$99 Amazon Guitar With Stainless Steel Frets
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- Опубліковано 27 бер 2024
- #knowyourgear #podcast #guitarpodcast #geekystuff
RJ Guitars said they will be listing these Skycasters on Amazon
www.rjguitars.com.ph/
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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.
@@ericdraven9908 Refurbishing since 1988 🤣
*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.🔥
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.
@@ymelfilm Hindi Bro. Import lng dn Like JCraft | Clifton | Ligaya Guitars Etc...
Best is, @PhilipMcKnight Should Deep Down Review on Elegee Custom @ Guitar Harbour Custom
Un tlga Pinoy Pride than RJ's Refurbished Since 1988
I own Bluesbreaker | Rokker | Manila | Prairie | Querida | GA-10 | GFB-10R Amps
Baka sabhn Hater Lng, di nmn Owner
*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.
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.
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.
One of the best sounding s-casters I've heard, in every switch position.
As a Suhr owner, this sounds incredible!
I started smiling when you did the sound test. It sounds fine.
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.
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
@@user-fv5yo5fi5c 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
Most impressive thing was the banjo tone you got out of it!
😂
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. $99 at that price point is simply an awesome steal.😄
Wow, those ceramics sound surprisingly good. A little elbow grease would make this a snazzy little player. Thanks Phil.
I really liked the pickups!
Magnets are magnets for the most part. The rest is just marketing.
@@UTAH100 Ceramic, or ferrite, magnets are made of a composite of powdered iron oxide & barium/strontium carbonate ceramic. Low cost materials & manufacturing methods = inexpensive magnets.
Alnico magnets resist corrosion & have physical properties more forgiving than ferrite (ceramic).
The current cheapest permanent magnets, allowing for field strengths, are flexible and ceramic magnets, but these are also among the weakest types.
@@UTAH100 "the rest is just marketing"- no. There's discernable differences between pickups that aren't tossed into 100$ 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.
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 am amazed at the great sounding pickups,
Amazing the options today for entry-level guitars
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)
Well no complaints about the sounds, I loved what I was hearing from those cheap pickups. They sounded great.
RJ Guitars has been manufacturing musical instruments for the Filipino people since 1988.
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.
Those ceramic pickups sound great in all positions. Nice demo!
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.
The bone nut test was exactly what this channel was made for 😂 thanks as always phil
Sounds incredible for the price. Went straight to Amazon and was bummed they werent available yet.
Whoa, Phil! Awesome shredding on the banjo solo!!
These geetarz are good for learning how to work on a guitar. And/or complete upgrade fun! Love the body color
Phil, great video ..what brand model lighted magnifier was that ...love it
Erm… there are definitely 22 frets there Phil! 🤔😜🤣🤣🤣
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 $700, except my Stratocaster which is US Deluxe.
My amps are pretty good ones: Bad Cat, Fender, Carvin, and hopefully soon, a 30w English made Hi Watt.
My 1963 (March) Fender Champ is so sweet its mind blowing!
What a time to be a guitar player.
Very interesting ! Thanks Phil !
Excellent starter platform for playing and tech work. Not bad!
If only they didn't use stainless frets. Good luck dressing stainless steel.
Good review, thanks !!
Thank you for this review. Glad that RJ Guitars, the brand that ny late grandfather loved in his time, is thriving internationally
Thanks, Phil. I have been wanting an in-depth review of one of these inexpensive guitars for some time from a trusted source. Pretty impressive sound from that guitar for 100$.
Sounds awesome!
I've looked quite a few times and no go! I'd love to buy one when they become available!!!
Great review! And some tasty playing too!
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.
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.
I've been waiting to upsize my budget meal guitar. finally!
Hi Landon! 😀 🇨🇦
99 dollars , It's pretty darn good at the price point.
Sounds... stunning.
Here is a thing to think about getting if the guitar is top heavy. Put a Brass block on the bridge. I've done this several times and it makes the guitar heavier and smoother sounding to me in these types of guitars with light bodies. You can also run sandpaper in your hands to sand baseball style shaped necks down to fitting your hands better. If its not painted (is better and smoother playing) its easy to do.
@@mal2ksc I've done wax finishes and true oil. Ive never used that wipe on poly before.
Great breakdown Phillip. On my screen it looks like Mourning Dove Grey. Nice color.
Great review and esp the tip to noobs about how much the components to upgrade will cost. Well done.
