NICE PIECE OF ASH on this $230 Guitar!

The Monoprice Indio Cali DLX Plus offers an impressive, thick, ash body, along with a Wilkinson bridge, 22 frets, rosewood fretboard, and maple neck! At only $230 including a big bag, this is a rock solid electric guitar at an affordable price. Who likes ash?
Guitar here: www.monoprice.com/product?p_i...
Even cheaper Monoprice strat style guitar here: amzn.to/3fCTNFm
Amplifier used is the Fender GTX100: amzn.to/30Y2hCW
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Rubric: -5 points for Danzig references. -5 points for not reading the description. -5 points for not watching far enough into the video to answer your own question. -5 points for misquoting me in your comment. 20 points possible. Everyone starts with an A!

[@mihirbosemj]

ANY guitar will sound good in your hands. Have respect for you.

[@Angus576]

That's a fact

[@bluwng]

That over used statement is a veiled insult to the instrument. You might as well say it’s a POS but you make it sound good. I have a guitar that is impossible to play it is trash; he can’t make it sound good as you say.

[@neilkorsgaard]

No lie! I want to send Max my epiphone to hear what beautiful tones he can coax out of it. :)

[@Razrback]

Your right max could make a turd bucket sound killer

[@jeffreyeagen4896]

Who doesn't like a nice piece of ash!

[@marekgaazka7279]

3 pieces of ash or more.

[@josephhutchins8]

A handful of ash feels great

[@Steven_SK]

THIC!!!!

[@souloftheage]

Honestly, was beginning to believe no one else got that "Piece of Ash" joke!.

[@bikerrider4845]

Cosby Weinstein?

[@TroyBoyleAtheistAdvocate]

I've had this exact guitar about 8 months now; and I love it. Honestly, I play this more often than any guitar I own. Ridiculously cheap for a great guitar.

[@Rsoul461]

It just proves that you don't really need a very expensive guitar to sound good ... You need years of experience and dedication to master the necessary licks to which we want to hear. Hats off to you Sir...thank you for your content.

[@aaronwilliams7988]

This guy knows what’s up. 230 bucks isn’t cheap for everyone

[@jayou812a]

could always check out the used market they seem to end up there quick

[@shanewalton8888]

Love Max's cheesy sense of humor.

[@SkyP1e]

I've been subscribed to you for a year or two and without sounding like a fanboy HOW DO YOU NOT HAVE A MILLION SUBS YET? I'm not even a guitarist.

[@raimondspadaro8211]

Thanks again Max, for another great video showcasing what is affordable for what is probably alot of people like myself. And yes, I also can appreciate a fine, natural, ash!! Well done Sir.

[@stevenmgyori3826]

Well done Max! Amazing you found Ash at a budget price! Thanks for sharing brother and Be Well All

[@skeetschuler1859]

Sounds and looks great. You prove that it's all in the fingers. Thanks Max

[@blackiejames1843]

It's amazing that you can buy this kind of quality and playability at such an affordable price. I mean $230.00 for this equals a lot of guitar. Why take a vintage guitar or an expensive guitar to a gig when you could have a few of these around and if they get damaged or stolen the loss is nothing in comparison to an expensive one. I have to say I wish these were available when I was doing hard scrabble gigging. Thanks for another very informative video Max !

[@DeadShred9]

I agree I was getting my chops in the 80's and Budget meant utter shit !! I earned my skills buy spending lots of money to get me where I needed to be . Today $500 bucks can get you a gig ready amp and a better then decent Guitar . Kids dont understand how easy they have it these days . But then again We had way more fun in the 80's so whatever LOL

[@brooklynboy1000]

It's because Fender has continued to inflate prices for many years. Good marketing and making people think it costs alot to make a guitar in a factory. It doesn't. It's all bullshit and we bite because Clapton, Beck, The Edge etc all have signature models... We perceive and accept that a Strat should cost over a thousand and some sell for Five thousand...they are very smart...yet still in debt. Something is wrong!

[@mrlionel1965]

Completely agree. A good guitar doesn’t have to cost a grand! In fact, unless you are a professional musician, there is no reason to be spending that type of money on any guitar, as there are a lot of good affordable choices out there now.

