P90s are having a revival but they have been my fav syle of pickup for many a year now. Prone to some single coil noise but they are versatile and they can snarl when needed. I have a Harley Benton version of this Westcreek single P90 and I love it! So simple and yet a lot of fun, and very light as well.
I have the same guitar in blue. It's more if a grayish blue color which I really like. For the 140$ I paid, I say it punches well over the price point. Man the tone control is as good as they get. Not one bad thing about this guitar. I highly recommend this to anyone, whether you're a bedroom player or you a gigging musician. It's that good.
Yeah man! It really impressed me. Not something I'd give a 2nd look at in a store, but now having gone over it and played it, I'm pleasantly surprised!
Got mine for $130 and love it. It's a little rock and punk machine. Perfect impulse buy that won't break the bank. That price point is "heart-attack proof" if something happens to it.
I agree with the previous folks here that this appears to be a nice LP Junior "tribute" - a 1958 Gibson Custom reissue is about $4,000 online! Amazon has the Westcreek for $139.99 after a $30 coupon for blue or pink; white has only a $15 coupon. Very nice find!
💥💥👍👍 Way Cool Guitar and review!! I loved the reach for the selector switch😬 That guitar is just my size! Keep up with the reviews, they are Great, just like your Playing!!! Cheers!!
Great demo! Yep, it’s a one pickup, but the smoky notes you got when rolling the tone knob back while in ‘distortion mode’ were really nice, and could serve as an effective tonal contrast sans second pickup. Thanks for posting!
Hey J-Man! I don't think I ever told you, but you're one of two people who convinced me to buy the DC. So a hefty thanks to you! I could't be more pleased with it. Those guys really know how to make 'em. But the thing that sets them apart is the fact that they also actually DO it!
@@j-man9457 Yup, but I am definitely cutting away the portion of pickguard under the plate holding the potentiometers. It looks like that part of the guitar was assembled by the student with an active social life.
Hey That's great Peter! Glad to hear that yours is good too. QC sounds like it's decent on these Westcreek guitars! Good idea with the washers. Apparently one can purchase a dog ear pickup spacer to raise these pickups up. I'm going to look into that😀 Take care and thanks for watching and commenting!
Did you just use washers or did you also raise the pole pieces up a bit like this video producer did? I'm really intrigued by these as it's hard to find double cut Jr style guitars - despite the Tele looking knobs and plate - this thing comes pretty close to the look of a Double cutaway Jr. Cheers.
@@MMcG25 Both. I did buy a spacer, but that put the pup too high. So, I used a nut from a three way switch for each side. Doubling would have been too high, so I raised the poles to make up the rest of the distance,and the output was increased nicely. Looks wise, it's not too noticeable.
Cool! Never gave these a 2nd look but I quite like it! And yes this pup sounds really good. And that was just guitar in amp, no effects. The new strings made a remarkable difference😀
@j-man9457 Most low cost guitars come with awful strings on them... definitely the first thing to upgrade and it's a cheap and fairly easy one to do unless someone is a complete beginner and even then changing strings is something someone new to guitar should learn to do.
WOW!!!! I’ve heard really good things about the Westcreek brand, but this is the most extensive review I’ve seen anyone do of this particular model so far! I guess I’m also not too surprised that they have some kind of connection with Musi. As others have pointed out, this is basically a clone of the Gibson Les Paul JR. Add in a neck pickup, and you’d have a Les Paul DC Special. (DC meaning Double Cut.) That dog-ear P90 on this one really sounds good, too.
That guitar has been popping up in my Amazon feed for weeks. I keep wondering what it's like and BAM you've got a video, just like you did when I was on the fence about the M Musi - which I still love. Really appreciate all your work. You've saved me a bunch of cash and headache over the last year.
Hey Flyright, that's so cool to hear. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. That is exactly what I hope for when I make these videos.... no hype, just facts! If I like it you'll know. If I don't you'll know too lol! But ultimately the decision is yours. 😀 Thanks for the shout out! J
What's up Jay! Another super fun vid, Pal. Very cool about your burgeoning relationship with the guys at Musi. And so cool they arranged for this to happen with the Westcreek Team. Really cool little axe! Funny too... b'c I've been looking at these for several weeks now. Caught my eye for sure - esp since I don't have a DC. Been looking at a Harley Benton DC too. For the money... this looks like a no-brainer! I'm going to have to give this a shot. Not a big fan of the wrap-around bridge, and at first, I thought that was the problem with the low-end crispness. But looks like the string-change took care of that. Not surprising. Still - I have a bran spanking new Tune-O-Matic in the guitar parts bin. I found is last night, by accident. LOL I may have to pick one of these up - and that would likely be the only change I would make - along with a set of D'Adario 10s. Yep. I love that guitar!! Really cool. A simple Rock n' Roll machine!
Hey buddy! Yes very cool little axe. With a guitar strap and guitar on shoulder, it balances and feels like a telecaster to play Hahaha! Yes strings made a huge difference on the flubbyness lol. Let ne know if you get one and how yours is out of the box. These are so simple that I'm thinking the QC on these is probably very good, but one never knows! Cheers brother!
Very cool review and congrats on your M-musi connection leading to this demo! (i still want t o know the tuners' ratios, though!) Looks to me like another budget brand to watch!
