Still waiting on another batch of these 338 models. But the folks at Firefly just put up some new versions of their other models. JR single cuts, DC double cuts and the TH thinlines. (Oct 2019) Links are in the description!
Well, two months later and every single listing on Amazon says "currently unavailable". Don't suppose you know how frequently these are released? Thanks for the great video, very well done and very informative!
Picked up a red one off Amazon last week. Already modded it a bit. New non-microphonic pickups, new bridge and tuners. Sounds great now. Still needs a little more fretwork, but nice nonetheless.
I have the red 338, I replaced the pickups with Gibson 57 Classics, Protone roller bridge, full sized Bourns pots, Sprauge capacitor, Switchcraft switch, aluminum stop bar tail piece, Gotoh locking 510 style tuners. Why on a guitar you might ask? Because the build quality for that kind of money was worth the investment. It made me put my Gibson 335 away in it's case for a long case nap. After all these upgrades I would stack it up against any Gibby 335 out there. I installed 6105 stainless frets and put a bone nut on it. Even after all these improvements I still have thousands less than a stock Gibson 335 would cost. That's why. When I leave it on the stage during a set break I don't have to worry about coming back and finding my Gibby 335 took a hike. And still have a great guitar that gets the job done excellently and I didn't lose a vintage investment that can't be replaced for what the Firefly cost
I have 3 of these models and really like them and for the price, you can't beat them. What I did with one of mine is I removed the pickguard screws and added small magnets so depending on my mood I can have it on or off. Really simple to do and it works great. Rock on
We all know how many guitars a guitar player really needs - just one more! Thanks for the review, and my Firefly 338 will be ordered as soon as they restock! You gotta love this life!
I purchased the Gold Top approx 7 months ago.. The guitar arrived in very flimsy box & wrapping...thought one of the pics was broken, but with a little tweaking, it was fine. The pickups sound good, not microphonic, like early ones. The frets needed cleaning, and crowning. I have upgraded the tuners(crap) to Wilkenson EZ Lock locking tuners, as well as an upgraded Tune-a-matic bridge. With the addition of Elixer Steel/Nickel Nonoweb 11-47 electric guitar strings She now sounds...well, great!! Most all "affordable" guitars require a "setup", & intonation..but, like Myself, itlf You've got a little time, watch a couple of UA-cam videos and You can make any "affordable" guitar like this sound just like You want it to. Maybe down the road I'll experiment with some different pickups, but I'm gigging right the way She is.
It's that time again, these are back in stock! Just missed the gold sparkle. But theres Walnut, Black and Iced Tea (personal favorite) still available. Updated links in the description.
My tuners were awful. Replaced with Gotoh locking tuners. Direct drop in. The pickups were majorly microphonic and I couldn’t play anything more than very light gain without loads of feedback. The bridge needed replacing. Put a Wilkinson roller bridge in (didn’t fit perfectly...had to file the holes out a bit). As mentioned here, the frets need some work. All in all, my red version picked up last week (1/2020) was in much better fit and finish than the one in this video. Still after about $75 worth of mods, it’s a great sounding guitar. Very happy.
Just got my red one, and I’m crazy about it. The only thing I had to do was polish the frets, as they are very gritty out of the box. But now that they’re polished out I can’t believe how well it sounds and plays.
I heard of firefly I'm impressed with it for the price, judging by you fine demo. I personally like the pick guard. I started playing music in 1972, it was unheard of to get a guitar that good for that price point. Keep the music going my friend
Guitar Max had this on last year and I bought one the next day! It sounds and plays great! I also bought the Firefly Les Paul and again another great one by Firefly!
Its really the golden age of the cheap guitar. I just got my Firefly last week. It's and amazing instrument... needs tuners and a nut, but I'll still be well under $200 for a good looking, good playing, and good sounding guitar. Compare that to my first real electric guitar .... I paid $300 in 1983 for a used Epiphone that quite frankly sucked ---it was very quickly replaced with a Fender at over $400. In todays dollars, that's in the $700 to $800 range. I could buy 5 Fireflys for that! I'm somewhat of an nut for cheap guitars now... I have a $115 SX Tele ---that one took tuners, a nut, and pups, and a full setup to be useable (it's pretty excellent now). Tagimas are really the best deal out there right now.....my Tagima T-635 "Strat", and Tagima "Jazzmaster" play and sound as well as my American Fenders with no need for any upgrades.
For the price, it's getting difficult not to buy one of these. I don't really need one, but like many people say...there's no such thing as too many guitars!👍😎🎸🎶
Just bought mine before it sold out early March- red. Thx for the review and the time codes in the description. Waiting delivery. Nice clear demo and commentary. 🎶🎵
Definitely WITH the pickguard...it gives the instrument a classier, more elegant look... Great vid, btw. you inspired me to order a wine red 338 from amazon... can't wait to get my hands on it!