[@camilo1455]

We had it good in Austin in the 80s -- I got a mid-60s SG Special with P90s for $129 in a pawnshop simply because it had been un-finished down to the mahogany (which I dearly love) that's beautiful with nothing but tung oil on it; feels and looks like a gunstock. Got a mid-60s Fender Coronado II in that classic orangey-red for $140 because someone had handmade a back panel (maple cleats) so that the original deArmand-style pups were changed out for high output Dimarzios. Original orange box Super Fuzz for $49. Have a 1961 (if you can believe the serial #) Gibson J45 with adjustable bridge that I made non-adjustable removing all the metal pieces and shimming the most bad-ass bone saddle I've ever seen with wood whittled from a spare top brace. Paid $250 for that guitar. We didn't know what we had..it was Japanese collectors, Japanese reverse-engineering craftsmen, and finally American collectors who drove the prices through the roof. That allowed Fender (and Gibson) to follow suit with pricing their new product. Too bad you guys weren't around then, it was fun. With only tiny little misgivings I turned down a 60s Martin going for $250, a cherry sunburst Les Paul at $325, and my biggest mistake a 1937 Gibson archtop with a custom-inlaid real abalone butterfly under the strings between the F-holes. That was going for S75 because it too had been stripped of finish. I played that for 3 weeks while it was waiting on a buyer. Then there's the stuff I (just as foolishly) let go: two Fender Princetons (silverface) for $125 each (that's all I paid for them), 1972 Telecaster Custom for $250, Dual Showman tube head for $100 (inc the 4x10 spks), 40s Gibson amp (ugliest piece of furniture but the loudest amp I've ever had) for 40 bucks 'cause it needed a new transformer...thanks for the memories, we were swimming in it and didn't quite fathom it. But I agree with everything y'all are saying - my Firefly double-cut (latest run) sounds every bit as good as the Melody Maker I sold for $350 in '89. I'm glad to hear Indio is good, and I understand Harley Benton's are great buys, too. I've been thinking about the CST24 P90, sounds really good on KZbin.

[@gato7908]

"if you're the kind of guy that likes a thick piece of ash". And you said that with a totally straight face, I find that most impressive

[@HigzyTeflon]

Sounds surprisingly good -- as you had mentioned, the bridge pickup is super crisp! That's a good value guitar right there!

[@LiveWireVodou]

Awesome as always! Thanks 🎸🤙

[@Kyoko12345678]

I have the Indio rt66 dlx LP style guitar. I have been amazed by the quality and sound for the money. Budget guitars these days are way better than they were years ago.

[@Joe-mz6dc]

As I get older I start to really appreciate a nice thick piece of ash more and more everyday. I was just saying that to myself today in fact. A good thick piece of ash definitely has its merits.

[@GuitarMAXMusic]

Well said!

[@Lombourdi]

Hell yeah! Nice to see you review this guitar. I work for monoprice and I agree this guitar is great for the price!

[@drippinglass]

I just subbed... I enjoy your vids on inexpensive gear, even though I just purchased a Fender NOS CS. 👍😎

[@mikevega7740]

Wow what a beauty. I do like a nice, thick piece of ash. Great video

[@AndrewCCM]

I have the tele version. Sounded good. However, I decided to replace everything. Put a 920D control switch with push pull tone pot for series/parallel middle position, put a DiMarzio Twang King in the neck and a Seymour Duncan Jerry Donahue in the bridge. Replaced pickguard, nut, and tuners (with Fender locking). Also added compensated brass saddles and treble bleed circuit. Sanded down neck and headstock. Treated with TrueOil and polished and leveled out the frets. The thing plays better than a $1000+ Fender. Granted I spent around $550ish total, but i had a lot of fun doing the mods and very happy with it. That was my second Monoprice Tele to redo. The other one I went all modern. Used DiMarzio rail type humbuckers (Cruiser and Chopper T). Put in 500k pots using another 920D control plate. Added treble bleed as well. I have an addiction to buying inexpensive, yet solid base level guitars and modding the heck out of them. Had to do something during this quarantine. Lol

[@camilo1455]

I've been teaching myself violin. lol

[@josecardenas4013]

Awesome looking and sounding ax…cheers!!!!

