I was thoroughly impressed with the quality of this guitar. The finish on the body is a bit weird at first, but you grow to like it. You can check them out and email your order inquiries on their website if you're interested in one. www.shijieguitars.com/ = 💰New to Reverb? Get $10 on Me ➡️ reverb.grsm.io/earn10 ❓Private Help Sessions: troglysguitarshow.com/help-appraisals/ 🎸New Guitar Day Program: troglysguitarshow.com/ngd/ 👕 Merch: teespring.com/basic-logo-4245?pid=211
Hitting some pretty nice licks there Austin! Those tones in the middle position sound fantastic but the grit and growl of the distortion in the humbucker reminds me of the Seth Lover in my '81 Fender Lead 1. Excellent review!
@@meatrocket1 You will have to pay between 2.7% and 3.5% in import duties if the total of price, shipping and insurance exceed $800. That will be charged on the entire cost. Additionally, if there are state sales taxes where you live, US Customs will collect that, too and forward it to the state. Importing stuff is not a real hassle, but things can sit in Customs waiting for inspection for weeks and sometimes months and your stuff will not be released until you pay import duties, etc.
@@meatrocket1 you dont. you email the company and you deal with one guy. hes very quick to answer and they are very quick to ship unless of course you add some features that would make them take time to build. check alibaba website, theres a lot of people from USA and all over the world that left satisfied comments on their experience and most of them start off with the same worries wed all have.
Bought one 7 months ago. Absolutely no regrets. I have some nice Stratocasters; a couple fairly new Fender Strats, a 1981 Tokai Springy Sound ST60, and 1977 Fernandes FST70, and while I love those four guitars the Shijie is a step above. The quality of components and attention to detail, craftsmanship are very high. If this were Made in the USA you're looking at a guitar in/around the $2,000 range.
Why are these companies always copying Strats and Teles only? Why not a high end Jazzmaster version, for example? It would set them apart from the crowd if nothing else.
joshua Hill body shapes can’t really be trademarked because they’re fairly generic. A guitar can only be a few shapes while still being comfortable and playable. Headstock is a different story altogether though.
joshua Hill I’m not sure about that. There are several companies that I know of that do Jazzmaster style bodied guitars including Nash and Mario Martin.
@@conorsands9846 not 100% accurate. Fender COULD have trademarked them, if they had've done that in the 50s and 60s. Its nothing to do with how many shapes can be used (that's more towards patents - they relate to technical function) - its to do with the fact that you need to trademark something while it is distinctive - S and T shapes were no longer distinctive by the time Fender attempted to trademark them. Similar reasons as to why Gibson lost the Gibson v PRS case on appeal. Not trying to rain on your parade at all, just giving a bit more context!
joshua Hill The point I was making was that a number of companies DO make those body shapes contrary to your first comment on this thread. I never said that these two brands were entry level or even “affordable”. You can buy American Fenders for less than either Nash or Mario Martin, and there are other companies in the $2,000 + price range that make them as well. There is also a company called Logan Custom Guitars that are built by Bob Logan in Wisconsin. These guitars are in the Mexican made Fender price range and comparable in quality at least if not better. I own one of Logan’s Esquires and it is every bit as good as both of my high end Mexican Fender Telecasters. However, I do agree that very few if any companies make entry level guitars in the Fender offset style. I have no idea why they don’t.
@@guitarocd9984 Incorrect. Eastman Guitars are made in China and rival the quality of custom shop Gibson's for half the price. They are all handmade in China
I think one of the most important thing a new brand guitar company can do is make a really nice-looking headstock. So many halfway decent budget guitars are just absolutely KILLED by an ugly headstock. This one looks pretty good, very Fenderish.
@@guitarocd9984 I'm sure it's a nice guitar to play and the wood quality is fine. But $800 for a guitar brand that no one has heard of that shamelessly copies a name brand but it already beaten up and badly painted. Who the hell is going for that?
Same with Eastman, like I KNOW these are great guitars. I've played Eastmans before... But I can't get myself to pull the trigger when I could get a 90s Les Paul Standard for the same price. Or a US strat for the price of these things.
Maybe it's just me but the first thing I think when I buy a guitar isn't "what can I flip this for?" - its been my experience that if the first thing I think when I buy anything is, "I want to sell it", I just won't buy it in the first place
So many people dont understand this isn't a squire it's 900$ because it's made well you shouldn't compare it to an American standard fender because it's designed to be custom shop quality it has all premium features with all name brand parts and is made by hand
EXACTLY! Becuase it's form china people think on epiphone and squiers. But this is custom shop level. And that in the us is $3k or more. And Trolgy said it, you get what you paid. I would happily get one of this if they shipped to my country. they told me they didn't at the moment some time ago.
What I'm wondering is if they went all out on these guitars they were sending CZcamsr's to convince ppl of the build quality but if the random person purchased 1 from them, would the results be the same?
Smart boy. I guarantee you the guitar they sent Trogley, which sounds like crap anyway, is the best work they do. The one they send you will not be the same. Good luck if you have problems. You can buy a real Fender from an American company like Guitar Center or Sweetwater for $700.
Bradley, I have ordered and received two Shijie guitars. The quality is amazing - much better than Fender. I’d say more inline with Suhr. I also have a couple of Eastman guitars that put my Gibsons to shame. Of course, I’m not biased as what name is on the headstock, or where the guitars are made.
@@neilarmand3763 If you aren't biased about where the guitars are made, you should watch the news more, and just you saying that makes me highly suspicious. That's usually the same line Chinese trolls throw out there. "Oh, it doesn't matter where things come from and all counties do bad things." Enjoy your guitars.
Bradley, from a humanitarian standpoint, I somewhat agree. I have been all over China though, and the situation is nowhere near as bad as SJWs make it out to be. However, there are definitely human rights issues. My bias remark had nothing to do with those issues and I am quite certain you are aware of that.
@@neilarmand3763 Seems to be an USA-thing to care where the guitars are build and preferable Made in USA. In Germany nobody gives a fxxx where stuff comes from as long as its good, and reasonbly priced. To be honest i have Shijie on my Radar also. They sound great (not like a Fender Strat, but i think they are not supposed too) with a warm fat tone, look gorgeous and have a roasted maple Neck. I mean.......... Come on!
Just for the info, I believe the brand name Shijie is written as 世杰, the first character means "the world" and the second means "brilliant". The google search in the video is written as 尸解 which means "disassemble crops". As a tonal language, similar-sounding words can mean many things depend on the writing and tone it's spoken in. EDIT: originally I translated the brand as "global elite" which according to the replies has sort of a negative feeling to it, so removed the word elite and gave a more detailed translation.
@@xinyuanli2586 - Yes, but "Global Elite" sounds like "World Domination" to me, so with a rather negative tone to it. But hey, I'm a German living in New Zealand and with absolutely zero Chinese knowledge, so I'm happy to agree with you! :-))
@@mightyV444 Ok maybe my translation is a bit off then. The first character 世 meanings "the world", the second 杰 basically means ”brilliant“. So I guess that will clear things up! Hope this help!
I was thinking of getting one and the price is ok - until you factor in $200 for shipping. That is the only reason I haven't ordered one. With shipping, it is just not worth it without me having tried it before buying.
Fpr some reason In the overview section of the Aliexpress listing it says the default shipping cost of $204 isn''t accurate. Lists shipping to USA as $126 FedEx and DHL as $140. Also asks buyers to contact and send address information for a direct shipping quote.
