DeArmond M-65C Les Paul Copy

Everyone else has filled in all the features, so there's no need to repeat it. Full Les Paul config, blah blah. Great to have it all on a low end guitar.

I'm playing with a band that sounds somewhere between old REM (think Murmur, Document) and Radiohead (of The Bends era). This guitar suits that sound perfectly. My main amp is a Laney Tube Fusion TF350. The guitar just sounds great with this. I've kept the original pickups, was playing around with the idea of replacing them with Lace Sensors because I want that kind of sound, but I decided to get another guitar specifically to do that because it would be just unnecessary to change these. Bridge PU is great for distortion, neck PU has a lovely fat tone. No problems at all.

Bizarrely (in my experience) the action was perfect for me when I got it. Haven't needed to change it at all. Intonation was only very slighty out, easy fix with the Tune-O-Matic bridge. Pickups were fine, finish was fine, everything was fine, except the knobs, which were obviously cheapo plastic so that they could cut down costs. Needed to replace them, but that's a trade-off I'm perfectly happy to make for the sound and setup of this guitar.

I've had this guitar for eight years, and it's as solid as the day I got it. And I expect to be recording and gigging with it for some time to come. It's not the only guitar I have, but I switch between it and an Aria Excel Deluxe as my two main guitars. I wouldn't use any guitar without a backup, but I have never had any problems beyond the odd rare string breakages while playing (I replace the strings pretty regularly so this is very rare anyway). I honestly think I lucked out big time with this one, must be one of the best they made, it has lasted incredibly well, and still looks and sounds just like it did on the day I got it. Extremely happy with it.

Never needed it. Don't expect to.

I've been playing for twelve years, and I've had this guitar for eight; I've a couple of other guitars, but this one has real sentimental value for me, I've just loved it since I've got it. The only problems I've had with it worth reporting are the knobs on the pots and the PU selector coming apart, but it honestly sounds like that's the only tradeoff they made to get the price down. It plays really fast and smoothly, the finish is great. It really looks and feels the part. One of these days I will buy a real Gibson Les Paul, but I've been able to put that day off and buy other equipment instead because I know this guitar is so solid and sounds so good. If it were stolen or lost, I'd honestly be really upset. I would probably get a real Gibson if that happened, but another one of these would be on the table for sure - although from the looks of some reviews I've read, ones which were made later weren't so good, and the company doesn't make them anymore, which is a real shame. So many kids buy crap guitars and get put off playing: but here's a cheap one which sounds amazing and will last years - they should have kept making these.

I'll try to be as critical in my review as I possibly can, but... I absolutely LOVE my M-65! I bought it brand new, in 2000, at one of the local music stores in my area (the first new guitar that I had ever bought). I still use it too this day (just don't let the folks at ESP hear that). As far as sound goes. I think it has the best of both worlds. The stock pick-ups are really hit-or-miss. I've heard both good and bad about them. I guess I got the good. The neck pick-up is very rich and full. Really good for the Psychobilly project I'm in. And the bridge pick-up has all the brightness I need for the Punk/Metal band I'm in. I actually get asked quite a bit, by bands and fans alike, what type of pick-ups I use. When I tell them they are still the stock pick-ups, it floors them. They could use a little more sustain, but what do you want from a passive pick-up. I guess, when it's all said and done, it's all in what you want out of your guitar.

Ok, here is were i can be a little more critical. I hear about the finish being thin in areas. I haven't really found a problem with that. I've toured around with this thing since I've bought it. It's been banged around a lot. Some of the harder hits chipped the finish in a few areas (I guess that happens when you're thrashing around and misjudge exactly where the edge of the stage is... or when one of your band mates knocks over his bottle of water... or when you think your cord is a few feet longer than it actually is...). But, the finish actually looked to be rather thick. So I didn't see any problems with that. I did have some problems for a while with the action, but thank god I have an awesome guitar tech! He managed to fix the problems I had with that. I also had problems with the neck. At one point I was constantly having to get the neck adjusted. But again, thank god for my guitar tech, I haven't had any more problems with the neck.

