Why is EVERYONE Buying this CHEAP $170 Guitar??

[@agufish]

➤ Thanks to Donner for sponsoring today's video and sending this guitar over for us to check out together! » More information about the Donner DLP-124 (Les Paul) amzn.to/3cexCq3 Serious question, though: thoughts on the UCL Final? Chelsea or Manchester City??

[@kobalt_ren01]

Chelsea have a better shade of blue IMO, so I'll go with them. Still doesn't compare the the glorious blue of Bolton Wanderers, but they're in like League Two rn

[@BenjaminRoethig]

I'm OK with it as mod platform, but here's my thoughts on this...right now they want $177 for this. $25ish more and you can get a LTD EC10. No offense to Donner, but I trust ESP just a little bit more.

[@joshuataft5541]

See if they'll sponsor me with a new guitar...jst kidding. Love the channel I enjoy seeing what you put out .you have great taste I've never seen a guitar I hated on the show

[@joshuataft5541]

It actually looks realy good for the price.

[@apoplexiamusic]

I’d like to know where you got that stone to file the fret ends! I need to do that on my Amarok

[@Davidthestratman7]

Next time put some painters tape over the humbuckers while using steel wool

[@IKilledTheDodo]

Agreed! That part hurt my eyes

[@AarPlays]

I'm guessing he just didn't care. The entire guitar is cheaper than all decent pickup kits.

[@bryantucker9189]

Was it my imagination, or could you literally see the little wool pieces getting sucked into that neck humbucker? I thought for sure he was gonna stop at fret 8 or 9 and tape that sucker up. Oh well, that will be the problem of the person who wins it...

[@IKilledTheDodo]

@@AarPlays Haha, true!

[@kevinking2468]

I dig mod content - That guitar could be a beast with a little work... Would love to have it myself.

[@zackarysmith2222]

Buy it. Lol

[@dirtnelson7306]

YEAH!!!

[@jonnybroomhead]

Do this as an affordable mod project. You know, "nicer" Chinese locking tuners, dragonfire pickups, graphtec nut, full size pots, re-"review it, and then give it away.

[@scottbrower9052]

I think it's really cool that you do these types of reviews...w/ balance & respect. Not everyone can afford or wants to pay for a case queen. Very informative. 🤘🤘

[@ArendtMusic]

Hey Hunter! Just a quick tip. I always polish my frets when chaning strings, because it just feel so much better, but i would highly recommend using some painters tape to cover the pickups while doing it. If you look at the pickups after, you can see small metal "dust", and this helps avoid that :)

[@whyuyellinginmyear3476]

Yes, he said he would have if they had not been crappy pick-ups that he was planning to swap out. But, you are correct.

[@Necromanos]

My cheap guitar brand of choice is Monoprice Indio. I have three $100 guitars from them and they were decent out of box and now great after some mods.

[@chris_2714]

Yikes! That steel wool by the pickups! Tape the pickups over next time so you don't have tiny bits of metal clinging to them 👍

[@Forest_Fifer]

Please please put tape over your pickups before using wire wool...

[@jorgea.9988]

This Donner logo on the Headstock is worse than terrible.

[@bipbipletucha]

Agreed

[@INeverWanted2010]

Yeah I've never been a fan of their logo

[@dlmullins9054]

waaaaahhhhh!

[@McShooty_]

Can you start including left handed availability in your reviews for the three left handed people on the planet? I'd appreciate it.

[@stop736]

THANK YOU!

[@ryanisheartless]

When Hunter takes off his glasses, its like the equivalent of when Ash Ketchum turns his hat around backwards: you know shits about to get real.

[@xDarthWonkax]

A Maylene and Tremonti riff is the same video?? Love it!

[@benasslick67]

Damn all that steel wool on the pickups lol

[@randellpillion3819]

Ik right I kind of got mad at hunter for not tapping the pickups so steal wool wouldn't get into them

[@benasslick67]

@@randellpillion3819 I guess in his defense they're trash pickups and will probably be replaced

[@enricofugazzi5206]

Sounds better than the price would suggest. In the video looks nice too.

