DeArmond M-75

Others have pretty much covered the features. It's a Korean-made version of a Guild Bluesbird (sorta). Agathis body with maple top, binding, harp tailpiece with tune-o-matic bridge. Loaded with 2 USA made DeArmond Goldtone pickups. Generic tuners.

It's just about everything you could want in a LP style guitar, sans the mahogany body. It's a basic, straight forward guitar.

I basically bought this guitar because of the pickups. I was able to get my hands on some DeArmond pickups right after the great "blow out" for dirt cheap. Somewhere between then and now, the supply dropped out and prices went up. So when I was looking for a pair of Goldtones for another LP style guitar I had, I decided just to sell that guitar and get another DeArmond.

The Goldtone is hands down my favorite bridge pickup. It's got plenty of bite, but it's not harsh , distorts nicely, and retains clarity. The sounds this guitar makes are familiar, yet idiosyncratic. Yes, I know that's somewhat of a contradiction, but that's the best way I can think to describe the tones of these pickups. They remind me of classic Les Paul tones, but with a little more jangle.

I play primarily through a Vox VT30 Valvetronix using the UK 80's (JCM800) and AC30 Brian May models. Really great tones from both those amp settings. Very full and rich.

Bought mine used (turns 10 years old this year), so I can't comment on the factory set up.

My particular guitar was well taken care of though. There are no obvious seams in the wood, the finish is even (if not an odd color [moon blue]), and the binding is great. Frets are even with no fret sprout.

Like I said above, this is already a 10 year old guitar and it looks like it could go on forever and a day. The only thing that I worry about are the tuners, I eventually may replace them with proper grovers. Somewhere along the line, somebody used the wrong screw for the upper strap button, but that was an easy toothpick/glue fix. The finish, like most Fender poly finishes, is pretty bullet proof. Aside from the tuners, which are not the worst tuners I've seen, nothing on this guitar feels cheap.

Well, it's FMIC. It's worth noting that they recently re-launched www.dearmondguitars.com with some of the wiring diagrams and what not.

Well, I'd rather have this guitar in a color that's not moon blue. That having been said, I love everything about this guitar. It's not too heavy, but substantial enough for great tone. I've yet to break a string on this guitar, and best of all, it sounds awesome. If it were stolen or lost, I would no doubt replace it with another DeArmond. All in all, I've owned two DeArmond guitars and four DeArmond basses (currently down to two guitars and one bass). All of them, even the Indonesian built M65-C, have been really great instruments. It's a real shame Fender discontinued this line.

I have had this beautiful Sunburs DeArmond M-75 since 1999. I hardly ever play it since I am a drummer first, guitar player second. It was to nice to pass up. The neck is fat with a fret board that is as hard as titanium and sooo heavy. 2 volume 2 tone knobs. It's gold tone pickups can sound super bright and cut through any room or sound as warm as an August day in Florida.

This thing suites my style perfectly. I have always wanted a Les Paul but could never afford it. I bought an Epiphone and sold it immediatly. I play punk to 50's style rock and blues. I use a Marshall JCM800 or a Roland Jazz Corus. No pedals or effects needed by me with this guitar.

The action was a bit high out of the box. It took me only 15 minutes to get it right. That was 7 years ago and I have not had to do anything to it since. The guitar hangs perfectly although I had to put strap locks on. The origionals sucked. The sunburst finish is among the most beautiful stain jobs I have ever seen. There is no oxidation on any of the chrome. It is very quiet when you let go of the neck. No buzzing at all. Solid Jack. Perfect

Made very well. Needs 10's on or maybe even 11's. G string seems to break more often than the others but it is not bad at all. I would not use any guitar at a gig with out a back up but... if I had to I would bring this one rather than my SG or my Tele.

I take care of my stuff and should never need service.

I have been playing for 15 years. I own a 1985-6 Gibson SG and a Telecaster made in mexico. If it was lost or stolen I would buy it again. I am in a financial pinch and have been thinking that I have to sell some of my things to get by. I would sell this and buy another when I catch up. Any one want to make me an offer???

Solid black finish, LP style body, Korean made. Harp tailpiece. Read all 40-or-so reviews below mine to see the features. It would have been nice to have locking tuners, but hey, the guitar only cost me $350 used.

The sound of the m75 fits my style nicely. I play a very blues-oriented lead, usually, and the neck and middle pickup on this thing are super-bold. I think the pickups are actually quite nice, and can be milked with good results by an effects-processing board of some kind.

The neck/middle pickups also sound delicious when played through a clean or compressed, clean channel. I love adding a smidge of reverb, which gives me a luscious, haunting clean lead.

