I bought the 335-style guitar in Black about 5 months ago. I swapped out the Nut & tuners, but I didn’t really have to because I like Tusq nuts and Grover tuners. I do luthier work for an old guy who plays for a famous 1960’s band and every time he’s in my shop he gravitates right to the Firefly. He loves it. He believes it’s right up there with other brands priced $800-$1200 more. I love the guitar too. Very good deal.
I purchased a $140 Firefly 338 myself, and it is a great buy! I think you might also look into the Rondo Music Liquid SX guitars for a great bargain purchase.
i have 2 338 one black one red and i have a ffth blue with maple board and i love all the ones i have .i have never had a problem out of the box i had some black finger with the 338's but my ffth maple was great .thanks to GUITAR MAX and RONALD JR yes you talked me into them and it was the best thing happened to me .i agree no right to complain great builds looks beautiful and i have taken them to play and everyone who has seen it says i never new about them but a bunch of my friends want one .when i told them how much i paid for them they could not believe it.i am gonna put a set of Seymour Duncan 1/4 pound in it i bought them a few years ago from a flee market for 50 bucks . love your enthusiasm about these guitars and i agree with you .and thanks for turning me on to them .
The person selling these guitars has got to be a really special person. The only reason I can think the price has stayed so low on them is somebody's motivation is to get really good guitars into the hands of people that can't or won't pay $1000 dollars or more for a guitar. It does bug me people are reselling them but, even more are the people in other UA-cam videos reviewing Firefly guitars that nitpick them, whine and complain about the little bit of work they do on them and come to the conclusion that they, through their wondrous skill, have transformed a junky guitar into something barely playable. IOW, $140 guitar + 2 hours "work" at $100 per= a guitar you can't sell for $340. Thank YOU for being one of those special people that can recognize a quality guitar when they see one and not just a name on a headstock or price it can be sold for.
As of today-Amazon now has some different Les Paul Jr. Firefly copies $119 for single cut original style $129 for double cut. Can't search for Les Paul- just for firefly guitars. Single cut are ffjr.
The pots are minis and there range is way to far into the muddy area to where you would never use it turned all the way down. The switch is a switchcraft knock off rather than the box that so many cheaper guitars come with. The nut is bone which is a plus I think. The pickups a little hot but I like them. The bridge is a buzzer and replaced by most people due to that. I like to overwrap my strings over the stoptail and find the firefly works really well for this because the side closes to the bridge is level rather than machined in like most guitars. It is common for overwrappers to place a ball end from an old string over a new string so as to hold back the string a little, that way when you wrap it over you don't end up with a sharp end jabbing your picking hand. With the firefly stoptail you don't need to do this because its held back far enough that when you wrap it over there is no sharp end sticking up. I bought a ff338 and the finish was very near perfect although one of the side dots on the neck was a little lighter color than the rest but that's about all I could find wrong. Tuners are cheap but they work fine, I haven't heard of many people replacing them due to tuning problems. I'm waiting for the next shipment to arrive which are supposed to have to new colors and will most likely buy another.
Honestly, the frets needed attention to make mine play worthy, it chocked out pretty bad when I got it. Also I hear people say the pickups sound really good, but on mine they squealed really easily if you even go near the gain. Had to swap them out to fix that. So, they are great for the price, but expect to have to put a bit of energy into them to make them work as they should. Suit someone handy who wants to learn a bit about guitar setup.
After the normal mods on low priced guitars my 338 and Tele are very good instruments and enjoyable to play.the finish on both of them was flawless.i got lucky I think
I just got my 338 model, and I can’t believe how great it is for 140 bucks. It sounds amazing! I wouldn’t even touch the pickups, they’re great already
I got one of the Gold top 338's out of the last batch. It arrived with one tiny flaw . A paint chip next to the bridge post hole caused by the insert. I can live with that. Might as well the entire run is sold out. If I returned it all I would get is credit for it. Only to get in line for one that might have 2 flaws.. This one came setup AMAZING low. Sounds fantastic on a Fender Hot Rod Deville 2x12! The pickups sound great but can feedback if you get close to the amp. The tuners are ok but if you are used to a $70.00 set you will notice the difference. Not bad but not as good as a expensive set which is still better than most low priced guitars ship with.
wow, and i thought i got a deal on my 'blem' (scratch on the top, buffed and Sharpie'd). IBZ Artcore AS-73, vsb, $299 vs $349 in '06. Its insane what is out there. man, AS is like a Sco AS100 i think. FireFly Looks like a Gibson. Traps are trippy but i dig them. RIP, Emily Remler. FireFly was i believe her first release.
