Here we have an excellent example of a company that wants to improve their guitars and aren't afraid of shipping another guitar for review, knowing that previous reviews by the same person, didn't present a good image of their product . That is serious ambition and 'bolas de acero', Qi gong, yes, balls of steel. Well done Phil for giving Firefly yet another chance. Clever move from Firefly too. They know you're fair and don't hold back with either praise or criticism while testing a product. It's free impartial advertising for the brand paired with a huge risk if it backfires but they do it anyway. Obviously the route works, their guitars are improving constantly by rectifying the deficiencies found by reviewers like yourself. This guitar is real bang for your bucks.
I don't disagree with your thoughts here, but I do think that these types of brands operate differently than the recognized brands. These Amazon brands are almost solely dependent on social media and they tend to follow the "all press is good press" logic. Even if their guitars do not do well in a review, just getting their name out there results in more sales. These aren't guitars you're going to see advertisements for, these brands aren't going to pay for advertising aside from working with social media and CZcams personalities. Even if the guitar gets a horrible review, the cost is so low and it shows buyers a guitar that they didn't know existed. Someone might decide that they'll give a guitar with a bad review a try if it's inexpensive enough, but no one is going to buy it if they don't know it exists.
@ByTheSpirit84 they are an Amazon brand. People buy them from Amazon, you can't buy them from major dealers like Sweetwater or GC. They don't really do advertising, they just rely on social media and CZcams personalities to direct players to Amazon to check out their guitars. They don't have traditional distribution, Amazon is their distribution. You can like the guitars, but they're one of the many, constantly increasing, number of Amazon guitar brands.
Phil's channel got me into buying tools and doing my own work. Once you have the skills these less expensive guitars are often a great way to go. Especially if you want to try a bunch of different guitars and not break the bank.
In "The Brave New Guitar World"--where MIC builds are quickly becoming a "mainstream thing"--it makes sense for buyers to embrace it by developing (@ least) a "semi-luthier skillset". Compared to some of the Vintage "fixer-uppers" I've been scoring lately, the issues with this Firefly appear to be minimal. Have fun learnin' stuff...save $$...ROCK ON!! 🤘😆
99% chance the guitar was NOT hand selected. They don't have a dedicated logistics solution. The fulfilment warehouse in So Cal serves other companies. They were told to send you a guitar (model and color) and some schmo went to the rack, pulled it, printed an address label, and put it on a UPS truck.
@@HALWASRIGHT I don't work for Firefly. Nothing I said is a secret. There are "sanctioned"/"official" social media groups where things like guitar designs, hardware selection etc. are discussed.
They're very bad at hand selecting, If that's the case. Why would they send him a guitar with high frets and especially a volume pot that was loose. That is one of the first things you would check if you were pre-selecting guitar for review.@@HALWASRIGHT
He's correct. I looked up the company that was indicated on the shipping information and it is indeed a logistics company in California. When I had to return a Firefly, however, it went to a pretty nice private residence somewhere in California (I forgot the city) [Not that this is really germane to the issue].
Thanks Phil. Gotta give cred to FF for using you and other YT guitar channels who aren't afraid to pick apart and point out flaws. It saves them a ton of $$ in QC!!
Great review, thank you! Had the same experience with a 338 a few years ago, they did send me back enough of a refund to make it worth it to keep and then I paid about the $200 you quoted from a great tech to fix the fret work and get it set up as good as possible (had the super microphonic pups too). Added locking tuners and ended up with a really nice light guitar that scratches my semi-hollow itch and friends enjoy playing too for the price of a great deal on a used Sheraton. I like that they added the locking tuners, sounds like its the same situation it was then: if you're willing to fix it yourself or have it fixed you can get a really cool looking guitar that plays great for ultimately less then comparable Epiphone.
This guitar is a great first guitar that won't break the bank. It looks cool, sounds great, apparently is comfortable to play, and importantly: fits a demographic that is getting largely ignored as seemingly budget guitars are now kissing $1000 regularly. This was a great review: fair, candid, and thorough. I like it being nit-picky, I can decide for myself if the nits are deal-breakers or not, but I appreciate everything being highlighted, since it helps to make an informed decision. Thanks for putting in the effort to make this.
I have 4 FF guitars. 3/4 have been flawless. Great mod platforms. The one that was “bad” was similar, it had a broken tuner and the tone knob just spun. Great value IMO
I see that they went back to the mouse ears instead of the pointy ears on my Firefly. I like them better. As you noted my pickups squeal when boosted and I had to file down the fret ends. Thanks Phil for showing me how to do that. Those fret markers are very nice also. If I didn’t already have one I would get that.
My FFTL (Tele) is great! Locking tuners, ss frets, roasted maple neck, insane sparkle finish. Waiting impatiently for them to drop a 7 string with those specs! They have plenty of other niche guitars like baritones and double neck so come on Fireflyyy do it
@@popsfereal i hadn't heard that but they have a few different ones like a 335 and SG baritone that seem to have a traditional stop bar tailpiece so I would imagine those should be able to be intonated
I have 3 Firefly guitars 1.A 338 I bought on amazon about 3 years ago. The frets (non stainless) were perfect, the bridge was trash,tuners after a month seemed to wear out,the bone nut was not setup correctly. 2. A strat copy about 9 months ago. The frets ok (spot leveled a couple), then a month later frets started moving (had to glue them and level them), the tremolo bridge at first worked perfectly then about 6 months in started losing tune,removed it and was deformed/burrs on the knife edge(adjusted only with the springs relieved) can't find another with the same post spacing, the locking tuners are ok so far. 3. A tele copy about 8 months ago. There were 2 low frets in the middle of the fret board (had to level them all ) otherwise so far so good. Bought these to substitute out my american fender and gibson guitars at gigs.
Going on 3 years since I purchased my ff338 and still plays well! No fret or neck or blemish problems! But like you had squealing issues at high gain…. One of these days I’ll get them waxed!! Has a great feel!😊
All guitars are fun. I doubt “Firefly” will replace the brand recognition of “Epiphone” but, at impulse-buy prices, this is worth sticking in some pickups.
First, Good for Firefly in sending this guitar, the third one, for review! That speaks volumes about continuous improvement! This one hit close to home for me!! My #1 is a Gibson ES335, walnut color, with a '59 LPB neck profile!! It's not too far from this one, .96/1.01 to be exact. Of course mine has Burstbuckers, 50's wiring and premium Gibson parts. It also cost 15X what this Firefly did!! After seeing and hearing it, congrats to Firefly! This would be a great guitar for any beginner+. I'm not sure I would use that to gig with like my Gibson 335. But it seems fine to play and maybe jam with, and it could be upgraded. JMHO, Peace --gary
Have their 338 for a year+ now. Only flaw on mine was the pickup pole pieces were just slugs not screws, even though they had the screwdriver slot. Discovered as tried to adjust pole height, they just spun and didn’t raise or lower. Further examination showed they weren’t even screws that went through the base plate. Couldn’t tell in your video if yours has the same issue. Please take a look and report back.