[@0716kingaquino]

Good setup there.. im not a professional luthier but i would have done it thise way.. 1. Put tape on fretboard before fixing some fret sprouts (to avoid damaging side of the neck) 2. Put tape on pickups to avoid steel wool sticking on it (this may damage it on the long run) 3. Do the fret polish first before cleaning/oiling the fretboard 4. Adjust trussrod with strings to consider the string tension on the neck.. Overall, good adjustments at home. 👍

[@brendanflaherty6696]

This would make for a great GFS/Guitarfetish mod project... they’ve got all those solderless wiring harnesses with the quick-connect pickups, and for super cheap...

[@DrewKane]

11:18 - There's literally an Epiphone Melody Maker on the market, which used to be called the Epiphone SL. It's a Les Paul single-cut body with a bolt-on neck and two single coil pickups. They cost about $200 Canadian, and with a bit of work, can be a decent player. Throw a stacked single-coil sized humbucker in one of those bad boys, and you've got yourself a metal melody maker.

[@kobalt_ren01]

Though, doesn't the SL have those annoying trapezoid tuners? I think Wilkinson tuners would work as a drop-in replacement on the Donner.

[@jorgea.9988]

Therapist: "Hunter without glasses isn't real, he can't hurt you!" : 6:08

[@deniellespaul131]

hurt me? he's hot af 😳

[@PowerInOne22]

Haha snuck in some Backstreet Boys. Metal AF

[@joshuataft5541]

I noticed that....he wanted it thada way lol

[@Briansgate]

OK, so I wasn't imagining that...

[@edwinstovall3334]

Hunter, you have put your finger on the very allure of super-cheap guitars like this one. For short money, you can make guitars like this your own, and do so with low risk. Nobody's doing that sort of stuff with a 59 'Burst! Also, you might want to check with your editor, because I heard at least one "S"-bomb slip through. 😎❤️️🎸‼️

[@eliasmsv3156]

Love the use of Neuraldsp when testing lower budget guitars. No one is gonna hade a Dual Rectifier with a 170 dollar guitar hooke up to it

[@reliabletoasters]

I got a thinline tele donner basically for the body. The neck isn't very good and the hardware is super cheap. But it's cheap to then slap some upgrades on it and that's what intended to do with it.

[@JR-dd4ec]

Hunter, I love this new format of these videos, definitely have taken them to the next level. I'm hoping to run into next time I'm up in Asheville just to get you a personal thank you. You're the best. 🤘

[@timwhite5562]

I've repaired guitars for 15 years, i find just a normal silver jewelry polishing cloth works best for frets. They're 2 cloths, 1 treated the other normal. You use the treated cloth first, then polish with the normal one. They don't damage any fretboards and leave the frets like glass because they clean them and fill in microscopic scratches in the metal. Fret sprout; put painters tape down the edge of the fretboard on both sides/ use whatever you're going to use, typically sandpaper: put it on a block, you don't want to have it loose so use the block. Then just hold it at so angle and run it up and down. The frets will pop out of the tape with the first run or 2 and that's fine, it's what you want. Once the tape that's on the fretboard itself starts to wear, that's when you stop. The frets should be smooth at this point or else the block wouldn't be making contact with the wood yet. And 1 big thing often overlooked, even with people who have been playing for decades; the adjustable polepieces on humbuckers are there for a reason; use them. Start by setting them with the fretboard radius; so a 12" fretboard you'll set the poles like that. If you just stop there the pickups will sound clearer, but i typically adjust them by ear at this point. Just play bar chords or chromatic scales and adjust the heights until you find the balance you want. Honestly, i can't stress enough that this is something you need to at least try. I've literally NEVER adjusted them for a player that had never touched them in the past they weren't thrilled after with the difference. At just 80% have the "i don't know how i could have gone this long never doing that before." Cheers

[@DareBear2099]

Try using a cheap dremel, polishing wheels and fret frine for fret polish. It’s much master and is much safer than using scotch bright. Learned that trick from the Guns N’ Guitars channel. Saves you time and the frets come out super smooth.

[@pauforcadellcampos4452]

8:03 you are my fire... The one desire...

