I've got a new entry in my "Affordable Guitar" series, and this one brings affordable to new levels! Enjoy :) Playlist: ua-cam.com/video/7LKgk0q8hhE/v-deo.html
"How can they sell a guitar this good this low priced?" Well ... Where Thomann/Harley Benton cut out 'the Brand' cost of the guitar price, Glarry has cut out the Retailer cost markup as well. They are selling direct from the factory through Amazon (for a fixed small sales fee) and thus stripped out all 'the middle man' price markups. Same or better build quality and hardware as a Squier but no markups. I expect we will continue to see more and more import guitar factories selling direct. Amazon and UA-cam review channels are the enabling technology. How many stores have 600k subscribers like you that can put up a sales flier?
Think about the guys who started it all, the ones who made their amps from radios, wound their own pickups and made the music that changed the world, how they’d treasure an instrument like this in this price range and what they’d do with it.
I'm a retired performer from decades of being on stage. This guitar matches ANY Fender I've played - including custom shops - when set-up thoroughly and possible inexpensive upgrades done. So, don't discount the pros. We play them, too.
@@rifftipton7709 I matched it directly against the most 'Stratty' song in recent memory for me: "Yellow Ledbetter by Pearl Jam". It matches Mike McCready's custom Strat in tone just about exactly! Mine has very slightly more treble. But, a few EQ adjustments would take care of that in seconds. 😁
I bought a very similar Glarry guitar about two months ago, as my first electric. I found the same surprisingly high quality with good playability for this beginner. It is meeting my needs perfectly. The only problem I've had was fret sprout which has now all but disappeared since being stored in a properly humidity controlled environment. I've now ordered an Epiphone ES-339 PRO for continuing studies. When the 339 gets here, I'll tear down the Glarry and incorporate some improvements.
I remember as a kid in Glasgow (Scotland) in the early 60's looking for a cheap guitar to buy. The cheap, usually 2nd or 3rd hand entry level guitars in late 50's/early 60's were just f*****g awful. A lot of the wood used hadn't been treated or seasoned, so bodies and necks would twist, buckle and warp. Fiberboard and plywood were used extensively. Accurate machining of neck pockets and electronics recesses was hit and missm and hugely mismatched pick-ups were common. They were so hard to play and keep in tune that I have the deepest respect and admiration for all my contemporaries who stuck with it and learned to play on these monstrosities, despite the god-awful non playability of these things - we seemed to be fighting against the guitar most of the time and not 'playing with' Honestly, if I could take a thousand Glarry's and put them in guitar shops in London, Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow in the early 60's - (maybe give the early Beatles/Hollies etc a sponsorship deal lol) you'd be listening to, and loving, them on many old recordings we love today - and instead of the 'big two' being constantly spoken about and reviewed, it would be Fender, Glarry and Gibson. This isn't to big up Glarry as the best beginner guitar in the world, but more to say that compared to what was available then, it would have been 'gold' in the 60's (then again, I still couldn't have afforded one lol)
Lol, the early Eighties wasn't much better bud, not that I knew of anyway. The first acoustic I had (first guitar actually) was horrible but I didn't have a clue until someone who knew guitars picked it up and Sai the action had to be atleast a half inch, I of course asked "what is action?"
I'm very impressed with my Glarry. It's a nice guitar for the money. It's a great way to get into electric guitars without too much commitment. I plan on fixing this thing up. Thanks for the vid Darrell!
Put wilkinson tuners, filed the fret ends, new audio jack, brass block, string trees, and new pickups. Great way to work on a guitar without spending too much. The stock Glarry plays nice too!
This is my first guitar and I bought it because I watched this video a couple of months ago. I am SO HAPPY with this instrument. I love the look, feel, and ease of playing it. I can't thank you enough for your reviews and tips and it was your video above which allowed me to feel comfortable enough to purchase it and start my musical journey. Can you review the Glarry "Burning Fire" guitar? It seems like it's modeled on an ESP LTD with a Jackson-style fingerboard. I bought one and find it's very easy to hold and practice on. I'd really like to hear your take on it, Darrell. THANK YOU!
I bought this same guitar in 2023, and the price for me was actually lower than the $75. And it is really beautifully put together and finished, and it plays great after a little setup. I'm new at playing, but it is actually a pleasure to sit with this, practice and learn chords, etc. Blessings to Glarry and Darrell both, great inexpensive guitar, and terrific evaluation.
I have 5 glared guitars and honestly for the price they have beautiful finishes. I’ve had a local guitar builder replace the electronics and tuners, and they sound amazing
My friend got this strat and we put two hot rail pickups and a humbucker in it. Changed out the pots and it sounds really good. We also put a wood grain HSS pickguard on it. Great project guitar!
Phil McKnight reviewed the Glarry. He was surprised by the quality and playability. He said the tuners were 2 steps up from "cheap" & the nut was well groved ( he recommended a little graphite lube for the nut / said it could be done simply with a pencil ) Neck felt good & frets were good. FYI Squire contemporary is made in China and Harley Benton's are made in China. Glarry's are lighter.
Or just a great starting point for your dream strat. You can't get a neck and body any cheaper than that, unless you're starting with nothing but wood and wire.
Really like these vids! When I was learning to play 15 years ago these prices were like Squire guitars… man things have changed. I saved a bit more to get a decent Epiphone. But I considered the Glarry for days around 130$, but for the extra 70 bucks or so. It was worth it going to the brand I used back in the day. You got to try that GLP Glarry guitar! My kid is old enough to learn now… lol!
@@outsiderdf ???? The song was released in 1978 it's not new but they don't really care if your UA-cam famous or not if you use thier music it's a big no no. Prolly mostly if people see your cover or you posting it your getting money off of something that isn't yours bottom line the music industry is far worse than like drug cartels it would help no get them more traction for people to listen to the song and buy it. It's a good song tho I recommend it also money for nothing the 6 minute version.
I like your unbiased reviews on these inexpensive guitars. I also like that you tell people the AMP makes a big difference over the guitar. I used to be one of those "if it doesn't cost a lot it's not good" I missed out on a lot of great guitars because of that attitude. I learned when I looked past cost and brand name I am much happier with my very eclectic guitar collection.
The Pacifica is another galaxy, compared to a Glarry :) Its not just a beginners guitar. You can buy a Pacifica 112 and play it your whole life. That being said, its about 3 times the price of the Glarry.
Not available for delivery to Canada. Or I should say, there is a guy who lives on the Detroit border who will broker Glarry guitars to you and have them shipped over the border and put through customs and so on... Pricing in his S&H fees, a Glarry guitar goes from about 100 Canadian to approximately 250 Canadian (for one 99 dollar guitar, all included, it was going to cost me over 300 Canadian). Honestly, stick with Monoprice - they ship to Canada and they're ultimately cheaper. Glarry has yet to figure out how international shipping works.
I'm a glary fan Darrell I own a couple of them and I absolutely love them enjoyed watching your video on the glarry Strat. Thank you buddy. Have a blessed weekend.