Great in depth review 👍 I like mine a lot too, but was initially pretty bummed about how big thick the neck is. They list it as a modern C But this thing is way thicker. Probably the thickest neck I own. But the tone and other stuff makes up for that
I ordered one of these guitars based on your review. It arrived today and lived up to all expectations! Packed very well, no cosmetic blemishes that I could find, action was alright - 1.6 at the 12th, nut was cut very well, fret buzz or intonation issues, and there was a slight amount of neck relief (so not quite completely straight). The neck seemed dry and the frets seem gritty so I will change strings, oil the fretboard, and polish the frets. I might at the same time lower the action a little bit. I did look under the controls and the pots, capacitor and shielding were exactly as you described in your review. I have an extra string butler that I will probably add and likely will buy some shims for the pickup to raise it a little. Overall I am very happy - this is an excellent guitar especially for the price and very little setup work seems to be required. I have heard stories about how noisy P90s are so I might now invest in a noise gate. Thanks again for your review.
Hey John, thank you for your review lol! Much appreciated. Glad to hear that the QC is solid or at least it seems to be. Yeah even brand name guitars I've bought over the years needed frets polished, fret board conditioning, and more often than not some high frets addressed, so all in all, you said it. For the price, these Westcreek are crazy good out of the box! Thanks again for chiming in!😀
I have one of the earlier versions of this guitar. I did returned my 1st one because of some of the frets were short across the fingerboard. The replacement guitar is fine & a great value. I did replace the bridge with a Musiclily low profile wraparound to lower the action. It also got the strings closer to the dogear P90 pickup. The pickup can be raised with a spacer. Available from Liddy Fralin or make one from a pickguard. FYI the DC stands for double cut & is based on a Gibson design. The Tele style controls are unique to the WestCreek guitar & I like the look. Thanks for the video, great job as usual!!
Hey JJ! Thanks for the info. Good to know! I've really only ever had teles over the last 30 years haha. Maybe I've been missing out! Not too much wrong with this one out of the box! This bridge will come down enough so the strings sit on the frets. That dog ear pickup spacer sounds interesting though😁 Thanks for commenting and watching. Much appreciated!
Thats a copy of a Leo Quan Badass bridge, very cool. The guitar feels like kind of a cross between a Gibson Melody Maker and an Epiphone Olympic. My favorite part is the Fender '51 Precision Bass control plate, I love that, lol! The stock P90 sounds really good actually. You could swap magnets for Alnico 2 or 3 to change the character a bit but to my ear, w/UA-cam compression in play, Id just lower the capacitor value on the tone pot to get a broader range of tones, 022 or 015. That and nickel wound or nickel plated round core strings, DRs are good. You want more woody than bright try their pure nickel round cores.
@@j-man9457 Also experiment with the pickup height, I use strap button washers under the backplate tabs to sound things out and see which thickness full dogear spacer to use. As well as raising the individual pole screws to get lower end string definition. If the bobbin seems thin to you that's actually a very good thing P90 wise. The coil wind should be 1/8" max, and wound close to the edge of the bobbin. It's an inductance thing
@@oldasrocks9121 yup very cool! New strings made a big difference and a small spacer would probably be just the ticket! The stock pup in itself sounds great!😀
I was told west creek uses Spertzel tuners. Made in U.S.A. Cleveland Ohio. But I don't know. I know firefly uses Gotoh which also makes Wilkerson. I love the double cuts. I have one same color from firefly about 5 years ago when they first came out. Mine is a double P90. With 2 tone 2 volume and to me it sounds insane. And plays great.
Sounds like a sweet guitar man... yeah that's interesting about the tuners. Well one thing is for sure, they are amazingly smooth and precise tuners for a guitar under $300 here in Canada! Thanks for chiming in! J
I have this exact guitar . Phenomenal value . Every thing on this guitar is fantastic quality for what you're paying. My only gripe is the weird headstock NOT THE NAME ON IT Literally wish they cut the other side of the notch and made a wavy w out of it .
Hey man! Yes sir! I agree. Fantastic guitar for the money! I'm used to 6 on a side headstock, so I don't really mind this one. I am glad they didn't just copy Gibson😁 Thanks for commenting Josh! Keep rockin'! J
There are a number of places that make and sell dogear P90 shims to raise the pickup closer to strings. The Fralin pickup site is very helpful here. My (limited) understanding is that the pile pieces really should stay level with the pickup as it is the wire coil location that drives tone.
Yes John I think you are bang on! I have read about these dog ear pickup spacers post video and that would be an easy mod for sure! Thanks for watching and or your comment. Much appreciated!😀
Great video - was the trick to raise those pole pieces up? Or the new strings? Could you raise the whole pickup by inserting some kind of styrofoam in the pickup cavity? Or is the raising of the pole pieces the trick to get that "snap" into all six strings?
Hey thanks for watching! All I did was change the strings! Apparently the only way to raise these pickups is to buy a dog ear pickup spacer. It's a thing haha! Had I known at the time of this video I would have ordered one. Something like this : www.ebay.com/p/2255547888
To much guitar for this old man! Sounds good to my ears but I think it has a lot to do with the guy playing it. It wouldn't sound near as good if it were me playing. The review was astoundingly good J_Man. Hope to see you do more reviews in the future. If any Guitar makers are watching hopefully they will send you one of theirs for you to review!!! Well done Jay!!!!
Thanks so much Rainer! Your comment is very much appreciated! These guitars are as simple as you can get. Kind of just plug in and play haha. No coil splits, now switch, no buttons, no trem hahaha! And the 24.75 scale makes it easy to play with my small hands haha. I'm Impressed!
@@j-man9457 totally understand, the guitar world is massive, I like the odd stuff as much as the normal Tele and Strat stuff. I tried two of these and the frets were cut too short, so when bending on the high E it was a nightmare, lol. They may have sorted that issue by now.
