DeArmond M-72

Korean-made 2001 model. Chambered mahogany body with flamed maple top, antique burst finish, mahogany bound neck/rosewood fretboard. Features/locations same as any Les Paul. Two dynamite GoldTone DeArmond USA humbuckers create unique tone, cross between a Les Paul and Gretsch Duo Jet. Nice finish and binding, set neck joint barely noticeable. Not quite as heavy and indestructible feeling as my stage guitar, a DeArmond M-70, but easier on the back to play for a long period. This one has Planet Waves locking tuners, not wild about them but they function OK so far. Too nice to be the primary gig guitar, but a great backup/personal guitar.

Unique Gibson-meets-Gretsch tone. Pots/caps/switch could be better, but OK. Lots of custom wiring possibilities. Can't say enough about the GoldTones, can't fathom why anyone would replace them. PAF-sounding but a little brighter, especially bridge pickup which is located close to the bridge itself. Due to tone-chambered body, sound has more "air" than the M-70 - neither better nor worse, just slightly different. Getting great tone is not a problem with these!

Purcased from Ebay, setup was OK, replaced strings (10's) with power slinkys (11's), but made no adjustment to nut since I like the action slightly higher than usual, slight bridge adjustment to get intonation correct. Truss rod could use a tweak, but no big deal there either. My M-70, by the way (pawn shop find for $200) required NOTHING other than a fresh set of 11's...

My M-70 could cold-cock any goon encountered and rock on without interruption. The M-72 is a little classier and less of an animal, but still very solid and stable.

Who cares??? You won't need it.

For a total of $500 I've got two absolutely great guitars which will only increase in value, but neither one will be leaving me anytime soon. I've been playing for 35+ years, have played numerous Les Pauls, SG's, strats, Ibanez, Epi's, all the traditional stuff. I am now a HUGE DeArmond fan. These were only sold for 3 years, so if you find one you should buy it as long as you pay under $400. Without a doubt these were, and are, the best values out there. Both play like Gibson's that cost at least $1000 more, and their sound is unique and special.

Mine is a flamed black one. Features as described elsewhere. The two tone finish is rather an elegant touch. A beautiful, understated look. It feels chambered, by the weight. Thin maple cap. Standard two volumes, two tones, two Dearmond Goldtones. The neck on mine is just about perfect feeling in the hand. Tuners (as with every Dearmond I've tried) work perfectly. I don't know the date, but I don't think it's one of the earliest ones. It was made in Korea.

Here's the real reason for my review. This guitar sounds so far out of its price league ... even though I already own a Dearmond and love it, I was still surprised. Unplugged, it rings out more like an acoustic or a semi hollow. Very obvious resonance and sustain. Each note on every fret, every string, rings out. Plugged in, the Goldtones stake out sound on the single-coil side of humbucker. If you like early humbucker tones, PAFs, T-tops, pre T-tops, that sort of p/u, then you'll appreciate the Goldtones. The neck is full and rich, but clear at the same time. Bridge only has real bite, somehow cuts w/o being harsh or icepicky. The middle setting is a perfect blend, real bounce and depth here. It's a tonal blend of good LP type sustain, plus the clarity, warmth and airiness of a good semi-hollow. No mud. Beautiful sounds here!

This one had been hanging neglected in a shop for years. One of two they had, NOS, never sold. The other one felt too heavy, awkward, awful in the hands. Lousy frets, dead spots everywhere. This one was the complete opposite. All I had to do was clean it up and restring with .11s, raise the action just a touch and raise the neck pickup a little. The frets are perfect, no sharp edges, no bumps or dips. I can find no flaws anywhere in finish or build. The only let-down is a standard one with low-end guitars: electronics. The p/u selector is fine. The jack, pots and caps were upgraded immediately, jade a huge difference in an already excellent sound. I don't mark down for this ... to me it's an expected part of buying budget instruments.

It'll be baptism by fire at rehearsals this week, then out to a gig. I can already tell, this one is solid. It's not the tank my M-75T is (that one you could use as a weapoon). I always gig with two, but would have no hesitation playing this one out solo. Nothing much to go wrong.

A non-issue

I've played guitar for 40 years, own and play yer usual suspects too (strat, tele, 335). Plugged most often into old tweed types, with outboard reverb, clean boost and delay. I like it simple, but it has to sound right. This one sounds right. It's the kind of humbucker tones I always looked for in a LP and never found. More like a Guild Bluesbird I guess, but even that comparison doesn't quite do it. It's so pretty and sweet-sounding, took me about 2 minutes to bond with the M-72. It lacks for nothing. I have long favored single coils -- mainly because of their clarity and versatility. This guitar is helping me rethink that.