Lately I have been using this guitar to play with a slide, tuning it to either open E or open G. In so-doing, I have found that the bridge pickup really sings, while the middle/neck pickups seem to be a bit boomy for slide use. Nevertheless, the power of the neck pickup is surely useful.

Note that the bridge pickup is a tad quieter than the neck. No clue why this is the case. I don't think pickup height matters here.

None of the significant hardware has malfunctioned, my "jack" has NEVER messed up, and the only aesthetic change has been in the little stickers on the knobs, which have become a bit bubbled up. The finish seems nice and glossy, despite abuse. No real "flaws" that I have seen. This is a dependable guitar, and is brick-hard and well made. The way the bridge/tailpiece works may leave your picking hand feeling a bit "bouncy" if you are used to a Les Paul. I love the big ole' GUILD headstock insignia!

Action on the neck is good. I find the neck to be a nice, lean profile. Someone below me complained/commented that the neck was a little big, but I think you'll find this neck to be quite narrow and thin compared to the obscenely large LP necks out there that for some reason are popular.

I bought this guitar about 5 years ago off eBay. I had been scoping them out for a year or so prior to that, but finally I struck gold. The reason I emphasize how long ago I bought it is that I can say with 100% confidnce that this is one of the most solid, reliable guitars I have ever owned. After 5 years of being banged on, toted around in a GIG BAG (not a nice case!), having suffered huge string bend after huge string bend, this guitar has held up.

Never dealt with anyone. Never had any problems. Would be nice to be able to find a case that fits this thing...

The downside to the guitar is the immense weight. Other than that and a few minor aesthetic fumbles like the "knobs", this guitar is stellar. Would I replace this guitar? YES, especially if I could find another one like it, which seems unlikely. I have fallen in love with its sound and feel. As other reviewers have said: If you see one of these guitars for sale in a pawn shop or used guitar store or on eBay, BUY IT IMMEDIATELY!

I play drums for a living but am a keen guitarist too. Until I saw the M75 there was no guitar I saw or had that I fell in love with until the M75. All I can tell you is it's deep glossblack with a kind of cream colored binding around its body. The fingerboard is dark ( mahogany?)two chunky humbuckers, two volume and tone knobs with silver buttons that fall off. A long fancy tailpiece and it's very heavy. I don't know if its laminated, solid or what.

I have conned loads of folk with my recordings with this beast. Swearing that I had at least used three different guitars for the job.Thats its versatility. I use it straight into a Musicman sixty five amp, occasionally I'll put a Boss Chorus ensemble in line, and trick it up with an old Boss GX700 Multi effects unit. The neck pickup is a little overpowered, mid pickup position is just unbelievabley rich and percussive,good for single note or rhythm playing whilst the bridge pick up I'm not really qualified to assess as I rarely go there.

Factory set up was appalling compared to how it is now. The pickups are floored but I wont change them as they do have a character I adore. The worst thing on this guitar is the tuning. The g string in the fourth fret A flat major position (why?)is rubbish. I either avoid that position or retune and punch in. For live stuff its not really noticable. Its possible apparently that the bridge is a nats cock off position. Otherwise perfect.

I do have to retune quite a lot but am really happy with its reliability and build quality .

Customer support is non existant and the shop I bought it from are as useful as an honest liar.

I have been a player for twenty years (although it dont sound like it) and have a 99 US strat Sunburst for rainy days. Even with the M75 tuning problem I woulda still bought this lady and would be devistated if stolen. I wish she were a little lighter but just love that mid pickup sparkle chunky, rhythm heaven it produces whatever you put it thru. My girlfriend spotted the M75 after my years of my moaning about not being able to find MY guitar. I don't have much experience with historical benchmark guitars but I seem to remember being impressed with something called a Les Paul Tigerstripe that belonged to a session friend of mine. Anything else id like to share? When i'm gone I want my M75 and my 12" x "7 Brady snare to go with me cos i'm that mean. Keep rollin'

tobacco sunburst(sweeet finsh)two dearmond humbuckers,harp tailpiece,rosewood fretboard,les paul style single cutaway,with two volume two tone pots,non locking tuners no strap locks.simple straight honest.included TKL hardshell with purchase price.awesome deal!lock and loll baby!

i play everything from delta slide blues,old school rock and roll(see the hollies and early stones)ac/dc,country roc(see cracker and the eagles)a little jazz and everything in between.wilt a little eq work on the amp this guitar plays it all. i use gibson vintage reissue 10's so it has a tendancy to a little bottomy any way.but once again EQ!no noise at all from guitar,,neck is silky.plays as nice as a gibson or PRS(the two guys that told me would know)they own one of each.a little tremolo a little wah a little phaser and an overdrive pedal thats it. sounds great

it had been hanging on a wall for a few years all alone and forlorn.cleaned it up,,adjusted the neck a squig and bang!sweet action and playing.i worked in a music store for 3 years and worked on a lot o different brands.this was as well constructed as any.fit and finish was great and the wiring cavities were clean as a CIA budget report.