I give them a lot of credit for sending you one of their new guitars to show the improvements knowing you won't pull any punches. I actually bought one of these in the spalted maple finish just to see what it was and had very similar issues as you did. I did put a set of USA PAF-style epiphone pickups in mine that came out of another guitar, leveled/crowned/polished the frets, and did a full setup and set the action at 1.25mm ( low E ) to 1.1mm ( high E ) and it plays and sounds great ! It is hard to beat for the time and money invested.
I got the buckethead looking les paul . I'm happy with it. I like the way it played so much I put some graph tech ratio tuners and a jb/ jazz set. It wasn't absolutely necessary. I just like working on my guitars
Hey Phillip you’ve been an amazing indirect mentor for me when it comes to imports and branding and the modern electric guitar industry. Not to mention schooling me on Parker, Strandberg, Carvin, and some other brands I’ve been too insecure to dip my feet into. Now I have a Parker Fly Mojo USA Single Cut, and a Parker DF824 (made in 🇺🇸). The Dragonfly makes a Silversky look like a 90’s Mexican Strat. (Millennials that’s a figure of speech, we don’t literally mean “look like”) 🙏
Point is you can’t expect an epiphone or Gibson quality guitar for 200. Good beginner guitar though. If I ever get a semi hollow body guitar it’ll be an Ibanez. They tend to make a good quality guitar for a good price point.
Based on the cost of the comparable epiphone, if you paid $200 to fix the issues, you are still coming in slightly lower than the Epi... but if the Epi doesn't have those issues out of the box, maybe that extra money is worth it.
@@lorincowell6944 Oohh good to know, wish you said it in the first comment that you quit. :) Had a serious illness due to that... Keep it up with the guitar playing, have healthy days, cheers!
Very cool Phil! It's amazing how companies like Firefly are producing quality guitars that sometimes rival major brands like Epiphone or surpass them in some cases. Definitely worth grabbing one for $200 maybe get 2 for the price of 1 more expensive guitar. Great review!👍😎
I bought a black sparkle Tele last year from them. I'v'e got no major complaints. What surprised me the most was how fast I got it. Ordered early in the morning and it arrived at my house in Vegas the next morning. I received the tracking number 2 daya after I received it.
I just ordered my third Firefly. I grabbed another of their LP/Eclipse hybrids with the set-through neck joint and belly cut. It's supposed to have a solid ash top instead of a veneer. We shall see.
My experience with cheap/affordable guitars bought online is the nut slots are not good, the strings are too high on the first frets. On acoustics also the bridge is too high. In my opinion this needs more advanced skills and/or expensive tools, and you can easily go wrong. I do think, as in my case in the end these nut- and bridge-issues are the difference between playing the guitar and just having it on display as a great bargain. The guitars I do paly are the ones in the price range the guitars are set up. I play my 600 bucks Epiphone every day, where my Chinese bargains make me struggle and require some 200 bucks for nut- and bridge work. I think this should be the most important test criterium.
@@mknewlan67 😄13F, 88-92, 82d - my poor family endures "Hooahs" and "Airbornes", especially when I encounter another trooper in the wild. Take care out there, and again, thanks for being a digital mentor for my hobby all these years.
I ordered one based on your review, and outside of some rough gritty frets, fixed myself, the only thing I need to do is deal with a little bit of fretbuzz on the E and A between the 2 and 6th fret. Ill take it to my local shop. Im just learning guitar and this was the first guitar Ive bought for myself. I have several 80s Japanese Fenders(dad willed them to me) with the 9.5 radius and had no idea I would love, and I mean love the flatter fretboard and chunkier neck of the 338. So thanks. and you can tell them you made a sale for them based on your review
I Love My 5 Firefly’s. And completely agree that they just keep improving. Although one of them has Wilkinson pups And another has used Fender Tele pups But My Spalted top ES is ALL Firefly. It was my first Firefly and Quite Possibly My Favorite.
My wife bought me a brand new Gibson LP Studio. The switch tip was cracked. 🙄. The Epiphone she bought me had fret sprout so bad my finger bled and the PRS was returned because of unrepeatable quality issues.
FFly has a couple models i’ve been tempted by. But on this one, the double-cut horns look like mickey mouse ears; a little too big and rounded for my taste. And/or the waist is too narrow. Good on them for the willingness to have their guitars picked apart; not all manufacturers are so inclined. That means something.
Safe to say, Firefly will probably sell out of these by morning. I havent pulled the trigger to buy one yet, but they just released the Camo Bullseye ZW style LP last week and it sold out in about 2 days. I will definitely be buying one on the next release. Great video - thanks Phil!
I just got my black and red firefly in. I had bought one in 2020 and I had to replace the electronics bc the pickups were to microphonic. The new one is awesome. I found only one small issue with finish but it’s virtually unnoticeable unless you nit pick. Love the frets and the tuners are upgraded. I like the pickups and I think they sound great. I have two Les Paul’s, Telly, and fender American Strat and j find myself playing the firefly the most.
You take a fine sandpaper, grind off a little bit on the side of the nut, and then you pour a drop of acid on the dust of the nut. On real bone, you should get some bubbles, as acid dissolves bones, because Bones are mainly made of lime.
I got a natural style 338pro from Firefly and it had a beautiful finish but the frets had to be tapped down as well. After minor issues were fixed i cranked up my tube amp and the pickups were great. To get it to feedback i had to face the guitar right at the speaker. I am very impressed with what i got.
The potentiometer isn't wire. It's a conductive material that's in the form of traces on a PCB that extends past the metal cover to the contacts. Similar to a rotary or mode switch. The stop is broken.
Stainless steel frets are not that great of a deal if you've ever had to work with them. Also they use them because they are pre-sized and they just press them in they don't have to do the ends or anything else So it's a money saving thing for the companies.
@popsfereal most bigger brands aren't going to use these preshaped frets, they're the quickest way to get nice feeling frets but they have been known to have issues with popping out, as seen here, and lifting up at the ends over long periods of time, there's little reason to use stainless steel if they're going to develop issues eventually, traditional stainless steel frets are much more time consuming. But very generally speaking, stainless steel frets aren't as important to those buying more expensive guitars as they are to those buying inexpensive guitars. The people that are buying more expensive guitars tend to have owned more guitars and know that they've been just fine with nickel frets, they tend to care more about things like electronics, pickups, hardware, materials, etc than stainless steel frets. Some wouldn't even pick stainless if given the choice because they want a more traditional guitar. Of course there are exceptions in every situation but brands are primarily interested in the majority of their customers, not the exceptions.
Where did you find the DC Junior, if you don’t mind my asking? I see the DC special on Guitars Garden, but no JRs. I’ve been tempted several times over the past few years to pick up a JR, but every time I’m ready, I see another shi* review of Firefly.
Great Review, Phil. My Firefly came perfect . No wiring problems, the fit and finish was very good. This is a great guitar for the $$ . I think it’s a good modding platform too. Obviously with Blackstock pickups it will sound fantastic! Maybe a giveaway Guitar with your pickups ! Yeah !!!❤
Most people dont have the tools or the space to do those necessary repairs so you can add on another 50 dollars/pounds/euros for rectifying them. Surely that glue covered switch could have been changed within seconds too. I'd still be a bit peeved at those faults even for the price.