I just bought a Firefly and a Grote from Amazon.. The firefly is really nice and after a set up plays really good.. I am going to replace the nut with a tusk XL, replace the bridge and tuners and gonna buy a case for this guitar because its a keeper.. The Grote is kind of a problem child.. Sounds good and intoates fine just plays weird.. I cant get the action to go down with out it buzzing like crazy.. I have adjusted the nut height, the truss rod and the action and it still feels choppy and buzzy.. Bridge rattle tuners are junk and it does have one really bad fret that is high on the 21 fret.. It needs all the above parts and the frets to be leveled and crowned.. hopefully i can get it to play like the firefly... My friend bought a Grote and he loves it right out the box.. I should have sent the grote back but it really is a great looking guitar plus it needs someone to luve the poor thing...
Just got one in Transparent Blue, had to replace nut, as it was cut too low, but with some wrangling, managed to get it in great playing condition. Is well worth the 139.00.
Pick guard YES. Never a single thought about removing it from my '67 Gibson ES 335TD. Now that I've thought about it, I still would not remove it. If you forget where it is when time comes to sell or gift, it would be an issue.
Just got a blueburst one from amazon for $146.00 free shipping, gotta say I think they (the company) have been paying attention to all these review videos, mine came double boxed, very clean and pretty much setup just right, the picks say firebird lol but that's ok, everything else looks and plays well, most likely I'll do some upgrades (just because I do that to all of my guitars) however seems pretty ok as is, worth the money, just saying
I wanted a semi hollow body and decided on the ff338 Pro(now 220 dollars and 200, in four years Firefly has improved the shipping box with a solid block of foam and a 1/2 thick solid foam lid, the binding is nearly perfect, I am learning to play and using this like an acoustic guitar, so I don't know if the pickups are still microphonic. The inlays are perfectly cut without black filler visible and are now square/rectangular shapes and the frets are polished and perfectly ball shaped ends. I choose the Firefly(solid yellow, no fancy wood grain, $169 4th of July special) over the Squire Starcaster, I hope I made the best choice.
The chip next to nut became bigger on mine and it revealed that the neck is made of plastic after I scrape jt down a 1/4 inch down. I don't know what the finger board is made of. I still love it and it plays well anyway. Just knock on the neck and you'll hear the plastic . I know you may think I'm nuts but ck it out.
They are back in stock! Great finishes again. Transparent red, sunburst, black. And the Blue Burst which seems to go quick. Updated links in the description. (As of today)
I got the 338 in Blue burst and was so impressed I bought the fflp (Les Paul style) in black w/3 pickups and gold hardware (breaking the bank at $189, lol). I love these instruments! Not perfect, but fun and nice as well as nice and fun!
I noticed Amazon had the 338 in transparent red yesterday morning. I ordered one and it should get here next week. Today they are unavailable. Who would think a cheap Chinese guitar would sell out so fast. Thanks for your review. Nice, tasteful blues licks, BTW.
I got one and right out of the box it had a couple of issues. It chocked out on open chords and the pickups would start squealing with the slightest bit of Gain, even though they sound ok otherwise. To remedy I had the level bevel and polish the frets, and I changed out the pickups with som low output hum buckets. Love it now, sounds and plays great. So yeah very cheap and a little bit of work and it was well worth it.
Looking to buying one of these just have to wait. None in stock in U.S. at present. Love the color but have not seen those before. Have seen the red,blue, black, and gold. Would rather have the walnut color like yours. Awesome guitars. Will have one of these toward the end of the year when in stock.
Anyone know if this would work for some classic rock and a little pop-punk? I know Tom DeLonge uses a Gibson hollow body nowadays. I really dig the look and price.
Pick guard is personal preference, but I removed mine from my Iced Tea purchased in May. By the way, they are available again on Amazon for $139. 4 nice colors to choose from.
Guitar gardens has blue in stock for 159 right now! A-day has first edition in red for $139 +20 shipping as well. Just ordered red one for my childhood friend. You better hurry!!!
When I bought my epiphone it was put through an 55 inspection plan. I paid for the sound and it's beautiful. I'm happy with my decision! The LP has my attention. The fire fly is just another inexpensive line of 🎸 guitars
I bought the ES 339 pro after researching so many types of guitars in its class. I chose Sweetwater to buy because I wanted buy a guitar to play it without modification. 4 years still playing without mods!
i have 2 of the 338 one black and a red one i also have a firefly ffth telecaster thine line that is totally awesome as to the pick guard i took the one off my black one and left the pick guard on my red one .these guitars are sweet babies they play so nice both of mine were intoned and nice action from the factory i am in the middle of of fitting my black one out with gold hardware .these guitars are the best inexpensive guitar you can buy and even though they might have a few blemishes hear and there but for a guitar at $ 139.00 nothing can touch it .also it is a great guitar for modding without breaking the bank .also there are 2 firefly fan clubs on Facebook 1 is firefly guitars and firefly fans .check them out .and i think your guitar would look great without the pick guard.
