AXL Player Deluxe Strat

Chinese strat copy with three "emg designed" pups. Seafoam green with a pearl pickguard. Looks great! Has the features of a Strat, minus decent pickups. Kluson tuners seem to work well (and look great). Use plenty of graphite and you'll be fine.

Paid $90! What a deal.

I got this axe used for only $90--was impressed by the quality of fit and finsih--great action, nice lacquered maple neck, slightly chunkier than your typical fender strat. The pickups are amazingly weak. Far weaker than my Mexican tele, which if much weaker than an American tele. I DIMED it through my 66 Deluxe Reverb (not a re-issue, thank-you) and it still wouldn't really distort or sustain to any real degree, Not a bad sound, but no balls at ALL. I'm replacing the pups soon, with either Fender hot noiseless or with vintage 57/62's. I'll let you know what happens in a subsequent post. I have a feeling I'll have a very nice axe for very little $$$.

Superb. Here's the truth boys and girls: given laser technology and the global economy (read: slave labor) you simply can't buy a bad guitar any more, and for under $300 you can get the basics for a great one. Gibson and Fender saw this and what did they do? RAISED THEIR PRICES DRASTICALLY. They turned their instsruments into high-end status symbols because they knew that if they had to go head-to-head on quality the American models (costly labor) could never compete. Rich? Or terminally worried about the Joneses? Buy an American Fender or a Gibson. Otherwise, get yourself a great guitar and spend the difference on studio time or recording gear.

So far so good...

I don't speak Cantonese.

Don't know what these sell for new--$250??? Buy it! Better yet, get one used, like I did. Add some pickups, you've got yourself an axe. One last thing--tragic--ugly headstock, ugly decal. May have to take drastic measures in this regard...

i have only jus started playing guitar and i find this guitar amazing i find it has a very rocky sound and its reception is superb

rocky..?

look exsquisit

its a very strong tuff guitar i tend to knock my possesions about alot ut this has taken a few knocks a has had no change to it

brilliant quality for money guitar buy on today

if you want to contact me do so on mrnipnip@hotmail.co.uk

axl deluxe player 3 pickup 5 way switch all the usual strat features

this guitar can only be discribed as very jazz blues sounding guitar.great for jazz chords when through clear channel out of my 4 amps i have ive found this plays well through a DRIVE AMP this is the name of the amp by the way made in the u.s its only 20 watts but it sound like a 50 watt but sound like 100 watts when effects are used no bull!!!this amp suits this guitrar well .the guitar gives out no noise or hisss sounds can use any effects with no problem

bad points only 2 needed abit of intonation setup and the machine heads were'nt all the great so i changed them .good weight to the body not that light cheap crappy wood top working electrics good action

you can depend on this guitar. can be used for live stage work if you dont mind playing an axl in front of your ordinance but its the guitar what counts here not what its worth if your a NAME SNOB then dont buy one .the hardware will last years strap buttons are very good . allso use this guitar as a backup

dint need them

ive been playing over 35 years ive to much gear to list on here but ive 59 guitar for starters .if it got stolen i'd buy another they are dirt cheap and good value for money i just love the sound this guitar produces wheather through clean channel or dirty channel this guitar sound good to me .all my guitars have their own unique sound and so dose the axl so its part of my collection even though it is a cheapy i just love it roll on china knock out some more cheap great guitars .people knock the chinese guitar maybe a few years back they wer'nt to good but now they are as good as any japanese makes but not all chinese guitars of today are good you've got to hit on the right makers ./ace pro /axl/ alba les pauls /i think are one of the best around at the minuite try an ace pro out sometime you'll be impressed .and a alba les paul to

this axl strat 3 years back .did'nt know what to expect from it as it was the first chinese guitar i'd bought as i only usually by old vintages 60's guitars to add to my collection.,this one i have is a matalic red finish with a unusual fancy scratch plate 3 pickups and the usual 5 way p/up switch and the 2 tone and a volume

