Peavey JF-1

Peavey's 335-alike with slightly more pointy horns, as opposed to the big mickey mouse ears of the 335 or Epi Dot. 22 Frets, stock Peavey Humbuckers, rosewood neck, gold plated hardware. Nice looking guitar - more contemporary than the 335 shape - not better, just different.

Neck pickup really nice, warm and bluesy. Set your amp EQ right and you can get passable jazz tones. Bridge pup snarly with overdrive,, quite bright clean - rockabillytastic. Really versatile sounds out of this thing. Like many semi-hollowbody guitars could easily be used for any stylr

Finish is about what you'd expect for a guitar that cost 250GBP. Mine is jet black (the only choice in the shop and didn't see any others in my other haunts) and looks nicely bling with the gold hardware - although my acidic sweaty hands have already started to take the gold plating off at the saddle. Roadworn already? Cool! Action need raising a tad, very light gauge strings removed and 11s added - truss rod adjustment, action readjusted, intonation set. Oops - stickin' in the nut. Very fine sandpaper, folded, eased the nut problems and now plays very nicely. Lovely fast neck and tuning problems are minimal (difficult to tell at the moment - heatwave in Belfast, Northern Ireland so may be wood expanding etc. We only get heatwaves twice each millenium though, so expect this to settle down soon...). Pickups are fine. Probably the Gibson variants would improve, but frankly its just me in my house so I've no plans to change. Overall, no problems that anyone with a little guitar experience couldn't sort out.

Not sure about live. Hardware is bound to be the flaw in this guitar (easily sorted though). Haven't played live in over 20 years so can't give an opinion.

5 year warranty. Sounds good to me.

I'm 42. Been playing (on and off) since 12. Have owned a large number of guitars over that time but generally no more than 1 acoustic and 1 electric at a time. I'd say this is up there with the best I've had and is fantastic value for a good blues/jazz guitar at the price. At the moment I'm playing through a Vox Valvetronix VT30 and I can get just about all the sounds I want (maybe not Gilmour but that is so Stratcentric that I knew that might be an issue). I love the look of it, after some minor guitar techy work it plays really well. If stolen, I'd go steal a real Gibson 335 or a Heritage 535. Until then, it will do me nicely... at least until I get the next bout of GAS.

22 frets, Peavey Humbuckers, semi hollow-body.

Large cutaways make for easy access to the upper frets...

2 tone knobs, 2 volume nobs, 3-way selector.

I've owned the real deals that didnt sounds this good.It takes a little tweeking at first (set-up, action etc...). But once it's there, you've got yourself a bargain.

Like I said get it professionally set-up and you're ready to play with the big boys.

Who knows????

Never had to use Peavey.

With just a little patience and breaking in period, this guitar will be one of your best friends in instruments that you have ever played. Nest to the 59 Les Paul and the 57 Strat.

As far as semi-hollow ES-335 type guitars go, there are neither more nor less features than what you look for when buying a guitar of this variety. Everything is pretty standard. For the price, the pickups are very decent, the tuners solid, and finish not spectacular but serviceable. I have concerns about the quality ofthe electronics (pots, jacks, wiring) from experience with Asian-made guitars in this price range, but that would be easy enough to deal with down the road.

I'm primarily a strat player with thirty years of experience, playing a variety of styles. There are some songs that just work better with the 335--and I play those guitars differently. I sold a Gibson 335 some years back and still kick myself. This is not in the same class as a Gibson, but for the money it gives me a reasonably close sound and feel. The neck PU has that mellow rounded sound that works well for blues-type stuff, and the bridge PU can cover everything from mean metal to '60s pop.

Reading many of the other reviews, I was concerned about what I'd find when the guitar arrived. I usually don't buy guitars without playing first, but this was almost an impulse purchase and knowing Peavey gear I didn't expect the worst, but did expect to spend a lot of time with the set up. Not at all the case. The guitar unpacked nearly in tune, and the frets were dressed and polished to perfection. The action was even in the ballpark, and very little tweaking put it into my comfort zone. The strings needed to be replaced, but otherwise the set up was great from the store.

The neck is maple (not mahagony) and is a bit chunkier than my other semi-hollows, but I find it very comfortable. The rosewood fingerboard's dye rubs off on your fingers the first few weeks of playing, but it doesn't show any wear after months of playing. The neck tilt helps the playability, and although the guitar is on the heavy side, it is well balanced. I can play this guitar for hours on end without any fatigue setting in.

The finish is a no-frills black with semi-gloss, and if you look at the right angle to the light you can see there wasn't a lot of effort put into the finish. But it's just fine for a working guitar. I doubt it will take a lot of dents and dings, but that doesn't worry me. The binding is cheap two-ply plastic (as is the pickguard) but is fitted flawlessly to the neck and body.

The machines are pretty solid for this price range, but the bridge is a future problem. Slight adjustment of the intonation started to strip a couple of the saddle screws, so I plan to replace the bridge sometime soon. I might replace the nut at the same time, because it is clearly not of the highest quality.

Otherwise, it has been holding up well so far and I can't foresee any major problems. I always gig with a strat and a second guitar, and this one is my second, but it sees a lot of action.

I'm a long time customer of Peavey gear, and in the past their record of support was unparalleled. I was even able to talk directly to one of their amp techs when I was having a problem on the road, but that was back in the '80s when they made their gear in Mississippi. Now that their production is taking place elsewhere, I'm not sure what the story would be. But I'd be very surprised if they let me down.

You can pay a lot for the right guitar to serve your purposes, but if there is an option more reasonably priced, why not take the better value? So long as you know going in that there is a reason the price is lower, you won't be disappointed. I've played a lot of semi-hollows and archtops over the years, and the JF1-EX is hands down the best of the "budget" options out there--certainly better than the Ibanez or Epiphones in this price range.

Korean Model Peavey JF1 EX in vintage sunburst color - Same as JF-1, JF1 EXP from what I can tell.. other than some cosmetic defferences.

Features have been gone over in other reviews. Pretty Standard other than the neck angle which i think is really great. This guitar is definitely a looker!

Over all I consider this guitar's tone very warm sounding, almost mellow. Currently playing through a Blackheart little giant head and two 1x12 Blackheart cabs. To get the most tone out of this guitar, use heavy strings and if you can't handle heavy than at least a medium blues/jazz string. The heavier strings makes a huge difference and once you get the neck straight/flat the guitar plays and sounds very good!

Intonation was dead on out of the box? Wow, go Korea I play rockabilly/blues/pop styles and the guitar seems comfortable with everything I've done with it. Lots of sustain, sustain, sustain! Peavey pickups aren't bad.