[@speaknoworforeverhol]

This might just be the answer for what I've been looking for. Been looking for a nice natural laq finish and the fact it's an ash body is a plus

[@MrEllgato]

nice deal very cool looking guitar i just got my third firefly guitar awesome thank you guitar max cheers to you other channel too!

[@GuitarMAXMusic]

Thank you!

[@sonnymauriello]

Max I've been watching your videos now for about a year you're an amazing product promoter and guitar player and I hope to meet you one day at a namm show!!

[@mybluesable]

I enjoy your affordable equipment videos.

[@stickman33]

My '73 Fender Strat has a natural ash body. It weighs about 10-1/2 lbs. I was in a band with a guy who had a mid-60's Strat that was much lighter, and the tone and volume of that guitar blew mine away. I recently compared sustain between various guitars. The longest sustain was a Les Paul that weighs 10 lbs. Nearly identical was a PRS Mira that weighs 7 lbs. I think the weight and thickness of the neck might be more significant than the body.

[@thomasdaughenbaugh1997]

Awesome Max

[@docmoto6477]

Ooo baby, back that ash up! 😂 looking good!😎

[@mariomendes993]

very nice video, Max very nice guitar

[@Joe-mz6dc]

2020 and the Guitar CNC Golden Era is in full swing.

[@souloftheage]

So sweet @6:40 as usual, Max! You really have an ear for creating beautiful, melodic sounds on ANY guitar I don't think it's the guitar that sounds so good(I DO like all my MONOPRICE guitars I believe I own all the acoustic and electric guitars they have. Some need a good setup and filing, crowning & leveling of frets. Turning of tbe truss rod. Often just a bit more than a low level entry, name brand guitar requires. But one is also paying about 30-50% less than a lower, entry level guitar brand name e.g. Mitchell or Epiphone. I like inexpensive guitars that with a bit of sweat equity, can be converted to much much nicer guitars. It's usually quite simple to do, given the neck is straight, the body is solid and one has the guitar tools to do it. And it's FUN!. Really enjoy listening to your playing, MAX.

[@connorhancock3885]

Best KZbin channel

[@raymondbarreras8153]

Sounds great! You can’t argue about a $230 guitar that stays in tune & sounds this good. I’m 59, so in the mid to late 70’s before Van Halen came up with his homemade strat, an affordable guitar was usually a terrible copy of a Les Paul, Tele, or strat! $200 plus with a case. Sometimes one of the frets carried the same note as the next fret! If your new & want to learn on something good, consider this very nice affordable axe 🎸

[@DrewsReviews07]

Agreed

[@Condor512]

My Indio Ash Strat just arrived :-), it came about 1/2 hr ago, (I'm letting it acclimate b4 I fire it up w/ my Stage Right 15 Watt Tube Amp). The guitar is stunning! ps; And the Gig Bag is pretty good quality too.

[@mrlionel1965]

I’m surprised, the pups on this guitar actually sound pretty good, maybe even a little better than the ones on my Harley Benton ST62, although, my HB was well under $150 (pre covid bullshit), and is a superb guitar. Love the vids Max!

[@samhainlimon]

Sick intro Solo!

[@jameslonglove]

I like a nice thick ash! Great video and content!

[@montanaorr6937]

I NEED one of these.

[@bandicoot5412]

Love it

[@sansocie]

Telecaster with Humbuckers. 6 string fretless bass. Great post !

[@Icantdrive55]

I think Max could play a broomstick and make it sound good! 😂

[@kosmopauc8391]

Happy birthday Glenn!

[@HellsCemetery]

I went and got the Indio Les Paul model with the maple top and I put some Dragonfire quad rails in it. It sounds lethal and plays like a dream😎

[@richardallen2093]

Nice thick piece of ash... Yessir

[@michaelfinnegan3805]

Dude you make that guitar sing.

[@SGWinstar8844]

Rock on 🎶Max!! 😎👍🏽

[@windsurfmaui8239]

Can you please review either of their tube amps. Is the larger one a duplicate of the fender Blues Junior?

[@celsopereiramagalhaesjr3216]

Man , this guitar really is a killer, looks like my SX vintage swamp ash strat.

