RJ Guitars reached out after they watched the video and said going forward this guitar will have ball end frets. If you get one of these guitars PLEASE put a comment with your experience. Thank you
I liked the video Phillip. Did they give you an ETA when they will be available on Amazon? My nephew's Birthday is coming up and I think this would be perfect!
RJ guitars (Filipino local brand) has been around for as long as i can remember and im 45 yrs old. it was my first guitar in the early 90s. it was my high school graduation gift from my parents. i still have it to this day.
@@ericdraven9908its not rebranded. For the meantime, yes its made in china but the specifications are from RJ guitars. This year they will open their factory which was closed on pandemic. If you know Bacchus guitars, they were made in RJ's factory here in the Philippines. That tells the quality RJ have. You should check them out.
*Mabuhay ang Pilipinong gitarista at ang mahusay na gitarang gawang Pinoy!* 🤭 🤘Just in case many don't understand, I'm simply saying that RJ guitars are awesome Philippine made guitars, high quality but very nice to the budget.🎸 I have an RJ guitar and it's a great guitar at a cheap price.🔥
@@ericdraven9908 Rj found the factory in China that used to manufacture the squier and Fender before they moved to indonesia and thats where they source their RJ guitars now, which is for me a better move.
Hello Phillip. I am a Filipino and RJ guitars started selling guitars around 1987 in our country. They used to be a small company selling their wares at select department stores. They were loads better than other locally made guitars. They then started having their own shops by 1991. They are not exactly new but in terms of international recognition, yes
*Mabuhay ang Pilipinong gitarista at ang mahusay na gitarang gawang Pinoy!* Just in case many don't understand, I'm simply saying that RJ guitars are awesome Philippine made guitars, high quality but very nice to the budget. I have an RJ guitar and it's a great guitar at a cheap price.
This is true. I stopped by 2 RJ Guitars during deployment (we hit port in the Philippines). I can confirm it is a 1:1 copy of a Silver Sky with very minor inconsistencies like the switch tip and or the jackplate. It was amazing, I have never seen something like that. It’s almost like a commercialized Chibson. Every guitar I saw was almost as if they got all these Squiers and smacked their necks on em!
@@jmelara324they probly just go directly to cort or some other manufacturer who's already making these things for one or more of those major companies so in that case it would be the same exact parts just without their specific logo/etc
Anybody who learns to work on their own guitars can absolutely save huge amounts of money. A lot of the issues with these cheap guitars are simple fixes (which Phil has tons of great videos on). I get a lot of used guitars that people gave up hope on because they played bad or they felt bad and about 45 minutes of elbow grease and I can get them purring like a kitten 💪
Absolutely, assuming you don't get one with very poor wood that compromises the tone or neck stability. FI, I bought two SX guitars ~10 years ago. One was very good, but the neck Maple on the other was such poor quality that it absorbed all the high-end. I swapped the necks and bodies on the guitars, and it was definitely the neck. It had some Birdseye grain on the FB, which may have been the issue. It was just a weak/soft piece of wood. I'm wondering if that artificial "Zerbra" wood might be the best option for an inexpensive neck. It might be very stable. Kinda' heavy for a body, though. As sweet sounding as a Paulownia body can be, I'd be concerned if the trem screws might loosen up over time. It's pretty soft stuff. It's does absorb more high-end than Alder, and may muddy the bass. Great for a soft/fat tonal character similar to Limba.
@@ptrisonic That's a bit much for most people to take on, and requires tools and the space. I found a guy on eBay that makes great Fender spec necks of quality woods with Stainless frets and pro finished for under $200. I have more guitars than I need now.
So cool to see a Filipino brand get some KYG coverage. RJ has been in the entry level guitar game for decades, selling them at their brick and mortar stores in the Philippines. I used to hang out at one of their stores back in the mid 90s. A lot of Filipinos my age probably got an RJ as their first guitar as even Squiers were quite expensive back then.
If you've heard of Nashville based touring / session guitarist extraordinaire RJ Ronquillo (he's got a YT channel too), he was named after the founder of that guitar brand, RJ Jacinto. RJ Jacinto is supposed to be a legend in Philippines, almost 80 now but still playing. I think they offer custom shop guitars too that are on the higher end.
@@TheRange7 yeah he said so in one of his Saturday chats. I’ve been following RJ Ronquillo for a while now too and did not know. I didn’t know who Ramon Jacinto was either until I looked him up after RJ mentioned him.
This would a great project guitar not to change any major component but to practice some maintenance and tune up skills before tackling more expensive guitars.
@@colinburroughs9871 So you are saying there is such a huge difference betweena d$100 guitar and a $1,500 one? I think not. I have owned both. Yes, slightly higher quality, better pups and fit and finish but not $1900 worth. My strat was $1,500 and my super cheapo made in China Mitchell was $99. I bought it for camping so I would not damage my nice guitar nor worry if it got stolen. Turns out, I play it just as much as my strat even at home and it sounds just fine. You would NEVER know the difference in the mix. It stays in tune better and no issues with the fit and finish. It plays great. Yes, $1,500 is a better guitar- sure. Easy. However the delta in price is in no way justified. It is all marketing...as is the case with most things. Now if the strat was $300 or even $500 vs. $99 then sure. Get the better guitar. Really shop by PUPS too. They can make a difference. Not just the PUPS but the switching type system. A more expensive guitar might offer split coil pups that a $99 never will. NOW, if you really want to step your game up, but a Godin xTSA. I did. It's amazing. It has BOTH a Piezo PUP and output jack and an Electric pups and output Jack. This allows me to play BOTH at the same time or blend them accordingly. I run out of my pedalboard BOTH an Electric amp (actually ampS) and a Fishman mini Acousitc amp AND studio monitors. My set up is stellar. Bottom line- I know my gear and all about electronics- studied Elec. Engineering and also studied at an Ivy League University if that matter to you (likely not.) Buy what you need- do check out that Godin though- it's incredible. Use a powered AB/Y splitter and also include a Trio+ on your board. It's a band in a box.
