I Bought a $189 Beginner Guitar Les Paul Copy- Firefly LPS

[@SteveSterlacci]

***well, a student of mine has borrowed and loves the guitar. Sanding will have to be on hold for now 😅*** 1000 thumbs up and I will strip the whole finish to solve the veneer/photo mystery!

[@arlizan6473]

Thumbs up #26 here, thank you again! My latest is the Firefly FFPTH (P90's thinline tele style) model. I'd rate it a solid "Ehhh...." UNTIL I changed out to full rosewood neck from a Fender American Pro Strat. Perfect fit to retain scale length, even though rounded corners on the Strat neck heel. Anyways, it's now WONDERFUL! Really, just amazing now and I don't want to change back. What to do next, a "For Sale, American Pro Strat body, will throw in crappy neck" ad? :)

[@SteveSterlacci]

@@arlizan6473 sounds like a solid plan! I have thought about doing that with my Glarry

[@kenadams5366]

Do it!!!

[@tmuka]

if it's anything like my korean hamer, under the super thin veneer maple top was cardboard-like fiberboard. i ended up removing the entire carved top and replacing it with a new hand carved solid maple cap!

[@marktrujillo9465]

@@kenadams5366 1

[@lawrencekashak]

I can relate to wanting to hate an impulse buy, or finding ways to justify a guitar purchase. There really is a unique connection you build with it when doing the fret work and setup yourself. That has become a fun pastime. Find guitars and make them play how you want them to. It's a fun challenge to learn from. Even if they don't sound how you want, make a unique sound from every one of them.

[@SteveSterlacci]

Great advice here! Thanks for watching and commenting

[@rickeymathis2978]

That's what the legend Eddie Van Halen did...along with amps then peddles...

[@shartne]

Yes it is fun to set up your own guitar and change out the pups. polish your fret ends and tops. File any high frets all that good fun stuff. Its your personal guitar then. It helps pass the time. Its not really hard but very time consumeing.

[@barryw86]

I bought one of these and had the same experience. I was unable to get the action setup the way it should. I gave it to a tech who spent way too much fixing it. But I have to say it is now perfect. I also have a '68 ES 335 and the necks are comparable and they play the same now. I also swapped out the pickups for Seymour Duncan Phat Cat P90s, the tuners and the bridge. I then discovered Firefly uses 250 ohm pots which can sound muddy with humbuckers or P90s and replaced them with 500 ohm pots. All in all, I spent as much as I would have to buy an Epiphone, but I have a better guitar than a stock Epiphone. In fact, I keep picking this thing up to play.

[@picksalot1]

This is the first Firefly guitar I've seen reviewed where the guitar wasn't surprisingly good. Some names for that might work for it are: Reignition, Kindling, or Lights Out. After the work you put in, the guitar sounds pretty good, and it looks nice. Thanks

[@SteveSterlacci]

Thanks! I see some complaints in the FB group. But no one ever puts it in a video. Those are cool names! Thanks for contributing 🤘

[@TheRoadwing]

Amazing demonstration Steve. You always find the hidden jewels

[@SteveSterlacci]

Thanks Barry! Means a lot

[@PatrickShubin]

I bought the same guitar 8 months ago but had no problems with it, I think they have improved this guitar . I put clear speed knobs on it. My frets were great and I lowered the action a little. I did need to lemon oil the fret board. Plays Great !

[@SteveSterlacci]

Nice! The other ones I got are amazing

[@harryebbeson]

Interesting review. Thank you for your honesty and work to make it playable.

[@SteveSterlacci]

Thanks Harry! Glad to do it. It was fun to learn, but I dont see myself being a luthier any time soon! I'd rather be playing 😃

[@JAREDSIZEMORE-l8t]

Got one of these for Christmas. It's perfect. Fabulous guitar.

[@DennisAlvarezMusic]

Again, very surprisingly this guitar sounds really good. It's sad that there's always a chance of getting a lemon. In this case it was a learning opportunity for you. And you made lemonade out of the situation. And it's much better to learn how to do a fret job on a $189 guitar than an $1,800 guitar. Nice review Steve!

[@DennisAlvarezMusic]

I hadn't finished watching when I made my first comment. But I support your final comment. There's no excuse, given the advances in guitar manufacturing technology, to send out a guitar with those issues. They could have been honest and sold it as "B" stock and at least recoup what they were into it for. And what if the buyer was a poor kid who mowed lawns and saved for this guitar. And maybe doesn't yet have any idea how to do a fret job?

