Synsonics Terminator

MADE IN KOREA...manuactured around '91 I'm guessing by the "inspected by" sticker...22 frets...solid top...there is one volume knob for each of the two stock single-coil pickups, 1 tone knob, an on/off switch for the biult-in speaker amp, one normal 1/4th mono output, and a 1/4th mono headphone jack...no idea about the wood(s), obviously really cheap...black finish...3/4ths scale, strat style body and headstock...a sliding bridge and cheap-o-matic temolo unit at the end...cheap, inline non-locking tuning machines...the biult in mini amp runs on 2 9-volt batteries...I have 10 gauge "ghs guitar boomers" tuned to E on mine.

AT THIS MOMENT, with all of my work done, both the internal speaker/headphone amp and the normal output sound really good.(personally I like to use just the bridge pickup with the tone set high) right now I'm running through a 70's Morley wah pedal and my Dad's new Fender Blues Junior tube amp. The style of music that I use this guitar for is a mix of grunge, rock, blues, and also if I just want to mess around with something simple. After my tweaking, there is absolutely NO feedback of any sort, even with both pickups turned all the way up while using the built in mini amp. I have found that the sound can be very rich and full, depending on how you have the volume/tone control set, and of course what amp you decide to play it through. right now, I like the fact that this guitar uses just two single coil pickups because all of my other guitars have humbuckers...really, I cant think of anything that i dislike at the moment about this guitar.

(REMEMBER KIDDOS, I RATED THIS A TEN ONLY AFTER I FINISHED WORKING ON IT) when I first received this guitar from my friend, pretty much the entire setup was like that of a banana(yes, the fruit). when I first started to mess with the neck, I ended up just taking it off and putting a penny in between the neck and lower neck screws (this method is called shimming and can be done with more than just pocket change) because even with the bridge all the way down, the action was still terrible. This helped the action and playability tremendously after I raised the bridge most of the way. I also raised both pickups since they were both about 5 miles away from the strings. I havent fooled to much with the tremolo but I'm guessing that using it would mess with the tuning considering the tuning machines probably cost about a dollar. I've heard that on other variations of the terminator, the bridge was manufactured too close to the tailpiece, therefore the intonation would be totally wrong, but mine seems fine.

This guitar would probably withstand live shows if you cared about the guitar just as much as kurt cobain would have...so far, I've replaced the main output jack, and had to tighten most of the other jack nuts...I think that the finish is pretty much solid, and is hard to wear off...yes, the strap buttons are solid (though I only use a strap about half the time)...so far I've been able to depend on it, but remember it has had a lot of tweaking done to it...however, I would NOT use it in a gig without a backup...I think the stock tuning machines are the most unreliable part of it right now, because even the battery life seems to be bearable(BUT YOU MUST REMEMBER TO TURN IT OFF WHEN YOURE NOT USING IT!!). Remember that kiddos.

skrew costomer support, i don't need no stinkin costomer support!! i'd much rather fix it myself dang nabbit...

(i rated it after i worked on it). I recieved my first guitar when I was around 7 years old,(it just happened to also be a synsonics- a Jr. Pro), and right now I am 16, but I only started to become serious about it around 2 and a half years ago...At this moment in time, I own a 1965 Fender Musicmaster II with the paint stripped off and with a 70's Gibson humbucker that was intalled non-professionally in the early 80's, a '99 or'00 red and black Epiphone SG, a '97 or '98 black Vaccaro Generator-X with a Bigsby style tremolo unit(NOT the "V2" version!), a samick 4 string bass with both P and J style pickups, gold hardware, and a white smoke on black paintjob(no clue as to a model name or manufacturer's date), a really cheap, (3/4ths scale) harmony acoustic guitar, and of course a synsonics "terminator" from '91, I use an 80's Peavy "Artist 240" 120-watt tube guitar amplifier with a Black Widow 12" driver for gigs and a 2x12 extention cab that my dad and i fabricted out of scratch, I also have an 80's Peavy "Audition 20" 12-watt practice amp, a Boss TU-2 chromatic tuning pedal, Boss DD-3 Digital Delay, a 1970 Morley "rotating sound power wah expression pedal", an dicontinued Boss metal distortion pedal, a Korg multi-effect guitar board, and a boss volume pedal, a DOD bass grunge pedal, and last but not least, a Crate 60-watt bass amp with a 15" woofer...I would probably just get really, really annoyed if I lost or someone stole my terminator...I do however wish that the tuning machines were of a better quality...I JUST WANT TO ADD THAT THE MINI SPEAKER THAT I PUT IN THIS GUITAR IS 45 OHMS, because when I got it from my friend, he knifed the original speaker for some odd reason or another, probably because the original speaker sounded so much worse - now you have no excuse if you need to replace yours also, I put it in caps.

