“There’s nothing really that special about it that justifies that price”: Watch a full-length demo of Trump Guitars’ $12k Les Paul lookalike
Back in November, before the US election which saw Donald Trump win his second term as president, the guitar world caught wind of Trump Guitars, a line of Trump-endorsed, MAGA-themed six-strings that would later catch a cease and desist order from Gibson.
When unveiled, many in the guitar community noted that some models, like the American Eagle Series, for example, looked suspiciously similar to the Gibson Les Paul. Following a cease and desist order from the guitar giant, Trump Guitars made some tweaks to its models and website.
READ MORE: How to spot a fake Gibson guitar – practical advice to avoid getting scammed when buying a used guitar
The website now displays the following disclaimer: “GetTrumpGuitars.com is not affiliated, associated, authorised, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with Gibson Brands Inc., or any of its subsidiaries or its affiliates, nor does it represent itself as a dealer, manufacturer, or distributor of Gibson, Les Paul Standard, Les Paul Custom, or any of their products.”
Yes, much has been made of the way Trump Guitars instruments look – just at look at them – but are they any good? YouTuber Guitar Max – Max Carlisle – has taken a Trump-signed American Eagle guitar for a spin in an attempt to find out.
The Trump Guitars American Eagle Electric Guitar features a solid mahogany body and neck, 22-fret rosewood fingerboard, MAGA 45′ Trumpbuckers, a “Make America Great Again” fretboard inlay, two volume and two tone pots, and a three-way toggle pickup switch.
“It’s a good guitar,” Carlisle says as he examines the instrument, acknowledging later that the guitar is well-built. “The big question is – is it worth [the money]? This guitar does not compare very well to other guitars that cost the same amount of money. It’s not that it’s a bad guitar… it’s just that there’s nothing really that special about it that really justifies that price. All of the hardware is very generic stuff.”
He later points out that there’s no shielding on the inside of the back control cavity. “To me, that’s a giveaway that it’s not a very expensive guitar or not a very high-quality guitar in terms of the manufacturing. At the very least, there should be some kind of paint on shielding and there’s really nothing inside the control cavity to keep out unwanted interference.”
Carlisle then plays the guitar and says the playability is “fine” and the neck is comfortable. There are, however, some blemishes. “Cosmetically, it could certainly be better.” Ultimately, he suggests it’s more likely to be bought as a collector’s item rather than a guitar in its own right.
See more from Guitar Max via his official YouTube channel.
The post “There’s nothing really that special about it that justifies that price”: Watch a full-length demo of Trump Guitars’ $12k Les Paul lookalike appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Source: www.guitar-bass.net
