Jay Turser JT-200GT

Ok....This is an update on the guitar itself. I am rating the Jay Turser JT 200GT. This is an actuall JT goldtop model. Not the cutlass or 200c/d/dlx. A lot of people have wrote in stating the Tursers they bought was made out of basswood...had more glue than an Elmer's factory, etc. Well I just opened the back plates on the tone pots and the switch and this one is def solid wood up to the carved top. I can tell because the top vol pot is routed out deeper due to the carved top....which is light in color as maple is. the rest of the guitar is def a darker hardwood (not plywood or veneer that I can tell. As far as glue, mine does not have any that I can see from the inside in any cavity. I would have to say it is well made in that respect. I have owned other guitars that the glue seeped from the joints and veneers inside the cavities. This one is uniform and clean. I would say the dif in weight from a Gibson is the width of the guitar. These are slightly thinner than an actual LP. The pots are mini pots and now I am questioning if they are indeed 500k. A pot shield like the gibsons would be ideal and would probably fit the cavity nicely. I may consider this later on, but I don't get a lot of feedback from this guitar unless I stand directly in front of my amp. The wiring is cheap thin multicolored wire. The body is chambered as I can see where the wiring goes through it. This may also have an impact on the weight. Having said that though, This guitar does have excellent sustain. After closely inspecting the binding, I can't tell if it is paint. It doesn't look like paint and it is even around the body. The neck is also bound and has triple binding at the neck. The neck set is very vlean and looks as good as any gibson I have seen. No fillers, etc. Based on the fact I paid $135.00 for this I have to give it a ten.

good of sustain. I'm not sure why some people said theirs had none. I timed this one and it sustained notes at various places on the fretboard for more than half a minute. Notes started to decay at around 28 seconds. That was at a moderate volume level and no effects. Like I said, it has a great Savatage/80's metal sound.

can't complain about any of this really...It needs to have a professional set up, then it would be a ten.

Overall...for under $200, how can you go wrong? You can't buy some pickups for what you can get this guiatr for. I haven't seen very many of these on Ebay. A lot of 200c/d/and serpentines, but no 200-GT's. Like I said, I like this guitar s well as my 74 SG, but the Turser actually sounds better for metal. It just doesnt have the value attached to the name like the Gibson. I will eventually buy a Turser JT-50 custom...and maybe drop the vintage PAF from my 74 into it. These are just really fun guitars and you can do a lot with them based on the fact you don't have to have a lot of money in them. If this guiatr was stolen I would be devastatedas I dont think I'd ever get this type of deal again. I would also say that in years to come these guitars will triple in price.

I purchased this guitar thru EBay. I had never played or seen any Tursers before I purchased this one. I purchased it mainly for the price. It is a gold top model w/ classic LP design. The cutaways on the Tursers are a little pointier than the original LPs, but they still have a very similar shape. The one I purchased had some blemishes that I was aware of. They were around the binding in the cutaway and on the headstock. It has the dragon eye logo on the headstock ( I wanted the chalice/goblet logo, but I do not know the difference between them as far as quality goes. It has standard features: Gold hardware, black pickguar, black bell speed knobs, closed tuners, MOP inlays on the neck. The neck looks to me like they were trying to do ebony, but I do not know if it is a synthetic or what. It does feel really good. No drag or anything on bends. It is supposed to be choice mahogany w/ maple top. May be....it's about 2 pounds or so lighter than a LP custm/standard. Weighs about the same though as a LP Special. Set up from factory was decent. Harmonics very nice. Unless something goes wrong, I will probably keep it stock, unless I run onto some nice Gibson pickups or something, but even that may not actually improve the sound. It would probably be better to change out all the wiring in it and put in Gibson wiring and shielding.