This guitar has a black strat style body, and the neck is painted black. It has a four bolt neck with a truss rod adjustment in the neck heel. It has two single coil pickups, a headphone jack, an output jack to an amp, and a built-in amp and speaker. The built in amp is powered by a pair of 9v batteries. A label on the back of the neck heel identifies it as Korean. I thought it might be North Korean, given the quality of the fret job. The strip tuners are spanish style, the kind with exposed gears, and the gear ratio is suited for nylon strings, not steel strings. First order of business was to remove the three remaining strings and disassemble the guitar. I took all of the tension off the truss rod because the neck had a convex bend that made the guitar unplayable. In a few hours the neck was straight. Then I tightened the truss rod just enough to snug it up. Next, I located all of the high frets and hammered them down until I had a smooth and level playing surface. Then I put on a set of strings with a .010 first string and set the action at the bridge by twisting knurled knobs on threaded posts, like the support of a tune-o-matic, except that the actual bridge was nothing but an arched stamping of some chromed metal, with no compensation at all. It was obvious that the guitar could not be tuned because the bridge was improperly located. Fortunately I had an old Schaller tune-o-matic. I mounted this good bridge to a hardwood block and did a lot of work to find the correct spot, which turned out to be about an inch farther away from the neck than the factory bridge. So I have, in effect, a sort of floating bridge on this guitar. At some point I might go to the trouble of relocating the factory bridge posts and mounting a Gibson style tune-o-matic, which should be an easy drop in fit. After all this work I found that the guitar was in fact playable and tuneable, although such a short scale instrument will always be hard to tune. The really bad tuners don't help, but at some point I'll replace them. I also found it necessary to deepen the string grooves in the nut. I think these guitars were sold in department stores in the late seventies and early eighties. They must have made many children very frustrated because without extensive modification, as described, they would never have sounded like anything other than crap, and they would have been unplayable. It has a tremelo but the guitar won't return to correct pitch unless the tremelo is used very gently- just a little vibrato is all it's good for.

Played through an amp, I wouldn't describe the sound as bad-- the better the amp, the better this guitar will sound. I use a lot of signal processing anyway. The built-in speaker does not sound very good at all, but for practice and screwing around, it's fine. There is a lot of noise from the on board amp, however, that can only be controled by dialing down the tone control. I forget to mention that it has two volume controls, one for the front and one for the back pickup, and one tone control. The thing sounds best with not too much treble.

It seems to have been disigned as a toy. The action was poor, nothing was correctly adjusted, the fret job was poor, everything was cheap.

I don't see why this guitar shouldn't prove to be as durable as a strat-- unless the truss rod snaps.

That's an unknown.

I give it a five for its current condition, after my rework. I've owned good guitars, and own several good guitars currently, but I enjoy a project guitar, and its fun to make a piece of junk exceed its potential. I can see taking this guitar on trips, since it is so compact. It is still not easy to play, but that makes it good for developing technique.

I think my version might be earlier than others I've seen in stores in that it came with an FM transmitter and a small antenna wire hanging out. It had a very little potentiometer under the black plastic cover that let you tune to a dead spot on the FM dial and it actually worked although I didn't use it much. The build-in amp was great for dragging it around like an acoustic. Hey! I almost forgot to mention the second 1/4" jack for headphones using the built-in amp. If you want to play fairly loud while the family sleeps, then this is great, and means you can duckwalk all over the house without strangling yourself.

Neat sound, played it as a backup guitar during basement jams and actually made it my regular guitar at times.

Decent for a cheapass guitar.