I've never heard of it to be honest... But a quick Google search tells me the Squire has a humbucker and not a P90 so my guess is they would be quite sonically different. 🤔
I found this video by searching if Westcreek and M Musi are related, because their last post on Facebook is a link to Westcreek, and Musi has no guitars for sale on Amazon, all unavailable, and I wrote to them to ask if they’re still in the guitar business or if they’re now Westcreek, and I got no response. Have any inside info, since you’re bffs with M Music? ;-) I might have to buy a used Virgo Classic if there are no longer new ones, at least here in the USA.
What I was told is they are moving production to a better facility and will resume production and have new models available later this summer, but I don't know the details...🤔 Time will tell!
Yes it is! I did some research afterwards. They are actually pretty common. You can also get spacers for them to raise them up. All new to me, but totally cool😃
Scarr, MusicNagGear and Boechler all found no fret buzz and great fret ends. How do you make a guitar so cheap that has no buzz and great fret ends for $170?
Hahaha amazing right? Well not really... All you have to do is do it right! These guitars are all CNC made, so if the model the scanner used for the CNC programming was good, then all of the copies will be good too. And as for the fret work, it is just as easy to do them right the first time if you don't take short cuts. 😀
Regarding the pickup routing: Humbucker-sized P90’s will NEVER sound the same as a true P90, because humbuckers, while slightly wider than P90’s, are slightly shorter in length, meaning you cannot possibly fit as many winds onto them as a true P90 unless you use a different wire gauge, and that would affect the sound, too. Dog-ear P90’s and Soap-bar P90’s are basically EXACTLY the same thing, apart from the housing and mounting method. I’m thinking if you REALLY wanted to, you might be able to fit a Soap-bar P90 into that route, although I’m not sure why anyone would want to do that.
Yeah I've been doing some research and there are lots of dog ear pup options if ever someone wanted to swap the original... but like you said, why? It's sounds great as is, and that was no effects whatsoever. Guitar straight into amp. Wham! 😎
Exactly! Btw, a good P90 has a louder and fatter, more mid-range-focused tone than a typical Fender-style single coil. It is literally in between a humbucker and a Fender-style single coil. An original PAF humbucker can actually sound incredibly close to a P90, and they were indeed originally designed to be close to P90’s in terms of sonics and construction. They were even originally wound on the same machines there at Gibson’s Kalamazoo factory. That said, this P90 REALLY seems to have a lot more twang and spank than the humbuckers on my IYV IP-350 and IPF-300, which also has a wraparound bridge.
@@j-man9457 My big pet peeve is the width of the neck. Although Fender uses a long scale length, it tends to use narrower nut widths than Gibson. I suppose that’s one reason I like the feel of my IYV IPF-350, even though I wish it had a rounder, less tinny sound, like my Firefly FFTL.
I always find these Chinese specials suspect, real bone? Real rosewood? Also, interesting bridge, looks like the LPJR wrap around mixed with a tune-o-matic. Great review
@@j-man9457 i sure will bro! "peppermint patty" should be here friday so ill get crackin on the comparing! the HB blue dc has a "stacked" dogear p90 with a push/pull pot...it sounds great so its stayin....even surfs soo good that mr dick dale himself would approve! i hope this pink one is as good at surfin as well!
Oh that's too bad Charles! The one I got was pretty good there were a few high spots but nothing that affected playability. I guess this is pretty common as I've had a fret leveling done on every guitar I've had, brand name or not, except for my M-Musis. I don't have much to go by with the Westcreek as I've only played this one, but I'm thinking about ordering a 2nd one just to get a feel for their QC from guitar to guitar! J
I did that to a tele once... I taped off the area I wanted for the belly cut and used an orbital sander to take meat off then I sealed the exposed wood with Tung oil... It looked cool actually😀
Those bridge intonation screws sticking out of the backside of the bridge look like an accident waiting to happen. Not sure how one reviews the guitar and manages to ignore this except you don't even seem to be totally confident about what they even are ?!?! As to the "flubby" low strings it seems like the reviewer here has no idea about Gibson style guitars. The shorter Gibson style scale length is going to feel different than a Fender scale guitar, pretty basic stuff. Cheap lousy strings will indeed make this even more apparent. Also... I guess you no experience at all with dogear P90 pickups? It's a very old style pickup introduced in 1946 so it's a bit crude and the only way to adjust it's height is by putting in a shim to raise it. Convolute??? The term is volute. The thing that is somewhat convoluted here is the video itself. ;) Guess you truly are a Fender guy and Gibson style guitars are a bit of a mystery to you as you certainly do seem to know how to play the instrument.
Yup you're right and I pretty much explained everything you're describing in my video. I'm a tele guy... don't know anything about these, but they are, or seem to be well built, and new strings do in fact make a world of difference. You would of seen that had you watched the whole thing😉 Nothing wrong with these guitars however I am puzzled as to why any one would buy a DC, SG, or LP style guitar, when you can just get a T-Style lol!
@j-man9457 Actually I did watch the entire video so I did catch the part about you changing out the crappy strings that were originally on the guitar and that doing this improved the feel and sound of the wound strings. As to why people would choose a guitar other than a Tele there are many reasons starting right out with the scale length. Gibson scale is 24.75 inches as opposed to a Telecaster's 25.5 inches which results in somewhat easier bends and easier playing on the shorter scale guitar when using the same gauge strings. Gibsons tend to be a bit warmer and fuller sounding before even considering the electronics due to the scale length, the mahogany wood, and possibly the set neck. Pickups, P90's or even more so humbuckers are responsible for a rather different sound than a Tele with the usual Tele pickups. It's really a matter of what one is after in a guitar and your own personal preference. Many people enjoy owning both for the particular unique traits that each type of guitar offers. I really wasn't trying to troll you here, just really surprised that someone who looks like they are pretty experienced at playing guitar wouldn't be at least somewhat familiar with the basic differences between Fender and Gibson style guitars but I guess everybody has different strengths and weaknesses in their knowledge.
