Synsonics Terminator

(Review is in order of the tewmpalte page)
First off, let me say i must have ogtten a
super-terminator. "Bad", "crap" or "ugly" are not words I'd readily use.

Guitar is an '89 Terminator, first year of production, made in Korea. I beleive it has 24 frets, haven't actually checked.
Solid top, of course. There is a tone control, and 2 volumes, 1 for each pickup. Features an awkward 2 single coil configuration.
Pickups are just brandless Synsonics. Electronics are passive through amp, but active when using speaker in guitar.
Body appears to be a 2-peice ash,but not very high grade. Finished in a laquered black. Applied nicely. Strat style body. Generic bigsby-looking trmeolo bridge. Kinda cool actually.
Generic one-peice 6-in-line tuners, actually very nice, and hold well. I'm sure it's 3/4 scale, frets are thin/medium. Not sure on woods, possible low grade maple. Ftertboard and neck paited black to match body. Mine is used (duh...) no accessories and missing whammy bar.

Haven't used it for gigs, but works nice liek an acosutic throught it's apeaker, and great rocker through amp. Just a bit saggy on tone. But, I'd say it's even.
It isn't "noisy" feedback is quite low, even at high volumes.
The trmolo bridge can help the sound, but I've heard it can knock tuning outl ike a light. I'd try it, maybe for an end-of-song divebomb.
I liek it, but a bit more distoriton wouldn't kill it on it's built-in-speaker.

Probably never was setup. Action is good, strings are about .4-.5 centimeters off neck. Pickups adjusted well, by me, of course.
No comment on flaws, it is used, so has it's dings, scrastches, ETC.

It could withsrand live playing, but I wouldn't advise it unless you've got mods to pickups, tuners, and probably srap-holders.
Finish has lasted for 19 years, fair ahare of scratche and nicks, but very strong, surprisingly...
mine has one strap button, if that's an indiation of how "solid" they are.

There never was nay, and, as I said, got it used.

I've played for avout 5 years, so yeah. also own Electra Phoenix X-140, Fender P-bass, and Fender Starcaster.
I'd be pretty angry/sad it it was stolen, I'd totally buy another.
I love hten ovelty of it, greartl ittle traveler.
Hate the fact that I can't afford mods for it.
It'd be nicer with locking tuners and Semours or EMGs.
If you find an early Terminator get it, fun little guy.

This little guitar is pretty cute. I bought it at a thrift store for basically nothing, so I expected it to not be the best. But I played it in the store and it seemed to sound OK. My built-in amp doesn't work, unfortunately, I guess the previous owner left it out in the rain or something. The finish is some sort of cheap plastic.
I'm not that savvy with guitar surgery, so I wouldn't dare mess around with the wiring and whatnot. But I wouldn't spend any money to fix it.
I think the main reason why I like it is that it wasn't expensive and it doesn't sound bad through a decent amp. Plus, I'm a pretty small girl, and that guitar is tiny, so it works :P

I play mostly acoustic/indie-type stuff, so the Terminator is a bit outside my usual genre. I do use it though. My other electric was a Dean, and that thing is heavyyy. I have a behringer amp, it's quite nice. I guess the terminator doesn't sound too bad, not as good as the Dean though. Minimal variety, but it's okay for maybe basic punk rock?

Hmm, almost every viewable bit of metal was dead rusty, and the speaker doesn't work, which I suppose is the previous owner's fault. I replaced one of the input jacks with a bright shiny one and it just doesn't seem to match. But yeah, if I replaced all the metal parts on here it would probably sound fantastic.

This guitar, despite the fact that the majority of it's functions don't work, refuses to die. In 2000 years, future paleontologists will be digging and find one of these.
I like it :)

I didn't even try. This thing isn't really worth it, in my opinion.

I've been playing the guitar for over 4 years. I mostly bought this on a whim, so I wish I'd done some research before making the purchase. I wish the accessories on it worked too because then I'd use it more and it would be just the coolest thing ever.
I guess that's it.