now what i found intresting about this guitar is the pickups these pickups are really jazz bluesy sounding you would'nt expect a strat type guitar to sound the way this guitars dose but this is great because you can play this guitar through any amp even and an old junky amp and that great jazz blues sound is allways there.i play a lot of blues and jazz and this guitar fits the bill

the only let down i found was the intonation was'nt to great and needed a good setup thats the chinese for ya. but dont get me wrong they are improving these days with setups ive found ace pro guitar to be the best chinses guitars out these now with spot on intonations now back to this . the tunes were all to stiff so i changed them the action is pretty good and has a great finish,

this is a great guitar but i would only use it as a back if playing live

never needed customer support

ive been playing 33 years now .got a collection of 59 guitars and the axl has found its place in my collection to because of that great jazz blues sound it produces all my guitars have their own unique ring to them so dose the axl .if it was stole i'd proberly buy another one because their so cheap

this was my first guitar,it costed ??130 and i got a practice amp with it,it is just a basic guitar and is perfect for the begginer,altho i have loads of other guitars e.g ibanez,gibson,fender,this guitar still gets played the most

i am a blues player,and i use a ds-1 distortion pedal and a crybaby wah,i play throu a line 6 spyder 3,it sounds awesum,in fact it even beats my les paul!this guitar can be used for any type of style,i never have any problems with this guitar.

when i got the guitar,because i was new to guitars i looked at it (and my dad looked at the price)and i thought"thats mine"the body was perfect and shiny and the neck was ace!

i played my first gig with this guitar,it was really good ,it never went out of tune.but,the strap buttons come lose avery time you play,so i can rely on this guitar all the time.

i have been playing 3 years,my favorite guitar is my schecter banshee,and my axl isnt far behind that,if it was stolen,i would go hunting for it,it means so much to me,1st guitar,1st gig u kno.i love the guitar alltogether,i have a fender strat and it feels exacly the same,maybe even better

best feature would be the emg designed pickups...not a lot of outstanding features just good solid equipment.

the pickups sound awsome, lots of variety and styles you can play no matter wether you play blues, rock, metal or grunge.

My guitar was set up and polished by the shop before I picked it up. My friend has a US Strat, identical sunburst colour and he and another friend with a US strat are bot rapped with this guitar. The action, the sound and the finish are perfect. It came with disgraceful strings that wouldnt stay in tune at all but with decent strings fitted at the shop on set up its been perfect and stays in tune for ages.

this guitar has been awsome, I do baby it coz its such a beautiful guitar but its proven very reliable and for a cheapy could easily be gigged once youre happy with a setup that suits you and decent strings.

Ive only dealt with my dealer on purchase, they set up the action, changed the strings and polished it all free of charge, after taking $50 off the sticker price. It been perfect since delivery, can not fault it.

I play this guitar with a Line six spyder2, 75w and it makes incredible sounds. I would buy this guitar again no problem. It was recommended after looking at several more exspensive guitars as haveing a better sound due to the emg designed pickups, the rest of the action etc was great, new, I just wanted it lower to do with my likes. I compared it to Ibanez and other more exspensive guitars and it was a btter buy and a better guitar and better sound. For a made in China guitar its a cut above the rest, especially for sound.

I guess this a 2004 model as I bought it new in 2005. It's a left hander. Standard strat style format, with the exception of the noiseless pickups courtesy of EMG. Mine is the Dakota Red finish, with maple board. I've modified virtually every aspect of this guitar (which was the intention when I bought it), so this review is based on the stock instrument, but I'll mention the modifications and their reasons as I go. In this catagory I'll score it high, as it carries all the features you'd expect of a guitar in this style.

I was generally impressed with the sound from stock. I've owned Mex Strats, Squier Protones/Silver Series, and this compared favourably to all of them. The bridge pickup was fairly beefy, with not too much treble, but some twang there when needed. The middle pickup did a fairly convincing Hank Marvin impression (more convincing than mine, at least), and the neck did have some of that woody bluesy quality that strats are renowned for. The inbetween sounds were a little disappointing though. For a start, both bridge/middle and neck/middle sounded pretty much the same, and the sound was fairly lifeless - none of the Fendery "quack" I was hoping for. The noiseless pickups though are exactly that, and even at high gain settings, there was virtually no noise on any settings.