@@7171jay that was a joke man lol! Of course I know why people don't all play teles.... and as far as gibsons go, you're right. In 30 years of owning guitars, I've never had one, or had any interest in one. I have yeles with single coils, P90s and Humbuckers, so all good. No fenders though. I like the T-style, but Fender quality for the prices they are charging now is ridiculous. Anyway different strokes for different folks! Cheers
Uh-oh... You know that ain't no Tele, right? that's basically (almost) a Les Paul Jr. Looks like my kinda guitar, expecially with a P90 pickup. Be careful with that thing or you might end up playing the blues...!!!
@@j-man9457 Hey, I noticed some discussion about shorter scale length. If you like a shorter scale, take a look at the Squier (or Glarry...?) Mustangs. Those have a 24" scale. they don't really sound or feel like either a tele or strat, but they're nice guitars. I used to have (long ago) a Fender w/single coils. Recently I got a Glarry w/humbuckers, and I like it. different sound from single coils, obviously.
@@anthonypanneton923 yeah I think a short scale would be sweet in a telecaster style guitar. I've never tried a Glarry or a mustang before, but I sort of have my eyes on a Earl Slick SL55 telecaster. Gibson scale on a tele body. The problem is the exchange rate, shipping and duty fees into Canada make it not worth the price tag!😖
@@j-man9457 Glarrys are not TOO bad - as long as your expectations are not too high. They always need a fair amount of setup work and TLC out of the box. but for guitars that sell for between $75-$150 USD (my Glarry Mustang was about $100), ya get what ya pay for. I've never had one that I didn't like AFTER a few hours of work to get it setup and finished properly. I'm down here in the good 'ole USA, so I'm blissfully ignorant regarding Canadian import duties...
P90s are having a revival but they have been my fav syle of pickup for many a year now. Prone to some single coil noise but they are versatile and they can snarl when needed. I have a Harley Benton version of this Westcreek single P90 and I love it! So simple and yet a lot of fun, and very light as well.
@@robjones7725 yup they are a fun axe for sure! 😁
I have the same guitar in blue. It's more if a grayish blue color which I really like. For the 140$ I paid, I say it punches well over the price point. Man the tone control is as good as they get. Not one bad thing about this guitar. I highly recommend this to anyone, whether you're a bedroom player or you a gigging musician. It's that good.
Yeah man! It really impressed me. Not something I'd give a 2nd look at in a store, but now having gone over it and played it, I'm pleasantly surprised!
I would love to try and review one of these.
Got mine for $130 and love it. It's a little rock and punk machine. Perfect impulse buy that won't break the bank. That price point is "heart-attack proof" if something happens to it.
100% agree man! Nice find!
Rock on!
Looks amazing! I love the single P90. That guitar is a rock and roll monster waiting to happen! So cool!
Agreed! Not what I would normally go for, but man, I'm impressed! 😀
I agree with the previous folks here that this appears to be a nice LP Junior "tribute" - a 1958 Gibson Custom reissue is about $4,000 online! Amazon has the Westcreek for $139.99 after a $30 coupon for blue or pink; white has only a $15 coupon. Very nice find!
Wow! That's an awesome deal. Here in Canada the are all $259 which makes them $298 after taxes...
@@j-man9457 Perhaps there could be a "cross-border business opportunity"... 😇
@@TechnoRiff hey Hey you can find a way around the exchange rate, the duty fees and taxes, I'm all in!!!😂
@@j-man9457 We'll need a lightly patrolled lake and a fleet of stealth boats... 😂
Just bought one of these yesterday on the Black Friday sale for $207+hst. With all the good reviews I excited to try it out!!
💥💥👍👍 Way Cool Guitar and review!! I loved the reach for the selector switch😬 That guitar is just my size! Keep up with the reviews, they are Great, just like your Playing!!!
Cheers!!
Thanks Buddy! Yes really cool guitar. Not what I would typically go for but I like it. Thanks for your support!😀
Great demo! Yep, it’s a one pickup, but the smoky notes you got when rolling the tone knob back while in ‘distortion mode’ were really nice, and could serve as an effective tonal contrast sans second pickup. Thanks for posting!
Thanks man!
Thank you for watching and commenting😀!
Hey J-Man! I don't think I ever told you, but you're one of two people who convinced me to buy the DC. So a hefty thanks to you! I could't be more pleased with it. Those guys really know how to make 'em. But the thing that sets them apart is the fact that they also actually DO it!
Hahaha Awesome! Thanks for letting me know, and I'm glad you're pleased with yours!
They are pretty cool!
Rock on!
@@j-man9457 Yup, but I am definitely cutting away the portion of pickguard under the plate holding the potentiometers. It looks like that part of the guitar was assembled by the student with an active social life.
@@wasteddude9387 hahahaha I can't unsee that now lol!
I sort of thought is was like telecaster and and SG love child haha
Love mine! Fit and finish is great. Intonation perfect out of the box. I shimmed the pup with a couple of washers, very happy!
Hey That's great Peter! Glad to hear that yours is good too. QC sounds like it's decent on these Westcreek guitars! Good idea with the washers. Apparently one can purchase a dog ear pickup spacer to raise these pickups up. I'm going to look into that😀
Take care and thanks for watching and commenting!
Did you just use washers or did you also raise the pole pieces up a bit like this video producer did? I'm really intrigued by these as it's hard to find double cut Jr style guitars - despite the Tele looking knobs and plate - this thing comes pretty close to the look of a Double cutaway Jr. Cheers.
