It's raining NGD's...but these are special..

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...and back to my comfort zone :laugh2:

Putting the "metal' back in "flamenco metal" :headbang:

Sweet shred tone from my Randall T2 & Laney 2x12 w/ Eminence Manowar/Swamp Thang drivers. (Manowar Mic'd)

 

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And more rain

NGD for funsies...Bought the cheapest guitar on Amazon.in for $60!!!)

So the same price/cheaper than most Joyo pedals..

And it actually LOOKS fantastic!

Same config as my last FGN Strat...


Otherwise the news is'nt so good. Pretty ordinary tone the way it came set up (w/ the action a mile high...more on that later :laugh2

Finish was actually surprisingly good ..nicely levelled frets w/ no dead spots. The ends could be used to shred lettuce though ..man they are sharp!

The neck is snug in the pocket, but here's the problem.. no matter how much I lower the saddles (I have them with about a 1/4 inch of the set screws sticking up above the saddles now). The action is still pretty high. Playable but high...def way higher than anything I'd consider ideal. I'm thinking I will have to raise the neck heel in the pocket with a shim/shims..

The neck itself appears to be actual dark Rosewood (not Jatoba/Indian Laurel etc) w/ some nice grain and apart from looking pretty dry actually plays very well and feels good. Fretwork is perfect apart from those sharp ends!

It stays in tune ok ..I'm sure it'll be better if I lube the nut w/ Nut Sauce...

Also I expect things to get even better when I change whatever crappy strings it came with & pop on a set of D'Addario XL's..

Plastic/nylon nut that's cut fine...no problems there.

The body itself is apparently "Mango wood" which is a popular Asian wood for cheap furniture & looks pretty!

The bridge is a standard Squier Bullet style vintage 6 point tremolo bridge that seems to be pretty sturdy and of decent quality/thickness.

Pups are usable/playable ceramics but do leave something to be desired tone-wise, especially the neck one which sound muddy af out of the box....

Overall. I think w/ a little sweat & love this could be a decent sounding & playing axe.. and for $60 it could have been a hell of a LOT worse :laugh2:

It is also officially the cheapest axe I've ever bought (used or new) :bigthumb:

Slightly untuned/flat demo right out of the box (I tuned it quick by ear & it's not perfect )

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Given that this was 1/10 the price of the FGN S-S-S axe I just bought...it actually leaves little to be desired in the looks dept. The 3T Sunburst paint job is at least on par. The wood grain is comparable & arguably 'better' since the FGN is basswood and has little/no grain to speak of..but looks classic/classy the way it is..

If, after I have it playing the way I want it to..the pups still sound nasty I will swap them for Alnico 5 Artecs/Belcats or something similar ...GFS or the like .. cuz I want this to stay my cheapest axe

 

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With the action as low as I can get it w/o shimming the neck....otherwise the same as above....except for some rough adjustment of pup height after re-doing the action. The neck pup sounds a lot better now w/ decent/passable tone :bigthumb:

I might just be able to keep the price down to cost price after all :bigthumb:

Ballad w/ the neck pup....it even stayed in tune almost right up to the end :lmao:

Wot a sweet axe!

And I will make it a whole lot sweeter

 

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Yep....things are already way better :bigthumb:

Tightened the truss rod which turned out to be super loose.. also straightened out the bridge angle. That cut the string height down to about halfway of where I had it before (which in itself was about halfway lower than when I got it :laugh2...still a tad higher than my usual..but shreddable nonetheless. The only thing I have to deal w/ are the set-screws for the saddles that stick up in a slightly uncomfortable manner. Thankfully the tops are'nt particularly sharp though.

I'll keep the strings it came with on until I finish most of my setup/adjustments..

Sounds pretty sweet and plays a hella better than when I first got it.

* $60 guitar
* No name cruddy looking strings
* Dinky modeler/practice amp

Almost makes me wonder if *gasp* tone is in the fingers after all ..eh, who can say? :lmao:

 

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Whoah? .....$45?

Damn...looks like I got burned. :lmao:​

 

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Could this be tr00???

I was burning to know :firedevil:

So after finding the appropriate gear & a suitable cold/grim back track :bigthumb:

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^^ After letting it sit overnight post truss-rod adjustment, the action is pretty much the way I like it, give or take a few fractions of a centimetre..

It's now as comfortably shreddable/tappable as any of my other axes. Did'nt even need to shim the neck.

Next, I'll get started on those killer fret ends..

And then it's time to change the strings :bigthumb:

All-in-all $60 very well spent :dance:​

 

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Still have'nt got around to filing fret ends or changing strings but I did re-adjust my pickup height 'cause the neck pup was a lot quiter than the other two. It's all good now.

Plugged it into my 30W Laboga The Beast Classic 30 head and jammed a blues/southern rock solo.. :bigthumb:

It's sounding pretty good now :no need to swap out pups :bigthumb:

 

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And the same amp/cab/settings w/ my FGN SSS...

^^ Sounds more hifi ...kinda. I actually prefer my $60 tone here for this track :lmao: I mean the FGN is more stratty & clangy & spanky and all that great stuff w/ a good deal more low end (might be partly cuz of the different strings) but then the Juarez's more middy, grimy/dirty & gainy/gritty (ceramics) :bigthumb:

 

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Turns out the $60 Juarez is'nt just about gritty blues-rock & Metal Zone tones but can hang in there with the FGN Strat for more polished, cork-sniffer approved tones as well..

Proggy metal w/ FGN SSS Strat..

And again w/ the $60 Juarez (still with stock strings & pup's).

..


^^ that's my first Juarez recording w/ the JVM too :bigthumb:

 

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$60 Juarez neck pup w/ my Line 6 DT50..

Kinda generic/meat & potatoes melodic metal track..

Kinda like an Iron Maiden-ish lead tone.. a bit mushy in the lows but I still like it. :bigthumb:

 

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My good old Cicognani Brutus Live (30W Class A 2x5881's) which is kinda Marshally on Lead 1...especially with the upper mid boost (Voice 2) selected. But this was w/ Voice 3 (treble & mid-bass pushed). The $60 Juarez S-S-S Strat was w/ 'position 4' on the blade switch (neck/middle notch) selected and it sounds great for shred-0-rama ..smooth but kinda chewy w/ decent definition/pick attack & killer overtones :bigthumb:

I used my DIY "Peavey" 1x12 cab w/ an Emi Legend GB128 which imo is the cab that pairs best with my Brutus Live head...

 

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Marshall JVM pushed with my Boss SD-1. Od-2 Orange mode. $60 Juarez Strat w/ the bridge pup....

Love the tone. Def a lot to be said about Marshall's & SD-1's :bigthumb:

 

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Laney Ironheart 120 w/The SD-1 front. FGN Black Limba Strat with the bridge humbucker split...

Goingt hrough my Laney 4x12 w/ V30 Clones

 

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And the SD-1 in front of my LIne 6 DT50.

Cuz why not?

 

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$60 axe + solid state amp tone...

Lacks for nothing :bigthumb:

 

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And more singing screaming SS tone w/ the $60 Strat :bigthumb:

 

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Marshall JVM w/ the $60 Juarez Strat followed halfway through by my FGN Koa Strat that cost 25 times more (neck single coils compared through the same rig w the same settings)

As far as how they play. After I set them up they both play as well as each other..

Sound is subjective but I like them both.. the Juarez is a tad thicker & grittier, while the FGN is a bit more clear & 3D...

 

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And another joust... :bigthumb: