DeArmond X-155

Mine was a stock x-155 tobacco sunburst but left handed. It is not easy to find good left handed jazz boxes especially at this price.

The pickups are what sold me. They come as plain humbuckers but they have 4 wires coming out of them that make it simple to wire with a push pull pot to allow single coil conversion. I read about this modification on this site and it works like a charm. I now can have a beautiful jazz box that can give me a sound close to a strat or tele with the pull of a pot.

Top quality action fit and finish. I bought my guitar from a luthier in Quebec on ebay.I put 12-54 heavy strings .

THis guitar is about 6 years old and there is not a scratch on it even after a year of my devil may care handling. I really think guitars are for using , not coddling and this one seems to have a really hard finish.

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Excellent quality, Korean-made jazz box, in natural blonde finish. Laminated maple top, rosewood floating bridge, 2 vol and 2 tone controls, two Goldtone (USA-made) pickups. Guild-inspired harp tail piece and retro-looking pickguard. The DeArmond X-155 is the down-scaled version of Guild's older Manhatten jazz box. As with many Asian-made guitars, the poly coat finish is a bit overly thick. Similar to a L-5 and the Epi Broadway, it measures 17" at widest part of lower bout, and 3 1/4" thick.

This model hasn't been made for a couple of years now. The reverse of the headstock has "Crafted in Korea". I've understood this to mean that the guitar is made in Korea, at the Cort factory, and assembled (electronics, tuners, etc) in the USA (either in R.I. or California, depending on the date [when Fender bought Guild]).

The X-155 is the find of the century, and was voted numero uno by a leading guitar magazine a couple of years ago.

I looked at a lot of similarly-priced jazz boxes, and this produced the warm, woody jazz sound I wanted. It's clearly a jazz box, but it works for blues, rock, country, rockabilly. Jazz boxes are more versatile than many players might initially think, especially for rhythm playing. I have not noticed any noise or hum from the pickups. Feedback, as with any hollow body, can be an issue, and by carefully experimenting with and balancing the guitar and amp settings you can figure how to minimize this. The Goldtone humbuckers are quite nice, esp for a guitar in this price range. I don't see any need to replace the pickups with others. Fat strings, 12s, produce a lovely jazz sound.

For jazz gigs, I play this through a Polytone Minibrute II (a great old school amp for jazz), and the sound is gorgeous. Pure, clean sound, no effects used or needed. I also play this X-155 through a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe (with upgraded tubes and speaker--essential upgrades for this amp, IMHO); with a Boss equilizer and TS, this guitar works very well for blues and rock, etc.

As with so many guitars coming out of Asia, the fit, finish, & appearance are incredible--almost flawless. Some American factories could learn something about quality control from these foreign factories. Fortunately, the poly coat on this particular guitar is not as thick as on others I've seen. Neck is spot on straight, frets are perfectly finished, the binding is tight. The guitar is very easy to play. The nut and knobs are cheap, and could have been easily up graded by the factory. I've ordered black Guild knobs to replace the cheap light amber ones on the guitar. Block inlays are also very plain and cheap looking. Harp tailpiece is solid and attractive.

I looked at the Epi Joe Pass, Ibanez AF105, Samick JZ series, and this X-155 felt better, sounded better to me (warmer and more mellow), and had the same quality as the other Asian-made archtops in this price range. The USA-made pickups and assembly may explain the better tone over the others.

Very solid guitar, built like a tank. Except for cheap knobs, everything seems solid. Without question, a very dependable, gig-worthy guitar.

I bought this used, so I have no clue how Fender would respond to my questions or any problems I might have.

