Offset Telecaster style in mahogany & P90 for under $200? KING brand unboxing/review/demo

Hey gang! So, 12 days ago I didn't know this brand - let alone this guitar - existed at all. If you're looking for something a little different in Tele world, check this out. If you've been looking at the MIJ Offset Tele but don't wanna spend over a grand for a used guitar, check this out! This is my unboxing & review, along with plenty of noodling around. Thx for watching and y'all know the dealio...like and subscribe!
Everything here is stock aside from strings. I put on a set of 10-46 XLs.
This is a link to the seller. NOTE! I have no affiliation, just providing in case someone's interested. www.ebay.com/u...

[@donniehba795]

I have got to tell you that I have been playing for 52+ years and I just love your playing. It is so darn cool. And I appreciate your reviews.

[@cugir321]

Put a cap in series with the switch for the middle position on one of the pickups....it will give you some out of phase.

[@hampyonce]

I think you might be the best at this genre. The playing while the inbox happens in the background is way better than talking about the contents. Your playing is delightful. Keep posting, please.

[@SteeringSteel]

It’s a really great looking guitar and if you’re happy playing it then I think for 189 bucks it was money well spent! Thanks for the demo.

[@fooglez]

I just got mine in the mail today. It's a different setup from a different seller and 'b-stock' but I was only interested in the body. I'm a new pandemic guitarist, so I am not that picky. I've been playing on a Tagima Strat copy, but it's kinda awkward while I'm sitting at my desk. I started looking into offset guitars and really loved the look of the Jazzcaster. I was going to save up to snag a Squier, or build my own, then I found the listing. The Jazzcaster body alone costs more than this entire guitar shipped. It's perfect for me, the quality isn't as good as my Tagima, but I'm planning on modding this heavily to fit my needs. It's heavier than my Tagima, but way more comfortable to me. I've found my guitar, glad I don't have to go out shopping for more. Thanks for the vid, I pulled the trigger right when I found your video showcasing it. edit: update on the quality. I stripped the guitar completely for my project. The neck is nice, same quality of bullet/affinity squiers. The body was mismatched colors (sellers reason for b-stock) but more importantly, the neck pocket was extremely crooked (not noted in the listing). The neck was angled downward if looking at it from the sitting position. I had to do a lot of work to get the neck straight and tighten the pocket back up. To me, this would be a deal breaker if it wasn't a project guitar. Tuners, Bridge, Electronics, and pickups are all pretty low tier (to be expected). Overall, the guitar would be a lot of work for someone that didn't want to modify it, I'm practically replacing everything, but it was my plan from the beginning. Be weary!

[@bluwng]

How much does it way?

[@bluwng]

Where did you buy it?

[@fooglez]

​@@bluwng eBay, I've only seen one listed briefly after I purchased mine though. It weighs a lot, I don't have any way to weigh it, but It's 9lbs+ for sure even after carving out some of the body. I would say go squier paranormal, but.. somehow within months all of them are sold out. They were a steal at $350~

[@skooterbrah]

I had a Fender Tele, and had it modified to be out of phase in the middle position. It is definitely an acquired taste, but if you want a really 'quacky' sound, then nothing else is comparable. Honestly, this guitar sounds great!

[@EasyHeat]

I just stumbled on this Ebay seller. Whoa my! They got a groovy looking red & black offset baritone I'm seriously gassing over!

[@KevinSparksatx]

Did you ever get it? I'm looking at one too

[@EasyHeat]

@@KevinSparksatx Nope. I wish I had tho.

[@KevinSparksatx]

@@EasyHeat i bought it. The neck looks and feels cheap, but it's straight and playable. The other negative is the bridge/tail combo piece. Larger strings are difficult to install/remove because the saddle moves and grabs onto them.