[@SteveSterlacci]

I agree on all counts! I am fortunate enough to have the patience and tools to learn lol. A first time player would be very frustrated with the issues

[@pghlivejamz1348]

New Sub Steve, enjoyed the review and playing. I am a Firefly nut, own quite a few of them and love them. Most usually have (cheap) bridge problems that can be worked out but aside from that I have gotten some really great guitars for the money. I also have done well with the IYV, they are also fantastically made affordable guitars. Sometimes it's hit or miss, but for the money it is what it is.

[@jeffreyvanhorn1996]

We appreciate your review very much!! Thank you. My FFLP, different color than yours, sucked also. Selector switch faulty, jack faulty, 3 of the four knobs just fell off. I was quite disappointed after the raving reviews by so many. Must have been made on Friday? Eventually I'll put in new pots, but this was just too many things to be this bad. Oh, I forgot... I can't get my bridge down either. I'll have to take it apart and see what's there. But customer service? ZERO. No response to any of my three emails. I'm done with Guitars Garden forever.

[@SteveSterlacci]

Sucks we are on the same page! Lol i see these as inexcusable issues at any price. I will swear by my 338 being amazing. This one, just not happening for me. Took hours to get playable and remedy the weird mis drilled holes

[@InGratitudeIam]

Great job! You definitely displayed a blueberry burst of your own! Nice playing, Steve.

[@SteveSterlacci]

Thank you!

[@callfourzero1931]

I bought a 2022 FFLP and really like it. Minor QA issues not effecting playability. Installed quality 10-48 strings, it sounds very good. I also have an upgraded Squire Strat which I like, the Firefly is alittle better. It's cleaner and easier to adjust.

[@SteveSterlacci]

Very nice! I've had 5 FFs at this point

[@americanescu]

Update -- for 200 dollars I decided to get one and take a chance on it and if they screw me, I'll fight it through PayPal. I hope someone from that company reads these posts. When I get it, I'll take it all apart and check it. Minor stuff I don't mind but if I see crap like wood shavings, washers, etc (what Steve here found), the fight is on. And again, for 200 dollars, I'm happy to make it a little project. But let's not kid ourselves here and remember who we're dealing with here :-) And STEVE ... you're one of my favorite music channels buddy! Rock on and thanks so much for doing this video!

[@SteveSterlacci]

Thanks so much adrian! I hope you get a good one. Please report back!

[@concernedoldandwisepatriot2650]

You help inexperience players like me. Thank you!

[@SteveSterlacci]

Thanks so much for watching! Glad to help

[@davefoster6156]

I know a lot of the sound is a function of the amp, but damn! The guitar sounds great for the money. Even adjusting for the fret job that you so masterfully accomplished, the thing sounds pretty damn good!

[@SteveSterlacci]

Thanks Dave! I got a new set of pups ready to go in there

[@youtubevideos415]

Guitar can sound outright total shitty, there's always this one guy that thinks it sounds great.

[@SteveSterlacci]

@@youtubevideos415 thanks! Big fan of your work

[@Customwinder1]

😂😂

[@kenadams5366]

Great demo Steve!

[@SteveSterlacci]

Thanks for watching!

[@stevetheplumberbreeding7402]

Cool playing buddy!! That guitar isn't to bad for the price! You did a good job tweaking it into shape! I picked up a First Act les paul from a plumbing customer for 50$ Talk about rough but looks pretty good classic cherry sunburst, I've been trying to tweak it into shape 😆 still a work in progress! Hope you guys get back on tour soon!! God Bless!!

[@SteveSterlacci]

Thanks Steve! Means a lot. Hope to see you out there

[@youtubevideos415]

Thanks for your honest review. My first thought after reading the title was "i wanted to hate it, but then i got sponsored". Great i was wrong

[@SteveSterlacci]

Thanks, I think! Lol

[@bryansimmons4550]

1:14 How much trouble was getting the pickup covers off? Are they soldered on, or just a press fit?

[@shartne]

What kind of Seymore Duncans can I put in my LPS that will fit correctly and certain kind I want a 59 and JB Jr. are all the pick ups the same with to fit the string spacing properly?