Before you begin to read this, keep in mind, I do not use this as an actual guitar, but for the circuitry inside of it! It really is a junky guitar... But I will not speak of it's "intended" function (Which is to be a very cheap practice guitar that is basically usless) It features three knobs (two pick up volumes and a tone knob) which can be used in tandem with the circuitry to produces different sounds. Again, I won't bother to comment on it's features as a guitar because this is not about that aspect of it...

Now, you may be asking yourself, WHY on earth I'd give a Synsonics Terminator a ten. Well, I am really into circuit bending... So one day, just out of curiosity, I unscrewed the back panel on one of these monsters and pressed my finger on the circuit board... The sound it produced was insane... tweaking the knobs seems to always make it produces new sounds... and with a low battery you can achieve a whole new level of noises! the sounds range from roaring static and fuzz, to high pitch squeals and squaks and gurggling... It is very similar to a theremin... I have even managed to pick up a radio station with the thing! It's really quite amazing in this aspect. Quite a lovely surprise hidden in what looks like a piece of junk "practice guitar" I hope to collect a few of these and completely scrap the bodies to rehouse them in metal boxes and just keep the original knobs and circuitry without lugginhg all the wood body around.

Again, if I must comment on the actual guitar, I'll say as a practice guitar, it's satisfactory in this area... but that won't be imporant once you rip the thing apart... It certainly isn't going to be winning any awards though...

You'd think with all of the torture I've put this piece through, it would have been totally fried, but it's still seems to be working perfectly, except I've always had problems from time to time with the batteries in the compartment.

Never had to call. This guitar was a hand-me-down anyways. I don't know.

As a noise producing, mutant theremin, it's awesome, but as a guitar it's severley lacking. I recommend you buy one for bending though, or open up the one you have already.

this is a novelty item that was bought so my kids would leave my strat alone.I use it to play with instructional videos instead of hooking up my strat,amp,and pedals.

the sound is twangy/Kinda like listening to a guitar player at the far end of a tunnel.

the action has been adjusted down and playes good. The tuners are plastic and i need to replace them the washers have fallen out.

It is like a beater car.Something to beat arround on.

N/A

it works for the purposes mentioned above.

This is a solid body strat-style novelty guitar made in the 1990's more or less as a training guitar for kids and teens. It has two pickups, two volume controls and a single tone control. It has outputs for a standard amp and for headphones. It features a bigsby style tremelo bridge and tail piece that make stringing the guitar difficult. And of course a built-in battery powered amp with a little speaker right in the body.The neck has 22 frets and is a bit narrow.

The sound through the built in amp is a bit weak and twangy. When played through a real guitar amp, it is decent but nothing really special

The setup on ther guitar is excellent. The fretboard staining is a bit uneven in places. The action is a bit high.

The hardware is a bit cheap, I have doubts about the tuners, so I would not rely on it. The fret board finish is garanteed to wear out, and I would not consider it for any serious use. However it is kind of fun to be able to play an elect guitar anyhere. It is however, fairly durable. The simple design of the bridge and tailpeice provide little opportunity for things to go seriously wrong.

Synsonics started as a division of the toy maker Mattel, that made student instruments for kids. As far as I know they are not supported.

I've been playing (with) guitars for about 25 years, non-pro. This is my 4th guitar, The others are 1: Washburn House-of-Blues electric, 2: 1968 Telestar, and 3: Synsonics single pickup ( no model name).
The built in amp makes it a fun toy for the non serious player and it is fun to sit under a shade tree in the summer while twanging awy on one. If I can get one of the kids interested, they we could get a jam going between the two synsonics guitars. I do wish the neck was a bit wider, cause my fingers are a bit fat.

All covered below... I found mine at a yard sale and the guy swore it worked... I said "the hell it works, it has no strings and no bridge!" I bought it for $10 and built my own bridge with a little piece of rosewood and a single fret.
Once I powered it up, it worked fine, I imagine just about as well as it ever has. It's kind of a crappy novelty instrument, but it is pretty cool for what it is. I'm giving it an 8 because the speaker is very cool, and not a lot of cheap guitars have that.