Don't you love it when you can find a really cheap guitar that not only looks cool but plays well? I've owned very expensive and very cheap guitars in my 60 yrs of playing, but get more satisfaction in getting great playing and tone out of a cheap guitar vs great tone out of expensive guitars.☮
I own a bright purple FF, and have for a couple years. I love it and it's a blast to play. Having said that, it did take going down to my friend's shop so they could iron out some pretty serious fret problems and give it a proper setup...
Those inlays are beautiful. For this price point, and the minimal amount of work you had to put into this one to make it; “right”. Think you’ve gotta winner here, PHIL. Firefly is becoming a contender in the budget guitar market.👍👍
that you can buy such a great looking guitar with such little issues for less than $200 is just impressive. I might just order one for fun and/or as a project guitar to put better pickups and what not in, play around with it. If the frets are the only issue, that's an easy fix even w/o an expensive hammer, I bet the cheap nylon hammer I got from the Container Store would do just fine here. And for a beginner to have such a rad looking guitar? That'll make them want to play with it so much more. Kinda funny, my most expensive guitar, a PRS 513, is the one I play and like the least and will sell or trade off soon and I will never buy a guitar that expensive again, there's no ROI there, just bragging rights. Then add the name Firefly, certainly one of the coolest guitar brand names I can think of, especially if I were a young beginner! Great vid, as always!
LOL, honestly Phil, I think they might be trolling you! We have AT LEAST FOUR, maybe five of these JSN (or is it JNS?) FIREFLY guitars. They are one of my favorite guitar brands. PERIOD! I think they are THE sleeper guitar, especially for anyone who wants a quality guitar without paying a MINT for it. There used to be a time when you had to keep tabs on their webpage for when they might finally have another batch for sale so that we could get one and try them out, this after hearing whispers about how great a deal these were. Then from the time we first got one and on to every suceeding model...we have been absolutely SATISFIED and PLEASED, and YES, including sound and playability, not just appearance. I think our first was a spalted maple FF338 with dual humbuckers maybe five years ago now (if it's a veneer it surely isn't obvious though I could swear we checked for this in the pickup opening at one point). Then we got an orange thinline Tele-type guitar, then next a gold top Les Paul type, and then recently I got the Buckethead themed Les Paul type with the red kill switches to boot. I love these and think they're one of the best secrets out there if anyone hasn't actually already heard of them...the JSN FireFly! PS: I am more a very occasional very limited small tiny collector but big appreciator of guitar and not a player. I dabbled on my Squier many years ago but my honey IS a musician who pretty much agrees on this.
I've purchased quite a few $90-$250 inexpensive guitars in the past year. Firefly usually has the best overall hardware and requires the fewest upgrades required IMO. Also love my Harley Benton TE-62 ($160 before shipping, $240 with). No mods here. Surprisingly, one my current favs is a Fojill super Strat that was $90. After a few mods, bringing the total cost to ~$200, it plays like a dream --- great action. The Guitar Fetish P90's make it sound sweet.
The Nut: How high are the strings a the first fret, especially when held down at the 21st fret? This is my big question about inexpensive (or really any) guitars. I've played so many Squiers and off-brand models that are crap just because of this. Cowboy chords and bar chords like F and Bb should be as easy to play as when you put a capo on the first fret. They're usually not, because the strings are too high at the nut, and it takes time and skill to make it right, and it's the last adjustment a beginner is going to think of or learn to do, or take into a shop to have them fix. But when it's done right and the neck and frets are right, it's easy enough to set the action low and make a good playing guitar.
Very true. If the basic cowboy chords are difficult to play it is very discouraging to new players because they think having to press hard is normal and they don’t know what they don’t know.
Guitar Max raves about these, and what you find is that this company is no different than all the other sub $500 builders. It’s the inconsistent QC issues that are all over the place. You have a 50% chance (at best) of getting a guitar that has major problems. At this price, most rational people aren’t going to nitpick over little stuff, and many things can (and probably should) get swapped out easily, and usually very affordably. But, if you have to start doing neck work, then it’s pointless. If you know how to do that kind of work, then it’s a GREAT deal. If they sent this to Phillip, then my guess is that it’s one of their better ones. This isn’t an Amazon purchase where us Prime members can send it back for a quick refund. So, a bad guitar can turn into a horrible experience. Just sayin…. Regardless, another great video by Phil.
Firefly definitely has a less than perfect QC situation going, but that's part of where the expense is with a guitar company. I definitely have to push back on the 50% bad guitars though. I've purchased close to 60 guitars from Firefly in the last 5 years. Only two guitars really felt cheap, and that was a Telecaster style in the first iteration and a little sister copy in the first iteration. The only guitars I have had "major issues" with included a 338 I bought 3 years ago which looked like the neck pickup had been damaged at the factory and a double cut Les Paul Junior style I bought 4 years ago off of their official eBay reseller. Those are returns. It had a twisted neck, and I think I paid $90 for it. Other than that, probably five guitars total had small issues like a loose wire to the output jack or a high fret. In every case when I reached out, I was either offered a full refund or a partial refund. I would say those are pretty good numbers. I've owned a lot of square classic vibes, Mexican, and American fenders. The fret work and necks on the fireflies are certainly better than the classic vibes and mostly better than the Mexican fenders. In a million years I'd rather tap down a high fret than have to round off fret sprout, which I regularly have to do on the Mexican fenders, which I also love.
@@Ksantipacat JFC.... "60 guitars from Firefly over the past 5yrs, and only two felt cheap", eh? So, in other words, Firefly's QC rating is better than Gibson or Fender's....smh. You're trying WAY too hard with this, dude. And, that's the first sign that this company probably IS putting out a lot of junk. Btw, it apparently needs to be said that, I'm not tryin got "pick a side" for the sake of a social-media "knock-down, drag-out"....which people seem to live for, these days (regardless of topic). I'm pointing out not only an obvious ramification at this price-point, but a proven one. *Fine, it's not a 50% chance of receiving a piece of crap (if that's your issue)...it's only a 35% chance.* You sound like a desperate left-wing presidential candidate, saying literally ANY-thing they think they have to, in order to get a vote, after 4yrs of toxic, destruction (that they either blame on someone else, or deny entirely). But, I digress... If you're THAT smitten with this company to make a claim like that. Then conversing about the obvious ramifications of a product priced at this level, is pointless. By the way, speaking of left-wing, filth.... QC isn't what costs so much. A nut-less monkey can look at a guitar, after a day of training and learn how to find its flaws. The cost is hiring competent and caring craftsman, who keep the problem from happening in the first place. Which should make ANY purchaser wonder who exactly IS making these guitars. If they're coming from China, for all you know it could be some 10yr-old Uighur making your guitars, while having a gun held to his head. But, again...I digress. I've got no beef with any one particular company, I'm simply pointing out the obvious (that of which this very channel has also pointed out) issues with guitars in this price range. We have a FAR greater chance if getting junk. And, if the return policy isn't a very good/efficient one, then you just wasted a couple hundred dollars. If your experiences have been THAT spectacular....knock yourself out. I'm sure you'll enjoy another 60.