I have not played out w/ this guitar. I play through a Crate Blue Voodoo 60 watt half stack and a Line 6 POD 2.0. I play a lot of progressive metal and hard rock/blues. Even some jazz. A guy at my local music store told me that Dimarzio makes the pickups (they did carry this line for a short while and I was not aware of it. They did not have any in the store when I bought this one). The bridge pickup has a lot of gain on it. At upper volume levels, there is noise. A noise reducer on the POd helps w/ this. But I like the sound. Nice Savatage tones. The neck pickup is smooth and warm and is def distinguishable from the bridge. Not a lot bottom end though, but enough. Not like my Kramer w/ a duncan invader in it. Selector switch is a little mechanical for my taste as it it not a real smooth action, but I guess that does not concern me that much. The tone pots actually work and is quite nice. I am told they are 500k pots, etc. Over all a nice saturated tone. I guess I should say the clean sound is amazing. Very nice clean tones. The bridge humbucker is def high output. I have a 1974 Gibson SG w/ a duncan sh4 in the bridge. This guitar sounds as nice as it, but not in the neck position. The Gibsone has a better sound for that. I also compared it to a Gibson LP Special and I def think this is a better deal that the $800 they wanted for that guitar. They sound the same and the Turser looks way better!

This guitar has sligh buzzing on the first and second frets. The third fret may need to be filed a bit or something. It doesn't really seem to be affecting the overall sound that bad, but it bugs me. I will probably take the guitar in and have it set up as it has not been. The finish on this guiatr is awesome. I love the gold tops and this one delivers. I acually do not know how they make a profit on this as it looks very high quality. Love the inlays and the gold look. Nice finish does not look cheap. As I stated it had some blemishes, but I can live w/ them as they are not that noticeable unless you point them out. Everyone slams the tuners on the Tursers. So far I cant complain. I haven't had to do anymore tuning on this guitar than any of my others. I don't know if the nut will hold up though....it looks kinda cheap...I may have new one put on it.

Well...Time will tell on this. I've had it a a month now and as far as I can tell it should be ok....My strap locks haven't pulled out of it yet!

I did cal the company to get some info about ordering direct from them and I didn't get anywhere w/ that, but otherwise I have no idea.

I've been playing for twenty years. Owned a lot of nice guitars and some not so nice ones. This is def a nice one. It sounds every bit as good as my SG and my Kramer. It is fun to play and it will def get more attention than my other guitars. I broke a cardinal rule when I bought this guitar. I bought sight unseen and never played one ever. I love it. The fact I gave less for this guitar than some pickups you can buy is awesome. I gave $135.00 for this one. Ya can't beat that no matter what. I am def a Turser fan at this point. I would like to buy one of the Turser SG customs or teles. You can's go wrong w/ the JT 200 series at all

I bought this guitar as a new guitar / blem. The seller pointed out some of the gold top paint flaws and some binding flaws. Other than the stated flaws, this giutar is the TRUE LP 200 GT model, which has the triple binding on the body and headstock, creme binding on the neck and backside of the body and a 3/8" maple cap on a chambered, mahogany body. The neck is mahogany with fake MOP block inlays. All the hardware is gold, including the closed "Schaller-type" tuning keys. It bears the "Sol" headstock logo rather than the older "Chalice" logo, meaning it probably came off the old China factry line in 2006. Pickups are the standard humbucking types that come stock on Tursers. They are well potted and decent sounding.
The volume and tone pots are linear-about the cheapest mini-pots that can be bought. They are completely ineffective for 80% of their travel and then they abruptly cut off. Tone caps are the .022 type, poly caps. Knobs and nut are cheap plastic but they get the job done. Bridge is the tune-o-matic type...easy to use for intonation adjustments.
Wiring in control cavity is about average for this level of build quality
Overall the quality is average except for the pots, which are terrible and need to be replaced. The gold flake finish is average and the neck feels good...slim but with enough meat for grip.

As described above, right out of the shipping carton the guitar sounds good enough to use for live performances. Pickups show distinct differences...bridge being bright and neck being warm. They are average in terms of output...like PAFs, maybe a little hotter. For clean and overdrive/distortion sounds the JT 200 GT sounds okay and has enough character so as not to be mistaken for anything other than a humbucking equipped solidbody guitar. Beyond that, it has no unmistakeable Les Paul characteristics. Since the body is chambered around the pickup area there is a definite loss of mass in the body where it is needed most...so you won't get that resonant body thing going like you would on a REAL mahogany Les Paul. Even so...the guitar has a pleasant sound right out of the box and most semi-pro players will be happy with it...as is.

