4 reasons why you might not want to buy an EART guitar!
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- Опубліковано 31 тра 2024
- Hello everybody and welcome to the channel! Today, we take a look at the recently highly acclaimed Eart guitars that are making a buzz around the UA-cam but instead of talking about the many reasons you might want to consider buying one, today we are looking at 4 reasons you might want to consider before you buy one.
Disclaimer: This is not a hate video, nor is it meant or intended to slander the brand, rather than adjust expextations from what has been overhyped by other youtubers with paid promotions. Before commenting, I'd recommend watching the full video. It is intended to educate, not throw shade. Thanks for watching! Please like, subscribe and do all that UA-cam Jazz because it does help!
Got 3 eart guitars - headless W2, W2 and the SSS models. Have not done any major changes on them, no complains so far! Just want to make two observations:
1. Far more important than the pickup is the amp or plugin you are using. Lots people complain about pickup quality using transistor amps, etc. I can't justify the price of Seymour Duncan pups - pick ups are old tech with no innovation, slapping a big price tag on last century coils and magnet will not impress me.
2. I did not buy my heart guitars because I wanted cheap fender copies. I want innovation and could not care less about "vintage" guitars my grandpa played on ...
I have purchased a hardtail headless and a Telecaster style model I knew that neither one of them would sound exactly like a Gibson or a fender as far as the pickups go but that's no issue for me. Otherwise there's no imperfections with the Frets at all I own many guitars and these Eart guitars have Zero problems with the frets or any aspect at all. Regarding the Strat so these are definitely the best friend job I've seen on any guitar. Maybe I got lucky maybe not. The French don't need leveling and the setup on the bridges ninja nation was spot-on out-of-the-box. I all the nit picking points that you did regarding the guitars you have purchased (and I wish you would stay Which models that you purchase other than the one you are obviously holding in your video) is also true of Fender and Gibson guitars at price points 2 to 3 times the cost of these Eart models which you neglect to mention.
At this point in time I've owned 5 Eart guitars. The ones that had issues that I owned were 2 Explorers EX-1 and 1 Nk3 Tele. Aside from that I tested 4 more. Out of 9 guitars about 6-7 had fret level issues. Not disastrously unlevel (except for one) but most needed a moderate amount of work. One thing I'll say is that the 'good' Earts I own/played are absolutely phenomenal. My challenge was the consistency or lack thereof in delivering these good ones. The comments will show those mixed experiences from dozens of other Eart owners. Some have gotten nothing but gems others have gotten some tough ones. Anyone who gets a 'good' one will be super happy as they are quality; when done right.
I love to change pick up some different guitars I get however I’m gonna play with the sounds I can get just out of what equipment I have before I even think of changing the pick ups. Thank you for your review enjoyed it.
Totally agree I bought a Tele model Eart for my brother and played it to make sure everything was working and setup was good. I had to stop playing it or I might not have sent it to him. 🤣🤣🤣
Pick-ups make a big difference in tone unless you are using lots of distortion, in which case, less so.
I've purchased 4 EART Guitars in last year . Three S-Styles(2-HSS & 1-SSS), and One T-Style(Semi-Traditional). 3 out of 4 have had flawless Fit & Finishes, and the 4th had a finish Flaw that took Me a couple months to discover in a certain light . So it's pretty minor overall . For $400 Guitars the Fretwork is unbelievable IMHO ! As good as my Gibson LP, & it definitely exceeds my MIM Fender Strat . All of the Frets have been level, as my Fret-Rocker doesn’t Lie ! 😉 My only disappointment has been that all them came with a Mint Green Pickguard . Which is an easy Mod .
They've all played good out of the Box, with some minor personal taste Set-Up adjustments . They're all great Mod Platforms, that can be upgraded as your Budget allows, and your personal Style dictates .
Any of my fellow Players who've tried them out have been quite impressed . In the World of "Buy before you Try" that seems more prevalent these Days, we're always in a bit of a Crapshoot, no matter which Brand you purchase . As You mentioned, that's the beauty of Amazon ! You can always send it back, if it doesn't meet your Expectations ! 🙂
True! While.my first few experiences weren't great, the ones after that have been amazing!
everyone hates those mint green pickguards!
how do you think the eart explorer 1 would compare to the esp kh 202, got my eye on both guitars but cat land on one, need something fast and chuggy
Thank you for this video. Great points made and great content 🔥
Thank you 🤟
This is a great marketing tactic. I got really curious and end up getting one, which is the Eart 380 and I love it! Thank you! It comes with stainless steel frets and roasted maple neck for the price!
Recently bought a headless Eart and I couldn't be happier. I've got a couple USA Gibson, a Tele and a Strat. Bought this headless for a travel guitar and just to keep in my work truck. It's awesome especially for the 300 bucks that it cost!
Glad to hear it. I'm glad I made this video because their QC has improved drammatically since then!
Great advice. I was checking the Earth guitars and no reviewer mentioned of any quality issues except you: thanks!!
bridge pickup did not even work when it came. had to fix that. then the kneck pickup is croocked and nomatter what i do it does not sit flat unless i force it flat. then if i loosen or tighten it it is crooked again
Thanks for putting out a video about possible drawbacks. It's very helpful to hear contrarian perspectives when making purchase decisions sight unseen.
Thanks for the kind words. The idea is to educate and set proper expectations for those looking to buy 🙃
@@RafsGearReviews I appreciate the rare reviewers like you who offer genuine constructive criticism. Most reviewers (myself included) tend to swing to either extreme of being a total raving fanboy or a mad ranting curmudgeon!