My experience with Glarry was very different. I also bought a strat-style, but it had a graphic finish. Everything about justifies the $75 price point. The nut was horrible. It went out of tune if you looked at it sternly. You couldn't use the whammy bar - it had been screwed so hard against the body that it not only didn't move, it actually left permanent divots in the paint. The finish had a couple of sizeable blemishes. There was very little discernable difference in tone between any of the 5 switch positions. The neck wood is so soft that not only did the factory installation of the tuners leave permanent scars on the back of the headstock, but you could carve it with a thumb nail. It had a long scar where the pickguard rubbed up against the butt end of the neck. I'm using it for a project because I'm doing something that I've never done before and didn't want to ruin a more expensive guitar. That's what I think it's good for - a test platform. As a daily player - no way. Of course, you could buy 2 of them for less than the price of a Squire Bullet. So, there is that.
Guitar manufacturers certainly cherry pick versions going to reviewers. I would always probably intend for these to be 'project guitars' where you would eventually swap most everything out but body and neck. I would worry about the neck wood staying straight and its intonation capability. Good call on soft neck wood.
I got a Glarry guitar 4 years ago at a yard sale for $15(no whammy bar), after over 300 gigs it still works and sounds just as good as it did the day I bought it home, give them another try, they're flimsy as hell but boy can they can take a remarkable amount of punishment, and never get a guitar that has a whammy bar unless it's over $300
i been playing over 30 years and just got one of this companies basses and they sound amazing for a 75$ bass. i really dig em. cheap and sound good. great gift for someone looking to learn guitar for sure.
im so happy you took it apart, just seeing that cavity alone gave me an idea that this guitar can be modded to death and it would rival higher end guitars
I have one of these. I upgraded the pickups with a $20 loaded pickguard from YiBuy (Chinese manufacturer) that I got off Ebay. With a full set-up and a few frets filed, it's excellent. Super-lightweight and plays like a dream. I've matched it against custom shop Fender Strats on recordings by famous bands. It sounds exactly like them. So, for the $75 I paid for it ($50 on Ebay, $20 loaded pickguard, $5 Fender roller guides), I got a nice custom-shop-level quality guitar equal to the best single-coil Fenders! 😎👍
@@Ndlanding Nahh. I have the truth behind me. Because, UNLIKE YOU, I actually put up examples and proof. And I see that's too much for you to handle! 😉👍
I'd love to be able to buy & try one of these. Unfortunately, I'm in western Canada and unlike my fellow Canadian Darrell, I don't have a shipping pipeline to the U.S.A., and it's a long, long drive to the Montana border. No cross-border shopping. So, it costs as much or more to get the darn thing here as it does to purchase it. Now, this isn't Glarry's (or Darrell's) fault, it just is how it is. So that $75 Strat will cost about $200 before I even cut the tape on the box. Which is too bad - I'd like to give one of these, or their T-style a try. They're a low price 'starter' or backup, but I'm surprised at how good the quality overall seems to be. It's the beginning of December here, and we've already had 2-1/2 months of snow. Boring. . . Another reason to wish I could take a long holiday down south. Thanks for the review, Darrell.
These are fine. I bought a squire bullet strat at a pawn shop for 79.99, threw some Hip shots on it, dialed up the bridge, and rolled the board edges and...wahlah! Cheap guitars are fun!
I just bought one of thee yesterday in the blue color for $68 because it was 10% off, Can't wait to get it. Love your videos! This will be my first guitar. Thank you
I bought the blue model as a project to make it a pseudo Noventa. The worst part about the guitar is the intonation. To fix that I bought D’Addario auto trim tuners, a Goldtone Zeroglide nut, and ground down the low E saddle so I could intonate it. The z-nut added great sustain. I bought a pickguard, wire harness for lpjr and bought a new Gibson P90 pup. Now the stock pups were as he said, but I wanted an LP jr on a strat configuration, which I accomplished. I steelwooled the neck, dressed the fret ends. The intonation is now true, holds tuning, and it screams with the p90 and proper pots. Fun project. Total $ about $277, elbow grease and fun factor. If I want I can drop it into my American Strat . Thanks for the video! Oh yes I also painted out the routing like you suggested.
I bought a White one of these in Honor of Hendrix, and the headstock was not a Glarry, it had a ols stlye Fender shaped Headstock, i think this was a Freak incedent, after i got it and went to buy another one, and they did not have the Fender shape headstock anymore, i set it up, new strings, repaired the nut, i took the string trees off and put on my homemade, string trees, on there using old brass ends from guitar strings, they roll and do not bind up, this does not cost and money because you already bought the strings that you would throw away, this works well, Cousin Figel
This was my beginner guitar, but in all black (the better choice) Honestly, I was blown away with some of the tones I could get from it. It was also very comfortable to play and I had no problems with any pickups or the bridge. However, my port did give me some trouble. It started playing up quite often, but it always went away when I dug around inside and adjusted some things. Overall an amazing first guitar
I have two strats. the first, a harley benton copy from the early 00s that cost me £30 ($50USD) used when I was just starting out. its the guitar I learned on the second, a Fender American Deluxe stratocaster that I picked up for £600 (800$) used last month. In every objective way, the Fender is better, save a little string buzz on the G. When I went to buy it I thought it would change my life. Noiseless pickups, steel 2 point trem, the real deal... But the £30 Harley Benton is still my number one. It fits my hand better and I just know it so well that I write better songs using it. So it just goes to show. that playable Glarry strat is gonna be some kid's first guitar, and he's going to potentially write something that changes the world with it. Some Food for thought, and love for the beautiful instrument that is the guitar!
An excellent modding platform! This is what came into my mind, throw some nice pickups onto that guard and you have yourself a great 'road warrior' gigging Strat, leave the vintage '62 in the safe at home!
And it has a 4-ply pick guard. You also can learn to work on guitars likes fret level and polishing the fret ends. Maybe learn how to change the nut too. Amazing for $75 bucks.
I bought one of these based on your review. I am super impressed with the price:quality ratio. The fretwork is atrocious. There is no way around that. They are rough and gritty, almost all were not seated correctly (I could get the edge of paper underneath the middle of each fret), and most had sharp edges. For $75, I did not expect anything more. I spent a few hours on the frets, replaced the strings, replaced the very cheap nut, adjusted the intonation. I eventually plan on adding shielding, replacing the tremelo, and maybe new pickups. I know that it sounds like I am complaining but that could not be further from the truth. I am very satisfied.
I've been watching your channel for some time, and have recently subscribed. Sorry for my procrastination. I've enjoyed your reviews of these inexpensive guitars, due to the fact I have been wanting to learn luthier skills, for my own personal use. My second son has become interested in playing, so I made some much needed improvements to a Squier Strat Mini for him. However, until he is completely devoted to practicing, he's not getting a $400+ guitar. These Glarry guitars seem like a good fit for me to learn lutheir skills on, and mod into a decent guitar for his use. Or at least until his skills deserve a better guitar. Thanks much for your time and videos!
No pretention and good balance in your presentation of these entry level guitars Darrell. With household budgets constrained and vigorous pricing of such models, the bigger brand names should be put on notice. The value proposition is now front centre stage. Headstock elitism is no longer.
This would make a great first guitar for the youngster in your life, then later become a modders platform when they buy a higher quality guitar. One of these Glarys and a $99 Monoprice tube amp would be a great X_mas gift for someone just getting started in guitar playing. I believe I will buy a t-style or this exact S model as mod platform just to play around with. Great review Darrell!!!
check the springs!!.. i got my glarry yesterday.. does well... looks good... but the springs you can twist them barehanded 180 degrees, and they stay twisted.. im not sure how they hold the bridge in place at all... but other than that im very pleased, and im upgrading it with new everything anyway .. but you should look at the springs up close and perhaps warn folks about that issue..
Glary is high quality for the money! You said it; how can they make them and ship them over here for that much money? Although, I think a first guitar should be a Squier Strat or Epiphone Les Paul. Merry Christmas!
@@danielpauldebs6526 LOL, you're just pulling that out of your ass. You must work in the Trump administration. Average factory job in Indonesia is about $500 to $550 a month. China is higher.
My Glarry Strat kit cost a dollar more! Fun building it. The kit came with a nice solid mahogany body which I varnished. Worked a lot on the good quality fingerboard to get it very smooth. Wonderful instrument.
Thanks for reviewing “affordable” guitars. It really helps during the current economic environment. I was surprised when I bought a lightning bolt Strat by them to use as a backup. Great value. Full disclosure, I just couldn’t get it to stay in tune.
Boy I'd been on cloud 9 if I'd got one of these back in 72'. I had a Japanese guitar, the string height was horrible, the neck was funked up, the pickups, man they didn't just buzz, they hummed sometimes louder than I was playing, and I wore the frets out in less than a year on the first 5 frets, oh the tuning machines were awful, they'd skip and slip... just a junk guitar. And, that guitar was not cheap in those days, nothing like that $75.00 guitar. If a beginner had played mine back then, they'd give up unless they were hard-core. If I was a kid again, I'd feel so lucky to have this guitar starting out.
I love all your videos about affordable guitars, I can't ever see myself buying one of those affordable guitars, but they are very entertaining, thank you
I just repainted and upgraded my Squier Affinity Strat with a loaded pickguard that has 3 single hot rail pickups, and I kinda don't want the old Affinity loaded pickguard to go to waste, so I'm probably gonna order a Glarry GST to put it in. I like the maple neck, I'm thinking I'll get the green body. I already have two Glarry acoustics (the GT101 and GT102, their round composite back Ovation copies) and I just ordered their new GMF Mustang HH copy (that should arrive this Friday.) If I like that Mustang copy, I'm also gonna get their new GMF Jaguar SS copy. I may replace the humbuckers in the Mustang one with P90s, because I already have an HH guitar with my Epi Les Paul Special and I've always wanted a P90 guitar.
Bought one as a gift for my son, huge gouge on the back with missing paint / finish - box looked fine. Tone pot’s stem had completely separated - will need to be replaced. Loud harmonic vibration ping sound on the B string regardless of where it’s fretted. Took awhile to ship - I’m sure Christmas they are super busy, but it’s a bit late to return it and get another. We’ll just fix it together
These are great! I've been watching your videos for quite a while and I've managed to turn a few value instruments into some pretty decent guitars, so thanks for turning me on to that. I think the Indio Classic episode was the one that started it. Where we are now in terms of playable and affordable guitars is amazing. It's a great time to be getting into guitar playing too. I remember what was out there when I started playing, and what was out there was pretty terrible! I have a thinline tele style Glarry on the way and an offset from Indio on the way. Can't wait to tinker with those! Thanks for the inspiration, and happy holidays to you, sir! God bless.
I LOVE the look. '12 or so, stop by a local store. See something like this but CSB, HSS, TS guard and rwb. Same price, closeout. Ran this thru a Fender FM 212 and played every Michael Schenker solo i knew. Screamed !!! ha, worker there i knew strolled by to see WTF ;) Didn't buy it. Drive the 10 minutes home for lunch and my Wife says "Go back and buy it!!". Gear came and went in my life. This DeltaTone is one of the best buys of my life. To think Glarry does what they do is amazing.
Thanks for this. I've not tried a Glarry instrument, but i actually considerably prefer their no-frills hard guitar cases to the more-expensive Road Runners and Gators, and i use their quite-solid cymbal stands on my home kit. I may have to try one of these.
Hello Dareii !!! This is just one of, I imagin, many sgestions you’re getting. So, I’m truly surprised that *genuine Canuck fellow* had never said a word about *Mr. Robert Godin.* I am a Godin’s guitars fanatic (I have 6 of them so far). After watching the video “Sud Trio in concert” with Luc Silvain playing my guitar (just different colour), Andre Cikarelli on drums and some fenomenal bassist (sorry for forgetting his name), I fell in love with Godin guitars and, I declare that you can call me “legally insane” when I ever buy any Fender or Gibson in my entire lifetime. Please think for a moment about my suggestion for *Canuck’s* sake Lol ...
I just bought 2 of these; one for me, one for a friend, and although the price went up, slightly, still, a good deal. However, The strap is worthless, as is the "dust cover"; I got a hard case for mine. I have two Stage Right 40 watt solid state amps I play through, and you are right about one thing- this guitar plays well, and sounds good! Thanks for your review! I also have a Glarry P style bass; I wanted a cheap bass I could practice on. I play a Squire Affinity J-Bass for gigs.
If you wonder how they do it, it's a matter of the Chinese factories being more automated than even the Japanese and Korean factories from 25-30 years ago. A guitar like this is made almost entirely by running a blank through a computer-controlled that can churn out a fully shaped body in minutes. And then sending that through a computerized paint booth that takes seconds to apply a coat. Then it's just a matter of throwing on the neck with the headstock of which ever drop shipper ordered that batch (because the Glarry, the Monoprice Indio, the LyxPro, etc versions of Strats, are all made the same place. Even if it's an HSS or even HSH version, what with the body routing already accommodating it. Of course, that means that they're actually decent for the price, because that level of automation leads to it being consistent. I got the Indio version (which you've also reviewed) because I didn't have a Strat style, and I'm not unhappy with it at all. Just added foil for shielding.
Great value for the money. The lowest I've seen online for a Glarry S-Style is $130 + shipping here on the Canadian side. Close to $75 if you do the currency conversion to USD.
Independently if it’s a good or meh instrument, to get a fully functional electric guitar in 2020 for the price of a 12 pack of strings has got something surrealistic… 👻🎸
My main complaint with Glarry's is that the wood grain on light/clear coat guitars is so often not parallel to the neck.... line it up before shaping & routing the body so it doesn't look 'bent'
you should check out michael kelly guitars. I see them around but no one seems to have any opinions on them. They look absolutely gorgeous and they seem to be a steal for the spec, at least for whatever sale they have going on now
Looks to be a full thickness body, as long as it's aligned, it's probably some shielding tape around the pickups away from being a Squier Bullet/Affinity. Swap to a solid steel Trem block and it would be quite a nice little Strat.
I actually got one of these last year, a black on red version. The pups are ok, but a little weak, so I stuck a dragon fire screamer humbucker in it. It’s great and plays awesome. As he said, a no brained!
I've had a blue Glarry GST for about 10 months now. It was $65 back then. They're pretty impressive for the money and mostly playable. But... The tuners don't hold up. They become very weak over time. The guitar does hold tune well, if you're patient and tune carefully. The tremolo will always screw-up tuning, if used. I find it very difficult to play chords on the first four frets--always muting strings, unlike my other guitars. (Narrow nut width, odd neck profile?) Some of higher frets are not evenly leveled (high and low spots on some.) Oh, and changing the strings is a must. With work though, Glarry guitars can be decent players (no fat fingers allowed). I'm just not sure they're worth it for most serious players. For me, there are better options and it's worth spending a little more to get one.
I got this guitar in red and bought one of the $30 Alnico 5 loaded pickup guards, added some foil shielding and some good strings and I'm pleased with it. It makes a great, cheap, practice guitar that I don't mind taking with me out and about. If it gets dinged or damaged so what? I have 125 bucks in it max.
Yeah it looks like a good guitar for that 9 to 14-year-old kid that says “dad I wanna play guitar”. So you get him one, and he either takes off with it, or he gets bored with it after two weeks/2 months and moves on to the next thing.
I have three Glarry ones. One Precision, one Jazz and a Stratocaster guitar. For the price... Solid construction, nice finish, real twins-clones of a REGULAR Fender (not a special edition). All you have to do is to change the pick-ups and strings. The Glarry sounds good but... I put Wilkinson pickups 25$ and Ernie Ball strings 25$. And because i've opened them, i shielded them with copper tape 15$ even if they don't make noise. The result is awsome and even a Fender won't sound and look better. So all in all it is a 200$ bass or guitar. Try them!
Darrell, I wonder if you tried going up the neck. I bring it up because I bought a Glarry Stratoid (rosewood board) myself some months ago, and my first impressions mirrored your own at first. Finally tried going above the 20th fret and ... TRAINWRECK! Turns out that the 20th fret is visibly shorter than its neighbors! Not a deal breaker for me, since I'd always intended to give it a fret job ... although not this challenging. I got no room to complain, though. Got my Glarry for less than $50 US shipped to the door. I would recommend a guitar like this for someone into or getting into doing their own setups and perhaps some modifying. If you wreck it, you burn maybe $110 or so. If you don't, then you can make this into something very like a custom shop model.😎❤️️🎸‼️
Nothing wrong with budget guitars as long you know you get what you pay for... but you need to watch UA-cam and learn some basic setup skills... you do NOT want to pay someone to set it up not adjust it... it’s not worth it... I bought “special” Squier Tele for $139 to set up with Nashville tuning and I was quite happy with it. Then I wanted a thinline and bought an Xaviere thinline with “gold foil” pups bcs it was way cheaper (at $229) than the equivalent Thinline Squier (at $399 for the cabronita, Or $449 for The classic vibe 60s model)... The shipping would’ve been free from Sweetwater, And they have a warranty, etc. I had to pay about 30 bucks shipping, but it came pretty fast. Plus the Cabronita has P 90s and I already have guitars with P 90s and the classic vibe 60s has the standard Tele pick up set up and I already have a couple Teles with the standard pick ups. The Xaviere Gold foils have a special warmth but there is a diversity of sound in the three positions... And I like the neck, it has narrow tall frets and it was really easy to play slide on. Also it I hate the limited number of finish options from the Squier thinline Teles ... The Xaviere has a beautiful maple neck, with a Sunburst finish and mother of pearl pick guard... and I don’t know about other Xaviere models ... I have seen positive reviews from Guitar Maxx as well as Darrell Braun, but I think this one was a really good deal for the money.
I've got a new entry in my "Affordable Guitar" series, and this one brings affordable to new levels!
Enjoy :)
Playlist: ua-cam.com/video/7LKgk0q8hhE/v-deo.html
❤❤❤
"How can they sell a guitar this good this low priced?" Well ... Where Thomann/Harley Benton cut out 'the Brand' cost of the guitar price, Glarry has cut out the Retailer cost markup as well. They are selling direct from the factory through Amazon (for a fixed small sales fee) and thus stripped out all 'the middle man' price markups. Same or better build quality and hardware as a Squier but no markups. I expect we will continue to see more and more import guitar factories selling direct. Amazon and UA-cam review channels are the enabling technology. How many stores have 600k subscribers like you that can put up a sales flier?
Darrell, how does the basswood body sound in terms of sustain and sound ? I know you're not a fan of basswood (nor am I ).
Hi Darrell can I get some of your beautiful guitar😁🤘
I got the thinline Tele that you recommended. I'm replacing the single coil band eager how it sounds then.
Think about the guys who started it all, the ones who made their amps from radios, wound their own pickups and made the music that changed the world, how they’d treasure an instrument like this in this price range and what they’d do with it.
..people like mE,..I'm thinking I need a 3 watt lunchbox amp,..time for to get the soldering iron out.
Great view point!
i feel like everybody who watched Darrel’s vids wants to be his friend
Underrated comment
@@michaeltanio7691 aww thanks bud
He seem like a chill dude I could hang with and have a lot of fun
Yeah, seems pretty cool.
Friends?
I wanna be his student man
Seems like a good Xmas gift for the new student of the guitar.
Or a habitual modder that needs a cheap platform to start from...
I'm a retired performer from decades of being on stage. This guitar matches ANY Fender I've played - including custom shops - when set-up thoroughly and possible inexpensive upgrades done. So, don't discount the pros. We play them, too.
@@Axess-sv8nq As an old student of the guitar, should've added I want one too.
@@rifftipton7709 I matched it directly against the most 'Stratty' song in recent memory for me: "Yellow Ledbetter by Pearl Jam". It matches Mike McCready's custom Strat in tone just about exactly! Mine has very slightly more treble. But, a few EQ adjustments would take care of that in seconds. 😁
@@Axess-sv8nq im sorry man...this doesn't come close to à Squier Strat...dont even mention an american standard
Darrell can actually make his own guitar store in his studio
I bought a very similar Glarry guitar about two months ago, as my first electric. I found the same surprisingly high quality with good playability for this beginner. It is meeting my needs perfectly. The only problem I've had was fret sprout which has now all but disappeared since being stored in a properly humidity controlled environment. I've now ordered an Epiphone ES-339 PRO for continuing studies. When the 339 gets here, I'll tear down the Glarry and incorporate some improvements.
I remember as a kid in Glasgow (Scotland) in the early 60's looking for a cheap guitar to buy.
The cheap, usually 2nd or 3rd hand entry level guitars in late 50's/early 60's were just f*****g awful.
A lot of the wood used hadn't been treated or seasoned, so bodies and necks would twist, buckle and warp. Fiberboard and plywood were used extensively. Accurate machining of neck pockets and electronics recesses was hit and missm and hugely mismatched pick-ups were common.
They were so hard to play and keep in tune that I have the deepest respect and admiration for all my contemporaries who stuck with it and learned to play on these monstrosities, despite the god-awful non playability of these things - we seemed to be fighting against the guitar most of the time and not 'playing with'
Honestly, if I could take a thousand Glarry's and put them in guitar shops in London, Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow in the early 60's - (maybe give the early Beatles/Hollies etc a sponsorship deal lol) you'd be listening to, and loving, them on many old recordings we love today - and instead of the 'big two' being constantly spoken about and reviewed, it would be Fender, Glarry and Gibson.
