Switch Wild I

If you're reading this, then you already know what the features are. This one has the rosewood fretboard. I think it was one of the first made because it doesn't have grover tuners.

I play mostly classic rock. This guitar sounds surprisingly good for a cheap guitar. Maybe just a little on the muddy side if you're using distortion. I'm playing through an older Randall RG80.

The finish seems to hold up great. This one is basic black. The frets seem to have a problem. If I bend the high E string, the string jumps off the fretboard and hangs on the third fret.I think the ebinite boards have better fret work. I wouldn' know about the factory set-up, I bought this used.

I wouldn't use this thing live, simply because I don't trust it. Here's where I have a real problem with this guitar. I have a studio in my garage where my band and I practice. I live in Michigan. Sometimes when I play by myself, I don't run the heat. One of the reasons I bought this was because I've read that the weather does not effect it. WRONG At temps in the mid 50's the neck moves and it becomes un-playable. If I raise the action, then it's too high at normal temps. I don't know if this is because of the vibrocell or the fact that this one has a rosewood fretboard. In any case it moves.

Never dealt wih them.

I've been playing for 30+ years, I been gigging for well over 20 years. My main guitar is a Charvel 650XL, back-up is a Kramer Baretta through Randall amps. I personally would not use this even as a back-up, but in all fairness I think this is a good student level guitar. It does a fine job as long as you keep it in a normal temp range. I would not buy this again. I think my next guitar is going to be a Shecter S-1 Elite

"Fireburst" finish, pretty vibrant but not overwhelming
Melody Maker meets Parker body style
String thru with Strat type fixed bridge
Grover tuners
24.75 scale
China
22 frets
1 humbucker with coil tap, 1 vol, 1 tone
Made out of Vibracell, which I guess is some type of resin/plastic

I play mostly hard rock/metal. I have only run the thing through my backup rig Crate Powerblock and it performs pretty well. The pickup is hotter than I would have expected, but it is by no means of SD or EMG quality. Rolling off the volume softens the sound up quite a bit with no noise and keeps a balanced EQ. On the clean side, the pickup is not muddy at all and the coil tap does not brighten the bite all that much. Overall, I am very impressed by the balance of the sound. I have used my EHX Metal Muff with the guitar and it rocks, but anything with a humbucker sounds pretty much the same through that thing. The one pickup design is not very versatile, but what do you expect for $99? If it had a neck PUP I would give it an 8,, assuming it was not a complete piece of garbage.

The factory setup was terrible. Action was way too high and I spent about two hours getting the thing just right (This included a substantial truss rod adjustment). The pickups were way too high as well. After that ordeal, the guitar plays great. I was very impressed by the overall quality of the finish and especially the neck/fingerboard. The fretwork is flawless. The switching is so basic that there is little that can go wrong, but it is quiet.

I think this thing is pretty tough with respect to the elements, etc, that would seriously injure a piece of wood. If you cracked the thing, I am not sure if you could repair it with glue, etc, so that may present a problem. The same can be said for any neckthru/set neck though, so I can't hold that against it. It is well designed and seems to be very well made.

I have been playing for ten years and have gigged to pay the bills. Now, it's just a hobby. I am a big Fender fan and have 4 USA strats with various PUP combinations (lace sensors, SD JB jr, Texas Specials, Stocks), an Ibanez RG, and this thing. I am not a fan of 24.75 scale, but I would rather try it with this than a $2000 Gibson, which is one of the main reasons I got it. The best thing about this guitar is the neck with the Ebonite fingerboard. It plays as well as a guitar many times the price. One of the things I don't like is that the guitar has a very odd balance. It is really neck heavy, which doesn't make much sense, so when you are standing up, it has a tendency to tilt towards the floor. For the price you cannot go wrong. If it had a neck HB, it would be nearly perfect.