As I said before, I still tour around with this guitar. It's been able to withstand the beating I put on it. I've used it many times before without a back-up (Though, since ESP is backing me now, I never do that anymore). I did have to replace the tuners. They did tend to wear out rather easily (But, who in their right mind wouldn't want locking tuners anyway?). The cheap plastic selector switch was replaced with an all metal one. And replaced the equally cheap plastic knobs with some custom metal knobs that were made for me. This is were I think DeArmond could have done a lot better with. I also had to replace the strap buttons. But, I'm kinda glad I had to go through all of that, because now it's common practice now for me to replace all of those parts whenever a new guitar gets shipped in. I don't even get to see them before any of that is done. They go straight to my tech.

I've been playing guitar now for about 16 years. I've owned a lot of crap and I've own some very good equipment. This was my very first guitar I had bought brand new. They had just got it in a day or two prior to me purchasing it. I got it mainly for the price and the look. I love the Les Paul body style but couldn't afford the real thing at the time, along with the Les Paul weighing a ton. I have had, a now own guitars that are a lot better in quality (And ESP treats me really good), but there's just something I can't explain about this guitar that makes me love it so much. Yes, it does have it's flaws, and thankfully to a great guitar tech and after market parts, most of them have been fixed. At first, my tech absolutely hated it (He's also an ESP dealer). He used to threaten to tattle on me to ESP. But after a the bugs were worked out on it, he learned to respect it for what it is. So if anything were to come out of this review, I would say this guitar is excellent for beginners. So if you happen to be looking for a guitar to start out on, and happen to run across one of these it would definitely be worth at least taking a look at. But, other than that, unless you're willing to put a little time and money into it in order to make it a better guitar... I would just leave it at that. A great beginning guitar.

Is a solid guitar with a brilliant sound. it is my first guitar and has extreemly hight sentimental value to me i playd my first gig with it and will keep gigging with it.
LOVE IT TO PIECES

Im using it with a berringer 110 great amp and gives the guitar even more sounds to play with

it was second hand so the action was pretty high and after a while the neck had a slight bow but no major dammage and ive had it sorted. now has low action and solos like an angle

i play it live and its been brilliant. it will last. the finish wont wear. i have had to down the holes for the strap buttons twice but now have strap locks to stop it from falling out of my hands wilst playing lol. but its a heavy guitar so thats just to be expected. I can depend on it. I deffinetly would use it at a gig with out back up but i use an electro acustic for some songs so if there were any probolems (wich ther wont be) i can use that.

never had to phone them and i use privet repair man anyway

3 years i own a cople of amps, a gmx1 multi effects pedle, an aria electro acoustic. its irriplaceble because they dont make them any more so id have to buy a different one :( possible an epephone lespaul. i love its pick ups, but the weight can sometimes be a down fall.

Same features as below. Mine is "Solar Bronze" finish, kind of metallic butterscotch color. Replaced existing bridge P/U with a new DiMarzio Air Norton. Crafted in Indonesia, 2001? Included a pretty decent hardshell case. Rating for this cat. a 7 due to somewhat mediocre P/U's.

When I first got this guitar (E-bay, $200) there was some weird shit going on with the P/U's. The bridge p/u was about half the output of the neck, and when you turned the volume controls it sounded like the tone was also being adjusted! I took it in to my local tech and had him install the air norton, go through everything. Some pots were jacked up( turned tight against the inside of the body), sketchy soldering etc. Now I really like the sound. The air norton in the bridge position is warm, but not too hot. The stock neck p/u is decent, together they're a pretty versatile combination. This guitar is sold as a Les Paul copy, but in my opinion its more like an SG or a Les Paul Jr. I'm using this with a National tube twin combo and TS-9, I can get the sounds I like. AC/DC, ZZ-Top, Led Zep etc.

Overall a mediocre guitar in quality. The paint is thin in areas, the tuners are super cheap (one is missing the rubber"o-ring"). P/U's were not working right (see above). The pick guard support is a piece of self adhesive foam, not a metal bracket. The pots were installed wrong,(see above). The metal hardware(bridge, tailpiece) seems decent. Good chrome plating, no pits. Decent hardshell case. Keep in mind that I only paid 2 bills for this guitar and put another $100.00 into it after I got it. The hardshell case is probably worth $100.00 by itself. Middle of the road rating in this cat. based on price.

