Here's a link to the JT100

http://www.guitarfetish.com/XV-JT-Series-Offset-Electric-Guitars_c_208.html

I have looked at those guitars online, started looked at that site for parts.

It would be interesting to read some more reviews, and see what price a used guitar from there brings.

Yeah, if I could find one of those used and in mint condition for under $150, I'd snatch it up in a second.

I found some info here and there on them. Some seem to like them, others say you have to spend more on pickups and tuners than they are worth to make them into something.....

One thing I read is that a lot of Fender standard parts won't fit them - I don't know that for a fact, just read it online. That may or may not be a problem for you.

I am going to be travelling a lot this summer, might try to look ahead at GC stores' inventory (online) to see if I can find one to try out.

Ken,

I was trying to find some info on line and only found three reviews on Harmony Central and two guys at Kirk's site have one each and like them.

I felt ok with what I read and ordered one Saturday. I just found out it will probably be delivered tomorrow. I will let you know how it looks and how it plays as soon as I can.

Andy S.

Thanks Andy,

Which one did you order? they have a lot of styles on there.

Yeah Andy, we'd love a first-hand review. Which one did you order?

As for Fender parts not fitting, there are a lot of FENDER guitars that not all Fender parts will fit, so I kind of expect that. I just read on Xaviere's site that their Strats use American spacing trems. That's a good sign. The bodies look thick, but I can't tell if they're full American thickness or not.

In any case, for $200, it's worth the gamble. As soon as I can get my hands on one I'll review it for you all.

It is the XV-610 Semi Hollowbody Tele with the Dream 180 pickups (humbuckers) Seafoam Green finish and a maple neck.

It got here yesterday. I had to adjust the intonation a bit and stretch the daylights out of the strings otherwise they kept going out of tune. They're broken in nicely now.

As of last night, it stays in tune well, after some big bends. Tone is good. Almost a cross between p-90s and humbuckers, which I think that's what they were shooting for with the Dream 180s. The frets could use just a little dressing up on the edge. Compared to my other guitars, you notice them when you slide your hand up or down the neck. No pain, but still, ya notice them much more than on my other guitars.

As for details, everything looks really nice. Paint job looks very good. The way the frets are in, other then needing just a touch up on the ends, are all nice & straight. It plays well up and down the neck. All the hardware looks good. Works well. Tuners seem stable.

The only thing that caught my eye was what looks like a piece of the black, tusq like nut, on the G string, where it had been cut but maybe didn't clean some debri from a file. Pulled that off with a pair of tweezers.

Total for everything, including the hardshell case, shipping and added insurance was $250. The price on the guitar was $179. So, it was an additional $49 for the case and $22 for shipping & Insurance.

I had gone to Guitar Center and Sam Ash looking at inexpensive Tele's with the thought of getting one local, then ordering pups and swapping them, but the price kept coming back up with a case and the pups and local taxes. So I rolled the dice and right now, I am very pleased...but it's only been 1 day. If that changes, I'll let ya know. And I hope to have a couple of pics to post later.

Andy

Keep us posted on that!! I was thinking of a Tele or Thinline T

A student of mine has an Xaviere and it seems to be a really good entry level guitar. The neck is very good and the pups can howl.

If I had a kid wanting to get into playing I would look at these guitars alone side the higher end Squires.

I am really tempted to get one of their Tele-style instruments and see how it is.

If you had to swap pickups, thats only 2 to swap out!!

The GFS pickups are ok, I installed a set in an Eip LP for a kid a few years back. Not the greatest, but not the worst. It'd be pretty low cost to get those upgraded. If you look for Reliable Fender on e-bay, you can get a set of new ones, freshly removed from a parted out guitar on the cheap. I hate that they buy new guitars and part them out for a living, but occasionally it has come in handy.

I meant to say Epi Les Paul, but you probably knew that. It's 7 o'clock in the morning... sleepy.