The white spots on the fret board might be buffing material filling in the grain..I hit mine with s soft bronze wire brush and some came out..I leveled and polished the frets, only two were slightly out of wack, new tuners and bridge..have some pickups coming but in no hurray.
I just got 2 within last 2 weeks...they seem to be perfect for a normal picker like me...the humbuckers and POTS are nice....good axe to have if you dont want to spend a lot $$ on a Gibson, now a pro or someone who gigs a lot could upgrade this to a really nice geetar....
I bought one a couple weeks ago. Very well done guitar. Wine red, no flaws. I did change strings to pure nickel Fender 150R. Just my preference. Also, i noticed the paint is a little susceptable to fine scratches like many guitars, so i did a quick 3 light coats of clear enamel. Much better. I can't stop playing the thing. Wife wants a divorce after 49 years. LOL! Who cares if a giraffe can hide in the grass?? Thanks for the clean demo!
I personally prefer without the pickguard but if you take an installed pickguard off you will have holes! I have a Hoffner Violin Bass with no pickguard I think looks much nicer that way! 🎸
Took pickguard off, have holes also. They blend in with the spalted maple, gotta look real close to see them, just look like shadow. Called Guitar Garden, made a good deal and kept the guitar. This guitar plays so well and is drop dead gorgeous. The pickguard stays off. Thought I had the only one with the holes.
Just found and subscribed to your site. Encouraging to know there are still good people in this world. Thanks! You've made a new friend. Now, if I can only find one of those Fireflys for sale. :-)) Shalom, gw
I got one too. I got the clear, natural one. It’s the best $140 I’ve sent! Definitely had to set it up, change the strings and a tweek here and there, and it’s pretty darn good. Again, $140. I’m gonna level and crown the frets, and eventually switch out the electronics, but for now, I love it! Congrats to you!
I have exactly the same Firefly and I have yet to unbox it, but most importantly they are once again available on Amazon. The colors are different this time around.
Do you guys recommend this for a first guitar? Just want something to learn basic funk/soul stuff. Would be mostly going thru an audio interface and using guitar Rig?
Personally I think semi-hollow guitars are great for those styles. All the tones in this video were recorded through an interface. I was using Amplitube for this one...
First, I like it that you say only things that are relevant, play only the bits that should give us viewers some kind of our own idea n hour playing is also rather nice. I'm weighing my options between this Firefly or a Korean Grote. On the other hand, there's the 40pluk thousands of Indian Rupees worth Gretsch Streamliners. They all sound extremely similar to me. Moreover, it is in me to always add gain n distortion to my settings. Your take on Firefly here is darn convincing, relevant n brutally honest. Any further advice from you will not fall on empty ears. Why Gretsch? So, I can leave them in my will for my children n their children as it's a historical brand. Why Firefly n, or, Grote? Because it proves my point that it doesn't have to be expensive nor pretentious to sound fantastic.
I didn't here you mention that the nut is bone which is nice, I sanded mine a little so I know from the smell that its bone. I think the fretboard is wood possibly rosewood and mine had buffing compound dust on it as your does. These guitars are not perfection in every way but damn sure worth the money in my book. Another thing is that I usually upgrade the pickups on my cheaper guitars but I really like these as do others I know that have them. Most people I know replaced the bridge due to buzzing mostly from the retention wire.
I own several Firefly guitars and they are mint! But I bought the Walnut 338 last week and it was a bust. 1st fret had glue all over it and fret was peeling. Strings were rusted and sharp. Set up was terrible. Also some visible scratches. Guess you can't get lucky all the time.
I would recommend removing the pick guard. The screw that pick guard to the side wall is to long;. It sets on the face of the guitar. I have the 3 and have removed them all.
With pickguard. Pukka. Great detailed review, BTW. Are the pickup easy to change? Would think about fitting low output Alnico with pole pieces. Presume these are ceramic bars? Otherwise great guitars. $140? How do they we do it.? OR we being getting screwed for years!
Not really a fan of the black pickguard. A white pearl or cream color would look better, or none at all would probably look best. I like pickguards but not as much on a hollow or semi-hollow because they cover up part of the f-hole.
