Unbelievable! $300 Headless Guitar Outperforms $1000+ Guitars - EART GW2 Review

0:00 Intro
0:43 Unboxing
1:50 First Impressions
2:38 Specifications Overview
6:53 Out of Box set-up
7:46 Sound Demo's
11:45 My thoughts / Rant
15:25 Thoughts on body shape
16:16 Who is this guitar for?
17:18 Thank you!
Hey there! Join me for a laid-back watch as I unbox, explore, and jam with the awesome EART GW2 Headless Guitar! 🎸 Join me for a closer look at this sweet $300 guitar, from the excitement of unboxing to the good vibes of playing it.
📦 Unboxing: We'll kick things off by cracking open the box and checking out the guitar. Trust me, it's a stunner!
🔍 Review: We'll chat about what makes this guitar special, like its roasted padauk body, roasted maple/padauk neck, Indian rosewood fingerboard, and bone nut. This guitar isn't just budget-friendly; it's a true beauty.
🎶 Demo: Let's get to the fun part - the sound test! We'll play some tunes, try different styles, and see what this baby can do. It's all about the music!
Whether you're a seasoned player or just curious, this video is for you. Discover why the EART GW2 Headless Guitar is turning heads without any fancy price tags. No pressure, just good vibes. Hit that play button, and let's groove! 🤘🎵"

[@nopants3560]

As an Englishman , I'd like to point out that your shirt means something very different in the UK😳🤣

[@mattmelodymusic]

😳

[@MarkRigler]

😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@8KilgoreTrout4]

🤣

[@yargnad]

The shirt is a pun on that very theme. Double entendre is what they call that.

[@binface9]

Still, I'd be suspicious of a pizza made by one! @@yargnad

[@DeltaPi314]

OK. Thanks really. It is already on my next guitar to buy list. Already saved in favs

[@ErebosGR]

Regarding the woofiness of the pickups, it was either: - the pickups were too close to the strings. Lowering them down, decreases the output and boominess, or - the pickup covers were made out of brass (because it's cheaper than nickel silver alloy), which is notorious for dampening the high frequencies via eddy currents.

[@yargnad]

Top comment. I would certainly start with lowering the pickup height. That's worked for all but the absolute cheapest covered pickups for me. If that didn't do enough, I would then pull those covers off and try again before swapping them out, especially since they're alnico 5.

[@mattmelodymusic]

Really solid points, great insight! Thank you!

[@jpjay1584]

will we see a second video?? ; ) @@mattmelodymusic

[@quarkc13]

Great reviews thanks.

[@ChadwickRider]

I threw some Seymour Duncan Black Winter pickups in mine along with CTS pots, new knobs and switchcraft barrel jack... sounds and plays amazing. Yeah the pickups were $200 but that still has me at around $580 total and every bit worth it.

[@danielvelasco2032]

The editing / structure of this video is perfect

[@mattmelodymusic]

Thanks so much!

[@michaelsmith9544]

Had mine about a year now. Still love it. Put in 81/85 set and it's a beast. Great vid.

[@mattmelodymusic]

Awesome pick up choice! You can’t go wrong with that set up. Thanks so much for watching!

[@els1f]

Damn perfect video! Honestly never heard of this guitar, but I'm glad this was algorithmed at me 🙃

[@mattmelodymusic]

Thank you so much! Made my day!

[@jyejye1077]

Matt you are a genuine legend great video, u got a new sub mate much love from Australia

[@mattmelodymusic]

Means so much. Funny you say that I might be relocating to Australia in just a few months' time!

[@dedompler]

9:50 wow, thank you for playing Sedosa. one of my absolute favorites of Javier's. more please!

[@mattmelodymusic]

Love me some Javier Reyes, absolutely on of my favorite guitarists. Thanks so much for the kind words!

[@louistraini3287]

Bought one two years ago and love it. My first headless, didn't know what to expect. I swapped out the pickups to some Wilkinsons and added some flat pickup rings. Also moved the volume control back a few inches. The feel of the next is outstanding. Well worth the money. I think I paid about $330 at the time. I think my body is poplar.

[@mattmelodymusic]

Very cool! Love the modification choice, I totally agree about the neck. So comfortable!

[@drummer4hire12]

I love my Eart SSS.......Unbelievable quality and attention to small details. I wish Eart the best for bringing such value to the table for WAY less........