My fire fly had microphonic pick ups and swap them out+ what kind of bridge did you change out ? Also have tele model pickups good on that and only needed neck adjustment and has that country twang sound ! Hope that firefly does a lp style guitar next!
It's a great deal when you get a perfect one but be aware it might have some issues and you may want to return it, which is no problem. UPS will pick it up at your door. I bought a few for myself that were excellent and a couple more for a friend (he paid). Then I foolishly went for number four because I liked the look of the blond. Had a small blemish in the finish on the front and I couldn't lower the action as much as I wanted because the 2nd fret was a bit low. I decided to live with it. Then I couldn't resist the heritage? red one. Same color as the SG I had. One tuning button was missing and the volumes had a very small range. It was almost like they were almost as effective as an on/off switch. I've seen this before... Turning up the volume is like....no vol, no vol. then just about max volume. Does anyone know how to fix something like that or what causes that? It would be for future reference because I did send that one back yesterday. So I've got enough Fireflys and not trying for any more colors no matter how tempting. If I didn't have one I'd be taking a chance on getting a good one with the idea of returning them until I did. They are definitely well worth it when you score a good one (or more).
Sounds like the pot is wired backwards you should have volume all the time until you get to the very bottom of it and then it cuts out abruptly not the other way around if that makes sense
You have to keep checking on Amazon. They tend to make a run of about 600, 150 in four colors, put them on a boat, and sell them out of LA. They don't put lefties into each batch, so can't advise you other than keep watching. Their seller name on Amazon is Firebird Music. The next batch is expected to hit Amazon around July 6 - assuming the boat arrives on time (the last boat was delayed due to bad weather at sea). If you do plan on getting one, assume you'll have to do some minor setup on it - but nothing major.
I got mine and the frets from 15-20 were all cut wrong. Had to return it for a refund since they won't do a replacement. Then I had to fight Amazon to get the return shipping fee back that they tried to charge me!!
I just ordered the green burst FF338! I'm stoked that I got in and I would NEVER buy from ebay scalpers. Which bridge did you go with? Was it the 10 dollar roller bridge on amazon? Also, have you tried a Harley Benton yet?
I have a blue one. The Bridge is a pice of trash. Would not adjust, bridge dowels were not straight. Had to realign them. There was rubbing compound everywhere. Volume knob was cracked out of the box. Pickups were not level. Tuners are trash. Fit and Finnish were sloppy, micro scratches every where. Had to polish the surface to remove them. The neck profile to me is like a toothpick,, with the time, effort, upgraded parts an epiphone would be a better buy. Better quality out of the box. My 335 epi has better parts. Better fit and Finnish. Thicker neck profile. The epi weighs 9.2 lbs. the fire fly weighs 7. Not always a bad thing but it’s not as solid as my epi. And very little natural resonance as compared to the epi. Some people think these are a great buy and for 140 dollars as far as 140 dollar guitars go there right. But if I spend all the time and expense of upgrading I could buy a more expensive guitar for around the same cost and I don’t have to do anything but play it.
All my past Epi's have all been spot on great little guitars!! I love them. Gonna buy me a new 335 or a BB King Lucille in the next few weeks. Maybe even a Sheraton mk 2? Cheers Mason.
