Sears Mini Shark

New 2000 model year, made in China. I suspect it's made by Jay Turser (since they make a similar "shark" guitar). Anyway...

This latest offering by Sears has a "shark" shaped body with sculpted fins. Headstock shaped like a tail fin with body matching color. Tuner knobs are also colored to match body.

20 medium jumbo frets on what looks like a rosewood fingerboard over a two piece maple bolt-on neck. Has a standard truss rod adjustment.

There's a single humbucker with a unique 3-way toggle switching setup (for coil splitting): (a) single coil; bridge side, (b) both coils; middle position, and (c) single coil; neck side. You can actually get three subtly different sounds from it. Nothing dramatic, more like slightly noticeable. Pickup coil cover is transparent green (you can actually see the coil wires... cool).

One Volume control, acts as shark's eyeball.

Fender-like hardtail bridge design.

Also included are a cheap cable, wrenches for truss rod and bridge adjustments, plus the box it comes in doubles as a case (has a built in handle). There's really not much more you could expect from a guitar costing only $100 dollars...

I am pleased with the intonation. It's more dependent on the cheap tuners holding tight rather than the quality of the neck itself (see below). Not perfect by any means, but I was actually pleasantly surprised with this aspect of the guitar's playability.

The second thing that surprised me was the quality of the pickup. Again, I ain't claiming it to be the best, but it is much better than what I had imagined. I actually think it can be fun to use on one or two songs (just for fun at a party or something). I don't suggest using it for studio work or a serious gig, but for light hearted jamming I think you can actually pull it off (at least until the tuners start to loose their grip).

For a cheap $100 dollar guitar it has a very useable appeal to it and can actually be considered quite functional (to a point, of course).

My first reaction out of the box was "coool man"! It was WAY better looking than what I expected.

Positives:
1) Nice finish, paint job is well done... cute.
2) Back of neck is unfinished and smooth. Feels nice.
3) Most of the hardware is actually better than what I expected (mainly tailpiece, vol pot and toggle switch).
4) Neck feels sturdy. Intonation is remarkably good (especially considering its price range).
5) It's really pretty small (only 33" total length) but I think it looks cooler this way than if it were a full size guitar (others may not agree with this).

Negatives:
1) Neck is much shorter than advertised (they claimed it to be a full-scale neck, but it is actually only a 21" scale length). May be just right for younger players though.
2) Tuners are cheap (old, open gear style w/ covers), but I'll probably never get around to replacing them.
3) Body seems very soft, like pine (do they make guitars out of pine?). I think it could be easily dented if not careful.
4) Neck is heavier than body, which makes it tricky to handle at times. It feels lop-sided. It's also hard to play while sitting... wants to slide off your lap. For these two reasons it may not make the best beginners guitar. If you attach your strap at the headstock (like some acoustic players do) this may alleviate the problem.

Generally speaking, for a guitar that really serves no great purpose, it does feel more like a serious guitar than a cheap toy... hey, at least it's made out of wood!

Keep in mind that my rating for this category is based on the fact that I only spent around $100 for this thing!

Too early to tell, but, like I said above; At least the neck feels sturdy. So, as long as that holds up, I think it should last ok.

Sears basic limited warrantee I assume...

Although I am a serious guitarist (over 20 years), I get a kick out of collecting weird guitars.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I think this guitar rates a 10 in the coolness/fun category and an 8 in the actual sound/playability factor (maybe more like a 6 or 7 in playability due to its shorter scale neck and lop-sided weight).

Still, the overall value is a 10 in my book, since it is notably better than what I expected. Anyway, I can honestly say that I'd rather be seen with IT than with a similarly priced Squier! If nothing else, it does make for a great conversation piece.

Is this a "must-have" guitar?... Naw.

Is this a good guitar for a beginner?... Not really.

Will we ever see any major artists endorsing it as their signature model?... Hell no!

Am I glad I have one?... Yer damn right I am!

I haven't stopped chuckling since I got this thing.
he he he...