The colors available for the Skycaster maple neck versions are all grayed-pastel and calm. I love this personally. Usually anything this price is that generic blue/red/black, or burst for 20 dollars extra.
We really are in a "golden age" of affordable guitars. Taking inflation into account, this costs about 1/3 of what I paid for my first electric back in 1975 - and it's in a different league in terms of quality and features.
I actually have one of their custom guitars built in the Philippines under supervision of a Japanese master luthier. I bought it in Manila & love that guitar and it plays wonderfully
Bacchus Deviser sent one of their master luthiers to the Phillipines, when Bacchus Global was initially started. This luthier was responsible for the start of the 77 series of 335 style guitars, which were made in Japan. I own the prototype of this amazing model, by Deviser. With luthiers like him around, I am sure that has helped the whole guitar industry in Phillos
I work with the same people who work for deviser japan. I even know their luthier. I also had a chance to get a lot of guitar bodies and neck from them (even parts)
Not necessarily a new brand, maybe for amazon. Local guitar brands here in the Philippines tend to be on the more affordable side, and yet still being good quality, The guitar you featured is in the entry level category of RJ Guitars AKA the "basics" category as RJ calls it, they have the gigline series kind of like the main variant, and the professional series as the more top of the line variant. RJ and the other Philippine brands do manufacture their guitars in China, and from what I know RJ does use the same factory of the old China-made Squier classic vibe factory. But from what I heard RJ plans to re-open their local factory here in Philippines. Local Philippine brands have been killing it the past few years, this generation of up and coming guitarists are so lucky they have so many options to choose from and they get so much value out of their money.
RJ GUITARS, A FILIPINO BRAND. But they dont make their guitars locally anymore, but, their manufacturing in China is the same manufacturers that used to make Squier and Fender guitars before Fender decided to move to Indonesia. The quality is really good especially their 300 USD version of the same skyline lineup.
Smoothing the fret ends is an easy job, just watch several YT videos first so you know what you're doing, how, and why. The Pickups sounded surprisingly good, maybe the best I've heard on a budget guitar.
It was not that long ago that SS frets were considered to be a pretty high end option. But with $99 guitars boasting SS frets, I have to believe that all SS frets are not equal. But I have no idea what the difference is or how to tell. I would be a really useful vid to go into how to tell high end SS frets from crap SS frets and special considerations you need to make when selecting files and such.
Just got a Firefly FFST, with just a little work it’s a great guitar. All I did was some copper shielding tape for the electronics, some new brass roller saddles, and Tusq string trees.
I'm glad you taught me how to do these repairs as well as others. This little guitar sounds so good to be so cheap. I loved the neck and middle pickups. Another great job Phil!!
RJ guitars is a great guitar company. The Vibecaster and Skycaster both with stainless steel frets and bone nut. $99 at that price point is simply an awesome steal.😄
Thanks, Phil. I have been wanting an in-depth review of one of these inexpensive guitars for some time from a trusted source. Pretty impressive sound from that guitar for 100$.
I'm happy to see this review. I'm from the Philippines and I plan to get an instrument from them soon, but it's really hard to find good reviews. Especially from people who've had experience with tons of guitars and can make comparisons. They seem to have been trying to up their guitar game for the past few years. Unfortunately, their bass selection hasn't quite gotten the same love. Which is a shame because I plan to get a bass.
Despite the rough frets, how do they do it? Make it, SS frets, ship it, pay Amazon their 20%? How? Loss leader? Would anyone plunk down more for the next tier in this brand? So, why and how?
Hi Phil, it's actually from a Philippine brand that began producing local guitars back in the 80s, known more for their price than quality. They can actually pull this off in the Philippines because cheap labor, a setup from a tech costs $20-30.
The fret sprout is a very minor thing and can be found on more expensive instruments, but can be easily sorted yourself. But wow what a nice looking and sounding instrument at an astonishing price. You could buy that as a first guitar for a youngster who is learning and in a short number of years you have Jo Bona 2.
As always, best demos on youtube! You cover everything so well and your vids aren't exaggeratingly long. Guitar sounds great surprisingly with inexpesive pickups but truthfully, the Catelyst Amp is doing the heavy lifting of what makes that guitar sounds so good.
My thoughts exactly. Even the cheapest guitar with the most inexpensive pickups will sound good through a high quality (usually expensive) amp and the people dropping comments on here about how good the pickups are are missing that point completely. If you gave me $1000 to spend on just a guitar and amp and said 'get the best sound you can', most of it would be spent on the amp.
The point of using a good amp is to figure out the limiting factor. If a guitar sounds bad through a great amp, you know it's the guitar. If it sounds great through a great amp, then you know the guitar is not the limiting factor if you play it through a worse amp (which frankly will be the case for most people buying $99 guitars). And no, amp alone won't make a bad guitar sound great. It might even make the issues stand out more.