Man- the budget market is getting insane. A decent guitar for the price of a good drive pedal- that's a trip. And HB just pu a couple tube amps- they sound pretty good, surprisingly good. At least I think they just put it out- could've been an old video I watched- Idk, it's new to me. They demoed a 30 watt but someone in the comments said they had a 15watt as well. It sounded really good to me- had a "reverb tone" knob that was actually just general tone knob for the whole amp- not just the reverb, that's a little odd but not a dela breaker or anything. And apparently Joyo jumped on the bandwagon as well- they have a couple models out- full tube amps, not hybrids this time. I think it's awesome- we need more budget tube amps- that's something we've never had before. Mono Price has been about it, as far as I know.
Hello Phil, another great overview. However, for reasonably-priced guitars, it would be GREAT to have an out-of-the-box playing review/demo. This range of players are probably folks new to the electric guitar world, and probably don't have fret rockers, etc.. A first assessment out-of-the-box would probably be more aligned with what folks buying these types of guitars would experience, and not a Phil-MckNight-Tuned playing experience. Just saying :)
My Fireflies always have a little finish issue or something small. Once the pot was free spinning. For someone with even basic luthier skills, they are great for the money. Still, a beginner may have to spend money to make it right or have one replaced. For the money, with the specs and finishes (even with flaws), they have become decent guitars. A great mod platform.
Based on one of Phil's recent weekly casts, where he talks about major brands bypassing Reviewers and sending new gear only to Influencers. I think we are going to see more down-market brands like FF, jump move to fill that gap. After all, a good review by Phil brings sales. Smart way to position gear in a crowded market.
I have wanted a few Firefly models but they just wont ship to the UK, they just don't produce enough stock, they are sold out as soon as their batches drop on the site!
I agree that the retail guitar shops are asking too much for what they’re selling. It’s the same with car dealerships. People are too stuck on brands. Listen to any band you’ve never seen on video or live. You can’t tell what guitars they’re using by the sound of their music. Guitar brands don’t influence the sound. Guitar brands don’t necessarily dictate playability standards. It’s mostly just about image. Image is not music.
@@Necropheliac It's more than just image, it's the customer service, the resources, the resale value, the recognition, the uniqueness, the guarantee that you're getting what the specs say, not cutting corners, etc A large brand couldn't operate the way that Firefly does, it's not logistically possible, it's inexpensive but Amazon is essentially your distribution and customer service, it takes more resources and more cost to run a major brand.
In my experience, I've found that to make these budget level guitars sound as good as the good ones, you need to do a lot of work and swap out a few parts. You can absolutely get a good sounding guitar for less than $400 (after swapped parts), but it's never a given. I've got a cheapo Firefly LP copy that looks very nice and plays ok, but the neck gets bowed a little easier than the real Gibson LP I've got. But the FF didn't SOUND great until I put on some Kluson locking tuners, good quality pots, and some Bare Knuckle PUPs. Got close to $600 in the guitar and it ended up sounding great! But still doesn't sound or look as great as my real Gibson. There's a lot to be said about peace of mind buying the real thing versus a copy. Everything is just... better. And when the guitar is "better" you feel better playing it, which makes you a better player since you look forward to playing the better thing more often. For guitar copies, Firefly does a solid job.
I don't understand why the lower-end manufacturers choose the wideish (2.13" @ 12th) necks w/really flat radius (here, 20" while Gib/Epi/Etc use 12") - many getting this replica will wonder "why are chords harder on this guitar, why do I have to spread my hand so far to reach the for big E string?" I like the chunkier thickness, though.
Gee, now ya got me thinking. Which isn't always a good thing. 😆 I've been wanting a 335-ish semi-hollow body, whether a Gibson, Epiphone or Gretsch. But I now, with the Firefly, a cat ( cheaper cat at that ) has been thrown among the pigeons, so to speak. I have always wondered if a 335 type of guitar would too biggish for my shorter stature and smallish hands. So, I have always been hesitant to get one, cause I don't want to buy something that will be uncomfortable for me to play. But, paying just over 200, would be so devastating, just to find out I don't like how it feels to play. Thank you Phil for your great review as usual!!
You make such terrific videos, Phillip. I really appreciate this Firefly review. Something we don't know about the guitar is its potential longevity. Will it hold up over time? I've heard people say that that earlier Firefly models have held up well.
Here we have an excellent example of a company that wants to improve their guitars and aren't afraid of shipping another guitar for review, knowing that previous reviews by the same person, didn't present a good image of their product . That is serious ambition and 'bolas de acero', Qi gong, yes, balls of steel. Well done Phil for giving Firefly yet another chance. Clever move from Firefly too. They know you're fair and don't hold back with either praise or criticism while testing a product. It's free impartial advertising for the brand paired with a huge risk if it backfires but they do it anyway. Obviously the route works, their guitars are improving constantly by rectifying the deficiencies found by reviewers like yourself. This guitar is real bang for your bucks.
I don't disagree with your thoughts here, but I do think that these types of brands operate differently than the recognized brands. These Amazon brands are almost solely dependent on social media and they tend to follow the "all press is good press" logic. Even if their guitars do not do well in a review, just getting their name out there results in more sales. These aren't guitars you're going to see advertisements for, these brands aren't going to pay for advertising aside from working with social media and CZcams personalities. Even if the guitar gets a horrible review, the cost is so low and it shows buyers a guitar that they didn't know existed. Someone might decide that they'll give a guitar with a bad review a try if it's inexpensive enough, but no one is going to buy it if they don't know it exists.
@@ChrisEck13 except FireFly guitars aren't "Amazon brand" and have been sought after for quite some time now, especially the 335 versions
@ByTheSpirit84 they are an Amazon brand. People buy them from Amazon, you can't buy them from major dealers like Sweetwater or GC. They don't really do advertising, they just rely on social media and CZcams personalities to direct players to Amazon to check out their guitars. They don't have traditional distribution, Amazon is their distribution. You can like the guitars, but they're one of the many, constantly increasing, number of Amazon guitar brands.
Firefly sucks & you know why.
@@ByTheSpirit84 Firefly absolutely is an Amazon brand. They're sold almost exclusively through Amazon.
Looks like the orginal Batmobile.
Couldn't agree more
Black and red is a winning color combo.
Needs pinstriping. But I love pinstriping so. lol
Agree 💯 👍👍
😂👏🏽
Thanks for the review Phil! $200 to tighten a loose pot and tap down a couple of frets is why we all need to learn how to do simple repairs ourselves.
Phil's channel got me into buying tools and doing my own work. Once you have the skills these less expensive guitars are often a great way to go. Especially if you want to try a bunch of different guitars and not break the bank.
In "The Brave New Guitar World"--where MIC builds are quickly becoming a "mainstream thing"--it makes sense for buyers to embrace it by developing (@ least) a "semi-luthier skillset". Compared to some of the Vintage "fixer-uppers" I've been scoring lately, the issues with this Firefly appear to be minimal. Have fun learnin' stuff...save $$...ROCK ON!! 🤘😆
@@-Thunder Same here. It also lets me feel more comfortable learning because I'm not as worried about possibly messing it up.
Ive been fixing my own stuff for a decade . Guitar repair guys have been learning from viol luthiers on how to charging big money.
You're playing is really enjoyable.