Can you give me a suggestion for a really cheap but good beginner electric guitar. I've been playing acoustic for quite some time but I want to try electric but dont want to spend over 150 bucks
Got my 335 in transparent red a week ago. Set-in neck was perfectly straight - no backlight coming through the straight-edge that I dropped on it first thing. Swapped out the bridge for a $16 Chinese roller bridge. High-E string was broken when it arrived (it happens) but I was gonna swap them out immediately for Ernie Ball Regular Slinky 10-46 anyway. Fret ends were a bit sharp, dressed all the frets, didn't take long at all. Cleaned and oiled the fretboard, looks more real than fake now. Tuners are not great - but I do a locking wrap, and it's stayed in tune, playing on and off for 5 days - despite the temperature in the room going from 100 down to 80 depending on when the a/c is on (I'm retired in Thailand). I set the intonation when I swapped out the bridge and strings - still spot on by my Korg tuner. Pickups - I was planning on swapping out the no-name humbuckers, but now that I've played them, I don't see the need. (Gonna get a piezo pedal, though, the sound of piezo combined with the magnetic is amazingly ethereal.) There were a few light scratches and polishing compound on the body, but the scratches buffed out with Dunlop 65 Clean & Polish. Pots and switch have a positive feel - neither loose nor tight. I did switch out the strap holders for oversized Walker & Williams locking ones, to fit their double thick leather strap (just a personal preference, exceptionally comfortable, strong, and durable). As for playability - isn't that why we get a guitar? - it has a light but positive feel. If's faster than I had hoped. The neck finish is not bad - I think I might take a bit of 0000 steel wool and check that out; certainly, it's not a cheap lacquer that grabs you and holds on LOL... I haven't done the steel wool yet because the more I play it, well, either I'm getting used to it or it's actually ok as is. So, what's it worth? Certainly a whole lot more than the $140 they're charging for it. How much is anybody's guess, but I know a guy who gigged with his first night out of the box and turned down $600 for it (he told the potential buyer where to get it on Amazon for $140). There are a ton of Chinese guitar manufacturers out there; one small city there has 200 guitar factories in it. Some are reputable and give good value for money, but a consistently good one is hard to find. The Firefly are not perfect by any means, but they are way above what you might expect. Because they're so easy to play, they're great for beginners - but the guitar is such that pros gig with them. There's talk that they'll be selling the LP style is a few months, and the longer-term plan is to bring out an SG model with P-90s. That'll be my next one; I'm less concerned about putting a Floyd Rose onto a solid-body.
Well,I bought one and here is my assessment,tuners-junk,bridge-buzzes so junk,controls so-so,finish-2 or 3 small hard to see blemishes,inlays are horribly done,but ya have to look close to see,frets were very dirty and had to be polished,However frets were dressed nicely,no sprout or sharp ends and no high frets,overall this guitar is just what I expected,not perfect BUT a very nice platform to work with.With $40.00 for a replacement bridge,$60.00 for some locking Grovers ,this guitar goes from ok to good,on par with epiphone dot for HALF the price !
Brian where the hell have you been all this time.? And what happened to your hair? I've got a bike trip in the planning that will take me through Virginia and West Virginia. Would like to see you if it actually happens. severe rain weather this year is making it very difficult through your area as riding on a bike and severe downpour rains close to tornadoes is not much fun at all. But it might happen if this stuff passes later in summertime. I'm surprised that you didn't have the 338 copy that was on Amazon last 3 weeks.
I bought the 335-style guitar in Black about 5 months ago. I swapped out the Nut & tuners, but I didn’t really have to because I like Tusq nuts and Grover tuners. I do luthier work for an old guy who plays for a famous 1960’s band and every time he’s in my shop he gravitates right to the Firefly. He loves it. He believes it’s right up there with other brands priced $800-$1200 more. I love the guitar too. Very good deal.
I purchased a $140 Firefly 338 myself, and it is a great buy! I think you might also look into the Rondo Music Liquid SX guitars for a great bargain purchase.
i have 2 338 one black one red and i have a ffth blue with maple board and i love all the ones i have .i have never had a problem out of the box i had some black finger with the 338's but my ffth maple was great .thanks to GUITAR MAX and RONALD JR yes you talked me into them and it was the best thing happened to me .i agree no right to complain great builds looks beautiful and i have taken them to play and everyone who has seen it says i never new about them but a bunch of my friends want one .when i told them how much i paid for them they could not believe it.i am gonna put a set of Seymour Duncan 1/4 pound in it i bought them a few years ago from a flee market for 50 bucks . love your enthusiasm about these guitars and i agree with you .and thanks for turning me on to them .