[@SteveSterlacci]

Any HB should fit in perfectly

[@BooBoo-mv9if]

Thank you for the honesty a lot of this KZbin video stuff is a lot of hype hype and if I was a kid with $200 I want to stay clear of a guitar like this instead of getting my hopes up though so keep up the good work

[@SteveSterlacci]

Thanks for watching! For the $200, its a solid gamble if you get a good one. Id suggest finding a pre owned one that you can actually try before you buy

[@le_th_]

It's a flame maple veneer (a super thin, machine cut sheet). You did a great job of saving that guitar, and your aesthetic looks better than the original. Sounds like you really had to work to get it there, though. Well done.

[@SteveSterlacci]

I think it was worth the process!

[@monmixer]

Just take the pick up out and scratch the paint off inside the pick up route hole and you can see the top if it is in fact a different wood such as a maple cap. It will obviously be a different color. It's likely a a thin piece of maple with veneer on top. A full maple cap would be at least 3/8 inch.

[@SteveSterlacci]

I believe i did off camera. When I swap the pickups I will show it more!

[@SteveSterlacci]

Also, see 5:10 . You can see the width of the top. Very thin

[@Studio_940]

I got my hands on one that the tailpiece had pulled out of the body. I epoxy the threaded pieces in the body and it was good to go. Played really good out of the box. Nice guitar otherwise

[@mprater86]

Dude that is a sweet color!

[@SteveSterlacci]

I fell in love with that right away!

[@PaulSter]

Great job buddy! Really good stuff. 1My Firefly LP Custom arrived with a horrible setup with the strings far too high off the fretboard. But, I simply dropped the bridge and it played quite well - but it had a few dead spots/fretting out up around the 14th-15th fret. As most have said, it sounds 'decent' clean and with light OD. But, add any volume and more OD or distortion and they squealed uncontrollably. I wish I had known that removing the covers would help, or cure, the microphonics. So I decided to make mine a project axe. I've torn out the electronics - had a new set of Seymour Duncans sitting around, ordered a new everything else and am adding coil-split to the Hot-rodded SDs, CTS, Orange drop, etc. I literally soaked the neck in F1 oil and it absorbed it like a sponge. Looks really nice now. Just waiting on the wire I ordered before putting it back together. I'm hoping to make it into a good one.

[@GearreportdotCom]

I have been mostly happy with my FF 338. Thinking of snagging a FFLP. Not sure I want to take the risk now. Thanks for the honest video.

[@SteveSterlacci]

Some people are as thrilled with their LPs as I am with my 338. I can honesty say the 338 is incredible even if it was up to $1k. Let me know if you pull the trigger on one! Hopefully this was just 1 small bad batch

[@GearreportdotCom]

@@SteveSterlacci probably not. Got my eye on a Tagima tw-530 for $200. Already have a Gibson LP. 😎

[@jamesdalzell6741]

Great playing, you made is sound like $2500 guitar, sometimes the hands have a say in how good an instrument is.

[@monmixer]

Fill the hole with sawdust and wood glue. Get you some hard wood sawdust or even plywood sawdust and put a bit of wood glue in it. Tape off around the hole first so you don't scratch the finish. Lightly sand any thing that is sticking up over the surface of the body. You want a nice thick mixture but still able to work with. It will be stronger than wood. I have done this method with full size grand piano legs. not to repair a hole but piano's that moved a lot. the legs have to come off and on every time you move them and eventually the lag bolt tears up the hole and needs maintenance. A grand piano weighs an average of 1100 lbs. I'm pretty sure it can take a guitar bridge stud receptacle. you will have to re drill it though with slightly smaller hole than the receptacle and tap it in with a rubber mallot and it wouldn't hurt to put a bit of super glue around the sides of hole before you tap it in.

[@SteveSterlacci]

Great tips! Thank you for this. I agree if it works on the piano, it should handle a guitar 🤣😅

[@patrikgibbons7560]

Thanks for the honest review here, like you said, I own two of their 335’s and absolutely love them and was looking into their gold top Les Paul, now I’m questioning it. I also see that they just came out with SG’s lol…

[@SteveSterlacci]

The SGs are tempting! Especially since I dont have one... I will hold off until the QC gets better

[@joosboer1030]

My 335 had the same issues you mentioned with frets and pickups. I changed out the pickups cause I had them anyway and levelled the frets and now it’s a sweet guitar. Big Bang for buck but may need a bit of finishing. Perfect for a learner. They can KZbin how to do the necessary improvements and try it.