@@manuelarruda1772 - I made direct contact with "Dave", and he quoted me $991 to my door (Virginia, US). Its still too steep a price for a guitar I can't touch before hand coming out of China. My trust just isn't there based on all the other complete garbage coming out of that country. I realize that these might not be junk, but I just can't see for myself without buying. They sound great on videos I have seen, but how do they feel in my hand? It's an unknown I don't care to gamble on. And I have been jonesing for a daphne blue ST style for quite some time.
@@MrPhr0sty If you are in the US, also keep in mind that while Chinese guitars are not subject to the 25% tariff (so far), they are subject to 2.7% to 3.5% import duty if their final value is greater than $800 (their site states that YOU are responsible for import duties, etc. and that their price does not include that). And, if your state or locale charges a sales tax, US Customs will collect that, too, and send it on to your state. So, let's pretend that the guitar costs $900. I will also pay $126 in shipping, between $27.70 (lowest rate) and $35.91 (highest rate) in import duties (Import duties are calculated on the total of the sales price PLUS insurance and shipping), $45.90 in Wisconsin sales tax (that's where I live and in my area sales tax is 5.1%). So total ACTUAL cost to my door is between $1095.19 and $1103.40. It will be more if the package is insured. Dave didn't tell you about import duties or State sales taxes. And, after looking all over their website, I find nothing that says that it is supplied with the gig bag we saw in Austin's video above. How much more does that cost?
Prices are going up! Get one soon! I just ordered one for $1249, plus $99 shipping, it has stainless steel frets though. I hope i like how the neck feels!
Long time fan of the channel here, Shijie is written “世杰” instead of “尸解", I believe "Shijie" is the name of the guy who owns the company. The literal translation for “世杰” would be "Century, outstanding". nothing to do with corpse for SURE.
I just don't get the "relic'd" thing.....it's like paying for "fashion jeans" with the holes already in them, or buying a brand new car, but paying extra for the dealer to dent your front fender and break your tail light. You didn't EARN the holes or the dents....you just paid for someone else to make them... ;-)
I can respect the artistic aspect of it - because to make it look even remotely good, it takes a certain amount of skill... but I agree. My guitar looks like I played it a lot because I have. A perfect example of what cannot be replicated is the dent in the neck of the Dean From Hell that fit the pad of Darrell's thumb exactly. That is "mojo" - the other shit is make believe
The “relic” thing definitely isn’t for everyone. Personally, I like them. I have a great story to explain the reason why I like them and think many of the other people who like them have experiences similar to mine. I started playing guitar in the mid 80s when I was 14. When I was 17 or 18 I started going guitar and amp shopping in the major city closest to where I lived (it was about an hour’s drive away). I found a vintage guitar dealer that I really liked that always had a good selection of vintage instruments and amps plus recent used gear. I couldn’t really afford anything they sold at the time (I was definitely in the Squier price range), but I stopped by every time I was in town. One day in probably 93 or 94 I stopped by and the manager (it was a two person operation-the owner who didn’t spend much time there and the manager) had just bought an early Telecaster (I don’t remember the year but it was a 52 or 53). He knew there was no way in the world I could afford it, but he asked me if I would like to play it. Of course, I said yes and we plugged it into a Tweed Champ. That became the benchmark for what I wanted in a guitar (and amp) in terms of sound AND feel. I also really liked the looks of both. The first Fender Custom Shop Relic I ever saw was a Nocaster a year or two later. It looked, felt, and sounded almost identical to that early 50s Telecaster. The only difference was the Custom Shop was less than $2,500 and the vintage one was $10,000. I still haven’t bought a Custom Shop Relic yet (even though I could afford one now), but I do own two Mexican Roadworn Telecasters and a 1960 Tweed Champ.
Millmoor Michael Completely agree. I haven’t played a Novo yet but they are definitely on my radar. I live near Nashville so their factory/showroom isn’t that far from me. I haven’t been to Nashville since before the pandemic hit, and really looking forward going to the major guitar stores again once they are able to completely reopen. Most are currently appointment only.
Yeah honestly the only reason I see buying "relicked" guitars is if you're like making a movie/show and you want to have a rockband playing worn instruments... I'd never buy one to actually use since it's just fake clout.
I think my favorite truss did adjustment system is warmoth’s. It uses a double action truss rod and adjusted in the side of the neck. It is super easy to adjust.
Hey man just want to say your licks and playing are getting much better carry on you also take out the character of the guitar the better you get by the way what a beautiful Stratocaster thank you
I have seen all these fake everything coming from China. I think that gives the country a bad look at their shops. But let me tell you my eyes are now open. I went on reverb I made a couple of purchases. One an EVH. You know I wasn't as impressed as I was when I got my Squire in. I've always wanted to experience the strat experience. I just have an issue with the volume knob placement. I seen the red double humbucker Squire strat it's got one volume and one tone knob with a 3 way. From China! I was actually scared at first $288.00 so what the heck. I just have got it. Man I'm so impressed. The neck profile is beautiful. The the neck is really got a minimum amount of finish on it. It's not at all glossy. It's perfect. I have ways used guitars with a Floyd and wanted to experience a strat. I am going to order a scratch plate so I can change out to a em single coils. Im really not sure what's under the factory scratch plate. Do you know? Is it routed out for 2 humbuckers or what. I'm satisfied either way. I'm just really impressed. I've played around with American Fender Strats even. This less than $300 squire is amazing. I'm not exaggerating either. Not a single sharp fret. The finger board has a nice roundness to it. Not too much but enough. And I was scared to invest just the $300 because of the made in China. Anyway awesome channel keep em coming.
I work at a music store and have been debating a Mexican strat but after seeing the quality of this one I'm sold! That's equal to an American standard fender.
You can't get a new Fender strat with a roasted maple neck, contoured neck joint, heel-mounted truss rod access, and a relic job for under $1000. I can't speak for the build quality of Shijie guitars vs a Mexican strat but you definitely can't get those specs from Fender in this price bracket.
Because these are made at custom shop quality. Hand made, one or two piece bodies,one piece baked maple necks, hand wound pickups...U will not get any of that on a fender for $699. You will get a minimum 3 piece body, 2 piece regular maple neck, far less superior bridge, no locking tuners, a poly finish...the list goes on...
A fender player strat is a copy. It's a Mexican made copy of an american made fender strat. Now do u reliaze that your comment dosent make much sense at all?
I was just going to mention that these pickups sound better than anything I've ever heard on a stock Mexi, but what these other guys said is true as well.
Glad you got this guitar into demo it for us. I suspect it would be difficult to find a better guitar in that price range with a lacquer finish. Love the pickups, sounds like a Stratocaster is supposed to.
resprayed my own guitar, the paint coats were perfectly smooth but the lacquer coat did this exact egg shell finish. It was a matte lacquer I THINK, certainly not gloss. As much as I tried to smooth it out between coats, it kept doing it.... So I ended up leaving it as it's actually quite cool and different..
“Eggshell texture” ah, so that’s what we’re calling orange peel now lol. This just wasn’t level sanded and buffed. They even cleared over the “wear”. Can’t see paying American fender prices on a Chinese guitar.
If you've ever painted something you know the difference between orange peel and a textured finish and from close up shots thats clearly a textured finish. Trogly is right country of origin has very little to do with quality. You can make quality products or garbage anywhere. However I will warn at least with bigger industries its a well-known known Chinese strategy to use government funding to sell products at a loss. Then their international competitors can't compete on price and eventually go under allowing China to dominate the market.
