El-Degas Les Paul Custom Copy

It looks like Randy Rhodes' creamy white Custom... except for the bolt-on neck. It had two single coil pickups designed to look like regular humbuckers. I took the neck off one day when I first got it because it creaked so much. After scraping out the sawdust and hardened paint, the neck sat perfectly in the slot. No more creaks. I don't know what kind of wood it's made from but it's fairly heavy. the top has a space between it and the rest of the body so it has some hollowness to it.

I replaced the bridge pickup a few years back with a DiMarzio PAF and that made a big difference. I left the neck single coil in place and now they are out of phase so the middle selection sounds really nice and wispy for a rock axe. It's different enough that I don't feel like getting a humbucker for the neck.

I broke the nut off it while jamming one day so I got a cheap replacement that served me up until a few years back. I took it to a shop and had a bone nut put on it and now the strings slide perfectly through it. I replaced the saddles with some carbon ones and replaced the junky tuners with a set of Grovers. The bridge collapsed under the tension of the strings so I had to put that in a vice to fix it which forced me to let the tailpiece ride up the bolts a bit so it wouldn't happen again. So far so good. It doesn't feel or play much different than either of my other Les Pauls.

I've had it from new so that makes it around 32 years now and it's been through a lot of jams and gigs. The only issue with it is the jack is a bit loose from a drop years back and the cord doesn't hold as tight as it should. I'll have to replace that one of these days.

Yeah, right.

Like I said, it plays as well as a Les Paul so I can't complain. It sounds different enough that it comes in handy while recording if you want a hollowish type of chunky sound. It's hard to describe but that's about it. It was my first electric and would be very hard to replace.

I have been told this guitar was manufactured in the mid to late 70's, and is part of the "lawsuit era" lore that we often hear about. My sources indicate El Degas to be a front name for Ibanez to be marketed in Canada. If you pay attention, many that you find for sale are in Canada. It's a solid top, and has the beautiful black finish, white binding and gold plated gardware. Comes with 2 humbuckers, standard LP volume and tone controls and 3 way switch. This guitar had been donated to our church and was in pretty bad condition when I ran across it. It had been poorly stored by the previous owners and consequently resulted in rust and pitting of the pickups, etc. Since our church had no use for it, I purchased it from the for $50 and hoped for the best. After a visit to a skilled luthier, the intonation was reset, a new plug jack installed, and voila! Just $75 dollars later the guy told me it played and sounded as good as a $1000 guitar. Though rough and somewhat tattered (I love it's natural patina), I feel blessed to have it and it's a dream to play.

I play many styles, but mostly contemporary Christian and classic rock and find my Degas fits anything I play like a glove. One area of difficulty though is the fact that I do get some buzz out of the 1st string on certain frets. I think the neck may need a tune up. But beyond that, the sustain lasts forever (almost) and it has a wonderfully deep growly tone... very rich. The luthier who worked on this guitar for me says the pitting and little bit of rust on the pickups actually adds a different dimension to it's tone which makes it very unique. Once again, gotta love that patina. I play it through a Lne 6 POD 2.0 for varying amp modeling and find it very versatile, but as is the case with an LP, it's hard to capture the "surfer" or "Johhny Cash" sounds. But that's okay. It does great on everything else.

Couldn't tell you how it was set up out of the box. As I said, when I was blessed with it, it was a mess. Though it has wear to it's finish, pitted pickups and yellowing age to the bindings, it is still strikingly pretty to look at. I feel this is a testimonty to the guitar's durability to be able to survive who knows how long in a damp storage and even come out with a straight neck! I suppose if I were to ding this thing at all in this area, I know the quality of the wood and how it all fit together was/is not equal to a real LP. But... it's awfully good in my book! As for the action, I have never played an easier guitar in my life, and I have been playing since 1974! It is sweet to the fingers. One last thing... the tuners are a bit cheap and not smooth or 100% accurate. Aside form it's poor storage, I think the tuners were likely the lowest quality part of this guitar.

What can I say? This guitar is heavy and solid and has survived being stored in a cold damp place. I don't think Pete Townsend could break it like he used to do axes in the old days. If it can live through such poor storage and still receive praise from a gifted luthier and play as nice as it does to this day, man, it will outlive us all.