This isn't to big up Glarry as the best beginner guitar in the world, but more to say that compared to what was available then, it would have been 'gold' in the 60's (then again, I still couldn't have afforded one lol)
Really nice story! Imagine George with a Glarry!
Thanks for the info
Lol, the early Eighties wasn't much better bud, not that I knew of anyway. The first acoustic I had (first guitar actually) was horrible but I didn't have a clue until someone who knew guitars picked it up and Sai the action had to be atleast a half inch, I of course asked "what is action?"
I'm very impressed with my Glarry. It's a nice guitar for the money. It's a great way to get into electric guitars without too much commitment. I plan on fixing this thing up. Thanks for the vid Darrell!
Put wilkinson tuners, filed the fret ends, new audio jack, brass block, string trees, and new pickups. Great way to work on a guitar without spending too much. The stock Glarry plays nice too!
@@gian323 I put new heavier strings on mine and it made a big difference.
man I think this might be my first since its mega affordable! but my next oof def will be a mexi strat i think!
@@tomomyuu Give it a setup and it'll be great!
@@gian323 ! thanks so much for the encouragement!
Swing Sultan's is my favorite Straights of Dire song.
You that got right!
Its called Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits
@@mysterymeat1216 Try 'Straits' ...
@@mysterymeat1216 No way? Maybe that's why I can't find "Swing Sultan's" on iTunes.
Don't for get the cookies fortune. lmao
This is my first guitar and I bought it because I watched this video a couple of months ago. I am SO HAPPY with this instrument. I love the look, feel, and ease of playing it. I can't thank you enough for your reviews and tips and it was your video above which allowed me to feel comfortable enough to purchase it and start my musical journey. Can you review the Glarry "Burning Fire" guitar? It seems like it's modeled on an ESP LTD with a Jackson-style fingerboard. I bought one and find it's very easy to hold and practice on. I'd really like to hear your take on it, Darrell. THANK YOU!
Thank you SO MUCH for pulling the pickguard and addressing the possibility for other types of pickups for modders. THANKS.
Great video as always! Love when you try ultra cheap gear and make it sound great
I bought this same guitar in 2023, and the price for me was actually lower than the $75. And it is really beautifully put together and finished, and it plays great after a little setup. I'm new at playing, but it is actually a pleasure to sit with this, practice and learn chords, etc. Blessings to Glarry and Darrell both, great inexpensive guitar, and terrific evaluation.
He's the only one who tears down the guitar, and shows what's inside. I like that about this channel. Very informative.
You should check out Landon Bailey!
Try trogly guitar show (I dont know if thats the exact name) he really digs into every guitar
I have 5 glared guitars and honestly for the price they have beautiful finishes. I’ve had a local guitar builder replace the electronics and tuners, and they sound amazing
My friend got this strat and we put two hot rail pickups and a humbucker in it. Changed out the pots and it sounds really good. We also put a wood grain HSS pickguard on it. Great project guitar!
Phil McKnight reviewed the Glarry. He was surprised by the quality and playability. He said the tuners were 2 steps up from "cheap" & the nut was well groved ( he recommended a little graphite lube for the nut / said it could be done simply with a pencil ) Neck felt good & frets were good. FYI Squire contemporary is made in China and Harley Benton's are made in China. Glarry's are lighter.
Gotta say, Darrel's intros is what makes days just excellent! 😂
For some reason I love watching him fall in the snow!! It brings me joy.
This is the guitar you buy when you want to learn on modding
Or just a great starting point for your dream strat. You can't get a neck and body any cheaper than that, unless you're starting with nothing but wood and wire.
This is exactly why I’m looking into buying one😂
Good to see all price points are covered here. Not a bad $75 strat. Not muddy. Nice work Darrell.
Really like these vids! When I was learning to play 15 years ago these prices were like Squire guitars… man things have changed. I saved a bit more to get a decent Epiphone. But I considered the Glarry for days around 130$, but for the extra 70 bucks or so. It was worth it going to the brand I used back in the day.
You got to try that GLP Glarry guitar! My kid is old enough to learn now… lol!
6:30 You trying to do sultains of swing but not doing sultains of swing to not get copyrighted???? I see you lol
This is sad, man....
@@barnett25 also a really good point
Why can't he? Plenty of covers out there or is this new?
@@outsiderdf ???? The song was released in 1978 it's not new but they don't really care if your UA-cam famous or not if you use thier music it's a big no no. Prolly mostly if people see your cover or you posting it your getting money off of something that isn't yours bottom line the music industry is far worse than like drug cartels it would help no get them more traction for people to listen to the song and buy it. It's a good song tho I recommend it also money for nothing the 6 minute version.
@@photondebuger45 right, agree, yet covers are everywhere on UA-cam.
I like your unbiased reviews on these inexpensive guitars. I also like that you tell people the AMP makes a big difference over the guitar. I used to be one of those "if it doesn't cost a lot it's not good" I missed out on a lot of great guitars because of that attitude. I learned when I looked past cost and brand name I am much happier with my very eclectic guitar collection.
Seems good...but as a beginner guitar I'd always recommend a Pacifica .... they're always reliable and you get SSH tones
The Pacifica is another galaxy, compared to a Glarry :) Its not just a beginners guitar. You can buy a Pacifica 112 and play it your whole life. That being said, its about 3 times the price of the Glarry.
I can't even afford Glarry so Pacifica is 200% out of my league
I have the Squier 7 string HSS, it's a good deal and cheaper than a Pacifica specially of you get it used
I got a glarry in today...its actually a really nice guitar...compares well to my squire...for less than half the price...blew my mind...
I say this whenever anyone tests a new guitar. "It needs more distortion. Louder. LOUDER!!!! Shred it!!!!"
🤘😂🤘
DON'T FORGET THE BLACK FRIDAY SALE AT GLARRY 10% OFF EVERYTHING! ONLY A COUPLE MORE HOURS THOUGH!
Shoot I’m poor anyways
Cheaper on ebay. Better yet, buy an Indio from monoprice. The strat is 10x better for the same price.
Not available for delivery to Canada. Or I should say, there is a guy who lives on the Detroit border who will broker Glarry guitars to you and have them shipped over the border and put through customs and so on... Pricing in his S&H fees, a Glarry guitar goes from about 100 Canadian to approximately 250 Canadian (for one 99 dollar guitar, all included, it was going to cost me over 300 Canadian). Honestly, stick with Monoprice - they ship to Canada and they're ultimately cheaper. Glarry has yet to figure out how international shipping works.
@@popsfereal I bought the Indio as a beater. Don't like it. Impossible to tune. Maybe I got a lemon? But love the silky neck.
I'm a glary fan Darrell I own a couple of them and I absolutely love them enjoyed watching your video on the glarry Strat. Thank you buddy. Have a blessed weekend.