I appreciate your review of the Eart. I've lost count on how many people have hooted and hollered about their frets. Good to see someone speak some honest truth on this. You gained a sub! Thank you sir
If you want/expect more from a guitar, spend more than 300 bones. I just this morning received my Eart Explorer 1, and I am more than stoked to own this beautiful instrument. I am replacing the pickups to something with a more aggressive tone, but that is it. There was nothing wrong with my guitar, I tuned it and played it. I checked every fret for buzz and they are leveled perfectly. I am so happy with this guitar that I will be getting the headless Eart next.
Yeah I think most of that goes without saying. Of course, guitars in ANY price range should never have physical damage or broken electronics like some of the call outs made hete but set up wise and part quality wise, absolutely! If you see some of my other videos you'll see I actually really like Eart guitars but felt compelled to make this video as there were several highly endorsed youtubers saying these are the best guitars on the planet and felt like $3000 instruments bla bla and obviously that is a massive exaggeration and a bit dishonest on their part. I am close friends with someone who was gifted one in lieu of an exaggerated review. Of course they shall remain nameless for the sake of their channel 🙃.
These are great in their $300 ish price range. Sounds like you lucked out as you can see in the vast majority of the comments several folks had issues with theirs, similar to the ones called out in the video.
Hopefully I did a good job at setting proper expectations for those that haven't gotten one and are maybe expecting absolute perfection but for the money the gamble is absolutely worth it provided you buy from amazon, know your way around a guitar and potentially have an open mind on changing pickups (or possess a rig that makes anything sound good). Cheers and thanks for watching!
I put Seymore Duncan pups in mine and it rips! Total rock guitar; it's a sleeper, a Les Paul killer!
ive been thinking about buying the eart guitar how do you think it compares to something like the esp kh 202, ive been struggling to choose out of those two, thanks!
@coolshit1231 That depends on you. The LTD has a Floyd, my Eart doesn't, but besides that, I think they are both worth the money. The Eart, in my personal opinion, looks too cool. The neck is beautiful and has a nice shape for my hand, and the body veneer, though thin is slick too. Guitars though, In general are a personal thing though. So only you can judge each other for their own merits.
Greetings from sweden. Love the candid review and i do t think you made the beand any disservice. I think people will be more informed and prepared and thus more satisfied with rhe purchase!
Subbed!
I got an electronic question (related to fixing/upgrading).
I know there are linear and logarithmic pots for volume and tone. I have a harley benton sc custom II and tone is interfeering with rhe volume, but also i feel i dont have good control when rolling off on the volume.
I am keen on upgrading but would like to be more informed if i should have all linears, or log tone, or log on all of them.
Any input is amazing, have a great day
Thanks for the kind words! I would recommend a log pot for the volume and linear pot for the tone. But either would work. Hope that helps.
@@RafsGearReviews thank you for the response, by magical forces from gods of Rock, this is exactly the gear i bought! also went a head on making volume pots push/pull so i can split them individually.
You hit the nail on the head with the shoddy fretwork and qc!!! I bought a tele copy from them and MY GOD...i had to file and file and file some of those upper frets because the frets were buzzing due to the poor leveling. Shouldve bought a G&L.
I recently purchased the Eart SSS.......Seems like they cleaned up the QC quite a bit since 2 years ago. Great video!!!!
Yeah, since then I've seen the improvements and have definitely changed my mind. Outside of the pickups still being a bit hit and miss, their current qc and fit and finish is phenomenal for the price. Currently own 5!
@@RafsGearReviews Right On!!! Have a great day!
@@drummer4hire12 You as well, thanks for stopping by!
Great video! I ordered a Cp1 from all the hype and the humbucker was doa and I had dead notes on 5 frets. I was able to fix it and LOVE the way it plays now but it wasn’t without it’s fair share of headaches. I hope their ac improves.
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you!
I purchased my first EART guitar last week and the roasted neck was very uneven. the bottom of the neck was very dark and the top didn't look roasted. it was also apparent on the headstock, there was a line separating the roasted and unroasted sides of the headstock. I am questioning if they are even roasted or just sprayed to mimic the color. I ordered a replacement that I received yesterday and it was completely missing the coil split switch. I will be returning both.
They're like Grote guitars..Only Grotes seem like higher end guitars..thanks for the honest tips. I play a G&L SC2 or any of many el cheapos I've collected...I've been hesitant to get an Eart for all the reasons you covered AND one even bigger issue..They alway seem to arrive broken as their shipping /packing really is bad..when I see a change in that I may get one or two of them because they do look cool..
That shipping call out is a good one. Out of 3 guitars ordered, 2 came in single boxes. No guitars should ever ship in single boxes with how mailmen treat these packages 😅
@@RafsGearReviews
Firefly, donner, ivy, all come in single boxes. Never had a broken one luckily
I subscribed to your channel because it’s educational and you’re easy on the eyes 👀 !!! Thanks ✌️
Thanks!
Yes, first of all thank you very much. I will make better products to make everyone better adapt to the guitar. We have been working hard and thank everyone for your love.
The fact you watched this video gives me hope in buying another Eart✊🏻. Definitey listen to this guy, he makes some great points and knows his stuff for sure. My Eart also had uneven frets and came single boxed. There was a tiny chip on the headstock due to the poor packaging. I got it fixed and set up and I really like it now but I will definitely change the pickups on it later.
Thank you!
I saw eart guitars in ubuy. Are the sellers legit or just some random guy tryna scam people in like ebay sellers?
Great video! Will you be doing more Eart reviews?
@@johnnylein8979 Thank you! I might, If Eart would like to make it happen anyways. Thanks for watching!