Guild Bluesbird style - 2 humbuckers, 4 controls, 3 way switch, semi-solid body, 24 3/4" neck. Laminated flamed maple top over mahogany body. Beautiful red transparent finish on the front. Neck is fairly thick, but not unusually so. Tune o matic type bridge with a stop tailpice. Nice looking guitar, somewhere between a Les Paul and a 335 sizewize. I modded the electronics to make it more stage friendly by making the bridge pickup tone pot into a master volume, and making the neck tone pot into a push pull for coil splitting. The Goldtone pickups were already wired up to be split. The silver and gold hardware, and clear pickguard and knobs give it a somewhat flashy look that may turn some people off.

Sound is where this guitar really excels. I play everything from 50's r&b to Talking Heads, with a little jazz and country thrown in. I've had dozens of guitars since the '60's, and this is THE BEST sounding electric I have ever had, particularly with both pickups on. The Goldtones produce a singing, sweet, but yet fat tone that is truly unique. It's the sound I've been looking for. On the neck pickup, the sound is beefy and thick, but not as muddy as most hummers. The coil split I installed makes the neck pickup brighter and a little twangy. The bridge pickup is very bright and will cut thru any mix.

I got this guitar used, and it was setup ok. Very good action, no flaws of any kind. Very good build quality for a 'budget' guitar.

This gutar is built to last forever. I've had it for about two years, and it has lots of playing time on it. All the hardware seems fine, and the pots are quiet.

Made by Guild/Fender. I don't know how they would back an out of production instrument.

I've been playing for about 40 years and have owned Fenders, Gibsons, Danos, Hags, etc, etc. As I said, the M-72 is the best sounding guitar I've owned. I play roots rock, blues, classic rock, and a little jazz and country. The M-72 handles them all. By tweaking the volume knobs I can do everything from Chuck Berry to Santana to Kenny Burrell. I currently own a Hagstrom Viking, an ES 175, a G&L tribute ASAT, a DeArmond M-77T (another great guitar!), and this M-72. 80% of the time I gig with the M-72. I've seriously considered getting another one just as a backup.

2001 or 2002...whenever it was the last year they made them. Solid mahogany with what looks like flame maple top. Flame top. Red translucent finish. Top is flat, not carved. Looks GREAT for this price.
2 humbuckers. US made pickups. Guitar is Korean made I believe for Fender/Guild. pickups are passive.

Sound originally was pretty good, better with neck. Bridge pickup was a bit shrill. This is a personal taste thing, though. Note: my bridge pickup shorted out after a few months. I replaced with Bluesbucker at the neck and moved the other original to the bridge. I loved the Bluesbucker so much, I replaced the other original pickup as well a few months later. I've been playing it with 2 replaced pickups the past 2 years so...take this with a grain of salt.

red translucent flame top. Flat. Grain looks GREAT; I can't believe how nice it looks for the price. I bought it on close out (model was discontinued) for $240. There is binding around the front edges and the neck. I think it looks FANTASTIC for a guitar in this price range. Has a clear plastic pick guard. The tuners have a little slop, but if you always tune UP to pitch, it shouldn't be a problem. Neck feels nice. I set this thing up myself. Action at the nut was considerably too high when it shipped. Didn't need to mess with truss rod. The neck looked great. I filed the BOTTOM of the nut down (slowly over several steps and checking each time), I adjusted the bridge a BIT. Adjusted intonation. Plays VERY EASILY as far as action goes with no buzz when strumming hard. There is one fret position #17 where one string buzzes; I can live with that. I wish the frets were more rounded/polished; I sometimes catch my finger on a fret on a finger slide.

I've had it 3-4 years. Love it. Plays great (after my original set up adjustments). Sounds GREAT...after I replaced both pickups. I had some soldering to a volume pot that was shorting. One pickup shorted out and needed replacing; I chose to replace the other one. Finish has lasted nicely, but I take reasonable care. Strap button was loosening once; stayed solid after I tightened it. I've played live for 3 years with it. I don't use a backup.

na/a

For the price $240 + $200 for two new pickups I've got a guitar that looks like many $1000 guitars, and sounds GREAT (I like the pickups I chose to put in it). Good sustain. Nice flame top. It was a good move.

