Grote Electric Solid Body Guitar Modern-GST For Beginners (Mocha)

What on earth? I do YouTube guitar reviews and recently reviewed a similar Grote HSS guitar (the Standard S) and even though that one needed some work, I love it. See the review on Scuttle Productions channel. I ordered this one in two colors, coma red and mocha (I think) and WOW. They arrived in two gigantic Amazon boxes with two small guitar boxes inside. One box was damaged and the interior styrofoam was busted. BUT, the guitars do not seem damaged as far as I can tell upon initial inspection. The necks are two different shades of roasted maple. One is sort of pale, yet dark and the other is very dark -- unlike the corresponding necks in the photos. But, I like them both and I like the variation. These have lesser features than the original Grote. These don't have stainless frets with rounded edges and the inlays are much simpler. The do not come with gig bags and the truss rod adjustment is in the headstock, as opposed to spoke wheels at the neck heel. That's OK, though. Both have absolutely gorgeous body finishes. The red is satin and the mocha is glossy, which I wasn't expecting based on the pictures. There are minor imperfections in the finishes, but more by feel, not really visible. The necks feel pretty good. They are not glossy, but are a bit rougher than I'd like. I might sand them with a fine grit, but I don't know if that would compromise the dark finish (stain vs. roasted?). The frets are polished quite well. I don't think I'll polish them. The ends are not sharp. I have not noticed any buzzing or high frets yet, but I haven't played them much. The action is good, probably 1.75 mm at the 12th on both and the bridges are set well. My original Grote needed a shim, badly, but these do not. The logo on the headstock is off the edge on one. There's not a simple fix for this. Check the video for my original for a very funny story about the logo on that one. The pickups are OK. I think they may be a downgrade from the original, but I haven't checked the specs closely. I would consider replacing the pickups and electronics eventually. But, I think a beginner would be completely happy with them. They function very well, but don't sound amazing. I usually replace strings on new guitars, but these ones feel new and acceptable. They'll be fine until I decide to change them. Overall, I think the value is amazing. The quality is impressive. I don't mind the lower specs, because this still beats just about every other option, even at a somewhat higher price point. They look absolutely fantastic and they feel good to play. They are light guitars, maybe 6 pounds. I am impressed. I'll publish a video in a few weeks or so. See the channel info above.

Unbelievable price, fast delivery....Excellent guitar. Stainless steel frets, roasted maple neck and fretboard, Gilmour switch on pickups, sounds great, beautiful finish.

Had read some good things about Grote guitars so orderered this Pawlownia ST, when it went on sale $70, as I wanted to get a project guitar but also a guitar I can take to parties and gatherings without getting nervous. I unpacked it, let it stand till the following day and truly "I played it straight out of the box" However, that not to say there weren't a few things that needed improving. The neck had too much relief, but this is the same as all the guitars I have bought online, that were $200 plus, as they normally ship from Southern US to my Northern location. I quickly adjusted the truss rod and fixed this. I will also adjust the string heights at the bridge and intonate when I change strings. The fret ends were excellent, in fact I can see the edge of the neck sticking out further than the frets in places, suggesting they sanded the frets before installing on the neck? Different but hey, whatever they did worked well. Fit and finish were very good, only very minor blemishes, equal to my guitars 3 times the price. The deep grain pawlonia wood looks great through the translucent blue (with a hint of turquoise) hard finish, very attractive. The plastic nut is cut perfectly. I have not experienced this with some of the more expensive guitars. Tuners work, but tighten and losen as you turn them. Guitar need constant tuning , new tuners will be the first upgrade with new strings. Tremolo bar supplied but tremolo was screwed down tight, so no tremelo sounds until, claw, springs and tremolo adjusted. If this was your only guitar, pick ups would sound fine, however although adequate to make music they do not sound as good as the ones in my Squire Strat. More fun changing P U's. In conclusion, worth every penny, don't know how Grote do it at this price. Very light, don't worry about the Pawlonia, Fender makes the "Empress" Tele out of the same stuff, so really great for beginners and young axers. Will play out of the box to get you going but will benefit from a full set up. Down the road, with skills and experience improving, make it a project, make the guitar grow with you. Tons of fun, I am really enjoying mine!! Will probably buy more Grote guitars in the future.

OK, I returned this item so why a 3 START review? The guitar as a whole is surprisingly good for the $85.50 I paid. It looks good, sounds good, but had one major issue. A crack in the body at the neck join. This is not solid wood; it is a composite. It looks to me the slurry of wood-product they made, dried, expanded, and cracked. Also, the tuners were horrible, BUT for a sub-$100 guitar that's expected. If you think you'll get top-notch hardware on an $85 guitar, think again. This would have been a good mod platform. The pickups sounded really good. The humbucker is splitable and it sounded good. The paint was an awesome color. It looked cool. It played well. It had a nice medium neck and a beautiful fretboard. The frets were well done. It would have been a FIVE STAR if not for the body crack. Too bad. It is certainly worth a shot if you want a cheap, but good guitar or a great mod platform.