Now for the sound category with modifications:
I set the intonation, added a little relief to the neck and installed a pair of Lace Music pickups (D 100 and D 150), wired stock. With these adjustments and the addition of the Lace Music pickups, the sound quality improved dramatically. As a platform for upgraded pickups and improved tone/volume controls I would recommend the JT 200 GT. My next mod will be good quality audio taper, 500 Meg pots.
Overall, the guitar sounds okay right out of the box. With the new pickups the JT 200 GT sounds very good...as good as a Gibson Les Paul with Burstbuckers.
Averaging a 7 stock with a 9 modified, I'll rate this guitar as an eight.

The neck had a black, gooey substance around the MOP inlays, some of which had bled onto the inlays themselves. I used a soft cloth and some glass cleaner to remove it. I think it was used to dye the MOP inlay filler. Once removed, no problems. Overall the inlays were fitted pretty well and they look good. As for the neck, it needed to be tweaked to provide some relief, but straight out of the box it felt okay and played well. Frets are average but well finished. No buzzes. The Nut is poorly cut and plastic, but I have not had problems with binding. The poor cut is evidenced by little plastic shavings still attached to the nut, like plastic burrs.
The pickups needed height adjustment and the intonation was off. Action was a little low for me. Tuning pegs are okay, selector switch is stiff and works fine. Bridge and stop tail are fine.

This guitar will withstand live playing, for sure. I use a polymer -finish car wax on my guitars when I change strings, to protect them and Jay Turser uses a rather thick, clear poly coat on their guitars, which is good protection. I have another JT Les Paul (Serpent with Chalice headstock) that is about 5 years old and it still looks brand new except for wear on the gold hardware. With reasonable care this guitar should last as long as any other. Decent construction throughout.

No comment.

I've been playing since 1966. I bought a Jay Turser JT 200LP Serpent and a JT Custom Shop Tele Deluxe in a ddition to this JT guitar. While they're not the finest around, they are better than cheap EPIPHONE or IBANEZ copies. With reasonable care they should last. I think the basic guitar (wood, tuners, bridge...) is a good platform for upgrades. The "NEW" JT 200 models are just slightly different than the older chalice headstock models. There is not as much wood in the bodies (new ones have a larger hollow chamber in the body-thus they are lighter) but the shape is more like the old Gibson LP body with a sharper, wider cutaway. I also own an Ibanez Strat copy (SA 160..GREAT guitar) and an Epiphone G 300 with passive EMG pickups. Amps are Princeton Chorus (USA made) and two Roland Blues Cubes, and a Fender Champ 25 SE.
Why did I buy this one? Truth is I've ALWAYS wanted a GoldTop Les Paul cuz they just look so cool. With the pickup improvements this guitar is one of my favorites, now. For 150 bucks it is a terrific value!

This is your typical Les Paul Copy. They call it a gold top, but actually the whole guitar is gold. I bought it on ebay, and the one pictured had chrome hardware. I was surprised and very pleased that the one I received has gold hardware. I have no idea as to what kind of wood it is made out of, but it is considerably lighter in weight than most Les Pauls. That is definately a plus. It's most likely plywood, but for the price,I don't have a problem with that.
It has diecast tuners, a set neck, dot fretboard inlays, It has 22 frets, 2 humbuckers, 3 way selector, two tone and two volume controls.
Typical Les Paul arrangement.

This guitar sounds as good as any of my Epiphones, and pretty close to my Gibson Les Paaul Studio. I am very impressed with the sound for a guitar in this price range. I give it a 9 because it doesn't sound quite as good as a real Gibson. It comes pretty close.