My experience with Glarry was very different. I also bought a strat-style, but it had a graphic finish. Everything about justifies the $75 price point. The nut was horrible. It went out of tune if you looked at it sternly. You couldn't use the whammy bar - it had been screwed so hard against the body that it not only didn't move, it actually left permanent divots in the paint. The finish had a couple of sizeable blemishes. There was very little discernable difference in tone between any of the 5 switch positions. The neck wood is so soft that not only did the factory installation of the tuners leave permanent scars on the back of the headstock, but you could carve it with a thumb nail. It had a long scar where the pickguard rubbed up against the butt end of the neck. I'm using it for a project because I'm doing something that I've never done before and didn't want to ruin a more expensive guitar. That's what I think it's good for - a test platform. As a daily player - no way.
Of course, you could buy 2 of them for less than the price of a Squire Bullet. So, there is that.
Guitar manufacturers certainly cherry pick versions going to reviewers. I would always probably intend for these to be 'project guitars' where you would eventually swap most everything out but body and neck. I would worry about the neck wood staying straight and its intonation capability. Good call on soft neck wood.
I got a Glarry guitar 4 years ago at a yard sale for $15(no whammy bar), after over 300 gigs it still works and sounds just as good as it did the day I bought it home, give them another try, they're flimsy as hell but boy can they can take a remarkable amount of punishment, and never get a guitar that has a whammy bar unless it's over $300
i been playing over 30 years and just got one of this companies basses and they sound amazing for a 75$ bass. i really dig em. cheap and sound good. great gift for someone looking to learn guitar for sure.
I have a feeling the balanced tone can be attributed to the basswood body. Basswood is great.
Godin uses plenty of Basswood.
Hey guys, we've got another one that believes that tone actually changes dramatically on a completely solid piece of wood!
im so happy you took it apart, just seeing that cavity alone gave me an idea that this guitar can be modded to death and it would rival higher end guitars
I have one of these. I upgraded the pickups with a $20 loaded pickguard from YiBuy (Chinese manufacturer) that I got off Ebay. With a full set-up and a few frets filed, it's excellent. Super-lightweight and plays like a dream. I've matched it against custom shop Fender Strats on recordings by famous bands. It sounds exactly like them. So, for the $75 I paid for it ($50 on Ebay, $20 loaded pickguard, $5 Fender roller guides), I got a nice custom-shop-level quality guitar equal to the best single-coil Fenders! 😎👍
Have you spoken to a doctor about your problem?
@@Ndlanding Nahh. I have the truth behind me. Because, UNLIKE YOU, I actually put up examples and proof. And I see that's too much for you to handle! 😉👍
I'd love to be able to buy & try one of these. Unfortunately, I'm in western Canada and unlike my fellow Canadian Darrell, I don't have a shipping pipeline to the U.S.A., and it's a long, long drive to the Montana border. No cross-border shopping. So, it costs as much or more to get the darn thing here as it does to purchase it. Now, this isn't Glarry's (or Darrell's) fault, it just is how it is. So that $75 Strat will cost about $200 before I even cut the tape on the box. Which is too bad - I'd like to give one of these, or their T-style a try. They're a low price 'starter' or backup, but I'm surprised at how good the quality overall seems to be. It's the beginning of December here, and we've already had 2-1/2 months of snow. Boring. . . Another reason to wish I could take a long holiday down south. Thanks for the review, Darrell.
If you want an instrument to use for experiments, this is a good one. If(when) your project goes sideways, you're only out 75$.
These are fine. I bought a squire bullet strat at a pawn shop for 79.99, threw some
Hip shots on it, dialed up the bridge, and rolled the board edges and...wahlah! Cheap guitars are fun!
I just bought one of thee yesterday in the blue color for $68 because it was 10% off, Can't wait to get it. Love your videos! This will be my first guitar. Thank you
Should have bought an Indio!
@@popsfereal Probably but I didn't know about it until yesterday. We will see if it plays when it gets here. Thanks
I bought the blue model as a project to make it a pseudo Noventa. The worst part about the guitar is the intonation. To fix that I bought D’Addario auto trim tuners, a Goldtone Zeroglide nut, and ground down the low E saddle so I could intonate it. The z-nut added great sustain. I bought a pickguard, wire harness for lpjr and bought a new Gibson P90 pup. Now the stock pups were as he said, but I wanted an LP jr on a strat configuration, which I accomplished. I steelwooled the neck, dressed the fret ends. The intonation is now true, holds tuning, and it screams with the p90 and proper pots. Fun project. Total $ about $277, elbow grease and fun factor. If I want I can drop it into my American Strat . Thanks for the video! Oh yes I also painted out the routing like you suggested.
I bought a White one of these in Honor of Hendrix, and the headstock was not a Glarry, it had a ols stlye Fender shaped Headstock, i think this was a Freak incedent, after i got it and went to buy another one, and they did not have the Fender shape headstock anymore, i set it up, new strings, repaired the nut, i took the string trees off and put on my homemade, string trees, on there using old brass ends from guitar strings, they roll and do not bind up, this does not cost and money because you already bought the strings that you would throw away, this works well, Cousin Figel
appropriate for old school black metal style. 😈
Only when played through a $40 practice amp.
@WaurufEx I've got the same!
@WaurufEx Line 6 Spider on Insane Setting Maxed out gain, zero mids and a Metalzone fully maxed out.
This was my beginner guitar, but in all black (the better choice)
Honestly, I was blown away with some of the tones I could get from it. It was also very comfortable to play and I had no problems with any pickups or the bridge.
However, my port did give me some trouble. It started playing up quite often, but it always went away when I dug around inside and adjusted some things.
Overall an amazing first guitar
Same but dark blue
What a great looking guitar for an incredibly affordable price, nice!
Thanks for posting.
Nobody:
The camera at 5:18: GUITARS ARE THE STAR OF THE SHOW
Some cheap guitars have amazing for beginners. I bought a 200 dollar acustic today, a Aria and it is solid as hell
I love how you actually show your emotion when you're playing
Just ordered one in white, I want to start working on my own guitars, this seems like a great way to start. Thanks for the review! 🤘
I have two strats.
the first, a harley benton copy from the early 00s that cost me £30 ($50USD) used when I was just starting out. its the guitar I learned on
the second, a Fender American Deluxe stratocaster that I picked up for £600 (800$) used last month.
In every objective way, the Fender is better, save a little string buzz on the G. When I went to buy it I thought it would change my life. Noiseless pickups, steel 2 point trem, the real deal...
But the £30 Harley Benton is still my number one. It fits my hand better and I just know it so well that I write better songs using it.
So it just goes to show. that playable Glarry strat is gonna be some kid's first guitar, and he's going to potentially write something that changes the world with it.
Some Food for thought, and love for the beautiful instrument that is the guitar!
An excellent modding platform! This is what came into my mind, throw some nice pickups onto that guard and you have yourself a great 'road warrior' gigging Strat, leave the vintage '62 in the safe at home!
And it has a 4-ply pick guard. You also can learn to work on guitars likes fret level and polishing the fret ends. Maybe learn how to change the nut too. Amazing for $75 bucks.
No it's not 4 ply. My Glarry Strat p/g is 2 ply, black with white edge just like on this one in the video.
Do you think this would be a good project guitar? Something cheap that I could use to practice doing upgrades on, taking apart, etc?