You aren't nitpicking you are protecting us, the consumers and your listeners. You rock Phillip
99% chance the guitar was NOT hand selected. They don't have a dedicated logistics solution. The fulfilment warehouse in So Cal serves other companies. They were told to send you a guitar (model and color) and some schmo went to the rack, pulled it, printed an address label, and put it on a UPS truck.
@@HALWASRIGHT I don't work for Firefly. Nothing I said is a secret. There are "sanctioned"/"official" social media groups where things like guitar designs, hardware selection etc. are discussed.
They're very bad at hand selecting, If that's the case. Why would they send him a guitar with high frets and especially a volume pot that was loose. That is one of the first things you would check if you were pre-selecting guitar for review.@@HALWASRIGHT
He's correct. I looked up the company that was indicated on the shipping information and it is indeed a logistics company in California. When I had to return a Firefly, however, it went to a pretty nice private residence somewhere in California (I forgot the city) [Not that this is really germane to the issue].
Thanks Phil. Gotta give cred to FF for using you and other YT guitar channels who aren't afraid to pick apart and point out flaws. It saves them a ton of $$ in QC!!
I gotta admit - the black with red binding is pretty cool
Great review, thank you! Had the same experience with a 338 a few years ago, they did send me back enough of a refund to make it worth it to keep and then I paid about the $200 you quoted from a great tech to fix the fret work and get it set up as good as possible (had the super microphonic pups too). Added locking tuners and ended up with a really nice light guitar that scratches my semi-hollow itch and friends enjoy playing too for the price of a great deal on a used Sheraton. I like that they added the locking tuners, sounds like its the same situation it was then: if you're willing to fix it yourself or have it fixed you can get a really cool looking guitar that plays great for ultimately less then comparable Epiphone.
This guitar is a great first guitar that won't break the bank. It looks cool, sounds great, apparently is comfortable to play, and importantly: fits a demographic that is getting largely ignored as seemingly budget guitars are now kissing $1000 regularly. This was a great review: fair, candid, and thorough. I like it being nit-picky, I can decide for myself if the nits are deal-breakers or not, but I appreciate everything being highlighted, since it helps to make an informed decision. Thanks for putting in the effort to make this.
That is a lot of guitar for $200. Sounds good, looks nice, some minor flaws. Firefly just needs to tap in/seat the frets a little better.
They need to do a lot of things but they have no one doing QC.
I have 4 FF guitars. 3/4 have been flawless. Great mod platforms. The one that was “bad” was similar, it had a broken tuner and the tone knob just spun. Great value IMO
you know phil is old school when he pulls out the zippo
Thanks for the review. I now own four Firefly guitars and am happy with all of them.
Always press the like button. Always appreciate your passion, knowledge and attention to detail.
Next to Phil Collins... you're my favorite Phil
I see that they went back to the mouse ears instead of the pointy ears on my Firefly. I like them better. As you noted my pickups squeal when boosted and I had to file down the fret ends. Thanks Phil for showing me how to do that. Those fret markers are very nice also. If I didn’t already have one I would get that.
🦇The Batmobile
My FFTL (Tele) is great! Locking tuners, ss frets, roasted maple neck, insane sparkle finish. Waiting impatiently for them to drop a 7 string with those specs! They have plenty of other niche guitars like baritones and double neck so come on Fireflyyy do it
You mean like the recent baritone that can't be intonated?
@@popsfereal i hadn't heard that but they have a few different ones like a 335 and SG baritone that seem to have a traditional stop bar tailpiece so I would imagine those should be able to be intonated
@@NoJobRob should...if the bridge were placed correctly. Still waiting to hear about the latest drop 335 baritone.
I bought a stratosonic based on your review and I couldn't be happier. Love your honest in-depth reviews
I kinda dig the look and it sounds good.
These little things are stuff that I have to fix on used guitars I buy all the time so to get a guitar for this cheap of this quality is pretty crazy
I have 3 Firefly guitars
1.A 338 I bought on amazon about 3 years ago. The frets (non stainless) were perfect, the bridge was trash,tuners after a month seemed to wear out,the bone nut was not setup correctly.
2. A strat copy about 9 months ago. The frets ok (spot leveled a couple), then a month later frets started moving (had to glue them and level them), the tremolo bridge at first worked perfectly then about 6 months in started losing tune,removed it and was deformed/burrs on the knife edge(adjusted only with the springs relieved) can't find another with the same post spacing, the locking tuners are ok so far.
3. A tele copy about 8 months ago. There were 2 low frets in the middle of the fret board (had to level them all ) otherwise so far so good.
Bought these to substitute out my american fender and gibson guitars at gigs.
Going on 3 years since I purchased my ff338 and still plays well! No fret or neck or blemish problems! But like you had squealing issues at high gain…. One of these days I’ll get them waxed!! Has a great feel!😊
All guitars are fun. I doubt “Firefly” will replace the brand recognition of “Epiphone” but, at impulse-buy prices, this is worth sticking in some pickups.
Relic job on the switch looks really legit imo.
First, Good for Firefly in sending this guitar, the third one, for review! That speaks volumes about continuous improvement! This one hit close to home for me!! My #1 is a Gibson ES335, walnut color, with a '59 LPB neck profile!! It's not too far from this one, .96/1.01 to be exact. Of course mine has Burstbuckers, 50's wiring and premium Gibson parts. It also cost 15X what this Firefly did!! After seeing and hearing it, congrats to Firefly! This would be a great guitar for any beginner+. I'm not sure I would use that to gig with like my Gibson 335. But it seems fine to play and maybe jam with, and it could be upgraded. JMHO, Peace --gary
Have their 338 for a year+ now. Only flaw on mine was the pickup pole pieces were just slugs not screws, even though they had the screwdriver slot. Discovered as tried to adjust pole height, they just spun and didn’t raise or lower. Further examination showed they weren’t even screws that went through the base plate. Couldn’t tell in your video if yours has the same issue. Please take a look and report back.
I give them a lot of credit for sending you one of their new guitars to show the improvements knowing you won't pull any punches. I actually bought one of these in the spalted maple finish just to see what it was and had very similar issues as you did. I did put a set of USA PAF-style epiphone pickups in mine that came out of another guitar, leveled/crowned/polished the frets, and did a full setup and set the action at 1.25mm ( low E ) to 1.1mm ( high E ) and it plays and sounds great ! It is hard to beat for the time and money invested.
$200 ? Jeez, that's incredible. Next thing you know, they'll be selling PRS guitars at Dollar General Stores.
I got the buckethead looking les paul . I'm happy with it. I like the way it played so much I put some graph tech ratio tuners and a jb/ jazz set. It wasn't absolutely necessary. I just like working on my guitars
I had a chance to play that model in the used section of my local Guitar Center. Fun instrument for sure!
Hey Phillip you’ve been an amazing indirect mentor for me when it comes to imports and branding and the modern electric guitar industry. Not to mention schooling me on Parker, Strandberg, Carvin, and some other brands I’ve been too insecure to dip my feet into. Now I have a Parker Fly Mojo USA Single Cut, and a Parker DF824 (made in 🇺🇸). The Dragonfly makes a Silversky look like a 90’s Mexican Strat. (Millennials that’s a figure of speech, we don’t literally mean “look like”) 🙏
Your playing always resonates with me! You’re known in the community for your wisdom, your playing is equally as impressive Phillip!