I've retrofitted a set of GFS Hot Alnico pickups to the guitar now to capture a more "Texas Blues" tone, and they suit perfectly. They're an inexpensive brand, but extremely impressive. Again, rating here is based on stock pickups.

Here the guitar scores very high. Straight out of the box it was perfectly playable (to the guy below who moaned that the action was too low: when you buy a car, you don't expect to find the seat in your favourite position, do you? You move it to suit. Same goes for guitar setups). The nut was well cut, and the bridge was responsive, with a smooth action that maintained pitch very well. The neck was perfectly straight, and wonderfully finished, and the tuners were acceptable, if perhaps a little flimsy feeling. I've swapped these for set of no-name Kluson replicas just to tighten up the responsiveness. The actual finish of the guitar was immaculately applied, with no blemishes, oversprays or bubbling of the lacquer. On a purely cosmetic level, I'm not over keen on the "brushed aluminium" finish on the hardware, but I can live with it. I've had no issues with parts working loose. My only concession was that I had to remove the retaining spring on the low E saddle in order to move it back far enough to intonate: no bid deal.

Again, purely cosmetic, but I don't like the headstock design. For this reason only, I fitted a Mighty Mite Fender licensed neck, which is equal in quality to the one I removed, and just gives it that more traditional appearance. I've not gone the whole hog with fake Fender decals, instead, I've applied a home made logo, mimicking Fenders, but using my own name (here it is: http://static.flickr.com/22/39923334_ae0786415c_o.gif).

Would it stand up to gigging? I think so. It's as well put together as any other guitar out there, and I don't see any problems arising that would be peculiar to this guitar. Usual rules apply when gigging (ie take two of everything, at least) but this now goes as my main guitar, and that's not entirely down to the modifications.

Never dealt with. The supplier was very helpful (an Ebay store) and split the guitar out of a "starter pack" as I didn't need all the extras. I'm sure I could go back to them with any issues, and intend to purchase another one of these from them shortly (got my eye on that burgundy finish!).

I've been playing guitar for over 20 years, gigging for over 10. I bought this specifically because I wanted something I could use as a project, as I hadn't done much modding before. The guitar has been given a new neck, tuners, and pickups. That racks up a total cost of around 200 pounds. I then sold back on Ebay the replaced parts, making around 80 pounds back. So for 120 quid, I've got a stunning guitar, with my choice of fittings, setup to my preferences and looking exactly how I want it (you can see the finished article at http://static.flickr.com/28/39923336_db28a1745b_o.gif).

However, even without the mods, this stands up as a great guitar in its own right. I'll certainly buy another as soon as I rack up enough Ebay tokens, and I'll be in no hurry to change it straight away (although just for the fun of it, I probably will in the end).

Are there things I wish it had? No. It's a strat. If I want humbuckers, a Floyd or anything else, I'll look at a different kind of guitar. If anything, I'm only disappointed they don't do a leftie tele model.

Favourite feature has to be the gorgeous finish. Like I said, the burgundy one has to be next, with a rosewood board.

Bearing in mind this was bought blind off the internet, and it's a leftie (usually manufacturer's code for slightly less that average quality), I'm amazed at what can be done for this little money (I'm trying not to think too hard about that little 13 year old Korean kid putting these things together for 5p a day).

The old addage that you get what you pay for is less an less true these days. I've never had the money to buy a top flight USA guitar, ut I've had some respected models that didn't perform as well as this (and a few that were better too - you get good and bad in all the ranges).

As a beginner guitar, second guitar for a gigging musician, or just a fun intrument, I highly recommend you try one of these out.

2005 made in China. The same as model number AS-200, which for some reason is reviewed separately. 21 frets. Usual strat setup. Passive EMG designed pickups which are SUPER quiet! I was recording with my Parker P-36 when the FEDEX guy came with this one. I plugged it in with the same settings and the hum from the P-36 was replaced by SILENCE..I'm impressed.Tahoe blue. Mahogany fretboard. Standard sort of whammy. Nice smooth neck. Came with: a Planet waves strap, picks, and a cheap patch cord.