My sources indicate El Degas was either sued out of existence by Gibson back in the late 70's early 80's, or were pressured out by threat of lawsuit. So, who can you call? I mean, if you make an LP copy that looks exactly like an LP with the same headstock shape and pearly inlays, I don't think you should expect to still be around to service them, eh?

This will be my 34th year of playing guitar. My El Degas is one of three guitars in my stable that God has blessed me with. And I'm not into the expensive high-end stuff, even if I could afford it. I like unique guitars, old and quirky and not your run of the mill. My other 2 are a new Dean 12 string Boca (I know... it's new. But, it's unique!), and a Gibson/Epiphone Stratocaster copy from the early 90's that I just purchased a couple days ago. I've been running through my POD at church and they sound great thriough the system there, though I've yet to play the Epi there. Soon! To warp up, I love my patina-ridden El-Deags and would never part with it. I suggest if you ever have a chance to get an El Degas LP, do it. You won't regret it.

I don't know were it was made? Would like to know!
It has 22 frets. Solid Top, with normal les paul controls.
Humbuckers.

Sounds Super for classic rock. From Zeppelin to Boston

black with gold hardware. Vintage look. i think this guitar is pretty old but in mint cond.!

wow

could someone e-mail me and help me figure out the approximate age of this guitar?

My Guitar was probly made late 70's and I am thinking Japan.
Standerd Frets
Its A solid and talk about weight.
Got 2 volume 2 tone and a 3 way.
All Pickups are still origanal even though my guitar has been rewierd 2 times. I have to say i like the neck pickup the best

I play like Classic rock and it sounds awesome.I was just using it with an old national amp i got from a friend and his fab overdrive pedal and even off it sounds awesome. Its pretty good on a high tone setting and ona low it is like you are playing the bass part of 7 nation army

I did not buy it new so i don't know but the action was great i had to ajust the pots a bit but other than that is fine. The only thing wrong is now the switch is fuzzing out on me but heh. its old. The back has one chip in it and i am going to paint over it anyway.

This guitar could last an atomic bomb and then some. Its 30 some years old so you got to expect alot of playing wear so its in awesome condition looking at how hard i played it and the guy that i bought it from did. I would dependon this guitar for anything no need for a backup here.

Where are they?

I bought this guitar at a yard sale and I play it alot more thn my Stagg and just love it and some day i hope to be able to get a real Gibson Les Paul And if anyone wants to share pics or anything just email me :)

Those to whom I've shown this guitar say it's a '70's Les Paul copy, probably Japanese. It's black, and it has the Les Paul Custom-like inlay on the headstock as well as the word 'Custom' on the truss rod cover. I'm unsure of the body and neck woods--fingerboard appears to be rosewood. The tuners have been upgraded to Gibson tuners, and I had a Bigsby installed! The pickup configuration is H/H; I'm not sure what kind of pickups are installed. They appear to be the original pickups. Normal Les Paul features (3-way pickup switch, volume and tone knobs for each pickup).

This is a wonderful little guitar with a lot of personality! It was a gift from a good friend. This guitar is good for any music style that fits a Gibson Les Paul... rock, rock, and more rock... There are plenty of flavors available, though. The low end response is great (maybe a little too great sometimes!), and the bridge pickup really rips your face off! Going through a Marshall rig (we tried it with a JMP-1 preamp, Marshall EL34 power amp, and JCM900 4x12" cabinet), the guitar just jumps out of your hands! Great sustain, great clarity with high gain sounds, and incredible note separation.

I'm using the guitar with a Bluesbreaker (pedal) clone, a Line 6 PODxt (usually the AC30 amp model), and will soon have an Orange AD30 (I've been waiting a long time for the Orange!). The style of music is pretty straight forward pop rock (www.newloveover.com). This guitar suits the heavier side of pop rock quite well, which is exactly what I need it to do. My other main guitar is an inexpensive Godin Radiator, which I use for single coil sounds (bright, somewhere between a Tele and a Rick).

A Monster Rock guitar cable really brought out the clarity and beef with this Les Paul copy. It sounded great before, but the Monster cable helps this guitar really speak through the amp modeler. Sounds much more balanced now. There's something plastic about amp modelers... looking forward to using my new Orange...

The guitar had been set up professionally when it was given to me, so it played fine when I received it. Seems like the craftsmanship of the guitar was decent when it was manufactured. I haven't noticed any big problems with the original work quality. (Then again, I think this guitar is approaching its 30th birthday!)

