Encore Strat Copy

22 frets, finish: black with white scratchplate or pickguard (like bass drums are called "kick drums" now don't know any other techy stuff btw no idea about the features bit so i put my house number

it sounded cheap and watery until i got it it set up for less than ??20 and now it plays and sounds great, i'm no muso but with the right amp and settings (usually by luck on my account)it can sound great but i am usually drunk so its hit and miss; i put 8/10 average time i'm sober when setting up

bad actually but it was cheap and if you're reading this you're on the net so check out guitar setting up sites, rated 3 because cheapo whaty do you expect?

i used to do punk but in my ripe old age of 39 am appreciating more melodic tones of libertines/killers/frattellis so being the 2nd guitarist i think it would pass but as i said i'm no muso but then again most of the audience who aren't muso's wouldn't be able to tell the difference from a fender so i'm giving it a 6

n/a when it breaks i'll try a squier since the prices have come down in the last few years but i'll give them the benefit of the dout with 5

i just wanted a guitar as cheap as possible to jam with but as i've got more into it and had it set up i feel an indecision to get a new one as it is very worn iN AND SEEMS TO GET BETTER! (THE CAPITALS WERE AN ACCIDENT AND NOT MEANT FOR DRAMATIC EFFECT)

finish is Black with a horrid plastic coating (same stuff is on the neck, just feels hard and plastic)
ive seen a couple of these guitars with different parts on them (notably plastic tuners, utter garbage)

comes with loads of useless crap (a horrid 10watt amp B.B. Blaster , a pitch pipe that is useless for a beginner, a short nylon strap, a crappy fake leather gigbag, a nylon plectrum, spare set of strings which suck.) THERE DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE A MANUAL INCLUDED FOR TUNING THIS PIECE OF CRAP. (if you are new then surely you will need this stuff, and since they aim these things at beginners...)

when i first got one it wasnt set up (got it as a gift from argos) it was impossible to tune up (me being a novice didnt help this.)
it basically sat in the corner for a long time untill i decided to buy some proper gear (a new guitar and a proper amp) when i tuned it, it didnt sound half bad.

with the volume on 10 it squeels like a pig on fire, electronics are pretty cheap and the pickups are horrid (they dont have magnetic polepieces just a cheap magnet on the backs of the pickups)

guitar was not set up at the factory (if it was they are more clueless than i was when i bought the thing) action was very high, truss rod was way out.

the pickups dont really make much difference to the sound if they are low or high, not a big problem anyway since anyone can do that to taste.

wood seems ok, very light, neck is disgusting and coated in some plastic shit that makes it seem like its sweating, the bridge is meant to be chrome plated but i noticed after 6 months it had rusted up...

will this guitar withstand live playing ? : NO.

does the hardware seem like it will last ? : nope i took it apart and didnt put it back together out of spite.

is the finish any good ? : nope its crap, lots of dings on the body scratches up really easily.

dependable ? : no

never tried to get it repair i do all that myself.
i emailed JHS (who own encore) and didnt get a reply, i wanted to know if they thought selling guitars in catalog stores was acceptable since they dont seem to set the things up, and the catalog shop isnt going to, not a very good start for a beginner.

ive been playing a while and luckily this didnt stunt my interest, when i tell people ive been playing i discount the years i owned this piece of shit (it was my first guitar) as i learned nothing about music at all.

i wish i had spent my money on somthing more worthwhile (like a yamaha, squier or a stagg copy).

strat style electric guitar with a single humbucker pickup. it has 22 frets with perloid dot markers.i think it is an e1btr. it came with an amp, gig, bag, lead (which was rubbish and broke fairly quick), but hey for the price its a good deal. maple neck, rose wood fret board, not surer about the body. full size guitar with a slight downsize body that looks really cool. only one pickup so tonal variation is a little limited (still about the same as a squire)

good sound coming from the single humbucker, beats a squire. i play stuff like led zeppelin, the hives, chuck berry, ac/dc and it copes fine with a little adjustment on the v&t controlls, thats the best way to change the sound.

the guitar came brand new in a box off of ebay. was not set up action very high but its easy to lower with the allen key provided. finih was on the whole good and the neck id nice and smooth, its actually quite fast. the v&t pots were loose and needed tightening. its quite hard to tune because of the gear ratios in the tuners but once its right it wont go out of tune just from playing. standard strings are cheap so replace them as soon as pos. and get a decent lead cos cheap leads are crap (i now use a nice thick liberty lead and it made a huge difference in the quality of sound0

id say its fairly reliable. ive had it for nearly a year now. the bridge and tuners are still shiney havent rusted or anything. the screws holding the pickup surround in place have got a bit rusty but you dont notice.

not ha d to use them

ive been playing accoustic for 5 years and elcetric for 1. its a good guitar for the money and theres no worry of it getting stolen, if it got stolen id probably buy a better guitar as im looking at upgradeing now,i choose it cos it was a good starter pack and it has done its job, its got me started. its not a pro guitar by any means but hey, it wass cheap

Its got 3 pickups (standard S/S/S configuration), with your average two tone controls (which do nothing at all to the tone), volume control, and pickup selector. Dunno what type of wood the body is made out of, very very light, wouldn't suprise me if it was pine!!!

I recently took the whole guitar apart, including all the wiring, repainted it and put it back together. I dunno wat i did but it now sounds really twangy and trebly which is great for the blink/greenday punk sound i want out of it but pants for the System of a down/slipknot sound i also wanted :( Pickups are the most hideous monstrosities ever strapped to a guitar, not too bad if your playing clean but disgusting distorted/overdriven, You might as well have a microphone next to your electric ravor, you'll get the same sound!!

Action isn't too bad but recently the neck has been going into a banana shape (bending gradually backwards) so i have to keep adjusting it (i think the things getting old and wants to retire!). The paint work survived all sorts of batterings, so thats good.

As i said, neck is bending, so a sign of not being very good. Other than that has lasted a fair while without any other damage from my butter fingers.

N/A

For similar money, you can get yourself a squier. I say do it.

Guitar is a red Encore Strat copy (made in India) bought second hand from a music shop for #75 in 1994. It has a rosewood fingerboard and a maple neck. I believe the body is ash. The guitar has 2 tone controls, a volume control and a 5 way selector. The pickup configuration is 2 single coils and 1 humbucker. The headstock is the same pattern as a Fender Strat.

