DeArmond S-65

This is a Cream Red S-65. Classic SG settings. Two humbuckers that are wired so that you can put the three way toggle in the middle and back off the volume on either neck or bridge and pretty much get a huge array of tones! I bought this from a pawn shop unsure if it was a diamond in the rough. It is. I blasted the pots with spray cleaner and tightened everything back up. Gave the neck the proper bath and restrung it. WOW.

I am an acoutic solo gig waiting to happen. I have played guitar back to the 70's when I snuck my brother's Gibson SG out from under the bed when he was not home. I play 60s, 70s, funk, rock, country,soul. I play mostly clean but love Carlos Santana's tone. This guitar sounds great clean or dirty. These are the quietest pickups that still have tone I have ever heard. The pots are very smooth. I swell the volume a great deal and these work very well for that. I play through a CTECH sonny boy into the board. This is like a sansamp. This works with the guitar and I do not have to carry and amp to my gigs.

They were drinking when they placed the strap button. I experimented heavily with this. Here is the best place for the strap button. Remove you neck plate. There should be a hole directly in the middle of the body under the neck plate. Drill a 1/8 hole in the neck plate above this hole. Then find a screw and bolt/washer that will fit threw the strap button. Bolt the strap button down and put the neck plate back on. I tried a similiar post on using the existing four screws for the strap button. This works but not as well as the middle of the neck plate. It hangs best this way and gets out of the way of your hand when your way up on the neck in a solo.

I will gig with this with an extra set of stings in the case. I do all my own work so I resolder what needs it when it needs it and if I see anything that might be an issue I solve it. The little time that I get to play out I do not want to be adjusting or fixing equipment. It all has to work on stage so I can.

Learn to be your own customer service and find a good shop that will fix fast and cheap. If they are willing to teach you....listen and learn. I do not expect a company that sold this guitar originally for $150 probably to deal with my strap button crisis.

I have played guitar now for 30+ years. I do not collect guitars, I love them and play them. I do not want to play with them. I am not a name snob. However, I own an 80 strat, a Taylor acoustic and a Ventrua 335. They are all great in thier own way. Do I think this guitar is a Gibson? NO. Do I think the pickups rival Gibons? Yes. I am not sure I want Gibsons. When I got this home from the pawn shop the 5 strings were dark grey? I tuned them to see if I wanted to put the Sonnex 180 pickups from the poor mans LEs Paul I used to have. I have not made the switch yet. These pickups work really well. Also if you tightend the 10mm bolts in the tuners and then the screws on the handles, these cheap little tuners do their job amazingly well. I hope this information helps. I have owned three lovely real GIBSON sg's. This guitar makes me want to play more. That was worth $60 in my opinion!

This is similar to the Gibson SG but with a little different cutaway. Sound Gardens Guitarist "Kim" repopularized the Guild model. Personally I like the looks of this better than the Gibson SG. I think this one is a 1999. I was reading another review on this guitar and the gentleman stated his "was made in Indonesia, and that they all are." I would like to correct that statement. Mine says "Crafted In Korea" Then has the serial number. It has a natural finish, and I have to tell you, I prefer this one over my Guild S-65. Dual Humbuckers that scream. Nice thick wide neck. Tun-o-matic bridge. My only complaint is the Vol. and Tone knobs look a little cheap.

After setting it up with Elixir .09 guage strings this thing screams. There is no noise from the pickups. The neck pickup is dark like it should be and the bridge is punchy and bright. This guitar can do almost any type music. It can be clean or dirty what ever you like.

I bought it 2nd hand so I do not know how the factory set it up but after my Luthier was completed, it was perfect. He was very impressed with this guitar and he has worked on pretty much everything. As far as imperfections, there are none.

I have only had it a couple of months, but everything looks very durable. I see know reason to ever retire this guitar. All the hardware is dureable and looks and feels like it is up to any challenge. Definitely a solid guitar.

N/A

I have been playing on and off for 25 years. I have had Gibson L.P., SG's, Fender Strats and Tele's. PRS Custom 24 and 22, and Mcarty. I have also had many of the Japanese copies of the above mentioned. Also real B.C Rich, I don't feel like listing any more. There has been too many to remember.
As far as this one goes, I can't beleive I only paid $100.00 It's fit and finish are perfect, the playability is great. As I have mentioned I have owned and played many guitars, expensive and cheap. If you have a chance to get one of these that are made in Korea ( I don't know about the Indonesion ones) get it you will not be sorry.