I have seen some videos were the Eart guitars were great and some like yours not so great. I bought on Amazon and the fret were short not reaching the sides of the fretboard and were unplayable, so I sent it back. Then I ordered a different one and the frets were not leveled and polished and the intonation could not be adjusted, so I sent it back. Then just before I was to give them one last chance, they ask me for my experience. I told them about the two guitars and they ask me what I was expecting? I told them I was expecting the guitar to be like they advertised with leveled polished and rounded end frets and like I saw in the videos. So I ordered one for one last time and they sent me one setup just right but it took three guitars and about two months to get it right. I love the roasted neck.
People stop yer bitchin...you're getting an amazing guitar with a roasted maple neck and SS frets, mahogany body, bone nut, compound radius fretboard, and they are well made. Fix all the issues and you definitely will have some and you have an amazing playing guitar. Go try and buy a neck alone with SS frets and see how much you pay. The Strats and Teles are modeled after Suhr guitars and you simply get a phenomenal guitar for the money. As a matter of fact you get the most out of your money with an Eart if you really know about guitars.
Oh I'm definitely not bitching. There is great value here (or maybe I should say was, there is still for some models but some of the models have sky rocketed in price) but I wanted to do an honest, non-sponsored video on these. While I think they are great value, at the time of posting many sponsored videos were painting these out to be flawless instruments that were wayyy better than they actually are. And they are great but had their fair share of qc issues. I mean the first one I recieved had a WARPED neck. That's not something you fix in lieu of the other features. Second one electronics issues, ok I fixed them no biggie. Third fret sprout and a big dent so I returned that, not to mention crazy uneven frets on all 3. And if you check the comments lots of others had similar issues so I'm glad I made this video to set proper expectations. That being said, I've gotten 2 eart strats sine then and they are FANTASTIC and qc seems to have improved greatly.
Hey man i just ordered a EGLP-610 in satin white and i came across this video, thanks for the honesty! I hope mines goes well and it doesn't have any issues or at least minor issues i can fix
I got the Black one. it is really nice.
What you have to remember is no matter how much you pay for a guitar you are not guaranteed a fully playable guitar out of the box. For instance my Fender Stratocaster American Professional which I paid $2K for was not playable out of the box. The frets were extremely dirty and needed to be polished, the action was sky high so I adjusted that, the relief was off and I had to set the intonation. Nut was cut ok but the strings were binding and even after resizing had to add nut sauce although I do that anyway. Spending more doesn’t mean you’re getting a great guitar. You need to be realistic when purchasing a guitar and I’ve always said better to play in person if you can so you know what you’re getting.
You bought a 2k guitar new and didn't return it with those issues? 🤔
@@veganpower7825 I consider all of these as part of the setup that I do on all of my guitars because of personal preference. The only real issue that wasn’t part of my setup was the nut but it was an easy fix so need to return. My point is just because you pay huge dollars for a guitar doesn’t mean it’s perfectly playable or gig worthy out of the box and some of these budget guitars are worth looking at. If you’re going to pay big money play it in the store so you can address any issues at the time and have them fix it on their dime.
Raf I got mine Monday this week. 2 part vids on my channel. I got a good one. Only 4 frets needed levelling. Kept the pup's for now but made it a 4 way switching and installed a pearl white guard. Replaced the string trees. The nut depths were spot on but strings were deep in slots. Filed that down and I have a fine guitar.
thx for the video !
Thanks for watching and for the sub! 🙏
I bought the Tele style. Looks gr8, and with some minor set up work, sounds and feels/plays gr8. Easily intonated and stays in tune. really not crazy about the mint color pick guard, but nothing a little spray paint won't fix. I have a Boss KII 100W and everything else I have also sounds good thru that, so no point in whining about the pickups, they are fine. Get one.
Thanks for the balanced report.
Thank you for honesty ❤
Thank you!
Bought one today for 200 bucks. Even there are these problems, I'll fix that cause it's nice to set ur own guitar
I love the tone in your little shreddy bits
Thanks Chief! 🙏
@@RafsGearReviews anytime dawg
Thanks!
great review! however i would like to know one thing that no youtube reviews have check that is the compound radius thing real? for this tele, they said that the radius is frm 7.25 to 9.5
Great point! So, for the Tele and Strat style 7.25 to 9.5 compound radius is absolutely correct. The Jackson style Explorer is much flatter. 12 or 14 of the top of my head.
I would think I'd be pulling the high E off the fret with vibrato, since the frets don't look to go to the edge of the wood, no?
It happens on occasion with the high E on all of my Earts. Not too terrinly often but sometimes I am on edge (pun intended) when doing vibratos on the high E lol.
I just ordered a TL380 and I can’t wait for it. I like the modern upgrades and the neck seems flawless. I own a Fender Strat and a Gibson LP and I’m hoping the EART can hold up. I am thinking it will.
They really are great guitars! I had some rough experiences with the first few but have gotten more since and every one of them has been a hit! Enjoy!
@Matt_Dylan Yes I do. I've tried the Nick Johnston style CP1 i think and another of the newer models and those are definitely a step above!
#1 is the only legit complaint imo and covers all the others really. If QC is spot on, you don’t get the other stuff, aside from shipping issues which didn’t make the list.
Statistically speaking nobody on UA-cam has tested enough guitars to make any (statistically) valid assessment as to QC consistency so everything we’re likely to see is anecdotal.
Still it’s not unreasonable to make inference based on price even given lower costs at source but to me, as noted by others if you order one from Amazon & get an unhappy sample, return is easy.
Can I tell you stories about the differences in individual Gibsons? MIM Fender QC?
If you get an EART with good fretwork, I agree with others that the rest of the “bones” seem to be a great low cost candidate for mods.
May I ask what amp - set up you are using? The sound is cool 👍
Thank you! I used my headrush gigboard with an FRFR speaker for this video.