@@chrisguest778 Most guitarists have no clue that the amp is responsible for about 80% of good tone. I learned this years ago and none of my guitars cost me over $700, except my Stratocaster which is US Deluxe. My amps are pretty good ones: Bad Cat, Fender, Carvin, and hopefully soon, a 30w English made Hi Watt. My 1963 (March) Fender Champ is so sweet its mind blowing!
I chose a stainless steel alloy fret to refret my Strat with, and though not as hard as full stainless steel, these seem like they'll never wear out. Yes, they are harder to dress and file but can still be done. I love the idea of never wearing them out once they are good.
I just checked on Amazon, can't find any. But, I'm impressed with the sound. It's worth the price I believe. And I really like the color. Surprised that Amazon shows nothing on their site for them.
I have been working out of the Philippines for the better part of the last two years. Found this brand after walking around one of the local malls and saw their retail location. I put my hands on a lot of these guitars in their store and I can say that as of today, May 5th 2024 that the ones in the store are way better than the one you have there. I actually found your video after visiting the store. I was really impressed with the quality of the guitars for the price.
Dress the fret ends, replace the bridge screws with shorter ones, swap the tuners, and you could have a great sounding, great playing guitar! (Whenever i swap tuners on a guitar, i always use open back Hipshot locking tuners, just for the ease of the operation... And it might help a LITTLE with the neck dive.) It really sounds good! I happen to like ceramic pickups on a strat, a la MIM Strat, because it gives it just the right amount of "growl" for me. But that's just my preference.
I live here in Metro Manila (retired Nashville musician), I always stop by the RJ store in MegaMall or Market Market when the wife and I are out. RJ himself is a pretty well known guitarist and Filipino rocknroll artist. Started RJ Guitars in 1988, and within a few years opened his 1st brick n mortar store. He sell his own line of Tele copies and Strat copies, amplifiers...I have his 15w Cameleon modeling amp. His guitars for the most part have always been entry level, but in the past year or so he has stepped up to the higher mid range levels, and the build quality is pretty solid, considering the price point anywhere from $99 to just under $300, obviously the higher cost are nicer, all have alnico / ceramic pups that sound much better than most other stuff from China. I know a few pro gigging players here that use RJ's as their main axes. His top of line Gigline guitars are made in the original Squier Classic Vibe factory in China, so the quality is pretty consistent. Great guitars for the money.
Such a great review. Excellent tech, fabulous tunes, Phil's got it ...not sure about the guitar, very light, but if it made me play like Phil....so fun, listened until the very end, enjoyed it all.
this sounds a lot better than i expected it to. but i'd seriously consider this just for the neck. sand it down and address the frets, and you can save HUNDREDS on a build!
My most resonant, lively guitar is Paulownia. (I have >2500 guitars) It's really great, but has neck dive. I would love one with a maple top. I may get one made, actually.
I bought a Squier a few months ago and learned to set up guitars on it. I thought Id gotten a steal at $140 as someone who has only played acoustic for 20 years. I promised my wife I wouldn't buy another guitar, but my current one only has a humbucker. I need some single coil hardware in my arsenal for all the funk I play. Can I blame you if my wife gets upset with me? This video has me eyeing that all white version of the Skycaster.
Also interestingly enough, the RJ Skycaster was introduced in 2014, 4yrs before the Silver Sky! I just found a 9yr old video of them introducing it here on YT
That reminds me more of the Epiphone S-300 made in the 80's ( especially that headstock that resembles the Epiphone batwing headstock) than the PRS Silver Sky... That said, another fabulous video and thanks for the info 🙂 I'm on Amazon right now...
The best test for guitars like these, is that with ANY Strat style guitar that adheres to the formula of placing the pickups where they belong along the 25.5" scale, along with a 5-way switch is always going to have the essence of the Strat tone. It's just a question of how much it all matters to you. But man, I LOVE THE WEIGHT OF THAT GUITAR! extraordinary starting point. The SS frets are also a great starting point, but I wonder how stable the neck is. How often would you have to tweak it, re-file the frets?
Phil, I wanted to grab a few of these to mess with, any links??? I'd rather use your link than just buy, but I can't even find these RJ's anywhere. Thanks
The RJ website shows 3 basic and 7 special finishes. I wonder how many will be in the initial Amazon offering. I like the Peach Fuzz but there are a couple others I like too.
This could be a fun project guitar. The big question that jumps out to me is: How is it that we are getting stainless frets on these budget guitars while $900-$1300 imports still cut costs with nickel? There are several imports I would jump at in a heartbeat if they had SS frets, even if they had sprouts. Manufacturers should pay attention.
Thank you for the review, Phillip. It seems like you could have a decent sounding / playing guitar for $200. Certainly not bad for someone starting off.
I bought a £49 strat shaped guitar years ago, sorted out the frets sharp edges, ignored the loose whammy bars thread (couldn't be bothered to change the block), but everything else was ok. The actual sound it made was much, much better than my Japanese made squire 😂
Oh man this guy's story is wild. My wife is from the Philippines and her family lives through the Marcos era as well. This is interesting, especially details like the bone nut. My 1300 ltd didn't have a bone nut lol
It's getting crazier and crazier out there. All the bigs are gouging like never before, even on their entry level stuff. Squire and Epiphone being two prime examples. These guys have to be getting the attention of the big boys. Great and thorough review Phillip.