It won't record any platinum records for you but this thing is fun to whip out when your buddies bring over their acoustic guitars... Low volume, but you can get a really cool distortion/feedback from it. This thing wails!
Intonation isn't perfect, but what do you expect? Mine didn't come with a trem bar and I wouldn't imagine that would help it anyway.

action is kinda high but not as bad as some have said. I'm sure on a cheap neck like this, low action would be an impossibility. I use light strings on it and it's playable. Finish is fugly black. put some stickers on it.

Hey, it worked after sitting in some redneck's garage for 20 years... I'd imagine that anything that can go wrong with it had already gone wrong by the time they shipped it out.

Non existent

I really like this guitar. Every serious rocker should have one instrument they can be totally non-serious about; throw it around, play it when they're completely wasted, with no worries, etc. This is the one and the price was right. And if you're looking for a cheap axe to impress the chicks, this thing actually works... No cords, no amps, no muss no fuss.

The Features are alright. Nothing to brag to your buddies about.

Got the guitar as a parts guitar the electronics were not working at the time.

neck edges are not flowwing or comfortable like my american strat. Finish is stripped in places

It's a better guitar now to say that I have wired two new fender standard single coils in it and all new volume and tone pots. and a fender jack(that was tricky)

I hav not messed with support to say this is just a beater guitar

Well i got this guitar because i wanted somthing i could throw around and not worry about it. I have gutted everything stock electrical from it and rewired with new stuff myself. This guitar is alright after you get rid of everything Synsonics about it except for the wood. Overall i have spent about fifty bucks on this thing using parts I already had. I would not advise buying this guitar to be your primary guitar.

Made in the 90s sometime - its got one pickup and one volume control. Of course, it has a built-in amp and speaker, which is why anyone in their right mind would consider buying it - as a novelty. It has frets..... thats all I can say about them. They stick out and cut you on the edges.

Umm... sound is interesting. Its not terrible, but its a bit thin. It distorts very hard, and the bass is weak. Pickup is good as evidenced by its performance on an amp, but is acceptable on the onboard amp. No variety with one pickup and no tone control.

Set-up is poor - I bought 6 of these in new old stock boxes for resale, and every one of them had too low action. the fret buzz was insane, and the onboard speaker does feedback at top volume for some reason. I am keeping one and already realize that I have to loosen the truss rod, AND raise the bridge to avoid the buzz I am guessing, or just replace the nut, though that may affect the already off-kilter intonation. The frets stick out and cut you on the edges, and the fretboard was a little chipped at one point. The tuners are decent though, which is a surprise.

It'll probably withstand anything you dish out - and mine isnt paperish like many people reported. THe strap buttons are solid, and the finish seems industrial strength cheap glossy. If anything about this guitar is good, its this.

They are out of business. Deal With it!

I've been playing for a little while now ( about a year) and I have Behringer Strat copy, a Rogue acoustic, and a mandolin. This is my worst guitar but for a builtin amp and uinder 55 bucks new, what the hell did I expect. ITs cool and portable so I think itll be pretty decent once it gets adjusted. VAlue is good - 4 as a guitar - 8 for the price.

Pretty simple, volume, on/off switch, and headphone jack for crummiest built in amp known to mankind, as well as out put for external amp use. Basic open gear tuners. Came with whammy bar so you can knock your guitar out of tune AND sound cool. Bridge is chromed out metal and does a bad job of keeping it in tune. 22 frets with fake mother of pearl fret markers. Body is a strat style with no pick guard. Black finish. one single-coil pickup.