Pretty sweet guitar boss. Love the dark rich wood coloration that's fairly matching all over the body, neck, and headstock. Very classy looking. Not my cup of tea though. Something about hollows with a double cut away puts me off. I just really like the single cutaway look so much more. Which is why I have a silver falcon. Cost me 2300 : ( Holy crap it was expensive but I'm not going to lie.......... Fuck it lol you only live once and it is pretty bad ass lol. Still though... My fav guitar of all time so far is my music man starry night cutlass. Going to get a bfr at the end of the year that I hope is slightly better. I like being able to play high up on the neck and I feel as though the new cutlasses beat any fender strat as far as specs go. Why does fender not make stainless steel fret guitars??? They last basically forever lol. Get with the times man!
It's very pretty, but it cost me over $200 to get this guitar not to feel and sound cheap. And I did that to two of them. A $139 guitar is a project guitar. Save your cash and buy an Epiphone Dot or a decent used ES 339.
I ordered one and when I received it the binding was damaged. Amazon return policy was a breeze but I never reordered one since they were out of stock. I've had my chance to order one but I'm a little hesitant because of my experience. However, I order a Grote for $10 more and it comes with a gig bag. I'll see if I have better luck with this purchase.
@@moisesdavid1526 It's a good guitar that's built well. The guitar did not have any finishing flaws and holds tune well. The only upgrades the guitar needs is the switch and volume and tone knobs. The PUPS sound really good through a quality amp. You will have to oil the fret board. Overall I'm happy with the guitar and believe I got a big bang for my buck.
From Philippe....mine broke 3 srtings,at the bridge,tride sand paper at the 1st end up changing for a roller bridge, I will keep the gard...sorry for my english.....
I’m interested in the Firefly 338. I like super low action on my electric guitars, and am wondering if the action can be set really low on these guitars.
Still waiting on another batch of these 338 models. But the folks at Firefly just put up some new versions of their other models. JR single cuts, DC double cuts and the TH thinlines. (Oct 2019) Links are in the description!
Well, two months later and every single listing on Amazon says "currently unavailable". Don't suppose you know how frequently these are released? Thanks for the great video, very well done and very informative!
Picked up a red one off Amazon last week. Already modded it a bit. New non-microphonic pickups, new bridge and tuners. Sounds great now. Still needs a little more fretwork, but nice nonetheless.
I have the red 338, I replaced the pickups with Gibson 57 Classics, Protone roller bridge, full sized Bourns pots, Sprauge capacitor, Switchcraft switch, aluminum stop bar tail piece, Gotoh locking 510 style tuners. Why on a guitar you might ask? Because the build quality for that kind of money was worth the investment. It made me put my Gibson 335 away in it's case for a long case nap. After all these upgrades I would stack it up against any Gibby 335 out there. I installed 6105 stainless frets and put a bone nut on it. Even after all these improvements I still have thousands less than a stock Gibson 335 would cost. That's why. When I leave it on the stage during a set break I don't have to worry about coming back and finding my Gibby 335 took a hike. And still have a great guitar that gets the job done excellently and I didn't lose a vintage investment that can't be replaced for what the Firefly cost
Ed, thanks a lot for sharing. This is very cool to hear!
These are back in stock again with a set of new finishes! Updated the links in the description. (As of today)
all sold...no wonder
Lefty?
I have 3 of these models and really like them and for the price, you can't beat them. What I did with one of mine is I removed the pickguard screws and added small magnets so depending on my mood I can have it on or off. Really simple to do and it works great. Rock on
We all know how many guitars a guitar player really needs - just one more! Thanks for the review, and my Firefly 338 will be ordered as soon as they restock! You gotta love this life!
Repat the algorithm as required N(guitars) = N(guitars)+1 and loop that :).
I purchased the Gold Top approx 7 months ago..
The guitar arrived in very flimsy box & wrapping...thought one of the pics was broken, but with a little tweaking, it was fine. The pickups sound good, not microphonic, like early ones. The frets needed cleaning, and crowning.
I have upgraded the tuners(crap) to Wilkenson EZ Lock locking tuners, as well as an upgraded Tune-a-matic bridge.
With the addition of Elixer Steel/Nickel Nonoweb 11-47 electric guitar strings She now sounds...well, great!!
Most all "affordable" guitars require a "setup", & intonation..but, like Myself, itlf You've got a little time, watch a couple of UA-cam videos and You can make any "affordable" guitar like this sound just like You want it to.
Maybe down the road I'll experiment with some different pickups, but I'm gigging right the way She is.
It's that time again, these are back in stock! Just missed the gold sparkle. But theres Walnut, Black and Iced Tea (personal favorite) still available. Updated links in the description.
can you please give me a note if this is available in amazon anytime,thank you in advance.
Great description Jimmy, love your musicianship as well!
I bought one today. Arrives on Tuesday. Super excited to try it out. Great vid
Who could give this cool video a thumbs down? Firefly guitars are the BEST budget guitars you can buy! I highly recommend them!!!!!