I believe this guitar will be pretty reliable, especially after I change out the tuners( thats next). The base color paint is thin in areas but the top clearcoat seems thick enough to protect it.

I've heard that DeArmond is no longer, besides I bought used.

Everyone should have at least one "Gibson" type ( dual humbucker, Les Paul shaped) guitar. This fills that niche for me, at least for now. For the price I think its a good guitar, not the best deal I've ever got, but certainly not the worst. Other gear includes DiPinto Los Straitjackets model, Peavey Fury bass, Tiesco no-name set-up for slide, Squire MIK.

Pretty standard: Mine is about a 2000-2001 model; made in Idonesia; 22 fret; 2 vol and 2 tone knobs w/3 way selector; 2 passive hubuckers (whatever came stock in it; fretboard is rosewood; body and neck wood are a mystery to me; gold paint on body and back of neck with black paint on front of headstock; body is similar to Les Paul, but a tad different in proportions, countour, etc.; tune-o-matic type bridge with stop tailpiece; non-locking typical tuners that came stock and are unmarked, fairly thin neck which is also not very wide.

I play all styles of music, and this fits most of them very nicely. I usually run it straight into my Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 201 (a 20 watt combo with tube pre- and power-amp sections and solid state boost, reverb, fx loop) but have also run it through a Crate FXT120 and a Crate XT120R as well as an old Fender Bassman 10, with excellent results from all three. I can get anything from a Chuck Berry rockabilly sound, to country twang, to screaming Deep Purple or early Van Halen solo tones with the right amp settings (all of which I have done at shows with this ax). Although, if you're looking for Metalica-type crunch, this thing's PU's might not be quite your thing. The PUs can be noisy, more than the EMGs in my Kramer, but no more than the average passive ones.

Action on mine is excellent, but I really don't remember how it came from the factory. It wasn't ever bad though, and hold's it action really well, even with me throwing it around in nothing more than a padded gig bag.

Yes, it surely will (and has) survive live plaing, at least to an extent (I don't play out regularly). The paint is great, I've accident'y hit things with it, dropped stuff on it, had it hit by our band's other guitarist's guitar, and even dropped it (although onto carpet) and it has no chips, dings, nothing. Only a few hairline scratches on the body. The hardware overall is pretty good. While the tuners seem pretty light, they hold tuning fine for me and aren't hard to tune with. I hate the strap buttons on it! They are poorly designed (see above comment about dropping it). Although, about $20 will get you a nice set of Schaller straplocks and eliminate any further problems. While the PUs are great, the rest of the eletronics are so-so. I have to clean the switch or it sometimes gums-up and also the pots to keep them from getting scratchy. If you really wanted to, I'd replace them with better quality stuff. I have gigged without a backup, but don't always anymore.

N/A, never had any major problems with it, and so haven't ever contacted them.

I've been playing for about 5 years. My gear: a 1986 Kramer Pacer American Deluxe, an early-90s Ibanez Iceman IC-350 (Iceman with a floyd rose); a 2001 Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 201; as well as a Schecter Omen-4 bass. I hang around at local stores a lot and have played many, many different models, and this is still one of my all-time favorites. All of my friends love to play it, and my various bands' other guitarists always love to play it if I'm not at that time. It's a great guitar for under three bills, and maybe even less than two if your lucky. That's less than many of the guitar's my bandmated have used, yet it plays so far nicer than average. Plus, I forgot to mention how nice the neck plays: it is smooth as silf and plays amazingly fast, especially for a low-priced import.

Basic basic basic it was only $125, with schaller locking tuners and a cool crome pickgaurd

PIckups were okay, installed a set of pearly gates and it woke right up

I bought it used and form the get go it was set up perfect, played like a fender and very smooth and fast for my fingers.

It has over 300 gigs on it never broke and never goes out of tune it's kind of scary.

never neded it

Fantastic guitar, takes a real beating and srtays in tune. Never really had a problem with it except for one that I caused and had nothing to do with the guitar. use it whiout a back up every show!!!