This intonation thing boggles me, it's rare even Fender or Gibbson guitars as of lately comes in the box properly intonated. It's Big bonus in my opinion! Less setup time:)

Note: I had to tighten the truss rod about half of a full turn to compensate for the extra tension of the heavy strings. Once you have the neck flat (no bow or arc) and the heavy strings on thiuitar theoretically sets up perfect and feels like it as well. If you're like me and like things to feel right the nut needs some work too. properly seating your strings in the nut makes for easier setup past the 9th fret and helps you get that high end feel/setup out of this neck. I shoudl also mention that with the heavy strings and proper setup that it stays in tune perfectly even when played with spirited attack & heavy strumming.

The neck angle is another thing worth mentioning and really does add to the feel and playability of this guitar. I have an 87/88 Sheraton ll that was made in the Samick factory and although cosmetically the Peavey isn't as nice it sounds as good and plays just as well as the sought after Korean Sheratons..

Built like a tank out of laminated maple?. It's a tad heavy just the way I like it. I would gig with it.

Never dealt with them..

Bang for buck guitar. Once setup it plays and sound better than the epiphone Dots and the ibanez Artcores and at almost half the cost!

Well... As the other reviews have noted, this is a pretty guitar.

22 frets, Peavey Humbuckers, semi hollow-body.

Large cutaways make for easy access to the upper frets...

2 tone knobs, 2 volume nobs, 3-way selector.

I play rhythm guitar in a... well, kind of a progressive rock group, I suppose.

Our lead guitar plays with a California Fat Strat going through an Ampeg VT-22 and a Rat Deucetone. So I needed something that would have muscle, yet would have a completely different tone from the lead.

Having a hollow-body guitar gives me all the natural reverb I could wish for. I put on some heavy gauge strings and it sounds amazing. I play it through a Garnet Lil'Rock with a Fulltone Fulldrive 2. It's the tone I've always wanted. The Humbuckers are fat, yet they're not too bassy because of the body's reverb, which mostly accentuates the highs. I don't even have to use the boost on my pedal to get a decent tone... this baby kicks ass and the sustain is absolutely phenomenal.

Factory... well, yeah, we did have to adjust the truss, because the action was a bit too high for my tastes. I like a low action.

The guitar is absolutely gorgeous, no doubt about it. It plays like a dream, now, too.

The pickups have a really nice tone. I have absolutely no complaints.

As others have noted, the stock strings are VERY dull, and I had some tuner problems at first. I had to adjust the bridge myself, because some of the string supports were loose. This took ten minutes and made all the difference in the world.

The frets feel nice, it's got a perfect action now, and I'm totally going to play this guitar for a long, long time.

At the factory, though... the settings are, for lack of a better word, average.

I'm going to start gigging with this guitar in about a month, so maybe I can tell you more about it then. As for now, though... I used to play with a Godin LG, and I don't regret the switch. The action is very similar, the neck is wide and the whole guitar feels really solid.

It would be nice if the pickgard was adjustable, but...

Yeah, I'd wager this is a tough guitar. I'm really impressed with it. For the price I paid, I really didn't expect that much.

I only dealt with the store that sold it to me.

They adjusted the action to my liking, and they fixed my tuners free of charge.

Can't argue with that.

As for Peavey, though, I never had to deal with them, so I can't say.

Oh, I've been playing for a couple of years. I am by NO means an advanced player, but... I am picky with the instruments I play.

I don't own any other guitars at the moment, and if this one got lost or stolen, I would replace it in a heartbeat with the exact same thing.

We'll see how it holds up. If I have pickup issues down the line I might upgrade to Gibson or Gretsch humbuckers, but for the moment, I'm happy. Eventually, I'd like to replace the Garnet with a Fender Twin Reverb 2X12 combo... my favourite amp tone-wise. I have been looking at Vox amps, though, and some of them do have a mighty sweet sound.

Lots of reviews for this guitar, but wanted to add my 2 cents.
I've had this guitar for almost a year now, so its had time to be broken in. This 2005 model is from China and is painted a glossy black with cream binding. The only problems with it were a spot on the upper f-hole where the binding didn't set quite right, and the G and B strings buzzed bad at the 15th fret (quick fret dressing took care of that though). Otherwise looks pretty cool and plays comfortable.

I play mostly blues and blues-base rock. I tried 3 different models at the store. The neck pickup on the black one had a very different tone than the other 2 guitars. Very "Chuck Berry Johnny B. Good" sound to it when played through a Peavey Valveking 112 and Rage 158, and a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. The neck pickup (Chuck Berry sounding one)is consistently bright, even through heavy distortion. The bridge pickup stays deep, going from clear to bassy to crunchy depending on how you push it. If your looking for perfect 335 sounds, spend the money on the Gibson. But, this a good intermediate guitar for a rockabilly/blues/rock player. Don't know about jazz, don't play that style. BTW, sounds pretty good playing classical stuff with the amps. Purists need not apply.

Action sucked from factory. In-store luthier did setup before I took it home. After that, was great.

Pickups were set just fine, never messed with them.

Other than the previously mentioned 15th fret and binding blemish, not anything wrong with the one I bought. Buying mine from a non-chain music store vs. online or national chain might have an effect on quality of merchandise on the floor.

Haven't gig'd with it yet. Play mostly strat style live, but it might make it onstage later this year.

Tuners stay in tune pretty well, but will probably be replaced if it becomes a regular live player. Otherwise, mine is solid.

I believe I can depend on it, but would never gig without a backup. Nothing against the guitar, but accidents happen.

Haven't dealt with Peavey so don't know. In-store help and support was great, too bad the guy closed shop in the fall because of lease problems.

I don't have a regular band or gig, just fill in for a few bands when the regular guy can't show or is "indisposed". Happens more than you'd realize and it keeps me fairly busy.

If it were lost, I might get another one if I could get one that sounded the same, otherwise I'd get a epiphone dot or ibanez artcore (unless I had $2g burning my pocket for a Gibson).

Obviously, no gig bag or hardshell comes with or specifically made for it. Got a generic 335 hardshell case, seems to fit fine if a bit snug on the top.

Love the sound. Wish the setup came from the factory better.

As said, if you're looking for a good semihollow sound, it very good. If your looking for a buget 335, save your bucks for it.

I like the position of the pick up selector on the top horn.

Neck is comfortable, bindings are well done, gold hardware, flame laminate top, etc

Decent sounding pickups. Acceptable range. Peavey humbuckers are actually pretty good.

Bought used. After a fret dress it played fine. Always expect to have some aggressive tweaking done on a lower end instrument.


6 for the way the frets were. The fit and finish woul be a 9.

Seems solid enough. Very comfortable to play.

N/A

Decent 335 style for the money. Nice player once set up and fret dressed. Bought used and have the reapirs in it to bring the total price I have in it up to what a new one would cost at retail. I'll keep it and play it and maybe pass it on if I get a better replacement, but for now it suits my purpose.