This was my first guitar. When I got it I had no other equipment just the little built in amp. 2 christmases later i got a squier strat and a fender frontman 25R. I usually play this guitar through the frontman and a danelectro black licorice distortion pedal, and sometimes an arion moc-1 octave pedal. Through the frontman amp it does sound good. Through external amps i give it an 8. through the built in amp it gets a 2. Most of the time through the built in amp, the E and D strings usually vibrate for no reason whatsoever. This produces a horrible honking noise resembling a goose in heat. I don't know why but when the pick up cover is removed it makes it sound "crisper", making it good for most metal style music(what i play, system of a down, mudvayne, Nu-Metal).

when I first got it out of it's cardboard coffin, the bridge's action was completely off. Each string had it's own height, with big difference between them. Didn't come with a volume knob and i finally found one that fit 3 years later. The pick up was fine until i took the cover off and found it wasn't completely set into the body (wobbles like crazy). everything else was pretty much set fine.

In actuality this guitar has been through ALOT. yet it still haunts me. I can't get rid of it, A) it has sentimental value B)it just won't die. It's pretty much my guitar for weird tunings, like drop C,B, and A. I wouldn't use it at a gig AT ALL.

Never delt with SEARS over this junk heap.

It's my first guitar, you can't REALLY bag on your first guitar. Everyone's first guitar sucks. Unless your rich and and you can buy a $500 guitar like it's nothing.

I've been gathering these up off of eBay recently, and found that there's a few different styles. For the most part, they're a bit on the cheesy side....but for the price they're ok. I've been making plans to upgrade and modify a couple of them (tuners, pickups, bridge/tailpiece, speaker) and see how "nasty" one can be built.

I've run across 3 styles - 2 "Strat-bodied" versions, and one "Explorer-bodied" version with a humbucker. Not sure yet which is the older, the Strat with 2 pickups and the cheesy stamped-steel bridge setup, or the single-pickup version with the combo bridge/tailpiece/tremolo setup. Bodies all appear to be the same stuff....industrial-strength "papier mache".

All of my aquisitions, with one exception, are "parts guitars". Only one out of the 5 so far bought is what I'd call "Presentable".

This guitar suits my style fine......my music style is "poorly".....but it's fun to bang around on. I use it by itself; no amp or pedals....yet. One sound.....that defies description. Just louder or softer, depending on the volume setting. Gimme time...and some parts.

Used guitars don't really have "fit & finish" anymore. These guitars may never have had any, even when new. But, they're fun to fool with.

They're durable, or they wouldn't have survived the years.......
Reliable? I wouldn't use it as a "performing guitar".

Doubtful they're around anymore.

Been playing guitar....poorly....for about 20 years, off and on. I also have an Epiphone SG guitar, an Epiphone SG bass, Crate G-60 amp "stack", Peavey Minx 110 bass amp, Digitech guitar and bass processors. The SGs both have Coffin Cases. Also a collector of KISS-related guitars.

I recall seeing the Terminator at Toys R Us eons ago. Would like to hear a new one.

I have 4 that will be re-born.....upgraded hardware, finishes, etc. The Explorer-style will remain true to the original design; might put in a new speaker "just cuz". Maybe build a 3/4-scale "Coffin" for it.......hehehe.......

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.

Black plastic/cardboard finish, it says that it comes with a whammy bar, but no bar to be found on the thing, shitty built in amp, plastic tunings, 1 volume switch....and that sums it up.

sucks, turn the volume knob up and it gets shitty distortion/scratchy waves.

they glued it all on...most likely.

aha it sucks. cant depend on it, and id never bring it on stage.

they probably went out of business years ago

it sucks, if it was stolen, i'd feel bad for the person who stole it.

What's to say? Pawn shop, $50. 2 pickups, Black, built in "amp", slight repairs to stuck 'Pots', crappy strip tuners. But with a little tightening on the truss pod and a pack o' 10's this little thing has proven to be a very playable hack around machine and a plus on the road in the van on the way to gigs figuring out or writing tunes.

This ax may someday be a lifesaver at a gig someday but I wouldn't rely on it as a backup.The short scale and non adjustable, fixed bridge makes acceptable intonation a problem. Although I haven't used it this way, the built in amp is plenty good for busqueing or street playing and turned up gives a non-crunchy overdriven sound and complements a harmonica well,while at lower volumes it is almost clean.