My tuners were awful. Replaced with Gotoh locking tuners. Direct drop in. The pickups were majorly microphonic and I couldn’t play anything more than very light gain without loads of feedback. The bridge needed replacing. Put a Wilkinson roller bridge in (didn’t fit perfectly...had to file the holes out a bit). As mentioned here, the frets need some work. All in all, my red version picked up last week (1/2020) was in much better fit and finish than the one in this video. Still after about $75 worth of mods, it’s a great sounding guitar. Very happy.
Just got my red one, and I’m crazy about it. The only thing I had to do was polish the frets, as they are very gritty out of the box. But now that they’re polished out I can’t believe how well it sounds and plays.
Great to hear! Thanks for sharing
I heard of firefly I'm impressed with it for the price, judging by you fine demo. I personally like the pick guard. I started playing music in 1972, it was unheard of to get a guitar that good for that price point. Keep the music going my friend
Guitar Max had this on last year and I bought one the next day! It sounds and plays great! I also bought the Firefly Les Paul and again another great one by Firefly!
Its really the golden age of the cheap guitar. I just got my Firefly last week. It's and amazing instrument... needs tuners and a nut, but I'll still be well under $200 for a good looking, good playing, and good sounding guitar. Compare that to my first real electric guitar .... I paid $300 in 1983 for a used Epiphone that quite frankly sucked ---it was very quickly replaced with a Fender at over $400. In todays dollars, that's in the $700 to $800 range. I could buy 5 Fireflys for that!
I'm somewhat of an nut for cheap guitars now... I have a $115 SX Tele ---that one took tuners, a nut, and pups, and a full setup to be useable (it's pretty excellent now). Tagimas are really the best deal out there right now.....my Tagima T-635 "Strat", and Tagima "Jazzmaster" play and sound as well as my American Fenders with no need for any upgrades.
I'm just about to buy one... my only fear is that it won't "bend" so well o certain frets... what do you think?
These guitars are obviously great, but the review was also very well thought out of. Loved the content.
Thanks for sharing that feedback! It was an early attempt at a review, always room for improvement. But it was a great guitar to cover.
For the price, it's getting difficult not to buy one of these. I don't really need one, but like many people say...there's no such thing as too many guitars!👍😎🎸🎶
Agreed on both counts!
@@JimmyParagalloGuitar cool!👍😎🎸🎶
Haha yeah it makes me wanna buy one too!
Don't really need one either but seems like I have two now the Firefly FF338 Blueburst and a Firefly FFLP Elite Cobra Burst!
@@dennisburke6735 awesome!👍😎🎸🎶
Was able to grab one from Amazon for around $160 & was TOTALLY impressed! I have NO complaints about this guitar for the pricing.
Just bought mine before it sold out early March- red. Thx for the review and the time codes in the description. Waiting delivery. Nice clear demo and commentary. 🎶🎵
Yes I want one some how I believe it might even actually be the best guitar ever made though I also like the Mexican teli and Indonesian squire strat.
Definitely WITH the pickguard...it gives the instrument a classier, more elegant look... Great vid, btw. you inspired me to order a wine red 338 from amazon... can't wait to get my hands on it!
I just bought a Firefly and a Grote from Amazon..
The firefly is really nice and after a set up plays really good.. I am going to replace the nut with a tusk XL, replace the bridge and tuners and gonna buy a case for this guitar because its a keeper..
The Grote is kind of a problem child..
Sounds good and intoates fine just plays weird..
I cant get the action to go down with out it buzzing like crazy..
I have adjusted the nut height, the truss rod and the action and it still feels choppy and buzzy.. Bridge rattle tuners are junk and it does have one really bad fret that is high on the 21 fret..
It needs all the above parts and the frets to be leveled and crowned.. hopefully i can get it to play like the firefly...
My friend bought a Grote and he loves it right out the box..
I should have sent the grote back but it really is a great looking guitar plus it needs someone to luve the poor thing...
Just got one in Transparent Blue, had to replace nut, as it was cut too low, but with some wrangling, managed to get it in great playing condition. Is well worth the 139.00.
Sounds better than I expected!
Pick guard YES. Never a single thought about removing it from my '67 Gibson ES 335TD. Now that I've thought about it, I still would not remove it. If you forget where it is when time comes to sell or gift, it would be an issue.
I like it. For the money it's hard to beat. Love the Walnut Brown finish. I like the Gold Top/Walnut Brown finish even better.