Built like a "Farm Girl" with lots of everything in the right places!
Pickups are fine, yet you could easily modify this platform into a real "rock demon" with some 490's or 57 humbuckers.
I wouldn't call this a jazz performer, it's a boxer..not a dancer!

You get what you pay for here...a better than "entry-level" Hollowbody with a real flair for hard rock & even slide blues.
It's big, fat & fun with some nifty sounds to delight any string bender!

The flamed maple veneer has some reasonably attractive figuring, and the semi-hollow maple body gives it a very full, bright tone. It has a tune-o-matic-type bridge with a stop tailpiece which i may soon replace with a bigsby. The tuners are somewhat difficult to get in tune because they are an awkward ratio compared to what i normally use, however once they're in tune, it holds. I left it in my basement for a month while i was off at summer camp, and i tuned it the day i left. Upon returning, i picked it up and began playing it with little to no sharpness or flatness. The neck claims to be mahogany, but apparently it's maple. Either way, it plays nice, and i rather enjoy the shape of it. It's good for complex chordwork as well as advanced arpeggios and yes, even shredding. The action is rather pleasant. It was made in China. In the box, i also got a mediocre peavey cable. It works, mind you, but it's thin. I feel as if i used it live...There would be exposed copper by the end of the night. The pickup switch is a 3-way toggle, and the controls are 2 volume and 2 tone. H/H setup, standard passive no-name pickups. again, the body and top are maple and flame maple veneer, respectively, and the neck SHOULD be mahogany (i don't feel like sanding it down to find out) and the fretboard is a rather nice strip of rosewood. It is currently in the shop for a full setup, as well as a new set of pickups. Dimarzio Air Norton in the neck and Dimarzio PAF Pro in the bridge, as well as a push-pull coil tap system.

Surprisingly enough, this guitar does suit my musical style, which, oddly enough, is metal. The bridge pickup is slightly weaker output but it cuts through the mix more (however it is being swapped for a higher output pickup), and the neck pickup is acceptable. I will keep it as a spare. Very smooth tone, but does not cut through as much. I use it through a number of amps, currently a Fender FM212R 100-Watt combo, and the following pedals: Boss tu-2 -> Boss CE-5 -> Boss AC-2 (useless) -> Boss MD-2 -> Ernie Ball Volume Pedal -> Line 6 DL4 -> Amp. It has a very full sound, that, as a result of the maple can be quite bright. The new pickup combination and coil tap system should open up an even greater variety of sounds i can get from this instrument, making it that much more a pleasurable experience. And a bigsby must be had.

Stock, the guitar was mediocre. Strings were a waste of metal, intonation was slightly off, but the action was reasonable. No visible flaws on mine (thankfully), and the top looks stunning. The tuners are sort of unstable at first but have been settling in well recently. Gold hardware matches the rest of the guitar beautifully, and really makes up that bling factor that i appreciate. The pickup selector can be heard when switching but i'm pretty sure that it's because of the resonance of the body. generally it's average in terms of Action, Fit and Finish.

There is no doubt in my mind that this guitar can be trusted all the way to the stage. The hardware feels rock solid, the finish is too thick to flaw, and the strap buttons are average. Im going to swap them with some proper Schaller Straplocks as soon as i recuperate from all the gut-work i'm doing to it. I would NEVER use it on a gig without a backup because firstly, you never know when something could go wrong, and secondly, because i have 5 other guitars. It doesn't make sense to just use one live.

I have been playing a little over 3 years now, and i also own:
Guitars:
Jackson JS30KE Kelly (Dark Metallic Blue)
'94 Fender Standard Stratocaster (Sunburst)
Takamine G530S (Natural Gloss. BEAUTIFUL shining finish)
Art And Lutherie Cedar (Satin Blue)
Mahalo Guitar Ukulele (Gloss Orange)

Amps:
Fender FM212R
Fender Hot Rod Deluxe (not dependable enough)
Brand X X-15R (Would not advise buying unless desperate for a practice amp)

Effects:
Boss TU-2 Chromatic Tuner
Boss CE-5 Chorus Ensemble
Boss AC-2 Acoustic Simulator (not pleased.)
Boss MD-2 Mega Distortion (Great variety of tones)
Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler (GET ONE. confusing at first, but unbelievable once you understand the controls)
Ernie Ball Volume Pedal
Dunlop GCB95 Crybaby (currently not working)
Boss BF-2 Flanger (cool, but outdated and temperamental)

Other equipment used:
Planet Waves and Pure Tone instrument cables, no-name patch cords
Dunlop Tortex Black Gold Jazz 1.14mm Picks
Shure SM57 Dynamic Microphone
Radio Shack Microphone

Yeah. I wish i'd asked to get all the work done BEFORE i took it home. Been in the shop for 3 weeks now. Stupid chain music stores.

I would unquestionably buy this guitar again (perhaps in red though. That looks REALLY nice)

I love the playability of this guitar, but i hate to admit that it's a peavey.

I sorta got it as a gift, so i didn't compare it. But after getting it, i compared it to an Epiphone Dot, and a couple of Ibanez guitars. The ibanez artcore models felt a bit better but the necks were too big and the epiphone was just a chunk of crap.

I wish it had a laser gun to shoot hecklers in the audience with. But modern technology can only accomplish so much.

My peavey JF1 is made in china 2004 model, sunburst color.See other reviews above.

I personally really like the sounds of it.I bought it for blues, bluesy and classic rock 70's and 80's.The PU sounds good enough, don't need to change.

needed ajustment of the neck truss.The action was a bit high.The frets need some polish and the nut as well.the stock strings are crap.

It's a very solid guitar.

Never have dealt with then.

Playing 2 years.I would replace this if lost or stolen.The peavey JF1 is a very nice guitar.

My Peavey JF1 (black) was made in China I think in 2005. Yes, it's a Gibson 335 copy (another copy!). I think other reviewers already listed the specs.

I like the Peavey humbuckers -- they sound great to me.

Some reviewers have had complaints about the tuners but mine are working well so far.

I will second the opinion that the neck is great. It is very comfortable. it's also tilted back deliberately. It's amazing how much easier this makes the guitar to play. this is a really nice feature that I haven't seen on many guitars.

I have no idea why there's no case/gigbag. there should be.

I play classic rock and blues. This model is perfect. I can get a jangly Beatles sound or a blues/jazz sound. It sounds good with gain, too, if you want to do some Cream or whatever. It has a good variety of sounds, i'd say.

It's at it's best on lead guitar and power chords, I think.

Really low action which i like. My pickups are actually jsut about right... no buzz, good tone, just great. The finish is just paint, but you know, this guitar looks really sweet. Everything seems tight and right, you know? The factory strings are garbage but what else is new. Just put on new ones. No big thing.

