One of the Best Guitars You Can Buy For Under $200

[@johnw4659]

Thank you for this great review, Damian. In my opinion there aren't enough reviews of affordable guitars for guys like me who have their one 'expensive' guitar but would like to try another style for fun without going broke.

[@Damianblf]

Thank you John :)

[@rutiger6901]

I commend you for playing such nice music on your demo. A crap free guitar demonstration is so very rare. Not to mention, your skill level is well beyond that of 95% of others. I ordered one yesterday and you make me glad I did!

[@Damianblf]

Thank you for the kind words. Enjoy your new guitar. :)

[@robertjacobsor]

I bought one too. I dig it!

[@JellyrollHorton]

That looks like a good starter guitar. Thanks for the review. I gotta say, though, Damian, I think you could play a split rail post strung with barbed wire and get an amazing sound and a good rockabilly riff out of it!

[@Damianblf]

Thank you very much for the kind words. Keep on rockin' my friend. :)

[@KoolT]

Lmbo. Or a cigar box and license plate. 🤣😜

[@camperstar6stringer]

Very well explained. Actually this guitar was not available for a while. They were all sold out. ( Japan Amazon ) I was lucky to buy one of two that was still available. The guitar is actually a step up for a beginner guitar player. The input plug on the guitar is a tight fit, so one may struggle taking the cord out . If you have the right sound engineering equipment you find that the pickups are almost a copy of the 490 R and 498T Gibson pickups. Due to shipping and labor cost have risen, prices from China are increasing. Being here in Asia and knowing the prices of the manufacturers at the prices of buying in lots of 100 or more, The guitar value is actually about a $40 guitar. Years ago I could buy Les Paul and Fender Strats style guitars between $9 to about $18 . People really don't know how low the prices are here in China. As always, its a pleasure to watch and listen to your playing.

[@Damianblf]

Thank you very much :)

[@Frank-in-NY]

Hey Damian...First off, you sound fantastic! You're a terrific guitarist, musician and teacher. For $180 the Donner Thinline not only looks great, sounds great. Interesting on your choice of strings. I bought a Squier Paranormal Offset back in August, and have been experimenting with strings. I'm liking the 9-46, lets my old hands do bends, and there's enough meat there that I don't bend chords. I've tried Fender 9-46, D'addario Exl 125, 9-46 and up next in my test are the NYXL0946. I'm digging your tone. Nice honest review...!

[@Damianblf]

Thank you very much Frank. I really appreciate the kind words. Keep on rockin' my friend. :)

[@picker63028]

Just ordered it and watched your video last year. Watched again today. I'm a Tele and Gretch guy. Enjoy your videos.

[@Damianblf]

Thank you very much. Enjoy your new guitar :)

[@kevincurry4254]

I bought this guitar on a coupon for $130, for junk parts for use on a testbed for a custom guitar body. Ended up not parting it out, as it is a lovely guitar. It was already basically set up. I put light Fender strings on it and it sounds great. Very impressed. Only alteration was that I glued the ferrules into the back when I changed the strings. If you are buying this as a beginner guitar, it will be a long time before you feel you need to change. Basically there is nothing about it that would hold you back from your best playing.

[@Mars_Fortune_Music]

I purchased a Donner Tele style and I was very impressed. Black on black and no neck dive, only thing I replaced was the strings. I was playing live at some questionable establishments and I didn't want to chance my better equipment.

[@Damianblf]

Thanks for watching the review & for leaving a comment. Much appreciated. :)

[@dlmullins9054]

Great review and playing! I just bought this guitar and it came in last night. I lowered the action, intonated and put on new strings and now it plays and sounds way above it's price point! Amazing what you can get for under $200. I actually got $60. off on Amazon which left me enough money to go ahead and buy the Donner 10 Watt practice amp (which also sounds great for the price). I also bought the Donner Jazz 335 style guitar after seeing your great review and it did not disappoint at all. I try and watch your reviews before buying something and so far so good. Thanks!

[@2bikemikesguitartopics145]

I've had the DJC-100W for a year. Changed the pups and nut, the rest was super. The neck is really nice in my smallish hands and the Laurel is fantastic. It's been in the bag for the year, but took it out a few days ago and don't want to stop playing it. Today I ordered the same model in sunburst on a cyber Monday special. Since I do all my own guitar work, I can make it the best it can be. Shouldn't take much.