They might be good quality, even taking into account the price, but to me it's still a risky ass move until they build up their name a little more and we can hear from non-youtube guys on general quality. However, videos like this help that happen so I'm glad you took them up on their offer. I definitely trust your sponsored reviews more than, say, Darrell Braun. Generally more candid and less processed of a tone on the playing demo. I'm not gonna order one, but competition for the main guys is never a bad thing.
@@bwgti Yeah, I don't dislike his channel or anything. I just get the vibe that things are being played up. I think it's because when I watched him a lot he would do sponsored reviews, but bury the fact that this was the case in the bottom of the description. I am not sure if this is still the case. From the first Glarry review, Trogly hasn't shied away from laying it all out on the table, positive and negative.
I go to the Official site see several I would like to possibly purchase but no Prices are listed ?? All the specs and even materials & electronics used but no price anywhere ? I find that kinda odd in a bad way ....
É triste quando ele mostra as guitarras no reverb. US 2000-2500 por uma Gibson Les Paul custom dos anos 70-80 e aqui a gente com R$ 2500 mal consegue pegar uma epiphone.
I own a couple of Chinese Partscasters and whole guitars that play and sound as good/ play, as good as my 1980's Kramers, Jacksons, Gibsons or Fenders !!!!
Would REALLY like to see you review an AIO (All in One) / Wolf Guitars Les Paul style guitar. I keep reading great reviews of them as a lot of bang for the buck, but of course I trust a Trogly review the most!
I think he meant that as compared to an actual custom shop that would've been doing the exact same thing. If Fender were to make this exact guitar in their CS, it'd be 2 grand or something crazy like that
Wesley Zimmerman These days $2,000 is a non Custom Shop price point for Fender. The most basic Custom Shops are at least $3,000. Masters builts are at minimum $5,000.
Are you new to this channel? This man routinely reviews guitars that are upwards of $10,000, if $900 is “expensive” for you, what are you doing on this channel?
Nice guitar for the Price. But if I wanted a Strat and had $900usd to burn. I’d maybe consider a used USA Strat, build a Strat Off the stratosphere website or combo of Warmoth and stratosphere’s parts.
I've got an STE strat model from ShiJie - love it, its my go to guitar. I'm in Shanghai so shipping was cheap for me, but their customer service was great nevertheless. It's definitely a keeper for me.
I could make my own strat with fender parts from stew-mac and it’s the same cost Or I could hunt around on reverb for an American strat for a while, and I could find one for the same cost
You still sound skeptic til the end. I don’t understand why most people are afraid of buying what is not MIA. I believe in buying American to support our economy, but if the import version is better than the American version with substantial cost savings, I’m getting the import. The new Squiers are the perfect example & proves Fender has been gouging customers for years, if not decades. Very sad. Gibson is even more guilty of the example.
**This started as a quick comment and got out of hand, the main point is in the first paragraph, the subsequent is rambling** People who buy these are the same people who buy the Japanese Gibson copies. Namely usually players with several years experience, and do it have owned enough guitars through the years to have a good understand on what separates a low/mid/high end instrument. I've had enough guitars on my hands or on my bench to know what to look for if I want a player or workhorse vs what's more of a "prestige" features or construction. With me, I want a light body, 2-piece max (that's preference because I deck my tremolos, if I set them to float I wouldn't care about a 3/ I also prefer offset seam which are difficult to find besides the Eric Johnson models), lacquer or urethane finish, though I wouldn't rule out poly, but it would have to be really thin. 6 months ago I'd say it had to be Alder or Ash for a traditional model (obviously I'm referring to Strat/Teles here), but several months ago I played the '54 "Virginia" Eric Johnson Strat with the sassafras body, and have been on a mission to get either a completed body or blank larger enough to have my friend make me one in his CNC mill to no avail. When it comes to hardware and pickups, if there body and neck are good enough, those things are never a deal breaker since even with expensive high end guitars I usually end up replacing the pickups at some point, and the switching and pots are almost always swapped immediately. In those categories, these along with Edwards Les Pauls and ES335s I really love (especially the 335, but it should be noted that though they LOOK a 335, they sound and play quite a bit different due to completely different construction and materials, but I prefer them for my use). Things like color, names on the headstock and certainly resale value aren't really considerations. Now I know that's me, thinks like resale are obviously key if you're going to be reselling them like here, but there is this paradox when it comes to gear that ISN'T a Fender, Gibson, Marshall, Boss, vox,PRS, Mesa Boogie, etc; Guitars and amps, and to a lesser degree pedals, that are REALLY well made using the components, parts and construction that you find in the mainstream US/UK built brands, that are also exceedingly affordable (typically 1/2- 1/3 the price) just will not hold their value relative to the cost new that the big names do. This makes them even more affordable on the used market if you're looking to buy one. The issue with that however is that because they're not nearly as well known with the 80% of the players out there (I'm including everything from first time novices to rock stars to studio sessions players with 50 year experience), they can be difficult to locate on the used market. Reverb has helped in this but I also believe it's increased the price on pretty much everything on the used market. Prior to that I usually bought things from private sellers on the gear page (which for years was a lifesaver because most people in there actually NEW the gear and what it was worth, as opposed to places like eBay where I regularly would see used 4-5 year old instruments that were listed for the same or more than you could buy a brand new one). In regards to what I look for in a quality Fender Strat; these have in spades. More to the point, dollar for dollar I find there really isn't a comparison; I'd go with one of these, hell forget the fact of how clean the shielding job is under the pickguard, most Fenders under $1000 won't have ANY shielding, let alone it being done well. I've taken the pickguard off many to find the inside routing to be filled with sawdust (I'm assuming,I cringe to think what it was if it wasn't sawdust). *All of these general rules go out the window if am item's value gets artificially inflated; like when it's suddenly seen somewhere like John Mayer's pedal board, when it suddenly goes from $40 on the used market to $200+. I build a few custom designed amp and pedal circuits for example a "Black & Tan," which is essentially a Fender Princeton/Deluxe/Pro or Twin combo with a Blackface on one channel and Tweed on the other (I actually do so kind of different preamp circuits like Fender 5E3 Tweed/ Marshall JTM 45 or Plexi), then add different options like preamp boosts, cascading gain stages, PPIMVs, being able to run them on 6V6 and/or 6L6s, etc. If I ever was able to push JM out of the way of a school bus and was asked for any favor; I think if he were to use one of my amps and just mention it once in an article, within a couple weeks I could charge 3X the amount and would STILL have to hire 4-5 extra builders to keep up **(if there's ANY bus drivers out there: Contact me!).
These must be good guitars if Trogley is this impressed.No knock to the guys he mentioned,I watch all of them but I am more confident about these now because he is an honest guy about what he gets.Going to look into these.Love roasted maple look.
I just got a Fender Squire Telecaster on sale from Musician's friend for $129 and got it two days later and it Rocks as well as being superbly well made!
The way the headstock logo looks is a suhr ripoff. I think thats the demographic theyre shooting for. Sounds unique though. It definitely has a strat sounds but in its own way. Id have to touch one to really form an opinion. For now ill keep my american pro fender.
I just recieved my Shijie strat ordered it 6 weeks ago as this was the delivery expectation completion date. My UK distributor upgraded my frets from nickel to stainless steel for no extra charge as apparently there's a shortage of nickel for guitar manufacturers. So for no extra cost already got a well specced guitar for the money £750.00 for what is basically hand built guitar with top notch components. Really fantastic deal.