[@michaelelliott3456]

I just ordered one of these in black. I bought a ton of parts for it, I'm literally only using the body from it. I ordered all the hardware in black, Neck in black with matching binding, and screws are black. I cheaped out on the pickups and got invader's but I did get CTS push pull pots and Gavitt wiring with a Puretone jack. I'm also painting the cavity in conductive paint. I will eventually swap in some fishman's with the universal 9v. This cavity is perfect for it. I can't wait to get it together and see how it turns out. I suck at playing and this is my first build.

[@michaelelliott3456]

Update, I love this thing. I'm not sure why it sounds so good or what i did but it's amazing. I wouldn't mind building another to toss hand me down parts from my first on it.

[@thedanksavatron7782]

Love to see it in a full mod project vid!

[@petermac7315]

i love how donner sent him a guitar but he smacks them by saying terrible strings, intonation, bridge pickup. such a honest and experienced youtuber. that's why i subscribed to Hunter

[@octanegamer1576]

Did I hear I Want it That Way from the BackStreet Boys from the cleans

[@D3M99]

So is there something that I'm missing here? "All I did was tune this to drop Db" and the intonation is off? No shit it's off if you go with the factory strings and don't bother to adjust the intonation.

[@djandrewification]

I wouldn’t expect a sub 200 guitar to be intonated correctly out of the box let alone when it gets down tuned. That’s a weird critique to have.

[@D3M99]

@@djandrewification If you take even a 2000 dollar guitar out the box, which probably has been intonated for standard tuning in the factory, and then only downtune it, it's not going to be intonated anymore. That's why it's stupid to judge any guitar for its factory intonation in a tuning that it was not even meant to be intonated in when shipped from the factory.

[@bb.6969]

perhaps modding the everlasting shit out of it, but on a budget? like upgrade as much as physically possible but do it on the cheap

[@bb.6969]

@WaurufEx exactly!

[@Kylora2112]

I highly recommend to every guitarist/bassist out there watch some of Dave's World Of Fun Stuff's setup videos. He describes everything he's doing and what the numbers and stuff are (string height, neck bow, all that jazz). Also, get a notched straightedge (they have two sides; one is a 24¾" Gibson/25" PRS scale and the other is a 25½" Fender Scale) and string action scale, and a set of feeler gauges...so like, maybe $40 worth of measuring tools (if you're buying $1000+ pieces of wood and wire, might as well spend a tiny fraction of that to help keep them maintained!). Obviously, start with your cheap instruments first, so if you do YEAHYEAH your neck, it's that $300 Squier instead of your main Gibson Les Paul. It'll save you time and money (a setup job takes less time for me than driving to my luthier and back...and I don't have to wait a couple of weeks for his queue and I don't have to pay him $60), and hey, it's a great skill to have! Like, I went from "terrified to adjust ANYTHING" on my guitars to replacing a Floyd Rose 1000 with an Original Floyd Rose in my Schecter and doing all of my own setup work.

[@watcherzero000]

I just got a used ESP LTD EC-1 in matte black with just a bridge pickup and just a volume knob for $149 at Guitar Center. Like the simplicity of it.

[@Foxywaterable]

Demo sounds great. Seems like a lot of guitar for 173 dollars

[@claire6650]

Anything can sound good with ton of mixing and high end amp + effects

[@-sailhatan-]

Please tell me playing Backstreet Boys at 8:01 is intentional hahaha

[@Paul_Lenard_Ewing]

You mentioned a cheap guitar with a Melody Maker body but playable and a good sound. Guitar Fetish sell the Slick SL60 for $249.00 USD. Except for perhaps the P90 PU's it is everything you mentioned. Serious tuners a solid brass bridge etc. Check it out it sounds and plays killer!

[@andybungert]

I'd be curious to see a shoot-out between this and the comparable Epiphone starter LP

[@tomgeczy415]

Honestly it seems like an awesome mod project/beater guitar. In it’s present state I actually think it doesn’t sound too bad. I mean I wouldn’t use it as my main but it could prove to be really useful for layering parts in a studio setting. Guitars with that sorta bassy tonality actually prove to be a useful tool when trying to beef up a mix alongside a brighter/tighter sounding guitar

[@jcstrain73]

cover up your pickups when you use steel wool, hunter! i just cover them up with a little shop rag usually, don't really need tape or anything. then clean all the shavings up with a couple of passes with a magnet over and around the fingerboard.