Fender and Gibson and those types are raising the prices of their cheaper brands because they got tired of being associated with the cheaper brands on the internet very honestly. No CEO/CFO wants to see "these guitars are garbage" because they aren't several grand list price and made in Nashville for twenty years before they say "time to put a premium on this"
@@neilpatrickhairless squires are mostly junk and every Epiphone I've bought new needed fret work out of the box. Your reply might make sense to you, but to me it's laughable
"Aaand the questions is...why?" Oh man Phillip you just made me spit my coffee all over my keyboard! Thanks for making my morning! Keey up the awesome work!
Phil, can you get your hands on RJ's acoustic guitar from their custom shop? They always feature it right beside the Taylor guitars at the back of their stores. I have my opinion on them, but an unbiased, "geeky stuff" deep dive on these would be appreciated. Thanks!
An ultra flat radius and SS frets make it very interesting. Could slap on a new pick guard with a humbucker, a Vega trem, and a guitar nut buster and you’d have a super shred guitar.
It has HSS version too, Skycaster as tiers : Basic Gigline Gigline Special Edition Gigline Special Edition Plus what i have is the Gigline Special Edition
Fact about this guitar company. They actually recommissioned old Squier factories in China. That's one of the main reasons other than quality control why their guitars are so good, especially for the price.
Fretsprout happens on any new guitar, wherever they were made and no matter the pricetag 🤣 I'm used to dealing with this issue, as well as a full setup - and after that the guitar usually is pretty much good to go whatever level the player is... This looks like good fun, and at this price it's a nice cheap platform to upgrade from: different trem and tuners, probably pickups as well - depends on preference, as these don't sound too shabby 😎👍
Hi Phil, thanks for making these great videos. This looks like a nice guitar for a beginner. Having said that, I would assume one cannot put medium or heavy gauge strings on a guitar at this price point.
I notice Bacchus shifted to Indonesia for that line. My two guitars of theirs from the Philippines have been great. I’d recommend shielding the entire pickguard if you want the least amount of noise on the Strat copies.
I should have bought that cast aluminum hollow-body Strat back in the late seventies. I bought a Hummingbird instead. Both were in the store, I could only afford one.
RJ Guitars reached out after they watched the video and said going forward this guitar will have ball end frets. If you get one of these guitars PLEASE put a comment with your experience. Thank you
I liked the video Phillip. Did they give you an ETA when they will be available on Amazon? My nephew's Birthday is coming up and I think this would be perfect!
ye cant wait for the amazon link, i think ill buy two :)
I think all of us strat lovers are interested in getting one of these. Im going to keep my eyes peeled.
new sub here. Very interesting channel. I am enjoying it. Thanks..!!
@@ralphglenz7207 My question too. ...
RJ guitars (Filipino local brand) has been around for as long as i can remember and im 45 yrs old. it was my first guitar in the early 90s. it was my high school graduation gift from my parents. i still have it to this day.
I haven't seen any mention of where RJ sources the guitars from but I believe they are all made in China now. All import and just rebranded.
@@ericdraven9908 im not sure about all models, but their gigline series are made from the same factory that makes squiers before.
@@ericdraven9908its not rebranded. For the meantime, yes its made in china but the specifications are from RJ guitars. This year they will open their factory which was closed on pandemic. If you know Bacchus guitars, they were made in RJ's factory here in the Philippines. That tells the quality RJ have. You should check them out.
*Mabuhay ang Pilipinong gitarista at ang mahusay na gitarang gawang Pinoy!* 🤭 🤘Just in case many don't understand, I'm simply saying that RJ guitars are awesome Philippine made guitars, high quality but very nice to the budget.🎸 I have an RJ guitar and it's a great guitar at a cheap price.🔥
@@ericdraven9908 Rj found the factory in China that used to manufacture the squier and Fender before they moved to indonesia and thats where they source their RJ guitars now, which is for me a better move.
Hello Phillip. I am a Filipino and RJ guitars started selling guitars around 1987 in our country. They used to be a small company selling their wares at select department stores. They were loads better than other locally made guitars. They then started having their own shops by 1991. They are not exactly new but in terms of international recognition, yes
is SQOE also from the Philippines? another cheap but ok brand
@@ymelfilm most probably, although I quite certain it is not made here.
*Mabuhay ang Pilipinong gitarista at ang mahusay na gitarang gawang Pinoy!* Just in case many don't understand, I'm simply saying that RJ guitars are awesome Philippine made guitars, high quality but very nice to the budget. I have an RJ guitar and it's a great guitar at a cheap price.
@@ymelfilmits from spain but selling it in the Philippines
deep dives on super affordable gear is perhaps the most valuable service you provide on this channel, thank you as always for not pulling any punches
Glad you like them!
Firmly disagree.
@PhillipMcKnight pls see my post and honestly, morally respond.
@@sgtmac62 lame...disagree, fine....FIRMLY disagree? geez
@@sgtmac62 most of us are not Doctors and Lawyers.
RJ has a Silver Sky copy. They call it the Vibecaster. Headstock, bird inlays, and all. This RJ Skycaster is their Strat copy.
This is true. I stopped by 2 RJ Guitars during deployment (we hit port in the Philippines). I can confirm it is a 1:1 copy of a Silver Sky with very minor inconsistencies like the switch tip and or the jackplate. It was amazing, I have never seen something like that. It’s almost like a commercialized Chibson. Every guitar I saw was almost as if they got all these Squiers and smacked their necks on em!