@@hughjarrse If you Google Shijie Guitars a UK dealer comes up there called SC Guitars. Ordered my Stratocaster in surf green from them on the 30th July order was confirmed for a 6 week delivery and the guitar turned up 43 days later almost exactly 6 weeks from the order date. The dealer upgraded my guitar to have stainless steel frets for no extra charge as apparently there's a global shortage of nickel for guitar manufacturers. So a great specced guitar with stainless steel frets and a very nice good quality padded gig bag for £750.00. Definitely worth considering this guitar. I'm thinking of getting the Hss Strat from them as well although a lot of stock is now showing as sold out.
@@deanmichaels4262 thanks for the reply, I've contacted SC and I'm awaiting a reply, the trouble is I'm lefty I know at least one lefty strat exists as there is a Daphne blue one for sale on Reverb £1,200 + £125 shipping +around £300 import brings it to around a grand dearer than a righty☹ I'll see what SC have to say ...... cheers
SC guitars got back to me and they are going to update their website with a lefty picture, it looks like a £50 ($75) surcharge for lefty and another £50 for stainless steel frets, although stainless steel frets cost an extra £110 ($155) on the st sss vintage blue for some reason. I definitely fancy one thanks for steering me in the right direction 🙂
The Chinese are making great guitars. Back in the 1970's, cork sniffing snobs would bag on Greco, Burny and Tokal guitars .....those Japanese companies were making better Strats, Les Paul's, Flying V's, Teles and Explorers than Gibson and Fender. I see the same ignorance towards Chinese guitars today.
Relic-ed guitars are ludicrous. The whole point of a well used guitar.....is that it's been WELL USED!! It's had the time to settle in and reach its ultimate useability. Relic-ed instruments make a mockery of that process.
What is with those canted tremolo springs? The middle spring is just a passenger, while the outside ones are doing more work than they have to. I see this so often and it always makes me shake my head.
been watching your vids for quite a while, not a guitar player but fascinated none the less. novice has thoughts/questions; i would think the textured finish would be more prone to every day wear? shouldn't the output jack cavity have shielding also? fancy if the chinese mark the pick ups made in japan. another great vid, sir.
there were a few old Carvin line guitars that were nice but yes most just don't feel right in your hands and their pickups to me always sounded a bit too bright
Can't see paying that much for chinese. Especially when a chinese Jackson is only 200-300 bucks. For 400 bucks I can buy an Ibanez that would shit all over shinje. That's a fact Jack. For 900 bucks I could buy a new Mexican Charvel. Whats the re-sale value. And yes you're making it sound like this is the next best thing. I'd say it was good too if they sent me a free one.
The resale value is key! No one will want to buy this due to the name, I’m having a hard time selling an amazing 76 Greco super sound se 800. A superior start style guitar over anything fender put out in the 70s but people that don’t know the Greco name won’t event be interested.
I was thoroughly impressed with the quality of this guitar. The finish on the body is a bit weird at first, but you grow to like it.
You can check them out and email your order inquiries on their website if you're interested in one.
www.shijieguitars.com/
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Over the past couple of years your playing has made significant progress and you've gotten a lot better Austin.
Hitting some pretty nice licks there Austin! Those tones in the middle position sound fantastic but the grit and growl of the distortion in the humbucker reminds me of the Seth Lover in my '81 Fender Lead 1. Excellent review!
Hey the wires are probably in the way of the jack making it tighter than it should be. Try to reseat it.
@@meatrocket1 You will have to pay between 2.7% and 3.5% in import duties if the total of price, shipping and insurance exceed $800. That will be charged on the entire cost. Additionally, if there are state sales taxes where you live, US Customs will collect that, too and forward it to the state. Importing stuff is not a real hassle, but things can sit in Customs waiting for inspection for weeks and sometimes months and your stuff will not be released until you pay import duties, etc.
@@meatrocket1 you dont. you email the company and you deal with one guy. hes very quick to answer and they are very quick to ship unless of course you add some features that would make them take time to build. check alibaba website, theres a lot of people from USA and all over the world that left satisfied comments on their experience and most of them start off with the same worries wed all have.
Native Chinese speaker here, Shi Jie means literally 'the world'.
Hope this helps!
Xie Xie
是世杰啊哥,不是世界。I believe shi jie is just the company owner's name ,it 's 世杰,not 世界 or 尸解,there's nothing about corpse.
@@0megalul309 There it is...
Helps a lot, thanks.
Shijie(世杰) is the name of the owner/founder's son.
Bought one 7 months ago. Absolutely no regrets. I have some nice Stratocasters; a couple fairly new Fender Strats, a 1981 Tokai Springy Sound ST60, and 1977 Fernandes FST70, and while I love those four guitars the Shijie is a step above. The quality of components and attention to detail, craftsmanship are very high. If this were Made in the USA you're looking at a guitar in/around the $2,000 range.
Why are these companies always copying Strats and Teles only? Why not a high end Jazzmaster version, for example? It would set them apart from the crowd if nothing else.
joshua Hill body shapes can’t really be trademarked because they’re fairly generic. A guitar can only be a few shapes while still being comfortable and playable. Headstock is a different story altogether though.
joshua Hill
I’m not sure about that. There are several companies that I know of that do Jazzmaster style bodied guitars including Nash and Mario Martin.
@@conorsands9846 not 100% accurate. Fender COULD have trademarked them, if they had've done that in the 50s and 60s. Its nothing to do with how many shapes can be used (that's more towards patents - they relate to technical function) - its to do with the fact that you need to trademark something while it is distinctive - S and T shapes were no longer distinctive by the time Fender attempted to trademark them. Similar reasons as to why Gibson lost the Gibson v PRS case on appeal. Not trying to rain on your parade at all, just giving a bit more context!
joshua Hill
The point I was making was that a number of companies DO make those body shapes contrary to your first comment on this thread. I never said that these two brands were entry level or even “affordable”. You can buy American Fenders for less than either Nash or Mario Martin, and there are other companies in the $2,000 + price range that make them as well. There is also a company called Logan Custom Guitars that are built by Bob Logan in Wisconsin. These guitars are in the Mexican made Fender price range and comparable in quality at least if not better. I own one of Logan’s Esquires and it is every bit as good as both of my high end Mexican Fender Telecasters.
However, I do agree that very few if any companies make entry level guitars in the Fender offset style. I have no idea why they don’t.
tagima has a jazzmaster if youre looking for that.
“Not all that expensive” said the guy that bought Steve Howe’s Les Paul. 😁
...and not one but two $20,000 SGs and a $13,000 Slash double neck.
Charles Easterling he did earn the money he used to buy those to be fair, and he bought them to later sell them
Charles Easterling there’s nothing wrong with being successful in life, he does his job well and gets payed accordingly. No need to be a dick.
William Charles Schneider
Exactly. He clearly loves his job. Also his playing has improved dramatically over the last year.
@Charles Easterling he never said that he could play. And he doesnt need to. His spot is about craftmanship and tone!
Ordering one now! Never mind, they are $900.
lol 😂 same reaction right here
Guitar Ocd order a Glarry, then order a fender neck from wish.com. That’s what I did.
Guitar Ocd exactly. I can’t justify spending that much for an unknown Chinese brand, when I can get a new fender for the same price, maybe even less.
Guitar Ocd Wow !! $900 !!!! No way !!!!
@@guitarocd9984 Incorrect. Eastman Guitars are made in China and rival the quality of custom shop Gibson's for half the price. They are all handmade in China
Dude, you've been getting so much better at playing! It's so good to see
I'm impressed. Well done, Shijie Guitars!