Nice review Phil. Would be nice to know the width and the heights of the frets though.
Point is you can’t expect an epiphone or Gibson quality guitar for 200. Good beginner guitar though.
If I ever get a semi hollow body guitar it’ll be an Ibanez. They tend to make a good quality guitar for a good price point.
The inlays and dimensions of the neck are very much like my Sheraton of which I wouldn't trade for this Firefly ever.
Great review, Phillip. I like that the upper bout doesn't have the weird angle it used to. There are more natural curves now.
Based on the cost of the comparable epiphone, if you paid $200 to fix the issues, you are still coming in slightly lower than the Epi... but if the Epi doesn't have those issues out of the box, maybe that extra money is worth it.
Zippo lighter. One ritual, especially in winter, that made it harder to quit smoking.
Then smoke some weed, your excuse really is so poor, and doesn't make sense, in exchange of your health, and life.
@@mylogify thank you for your concern: after a 46-year habit, I quit in 2009. But I still keep my old Zippos in a drawer, just in case.
@@lorincowell6944 Oohh good to know, wish you said it in the first comment that you quit. :) Had a serious illness due to that... Keep it up with the guitar playing, have healthy days, cheers!
@@mylogifydo not smoke weed Please.
If they use 20in radius on their solid body guitars i am 100% gonna give one a shot!
Very cool Phil! It's amazing how companies like Firefly are producing quality guitars that sometimes rival major brands like Epiphone or surpass them in some cases. Definitely worth grabbing one for $200 maybe get 2 for the price of 1 more expensive guitar. Great review!👍😎
I bought a black sparkle Tele last year from them. I'v'e got no major complaints. What surprised me the most was how fast I got it. Ordered early in the morning and it arrived at my house in Vegas the next morning. I received the tracking number 2 daya after I received it.
Nice Demo Phil - you make that bad boy sound good!
Thanks for the good review
I have a Grote, same make, 2 year in, still a solid bargain. Going to search your back catalogue to see if you've covered those.
On Amazon I've seen a Grote 335 that is purple w/a red pickguard. Really love how that looks and may pull teh trigger at some point.
2 FFs here - a P90/Pelham Blue Les Paul and a natural mahogany V. Both are holding up great, I still enjoy playing them the 2 years I've had them.
Do IYV guitars! I keep waiting for this channel to cover them.
@@PatrickAshe41 he's done Wolf/AIO which is the same guitar just with a setup done prior to ship
I just ordered my third Firefly. I grabbed another of their LP/Eclipse hybrids with the set-through neck joint and belly cut. It's supposed to have a solid ash top instead of a veneer. We shall see.
My experience with cheap/affordable guitars bought online is the nut slots are not good, the strings are too high on the first frets. On acoustics also the bridge is too high. In my opinion this needs more advanced skills and/or expensive tools, and you can easily go wrong. I do think, as in my case in the end these nut- and bridge-issues are the difference between playing the guitar and just having it on display as a great bargain. The guitars I do paly are the ones in the price range the guitars are set up. I play my 600 bucks Epiphone every day, where my Chinese bargains make me struggle and require some 200 bucks for nut- and bridge work. I think this should be the most important test criterium.
I've dug your straightforward reviews for years. The Army logo zippo is the icing on the trust cake.
Hooa
@@PhillipMcKnightI’ve been out since 94. I still say that when my wife asks me to do something. Was in 1st infantry division and 10th mountain. 88m
@@mknewlan67 😄13F, 88-92, 82d - my poor family endures "Hooahs" and "Airbornes", especially when I encounter another trooper in the wild. Take care out there, and again, thanks for being a digital mentor for my hobby all these years.
Unrelated, but the 12-string Dano was noticed.
Great review Phil. It sounds good and if you have a small budget and are handy, to fix the issues its a ok guitar! Cheers
I ordered one based on your review, and outside of some rough gritty frets, fixed myself, the only thing I need to do is deal with a little bit of fretbuzz on the E and A between the 2 and 6th fret. Ill take it to my local shop. Im just learning guitar and this was the first guitar Ive bought for myself.
I have several 80s Japanese Fenders(dad willed them to me) with the 9.5 radius and had no idea I would love, and I mean love the flatter fretboard and chunkier neck of the 338.
So thanks. and you can tell them you made a sale for them based on your review
I Love My 5 Firefly’s.
And completely agree that they just keep improving.
Although one of them has Wilkinson pups
And another has used Fender Tele pups
But
My Spalted top ES is ALL Firefly.
It was my first Firefly and
Quite Possibly
My Favorite.
My wife bought me a brand new Gibson LP Studio. The switch tip was cracked. 🙄. The Epiphone she bought me had fret sprout so bad my finger bled and the PRS was returned because of unrepeatable quality issues.
FFly has a couple models i’ve been tempted by. But on this one, the double-cut horns look like mickey mouse ears; a little too big and rounded for my taste. And/or the waist is too narrow. Good on them for the willingness to have their guitars picked apart; not all manufacturers are so inclined. That means something.
Safe to say, Firefly will probably sell out of these by morning. I havent pulled the trigger to buy one yet, but they just released the Camo Bullseye ZW style LP last week and it sold out in about 2 days. I will definitely be buying one on the next release. Great video - thanks Phil!
I just got my black and red firefly in. I had bought one in 2020 and I had to replace the electronics bc the pickups were to microphonic. The new one is awesome. I found only one small issue with finish but it’s virtually unnoticeable unless you nit pick. Love the frets and the tuners are upgraded. I like the pickups and I think they sound great. I have two Les Paul’s, Telly, and fender American Strat and j find myself playing the firefly the most.
Don't buy it unless you can fix it or pay a tech to fix it. QC is the price difference. I have seen a few bad Epiphones though.
You take a fine sandpaper, grind off a little bit on the side of the nut, and then you pour a drop of acid on the dust of the nut. On real bone, you should get some bubbles, as acid dissolves bones, because Bones are mainly made of lime.
I got a natural style 338pro from Firefly and it had a beautiful finish but the frets had to be tapped down as well. After minor issues were fixed i cranked up my tube amp and the pickups were great. To get it to feedback i had to face the guitar right at the speaker. I am very impressed with what i got.
The potentiometer isn't wire. It's a conductive material that's in the form of traces on a PCB that extends past the metal cover to the contacts. Similar to a rotary or mode switch. The stop is broken.
steel frets on a $200 guitar is insane. No excuses for the big players anymore.
Stainless steel frets are not that great of a deal if you've ever had to work with them. Also they use them because they are pre-sized and they just press them in they don't have to do the ends or anything else So it's a money saving thing for the companies.
Cost isn't the primary reason that some brands don't use stainless steel frets.
@@ChrisEck13 do you care to enlighten or just make a statement?