always works,,stays in tune.all pots quiet.all hardware solid.

none.fenedr unwisely stopped making these korean beauties.besides,,who needs it

been playing 10 years so.playing bass longer.ive owned a early 80's japanese squire strat.two electra 70's mpc les paul copies and a ovation preacher electric.this is by far thie nicest sounding most consistent guitar of all of them.if this gets stolen i will make them hurt until they like it.i would like to get the polara copy that dearmond put out(s700.300?)i love this guitar.couldnt afford a gibson or guild,,,didnt know this was gonna be such a great guitar,,just knew i could afford it.

Korean-made (keep reading...) Les Paul-style single round cutaway bound Agathis solid body, arched maple top (finished in Tyrian purple metalic), white binding, raised black pickguard, set-in maple neck, 24 5/8" scale, 22-fret (medium, low profile) bound palisander fingerboard with pearl block inlays, tune-o-matic bridge/chrome "harp" tailpiece, 3-per-side non-locking tuners (chrome), 2 USA DeArmond GoldTone passive humbucker pickups, 2 volume/2 tone controls, stylish "D" knobs, 3-position switch.

What a nice surprise!!! This guitar had been hanging on a wall at a local music store for at least 4 years. I myself had seen it, thought it looked cool, but didn't feel like trying it. A week ago I walked in to buy strings and decided to give it a strum. The salesperson plugged it into a Peavey Bandit 112 and handed it to me. I was so amazed I had to buy it. Took it home and played thru my Fender Blues DeLuxe... Wow! Even if I could afford a Gibson Les Paul, I wouldn't part with my M-75. It's like a sweeter, browner Les Paul. Great vibe, great dynamic response, both at low and high drive settings. Being a big blues/rock fan, but also a regular top 40 player in a cover band, I feel it will serve me incredibly well. Couldn't be happier, specially because now I have a fantastic alternative to my Fender strats.

When I tested it at the store, the 0.09 gauge strings were pretty rusty, but still it felt (and sounded) great. All did was I sticked a set of tens there. I'll just take my time to find an even better adjustment for the PU height and the action. The guitar was quite likely adjusted at the store and it will stay in tune and play fine all along the fretboard in spite of any bending abuse.

As for flaws there were two: 1) there are two pretty visible lines on the top, which sort of spoils the finish a bit, and 2) the chroming is a bit faulty.

Other than that, everything's fine.

I was so excited about this guitar that I had to write this. I do believe it will withstand years of joyful playing. Of course I'm gonna take real good care of it, and so should anyone. The only thing I'm a little concerned about is the chroming. The strap buttons look real solid, but I'll replace them so I can use a pair of Schaller strap locks. I definitely think it's dependable. I'll never use it without a backup, though. That's always risky, no matter what guitar you're playing.

This one was a great buy. It's a great guitar, specially for the price. But really, that's secondary. I've never found an Epiphone that I liked, and still can't afford a Gibson Les Paul. This one will more than do, I'm in love with it. I've been playing it for only a week, but I know what I'm talking about - I've been a guitar player for 20 years now.
My other guitars are a 1996 Fender Clapton strat, 1994 40th anniversary American standard strat, Gibson '76 X-plorer, Washburn N4 and a Takamine FP360S. Eletrics are played thru a tweed Fender Blues DeLuxe, Marshall Slash head and 1960A cabinet, and a rack system with a bunch of stuff like a Marshall JMP-1, Digitech 2101 Artist and Carvin F-150 power amp, depending on the gig/occasion. On the floor are a Crybaby wah, Carl Martin Rock Drive (soon to be replaced by a Vox Cooltron Big Ben Overdrive), occasional Dunlop Uni-Vibe and Rat distortion. My DeArmond is now right there with the other babes.

Korean Les Paul-style guitar with USA-made pickups... Mine's an ebony finish with cream binding, very reflective. There's a 3-way selector switch, 2 tone knobs, and 2 volume knobs, and it has 2 GoldTone DeArmond passive PU's, some of the best humbuckers I've ever had the joy of strumming around on. The body is agathis and the neck appears to be mahogany, the fretboard is rosewood with inlain mother-of-pearl block inlays. The bridge is one of the best parts; instead of having an (imo) crappy stop-bar, it has a harp-shaped tailpiece that runs to the back. Pressing on this creates a vibrato effect, and the tailpiece gives the uitar it's unusually ballsy sound and sustain. People say the tuners are bad but they're great to me.