I have owned this guitar for over 10 years and over that time my musical tastes have changed (hard rock, metal, blues rock, punk) and this guitar has coped well. I'm seriously glad I bought one with a humbucker as without it the guitar would be lacking when playing more aggressive styles of music. I tend to find the sound thins out a little on the very highest notes but that could be as much down to poor playing technique as I sound equally sketchy trying to squeeze into those high notes on real Fender Strats! I've played through a number of amps but have settled on a Peavey Bandit 112 Transtube (a great amp!). I haven't used much in the way of effects. I bought a KORG AX1G multi effects unit after I'd read good reviews but must say I'm disappointed with it. It seemed gimmicky and muddied the sound. This was a cheap effects unit so I'm in no doubt that it was the culprit and not the guitar! I find the guitar able to produce both rich warm sounds as well as bright tones. You can get a really smooth bluesy feel from this guitar as well as a crunching heavy sound. Pinch harmonics are easy to achieve and sound fantastic. I could go on and on, it sounds great!

I bought this guitar 2nd hand and I'm sure the music shop had spent time setting it up because it has a lovely low action. It just couldn't have been this good when new! The fit between the neck and the body is a four bolt fit and is faultless, you wouldn't slide a cigarette paper in there! The frets were gorgeous (a little worn now but still great). The only low point is the poor finish of the paintwork on the body. It is extremely durable but seems thin as you can see the wood grain. Inside the back cover the finish is awful, but you can't see that so I personally don't feel that it matters.

This guitar is rock solid. I bought this 2nd hand over a decade ago and this guitar has had lots of use and everything still lines up beautifully! The finish has held up and the way the guitar plays seems to get better with age. The strap buttons will never come out as I've rocked this guitar hard and they've not even loosened. The tone and volume pots are getting a bit crackly (only when adjusting) and probably need cleaning. The only part of the finish to suffer is the paintwork at the bottom of the guitar where the strap buckle has worn it away.

Playing 16 years and have owned this guitar for the past 11 years. When I bought it I played numerous other guitars in the store and this was not only the cheapest but was *by far* the best sounding. Reading the other reviews, either the company's newer models are lame or there are different models of Strat copies made by the company. The guitar I have sounds nothing like some of the other guitars reviewed here. The only Strat copy I've come across that compares to this guitar is the Yamaha Pacifica. The Yamaha has a better finish but the Encore gives away nothing in terms of sound and action. All I can say is that there clearly seems to be different types of "Encore" Strats out there, some are exceptional others dreadful. Don't take my or anyone else's review here as the gospel truth. The best way to buy a guitar you plan on keeping for a while is to go to a shop and play all the guitars you're interested in side by side and choose the one that sounds best and suits you - then but it! No two guitars are the same even if they're the same make and model!

I bought this guitar 7 years ago (1996), Proberbly made abroad...
22 Frets, Made from fibreboard or MDF or some other cheap ass material pretending to be wood, Has 1 Volume and 2 Tone pots with a 5-way... Standard Tremlo Bridge and 3 Single Coil Pickups (Still trying to work out who makes them!)
All electronics are passive (And are very scratchy)

This guitar is too twangy for my style of music (Metal/Heavy Rock).
Currently using A Marshall 50Watt Cab and NI Guitar Rig.
Used to be very noisy until I Shielded the Electronics and the P/U's
By adding a simple Phase inversion switch I now have 2 more Tone settings aswel as the standard 5.
I Dislike the cheapness of this guitar, the fact that the bridge lifts too far from the body when using heavy gauge strings and the way the Pots and 5-Way make a scratchy noise when being moved.

It was poorly setup when I recieved it.
Screws were loose here and there and the bottom E was already broken before I unpacked it.

"Will this guitar withstand live playing?"... Definately Not!
"Does the hardware seem like it will last?"... Nope... Starting to rust already!
"Is the finish good enough to last, or does it seem thin and easy to wear off
with lots of playing?"... I think not! The wood underneath the bridge has broken off due to the screws being too small and the Truss pulling the neck too far back!
"Are the strap buttons solid?"... The Buttons are... Just that the screws attaching them to the body are too small for the holes...
"Can you depend on it?"... At home... Yes... In small doses, More of a practaceing guitar.
"Would you use it on a gig without a backup?"... Definately not!!! I would rather not play!!!

Do they even have a website?!

"How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?"... Been playing 9 years, I own an Epiphone SG and a Stagg BC300 Bass Guitar.
"Anything else you'd like to share?"... I would recommend to everyone owning this guitar to do as many mods on it you can find to make this guitar better sounding!!!

Its an Encore Strat copy, early 90's I think. Made... somewhere? All in white, with a whammy bar. Its a strat copy, and has all the strat features.

The Encore Strat is without a doubt the best budget Stat in the world. Its got a great tone from the neck pick-up but it does all the other strat sounds adequately.

This guitar was pre-owned, but even though its worn, been gigged, and battered it still fits together like a dream. Its a real beauty. I wouldn't change a thing, except the pick-ups if I knew what I wanted instead?

Yes. It will, it has, and I'd trust it too again. Its may not be glamorous but it does the job solidly.

N/A

Its an ugly looking beast, unless you like strats all in white. I don't so I changed the scratch plate to a red marble oine, and now its a real vintage looker. I always disliked this particular guitar, too work-a-day, too ordinary, and I don't like strats. My friend had a beautiful Cherry Red Casino which I always admired, but now I have them both I realise why he always played this one. Its way better than my old Squire Strat. Its the best value for money strat I've ever played or heard and I won't hesistate to recommend this to you all.

This guitar was bought new in 1994 - but it may have been sitting in the shop for a wee while. Its a basic copy of a fender strat - headstock doesn't look funny or anything.
Rosewood fretboard - don't know what the body is made of but it's VERY HEAVY.

Right. I have had this guitar for 10 years and have only just bought something to replace it. Owing to all the good service I've had from it I wanted to pay it a little tribute.
I'm not denying that this guitar can be a bugger to play and that I've had to set it up a number of times to get it right, but the tone on this guitar kicks ass. I mean it really does. I'm not an deluded idiot it sounds amazing okay. I don't know whether they started off making these guitars reasonably well and then they went downhill or what, but the sound on this guitar is the least of its worries. The problems it has are that some of the frets are a tiny bit dodgy, it's hard to play the notes way up high sometimes, and there's not much sustain at all. All these things interfere with the sound. Over the years it has become easier and easier to play, which shows how an instrument can be worn in.

I play through a fender amp and go for a really full bluesy sound. Many many times i've been playing this guitar at gigs or on the street busking and people have come and looked at it and been surprised that it's an encore. This guitar has soul.

No doubt the pickups, if cheaply made, must be intelligently made, because they get everything across - I mean, all the frequencies are there. I have a fender squier also, and although it's easier to play and faster, its sound is thin and has no balls whatsover up against the encore.