[@Damianblf]

Very cool. Thanks for sharing. :)

[@KoolT]

Thanks

[@jmtbuilds175]

One of the best overall guitar reviews I've seen. I have this guitar too and love it. Crazy good value

[@Damianblf]

Thank you very much :)

[@lastofthe4horsemen279]

l was getting my life back together and played a 100 guitar for 2 yearz before I could afford my Tele Deluxe AmPro ll from Fender .Its not the guitar its the player .But I do love my new one ! And thank my higher power for the ability to aquire it.Donner is a company with a positive message and theyput out quality low price gear.Love your channel and attitude Damian your a top guy!

[@Damianblf]

Thank you for the kind words. Much appreciated. :)

[@FifthSeal2024]

I watched this review and any I could find on this guitar and then made the purchase. I am very very happy with it. When it arrived it was pretty much ready to go but I also took some time to set it up by lowering the action, and ground the sides of the frets-more so for practice and to make them slightly more smooth to the touch, as the guitar really didn’t need much done at all, along with next I polished the frets and then put new strings on it. Lastly I checked and adjusted intonation. Playability is amazing. Kinda blown away esp at the affordable price range. I also have a Gibson Les Paul Studio and on the neck pick up of the Gibson, the bridge pickup of the Donner sounds very very close. I went back and forth and there were tonal characteristics I loved with both guitars but definitely nothing that would have made me put down either guitar just characteristics of a lil more brightness and punchy mid to upper frequencies in the Donner, while the Les Paul was punchier a lil more in the mid to lower frequencies. Kinda blown away at how nice this guitar is. I keep playing it and love it. The best part i’ve noticed is how after I lowered the pickups I was able to dial back the volume nob on the donner to bring in some very very nice clean sounds through my (Deluxe Reverb amp) and then turn it up when adding some heat breaking up the amp nicely with some slightly but not over the top distortion tones. I gravitate towards the neck pickup but found myself switching through all of them and dialing back the tone knob to bring in and out different amazing sounding tones across the board. Very versatile. I told my brother he needs to look more into Donner guitars. I have this one and the Hush X guitar for work/lunch breaks and can’t put it down also. Super awesome guitars and very high quality imo.

[@Damianblf]

Thanks for leaving a comment. I'm sure it will be helpful for others. :)

[@kbnovid4430]

Just got mine. Can't wait 'til Christmas to unbox it.

[@kevintaylor8055]

For the little amount of money I would say it's an outstanding guitar.nice review Damian 👏

[@Damianblf]

Thank you Kevin :)

[@davidsharpify]

I dig the guitar, but I really LOVE the camera mic bits. Anything can sound a certain way with close mic, but real room medium fi sound is great to hear. Kudos.

[@collisw8302]

Damian, I think if someone handed you a $5 guitar that was destined for landfill you could make it sound like a $10,000 Gibson! That being said I've always been intrigued by the Donner stuff so glad to see a review!

[@Damianblf]

Thanks for watching. I like this guitar a lot. It's a pretty solid instrument. I'm currently working on a review of Donners new ES-335 copy at the moment.

[@michaelroberts1904]

I just received my Donner DJC and it is awesome. I paid $120 for mine. I bought it from Walmart online. It was a Black Friday sale. I like Squiers version but those are over $400 new. I’m glad I went with the Donner instead. Well worth the money. Even at $180.

[@Damianblf]

Congrat on your new guitar and you got a great deal. Thanks for watching the review :)

[@Duncan-Mac-Raven]

Most Excellent! 😊 I'm actually ordering one tomorrow. After a lot of research, she's the one that grabs me. ❤

[@petesylver]

Thank you for this review, Damian. I think cheap guitars are today really underestimated. It's a big difference between now and maybe 10 or 20 years ago. I play by myself a Gibson Nighthawk from 1995, a Hagstroem Super Swede (400 €) and a Hagstroem Hollow body Guitar (900€, don't know the type right now) and I must say that the Hagstroem - Guitars are very, very close to my Nighthawk and to many other Gibson's I've played before. So I see really no reason not to buy a cheap guitar and test her out!