I've been playig 40+ years, gigging quite a bit the past 5 years: jazz/blues in one band, rock cover in another. My other guitar is a Fender Lite Ash Tele (a very versatile guitar). For jazz, I've had an Ibanez AF85 (decent guitar, cheap pups) and an Ibanez AS73 (335 style, cheap pups). Three years ago I had a Gibson L-5 Wes Montgomery--what an incredible work of art!! But I couldn't justify having a 4k guitar sitting at home and worryig about taking it for gigs. I've been looking for a depemdable jazz box since, never been overly happy with the many guitars in the under $700 price range. Looked at Epi Joe Pass and Broadway, Ibanez AF105, Washburn Montgomery, etc. Next step up are used Guilds ($1400+ range). This DeArmond, I felt, was better that the others in this range, and pretty dang close to the Guilds, certainly a much better bang for the buck when compared to Guilds and a ES-175. What do I wish this had? Maybe an ebony board, cool L-5 multi-layered binding, But for the price, it's an incredible deal.

Dearmond X-155 with two Dearmond Goldtone pickups in Sunburst, 16" across the lower bout, 24 3/4" scale, 12" radius neck, 1 11/16th" width at nut, floating rosewood bridge. The reviews below will tell you a lot about this model, now discontinued.

I'm a jazz player, and this guitar is wonderful for jazz. I thought the Goldtones were a bit bright with the maple top, but I have switched out my amp speaker to a vintage JBL D120F (in my Reverend Hellhound amp),put D'Addario chrome 11s on, and it sounds wonderful through the neck pickup,or through both. I don't roll off the tone knob, but set the tone with my amp. For the sake of comparison, I have a Guild X-150D, with two of the Guild HB1 pups, and the Dearmond sounds just as good, although a bit different. It is capable of a wider range of sound than I normally play, and can even sound a bit Strat like if you mix the pups.

I bought this used in 2002, and wasn't expecting such a beautiful instrument. Setup by Pittsburgh Guitars was almost perfect. I did have to tighten up the output jack nut and tighten some screws holding the pups in, but all in all, a great guitar with no misgluing, bad frets or other problems sometimes seen in earlier imported guitars. The Dearmond logo is inlaid fake mother of pearl, looks beautiful. The wood isn't as nice as on my Guild X-150, but the sunburst is beautifully done, and not one of the teardrop shaped bursts you sometimes see. I have read that the finish is really thick, but it doesn't appear thick, and the sound is terrific to my ears.

Simply put, it's a tank. Very dependable. I would always have a backup if I was gigging. The finish is just like the day I got the guitar, and is much more durable than a nitro finish would be.

No warranty, no company ( since Fender ditched them around 1999-2000).

I've been playing guitar 5 years, other jazz instruments 40 years.
I started guitar with this baby, and it met my primary criteria, which were good sound, easy playability, and comfort. When I got my Guild X-150, I knew that any improvement in sound would be minimal. I looked at many used guitars, but my guitar teacher and a local luthier kept telling me that the Dearmond, at $400, was a steal and the best in its class. If you can find one, grab it.

Newer (now discontinued) Korean-made DeArmond X-155 styled after the vintage Guild X-175. Fairly thick laminate maple top/thick poly finish with standard Gibson/Guild style controls. Comes stock with DeArmond Goldtone humbuckers. Trapeze tailpiece. Put together very solidly. Quility build.

This is where I may have to differ from the some of the other reviewers. Compared to a TV Jones Filtertron, Duncan Phat Cat, or DeArmond 2K, I found the Goldtones lacking in overall tonal richness with a brittle high end. I replaced them with Duncan Phat Cats and it really made the guitar come alive. Also, the finish is MUCH too thick. It really kills the tone I know this guitar would have with a thinner nitro finish. With a thinner nitro finish, DeArmond 2K's, and Bigsby, this guitar would rival the best new Gretsch's and age like a vintage guitar should. With this said, this is the best guitar for the money out there ($500 going rate). It feels and plays EXACTLY like a new $2000 Guild.

Great action. Solidly built. Poly finish is TOO THICK and kills the tone. I know the reason - most people won't buy it if it isn't shiny like a new car. Folks - cars don't make music. Let the wood resonate!

Very solid.

I play rockabilly and traditional country. This is a geat guitar fo the money. Not as good as a vintage Guild, but still great for knocking around at gigs.