I bought this guitar on ebay for only #39! It has taken some serious punishment from the previous owner - there are various dings and scratches on the body, the neck pickup surround is partially broken and the pickup itself (presumably destroyed by the previous owner) has been replaced with a zebra Dean. The wiring looks dodgey - possible the result of the DIY pickup installation, and would explain a non-functioning tone control, and also why the bridge pickup does not work when the pickup selector is set to the middle position.

That said, I still believe that I have bought an absolute bargain! You get the feeling that this guitar is a quality item as soon as you pick it up.

Apart from the replacement Dean neck pickup and a missing scratch plate, the guitar has the standard features that others have listed. Mine is finished in tobacco sunburst. The shape is cooler than a Les Paul in my opinion.

The guitar is lovely to play. I've only had it a few days and, even though it needs to be rewired in order to sort out the aforementioned bridge pickup and tone control problem, the tone available from this guitar is splendid.

The Dean neck pickup is very responsive and can produce a warm blues/jazz tone. It's also great for a rock sound (although I haven't had a chance yet to see what it can do when distorted!). This pickup is also good for tapping - you can sound just like Ian Williams from Don Caballero!

The Dearmond bridge pickup I like less, seems a little "tinny". But this is probably due to the faulty wiring/incorrect setup.

Due to the abuse this guitar has taken, it needs to be rewired and setup in order to make it sound top-notch. Other reviewers have mentioned that it may be a good idea to replace the tuners and I would tend to agree; it is difficult to keep this guitar in tune for any sustained period of time. I would also consider replacing the bridge pickup, but perhaps a good setup is all that it needs.

I've only had it a few days, but given that it's survived a great deal of punishment in the past, it is clear that this guitar is both solid and dependible.

If you see one going, buy it! This guitar is excellent value for money (whether bought new or secondhand) and is a pleasure to play.

I think it was made between 1998 and 2000, but I don't know for sure.

The guitar has 22 frets with box inlays (a very nice feature).

Two volume knobs, two tone knobs, and a three-way selector make up the controls (it's a Gibson knock-off).

Two humbuckers - good for blues, rock, metal, and almost suitable for jazz.

Tune-O-Matic bridge with a stop tailpiece, and non-locking tuners.

I didn't receive any accessories, just the guitar itself.

The stock pickups are suitable for blues, rock, metal, but make for mediocre jazz sounds.

I use Boss Compression/Sustainer pedal in front of the Boss OD-20 Distortion Box. The distorted sounds are great, and range from a little bit crunchy to a monster-like beefy. The picups could be better about harmonics though, I have to fight to get them to ring out. The clean tone sounds fine, and in the neck position can even sound a little bit jazzy. I do recommend using the Compression/Sustainer pedal, the overall sound weakens without one.

I've stayed with these pickups for the past 3 years with no problems, but recently decided to put in a DiMarzio Evolution in the bridge position and a Seymour Duncan Jazz Model in the neck position. This way I can get my harmonics and jazz tones to sound a little cleaner.

The factory set-up was problematic; the intonation was slightly off and I had a problem with buzzing around the 17th fret, but that was easily fixed.

The pickups were adjusted fine, the top looked great, and the bridge presented no problems.

The real problems were the input jack, the volume and tone knobs, and the tuners. The input jack refused to stay on, so I was forced into looking for a way to solve the problem. The volume and tone knobs are the cheap plastic kind, and replacing them would be a good idea before they start to fall apart. The tuners aren't reliable and the guitar can go out of tune relatively easy, so these should also be replaced (I'm looking into the Sperzel Locking tuners).

With the proper adjustments (mentioned above) this guitar is fine for live playing. I do recommend getting locking straps, though.

If the input jack is secure, the tuners are replaced, the volume & tone knobs are replaced, and the strap locks are on, then this guitar can be relied on without backup at a gig.

Not applicable.

After six years of playing, and a total of 6 different guitars (four of which were electric), I can say that this guitar is a keeper. I don't think keeping all the stock hardware is a brilliant idea, before long things WILL start to fall apart. Another $200 in replacements, and this guitar is just as playable/good looking as a Les Paul.

I don't think I could replace this, I'm almost certain the model has been discontinued. Not that I wouldn't try to find another one, eBay is always an option.

