Johnson JH-100 Delta Rose

For the money, enough features. 2 x HB, 2 x tone, 2 x volume.

I believe it is made in China. Hollow body, as far as I can tell. Three way selector switch (h1)-(h1+h2)-(h2). Two tone, two volume controls. HH config. Passive pu's, nickel covers. Unsure of woods. Gloss urethane (I think) finish. Floating bridge. Slim neck.

Nice fit and finish.

Vintage looks.

Looks kinda like a Les Paul without the weight. Same shape. Same controls. Different tone.

Plays well for most styles, but is really well suited to blues, rock and similar. Using a plectrum it's bright, but played with fingers on .009 D'addarios it has a very special almost sensual sound.

Have used it with a range of amps for practice and performance. It seems to give a predictable response on just about every amp and cab.

It seems to be very capable of rendering most styles rather well. Want bark and bite in something like Mustang Nismo? Can do. Want sexy in Ain't No Sunshine? Can do. Want grave-robbing-metal power for Cradle of Filth? Can do.

Plays well drop tuned and gives some special results on .010 or .012 strings.

Better played LOUD so you can hear the amp as the hollow body is quite audible at very low practice volumes.

Well made machine.

Factory action was OK.

Needed to fiddle around a little to get the intonation perfect. For a regular player it would have been just fine - I'm fussy. Normal for trapeze.

Yes, this guitar will gig and do so admirably. The urethane finish will resist buckle rash nicely. It's well made so unless there is a catastrophic accident it will do just fine. The strap buttons are OK - I have not needed to change to strap locks, but then again, my straps are new and tight. I won't gig without a backup but this is as near as I would go to trying it. Nice instrument.

No support needed, but I traced the local distributor and they were very nice indeed. I would consider another Johnson instrument from these guys tomorrow.

I have this Johnson, an SG and some acoustics including an Ovation and others.

Great guitar. Well suited to blues and music with a 'feel' and some sensualism to it. I also have a Peavey Vypyr 30 and some other practice amps.

Not quite sure what it is, but it's a very satisfying instrument to play, regardless that it's very low cost for such a nice one.

Strange that the middle position on the toggle switch kills the signal... The rattle in the bridge was fixed by wrapping the springs and screws with a thin black lace (unnoticeable). I'm getting new Grover tuners for it as I'm typing this... I am curios if the holes are .391" (9.92mm)??? I don't love the tailpiece. I heard that Brian Setzer uses two pieces of sandpaper under the bridge to keep the from floating away.

This guitar has a gnarly voice!

I want to replace the tail piece, it's chincey.

Time will tell...

This guitar is a great little companion for me... I'm writing songs on it constantly.

Features same as others have listed below. Mine was a lefty, in black. It's basically an attempt at a cross between a Gretsch and a Les Paul.

I'm going to deduct points here because one thing is immediately apparent - they have sought to copy aspects of two popular types of guitar, without really understanding them. Why put a floating bridge on a modern guitar design? It's totally pointless. Gretsch keep doing it for historical accuracy I guess... everyone I know who owns a floating bridged Gretsch gets it pinned. There are much better intonation systems for modern instruments, so why Johnson chose to put on an oh-so-tedious floating one is beyond me.

Clearly, on a guitar costing this much you aren't going to pay for a luthier to pin it, which leaves you with a bridge that falls off the guitar when you change strings, ruining the intonation. Oh, and if you're a fairly heavy player expect the bridge to move around whilst you play, ruining the intonation mid-set.

The first test of any guitar is the 'unplugged strum' - this guitar sounds surprisingly good actually, taking the price into consideration. It has that nice semi acoustic sound of an ES335, only slightly crisper and with more jangliness.

The 'designed by EMG' buckers in this are pretty low quality, with a lot of mud.

Don't expect to get Les Paul tones out of it, this is much more boxier sounding and trebly - and beware, with any amount of distortion it will feed back like crazy, not with the harmonically rich sustain of a LP or ES335. The body of this guitar is made out of very thin, light wood - I seriously doubt it is mahogany as advertised - and the sound it produces is nothing like a solidbody mahogany instrument, or one of heavier maple construction. Anyone who says it is sonically like a les Paul is kidding themselves, or has a poor ear.

If I'd kept this guitar, I'd have swapped out the pickups, possibly for some of the filtertron-style humbuckers from GFS (Nashville or Liverpool) to get more of a Gretschy vibe.

Out of the box, my initial impressions were poor.

It was still factory sealed, which leads me to believe they treat things with no respect at whatever factory makes them - the guitar came out of its packaging covered in small bits sawdust, some of which had caused a bit of scratching on the guitar's surface, and the machine heads had lots spots of black tarnish on them.