[@HIH1013]

what a beautiful guitar, $230 bucks its a gift. And i think Max Techniques sound cooler each new video 🤔

[@Condor512]

@ Guitar Max -- I did it Max, I bought one yesterday, 6-22, :-) it took a couple days of convincing the wife but thanks to your Video here & the great description & Pics on the Monoprice Website I got the Okay nod (after 44+yrs of marriage, that nod of ok is mandatory. /s) Hopefully it will be delivered by Friday, June 26, 2020. btw, I have the Stage Right, by Monoprice, 15 Watt Tube Amp & it rocks so I'm not that worried about getting quality 'stuff' from them.

[@sisajtegabre]

Damn.....Sick start such a killer start that kick ass to US standard easy.

[@fredrodnick2881]

The wood has a nice tone. Can you review the Mitchell less Paul style guitar? I think it's the ms- 400 model.

[@mastiel1]

Those pickups sound pretty fucking good !

[@nickbellinger1047]

i feel like buying one ....cos i got 18 months of payments left on "tha strat"....thanks for the vid mate.......rock on

[@patrickshannon9281]

Hey Max how are you today? I'm a long time follower of your playing and info you have to offer. Love these videos you make. I got a real quick question, I've been looking at dhgate guitars and there's a few I'm interested in. But I was just wondering have you ever bought any guitars from them? If so can you fill me in on quality. I understand that they aren't the real deal. But are they still decent for the price? I trust your judgement.

[@AleandFire]

Your awesome man

[@apatriot613]

I decided toTry 1 of these and on looks how it plays and sounds. I rate the one I bought near on par with Many of the vintage Fenders I have played and owned. Better than some. Maybe a 2 piece ash body but matched so well its hard to tell looks like 1 piece. Only - things are a little fret sprout on sides of neck not bad but needs attention. And it weighs near the 10-11 lb range

[@xunliu8696]

How does this guitar compare to g&l legacy or s-500? I love those two guitars but they seem too vintage that they don’t sound that good with high gain

[@markconger8049]

First time viewer and commenter. Would this be a guitar you could later change out the pickups on to something higher class? I’m thinking it’s so inexpensive and made from a substantial piece of wood that mods on this might be great because if it screws up the guitar you’re not out a lot of money. Further, maybe resale value goes up by upgrading? Just curious. I don’t even own a guitar, but love music.

[@paulvandijk2204]

Those pickups really sound decent.....nice!

[@orvillestoops9611]

Yes max the tans. Yellow tele

[@maxcarr6266]

Wonder how it's routed..if it will accept deferent pup configurations.

[@SamBarvels]

That Ash!!!

[@bendover3838]

I, too, love the looks of this guitar but does it "quack"? Would have liked to hear positions 2 and 4. Thanks, Max.

[@JustinWoo]

Things I didn't expect to do today: hearing a dude who looks like a younger, hotter Glenn Danzig make "ash" dad puns throughout a whole video.

[@markr2159]

Is the two point trem spacing same as an MIM strat?

[@bobbusby5058]

Thick piece of Ash, I see what you did there! lol Great review Max!

[@lijkenkist1]

Hey Max, would you be able to do a review of the amazing Harley Benton EX-76 (Classic)? There aren't many videos about that guitar yet and I would absolutely love if you could do that :)

[@LatitudeGuitarFactory]

very nice bro

[@Metro_Gnome]

Review the 66 dlx plus! I have one and I know you'll like it. Great stock pickups/hardware and was well setup aside from some dryness in the fretboard and rough ends. Maple capped hog body, too👍👍🐈🔥

[@wingdwolf56]

Are the Monoprice guitars along the same line as Harley Benton? It takes a long time to get a Harley Benton in the Satates

[@LuisDelgado-eb5cd]

do you know something about the pickups? I saw in the oficial site that are wilkinson pickups

[@declanl2167]

Are you still going to do a full tone demo on your Haley Benton double neck

[@OnTheFritz602]

The ash body on that looks a lot nicer than the ash Harley Benton I recently bought. Of course the HB was cheaper, but when you add shipping...

[@joethegiant]

Background 3rd guitar in V shape red. What is that???

[@DigitalSubset]

I was lucky to grab 2 of their guitars a hss Indio classic and the flamed jamm bass. Everything is sold out on the website these days

[@danielkaufman633]

Beautiful guitar. How does it compare with the Harley Benton ST-90SA Swamp Ash Deluxe?