[@paulcowart3174]

Good upgrade platform from what I've seen on a few of these Will check out the 338

[@SteveSterlacci]

Definitely! Especially if you don't mind doing a little fret work

[@gregsguitartone]

The back is a veneer to look 1 piece. You can usually see the individual pieces around the sides.

[@SteveSterlacci]

Thats my thinking as well! Crazy they veneer the whole thing..i wonder whats underneath

[@DerredmaxTRIAX]

Please don't sand it, it's a nice finish, I love the look!! I bought a Harley Benton Les Paul and I love it. I think it's better than my Gibson. Hate to say that but it's true. Great video.

[@SteveSterlacci]

Thanks for checking it out! Its still blue and one of my friends favorite guitars lol

[@jw152]

1. You could play a turd and it would sound pretty great. 2. Nice work on making it playable! 3. Sand that damn thing! We have to know now! 🤣🤣🤣

[@SteveSterlacci]

Hahahahah thanks!!! I am very curious myself

[@alekstan7151]

Steve, did you follow up with sanding the neck down? How is the guitar holding up? It looks good at least.

[@SteveSterlacci]

I gave it to a friend to borrow and he refuses to give it back 🤣🤣🤣 so its got a loving home now. Never got to destroy it

[@americanescu]

Company is abysmal. I tried contacting them as well and absolutely no response. I can't take a chance on these people but I almost did (glad I didn't). Thanks for the video!

[@SteveSterlacci]

Glad to help! Very annoyed I never heard from them

[@cranklabexplosion-labcentr8245]

Watching every single video on this guitar for my first new axe. Mind blowing how cheap this is.

[@SteveSterlacci]

They CAN be great. The 338s seem more consistent. The Elit LPS seem better too. This was my first and only "Classic" idk if I'd go for another. But, as you said, can't beat the price

[@joetimilty221]

Awesome video!

[@SteveSterlacci]

Thanks for watching!

[@Mr.56Goldtop]

That neck pup is pretty smooth and creamy, no mud at all! That's pretty impressive for an inexpensive pup! But then the bridge pup sounded a bit to bright and shrill. To ME! And nice tone demo too. I'm glad you didn't say "Let's see what it sounds like!" Then Go STRAIGHT to metal licks, like so many reviewers do.

[@SteveSterlacci]

Thank you! I try to give it its honest work in. Its gotta sound good clean to me first and foremost. Its a solid guitar after the work put in. Thanks for watching!

[@jeffreymiichael1603]

You got what we call a Friday afternoon Monday morning job.

[@SteveSterlacci]

Sure did!

[@ealdydar]

How would you compare the firefly guitars to the Harley benton guitars. I have a few Harley Benton les paul style and had to do a ton of work to and they are shipped from germany. At least mine were.

[@SteveSterlacci]

I have no experience with HB but they seem great! These ship from California

[@steveliberty]

Cheap guitars can be fun, and are often a learning experience (for better or worse). I bought a GFS Slick SL60 used, which played terribly. So I also ventured into the fret leveling and fret end cleanup territory. And I had to do some stuff around the wrap-around bridge too. Mine came out pretty good for my first try at anything more than setting intonation, but it is still a cheap guitar. My Gibsons have nothing to fear. But this should be a lesson to all - sub $300 guitars are going to be very inconsistent. Some may be good players, others will suck royally - no telling which you'll get. Best to stick to $400+ if you want any quality at all. Maybe even $500+.

[@SteveSterlacci]

Not a bad rule! I will say my 338 plays like an 800-1k guitar

[@steveliberty]

@@SteveSterlacci I've had an Epi here and there that played as well as my Gibsons - it can happen. But then there are those other Epis that, well...don't (thankfully, JC has improved Epi consistency along with Gibson quality).

[@SteveSterlacci]

@@steveliberty man the new epiphones really blew me away at namm 2020. Really really great feeling guitars!

[@kirkcrump353]

Steve I have 2 guitars, a thin line telly ad a spalted 338. Both finishes are great. The 338 has a slightly twisted neck and I also sent many emails to them no response from them. So that's the risk you take.