I had all my own adjustments to this guitar.
Although the action isn't super smooth by any means, it feels good and responds well. One thing I have to say is that the action has improved with time, and that the truss rod is good and strong and hasn't warped.

I have totally dumped on this guitar and it has never let me down. I used it busking and no other guitar would do, so i'd just re-string it while the rest of the band played. We played for about six weeks on the streets - come wind and rain. Still fine. People should stop being so uptight about their guitars.

I have just bought myself a 1964 fender strat reissue. Basically, I had very few complaints with the encore, but knew that certain things would just not be possible with it. Hopefully the new guitar will suffice for the rest of time.

No doubt i was very lucky with this particular encore - it sounds like most people are gettting a cruddy deal on the new ones.

I just wanted to say that it's important to have an instrument that you love when you start out, so choose carefully. Also, do consider buying a second hand instrument, because they're better. Well, they're worn in.

Don't be fooled by the shopkeeper- you can get a cheap guitar that sounds better than most of the other stuff in the shop. Use your ear, and decide what sound you want.

typical argos bad strat copy, everything about it looks and feels cheap, (i suppose because it is) I found this in the corner of a friends room, who played guitar for a bit then gave up...(wonder why)
I wonder how many beginners have been lumped with this as their first guitar and given up. The feel of the 'guitar' is awful. It must be made of chipboard..bad chipboard at that. I pride myself on not being a gear snob and giving everything a fair chance. But after many hours playing about with it, attempting to give it a decent set up, i have found it is a lost cause.

I cannot comment on how this would sound through a proper amp, as i only played it through the afformentioned friends toy amp, the type that are generally thrown in with a 'guitar' like this in 'toys r us' outlets around the world. Fair enough as a beginner you are not going to be a tone obsessed valve head..but the result is still a bit of a joke...however taking into acount the price and target market ill say..

Its fair to say i have yet to come accross a guitar that was setup well from the factory.. But this is inexcusable. I have tried to change /adjust everything on this terrible excuse for firewood. All to no avail, it's signiture sound is 'buzz'. The 'paint' job is thin and cheap feeling. As is everthing on this guitar. It is one long battle (attempting) to play this instrument.

This wouldn't withstand the taunts you would recieve from the crowd let alone any actual playing. Can't stay in tune... just horrible. however its fair to say people buying this guitar will be at level where live playing is simply not an option. All materials and hardware belong on a bonfire, and the pickups are cheap and nasty. The neck feels like it would snap easily, which is no bad thing really.

This company should get an award. You wouldn't think it would be so hard to make a good guitar at a reasonable price, however they have managed to push the boundries of just how terrible a guitar can be. This is simply exploitation of beginners, who dread the prospect of going into a guitar shop, and just want everything they need in one package. I wonder how many new Vai's or Satrani's have been put off by this. If you are looking for your first guitar look elsewhere.

OK its fair to point out the price. However research your guitar before buying it, and look at second hand instuments. You are certain to find something a million times better at a similar price, Yamaha's a good place to start. Also take someone who knows about guitars to the shop to give you advice...I find it sad (most) guitar shop attendants are unwilling to give beginners the time of day, and are content in the quick sell of crap like this.

Bought this guitar, as a starter, in 2001. Standard Fender Stratocaster copy; three single coil pickups, twenty one frets, tremelo arm, volume and tone knobs.

For a beginner, this guitar was fine. When you can't play, you can't see the strengths or weaknesses of the guitar. I've played with it quite a bit over the past three years, and it produces a nice sound, with a good tone. I took a spring out of the bridge, changed the polarity of the neck pickup, set it up properly, and tried running it through lots of differant amplifiers and pedles. It gives a really warm, deep blues sound with just the right amount of interferance from the pickups themselves. Running it through an old Pioneer tape amplifier gives it an almost natural distortion, truly perfect for playing the blues.

The guitar was set up poorly, but so what? To me, this was a starter gitar, one on which I learnt to play. Now with greater knowlege, I set it up to my own standards, its like a blank canvas, ready for you to create your own tone from it. The same is not possible on a Fender Jaguar or a Gibson Lucille, i'd be too scared to play with it!

I deliberatly scratched off the finish to give it a 'used and abused' look, thusly, can't comment on the durability of the finish. However, the electronics have stood the test of three years of neglect.

Been playing 3 years
Other guitras: Vintage copy of SG,
Stagg copy of a Warlock,
Fender Accoustic DG1,
Earthtone accoustic 'Summer Breeze',
Dobro Resonator
and a Yamaha Jazz bass.

Overall rating:

Just because it's not a Fender, Gibson, Ibanez or PRS doesn't make it a poor guitar; quite the contary, if you are looking to create your own tone, then using a Gibson Les Paul into a Marshall stack, or a Fender Stratocaster into a Bluesbraker, will produce a tone similar to the people who have used this equipment before. To be a true guitarist is to experiment, and to use a guitar which isn't 'perfect' in every way is as important as writing your own songs, or having your soul in your music. To buy a guitar based solely on its name, and on the fact that it's tone has been 'approved' by the guitar community is folly. Try an Encore, try everything to get your tone, don't be fooled by other's nievety.

No idea what year it was made
Made in cheap labour land (Korea)
21 ?frets?, which seem to be pencil lead
I think it has a clear coat plastic finish, the type you laminate restaurant menus with
3 fridge magnets shaped like strat pickups, 5 way pickup selector, 2 tone and 1 volume, all best set at 0.
Body ? knotty pine. Fret board - cardboard. Neck ? paper Mache
Strat style body
It has a trem that?s designed to put your tuning out of whack whenever u touch it
Features tuners that tighten and loosen the strings but doesn?t tune them by any means

This guitar is a joke, it sounds like shit not only because it plays like shit and is made out of shit, but because it was obviously made by a crazy blind china-man. The rattles and clanks this pathetic excuse for an instrument makes would make my deaf grandmother shudder. I know it?s designed for beginners but if I had this as my first guitar I would of given up on day 1! (Thank god its not mine, a friend left it at my house.. wonder why?)

I?ve have a fender deluxe USA strat and the coils tapped on my Gibson les Paul, and in single coil mode they don?t make anywhere near as much noise as this. Its funny when you plug in and pickup French radio.

It sounds revolting in every setting!

The strings were dead and the action was as high as my drug-addict cousin. The intonation was all over the place and the pickups were to low. The nut looked like it was glued on the wrong way round and was at a dodgy angle.

The thing was covered in dents and marks, not that its hard to avoid, its not worth taking care of.

As a guitar for gigging? no, as a paddle for my canoe or a spade for my garden? maybe! I?m sure the neck would brake off as soon as it hit the mud though.