Plenty on this in other reviews, 2 pups -hey- they are DeArmonds, everything else appropriate as you might expect

This thing is incredible. I play rock/blues, but have been moving towards folk and even old time (hey - I fell in love with a fiddle player - she's a subject for a different review). I have a Peavey 212 Special, but it's really irrelavant, as I have played this baby through lots of other setups. Very full sound, great acoustically, and incredably warm tones when amped. This baby does everything you might want from a big fat archtop - jazzy, blues, rockabilly - I just love it, I have been using flat wounds but I just picked up some 1/2 flats, so maybe that will give me a little more definition down at the bottom. Not that there's any problem there, just goofing around

OK - I got this used, but wow. Set up was perfect. I am used to setting up my own stuff but this was great from the box. I did have to fidgit with the bridge to get the intonation just right, but that's expected with shipping, and was really easy in compairison with others I have set up. I considered a tunomatic type bridge before I got it, but now I am very happy with the stock fixed comp bridge.

I wreck stuff. This is as solid as any archtop I have seen. The hardware is heavy duty, the finish is as deep as my girlfriends emotions (man - that's deep). I have the Black one, and I love the wat it looks. I got it used, and the previous owner must have given it the respect it deserves, as the is not a flaw anywhere. No glue globs, gaps or anything. Also, I read some other reviews that complained about the knobs. I definately don't have those knobs, but mine are original. Guess DeArmond fixid that up. Mine are black, with a chrome center that has a "D" cut into it, and one of the cosmetically impressive things about this axe. Use a strap lock on the bottom, but that applies to any big box like this. I could depend on this baby, no problem, But I do always bring a backup or two - hey, you could fall down or something.

N/A - I guess even the Fender Squire model is off the market. I do mhy own setup and am very careful about buying my guitars, so I have never had to go to the maker for any of my 12 or so guitars. I can't believe I bought this off e-bay, I normally would never buy without playing, but it worked out great.

I've been playing for maybe 10 years. I have a few acoustics, a thin body archtop, a Telecaster, a resonator, mandolin, blah, blah blah. This is my first full body archtop, and I was hesitant to go for a laminate top. I researched this well before buying, I was really nervous about buying before I played, but I had played other DeArmond X155's and the Squire X-155's that were out there, so I tryed it. It was a good move. If you're a really hot babe you can touch this, otherwise maybe you're suicidal? If it were stolen, I would have to find out if I could get one in prison, as I would kill the JA that took it. But, Yea - for sure I would get another, I love it

Standard set-up with 2 humbuckers, 2 volume, and 2 tone controls. See below for specs. Originally came with Dearmond humbuckers which sound great, but have their own personality. I loaded mine with Gibson classic 57's, changed the wooden bridge over to a gibson style tunamatic, and changed to speed knobs. This guitar now seems like a relatively inexpensive version of an L5. The frets and neck shape on my x-155 are very much like what you would see/feel on a Gibson, in terms of size and dimension. The neck doesn't seem as wide and flat as what you would find on the epiphone hollowbodies. I also like the 24-3/4 scale length. The TKO(?) case is very sturdy, and similar to what would be issued with a much more expensive guitar.

I'm interested in jazz in the style of George Benson, Wes Montgomery, Grant Green, Kenny Burrell, Joe Pass, Pat Metheny, Frank Vignola, Russell Malone, Mark Whitfield, Barney Kessel, Herb Ellis, Martin Taylor, Tal Farlow, Lenny Breau, and Jim Hall. This is a nice jazz guitar with good upper-mid definition. Electronics seem fine in this one. Slightly different from my es-175, but seems just as good in terms of tone. My amps include a Polytone Mini-brute, 64' Fender Princeton Reverb, and Mesa Subway Blues. Effects include a Maxon Compressor, and MXR Phase 90. This is a fairly large bodied guitar...I think it will come across very well in solo instrumental performances as well. My ratings take price into consideration.

Action and finish (tobacco sunburst) seem better than others in a comparable price range, such as the Epiphone Joe Pass, Jay Turser JT-136, Ibanez Artcores, and other comparable Deans, Johnsons, etc... The neck dimensions and fret size were a big sellers for me.