THIS IS A GOOD GUITAR, it just needs some lovin' care and a few adjustments.

I've had it about 4 years, and bought it used, so I would guess
it was made about 2000, and in Indonesia.
22 fret, 2 humbucker, 2 Tone, 2 Volumes.
Looks kinda like a Les Paul that put on some weight,
but the cutaway horn has a rounded tip.
And it <is> pretty heavy.
Carved top, Les Paul Studio style rounded edges.
Cheapo Tuners. Wide neck with a Fendery feel, but fairly short scale.
Tune-O-Matic Bridge, angled Guild-style tailpiece.
Because of the tailpiece being Guildish, the slightly ungainly
look of the body, I would rather call it a "lespauloid" (a looser imitation)
than a true Les Paul copy.

I bought the guitar because it smoked all the Epiphones in it's price range tone-wise, and had a much more comfortable neck.
I play mostly blues leads on it,and have also used it for
leads in a Christian praise band, although it's maybe not as well suited for that as my Strats.
I mostly use it at home now when I am in a mood for a B.B. King-ish
smokey Lucille vibe, and with the black finish, pickup covers, four control knobs and no F-holes, it even <looks> a bit like Lucille,
-except it's single cutaway.
I use it with a Fender Pro Junior
tube amp at home, straight in, or with a Boss SD-1. I have also used it with the Behringer GM-110
I use at church, and it sounds great through both, but it got retired from church because it does not have the light touch I can get from
my Strat. It does <fat> very well though, and sounds great clean
or with mild overdrive with my Chicago Blues JamTrax! When I did actually was using it at church, I ran it
through a Squier BP-15 bass practice amp, and got good sound out
of the combination- by running it through a Danelectro Pastrami
with turned off but with the drive cranked!
As set up stock the neck pickup could get muddy, the bridge pickup
could get thin. I solved this by swiveling both pickups around
in their bezels, so the polepieces are farther away from the neck
and bridge... looks a bit odd, but cleans up the neck sound, and fattens the bridge. (When you do it to one pickup, you have to do
it to both or they will be magnetically out of phase and the sound will suffer. I recently realized that having done this,
I should raise the polepieces on the neck pickup, which cleans
up the sound even more, and lower them on the bridge pickup,
which fattens it more. Now both pickups are giving me a full
and surprisingly punchy sound. I replaced the cheapo tuners
with $20 sealed Pings... I made sure they fit tightly, and
the change improved the tone and sustain greatly, as well as the tuning. I also changed the 2 screws in the tailpiece to stainless steel, and that improved the sustain too.
I thought I would swap out the pickups, but replacement humbuckers
are not cheap, and when I A/Bed this guitar with an Ibanez GAX70 and a Fender MIM H/H
Standard Strat, I preferred the DeArmonds pickups. They have a full
rich musical sound. I love having 2 tone, 2 volume...
I like to run the neck pup vol on 10, tone 8, the bridge tone and volume about 4 or 5, just enough to add a little dirt and cut the
boominess of the neck pickup.
With the pickups reversed in the bezels and the polepieces on the bridge pickup lowered, I could get a good country sound out of the bridge pickup now, especially with some slap echo from a Dano PB&J delay pedal. I'll give it a 9 because I had to tweak it...
but it's got great potential. And it's quiet as a humbucker guitar should be.

I got it used, so I'm not sure of the stock setup, but it was
good enough so it felt like it played fast in the shop.
As others have mentioned, the tuners were the big flaw.
I've seen some with stock sealed tuners, but mine were the horrible
cheapo kind. I also noticed the looseness in the neck, like
it would pop a little like a trick knee, but no other ill effect.
Since the guitar is black, I just found a small black teardrop guitar pick and jammed it into the space between the neck and the body
near the 3-way pickup selector switch and that cured it.
The nut is fine.
The wiring looks cheap, but so far has performed fine.
Since the guitar sounds good, and the design with the LP style
remote switch makes modding it more difficult that if it were the SG
style switch in the control cavity, I will probably leave well enough alone. The finish looked good when I got it used, except one ding
on the top edge of the headstock... I think the thickness of the finish contributed to that chip. Since I got it, it has held up well.
I replaced the slightly cheesy looking knobs for the black Gibson style "speed" knobs with the transparent plastic.
The pots look cheap, but they give good control.
The plating looks a little cheap, but the only rust is on the washer
under the three way switch. No biggie.

