SX GG1 SII-BO

* What year was it made? Where was is made?
2005, China, bought it in early 2006
* How many frets?
22, jumbo frets
* Solid-Top? Laminated top?
Don't know
* Which controls are given (volume, tone, 5-way selector, 3-way, tap, etc...)?
1 volume, 1 tone, 3-way toggle switch
* Pickup configuration? (S/S/H, H/H, S/H, Piezo, etc...)
H/H
* Make and model of pickups?
Doesn't say
* Active or Passive electronics?
Passive
* Body and neck woods? (Maple, Mahogany, Alder, Ash, Basswood, Koa, Plywood, etc...)
Alder body, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard
* Finish (Satin, transparent, quilted top, flamed top, etc...)
Glossy black
* Body style (strat, tele, dreadnought, cutaway, thinline, etc...)
Les Paul style, flat top, no pickguard, flat neck radius
* Bridge style (Tune-O-Matic, Floyd Rose, Wilkinson, Tele-style, String-thru body, stop tailpiece, etc...)
Tune-O-Matic
* Tuners (Locking? Non-locking? brand of tuners - Sperzel, Gotoh, Grover, Schaller, etc...)
Crappy SX tuners, non locking
* Neck/Scale (Fat, Thin, Jumbo Frets, Rosewood, Maple, etc...)
Thin rosewood, neck width at nut is 1 and 5/8"
* Any included accessories? (Case, gig bag, strap, cable, tools, humidifier, etc...)
Allen wrench

* How does it suit your music style (and what is that style)?
Rock, blues, suits it well
* What amps and effects are you using it with?
Fender amp, no effects
* Is it noisy? On what settings?
Something inside isn't grounded properly, when you're not touching the strings or bridge, it buzzes, even with the volume at 0.
* Rich/Full sound? Bright sound?
Rich and full with distortion, with a clean sound, kind of thin. This doesn't sound too good unplugged, very bright.
* What kind of sounds can the guitar make? How much variety?
This has a great distorted/overdrive sound, lots of sustain, the clean sound is slightly distorted. The pickups are hot. Good for metal, rock and blues. Not good for country.
* Likes and dislikes?
It's hard to get a good clean sound, but it's not a telecaster.

* How well was the guitar set-up at the factory? (How was the action?)
The strings it came with sucked, the action was too low. The saddles needed to be reversed to intonate properly. There was a buzz at the 15th fret on the high E string, adjusting the truss rod and action fixed this.
* How well were the pickups adjusted?
Too high
Too close to strings, need to be lowered, it affected intonation.
* Properly bookmatched top? Properly routed bridge?
Bridge is too close to neck, it needs to be a few milimeters back for better intonation.
* Did the guitar contain any flaws? (misaligned bracing, poorly filed fretwire, finish flaws, poor quality wood, rusted or oxidized hardware, loose tuning pegs, poorly cut nut, poorly fit saddle, noisy pickup selector, loose controls, etc...)
The jack is loose, and you have to tighten it, I had to do that quite a few times. The tuners really suck, and it's hard to fine tune.

If you know how to set up a guitar (intonation/action/truss rod), it's no problem. If you're a beginner, you'll need this set up by a professional.

* Will this guitar withstand live playing?
Probably
* Does the hardware seem like it will last?
Too new to tell
* Is the finish good enough to last, or does it seem thin and easy to wear off with lots of playing?
The finish is crap, and it chips off easily.
* Are the strap buttons solid?
Don't use a strap with it
* Can you depend on it?
Probably
* Would you use it on a gig without a backup?
Yes

* If you've dealt with the company, how helpful/friendly were they?
* Ever try and get it repaired? Was it under warranty
* How long is the warranty
No warranty, haven't dealt with them. I've heard good things about them though. Fast shipping

* How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?
10 years, own lots of crap :P
* Is there something you wish you had asked before buying this guitar?
No
* If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else?
I'd buy another one, with the red finish.
* What do you love about it? What do you hate? What is your favorite feature?
It's cheap and sounds really good, easy to play, great sustain, lightweight. I hate the finish and the tuners.
* Did you compare it to other guitars? Which ones? Why did you choose this one?
I chose this for the cheap price.
* Anything you wish it had?
Better tuners, pickguard, more durable finish
* Anything else you'd like to share?
This is a great guitar for its price, it has a few problems, but if you know how to do basic setup and repair, it's very nice. It's a fun guitar, and a steal