There is also a slightly different way to pronounce "Shijie" in Chinese and in that way it can also mean "The World" .
I think one of the most important thing a new brand guitar company can do is make a really nice-looking headstock. So many halfway decent budget guitars are just absolutely KILLED by an ugly headstock. This one looks pretty good, very Fenderish.
Thats the reason i can't stand some Charvels, Ibanez and Jacksons, they wanted to be too original with the headstock...
You hear that PRS?
It looks like it was painted with a roller using masonry paint.
@@guitarocd9984 I'm sure it's a nice guitar to play and the wood quality is fine. But $800 for a guitar brand that no one has heard of that shamelessly copies a name brand but it already beaten up and badly painted. Who the hell is going for that?
I think it looks great personally. Better than what Fender offer for £800
its got lead in the paint i bet
Hahahahaha.... I kinda like it tho!!!!
@ you might find a bit of paint in the lead. lol.
Saw the reviews of Darrell Braun and Phil McKnight and definitely fell in love with it. Price is fairly good. Thanks for doing the review Austin.
That neck is not only roasted but also quartersawn! Looks really nice
Same with Eastman, like I KNOW these are great guitars. I've played Eastmans before... But I can't get myself to pull the trigger when I could get a 90s Les Paul Standard for the same price. Or a US strat for the price of these things.
True. But my Eastman LP is the quality of my custom shop Gibson. A hand made guitar and look at the specs. for all the electronics, tuners etc.
@@davideskelin8266 right, I'm not knocking their quality, but their resale value
I completely agree with Derek.
@@dw22509 well, you got a point there. Nothing like Gibson and Fender resale.
Maybe it's just me but the first thing I think when I buy a guitar isn't "what can I flip this for?" - its been my experience that if the first thing I think when I buy anything is, "I want to sell it", I just won't buy it in the first place
Love how the people are more interested in where the guitar was made more than the guitar itself
You could have mentioned that the neck is quarter sawn wood. 🎸
He was honest enough to admit he was getting paid to review this guitar.
So many people dont understand this isn't a squire it's 900$ because it's made well you shouldn't compare it to an American standard fender because it's designed to be custom shop quality it has all premium features with all name brand parts and is made by hand
EXACTLY! Becuase it's form china people think on epiphone and squiers. But this is custom shop level. And that in the us is $3k or more. And Trolgy said it, you get what you paid. I would happily get one of this if they shipped to my country. they told me they didn't at the moment some time ago.
What I'm wondering is if they went all out on these guitars they were sending CZcamsr's to convince ppl of the build quality but if the random person purchased 1 from them, would the results be the same?
Smart boy. I guarantee you the guitar they sent Trogley, which sounds like crap anyway, is the best work they do. The one they send you will not be the same. Good luck if you have problems. You can buy a real Fender from an American company like Guitar Center or Sweetwater for $700.
Bradley, I have ordered and received two Shijie guitars. The quality is amazing - much better than Fender. I’d say more inline with Suhr. I also have a couple of Eastman guitars that put my Gibsons to shame. Of course, I’m not biased as what name is on the headstock, or where the guitars are made.
@@neilarmand3763 If you aren't biased about where the guitars are made, you should watch the news more, and just you saying that makes me highly suspicious. That's usually the same line Chinese trolls throw out there. "Oh, it doesn't matter where things come from and all counties do bad things." Enjoy your guitars.
Bradley, from a humanitarian standpoint, I somewhat agree. I have been all over China though, and the situation is nowhere near as bad as SJWs make it out to be. However, there are definitely human rights issues.
My bias remark had nothing to do with those issues and I am quite certain you are aware of that.
@@neilarmand3763 Seems to be an USA-thing to care where the guitars are build and preferable Made in USA. In Germany nobody gives a fxxx where stuff comes from as long as its good, and reasonbly priced. To be honest i have Shijie on my Radar also. They sound great (not like a Fender Strat, but i think they are not supposed too) with a warm fat tone, look gorgeous and have a roasted maple Neck. I mean.......... Come on!
I'd rather buy a Charvel in a regular shop with a good policy return.
Just for the info, I believe the brand name Shijie is written as 世杰, the first character means "the world" and the second means "brilliant". The google search in the video is written as 尸解 which means "disassemble crops". As a tonal language, similar-sounding words can mean many things depend on the writing and tone it's spoken in.
EDIT: originally I translated the brand as "global elite" which according to the replies has sort of a negative feeling to it, so removed the word elite and gave a more detailed translation.
It has also been suggested it means 'The World', and one of those people is a native Chinese speaker, too :-)
@@mightyV444 That's written as 世界,sill spells "shijie", I did some research about the brand so I'm pretty sure
@@mightyV444 And by the way, I'm native as well, the other guy is not technically wrong though.
@@xinyuanli2586 - Yes, but "Global Elite" sounds like "World Domination" to me, so with a rather negative tone to it. But hey, I'm a German living in New Zealand and with absolutely zero Chinese knowledge, so I'm happy to agree with you! :-))
@@mightyV444 Ok maybe my translation is a bit off then. The first character 世 meanings "the world", the second 杰 basically means ”brilliant“. So I guess that will clear things up! Hope this help!
I was thinking of getting one and the price is ok - until you factor in $200 for shipping. That is the only reason I haven't ordered one. With shipping, it is just not worth it without me having tried it before buying.
Fpr some reason In the overview section of the Aliexpress listing it says the default shipping cost of $204 isn''t accurate. Lists shipping to USA as $126 FedEx and DHL as $140. Also asks buyers to contact and send address information for a direct shipping quote.
@@manuelarruda1772 - I made direct contact with "Dave", and he quoted me $991 to my door (Virginia, US). Its still too steep a price for a guitar I can't touch before hand coming out of China. My trust just isn't there based on all the other complete garbage coming out of that country. I realize that these might not be junk, but I just can't see for myself without buying. They sound great on videos I have seen, but how do they feel in my hand? It's an unknown I don't care to gamble on. And I have been jonesing for a daphne blue ST style for quite some time.
@@MrPhr0sty If you are in the US, also keep in mind that while Chinese guitars are not subject to the 25% tariff (so far), they are subject to 2.7% to 3.5% import duty if their final value is greater than $800 (their site states that YOU are responsible for import duties, etc. and that their price does not include that). And, if your state or locale charges a sales tax, US Customs will collect that, too, and send it on to your state. So, let's pretend that the guitar costs $900. I will also pay $126 in shipping, between $27.70 (lowest rate) and $35.91 (highest rate) in import duties (Import duties are calculated on the total of the sales price PLUS insurance and shipping), $45.90 in Wisconsin sales tax (that's where I live and in my area sales tax is 5.1%). So total ACTUAL cost to my door is between $1095.19 and $1103.40. It will be more if the package is insured. Dave didn't tell you about import duties or State sales taxes. And, after looking all over their website, I find nothing that says that it is supplied with the gig bag we saw in Austin's video above. How much more does that cost?
Patrick Williams the problem with those brands. Nothing is clear
Its close to 500!!!!!€ for shipping to GER. I mean, what the hell.
It cracks me up relicing a guitar that didn't exist 5 years ago.
That surprised me as well. All the features. The sound etc. great job trogly. Very impressed.
You may want research tremolo functionality. The three screws mount to the bridge block, not the body. The tremolo floats and pivots on the two posts.
Really nice guitars.
Price tag makes it an easy decision not to buy it, though.
Maybe some used ones will start showing up on Reverb.
I just want the pick holder.
Only this is worth buying from them.