Wouldn't attempt any customer support. Is this funky company still in business? I did enjoy their electronic guitar from the eighties but mine broke.

I had been looking for some time for a non-serious ax with a built in amp for some time and like this thing alot. If it was gone, I'd miss it but wouldn't hold out much hope of finding another. All in all, a funky toy

This guitar has a nice sounding built in speaker with 2 volume controls and 1 tone. The features and fairly simple other than the built in speaker.

This guitar has the best jazzy sound of any guitar ive ever played. no the pickups are very quiet and erotic. i have no dislikes about this guitar.

one word motzart

i think it will withstand stone cold steve austin himself. ive dropped it and flopped the son of a bitch so much and it still goes strong.

never dealt with them but there probly not bad.

ive been playing 2yrs and i own a strat copy and a dearmond mc65 and this guitar is better than them by far. if i lost it i would buy it again because it has a nice feel for my playing style.

I'm sure what year it was made in, but it does say Made in Korea on the back. 22 frets on it...and the top, well...uhh...whats left seems to be made out of some kind of wood...or maybe that plastic wood stuff that comes in that little can. 2 volume, 1 tone, one two way switch, and two outputs (amp-headphones). It's also got a ghetto little speaker on the top of it. Two toy-like single coil pickups...maybe by Mattel or Hasbro...not sure. Electronics are pretty much gone due to my frustration with getting it to work. I pulled everything out and wired the bridge pickup directly to the output jack (my parents found this guitar in a garbage can on an evening walk). It seems like the whole guitar is made of one "wood". I'm just not quite sure what that is. It's got a black...maybe water color finish on it, but also some natural spots. Body style is kind of like a scale downed version of a strat. The bridge is made from a large castle door hinge of some kind...when there are no strings on, it flaps up and down like some kind of percussion clacker (two instruments in one!!). The tuners are...well...a peice of art to say the least. The neck is a fingerboardless, warped, and chipped peice of wood (still not sure what kind). I think it used to have a whammy bar, but it looks like the previous owner busted it off with the end still left in the bridge. Except for that and the built in speaker, nothing else was included (except 3 rusty strings).

I play many different styles and have not yet found one that this suits, but I'm still looking. So far, I've been afraid to try it on any real amp because of a high pitched sound it was making, so I've been putting it trough one of those little 9volt fender amps. Before I ripped out all the electronics, it was pretty noisy, but amazingly, its almost noiseless with just the pickups. It has a very...originial...sound. If your looking for anything that sounds like a guitar...even remotely...this isn't it.

Well, the neck has no adjustable trust rod, so the warpness is kind of stuff. The strings raise up at about a 2 degree angle from the 1rst to the 21rst fret. The fretwire is coming out of the neck. Theres many, many scratches. I'm not even sure if its wood anymore. Everything, including your fingers after touching it, has a bit of rust on it. The tuning pegs arn't loose...I used thick strings. The controls and selecter are firmly in place after my adjusting...but they really no long have a function. They are now merely decoration.

This guitar would probably melt under heavy lighting...so I wouldn't recommend it on stage. The hardware did not last long. I can rub the finish of with tissue paper. The strap buttons are alright, except for the one falling out of the neck. I would depend on it for a wall hanging. A gig? With this?

I never delt with the company. I repaired it myself. Since I could get nothing but a very loud dog whistle out of it through an amp, I had to take it apart, pull apart all the electronics, and rewire the pickups. Took a good couple of hours, but it was a fun learning experience. No warrenty.

