Jim Deacon Stratocaster Copy

I bought the Jim Deacon Strat new earlier this year (2008) Since then have learned to play guitar on it from scratch. It came with the usual guitar bag, strap and cable etc.

I enjoy a wide variety of different music styles and so far have found it happy to play any. I am using it with a Roland Micro cube and find the sound is good for all the effects on the Amp.

The guitar arrived well finished and in tune. So far except for the occasional retune the guitar has been fine. I find it easy to play and it produces consistent results. The only slight issue I would have is it can take a while to get back in tune compared to other guitars I have seen. This is not a major complaint and once in tune it stays there.

The guitar feels solid to play and so far has shown no durability problems. I have on occasion played it quite hard and fast but it holds up well.

Never used it.

For an ??80 ($160) first electric guitar I have found this to be excellent. I was a bit worried to start with what to buy and wanted to get the right combination of quality and price. This guitar for me is a very good first guitar. I let a relative who performs live on a regluar basis try it out and they were surprised how good the guitar was.

The bug has now bitten and I am off buying another guitar now !!!

Bought new by me in January 1991, my first electric guitar. It is a M-ST model in sunburst. Usual Strat-type features.

I've had this guitar for 17 years and the sound which was fine has matured and now this guitar sounds great. I love the neck pickup sounds, like someone said, its pure SRV "Lenny". The higher frets through the neck pickup sounds fantastic, more like a strat than my 1993 USA strat delux.

The guitar has the original pickups by the way. I did think about putting in some fancier pickups but why bother. "if it aint broke don't fix it".

The guitar was not set up, the tremelo was so tight I broke the trememlo bar off!

The neck was far too thick and the neck joint was not deep enough, so the strings were about 1/2" above the pickguard. 3 years later when I got a USA Strat I deeped the neck joint myself by about 3/8". Then the next year I got pissed off with the neck, grabbed a spokeshave tool and reshaped the neck! At that point I found out what a truss-rod was for ;-)

A few dents and scuffs on the finish, flaked off on the rear contouring, but good for its age. Low score here purely for the neck thickness and shallow neck joint.

everything going okay..

played since about 1989. I play this through a Marshall TSL100, got 20 effects pedals but hardly use them anymore.

Maybe its not a big name but I'd never sell this guitar. If anybody tried to steal it I'd beat them to death with it, wipe off their blood brains and fragments of bone and keep on playing for another 17 years +

The Guitar is a 1987 Sunburst, 21 Frets standard 3 SC pickups and 5 way selector. I have changed quite a bit for her 20th Birthday. She now has classic Fender tuning nuts, Graph-Tech Ferraglide Nut and Saddles, a new Fender Jack Ferrule and Genuine Fender Chrome Pickguard and Fender black volume, tone & selector knobs & pickup covers and finally Schaller chrome strap locks. I have also sanded off the sunburst finish and taken her down to wood with a number of very thin coats of varnish to match the neck and to achieve a very organic feel and look.

I learned to play rock/metal to pop/rock (getting old I guess!) on this guitar and even though I am far from being a great guitarist (...very far *;o), I have always loved the vast array of sounds which can be achieved. The clean tones are pretty much noise free and the sustain with the Ferraglide nut and saddles is noticably improved (not that it was poor to start with mind). She is also able to punch out distorted riffs at high volume with very little buzz (just a very tiny amount at the top).

It really doesn't matter what style you play, this guitar can handle it with the right amp and effects set up which is exactly why I have retained all the original electrics (although I re-soldered some of the wire connections as I felt they could have been a bit neater) and I may replace the 5 way selector soon (but it has done 20 years).

The action is and always has been fantastic - very low and she doesn't punish your fingers. As someone else said, the neck playes like butter... I cannot believe someone replaced theirs with a Fender part, it is the body and neck of this guitar that make it a Jim Deacon. The Intination is fairly straight forward to do now that I have changed the slightly loose original tuning nuts for Fenders and fitted the Graphtech saddles. She now keeps tune almost forever. Like others, I threw the whammy bar away although basically it was because the thread went on the bar and I hate it swinging about. I remember the creaky bridge at the beginning too, however I think with use this certainly got less with age and you can also adjust the spring tension via the back panel to minimise this happening.

Only one thing to say here... she is built like a tank. The fact that she is 20 years old and from what she has been through with me, many other guitars would have given up the ghost a long time ago.

The only faults would be the tuning nuts which were slightly loose. Basically not quite up to the Authentic Fender replacements so thats why the rating is a 9.