[@sjhomeownersgroup7882]

Hey Roger, Don't mess with the magnets for your problem with phasing. Reverse the leads on the p90. If you want to take it to the next level add a push-pull pot to throw it in and and out of phase. The out of phase sound was popularized by "the Iceman" Albert Collins. Stay safe. Tommy Dalton, Dalton bros. Guitars

[@ltcm5052]

So all you have to do to fix the phase issue is de-solder the wires on either side of the p90 and switch them, then re-solder?

[@sjhomeownersgroup7882]

@@ltcm5052 Yes, That will work fine, but I would probably make the change in the control cavity instead. It will have the same outcome.

[@2dazetake]

Dude I snatched one up, right after watching this review, the only difference is, I went with the maple neck model, with the tradition tele pickup in the neck, and to my surprise when I lifted the pickguard,there was a route for a P90 or a mini humbucke under,thinking of making up a couple pickguards to switch out, awesome guitars, thanks so much for the tip about these guitars,"King beats a Squire", ironically true in this case, really happy with the sound of the 7.4k stock tele pickup it came with, but the 5.4k neck pickup is a little too weak and needs a chance🤣👍

[@lugarner8493]

I ordered one too!! 160$ shipped!! I got the p90 one cant wait to get it ✌️✌️✌️

[@jbourke33]

I got a Squier Paranormal Offset Telecaster a couple months ago as a mod platform. So far I’ve put a firebird pickup in the neck, replaced the electronics with a 4-way solderless system from Madhatter (amazing!) with a kill switch and a push-pull to split the firebird pickup, upgraded the bridge plate with 6 brass saddles, and switched to a roller string tree. I may upgrade the neck at some point as it seems a little narrow, but other than that I’m in love and have less than $600 into it.

[@ivaranderson2556]

Did you happen to notice the orientation of the alnico poles on the bridge pickup? South up?

[@valueofnothing2487]

I also have one. It's definitely more Classic Vibe than Affinity. Didn't need fretwork like this one. The e string was a bit closer to the edge of the fretboard, but I don't notice it when I play. Alnico pickups, 7k in the neck, proper 43 gauge wire). I don't think they are reverse polarity. It was $350 when I bought it, but I think they have gone up past $400 now. I bought this specifically because it happened to be a lightweight (6.5 lbs), so I would buy it again. But if I didn't care about the weight, there are so many options I am not sure what I would pick.

[@richardfinney8617]

Would love to see iyv 300Tsb review and you're comments? Great video and good licks I love your finger fan and jazz progressions. Thank you for sharing.

[@shaneworden1325]

Ok so I ordered the exact same guitar. Fell in love with it in the review. Luck for me the add was wrong so they updated it to this current model that you have. Made a offer. Got a hell of a deal. They told me King is there own company and not related to Cozart. Interesting.🤔

[@scooter2873]

Love your show! Don't change when you get popular! And you will!

[@birdman316]

i found one as well! after about a year of constantly checking... 179 or best offer...i offered 169 and they took my offer! glad i saw this video! UPDATE: i recieved my o/s tele clone and mine is correctly in phase...had to trim fret number9 near the fat E string and lower the action.... the bridge pup is very microphonic and cant take much gain...squeals bad lol! i made a video on mine and gave you a shout plus linked this video in the description section... thanx again for the heads up! took me almost a year but i grabbed me one wooooo!!

[@ZacCjw]

First! Man your making me want to buy more guitars! You got me with the Grote Hollow body video a while back which is now my favorite guitar

[@MusicNerdStuff]

Love my Grote!

[@ZacCjw]

@@MusicNerdStuff by the way, not sure if you'd like to know. I decided to mod mine. List of mods below * Grover milk jug tuners (white pearl keys) * Bone nut * Vintage amber bell knobs *Removed sticky felt underneath bridge and replaced with higher quality felt. * Kept the stock p90 because it sounds great as is ( although it says bridge position on the back of it?) Other than that it's still stock, did a very minor setup of truss rod adjustment, nut height, and intonation/bridge height. I haven't played my strat in forever because I'm in love with this thing. Also using D'addario Jazz lights flat wound strings

[@davidmarkham4391]

I bought one of those. It was a regular tele configuration. Correct, the nut sucks. Mine had a maple neck. Yours looks like a maple neck as well. Also the frets were meh at best. My neck pickup didn’t work out of the box. I modded it with hot rails, swapped the control cavity, brass saddles and a new nut. I also relic’d the finish with another layer of paint over the original color.