@@MMcG25 Both. I did buy a spacer, but that put the pup too high. So, I used a nut from a three way switch for each side. Doubling would have been too high, so I raised the poles to make up the rest of the distance,and the output was increased nicely. Looks wise, it's not too noticeable.
@@peterpellerin1374 Thank you kindly!
There are several brands of those style of dog-eared p-90 pickups available to buy but that one sounds really good
Cool! Never gave these a 2nd look but I quite like it! And yes this pup sounds really good. And that was just guitar in amp, no effects. The new strings made a remarkable difference😀
@j-man9457 Most low cost guitars come with awful strings on them... definitely the first thing to upgrade and it's a cheap and fairly easy one to do unless someone is a complete beginner and even then changing strings is something someone new to guitar should learn to do.
@@7171jay yup for sure!
WOW!!!! I’ve heard really good things about the Westcreek brand, but this is the most extensive review I’ve seen anyone do of this particular model so far! I guess I’m also not too surprised that they have some kind of connection with Musi. As others have pointed out, this is basically a clone of the Gibson Les Paul JR. Add in a neck pickup, and you’d have a Les Paul DC Special. (DC meaning Double Cut.) That dog-ear P90 on this one really sounds good, too.
Yeah TPG! I'm really impressed! Wasn't expecting this at a 297$ price point delivered! Amazing really!
That guitar has been popping up in my Amazon feed for weeks. I keep wondering what it's like and BAM you've got a video, just like you did when I was on the fence about the M Musi - which I still love. Really appreciate all your work. You've saved me a bunch of cash and headache over the last year.
Hey Flyright, that's so cool to hear. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. That is exactly what I hope for when I make these videos.... no hype, just facts! If I like it you'll know. If I don't you'll know too lol! But ultimately the decision is yours. 😀
Thanks for the shout out!
J
These sound incredible for such inexpensive guitars.
Yup after a set up and some good strings, they are great!
What's up Jay! Another super fun vid, Pal. Very cool about your burgeoning relationship with the guys at Musi. And so cool they arranged for this to happen with the Westcreek Team. Really cool little axe! Funny too... b'c I've been looking at these for several weeks now. Caught my eye for sure - esp since I don't have a DC. Been looking at a Harley Benton DC too. For the money... this looks like a no-brainer! I'm going to have to give this a shot. Not a big fan of the wrap-around bridge, and at first, I thought that was the problem with the low-end crispness. But looks like the string-change took care of that. Not surprising. Still - I have a bran spanking new Tune-O-Matic in the guitar parts bin. I found is last night, by accident. LOL I may have to pick one of these up - and that would likely be the only change I would make - along with a set of D'Adario 10s. Yep. I love that guitar!! Really cool. A simple Rock n' Roll machine!
Hey buddy! Yes very cool little axe. With a guitar strap and guitar on shoulder, it balances and feels like a telecaster to play Hahaha! Yes strings made a huge difference on the flubbyness lol.
Let ne know if you get one and how yours is out of the box. These are so simple that I'm thinking the QC on these is probably very good, but one never knows!
Cheers brother!
Thanks for the review! I am going to order one of these guitars, I am not overly familiar with P90s but this guitar seems like a rocker! 23:44
Hey John yeah it's cool! Basic set up and fresh strings and it's gig ready! Let me know how yours is when it lands and how you like it😃
Very cool review and congrats on your M-musi connection leading to this demo! (i still want t o know the tuners' ratios, though!) Looks to me like another budget brand to watch!
Shoot did I forget that lol! They are 18 to 1! Smoothest tuners I've seen in years. Even better than the Musi tuners😮
Great in depth review 👍 I like mine a lot too, but was initially pretty bummed about how big thick the neck is. They list it as a modern C But this thing is way thicker. Probably the thickest neck I own. But the tone and other stuff makes up for that
Hey Thanks man! Yes I agree, the neck on these could be slimmer for sure. However the Gibson scale balances it out😀
I need one of these.
Haha yup it's a pretty cool axe for the money for sure!
FULL watch!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love the Video's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know why I don't get a reach out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hahahaha !!!!!!!!!!
Thanks buddy! I appreciate ya!
Very impressed with mine too, agree about the build and playability quality!
Awesome Scott! Thanks for lettimg me know. Glad to hear that the quality control on these seem to be very consistent from one guitar to another😁
I ordered one of these guitars based on your review. It arrived today and lived up to all expectations! Packed very well, no cosmetic blemishes that I could find, action was alright - 1.6 at the 12th, nut was cut very well, fret buzz or intonation issues, and there was a slight amount of neck relief (so not quite completely straight). The neck seemed dry and the frets seem gritty so I will change strings, oil the fretboard, and polish the frets. I might at the same time lower the action a little bit. I did look under the controls and the pots, capacitor and shielding were exactly as you described in your review. I have an extra string butler that I will probably add and likely will buy some shims for the pickup to raise it a little. Overall I am very happy - this is an excellent guitar especially for the price and very little setup work seems to be required. I have heard stories about how noisy P90s are so I might now invest in a noise gate. Thanks again for your review.
Hey John, thank you for your review lol! Much appreciated. Glad to hear that the QC is solid or at least it seems to be. Yeah even brand name guitars I've bought over the years needed frets polished, fret board conditioning, and more often than not some high frets addressed, so all in all, you said it. For the price, these Westcreek are crazy good out of the box!
Thanks again for chiming in!😀
Sounds and looks fantastic !
Hey Fabien, thanks for watching and commenting. Yeah these are great guitars for a crazy low price! 👍
I have one of the earlier versions of this guitar. I did returned my 1st one because of some of the frets were short across the fingerboard. The replacement guitar is fine & a great value. I did replace the bridge with a Musiclily low profile wraparound to lower the action. It also got the strings closer to the dogear P90 pickup. The pickup can be raised with a spacer. Available from Liddy Fralin or make one from a pickguard.