Just got a blueburst one from amazon for $146.00 free shipping, gotta say I think they (the company) have been paying attention to all these review videos, mine came double boxed, very clean and pretty much setup just right, the picks say firebird lol but that's ok, everything else looks and plays well, most likely I'll do some upgrades (just because I do that to all of my guitars) however seems pretty ok as is, worth the money, just saying
I wanted a semi hollow body and decided on the ff338 Pro(now 220 dollars and 200, in four years Firefly has improved the shipping box with a solid block of foam and a 1/2 thick solid foam lid, the binding is nearly perfect, I am learning to play and using this like an acoustic guitar, so I don't know if the pickups are still microphonic. The inlays are perfectly cut without black filler visible and are now square/rectangular shapes and the frets are polished and perfectly ball shaped ends. I choose the Firefly(solid yellow, no fancy wood grain, $169 4th of July special) over the Squire Starcaster, I hope I made the best choice.
Guitar sounds great. Love that last bit you were playing.
The chip next to nut became bigger on mine and it revealed that the neck is made of plastic after I scrape jt down a 1/4 inch down. I don't know what the finger board is made of. I still love it and it plays well anyway. Just knock on the neck and you'll hear the plastic . I know you may think I'm nuts but ck it out.
They are back in stock! Great finishes again. Transparent red, sunburst, black. And the Blue Burst which seems to go quick. Updated links in the description. (As of today)
Annnnd a black one is on the way to me now. Fantastic video.
Awesome!! Thanks
Aaaand...a blue burst is coming Monday for me. Thanks for the video.
Where can you buy them, I'm in uk.
@@jeffreyprice773 Try UK Amazon.
I got the 338 in Blue burst and was so impressed I bought the fflp (Les Paul style) in black w/3 pickups and gold hardware (breaking the bank at $189, lol). I love these instruments! Not perfect, but fun and nice as well as nice and fun!
I noticed Amazon had the 338 in transparent red yesterday morning. I ordered one and it should get here next week. Today they are unavailable. Who would think a cheap Chinese guitar would sell out so fast. Thanks for your review. Nice, tasteful blues licks, BTW.
John Ulrich got my red one last Friday.
I check it every day and somehow missed it. Did you set up a notification or something. I didn't see any options to do that.
@@michaelkalman2597 No notifiction. I just check every day. They're almost out of the LP Junior and LP Special on Amazon.
I got one and right out of the box it had a couple of issues. It chocked out on open chords and the pickups would start squealing with the slightest bit of Gain, even though they sound ok otherwise. To remedy I had the level bevel and polish the frets, and I changed out the pickups with som low output hum buckets. Love it now, sounds and plays great. So yeah very cheap and a little bit of work and it was well worth it.
I think pickguards are classy. Give it that edge to the tone. I've got five on mine.
Me too, plus why not protect the finish.
pickguard yes, great colour,not bad sound at all she sounds great at 15:07 , nice playing
I have the sunburst. I removed the pick guard. I think it looks classier and refined.
Looking to buying one of these just have to wait. None in stock in U.S. at present. Love the color but have not seen those before. Have seen the red,blue, black, and gold. Would rather have the walnut color like yours. Awesome guitars. Will have one of these toward the end of the year when in stock.
I love how is look this guitar. Sound very good with amp but, how it going unplug?
Anyone know if this would work for some classic rock and a little pop-punk? I know Tom DeLonge uses a Gibson hollow body nowadays. I really dig the look and price.
yes it will work great for classic rock and pop-punk music
Pick guard is personal preference, but I removed mine from my Iced Tea purchased in May.
By the way, they are available again on Amazon for $139. 4 nice colors to choose from.
Guitar gardens has blue in stock for 159 right now!
A-day has first edition in red for $139 +20 shipping as well. Just ordered red one for my childhood friend. You better hurry!!!
Have Sunburst model...LOVE IT.. Love the video..THANKS...
Great blues intro , I have one of these and love it no problems.
With the pick-guard, classic.
When I bought my epiphone it was put through an 55 inspection plan. I paid for the sound and it's beautiful. I'm happy with my decision! The LP has my attention. The fire fly is just another inexpensive line of 🎸 guitars
Phillip Holt Which Model?
I bought the ES 339 pro after researching so many types of guitars in its class. I chose Sweetwater to buy because I wanted buy a guitar to play it without modification. 4 years still playing without mods!
I hope mine will play this nice, got it ordered
I love mine. Yeah there are some odd finish issues but not enough to pass this by. Plays and sounds great.
i have 2 of the 338 one black and a red one i also have a firefly ffth telecaster thine line that is totally awesome as to the pick guard i took the one off my black one and left the pick guard on my red one .these guitars are sweet babies they play so nice both of mine were intoned and nice action from the factory i am in the middle of of fitting my black one out with gold hardware .these guitars are the best inexpensive guitar you can buy and even though they might have a few blemishes hear and there but for a guitar at $ 139.00 nothing can touch it .also it is a great guitar for modding without breaking the bank .also there are 2 firefly fan clubs on Facebook 1 is firefly guitars and firefly fans .check them out .and i think your guitar would look great without the pick guard.