[@rednebrednef]

Wish I had seen this a year ago! Tried and can't find em anymore. Great playing helped me decide to get one!

[@airhambone]

Schecter pt special has tele /p-90 pup setup

[@colinhoban8660]

While the schecter is the better buy it isn't the offset body shape

[@JCross1130]

You can get a Schecter PT Special with a tele bridge and P90. They're very nice but, $599.

[@Dapno_]

What an amazing video man! Love the relaxed atmosphere and unbiased review:)

[@MusicNerdStuff]

Thx!

[@jacqueslapidieux3182]

Love that middle position!

[@skooterbrah]

I've been considering this guitar for a while now. I guess that it's time to order one. Thanks for the great review!

[@sneifert1968]

Nothing wrong with top loader tele’s. I love used off brand guitars. Great guitars if you have some set up skills.I have a bunch of them. Di Pinto, Brownsville, Xavier, Harley Benton, Crafter, SX etc.

[@MusicNerdStuff]

Absolutely! I just wanted to point out that it wasn’t a more “traditional” string through. I generally prefer the tension of string through, but I have buddies that are 100% the other way. My #1 best budget Tele rec is still the HB TE-70. Super solid guit! Never heard of Crafter or Di Pinto but I’ll check em out. Thx!

[@troythompson1621]

I really like the shape, and sound, of this guitar. Your quick decending barr riff was damn slick. I just got an offer on this guitar for 169.99. I might have to accept it.

[@tomcurtisiii9840]

I bought their G Harrison rosewood looking knockoff a couple years ago....I love it!!! A bit heavy tho

[@bluwng]

Where did you buy it?

[@3r1cratpool22]

I like the fact that the pups are out of phase. Nice guitar

[@Luthiart]

I bought a "King" double-cut Tele a couple of years ago for $120 (yes, they're made by Cozart, BTW), and man, that guitar was a mess! The neck was like a telephone pole with wonky frets all the way down the fretboard, and someone tried to "roll" the edges by running a screwdriver shaft along the length of the neck, which made gouges in the heel where the handle of the screwdriver came in contact with it. The bridge was cheap (as was the rest of the hardware), and mounted crooked. The pickups sounded harsh and shrill, like they only used a couple dozen winds of copper wire in them. The tuners were pretty bad and the nut looked like it was cut by a blind man. The body was made of low-grade Ash, and was heavy as a bastard, and there were all kinds of inconsistencies in the shape (I don't think they were made on a CNC machine). In general, the construction was slap-dash and sloppy with poor sanding and tool marks all over the place. Oddly enough, the body was finished in nitro-cellulose, but there were a number of drips and imperfections. I didn't bother trying to salvage the neck and just bought a new one for it. When I replaced and re-positioned the bridge, I also had to re-rout the cavity for the bridge pickup, because it wasn't routed in the correct location, and was the reason why the bridge was crooked in the first place! I threw the stock pickups in the trash, and replaced them with a set of Custom Shop "NoCasters", and replaced all the garbage electronics and hardware. The tiny string-through ferrules were too small for the holes that were drilled and kept falling out, so I had to enlarge the holes and install bigger ferrules. At the end of it all, it was a pretty good player, but it took an awful lot of work to get it there. If Squier had made a double-cut Tele, I would have just spent the $400-$450 and called it a day. My experience wasn't unique, either. I knew another guy who bought one at the same time I bought mine, and his had the same problems. I hope your experience with the "King" is better than mine was. :-)

[@MusicNerdStuff]

Wow! Yeah, you stuck with it longer than I could have lol. So far, I'm really diggin this one. Certainly room for some upgrades, but the bones are solid on this one. We'll see where it goes!