Hey, please, let me know, how can I access, backing track for, yours video 5:40 thanks in advance.
Sorry, I can't remember which track this one. I've started including links now on newer videos though.
I can think of a few reasons "to" buy Eart guitars, so that evens it out,,, ;-)
Thank GOD for breast feeding!
I own 2 Eart guitars and you're pretty much spot on with your observations. My Eart NK-C3 Strat copy started cutting out a week after buying it and a couple days later went completely dead. Not particularly happy having to pull the guitar apart and tracing down problems.
Sorry to hear about your issues. There's a lot of positives here but they are definitely overhyped by some. Thanks for watching!
do you think the esp kh 202 would be a better buy rather than the eart explorer 1, or the ibanez rg2 ex1? Need something fast skinny and can chug
@@coolshit1231 No doubt the ESP and Ibanez would be good choices, but the Ibanez has a super skinny neck, compared to the ESP and is light and fast. Play both and and you’ll like one over the other. Not much help but you can’t go wrong with the Ibanez.
@@airtow6766 how’s the Ibanez neck compared to an eart explorer 1? I really like skinny necks
I can only assume they have been serious about improving as they go along..also the more they sell the more chances for some to not be right, and more people to voice their issues...I heard good things about their customer service specifically,...so I got the dark red T- style Eart...guitars in this range usually benefit from upgrades but may not be necessary,.. it all depends. But stay realistic..It's $200-$250 FFs it'll prob. work perfectly fine with a basic setup, and can really shine with basic upgrades. My frets were level and solid thank goodness.
I made a proper fitting WHITE pickguard..( wtf, mint green? !JAYSUS?!), swapped the switch plate around, dropped in some (damn good for $75) properly made tele pups, I'd been sitting on for months, I did a tiny clean up of the nut slot on hi E string to kill a ping I found when tuning..
This thing actually kicks real ass for maybe ...$310 all in.
It looks freekin great And it lives out on my wall, ready to play 24/7 if it falls over 18 times, gets dropped or stolen..or god forbid properly broken some how..it'll suck , but...
No big deal.
Who doesn't love a proper 2k American strat, LP etc...,. I'm still paying off mine lol..but it lives in a case and probably always will...
Yeah, my perception is that since this video was released and the comments with it (and other blogs) their QC has improved dramatically. Since the video, I've purchased 2 brand new strats and they have both been fantastic. I've been meaning to make a follow up video on the subject.
I'm glad that the feedback has been liztened to, I just wish it didn't come accompanied with such a sizeable price hike on some of their models.
Just got a GW-2 headless today and I'm blown away! I have Strats, Les Pauls, PRS's, a Tele, etc. I know good pro-level gear. This Eart is the best bang for the buck of ALL my guitars. Out of the box it needed tuning, of course, but the action was nice and the neck was perfect with slight relief - almost dead flat. These play great and sound very good, and for $350 it's a STEAL!
Seems like this video inspired an update in qc. Since then I gave them another chance and I now own 8 lol. They are fantastic off the rack guitars.
I share nearly the same story
If your buying a cheap guitar you know youve gotta put some work in . If you cba or don't know how then spend double . Simples . I own the headless and as expected few things. Changed pickups new strings and a proper set up . We'll happy with it .
True but should I also expect broken electronics, warped necks or cracks in the body as well?
@@RafsGearReviews risk you take. From what I've heard there pretty good with customer service . Ibanez sent me a gem with a warped neck and crappy electronics so everyone's guilty of it .
Did your tele have the compound radius or is that a new thing?
I believe it did but can't recall. I have a strat and it definiely does.
@@RafsGearReviews Thanks man. Great video BTW. I have some pickup laying around. This sounds like it could be a good mod platform.
Thank you-now that’s an honest & helpful review. My constructive criticism would be the same thing my eldest son sometimes says to me, “Get a haircut ya hippie!” Yes, I sport chrome too. May God bless you, sir!
Thank you!
As my wife says, 'bald is in' 😅 if she likes it that's great since I can't do anything else 😅
@@RafsGearReviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Just received my NK-C1 Strat style EART today and it is mint! much prettier than the pictures online. came right out of the box with low action and no string buzz. tuned it up and intonated almost perfectly right out of the box, great specs and the pickups are LOUD and the tone is gr8. ridiculously in my view, Amazon wacked the price on this gem to $202! so I grabbed one. maybe I got lucky, but i have two other EARTs that are also nice guitars. And, I've had Fenders and Gibsons costing $1000s. For $200, if u don't like it, just throw it out. :)
Love my new Eart telecaster. The neck is amazing.
I’m an artists/player endorsee for a few other guitar companies but I got to play a EART just last week at a gig where another guitar player’s tech just so happened to have one he just got.. I was actually blown away by the playability and overall quality of the guitar for the price and the negative name a lot of ppl have gave them.. I truly feel a player will play a guitar to their abilities so what you get out of a guitar is what you give it while playing.. with that said I realize your review is a couple years old so maybe they’ve made some improvements since then but I’ve also seen other play throughs and reviews from a couple years ago and they had a different opinion..
Believe it or not I myself have some endorsements under my belt, Eart being one of them. At the time, the brand was well received in the internet and almost had 'too many' rave reviews but there WERE qc issues no one talked about. I'm glad I made the video as these began to be addressed and the QC was improved upon dramatically. Now Earts are some of the best and most playable bang for buck guitars out there in the sub $500 space.
One of their best features right now, outside of their amazing necks is the overall fit and finish. Usually tighter/cleaner than most guitars in their price range.