The person selling these guitars has got to be a really special person. The only reason I can think the price has stayed so low on them is somebody's motivation is to get really good guitars into the hands of people that can't or won't pay $1000 dollars or more for a guitar. It does bug me people are reselling them but, even more are the people in other UA-cam videos reviewing Firefly guitars that nitpick them, whine and complain about the little bit of work they do on them and come to the conclusion that they, through their wondrous skill, have transformed a junky guitar into something barely playable. IOW, $140 guitar + 2 hours "work" at $100 per= a guitar you can't sell for $340. Thank YOU for being one of those special people that can recognize a quality guitar when they see one and not just a name on a headstock or price it can be sold for.
As of today-Amazon now has some different Les Paul Jr. Firefly copies $119 for single cut original style $129 for double cut. Can't search for Les Paul- just for firefly guitars. Single cut are ffjr.
The pots are minis and there range is way to far into the muddy area to where you would never use it turned all the way down. The switch is a switchcraft knock off rather than the box that so many cheaper guitars come with. The nut is bone which is a plus I think. The pickups a little hot but I like them. The bridge is a buzzer and replaced by most people due to that. I like to overwrap my strings over the stoptail and find the firefly works really well for this because the side closes to the bridge is level rather than machined in like most guitars. It is common for overwrappers to place a ball end from an old string over a new string so as to hold back the string a little, that way when you wrap it over you don't end up with a sharp end jabbing your picking hand. With the firefly stoptail you don't need to do this because its held back far enough that when you wrap it over there is no sharp end sticking up. I bought a ff338 and the finish was very near perfect although one of the side dots on the neck was a little lighter color than the rest but that's about all I could find wrong. Tuners are cheap but they work fine, I haven't heard of many people replacing them due to tuning problems. I'm waiting for the next shipment to arrive which are supposed to have to new colors and will most likely buy another.
I had to change out the bridge and tuners and some other electronics. I bought a couple Grote guitars and I didn't have to change anything.
Honestly, the frets needed attention to make mine play worthy, it chocked out pretty bad when I got it. Also I hear people say the pickups sound really good, but on mine they squealed really easily if you even go near the gain. Had to swap them out to fix that. So, they are great for the price, but expect to have to put a bit of energy into them to make them work as they should. Suit someone handy who wants to learn a bit about guitar setup.
After the normal mods on low priced guitars my 338 and Tele are very good instruments and enjoyable to play.the finish on both of them was flawless.i got lucky I think
I got a bcp. Probly from the same place. It has block inlay. Waitin on pickups and workin on a nut. Did the bridge and tuners.
I just got my 338 model, and I can’t believe how great it is for 140 bucks. It sounds amazing! I wouldn’t even touch the pickups, they’re great already
Hey Ronald, Firefly ES-339 copies available right now on Amazon!
I got one of the Gold top 338's out of the last batch. It arrived with one tiny flaw . A paint chip next to the bridge post hole caused by the insert. I can live with that. Might as well the entire run is sold out. If I returned it all I would get is credit for it. Only to get in line for one that might have 2 flaws.. This one came setup AMAZING low. Sounds fantastic on a Fender Hot Rod Deville 2x12! The pickups sound great but can feedback if you get close to the amp. The tuners are ok but if you are used to a $70.00 set you will notice the difference. Not bad but not as good as a expensive set which is still better than most low priced guitars ship with.
Yeah. Mine had frets that were way off. Had to return it, and now I have to play the Firefly wheel of Fortune.
My gold top is a little rough but it took me so long to find one, I'll work on it to get it right.
wow, and i thought i got a deal on my 'blem' (scratch on the top, buffed and Sharpie'd). IBZ Artcore AS-73, vsb, $299 vs $349 in '06.
Its insane what is out there. man, AS is like a Sco AS100 i think. FireFly Looks like a Gibson. Traps are trippy but i dig them.
RIP, Emily Remler. FireFly was i believe her first release.
Waiting patiently to order the Firefly FFTH Sunburst.
My fire fly had microphonic pick ups and swap them out+ what kind of bridge did you change out ? Also have tele model pickups good on that and only needed neck adjustment and has that country twang sound ! Hope that firefly does a lp style guitar next!