It's hilarious when people call it a silversky copy when silversky is basically a strat copy. 😂
@@jmelara324they probly just go directly to cort or some other manufacturer who's already making these things for one or more of those major companies so in that case it would be the same exact parts just without their specific logo/etc
Anybody who learns to work on their own guitars can absolutely save huge amounts of money. A lot of the issues with these cheap guitars are simple fixes (which Phil has tons of great videos on). I get a lot of used guitars that people gave up hope on because they played bad or they felt bad and about 45 minutes of elbow grease and I can get them purring like a kitten 💪
Absolutely, assuming you don't get one with very poor wood that compromises the tone or neck stability. FI, I bought two SX guitars ~10 years ago. One was very good, but the neck Maple on the other was such poor quality that it absorbed all the high-end. I swapped the necks and bodies on the guitars, and it was definitely the neck. It had some Birdseye grain on the FB, which may have been the issue. It was just a weak/soft piece of wood. I'm wondering if that artificial "Zerbra" wood might be the best option for an inexpensive neck. It might be very stable. Kinda' heavy for a body, though.
As sweet sounding as a Paulownia body can be, I'd be concerned if the trem screws might loosen up over time. It's pretty soft stuff. It's does absorb more high-end than Alder, and may muddy the bass. Great for a soft/fat tonal character similar to Limba.
@@GCKelloch Then you could learn how to make necks, Not a problem but an opportunity. Tons of books on the subject too.
@@ptrisonic That's a bit much for most people to take on, and requires tools and the space. I found a guy on eBay that makes great Fender spec necks of quality woods with Stainless frets and pro finished for under $200. I have more guitars than I need now.
So cool to see a Filipino brand get some KYG coverage. RJ has been in the entry level guitar game for decades, selling them at their brick and mortar stores in the Philippines. I used to hang out at one of their stores back in the mid 90s. A lot of Filipinos my age probably got an RJ as their first guitar as even Squiers were quite expensive back then.
One of the best sounding s-casters I've heard, in every switch position.
If you've heard of Nashville based touring / session guitarist extraordinaire RJ Ronquillo (he's got a YT channel too), he was named after the founder of that guitar brand, RJ Jacinto. RJ Jacinto is supposed to be a legend in Philippines, almost 80 now but still playing. I think they offer custom shop guitars too that are on the higher end.
I just recently subscribed to RJ. Good reviews although most everything is out of my league. I recommend his videos.
Had no idea he was named after Ramon Jacinto! Makes a lot of sense!
Been followingRJ since no one knew who he was. I never knew this
@@TheRange7 yeah he said so in one of his Saturday chats. I’ve been following RJ Ronquillo for a while now too and did not know. I didn’t know who Ramon Jacinto was either until I looked him up after RJ mentioned him.
The more you know ......cool
This would a great project guitar not to change any major component but to practice some maintenance and tune up skills before tackling more expensive guitars.
Don't see them on US Amazon under RJ Guitars, Silver Sky or all guitars $80-$110...any hints?
Wow, those ceramics sound surprisingly good. A little elbow grease would make this a snazzy little player. Thanks Phil.
Magnets are magnets for the most part. The rest is just marketing.
@@MOAB-UT "the rest is just marketing"- no. There's discernable differences between pickups that aren't tossed into 100$ guitars.
@@colinburroughs9871 So you are saying there is such a huge difference betweena d$100 guitar and a $1,500 one? I think not. I have owned both. Yes, slightly higher quality, better pups and fit and finish but not $1900 worth. My strat was $1,500 and my super cheapo made in China Mitchell was $99. I bought it for camping so I would not damage my nice guitar nor worry if it got stolen. Turns out, I play it just as much as my strat even at home and it sounds just fine. You would NEVER know the difference in the mix. It stays in tune better and no issues with the fit and finish. It plays great. Yes, $1,500 is a better guitar- sure. Easy. However the delta in price is in no way justified. It is all marketing...as is the case with most things. Now if the strat was $300 or even $500 vs. $99 then sure. Get the better guitar. Really shop by PUPS too. They can make a difference. Not just the PUPS but the switching type system. A more expensive guitar might offer split coil pups that a $99 never will. NOW, if you really want to step your game up, but a Godin xTSA. I did. It's amazing. It has BOTH a Piezo PUP and output jack and an Electric pups and output Jack. This allows me to play BOTH at the same time or blend them accordingly. I run out of my pedalboard BOTH an Electric amp (actually ampS) and a Fishman mini Acousitc amp AND studio monitors. My set up is stellar. Bottom line- I know my gear and all about electronics- studied Elec. Engineering and also studied at an Ivy League University if that matter to you (likely not.) Buy what you need- do check out that Godin though- it's incredible. Use a powered AB/Y splitter and also include a Trio+ on your board. It's a band in a box.
@@colinburroughs9871 The copium is real, show us those frequency response plots of your pickups to see the differences?
@@luigigetsu stupid post. Don't bother me
As a Suhr owner, this sounds incredible!
I started smiling when you did the sound test. It sounds fine.
Most impressive thing was the banjo tone you got out of it!
😂
The colors available for the Skycaster maple neck versions are all grayed-pastel and calm. I love this personally. Usually anything this price is that generic blue/red/black, or burst for 20 dollars extra.
We really are in a "golden age" of affordable guitars. Taking inflation into account, this costs about 1/3 of what I paid for my first electric back in 1975 - and it's in a different league in terms of quality and features.