Thsi is jsut a reply to the las guys review. The thing balances terribel at first, btui found an AESOME fix. Take the strap button, and place it between one of the screws and the neckplate on theneck of the guitar. It fits JUST RIGHT. After u do that, the thing balances ohhhhh so perfect. The best ive ever palyed in fact balance wise.

I think the second neck screw works best for this.I thas not compromised the stability of the neck either.
~mike~

Mine looks like a 2001 model (judging by the serial #) made in Indonesia. 22 frets, 4 knobs (separate volume and tone knobs for each humbucker), H/H configuration. The pickups (passive) look like the older DeArmond ones before they started putting the USA-type in them. They still sound great though. The body is made of agathis (not sure about the neck); rosewood fingerboard with block inlays. It is a copy of the Gibson SG, with variations on the cutaways (the bottom cutaway is lower than the top cutaway). The tuners feel pretty solid (I'm not sure if the previous owner replaced them), but no complaints about those. Fairly long scale, at least compared to my Squier Strat, and the neck is pretty thick, especially where the neck bolts onto the body. The neck is almost 2" x 1.75" at that point which I admit obstructs the fretting hand at times. Another nitpick about the design is where they placed one of the strap buttons - I'm not sure if this is also the case with the real SG, but it's placed right on the back of the top "horn" of the guitar (edge of the cutaway). This throws the balance of the guitar off while it's hanging by a strap so that the neck is constantly sliding down (you have to hold it up which is tricky when solo'ing at the same time). I'm tempted to do the ol' acoustic guitar method of tying one end of the strap around the headstock.

I bought it for $100 used (I missed out when MF was clearing them out for the same price) but I got a gig bag along with it so I was happy.

It has very good sustain, for playing all types of music. I play mostly 90's rock (Radiohead, Weezer, and Oasis are what I practice on the most), have been playing for about 5-6 years but not seriously (I suppose I should join a band to motivate me, but anyway..). I find it much more versatile than my Squier Strat for most songs; because of the sustain it is easier to play "shred" guitar even though the action is higher than on the Strat. The only things keeping me from making this my only guitar is the weight and the chunkiness of the neck near the body. I find both pickups useful - the neck for songs requiring more sustain (and for my EBow) and the bridge for a sharper nasally sound (like a Telecaster). I don't use the middle position because it seems to muddy up the sound.

Oh, I don't have an amp to play it through (living in an apartment with thin walls), but I play all my guitars and bass through a Johnson J-Station. I can't comment on any noise since the J-Station has a pretty good noise gate but I haven't run into any problems. I give it a 9 because it sounds great for the price.

The action is about medium-low. High enough without any fret buzzing and the neck seems very strong. I haven't had to adjust it yet. I noticed the string tension is higher than in my Strat (due to longer scale? I don't know) so it is a little bit harder to bend, etc. Everything else seems fine. The finish is very thick. One thing that kind of upset me, was that the screws on one of the backplates had rough edges and it ripped up a pair of shorts I was wearing (I guess I should have been paying attention) but I covered them up with electrical tape. Still was my favorite shorts though :(

I noticed one of the volume pots 'cuts in' unevenly. I think it will need to be rewired in a couple years. I might be pissed if it was a $1000 guitar but for a $100 guitar you just spend the $30 on new electronics and it's still a bargain.

With my Strat I am kind of nervous of what would happen if I dropped it on a hard surface, but with this DeArmond I feel confident I could drop it anywhere and it would still play (probably seriously maiming whatever it fell on). I mentioned the beef with the strap buttons and electronics above so I've got to give it a 7. Still solid as hell though.

Haven't dealt with them.

Definitely check it out if you see one lying around. DeArmond made some great guitars in their day (I used to own a M-65C which was very similar to this one) and I think they hold their own in value. It's heavy, unevenly balanced on a strap, and has a funky neck, but it's still a blast to play.

22 frets on a rosewood fretboard, SG type of style, body and neck are made of Agathis wood. Two Humbuckers two tone and volume controls with a 3 way pickup selector. The neck is a bit wide and the neck humbuck has a rich tone howevery the bridge wasn't up to par. The bridge (tone-o-matic type) is chrome plated but after two years the wear of changing stings every couple of months wore them out. I have sanded the ?burrs? out or down and now it doesn't break strings as often. The tuners are only ok at best.

The sound is fine for rythym but harsh for lead unless you are going for a jazz/blues style.
I use a Fender Deluxe 112 pumping out ninty watts. I loved the neck pickup but the bridge is lacking, too much of a twangy sound for Humbuckers only works for some county tunes.