[@KoolT]

Thanks

[@markbrown7103]

Amazon is a great place to buy a guitar. I bought a fender Squier from Amazon and it was beautiful. There wasn’t a scratch on it. It was shipped to me perfect. I took it out of the box and played it right away to tune it up in the way I went, I really like your videos and I really like what you say at the end of them. I really like the way you play you have a great style of playing . You’re one of the better guitar players on KZbin. Thanks for your videos. I appreciate you a whole lot Damien you’re one cool dude.👍🏼👍🏼😎😎😄🎸🎼🎶🎵🎸

[@gamer6550]

Thank You. Thank You. Thank You. I've been keeping an eye on this guitar for awhile now and all the reviews I watched were crap compared to yours. Thank you so much for playing clean on a good amp... So I just checked the price again on Amazon and hot damn it was $169 with a $60 off coupon making it $109 so I jumped on it and I'll be getting on Wednesday... Thank you once again for a GREAT review. Stay safe my friend

[@Damianblf]

Thank you. Glad you enjoyed the review :)

[@brianb5594]

I have the Donner Les Paul knockoff and it’s every bit as great for $179. Awesome review!

[@Damianblf]

Thanks for watching the review Brian :)

[@arottie4097]

Thank you for your review!! ;)

[@joeharris8633]

Really enjoyed this Bud! Appreciate everything you do Damian

[@oldasrocks9121]

You really tamed that bridge pickup, it is hot! Mine measures 15.2K

[@paolomarchesi2531]

it's amazing how until not so long ago, a cheap guitar was really a piece of wood with strings and to start playing you really struggled and the sound sucked. Now a kid with little expense can throw himself into music with far superior quality

[@Damianblf]

Thanks Paolo for leaving a comment. Cheers & keep on rockin' my friend. :)

[@paolomarchesi2531]

@@Damianblf ❤

[@johncarlo7395]

Excellent video Damian.

[@Damianblf]

Thank you John :)

[@djmojolosangeles8190]

Awesome review and great message! Thank you for the Rock guitar tutorials and all the content you provide us aficionados Damian, may God Bless you always!

[@Damianblf]

Thank you very much :)

[@KoolT]

Me too

[@Veratouzon6952]

id like to play any guitar and sounds good, but im still away, thanks for show the problem is not the guitar!! Really beatifull guitar and sound

[@rockinbobokkin7831]

Oh this is great! Thanks for doing this kind of review. I want a tele style in my sound, but I don't want it to be the guitar I spend big on. I've been dreaming of a better Gretsch for the money. So reviews like this really help me figure out where I might look.

[@Starkster50]

I dig it, I bought it , it does have a very good feel. Im just a beginner but i will say this guitar has as good or better feel to it than any Fender Squire I've own. I have more expensive guitars but prefer this one, who knew!

[@Damianblf]

Thanks for watching the review. Glad you're digging your Donner! Cheers :)

[@petertheobald5898]

Another superb demo Damien , and as always your pickin' is a joy to listen to!!!!✌👍🤗

[@Damianblf]

Thank you Peter :)

[@neilkorsgaard]

Nice tone and great playing as always!

[@patrickostrom2762]

Amazon,has these on special, President day! $108.00 out the door, delivered! Just order today! Hope I get a good one! I bought a firefly thin bad news bad neck! So my fingers crossed for a good dinner! Enjoy your playing reminiscing those studio musicians of by gone era! Think 50s-60s! ?? Your videos break down slow enough to flow at Forest gump speed! This way the learning process goes from dim light to bright side with progress!

[@Damianblf]

Enjoy your new guitar and thanks for watching the review :)

[@ramoncranert8177]

DB, do you suppose those string ferrules could be glued down to be more secure? Also, that Fat Albert style moral-of-the-story at the end was spot on! 🤔🧐😜🎸

[@roughcutguitars]

Yep! A small dab of super glue on the wood just inside the edge of the hole will hold 'em. Not too much - apply with a toothpick or needle - don't want super glue squeezing out onto the finish from under the ferrules rims.

[@Damianblf]

What "Rough Cut Guitars" mentioned will do the trick. Thanks Ramon for watching the demo, much appreciated. :)

[@roughcutguitars]

@@Damianblf Sorry to 'step on your line' Damian, but I figure you did all the heavy lifting :-) Seriously, brother. though a burst thinline is always in the back of my head, I have no business buying this, but you came dangerously close to pushing me over the edge. Now if it had a rosewood board (even at the corresponding upcharge... PLEASE tell me it DOESN'T! :-D

[@Pappysan]

Looking at the split shaft tuners I see the string ends...did you find that the hole the string ends are supposed to go in were too shallow, as a couple of others have said, or did it come like that?