I actually have one of their custom guitars built in the Philippines under supervision of a Japanese master luthier. I bought it in Manila & love that guitar and it plays wonderfully
Bacchus Deviser sent one of their master luthiers to the Phillipines, when Bacchus Global was initially started. This luthier was responsible for the start of the 77 series of 335 style guitars, which were made in Japan. I own the prototype of this amazing model, by Deviser. With luthiers like him around, I am sure that has helped the whole guitar industry in Phillos
Nice.
I work with the same people who work for deviser japan. I even know their luthier. I also had a chance to get a lot of guitar bodies and neck from them (even parts)
Sounds incredible for the price. Went straight to Amazon and was bummed they werent available yet.
Amazing the options today for entry-level guitars
I've looked quite a few times and no go! I'd love to buy one when they become available!!!
Not necessarily a new brand, maybe for amazon. Local guitar brands here in the Philippines tend to be on the more affordable side, and yet still being good quality, The guitar you featured is in the entry level category of RJ Guitars AKA the "basics" category as RJ calls it, they have the gigline series kind of like the main variant, and the professional series as the more top of the line variant.
RJ and the other Philippine brands do manufacture their guitars in China, and from what I know RJ does use the same factory of the old China-made Squier classic vibe factory. But from what I heard RJ plans to re-open their local factory here in Philippines.
Local Philippine brands have been killing it the past few years, this generation of up and coming guitarists are so lucky they have so many options to choose from and they get so much value out of their money.
Well no complaints about the sounds, I loved what I was hearing from those cheap pickups. They sounded great.
RJ GUITARS, A FILIPINO BRAND. But they dont make their guitars locally anymore, but, their manufacturing in China is the same manufacturers that used to make Squier and Fender guitars before Fender decided to move to Indonesia. The quality is really good especially their 300 USD version of the same skyline lineup.
Did someone say my name?!
Smoothing the fret ends is an easy job, just watch several YT videos first so you know what you're doing, how, and why. The Pickups sounded surprisingly good, maybe the best I've heard on a budget guitar.
It was not that long ago that SS frets were considered to be a pretty high end option. But with $99 guitars boasting SS frets, I have to believe that all SS frets are not equal. But I have no idea what the difference is or how to tell. I would be a really useful vid to go into how to tell high end SS frets from crap SS frets and special considerations you need to make when selecting files and such.
Yes please. Ive been wondering about how ss frets on cheap harley bentons for instance compare to the higher end stuff
Expensive SS frets are way smoother, easier to work with but harder to cut.
Just got a Firefly FFST, with just a little work it’s a great guitar. All I did was some copper shielding tape for the electronics, some new brass roller saddles, and Tusq string trees.
None of what you did was required it was your preference.
@@bluwnghe didn’t say it was required
@@nicksalvatore5717 I never said that you said it I was stating a fact.
Thank you for this review. Glad that RJ Guitars, the brand that ny late grandfather loved in his time, is thriving internationally
These geetarz are good for learning how to work on a guitar. And/or complete upgrade fun! Love the body color
I'm glad you taught me how to do these repairs as well as others.
This little guitar sounds so good to be so cheap. I loved the neck and middle pickups.
Another great job Phil!!
RJ guitars is a great guitar company. The Vibecaster and Skycaster both with stainless steel frets and bone nut. $99 at that price point is simply an awesome steal.😄
RJ Guitars has been manufacturing musical instruments for the Filipino people since 1988.
Would be super helpful if you measured the neck pocket. Could possibly be a great mod platform if we knew what necks would fit in there
The sock test! Brilliant! Love SS frets but if they aren't finished right, they'll be hell to rework...
99 dollars , It's pretty darn good at the price point.
Brad Paisley has Bill Crook use Paulownia bodies, for some of his custom builds. Its a great tonewood.
Thanks, Phil. I have been wanting an in-depth review of one of these inexpensive guitars for some time from a trusted source. Pretty impressive sound from that guitar for 100$.
I'm happy to see this review. I'm from the Philippines and I plan to get an instrument from them soon, but it's really hard to find good reviews. Especially from people who've had experience with tons of guitars and can make comparisons.
They seem to have been trying to up their guitar game for the past few years. Unfortunately, their bass selection hasn't quite gotten the same love. Which is a shame because I plan to get a bass.
I've been waiting to upsize my budget meal guitar. finally!
Hi Landon! 😀 🇨🇦
Despite the rough frets, how do they do it? Make it, SS frets, ship it, pay Amazon their 20%? How? Loss leader? Would anyone plunk down more for the next tier in this brand? So, why and how?
Hi Phil, it's
actually from a Philippine brand that began producing local guitars back in the 80s, known more for their price than quality.
They can actually pull this off in the Philippines because cheap labor, a setup from a tech costs $20-30.
EXACTLY
manufacturing is in China and not PH.
This is all china guitars. The ine they sold on the mall are not even good. (Just the expensive one and even that has an alignment problems)
Those ceramic pickups sound great in all positions. Nice demo!
It actually sounds way better than i would have expected. Flat radius I think are awesome, wish fender would make them.
The fret sprout is a very minor thing and can be found on more expensive instruments, but can be easily sorted yourself. But wow what a nice looking and sounding instrument at an astonishing price. You could buy that as a first guitar for a youngster who is learning and in a short number of years you have Jo Bona 2.
As always, best demos on youtube! You cover everything so well and your vids aren't exaggeratingly long. Guitar sounds great surprisingly with inexpesive pickups but truthfully, the Catelyst Amp is doing the heavy lifting of what makes that guitar sounds so good.
