SX GG1 LTD

Same features as all the SX GG1 LTDs. Solid Ash body, appears to be three peices glued together. Nice flamed maple neck and fretboard with meium jumbo frets. Tune-o-matic bridge and SX Humbuckers, all with gold finish. Came with nice leather-look case embossed with the SX logo. Has four black speed knobs, two tone, two volume and three way switch. Made in China. The Chinese are proving they can make good quality guitars, though not the best... but what do you expect for $150?

I am just starting out... again. Haven't played for 20 years and wasn't good then so what I know isn't much. What I do know is that it sounds much like a low end Les Paul like my Signature Series, which is also made in China. The three way switch is a kind of hit and miss affair. Sometimes I have to wiggle the switch to get it to work properly.

The guitar came from the supplier (Rondo) detuned, but the action felt good after it was tuned. I couldn't find any flaws in the finish at all. It is one BEAUTIFUL guitar.All the frets feel smooth so no cut hands on slides. I didn't much cars for the flesh colored pickup rings, covers and switch knob, but that is easy to remedy. Although Gibson covers will not fit, I found out. I will have to make custom covers, and the switch has a smaller diameter thread than Gibson, which will also be remedied in shotrt time. It does look better with the black pup rings though. I am giving this catergory an 8 because of the flesh colored plastics, only. The cae is a real beauty too. It is tawny colored with magenta lining and a satin cover that is sewn onto the lining. It is really cool.

I don't know how well the hardware will stand up. The tuners seem to be loose geared. The strap buttons are large enough that if you don't get too carried away, you shouldn't have any problems with them. I think the finish will last as long as it would on any guitar under normal use. It would be a shame to scratch it, though as it is such a beautiful peice. The spoils of battle, eh? The bridge and tailpiece are about the only things that give me alot of confidence. The are good heavy peices and look like they will work for years.

I have been happy with Kurt and the entire Rondo "Family". Their sevice is great. I have never had an issue with either of the guitar I have bought from them. They are very good with responding to questions about their products and the products they sell are well worth the money you pay for them. I will definitley continue to do business with them.

As I said am just getting back into playing and am starting all over, with music theory and the whole McGillacutty, so I am by no means an expert. I do plan on doing some major upgrades on this axe. I think it is a great place to start, if you want to make a custome shredder. I plan on replcing the loose machines with Planet Waves Auto Trimming tuners... will put them on everything I buy. I also want to change the elctronics with something a bit more reliable... Going for the EMG Zakk Wylde pups. With thses two upgrades, I think the guitar will be one to keep for the long haul. If this guitar ever comes up missing I will not hesitate to get another just like it.

So I don't screw them up, here are the features listed for this guitar at the Rondo Music website:

* Single cutaway body made from solid Ash
* High quality case included
* Maple bolt on neck with an adjustable truss rod
* Maple fretboard with 22 jumbo (2.4mm) frets and dot inlays
* Black speed knobs.
* High quality gold humbucker pickups help reduce hum and noise and offer superior performance by giving a thicker fuller sound than single coils
* Two volume and two tone controls tailor your sound
* Angled double bound headstock for improved sustain
* Gold hardware (including diecast sealed tuners)
* Actual Weight is only 9lbs. Bridge studs are 3" apart. Width of the neck at the nut: 1 5/8"; at the 22st fret: 2 3/16" Overall length, including the strap button: 40"; Scale length: 24.75"
* Body thickness is 2" at the edge, about 2 1/2" in the center of the arch top

It's an LP "style" guitar, but with a bolt-on maple neck/fretboard.

I play mostly acoustic, so I'm not an expert by any means on this one. I tried it out through my little 10 watt Marshall practice amp and got a very nice warm tone played clean and noise you could listen to played with overdrive. I have not played any of the Gibson LPs, so I can't really compare the sound, but it was quite good and the PUPs were quiet and the gain of both was very decent.

All the tone and volume pots did what they were suppose to do and you could get a nice mix of sounds using the 3-way switch.

The Good: I like natural wood and the carved solid-top ash body was beautiful. The frets were nicely finished, with no sharp edges sticking out. The neck was straight with a slight bit of relief and the neck set was angled properly. Action out of the box was just a tad higher than I like (medium low), but very playable. The tuners are "tight" and hold well. The hardshell case that came with it was very nice and actually attractive (I just love that satin cover that goes over the guitar - sexy!).