Prices are going up! Get one soon! I just ordered one for $1249, plus $99 shipping, it has stainless steel frets though. I hope i like how the neck feels!
Long time fan of the channel here, Shijie is written “世杰” instead of “尸解", I believe "Shijie" is the name of the guy who owns the company. The literal translation for “世杰” would be "Century, outstanding". nothing to do with corpse for SURE.
尸解给爷整乐了😂
I own a strat and a tele style by these guys and they are truly amazing guitars. Plays better then my america strat
That's a bad ass, brass tremlo block!
I noticed that, too!
I just don't get the "relic'd" thing.....it's like paying for "fashion jeans" with the holes already in them, or buying a brand new car, but paying extra for the dealer to dent your front fender and break your tail light. You didn't EARN the holes or the dents....you just paid for someone else to make them... ;-)
I can respect the artistic aspect of it - because to make it look even remotely good, it takes a certain amount of skill... but I agree. My guitar looks like I played it a lot because I have. A perfect example of what cannot be replicated is the dent in the neck of the Dean From Hell that fit the pad of Darrell's thumb exactly. That is "mojo" - the other shit is make believe
The “relic” thing definitely isn’t for everyone. Personally, I like them. I have a great story to explain the reason why I like them and think many of the other people who like them have experiences similar to mine. I started playing guitar in the mid 80s when I was 14. When I was 17 or 18 I started going guitar and amp shopping in the major city closest to where I lived (it was about an hour’s drive away). I found a vintage guitar dealer that I really liked that always had a good selection of vintage instruments and amps plus recent used gear. I couldn’t really afford anything they sold at the time (I was definitely in the Squier price range), but I stopped by every time I was in town. One day in probably 93 or 94 I stopped by and the manager (it was a two person operation-the owner who didn’t spend much time there and the manager) had just bought an early Telecaster (I don’t remember the year but it was a 52 or 53). He knew there was no way in the world I could afford it, but he asked me if I would like to play it. Of course, I said yes and we plugged it into a Tweed Champ. That became the benchmark for what I wanted in a guitar (and amp) in terms of sound AND feel. I also really liked the looks of both. The first Fender Custom Shop Relic I ever saw was a Nocaster a year or two later. It looked, felt, and sounded almost identical to that early 50s Telecaster. The only difference was the Custom Shop was less than $2,500 and the vintage one was $10,000. I still haven’t bought a Custom Shop Relic yet (even though I could afford one now), but I do own two Mexican Roadworn Telecasters and a 1960 Tweed Champ.
If the neck is worn at the back ghe right way it makes for better feel, Novo for example.
Millmoor Michael
Completely agree. I haven’t played a Novo yet but they are definitely on my radar. I live near Nashville so their factory/showroom isn’t that far from me. I haven’t been to Nashville since before the pandemic hit, and really looking forward going to the major guitar stores again once they are able to completely reopen. Most are currently appointment only.
Yeah honestly the only reason I see buying "relicked" guitars is if you're like making a movie/show and you want to have a rockband playing worn instruments... I'd never buy one to actually use since it's just fake clout.
I think my favorite truss did adjustment system is warmoth’s. It uses a double action truss rod and adjusted in the side of the neck. It is super easy to adjust.
Hey man just want to say your licks and playing are getting much better carry on you also take out the character of the guitar the better you get by the way what a beautiful Stratocaster thank you
So how much did they pay you?
I have seen all these fake everything coming from China. I think that gives the country a bad look at their shops. But let me tell you my eyes are now open. I went on reverb I made a couple of purchases. One an EVH. You know I wasn't as impressed as I was when I got my Squire in. I've always wanted to experience the strat experience. I just have an issue with the volume knob placement. I seen the red double humbucker Squire strat it's got one volume and one tone knob with a 3 way. From China! I was actually scared at first $288.00 so what the heck. I just have got it. Man I'm so impressed. The neck profile is beautiful. The the neck is really got a minimum amount of finish on it. It's not at all glossy. It's perfect. I have ways used guitars with a Floyd and wanted to experience a strat. I am going to order a scratch plate so I can change out to a em single coils. Im really not sure what's under the factory scratch plate. Do you know? Is it routed out for 2 humbuckers or what. I'm satisfied either way. I'm just really impressed. I've played around with American Fender Strats even. This less than $300 squire is amazing. I'm not exaggerating either. Not a single sharp fret. The finger board has a nice roundness to it. Not too much but enough. And I was scared to invest just the $300 because of the made in China. Anyway awesome channel keep em coming.
Maybe at half the price i'd be impressed with the spec's and instrument.
At 1k, i expect this level of quality.
From what brand? Lol. What brand has this level of quality at 1k?
LTD, PRS SEs... They're out there. 1k is the sweet spot for good quality guitars at the moment.
if this guitar was made in the USA wil cost 2,000 $ !
I work at a music store and have been debating a Mexican strat but after seeing the quality of this one I'm sold! That's equal to an American standard fender.
You can get a fender player hss strat for $699. Why bother with a copy?
You can't get a new Fender strat with a roasted maple neck, contoured neck joint, heel-mounted truss rod access, and a relic job for under $1000. I can't speak for the build quality of Shijie guitars vs a Mexican strat but you definitely can't get those specs from Fender in this price bracket.
Because these are made at custom shop quality. Hand made, one or two piece bodies,one piece baked maple necks, hand wound pickups...U will not get any of that on a fender for $699. You will get a minimum 3 piece body, 2 piece regular maple neck, far less superior bridge, no locking tuners, a poly finish...the list goes on...
A fender player strat is a copy. It's a Mexican made copy of an american made fender strat. Now do u reliaze that your comment dosent make much sense at all?
I was just going to mention that these pickups sound better than anything I've ever heard on a stock Mexi, but what these other guys said is true as well.
I'd rather have a wolf s1 than either of them.
Glad you got this guitar into demo it for us.
I suspect it would be difficult to find a better guitar in that price range with a lacquer finish.
Love the pickups, sounds like a Stratocaster is supposed to.
It came with that little guitar shaped bowl for pics? Thing is sweet!
I have been enjoying your videos. Learning about different guitars and gear. Thank you for all you do.
I'm becoming obsessed with how dirty your table top looks.
resprayed my own guitar, the paint coats were perfectly smooth but the lacquer coat did this exact egg shell finish. It was a matte lacquer I THINK, certainly not gloss. As much as I tried to smooth it out between coats, it kept doing it.... So I ended up leaving it as it's actually quite cool and different..
“Eggshell texture” ah, so that’s what we’re calling orange peel now lol. This just wasn’t level sanded and buffed. They even cleared over the “wear”. Can’t see paying American fender prices on a Chinese guitar.
Personally, I like the texture to the finish - all my other guitars are smooth.
@Illusion Always good to talk about guitars. What are some of your favourite brands?
Illusion How do you know?
The Fender design is not protected
If you've ever painted something you know the difference between orange peel and a textured finish and from close up shots thats clearly a textured finish. Trogly is right country of origin has very little to do with quality. You can make quality products or garbage anywhere. However I will warn at least with bigger industries its a well-known known Chinese strategy to use government funding to sell products at a loss. Then their international competitors can't compete on price and eventually go under allowing China to dominate the market.
Amazing what 5 and 6 year old kids can build this day and time.
They might be good quality, even taking into account the price, but to me it's still a risky ass move until they build up their name a little more and we can hear from non-youtube guys on general quality. However, videos like this help that happen so I'm glad you took them up on their offer. I definitely trust your sponsored reviews more than, say, Darrell Braun. Generally more candid and less processed of a tone on the playing demo. I'm not gonna order one, but competition for the main guys is never a bad thing.