Everything seems sturdy and reliable.....no problems so far. I've used it on a number of gigs, but always take a back-up no matter how well a guitar is made.

Would have to go through Fender....So far, I have had no need to contact them. I would tend to believe other reports below indicating that this line was discontinued due to the possibility of cutting into higher end Guild sales. The guitar is that good.

Been playing for 25 years. Influences have ranged from Kiss to Jobim. I know...quite a stretch in styles, but finding new inspiration should never stop.
This guitar sounds and plays every bit as well as my es-175. I would certainly try to find another if lost/stolen. I agree with Guitar Player's Editor's Pick Award for the X-155. An excellent guitar, especially for the price. I would highly recommend it.

Fantastic jazz box look, but this is very wide ranging. I play the blues and some rockabilly. Even a little country comes out of this sweet beast. This has the standard tone knobs to help cut down the sound of these nice DeArmond pickups. Volume knobs. Nice harp tail piece. Dual humbuckers. Just fine, fine, fine looking!

Wow! Here is where the rubber meets the road. Not a nicer sounding guitar in my world. I have some nice higher cost guitars, but this one is the one I reach for. Feels great to play and I just get lost in the sound. Rich and full. Not muffled like so many humbuckers. No coat over amp sounds. Much more lively and warm.

Very well made. Bridge needed adjustment, but always the case with the floating bridge models. Nice set up now. Very nice quality. US makers could learn much from DeArmond.

Give it a 9 hear only because it is a hollowbody. I think it is very durable, but I prefer not to do any headbanging with this fine instrument.

This was made by Guild which is now owned by Fender, I am told. Fender has been good to me, though they get a bad rap. I like Fender. Fender has made me happy. I like their strong dealer network, so I give this a 10.

Yow! Bought this gently used. I did not think that I could find a classy, well made, great sounding hollowbody for this price! I had looked at Epiphones, but they were made poorly - bad fit and finish. I tried Gretsch, but they were not worth the overpriced prices they charge. Gibson's are spotty - some nice, some crap, and again way too much cash to lay out. Hence my looking at DeArmond's, a company with a rich history of making great pickups and for a while guitars and amps. They are back (were back before this line was discontinued) and well worth enjoying. Guild made them and then they dropped them. According to some this is because they were so nice that they cut into sales of Guilds. Hard to have a class item at 1/3 the price of your high end guitars. Imagine Ford suddenly having a Lincoln type car for less than a Taurus! Yep, it would sell and hurt the Lincoln sales. My way of saying... Yow! Fine, fine, fine instrument. SO glad I have it. Play it more than any other guitars I have.

Sweet big rocker! DeArmond's top of the line. A full sized, rich and sweet hollowbody. Has the dual humbuckers - DeArmond GoldTones. Very nice. Tone knobs, volume knobs. Plug it in and go! Rev it up and go!

Sweet sounding thanks to the DeArmond humbuckers. Jazz, blues, rockabilly, rock n roll. Your wish is its command. A VERY nice sounding guitar. Compared it to a Gretsch Tennessee Rose and it blew the Gretsch away. Much nicer sounds than the Gibson 335, and 1/4 the price.

How did they do this?! What a wonderful guitar. I had read that Guitar Player gave this an Editor's Pick Award, so I tracked one down. Now I know why. Very nice fit and finish.

A tank. No worries here. No stage diving, so it should be safe. A fantastic and classy guitar.

Nice support from local dealers. They were great.

I am lucky to find this one. No longer made. I am very happy with this guitar. Gretsch and Gibsons are nice, but Guild made this and I think once Fender bought them they decided they were too nice and too easy to sell and hurt Guild sales. This is a fantastic guitar for the price of a mass marketed solid body. Humbucker tone is unbelievable!

DeArmond X-155, purchased during the great close-out of '02. 2 Goldtone Humbuckers, floating bridge, 'D' tailpiece, laminated top,bla,bla...read below for complete list.