The Bad: There really wasn't anything I'd call bad, but some minor things I'll metion. As someone else mentioned, the neck/strings felt "sticky" for some reason. I wiped it down and that's much better. One of the plastic PUP plates looked like it has some serious black scratches on it (it's flesh colored). Don't know what that was, but it came off with a bit of alcohol. There is a tiny gap under the fretboard where it meets the neck PUP, but it doesn't appear to have any adverse effect on sound, etc. The truss rod cover plate is not centered (this shows up on the Rondo website, so the Chinese must have their auto drill set up with an offset). Lastly, I'd say the hardware is of moderate quality, but does what it is suppose to do.

Most of these items are cosmetic, and as I said, I would not say there is a single thing really bad about this guitar.

The Ugly: Nada

I believe this guitar would withstand live playing. As I mentioned above, the hardware is of moderate quality and only time will tell how that will hold up. The strap buttons are excellent and should hold well. I think you could depend on this guitar, however I would not gig without a backup (no matter what guitar I was using).

This purchase was my first dealing with Rondo Music. I just got the guitar and it was received in good shape, so I don't anticipate any near term repairs, so I can't comment on that.

I will comment on the order service I received. Their website said after December 14, no deliveries would be made before Christmas. I ordered mine at 10PM in December 20 (after their store was closed). They got the order on the 21st and my guitar arrived on the 23rd. They sent me automated FedEx tracking emails, so I could follow the progress. In summary, their customer service was excellent.

I've been playing about 8 years (mostly acoustic). I have Segull S6+, Guild DCE-1, and Taylor 310KCE acoustics. I do own a Godin Exit22 as my primary electric and that's a wonderful guitar.

If my new SX was lost or stolen, I'd definately get another. I'd recommend this guitar to any beginner as a first electric guitar. I'd also recommend it to intermediate players who want a low cost beater (although it looks too nice to have that name tag), or a guitar to try some custom mods out on.

The real deal with this guitar is the value. Where in the world can you get a solid wood carved top guitar, with gold hardware (and even abalone dots on the fretboard and inlay on the headstock) that plays well and sounds smooth with a hardshell case for under $150!

Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. His name is Kurt and he runs Rondo Music. Give them a try.

Ash 3 piece body, stained amber color, les paul copy, but light, with maple neck that has a burl type appearance on the fingerboard, whether real, or photo, I have no idea, but it looks cool. Scale is 24.75 or thereabouts. Unlike les paul, though, this has a bolt on neck.

Has a typical humbucker guitar sound. Good sustain, in spite of being bolt on neck. The humbuckers don't seem to require replacement at this point, because they sound very acceptable to me. Really has a pretty balance sound in which highs and lows come through fine.

This guitar came set up just fine. I could probably do with slightly heavier gauge strings, slightly lower action, and not quite as high of frets, but I've played it as is for about 2 hours, and been able to adapt quite well. The high frets seemed much more navigable once I wiped off the neck and strings with rubbing alcohol and kleenexes. Before it seemed a bit gunky from the factory. It just seemed like everything was in good working order with no defects I could identify. I think the Chinese are getting pretty good at this game. I keep hearing that its all slave labor, but I don't know how they can get this kind of workmanship out of people that are being jerked around so bad. As unpatriotic as it may sound, I think it would be dishonest of me not to respect their work on this guitar. I think we're really in trouble if their guitar players start getting as good as their guitar manufacturers are getting. I don't know, maybe there are some good chinese lead guitar players I never heard of.

This guitar has a bolt on neck and a lighter feel than a les paul, so it doesn't seem as sturdy. The up side of this is that its really light and it plays great standing up, in fact its easier to play standing up holding it with a strap than it is sitting down. But I play fiddle too, so I know how to handle delicate instruments, and this is much sturdier than a fiddle, just feels a little less solid than a les paul. The guitar looks more classy than what I like to play live with, but I'm gonna do it anyway next chance I get. It also looks alot more expensive than its humble price of 169 bucks which included a hardshell case (amazing).

Hey, I have no clue on this one. Its real new, and with this low of price, I wonder if its worth it to get help from the company, especially with shipping charges back and forth. I'd rather deal with someone local if it comes to that. I rarely need to get electric guitars repaired.

Like most of these SX guitar reviews I'm seeing, the price versus performance ratio is insanely favorable. I feel funny even talking about it, because its starting to sound like a broken record. Right now its all good, because I'm still employed as of today, and am living in the USA, and can easily afford these instruments being made over in China where there's a billion plus peasants looking to get enough to eat and working at these new guitar factories, but in a few years, I wonder where this is all headed. Maybe I'll be sitting here, along with everyone else in the US, unemployed, with nothing to do but starve to death while sitting around playing my nice Chinese guitar.