I play rythm guitar in all sorts of styles; rock, jazz, reggae, and this does it all. Crank it up for a deep resonating ring or, with a flick of the knobs, turn it into a bright (never obnoxious) rocker. No noise, massive variety, godly.

I got this used at a pawnshop, just hanging from a wall in... lacking... condition. The one thing I noticed was that though the hardware had pretty much gone bust, the guitar itself hadn't a ding, scratch, or crack. I ended up replacing the pots and rewiring it, lowering the action, and swapping the strings, and it rocked, and there was much rejoicing.

Take it, gig it, this thing's a brick. The finish will stay on forever, starp buttons aren't moving anytime soon, this thing'd survive years.

No need, and besides, Fender bought em. Nothing you can do.

I run this through a decked out Bravo 112 and it sounds amazing. If this thing was stolen, I'd personally hunt down the thief and use this rock-solid machine to bludgeon them, because the chances of finding another in such good overall shape aren't that great. If you find one, buy it. Just do it. Some might say, "Well, I wish it had a coil tap or a phase reverser..." but these people haven't played with the guitar enough.

Guild made in Korea. And well made. Metallic dark Bluey/Purple - very cool retro finish. Agathis(?) solid body with a curved top like a Les Paul. Two silver and Gold humbuckers and two vol two tone pots.

Fixed neck which is solid.

Good quality electronics and wiring - neck is slimmer than my mates les Paul and the mine isn't too heavy - I have a Burns Marquee that is a lot heavier.

Well finished neck and body binding - especially for this price.

Bridge pickup is cutting and quite bright and this befits it's vintage design - may sound a tad harsh on it's own but it cuts through in the mix and that's what matters - the tone pots on this one work too so take it down a tad to suit.

Neck pickup is a monster! Warm ballsy and punchy - superb!

I have no dislikes with this guitar it sounds as good as it looks and it sounds like a pro guitar.

Mine was S/H but set up for perfection - no dead spots on neck and frets as smooth as..endless sustain and resonance which may be due to the substantial chunk of tailpiece the strings are fixed to.

No finish flaws at all a good Korean plant was obviously chosen by Guild.

Will withstand warfare - everything is as it should be and believe me i've tested it - straplocks are the only thing i'd add for extra safety on stage.

Don't know - wont need them.

If you see one buy it!! They're no longer made and you will not see too many of them around for much longer especially at the price I paid for mine - surely a mistake? The word is out!

Okay, I've had my moonblue M-75 now for about 4 or 5 years, and I regret to say that I'm only now starting to really appreciate and explore the tones that this baby can make. (A feature I recently discovered is that when you need to mute the guitar you only need to turn down one of either volume knobs to mute both pick-ups.) I love the harp tail piece, very classy, and now that Squier is making these, I'm glad that this original DeArmond series had the branding that they used: the "D" insignia on the knobs, the "D" on the tail piece, and the name on the gold humbuckers and head stock... there will be no confusing these beauties for the pieces of crap that Squier is pumping out. (apologies to Squier fans if there are any). As far as features go, it's got everything except for digital crap and a tremolo, but you can even get the tremelo effect by pressing on the harp tailpiece, which is a lot more badass than twiddling a gay tremolo bar -- I'd give it a 10 for that reason alone.

I play everything from blues to jazz to folk-rock, and this guitar can do it all. Although I think the strings need to be a heavier gauge than what I'm currently using because with the high action it's easy to play a note slightly out of tune if you press in the fret too hard. I've also had some probs using a capo up in the higher frets for this reason, but like I said, heavier strings (and probably a tweeking of my intonation) will fix this. Anyway, if you're a tone freak, this guitar will make you proud, and through the right amp (hey, if you can find a late 50's DeArmond R15 amp made by Rowe Industries ?? mmm... "keeping it in the family" tone) this baby will sound like the legend it's already becoming. If 10 = "sounds great!", then I have to give it a 10. * note: I'm dead serious about pairing this with the DeArmond amp, it's the same amp as the late 50's CF Martin 112 amp, they both sound beautiful, just like a Fender Tweed Deluxe, it's just a matter of finding them. Oh, I almost forgot to mention the resonance... last night I was playing late, so I had my practice amp turned down low, I got up to get a drink and turned off the amp, and when I sat back down to play, I was into a song for about a minute or so until I realized I hadn't turned my amp back on yet... that's how much resonance comes out of this guitar! It almost sounds like a hollow body!