The best features are those beautifully warm DeArmond Humbuckers. They get such a pristine sound, especially if you switch to heavier strings (I use .13 flatwounds, and this baby does a decent Wes Montgomery impersonation. Not bad for $300!).

Worst feature is the sub-standard wiring and cosmetic parts. Also, the tailpiece makes re-stringing fairly difficult, as the grooves that hold the string balls are shallow and point downwards, requiring constant tension to be maintained on the string. Not a problem if you have three hands, otherwise, a little frustrating.

Very competent jazz guitar. I use it 90% for jazz, and 10% for folk/country/rockabilly.

Jazz - When the neck pickup is selected, and I set the tone to 5, this thing exceeds my expectations for a laminated top jazz guitar. Very rich sound. I especially like the way these humbuckers smooth out your attack.

Other - I've found an unexpectedly good folk.country tone with this thing by selecting both pickups, and setting the volume and tone controls for the bridge pup to max or near max. It gives a nice amount of snap and shimmer, without ever being shrill.

There is one big issue with the sound, that has to do with the wiring. On my X-155, and on many others (I've heard from talking to people and reading forums.comments) the grounding is very poor. This results in an audible hiss coming from the guitar, which disappears when you touch the bridge, tailpece, or strings. I've tried a million remedys to get rid of this, but it seems only a full re-wiring will ever do the trick. Could be a big issue if you are using it for recording, otherwise a simple noise gate works great for all other applications. And like I said, it only appears when you aren't touching the strings, so not that important. Chalk it up to cheap foreign assembly/wiring.

This guitar arrived very well set up (action/strings/bridge/etc.). I switched it to flatwounds right away, and was able to improve the set-up a little, but not much. The neck is very responsive to truss-rod adjustments.

The big complaint here is the cheap plastic nut, which can bind the strings. When tuning, I often have to pull the string sharp until it 'pings' to loosen it from the nut, then tune as normal. One of these days I'll get that nut replaced.

The other part that you may like, but is not to my preference is the shape of the neck. The neck is wide and flat, which some people love. I prefer a more rounded neck (ideally, the circa 1950-1960 Epiphone necks). The flat neck occasionally causes cramping when doing lots of chording, and makes keeping your thumb centered more difficult.

All around a well set-up, easy to adjust piece of gear.

I've been bad to this baby for almost 2 years now, and is still in the same shape as when it arrived. I've done expiremental set-ups, and the neck has stayed true. The finish picks up dirt fairly easily, but is just as easy to clean. Top marks.

Never had to deal with them.

I play jazz mostly, mostly at home or in small jam sessions.

When I first bought this guitar, it felt like stealing at only $300. Now some time has passed, and it feals like Grand Theft. Very good guitar for the price.

Some will hate it because of the neck, but if you can live with it or love it, most everything else about this guitar is more than you would expect.

This is an update to an earlier post. Although I love the sound of these Dearmond Goldtones (a great PAF type humbucking sound), I found myself missing the single coil tone of my 61' Gretsch Clipper w/ HiLo-Trons. Almost bought another Dearmond w/ the single coil 2Ks but instead tapped (or split) the Goldtones. This basically turns a humbucker (2 coils) into a single coil. Although its still doesn't sound like the Gretsch, I was very pleased to find that it now will put out some very Fenderesque or P-90 type sounds. (Not exactly of course, but close.) This is very simple operation because the wires for the split are already there! (This is a 4-wire plus ground p.u.) For $15 I got a push/pull pot (so you don't have to drill extra holes for a switch!) and wired it to switch both pickups to single coil when pulled out. I actually bought 2 of these pots (more options, neck-bucker, bridge-single etc.) but using alligator clips I checked my different options and wired it as above and chose to put the other push/pull on my Dearmond M-72 solidbody (also w/ Goldtones). I advise EVERYONE to wire a coil tap in their Goldtone equipped Dearmonds. A very simple procedure, just keep those to extra 2 (black & white) wires connected and throw to ground! VERY usable clean, medium fat, or jangly single coil sounds! Adds a little noise but not bad and WORTH THE TROUBLE. You basically now have 2 guitars for the price of one!