Factory was a touch high but no problems in solving that issue. I have tried to raise the bridge pickup and lower the neck many times to work out the sound issue.
I didn't like and still don't like the way the neck fretboard extended over the body of the guitar, it left a slight gap the shouldn't have been there but what can you expect for 100 bucks?

The guitar is two years old and out side of the chrome bridge problem it's still in good working order.
I would love to replace the bridge and tuners. I think the pot for the bridge pickup needs to be replaced. But all of these things would and will cost more than I paid for the guitar.

Read the warranty and it was usless if you put anything but DeArmond strings on it..... that's not the way to run the show.

Been playing over 5 years own or have owned a Fender Squier SSH, DeArmond S-65, Memphis Les Paul type and a couple of flat tops and the lasted addition is a Tradition PRS style(wish out plays them all!) I play thur a Fender Deluxe 112 amp and use some foot pedals to add punch.

If lost, oh well I doubt if I would replace it with another one. Not much love to it but for the money it is a good buy.
I would like to tell others to play the guitar in the store and compare it with others, sometimes it's better to fork out a little more money for a better guitar.

i bought it at Guitar center a few years back it has an agathis body and neck and rosewood fretboard and dual stock pickups and standard hardware and stuff. it has a tune o matic bridge and a stop bar tail peice (not my ultimate choice but it works)

the guitar soudnds awsome. i play everything from slipknot to deftones to coal chamber to smashing pumpkins tool and some old street punk stuff and it respondes perfectly i use this through a metal zone and a bunch of mod. effects into a roland jazz chorus 120 watt 2x12 combo and it is great, i reversed the pickups for some reason and it just sounds so cool i also took the cover off of the neck pickup to see what it sounds like open all i have to say is that it is great! when tuned low the neck gets kina outa whack but thats ok i just make a quick adjustment and its fine with the metal zone and amp mids scooped and the distortion cranked it sounds wonderful and has a great rull sound

the action sucked from the factory, but thats just my oppinion, i like a nice low action on a guitar and i put some heavy strings on it like .65-70 on the low e and such and with a quick adjustment it sounds great

well lets just say this guitar has been through hell and back, it has been smashed burned droped droped on, had amps and drums droped on it and it followed through great! the only descrepency i have on it is that i had this guitar a few years and it has had a history of problems with the input jack and the neck tone knob never worked str8 from the factory and when i checeked it out, the neck volume knob was wired to the bridge tone control! and the capacitors were reversed and such it is such a mess and i have to re wire the insides but if de armond were still around i would send it to them to be repaired but they were bought out by squire and they want nothing to do with this guitar so thats about all i have to say!

??? squire bought them and they want nothing to do with the guitar

i have been playing about 5 years and had this guitar about 4 so it is tough as nails but the insides are kinda wacky but thtats not that bad just a few solders here and there great guitar and i would recomned it to anyone who can find one

This is 2001 Indonesian made (they all are) chrimson red DeArmond S-65. It's sort of a SG-style guitar, but when compared to a gibson, it doesn't look too similar, which is good because it sort of has it's own character. The body and neck are made of agathis, and the fretboard is rosewood. It has block inlays on the fretboard, which I thought was nifty for a guitar like this. It has the typical dual-humbucker configuration: two tone and two volume controls, a 3-way pickup selector, stop tailpiece, tuneomatic bridge, you get the idea. The chrome humbuckers and hardware really make this guitar look snazzy. The tuners aren't bad, and I would even say that they're pretty good. Everthings pretty basic, but who really needs more than "basic"?

This guitar is AWESOME when it comes to the sound. It sounds great clean or distorted, and has a full and brite sound. It sounds great on either the bridge pickup, neck pickup, or both. You might go wrong with the wrong strings, though. The strings it comes with do NOT sound as great as with better strings. My suggestion would be Ernie Ball Super Slinky's. It just sounds sweet sweet sweet with those things on. It suits my musical style perfectly, which is actually quite broad. I play alot of Incubus and Creed, though. Probably any musical style you choose sounds great with this guitar. Alot of people say that the amp you use decides how your guitar sounds. To this i say "Bah-Humbucker!" this guitar sounds great on any setup!
I used to be in a band that was sort of a modern rock n' roll band that did a few gigs, and my rig consisted of 1) my Peavey Rage 158 15 watt amp, and 2) a mic shoved up to the amp, and it still sounded great.

The guitar was set up excellently when i got it. I didn't need to make any adjustments after i got it but i did recently adjust the pickups so I could balance the tone better to my liking for the middle positon. The only comlaint i have is about the fretboard; i can tell not alot of attention was put in to this because there are quite a few rough spots. Nothing major, mind you, it doesn't in any way hinder my playing. Since these are mass-built guitars, they are not all going to be so great. If there is more than one available, check em all out to make sure you're getting the best.

