On 2006-01-30, R. Brian Van Steen rated this Jay Turser 200D Flame Maple Top a 4...(11476)
History: I've been playing for about 15 years, occaissionally in bands. Prefer Metal, Hard Rock and Blues guitar tones. Have owned Gibson, Ibanez, Jackson, and Fender electrics in the past.
Purchase: I stopped playing for a year or two, sold my previous guitars and wanted somthing to get me playing again. My girlfriend spotted my L.P. copy due to the beautiful auburn flamed maple sunburst finish at Sam Ash, and after holding it I couldn't believe it was only $329.00. After having one of the salesman wale on it through a Fender amp, I wanted it immeadiatley. Thanks for your help David !
Pros: The finish is absolutely beautiful, has a great well made feel, and the playability feels similar - but not quite- like my friends 2001 Gibson L.P.. I love the tone of the rhythm pickup, and when played through a Tubscreamer on my Ultra Chorus clean channel with a little chorus I really love the sound which makes me play more often. I hoenestly love playing this guitar and feel like I'm making serious progress as a player.
Cons: The first thing I did was replace the oringinal tuners with vintage Klusons as it would not stay in tune with the originals. I also switched the knobs to vintage looking LP hats. The main drawback for me is that I find it slightly off balance (neck heavy) when not playing with a strap, and it is heavier than my friends authentic L.P. I also might replace the Lead pickup as I like to play with a heavy clipping sound and the original can loose some its tone with heavy distortion.
Quality: I find my L.P. copy is extremely well made and is still flawless looking after many hours of play and being kept in the case. It stays in tune, the electronics have given me no problems other than an occaisional tightening of the input and pickup selector. The binding still looks great, the finish on the gold hardware still looks like new.
Review Summary: This is a great guitar for me until I buy a Gibson as I've been playing for quite a few years, but I am no professional. I also think the one I bought was a really nice one, as they ordered another exact model a few weeks later and I honestly would not have bought that one had I seen it first.