Bought in January of 2006, probably manufactured in 2005 in China. 22 Jumbo frets, advertised as solid Alder body (Best I can tell they're telling the truth), one volume and one tone control, 3-way pickup selector, dual SX brand passive humbuckers. I have NO idea what woods the body and neck are made of but this guitar is fairly heavy and seams solid. Fretboard appears to be rosewood but can't be sure.
Finish is black paint, with a fairly thick clear coat, Les Paul style (stop tail piece), non-locking SX branded tuners. Bolt on neck is .885 inch thick maple, with a rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays. Unsure of scale, but if you're comfortable with a real Les Paul this should be comfortable. The guitar measures 40" total length. Width of body is 13". Width if neck at the nut is 1 and 11/16". Only accessories included was allen wrench for truss rod adjustment.

My musical style is extremely varied and NO single guitar can cover every style. That said, I will add that this Epi clone suits MOST musical styles I like. From old school clean blues to super heavy (Slipknot) to modern alternative (Breaking Benjamins) to classic rock (Doobie Bros) even a bit of old school Van Halen, this little sucker is pretty darned respectable. It is a bit noisy, (light hum) with heavy overdrive. I think better grounding and shielding would fix that though. Bridge pickups is quite the rocker. Now the Neck pickup on this one has a split personality. With heavy overdrive, it's a bit muddy, but can be made to sing at the same time. But back off the drive a bit and I can get really clear bluesy tones with nice tone. Seriously. Ballsy but with clear definition.

I want to say up front that the neck on this $70 guitar is really good. Wide fretboard. Easy string bends and comfortable on the thick side. These SX guitars generally come straight from the factory, so the first person to work on it will be YOU! (Ha ha!) But if you're new to guitar setup don't be afraid. There are TONS of resources on line pertaining to guitar set up. Try it, you may be suprised. Email me if you need help finding resources.
Now as to mine in particular, all I had to do was tighten the truss rod (They leave the truss rod loose on purpose by the way for shipping), lowered the pickups a bit, lowered the bridge as far down as it would go, set the intonation. I'll be damned if it wasn't nice. Now since the bridge is as low as it will go, I will have to shim the neck if I want the action any lower. But where it's at now is really good even for a bit of shredding.
Problem wise, the edges of the fretboard where it meets the neck got painted along with the rest of the neck. Just the very edge. This looks a little funky, but does not affect playing at all. Otherwise, I saw a couple of very small bubbles in the clear coat. Really had to look to find a problem with the finish. Everything seams straight and well aligned. Frets are finished decent (no sharp edges). In a perfect world, the frets do need leveled, but it plays so well without buzzes now that I probably won't bother with leveling. Routing inside the guitar looks like they used a chisel and a chain saw. But who sees that besides you? Nut is very VERY cheap plastic. But again, it was placed and cut just about right from the factory. Even with the plastic nut, this axe has EXCELLENT sustain. (I swear to God I'm not lying)

Deffinately will try this guitar out live with no modifications (except maybe strap buttons). Hardware is not finished out like a high dollar guitar. Chrome plating is uneven, but everything seams solid and dependable and it's not ugly. Only time will tell how durable everything is. Strap buttons SEAM solid, but they are obviously cheap and I will probably replace them. I'm giving it a 7 because everything SEAMS solid, but I haven't had it long enough to know for sure.

Got this from the soon to be famous Rondo Music, partially because all I hear are good things about this company and the product support. Only contact I've had with Rondo so far is a question I emailed and got a response back before the same day was over. When I placed the order, I received conformation and shipping information the first day. Guitar arrived right on time, very well packed and double boxed.

I've been playing consistantly for 24 years. Done pro recording and played live more times than I want to admit. I own a variety of guitars including Jimmie Vaughan Sig. Stratocaster, 80's Charvette, Standard Stratocaster, and an AWESOME early 90's Ibanez among others. If it were lost or stolen I would grieve for a week, then order two more. Really like the FEEL of the guitar overall. Just feels good in my hands, very comfortable and responds well. Honestly chose this just because it was soooooo cheap just out of curiousity to see if all the hype was true.
Only improvements I would like is a neck pickup that's not quite so bassy (being picky) and I wish it had 500k volume and tone pots instead of the little dinky pots (I will install later). Oh and I still want it to cost $69.99. OK then.