This is a bare-bones model, but the features that is does have are quality: Grover tuners, string-thru-body stop tailpiece, great black finish on all hardware, viscous pots, well-machined throughout. Made in China, whether or not that may mean Taiwan. Very good heavy-duty gig bag. Body and neck are molded, one-piece "Vibracell"; they say it's not plastic, but some sort of resin composite, making it consistent in sound from one instrument to the next. Having no wood grain allows the finish to be and stay more mirror like - mine is a fun, banana-lemony yellow and very well done. Very streamlined, no neck heel. 24.75" scale and 3-on-a-side tuners make it about 6" shorter than a Strat - very handy. Rosewood fretboard with neatly inlaid dot markers; someone said the rosewood is "cheesy" compared to the ebonite, but it's smooth and as good as I've seen unless you're talking Brazilian or something - and it's bound. Fret work is neat. One humbucker, which may be their Red Hot version, but it's not labelled, so I'm not sure. Coil split switch allows it to make the best of what it's got.

This guitar excells in the heavy/distorted category. I use pedals rather than the amp to put it over the top - better control that way; and forget about the coil tap, use the full humbucker mode. Turn the volume on the guitar all the way up - might as well, since it has no good effect on the tone when distorted. For "bridge sounds," leave the tone all the way on; for "neck pu sounds," turning the tone all the way off does a pretty good "Slash" thing.
For clean sounds, the controls come more into play. Single coil mode is bright and suprisingly quiet, while humbucker mode is dead-quiet and has that typical "ears plugged" LP sound. Of course, no clean neck pu or "in between" Strat sounds.
For one pu, the sounds are quality, and about as good as you're going to find, IMO. For rhythm, depends on what you're looking for - you'll get about half of what you might need. For lead, no problem - excellent tight, well-defined sound (with 10's as opposed to the wimpy sound you typically get with 9's).

Overall fit and finish are great, with the minor exception of the truss rod screw holes being a little cockamamie, but that's undercover. Action is as low as you want to set it. If the clean sounds are important to you, you're not going to want it too low. I have two observations about intonation. First, the bridge could be set back another 1/16th" or so, as the low A and E strings just barely intonate - I suppose I could remove the springs behind the saddles to extend their range, but what the heck. Second, while you can't feel it, you can hear it in the pitch that the neck is more flexible than most wood ones I've experienced: any significant pressure on it (or it's own weight), front or back, affects the pitch slightly, so you have to tune carefully with the guitar upright or in the position it would be if you were holding/wearing it while standing.

This guitar will stand up to anything you'd expect of an electric guitar. It's small and handy, sturdy but unheavy, elegant in its simplicity, as attention-getting (or not) as you'd like depending on the color, and soundwise will deliver most of what you'd ever want out of an LP, plus maybe half of what you'd want from a Strat. And it's economical. For what it can do, it will satisfy, especially at home, since most of us aren't American Idol (Idle?) or whatever winners. The design and materials are innovative - and it's about time, so break with tradition and give it a chance. Concentrate on the music, the sound, the playing. Flame, quilted, or bird's-eye maple, figured this or that, and assorted bells and whistles will only carry you till your first note.

Bought used, so no warranty. Company responds well to emails (routing for extra pu's possible but not recommended). Not much to go wrong, and if something disastrous happens, the guitar is easily replaceable. Just check it over real well before you buy one - what you see is what you're going to get.

Though not my livelihood, been playing long enough to be considered semi-pro. This guitar isn't everything, and I've accumulated plenty of others. So, buy your showcase piece if you must, get it out of your system, and look into these guitars. No, I'm not selling them; I just know what it's like to not come from a lot of money and lust after a bankruptcy-inducing LP, PRS, etc. I have to say that I'm really enjoying this little baby, and on the cheap ($100 w/gig bag + $15 shipping on eBay - how can you go wrong? Prices vary widely, though, so do your shopping.). Great radical sounds. Impertinent color. Simple controls. Plays easy. Little to worry about. Just pick it up and play. That's what it's really all about, after all.

I beleive 2004/2005 ? made in China
24.3/4 neck, 22 frets
Solid body 'Vibracell" Technology, Not wood. Neck Thru Body
Custom Single HM, with Coil Tap
Volume, Tone, Coil Switch
Like the Others, Great Paint Job, very glossy, vibrant colors, probably not for everyone tho..
Mine does have some 'bubble's that are strange? They have not popped yet, but mey someday, so that's a minus fro me.
Ceramic PUP very articulate! I love the sound of this thing, it continues to grow on me everytime I pick it up!
USA, Grover tuners...
The best part...$120 at Media Play GO_of_Biz sale
The Ebonite fingerboard is one of the best I've ever played. Period! Smokes almost any guitar under a grand as far as I'm concerned. That's one of the MAIN reasons to get the guitar, great neck binding!
Nothing else included, but the BOX...
Decent bridge, works well, Stop tail Piece.