[@AlbertoFumagalli23]

Really nice playing! 👏🏻

[@SteveSterlacci]

Thanks Fuma!

[@ernestschultz5065]

that's a shame because it really is a nice looking guit-box

[@SteveSterlacci]

I was so happy with the look. As it stands, its a perfectly playable and fine guitar. Especially for the $189. But, i wouldn't grab it over any of my other guitars

[@hanovergreen4091]

It needs pickups. Not diggin the sound. Flat/lifeless. Not worth more unless you have some good pups laying around. Good project and thank you for the journey! Best Regards

[@SteveSterlacci]

I feel exactly the same way! Looking into getting some affordable Wilkinson PAFs potentially. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@64bruceb]

I put a used set of Seymore Duncan Whole Lota Humbuckers in mine and it sounds good. The stock pickups were horribly microphonic and not pleasing to me so it wasn't worth trying to take the covers off. Now that I've seen what was under the covers I'm even more glad I didn't spend the time on them.

[@johnskerlec9663]

Nice finish for $189 bucks. Shame about the bad QC standards. Nice work in trying to fix the bad construction. It is obvious quality does cost money.

[@SteveSterlacci]

For sure! The other 2 I did videos on are fantastic though!

[@jimmyjennings8956]

Can enough distortion make eruption sound good on that guitar Steve? Just curious.

[@SteveSterlacci]

Not if its me playing it 🤣🤣🤣

[@backlineguy]

Enjoyed your video, and with others I watched, I decided to pick up a FFLPS and give it a go. I too like the challenge of setting up guitars to play properly, and this Desertburst Firefly was no exception. I've seen right-out-of-the-box videos where they claim it plays amazingly - this was not that. The fret ends, buffing-wheel burns, light finish scratches, the intonation was not even close, string height/pickup height either, and I'm going to have to level the frets, as the thing does not play clean up and down the neck. Firefly has offered me $22 as a discount for a future purchase as well for my trouble... Your sounds great...hoping mine will allow me to get her to that stage! Maybe I misunderstood...did you remove the pickup covers, or did yours arrive that way? Thanks again.

[@SteveSterlacci]

I removed mine! I hope you get yours where you want it to be

[@brandonproctor3639]

Mix wood chips and wood glue together and fill the hole and re drill it. And strip that thing, that would be awesome

[@sykko.exit2348]

Jin-Ho tuners are actually Korean. Wilkinson outsources its hardware in the same factory.

[@SteveSterlacci]

Thank you for that correction! I was told Japanese. Will add to description

[@ScottDreyfus]

I bought some of these to learn how to do the work on my own. I figured for 200$ I could get that much enjoyment smashing it on YT to cover the cost!

[@SteveSterlacci]

Same!

[@overcome8628]

I just got my Les paul elite, and let me tell you I love it. Now there was a few Microscopic dent/indentations in the body. But u had to really look hard for them, one of the guitar knobs had a crack in it, but I have the exact knob in my drawer. Also the pick ups are a little weak. But it plays fantastic, I have bought guitar kits For the same price that I had to throw away. 200 dollars! are u kidding!

[@GearreportdotCom]

It sure looked like some flame maple shimmer as you moved it around.

[@SteveSterlacci]

Definitely surprised me on camera! Hard to tell in person which was an odd thing to me

[@titozanella7704]

Forgive me Steve… behind your shoulder I see an ES339… cherry red… with long bridge tail. never seen before a semi hollow like her with varitone like the 345 or the Lucille… which model is that?… by the way. You have a brand new “follower” from Italy

[@SteveSterlacci]

Ciao! It is a 1972 ES 345. Thank you for checking it out!