I agree June. I am looking into one of these in the near future.
The white spots on the fret board might be buffing material filling in the grain..I hit mine with s soft bronze wire brush and some came out..I leveled and polished the frets, only two were slightly out of wack, new tuners and bridge..have some pickups coming but in no hurray.
I just got 2 within last 2 weeks...they seem to be perfect for a normal picker like me...the humbuckers and POTS are nice....good axe to have if you dont want to spend a lot $$ on a Gibson, now a pro or someone who gigs a lot could upgrade this to a really nice geetar....
Totally with you on that comment! Great to hear
I bought one a couple weeks ago. Very well done guitar. Wine red, no flaws. I did change strings to pure nickel Fender 150R. Just my preference. Also, i noticed the paint is a little susceptable to fine scratches like many guitars, so i did a quick 3 light coats of clear enamel. Much better. I can't stop playing the thing. Wife wants a divorce after 49 years. LOL! Who cares if a giraffe can hide in the grass?? Thanks for the clean demo!
where did you buy it from please?
@@roychristopher5014 hi Roy, purchased from Amazon. Good luck!
@@johnwelch557 thanks I can't find them on there grrrr
@@johnwelch557 seems like all sold again
@@roychristopher5014 yes sir. Seems like a 2-3 day window.....jee whiz....just look everyday and grab one when they reappear....
I personally prefer without the pickguard but if you take an installed pickguard off you will have holes! I have a Hoffner Violin Bass with no pickguard I think looks much nicer that way! 🎸
Took pickguard off, have holes also. They blend in with the spalted maple, gotta look real close to see them, just look like shadow.
Called Guitar Garden, made a good deal and kept the guitar. This guitar plays so well and is drop dead gorgeous. The pickguard stays off.
Thought I had the only one with the holes.
Just found and subscribed to your site. Encouraging to know there are still good people in this world. Thanks! You've made a new friend. Now, if I can only find one of those Fireflys for sale. :-)) Shalom, gw
Hey thanks a lot for sharing! Enjoy your day
Love your Dirt jam at 14:15 on this awesome FF338!! Can you teach that Jam it was awesome!!!
just bought the iced tea can't wait to get it. Deff putting a dirty fingers for the bridge and blastin some AVA.. ayo here i am
Expect mine to arrive 09/23/2021. Can't wait. My acoustic is killing my fingers.
Great demo. I just did the same thing. Bought to review and loved it. Great stuff
I got one too. I got the clear, natural one. It’s the best $140 I’ve sent! Definitely had to set it up, change the strings and a tweek here and there, and it’s pretty darn good. Again, $140. I’m gonna level and crown the frets, and eventually switch out the electronics, but for now, I love it! Congrats to you!
Congrats to you too! Thanks for sharing
I put a roller bridge. ,and graphite nut on mine ,now it stays in tune way better.oh and adjusted the tightness on the tuner screws
Was it a standard Gibson size bridge?
I have exactly the same Firefly and I have yet to unbox it, but most importantly they are once again available on Amazon. The colors are different this time around.
Awesome to hear! And for sure...I updated the description with the new colors this past weekend. They are pretty cool.
Just got the green burst one! Thanks for your demo. Great playing! :)
Awesome to hear! Thanks for watching
I always remove the pickguard on Gibson style guitars. Nice review!
I like that look too. Thanks for watching!
Do you guys recommend this for a first guitar? Just want something to learn basic funk/soul stuff. Would be mostly going thru an audio interface and using guitar Rig?
Personally I think semi-hollow guitars are great for those styles. All the tones in this video were recorded through an interface. I was using Amplitube for this one...
just ordered the firefly 338 was only 2 black or blue burst i chose blue burst...i remembered how many fingerprints on my last black guitar
First, I like it that you say only things that are relevant, play only the bits that should give us viewers some kind of our own idea n hour playing is also rather nice.
I'm weighing my options between this Firefly or a Korean Grote.
On the other hand, there's the 40pluk thousands of Indian Rupees worth Gretsch Streamliners.
They all sound extremely similar to me.
Moreover, it is in me to always add gain n distortion to my settings.
Your take on Firefly here is darn convincing, relevant n brutally honest.
Any further advice from you will not fall on empty ears.
Why Gretsch? So, I can leave them in my will for my children n their children as it's a historical brand.
Why Firefly n, or, Grote?
Because it proves my point that it doesn't have to be expensive nor pretentious to sound fantastic.