This guitar came very well set up when I received it. The action is nice and low without buzzing. It plays as well as any of my more expensive guitars. I have a number of expensive guitars to compare it to. Gibson, Gretsch, Guild, Fender etc. I am very impressed. The gold paint job is totally gorgeous! The gold hardware sparkles and is a real eye catcher.

I have played out with it. The only problem I find is keeping it tuned. I will most likely replace the tuners eventually. I thought possibly because it was a new guitar with new strings, the strings were stretching, but every time I take it out of the case, it's out of tune and goes flat. I have other guitars that sit in the case for months at a time and are right in tune when I take them out. This is the only fault I find with the whole guitar.

I have never dealt with them so I can't say.

I have been playing over 40 years and have a collection of guitars and amps that is equivilent to a small music store. This Jay Turser is one of my least expensive guitars, but one of the best looking and best playing guitars I own. I would definately replace it with another one like it if anything happened to this one. There are many "budget" guitars on the marker to choose from, but I rank Jay Turser among the best. If it were not for the problem of keeping it tuned, I would give it an overall rating of 10, but since it won't stay tuned, I give it a 9. It is still one heck of a deal for the price.

I have played a variety of Jay Turser guitars and find them to be very well made and good looking, good sounding and easy to play. I would recommend Jay Turser guitars for anyone looking to buy their first guitar or even for the professional musician who is looking for an inexpensive back up guitar. Loads of features for a little bit of money!

This model is the Jay Turser copy of a Gibson Les Paul Gold Top. Made in China, 22 frets, laminated top. 5 controls are installed: a 3-way position toggle, two volume, two tone. 2 humbucking pickups installed. Mahogany set neck and the LP gold top finish, with white pickguard. Tune-O-Matic bridge, closed tuners.

My style is blues/rock rythym guitar. This model suits my style very well. Pickups are surprisingly loud and somewhat crisp in tone. The neck pickup is excellent. Set the tone setting for this pickup at a neutral setting and you'll get a very strong humbucker sound. I need to get more familiar with the bridge pickup though. Put your selector switch on the bridge, turn the tone all the way up and you'd swear it has a single coil in there. Very twangy, almost like a Fender Telecaster. It's an interesting sound though and I am not at all unhappy with it. I just need to spend time trying to figure out what I can do with that sound.

Action was set very, very low from the factory. I had to raise the action and reset my intonation just to knock the fret buzz out, but once I did that it plays wonderfully. Even with a slightly higher action than was set at the factory, it is still very low and playable. I am not a fast player, not a shredder by any definition of the term, but this guitar has helped my speed. The rosewood fretboard is a little dull in spots though. There are a few dead spot around the 12th fret. They do not effect my playing and are only noticable because they feel dead onder my fingertips. Other than that, the action is very, very good. Better than any Epiphone LP modle I have tried and it DOES compare with an authentic Gibson LP Standard. Neck fit is very solid and I believe this guitar will hold up to the test of time and use. Finish is sparkling and flaw free on the top. Two flaws with the paint though. Some minor blemishes on the back but nothing to notice unless you are doing a carefull examination. The paint used has a somewhat gummy feeling on the neck after I have been playing for an hour or two. Nothing that a rag will not take care of, but it is a bit of a nuisance. All hardware is installed properly and well done. No mechanical or aesthetic flaws to be found.

I believe this will be a solid, dependable guitar. The only beef I have is with the paint on the back of the neck as listed above. If you play live, be prepared to have a towel handy to wipe down the neck on a regular basis and clean it well after the show.

No support needed.

Overall, I am very happy with this guitar. I would definitely buy another Gold Top model if this one was stolen/lost/or destroyed. I am excited to have a good playing gold top and to see how it ages. I know how beautiful the Gibson LP Gold Tops look with age and years of playing. I wonder how good this guitar will look in 30 years and just how well it will play in that time. Now I want to buy a Jay Turser JT-200c in Red Sunburst. Major, major kudos to http://www.jayturserguitars.com I ordered this guitar on a Monday morning and I was at home, playing, Thursday night! That is what I call fast shipping!