Sounds great. Not as thin as my Fender AM Standard. Use it with a Zoom PFX-9003, a Behringer V-Amp Pro and a Marshall Valvestate 8080. Sounds good with them all. The tone knobs seem useless but I leave them on 10 anyway.

Here's where the thing shines.This thing is better made than my US Strat and my US Les Paul. The hardware is of lesser quality but the thing feels and looks amazing. No ovious flaws. If it said Fender on the headstock it would go for $800 instead of $100!

Seems solid as a rock. I don't play live so gigging is not an issue.

Never used them.

I've been playing for decades. I have about twenty guitars. Have owned: Fender, Gibson, Epiphone, Hamer, Kramer, Parker, Samick, Aria, OLP, Cort etc. This is one of those great deals. $99 for a guitar that I like better than the Hamer satf, the Fender strat, the LP. Quite a deal. Worst case scenario I can swap out any hardware that dies. I'd replace it if stolen. Maybe I'll get one of their Tele copies next. This is a no-brainer deal folks!

I posted some time ago about how good this guitar was, but in fact it is not as good as i thought it was. The features are: Strat style type guitar, maple neck and finger board with 21 frets and an almost fender like look, s/s/s configuration emg pickups with a 5 way selecter switch and standard tone and volume controls. A classic vintage style tremilo type bridge, good quality machine heads and white pickguard. I got this for christmas with an amp, strap and bag etc.

The sound is okay , but not great, i realized this after listening to an ibanez GAX series.

The action is low which is good but i prefer mine not to high nor too low. Because the action is very low it goes out of tune ALL THE TIME. The neck is okay apart from the frets, which look like they have some kind of plating over them which has over time came off when used. The tuning pegs consistanly came lose untill i tittend them. ~Although this does uasually happen on some guitars the problem is that the low E peg never tittens and keeps buzzing when i play. The strap button is loose and never tittens itself too, no matter what i do to titten it. The finish is very weak and while does not get dents easily, it does get strached up a lot.
The jack socket constanly comes loose and i have to un skrew it too titten it and the bridge always needs ajusting because the action goes down even lower and does not sound on some frets when playing but that does happen on standard bridges.

This guitar couldnt possibly be durable enough for live playing, it fu*cks up and goes out of tune even when im just practising or re stringing. I couldnt depend on this thing at all.

The company was suprisingly helpful and it got deliverd the very next day.

If this were stolen i think that i'd thank the person for robing it and wouldnt give a sh*t. I di like the sound and the neck but thats really it. I am never nor will i buy another, im going to take it to a repair shop and then sell it. Ill be glad to finally get rid of it.
japan do make great quality guitars, but obviously this brand of guitar isnt it.

Strat style type guitar, maple neck and finger board with 21 frets and an almost fender like look, s/s/s configuration emg pickups with a 5 way selecter switch and standard tone and volume controls. A classic vintage style tremilo type bridge, good quality machine heads and white pickguard. I got this for christmas with an amp, strap and bag etc. Good price for a guitar like this.

My style of music is rock and metal and this guitar fits my needs admirably. Produces clean sounds as well as a great amount of distortion. I use a rocket 10 watt amp and it sounds great with this guitar, really noisy and easy to adjust tone controls for either a bright type sound or deep and distorted sound.

Perfect, no unproperly adjusted pickups or flaws in the finish of the guitar, very easy to use and great for any beginner or professional player.

From how hard ive been playing it, i think this will last me a very long time indeed. The finish is very strong and never comes off and no mistakes have ever been made when playing it. Very dependable guitar.

The company i got it from were very fast to deliver (it came the next day) and i am very glad that i got it from there.

Ive been playing for 3 months now and i think its great. Although i'd rather have a h/s/h configuration, its still a great guitar. I'd recamend this to anyone as an alternative to fender. For my first guitar it is very versitile, powerful, durable and strong. This guitar could easily rival fender and have a good go with ibanez.