I'm a big fan of these Goldtones so I may be biased. I also own a Dearmond X-155 archtop hollowbody and thought for the price I couldn't go wrong. (I was right!) I agree w/ much of what is said here about these guitars so I won't go on too much but just wanted to add that these Goldtone pups are very easy to coil tap/split. The wires are already there and well worth the time. They approach, but don't nail a Fender single coil sound, but still very usefull. I put a push-pull that taps both pups at the same time, and use the neck coil tap quite often. With very little effort you have a single coil sound that is pretty darn twangy if you like that kinda' thang!!!

Just as everyone else sez, great! PIays and feels like an expensive instrument. I thought the tone/volume knobs were cheezy too and replaced them w/ Gibson speed dials, but then changed them back because I like the retro look of the originals better! This guitar has it's own sound so why make it look like another Les Paul copy?

Solid, no probs. after 2 years.

I figure when Fender bought Gretsch, it probably wasn't a good idea for them to keep these around...

I own a '61 Gretsch, a fine Guild F-50R acoustic, and numerouse funky cheap (Harmony Rocket, Sivertone, strat copy...) This is one of my faves as an all around player and sound makin' machine. Playing for 20 years of so. Love my other DeArmond as well but am now playing this one more because the X-155 feedsback at gig volume...Anyone out there interested in starting a DeArmond users group?

2000 or 2001 model - bought with tags and plastic sheeting still on the hardware from a Fender employee who grabbed a bunch post-buyout. Flamed finish - blond. Looks incredible with the chrome-and-gold hardware. As for specific features, same as all the other M-72s on this list.

Had it set up and it sounds fantastic - I can't believe the depth and sustain this thing carries across all six strings for the price. Sounds warm ans jazzy on the neck pu (though alone I find it a bit too soft and muffled for my style) and can get really raucous on the bridge. Nice balance between the two (90% of where I play). Can sound both super-heavy or nice, tight and clean - it has good tone variety but I'll agree that it does sound a little on the brassy side so I usually set my amp up a biased to bass.

Cosmetically perfect. Just gorgeous. All the hardware was in great shape and it was playable straight out of the box but one major manufacturing beef: 7th fret wasn't proberly seated and it buzzed. When I had the git set up I had this pressed and the nut replaced (because I'm anal about such things). Finish is superb - a gorgeous guitar. Soooo easy to play. I also like a full 25" scale but have adjusted to the short length and it feels really really REALLY fast. Action was originally set up low and even with a good neck set but I got it a little lower. Pups need setting to get a consistent tone volume across the board. Am using a lightweight setup (I think 9s) and it's definately not a chunky-feeling guitar like my tele. Instead feels like a finely-crafted instrument. I wouldn't go so far as to say the pots are crap (like some others here), but grading is not equal all the way through. I consider this character, because they're totally useable. One last thing - even with lightweight strings this thing stays in tune extremely well.

A year in and I haven't made a mark on this guitar. The fact that I don't have to wrench on it very hard to get some vibrato out of the neck is interesting. Not used to that. Finish is tough. I rarely gig but I would definately take this and gig w/o a backup if I had to (but that's like taking one pair of pants to an Ex-Lax-eating contest - always a risk). It's not as burly as my Fender - I could axe that through a drum kit and someone's head and keep playing - but for a peformance where I wasn't running and bashing (and wanted to look really sharp) I'd take this guitar. They honestly look so good you don't want to thrash them.

Worthless so far as I know: They're out of business and my buddy Lex Luthier is hella 'spensive. But I'll gladly pay to keep this thing running. I look at it this way - I got such a great instrument for soooo cheap that investing down the line (if I need to) will be fine by me.

I give it a 10 based on the balance between tremendous sound qualities, beautiful construction, great playability and the fact that it cost me far less than my last speeding ticket. Truly a superb value. Saw some guy trying to sell one for $850 on ebay this afternoon and I had to chuckle at THAT, but if you've got $350 or less to spend you absolutely cannot go wrong with the M-72. I love this guitar and am planning to keep it until I am an old man. I have about 5 years playing experience and I truly suck ass. I mostly groove along to CDs and stuff at home but have some buddies with music rooms and I go jam from time to time. Guitar is a huge stress-reliever for me. I'm using this hummer predominantly for rock, from AC/DC to ZZ-Top to Dire Straits. Very nice for that overdriven-blues sound. My other guitars are a decent Tele and Seagull Folk acoustic (I like value). I got turned on to DeArmonds by a local shop that was selling both an M-75T (same body and concept but with the BIG ASS tremelo attached) and some hollow-body model that looked like a Bluesbird (which sounded even better than mine (but I wanted the smaller body so I could sit all hunched-up and pretend to be an LP-ripping rock god). Oh how I wish I could add that hollowbody to my collection now...