My guess is that it will be durable. For an archtop, it seems sturdy. I love the feel of it in my hands. I've just had it for a week or two, so I don't really know yet if it's dependable. I won't give a rating, but my hopes are high.

N/A... Haven't had to yet. But I went to peavey.com and the site is down -- because of Hurricane Katrina (Peavey is in Mississippi). Can't hold that against them!

I've been playing about 10 years. Right now I just own a Takamine acoustic electric and this Peavey JF1, but I have had others in the past. I really love the neck and the sound of this guitar. For the money, I don't think you could beat it. I compared it to other 335 copies and similar guitars(Epiphone DOT and DOT Studio; Ibanez Artcraft; Oscar Schmidt OE-30). It is so much more comfortable and sounds better to me than all of these. Really. Even the DOT. I concur with the last reviewer on that. I was actually quite shocked at how well it plays and sounds. I don't think it's a fluke, 'cause they had two of 'em. I tried both, and they were both incredibly nice. This is as good a bargain as you'll find. I have to give it an overall 9 because I think this thing is a steal. I can't believe I never heard about it before... I just stumbled onto it while looking at the more familiar DOT and Artcraft...

My comments are just to add to what others have already said and give my own opinions. There have already been quite a few reviews!

It was made in China, yes. But personally, I am reasonably pleased with how this guitar is made for the price. I have a 2005 model, all black.

To me, the relatively wide neck feels great. It's very comfortable for me, but of course I often play classical guitar, so perhaps that makes sense.

No case, as others have noted. Well... this is often the case when you buy cheaper guitars. I put it into a gig bag I already had. No big deal.

I personally really like the sound of it. I used to own a Epiphone DOT. This Peavey JF1 actually feels and sounds better to me, believe it or not. I bought it for blues, bluesy rock, and a little jazz. No, it's not a Gibson... but really, it's not bad. And given that I'm only an intermediate level player (even though I've been at it for 20 years), it sounds plenty good enough to do justice to MY skills! Would I expect BB King to play it? Er, no.

I love the low action on this thing! For me, along with the wide neck, it makes this very comfortable to play for an extended time. Given that I usually play classical guitar with nylon strings, that's saying something. Yes, there's a bit of a buzz, but it kinda does go away on its own if you play for a while (someone else noted this). I haven't noticed flaws yet. The tuners are actually quite good on my guitar.

I don't really know, but it seems solid to me. My Epiphone DOT felt more fragile in my hands, actually. It's cheap enough that you can play live with it without being nervous... and I think it would do fine. Time will tell, of course! The strap buttons are quite solid, which is nice. The finish is painted, so I don't worry about that!

N/A. I've heard great things about Peavey, though.

I've been playing for more than 20 years. I own a Yamaha classical and an Ibanez Roadstar and a Fender Jazz Bass (Getty Lee model) at the moment, but I've owned MANY guitars over the years! I think I'll be playing this one the most, day to day. I use a Fender Bassman amp for guitar and a huge Peavey amp for bass.

When buying this one, I compared it to a used Epiphone DOT. The DOT reminded me of why I didn't like my old DOT -- way over-rated! I also compared it to a Silvertone Blues King. Honestly, it was sort of a close call, but I really love the wide neck and action on this Peavey JF1. To me, that makes it really comfortable to play, and that makes a world of difference.

I think all guitars should come with a gigbag, but whatever.

22 Fret ES-335 Copy. I guess since its called a 'jazz fusion' model, they're going for the Scofield model Ibanes AS-200. But those two guitars are so similar that they're one in the same. This guitar has a flame 'veneer' that rivals that of some high-end manufacturers. It also has a pretty cream binding all the way around the body, neck, and headstock. Also has gold hardware, somewhat uncommon for this type of guitar, but i think Sco's has gold hardware. In a weird twist...the two JF-1's at daddy's boston where I purchased this beast had different style inlays than that of the JF-1s I see online. They're not block, but i dig them more. A unique aspect to this one guitar I have.
Other than that, this guitar is a victim of a lot of the Chinese cost-cutting measures: poor electronics, two-ply pickguard, painted back (gibson es-335 has transluscent finish on the back), kitchen-counter nut material. Top it all off with poor electronics. In fact...it has the generic overseas peavey humbucker which I assume are supposed to sound metally on some guitars. Just because they're humbuckers does not mean that they will sound like the twangy jazzness of a 335.
Since the guitar looked so nice and the price was right, I switched out the pickups for a gibson 57 classic in the neck and a 57 classic plus in the bridge. There probably could have been better pickups for this job, but I know how those two pickups sound in an es-335 and I didn't want to take the risk of losing that labor cost to some other pickups. I also had a new bone nut, and schaller locking tuners put on. Now we're getting somewhere....

Despite the overall cheapness of this guitar, the peavey does have the resonance of the semihollow thing they're going for. I feel like the guitar is becoming more resonant 'unplugged' every day I have it. If you had the stock pickups in, it would sound like junk. But with the 57 classics, it nails the tone i was going for. With a guitar like this, it could have sounded sub par, but I took as risk and it paid off big time.

I never trust a factory setup on any guitar. (I worked in a guitar store, one time this martin USA-made guitar came in with the strings detuned and the G and the D strings switched...so much for quality control over in Martin...) But I dug the neck because it was thicker than most 1960's gibsons. Its actually somewhere inbetween my thick non-60's SG neck and that of the uberskinny 1960 gibson neck. The frets were also pretty good, a medium size.

I knew there would be shortcomings with the finish on this guitar. On the binding right by the rythem pickup there is some kind of black discoloration. Unfortunately, this is the part of the neck I see most (:-/). The nut was also very sloppily glued out of the factory and there's some kind of glue left over visibly inside one of the f-holes from an angle. But, honestly, I've seen worse from made-in-China guitars. The frets were decently put in the guitar. Slight unevenness at the 21 and 22 frets, but nothing that would hurt playing.

With the new pickups, nut, and tuners, this guitar is on par with a USA gibson or a Japanese Ibanez AS-200. It may even stay in tune better! With a proper set up, this thing plays like buttah. The construction of this guitar is very solid, no worries of the top or sides coming unglued.

My only question now is how long the pots and switch will last. As with any cheap guitar, the electronics usually will last 1-2 years before a pot, switch, or jack needs to be replaced. I knew this when buying it, and that's one reason why the guitar only cost me $300. I figured at that time I'll get all CTS pots, maybe some NOS bumble bee caps, and a solid switch and jack. That would make this guitar probably sound better than a 2005 Gibson ES-335.

I probably voided the warrenty doing the work on this guitar.