@@RafsGearReviews that’s cool.. I’m a Ernie Ball- Music Man, Sterling by music man, D’Angelico and Breedlove artist. So I preferably play those at gigs as I play 6-7 nights a week and studio work during the day but like most other players I’ll buy stuff just to have..
My Eart semi-hollow arrived yesterday. I went over it with the proverbial fine tooth comb. Could not find a flaw. Frets and leveling are perfect. Close action, no buzz. Spent hours on my Peavy classic 30. It's the sound I wanted. Yeah, I know if I pic my strat just right it won't quack. On the Eart semi there is no way to quack, just the delicious sound I wanted. But all that said, I appreciate your review. Always good to have another informed opinion.
It's always great to hear positive experiences! At this point I've owned 5. And I think that what I can say with confidence is that while they might not all be perfect out of the box, when you do get a good one, it is phenomenal!
Thanks for watching!
Thank you
Great video. I agree with you 100%. You get exactly what you pay for. People should remember that but they don't.
Agreed. What I've learnes is that while they CAN be great, do not expect that to be the model of consistency, for this and other affordable brands.
That Telecaster has the other red color? Not the wine red one?
Yeah. They have 2. One is the one from this video which is super pink the other is a dark cherry red color.
My only concern was the name. Something happens to the logo and.....;)
I have a few guitars, mostly import stuff.
One i paid $75.00 new for over 10 years ago, closeout DeltaTone HSS S type.
Hasn't needed anything except strings. man, Fender FM 212 with mostly Schenker solos for the demo. Still cranks.
Last bought will probably be my last. A '20 Epi LP Jr in tsb from SW. Had to wait but worth it.
It's beautiful and arrived in perfect shape.
I have w1 and its amazing how well it plays and feels even though its the worst fret level job i have experienced.Taking a fret rocker to it reveals the frets are uneven at one or two groups of strings hardly ever all the way across 6 strings .. at all most every fret. its the worst because i truly think the frets are pre rolled and polished before insertion.( its like they are not pressed in evenly across) whats going on is simply the frets are not are not leveled at all. if u keep the action at 4.5 64ths hardly any buzz. Also the Zero fret is no the same as the rest..its taller and wider than the other frets. whats the point of a zero fret that different than the rest?? A zero fret should be like the action you end up with when capoing your guitar. not in the Eart guitar.
Im hesitant to level these frets .. they play ok at the the action i have set now. My concern issSince they are not seated evenly .. what if they move after i level them.
I just watched a video on the eart e-335 and the guy was impressed said was worth the money if not more. you don't have a e-335 so maybe some are better than others?
Thanks for watching. So, I've gotten a few Earts since this video and my experiences have heen much better. I also hear the LP and Semi-Hollows are the best ones they make build/qc wise for the money.
Eart Les Paul copy were almost exact copy of Gibson right down to the abr 1 bridge and truss rod bolt nut when they first appeared on Amazon for $200 like Chibson. I would've bought two, now the design has totally changed they probably afraid of the copy right lawsuit from Gibson by releasing those les paul copies
As everyone knows, the market has been flooded with "affordable" guitars for the last 2-3 years. The reality that should never be forgotten is "You get what you pay for." There are great companies (where the guitars are perfect out of the case), and there are mediocre companies. In my opinion, anyone buying ANY guitar in the $300-$500 price range, should be prepared to increase their investment to $600-$800 if they really want to be happy with a long-lasting instrument. I've seen and played many of the guitars in this price range and there is always something wrong. The best bet is to buy a guitar with reviews indicating the best fit and finish (which is Sire, in my opinion), swap out the tuners for locking ones ($40 Amazon purchase) pay for a pro setup ($60), and replace the pickups with a proven brand ($200). This will also require new strings ($8). Doing these things will make for a much better guitar. BTW - check to see if Thomann in Germany will ship to you. A Sire HSS, (w/major features) with 3-day shipping, will be almost $100 less than the candy company that sells guitars. You still should upgrade the pups in a Sire, but you'll have a forever guitar AND have more features than a more expensive Fender Player. You can get a budget guitar, but put a little more into it! A budget guitar will ALWAYS need something. If you ignore it, you'll end up frustrated and discouraged.
The frets on my Ibanez as73 are sharp ass hell their level but i need to do some work on the ends
Quality control what's that?
One thing to note. Everyone will have different experiences. Some might have 10 with no issues and others 10 with issues. They are definitely an interesting option for the price but It would be great if Eart took this information for improving their products in the future. (Also, please double box your guitars, thank you! 🙏)
thank you
We are continually working on it
I agree about the double boxing.
However some of your arguments does not make any sense to me.
I have changed pickups on my 3000 - 8000 euro guitars, so changing on a 200 $ SSS is not a reason fir not wanting one. - just like your tele type.
Another argument you use is that if you want another guitar you might consider not getting an Eart…. ??? Well if you prefer a 2 seater sportscar why would you get a 7 seater family car ? I dont understand the argument…
Production and qc on 2-400 dollar guitars can always improve. I have lucky that 100% of my Earts have been absolutely flawless including the cheapest SSS. That is more than i can say about my Harley Bentons. Out of 13 only 4 are left - all of them are heavily modified.
@@aztom4508 thank you sir!
@@ksbkonto I understand what you are trying to say. The reason I made the video is because I noticed the guitars are a bit 'overhyped' at the moment, not neccessarily for the right reasons and my concern is the guitarist on a tight budget that can only afford to buy the guitar and can't mod it or pay to get it set up and getting super frustrated with it because theybsaw youtube vids on how amazing they are and didn't have the right expectations. The stock pickups are usable but nowhere as good as say the rest of the parts on the guitar. In most cases, frets aren't leveled well in most cases (tons of forums talking about it) and qc can often miss things. In my own example I had a warped neck, a dead output jack and a ding on a tone knob. Experiences can vary of course, maybe you've purchased 10 and they are all great. And that's ok. But for that guitarist that is on that tight budget and needs a ready to go guitar I would recommend instead they get a Wolf or Aio guitar for around the same price more which is perfect every time and comes perfectly set up (and the destiny pickups are more usable on it). Also there are people who like flat out identical traditional strat or tele copies, while to me unconvetional designs, like the Eart Explorer are a plus, some might not like it. Thanks for watching!