I bought one of these based on your review. I am super impressed with the price:quality ratio. The fretwork is atrocious. There is no way around that. They are rough and gritty, almost all were not seated correctly (I could get the edge of paper underneath the middle of each fret), and most had sharp edges. For $75, I did not expect anything more. I spent a few hours on the frets, replaced the strings, replaced the very cheap nut, adjusted the intonation. I eventually plan on adding shielding, replacing the tremelo, and maybe new pickups. I know that it sounds like I am complaining but that could not be further from the truth. I am very satisfied.
I've been watching your channel for some time, and have recently subscribed. Sorry for my procrastination.
I've enjoyed your reviews of these inexpensive guitars, due to the fact I have been wanting to learn luthier skills, for my own personal use. My second son has become interested in playing, so I made some much needed improvements to a Squier Strat Mini for him. However, until he is completely devoted to practicing, he's not getting a $400+ guitar. These Glarry guitars seem like a good fit for me to learn lutheir skills on, and mod into a decent guitar for his use. Or at least until his skills deserve a better guitar.
Thanks much for your time and videos!
Thanks to your review, I have bought 2 guitars AND a violin from Glarry, since October.
No pretention and good balance in your presentation of these entry level guitars Darrell. With household budgets constrained and vigorous pricing of such models, the bigger brand names should be put on notice. The value proposition is now front centre stage. Headstock elitism is no longer.
This would make a great first guitar for the youngster in your life, then later become a modders platform when they buy a higher quality guitar. One of these Glarys and a $99 Monoprice tube amp would be a great X_mas gift for someone just getting started in guitar playing. I believe I will buy a t-style or this exact S model as mod platform just to play around with. Great review Darrell!!!
"the youngster in your life" sounds more than a bit dodgy. Hmm.
@@Ndlanding ?
@@daniellep4628 As in Gary Glitter. Or should that be "Glarry"
@@Ndlanding oh I get it
I think I've said it a few times before but brother you always have such killer tone. Even with a glarry. I'm digging your videos keep on rocking bro
check the springs!!.. i got my glarry yesterday.. does well... looks good... but the springs you can twist them barehanded 180 degrees, and they stay twisted.. im not sure how they hold the bridge in place at all... but other than that im very pleased, and im upgrading it with new everything anyway .. but you should look at the springs up close and perhaps warn folks about that issue..
Glary is high quality for the money! You said it; how can they make them and ship them over here for that much money? Although, I think a first guitar should be a Squier Strat or Epiphone Les Paul. Merry Christmas!
Probably all made at the same factory.
They pay $1.75/hr labour charge in some third world country where a weekly wage is 30 bucks.
@@danielpauldebs6526 LOL, you're just pulling that out of your ass. You must work in the Trump administration. Average factory job in Indonesia is about $500 to $550 a month. China is higher.
If you think Glarry is high quality, you should try an Indio- waaaay better, same price.
@@camilo1455 "probably" = "I have no clue".
I bought this one based on this video. It's a cool first guitar for a 47 year old geezer like myself. :)
My Glarry Strat kit cost a dollar more! Fun building it. The kit came with a nice solid mahogany body which I varnished. Worked a lot on the good quality fingerboard to get it very smooth. Wonderful instrument.
Love your honesty man! Killer channel. ALWAYS Love your reviews and you aren't a Cork Sniffer.
Darrell, I am liking your affordable guitar series. I would like to see you review The Michael Kelly Patriot Decree.
Thanks for reviewing “affordable” guitars. It really helps during the current economic environment. I was surprised when I bought a lightning bolt Strat by them to use as a backup. Great value. Full disclosure, I just couldn’t get it to stay in tune.
Boy I'd been on cloud 9 if I'd got one of these back in 72'. I had a Japanese guitar, the string height was horrible, the neck was funked up, the pickups, man they didn't just buzz, they hummed sometimes louder than I was playing, and I wore the frets out in less than a year on the first 5 frets, oh the tuning machines were awful, they'd skip and slip... just a junk guitar.
And, that guitar was not cheap in those days, nothing like that $75.00 guitar. If a beginner had played mine back then, they'd give up unless they were hard-core. If I was a kid again, I'd feel so lucky to have this guitar starting out.
$75??? Shaking my head. No one has an excuse for not having a decent new guitar. Darrell’s playing skill doesn’t hurt, I know.
Blessings 😊
Oh oh, it's a Glarry on youtube time of the year! 🎶🎸
I love all your videos about affordable guitars, I can't ever see myself buying one of those affordable guitars, but they are very entertaining, thank you
I was shocked when you started playing it. The sound is so good!
That guitar is better than the piece of plywood I started out with many years ago. Thanks DB. Peace!
The unboxing was the best part! Lol, tearing the tape was music to my ears! Lolol
I just repainted and upgraded my Squier Affinity Strat with a loaded pickguard that has 3 single hot rail pickups, and I kinda don't want the old Affinity loaded pickguard to go to waste, so I'm probably gonna order a Glarry GST to put it in. I like the maple neck, I'm thinking I'll get the green body. I already have two Glarry acoustics (the GT101 and GT102, their round composite back Ovation copies) and I just ordered their new GMF Mustang HH copy (that should arrive this Friday.) If I like that Mustang copy, I'm also gonna get their new GMF Jaguar SS copy. I may replace the humbuckers in the Mustang one with P90s, because I already have an HH guitar with my Epi Les Paul Special and I've always wanted a P90 guitar.
Bought one as a gift for my son, huge gouge on the back with missing paint / finish - box looked fine. Tone pot’s stem had completely separated - will need to be replaced. Loud harmonic vibration ping sound on the B string regardless of where it’s fretted. Took awhile to ship - I’m sure Christmas they are super busy, but it’s a bit late to return it and get another. We’ll just fix it together
Can I just buy your playing skills right out of the Box? You make any guitar sounds amazing.
I wish.....
I've got to say, the sunburst-finish looks very very nice!
These are great! I've been watching your videos for quite a while and I've managed to turn a few value instruments into some pretty decent guitars, so thanks for turning me on to that. I think the Indio Classic episode was the one that started it. Where we are now in terms of playable and affordable guitars is amazing. It's a great time to be getting into guitar playing too. I remember what was out there when I started playing, and what was out there was pretty terrible!
I have a thinline tele style Glarry on the way and an offset from Indio on the way. Can't wait to tinker with those! Thanks for the inspiration, and happy holidays to you, sir! God bless.
Love the old love quote there Darrell! You really kill it with the musical quotes
I LOVE the look.
'12 or so, stop by a local store. See something like this but CSB, HSS, TS guard and rwb. Same price, closeout.
Ran this thru a Fender FM 212 and played every Michael Schenker solo i knew. Screamed !!!
ha, worker there i knew strolled by to see WTF ;)
Didn't buy it. Drive the 10 minutes home for lunch and my Wife says "Go back and buy it!!".
Gear came and went in my life. This DeltaTone is one of the best buys of my life.
To think Glarry does what they do is amazing.
Hi everyone! I hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving.
I'm just getting started and so glad you are doing these videos
Thanks for this. I've not tried a Glarry instrument, but i actually considerably prefer their no-frills hard guitar cases to the more-expensive Road Runners and Gators, and i use their quite-solid cymbal stands on my home kit. I may have to try one of these.