I've played guitar for about seven years. I own an epiphone strat copy, a washburn d12 acoustic, a fender american strat, and a gibson studio lite. I own a crate gx15 little krappy amp, a fender 160 watt stage 112 solid state amp, digitech rp7 preamp, morely pro-wah, dod distortion box, morley crystal chorus box, and many other little accessories. I didn't buy this guitar, nor did I ask for it. It came to me...from my parents...who recieved it from a garbage can. If it were stolen or lost...well...unless someone takes it off my wall, I don't think its going anywhere. I love it because it was free. What can I hate, it was free. Well, it taught me how to wire pickups...kind of. My favorite feature has to be the free part. I havn't really thought of it as a real guitar yet, so I havn't been able to compare it to others. As a toy though, its very realistic. I wish it had a check for a lot of money pasted on to the back of it. Not really, except that I don't recommend paying anything for this thing. If you find it on the street, as I did, it can be a lot of fun, and help you to waist some useless time. I really think its a great thing for someone who wants to mess around with parts and try to build their own stuff, just as long you don't pay a dime for it.

Made in China. Half-ass-strat-copy. Has built in speaker thing. 21-frets. 2 volume, 1 tone control. 2 jacks--1 for input, the other for headphones. Body made of hard cardboardlike shit. No fretboard (it's part of the neck). Tuners are open pieces of crap.

The built in speaker is HORRIBLE! I plugged this into a Peavey amp (not sure of kind) and it STILL sounded bad. No matter what I did it sounded bad. If you play hard the sound becomes really distorted, but not good distortion--cheap, shitty distortion.

I had to adjust everything on this P.O.S. almost everytime I played it. Finish didn't scratch too easily, it outlasted the guitar.

THIS GUITAR SUCKS! I dropped it ONE TIME and the cardboard body broke. I guess the neck was bolted on well, but it couldn't take anything. I would NEVER use this thing at a gig. The strap buttons came off after i put a strap on it. I would never depend on anything this worthless.

Never called about anything.

Been playing about 1 1/2 years. I own a Squier Stratocaster and an Ovation Celebrity (electric) now. ANYTHING is better than this piece of junk (but my other guitars are excellent). I don't care what happened to this, I dropped it once and it broke. SO i threw it in the closet and went on with another instrument. This guitar was a given to me, and I only took it because I didn't own any at the time. I did learn to play on this (and a squier strat) so it served its purpose, UNTIL IT BROKE! Total piece of crap. DO NOT BUY THIS!!! I think they cost $100 at stores, just go to www.musiciansfriend.com and buy the $99 strat copy, it's much a better deal

Features??? A built-in, ahem, "amp" is about all. One really cheesy pickup. Wammy bar, but spring was gone when I bought it. Made in China. 21 frets, if it matters- small scale. Solid top- solid paper! One vol and one tone-cut control. Neck is some sorta mystery wood- but get this- the fret board is non-existant! My nephew pointed out that the neck and fret board are actually one piece of wood.

Sound?? What's that, sonny? This thing makes SOUND??? Never mind my style- if I thought this doorstop suited my style, I'd have none. Impossible to get this paperweight to play clean and still be heard over the roar of a gentle breeze. If you crank this fly-swatter up, it distorts out the wazoo- fun for about 15 seconds. You can hook it up to an external amp, but with only one pickup, you get no variety whatsoever from the guitar.

Set up at the factory?? Come on! Bookmatched??? More like a book OF matches, which is the best investment anyone could make in this piece of firewood.

Well, it WAS reliable. I bought it to take on non-musical business trips- thought it would fit in my carry-on baggage, and I could mess around in the hotel room. I kept it stashed behind the seat of my pickup truck, and pulled it out when I wanted to dash off a riff or two. It was fun for that use, I must admit. Would I gig with it without a backup? HE HE!! I was ashamed to be seen playing it at all!

You'd think that since the company sold these roach-killers at every store from Radio Shack to the fruit stand on the corner, they'd be easy to get serviced, but I never tried.

I bought it for the uses stated above, and sold it (whew! Thought I'd get stuck with it!) cause it was actually pissing me off and making me not want to play- NOT the intent.