Never needed it.

I got her for 120 quid from a music store in Glasgow for Christmas of 1987 and have spent about 200 bucks on her facelift in the last few months and would never look back. As you have probably seen, I refer to the Jim Deacon as her because this is one heck of a special guitar. She would leave a great many genuine Fenders standing and she challenges guitars which are 'alledgedly' in a different class (money wise).

If you like the Strat look and feel and are starting out, you will not do better than this guitar. Forget Squires they do not even come close. And if you are an experienced player and have not tried this guitar yet, get down to a store neer you for a twiddle and If you get a shot of one which has been set up correctly, I can see your credit card being 100 odd quid further in the red.

very nice finish, well polished and the default strings are ace. Maybe not enough configuration with the tone and the pickups are pretty bog standard.

i was really surprised when i heard this guitar (the reason i bought it, i had no intention to buy a guitar when i went in). Very lush sound and it works a treat with any effect. I have been using it in conjunction with guitar rig 2 and it really complements every fx unit. Its no gibson but the sound is incredible for the price.

brand new from my local guitar shop, the volume and tone buttons are a bit dodgy but everything else is in place.

only had it for a week, but i would defo gig with this at the moment.

i'm a bit of a shoegazer and this guitar works great with multiple fx, it never overloads on sound, it always seems to sit perfect. A great guitar for beginners and pros.

Black with dark red translucent sunburst finish. Looks gorgeous with aged laquered gloss neck. This is a strat copy, I think the model is FST62. There are few technical details, the body is made of Alder and the neck of maple with rosewood fingerboard. 3 single coil pickups, don't seem to be noisy. 5 way switch, vol and 2 tone controls. It's an amazing guitar for the money.

I mostly play acoustic and got this for fun, learning and recording bits. I thought I would have to put heavier strings on it (comes with D'addario 9s) but got used to the light guage strings surprisingly quickly and found it doesn't go out of tune. I got this as a starter package with a Stagg 10w amp which is surprisingly good. For a total of 100GBP I've got what I think is a stonking guitar pack. I intend to get a Vox AD30VT (proper valve sound, best of the bunch and like this guitar, amazing value).

There's nothing that I dislike about this guitar, I know little about electric guitars but I know that compared with other cheap electrics, this is a really nice one, it plays well and has lots of variety of sound from the different pickup positions and the tone controls, even pulling back the vol so that the overdrive channel of the amp isn't too fuzzy gives surprisingly good results.

I would say (not being an expert) that the guitar has been very well put together and finished superbly, it's actually unbelieveable at this price (90GBP). It stays in tune, the intonation seems fine to me, playability is very good, no buzzing frets. Just great sound.

No idea but as I said it looks well put together and the shop said they had sold loads and had none come back with faults. (They also rated this guitar above the Squier strat)

No idea, my local music shop is good so I'm not worried about it.

I've been playing acoustic guitar for over 30 years and have played electric in crap bands in the past. I own a couple of Takamine acoustics and have owned a Tokai and Fender strat in the past (many years ago). If this guitar got lost, stolen or broken, I would buy the same one again without a doubt. I love the look, feel, weight, playability and sound of this guitar, thre's nothing about it I dislike. Actually, there is one thing, please throw away the lead they give you with the guitar and buy a decent one. BTW, I also got a (unpadded) gig bag, tuning pipes and some picks - nice! If you are in the market for a guitar to learn on this is really, really excellent, if like me you already play guitar but want something to have fun with and that you could use seriously I think this could do it and I would be happy gigging with it. I think it's hilarious that such a cheap 'never heard of it' brand guitar could be so good

I am 60 years old and have not played for nearly 35 years. Decided to start again after a heart attack. (Old blues/rocker trying to recapture his youth?) I bought this instrument second hand for #45. Two weeks later I bought a new USA Strat. I prefer the Jim Deacon to the Fender. Age unknown. Made in ?. It's a standard Strat copy in gloss black. Five position selector switch and what sounds like USA strat pick ups, (possibly a later addition) Serial number is 9309849. Any one out there who can identify age/country of origin?

Plays super blues! I could understand why the present generation of guitarists might not like it so much but it's perfect for my needs. It's played through a Behringer Gx 212, (another revalation to this old man. We had nothing like that in my day!) Some hum can be heard on high volume but it's not really noticable. Sound is classic Fender "broken glass" treble

Had to set it up myself. This took some time but that's probably because it's years since I've done this so I suspect any poblems were mine rather then the guitars.