Yeah, dude, I want a tele and LP style next!
Mine took on lemon oil more than once it was dry
It's a great deal when you get a perfect one but be aware it might have some issues and you may want to return it, which is no problem. UPS will pick it up at your door. I bought a few for myself that were excellent and a couple more for a friend (he paid). Then I foolishly went for number four because I liked the look of the blond. Had a small blemish in the finish on the front and I couldn't lower the action as much as I wanted because the 2nd fret was a bit low. I decided to live with it. Then I couldn't resist the heritage? red one. Same color as the SG I had. One tuning button was missing and the volumes had a very small range. It was almost like they were almost as effective as an on/off switch. I've seen this before... Turning up the volume is like....no vol, no vol. then just about max volume. Does anyone know how to fix something like that or what causes that? It would be for future reference because I did send that one back yesterday. So I've got enough Fireflys and not trying for any more colors no matter how tempting. If I didn't have one I'd be taking a chance on getting a good one with the idea of returning them until I did. They are definitely well worth it when you score a good one (or more).
Sounds like the pot is wired backwards you should have volume all the time until you get to the very bottom of it and then it cuts out abruptly not the other way around if that makes sense
I'll tell you what more I could ask for, left handed versions lol
They make left handed models. Amazon has blueburst
@@steveflynn5336 I just checked. There are no more Firefly guitars on Amazon
You have to keep checking on Amazon. They tend to make a run of about 600, 150 in four colors, put them on a boat, and sell them out of LA. They don't put lefties into each batch, so can't advise you other than keep watching. Their seller name on Amazon is Firebird Music. The next batch is expected to hit Amazon around July 6 - assuming the boat arrives on time (the last boat was delayed due to bad weather at sea). If you do plan on getting one, assume you'll have to do some minor setup on it - but nothing major.
@@steveflynn5336 yep. It's currently unavailable but check FB...I was able to get a lefty blue burst in one of the lefty guitar groups.
Hoping someone does a review of firfly 335 vs artist guitars 335
I got mine and the frets from 15-20 were all cut wrong. Had to return it for a refund since they won't do a replacement.
Then I had to fight Amazon to get the return shipping fee back that they tried to charge me!!
Yeah i seen a few had some messed up frets and it sucks how the jerk you around
And there's no contact info for Firefly guitars or Firebird Music.
Must be some scalpers on Amazon. $600 for a 335 version.
I am having an issue getting mine to attenuate. it seems that I press down to hard on the strings the notes are going sharp
I tend to use a capo and that is the only time it becomes an issue any solutions?
I just ordered the green burst FF338! I'm stoked that I got in and I would NEVER buy from ebay scalpers. Which bridge did you go with? Was it the 10 dollar roller bridge on amazon? Also, have you tried a Harley Benton yet?
I got the green burst as well and had to send it back because the frets are cut wrong from 15-20.
Better check yours.
I have a blue one. The Bridge is a pice of trash. Would not adjust, bridge dowels were not straight. Had to realign them. There was rubbing compound everywhere. Volume knob was cracked out of the box. Pickups were not level. Tuners are trash. Fit and Finnish were sloppy, micro scratches every where. Had to polish the surface to remove them. The neck profile to me is like a toothpick,, with the time, effort, upgraded parts an epiphone would be a better buy. Better quality out of the box. My 335 epi has better parts. Better fit and Finnish. Thicker neck profile. The epi weighs 9.2 lbs. the fire fly weighs 7. Not always a bad thing but it’s not as solid as my epi. And very little natural resonance as compared to the epi. Some people think these are a great buy and for 140 dollars as far as 140 dollar guitars go there right. But if I spend all the time and expense of upgrading I could buy a more expensive guitar for around the same cost and I don’t have to do anything but play it.
All my past Epi's have all been spot on great little guitars!! I love them. Gonna buy me a new 335 or a BB King Lucille in the next few weeks. Maybe even a Sheraton mk 2? Cheers Mason.
Sadly my Tele version is not good. Intonation was terrible and the tone knob is completely loose right out of the box.
Larry Kendall THEIR JUNK
where do you order these from ?