[@curtisc9350]

Nice Review ! 👍👍 Another confirmation, that EART is building Guitars, that are Punching way above their Price Point ! 😉 Cheers ✌️ 🤙🇨🇦

[@mattmelodymusic]

Thanks so much! Yep I’ve had it for about a month now and am still loving it. It’s a work horse!

[@apisdude]

locating the output jack where they did is awesome.

[@bacongl]

I have the first GW1 model and it has been rock solid after 3 years now. The only difference between the GW2 is the body shape and the hardware. GW2 has an improved bridge. Great bang for the buck instrument. Only thing I changed was the pickups not because they are bad, but personal preference. It is a workhorse for sure.

[@mattmelodymusic]

I love to hear from someone like you who has had it for quite some time and is still really enjoying it! I love mine, thanks for sharing!

[@GeneSchmidt]

Great playing brother. Big like, new sub!

[@mattmelodymusic]

Thank you so much!

[@6oundStudio]

i'm seeing this after the pickguard video. amazing instrument indeed

[@mattmelodymusic]

I love it so much I just picked up another one!

[@LatchkeyKidX]

I jumped on one of the first batches of these. It’s become my favorite guitar. I actually prefer this bridge to all the other Chinese options. I converted mine to a single humbucker sized p90 from arcane, single push/pull knob, killswitch, and put a lp jr pick guard to cover the empty cavity. I put some mammoth slinkies on it and tune to b standard. It’s a great guitar

[@mattmelodymusic]

Sounds like a sweet upgrade man, that's awesome!

[@Stratisfied22]

I've been telling people for years that Eart guitars are the best for the money the market has ever seen. The necks and fretwork are amazing and with a pickup swap you have a pro guitar with anything in their line. I'm always recommending to start with the strat model for $269. Put some cheap alnico v's in the neck and middle, single coil sized humbucker in the bridge(Wilkinson is pretty good), and you have a fantastic versatile workhorse that smokes pretty much any Fender on the shelf.

[@mattmelodymusic]

I Couldn’t agree more!

[@cesarventura682]

Of course you had to play some Javier Reyes in there. Great review! i might get one

[@mattmelodymusic]

I just had to! Let me know what you think if you pick one up. They go on sale often so see if you can grab one while they are sub $300!

[@amelianceskymusic]

On the official website, the guitar's back has a strong relief, here it's polished, but it feels like it's not finished, because you can see the grooves. I would have taken one if it was completely smooth, but it's a pity they don't have them

[@cambriakilgannon12]

Ordered one the other day. Looking to get a set of alumitone deathbuckers, electronics, and a new bridge, which would put the guitar something like 700 dollars underneath the cheapest strandberg. Endurneck and fanned frets are not worth that difference in cost imo.

[@nfields5]

9:27 the breakup song ! Such a nice guitar btw

[@mattmelodymusic]

Yes! I agree, love this thing

[@Hitchcawk]

I got a Gw2 recently. Do you find that the body is so small that you don’t really have anywhere comfortable to rest your strumming arm? I’m finding to get into a comfortable position with my strumming arm, I have to jam that top “wing” into my inner elbow… almost like my arm is too long to comfortably rest on top of the body. Feels a bit awkward I’m finding. Just a heads up for people with longer arms I guess 🤷‍♂️

[@MetalHeadMarc]

That guitar is killer. However the best selling point of a strandberg for me is the Endurneck profile. It made me really want a strandberg

[@cambriakilgannon12]

I really recommend playing it for at least an hour before making a final decision. I found that it was not as helpful as one would hope, and playing the heavy strings high up on the board meant making compromises/adjustments that were not worth it for me. Plus all strandbergs are multiscale which is not necessary on a 6 string imo, and only makes it harder to play chords past the 7th fret

[@fadizanbouah]

Got one myself a couple of years ago and it's indeed high quality. The pickups are not the best but for the price it's nuts. The only problem I have with it (which is probably more of a personal thing) is that it doesn't quite sustain; like play a note with vibrato and you'll see it doesn't really last for long. Did you have this issue?

[@jackbootshamangaming4541]

Tempted to purchase

[@mattmelodymusic]

I know that feeling! Let me know if you decide to pull the trigger!