My thoughts exactly. Even the cheapest guitar with the most inexpensive pickups will sound good through a high quality (usually expensive) amp and the people dropping comments on here about how good the pickups are are missing that point completely. If you gave me $1000 to spend on just a guitar and amp and said 'get the best sound you can', most of it would be spent on the amp.
The point of using a good amp is to figure out the limiting factor. If a guitar sounds bad through a great amp, you know it's the guitar. If it sounds great through a great amp, then you know the guitar is not the limiting factor if you play it through a worse amp (which frankly will be the case for most people buying $99 guitars).
And no, amp alone won't make a bad guitar sound great. It might even make the issues stand out more.
@@chrisguest778 Most guitarists have no clue that the amp is responsible for about 80% of good tone. I learned this years ago and none of my guitars cost me over $700, except my Stratocaster which is US Deluxe.
My amps are pretty good ones: Bad Cat, Fender, Carvin, and hopefully soon, a 30w English made Hi Watt.
My 1963 (March) Fender Champ is so sweet its mind blowing!
I chose a stainless steel alloy fret to refret my Strat with, and though not as hard as full stainless steel, these seem like they'll never wear out. Yes, they are harder to dress and file but can still be done. I love the idea of never wearing them out once they are good.
Man... I've been wanting to learn to do some tech stuff, including fret work... this might be a good project guitar to learn on.
Excellent starter platform for playing and tech work. Not bad!
If only they didn't use stainless frets. Good luck dressing stainless steel.
I just checked on Amazon, can't find any. But, I'm impressed with the sound. It's worth the price I believe. And I really like the color. Surprised that Amazon shows nothing on their site for them.
I have been working out of the Philippines for the better part of the last two years. Found this brand after walking around one of the local malls and saw their retail location. I put my hands on a lot of these guitars in their store and I can say that as of today, May 5th 2024 that the ones in the store are way better than the one you have there. I actually found your video after visiting the store. I was really impressed with the quality of the guitars for the price.
RJ guitars is a Filipino brand. RJ was a local guitar star back in the day and was personal friends with the Ventures
Dress the fret ends, replace the bridge screws with shorter ones, swap the tuners, and you could have a great sounding, great playing guitar! (Whenever i swap tuners on a guitar, i always use open back Hipshot locking tuners, just for the ease of the operation... And it might help a LITTLE with the neck dive.) It really sounds good! I happen to like ceramic pickups on a strat, a la MIM Strat, because it gives it just the right amount of "growl" for me. But that's just my preference.
What does shorter bridge screws achieve please?
@@rickyzoom8059 the shorter screws fit more flush so you don't scratch your hand up when playing.
@@CG-rf6nuRJ has a higher tier for these
All these are made in the same factory previously used by squier
open gear Hipshot tuners are superior, if I replace tuners on something thats what I use as well
You would expect a few issues with a guitar that cheap, but as a starter guitar it’s a million times better than anything I could buy when I started ,
Phil, great video ..what brand model lighted magnifier was that ...love it
I live here in Metro Manila (retired Nashville musician), I always stop by the RJ store in MegaMall or Market Market when the wife and I are out. RJ himself is a pretty well known guitarist and Filipino rocknroll artist. Started RJ Guitars in 1988, and within a few years opened his 1st brick n mortar store. He sell his own line of Tele copies and Strat copies, amplifiers...I have his 15w Cameleon modeling amp. His guitars for the most part have always been entry level, but in the past year or so he has stepped up to the higher mid range levels, and the build quality is pretty solid, considering the price point anywhere from $99 to just under $300, obviously the higher cost are nicer, all have alnico / ceramic pups that sound much better than most other stuff from China. I know a few pro gigging players here that use RJ's as their main axes. His top of line Gigline guitars are made in the original Squier Classic Vibe factory in China, so the quality is pretty consistent. Great guitars for the money.
Whoa, Phil! Awesome shredding on the banjo solo!!
Such a great review. Excellent tech, fabulous tunes, Phil's got it ...not sure about the guitar, very light, but if it made me play like Phil....so fun, listened until the very end, enjoyed it all.
Erm… there are definitely 22 frets there Phil! 🤔😜🤣🤣🤣
what are the best replacement/upgrade pickups for a strat you recommend?
this sounds a lot better than i expected it to. but i'd seriously consider this just for the neck. sand it down and address the frets, and you can save HUNDREDS on a build!
It actually sounds decent??
Yes.
Real cost is probably about $10.00 to make. Slave labor is cheap.
The bone nut test was exactly what this channel was made for 😂 thanks as always phil
You should check their high end guitars like their version of Greeny and the PRS copies
My most resonant, lively guitar is Paulownia. (I have >2500 guitars) It's really great, but has neck dive. I would love one with a maple top. I may get one made, actually.
I bought a Squier a few months ago and learned to set up guitars on it. I thought Id gotten a steal at $140 as someone who has only played acoustic for 20 years. I promised my wife I wouldn't buy another guitar, but my current one only has a humbucker. I need some single coil hardware in my arsenal for all the funk I play. Can I blame you if my wife gets upset with me? This video has me eyeing that all white version of the Skycaster.
Also interestingly enough, the RJ Skycaster was introduced in 2014, 4yrs before the Silver Sky! I just found a 9yr old video of them introducing it here on YT
That reminds me more of the Epiphone S-300 made in the 80's ( especially that headstock that resembles the Epiphone batwing headstock) than the PRS Silver Sky...