FYI the DC stands for double cut & is based on a Gibson design. The Tele style controls are unique to the WestCreek guitar & I like the look.
Thanks for the video, great job as usual!!
Hey JJ!
Thanks for the info. Good to know! I've really only ever had teles over the last 30 years haha. Maybe I've been missing out! Not too much wrong with this one out of the box! This bridge will come down enough so the strings sit on the frets. That dog ear pickup spacer sounds interesting though😁
Thanks for commenting and watching. Much appreciated!
I made some comments on Amazon about the frets, the color & pickup height. It looks like WestCreek has fixed 2 out of 3.
Happy Dominion Day J-man
@@johnjolly9519 haha and to you too!
I'm glad Westcreek is listening to their customers! 👍
Since you’re a Tele fan like me. I thought you might like the 50 percent off on a Tele ukulele at pit bull audio
@@johnjolly9519 hahaha that's awesomen a Tele Uke!
Well if I played Ukulele I'd definitely get one... Still trying to learn to play the guitar 😂😂😂!
Thats a copy of a Leo Quan Badass bridge, very cool.
The guitar feels like kind of a cross between a Gibson Melody Maker and an Epiphone Olympic. My favorite part is the Fender '51 Precision Bass control plate, I love that, lol!
The stock P90 sounds really good actually. You could swap magnets for Alnico 2 or 3 to change the character a bit but to my ear, w/UA-cam compression in play, Id just lower the capacitor value on the tone pot to get a broader range of tones, 022 or 015.
That and nickel wound or nickel plated round core strings, DRs are good. You want more woody than bright try their pure nickel round cores.
Awesome! Thanks!
I have been using the DR Dragonskin strings lately! Easy on the fingers, they last long, and sound great on a tele haha!
@@j-man9457 Also experiment with the pickup height, I use strap button washers under the backplate tabs to sound things out and see which thickness full dogear spacer to use. As well as raising the individual pole screws to get lower end string definition.
If the bobbin seems thin to you that's actually a very good thing P90 wise. The coil wind should be 1/8" max, and wound close to the edge of the bobbin. It's an inductance thing
@@oldasrocks9121 yup very cool! New strings made a big difference and a small spacer would probably be just the ticket! The stock pup in itself sounds great!😀
I was told west creek uses Spertzel tuners. Made in U.S.A. Cleveland Ohio. But I don't know. I know firefly uses Gotoh which also makes Wilkerson. I love the double cuts. I have one same color from firefly about 5 years ago when they first came out. Mine is a double P90. With 2 tone 2 volume and to me it sounds insane. And plays great.
Sounds like a sweet guitar man... yeah that's interesting about the tuners. Well one thing is for sure, they are amazingly smooth and precise tuners for a guitar under $300 here in Canada!
Thanks for chiming in!
J
I have this exact guitar .
Phenomenal value .
Every thing on this guitar is fantastic quality for what you're paying.
My only gripe is the weird headstock NOT THE NAME ON IT
Literally wish they cut the other side of the notch and made a wavy w out of it .
Hey man! Yes sir! I agree. Fantastic guitar for the money! I'm used to 6 on a side headstock, so I don't really mind this one. I am glad they didn't just copy Gibson😁
Thanks for commenting Josh!
Keep rockin'!
J
There are a number of places that make and sell dogear P90 shims to raise the pickup closer to strings. The Fralin pickup site is very helpful here. My (limited) understanding is that the pile pieces really should stay level with the pickup as it is the wire coil location that drives tone.
Yes John I think you are bang on!
I have read about these dog ear pickup spacers post video and that would be an easy mod for sure!
Thanks for watching and or your comment. Much appreciated!😀
The Revenge model play better than my Gibsons!
Wow really? That's impressive. Thanks for sharing!
Awesome review! Subscribed
Thanks Joe! Much appreciated!
That would be a great to tune in open G to do your Stones or slide work with at a gig :)
Yup it would be for sure!
Fantastic guitar😀
Great video - was the trick to raise those pole pieces up? Or the new strings? Could you raise the whole pickup by inserting some kind of styrofoam in the pickup cavity? Or is the raising of the pole pieces the trick to get that "snap" into all six strings?
Hey thanks for watching!
All I did was change the strings!
Apparently the only way to raise these pickups is to buy a dog ear pickup spacer. It's a thing haha! Had I known at the time of this video I would have ordered one.
Something like this : www.ebay.com/p/2255547888
Good guitar with a setup. Mine is neck heavy…;)
Hey Man thanks for commenting! Your right, needs some tweaking but man real nice and crazy low price!
I just ordered one and should be arriving Friday 🙏🏻🙏🏻. I wanna do some cool mods on it. At that price why not have some fun
Awesome man!
Let me know how you like it and yes, for the price, it's a great modding platform!
J
To much guitar for this old man! Sounds good to my ears but I think it has a lot to do with the guy playing it. It wouldn't sound near as good if it were me playing. The review was astoundingly good J_Man. Hope to see you do more reviews in the future. If any Guitar makers are watching hopefully they will send you one of theirs for you to review!!! Well done Jay!!!!
Thanks so much Rainer! Your comment is very much appreciated! These guitars are as simple as you can get. Kind of just plug in and play haha. No coil splits, now switch, no buttons, no trem hahaha! And the 24.75 scale makes it easy to play with my small hands haha. I'm Impressed!
They make shims to adjust dog ear P90s.