The lacquer on the front of the guitar is poorly applied, with runs clearly visible if you hold it in the light. Looks like somebody applied it with a paintbrush. The binding work was pretty poor too.

I spent a long time setting it up - replaced the awful strings with some Ernie Ball Beefy Slinkys (11s), replaced the junk tuners with locking Grovers, adjusted that stupid floating bridge until it was about right intonation-wise. In the end it played a lot better, but then I had pretty much added 50% of the value of the guitar just in the tuners, not to mention a few hours of my precious time.

Perhaps if you bought this from a guitar shop and made sure they included a free setup, things would be marginally better from the get-go.

This guitar felt pretty flimsy to me, and I certainly wouldn't have dared to gig it without at least getting the bridge pinned and replacing the tuners.

No idea, never contacted them.

I decided to write this review because all the others here have been so rose-tinted and I wanted ot offer another opinion to offer balance for those considering buying this guitar blind.

I am a semi-pro gigging musician, I've been playing for 11 years. I play about 100 shows a year all over Europe and I know a thing or two about guitars. I'm not a gear snob - I'm interested in value for money, i.e. quality to price ratio.

I own around 10 guitars at any one time - currently my collection includes 2 US-made Fender Telecasters, several Japanese-made instruments including a Tokai ES120 and Bacchus Les Paul clone, a home made Stratocaster clone, and several Korean-made instruments including a DiPinto Belvedere Deluxe.

I bought this instrument because I hadn't owned a Chinese instrument in a while and had heard good things about their increasing build quality. This particular model seemed to be getting rave reviews, so I thought for the price I might as well check it out. I was prepared to be blown away by it, but after a very fair trail run and all the TLC I could muster, I sold this guitar on after a couple of weeks.

The moral of the story - don't trust everything you read on here. Everyone thinks their cheap guitar is 'on a par' with something costing 10 times the price - everyone likes to think they've got a bargain. Let me tell you right now, you still get what you pay for in the guitar market.

I highly recommend any of the Japanese brands (Tokai, Greco, Fernandes etc) currently on the market - sure, they cost 5 times what tihs costs, but you really are getting 5 times the guitar. Buying a cheap guitar like this is false economy, as once you find you need to upgrade the pickups, tuners, nut, saddles, get the bridge pinned etc, you've just spent more than you paid on the guitar to begin with.

If you're a beginner, it's better to learn on a nicer guitar that feels good in your hands, sounds good and makes you want to keep going back to it. Save your money and go for sometihng at a higher price point, you'll thank yourself in the long run.

I have a 2004 model, made in China. 22 frets, 3-way selector, two tone knobs, two volume knobs. Two humbucker pickups. Rosewood fretboard. Everything you could basically ask for at this price range is included.

Perfect for blues, but I have played metal and hard rock through it as well. I use it with a Digitech RP-80 processor and a 30-watt Crate and it sounds great with almost any effect I put on it. It has a very bright sound and great variety.

Action is amazing on it; in fact, it plays better than my SG.

I've had mine for over three years, and it got run over by a car. And it still plays, looks, and sounds like the day I bought it. It hasn't warped a bit yet. I rarely, if ever, use any other guitar for shows, and I have rarely had any issues with it.

I've never needed it, haha.

You won't get a better guitar in this price range. Period.

My J-axe has:sunburst finish;thinline hollowbody Les Paul styling;
metal bridge and tuners;rosewood neck;made in China;no accessories;
2006 model;2 volume 2 tone controls;spruce top,mahoghany back $sides;

I am an amateur playing for many years on differing brands.I own 3
other guitars,each costing $700;a Gibson LP Junior,Blueshawk,and a
Gretsch historic archtop.My Johnson cost$272(I ordered it from a local music store)and it plays as well or better than my other axes.I
play blues,jazz,gospel,rock,and country through a Line 6 Pod&Hartke
bass amp;my J-axe gives a variety of sounds that before I had to
switch axes to get.J-axe cries,swings,shouts,struts,whatever I feel
it expresses.FOR $272!The humbuckers are free from any unwanted noise.

J-axe arrived at the store ready to play from the box.The only flaw
on a beautiful instrument was the cheesy looking pickguard(which I
instantly removed so I can lie about it's price!).Low neck action
makes this a joy to play.You can smell the wood like a new car smell.
It has pearl looking headstock design that shimmers like my Gibsons.
There were no dead spots on the neck,or need to adjust string heights.Oh wait!Those strings have to be replaced immediately!They
are really,really cheap!I put on Dadarrio Chromes .010 set,and went
straight to jazz heaven.

