I’d like to talk about two very affordable guitars in my collection. First, I’ll go over why they are great guitars and then we’ll look at some of the not-so-good and what I did to correct it.
But first, here they are. An Epiphone Special II and a Slick SL52.
Let’s talk about the Epiphone. The neck is what makes this guitar exceptional. It has that 60’s slim taper feel which is very smooth. But more importantly, the playability feels like a million bucks. There are no sharp fret edges or any other problems. The edge of the fretboard is rounded like it’s been played for 40 plus years. The neck is straight. I’m able to keep the action low. This is a player’s guitar.
So, what about the bad? I think the first thing you’ll notice about budget friendly guitars are the pickups and electronics. I think from the factory Epiphone put a 700T in the bridge and a 650R in the neck. For my taste, these pickups are very harsh. I’d rather scratch my nails on a chalkboard while having a root canal. Yes, they were that bad. But the neck, ooooh that neck!
Bear with me as I go on a detour. I have a Squier II Stratocaster. It’s been with me since I was 15 years old. It was my first guitar. This is another amazing guitar, maybe we’ll get into that another time. The bridge was getting a bit worn out and I really didn’t like the pickups. I ran across this company called Guitar Fetish. They sell all sorts of guitar parts for cheap as dirt. I was a bit skeptical but read great reviews about them. I bought a set of vintage strat reverse wound pickups for $12 and a complete strat style tremolo bridge for $16. This place is for real! I was floored when I installed the bridge. This feels solid! Imagine my shock when I tried out the pickups. They had this sweet, warm tone. And I’m talking Seymour Duncan tone. Brilliant!
Back to my Epiphone. I started my search on Guitar Fetish for a set of pickups. I ended up with a set of Earl Slick Old School humbuckers. You can read about them here: https://www.guitarfetish.com/Calibrated-PAIR-Slick-Old-School-Black-WOOD-BOXED-_p_11221.html Yes, the description and video demo really does tell the story. They sound great! To compliment the upgraded pickups, I also bought new volume and tone pots, output jack and a new 3-way selector switch. The stock felt cheap.
The next complaint about affordable guitars would be the hardware. The bridge seemed ok except for the saddles. They were sharp. Because I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on this guitar, I just used a file to round them off. Plus, the intonation was perfect. I didn’t see a reason to change anything. The tuning keys were ok but didn’t feel solid. I found these at Guitar Fetish https://www.guitarfetish.com/3x3-Keystone-Green-Key-Vintage-Style-Tuners-Nickel_p_36.html Again, this is quality. They are simply amazing and hold the strings in tune.
Let’s talk about the Slick SL52. I would assume many of you are like me and never heard of this guitar before. Earl Slick has a long history in the music industry. He’s probably best known for playing with David Bowie. Do your research, this dude has been around the block a few times. Long story short, he ended up with a line of guitars, pickups, straps, etc. that are available through Guitar Fetish. The SL52 sells for $229. I got mine much cheaper. First it was in the clearance section because it needed a new switch. Second, they were having a sale at the time which offered 30% off clearance. Seemed like a good time to buy a guitar that peeked my interest.
What’s good about it? I love the way it looks. It has a roadworn look without the roadworn price tag. The hardware is really good. It has a brass bridge, knob, strap buttons and brass keyed tuning buttons. In other words, the hardware is not what’s usually found on cheap guitars. Most importantly, the pickups rock! These are Slick Old School humbuckers.
What’s bad and what did I do to correct it? First thing I noticed right away was the action is high. I’m talking skyscraper high. But surprisingly the intonation was spot on. And the strings were a set of 10’s. I prefer 9’s. So right away I replaced the strings and lowered the action. This was an immediate improvement.
But there was still something else that didn’t feel quite right. The frets are much larger than I like, and the ends felt a bit sharp. And the fretboard edges were also quite sharp. This is a chance to get my feet wet with some fret work. I went to work with some superfine sandpaper over the fingerboard edge. Next, I file and shape the edges of the frets and then I go to work polishing. That was the most work. But it did make quite an improvement. And this is a very good playing guitar.
So, what do we learn from this? I’m not really sure. So, let’s go away with this – sometimes life will surprise you. I admit I can be a brand snob. I’ll turn my nose up at something if it’s made by an inferior company. But should we do that? I think not. I just gave you two examples of why not. That being said, I will always choose my Carvin CS6 over one of these. It was expensive, and it feels expensive. No cheap guitar will ever hold a candle to it.
But it is good news for beginners. They don’t have to suffer learning on a junk guitar. My Epiphone was bought from a pawn shop for $50. I have about $85 in upgrades and maybe 2 hours of labor. Not bad. I would suggest to those of you who have been playing for quite some time to take an interest in beginners and help them choose a good guitar with potential. You might be surprised with the results.
That is all!