Yes they do! I know that now hahaha I never even knew a dog ear pickup was a thing until I got this guitar hahaha!
Cool axe!
@@j-man9457 totally understand, the guitar world is massive, I like the odd stuff as much as the normal Tele and Strat stuff. I tried two of these and the frets were cut too short, so when bending on the high E it was a nightmare, lol. They may have sorted that issue by now.
@@pastorkev777 hmmm interesting. I did not run into that problem... bound to be some issues on a 250 dollar guitar somewhere at some point hahaha!
@@j-man9457 true, sadly the issue I had was not repairable, except new frets, that would be a bit crazy to do
@@pastorkev777 yup 100% agree. It's a sender backer for sure hahaha!
I know you're probably not made of money. Have you considered comparing the Squire Sonic H to this?
I've never heard of it to be honest... But a quick Google search tells me the Squire has a humbucker and not a P90 so my guess is they would be quite sonically different. 🤔
I found this video by searching if Westcreek and M Musi are related, because their last post on Facebook is a link to Westcreek, and Musi has no guitars for sale on Amazon, all unavailable, and I wrote to them to ask if they’re still in the guitar business or if they’re now Westcreek, and I got no response.
Have any inside info, since you’re bffs with M Music? ;-)
I might have to buy a used Virgo Classic if there are no longer new ones, at least here in the USA.
What I was told is they are moving production to a better facility and will resume production and have new models available later this summer, but I don't know the details...🤔
Time will tell!
@@j-man9457 I hope they get back in it! Thanks for the info, and thanks for always being so responsive. Your videos are great.
@@tenroaches thanks man...
Hey if someone takes the time to comment, the least I can do is answer right? 👍😀
It is called a dog ear P90
Yes it is! I did some research afterwards. They are actually pretty common. You can also get spacers for them to raise them up. All new to me, but totally cool😃
What's the mark on the back? I thought it was a reflection, but it's not. From 4:35 on, you can start to see it.
Haha yeah I see it to now that you mention it. It was just a fleck of the packaging styro foam😃
@@j-man9457 Thanks!
was that a finish blemish on the back or crumb of styrofoam?
Hahaha just a piece of foam. The finish is flawless😀
Scarr, MusicNagGear and Boechler all found no fret buzz and great fret ends. How do you make a guitar so cheap that has no buzz and great fret ends for $170?
Hahaha amazing right?
Well not really... All you have to do is do it right! These guitars are all CNC made, so if the model the scanner used for the CNC programming was good, then all of the copies will be good too. And as for the fret work, it is just as easy to do them right the first time if you don't take short cuts. 😀
Sounds like the pickup is too far away from the strings.
Yup I think so too. Can't adjust these without installing a spacer... great guitar otherwise!
Regarding the pickup routing: Humbucker-sized P90’s will NEVER sound the same as a true P90, because humbuckers, while slightly wider than P90’s, are slightly shorter in length, meaning you cannot possibly fit as many winds onto them as a true P90 unless you use a different wire gauge, and that would affect the sound, too. Dog-ear P90’s and Soap-bar P90’s are basically EXACTLY the same thing, apart from the housing and mounting method. I’m thinking if you REALLY wanted to, you might be able to fit a Soap-bar P90 into that route, although I’m not sure why anyone would want to do that.
Yeah I've been doing some research and there are lots of dog ear pup options if ever someone wanted to swap the original... but like you said, why? It's sounds great as is, and that was no effects whatsoever. Guitar straight into amp. Wham! 😎
Exactly! Btw, a good P90 has a louder and fatter, more mid-range-focused tone than a typical Fender-style single coil. It is literally in between a humbucker and a Fender-style single coil. An original PAF humbucker can actually sound incredibly close to a P90, and they were indeed originally designed to be close to P90’s in terms of sonics and construction. They were even originally wound on the same machines there at Gibson’s Kalamazoo factory. That said, this P90 REALLY seems to have a lot more twang and spank than the humbuckers on my IYV IP-350 and IPF-300, which also has a wraparound bridge.
@@zuperdee awesome man! Yeah this P90 is definitely spanky! Haha
And the difference you're feeling with the strings is because of the scale length difference between offender style and the Gibson style
Yeah love the 24.75 scale lenght! Someone needs to make a telecaster with that scale lenght. My small fingers would love it hahaha
@@j-man9457Fender actually DID make a Telecaster with P90’s and a Gibson-style scale length-I believe it was the Jim Adkins signature model.
@@zuperdee Hmmm interesting! I think a Short Scale telecaster would be Saweet! Lol!
@@j-man9457 My big pet peeve is the width of the neck. Although Fender uses a long scale length, it tends to use narrower nut widths than Gibson. I suppose that’s one reason I like the feel of my IYV IPF-350, even though I wish it had a rounder, less tinny sound, like my Firefly FFTL.
@@zuperdee yeah there's always something haha now I've never been a fan of gibson style guitars but, I feel right at home with their necks haha! 🤪
I always find these Chinese specials suspect, real bone? Real rosewood? Also, interesting bridge, looks like the LPJR wrap around mixed with a tune-o-matic. Great review
I'm not really sure what exactly these materials are but they come together nicely to make a pretty sweet and super affordable guitar!😃
Curious about weight and neck thickness at 1st and 12th. Thanks
I'll post all of the specs in the video description soon... thanks for the suggestion! Weight is 7.4 lbs!
@@j-man9457 Thanks!
@@stephanematis for sure, Thank you!
Check out description under video title for full specs. 😀
shoot yaaa brother!
sweet "spankmonster" there!
man them p90s love to "surf" too! got that dick dale "clickety clack"woooo!
Hahaha yes sir! Can't beat a p90 for versatility!