Hi Jimmy, It's a nice looking unit. It is similar to my Samick. I would prefer to keep the pick guard on :)
I didn't here you mention that the nut is bone which is nice, I sanded mine a little so I know from the smell that its bone. I think the fretboard is wood possibly rosewood and mine had buffing compound dust on it as your does. These guitars are not perfection in every way but damn sure worth the money in my book. Another thing is that I usually upgrade the pickups on my cheaper guitars but I really like these as do others I know that have them. Most people I know replaced the bridge due to buzzing mostly from the retention wire.
Keep The Pick Guard On
I own several Firefly guitars and they are mint! But I bought the Walnut 338 last week and it was a bust. 1st fret had glue all over it and fret was peeling. Strings were rusted and sharp. Set up was terrible. Also some visible scratches. Guess you can't get lucky all the time.
I would recommend removing the pick guard. The screw that pick guard to the side wall is to long;. It sets on the face of the guitar. I have the 3 and have removed them all.
John Blair, yeah, they went in under a week.
Good call. You're exactly right about that screw. Thanks for the tip
If you still have the walnut brown firefly would you sale it
With pickguard. Pukka. Great detailed review, BTW.
Are the pickup easy to change? Would think about fitting low output Alnico with pole pieces.
Presume these are ceramic bars?
Otherwise great guitars. $140? How do they we do it.?
OR we being getting screwed for years!
sweet groove .
What kind of electre guitar left-handed should I get I never owned one .
So where do i go to buy one? Is amazon the only place to purchase one?
Not fair, the playing is too good!
With pickguard. Great review. I have one and love it. Best value for money.
Thanks for watching! These are a great value
Great ta have fun with. You Don’t have to impress anyone just yourself
With the guard. I would like to know about then string height bat The pickups. Can the pickups be tuned any better.
Ugh I wanna buy this now!
thank you Jimmy ...thinking of buying one............no pick guard
Not really a fan of the black pickguard. A white pearl or cream color would look better, or none at all would probably look best. I like pickguards but not as much on a hollow or semi-hollow because they cover up part of the f-hole.
Pretty sweet guitar boss. Love the dark rich wood coloration that's fairly matching all over the body, neck, and headstock. Very classy looking.
Not my cup of tea though. Something about hollows with a double cut away puts me off. I just really like the single cutaway look so much more. Which is why I have a silver falcon. Cost me 2300 : (
Holy crap it was expensive but I'm not going to lie.......... Fuck it lol you only live once and it is pretty bad ass lol.
Still though... My fav guitar of all time so far is my music man starry night cutlass. Going to get a bfr at the end of the year that I hope is slightly better. I like being able to play high up on the neck and I feel as though the new cutlasses beat any fender strat as far as specs go. Why does fender not make stainless steel fret guitars??? They last basically forever lol. Get with the times man!
It's very pretty, but it cost me over $200 to get this guitar not to feel and sound cheap. And I did that to two of them. A $139 guitar is a project guitar. Save your cash and buy an Epiphone Dot or a decent used ES 339.
Does anyone know how this Firefly guitar compares to Harley Benton's HB-35?
I ordered one and when I received it the binding was damaged. Amazon return policy was a breeze but I never reordered one since they were out of stock. I've had my chance to order one but I'm a little hesitant because of my experience. However, I order a Grote for $10 more and it comes with a gig bag. I'll see if I have better luck with this purchase.
Hey, I would like to know about the Grote, how did it go?
@@moisesdavid1526 It's a good guitar that's built well. The guitar did not have any finishing flaws and holds tune well. The only upgrades the guitar needs is the switch and volume and tone knobs. The PUPS sound really good through a quality amp. You will have to oil the fret board. Overall I'm happy with the guitar and believe I got a big bang for my buck.
@@bigjohnson9561 Thanks!!
@@moisesdavid1526 👍
Where do you buy them they aren't on Amazon uk.
That Fretboard wood is Rosewood. The grain is very open and typical of Rosewood and is nothing to be concerned about.
Got the blue burst, nice looking well built with only one flaw, the fret sprout feels like barbed wire.
Does it feedback when the volume is loud?
From Philippe....mine broke 3 srtings,at the bridge,tride sand paper at the 1st end up changing for a roller bridge, I will keep the gard...sorry for my english.....
Man! You guys in North Amerca are so lucky! Am Jealous and Happy for ya'll at the same time....Oxymoron? Nevermind!
Its wood or finish dust in the grain of the fret board
pickguard : yes, but maybe change to marble black ??
cool, it looks like the frets aren't too tiny.
Yes sir, but they will appear again, 2-3 day window. Just check everyday....
I’m interested in the Firefly 338. I like super low action on my electric guitars, and am wondering if the action can be set really low on these guitars.
I don't play with super low action. Even from a setup that I was comfortable with there was still some room to bring the action down.
With pick guard definitely!
You need to take the clear plastic off of the pick ups