[@fagyu7502]

I have an epiphone les paul special 2 that looks just like this, Ive had it for 5 years and its still amazing mostly worked on it myself only took it to a repairshop once to fix the nut it plays amazingly and I couldnt find a guitar that fit me more. (prolly coz it has a D neck and I cant stand C shapes for sum reason)

[@BuckB3420]

Like the set up. Seems pretty easy for a new player in my 50’s. Love to get into a chance for entering a give a way!

[@theverseshed]

Upgraded my black SLP with 10/46 Elixir - the improvement was incredible once the generic cheapo strings were removed. Same would apply if you fitted D'Addario, they're just as good. The difference was REALLY noticeable when playing quietly without plugging in - that really surprised me. Just for improved stability, I fitted Wilkinson butterbean tuners, but only because I had some in stock. The Donner tuners do a pretty good job, but Wilkinsons are better. With those slightly heavier gauge strings, the guitar's tone is great for such little money. The tone and volume controls also work well without sudden or significant drop-off. An all-round great guitar.

[@materedai4158]

Man, giveaways are always cool.

[@judewilding5965]

cheeky i want it that way in the sound samples.

[@denverrandy7143]

Very cool,Make that "Metal Maker" Brotha!!! Not to blow smoke.But,your songs are starting to become some of my favorites...I love that sustaining high end you mix over the hardcore riffs.Need to get a Agufish channel album out.!!!🤘Be well my friend.👍

[@simonfinch9277]

A pro tip for you Agufish, if you are using steel wool, please cover up your neck pickup with painters tape. Your pickups grabs metal shavings from steel wool and you are basically speedrunning any % to pickup destruction.

[@needsLITHIUM]

Brands like Donner and Glarry making cheap mod platform guitars are the real MVP. Even a student model Epiphone, with similar level of QC and trim, is $200 USD. I got re-gifted my Epiphone Les Paul for free, but it was broken, with all the wiring inside not working, giving me even MORE incentive to use it as a cheap mod guitar. I threw some low-to-medium output GFS pickups -- a Dream-180 humbucker in the bridge and a Dream-90 P90 in the neck -- and a Seymour Duncan Active Blackouts Preamp in there. It sounds pretty killer, not gonna lie. I've made no other mods. Didn't need to, as I got a lucky diamond on the fretwork and other physical QC. Love it.

[@masterofturkey]

This guitar reminds me of a gibson nighthawk studio but waaaaay more budget

[@WattchomanBrandySavage]

SO close to 100k!! final push.

[@JaFoste_Studio]

Ok, gonna get one of these this weekend. I've got a graphtech resomax bridge and graphtech ratio locking tuners laying around that I haven't used. Also got a lace deathbucker I bought a couple of years ago that's still in the box, lol. It's project time!

[@snakeplissken1509]

8:02 Did you just sneak in 'I want it that way'? With a straight face. LOL

[@Luislazarosolana]

I am sure it is a good starting point to start playing guitar or playing luthier for beginners. Nice video

[@jonass4800]

Sick bin hearing a lot about these guitars glad you got one on the channel

[@jacoblima3175]

I did the graphite to my Epiphone Les Paul 2 and my Jackson js227

[@fladification]

@2:37 I've never heard of it not being safe to put conditioner on a maple fret board, but it is a waste of time since they almost always have a clear coat finish on them. Dunlop 65 will not hurt the finish on a fret board or any other place.

[@claire6650]

I mean, just look at him polishing the fret and not covering the pickups... Obviously he has limited knowledge on lutherie, but i find that bad to say what he said cause he is indeed misinforming people watching this Dunlop 65 is not worth the price for what it is imo

[@Vman9484]

1. Locking tuners 2. Graphtec nut 3. Jumbo Stainless Steel Frets 4. Gibson pickups 5. Wilkinson brass roller bridge 6. GuitarFetish Brass stoptail piece 7. CTS everything 8. Paper & Oil capacitor 9. Shield the cavity 10. String up, Tune up, Volume up

[@madladmyles]

Hey Hunter, have you seen those Moore guitars with the built in effects?