I encouraged them to open a Reverb shop. They are currently looking for dealers to help them get their inventory out for people to try too!
@TheMichiganfan97, you do really do buy one, can you come back and report how it is for real when you get it?
You made Darrel feel bad....
He seems to be pumped about everything though. Except Harley Benton.
@@bwgti lol maybe he is just mad Harley Benton on sending him loads of free stuff, like they seem to be doing with all the other youtubers.
@@bwgti Yeah, I don't dislike his channel or anything. I just get the vibe that things are being played up. I think it's because when I watched him a lot he would do sponsored reviews, but bury the fact that this was the case in the bottom of the description. I am not sure if this is still the case. From the first Glarry review, Trogly hasn't shied away from laying it all out on the table, positive and negative.
I go to the Official site see several I would like to possibly purchase but no Prices are listed ?? All the specs and even materials & electronics used but no price anywhere ? I find that kinda odd in a bad way ....
Trogly: pretty nice price
Price: 900 USD
Me: lookup USD to BRL conversion and cry
Não é o único
Don't forget about our little friend, the Receita Federal...
É triste quando ele mostra as guitarras no reverb. US 2000-2500 por uma Gibson Les Paul custom dos anos 70-80 e aqui a gente com R$ 2500 mal consegue pegar uma epiphone.
Tava olhando a nova linha da epiphone, mas meu orçamento da nem pra comprar mais 1 malagoli pra minha tagima hehehehehehe
Same feeling here, bro :(
I’m good. $800 I can think of 1 million other guitars I’d rather buy . I just picked up a USA made kiesel bolt for $300. Best deal of my life.
That's called "orange peal" you get it when the area painted isn't prepped correctly. It's actually a flaw normally.
I want to add that this is possibly my favorite tone sound test on your videos yet. 👍🏼
Austin, do you know if they offer them in left handed?
Really enjoyed the demo at the end! Rock on! 🤟
Cool
I own one of these and can say that these feel better and play better than any American Stratocaster I have ever played.
$900 isn't cheap. they definitely should be good quality guitars. ill be impressed when a brand gives this quality for 400/500
I own a couple of Chinese Partscasters and whole guitars that play and sound as good/ play, as good as my 1980's Kramers, Jacksons, Gibsons or Fenders !!!!
Harley benton would be worth a look
I'm not a fan of "aging," but this seems like a fine quality instrument. No matter the setting, it just sings. Great playing too, brother Trogly.
This is their "relic" model. They have plenty of other models that aren't relic'd
Way more than I thought. I’ll stick to my Sterling.
Would REALLY like to see you review an AIO (All in One) / Wolf Guitars Les Paul style guitar. I keep reading great reviews of them as a lot of bang for the buck, but of course I trust a Trogly review the most!
Man those single coils sounded rough, the humbucker was great though
I thought the opposite.
They actually sound terrible. Even Fender bottom line entry Squires sound better.
Joseph M interesting
Bob MacGoun I agree, I have a bullet tele that sounds better than those single coils
Those single coils sounded like dog shit.
i was just looking into getting one yesterday!
I think we have different ideas of "not that expensive"
I think he meant that as compared to an actual custom shop that would've been doing the exact same thing. If Fender were to make this exact guitar in their CS, it'd be 2 grand or something crazy like that
Wesley Zimmerman
These days $2,000 is a non Custom Shop price point for Fender. The most basic Custom Shops are at least $3,000. Masters builts are at minimum $5,000.
Wesley knows not what he speaks of.
If I’m gonna pony up money upwards of a grand, I’m buying a reasonably priced real deal. Nothing special about this guitar. Cool pick bowl though.
Are you new to this channel? This man routinely reviews guitars that are upwards of $10,000, if $900 is “expensive” for you, what are you doing on this channel?
My wife got me a nylon in "lil Tokyo" it is made in China and trust me it plays so good.
Gotta say, that is a great looking axe. Impressive
It even has a brass trem block. Awesome
Man that shielding job is awesome
You can get a top of the range Mexican Fender for that kind of money, so for me its a non starter.
Nice guitar for the Price.
But if I wanted a Strat and had $900usd to burn.
I’d maybe consider a used USA Strat, build a Strat Off the stratosphere website or combo of Warmoth and stratosphere’s parts.
That is just badly painted. Orange peel is what it’s called. Usually the result of an amateur trying to do a respray.
A barefoot kid without a mask probably painted this.
Yes that paint job was intentional and really I like it. It's a custom shop like so they are just aiming for something different at least I think.
bro that is not OPE lmao
I've got an STE strat model from ShiJie - love it, its my go to guitar. I'm in Shanghai so shipping was cheap for me, but their customer service was great nevertheless. It's definitely a keeper for me.
Curious, did yours come with a flamed maple skunk stripe? Cause mine sure didn't argh. Other than that, great player!
@@hmmethanol No mine's not flamed, it's still nice but not that nice
The egg shell feel is probably because of a bad paint job, it's 'orange peel" or "egg shell"
I'll take a MIM strat/tele,and put pickups,brass block,and still be cheaper/better in long run.
I could make my own strat with fender parts from stew-mac and it’s the same cost
Or I could hunt around on reverb for an American strat for a while, and I could find one for the same cost
If not for less, and it would have the exact specs you desired.
RedmondCid
I don’t normally live strats with Humbuckers, but when it has a cover, it turns it around for me. I also love the mahogany blacktop strats
the warmth from that humbucker sheeeshhhh
Yeah cool guitar but it's just another Strat style.
It certainly looks good and sounds good Austin. Thanks for the review.
Hm. aliexpress. "Best guita." Hm. 900? Lol .Goodby
The best guitar brand Is the one you feel most creative playing.
I want the telecaster version but like everyone else, too expensive.
A-Camp * I’ve got one. It is AMAZING! The quality puts anything under $2000 to shame.
@@neilarmand3763 Which TVL did you get Neil?
great video! will definitely check these out! your playing is improving significantly!
You still sound skeptic til the end. I don’t understand why most people are afraid of buying what is not MIA. I believe in buying American to support our economy, but if the import version is better than the American version with substantial cost savings, I’m getting the import. The new Squiers are the perfect example & proves Fender has been gouging customers for years, if not decades. Very sad. Gibson is even more guilty of the example.
**This started as a quick comment and got out of hand, the main point is in the first paragraph, the subsequent is rambling**
People who buy these are the same people who buy the Japanese Gibson copies. Namely usually players with several years experience, and do it have owned enough guitars through the years to have a good understand on what separates a low/mid/high end instrument.
I've had enough guitars on my hands or on my bench to know what to look for if I want a player or workhorse vs what's more of a "prestige" features or construction. With me, I want a light body, 2-piece max (that's preference because I deck my tremolos, if I set them to float I wouldn't care about a 3/ I also prefer offset seam which are difficult to find besides the Eric Johnson models), lacquer or urethane finish, though I wouldn't rule out poly, but it would have to be really thin. 6 months ago I'd say it had to be Alder or Ash for a traditional model (obviously I'm referring to Strat/Teles here), but several months ago I played the '54 "Virginia" Eric Johnson Strat with the sassafras body, and have been on a mission to get either a completed body or blank larger enough to have my friend make me one in his CNC mill to no avail. When it comes to hardware and pickups, if there body and neck are good enough, those things are never a deal breaker since even with expensive high end guitars I usually end up replacing the pickups at some point, and the switching and pots are almost always swapped immediately.