OK, I'm a dumbass for messing with the FM thing too much and accidentally chopping off the antenna wire and then trying to solder on a new one. I think it broke after that. The pots are actually held onto the circuit board by their (stiff) wire leads alone. Haven't they ever heard of a glue gun? I'll bet I resoldered 4 of the 6 leads at least once. As for the wires leading to the board, several fell off and I've had a bitch of a time finding a wiring diagram through Synsonics.
It did play really well through an amp for many years, and I have the option of gutting it of its electronics now and wiring the pickups straight through to the output jacks, which makes it just another electric guitar. I'm pushing for replacing or deciphering the electronics, though.
Some wear on the fretboard, but just surface finish. I'm not sure what you folks mean by cardboard. Mine is pretty solid and looks/feels like real wood. I spent 60 bucks on low-end Schaller tuning heads since the old ones were really crappy. Other than the electronic problems and the heads, it's really a playable guitar. It does have a truss rod which I've never used and a really straight neck.

Left at least 2 emails begging for wiring info/asking how to buy a new circuit board. Always get voicemail (3 or more times) and ask for same. Never a reply. Just left email, will try voice one more time (maybe another number besides the 800#) then I'll probably ditch the electronics and make a regular electric out of it.

I've played 20+ years, on an old ('77? - 3 bolt) strat and newer danelectro. This is a fun, lightweight guitar with decent pickups. The electronics are marginal, and the battery config is awkward. I have burned out 2 brand new duracells on several occasions by bumping the on/off switch while it sat or forgetting to turn it off. I learned to store an extra pick inside the battery compartment so it breaks the battery contacts just in case. The door doesn't close very well when it has batteries in it.
More gadgets than you'd ever expect from an electric guitar (esp if you have an FM xmit version), and the guitar itself in amped mode is good for a cheapie. I'd give my kid one if he was just starting out (ended up steering him to the bass instead) and would like to have one with me if I was on the road a lot.
-mz

I personally like my guitar, dual pick ups with two volume konbs, and a tone knob. It has a whammy bar and 21 or 22 frets.

The built in amp was pretty bad, in fact I cut out a piece wood to put in the whole left and painted it over, looks good. It has a jazzy sound that I really like when plugged it into an amp.

I have never looked inside my quitar but I like the black finish. It is pretty short but so am I

I don't think that I well ever break this thing. I have had it for several years and it never gets any worse. Perfect for people who want to learn. Don't use the built in amp.

For how cheap I got this thing I love it, Like I said I'll never break it so imagine I'll have it for a long time. If you get the chance to buy it for cheap I would although I would not pay more than 25$ for one

I think it was made it Taiwan or someplace similar. Japan makes some decent guitars so I doubt it came from there. Has a built in amp/speaker which I could not get to work. Black finish. 22 frets I think. Trem bar. As far as features go there were plenty but they are all so poorly made that I cannot give it a high rating. I mean a $2 built in amp is not a good feature.

I don't know what you guys are talking about saying it sounds good through any amp. This thing sounds bad always. Plenty-o-buzzes and no sustain.

Honestly this thing is the second worst guitar I have ever seen. The finish looks totally Taiwan as do all the components. I think the nut is made from the same kind of material as plastic picnic forks. The action was acceptable I guess and the only thing saving it from another "1"

Use this thing at a gig? Not if you ever wanted to show your face in public again. I could depend on it sounding lousy and the strings getting hung up in the nut if I tried to tune it.

You can't be serious.

I bought this for a cheapie when my kid asked for an axe to learn on. I knew he probably would quit and he did. Perfect guitar for that because it only cost $20. I wish it came with it's own handle-tie trash bag instead of the speaker/amp. THAT would have been handy! It's the biggest piece of garbage available.

The idea of a built-in amp is great for campfires, etc., but the sound stinks. Also no tone controls.
I have an old Kustom amp, and this little baby sounds as good as my 60's Fender Tele on it!!!!

One pick-up stinks - no tone control stinks...but sounds A-OK on an amp.

Action is EXCELLENT! As good as my Telecaster!!!
Finish is Burgundy, and looks good...

I don't think this is the guitar for prof. gigs... I've only owned it for 4 months and it's quite dependable so far...

Haven't needed support...