@@RafsGearReviews well, ok. All 200 dollar guitars are in high risk of having some qc issue and none of them have SD, Dimarzio, Lollar, Gemini, Mama, Hausel or any other high end pickups except the new line of SC Harley Bentons that comes with the Tesla Opus1 pups.
If tons of forums are talking about the flaws on Earts, why do you think they are overhyped?
The reason i object a little is of cause because of the ‘tons’ of Earts that i have and have been in touch with.
Anyway - its nice to have solid arguments but the first two in your video make no sense as pups on cheap guitars dont vary much and the second about if you are looking for something else you should probably not buy the one you are not looking for…. I guess that is more or less universal for everything on sale.
Opinions vary. I've been playing for 60 years. I own 25 guitars, including many expensive name brands. I just bought an EART Tele. I love It! If you want to review A POS Try a Martin SC 13e made in Mexico. Shalom/gw PS It's good to see someone else with short, fat fingers who can play LOL ;-))
if you think he can play, those 60 years have been wasted. he is ok. intermediate.
What are your thoughts on Eart guitars?
I have 4 Eart Guitars. I Ordered 2- from Eart's Website, 1-from Amazon, and 1-from E-bay. Only the Ebay guitar arrived with damage, and Eart Helped immediately and offered an acceptable solution. They Offer Value and as a New Company will only get better as they do listen and work with their customers.
@@Gene_Cali I agree big time on your last statement. They will only get better. Even though I'm 0 for 3 I LOVE the one I was able to remedy. Lots of potential here for sure.
I own 2 Eart guitars.The SSS was awesome right out the box. Because the SSS was so great,I ordered the EAT1 at 2 1/2 x the cost of the SSS. Another winner.I only had to get the neck pickup height adjusted (I also changed the coil split from push/pull to push/push). Great guitars imho.
@@LuvhandleR Nice! I believe that model has upgraded pickups and parts right? Did you feel it was worth the price increase?
Fret sprout is when the neck shrinks and the fret protrudes beyond the edge . Poorly seated frets is an entirely different thing , you seem to have put these together .
Hey PCD thanks for the note. I may have expressed myself incorrectly in the video but I did mean both things, poor fret level and fret sprout, causing frets to go over the edge where issues I was having. At this point I've gone through 5 Earts, 2 which do not have those issues and play incredibly well.
" afdordable" , " number#1 . " Looks like Eart isn't alone when it comes to QC issues .
I have an eart rickenbacker 325 clone coming hopefully its a good one. Because i refuse to pay 3k for a real ric
I bought a Joe Bonnamassa Firebird, I bought it to modify it, but for $800 the bridge, was eyeballed, no jig, the stock bridge had the bass side strings at the edge of the fretboard and 1/4” gap on the treble side, it was unplayable!
But it was also beautiful, I replaced every metal part on it, 3 SD Pickups,
Added a bone nut. But the fretwork was so poor, I had to replace the frets, but again I like wide not narrow, likely I would have changed them anyway. It ended up a $2200 guitar, but since that was my plan anyway, I didn’t care how it showed up as long as the neck wasn’t warped (neck thru design) the suspense before it was finished was no fun, I didn’t know if it would work out, but the end result was incredible, note: Good fretwork requires experience, I worked with the same guy at Guitar center for 3 years, I waited until the end on the frets, by then he was very skilled, he refreted 3 guitars for me …… then he got promoted to corporate! So my plan would fail with an inexperienced luthier at GC
I wouldn’t recommend it, but it’s not only as good as a stock $2200 guitar, it’s unlike any stock Firebird
you’ll ever see, which was part of the plan. So if I can be happy with an$800 guitar that was unplayable when it arrived, when getting a $350 guitar, I can expect it will need a little help.😃
Absolutely! I think I have way more positives between this and the reasons to buy video I made than negatives. My goal here was to set right expectation. I think this is solid value for the money, but YT reviewers need to stop overhyping these and other budget guitars and pretend like they come with a custom shop set up from the factory just because they got paid to say nice things about them because the truth is some folks might not have the technical or financial means to work on one of these after they purchase one.
Everyone is different. I would have returned the $800 Bonomosa pronto.
@@LuvhandleR me too, but that’s why I bought a neck thru axe as the base for my project, as long as the wood was straight, I didn’t care, I planned to change every single part
It has 3 Seymour Duncan pickups, switching for 4 sounds per PU, volume and tone for each pu (stacked controls) it was the stud tailpiece wrap around bridge I was really after, all my guitars. (Except trem ones) have them, makes muting a really consistent feel.
And finally, nobody else has a Firebird like mine. If I had bought a brand new Gibson, for $2500 it would be less than half as good, about the same money spent
@@LuvhandleR to put it another way, my very first electric guitar was customized right from the start, I have just 1 stock axe, all of them have been altered, mostly with new pick ups. Only my newest, a PRS SE hollow is completely stock, although I’m gonna get better tuners soon. In my opinion a mid range guitar that you upgrade is more bang for the buck than a higher end model that you leave stock. I’m sure if I were to buy a $4000 PRS I would leave it, but many of mine are almost that good for half the cost of the PRS
Thank you for giving the correct information about this guitar brand. This month i bought a Eart guitar and a Sire guitar. The Sire guitar was 20% more expensive and at least100% better guitar.The Sire is a complete guitar that i could play without having to do any work on the frets. The Sire has a extremely nice finish and tone, it´s as good as a amerivan Fender. In the future I will not go for the big name brands or for the "super good deal cheap guitars". Brands like Sire, Eastman, Schecter, G&L, are serius brands. And if I want a cheap guitar i just don´t have to buy a guitars at all or buy used.