[@joannecohen6764]

Hi. Thanks for your review and fab rockabilly licks. I just got this guitar and like it but I find the neck a little thick and heavy compared to my Squier tele. Still great value.

[@Damianblf]

Thank you Joanne :)

[@Mark-rh2wi]

Sounds good and looks good.Great value. Thanks for the review, Damian.

[@Damianblf]

Thanks for watching Mark. Keep on rockin' my friend. :)

[@jmcgregor316]

Damian could make any guitar sound great!

[@Damianblf]

Thank you for the kind words :)

[@mck1972]

Just bought one myself cheap. It was playable right out of the box.

[@Damianblf]

Sweet. This model is one of my favorite Donner guitars :)

[@josephplatania5593]

Is that a hutch pro racer Bmx bike you got ther. I had a few. They were sick. Baby the way I love the vids and licks. Stay well.

[@jeff8246]

Damien where can I get that guitar at that price and did you put those pickups on there or they stock?

[@KoolT]

Beautiful man

[@4am_no_sleep]

nice playing 👌

[@toddflowers8052]

I'm very impressed man !!! Dig that Amp too !!! Thanks Brother Damian !!! 😎🎸👍

[@Damianblf]

Thanks Todd :)

[@toddflowers8052]

Welcome !!! 😎

[@jeremybaker195]

Hey Demain I'm gonna get a Donner guitar too. Then I can come over and we can have a Donner party🥳🎸🥳🎸 😉 Stay Sick

[@Damianblf]

Thanks for watching Jeremy. Keep on rockin' my friend. :)

[@markbrown7103]

I must say you’ve really got some beautiful guitars. I don’t know that hollow body single cutaway guild you half what a beautiful guitar man and it sounds beautiful. Wow love it.❤👍🏼🎸😎

[@5150show]

Dude you rock

[@Damianblf]

Thank you. Cheers & Keep on rockin' my friend. :)

[@onefatstratcat]

I just picked one up for $83 total on Amazon.. seems like a good kick around the house or dive bar axe :)

[@Damianblf]

Awesome. That's a great deal :)

[@helixworld]

It has a very impressive tone for an inexpensive guitar. Not only the player, the guitar seems good IMO.

[@Damianblf]

Thanks for watching the review & for leaving a comment. Much appreciated. :)

[@bluesmonkey4463]

AWESOME ! I JUST BOUGHT ONE GREAT GUITAR AND VALUE FOR THE MONEY CANT GO WRONG ! 😎

[@fixins]

Really cool guitar. I wonder if the humbuckers are splittable? With cheap guitars, I like to tinker with them and there's almost no physical difference between a 5-way and 3-way switch.

[@martynspooner5822]

It amazes me the quality you can get for not a lot of money nowdays. I am guessing CNC technology plays a part in that.

[@Damianblf]

Thanks for watching the review. Keep on rockin' my friend. :)

[@harigeorgeson5885]

Nice job Damian. It sounded a lot like a hollow-body jazz box on that neck pickup. Pretty amazing at this price point.

[@Damianblf]

Thank you :)

[@leonardgould6657]

YO! DUDE! -DAMIAN! - THAT was F A B!, man! Junp Blues & Rockabilly!, cool runnings, man! Just ordered this Guitar, thanks to your "Jazzy" production!, & Oh!, that ANALOG ALIEN RUMBLE-CAT really kicks, Dude! GET BACK, KEROUAC! Jump B lues😢❤

[@Damianblf]

Thank you very much Leonard. Enjoy your new guitar and keep on rockin' my friend :)

[@agingmillennialmainer]

I'd love to see your review more oddballs. E.g. Ibanez jetking 2 or a peavey AT series

[@Tobby4063]

Great video. You are so cheerful!!

[@jeremycline9542]

Modern computerized machining. It's amazing. Blind Lemon way back in the day had a guitar from a Sears catalog and how was that made?

[@Damianblf]

Thanks for watching the review :)

[@vintagebikes4215]

I have this guitar, customized it to pro standards. Tremendous instrument.