The sock test! Brilliant! Love SS frets but if they aren't finished right, they'll be hell to rework...
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.
My Player Telecast has sharp grub screws. Thanks for the site.
Any tips on finding the correct size?
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
I love these premieres. It's like old cable TV experience queueing up for a show.
Got to say that guitar sure sounds good, Good price,little love,super guitar! Thumbs up!
Can't believe RJ made it to your channel..
I guess RJ really need some recognition globally..
Spunded good on the demo
Which tuning, signal paths aka effects/amp/specific soeaker ?
Love the honesty from this guy. Know if you are polishing a turd to get a decent guitar.
It actually sounds way better than i would have expected. Flat radius I think are awesome, wish fender would make them.
Great video! Amazing what $100 can buy.
Thank you.
Love your reviews. BTW...I can't find this on Amazon. I want one to set up for slide.
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.
I own the Broadcaster (Tele style) and love it
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...
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
Brad Paisley has Bill Crook use Paulownia bodies, for some of his custom builds. Its a great tonewood.
RJ's 2024 line is a big step up from their precious offerings
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.
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.
Good Afternoon,
Thank you for the review.
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 ,
Sure wasn’t expecting to see Phil reviewing the brand that made my very first electric!
RJ is a respectable brand for entry level electrics from the Philippines. Sure a lot of their designs are …inspired lol but I appreciate their intent trying to juice up what a beginner level guitar can have. A lot of great and aspiring musicians here in the PH who may not have the budget for a PRS or Fender or Gibson. So RJ does fill a nice role here
Sir, you have to try their RJ Tonemaster and RJ Bluesbreaker 🎸
Not a bad little guitar at all IMO, great review and very helpful
Paulownia (paw-LOH-nee-uh) is also known as "Empress Wood" or "Princess Wood." Fender had some relatively spendy 60th Anniversary Telecasters made from it back in 2011-12. Super light, but compresses (dents) easily and is prone to having srews pull out. Stainless Steel comes in many grades and qualities, within grades; I wonder how these frets will compare...
what are the best replacement/upgrade pickups for a strat you recommend?
I just noticed they have a very interesting higher end guitar, wish they sent you that. I think its called super vintage.
Grink, grey/pink. lol EDIT: like your new back ground. the shop looks much more techie!!!!
How did you get those lovely banjo tones when you were testing the frets?
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.
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 😎👍
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.
Phill... does that color look as good in person? I saw a tacoma today with a similar color and loved it.
RJ guitars is a Filipino brand. RJ was a local guitar star back in the day and was personal friends with the Ventures
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
I can now take guitars like that and make it feel great to the hands, because I have learned a lot from your channel. It sounds great and I will be checking them out. Dude, your playing seems to have become much better, Actually INCREDIBLE. REALLY, DAMN! 🤔😁
pretty amazing a $100 sounds actually not bad for a beginner
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.
Not a bad little guitar!
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.
This is so crazy. I was watching a video yesterday of a guy showing his progress in a year. And the sound was terrible. He was very happy but it got me thinking…
“There must be a lot that goes into making a “final form” of a song that sounds really good. The mixing process is probably a whole nother things in and of itself.”
Now this video shows up. So I guess the algorithm can read minds now.
#Subscribed
Looks great sounds great and a great price that's a hat trick in my language.👍
My wife is a filipina and in 2016 we were there and bought matching RJ watches cool stores always great staff.
my bad :/ the wife corrected me they are RRJ not RJ .
It's good that decent cheap stuff is out there, it used to be a cheap guitar was almost unplayable, and it's the thing given to most kids who are interested in learning. The bad instruments turned them off to playing. It's hard enough to learn on good stuff. This is a good way to learn, drop it bang it around, and you don't worry because it's cheap. Stuff like this is good for the industry, it introduces a new generation to playing.
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 have a question about the neck - would it be possible to change the neck to an Allparts neck - is the neck pocket compatible or would it need to be routed differently?
6:40 Phil can you link that light and magnifier? I wouldn’t even know what search terms to use for that 🤣😂🤣😂
Cheers from NZ 😎🎸🤘
where did you get that stand magnet? do you mind sharing the info ? thanks at least the name or brand
one answer might be a fender bridge cover but will it fit on this guitar ? also my american performer strat will that bridge cover fit my strat bridge prefer not to get it here and then have to send it back thanks Phil