@popsfereal most bigger brands aren't going to use these preshaped frets, they're the quickest way to get nice feeling frets but they have been known to have issues with popping out, as seen here, and lifting up at the ends over long periods of time, there's little reason to use stainless steel if they're going to develop issues eventually, traditional stainless steel frets are much more time consuming. But very generally speaking, stainless steel frets aren't as important to those buying more expensive guitars as they are to those buying inexpensive guitars. The people that are buying more expensive guitars tend to have owned more guitars and know that they've been just fine with nickel frets, they tend to care more about things like electronics, pickups, hardware, materials, etc than stainless steel frets. Some wouldn't even pick stainless if given the choice because they want a more traditional guitar. Of course there are exceptions in every situation but brands are primarily interested in the majority of their customers, not the exceptions.
@@ChrisEck13 i appreciate your input but you aren't telling me anything I don't already know and haven't been saying forever.
Just ordered their double cut junior and the frets were terrible. Right back in the box and sent it back.
🤣
Where did you find the DC Junior, if you don’t mind my asking? I see the DC special on Guitars Garden, but no JRs. I’ve been tempted several times over the past few years to pick up a JR, but every time I’m ready, I see another shi* review of Firefly.
@@skeegets2 Actually, I just realized I was thinking of Harley Benton. Still let me know where you found the Firefly though… please.
Great Review, Phil. My Firefly came perfect . No wiring problems, the fit and finish was very good. This is a great guitar for the $$ . I think it’s a good modding platform too. Obviously with Blackstock pickups it will sound fantastic! Maybe a giveaway Guitar with your pickups ! Yeah !!!❤
Most people dont have the tools or the space to do those necessary repairs so you can add on another 50 dollars/pounds/euros for rectifying them. Surely that glue covered switch could have been changed within seconds too. I'd still be a bit peeved at those faults even for the price.
The red binding is such a vibe
Don't you love it when you can find a really cheap guitar that not only looks cool but plays well? I've owned very expensive and very cheap guitars in my 60 yrs of playing, but get more satisfaction in getting great playing and tone out of a cheap guitar vs great tone out of expensive guitars.☮
I own a bright purple FF, and have for a couple years. I love it and it's a blast to play. Having said that, it did take going down to my friend's shop so they could iron out some pretty serious fret problems and give it a proper setup...
These stainless steel frets seem to have wear on them @4:29 A trick of the light maybe?
Those inlays are beautiful. For this price point, and the minimal amount of work you had to put into this one to make it; “right”. Think you’ve gotta winner here, PHIL. Firefly is becoming a contender in the budget guitar market.👍👍
Always look forward to your videos. Thanks for sharing.🎸
that you can buy such a great looking guitar with such little issues for less than $200 is just impressive. I might just order one for fun and/or as a project guitar to put better pickups and what not in, play around with it. If the frets are the only issue, that's an easy fix even w/o an expensive hammer, I bet the cheap nylon hammer I got from the Container Store would do just fine here. And for a beginner to have such a rad looking guitar? That'll make them want to play with it so much more.
Kinda funny, my most expensive guitar, a PRS 513, is the one I play and like the least and will sell or trade off soon and I will never buy a guitar that expensive again, there's no ROI there, just bragging rights.
Then add the name Firefly, certainly one of the coolest guitar brand names I can think of, especially if I were a young beginner!
Great vid, as always!
Seems fine to me after you adjusted the frets.
LOL, honestly Phil, I think they might be trolling you! We have AT LEAST FOUR, maybe five of these JSN (or is it JNS?) FIREFLY guitars. They are one of my favorite guitar brands. PERIOD! I think they are THE sleeper guitar, especially for anyone who wants a quality guitar without paying a MINT for it. There used to be a time when you had to keep tabs on their webpage for when they might finally have another batch for sale so that we could get one and try them out, this after hearing whispers about how great a deal these were. Then from the time we first got one and on to every suceeding model...we have been absolutely SATISFIED and PLEASED, and YES, including sound and playability, not just appearance. I think our first was a spalted maple FF338 with dual humbuckers maybe five years ago now (if it's a veneer it surely isn't obvious though I could swear we checked for this in the pickup opening at one point). Then we got an orange thinline Tele-type guitar, then next a gold top Les Paul type, and then recently I got the Buckethead themed Les Paul type with the red kill switches to boot. I love these and think they're one of the best secrets out there if anyone hasn't actually already heard of them...the JSN FireFly! PS: I am more a very occasional very limited small tiny collector but big appreciator of guitar and not a player. I dabbled on my Squier many years ago but my honey IS a musician who pretty much agrees on this.
The new Pro 338’s are excellent. Much improved pickups.
I've purchased quite a few $90-$250 inexpensive guitars in the past year. Firefly usually has the best overall hardware and requires the fewest upgrades required IMO. Also love my Harley Benton TE-62 ($160 before shipping, $240 with). No mods here. Surprisingly, one my current favs is a Fojill super Strat that was $90. After a few mods, bringing the total cost to ~$200, it plays like a dream --- great action. The Guitar Fetish P90's make it sound sweet.
The Nut: How high are the strings a the first fret, especially when held down at the 21st fret? This is my big question about inexpensive (or really any) guitars. I've played so many Squiers and off-brand models that are crap just because of this. Cowboy chords and bar chords like F and Bb should be as easy to play as when you put a capo on the first fret. They're usually not, because the strings are too high at the nut, and it takes time and skill to make it right, and it's the last adjustment a beginner is going to think of or learn to do, or take into a shop to have them fix. But when it's done right and the neck and frets are right, it's easy enough to set the action low and make a good playing guitar.
Very true. If the basic cowboy chords are difficult to play it is very discouraging to new players because they think having to press hard is normal and they don’t know what they don’t know.
Guitar Max raves about these, and what you find is that this company is no different than all the other sub $500 builders. It’s the inconsistent QC issues that are all over the place. You have a 50% chance (at best) of getting a guitar that has major problems. At this price, most rational people aren’t going to nitpick over little stuff, and many things can (and probably should) get swapped out easily, and usually very affordably. But, if you have to start doing neck work, then it’s pointless. If you know how to do that kind of work, then it’s a GREAT deal. If they sent this to Phillip, then my guess is that it’s one of their better ones. This isn’t an Amazon purchase where us Prime members can send it back for a quick refund. So, a bad guitar can turn into a horrible experience. Just sayin…. Regardless, another great video by Phil.
Firefly definitely has a less than perfect QC situation going, but that's part of where the expense is with a guitar company. I definitely have to push back on the 50% bad guitars though. I've purchased close to 60 guitars from Firefly in the last 5 years. Only two guitars really felt cheap, and that was a Telecaster style in the first iteration and a little sister copy in the first iteration. The only guitars I have had "major issues" with included a 338 I bought 3 years ago which looked like the neck pickup had been damaged at the factory and a double cut Les Paul Junior style I bought 4 years ago off of their official eBay reseller. Those are returns. It had a twisted neck, and I think I paid $90 for it. Other than that, probably five guitars total had small issues like a loose wire to the output jack or a high fret. In every case when I reached out, I was either offered a full refund or a partial refund. I would say those are pretty good numbers. I've owned a lot of square classic vibes, Mexican, and American fenders. The fret work and necks on the fireflies are certainly better than the classic vibes and mostly better than the Mexican fenders. In a million years I'd rather tap down a high fret than have to round off fret sprout, which I regularly have to do on the Mexican fenders, which I also love.