[@foxtrot889]

Can't tell with the body. Even Veneers have decent enough movement in light, and that one almost doesn't at all. The back could also be a veneer/photo as well. Best way to find out is to look at the bottom of the guitar (where the strap button is. I have a counterfeit Gibson that looks like a pone piece gody, but if you look at the bottom you can see the seams. It's either a 2 or 3 piece. My chibson also doesn't have a scarf joint, and I don't really think that's something you can cover up with a veneer. On top of that, at least on my guitar, you can see that the heel isn't just one piece of wood and it has a "cap" where it flairs out and connects to the body. As for the covers, the pickups were picking up the vibration of the metal cover. I have a guitar that I put covers on it and it does that and it was 100% because I was lazy. There are 2 solutions. One, as you found out is to just remove them. And second is to melt a bit of wax between the pickup itself and the cover and sandwich the cover on top. This company clearly just skipped a step, which is baffling that they even used covers as the zebra pickups look great on their own. edit: At 6:24 is that the truss rod peaking out? That seems pretty damn sketchy to me, so hopefully that's just sloppy paint work. If the truss rod is underneath the D string, adjusting it could really screw up the neck. I'm just gonna cross my fingers and say that's just sloppy paint work. lol

[@lukedadrift1980]

I have the exact same one and the knobs were already black my only complaint was the bridge i wonder if there individually made and not like an assembly line?

[@SteveSterlacci]

no idea. I dont think much personal attention goes into these outside of fretwork

[@jaykirkley1570]

That is a ferocious guitar.

[@SteveSterlacci]

Absolutely! Thanks for watching

[@delbert9357]

I just got one in metallic red and it's great. I knew what I was getting setup and electronics. I got a set of EMG active pickups and all the electronics so that's done. I ordered a Graph Tech bridge but I don't think it needs it. It stays in tune really good and the setup is a low action with a flat neck not much neck relief. It's a good starting point. Maybe I got lucky. This thing is amazing. I just ordered a FFLX in red to compare to my Ibanez Destroyer. We will see how that pans out. By the way the electronics in these guitars are junk. If you get one plan on replacing all the electronics and plan on doing a proper setup. If you have to pay to do all that avoid this guitar and get something much more expensive.

[@dp9550]

The top and the back are no doubt veneer, you can check the inside of the control cavity or look around the sides of the body to see any joints., the neck wouldn't be veneered.

[@SteveSterlacci]

I definitely saw the top veneer in the stud hole. I should've checked the control cavity !

[@JoshuaBaker-eg6sm]

How long it take guitar garden to ship if u dont mind me asking

[@martincavazos1281]

Next video: I put EMG’s in a Vintage Gibson.. I wanted to hate it.

[@SteveSterlacci]

You know, for once this makes sense

[@Epiphone1978]

It sounds awesome!!!

[@jorgex9789]

One-piece mahogany back? nah man, it is basswood and most likely a bunch of pieces with a veneer on top and back. I just stripped a Gretsch electromatic, a hell of a job, top coat comes off but the primer is resistant to anything except a belt sander, you will not find a chemical that works to strip this stuff. The Gretsch body I stripped is 8 or 9 pieces of basswood with veneers front and back. If you strip this guitar you will wish you hadn't and if you do there is not much to learn from it except you will see how cheap guitars are really built. You will understand how a finish the thickness of a nickel can hide. Good luck.

[@garettbodel3002]

It says $189 On the sight. How much was shipping. If you don't mind saying..I'm on the east coast Thank you

[@SteveSterlacci]

20 bucks i believe is their flat rate

[@robcarter6599]

Great playing, man! I got one in light blue metallic.

[@SteveSterlacci]

Thanks Rob! How are you liking it? Any issues?

[@robcarter6599]

@@SteveSterlacci similar fret issues. I haven’t taken my tools to it yet. I suspect there’s one or 2 high ones. Tone isn’t bad. VERY heavy guitar. I know that’s a Les Paul thing. I gotta weigh it. Neck is pretty fat. It’s a nice warm up guitar cuz after playing it anything else seams effortless.

[@PlayaSinNombre]

Thank you for your sacrifice!

[@SteveSterlacci]

it is unfortunate, but workable at least now

[@goorackerelite]

sounds great!

[@timothyjohnson9739]

Jeez, Steve! Do yourself a favor and try one of these: Harley Benton SC-450 P90 GT Classic Series. $159.00 + about $70 to ship. FANTASTIC guitar! I've upgraded with GraphTech Tune-o-Matic and nut, and I'm putting Tyson Tone lo-wind 50's and CT pots with paper/oil caps in this month. Should be super player grade when it gets done, for about $500, all in.

[@SteveSterlacci]

Thats gonna be a nice set up!!

[@timothyjohnson9739]

@@SteveSterlacci I'm looking forward to it! I'll let you know what I think of those pups... Saw 'em on a Chris Buck vid and then on a Tim Pierce. Do you have any P90 guit's?