@@j-man9457 i pulled the trigger and got a pink model...
its on sale at 135USD!
ill compare it to my harley benton dc blue model....should be fun!
@@birdman316 what? 135? That's awesome Birdman! Let me know how it is once you get it!😁
@@j-man9457 i sure will bro!
"peppermint patty" should be here friday so ill get crackin on the comparing!
the HB blue dc has a "stacked" dogear p90 with a push/pull pot...it sounds great so its stayin....even surfs soo good that mr dick dale himself would approve!
i hope this pink one is as good at surfin as well!
@@birdman316 cool...
Personally on mine, I'd like a dog ear spacer to get that pup closer to the strings😀
I returned mine due to uneven fret heights.
Oh that's too bad Charles! The one I got was pretty good there were a few high spots but nothing that affected playability. I guess this is pretty common as I've had a fret leveling done on every guitar I've had, brand name or not, except for my M-Musis. I don't have much to go by with the Westcreek as I've only played this one, but I'm thinking about ordering a 2nd one just to get a feel for their QC from guitar to guitar!
J
It's great, but it's missing a belly cut.
Just add one,😜
I did that to a tele once... I taped off the area I wanted for the belly cut and used an orbital sander to take meat off then I sealed the exposed wood with Tung oil... It looked cool actually😀
Those bridge intonation screws sticking out of the backside of the bridge look like an accident waiting to happen. Not sure how one reviews the guitar and manages to ignore this except you don't even seem to be totally confident about what they even are ?!?! As to the "flubby" low strings it seems like the reviewer here has no idea about Gibson style guitars. The shorter Gibson style scale length is going to feel different than a Fender scale guitar, pretty basic stuff. Cheap lousy strings will indeed make this even more apparent. Also... I guess you no experience at all with dogear P90 pickups? It's a very old style pickup introduced in 1946 so it's a bit crude and the only way to adjust it's height is by putting in a shim to raise it. Convolute??? The term is volute. The thing that is somewhat convoluted here is the video itself. ;) Guess you truly are a Fender guy and Gibson style guitars are a bit of a mystery to you as you certainly do seem to know how to play the instrument.
Yup you're right and I pretty much explained everything you're describing in my video. I'm a tele guy... don't know anything about these, but they are, or seem to be well built, and new strings do in fact make a world of difference. You would of seen that had you watched the whole thing😉
Nothing wrong with these guitars however I am puzzled as to why any one would buy a DC, SG, or LP style guitar, when you can just get a T-Style lol!
@j-man9457 Actually I did watch the entire video so I did catch the part about you changing out the crappy strings that were originally on the guitar and that doing this improved the feel and sound of the wound strings. As to why people would choose a guitar other than a Tele there are many reasons starting right out with the scale length. Gibson scale is 24.75 inches as opposed to a Telecaster's 25.5 inches which results in somewhat easier bends and easier playing on the shorter scale guitar when using the same gauge strings. Gibsons tend to be a bit warmer and fuller sounding before even considering the electronics due to the scale length, the mahogany wood, and possibly the set neck. Pickups, P90's or even more so humbuckers are responsible for a rather different sound than a Tele with the usual Tele pickups. It's really a matter of what one is after in a guitar and your own personal preference. Many people enjoy owning both for the particular unique traits that each type of guitar offers. I really wasn't trying to troll you here, just really surprised that someone who looks like they are pretty experienced at playing guitar wouldn't be at least somewhat familiar with the basic differences between Fender and Gibson style guitars but I guess everybody has different strengths and weaknesses in their knowledge.
@@7171jay that was a joke man lol! Of course I know why people don't all play teles.... and as far as gibsons go, you're right. In 30 years of owning guitars, I've never had one, or had any interest in one. I have yeles with single coils, P90s and Humbuckers, so all good. No fenders though. I like the T-style, but Fender quality for the prices they are charging now is ridiculous.
Anyway different strokes for different folks!
Cheers
Uh-oh... You know that ain't no Tele, right? that's basically (almost) a Les Paul Jr. Looks like my kinda guitar, expecially with a P90 pickup. Be careful with that thing or you might end up playing the blues...!!!
Hahaha! I think you may be right. It's a cool axe man!
Thanks for watching😊
@@j-man9457 Hey, I noticed some discussion about shorter scale length. If you like a shorter scale, take a look at the Squier (or Glarry...?) Mustangs. Those have a 24" scale. they don't really sound or feel like either a tele or strat, but they're nice guitars. I used to have (long ago) a Fender w/single coils. Recently I got a Glarry w/humbuckers, and I like it. different sound from single coils, obviously.
@@anthonypanneton923 yeah I think a short scale would be sweet in a telecaster style guitar. I've never tried a Glarry or a mustang before, but I sort of have my eyes on a Earl Slick SL55 telecaster. Gibson scale on a tele body. The problem is the exchange rate, shipping and duty fees into Canada make it not worth the price tag!😖
@@j-man9457 Glarrys are not TOO bad - as long as your expectations are not too high. They always need a fair amount of setup work and TLC out of the box. but for guitars that sell for between $75-$150 USD (my Glarry Mustang was about $100), ya get what ya pay for. I've never had one that I didn't like AFTER a few hours of work to get it setup and finished properly. I'm down here in the good 'ole USA, so I'm blissfully ignorant regarding Canadian import duties...
@@anthonypanneton923 hahaha yeah I envy you guys and your guitar prices! Lol🤩
Are you on Instagram. I can't find you
@@versafireguitars3145 no sir, I am not on instagram... Not much of a social media guy. Just this UA-cam stuff is a stretch for me hahaha!
They are sold out everywhere. 🫤
Wow Really? I guess people really like them😁