They have already been covered think Les Paul

This guitar is amazing. After playing it for a while I took it into a local muisc store that had a couple lps hanging on the wall i pluged into a fender amp hotrod deluxe I think. I played a les paul first so i could compare fairly. The m72 smoked it on the clean channel with both pups. On the drive channel no one in the store could tell any difference. The salesman came over and asked to play it. He was blown away. It plays much better than both the lps I played that day. And one of them was a lp standard they were selling for 1699.00. I dont own a better sounding guitar.

This guitar is very well made. The hardware could be better. But that can be replaced in time. The top is perfectly bookmatched flame maple. There are none of the other grips that other people have had. I can not find a single flaw with the guitar. I got lucky I guess. The playabilty is unbeleivable. I teach sometimes and I have had begining students play much better just letting them use this guitar in the session. And I own other very nice guitars.

I would not gig with this guitar. It means to much to me. It was a christmas gift from my brother. I would not take the chance of something happening to it. But it is built very well.

Been playing 12-15 years. Have other nice guitars this one is unbeleivable if you happen across one i would look into it. I dont think anyone would be unhappy with this guitar. It has wonderful sound and playability.

standard de armond m-72.
in bright green.
(it looked real cool in the window)

its got good sustain. Nice full sound. nice distorted. Its kinda week clean.

my finish is cracking in several places.

this guitar is very durable. I have smacked into amps, metal poles, lights, bass players, floors, basses, other guitars. Not really hurt any.
Main problems wiht it, is the input jack was put together by an asshole. it falls out, and shits all over the place.

nope

decent guitar

Y2001 DeArmond M72, I presume one of the last to be made, before the model was discontinued. Made in Korea. Looks to be some
kind od mahogany, with nice flame to the grain. Translucent red color. Very nice fit & finish. Two USA made Goldtone pickups which sound better than most Asian guitars I've played. Very quiet, nice tones either played clean or overdriven. Lots-o-sustain. Rosewood
neck is nice & dense, dark in color, which to me, is best for these kinds of boards.

Les Paul/Guild Bluesbird type of design. Very nice. Tune-o-matic bridge with stop tail. Tuners look good, but have some slop in the button, also typical of Grovers. I'm considering changing them. This should be easy, since there are no external screw mounting holes in the back of the headstock. Not sure what I'm after here, perhaps Schaller locking tuners. Guitar and nut cut are designed for "hybrid" gauge strings (according to my luthier) 9-46. I tried 9.5's and had problems with the nut binding that went away when I went with the 9-46's. That's fine for me, since I like this set up from a playability POV. Came with a gig bag, but I bought an Ibanez "Artist"
hard shell, since it was the only case I could find that fit the lower bout dimension.

I play blues, classic rock, country rock & jazz and the DeArmo is fine for anything you throw at it. I use a Solid state Fender Ultimate, which seems compatible with this type of guitar. It's very quiet at any amp setting. You can get a nice bright "almost twang" out of the bridge pickup, which is also nice for slide (with gain). The mid-setting is a nice rhythm setting, but the neck only seems of little use. It's very muddy (but that's true on just about any solid body guitar I've ever played). Maybe there's a use for it, but I've never found one.
Overall, I like the guitar very much, and have considered trying to find another of the same model.

The action out-of-the-box was teriffic, just keep the same gauge strings on it, if you want it to work the way it's supposed to. You'll need a new nut if you want to go up in gauge to 10's or 11's for sure! All of the fittings are great, wood matches well, parts are assembled properly. Frets nicely filed at edges. Nice joins of the frets to neck binding. Pots are garbage though. Volume rolls from
high to low in about 1/4 turn, with little grading. One tone pot needs a touched-up solder joint, which I'll do myself. Maybe you'll luck out and get good volume pots, but I didn't get that lucky. Switch seems good, though.

Seems quite durable, never dropped it or any of that stuff, so I can't say. I don't gig out anymore, so I haven't road tested it. It does seem to be as durable as any other Fender product I've owned. Strap buttons seem to be as good as any. Overall, very dependable.
If I were gigging with it, I would have a backup - just a good practice.

Never had to inquire about this axe, but Fender customer support is terrific. I've used them in the past, and they get back quickly with the right information. Still under warranty.