[@Hitchcawk]

Do you have to have strings with ball ends for this, or is it individual locking screws like the Ibanez qx headless?

[@mattmelodymusic]

So you put the ball end of the strings into headstock side and they kind of fall into place!

[@matthewotremba9230]

Did a scallop job and weight relief route out any extra wood ,,, on a strat body Went with a black auto primer first, but , Looks just the same as this Earts finish I will leave it for now , as I am dying to get it back together and Rock it You have me wanting one of these Good Demo Video

[@mattmelodymusic]

Sounds like an awesome project! Thanks so much for the kind words!

[@sebastiangomez7730]

How has this guitar held up after a few months?

[@leemoi7954]

real nice one! whats the song you used for the demo at 9:20? sounds super chill, would love to learn it

[@mattmelodymusic]

Thanks so much! That is called "The Breakup Song" by Mateus Asato!

[@leemoi7954]

@@mattmelodymusic thanks man!

[@luniie5172]

I really want to get into punk, hard rock, and some metal (heavy/chunky riffs you could say) and am looking for a first guitar. Giving advice to someone who knows nothing about this stuff yet, would you say this would be a good pickup? I’m not sure how flexible individual guitars are, always kinda thought that you could make them sound however you want because they’re modulated digitally, given that you have good hardware at least.

[@mattmelodymusic]

You’re 100% right about making a guitar sound pretty much however you want in post production (for the most part, depending on type of guitar electronics/ pickups you can have different character). For a first guitar I don’t recommend spending more than a few hundred dollars, just to make sure that you don’t over invest into something that you may not persue. With that said. This guitar is a great all rounder. This would be a great guitar for the genres you listed. The most important thing in my opinion about choosing a guitar is how it feels in your hands and how reliable it is as far as staying in tune and having a good set up. Something that makes you want to pick it up and play it again. Obviously watching a KZbin video won’t satisfy that requirement. However, for the price you’re paying for this guitar, it’s hard to find a better guitar than this (as far as I am concerned). I have purchased two of these and the both came with a perfect set up. I believe anyone would have good luck with this instrument.

[@luniie5172]

@@mattmelodymusic holy shit thank you for such a timely reply on! Especially on an older video. I will definitely consider this one! I honestly just really like the look of these kinds of headless guitars (mostly the "missing" part of the base, I would actually prefer if it had the head but i don’t know if that combination of shapes is common) either way im glad it seems like a good choice on top of the style of it. Thank you!

[@BLINDKEYPRODUCTION]

I have the exact same color :) cheers

[@mattmelodymusic]

Cheers!

[@akjl01]

Thanks for the video..Does it stay in tune?

[@mattmelodymusic]

Surprisingly very well! Once the strings were stretched it held tune very well

[@fatherno5721]

@17:00 bro you sound like Yvette Young!! and i love it!!!!!!!!!

[@mattmelodymusic]

I’ll take that compliment! Love Yvette Young!

[@slinkytreekreeper]

Very curious what pickups you put in it as looking at that right now and kinda clueless.

[@mattmelodymusic]

I appreciate it and will have the next video hopefully posted within a week revealing which ones I chose! But for you, what kind of music do you like to play and what’s your budget? I might be able to give my two cents based on that

[@user-kj2ju5rx3b]

hi there....just a quick question....how well does it stay in tune? how often does it go out of tune? is the tuning as stable as a guitar with a locking system? please let me know....thanks

[@mattmelodymusic]

Once I stretched out the strings it actually holds tune surprisingly well!

[@user-kj2ju5rx3b]

thank you for letting me know. Also, is it able to rest on a guitar stand at all? it looks like the shape of the body may be a bit of a challenge@@mattmelodymusic

[@cockysonuvaB]

@8:59 NEW SUB! Can you do a tutorial on how to play chromatics that fast???

[@mattmelodymusic]

Sure thing, all you have to do is disregard the 4th dimension and then it’s actually pretty easy

[@sole__doubt]

I really want a headless and this is almost too good to be true.

[@DEllisMusic]

I have one, can confirm it's absolutely fantastic

[@sole__doubt]

@@DEllisMusic That bridge is my biggest concern.

[@DEllisMusic]

@@sole__doubt what about it? The only thing I’m not a huge fan of is that it’s slightly more elevated than my other guitars so getting the right hand position for palm muting took some getting used to.