How strange... so this thing is made outta paper? HUH? Well, I got mine direct from the co. so I am not out much.. I got it for $29. A built in speaker, on/off switch, one vol. knob, a headphone jack, an input jack, one single coil pickup, speaker on the front of the guitar, very small scale guitar (not even a 3/4 size). I bought it at a discount; I wasn't going to pay more than $29 for it. IT'S A TOY, FOR CRYIN' OUT LOUD!!!!! Some other person wrote in a review for it that he/she bought their's at a toy store. Hmm... So, Std. Strat tremelo... came w/ a bar, a 10'cord, 2 allen wrenches... The tuners? C'mon. What do you expect, Sperzels? The neck is strat thin, but the actual frets suck. Not installed well at all. The frets overlap on each side, giving it a pointy, sharp quality about it. Gotta file 'em down some. Other than what I listed, no addt'l accessories. MADE IN CHINA. IT runs off of one 9 volt battery, to power the cheesy built in amp. It did not come w/ a battery, nonetheless.

Strictly practice guitar. I might mess around on it. Get this, when I got it, I made an interesting discovery. The factory did not bolt the neck on properly, so when I took the neck off the guitar, I found that the factory did not drill the bolt holes properly. So now, I'm gonna fill the holes with a wood compound, sand it down, re-drill it down in order to install the neck on the guitar. XTRA WORK FOR ME!! I can't comment on the sound yet. With just one single coil, it won't produce any variety whatsoever. Do not care for the extra work I'll have to put into it.

Because of the neck situation, I'll give it a low grade. Otherwise, the nut will need adj., very poor quality wood ( Paper? They can't be serious). Very poor fret job. This gets a grade of...

Don't even ask.

Some snooty bitch answers the phone every time I call there. Obviously, she doesn't like her job, or needs a good fuck. Customer service sucks, to be polite. No warranty.

Overall rating... it's a joke; after I get done fixing it up and fixing it RIGHT... it might be ok. It was a factory 2nd closeout product, but still... I'll be able to take it out to the lake, the park, to the john, whatever... w/ a built in amp/ speaker, I'll be able to play whenever inspiration strikes, or whatever the saying goes... Maybe w/ the built in speaker, I can get some wicked feedback action going on w/ an amp as well. Or I'll just destroy the f**king thing. What a hunk of S**T!!

Built in amp, hey!

The sound on it (naturally) sucks, but if you plug it in to a good amp and set up some good settings on it, it's not too bad. What this guitar is good for though, is writing songs on if guitar is not your natural instrument. I have had this guitar since 1993, and I have written so many songs off it, and all I paid was $100. It does have some use.

It hasn't gotten out of shape at all! although one of the bridge saddles came off when i moved but it was easily fixed for only $3. no biggie other than that, it won't even scratch

It will last a while, unless you decide to smash it to death. i would never use it at a gig, never, and not even as a backup. it's just good for writing. It is reliable tohugh, i just don't think the sound is great enough. and it is light

15-year warranty comes with it, and it got fixed, quickly.

if it were stolen, i'd buy a new one it's cheap, and good for writing songs i just wouldn't use it as your main guitar the little things got some use after all but overall, for those who view it as a normal guitar...

My dad bought me this nasty thing about two and a half years ago with good intentions, but I swear I was mad when he bought it. This was my first guitar and If had to keep it as my only guitar I am sure I would have quit. It features a 3/4 or smaller size body and according to another entry the body is made of paper? I don't have it with me right now,although I still own it, I'm not so sadistic as to pass it on to somebody else, so I'm not sure about everything. I don't know where it was made, but it has 21 frets, with a straight maple neck, no slant at the headstock, cheap plastic nut, cheap open gear tuners that are supposed to be for an acoustic. I think it has a maple fretboard, but I'm not sure it even has a seperate slab of wood for a fretboard. There is one knob for volume and an on/off switch for the built in practice amp. Here is the real joke of this guitar, a guitar is good, an amp is good, therefore an amp built in to a guitar must be good, right? WRONG! What's even stupider is that the 3" speaker is mounted in the back of the guitar so the strings end up being louder than the amp. There are two jacks, one for output ,the other for headphones. This 'axe' (yeah right, more like hatchet) has one low output single-coil pickup and a fixed Fender style bridge. This one does have height and intonation adjustments, but its is next to impossible to get a string through the saddle, you have to bend the string and snake it through. The finish is a metallic red, it looks like automotive paint. Overall this guitar sucks, sure it has that awesome practice amp built into it, but that just doesn't cut it.