This is one hard-core durable guitar. It's fallen flat on the ground, fallen on it's head(it was a little out of tune after this one, mainly because the tuners touched the ground first), had a 100 watt amp fall over on it while it was in the gig bag. The hardware seems durable, it's hard to say too much yet as i've only had it for a little over a year, but I haven't had any trouble with this thing yet. It HAS withstood live playing and i have and definately would gig this thing without a backup.

Durable, durable, durable!!!

This is a great guitar that i'm never gonna sell. If this thing were lost or stolen, I probably wouldn't buy another one, because this guitar is no longer in production by DeArmond. Squier makes it now and it's different and probably worse. If you find a new one anywhere though, let me tell you, this thing is worth it. The list price is $350 and although I got it for half off, it's definately worth the full price. I've been laying for about 4 years and although this is the first electric guitar i bought, it's a great guitar for an experienced guitarist at a low price that can take a beating and that sounds great.

made in indonesia
agathis (supposedly a cheaper version of mahogony and alder)
2 humbuckers
mahogany neck
block inlays, (i'll choose block over dots anyday)

pretty much a basic sg
has everything it should

Best sound i ever heard from such a cheap guitar

DeArmond is known for their pickups, and it really shows

neck is full and the neck is hot

mostly for classic rock,
great with distortion

mine was well out of the box
strings were old so had to replace them
action was good, but i like mine high for a clear sound, so just raised it

neck seemed out of alignment, but sounds good

word of warning, if you're weak or like playing with the body low and neck high, avoid this guitar
the neck weighs a ton, and drops down as soon as you let it go
got alot of cramps playing power chords while trying to hold it up

mine is all black
looks better than crimson red, especially with the black headstock, covered chrome humbucks and chrome hardware.
pickguard has some sort of binding, with is a nice touch

wood and finish is weak
dropped another guitar on top, and made a big dent
apparently, agathis is red

hardware is reliable
tuners stay in tuned for the most part

only gripe is the weak wood with finish
mine is cracked where i dented it

never had to deal with dearmond or fender (they bought them)

great guitar
probably one of the best at his price

usually don't buy guitars online with playing one, but this deal looked too good

shipping and handling was free when i purchased over 200

that was easy, considering strings, straps, tuner, pedal, and a practice amp i bought

been playing for several years, and played with lots of different types

kinda uncomfortable when standing, but sounds excellent

Guild s-100 copy, wax potted DeArmond pickups.Made in the good ol U.S. of indonesia

Big, Dark Thick distortion, decent clean. I play rock. Fender roc-pro head through Mesa Boogie 2x12 cab, beautifull.

Action was decent, finish was beautifull.Neck joint was a little off, but lest we forget it cost us less than a bill, and it was made by 8 year olds in indonesia.

Dropped a dozen times, I literally 'beat' the thing and it doesn't die it's an awsome guitar

I've been playing for a while,own rig mentioned, a tele, and an ovation american elite special.This is a grea guitar.
Would I buy it again? Irony. Guitar was stolen last week, and a new one is on the way.I love this guitar

Not exactly an SG copy--it's actually a reissue of a Guild electric the name of which I can't remember. Fender is now putting these out as Squiers. Two humbuckers (not bad either), two volume knobs, two tone knobs. Neck so heavy that if you tossed it in the fireplace today it'd still be smoldering tomorrow. Shitty inlays, but for $99 you should be glad you're getting inlays at all.

Nice chunky sound--don't know who made these pickups, but they sound just fine. I run it direct through a Tech-21 PSA-1 into a Lexicon Reflex and then a Boss BR-8. It sounds as good as my Tele. Pretty quiet, pretty versatile. Perhaps not as complex or bright a sound as you might want, but again, can't beat it for $99.

Believe it or not, I like the factory action just fine. The strings, however, were garbage. When I first tuned it up I thought I'd been had--that's how bad they were. The finish is nice--moon blue--frets, fretboard, neck all look good. Pickup covers wobble around a little. Tuners are even OK. But there are bubbles under the inlays and the stickers on the knobs peel off.

I took it on an airplane and the bruiser of a neck stayed tight. I am not having the neck screw problems other people have, but I mostly just play at home. I don't like the way the neck weighs the guitar down when I let go of it. Upper strap button should not be on the back of the guitar. I depend on it, but bring a backup.

If it were stolen, I might get another. Hard to imagine finding a guitar this good at this price, except at an estate sale or something. It's a beauty, ultimately--I love telling people how much I paid for it.