I?ve been playing a good few years and own lots of gear and play in 2 bands. This guitar isn?t worthy of anyone, even a beginner. If you?re thinking of buying one of these think twice, save a few extra quid up and buy a Jackson import or a cheap Ibanez. The cheap Ibanez?s aren?t really much different from the 1500 pound ones!

Usual spec as mentioned so many times.
Have had the guitar for ages and have a mate who does guitar revamps at mates rates...

New Pickups (Fender Lace Sensors (Bridge, Middle) Seanour D Humbucker (Bridge)

New Paint job

New Tuners

Original rating 4
Now 8

The guitar really sounds awesome now. The new pickups have really changed it. It sustains really well and the range of tones now offered is second to none.

This is one of the early ones and I have to say things aint too bad here. The neck is REALLY slim, the guitar has been pro set up (why you may ask, 'cause it was free!) and it plays really nice.

Nice action, very low with little to no string buzz.

It doesn't feel as solid as it could but what do you expect for the money!

I have been playing this guitar on and off for 9 years, still in great playing condition.

Other guitars, Rick 330 & Fender Mex Tele Custom

Although it will probably not make as many years as the other two guitars I would feel very comfortable playing this on stage.

N/A

Overall this guituar is a CHEAP copy and you should expect it to sound bloody awful when you first plug it in. Fortunately I was lucky enough to get some quality hardware for next to nothing and now the guitar sounds the dogs.

Standard strat features except for the tremolo, its unuseable, it's more like an instant detune bar.

Sounds great apart from the humming, lots of treble, very nice for funk or rithm & blues. For some styles I definately prefer it over my Ibanez artist ($2500).

I've set the strings very low over the fretboard and still not one fret is buzzing. The finish is nice too.

Stays tuned forever as long as you don't touch the tremolo.
Never broke, neck stays straight (unlike some yamaha's that would cost you twice as much).
I've gigged with it a couple of times and had no problems even after playing Jimi.

Never needed it.

I've been playing guitar for 6 years and I own a home studio with a couple of amps, guitars, p.a. system and lots of effects. The guitar sounds great through everything I own.
I don't understand why everyone rates this guitar so low, there's no better example for 'value for money'. The only flaws I can mention are the humming and the unuseable tremolo. Not bad for ?150,-.

This is one of the earlier strat copies by Encore with a fender strat shaped head stock, not the ugly head they put on newer ones. All the features of a fender strat but odviously not as good quality.

for what I paid, quality.

These earlier copys sound great. Yes the pickups are cheap but for texas blues and clean twangs they are awsome. The dude who taught me to play guitar uses a set of these encore pickups on a Redwing Tornado, these guitars were hand made by Patrick Eggle and are quality machines. I also own a Tornado but with the pickups Patrick put in and mine doesn't sound half as good.

In my oppinion the bridge pickup is a little to harsh but the middle and neck I think are comparable to some of the best single coils I have heard.

I own two of these guitars and both I brought second hand. They both needed a good scrub and set up. I have got them too the point were they are pretty good, not perfection but very usable. Yes one of them has a buzz around the 17 fret, but I belive that is because the bandit who owned it before me had tried to file the nut down with a hack saw, this is something I plan to get fixed soon.

Both my Encore's have fantastic slim necks which are easy to play.

I have read through the other reviews for this guitar and found a couple quite amusing. One guy said ;"My guitar has fallen over; the neck hit really hard; I've kicked it many a time; it's been in a buses compartment hovel - and yet it still lives. Very strange." this guy gave it a 4 rating.
another guy said ; "fair enough encore, i've dropped it a few times but nothing seemed to happen but that may just be because it was shit in the first place??" he also gave it only a 4.

Now I'm not being funny but any guitar that can take being dropped, kicked and put in a luggage hold is a pretty fuckin tough guitar, 4 out of 10 ? I don't think so guys.

The machine heads are bog as is the tremolo ( mine are both broke ). Yes I would gig this guitar but only with new machine heads and the bridge tightened down. Strangly enough back to my guitar teacher, he gigs with one of these with sperzel locking machine heads.

The guitar is very solid. I mark it down only because the machine heads and bridge are a rectal nightmare.

On a guitar this cheap you can mess around with it and not worry about fucking it up.

I have been playing long enough now to Know what is good and what is not. For what you can pick these up for, these are great. Spend #50 on some sperzels and you have a guitar to rival an American strat, but then you'd rather spend #500 because you don't want to be seen with Encore on your head stock do you ? If you can look through your vanity you'll find a great guitar for a days wages.

It seems everyone is aganst these guitars, I can only assume they have had the misfortune of owning one of the newer ones which are shit. If you find an old one with the strat shape head stock, grab it.
You don't see these much, but when I do, I buy them.

just referring to review number 2- you seem to love this guitar and say its all good,well just buy a REAL strat and tell us what you think of it then! encores are crap ,they sound nasty and are made of MDF.they are not a guitar to be proud of and i cant see you wanting to own one if you ever got famous.give your grandchildren a break and give em something better! get a decent amp aswel, cheap copies do NOT compare to the real deal

muddy, even with my vox ac30
twangy, buzzy even with the highest action and correct truss rod setting.neck bends easily.niosy pick ups.crap basically

crap action in every setting
crap crap crap
poor finish, dints easily (mdf)
plastic nut.

dropped it once when it fell off my strap, hit the floor in front of the stage and then neck snapped off.

dont buy one.get a decent guitar like a real strat or les paul.if you cant afford one then get something half decent.i.e epiphone

You've read most of the 'features', though mine seems to have metal tuners and the body isn't cardboard as I found some sawdust.

Started learning to play on this (brought for my daughter originaly) and hated it. Cheesewire strings, massive pickup noise bloody awful jangly sound. Brought myself an epiphoney goth SG and forgot about the encore for a while. Then given that the thing was pretty much unplayable spent a couple of weekends adjusting the action (neck was a banana) pickup heights, intonation and fret sanding. Well it ain't subtle, infact it sounds down right brutal but I find myself playing the encore of a weekend when I don't have to be too considerate to the neighbours. Still get a little fret buzz if I strum with combine harvester strokes but it doesn't seem to matter :)

From the factory,
setup was awful, nothing has actually fallen off yet but it has most of the other dire finish problems mentioned by others.

The paint chips but it wasn't loved for the first part of its life. If I ever got good enough to gig then I'd take this. Similar to motorcycling you stop playing and there's a big cheesy grin on your face.

Who are Encore?