[@rex8958]

I still have my stupid King double cut tele. The neck is the chunkiest roughest neck ever. There is no fixing it, bad frets, tuners, fretboard, neck, nut. Then I tried to replace the bridge and most of the screws snapped at the head. Plus mine is 13+ pounds. I always get the verge to burn it but then the looks get me. $120 down the drain for sure

[@MusicNerdStuff]

@@rex8958 13lbs! Yikes, that's crazy! I have a '52RI that's close to 9 and I feel that one's about as heavy as I'd want to do a show with. I think a 13 pounder would be a nice art piece on the wal lol

[@rex8958]

@@MusicNerdStuff not that it’s even possible to gig with it lol 😂 does look good though

[@firecrackerheart]

super interesting guitar. i wanna go check and see if novo has put out any of their solus bodies with a p90 on the neck now!

[@mikolajmrz]

The Fender this is based on is probably my favourite guitar to record my covers with and play in general, but man for a 1/5th of the price? It sounds pretty damn good :)

[@davenewton4862]

I have a Cozart 12 string tele and I am amazed at its quality for the price.

[@crankydragon]

Warmoth, makes a "Jazzcaster" body (actually called that)but you're looking at around $500 and more for just the body.

[@tommyapocalypse6096]

Looks like a nice, no-frills workingman's guitar for a reasonable price.

[@bluesvertigo3961]

Looks a lot like my Squier, except for the P90 and rosewood fretboard. The top load only bridge is kind of a drag, but definitely does not make this a throwaway.

[@bluesvertigo3961]

The top horn swoops a bit higher than on a JM.

[@overdriveguitarchannel3403]

I bought a Squier Affinity Telecaster two weeks ago that the fret ends were done the same way. I was very pleasantly surprised about that. I was less excited to find that they did literally no fret leveling. I have a vid talking about it if you are interested at all. I am working on a video about what it took to make it play great. One question, is the body full thickness?( 1.5 inches thick?) Great vid man, I started a humble little channel myself. Its a lot of work...Keep up the good work...

[@fooglez]

It's thicker than squier/off brand strats, 1.75" with very minimal body contour cuts.

[@valueofnothing2487]

My Squire Affinity Strat was fine. I have a superstition that maple is better because of the finish protects the fingerboard - and maybe frets - in the warehouse. Or, maybe I just got a new one.

[@donaldschumacher3683]

I want that guitar but I was to late out of stock, but thanks for the review

[@MusicNerdStuff]

I’m not 100% but I think they post one at a time, sell it, then post another. Yesterday I didn’t see one. This morning I did and now it’s gone already so...might be worth direct messaging the seller, idk. They were pretty quick to get back to me.

[@donaldschumacher3683]

@@MusicNerdStuff I got one and MAN the frets and setup are as good as anything I've played

[@bluwng]

@@donaldschumacher3683 did you buy on eBay?

[@jameshayes3225]

Went looking for this guitar after watching your review. You're right about them being hard to find! Was looking for a Tele and an offset. Get to kill the 2 birds with the one stone. Found it on Ebay like you. Wasn't sure about it so threw them a low ball bid and they took it (oops). Can't wait to put it into the rotation. Never used a p90 before. Great review and I hit the like. Hope that helps you in some way. James Hayes

[@joshuataft5541]

Realy cool.i love the color. Offset tele might b my new baby .most of em I see by fender .the new ones are girl colors I love the vibe of that one thanx for the vidio

[@SnowdriftBoy]

Great sound and beautiful playing!👏👏👏

[@TheTylerNCC]

Love that shape... Definitely not exactly like a JM, more curvy and for sure sexy. One thing that makes my face hurt is that the top edge of the pickguard is a straight line but the top of the guitar isnt. Seems like for a bespoke shape it could've followed the curve a bit better. But that's just me being picky. Gives me some ideas if I ever get around to doing a more custom build! Sounds great too, except for the middle position obvi...but the P90 in mahogany is surprisingly good!