It's beautifully made. Very solid.
The action , once set up was superb

Not really able to comment much here. I have only just started playing in public again so I haven't worked long enough to say anything about durability. So far it seems fine.

Purchased second hand in small music shop so no back up aplicable

I love it. I keep the genuine Fender, (1968 USA model) but I genuinly prefer playing the Jim Deacon. I live and play in Moscow these days so replacment would be a reall problem if anything hapened to it. Although it's the cheapest intrument I own I think it would be the one I miss the most

Its a very good strat replica. Usual classic Strat configuration. the finish is utterly flawless. Believe me...Ive looked hard and I CANNOT find fault anywhere. The body is quite weighty (feels heavier than basswood...think its alder). The neck is just wonderful. The finishing on the frets superbly done. I have owned a Mexican Classic Series Fender Strat, which this supposedly emulates, and this is A BETTER GUITAR ALL ROUND. NO QUESTION.

The pups are relly juicy and expressive. The tone variations are better than any other strat ive played in over 35 years of playing. It certainly sounds more "Strat-like" than any of the numerous Mexican Strats ive had. all the tones are here...Knopfler, Claptons Layla-era Strat tone, spiky-edged Edge tone! etc etc....A great Strat copy!

Finish was faultless. Set up less so. I had to spend about an hour or so setting the tinotnation, but this was probably my own fault on reflection as i tried to do it free-hand instead of using a tuner at first. Once this was done the guitar just got better and better. The neck plays like butter, and it is a real tone-monster too. There is a slight 60-cycle hum, but this is not as bad as the Mexican Fenders ive had, and it is not onbtrusive like on some strats.

I would definitely take this gigging. It feels very substantial and is really well put together.

"abcmusic mega-deals" were very helpful and attentive. I couldnt have asked for more really. It came double-boxed, with a gig-bag, tuner, pleccies and lead!!!!

Ive been playing since 1972 when i got my first electric. Bought my first US fender in 1977 (an ash Tele). Since then I must of owned about 100 guitars from all of the major and some minor makers. thsi guitar is undoubtedly THE BEST DEAL ON EBAY UK at the moment. Quite honestly I was staggered by the quality of this chinese-made guitar, and i would choose it ANY DAY over a Mexican Classic series Fender. It plays fantastic, sounds superb, is beautifully finsihed, and is so cheap it defies belief. The Chinaman who made this guitar must be on about #1 a week wages for them to make a profit. I think this sort of high quality OEM axe definitely spells the death knell for many established guitar companies out there. But hey....THAT'S CAPITALISM!
(actually its not...is it?..its...er....Communism?)

I got this guitar from ken stevens music in cambridge it cost #119.00 cuz i'm left handed. It was just a first guitar cos i liked fender strats but thought it might be a waste of money to buy a strat as my first. This was just for learning after all. It's a solid body strat replica with a maple fingerboard. It has an average sized neck and I think it has medium frets. The bridge is just a standard strat bridge. I actually managed to screw up the action the day I got it but it still plays fine up to about the twelfth fret and even then I only need to apply a little more pressure. This isnt my favourite guitar but it is strong, light and easy to play. It didnt actually come with any acessories but the guys in my guitar shop threw in a free strap. I also bought a Carlsboro 10 watt amp to play this with. I've played worse guitars (like gibson les Pauls) so i'm not disappointed with it.

I generally play punk and grunge like nirvana or sex pistols songs as well as my own in a similar style. This guitar works well with that on distortion, it can squeal sometimes but i like that so it isn't a problem. I always have the Neck and middle pickups in use at the same time to try and emulate a humbucker sound. The volume o this guitar is always set to 10 and the first tone dial is always at six. I decided to disable the second tone control as I have no need to use it. I used to use a Carlsboro kickstart 10 watt amp (made in my home town in Nottinghamshire), however I have since been given a fender sidekick reverb 25 watt amp that i now use for practicing. Both amps have their treble set to 9 and their bass set to 6. This guitar also works extremely well with reverb for great 60's tones. I like it's variety of sounds but really I think that it depends on the player. I try and play different things to make me a better player. For stage use I use a Marshall 100 watt amp that belongs to my drummer's dad. Thanks for lettin me use it Bob.