I am already considering "loaning" this one to a friend and buying another!
The only thing is that from Heartland it's only available in one color (Maroon)

made in korea 22 frets on/off switch 2 volume 1 tone 2 shitty single coil pickups supposedly mapel neck body mad of some kind of molded paper crap black plastic like finish strat styled crappy plastic tuners built in amp and tremolo

sound sucks through the built in amp but hook it up to a descent amp and it actually sounds ok i use a crate G10-XL clean it sounds ok but distorted it sounds pretty good it sucks for my style of music which is mostly grunge and metal

tuning sucks pickups suck tremolo sucks

i would never use it live very durable except magnet popped off the speacker when i dropped it one day. cant hurt the finish ok strap buttons.this little guitar is actually pretty dependable but i would still never use it live

sucks i live thirty miles fom there us factory an still cant ever get ahold of anyone ther

this is my first guitar but i've played carvins squier strats and ibanez guitars before and this guitar is worse than than anything i' ever played but it is a good durable guitar for its price

It came from Japan, I think. But I got it from my friend who got it at Toys 'R Us. The built in amp think was a cool idea, but the thing never turned up louder than the unamplified sound. It had one pickup, which didn't sound very good at all. It was like a plywood strat copy with one singlecoil pickup. It's a 3/4 size guitar, which is annoying because it's so small.

It sounded terrible. The volume knob was scratchy, there was no tone control, so you have one tone to choose from. It pretty much just sounds like garbage, especially through my marshall amp.

Well, the truss rod broke after I got it, so it was pretty much unplayable, much to my disappointment. The pickup went loose and wobbly and so did the on off switch for the built in amp. The finish was the only thing on there I liked.

The guitar was totally unreliable. The truss rod broke, the on off switch broke, the amp stopped amplifying, and the pickup went loose. What a waste of time.

Whatever

I've been playing for almost 2 years and I own a bunch of crap, but the Terminator was definitely the crappiest. I ended up taking it apart, throwing it around, and then giving it to my friend for free.

I'm not sure where it was made, or when. It has 22 frets, and a maple neck. They say it has a 'hardwood' body, but it seems like some type of paper-wood glop that was poured into a strat mold.
It has one single coil pickup, and one volume control. It has a standard tremelo bridge, and a black finish. It also has a built in amp that is powered by a 9 volt

I love the sound of this little guitar. Only problem is that with one pickup, and no tone controle, there isnt much in the way of variety. But my 65 watt Guirilla amp takes care of that. (it has the best reverb on any amp ive ever used)The little built in amp got blown out, though. Whenever I use it, all it dose is hiss and cackle and make a loud crunching noise.

Well, I had to get two of these. The first one they sent me had no tuning heads. Once I got one that worked, I blew out the built in amp. The nut is a crooked. Oh well.

Ive been playing it for a year now, and Ive expereinced no problems so far. I havent brought it to a gig, though. Its a home guitar. I dont even use a strap with it, since I dont have to stand up to play.

Havent had to deal with them.

Its a nice little guitar (when I say little, I mean little, its under 3/4 scale) Its gotten nothing but compliments so far from those whove played it.(exept for those who complain about its size)If I lost it, I would probably go back to Synsonics, but I'de get something with more than one pickup.
I've played TeleCasters, Les Pauls, and Strat nock-offs. They are all great, but since this was my first guitar, and Ive been playing it longer than any other ones, I would say I have home-feild advantage with this one.

21 fret Piece of junk for the tall people. This thing is so freakin short for me, it's almost impossible to play. Don't know what the neck is made of. The thing has a built in amp that takes two 9 volt batteries, which gives in pretty decent sound as long as it isnt turned up the whole way. I got the thing for free so i don't really care about what happens to it. I'm trying to sell it, so I can get a new guitar.

The sound that comes from it is good, but tuning is a bitch! You have to tune it every time you play the stupid thing. That is really the only complaint. The amp works fine, and I like the overall sound of this thing

The thing has been dropped numerous times and nothing has gone wrong with it.

It may be a lifesaver at a gig, but I wouldnt use it without a backup. It's really great for writing songs and getting a feel for the right chords. This thing is very durable, nothing has busted on in and it is in generally good condition

Never did any dealing, dont even know if the company exists anymore.

Well, basically, I think it is too short for someone who is taller like 6 feet. I have long arms which makes it difficult to play. But I am selling this thing. I need a newer guitar that I won't outgrow.