I bought the 335 copy and was initially impressed until I looked close. Inside the pickup cavity looked as if someone has picked the wood out of last nights fire pit, the bridge saddles had no springs!!! Good luck intonating. The truss rod cover is paper thin (plastic?). Lucky I only spend $187. I would not pay over $200 for any of these cheap things stainless steel frets or not! Go buy a used MIJ Yamaha or Aria Pro ii. so many other great options.
What you described as fret sprout is called fret lifting. Since their frets don't reach either edge they can't have fret spout?? That's rough edges that extend beyond the fretboard edge.
Yeah, I called it out in one of my comments. Spanish is my first language and both terms sound similar so I got them mixed up 😅
Raf I think you are confusing fret sprout with fret end lifting :)
You mentioned that Eart QC let a warped neck get shipped. That is something that would keep me from considering them. No company should ever let that happen, not even a "luthier special '.
My NKC3 is setup pretty good. Although I have found out that they used a shim of sort in the nut slot to raise the string height. Removing that render the g and b string unplayable, short buzz. The guitar is also quite noisy. Surprising because the humbucker was noisier than my sss strat.
You know, I recently bought an NKC3 myself and it was amazingly well set up. No shim on the nut. Minimal fret buzz. Pickups are a tad noisy but certainly not unusable. Arguably my favorite of now 5 Earts I've gone through along with my blue explorer.
@@RafsGearReviews Yeah the guitar is setup perfectly aside from the nut. I did got the guitar sub 300 canadian so still a great deal regardless. Same price as squier bullet in my area.
Thanks this has made me think twice. I was going to pull trigger on an Eart 335 after reading and seeing rave reviews. I think I’ll buy the Ibanez Artcore, Epiphone or Gretsch instead. I prefer to to walk into a dealer and inspect and play a guitar. You also have comeback.I would be lairy about buying direct from China anyway after bad experiences with buying stuff that turned out to be shit on Aliexpress and Bangood and gretting bad customer service.
Why would you expect Aliexpress to deliver anything BUT trash
👍🏻👍🏻
🤟🤟🤟
I have a flawless one. 610 series
The last 3 I've gotten have been flawless!
Hey ya'll. I've changed my stance on these about 8 months ago as based on your feedback I decided to give them another try. I've purchased 6 since then lol.
Here's a review of the amazing TL380: ua-cam.com/video/P_Ma07XY08Y/v-deo.html
Lol I have 4.
how were the 6 new ones compared to the first batch, are they worth it or is it still a gamble if you'll get a good one?
@@CelestialTidePools Huge difference. The QC is miles and miles better. The most I find myself doing is minor action or set up adjustments but they usually come great out of the box.
@@RafsGearReviews Good to know, thanks! I've been looking at the TL- 380 (modern tele) and was planning on upgrading the pickups. Working on the fretwork would be outside of my wheelhouse.
Sounds like your video may have helped eart recognize and address problems, witch also helped all of us. So thank you. Looking at their 335.
You sure know your way around a guitar
Got EGLP 610 about a month ago.
Wanted single cut guitar for years.
Have been playing G+L'S for 30 years.
Mine is black,and wider board than
my others,and have adjusted to it.
Raised action,lemon oiled board,etc
New strings,set intonation.
I can't stop playing it!
Really like "paf"style pick-ups,will
change volume pot to higher value,
(my preference) Fretboard is great!
Very good sustain.Neck "moves"
some in high humidity,but is new
and will stabilize after time.
May replace tuners later w/lockers,
well see.
Love stainless frets .love this guitar!
I have an eart and the frets are great
I have 8 and they are fantastic now! This is an old video though and at the time their QC wasn't great but they've improved dramatically and are some of the best affordable guitars you can buy!
Absolutely nothing wrong with the fretwork on mine,
i wish i saw this before i bought mine ahah
You know I have read back my previous posts about this, and even to me seems like I'm angry. I assure you that I am not. I don't have a dog in this fight actually. You are certainly welcome to your opinion, and I would like to apologize if (even though you never mentioned it) I have been offensive in any way. It's not my intention.
No worries!
Only honest review on this
Literally!
Huge sale going on at the Eart guitars website! Use code RAFAELBERNAL for an extra discount
eartguitar.com/?ref=AS9gVbxo
Bought a 335 from them a few months ago and put Seymour Duncan Antiquity pickups in it and it’s one of the best guitars I’ve ever played…I own 4 335s…an Ibanez, a Gibson my uncle left me, and two Eastmans…the Eart is the best out of all of them…I LOVE the open pore natural finish…no need for all that lacquered gloss horse shit to dampen the sound…it’s light as hell and rings out forever, couldn’t be more impressed…only thing I did myself was a setup and changed the strings
Yeah that sounds about right. This video is pretty old so at the time they had several qc issues but that does not seem to be the case anymore. I gave them another chance and now have 7 lol.
I feel like they seem like good guitars, living in Europe and having Harley Benton guitars tho... Harley Benton seems a better value and mod platform imho
Despite what some people think just because I made this video, I really like Eart guitars! They have great playability. They are definitely great for the money. Especially feelwise.
However I have to agree with you. If we're talking pro series Harley Bentons (fusion, amarok, gotoh deluxe etc) HB, for the money, is unmatched in terms of specs.