Been playing under 1 year, also own the aforementioned goth. If the encore was stolen I'd be heartbroken, then I'd get over it and buy a strat :)
I love it cause it was crap and awful, real dumpster material, but with a little effort spent on it (and no money), it sounds awesome (which was a complete suprise), and the actions pretty close to the goth's (damn good).

dunno where its made
22 frets
2 tone 1 volume 5 way selecter 3 single coil pickups
strat look-a-like
came with amp only cause my mom got it from a friend and gave it to me for my birthday

i play hard rock, grungey, type of lead, and this guitar rocks at it
i use a squier amp (very underestimated) and a dod grunge distortion pedal
noisy on the 5th seting but thats because i put the pickup down real low
nice loud clean sound, great with my pedal
wide range of sounds, from lead to rhythm to whatever fits your needs
i love it all

low action makes easy platabilty
the pick ups everyone hates, but i guess i got the pick of the litter cause mine work great
the fretboard has a crack from the third fret down, but that dont hurt it

i think this guitar will be the one im handing down to my grand kids when im 80 yearsm old and still rocking out with it
it all is good
the strap buttons are great
i can depend on this to last til the day i die
i would use it in a gig without a back up, and do

i dunno if they exsist any more

ive been playing close to a year and a half
i wish i had a les paul, but for a guitarist on a budget, and even for rich people this guitar will rock you to your knees
if it was stolen i would deffinatly buy another
i love everything axcept the crack in the fretbaord
i compared it to a squier, hondo, and an austin, and this one was the best
i wish i had a 30 foot stack amp

No idea when it was made, probably sometime this century though and i presume it was made in some cheap labourous land, like china or korea.
The usual number of frets...22
Solid cheapy top.
Two tone a volume with 5 way selector
Who knows wot the pick-ups are probly some cheap ones that the ogg monster ate and was rejected by fender for their squeir strats.
Passive pickups
The body is wood, nothing fancy here, just plain old wood.
The finish is paint im safe to say
Its got a 60's strat bridge
Some crappy regular tuners
Fretboard is made of what can only resemble cardboard and the frets themselves look rather thin.
I think it came with a gig bag, strap, cable, tuner and amp

As it aint mine i can write what ever i want here. but it sounds surprisingly good for a piece cardboard glued to some 'wood' which was then painted by the winner of the turner prize. The amp it comes with is really good, a kustom i think it twas. What do u mean likes and dislikes, i could be here all day on the dislikes column.

ONce again as it aint mine i dont have a clue, but it safe to say that it was poorly constructed by some chinese fella who didnt even have clue about wot a guitar was, not that this can be classed as a guitar.

I presume it will fall apart with time, its hard to say if u could play with it in a gig, i would use as a finishing guitar, u no one u can smash over ur drummers head. Whoops, where are my safety precautions, make sure your dummer is wearing googles, if he isnt ull be forced to throw the guitar into the crowd.

Do encore really exist or are they just some crazed company that argos invented.

This guitar is about as useful as yogi is in a brothel. I mean ur better off using this as fire 'wood' coz i mean all of it would as there are not real metal parts, everything that looks metal is actually just plastic coated with paint. i found that out when i tryed playing it like hendrix did with his teeth and i ended up with a silver tongue.

Usual strat gubbins (see other reviews)

Oh dear lord. I've seen so many other reviews of this guitar being rubbish, i thought i must add to it. I don't usually write these reviews, but this has to be an exception. Its all true, this is possibly the worst guitar in the universe. What was the guy on that gave this 10!!? Feels flimsy, doesn't resonate. Horrible thin tone. I've played and owned cheap guitars before but they all sounded passable in some way, not this. Just because it is not marketed as beginners guitar doesn't make it an excuse to make it rubbish. If anything, it makes it far harder to learn. Nothing like a poor action to slow your progress down. I play a US telecaster. i wish i'd had that as a first guitar!

lol

I wouldn't rely on it because there isn't anything to rely on in the first place.

Who knows!? Do they exist? Are they an experimental government sector?

Whatever you do, under no circumstances buy this guitar. I've been playing 5 years now, have owned loads of gear, i know what i'm doing (mostly). My first guitar was a strat copy, (not this) for A#75 2nd hand. Half the retail price of this and 10 times the guitar. My advice is to look for 2nd hand items of the same price rather than waste your money on this 'guitar'. The thing i dislike most about the guitar is the physical presence of the guitar as an actual entity. The thing i like most is that it isn't actually attached to my body, which would just be weird.

none really awful pickups and real basic. i hate it. it has strings i suppose. From argos for 150 with amp and strap because o knew nothing about guitars, i was poor and i didnt even know if i'd pick up how to play guitar.

sounds bloody awful at any kind of music. horrible tinny sound and it buzzes as well.

sunburst effect looks nice so it pushes its score up by 1. Thats about it, the rest is shoddy and takky.

fair enough encore, i've dropped it a few times but nothing seemed to happen but that may just be because it was shit in the first place??

sorry nether spoken to them.

ok even if ur wanted a first guitar to learn on dont get this, its that bad. u can live with it for about a year before u realise how awful it is and u want to burn it. thats what happened to me. its sitting in the garage for 2 years now because its a crappy embarrasment. get a yamaha pacifica or fender standard strat for first guitar, they are well worth that little bit extra.

Got it from Argos. 22 fret, three single coil 5 way switch,strat copy.
not sure of wood but it looks good and strong. finish is flawless.

WOW. As soon as i plugged in i knew my search was over. I play mostly hard rock and neo-classical shred and it suits my playing great. I run it through a Marshall 1987 Plexi re-issue and a DOD 250 and Monster cables. This guitar really sings and will sistain forever. It has a really dark sound.

Not very good set up out of the box, but i do my own tech work anyway. After a few tweaks here and there it was rockin!!

Ive played a few gigs with thing and it performed great. I this thing should outlive me!!

never dealt with em.

Ive been playing about 17 years and i own a few other guitars and amps (mostly Marshalls and fenders) but I really like this ax. If it were lost or stolen i would replace it. These are really underestimated guitars and more poeple should check em out. Rock on!!

This is a cheap imitation guitar, which has 22 frets, three single coil pickups, two tone controls (for neck and mid pickups), and a single volume control. It also has a really nasty tremolo bridge, and some very cheap tuning heads.

The neck is made out of a really nasty-feeling wood, which seems to be different on 'identical' guitars. The body is under a standard laminated finish, which seems to protect some strange wood-like substance. But it isn't chipboard, contrary to what some people have said (but it could be different for them, since build quality really varies for this!) The strap buttons seems to be specially designed to make short work of any strap you put on it - it's a strap eating monster!!!

The sound... What sound, more like.