Like I said, Awesome!
Slightly noisy when the tap is switched, but a decent gate should solve that.
Very responsive guitar, you can really get some nice cruch out of these if you take your time with it. I like the Ceramic PUP's these guys are using. Easily sounds as good as my Prototype Schecter Diamond Series with Duncan Designed in it.

Get the Ebonite board...It IS the reason to buy this Axe..it does not dissapoint..excellent workmanship on this one, NO fret edges anywhere!! I cannot tell you how good this is...I'm telling you, this things has a better neck than guitars I've played that cost well over a grand..recently I played an American Strat..Not Custom Shop, but Nice, this little guitar SMOKED the USA Made Fender Strat Easy.

everything else is decent, great PPG paint, great Grovers ( USA ) Decent bridge, USA POTS for volume and Tone! I did raise the actual knobs so that they spin freely, but that's it.

Get rid of the strings and Put some D'Adario's on it..She'll love you for it, I also lowrered the action to my specs..and Viola!!! She's now a singing beauty!!! The ultimate test: Play the guitar with your eyes closed, and simply listen!! Tell me if you can tell the diff, between this and a $1200 dollar guitar, if you can your lying, or nuts..cause I've been around many, many, guitars and this one does not dissapoint!

Rock solid so far!

One of the Best...I've spoken with the VP of sales!!! He took over an hour with me!! Beat that!!! Anyone..I dare you...

And, I am a dealer as well. I liked them so much, I have a dealership..Send me an email..I'll hook you up BIG Time. Forget Music 123..I'll smoke them

Long enough to know a good deal when I see it!! You should not hesitate to get one, before they figure out the price is too LOW!!

Switch guitars are made in China, I believe, but do have a very unique approach to modern day guitar building. It is neck thru, which I am guessing it's molded that way, has 1 double coil bridge pickup with a coil tap, volume and tone switches. The entire guitar is made of plastic, which they have dubbed Vibracell. The strings are body thru and it comes with grover black tuners, 3 a side. Mine is a kinda funky yellow to orange sunburst-blend design. It is very different, and not for the contemporary traditionalist. The kids think it's really cool, I am not quite so excited, but find it interesting, all the same. The neck playes very much like a Les Paul, kinda chunky and big, but it plays fast. Mine didn't come with anything except the guitar, but I got it on a close out. For the price, it has plenty of fetures.

This is kind of the strong suit and the weakness both of this guitar. Seeing where it only has 1 pickup, it is a little limited. The coil tap does what it should, but the double coils lack a little bit of bite. Considering the new age look, it probably could stand a little bit hotter pick up, but the pick up isn't noisy, which in this price range is almost expected. I do plan to change the pickup to something with more bite...

For a factory set up, it's not to bad. The action was a bit high, and the factory strings are suprisingly light. The finish is very bright, and actually very well done. This guitar is VERY colorful, and not for everyone. The hardware is actually way above what you will find on other brand guitars at this price level.

I have the feeling that this thing is a tank. The fiber/plastic body is what interested me in the first place. The humidity and weather changes here make keeping a guitar true very hard. The finish almost seems like it's built into the guitar, and overall this is a very durable guitar. It seems very reliable, and well constructed, but I would never gig with 1 guitar only.

Haven't delt with them, and probably never will. The web site is pretty informative.

I bought this guitar on a whim. Mediaplay went out of business, and sold their guitars at really low prices, to get rid of them. This was listed at over $200, and is worth it. I have had so many guitars, that it's almost hard to keep track. I currently own a Tex-Mex Strat, a Telecaster, an Alverez acoustic, and a Rainsong Acoustic (Which is bar none, my baby!!!) This guitar is well worth the price, and plays very much like a Les Paul, without the HUGE price tag. I am actually very impressed with this guitar, although, sadly, it really doesn't get played all that much, as the Rainsong dominates my collection. I recommend these guitars, based on price alone, but they also are quite playable for an entry level guitar, and I have entertained thoughts of putting in an EMG, and really makeing it shread! It is a fun looking, and playing guitar, and will surely get comments!