It would be quite difficult to damage this guy; it's as heavy as a car! The hardware is starting to not look its best... hardware is cheap to replace, though. This instrument is plenty durable for live performance (without a backup); my biggest fear is breaking a string during a show...

It seems like this company is kind of an urban legend... only a few people around the internet seem to know much about it. It sounds like they made quite a few copies of many guitars (Strats, Teles, Ricks, Gibsons of all styles). Someone I talked to thought El Degas made guitars for Ibanez in the 70's; I'm not sure how much water that hypothesis holds, though...

My guitar journey has been just over 10 brief years so far... Personalities count for a lot in my book. This guitar has plenty! I like guitars that are a little off the main path. They're the ones that have been overlooked by players who want the mainstream instruments... It's great when you can find an old instrument (or amp or pedal for that matter) that seems to have a voice and personality of its own.

Slick Black&Brass El-Degas Les Paul Copy. Purchased new in 1993. It has lasted a decade of gigging, the abuse of many grubby fingers and a lifestyle of turbulence; and still looks like she did the first day I met her.

Save for the Seymour Duncan & Gibson Humbuckers; The Grover tuning pegs in sleak black, this thing has morphed into one of the best purchases I have ever made in my life.

It may not be an original Les Paul, but with a little 'tweak' this is a guitar competes with the elite guitars I have experienced.

I have a Seynour Duncan for the fuzz, and a Gibson Humbucker for the clean.

This guitar with minimal effects through 100 Watts of Amplifier will suit all of your needs.

Sustains very well, is wonderful for palm muting and you would not belive what I can get this thing to do once the 'chi' starts resonating.

Once you replace the Humbuckers and Tuning Pegs, this thing is flawless. I would say mine is a 10 now. I will hovever be fair, and rate the original product as a 6.

I have done my best to keep this guitar protected, and it looks just like it should.

Can you depend on it? Absolutely, just make sure you have a strap that attaches very securely, and a decent case. It would be heartbreaking to lose a guitar like this due to carelessness.

Overall I have to say that I am so glad I bought this guitar. It was such a pivotal descision in my life to do this. I remember my best friend from high-school telling about how you could get a distinctive and beautiful guitar for next to nothing if you went hunting for Les Paul copies (new or used). At the the end of my search I could only afford to take home one.

Since we didn't have much money back in those days, it was tough picking the brand new El-Degas at $400 (canadian). But somehow I couldnt get it out of my mind.

WIth lots of loyal service, this guitar has stayed true. The action sits confidently low and the way it handles medium-lite gauge strings is simply wonderful. You can really melt into the fretboard and the easily navigated slim neck; Vibrato and bending is unsurpassed.

I dont think I would be wrong in saying that better guitars simply come with a heavier pricetag. If we judged all guitars individually, I certainly think that some of these El-Degas Customs might qualify as 'elite'. El-Degas may be a Korean company, and not have the identity & prestige that 'Gibson' has, but it has a mystique. Why there seems to be only a handful in Canada & the even fewer in the U.S. gives this guitar a candidacy for a possible piece of mythology. Nothing like a recall of this beautiful product, and that haul of recalled product going up in smoke. Makes me glad I still have mine, and leaves questions into the legitimacy of the factory fire.

Black & Brass is slick on the Les Paul. The El-Degas Custom is right up there. It has a narrower neck too. I find this suits my needs to a tee.

Solid Gold!

I'm not interested in selling it, I'm not interested in its cash value; It's worth much more than that....

Early 70's?? (late 60's?) Japanese model
Traded for it years ago...sat in storage (floods etc)...pulled out of storage 3 years ago (with no body of neck damage to it's 'bradley tank' finish!!)

Pickups were some gold sealed units which were tossed (I've actually kept them) in favour of Duncans' JB models

I painstakingly refretted it about a year ago and inserted a bone nut (another painstaking task), replaced the tuners, rewired it, replaced the pots, put in a steel bridge (the old one had the plastic sliders)and replaced the tuning knobs... a labour of love!!

I play mostly classic rock (Zep etc) and this tank certainly is muddy...no doubt about that! The pots allow a lot of range and the Duncans have certainly improved this thing. I use a digitech rp300 so I can fiddle with the setting for sound (when at home with the 'phones on) but nothing sounds better than when this dinosaur gets the chance to rock under the power of just my fender amp

The action is much improved since I refretted it...I had actually thought of purchasing a Gibson neck (approx $250.00?), however I'm not certain as to how/if it will fit. If it did it certainly would look like a black beauty.