Acoustic, it doesn't really sustain the sound for long, and no matter what the action is, you *will* get fret buzz.

When plugged in, it sounds awful. I got this guitar as a Christmas present, and not knowing much about what guitars should sound like, it thought it was my playing. But I was really wrong (well my playing was bad then, but it's massively improved). The tone on it is really displeasing to the ear, which seems to empathize the really nasty high tones, and every tone which is discordant to that. The result: a really dull, offensive sound. And not offensive in the good sense.

Every control on the guitar makes a huge amount of noise, which if it can be controlled, can be a fun sound effect. But the terrible thing is that It Can Not Be Controlled!!! (duh duh duuuuh!)

Bad things aside; the fact it doesn't sound like a good guitar is sometimes a good thing. It you spend enough time with it, you can make some really odd sounds which are unique. And now that I've spent about five years with it, I know what sounds are good or bad. But don't take me wrong - the 'good' sounds still sounds awful really.

This is dreadful. For a beginners guitar, the action is far too high, with a really bad string length. It's like they have tried to make this difficult to play. If you know what you're doing, you can set it up so it is easier to play, and sounds almost consistant (almost, because it never sounds consistant) - but beginners won't know about this. So a lot of beginner guitarists will probably give up.

Even when setup well, it is still more difficult to play on that real guitars.

One major flaw with this guitar is the lack of electrical shielding inside it. It will pick up hums from every electrical source in a 5 mile radius. I've spent some time to put some shiny foil inside it, as well as earthing that, and the hums have almost entirely vanished. I can now play quietly without the *very loud* hum removing all trace of sound. But beginners won't know about this, or do anything about it, so it'll sound awful.

As with most things with this guitar, it is quite a contradiction. The guitar easily breaks in certain areas: The volume and 'tone' knobs fall off very easily; the tuning heads easily crack; the pickup selecter knob also easily falls off; the neck sounds like it is constantly breaking; amongst many other flaws. But it seems to last and last and last.

My guitar has fallen over; the neck hit really hard; I've kicked it many a time; it's been in a buses compartment hovel - and yet it still lives. Very strange.

It does last live playing, as long as you sort out the problem with the lead socket going loose - just tighten this with your fingers, and it plays. When it goes loose, then sometimes it refuses to play. I've gigged this as a lot of gigs, and it played. The biggest problem live is the strap buttons - they eat the strap, which makes the guitar fall off you at the worst point in time.

Can I depend on it - not really, but I have to, until I have enough money for a real guitar. Saying that, it hasn't failed me live yet - same with recording (why did I record on this guitar though!?!?)

N/A

Overall, this is a nasty - imitation guitar. And by imitation, I'm not saying it's pretending to be some brand it's not. Oh no - I mean that it is pretending to be a guitar.

It is meant to be a beginners guitar, but it seems to have been designed to be very anti-beginner. Most of the time, it sounds terrible. It's difficult to play. It breaks easily when you're being nice to it. But if you know what you're doing, then it can sound bearible. But beginners won't know how to do that.

If you are considering buying this then it's either because it's all you can afford, or you want to cheap guitar to piss about with. If you fall in the first camp - save up. Buy a real guitar. If you're in the second camp, then it can be good. It's cheap, so you can mod it to your hearts content without feeling guilty.

So as a beginners guitar - don't get it. As a guitar to use as a test bed for modding experiment, or to abuse to get the best, oddest sounds - then it's cheap, so get it.

So a score of 1 as a beginners guitar, 3 as a cheap guitar-like substance.

I brought this guitar from argos for #150 with a amp and all the other stuff. This guitar was made in korea i think, it has three pickups and plastic tuners (they are supposed to be chrome). The body is made of leftover wood that is squashed together and very poorley.

this guitar came with a crappy kustom 10w amp. If you want alot of distortion this is the guitar for you.

the guitar was set up quite well but that is the good thing about this guitar. The fret wood was wearing out after a month.

after around a month and this is when i took it back and got my money back because the strap holders fell off. Besides this guitar having a really crap body i think it would last along time, but i wouldn't trust it live.

who the hell are encore! no website phone number or address.

now i'm only a beginner and i've only been playing for a couple of months but even i realised that this guitar is one of the worst ones going. there is nothing i like about this guitar.

Poor Start Copy

Bloody Awfull!!!

Bought when all I knew of Guitar would fit on a postage stamp! If anything I belive this guitar impeeded my progress.

Well, I've been mightily hacke off with it at times but it's still in one piece.

Never had actual problems with it.

I bought this guitar in a starter pack. After owning an acoustic for a while I thought I'd have some fun with a 'leccy. I felt a bit intimidated going into a music shop not having a clue. They would of however, stopped me making the mistake of buying it.

It came with a really terrible 10 watt amp. Distorts at half volume, cheap Garoutting strap and Kieth Richards video - good comedy value.

I'm planning on trading it in on this weekend. Still don't know what I want but I will be going to a music shop. Might get #50 trade in.

I have no idea where it was made or what the pick ups ect are. See previous reviews. Cheaply made though. Like most people this was my first guitar brought from a catalouge when I had no idea about guitars.

I thought that it sounded OK at first when I had no idea. Now I play it and it's got a horrid metallic lower mid sound to it. Quite distorted to. I can only bear to hear this when it's got so much fuzz on top it's unrecognisable. But this fuzze sound does cut through though.

I have no idea how the action was when I got it, it's been through my teenaged Sonic Youth fixation with me. Now the action is so high you can't play it, but I may have warped the neck. The neck is very wide and flat and it also makes it very hard to play. Put it like this: I was struggling to play powerchords for ages on this and I got my tele and within a week I was soloing...The only way I can play this now is if I tune all the strings to A and play with one finger.
The pickups tend to flop down an every month or so you have to wind them up again. The tuners are a pain, it doesn't hold it's tuning at all.

I've had a persistant problem with the input jack, the wires keep coming off and I have to solder them back on again. However apart from that I am impressed with the reliability of this guitar. As I said, it went through my sonic youth phase with me and I've done a lot of horrible things to it you wouln't want to know. I still use this onstage as the final song guitar when I'm throwing it all over the place. I've been looking foward to it breaking so I can trash the horrible thing but it will not happen! I've brought it down over my head hard, thrown it ten feet in the air, thrown it all the way off stage, jumped on it wearing stillettos. Paint is chipped to hell now but still works after at least 20 gigs and god knows how many rehersals.

hahaha!

I wish I knew a bit about guitars before I bought it, even gone to a proper guitar shop. This guitar is nearly unplayable, but it will still have a place as my first guitar. I just wish I could trash it now! This is almost like a strange disease that you can't get rid of and yoo get used to it being there.