Great review!....I find with budget guitars its like buying a lottery ticket....some get garbage and some win big...I personally have a Gretsch5220 which is a fantastic quality guitar and that I highly recommend but I also tried an INDIO HSS Cali Classic and to my surprise I was likely a lottery winner because the one they sent to me was excellent...setup right out of the box and no flaws...no neck issues....pickups ok but not outstanding.....I think its the luck of the draw with the "budget " brands like IYV or INDIO or GLARRY and so on.......bottom line is still... buy better quality like my Gretsch...don't waste money on "budget brands"...Cheers!
I agree! There are some great affordable guitars out there and some of them are truly amazing but often times for just a couple bucks more you can get a much better instrument that's bound to last you for much longer and provide you with much more enjoyment!
I picked up an IYV for shits and giggles as it was at a local music shop for $95 and it plays..amazingly. Changed the pick ups and that was it
I have an EART E-335 and sorry... I can't go along with your rhetoric.
Yeah, there's bound to be both good and bad experiences. My blue explorer is awesome.
Stanley is the guitar not a bit flimsy. Like MDF type construction. The open pore is also ugly as hell.
I've owned 2 and can definitely go along with his rhetoric lol. Both have had major issues.
That is not what "Fret sprout" is.
Are you saying frets protruding from the edges of the fingerboard is not fret sprout?
Guess this is old, not my experience. They have been great!!
I for one am shocked, shocked that my $400 guitar wouldn't come with $200 pickups.
I'm very shocked too. Shocked that people make call outs that never happened in the video, I keep watching it to see if the reviewer ever says 'I expected it to have seymour duncans' but it never happens.
Stock pickups can at least sound decent without being and aftermarket brand. In the models presented here even some stock squier, Zuwei and firefly pickups sounded better. That is a $200 guitar better sounding than a $400 one. That's shocking. Still, a cheap enough upgrade but for those listening to other highly compensated and paid reviewers I felt it important that, as a random guy with no bias on this on the internet, I share my experience.
Are you also shocked by the warped neck in one of the referenced guitars? The dead wiring? The crack below the volume and tone knobs? I'd say those are pretty shocking, wouldn't you? 😄
I want one just so I can scratch one little line off the headstock and own a FART guitar!!
LOL. How would a FART guitar sound like through a Talk Box? 🤔
If you don't like Eart guitars stop buying them, Duh! 😏 Most reviews right out of box are Positive, I bought the same Eart Tele and like it a lot! 😊
A premium instrument gets sprouts. Leveling is not good. Especially since beginners get these.
Thank you for a "real" review, especially about the fret work. It looks to me like Eart is focused way to much on "pretty" and not enough about play-ability/feel, which is the only thing I give $#** about. I'd rather pay $100 bucks for a turd and polish it myself than $300 for a pre-polished turd. For $300, I want a proper playing guitar.
My one EART headless guitar is as perfect as I could imagine. Go figure?
I have purchased 3 more since this vid and all 3 have been amazing so far!
first review i have seen that say the pickups suck
Yeah I'm not a huge fan of the pickups but everything else is pretty superb. I will say they have some models I like the pickups on like the Cp1, Tl380 and 335
3 Earts now and looking for another. Beautiful necks on all of them. I wish at least one of my Gibson's had a neck similar to the Eart 335. It's a jem! Not a big fan of budget guitars because of past experiences but happy to find Eart. Nothing like HB or Grote. Me thinks the reviewer seems a bit sore he had to pay for his own guitars
Actually I've paid for almost every guitar I'vd reviewed and have given some very positive reviews to most of them. I also did positive reviews on Eart as well (Video is called reasons why you might want to buy an Eart guitar).
Unlike 99.999999% of UA-cam reviewers, regardless of wether I get a free guitar or pay for it I'm always 100% honest in all of my reviews. Sorry but I just can't lie to make a product look good 🤷♂️
The notion of ‘quality’ is often misunderstood. I worked with ISO-9000 compliance throughout my career, and from that perspective, quality is the ability to articulate precisely what you are committing to deliver, and demonstrating at every step of the process that you can ensure compliance to near 100%, with minute deviations predicted and quantified. To the consumer who encounters the inevitable malfunction (which, in the terms stated, is not a compliance issue), it’s easy to ask why they wouldn’t spend an extra $xxx to check them all better, but if you’re one of an unlucky 0.1%, well it’s WAY cheaper to just make you happy, than spend a ton of money on people who would be happy anyway. Look at it this way: they are outsourcing final testing to YOU, because you do it for free!
Clearly you are not familiar with Suhr Guitar’s, a high end brand that does their own take on the Fender Strat and Tele, because if you were you wouldn’t say they are unconventional!
The Eart Strat and Tele models are closely based on the Suhr models, not Fender’s!
Check them out
My was cover in blood smear and smelt like rotting fish
I mean that sounds VERY metal.
I have been watching a lot of reviews on these and I have formulated the opinion that the aesthetics, body contours, necks, and hardware seem to be where the value is. The pickups are crappy sounding to me, too thin. So if you add a set of Duncan Quarter Pound pickups, I bet this could be a real gigging machine. I find them beautiful, but the total cost for correcting this unit to useful would be discouraging.
Not at all, there are plenty of pickup manufacturers like Tonerider or Irongear who make great pickups at affordable prices!
Changing all the wiring can be a bit complex but swapping out pickups is pretty straight forward on most guitars (except 335 style semi’s) and can be done at home yourself!
@@ces69 All true. I do my own tech work. Amen about the 335's. Duncan's are not the only choice, true. There are some really good off-price pickups. I should have just said "I don't like the pickups" and left it at that.