[@MusicNerdStuff]

I 100% agree and I've been looking to find a "telemaster" w/p90 pickguard to replace it. Warmoth has one but shipping prices are half the cost of the pickguard so it'll have to wait for my next Warmoth order... which probably won't be too long lol

[@aidantalbot9495]

This is a body/set up that the market wants, strange the manufacturers don't do more of them, we can't all afford a Fano or want a whammy

[@BOBANDVEG]

I'm glad the whammy trend has gone down a little.

[@TisforTech]

How do you only have 3K subs? Great channel & content.

[@LuvhandleR]

I bought the King before I bought the Squire Telecaster Paranormal Offset in the discontinued natural finish. The King feels very coarse and less refined compared to the Squire. The King will be going on Facebook Market place as soon as I take more pictures.

[@darlascott5701]

Slick SL56 offset jazzmaster hollow body. Same configuration with the pickups. $249.00 excellent guitar straight from the box plus you get a hard shell pace aged body these are much better p90 in the and telly in the bridge excellent all brass accoutrements graphite nut and a hard shell case for just under $100 more you're getting a gig ready player guitar

[@johnwelch557]

Wish it had real jazzmaser pickups. For bridge piece screws that are high, I always remove each, slice them to size with a dremel thin wafer cutter and reinstall. Obviously makes palm muting easy. Thanks!

[@johnjolly9519]

For an inexpensive guitar try the Jack & Danny #J&D TL Jazz BW (Basswood body). For a pro guitar try the Grosh - ElectroJet VT, G-90, T. (Much more $) RS Guitarworks - Surf King is another option

[@johnjolly9519]

I found a couple other brand check out Woodstock Guitars,Ukraine & the Cort, Sunset TC.

[@joojoosasa]

Would you do a review of one of the '56 Goldtop LP style? The one with the single P90 in the bridge? Really curious about that guitar.

[@2dazetake]

Got the same guitar in the telecaster style, for 169 and of course it has a route for a p90 under the pick guard, really a solid guitar,mine has a maple neck and I'm not a fan of the the gloss but a little steel wool will take care of that, Plus I plan on putting a mini humbucker in the neck and my favorite tex mex in the neck,otherwise I'm just as surprised as you are to how good this guitar is,why pay the price for the big F on the head stock, the only difference is that it's not a string thru body, but I prefer top loaders for the slinky string feeling you get,king for the price that'sfor sure.

[@craigjacob3704]

Being in south Mississippi I'm going to have to check them out.

[@ceebee491]

Vintage are doing a tele body with p 90 and tele standard bridge

[@bigboynicky3372]

Just Bought it will report back how it is

[@camilo1455]

Looking forward to another take on it!

[@pivotman1121]

And?

[@Evan8D]

You like it?

[@TheOrphicLyre]

You didn't

[@tjforgey7854]

Head stock shape is funky

[@thenicaron1]

The chord you hit right at 12:58 sounds exactly like the first chord on A hard Day's Night.

[@JasonMcFly]

Awesome review, kinda interested in one. How's the weight? I prefer super light guitars...

[@johnfritz15]

I’ve been looking at this on eBay for a week or so.

[@johnfritz15]

Aaaand I just bought it.

[@2dazetake]

Didn't you do a guitar just like this with full on tele pickups, I bought one,has a great maple neck, think it's routed for a humbucker under the single coil neck pickup.

[@BuffaloC305]

I like wood so any part of real wood is welcome to my eyes. I think gnarls and knots fit into that category, too. And like you, I'm usually amazed that fret-edges are routinely miscut. Why not that 45-degree angle as a starting point?!! My one question: could you lift up the pick-guard and let us know what the pickup wells are like - are they double-cut so humbuckers can drop in? (I don't care about 'factory' shielding - I just like knowing 'additional excavation would be necessary for pickup mods'.

[@MusicNerdStuff]

Hey Chuck! I’ve just started modding this guit and just pulled the pickguard last night. The neck position looks like you could throw anything in there you wanted: humbucker or a Jazzmaster sized pup. The bridge route is for the tele pup specifically.