So far, I have not had any problems with any of the hardware,
except the slight wobble of the neck that some others also reported.
Still, that wobble combined with the weight of the body make
me a bit nervous, but no real problem yet.
The strap buttons on mine seem solid.
I think I could gig with it and depend on it, but I always try
to gig with a backup. And I always make sure the neck screws are
tight; it seems to help the tone to have them tight, anyway.

Bought used, but no real problems anyway...

I've been playing guitar, various kinds and styles for about 35 years now. However, I've only been playing electric, mostly blues and contemporary Christian on electric for about 5 years. I have two MIM Standard Strats(one's a maplenecker),
and a Hamer Slammer superstratoid with a normal strat-style trem.
Overall, I am really happy with the guitar for the price I paid...
it covers the darker end of the tonal spectrum well for me,
yet it is not as dark in the neck pickup as most Gibsons and Epiphones
which are just too dark for me.
It still gives me more note clarity than they do too,
and that is important since I am mostly a single coil player. And I like the Fendery feel of the neck; it makes switching back and forth with my Strats easier.
This would be a great guitar for a beginner, someone who needs a good sounding knock-around or backup guitar, and Fender players who want
to do the humbucker thing occasionally without breaking the bank.
I kind of wish it had an SG style bevel, and I think a crown and
polish on the frets would make some of the upper frets more useable,
but that's about it... oh yeah, it <is> heavy.
If lost or stolen, if I couldn't find another that played as well, I might get a Squier M-80 Special (bolt on neck)for about $220, as that is lighter and has an arm bevel... but I would try and find some DeArmond pickups to put in it... I like the sound of the DeArmonds that much! The only 2 bucker guitar I've played I liked better was a $600-plus 2 bucker Fender Showmaster... 3 times the price, and it only has master tone and volume. That is supposed to have a Duncan Seth Lover at the neck and a Pearly Gates at the bridge, and those are the only pickups I've liked as well or better.
Anyway, that should give you the idea- these are pretty good vintagey
sounding pickups in the DeArmond, they are not high output metal monsters.
Great guitar for the money, I'm sorry FMIC stopped making these...
but if they'd put the DeArmond pickups in the Squier M-80s those
would be awesome guitars, as the necks on those are really nice,
and I consider them the successor to these DeArmond 2-bucker guitars.

2000 M65c, paid $220 for it in 2000, Les Paul setup, orange body with black headstock. Mother of pearl block inlays, rosewood fingerboard

With the two stock DeArmond pickups it makes for a good mid distortion bluesy rock sound. Lots of midrange, heavy on the crunch. Bridge pickup gives a small bit of interferance but is quite poppy sounding. The neck pickup is very thick and deep on cleaner settings, but get mushy when distortion is rolling

Guitar was setup at store before purchasing it. Pickups, string action, bridge were all done in store. Body holds out wonderfully, after three years of abuse, barely a scratch. Even after being thrown across a stage, not a scratch, neck needed to be reattatched though. Toggle switch is weak, but seems to be a common problem.

Lasted three years with only one neck adjustment about six months ago. Paint is excellent, frets still great condition. Poles on pickups are starting to rust on surface which is interesting because its almost always kept either in case or in living room. I use it as a main guitar for stage, but I'm in process of replacing pickups for something more clear and toggle switch needs to go for something that stays in the position I would like it to. Dependable, reliable, stays in tune - cheap too.

Never dealt with DeArmond being that they're gone. Never dealt with Fender on it either.

I've been playing for over ten years. I collect more expensive guitars that do get played at classier shows, a Gretsch G3150, a '68 Les Paul, '68 ES-335, '66 Fender Coronado II, etc. These higher dollar guitars do play better, do sound better. But for a daily workhorse, its a guitar that I definitely will keep around. It does a good job and I'm not afraid of taking it to places that I need to take it to. It can take a hit and keep on playing