This guitar has a 24 3/4 scale neck with 22 frets. It has a single humbucking pickup with a coil tap. The guitar is not wood, but a composit called "Vibracell". It has Grover tuners and a fixed bridge with string through the body. Mine has a metal flake blue finish. The body style is unique, with the lower bout round like a Les Paul and the upper cutaways being Strat like. The upper horn has a sharp bend like a Parker Fly. The body had a tri-level coutour. The head stock is three on a side and the hardware is black. There is a chrome Switch logo on the headstock in which the "I" is a guitar neck. The fingerboard is rosewood and there are dot inlays. It did come with a quality strap and padded gig bag, both addorned with the Switch logo.

This guitar sounds good. The company claims that "Vibracell" has the sonic properties of mahogony. Well, to my ear it does. I don't find the pickup noisy at all even in the coil tap mode. The switch likely changes from series to parallel as opposed to just switching off a coil. The effect is a brighter sound in one position and more power in the other. Being a single pickup (bridge position only) guitar I would say this is a rock guitar.

As with a lot of inexpensive guitars purchased via mail order or online, it needed some setup. Out of the box the action was high. After adjusting to my liking and setting the intonation it plays flawlessly with nary a buzz or rattle. My setup is 1/16" off the 18th fret 1st string, 2/32" of the 18th fret 6th string. The finish is lovely, the frets are wide and fast. They are a little sharp but only if you extremely rotate your hand around the neck. In all playing positions they are smooth. Mine had a small scratch right near the upper strap button. Not noticible, unfortunate but I'm certainly not sending it back because of it. All controlls are tight and uiet.

I just got it, but I think it would stand up to live playing well. I am curious to see how the neck reacts to humidity and weather changes. Being composit it should be much less finicky than wood. The hardware is brand name, Grover so I don't expect problems there. The strap buttons are solid, I usually use locks but the strap that came with this thing is nice and tight. I might add it is a very nice strap. I was expecting a flimsy one. I think it is dependable but I would never gig without a backup.

I have not dealt with Switch yet, hope I don't have to, but they claim to have a limited lifetime warranty.

I've been playing for 28 years and I own 15 guitars ranging from a lowly OLP MM1 up to a couple Gibson Les Pauls and everything in between. This guitar is amazing for the price. You could spend three or four hundred bucks easily and not do better. It sounds good. The neck feels great. The frets are wide and fast. It looks like a sports car.

I was curious about the idea behind switch guitars and the reviews I've seen were mostly good. I got this from Music123 (whom I may never order from again, since the last 4 times I did, no kidding, something seemed to get screwed up). I'm not an expert, but I do think the vibracell body sounds nice. I often play my electrics unplugged, just because it's easier, and it seemed this guitar sounded better than average, while costing less than average. You get one whole pickup, which also sounded pretty good (especially for a $200 guitar) a coil split which to my crappy ears sounded good both ways. The body is a wierd sculpted thing, that seems odd because the lines made on the body are not real sharp or definite, and therefore looking like it could have and should have been made better. I do think that ALL of the guitars made by switch are ugly as hell. But I fiured it it really did live up to the claims, it would make a nice beater guitar. Hopefully soon they will make some designs that don't look like a drunk 5 year old made them. Again, I knowingly got the 1 pickup model, and therefore didn't expect much, but unlike some guitars, you get a tone control and a coil split.

I don't have a music style. I like to experiment and I mostly play rock, but I'm game with otherness. Considering price and all, this guitar seems to sound pretty good. I don't think it's the greatest, but better than some guitars costing lots more. Don't expect heavenly sounds from this guy, but the decent pickup and guitar material add up to a sound that equals more than the price of the guitar.