Okay, you've heard the good, now the bad; this wasn't set-up very well from the factory; I mentioned before that the intonation is off, and I'm pretty sure I didn't do that. I need to take it in and get it set-up and have the intonation fixed. Also, the strings that it came with (and the ones I mistakenly got used to) were too light, now that I've been really playing this I know it to be true, of course this is all a moot point since they don't make them anymore, and you can only buy them used. Other than that, the finish is superb, I have a Gibson All-American made in the USA that has gotten all sorts of dings and scratches in the finish, but the DeArmond has no more than indiscernable scuffs; not even a sign of belt scratching, and I wear belts. The action is high, possibly a little too high, but you can lower the bridge (just not too far or you have to lower the pick-ups, which I've found don't have much room, and the screws still stick up pretty far when you do lower the pick-ups all the way. There's a happy medium there somewhere that I'm still nerdling with. All the hardware has held up, no pitting, flaking or rust. Still looks brand new! If it wasn't for the original factory set-up I'd give it a 10.

Everything is solid on this guitar. Almost too solid, because the thing is HEAVY. As others have mentioned in other posts, that is one of my few problems with the guitar, it's got to be one of the heaviest guitars ever made. But hey, I'm trying to lose wieght anyway, so strapping this baby on is good exercise! Speaking of which, it hangs pretty well on a strap, the balance might favor the neck a little, but it's not uncomfortable.

Doesn't exist, but I wonder if Fender/Guild will still work on these? They have the brand still on their support page, but there isn't much more than wiring schematics. I hope I never lose a knob, because they probably don't have parts anymore.

I've been playing for 12 years, I also own a Gibson All-American II, a Hohner country acoustic, (I'm about to also own a Reverend Rocco), and I play through a DeArmond R15T amp, a Park practice amp, and a Marshall MS-2 ;-)
The only thing I wish I asked the guitar salesman at the time was for a DeArmond hard shell case, oh wait, I did ask, but Guitar Center flaked and never ordered it for me and now it's too late. damn you guitar center... Anyway, for the money, heck even for a grand, this is a great guitar.

Made in Korea, two colour sunburst laminated top, rosewood neck with rectangular inlays, 22 medium-jumbo frets, two DeArmond USA pickups, tune-o-matic bridge, chrome 'harp' tailpiece. There are 2 volume controls and 2 tone controls.

I'm unsure about when it was made, or what wood is used in the body.

A hard case and strap were included.

This guitar sounds suprisingly good considering it was Korean made. I was very impressed with the depth of tone that can be achieved, and also the variety of tones that can be produced. The individual tone control for each pickup means you can explore many different tonal variations and have maximum control of your sound - having two volume controls increases this variety.

I play this guitar through a 100watt Marshall head with a Marshall 4x12 cab, and I use a Marshall Bluesbreaker, Compressor, and Guv'nor pedals, plus a Boss Digital Delay pedal, and a Cry-baby wah.

I believe this is superb for playing overdriven rhythm due to its deep sound, and is also perfectly capable of playing clean and crunchy, full treble, funk and jazz no problem!

Overall I am very pleased with the sound the M-75 is capable of. For the price, I feel that you can't beat what you get with this guitar. I own a Custom Shop US Stratocaster and a American Deluxe US Telecaster, but even with this competition I still love to jam on this guitar.

I messed around and customised the action and bridge so much that I can't even remember its original configuration on purchase, but it must have felt good for me to buy it. Everything is easily adjustable, be it the pickups or the bridge.

One thing I can say; this is one heavy guitar! It can be quite draining to play for long periods. But it does feel balanced, and isn't so heavy as to interfere with playing.

The strap buttons don't fit Schaller strap locks - they're too big, but this is a minor flaw

I have found no issues regarding the quality of manufacture, it is very well assembled and has survived over two years of being bashed about be me. There are one or two scratches on the sides and headstock, but the front is fully intact and is without any damage. The frets are showing signs of wear from constant playing, but I guess that shows it's well used - and must be a good sign.

I guess the cheaper quality plastic parts used in this design such as the control knobs, are an obvious area of concern regarding durability, but I have received no trouble from these so far.

Never needed to deal with Fender, Guild, or DeArmond.

Overall this guitar impressed me. It's build and sound quality are not what I expected to find from a cheap Korean Les Paul copy - no offence to Korea intended. This guitar has provided me with many happy hours and months of playing time, both live and at home, and the M-75 is a very capable performer. I very much like the control one has over the tone and volume produced, and the versatility of sound which it can provide.

If you are after a quality guitar, but are restricted by price, I can highly recommend this trustworthy guitar.