That said, another fabulous video and thanks for the info 🙂 I'm on Amazon right now...
What a time to be a guitar player.
The best test for guitars like these, is that with ANY Strat style guitar that adheres to the formula of placing the pickups where they belong along the 25.5" scale, along with a 5-way switch is always going to have the essence of the Strat tone. It's just a question of how much it all matters to you.
But man, I LOVE THE WEIGHT OF THAT GUITAR! extraordinary starting point. The SS frets are also a great starting point, but I wonder how stable the neck is. How often would you have to tweak it, re-file the frets?
What makes this a Silver Sky copy and not a Strat copy?
Phil, I wanted to grab a few of these to mess with, any links??? I'd rather use your link than just buy, but I can't even find these RJ's anywhere. Thanks
I went to Amazon and there is nothing there?? Any links??
The RJ website shows 3 basic and 7 special finishes. I wonder how many will be in the initial Amazon offering. I like the Peach Fuzz but there are a couple others I like too.
This could be a fun project guitar. The big question that jumps out to me is: How is it that we are getting stainless frets on these budget guitars while $900-$1300 imports still cut costs with nickel? There are several imports I would jump at in a heartbeat if they had SS frets, even if they had sprouts. Manufacturers should pay attention.
Sounds good like a Strat. So haven't sanded stainless fret ends before and don't know how stubborn they are, but Seems like a great deal for $99
Spunded good on the demo
Which tuning, signal paths aka effects/amp/specific soeaker ?
Hi im Filipino and i would like to say the The potentiometer of rj skycaster is 500k volume and 2 tones
Well im unable to find RJ guitars anywhere on Amazon at all, let alone this guitar
Thank you for the review, Phillip. It seems like you could have a decent sounding / playing guitar for $200. Certainly not bad for someone starting off.
I bought a £49 strat shaped guitar years ago, sorted out the frets sharp edges, ignored the loose whammy bars thread (couldn't be bothered to change the block), but everything else was ok. The actual sound it made was much, much better than my Japanese made squire 😂
I love these premieres. It's like old cable TV experience queueing up for a show.
Oh man this guy's story is wild. My wife is from the Philippines and her family lives through the Marcos era as well. This is interesting, especially details like the bone nut. My 1300 ltd didn't have a bone nut lol
Great breakdown Phillip. On my screen it looks like Mourning Dove Grey. Nice color.
It's getting crazier and crazier out there. All the bigs are gouging like never before, even on their entry level stuff. Squire and Epiphone being two prime examples. These guys have to be getting the attention of the big boys. Great and thorough review Phillip.
Fender and Gibson and those types are raising the prices of their cheaper brands because they got tired of being associated with the cheaper brands on the internet very honestly. No CEO/CFO wants to see "these guitars are garbage" because they aren't several grand list price and made in Nashville for twenty years before they say "time to put a premium on this"
@@neilpatrickhairless squires are mostly junk and every Epiphone I've bought new needed fret work out of the box. Your reply might make sense to you, but to me it's laughable
Got to say that guitar sure sounds good, Good price,little love,super guitar! Thumbs up!
Can you tell me where I can get a lamp like that!?
"Aaand the questions is...why?" Oh man Phillip you just made me spit my coffee all over my keyboard! Thanks for making my morning! Keey up the awesome work!
Hi, great review!
Just to advise that this guitar is not available on Amazon for Canadian customers.
Pete
Phil, can you get your hands on RJ's acoustic guitar from their custom shop? They always feature it right beside the Taylor guitars at the back of their stores. I have my opinion on them, but an unbiased, "geeky stuff" deep dive on these would be appreciated. Thanks!
An ultra flat radius and SS frets make it very interesting. Could slap on a new pick guard with a humbucker, a Vega trem, and a guitar nut buster and you’d have a super shred guitar.
It has HSS version too, Skycaster as tiers :
Basic
Gigline
Gigline Special Edition
Gigline Special Edition Plus
what i have is the Gigline Special Edition
Great review and esp the tip to noobs about how much the components to upgrade will cost. Well done.
Fact about this guitar company. They actually recommissioned old Squier factories in China. That's one of the main reasons other than quality control why their guitars are so good, especially for the price.
Fretsprout happens on any new guitar, wherever they were made and no matter the pricetag 🤣
I'm used to dealing with this issue, as well as a full setup - and after that the guitar usually is pretty much good to go whatever level the player is...
This looks like good fun, and at this price it's a nice cheap platform to upgrade from: different trem and tuners, probably pickups as well - depends on preference, as these don't sound too shabby 😎👍
Hi Phil, thanks for making these great videos. This looks like a nice guitar for a beginner. Having said that, I would assume one cannot put medium or heavy gauge strings on a guitar at this price point.
How do you acquire one of these in the United States, Phillip? Your link doesn't go anywhere useful. How did you acquire yours?
It would be fascinating to see you review their new premium electric made in the Philippines with Japanese tooling from the folks that make baccus...
I notice Bacchus shifted to Indonesia for that line. My two guitars of theirs from the Philippines have been great. I’d recommend shielding the entire pickguard if you want the least amount of noise on the Strat copies.
Super vintage five in one
I should have bought that cast aluminum hollow-body Strat back in the late seventies. I bought a Hummingbird instead. Both were in the store, I could only afford one.
Love your reviews. BTW...I can't find this on Amazon. I want one to set up for slide.
That doesn't sound terrible.