THis is the low point of the guitar, but perhaps only the one I recieved. The action is super high, and the only adjustment I think would fix it, is to re-cut the nut. The frets are also not filed straight. I've never seen a guitar with crooked fret ends, but this guitar has some. The color I chose was the green, since it looked pretty bright. It's very very green, which I like, but I could see it being too bright for some people. I'm going ot send this back because the action situation. The truss could be adusted, but I think the main problem is the nut. Overall, the action and the frets seem like the worst part of the guitar. Hopefully it's just a fluke.

I think if the guitar was set up decently in the factory, this guitar could be used live. Supposedly the material of the guitar withstads changes in temperature and humidity, and I would tend to believe that, which would make it even more desirable for live playing from place to place, that is, for some one who is their own guitar tech. I think the finish would be pretty durable. iF not, the guitar is alrady ugly enough, so i don't think it would make any difference.

From looking at the website, their customer support seems to cater to people who buy the stuff from the website, and not blatently offer help to any general switch guitar owners. I'm not going to bother with them, and I'll just send it back to music123 and see if #2 is better regarding the action. Thee frets don't matter as much to me, as long as they work, the ends can be crooked, it just looks bad on their part. If not, i'll have to give up on the switch action for now.

I've dabbled in guitar for longer than I'd like to admit, the whole time remaining a novice. I've seen a lot of guiitars though and have a little collection myself. I think they really could have something good if they upped their quality control a bit. IF it were stolen/lost, I'd probably forget about it, unless it really started to grow on me.

Brand new 2004 Wild-I model made in China, looks like possibly Cort factory? 22 frets, Vibracell(feels like wood), volume, tone controls, coil tap switch, 1 humbucker pickup. Neck thru construction, BEAUTIFUL flawless blue metallic finish, fretboard binding. Body style?? Kinda Parker Fly I guess, very compact body, well balanced. String thru body sort of strat style fixed bridge, saddles are well made. Grover black tuners. 24 3/4" scale but feels smaller because of small body. VERY narrow neck but very comfortable, medium frets. Comes with Heavy duty gigbag and strap. Overall great features at this price.

The Switch brand pickup is well balanced and a little bright. It is a little better sounding clean or with like a blues overdrive. The pickup does not work well with Heavy distortion but can't suit all tastes, specially at this price. Hit the switch and the coil tap does what it is supposed to do. Single coil is noisy with a high gain setting but very smoooth and good tone clean. 8 overall beacuse of the extra brightness and lack of punch but take the price into consideration and it could be 9-10.

Factory set up was average for any guitar, better for this price range. The high side was a little higher than the low strings side. Overall action could be lowered. One point, the factory string were VERY light felt like 8's!! I will try name barnd 9's and adjust the action. With the light strings and factory setup this is a fast playing guitar. Think of 70's LP and that how this plays. I found 1 flaw, a speck of paint(about the size of a pinhead) in the clear on the fingerboard binding..thats it. Otherwise looks like a $500 + guitar finish, better than the Big name stuff I've seen in my store. The wiring and hardware are all top notch, everything was tight. 8 because of the action and pickup but again 9-10 for this price.

Guitar feels solid. Smallish body feels kind of toy like at first but the more you play it the better it feels. My instructors played this guitar. I had them guess a price just by playing it. They felt it should be a $300-400 instrument WITHOUT the gigbag and strap. The quality control on this is again top notch. 9 here beacuse i only had it a few days.

I am a dealer. So far support has been A+++. They extended their warranty to lifetime on guitars and 5 years on amps(Drive). They have a full line of these guitars from this price to $700+ list price. I thing they are on to something here. The guitar purists need to remember wood is not the same as it was 10,15,20 years ago. A Les Paul today is no where near a LP of 20 years ago. Also newer smaller companies are more freindly and ready to go the extra mile for you. I sold a Drive amp. The customer emailed them and had an answer ina few hours. Try that with Gibson, Fender, Marshall.....

I own a music store. I 've owned and played just about everything out there. The new companies and chineese quality keeps surprising me. Personally the only dislikes I had was smallish body and lack of drive from the pickup. Other people who tried it Loved the small body. Otherwise this guitar is incredible at $200. I want to try some of the higher end models. This was a test piece and it passed with flying colors.