Been playing 35 years (I'm 46) and own a bunch of Fenders, the DeArmo, a couple of acoustics and a pedal steel. Never did the humbucker thing, and it's too bad I waited this long. There are some neat sounds & tones that are available with this guitar that are hard to get with the traditional Fender layout. If it were lost or stolen, I'd try to find another one. It's quite nice. Wish it had Grovers, though. Not too tough for Dean & Schecter to use on it's import stuff, something Fender should consider. Wish it didn't have the goofy
clear pickguard. Should be black with black knobs in my book, but that's a very minor point.

This guitar really got me into the kind of music more easily acommodated by a humbucker layout. I'm a huge Allman Bros. fan, and play slide. I've found this layout with humbuckers and flat neck radius to be much more comatible with slide playing than a vintage
Fender construction. I'm looking around for another Humbucker guitar now, not sure what, but I'd certainly consider another one of these. IMHO, Fender really screwed-up by pushing this series "down" into the Squier range, with downgraded features. Maybe it was
negatively impacting their Guild sales, who knows, but Fender needs to get with it a bit, and respond to Gibson, Epiphone & PRS (and others) with a good humbucker guitar (not a Squier) in the $500 range. If a bunch of others can do it, I'm sure they can too. Maybe an Asian Robin Ford or something a little uniqe, rather than a knock-off of one of its own models.

Bought in July 2000, new from Marshall Music Company in Lansing, Michigan. Made in Korea. 22 frets. 2 volume and 2 tone controls for two Goltone Humbuckers. Chambered Mahagony body. Antique burst finish, maple top. Set mahagony neck, rosewood fretboard. Les Paul body style, with a fatter bottom. Tune-O-Matic Bridge, stop tailpiece. Die cast chrome tuners. Jumbo Frets (I think). 24 3/4 scale.

I play a lot of Weezer type rock, hard rock, metal, blues, punk. I am not the type of guy who messes around much with my settings. I do use the tone nobs to dial in some sounds, and they give you quite a range. I am thinking about getting new pickups, at least a new bridge PU, but probably not for a while. I think I would like something a little hotter. It has a full sounds, and sometimes it's a little to trebly, but like I said, easily adjustable with the tone controls or your amp's EQ. I play this through a Peavey Classic 50 (50 watts, all tube, 2x12). It's nice, but I haven't played a whole lot of guitars through my amp. I have played a Yamaha Pacifica through it, but it a little different sound due to the single coils.

The playability of this guitar is the SOLE reason I got it. It kicks ass. I have yet to play anything that playability wise I like better, except maybe for a Parker Fly. It was my first electric and I was about ready to purchase a MIM Tele--I liked the Tele's better than the Strats. Well, I played a couple of epiphone Les Pauls, too, and I really happened to like the Les Paul body style at the time...so the salesman brings in this DeArmond that they just got, and I played it and immediately liked the playability WAY better than anything I had previously played. The action and setup were fine, although I think I will get it set up again because I have been experimenting with different strings and guages. Everything still works great after 9 months. My only complaint about the finish is that two of the dot inlays aren't quite flush with the fretboard. Only once in a great while will I notice this (probably once every three months, if that). The 12th fret bottom dot is a little low, and so is the 5th. I have played an SRV Strat, numerous Fender MIM Strats, some various Peaveys, a Les Paul Studio and I love the way this guitar plays. I liked the playability better than any of these. One more dislike I forgot to mention. The upper frets are a little rough and sometimes hard for slides.

This guitar is very well, made. It has definitely surprised me. I got it during the DeArmond blowout, and for my first guitar I couldn't have picked a better one for under $400 or so. It definitely would withstand live playing. The hardware seems to be holding up fine. I am surprised it stays in tune as well as it does. I will keep this guitar forever most likely, and if need be replace the tuners. I put on Dunlop locking strap buttons, not because there was anything wrong with the strap buttons, my guitar never has fallen, but I just like to be sure. I would never gig without a backup. I seems like it will withstand the test of time, but I've only had it for 9 months, so I don't feel comfortable rating the reliability or durability.

Never dealt with deArmond.

I have been playing for a little over 2 and a half years, but I have advanced rather quickly. Lately I have been playing a lot of guitars to see how they feel, and like I said, short of the Parker Fly, I haven't played anything I like better. That doesn't mean that I haven't played anything that sounds better. But this guitar really plays like a dream. Maybe it's just because I am used to it. I own an Elger acoustic that's about 35 years old and in great shape, a boss DS-1 and a Peavey Audition Chorus. For $200, I have yet to see a better deal. Especially for a new guitar. For the money, this is a 10. Don't get me wrong, it's not the best guitar in the world, but it's a great value.