[@davidcole5183]

I like it and I just bought an ibanez solid body. I wanted to get a hollowbody and didn't look at this one first

[@Damianblf]

Thanks for watching David :)

[@hotlov72]

How would it compare with a Squire Classic Vibe 60's Thinline

[@KoolT]

Omg, you're right in Tampa Bay.

[@markbrown7103]

This guitar has a deeper sound than a telecaster. It sounds beautiful. Does it play as well as it sounds?🎸🎸👍🏼

[@carlosalves4444]

I love how you tossed the cable after saying, it's not a bad cable, I think I'll keep it as a back, yeah entry level guitars are so much better than say the 80s. Back then you would be tossing the guitar too along with the cable lol. I really like dinners ,335 model. It's up there for seriously low money.

[@Damianblf]

Thanks for watching the review. My father owns one of their 335 style guitars and it's his favorite guitar currently

[@davidtropp6232]

What is the neck radius diameter on this guitar????

[@paul0wen65]

I learned quite a bit from this review. The response from the neck pick-up was impressive but the bridge pick-up response sounded muddy. Perhaps if the factory bridge pick-up was changed, that might give this guitar a boost. My ear loved the tones the neck pick-up produce but not from the bridge. Just my take on it.

[@Damianblf]

Thanks for watching Paul & for leaving a comment. Much appreciated. :)

[@charlesarmstrong5292]

A great guitar and incredibly good price. Went straight online to get one. Sadly Currently unavailable. We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock.

[@Damianblf]

Thanks for watching Charles. That's a bummer it's currently unavailable. Hopefully that will change.

[@AntonioCavicchioni]

This guitar sounds pretty good!

[@Damianblf]

Thanks for watching. Keep on rockin' my friend. :)

[@kirbonite]

I trust Damian's reviews. My only concern would be the poplar. It can be a light wood and there might be some neck dive otherwise, seems pretty solid.

[@trinacria1956]

Depends on poplar, I have made several poplar guitars and about same weight as alder.

[@Damianblf]

Thanks for watching the review. Keep on rockin' my friend. :)

[@MrTupeloFlash]

Damian, if u get the chance try the recent release Fender ‘51 Telecaster …amazed

[@Damianblf]

Will do. Thanks for watching. :)

[@guitary]

I bought a les paul version of the Donner a year ago. The cable inlet has its issues of needing attention, as did the pickup toggle switch. A tech laughed when i asked about tending to it. Said pawn it and get another guitar. I may have just been unlucky. I didn’t contact them but maybe they would do something but they would be losing money if they did that. But if they sent another I would dump this one to a music school.

[@Damianblf]

Thanks for watching & thank you for leaving a comment. Keep on rockin' my friend. :)

[@kudubya3342]

I want one “do it all guitar”. This looks like a morph of my squire tele and epiphone dot. I’m sure it’s a great guitar, but not punk enough for me.

[@kudubya3342]

Then again, maybe it’s the perfect punk guitar

[@brendaplumley4491]

You make it sound pristine.

[@Damianblf]

Thank you Brenda :)

[@TheTwangKings]

Awesome, beautiful instrument! But I wouldn't trade my Squier Classic Vibe thinline for it. It has very sweet sounding Telecaster pickups.

[@Damianblf]

Thanks for watching the review. Keep on rockin' my friend. :)

[@TheTwangKings]

Couldn't help buying one, and I wasn't disappointed. Very nice instrument, once set up. Pickups seem very clear. Has a bad fret sprout, but I am in Canada, so that's not unexpected 🙂

[@MckewenJacmel-xl8fs]

I have one and it Sounds so Good ,love it🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉❤

[@Damianblf]

Thank you for watching the review :)

[@markbrown7103]

Wow, that’s a pretty cool guitar for the money.😎 I love the way it sounds pick up sound great👍🏼❤️ I always love what you say at the end of your videos. Why because you speak the truth have a great day.👍🏼👍🏼😀

[@Damianblf]

Thank you very much :)

[@christoguichard4311]

We get different import "brands" here in the U.K sometimes, to the U.S, but I'm willing to bet they are made in the same factory. I reckon this "Donner" (which is a kebab here in the U.K! 😂), was made in the same factory as things like...Vintage, Harley Benton, and SX, amongst others. This guitar actually sounds great!