I'm a college student, I've been playing for 7 years now, I worked in a guitar store, I know what good guitars sound like. I also know how good a cheap guitar can sound and play if you spend 500 dollars in parts and labor. This guitar screams. But really, its not the same guitar that I bought. I sanded off the 'peavey' logo on the trussrod cover and even changed ALL the gold hardware to nickel or chrome. For about 900 dollars, this guitar plays, sounds, and for the most part looks better than those epiphone 'elitist' models and is certainly on par with Gibsons. It also has a unique headstock and inlay system. I even put on gibson gold skirts on the pots. I'm thinking about putting my name on the headstock and getting rid of the script 'jazz fusion' logo at the end of the headstock. But that might be a lot of trouble for nothing. It may make me look pretensious...

So, really, the original guitar would be like a five, now its a 9. A true 'player.'

Made in China --- in 2004 most likely. 21 frets. Well made Tune-O-matic bridge! No name tuners and pickups. 23,75 inch sacle. No case or gig bag included.

OVERLY thick laminated top. I wonder why they WASTE the wood this way? It just adds extra USELESS weight to the guitar. Has NO useful PURPOSE. My two pre-1967 ES330 Gibsons have about half the thickness. Even my Jay Turser EE335 2002 copy has about half the thickness. That wasted wood and extra weight is hard on the back of a guitar player ansd adds no sustain. In addition it means less wood left to make future guitars with. Dumb as hell on Peavey's part.

2 Volume; 2 Tone controls; 3 way selector. Passive electronics. REALLY nice flamed maple top. Really nice looking guitar overall! Too thick a neck --- like those old cheapo guitars without a truss rod. But I got used to it.

The neck was MAPLE and NOT MAHOGANY AS CLAIMED in the Peavey advertising both on their website and in their catalog. WHAT a dumbass company Peavey is not to even check and see if their order was fulfilled as asked for by the chinese manufacturer. THIS ALONE tells me that Peavey is pretty much a marketing bullshit company. I bought this guitar specificlly because I wanted the warmth a mahogany neck gives to the sound of a guitar. Mahogany is generally better sounding for accompanying a, non lead guitar, singers voice.

I called Peavey about the neck wood. The person I talked to was a nice person but offered nothing concrete correct the situation --- they probably feared that everyone would end up asking for the same thing ---which I suggest you do if you are equally unsatisfed.

I was preparing to sue the store or the distributor or Peavey itself --- I've never lost a case in court to date and I would have won this one also. Even weeks after I talked to the company representative they were still saying on their website that JF-1 necks are made of mahogany! They KNOW they are lying!

Happily the JF-1 guitar was so pretty that I was able to exchange it for a similar, but light weight better made, ES335 copy that a friend of mine owned --- a first year run Jay Turser.

If you want to check out your own JF-1 neck wood you need just remove the truss rod cover plate. If the wood is white then it is NOT MAHOGANY. You can scratch some wood away to check if need be.

I tried out FIVE JF-1 's and the one I bought sounded the warmest. The others all sounded no life jangly like a bad copy of a Stratocaster. The one I bought had a nice jazz guitar sound but good sounded good mainly for solos and fingerpicking. Nice but not great. For strumming well it sounded was rather lousy.

I was looking for that nice warm sound a mahogany neck gives you on this type of guitar but it just wasn't there. I had decided to change the pickups as I thought maybe they were at fault. Before doing so I fortunately decided to adjust the truss rod (I repair guitars so no problem there) when I discoverd the neck was *@?$*@#? a maple neck and not as claimed.

Action was just fine but hell even if it wasn't it's easy to adjust. More important was that in spite of having a very reasonably low touch there was no fret buzz at any fret at all. Great. Who cares about pickup adjustement. Don't we all own a simple screwdriver? And, in any case, you should readjust the height to get the sound YOU want from the pickup.

The top was very nicely bookmatched. I just LOVED looking at this GOREGEOUS guitar. Too bad it didn't sound as good as it looked. one The five JF-1's I looked at in the sotre had glue droppings that were wuite evident and easily seen thru the f holes. The top binding was unequal on one side of the guitar and distracted from it's overall great look. However I've never had more pleasure looking at a guitar while playing it!

Non-noisy pickup selector or pots. Saddle very well fitted. Quiet pcikups. Nut nicely cut.

I think this will likely turn out to be a dependable guitar. It is quite solidly put together. However only time will tell.

Unhelpful dealings with the company. Nonethless, the representative I talked to was quite friendly. I called the company because the neck was not mahogany as claimed. They wanted me to work things out with store --- who refused to take the guitar back even though the salesman had guarantied me the neck was mahaogany and I had verbally VERY clearly specified it was essential to the sale. I like this store but forget getting a return if you have this type of problem.

I like going to court becasue I've always won to date. Peavey got off real easy especially seeing I also work with the media and would have gotten them some bad publicity for their misleading website and catalog information on this guitar. It would have cost them MUCH more than the 350$ I paid!

Been playing off and on for the past 25 years. Presently own about 20 some guitars and four amps. Have owned a lot more. Guitars: Fenders, Gibsons, Ibanez, Samick, No-name, etc. My favourite guitars are my two Gibsons. One 1961 ES330 and one 1967 ES330. Dream of owning a 1961 ES335. They are what I call a REAL guitars because they sound like timeless guitars should. Probaly because tehy were made with quality wood that they just don't have any more.

AMPS: Mostly Fender and Mesa Boogie and some great sounding no-name amps. Anyone have an 8 inch speaker Tracer out there to sell me? I am dying to find one again! I also repair and set up guitars for other guitarists.

My past time is taking guitars and getting them to sound as good as, or better than, big name guitars. I LOVED the looks of this JF-1 guitar. Got to admit it, even more than my Gibson's damn it. It sounded quite good fingerpicking but for soloing and chording I have many better sounding name and no-name guitars.

Great value for the price. I would recommend this guitar as a first adult guitar if you don't mind the weight of it and the overly fat neck. I would not have sold it if it had had, AS SPECIFIFED in PEAVEY literature and on their website, a MAHOGANY neck.

Rating 10 cause an overall GREAT value for the price! With the proper pickups I could have turned this guitar into a great sounding soloing guitar --- with some FANTASTIC inexpensive, better than Duncan Gibson PAF imitation, sounding chinese pickups I've found. I've tried a lot of pickups. Watch out Ducan the chinese are coming! The JF-1 is not a strumming accompaniment electric guitar. It does have a good Rock sound as is. Overall the guitar is a 6 or 7 as compared to a quality "no real" guitar. As compared to a "real" guitar think 3.

This is an excellend guitar for the price you pay - $350 CDN for a hollow-body, archtop guitar is great. Twin humbuckers with treble and volume controls each. Very good impression overall - a nice hefty "bang for the buck".