I have only had this guitar 3 months but no issues so far.

My J-axe has a lifetime warranty,but it is built in China,so I don't
know if it will have good servicing.Hopefully that won't be an issue.

I bought this guitar looking for a more mellow axe for my collection.
The sound is so varied that I was surprised,especially for the price.
I can almost always dial in the tone I want(Line 6 pod facilitates
this also).My collection is now complete and I won't be blowing any
more money on axes unless one of my lovely ladies is stolen(I would
replace any of them,including my Johnson).Having played Fender,GIBson
PRS"se" and a host of others over the years,my J-axe is dollar for
dollar as good as any fo them.

Basically a set neck Les Paul with a bit more of a jazz style body and of course, it's hollow.

The sound is astounding, it's great for virtually any style. Finally a les paul style guitar that can compete with the versatility of stratocasters. I'm really pleased with it's sound distorted, clean and all those in betweens. It really can cover any style which is what I think makes it superior to the Les Paul design it's been based off of. The hollowbody twist and slight body shaping difference is what does it. Just like a strat, you can play any style of music on it. Jazz, rock, BLUES, metal, country, classical, spanish/flamenco, it really does it all and does it extremely well.
The huge difference between it and a Les Paul is, the variation of sounds. All Les Pauls have this same fundamental sound, the hollow body surpasses this limitation.

The stock pickups are actually good quality and high performance but I did eventually upgrade with some aftermarket p/ups with better characteristics to suit the instrument. Also filed the rosewood bridge base down a bit but nothing major at all.

Even straight out of the box it earns a 10.

The finish is superb. I had a couple of gnarly scratches show up on me out of no where. Unlike most all other budget guitars, the finish is one of very high quality, I was able to buff out some pretty deep and severe scratches and left absolutely no trace they were ever there. This has not been the case with any of the other budget priced instruments I've owned including those that are name brand. A looooot of care goes into this model and it really shows, they're using materials high grade enough to put these up against American made instruments.
The action was fine but I of course tweaked.

Very solid and the hardware is going to last you quite a few years before needing replaced. It wouldn't make sense to upgrade the parts unless you get some Monday tuners or something just isn't functioning properly which in any case, I'd send it in under warranty.

dunno

I've had this guitar for a couple years or so and really love it. I circulate my guitars pretty regularly and when this one gets brought out I always wonder why I don't play it more. It is with out a doubt one of the best intruments I have ever owned and it was only a couple hundred bucks new.

This is my third Johnson and while they are budget guitars, they are high end models. All have been absolutely superb. From pickups to wood, I'm astounded that the Chinese have managed this quality of parts and craftsmanship with such a low selling price. This is actually one of the most useful and versatile guitars a RECORDING STUDIO could ever posess. The recordings I've gotten out of it were always superior to my other instruments.
This is one of my top 5 budget priced recommendations, it even has a long term warranty.

2004 - made in China (they have come a long ways compared to what I remembered their items were
22 frets
Laminated archtop F-hole cutaway top
has 2 volume/2 tone/ 3-way switch electronic controls
H/H pickup config
Humbuckers Don't know who made them,they are hotter than my esp-100 Passive electronics
setin Maple neck w/exclnt multi ply binding work
Transparent wineburst is my choice, also goldburst color availible.
custom LP style Hollowbody
Tunomatic style bridge
Gotoh tuners
Full scale neck, fast low action, recomend string change...
a cable was included, and a pkg deal with a tough Gaurdian Thermal padded case, 289.00
I figure the price will go up 30$ soon, so I got mine b4 that happened

Jazz,Rock,CW, doesn't matter the style, it has its place.
Have used with the Pignose B100V tube amp, with 4-12" cab. best
SWR-LA15 ok, Peavey 4ch twin great, LabSeries L-5 great, Pignose-30/60 great, Crate 15wDSP great.
Hope to try it through a Pignose-G60R someday. As for effects, they only sound as good as you can make them by turning knobs to adjust what you want to hear.
Not noisy, but, if the volume is cranked and you turn around to the amp, being HollowBody, seems to have no trouble getting the feedback.
typical.
Adjustable from bassy to trebley, and is Rich/and Full.
From a full blown deep rich sound, to a bright and piercing bright sound, all in the adjustments. But, the HollowBody, has its intonation.
I really like the guitar I do play the Delta more and more. I Love IT! It has the feel of a 1000$ axe and it has better action than most, that arrive at your doorstep, and the different tonal quality's that eminate from the amp spkrs, its like going to my rock n roll dr, and gettin blowed away. Seriously. I get elated every time I have 'Delta' in my hands and arms. That growl starts when a little feedback bounces around in the hollowbody I figure, and I think I made a better choice than going with a es335 style, Shes' small yet full scale, and since I am not a lead player, the full 24 frets are not necessary.22 is enuf. Also comfortable to play. A different set of strings will change the tuning a little, which is good to find where the bridge needs to sit on the arch saddle, I have moved it some to get the proper pitch and (diatonics) on the higher register, I do like just a little heavier strings, thats something that should be done anyway from time to time, is change the strings to your liking.