This guitar couldn't possibly suit anybody's musical style, except maybe somebody who's into the Backstreet Boys or something like that, in which a guitar isn't needed. I used the built in amp until I got some real equipment, if you turn the volume up and hold it in the most uncomfortable position, you can get enought sound out of it to hear it over the strings, and it even overdrives a little bit. The sound is really bright, but very low output, I plugged it into my Crate G40C and it made me want a new amp. The only rthing worse than hearing it acousticly, is hearing it plugged in. It almost sounds like it has a flanger on it or something, but not a good sounding flanger. I have this sick idea of putting a Duncan Duckbucker in it, sperzel tuners, graphtec nut and jumbo frets and making a badass little crapper out of it, but It's merely a joke.

This guitar wasn't setup at the factory, some strings were thrown on and wound up so they didn't flop around. I don't think the pickup can be adjusted, never tried, it looks like it's just screwed into a hole in the body The body is a regular strat copy, minus any contours, so it's not abnormal, except that its 3/4 or smaller size and the cutaway doesn't have access to the 21st fret, but that doesn't matter anyway, because the pickup won't pickup anything that quiet. The frets are cheap they are worn down after two months of playing and after about 2 year of not playing it, they are a ll oxidized. They really are pathetic, they have severe scratches on them from bending, the strings are harder than the frets.

Overall this guitar is actually pretty reliable, I wouldn't gig with it because it sucks and it doesn't stay in tune. The paint has worn of in one spot after four months of use, and it wasn't a chip, it actually rubbed off. I've never put a strap on it, but they are really small. I wouldn't gig with this as my backup, I might smash, but this is such a funny conversation piece.

I don't think synsonics has a customer support, never tried to find out, I don't think anybody buys these with quality in mind.

This guitar sucks, I've been playing for two and a half years, I wish my dad had bought me something other than this. If it were lost or stolen I would beat the crap out of the person who stole it for stealing such a piece of crap. I love the built in amp, its such a joke, I hat everything else about it. You can't compare this to anything else, it sucks too much. If you're even contemplating buying this, don't. The only way I would have another one of these is if I saw one at a rummage sale for $10 or less and then I would use on stage as a battle axe.

Don't know when the make was, the body was made out of some stuff that looked felt and tasted like paper, so I guess it was just pressed glued recycled paper or something. Black finish, two single coil pickups, built in practice amp, two volume, one tone, an amp on off swith, two jacks, one for the amp, and one for headphones from the practice amp. strat style headstock with crappy tuners that broke easily, body was very small, came with a height adjustable bridge no intonation though, and a vibrato style tail piece, bolt on maple neck with 22 jumbo frets and an ebony fretboard, made it taiwan, nic action nice nut.

Noisy and limited adjusting the pickups helped but play something really distorted through this thing and you'll be alright.

Finsih was nice paper body sucked for sound pickups could be changed out thaty would help allot. bought it used from a pawn shop so it was set all wrong this was my brothers first guitar and it scared him out of playing for a while because he thogh all guitar would be that way. it is very light light as paper HA HA. knocked the headstock on things all the time and it was alright.

no way I would gig without a backup, this would be my second backup behind my peavey strat, or maybe I would just destory it, don't buy this for your kid buy them something better like a Samick or something . GHowever this thing is built very well it will hold together but it is easy to break the strings with that vibrola unit if your not carefull. It also takes hal an hour to change all the strings. Strap buttons were nice but the strap was crap, would like to be able to adjust the intonation.

Really didn't want to have anything to do with them anfter having lived with this thing for a year.

Do not torture your child by buying them one of these, like I said buy them a samick or something it will cost you less money in the longrun and last longer. No way you could play this thing live unless you wanted to destroy it or something