Amazon but you have to keep checking because they sell out fast.
Guitars Garden sells them too.
Can you give me a suggestion for a really cheap but good beginner electric guitar. I've been playing acoustic for quite some time but I want to try electric but dont want to spend over 150 bucks
Buy a Firefly. The FFTH is available if you get IT NOW from Amazon.
It's a tele copy. Great guitar beginner or otherwise.
Got my 335 in transparent red a week ago. Set-in neck was perfectly straight - no backlight coming through the straight-edge that I dropped on it first thing. Swapped out the bridge for a $16 Chinese roller bridge. High-E string was broken when it arrived (it happens) but I was gonna swap them out immediately for Ernie Ball Regular Slinky 10-46 anyway. Fret ends were a bit sharp, dressed all the frets, didn't take long at all. Cleaned and oiled the fretboard, looks more real than fake now. Tuners are not great - but I do a locking wrap, and it's stayed in tune, playing on and off for 5 days - despite the temperature in the room going from 100 down to 80 depending on when the a/c is on (I'm retired in Thailand). I set the intonation when I swapped out the bridge and strings - still spot on by my Korg tuner. Pickups - I was planning on swapping out the no-name humbuckers, but now that I've played them, I don't see the need. (Gonna get a piezo pedal, though, the sound of piezo combined with the magnetic is amazingly ethereal.) There were a few light scratches and polishing compound on the body, but the scratches buffed out with Dunlop 65 Clean & Polish. Pots and switch have a positive feel - neither loose nor tight. I did switch out the strap holders for oversized Walker & Williams locking ones, to fit their double thick leather strap (just a personal preference, exceptionally comfortable, strong, and durable). As for playability - isn't that why we get a guitar? - it has a light but positive feel. If's faster than I had hoped. The neck finish is not bad - I think I might take a bit of 0000 steel wool and check that out; certainly, it's not a cheap lacquer that grabs you and holds on LOL... I haven't done the steel wool yet because the more I play it, well, either I'm getting used to it or it's actually ok as is.
So, what's it worth? Certainly a whole lot more than the $140 they're charging for it. How much is anybody's guess, but I know a guy who gigged with his first night out of the box and turned down $600 for it (he told the potential buyer where to get it on Amazon for $140). There are a ton of Chinese guitar manufacturers out there; one small city there has 200 guitar factories in it. Some are reputable and give good value for money, but a consistently good one is hard to find. The Firefly are not perfect by any means, but they are way above what you might expect. Because they're so easy to play, they're great for beginners - but the guitar is such that pros gig with them. There's talk that they'll be selling the LP style is a few months, and the longer-term plan is to bring out an SG model with P-90s. That'll be my next one; I'm less concerned about putting a Floyd Rose onto a solid-body.
Well,I bought one and here is my assessment,tuners-junk,bridge-buzzes so junk,controls so-so,finish-2 or 3 small hard to see blemishes,inlays are horribly done,but ya have to look close to see,frets were very dirty and had to be polished,However frets were dressed nicely,no sprout or sharp ends and no high frets,overall this guitar is just what I expected,not perfect BUT a very nice platform to work with.With $40.00 for a replacement bridge,$60.00 for some locking Grovers ,this guitar goes from ok to good,on par with epiphone dot for HALF the price !
Jay Hill THEIR JUNK
Brian where the hell have you been all this time.? And what happened to your hair?
I've got a bike trip in the planning that will take me through Virginia and West Virginia. Would like to see you if it actually happens.
severe rain weather this year is making it very difficult through your area as riding on a bike and severe downpour rains close to tornadoes is not much fun at all. But it might happen if this stuff passes later in summertime.
I'm surprised that you didn't have the 338 copy that was on Amazon last 3 weeks.
I bought 2 LOL
Guitar geeks are weird....why do they think guitars are somehow hard to make.....
Because:
A. You have no money
B. You are a cheapskate
Oh no, a musical instrument for the masses, what could go wrong!?
3rd...You have a wife.
I'm so tired of these videos you can't buy these guitars anymore these videos are all click bait
Get a haircut ya hippy! Woodstock is over now...Its still Oscar ...one word not Os Car ok Ron Ald?