[@agufish]

Lol a certain box just arrived at my door a couple of days ago...

[@madladmyles]

@@agufish Ay! Cant wait! Love your channel man, keep up the good work! 🤘

[@Ghaos]

Are you familiar with EART guitars? I bought a strat from them and it was crazy good for the price.

[@jeromewagschal9485]

Graphite in nut slots is okay but a good lubricant like Big Bends Nut Sauce really works wonders...And it's used very sparingly so a tiny bit goes a long way... As for not taping the humbuckers before polishing the frets with steel wool it does have a purpose : When the polepieces are completely saturated with steel wool ( preferably 000...0000 is too smooth it won't do the same thing ) the humbuckers' output is higher 🙂🙂🙂 ( joke )

[@nickagervasi]

Careful not to get copyright struck with those riffs man! Great review though. Glad you also pointed out that some could be great and some less great. The one I got was great. I agree about the neck, it is awesome. I made a video and posted to youtube about it too. 🤘

[@martinclayton7260]

I own some higher end guitars, and there's some great about owning, and playing them, but I really enjoy playing some lower priced guitars, you can really get to play them, without having to worry if they'll get scratched, or dinged!

[@aaronanthony569]

For those who didn’t get the DLP, D-Donner L-Les P-Paul

[@landonmontgomery2693]

A mod video would be great. I kinda wish I could get one of those here in Canada. They're sold out everywhere.

[@grantkelly2751]

Bro a mod project would be amazing. try the Pegasus and Sentient set. Would love to hear your opinions on them!! Great vid as always

[@nizodizo9549]

I went the Squire route and glad I did. For four hundred dollars and a little setup it is a nice guitar.

[@babindinda9414]

I would love to see that guitar with some black winters on them. I don't believe that you have done a mod with black winters, would be a cool video!

[@mericland]

I love the Mod videos. Through in some Hipshot locking tuners; a Graphtec nut; some nice pickups (I’m a classic rock guy so Seymour Duncan or Dimarzio’s would do but, hell it’s your build so go crazy). I’m sure someone would love the heck out of it if you gave it away.

[@InterSev]

Great vid as usual, man. Also the Incubus riff was a pleasant surprise 👌

[@RJsCave]

Good work on the frets hunter. I'm no pro either but i've learned the hard way that taping up the pickups while doing fretwork will keep metal dust from being pulled into the pickup windings which can shorten the life of the pickups. just sharing, great video as always. I need to organize my channel workflow so i can put as much into my videos as you do. how do you find the time?

[@agufish]

Good call, definitely a good tip if the pickups are worth saving haha! And I find time by not having a very active social life lol 🙃

[@johnnymiller8766]

I can’t believe you played the backstreet boys thought you were going to Roll me huh? I’ve been following you since 2K subscribers dude I got you, that was funny though😂😂😂😂😂 The best part was watching you trying to keep a straight face

[@gamer6550]

Thank you for playing some clean tones

[@sb632]

Definitely would love to see you make a mod project out of it. Though I'd enjoy seeing you explore dimarzio pick ups. Maybe the fortitude bridge and a paf neck. Great sounding metal set. If you did fishmans the Devin Townsend set would be cool. Don't think I've seen you try that set yet. Or the Javier Reyes 6 string set.

[@willk-lander5791]

Rip out the neck pup, replace the bridge with a Dimarzio Super Distortion or similar. Replace tuners and nut with something half decent and you got a killer Chug/Metal machine!

[@benpowersguitar]

Yeah, mod that thing for metal. That would be awesome.

[@ErickGarcia-fp2qg]

8:02 "You are my fire... "

[@shanewalton8888]

11:24 I Tot I saw a Kitty Kat!

[@grayaj23]

It's good to warn people to cover the pickups with a towel or a t-shirt or your shredder hopes and dreams before using steel wool. It's nearly impossible to get the little shreds of steel wool out of the pickup once they get in there.