The guitar was set up really well when I got it but like I said, I managed to mess up the action with the tremolo on the day I got it. Needless to say, I don't use the tremolo much. The pickups on this guitar really work well and i've not had a single problem with them in all the time i've had the guitar. The wood that the guitar is made of (i'm not sure what) is really good like a proper stratocaster. Actually I like the wood better than on the squire strats as it gives a nice used look. The sunburst finish is pretty good and doesn't chip easily (surprising really, considering how much I throw this around on and off stage). The scratchplate is pretty ugly though, it's cream coloured. I think it just looks naff instead of looking aged.

This guitar can withstand live playing and stays in tune really well even when I hit it against things and throw it into amps and drum drumkits. The guitar is strong and hasn't let me down yet it also has a thick finish that doesnt chip easy (only two dents and a handful of scratches after daily usage, gigging, and transport). The strap buttons are not as reliable as I would like. whereas the top one (right horn) is strong, the bottom strap button (bottom/middle) always comes unscrewed causing the strap to fly off (this has resulted in being hit in the face with the peg heads whilst playing!) This guitar is reliable and will get me through a couple of gigs without needing to be retuned. I use this guitar as a backup for my telcaster nowadays but I did used to use this guitar alone. It is pretty reliable and I would use it without a backup if I had to.

I've been palying for just over a year now and I constantly gig with this guitar as my backup. My main guitar is a fender standard Telecaster with a fender blue lace sensor pickup in the neck position. I don't regret choosing this guitar as my first as it is strong comfortable and sounds good. If anything happened like if it was stolen (not bloody likely!) or if I smashed it to smithereens (more likely) then I could live without it but it would put more strain on my tele. To be honest (and possibly contraversial) I don't like strats I think they're ugly and don't sound like I want them to. However this guitar has been good to me and can get pretty close to my desired sound. I would much rather have a left handed Fender Jaguar or Mustang but these are incredibly hard to come by (if anybody out there knows where to get one or is willing to sell then that would be real helpful). But my strat copy and Fender Telecaster are good enough for the time being. I wish this guitar had more than 21 frets I need 22 to play scar tissue by Red Hot Chili Peppers. I have to point out though that this guitar is still by far better than any Gibson I have played (I just can't find one I like). I recently picked up a lefty Les Paul in a shop and began to play it with a marshall amp. I have never been so uncomfortable playing a guitar in my life! My drummer also owns an Epiphone SG and, as well as being ugly it can't even acheive the sounds i'm used to. I'd play this over any Gibson any day. I wish the head was bigger on this guitar as I love big fender heads, but as this isnt a fender then I guess I shouldn't expect it to.

Standard strat copy - felt much better than all the Squiers I tried.
Body has 'pool' routing which I filled in with a wood filler for added sustain. The damn thing still squeals though when I click a pedal for crunch. Its a light body maple necked- cheap on electronics and fittings.

Now- those who know- this guitar will very accurately produce SRVs 'Lenny'- more than my US strats. Its rich and full but as I say the goddamn thing squeals like a turkey on Christmas day if you even go near the distortion. This obviously minimises the range of sounds. Great clean blues. It goes through my Marshall.

Loses action after about the 12th fret, and detunes with big blues bends sometimes, I don't use whammy bars much but it works ok.
and as I said, the electrics are crap.
To be fair, at #99 I can't moan, and its unfair to place it against guitars 5 times the price. The electrics do their job, and I use it loads for practicing at home and without an amp doodling, but I had to replace it as my number 2 with a Highway strat in the January sales. Too good to let go second hand for #50 though.

I'll need to replace the tuners and electrics and pickups soon.
I'm thinking of giving it an authentic SRV #1 paint job, but the finish will take some 'damaging' which is good if you want to keep it looking new.

I think Jim has been invented by the Jap company who makes them. He sounds American.

I wish I'd have tore it through a Marshall stack before buying! But it sold me against the Squiers. My #1 is a US Hard tail all solid body, so I get a bit of sustain from it.

made in japan, 21 frets medium size,rosewood fretboard, 1 volume 2 tone pots,5 way selector switch three single coil pickups , passive electronics strat type body normal bridge very sturdy machine heads .

You get a very good selection of features but the whammy bar creaks a bit 10/10

it is quite good for heavy metal on the bridge setting , it sounds percussive and not as full as it could be but great for tight bottom end riffing .

the pickup selector is a bit crackly and one pickup is loose but these can be rectifioed besides ive been playing it for 2 years

it is really sturdy and has never let me down

i tried out a gibson sg but there is basically no difference between them , it has something to do with the pickups