[@SteveSterlacci]

I have 1 single p90 les paul. I have wanted Tysons for awhile too!

[@madsoothsayer]

Where did you get the black speed knobs?

[@donaldcornley9963]

Sounds really good to me

[@SteveSterlacci]

Thanks Donald!

[@edwinwierzbicki3503]

...about the flame top - I like the way the veneer looks. It changes a lot while changing the angle of the light actualy. Wish epiphone used that looking veneer for ther tops

[@SteveSterlacci]

It's a beautiful top! Looked way better on camera than I expected!

[@RebeccaHindle]

I bought a Slash AFD epiphone II. I'd buy that instead if your watching this it also has a good setup minor adjustment out of box

[@stevekannes89]

I don’t know if it’s just me bro, but when you sustained a note, it was breaking up a bit at the end of the note. But considering what you went thru with it, could be the pickups…. Anyway, the frets sounded great at least there wasn’t any fretting out, no thanks to the “company”…

[@SteveSterlacci]

Coulda just been some random string noise. I dont always play clean 🤣😅. I did a solid job on the frets! I don't mind it now

[@stevekannes89]

@@SteveSterlacci don’t feel bad I had to do that similar thing with an actual Gibson, as far as a fret job and setup. I purchased an 87 Fender American Stratocaster also. But in the Strati used Symore Duncan antiquity 2’s. Happy to hear it’s all cool now though man. Enjoy! 🎸

[@michaelpoggi8064]

Sounds great. Time for someone to do a blindfold test against a Epiphone. At 200 dollars and some change. Looks and sounds like a good guitar. None of mine had washers. But you made it work.

[@justinm1766]

I want you to hate a lot of this stuff too, Steve. Thank you for the videos!

[@SteveSterlacci]

Thanks for watching Justin!

[@Lespaul13100]

Steve, is the return policy good for the store you used? Shipping costs?

[@SteveSterlacci]

Terrible. I go over my experience trying with them somewhere in the vid

[@leoburton642]

A bit harsh of a report for $189 guitar! Set Neck! I've had to setup brand new Epi's..Fenders(as well as Squires), Gibsons etc..from new..terrible in alot of areas! You mention the electronics to be smooth and stable.. How's the construction over all! Fret ends etc!? Decent review though brother..keep it up!

[@SteveSterlacci]

Hey Leo! I have reviews of 2 others of the same brand that show exactly that. Some are gems! I appreciate you looking out!

[@BillyE5150]

Hatin' a $189 LP copy for being 'cheap'? hmmmm I just ordered one in Honeyburst. Can't wait to get it!

[@SteveSterlacci]

Hating it for being unplayable. I have 3 others that are great if you check out the other reviews on the channel

[@ultimatesteve]

have you ever played an agile? curious how they compare.

[@AlecBourneMidiMadScientist]

Sounds pretty good man, hey hey don’t do any sort of firebird thing do they ?

[@SteveSterlacci]

Not currently but a lot of people request it

[@davidboreham]

Luck of the draw it seems: I have 2 LPS that have been pretty much playable out of the box, but my 338 needed truss rod, intonation, action all adjusted (to cure unplayable buzz).

[@SteveSterlacci]

Interesting! I wish they had a bit better consistency. But hey, for $189, who's to complain?! Lol i am overall happy

[@davidratti5031]

I have sanded down those exact guitars and they are veneers on the top and back some are ply underneath some are multi piece solid, depends on what they have on hand I guess,also I have seen scarf joints further up the head stock not in the usual spot on the neck but actually on the head stock maybe that's where yours could be if it has one,also the heel could be a two piece but I have seen one piece necks and venner front and backs anyway sorry for the mini novel lol...love the channel thanks keep up the awesome work..oh and sand that damn thing!!! Lmao

[@SteveSterlacci]

Thanks for sharing David! Maybe 1 day i will do it. This video didn't quite take off so it ain't worth wrecking lol

[@louistraini3287]

Let's face it: Guitars Garden has no quality control; especially since they found out they can sellout in 48 hours. Had the exact opposite experience. The 338 was crappy, the LP was great. 338 had a horrible fret job, the fretboard is discolored, the bridge was crap. I'm still working on it. The LP fret job was great, the bridge was fine (no overdrilled holes). I did change the pickups and put on some Grovers, but only cause I had some good Grovers laying around. I even gig with the LP for a few songs. My local muiscgoround has 2 FF338s, I tried them and they seem to be much better than mine (probably a earlier run). A real crap shoot. Maybe that's why they sell so many; you might need to buy a few dozen before you get one that's pretty good.