Fairly sure that its made Korea, yet this is just a guess as the only words on the damn thing are Volume, Tone, Tone and Encore. i mean you would have thought that they would had have the common decency to put were it was made. i dont think that there is decrace in admitting that it came from a sweat shop in the far east. it has the bog standard S/S/S pickup combination, 21 frets, 5-way selector and a strat body. am not sure on the neck material but its quiet thin and has a rosewood fretboard. the body is possibly maple, the only reason i'm saying this is because its about heavy as led. i mean this thing would cut a hole in the back of your neck if you were wearing a crap strap. the bridge is a string-thru body jobby and has non-locking machine heads(tuners)and its 'surprise surprise' RED. i suppose i shouldn't moan cause i did get it given to me by my dads work mate possibly cause he didn't want it. i mean is wasn't even ma birthday or nothing.if i did buy it brand new (which i wouldn't) it would of come with a gig-bag, crap amp, strap, picks and one of those 'play guitar in a thousand and one difficult step' videos which are that annoying that by the time you get to the seventh step, the guitar will be out the window and you will never want to hear the work guitar again.

i was not surprised at the sound. to me it sound very CRAP it isn't the amps fault. that amp is a 'sessionette 90' 90 watt amp and is what i call a neutral amp. it doesn't give every guitar the same sound. or to put it is better words it lets the true sound of the guitar come through. so the true sound of this guitar sounds like a cheap knocked of version of a squier. no variety what so ever. if you are lucky you might here a slight difference between the rhythm and treble pickup. sounds very tinny all the time. if i found some good effects maybe it would be able to suit my classic rock style.

setup was hurrendus when i got my grubby mits on it, fret buzz all the time you see. fixed that bugger with an allen key.
its got:
poorly filed fretwire
por quality wood
loose tuning pegs
poorly cut nut
poorly fitting saddles
noisy pickup selector
loose controls
action as high as everest
but thats what you have to expect from a guitar of this calibre i'm afraid

POSSIBLY the only good thing about this guitar is that can stand a good kicking around. threw it down the stairs once because it wouldn't go in tune and it looked brand new after. paint job is staying on there for life mate. strap buttons are a little shakey but nothing a screwdriver wouldn't fix.if i had to depend on it i would and it would withstand me. the word gig doesn't even enter my head when i look at this guitar. it more like frig, in the sense of friging hell, i wouldn't even be backing on this guitar. or more to the point i wouldn't be seen dead out of the house with this guitar unless i felt like giving it to a total stranger and then i would hide it in something.

warrenty? what warrenty i didn't thing Encore had enough money to offer warrenty? LOL

i have been playing for six years and i own:

GUITARS
Peavey Raptor International Series 1
Fender American Standard Stratocaster
Epiphone Firebird 1963
Gibson Les Paul Special SL Humbucker Electric Guitar
This Crapy Encore

AMPS
Sessionatte 90 90 watt valvestate amp (kick-ass)
Peavey Envoy 110 35 watt Transtube amp
Peavey Rage 158 15 watt Transtube amp

MULTI-EFFECTS PROSESSORS
Zoom GFX-707
Digitech RP1200

i would be pretty pissed if this was stolen, not at the fact that i like but the fact that its mine and that it is just damn rude to steal stuff. i wouldn't by it again because of the fact that it is a twatty guitar. if you are a begginer then sure this package is the jobby for you. it could be really be doing with a better bridge, pickups, pickup selector and headstock. because it doesn't have an original sound, i cant compare it to my other guitars.

Early 90s strat copy made in India, with 2 single coils and a humbucker at the bridge. Contoured body to stop you bashing your arm and belly. Bolt on neck, tremolo, rosewood fret board. 1 volume, 2 tone knobs; 5 way selector. Finished in off white with white pickguard.

Through an amp's clean channel, this guitar is a dog - the cheap build lets it down (but what do you want for this price). Distorted is a different story - if you want a nasty, trashy fuzz sound, the Encore is just fine. Ideal for the sort of music I started paying on in fact. The humbucker is quite spiky, the single coils are actually much better. 6 for distortion sound, probably only a 2 through the clean channel.

Really nice low action, keeps in tune well. For the price.

I've been playing this guitar in practises since 1991. It has a few dents, and the nut needed repairing. The tremolo arm no longer screws in - the threading broke after about 3 years. However, the guitar stays in tune really well, and despite taking quite a bashing over the years, still works okay.

Never contacted them

Encore make cheap starter guitars, ideal for those who can't afford a Squier or Epiphone. They're not the greatest guitars but are a good starting place. With the exception of the clean sound, this is no worse than a Squier strat I've played. I have better better made and nicer sounding guitars now, but the Encore still comes out once in a while - and stays in tune in its bag for months on end. People should stop slagging such guitars off - of course it's not as good as a #700 guitar, but would you really expect it to be? Its good value for the money.

Its got a standard strat shape body, slightly thiiner than the fender, 3 single coil pickups and a standard trem. tuers seem ok, doesnt go out much. I think the body might be alder. Or MDF.

Sound is very dead on clean, sounds ok through my distortion box, but thats with a big custom built amp. Sound bad with smaller amps. Can get a few different sounds out of t, but these just seem very muddy and undefined, only the bridge pickup is of use. I raised the coils up and it gives some more output, that helped the sound a bit

The frets buzz alot, but the action is very low, but for leads its not so good with only 21 frets. The p/u selector has started crackling too.

The strap buttons seem the best part of this guitar, though it has survived bein gigged once, including having a floor tom drum thrown at it, so im quite suprised it still goin.

Haven't dealt with customer support

I've been paying for 6 months now, having started on a 30 year old 3/4 acoustic, the guitar has been good to learn on. I also have a custom built amp and a Danelectro Fabtone distortion. If it were stolen i would be sad, hopefully i'll replace it with an Ibanez RG270

God knows where it's made, it's a cheapo! Usual strat features, probably got a laminated body. Black finish. Cheap hardware/Pickups etc. 21 frets. 3 single coils, trem. Rosewood looking fingerboard. All the features you expect in a beginner guitar.

Sound is much weaker than Fender Strats and the like, but what do you want for under $100? Much better than cheap guitars of years ago. Does a strattish job, but a bit lifeless.

Guitar was second hand, and had a few minor dents, but the neck was straight, and it played surprisingly well. Again, much better than cheapos of 10+ years ago. The frets are quite smooth, may have been stoned by previous owner. The back of the neck is a bit fat, but I've played much worse. Probably a damn good guitar for a beginner, much better than the $10 shit I started on!