[@bpreece1]

Which Mustang Preset's are you using?

[@CoyoteDuran1]

Max: "...a nice thick piece of ash..." Me: "Tee-hee!"

[@morp1238]

I don't know if this is a dumb question, but does it come with 5 tension springs? I might try and get this guitar and put some beefy strings on it

[@YaoEspirito]

I'm the same way, Max. I love to see woodgrain, be it natural or stained. Painted axes, especially silver guitars, just never look right to me.

[@masterhotdog6522]

This is cool beans

[@ROCKNROLLMODS]

Thanks for the video! Good looking guitar. I try not to make tone assumptions based on KZbin videos but..... Neck position sounded really good, I thought the bridge pickup was super anemic and didn't have the output to break up as the neck does.

[@rijosigns]

your like me i can make any cheap guitar sound good. it is a gift. practice all..buy a good amp.\m/ love your music man stellar

[@CrushingAxes]

Ash sounds so warm ! Sounds like a very expensive guitar !

[@jmangi6221]

I've been looking at their hollow body 335 style,but unfortunately they're out of stock on them. Would love to get my hands on the charcoal burst one,it's gorgeous.😉

[@jerryjohnson575]

what strat should I get for a $250 budget the Eaton or Slick or this one??????????????????????????

[@viperBSG]

nothing better then an ash body!

[@thomasmozelt585]

Wow,the sound is very awesome!isnt it?

[@patricksannella4120]

I think the Wilkinson bridge helps solve a lot of issues does this model have an HH value i love ash and I think Carvin is just as good in that variant the ash is hard to laquer finish but if you like ash this thing is your ticket you could put Spurzell locking tuners this the soloution to no floyed lock at the nut, you just cant pull up on whamies unless cutting it some more thats done with a router not too bad an idea cause the Wilkinson is greatly un appreciated without the extra cut.

[@gabeus9170]

You should try doing a review on a sterling majesty, not the 2020 model though since they are a lot more

[@Superjet113]

Check out the Retro DLX plus Tele by Monoprice and do a review on that one Max. Same solid ash body with wood finish. Thanks again for the reviews! Your playing has gotten way better also!

[@AndrewCCM]

I own one. Modded the heck out of it. It’s a great guitar.

[@markr2159]

@@AndrewCCM would you share your mods?

[@camilo1455]

@@AndrewCCM yes, please

[@hafiz4695]

Can you make a review on xaviere pro 875?

[@SteveAtwal]

Awesome video 👍 BTW, which guitar is the one you have in your primary photo where you are standing in front of your car (arms crossed, guitar hanging down from shoulder straps)? And is there a semi-hollow body version? I’m looking for a quality semi-hollow body as a beginner. I hear that with a semi-hollow body you can still play/practice without plugging into an amp (so as not to wake up everyone in the house 😂). I’m going crazy doing research into Ibanez, Firefly (which can’t be found anywhere), etc. I need something that is easier on the fingers for an older person (easier to play), smaller body, and available to ship to Canada. BTW, anyone tell you that you look like Cisco from “The Flash” TV show? You keep reminding me of him 😂 Thanks!

[@troyharrell622]

If I'm buying an ash body for a build it would not be that body. I've sourced some crazy looking ash bodies from the net. 230 bux. That's a good deal on the real. Throw a gotoh style Floyd and it's done. Seriously. Good find max

[@joaquinchapa7743]

max plz do a 99 telecaster i really want one but idk if its worth it preferably the yellow one

[@tatialo37]

Dang! Nice guitar! If it only came in a gardtail I mean hardtail!!!!

[@buckellard]

I wish you would review the Harley Benton ST 90-SA. I would love to hear your thoughts on that. It doesn't have the hot humbucker so it won't be a shredder. I just value your opinion.

[@ReginaldRuin]

Hey Max have you ever heard about the Eart brand of guitars ? Do u have any plans of reviewing them ?

[@GuitarMAXMusic]

Hi Reginald! You know, I actually just did a review of an EART guitar recently. Search for 'guitar max eart' and I'm sure you'll find it. It's one of their affordable strat types.

[@johngonzales8224]

graphite or nut lube. I have two guitars with the Wilkinson trem and several Biggby's. lube the nut I can't knock them out of tune and I can be agressive.