[@steveeolio]

its my understanding that most luthiors like a 30% angle on fret ends tho and then some nice file work for the edges 45..kinda removes more from the width of the fret?? i dunno ,,nitpicky ...

[@MusicNerdStuff]

@@steveeolio that's def a consideration. I'm designing my next build right now and sat down to play and compare my Warmoths - whose fret end angle is fairly "sharp" but dressed well and consistent - against this and some other guits with more slope. For me personally, the only disadvantage was if I'm doing a pull-off on the high E to an open E I have to be aware...but that one thing is far outweighed for me by the smooth "throw". But everyone's different...thank goodness!

[@troythompson1621]

Yeah, I heard they only made 200 of the FSR Fender.

[@MrKevbo82]

Curious to see what your plans are for it. I built an offset tele style guitar a couple years ago now and it’s somehow become my most used guitar and I only spent just over $500 including buying supplies to finish it in nitro. I took it to a guitar center to try an amp and sitting there was a duesenberg so played them side by side and was stunned mine sounded a little better but felt A LOT better. Idk if I got lucky or what but I don’t care lol

[@timtaylorguitarnut]

Got a cozart strat with a million dollar fret job but the neck angle is way off. I need to shim it but the neck is so nice I kept it instead of returning it.

[@josiahnelson4373]

When are you starting the mods on this can't wait to see this. Great review:-)

[@alfaalex101]

Any left in stock!?

[@joshuataft5541]

P90s are awsome

[@sandrosadhukhan]

Nice piece of kit.

[@shaneworden1325]

Anyway great video. What are you using to get your tone. Thanks

[@1satisfiedmind]

Have you seen the King Little Sister copy?

[@thecleanchannelmusic]

I need to know-who makes your hat? It’s fantastic!

[@bluwng]

I want one and can’t find one!!! I found the Fender equivalent, $1800.

[@johndodson4527]

I. Bought a king little sister copy.p 90s.killer for 250.tweed case.ebay

[@yukkydukky4565]

i love these king guitars

[@phillipholt6005]

I glad it doesn't have string through.

[@abominablemusic]

I wonder, are the Fret King legal team contacting this company...

[@BrandochGarage]

jesus, I want one!

[@jamesready6542]

Anyone know if there is a place to buy these currently? The seller in the link isnt offering it anymore

[@BillKernerDoP]

Has anyone seen these for purchase recently

[@tele789]

Will Fender type parts work on that?

[@xalexissleepingx]

Guitar sounds amazing for the price! aside: how do I find a hat like that? Not sure what they're called. Sick af :-D

[@1satisfiedmind]

They're called "Newsboy" hats/caps, after the old "extra, extra, read all about it!" Newsboys of early 19th century. Google, or check Amazon.

[@lugarner8493]

Jus ordered this exact one 160$ free shipping

[@alanboothby6825]

I just ordered one sir!😃

[@NoNameNo.5]

Where can I get this guitar? Lol it don’t exist

[@LesPaulisMore009]

Can’t find one just like that. Or maple not with the P90 can you help? Tried EBay.

[@bluwng]

Don’t shim the neck they sell short screws for bridge saddles

[@kennyh5083]

That's a Jazzmaster or Jaguar, not a Tele!

[@valueofnothing2487]

Does this really work? Play some nice music and people buy the guitars? Don't they want, like, factual information about how low the action is, if there are any frets that buzz, see if it can be intonated, the nut clearance, the weight, if the srings go over the pole pieces, and really the work you did to get it from not buzzing? Seems like these are the important things. Or am I completely off base? King looks it is way to good to be true.

[@jerometresvant6116]

Fenderish

[@infidel6249]

Made in china

[@hampyonce]

The body is sexier than a Fender, somehow. Imho.

[@joebloggs8636]

Three " thumbs down" nerds who wouldn't know a guitar from a puddle of mud.

[@ralphschueler9437]

I'm trying to find one online and I cannot find it is that a real guitar I'm only kidding