In those categories, these along with Edwards Les Pauls and ES335s I really love (especially the 335, but it should be noted that though they LOOK a 335, they sound and play quite a bit different due to completely different construction and materials, but I prefer them for my use). Things like color, names on the headstock and certainly resale value aren't really considerations. Now I know that's me, thinks like resale are obviously key if you're going to be reselling them like here, but there is this paradox when it comes to gear that ISN'T a Fender, Gibson, Marshall, Boss, vox,PRS, Mesa Boogie, etc;
Guitars and amps, and to a lesser degree pedals, that are REALLY well made using the components, parts and construction that you find in the mainstream US/UK built brands, that are also exceedingly affordable (typically 1/2- 1/3 the price) just will not hold their value relative to the cost new that the big names do. This makes them even more affordable on the used market if you're looking to buy one. The issue with that however is that because they're not nearly as well known with the 80% of the players out there (I'm including everything from first time novices to rock stars to studio sessions players with 50 year experience), they can be difficult to locate on the used market. Reverb has helped in this but I also believe it's increased the price on pretty much everything on the used market. Prior to that I usually bought things from private sellers on the gear page (which for years was a lifesaver because most people in there actually NEW the gear and what it was worth, as opposed to places like eBay where I regularly would see used 4-5 year old instruments that were listed for the same or more than you could buy a brand new one).
In regards to what I look for in a quality Fender Strat; these have in spades. More to the point, dollar for dollar I find there really isn't a comparison; I'd go with one of these, hell forget the fact of how clean the shielding job is under the pickguard, most Fenders under $1000 won't have ANY shielding, let alone it being done well. I've taken the pickguard off many to find the inside routing to be filled with sawdust (I'm assuming,I cringe to think what it was if it wasn't sawdust).
*All of these general rules go out the window if am item's value gets artificially inflated; like when it's suddenly seen somewhere like John Mayer's pedal board, when it suddenly goes from $40 on the used market to $200+. I build a few custom designed amp and pedal circuits for example a "Black & Tan," which is essentially a Fender Princeton/Deluxe/Pro or Twin combo with a Blackface on one channel and Tweed on the other (I actually do so kind of different preamp circuits like Fender 5E3 Tweed/ Marshall JTM 45 or Plexi), then add different options like preamp boosts, cascading gain stages, PPIMVs, being able to run them on 6V6 and/or 6L6s, etc. If I ever was able to push JM out of the way of a school bus and was asked for any favor; I think if he were to use one of my amps and just mention it once in an article, within a couple weeks I could charge 3X the amount and would STILL have to hire 4-5 extra builders to keep up **(if there's ANY bus drivers out there: Contact me!).
These must be good guitars if Trogley is this impressed.No knock to the guys he mentioned,I watch all of them but I am more confident about these now because he is an honest guy about what he gets.Going to look into these.Love roasted maple look.
I just got a Fender Squire Telecaster on sale from Musician's friend for $129 and got it two days later and it Rocks as well as being superbly well made!
The way the headstock logo looks is a suhr ripoff. I think thats the demographic theyre shooting for. Sounds unique though. It definitely has a strat sounds but in its own way. Id have to touch one to really form an opinion. For now ill keep my american pro fender.
I just recieved my Shijie strat ordered it 6 weeks ago as this was the delivery expectation completion date. My UK distributor upgraded my frets from nickel to stainless steel for no extra charge as apparently there's a shortage of nickel for guitar manufacturers. So for no extra cost already got a well specced guitar for the money £750.00 for what is basically hand built guitar with top notch components. Really fantastic deal.
Who is the UK distributor?
@@hughjarrse If you Google Shijie Guitars a UK dealer comes up there called SC Guitars. Ordered my Stratocaster in surf green from them on the 30th July order was confirmed for a 6 week delivery and the guitar turned up 43 days later almost exactly 6 weeks from the order date. The dealer upgraded my guitar to have stainless steel frets for no extra charge as apparently there's a global shortage of nickel for guitar manufacturers. So a great specced guitar with stainless steel frets and a very nice good quality padded gig bag for £750.00. Definitely worth considering this guitar. I'm thinking of getting the Hss Strat from them as well although a lot of stock is now showing as sold out.
@@deanmichaels4262 thanks for the reply, I've contacted SC and I'm awaiting a reply, the trouble is I'm lefty I know at least one lefty strat exists as there is a Daphne blue one for sale on Reverb £1,200 + £125 shipping +around £300 import brings it to around a grand dearer than a righty☹ I'll see what SC have to say ...... cheers
@@hughjarrse ok good luck with your search it must be a pain sometimes being a left handed player often limited choice and quite often more expensive
SC guitars got back to me and they are going to update their website with a lefty picture, it looks like a £50 ($75) surcharge for lefty and another £50 for stainless steel frets, although stainless steel frets cost an extra £110 ($155) on the st sss vintage blue for some reason. I definitely fancy one thanks for steering me in the right direction 🙂
The Chinese are making great guitars.
Back in the 1970's, cork sniffing snobs would bag on Greco, Burny and Tokal guitars .....those Japanese companies were making better Strats, Les Paul's, Flying V's, Teles and Explorers than Gibson and Fender. I see the same ignorance towards Chinese guitars today.
Count me in. Right on China. Just looking for a SOLID quality guitar. I think I might go relic, and not worry about the finish. I love this guitar.
that was some good playing on a nice guitar Trogly!
Relic-ed guitars are ludicrous. The whole point of a well used guitar.....is that it's been WELL USED!! It's had the time to settle in and reach its ultimate useability.
Relic-ed instruments make a mockery of that process.
What is with those canted tremolo springs? The middle spring is just a passenger, while the outside ones are doing more work than they have to. I see this so often and it always makes me shake my head.
$900 USD for a Chender 🤣 Give me a break
Chender...that's awesome!! I've heard chibson but not chender 👍
been watching your vids for quite a while, not a guitar player but fascinated none the less. novice has thoughts/questions;
i would think the textured finish would be more prone to every day wear?
shouldn't the output jack cavity have shielding also?
fancy if the chinese mark the pick ups made in japan. another great vid, sir.
$900 for a fake Fender?
Yeah...NO... Not for that price 😤
WHAT WOULD YOU COMPARE THE NECK SHAPE TO? The Kiesel standard shape is my favorite. The charvel dk24 and Ernie ball jp are just a bit too thin for me.
not worth it in my opinion
So, the bridge is secured by 3 mounting screws... What's the wammy bar for?
900 for a chinese guitar? Just get a kiesel for the same price lmao.
...don't get a Kiesel.
Kiesels are terrible in my opinion, I never played one that I liked. But that's just my opinion.
there were a few old Carvin line guitars that were nice but yes most just don't feel right in your hands and their pickups to me always sounded a bit too bright
Excellent job on the playing demo!
Can't see paying that much for chinese. Especially when a chinese Jackson is only 200-300 bucks. For 400 bucks I can buy an Ibanez that would shit all over shinje. That's a fact Jack. For 900 bucks I could buy a new Mexican Charvel. Whats the re-sale value. And yes you're making it sound like this is the next best thing. I'd say it was good too if they sent me a free one.
The resale value is key! No one will want to buy this due to the name, I’m having a hard time selling an amazing 76 Greco super sound se 800. A superior start style guitar over anything fender put out in the 70s but people that don’t know the Greco name won’t event be interested.
Austin bro what are you using for tone? Sounds like you need an upgrade man :/