[@sole__doubt]

@@DEllisMusic mainly the little tool, I know its gonna get lost and Im always palm muting so again that bridge is a problem for me.

[@DEllisMusic]

@@sole__doubt there are slots in the tuning knobs big enough to turn them with a pick. I thought the same thing about the tool but the magnet is pretty strong tbh. In any case it's certainly worth ordering so you can try it out, and you can always send the guitar back if you don't like it.

[@trollface407]

What’s that beautiful played song at 9:20 !

[@mattmelodymusic]

Its a song by Mateus Asato called "The Break Up Song" !

[@knamers4589]

what's the name of the song at 11:20??

[@mattmelodymusic]

That is The Count of Tuscany by Dream Theater, this bit is the solo in the intro

[@gmtb8014]

Looks great, but will it fit in the overhead luggage bin?

[@mattmelodymusic]

Oh man, that’s a good question that I am not sure about!

[@peterschaefer1665]

Do they make a vibrato version?

[@kenjiwhe]

Petrucci fan, alway good!

[@mattmelodymusic]

Love me some JP!

[@kanuuker]

Aw man, heavy is exactly what I don't want. I need a travel guitar. I've got my eye on the Ibanez Q series but they're more than twice the price.

[@xlilxillx]

i'm sold, how do these fit on a stand though? is there a special type of stand for headless guitars?

[@mattmelodymusic]

I use a guitar rack and it fits on that decently well, when I’m back home I can follow up to see how well it sits on a standard stand!

[@xlilxillx]

@@mattmelodymusic thanks!

[@kmlconsolidated]

Great review. Thank you! The tuning mechanism with that little wrench was a big red flag for me. It looks very inconvenient and very easy to loose.

[@mattmelodymusic]

Yes indeed! I’ve noticed if strung properly you can move the knobs with your hands with a bit of pressure, but I’ve almost lost that little wrench a few times now.

[@EdBender]

@@mattmelodymusic The little wrench is nothing but an allen wrench. If you lose it, just use an allen wrench available at any hardware store. It holds tune pretty well, I hardly ever have to adjust mine.

[@eloyreveronrizzo4800]

You played the Count of Tuscany?

[@mattmelodymusic]

Somewhat unsuccessfully but I tried!

[@Dr-Curious]

I don't buy 24 fret guitars because the neck pickup is to far from the sweet spot. Also, the bridge area cutoff isn't required because there's no space required there for tuning. I think the body shape is F hideous, and I LOVE the steinbergers, so that ins't "conservative".... I'd love a 22 fret, modern tele shaped version.

[@ramonzeira]

In brazil it would cost maybe 900USD, sadly.

[@trevorc1834]

they are not stainless frets, I owned one and my 0 Fret had trenches in them from the strings sitting on it. It would click when bending.

[@cockysonuvaB]

TAKE OFF THOSE COVERS AND BRIGHTEN UP THE SOUND (also easy change to 50's wiring)

[@mattmelodymusic]

That’s true, didn’t even think to try that!

[@benyork654]

When u busted out the mestis, then followed with count of Tuscany.... 💦

[@mattmelodymusic]

Ah some of my favorites!! Thank you so much!

[@benyork654]

Mine as well. Np take it easy man

[@ghostJammerz]

As soon as I saw that bridge, no thanks.. there are a lot of decent headless bridge in the chinese market

[@yargnad]

Just wanted to point out the obvious, which apparently isn't so obvious. The brand name is pronounced E Art.... I've heard it said every which way but. Just like NuX is Nu X. It's still not great, but at least they're using vowels in these Chinese brand names now.

[@brighterhealthshop]

The entire headless saga has me against buying one. I can't imagine spending thousands on an axe, and it has issues. I would rather stick with guitars with headstocks, right pickup configuration and a Nice Tremolo that Will stay in tune.

[@mattmelodymusic]

Totally understand that, I absolutely love my tremolos!

[@jacekfz99]

That bridge is atrocious. It's the reason I sold my EART headless. Incredibly annoying to tune when it goes out.

[@DE-GEN-ART]

that EART sounds like a FART 😂 im just kidding but eart is a horrible name

[@rahulmenon4357]

Shit even idubbbz is on guitar youtube.