[@Damianblf]

Thanks for watching the review. Cheers :)

[@eggsmann594]

I can see those high frets from here 😄

[@sodapopkidd]

just curious if youve actually gigged with this one?

[@Damianblf]

I have not, but I wouldn't have any hesitation not to. It's a decent guitar in my book. Thanks for watching the review.

[@gman917]

I just brought one for $109 at Walmart. Wow good deal.

[@Damianblf]

Enjoy your new guitar and thanks for watching the review :)

[@hotlov72]

If only they could donthe same with an acoustic guitar!

[@gerdhermannwinkelhaus9879]

Klingt gut soweit

[@DaveFromTyler]

I like the Grote Hollowbody you bought, I have a cheap little Harley-Benton that tool around the house with... it's quiet and don't P!$$ off the wife for being too loud

[@TRHARTAmericanArtist]

I bought the Grote two years ago too. Still love it!

[@Damianblf]

Yes, that Grote is a nice instrument. Thanks for watching & thank you for leaving a comment. :)

[@pietertoerien4648]

Am big fan o f Gretsch tele dem nothing wrong with that like telecaster

[@Damianblf]

Thanks for watching the review :)

[@MrMoneyHelper]

I got one of these with the whole kit (guitar, gig bag, strap, cable, and tools). It was listed at $169.99 in June 2024. There was a $50 off coupon so I could't resist. A day or two after it arrived, I was on the Walmart site searching for guitars on a whim. This same guitar package was selling for $109.99 without any codes. Were we ripped off because we didn't get the same deal? After taxes my cost was just under $130. Had I purchased from Walmart it would be ten dollars less. The finish is almost flawless. There is one spot where a grain of sand is under the paint. Everywhere else it is great. The nut slots need to be cut deeper. The action needs to be adjusted a bit higher to not buzz. The machine heads need oil. Even after almost a week it hasn't been plugged in. I just like reclining on the bed and playing acoustically. This one is REALLY heavy for a Thinline. It must weigh over seven pounds, close to eight. Plywood is heavy. I really like the slightly thicker neck. May these inexpensive Donner guitars last us a long time and give us great rocking pleasure.

[@damham5689]

The risk of problems with guitars bought online is in no way just with cheap guitars. I've bought $3000 plus guitars right from the manufacture that had problems.

[@Damianblf]

Yes, sadly it can happen with any guitar purchase whether expensive or inexpensive. Thanks for watching the review. :)

[@damham5689]

@@Damianblf Im always watching 👀👍

[@harrykuheim6107]

This is all the Guitar 90% of players really need...

[@Damianblf]

Thanks for watching the review :)

[@trollwithoutcontent2788]

Funny…although I’m sure it is great for its low price, but this is the exact guitar that you find at the thrift shop for the same price it sold as new. Come on y’all, Tell me I’m wrong…….either way, I might still buy one

[@Damianblf]

Thanks for watching the review. :)

[@davidcole5183]

Not sure I don't like the Elvis shirt better. LOL

[@eggsmann594]

...doesn't seem to bother Damian, tho.

[@BobSperber]

Hmmm, this looks like a really fun toy to have some fun with.

[@Damianblf]

Thanks for watching the review. :)

[@brianpark492]

I have this guitar! Lmao! Its awesome. IT CHUGS as well.

[@brianpark492]

For the price I took a chance.Its really good.String change was a bitch.

[@Damianblf]

Thanks for watching the review :)

[@stanbrown915]

I wouldn't complain...great guitar for someone starting out or the famed cheapskate 😁

[@Damianblf]

Thanks for watching Stan & for leaving a comment. Much appreciated. :)

[@stevenedwards4470]

🙄 Inexpensive is a better word than "cheap". The company would probably appreciate that. It sounds really good. That might be mostly you. Looks nice.

[@Damianblf]

Thanks for watching the review Steven. Keep on rockin' my friend. :)

[@Илья-л7г7д]

Супер 👍👍👍

[@Damianblf]

Thank you my friend. :)

[@lennolopez8540]

Like!

[@Damianblf]

Thank you very much. Keep on rockin' my friend. :)

[@geraldhills41]

Have only purchased one donner product [ donner looper ] was a crap , will never buy anything from them again !