@@Ksantipacat JFC.... "60 guitars from Firefly over the past 5yrs, and only two felt cheap", eh? So, in other words, Firefly's QC rating is better than Gibson or Fender's....smh. You're trying WAY too hard with this, dude. And, that's the first sign that this company probably IS putting out a lot of junk. Btw, it apparently needs to be said that, I'm not tryin got "pick a side" for the sake of a social-media "knock-down, drag-out"....which people seem to live for, these days (regardless of topic). I'm pointing out not only an obvious ramification at this price-point, but a proven one. *Fine, it's not a 50% chance of receiving a piece of crap (if that's your issue)...it's only a 35% chance.* You sound like a desperate left-wing presidential candidate, saying literally ANY-thing they think they have to, in order to get a vote, after 4yrs of toxic, destruction (that they either blame on someone else, or deny entirely). But, I digress... If you're THAT smitten with this company to make a claim like that. Then conversing about the obvious ramifications of a product priced at this level, is pointless. By the way, speaking of left-wing, filth.... QC isn't what costs so much. A nut-less monkey can look at a guitar, after a day of training and learn how to find its flaws. The cost is hiring competent and caring craftsman, who keep the problem from happening in the first place. Which should make ANY purchaser wonder who exactly IS making these guitars. If they're coming from China, for all you know it could be some 10yr-old Uighur making your guitars, while having a gun held to his head. But, again...I digress. I've got no beef with any one particular company, I'm simply pointing out the obvious (that of which this very channel has also pointed out) issues with guitars in this price range. We have a FAR greater chance if getting junk. And, if the return policy isn't a very good/efficient one, then you just wasted a couple hundred dollars. If your experiences have been THAT spectacular....knock yourself out. I'm sure you'll enjoy another 60.
My first guitar was a gold foil one pickup Zim-Gar with high action. It’s amazing what you can get for short money these days.
What size feeler gauge did you use to slide under the frets to check if they were lifted?
Brilliant way to check that is standardized!!
Man- the budget market is getting insane. A decent guitar for the price of a good drive pedal- that's a trip. And HB just pu a couple tube amps- they sound pretty good, surprisingly good. At least I think they just put it out- could've been an old video I watched- Idk, it's new to me. They demoed a 30 watt but someone in the comments said they had a 15watt as well. It sounded really good to me- had a "reverb tone" knob that was actually just general tone knob for the whole amp- not just the reverb, that's a little odd but not a dela breaker or anything. And apparently Joyo jumped on the bandwagon as well- they have a couple models out- full tube amps, not hybrids this time. I think it's awesome- we need more budget tube amps- that's something we've never had before. Mono Price has been about it, as far as I know.
Great demo, unfortunately in Scotland we can’t get Firefly guitars on Amazon 🤷🏼♂️
Nice looking guitar but it would be way better without the red binding. White would make it look good. The red makes it look like a Batman guitar.
Hello Phil, another great overview. However, for reasonably-priced guitars, it would be GREAT to have an out-of-the-box playing review/demo. This range of players are probably folks new to the electric guitar world, and probably don't have fret rockers, etc.. A first assessment out-of-the-box would probably be more aligned with what folks buying these types of guitars would experience, and not a Phil-MckNight-Tuned playing experience. Just saying :)
My Fireflies always have a little finish issue or something small. Once the pot was free spinning. For someone with even basic luthier skills, they are great for the money. Still, a beginner may have to spend money to make it right or have one replaced. For the money, with the specs and finishes (even with flaws), they have become decent guitars. A great mod platform.
I have the same inlays on my Austin single cut. I really dig them!
7:03 What I want to know is does that "shielding paint" connect to the ring/ground of the output jack? THAT is what make the cavity shielded.
Based on one of Phil's recent weekly casts, where he talks about major brands bypassing Reviewers and sending new gear only to Influencers. I think we are going to see more down-market brands like FF, jump move to fill that gap. After all, a good review by Phil brings sales. Smart way to position gear in a crowded market.
Wow, a Zippo! Never see those anymore! I would Arbor press the frets and glue them. Hammering them can make them pop up.
I wish they import to Australia. I really want their version of the fender troublemaker
I have wanted a few Firefly models but they just wont ship to the UK, they just don't produce enough stock, they are sold out as soon as their batches drop on the site!
I agree that the retail guitar shops are asking too much for what they’re selling. It’s the same with car dealerships. People are too stuck on brands. Listen to any band you’ve never seen on video or live. You can’t tell what guitars they’re using by the sound of their music. Guitar brands don’t influence the sound. Guitar brands don’t necessarily dictate playability standards. It’s mostly just about image. Image is not music.
@@Necropheliac It's more than just image, it's the customer service, the resources, the resale value, the recognition, the uniqueness, the guarantee that you're getting what the specs say, not cutting corners, etc A large brand couldn't operate the way that Firefly does, it's not logistically possible, it's inexpensive but Amazon is essentially your distribution and customer service, it takes more resources and more cost to run a major brand.
Those pickups are greatly improved over their older versions.
I love that red binding!!!! 😍
for the money, FireFly guitars are a good way to go. I have had a few of their guitars and no complaints.
In my experience, I've found that to make these budget level guitars sound as good as the good ones, you need to do a lot of work and swap out a few parts. You can absolutely get a good sounding guitar for less than $400 (after swapped parts), but it's never a given. I've got a cheapo Firefly LP copy that looks very nice and plays ok, but the neck gets bowed a little easier than the real Gibson LP I've got. But the FF didn't SOUND great until I put on some Kluson locking tuners, good quality pots, and some Bare Knuckle PUPs. Got close to $600 in the guitar and it ended up sounding great! But still doesn't sound or look as great as my real Gibson. There's a lot to be said about peace of mind buying the real thing versus a copy. Everything is just... better. And when the guitar is "better" you feel better playing it, which makes you a better player since you look forward to playing the better thing more often. For guitar copies, Firefly does a solid job.
Phil, You definitely need to check out Tease guitars!😮
I don't understand why the lower-end manufacturers choose the wideish (2.13" @ 12th) necks w/really flat radius (here, 20" while Gib/Epi/Etc use 12") - many getting this replica will wonder "why are chords harder on this guitar, why do I have to spread my hand so far to reach the for big E string?" I like the chunkier thickness, though.
Definitely a nice looking guitar with the red binding.
Gee, now ya got me thinking. Which isn't always a good thing. 😆 I've been wanting a 335-ish semi-hollow body, whether a Gibson, Epiphone or Gretsch. But I now, with the Firefly, a cat ( cheaper cat at that ) has been thrown among the pigeons, so to speak. I have always wondered if a 335 type of guitar would too biggish for my shorter stature and smallish hands. So, I have always been hesitant to get one, cause I don't want to buy something that will be uncomfortable for me to play. But, paying just over 200, would be so devastating, just to find out I don't like how it feels to play. Thank you Phil for your great review as usual!!
I like Epiphone 👍
You make such terrific videos, Phillip. I really appreciate this Firefly review. Something we don't know about the guitar is its potential longevity. Will it hold up over time? I've heard people say that that earlier Firefly models have held up well.