthetic only and does not affect playability. On higher end and custom guitars the fret ends will be absolutely perfectly finished. The body is slightly thicker than I would prefer. But these are minor complaints and this is an excellent deal for the price.

chinese maple neck, rosewood figerboard, distressed headstock & off-white solid alder strat-style body & controls, emg passive pickups(s/s/h), antiqued hardware:(even backplate) tremelo, schaller-type tuners...

excellent strat- style weapon w/ all the desired respective tones...

i set it up a bit for my own taste, of course...

it's already beat-up looking so it's broke in pretty much as well...

good enough warranty considering...

i wish i could've bought this 30 some yrs. ago instead of those beat up strats i aqquired but had to put so much more time & $ in to play 1/2 as good as this does!

Badwater and it looks the part, like it was in some swamp mud for a year and then washed off. Strat style only with S S H EMG pickups. Made in China like everything else in the world anymore.Probably Alder wood with a nice maple /rosewood fingerboard. 21 frets with a shallow C profile and a fairly flat radius. 5 way switch. Cord jack is on the bottom side not on top like most Strats. Trem Strat-style bridge is antiqued copper looking as is the neck plate and no name tuners.

I use a Crate Vintage Club 20, Vox Pathfinder head with their matched 4 6" speaker cabinet, A small Valvestate Marshall. I use a few pedals for Wah and a Pandoras Box. I play at home for fun and build custom guitars for fun and profit.
I am mostly a Tele fan and own about 10 of them. I owned a G&L Legacy Strat and a couple of Fender Strats. For the money this thing is pretty well made. This Badwater has a very good midrange to bright sound at the bridge and bridge middle, the positions 3,4,5 are too bassy for my taste. The controls are tight with good response.

The set up naturally needs some work on the intonation and string height. The pickups are fairly close to being on but then what do you want for the less than $200 buck range. The trem bar would not fit into the bridge threads with out stripping, like the thread cut may be different or the lacquer antiqueing spray interfered. I don't use a Whammy bar anyway but it's worth noting you may need or want to change the whole thing for a better unit altogether.
The color is smooth finished crackle with what could be black torch marks. I love the aged white model but since these things are hard to get I took what the dealer shipped. Instrument alley ask before you put your money down how long it WILL take before you recieve yours. The frets are nicely finished. The neck feels great and after some fine steel wool it feels better. The headstock logo is burned in and looks cool. It's a really great axe to mess with and not worry about scratching it. I may even do some more relic work on it.

Seems built like a tank, fairly light weight with good balance.
I have not had this long enough to rate the dependability. My guitars get played lightly any who. The tuner buttons are the only question I have about replacing other than the bridge but time will tell. No fret buzz and a good clean sound. I am happy to own this Badwater and after putting some time and money in it I will keep it. A fine example of what can be put together in a different but solid design.

Warranty included. Have not needed to contact the company yet.

Overall I think the stressed, cracked and blackened look is a little over the top. I do love the fact that I own a relic and did not have to do the job myself or rely on someone with an electric sander and rusted metal parts. The humbucker gives that fat tone when you want it. The playability and feel is like an old pair of jeans. It can only get better as I play it and dial it in to my touch.
I am not a hot player but I have handled enough guitars to know a good one. For the money these things go for, you sure can't go wrong. And if you get a white Tele style Badwater you don't want let me know.