The two humbuckers provide a clean, fat sound, particularly on the neck pickup, great for jazzy chords and soloing. Tried overdrive as well, as in fusion or classic rock - very clean, much better than my Ibanez guitars.

Needed adjustment of the neck truss, but otherwise well adjusted. The action is a bit low, and low A string buzzed at first. After some break-in, the buzz stopped, but you may want to raise the action a touch. The finish is absolutely stunning - makes you feel like you own a $2000+ guitar! The rich deep red is light enough for you too see the wood structure. The knobs are very solid. The only complaint is that the pickup selector switch tends to get unscrewed, and the pickguard is a little weak but that's a very small flaw.

I haven't owned it long enough to comment other than the strap buttons are very solid and it feels that it will last a lifetime if properly taken care of. After all, no one plays baseball with guitars, do they? I don't gig, and even if I did, I would tend not to smash the guitar against amplifiers or set fire to it :).

Haven't called yet, but I intend to, to get the action higher, and adjust the neck some more.

I have been playing jazz, progressive rock and fusion for a couple of decades now. I own two Ibanez guitars and an Ovation. This is the first "Jazzbox" I own, and have always dreamt of one, but the price was too prohibitive. There are other guitars in this class from Jay Turser, Ibanez, Epiphone and others, but I've never seen one that would be affordable. Peavey solves the problem. This guitar costs a bit more than the Ibanez solid bodies I own, but what incredible value for the money! I would gladly own another Peavey in case this beauty gets destroyed, and would definitely replace if stolen.

I have a new 2005 model. Most of the features have been dicussed before. There seems to have been a parts change, probably due to user comments. The tuners on mine are Grovers and not Gotohs like others have mentioned. The one I got is finish in transparent red. The finish is beautiful, could not find a flaw in it or the workmanship.

A couple of reviews commented on lack of a case. Well Peavey now has a case. Mine was shipped out of Peavey in one.

sounds as good as any other ES-335 type guitar sounds. pickups are humbuckers and sound fine to me. no need to change.

The action from the factory seems okay to me. I did not see any flaws in the guitar. Chinese manufacturing seems to be making top notch gear now.

looks like it will be reliable, not enough time to tell.

Peavey has been excellent. My guitar was on backorder. I called Peavey to find out how long, I found out there was a delay in packaging, they ran out of boxes. I explained that I had circumstances that required the guitar ASAP (I?m sick and dying, this was a last request toy for myself). They had the red ones in stock and decided to ship it out in a case so I could get it within a week. That is good service.

Even though I am a beginner, I am used to musical instruments. I also own a dreadnaught acoustic. If stolen, i would kill the culprit and make his estate buy me another.

I think everyone else has fairly well covered all the features of these Chinese built "ES-335 Gibson clones," and there is nothing for me to add here. It has what all the members of this genus are supposed to have: A thin line laminate semi-hollow body, a center block, easy access to the entire fingerboard, and a pair of humbuckers.

Peavey's ad copy might lead a non-player, or beginning student, to think that the JF-1 is some sort of revolutionary design. It isn't. It is a re-hash of a design that has been with us for half a century.

But that is advertising hype for you, and everybody does it.

There is something about this guitar however, that is, if not revolutionary, still very worthwhile: Not many offer the basic structural integrity of the JF-1 at the street price these are selling for. These are good guitars, and worth consideration by working musicians as well as students and hobby players.

If Peavey offered a case with it, I would rate it 10 out of 10 for features. They don't, so it gets a 9.

Like the Gibson ES-335, these are versatile guitars, and can be set-up for anything from rock to jazz with the right strings for you style and a couple of screwdrivers. With heavy round wound strings and the action set medium high (and you will have to re-set intonation, because they are set very low with light strings from the factory), the JF-1 delivers a very "Gibson-like" jazz sound using the neck pickup. The pickups are quiet, and reasonably high output.

I have used the JF-1 through a variety of amps, and if the amp is suited to the style (ie, a good clean channel for jazz, in my situation) the guitar sounds good.

The thin hollow body adds some resonance and "feel," and gives enough volume to permit unplugged practice in a quiet room, while the center block, thin body depth, and fairly thick maple plywood top are very resistant to feedback compared to full depth archtop guitars.

Again...all characteristics of the Gibson ES-335 and its clones/derivatives.

If the 335 is the standard against which this guitar is measured, it deserves a 9 or 10 for sound.

The set-up was typical. Too low for my taste, and with cheap strings that were too light for jazz. No big deal, because that is how most guitars are delivered, and they have to be set-up for the individual player's needs.

The general finish is excellent. There were issues with roughness on the bridge saddles and nut, but more on that below. The neck and frets were good, the sunburst finish looks nice, and the binding is as well applied as on most Gibsons.

It is a very solid guitar. If you already gig without a backup, you are unlikely to find anything about this guitar that would cause you to be afraid to use it as your only guitar at a gig.

Don't know. Haven't needed customer support.

This is a guitar that improves with playing. A lot of people accept that expensive carved archtops will open up and sound better after several months of intensive use.

That isn't the case here...plywood is plywood, and it sounds as good as it is going to sound when you arrive at the set-up that works for you.

However, many of the mechanical/fit issues that others have reported here, simply resolve themselves with some "wear-in."

For example, the tuners. They can fool you into believing they are sloppy when you first bring the guitar home. They really aren't. The bridge saddles are a tad rough, and the nut isn't as smooth and well cut as it could be.

After a few months of playing a minimum of an hour or two every day, the constant vibration of the strings, and the sliding back and forth of the strings over the bridge and nut as it is tuned, really smooths up the guitar. You will gradually begin to notice that the guitar now tunes smoothly and precisely, and that it holds tune as well as a guitar costing a couple of thousand more. When it is brand new, the strings don't slide over the saddles and through the nut easily and that causes the tuners to feel sloppy.

The frets and the back of the neck benefit from such constant use as well. They smooth up nicely with use, and if you have a chance to do so, go back to a music store and compre your JF-1 to a brand new model, after you have played yours for six months. Then try a new Gibson. I think you will conclude you just got paid $2000 for your practice time.

This is a consideration for working musicians...if you want to add a 335 style guitar to your inventory, but you are a little tight on cash (what gigging musician isn't?), grab one of these and use it as your daily practice axe for two or three months, and then it is ready for the clubs. You can use the money you saved to fix your car, and that will help get you to more gigs.

I've been beating on guitars and basses since the 1960s. I've been through a lot of them, from a craptacular 1957 Fender Esquire through a Gibson L-5 that just got sold to some guy in Denmark with more money than good sense, with a couple of Gretsches, miscellaneous Gibsons, Fenders, Heritages, Washburns, what have you, thrown in the mix.

I don't anticipate having to replace this Peavey any time soon, unless it gets run over by a car, because it is well made. But after owning and playing this one, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another.