The finish is black with the (now yellowed/aged) looking border)and is incredibly well preserved! It has 1 small chip in (markered over!) which I did :-( about a year ago and with a little furniture polish this thing shines! The paint has not cracked or seperated (hmmm...maybe the damp storage actually preserved it)

The neck is rosewood? that has some wear around the 6th fret, however it really soaks up the Olde English Oil and looks flawless

The el Degas was steel-wooled off ...I guess years ago as I didn't do it...but hey, couldn't they have come up with a cooler name at the time? If they were going to get sued anyway, why didn't they call it the 'Page' or 'Carlos'?

As I have stated above, the axe loves to be let loose with a cranked amp... I have a Dean that this thing will utterly destroy

Hah! enough said, but is it true about the recall and mysterious fire? I wonder how many of these things are actually left?

personally rated 10

If anyone wants to swap pics whatever...contact me
Any ideas on the exact age of these things? The value? The lawsuit?

Two unknow brand humbuckers, two vols and two tones and one three way. LP Black Classic Les Paul knock-off. Not plywood. Read previous entries and below. Great finish detail.

Blues: great, jazz: can somewhat cut it, rectified, effects ... very, very nice, decent sustain. Beefy with slight loss of top end clarity. They're not 57 classics. However, they have a fine personality. Keeps me from loosing my inclination to change them out. It doesn't capture, in totality, a Les Paul sound but it's very complimentary and individualistic.

Set it up myself. Easily adjusted all as I wanted. Very nice low, low action without a buzz anywhere on the fret board. Normal fret wear-not bad. The bolt-on neck is absolutely straight after more than 30 years. I'm not disturded by it being a bolt-on. Rather, it seems to have added to it durability. The finish is close to origional. Paint finish is excellent. Must have stayed stored in a case and in a closet for the last many years. Looks like attention was paid to detail in build and quality. The binding has aged superbly and is tight and mellowed in tone. All the hardware except for the bridge polished-up well. The bridge was the only corroded piece I replaced. The tuners are not the top of the line but require very minor adjustment-tuning at each day of play. Intonation is very accurate. My electronics are origional. All in order. neat and soldered good. No scratchy pots or switch. I took a dremal to the cavity wall. It appears to be two solid halves (1/2") of mahagony and two solid veneers of capping. Definately not plywood. Wood produces great tone. No chips, splits or scratches in finish. Eventually will change nut to bone.

It's solid. It survived unchange for three decades. Should last a lifetime.

There is none. Well, my research leads me to conclude that these may have been distributed by Ibanez. I speculate that it may be one of their origional lawsuit models. Having stock on hand, being on the defensive from Gibson, and seeking to market their factory left-overs, they may have marketed them under the Cortez and El Degas brand names supposidly in Canada. Nobody seems to know too much about either of them which may have been the intent. Funny, someone said the El Degas building burned down. The head stock marking on the El Degas is more Gibson than the Cortez. There does not seem to be very many around.

Been playing 37 years. The last 3 of which more seriously. I have owned at least 60 guitars. I'm partial to hollowbody archtop guitars. Have a total of 8 I really appreciate. This guitar has that special feel and playability I like. I really enjoy it. Now it's my favorite solid body archtop. Although I'm always swapping-up, I'm unwilling to part with it. Coming from a different era, manufatured with different/better materials and workmanship, it - to me - is collectible. Its mysterious past is also intreging. I'm in guitar stores all the time. I have not tried anything new or used off the rack that competes closely (in the LP style) to the origional. I don't believe any current low-end knock-offs are using anywhere near the quality of wood that went into this piece. Read the Cortez reviews as well. Many owners are unwilling to part with them and, in fact, would like another. Comparatively great value in its class and price range.

Mid 70's - I bought it new in 1976 for $145.00 CDN
2 single coil pickups in humbucker sized cases (replaced the bridge pickup with a DiMarzio PAF and it now sounds excellent)
Bolt-on neck / plywood body
White with chrome hardware (finish has changed to a nice cream colour the way it should)
Replaced the original tuning pegs with Grovers and had a new bone nut put on. The thing plays as good as either of my Gibsons.