[@shannonm7981]

Hey Hunter, cheers for another great video. I would love for you to check out NK or Eart guitars. I have bought an NK 2020 model & an Eart Explorer-1 this year & they are phenomenal. Both brands have stainless steel frets which are perfectly leveled & polished, with semi-hemi ends & spectacular finishes, for under $400 USD. They are both upcoming brands from China that have to sell their guitars for so cheap just to be able to compete, but the quality rivals Ibanez Prestige's. I honestly believe these brands can be a godsend to amateur to advanced players.

[@SingleMaltMac]

Woah, Agu pulls out some Clapton. Nicely done, sir!

[@jacobbockover1628]

So i recently received a schecter solo. I started working on it but fixing stainless frets was a pain so i had my local tech do it and a settup n its went from a speced out but lack luster thing into a great feeling guitar so even at about 900 I still has to have it worked into a good instrument. I would think that one a guitar like that your would need to sink 300 or 400 into it. To make it compete

[@Boromusicotbs]

Man, that fret polishing trick its very effective, but FOR THE LOVE OF GOD Please put some masking tape over the pickups when you do it, otherwise the little bits that comes of the steel wools gets attracted to the magnets and can contribute to some unwanted noise, especially if it gets in the pickup cavity... you can see un the video how much of it gets caught by the poles! ps. sorry about the english, not very used to write it!

[@agufish]

Yeah usually I would, but these pickups are shit and I'm going to throw them away anyways lol.

[@Boromusicotbs]

@@agufish jajaaj i figure that out, but some teenage kid might be watching this and may try this idea. may be that kid wont be able to change the pickups in some time. My point is that your content is very educational for some people, keep it up with the amazing content, but as a luthier aprentice my self, protecting the parts of an instrument, even if you know some of it is shit, its a must. but i get it, after all is your guitar, not some client instrument. cheers!

[@emanuelrayvillaflores7759]

This would be good for a High Integrity project

[@Saniell]

Here's a suggestion for an amp review...Randall RX120RH...very tight and articulate high gain amp. And cheap :)

[@guitarplayer1434]

the Gibson pick up selector is in the worst place for any one that moves whilst they play, I can't tell you how many times I have changed pick ups when i did not want to

[@Dude_Guyman]

One critical flaw from what I have seen in other videos. Correct me if wrong: There is no wood between the neck and neck pickup cavity. If so, this WILL cause the neck to shift over time and slide into the pickup cavity, crushing the neck pickup unless you "modify" it somehow. I had an old Arbor Explorer copy that was the same and did this. You can see it at 4:06 in this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/gYLCqH2DrM1pbKs

[@TheDistortionPrinciple]

You prob should have protected your pickups while steel wool

[@leightnite3056]

It's a Donner Party!

[@davebmassey]

I'm curious about this guitar for modding purposes. I already have a nut and tuners to put on it - thinking about updating the pots and pickups to humbucker sized p90s. I'm torn between this and the Ibanez AX120. Anyone have opinions? I know the resale value will be better with Ibanez (if need be), will QC really be that much different between 2 budget Asian imports? Donner really seems to be stepping up their game lately.

[@INeverWanted2010]

I've never been able to get great intonation on tune-o-matic bridges. 🤷‍♂️

[@robertwhitham5109]

Black Winter/Sentient would be a killer combo.

[@GurrolaBread]

Nazgul + Black Winter Neck pickups!

[@d.j.9961]

Trust when i say that i am no expert but, when your playing "Tears in heaven", when you are saying the lyrics "if i saw you in heaven", the en at the end of heaven, grab the 1st fret of the G string! That the next step in that song!

[@BackintheFall]

Hey hunter! Have you featured any derulo guitars from alibaba before? Edit: yes you have the PINK STRAT duh. You should do more.

[@Prolegomeno]

Dude, if you put some tape on the pickups while using the metal wool they wont get fill with metal dirt.

[@Argoth534]

8:02 You are, my fire

[@kellybrincks]

I just bought a strat style for 20. Mod project \m/

[@williamsk001]

Would love to see this with some good pickups, a good nut, and some good tuners. Curious if it's possible for under $500 total - guitar and parts.

[@clmrsmn]

these cheap guitars are great if you're learning how to set up a guitar and do mods