I have no intention of playing this guitar live, as I'm passing it on to a learner I know. If you want a picture of it's durability though, I've a story for you. I was a bit bored and drunk a couple of days ago, and I decided to put it through a patent testing programme!! It was plugged in and was performing adequately, when I decided to throw it at the wall! Fired up, I submitted the guitar to what can only be described as a sound thrashing, I dragged it up the stairs, whacking the neck against the wall (a la Pete Townshend) a few times on the way up, then threw it all the way down, where it bounced off the bottom step and hit 2 walls in succession. I then carried on playing it! Yes, it was still plugged in and working, and only 2 strings were out of tune! I carried on playing, tuning, and beating this bastard for a good half hour, throwing it on the floor all ways up, doing an SRV, waggling it by the trem arm, whacking it against the floor etc. Although I wasn't giving it the absolute force necessary to smash it, (as I did with my $10 shit, and an Epiphone Les Paul I later argued with) I just thought I would testify to the unbelievable durability of this instrument. The guitar was working almost perfectly throughout, and had I not finally thrown the guitar face down on the floor, and jumped on it, breaking the selector switch, I believe it would still be in perfect working order! There are no cracks in the wood, the neck is straight, and the tuners are still fine. There are only a few more dents in the paint. In a couple of days, a replacement switch is coming, which I will fit, and I will re-string it and give it to the aforementioned beginner. The guitar is, IMHO, as structurally sound as the day it left the factory. Go Encore!! And I had fun, too!

I wouldn't know who to call, but unless you do what I did, I doubt you'll need to call anyone!

I've been playing guitar for around 14 years, and my main guitars are a Fender American Tele and a Fender California Strat. I play many different types of music, from Indie, to Blues, to Rock, I'm pretty open minded. I'm generally rather dedicated to music, although I am sometimes prone to juvenile moments as you have read above!! I felt it was important to point out, firstly, how pleasantly surprised I was with the quality of this guitar, and then prove that not all cheap hardware is fragile! I wish I could have began on one of these. I'm also glad that someone asked me for this guitar before I f****d it for good! What a waste!

made in korea(probobly in a sweat shop) standurd strat looks, but not the sound or reliability

i play metal this guitar did a fair job of it but that is ONLY FAIR. it was good to begin w/ but as time proceeded the sound began to wear away. now i might as well put rubber bands around a shoe box it would get better sound than this.

action sucked (too high) pickups flat out suck, 5-way selector no longer works and to top it all off i'm broke.

DEFINATELY WOULD NOT STAND LIVE PLAYING. (live playing,huh, it barely withstood my playing in my bedroom) finish has ripples all through it, and the black paint is very thin and chips easily. the strap buttons also suck

do they even have custumor service???

i have been playing for about 2 years now. i own a peavy rage 158, and am soon to own a schecter v-7 and a rocktron r50 rampage. i wish i would have known what i was getting into, i paid more for broken strings for this guitar than i paid for the guitar itself. a complete waste of thim. beginners, intemediates, and exspecially experts, dont even think of getting this guitar

This guitar was made in Korea and it has a volume control and two tone controls.22 frets and i pretty cheesy guitar. but when i got it i thought it was a good buy. Now i have a Epiphone Special 2 which is great

Well, I play alot of punk and heavy metal so this guitar does ok. i am using a crate amp and a Korg effect pedal which is very sweet. but it still doesnt sound as clean as my other guitars.

This guiar looks pretty much exactly the same as a original fender strat. except for the name of course. the pickup is kind of noisy and the strap knob fell off so this is pretty lame guitar

Yea personnally i think this is the worst guitar ive ever owned. and if you're going to buy it, please dont and save the hassel of the reapairs. do the right thing

Well it sure has broken alot but I have never used costomer support

I have been playing for almost 2 years and this was my first guitar and I really didnt know what I was getting my self into. This guitar really doesnt compare to any of the guitars that I have owned. It kinda has a league of its own (aka it sucks) If you want a quality guitar you gotta spend the money. bottom line

Not a great deal of features, plays good though.

Sounds very clean, i caN play metallica on it easy

It looks basically like a fender strat, so i give it a average grade

Not very durable, but better than nothing

Not too shabby, good beggining guitar

this a japanese guitar with 22 frets which i think is unusual 'cos most of them seem to have 21. its black laminated top with a black scratch plate mine covered in chips and stickers and stuff (it looks cool) it has one vol and two tones a five way selector. there are three single coil pickups, fuck knows ehat they are just encore ines i supposei dont know ehat the body is made out of although through the chips it loks scarilly like chipboard (that cant be true). the trem is the standard strat style although this one is definately cheeper. the machine heads are cheep metal looking plastic and the neck is quite thin which i like. its got the same features as a stratso i give it an average rating. the thing will not stay in tune

i got this guitar when i first started playing adn i could nly play stuff like nirvana it sounded cool for that cos it sounds quite mushey and feeds back a fair bit, the is always an underlying buzz. ilike the sound for nirvana and other quite rough sounding stuff but it wouldent work for metallica it would sound too dead. infact i think nirvana is the only think it's good for i sound really bad without distortion really like wet cardboard.

i got this guitar second hand when i got it the action was too high so i lowered it and the pickiups were too. none of the hardware has any rust. however the frets do stick out at the edge at about fret 19 and you can easily get string caugh under them or even catch your finger on one if yo move the pickup selector when the guitar is plugged in oyu get i real loud crunch which i quite like. unplugged this guitar feels really nice its a pity about its plugged in sound

this guitar would not whichstand live playing, actually has not withstood live playing. the first thing to go was one of the tone knobs it just goes around and around now. thent he trem went, the bit of metal you screw the bar into just cracked and fell to bits i couldent believe it. two of them cheap plastic machine heads broke aswell the jack for the lead is really wobbley and wont tighten so you get lots of crackles the stap buttons are also useless i used to cover the ends or the strap the button and the top of the guitar with tape to stop the guiter falling off. you cannot depend on this guitar although i did a couple of times and got away with iti think i was exceptionally lucky iwouldent even use it as a back up now untill i replaced a lot of things.

fuck knows its second hand and no one seems to know much about encore

kmow i've been playing about five or six years and i own in ibanez RG 507 which i love and this guitar wouldent need a backup. i hate the build quality of this guitar but even though the sound is crap i kind of like it when i'm in the mood i love the way it looks its totally batered from being droped having pints of beer spilt over it etc and generally playing it whem i'm pissed tend to knacker it out. it also smells a bit. if it were lost or stolen i would be gutted cos i cant replace it btu no one would want to steel it. the only reason i baught this guitar a the time was cos it was cheap. i really like this guitar even though i know its crap and every one else would hate it.