Since I put the PAF in the tail of it, it sounds great. Typical Les Paul humbucker sound in treble position and full blues tone in rythym position. I must have changed the phase of the new pickup with the original one as it sounds totally different and mellow in the middle position. I thought of getting another PAF for the neck but decided the overall tone with the humbucker and the single-coil could not be improved upon.

After almost 30 years of playing it, the action is perfect. It took a while to get it that way. The first time I took the neck off, I had to scrape a bunch of powdered finish and sawdust out from the slot. That fixed the movement in the neck! I give it a 7 overall because it started about a 3 until I did the work on it. Now it's around a 7.

It's lasted 28 years so that says something. I never abused it (much) but it has a few little bangs and dings. Nothing that would drastically detract from the overall look and value of the guitar. If I were a gigging musician, I probably would not use it in a live environment simply because of the sentimental value but I use it in the studio all the time with no qualms about getting a bad sound.

The store I bought it from is no longer in business and the company that made it is out of the picture as well.

I've been playing for 28 years. This was my first real guitar. It is absolutely fantastic. It's nice to see that they are commanding good prices on eBay but you'll never see mine up for auction.

just want to clear some things up

just want to clear some things up

just want to clear some things up

just want to clear some things up

Well this is all i know that in 1972 the factory had recalled some 500 units to be repaired do to faulty pick-ups. At time of the recall the factory cought fire and completely burned to the ground, leaving what we have today in the way of El Dagas guitars. After they settled with the costomers and the Insurance Company they turned repairs over to another company. I have tryed to search out that company but have found nothing. just thought u guys would like alil info

Love it. mine was repaired locally so it was not sent back with 2 others from the same shop that i bought mine at and those 2 were lost in the fire.

Old 70's produced guitar. Made in Japan. It's got all the typical Les paul controls and hardware configuration. Passive Jap pickups that really need replacing. I slapped in a Duncan Custom with coiltap and phase switch and it shreads.
Finish is a killer tabbaco burst that really looks nice. The lamanate is a maple veneer over plywood with cream binding. What can I say.. it LOOKS like a $2000 guitar. I know it's cheaply made, but for $150???? Can't go wrong.
The hardware should be replaced, I've owned this guitar for 7 years now and most of the origional hardware lost it's gold coloring and needed to desperatly be replaced.
My first very first guitar was an El Degas strat, when I saw this one in a pawnshop I grabbed it on site.

With the new neck pickup it ripps. I've got 5 other guitars, this one definatly holds it's own in the group. Nice fat crunch. The neck sings and is the origional stock pickup.

Action is decent, I have a Epiphone Zakk Wylde Les Paul and it plays better... but also cost $600 more. Not the fastest neck on the planet, but I've also tried scores of $2000+ guitars that this thing kills. So, it's all relative.
It requires a bit of tinkering to get the intonation set properly but aside from that, very straightforward to set up.

It's built like a tank. The nice thing about cheap guitars is they are usually more durable than expensive ones. The finish is definatly a catylised covering (epoxy based probly. Which makes it very damage resistant unlike the laquers used on most guitars. The Plywood base is also damage resistant as well. I had this guitar fall off the wall when one of my guitar hangers let go... hardly a sratch from a 4ft fall.
I've played live with it for 5 years now... it's still goin strong.

Like I said, built like a tank. And if it does get a bit mashed up (that would take a serious accident or some intentional involvement) who cares... it's dirt cheap.

Forget it... think they've gone out of buisness a long time ago.

For the money, probly the best "bang for the buck" guitar I own. It's not a classic or an 'investment' guitar. It's a cheap Japaneese knock off. If used for what guitars are made to do... play, you can't get a better deal.
It's a indestructable road guitar, which is exactly what I use it for. And it's never let me down.
Some guitars I own I don't take on the road.. too valuable or I just don't want them getting torn up. This thing has seen the worst of handleing and hardly shows any signs of the massive abuse it's seen.
I'm getting another if I can find one.

Year early 70's
22 frets
laminated top
standard Les Paul controls and pickups
The body is made of plywood with a decent black finish.
sealed tuners..make??
very thin neck for a Les Paul copy.Bolt on.Rosewood fingerboard and what appears to be some nice mother of pearl inlay.
gave it a 6 beacause of plywood and bolt on neck.