[@SteveSterlacci]

Ugh sucks you got a bad one. I am 2 for 3 with good ones. My 338 is seriously outstanding. Cobra Elite is pretty good and my blueberry classic was hot garbage

[@duffyweber3701]

Honestly I’ve thought a lot about buying one of these firefly guitars but I think I’d rather get a cheap Epiphone Les Paul instead lol maybe put Gibson parts on it even lol

[@SteveSterlacci]

You can do the same with these. Check out my video on the 338 I did a few months back. Better than any modern epiphone would ever be. Sucks its apparently luck of the draw since this ones such a dog

[@duffyweber3701]

@@SteveSterlacci yeah the burl top 338 model looks sweet. But I actually just finished modding a squire strat with a fender Texas special pickguard and graph tech ratio locking tuners and I got the whole thing set up with a Plek. That thing plays beautifully. 😳

[@douglaschristine8387]

Hi, yeah I bought an epiphone studio Lt for $250 which isn't bad for the price but because I had to pay for a setup, strings and insurance, I could've paid $200 more that I put into it and got an Epiphone traditional for $450. Just thought I'd tell you from going through what I did. Good luck.

[@JaniceLalla]

Sounded good anyway

[@SteveSterlacci]

Thanks Janice!

[@daryllmroberts7958]

owned a 2500 dollar les paul custom,,loved it,,but didnt want to scratch it so i left it home alot,,,these are 2200 dollars cheaper,,so switch out the pickup & strings,,set it up---good to go

[@SteveSterlacci]

Yep!!

[@manuele.itriagom.728]

I still prefer Harley Benton in the budget guitars and I think not only they have a huge catalog of guitars but their customer service is on point

[@SteveSterlacci]

I haven't tried one, but the non existent customer service definitely sucks here

[@madbenjamin9613]

@@SteveSterlacci Guitars Garden actually has two email addresses - one for general communication, which never gets a response, and one for customer service, to which they respond in a reasonable period of time. I had a problem with a 338 and they kicked me back $50 without hesitation.

[@SteveSterlacci]

@@madbenjamin9613 interesting. What address did you use? Maybe I will try them

[@ShreddingFinn]

I just bought the black one yesterday after seeing it in stock, luckily I can level the frets if needed, assuming the pickups are no good but who knows

[@SteveSterlacci]

You may get lucky with pups. They will be usable at best, but probably won't wow you

[@joefaber1381]

I have this very same guitar. I changed the knobs to a beige color to match the pickguard and other aspects. If I am really picky, the only issues that I have are the tuners and the jack. They are not bad, just not as good as I want them to be. Sorry that you got a lemon.

[@williamharrison54]

I have a lizard burst fflp, the back of the body is a veneer, I can see the glue joints on the sides (3 of them). Fret job on mine was terrible, and one of the bridge saddles was frozen. I'd buy another for the price.

[@KungFuCooter]

I think the guitar would look better if you swapped out the rest of the plastics with black plastic parts. Also how about a video on your biceps 💪 routine.

[@SteveSterlacci]

Black would look cool! I don't know how many people would like that!

[@robertrobertson3754]

Nice video I'm thinking of buying one of theses the gold top model or should I buy a custom shop China shop lespaul instead from a well known China dealer it's a 100.00 more from China

[@wayup76]

Hi have you tried fftls telecaster like here from you thanks John Collins

[@AngelMartinez-qs3cf]

Do you still have it, or did you put this one for sale?

[@SteveSterlacci]

This one is with a friend

[@JackFossett]

ANGRY GAAARRR DONT BUY THAT SORT OF JUNK RA RA RA. ... Great video pal

[@SteveSterlacci]

Thanks bro!

[@danbrown4110]

I actually prefer the amber knobs looks more classy imo

[@_Yep_Yep_]

A bad review is an honest review. Id like to see you strip this out.

[@SteveSterlacci]

After this video, a friend became obsessed with it and its now his favorite guitar 🤣😅 glad i fixed it up