Hello Dareii !!!
This is just one of, I imagin, many sgestions you’re getting. So, I’m truly surprised that *genuine Canuck fellow* had never said a word about *Mr. Robert Godin.* I am a Godin’s guitars fanatic (I have 6 of them so far). After watching the video “Sud Trio in concert” with Luc Silvain playing my guitar (just different colour), Andre Cikarelli on drums and some fenomenal bassist (sorry for forgetting his name), I fell in love with Godin guitars and, I declare that you can call me “legally insane” when I ever buy any Fender or Gibson in my entire lifetime. Please think for a moment about my suggestion for *Canuck’s* sake Lol ...
I just bought 2 of these; one for me, one for a friend, and although the price went up, slightly, still, a good deal. However, The strap is worthless, as is the "dust cover"; I got a hard case for mine. I have two Stage Right 40 watt solid state amps I play through, and you are right about one thing- this guitar plays well, and sounds good! Thanks for your review! I also have a Glarry P style bass; I wanted a cheap bass I could practice on. I play a Squire Affinity J-Bass for gigs.
If you wonder how they do it, it's a matter of the Chinese factories being more automated than even the Japanese and Korean factories from 25-30 years ago. A guitar like this is made almost entirely by running a blank through a computer-controlled that can churn out a fully shaped body in minutes. And then sending that through a computerized paint booth that takes seconds to apply a coat. Then it's just a matter of throwing on the neck with the headstock of which ever drop shipper ordered that batch (because the Glarry, the Monoprice Indio, the LyxPro, etc versions of Strats, are all made the same place. Even if it's an HSS or even HSH version, what with the body routing already accommodating it.
Of course, that means that they're actually decent for the price, because that level of automation leads to it being consistent. I got the Indio version (which you've also reviewed) because I didn't have a Strat style, and I'm not unhappy with it at all. Just added foil for shielding.
Great value for the money. The lowest I've seen online for a Glarry S-Style is $130 + shipping here on the Canadian side. Close to $75 if you do the currency conversion to USD.
Independently if it’s a good or meh instrument, to get a fully functional electric guitar in 2020 for the price of a 12 pack of strings has got something surrealistic… 👻🎸
My main complaint with Glarry's is that the wood grain on light/clear coat guitars is so often not parallel to the neck.... line it up before shaping & routing the body so it doesn't look 'bent'
Hey please do a video on Michael Kelly guitars they aren’t super affordable they are kind of similar to fender player series
you should check out michael kelly guitars. I see them around but no one seems to have any opinions on them. They look absolutely gorgeous and they seem to be a steal for the spec, at least for whatever sale they have going on now
Looks to be a full thickness body, as long as it's aligned, it's probably some shielding tape around the pickups away from being a Squier Bullet/Affinity. Swap to a solid steel Trem block and it would be quite a nice little Strat.
I actually got one of these last year, a black on red version. The pups are ok, but a little weak, so I stuck a dragon fire screamer humbucker in it. It’s great and plays awesome. As he said, a no brained!
Darrell my man...this has to stop....next week...a 39$ guitar....with strings included..
I love your channel keep it up!
Greetings from Québec
I've had a blue Glarry GST for about 10 months now. It was $65 back then. They're pretty impressive for the money and mostly playable. But... The tuners don't hold up. They become very weak over time. The guitar does hold tune well, if you're patient and tune carefully. The tremolo will always screw-up tuning, if used. I find it very difficult to play chords on the first four frets--always muting strings, unlike my other guitars. (Narrow nut width, odd neck profile?) Some of higher frets are not evenly leveled (high and low spots on some.) Oh, and changing the strings is a must.
With work though, Glarry guitars can be decent players (no fat fingers allowed). I'm just not sure they're worth it for most serious players. For me, there are better options and it's worth spending a little more to get one.
I got this guitar in red and bought one of the $30 Alnico 5 loaded pickup guards, added some foil shielding and some good strings and I'm pleased with it. It makes a great, cheap, practice guitar that I don't mind taking with me out and about. If it gets dinged or damaged so what? I have 125 bucks in it max.
Yeah it looks like a good guitar for that 9 to 14-year-old kid that says “dad I wanna play guitar”. So you get him one, and he either takes off with it, or he gets bored with it after two weeks/2 months and moves on to the next thing.
I just got a glarry guitar. Can't wait to open it and start remembering songs and learning new...
I have three Glarry ones. One Precision, one Jazz and a Stratocaster guitar. For the price... Solid construction, nice finish, real twins-clones of a REGULAR Fender (not a special edition). All you have to do is to change the pick-ups and strings. The Glarry sounds good but... I put Wilkinson pickups 25$ and Ernie Ball strings 25$. And because i've opened them, i shielded them with copper tape 15$ even if they don't make noise. The result is awsome and even a Fender won't sound and look better. So all in all it is a 200$ bass or guitar. Try them!
I might need to get a couple of these as project guitars. Nice vid!👍
Thanks. Wondering if you reviewed any cheap Acoustic Guitar’s recently? Thanks.🙏🌷
Darrel, what’s the best tremolo you’ve tried?, I ‘m looking to upgrade the one on fender player strat
Darrell, I wonder if you tried going up the neck. I bring it up because I bought a Glarry Stratoid (rosewood board) myself some months ago, and my first impressions mirrored your own at first. Finally tried going above the 20th fret and ... TRAINWRECK! Turns out that the 20th fret is visibly shorter than its neighbors! Not a deal breaker for me, since I'd always intended to give it a fret job ... although not this challenging. I got no room to complain, though. Got my Glarry for less than $50 US shipped to the door. I would recommend a guitar like this for someone into or getting into doing their own setups and perhaps some modifying. If you wreck it, you burn maybe $110 or so. If you don't, then you can make this into something very like a custom shop model.😎❤️️🎸‼️
Nothing wrong with budget guitars as long you know you get what you pay for... but you need to watch UA-cam and learn some basic setup skills... you do NOT want to pay someone to set it up not adjust it... it’s not worth it... I bought “special” Squier Tele for $139 to set up with Nashville tuning and I was quite happy with it.
Then I wanted a thinline and bought an Xaviere thinline with “gold foil” pups bcs it was way cheaper (at $229) than the equivalent Thinline Squier (at $399 for the cabronita, Or $449 for The classic vibe 60s model)... The shipping would’ve been free from Sweetwater, And they have a warranty, etc. I had to pay about 30 bucks shipping, but it came pretty fast. Plus the Cabronita has P 90s and I already have guitars with P 90s and the classic vibe 60s has the standard Tele pick up set up and I already have a couple Teles with the standard pick ups. The Xaviere Gold foils have a special warmth but there is a diversity of sound in the three positions... And I like the neck, it has narrow tall frets and it was really easy to play slide on. Also it I hate the limited number of finish options from the Squier thinline Teles ... The Xaviere has a beautiful maple neck, with a Sunburst finish and mother of pearl pick guard... and I don’t know about other Xaviere models ... I have seen positive reviews from Guitar Maxx as well as Darrell Braun, but I think this one was a really good deal for the money.