I would however, plan on playing its replacement in my living room for a couple of months before gigging with it, just to wear in the few rough spots and thereby put the finishing touch it needs to make it a first class axe.

Peavy Jazz-Fusion made in 2004, china made. Standard 3 place switch, 2 volume and 2 control knobs. Alder body, semi-hollow body. 2 Peavy Humbuckers. Beautiful dark sunburst finish. 335 style which means you are playing way up the neck. Nice Tune O Matic bridge. Gotoh tuners (really the only drawback on this axe). Very sweet neck with well finished frets, can get around quickly. No accessories.

For the price this is one fine unit. You need to do 2 things before seriously performing. 1) Change strings to a quality 10-46 or 11's. Dump the factories. 2. Have your local Pro set it up to adjust string height and nail the intunation. Then you a a very nice jazzy, blusey guitar. I have played for 30 years. My main guitar is a LP Firebrand Studio. I wanted a guitar for more blusey chording. This thing surprised me. On the neck PU you get rich smooth blues chords. In the middle you can play Texas blues leads, with a little distortion. On the bridge dont be afraid to play classic rock leads. I can imagine what some custom Gibson pickups would do to this!

Off the shelf set up was off a little. Fret buzz, especially 5th and 6th strings below the 12th fret. One fixed--so smooooth to play. Easy adjusting bridge. No flaws upon receipt other than tuners being a little sloopy. Make sure you wind strings 3 + wraps before tuning up. This helps slippage immensly.

I play it live and aggressivly (although I've only had it 3 months(..Time will tell. The finish is awesome. I have had more compliments on this guitar than any Ive owned before. The gold bridge and pickups against the dark background are beautifull. I always have a backup guitar if for no other reason a string breaks, which has not occured in 3 months. I do note that the butt end strap button may be a little loose, that needs checked further.

We have a local Peavy dealer who is also a Luthier here in town, so I use him for all my Peavy needs. He even refretted my LP studio which is almost against his religion. Did a great job. Lifetime warranty on structural items.

Playing 30 years. Country gospel, 60's rock, Texas blues. I would replace this if lost or stollen. Theres nothing I dislike except tuners are a little weak. The playability is the best asset, very nice neck, beautiful body, clean sound through an older Peavy VT classic 212. Good miced through house PA, also nice with various effects to pick up the harsher SRV or Los Lonely Boys Texas sound. I mostly play clean without effects.

I wanted to add a cautionary note here.

Apparently, Peavey does not offer a case for the JF-1. Or if they do, I can't find one at their website or at a dealership.

So, when I purchased one of these guitars earlier this year, I bought an aftermarket case nominally designed for the Gibson ES-335. The dimensions are very similar.

Except: The Gibson ES-335 doesn't have its pickup selector toggle switch on the upper bout. When you put a Peavey JF-1 in a case designed for the Gibson ES-335, you will likely find that the lid puts too much pressure on the bat handle of the switch. On mine, it actually broke the switch internally after several months and I had to take it to the dealership to have it replaced...where the cause was discovered.

It appears as if the problem is minimized if the switch is flipped up to the front-pickup-only position before the case is closed.

Just beware...most hardshell cases that will fit this guitar are actually designed for the Gibson ES-335, and may not provide adequate clearance over the switch if you forget and leave it in the center (both pickups selected) position.

Other than that, it has been a great little jazz guitar.

Bought mine used, not sure of the year it was made. No indication of where it was built. Red finish with beautiful flame maple top. Looks elegant with the gold hardware. This is the best-looking import 335 I've seen. Plays great, intonation is perfect. My personal preference is that the toggle switch be placed with the volume & tone controls; on the Peavey, they are on the upper bout, Les Paul style. This is certainly not a problem or a flaw.

Nice full sound. Excellent blues and rock guitar.

Nice fit & finish, as good as any import I've seen. Gorgeous flame maple top. There are lots of red 335's out there, and this is the best-looking one I've seen.

Mine was used, but played lightly. Looks like it would hold up fine to live playing. Everything seems solid & well built.

No need for support.

The Peavey JF-1 is a very nice guitar. Every bit as good as an Echotone, Sheraton, Washburn HB35, Dot, or any other imported 335. Highly recommended. I would definitely want to replce it if it was lost. I've been playing for 35 years and this is one of my favorites.

Purchased new this year (2004). Made in China. The rest of the specs you can get from other reviews and from Peavey, so there is little point in me repeating them here.

This is basically a generic Asian copy of the Gibson ES-335, and is a fairly well executed copy at that. The Gotoh tuners are a bit sloppy and the iastrument would benefit from having Grovers installed, but the Gotoh tuners don't slip once you get in tune.

The individually adjustable bridge saddles are slightly rough and ought to be carefully filed, but after a change from the poor quality light guage strings that came with the guitar, and several weeks of daily playing (and tuning -- well, you should tune if you play jazz) they smoothed out some.

There were no accessories provided with the guitar -- I purchased a hard shell case and strap separately.

However, with two passive humbucking pickups, individual volume and tone controls, three position pickup select switch, individually adjustable bridge saddles, and solidly mounted strap buttons,the guitar itself has every feature expected in this style of instrument. Not necessarily first rate quality of components, but they're all there. I rate it 8 out of 10 for not having a case with it.

With the strings it came with, it was tinny and bright. The music store owner assured me I could return it if the sound wasn't what I was looking for with heavier strings. With a heavy set of Ernie Balls the tone darkened to what I was looking for for jazz.

Mostly, I was looking for a inexpensive second guitar with a center block so that it would be stable and remain in tune better than a real archtop when playing outdoor venues, and a practice guitar that I could hear without an amp, but that wouldn't wake my wife when practicing in the early morning in our tiny and cramped motorhome. So far, no complaints.

This Peavey's pickups don't seem to have nearly as much output as the humbuckers Gibson uses, although the tone is clean (if a bit thin) from the low registers on up. Single note solos sound good in the mid registers, but it simply lacks the resonance of an archtop hollowbody in the lower range. Advertising hype I found after I bought it targets the jazz market, but don't expect it to sound like something Joe Pass would play if you are into chord solos. There just isn't enough resonance in the thin body with it's thick top, center block and syrupy finish.

To be fair, however, I chose it precisely for those features, and within the inherent limitations of this design, it performs well, and I rate it 7 out of 10 for sound. I haven't tried a new Gibson ES-335, but the old ones sound better. They also cost $2000 more than the Peavey.

Action was too low for my taste. Strings were too light for jazz. Neck pickup was too low. Intonation was off. Bridge saddles were rough. A few globs of glue areound the f holes.

Other than those complaints (and adjustment/wear in solved most of them), the general fit and finish is as good as most of the American built guitars built in the last 20 years that I have examined.