The action from factory, was immaculent, compared to other guitars I have purchased. I brought the FB pickup up some, 1 thing I would like to see Johnson do with the pickups is use a stronger spring behind the pickup adjusting screw, more tension.
I don't know the exact name of the tail piece, but, it gives more vibrant action and sound, you can tell when you get whiteknuckled or grip the neck and strings too tight, easy action.
Everything seems tight and properly adjusted to me...of coarse, you have to work with it to find your Nirvona sort of speak...

Live? everytime I play it is Live, haha.. nothing loose inside the hollowbody, just the strings from factory i did not like.
Oh yeah , on the hardware lasting...Keep it cased like anything you value, and out of the moisture. Respect your instrument, and it will reward you with features its' capable of. The finish is well sealed and the binding seems tight. Strap buttons are solid and nice, as with all my axes, someday am going to get those strap devices that lock onto the buttons...
The guitar is new, and about the gig? Always take more than one.

Bruce, the owner of Aamps Electric Guitar Store
http://www.aampselectricguitarstore.com/
has in the last 3 years of purchase exchanges, has treated me right, and is honest. No need to get something repaired that is new.
Says lifetime warranty. But, am thinking its actually 5 years.,Have to check..

Have to think about this one, 35 years on and off. I also own a mariad of amps, guitars, 1 bass, effects, ect.
I asked the neccessary questions b4 the purchase. I would certainly want another...I love everything it has to offer, except the original strings..but , there you go, another opinion. I was looking for an es335 style guitar, when I came accross the Delta, being questionable, I asked questions, and got answers. I chose this one, for its being hollowbody, primarily, since that is the sound/tone I was after. I wish all my guitars had microelectronic C-tech inserts at the volume and tone controls.
I guess I shared enough of a reveiw. You could say that I am satisfied with my purchase

Hollow body w/F-Holes
22 Fret Rosewood w/askew block inlays
Chrome cover pickups w/white bezels and pickguard
Tunomatic bridge with Birdland trapeze tail piece
Sealed die cast tuners
2 tone, 2 volume and 3 way switch
Vintage wineburst see thru finish front and back

First let me say, it has a killer variety of sounds. It's also one of those guitars where you HEAR the wood. Which is a good thing!
Absolutely no buzzing from the hardware, just a very beautiful and vibrant sound of resonating wood.

2 ways to judge it.
Electrified and acoustic.

Acoustically it sounds like most any hollowbody. Not quite twang but not quite plunky.....plangy??
Anyway it is VERY bluesy sounding as I have found most hollow bodies are, even if they were intended for jazz.

Electrified is VERY impressive. ABSOLUTELY for blues. Takes on metal EXTREMELY well....it actually does the formentioned better than jazz.
Is it a good jazz guitar? Yes, but overall it seems like a full on blues guitar that is sort of a chameleon for the other styles.

The harmonics are absolutely to die for. Talk about groany and vocal! I'd actually pay top dollar for the sound of these humbuckers.
It looks like a Les Paul but I feel it actually performs better....much more versatile.

The action was almost perfect as is. I cranked the bridge down a half turn to maybe a full turn, and now you could fret the strings from blowing on them.
Absolutely no buzz or fretting out issues.

The finish is really beautiful. Johnsons are very beautiful guitars but I will say that if you go over them with a magnifying glass, you'll find insignificant imperfections here and there. Nothing that is noticable until you REALLY get anal about it.
I have a Johnson Catalyst which even being that maticulous with, is absolutely flawless.

The wood grains macth beautifully and the guitar is just absolutely beautiful.

Well it is very solid, but I would worry about it being droped sincve it is a hollow body.
I mean it is really really solid, but those chambers leave room for worry

As far as hollow bopdies go, I'd be out of line not to say it's rock solid.

Never dealt with them, doubt I ever will.
I mean even with a lifetime warranty, what could possibly go wrong that you wouldn't take care of yourself?