The guitar sounds great.Really. I play just about everything,but tend to lean toward a funky-jazzy style.Been playing 24 years.
No microphonics from these unknown pickups.I can get a snappy tone from them almost Tele like and they break up nice when you drive the amp.The neck pickup has that fat Les Paul tone,but it shines with both pickups on.

The action on this is excellent.It plays itself.Good binding work done on it,with no separation.I love the look of yellowed binding with age which this one has.The guitar looks vintage which adds to the vibe of it.
The neck joint is tight,and everything does what it should.

Solid guitar.good harware
Strap buttons....EEhhh
I would gig with this no problem

Forget it.

I bought this because i remember El Degas's when I was a kid.I never see them anymore.I was also surprized by it's playability.When I removed a rear plate and found out it was plywood,it was a letdown,but it doesn't seem to hinder this axe.Hey it sounds good!!
From a distance you'd swear it was a black beauty.
This guitar has a great vibe to it,and sometimes I'll buy a guitar just for that reason.
I think I'll keep it for nostalgic reasons.It's not the real thing,but when she's singing through one of my nice tube amps,who cares.Either you can play or you can't ..right?
If you see one buy it.Great bang for the buck.

El Degas LP Custom, 1990 probably Japan or Korea. l bought this new for about $400 Cdn. lt was black with gold hardware, cream binding up the neck and around the headstock. With out a doubt, exactly like a LP custom. 2 humbuckers as well. l dont know what it was made of, l am guessing solid mohogany, it weighed a ton.

At the time l was playing through a Fender Performer 1000 and using a FX 69 Grunge pedal. The bridge stock pickup blew goat ass, so l threw a Semour Duncan JB in the bridge and kept the neck stock. Once the pickup was changed, my god, pure sugar. l play from GnR to Pantera and the harmonics wailed, sustain for days, a nice fat meaty chunk. Clean didnt sound that great, but passible. The neck pick up easily produced that "sweetchild o mine intro" sound and sang on the solos. Before pick up change, l give the sound a 4. After, a 10

You get what you pay for, and for $400, it was a beautiful guitar.lf l wasnt a retard and gone and sold it, l would have replaced the tuners with Klusons and put in a Gibson bridge. The stock tuners and bridge looked like rough die cast that would easily corrode up the road

l took this baby everywhere, slopped beer on it, accidently dropped it a few times. l think this could be a work horse guitar. As for finish and hardware,you would probably end up replacing it up the road

Havent had to deal with them. l tried to do some reasearch on the company and l think they have packed it in

l sold this to a buddy for $75 because l had just bought a Jackson Dinky, which l sold a few months later because it sounded like shit. l have owned a Les Paul. l put JB in it, a Custom Custom, l could not get to sound as good as the El Degas. l have my Strat and Tele that are keepers, but l am on the hunt again for a El Degas LP
IF ANYONE HAS A WINE COLOURED EL DEGAS LP CUSTOM FOR SALE , PLEASE CONTACT ME

1970's Japanese 3-Humbucker Les Paul Custom copy by El Degas. I believe these were sold mostly in Canada before Gibson sued all the Japanese guitar companies that were making exact replicas. Headstock is Gibson exactly. The most major differences are the bolt-on neck and the name on the headstock.

This is a solid, heavy guitar. It has the "Les Paul sound". Pickups are decent (not high-gain), but I plan to put in Seymour Duncans. Wiring is wrong, but should be easy to fix. Very full-bodied and clear through an old tube amp.

The action on this guitar is great. The neck is wide and fat and straight as an arrow. The finish is really the only way that it compares poorly to a Gibson. From about 6-inches away you can see some cracks and gaps, but then again it is over 20 years old. Also, the inlays look like they might be plastic rather than mother-of-pearl.

This is a very solid guitar. The bolt-on neck joint is tighter than on fenders I've owned. It lasted over 2 decades already and doesn't seem to have suffered a bit in terms of sound or playability. There is some wear and tear, but just enough to give it a cool "relic" look.

Bought it used. The company no longer exists.

I've been playing for 14 years and have owned a Fender Strat, Squier Tele, a Gibson SG, and an Epiphone Les Paul. This guitar sounds and plays better than any of them. It's an amazing guitar for the price. These "lawsuit" era Japanese guitars really do compare to the real thing and aren't even a quarter of the price.