I have heard good and bad things (more bad) about GFS and frankly for more my money, I am going to stay away. I don't experiment much as I used to and kind set in my ways. With that said I will trust the companies that have dealt with in the past as well as friends recommendations. One of the blues guys loves GFS and has no issue but that is due to the low costs of their products.

I am going to check online inventories at GC , will be travelling to the bigger cities here in VA a lot this summer, so can visit GC and perhaps see some of these GFS / Xavieres axes in person.

I haven't seen any of those guitars here on the west coast.

Next time I visit Richmond VA or VA Beach I will visit the Guitar Center stores and see if they have gotten any in on trade ...

I was looking at Texas Specials online, on sale, but when payday came, the TX Specials were all sold out... might look for this Reliable Fender, thanks for the tip

Try Musicians Friend - They are selling them for $145.09 right now.

http://backstage.musiciansfriend.com/search/search.jsp?question=texas+specials

Check Amazon too. Some of the places Amazon advertises are selling them for as low as $124.25.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0002KZB5C/ref=dp_olp_new_map?ie=UTF8&qid=1305299674&sr=8-1&condition=new

It could be a cheap experiment that could turn out to be a really cool guitar. You never know. If its not good you could always make it your learning guitar and do some mods like brother Randy is doing.

Good point. You could try your hand at routing and drop some humbuckers in there. It's funny, I've never cared for, or paid much attention to, Jazzmasters until I saw this guitar. I prefer this guitar's simpler setup.

I have a Duncan Scorcher and a Dimarzio Tone Zone - both rail type pickups - would not be too hard to get one of them into the neck position of the Tele. I could keep the existing Bridge pickup or search the net for a better one for the bridge - thats my thought for now.

I have a strat copy and a MIM Strat, but find I don't play them as much as I play my 2 pickup guitars - might the weight of the individual guitars that I have.

I have a strat with 3 rail-type humbuckers in it, works great. I can roll off the bridge and neck to single coil if I want.

I think somebody makes a stacked P90 type of humbucker for a Jazzy, don't they?

I am looking at adding these rails to the bridge and neck of a Strat pickguard, with a single coil in the middle to hopefully retain some of that trademark Strat sound you get when combining pickups.

I am considering also using switches to swap the rails between series and parallel wiring - they will still hum cancel either way, but the parallel gives a cleaner tone - the series wiring is the typical humbucker sound.

http://www.guitarfetish.com/NEW-Soapbar-180-Humbuckers--Fits-P90-Soapbar-Guitars_c_276.html

GFS has humbucking pickups in a P-90 size case

See, I knew somebody made 'em. Not sure how good they are, but they're pretty inexpensive.

I really like the single coil sized Dimarzio rail HB I got - I put it in my old gray Strat copy as an experiment, but I may just leave it there!

Is it hum cancelling you are after, in the P-90 size pickup?

Not necessarily, just thinking about options. Always thinking about options.

I have not had P-90s in a guitar.

Perhaps some really good shielding will take care of any noise issues for you.

I have a P90 in the neck of my SG. The problem is that it's so much quieter than the Duncan humbucker that's in the bridge.

My friend has BG P90's in his Gibson The Paul and the sound great. If I were to put P90's in a guitar, I would consider them. Here is the website addy

http://www.bg-pups.com/p90.html

Do you mean the bridge pickup is much hotter?

I think lots of bridge pickups are wound pretty hot, to somewhat offset being so close to the bridge, since the neck pickup sits under the strings where they are free to vibrate much more.


Did you have any luck lowering the one at the bridge and raising that one by the neck?

I'd say give one of those GFS pickups a shot.

If you don't like it, you might be able to sell it or add it to something that you build to sell.

Teah, the bridge in my SG90 is a Duncan Distortion, so it's pretty hot. Amazing sounding pickup! The neck is great, just doesn't match it all that well.

Any way to lower the bridge pickup and raise the neck one to get them closer to balancing?


Does that guitar have a volume knob for each pickup? I wonder if a different value of pot would make a difference in the balance?

What sort of instrument is it? humbuckers? single coil? Fender - like or Gibson like?