Of course there is the issue of say the neck bowing beyond adjustment compensation, a fingerboard peeling free or say the neck somehow snapping but I think anything else we all tend to handle ourselves or take to a guitar doctor.

I really hate to give so much budget gear 10's because I know what gear snobs think/say but this is yet another that deserves it.

The pictures do it absolutely no justice as does the reputation that goes with Chinese made guitars. If you ask me and other Johnson owners, they are the best deal on the market while also being some of the best made guitars.
I mean this thing looks like a 1000 bucks easy and sounds just as good!

I've been playing off and on for 9 years. I've worked on guitars for over 9 years solid though and know my stuff.
It needs ABSOLUTELY NOTHING done to it or added.

If it were stolen or somehow destroyed, damn right I'd replace it. And I wouldn't be out a 1000 smackers either.

I guess the last thing I should add is the only worry here is the Chinese quality control consistency.
So far though, I've done really well and this is my 3rd Johnson to date.

I talked to another poster here that has a lot of issues with his. Honestly I'm not so sure it's the guitar though.....
Mines totally flawless in performance.

No rattles, no noisy hardware....sorry man but I just don't buy what was said. The issues claimed just make no sense to me now that I own one. I'm a self taught luthier.

Seems to me maybe he didn't know the nature of the sound of hollow bodies.

Anyway, I'm justified in scoring it a 10.
VERY impressive and beautiful guitar, regardless of the cost.

I got it in 2003. It was made in China. 2 chrome covered humbuckers. Fully hollow-body. 22 frets. Trapeze tailpiece. It is a Tune-o-matic style and the bridge sits on the body. 2 volume and 2 tone knos with a 3 way switch. LP shape and size but a bit thicker bodywise. Spruce laminate top. Mahogany sides and back. Maple neck. Sealed tuners. Nice headstock and logo. Antique Ivory binding. Ivory pick guard. Parallelogram fret inlays.

I liked the sound...it is much more mellow than the solid body LP style guitars I am used too. For the price, not too bad.

I got it right out of the box. The strings were very poor quality. I replaced them immediately. The bridge was not in the right spot and I had to adjust it. The surface finish was marred some where the bridge had slid or had been moved at the factory, but not so much that it dimishes the appearance. The bridge posts are loose and it vibrates when you are playing. I am looking into replacing with a better quality bridge. As far as the finish, I have the wine colored guitar and it is very nice looking.

Hardware in general seems good and I think it will hold up good. The price was low enough to offset the annoyance of working through the setup issues. I don't like the bridge, staying in tune can be challenging. This should improve with a better quality replacement. At this point, I would use it when I play live, but not without a backup. Maybe later when it is broke in a bit and the kinks worked out. It's still a pretty cool guitar. The body is the same size as a Les Paul but a bit thicker, the neck is slightly wider.

I haven't had it long enough to decide if I would get another. I would say most likely I would.

I like the fact that it was the same size as my Les Paul and I think it looks pretty nice.

2003 Chinese made. 2 humbuckers. Fully hollow. 22 frets. Trapeze tailpiece. The ABR-1 style bridge sits on top of body. 2 volume and 2 tone knos with a 3 way switch. LP shape with a shape closer to a Yamaha Weddington. Spruce laminate top. Mahogany compsite sides and back. Maple neck. Sealed tuners. Small, tasteful headstock and logo. Plastic pearloid parallelogram fret inlays. No mystery here for Gibson users.

The sound is great for the money. It would be passable for $300, questionable for $600 and dissapointing at $1000, but for $179 it's great. It doesn't have a real impressive acoustic voice. You would thing the combo of spruce and mahogany would project a nice woody tone but I think the presence of all the glue in the laminates kills some of those vibrations. I have strummed a Gibson ES446S and it sounded like a violin. But, factor in the price and it's pretty cool. The humbuckers are low output and are passable. Rolling off the treble is crucial to getting a nice sound out of this little box.

The guitar came in the factory box. It was not set up very well. The bridge was not seated properly so the intonation was off so much that you could get a chord in tune but any other chord or position was out of tune. It took about an hour to dial in a good bridge position and compensate the saddles for fine tuning. The bridge posts are not real tight so there is a slight buzz from this. Not real bad but if you are picky...

It looks like it will hold up. I'm going to use it on a jazz gig this weekend and I think it will be a nice change for a strat guy.

Don't know. Yet.

This isn't a Super 400. You could buy 45 of these for the price of a typical Super 400 or L-5. You could do Pete Townsend at a Jazz gig and have 44 left in the closet. For the money it's a great deal. I will probably get a couple more for the hell of it. You'll be amazed at what $179 will get you.