Since the guitar pretends to be a jazz guitar, and really should have been set up differently, and; because the bridge was so rough, I rate it only 6 out of 10. Minor issues, but could have been dealt with at the factory for a few cents worth of additional labor.

Everything about the guitar, with the exception of the sloppy Gotoh tuners appears to be solid, and built to last. I don't intend to gig with it, except for outdoor (charity) gigs, but if it had the archtop sound I demand, I would not hesitate to rely on it for general use. Thus far, it appears to be an industrial strength instrument.

I would definitely replace the tuners before using it as my main axe, though.

Don't know, don't care. Have no intention of contacting Peavey. I do my own minor repairs if I can, and I'll just replace it if it ever needs anything major.

I've been playing 35 years...mostly straight ahead jazz. The JF-1 is a generic ES-335 copy and I selected it on the basis of price and local availability. If something happened to it, I would definitely consider buying another, but the low end Epiphone, Samick, etc., etc., etc., versions of this basic design are so similar that price and local availability would guide my decision just as it guided my original purchase decision.

well im assuming this is an '03 guitar being that there's a green sticker on the back of the head with 03 written in pen right above a mass produced made in china sticker.. yea 22 frets, pretty nice looking curly maple top.. its got 2 volume 2 tone.. 2 peavey passive gold humbuckers.. im not sure what the neck is.. im guessing maple.. but nothing special the body is all maple i think.. its got a nice curly flamed maple top sunburst.. and the rest is uniform black.. tuners are shit.. not 'the shit'.. just shit... rosewood fretboard i think.. not stained very well..there are streaks are spots.. but im not too concerned with looks but i realize other people are..

i play some strange combination of blues/rock (very zz top like) punk (casualties style) ska and jazz (the slackers and b.b. king are my main inspirations)... and i must say this does quite a nice job of covering that.. it has the peavey humbuckers which i've only ever seen on much rockin'er guitars.. when mixed with this 335 type body its got some nice versatility.. i play it through either a behringer blue devil or a marshall something or other... it's really nice through the marshall but its a little 10watt.. so i use the behringer for live shows which leaves something to be desired but its not bad... the bottom pickup is somewhat rich and very punchy (almost gretschy.. but no)and definitely fuller than one of the ibanez artcores.. its not very good clean but does nicely with distortion.. the top pickup is pretty damn warm but still leaves something to be desired when clean... its fairly feedback resistant.. for a semi hollowbody...i've heard better but i've heard a lot worse

the action was NICE... the pickups.. i cant complain.. i have since recently raised the neck side and lowered the bridge side.. but it wasnt anythang serious.. the top was bookmatched flawlessly.. everythang fits nicely. no rattling or anythang.. but the binding did not fit and the nut was cut too small.. it still serves it's purpose nicely.. but the egdes don't come near lining up... though when do big bends.. it rarely returns to proper tuning.

this is not a guitar im afraid of throwing around.. its pretty thick and everythang seems sturdy.. i play live with it and damn hard too.. i replaced the buttons with strap locks.. i never play live without a backup.. but just for the saftey in case of a broken string.. speaking of which.. i think the edge on the saddles are too sharp.. im using 12's and still breaking strings quite frequently.. im thinkning about getting them filed down

???

i've only been playing guitar for about 2 and a half years.. i've got a yamaha fat strat copy and thats a piece (the bad kind).. i've got no problem with this guitar.. its no gibson.. but its about the same quality of a more expensive epiphone's... if it were stolen.. yea i'd probably get another one... it would probably be a few years before i could afford another one (i'm what they call poor white trash (with taste.. can i get a whoot whoot for j s bach!?!)) ... i love its sound.. definitely damn cool for cheap price.. this guitar is nothing special but the fact i could afford it is enough for me... it beat the hell out of the artcores.. and it matched the epi's quite nicely... it was very similar to the sheraton2... as lacking as this guitar may be i really love it

This is the New Peavey 335 style guitar -Everything I read about it said it was a hollowbody--but it is a semi-hollowbody with centerwood block---It's going for $299 at Musician's Friend-2 humbuckers ,gold hardware stop tail piece.It was made in China ,the serial number was on a little white sticker on the back of the neck along with the made in China sticker-Itlooked cheap ---that carries over to the whole guitar-The sunburst on top looked pretty nice but the rest of the guitar is totally black (painted black) no wood finish here. Don't think you're getting some great value here.

After looking at this guitar for a little while- I knew I was going to send it back.I got it at work and didn't even bring it home to plug it in so I really can't judge the sound too well..but since there is precious little info out there on this guitar--I'll give you my impression. I have owned a 70's Gibson 335 as well asan 86 Ibanez AS 200 -John Scofield type.Unplugged the guitar sounded ok --not alot of buzzing right out of the box---I never heard the pickups so I'll be generous and say 7 maybe 7.5

The action set up from the factory was very nice --I did get some buzzing on the high E at the 12th fret but that was it-the string tension and feel was very good--as I said I have owned 2 very nice high end 335 types--I'm in the process of replacing the Ibanez since I mostly play Les Pauls now.Looks and quality aside -the guitar did play very well.I've tried out alot of the Epiphone 335's and Sheratons and most of them have a big clunky neck on them.This guitar has a nice neck and feel to it.
The Top looked decent--the sides and the back looked real cheap--inside the F holes were big globs of glue--the binding (which again looked super cheap--was patched on the F holes-It looked like something I would have built--and I'm a klutz whose favorite tool is duct tape.There were some big scatches inside the cutaways--(not much of quality control) The name on the headtock looks good on the web --up close it is merely painted on--did I mention Cheap.Tuners ,hardware and switches were ok -But Volume and tone knobs looked bad---and felt like a dimestore guitar.The frets had corrosion on them--and the neck wood had spots without stain on it.
I have played some of the upper end Peavey's in the stores and the workmanship looked great --
This is not one of them.

Tuners,toggle and bridge would probably hold up ok --But Volume and tone knobs--Good luck!!!

I've owned several Peavey amps and liked them and had no problems with them ---It's a shame to see them put out a product like this.

I've been playing over 30 years-(rock,jazz rock/Christian)I've owned some nice name brand gear-But I'm not a gear snob-( I've had some nice cheap guitars too )-I bought an Ibanez in the 80's to replace my stolen Gibson 333 because the Ibanez was hands down a better guitar-I now have several Epiphone Les Pauls that have very nice workmanship.
I sent this guitar back after looking at it--If it was $150 maybe--but $300--it's just not that kind of quality.( If you have to go cheap try an Oscar Schmidt- couldn't be any worse) Or if you have more money try an Epiphone--At least they're put together decent--or Washburn or look for something used.
I wanted to put this review out becasue I really appreciate this forum It's been very helpful to me--hopefully this will be helpful to some of you.