Rockson TL (Black)

I am not a novice and played some decent guitars over many years. I bought this as a project. I have had 2 frozen shoulders and an operation to move my right ulnar nerve and struggle with large and heavy guitars. Well this guitar is ideal, it is so much lighter than any guitar I have played, which is usually not a good sign for wood quality, but great for me and any young starters. The finish is good for the price. although you will need to polish frets as bending strings is like scratching nails on a blackboard. The frets had slight surface corrosion. The budget 'ashtray' bridge has had its sides removed so if you like to rest your hand here for playing muted parts then it is uncomfortable with sharp long allen screws poking up. It also doesn't have the through body string holes, not that this a problem at the price although a set of d'addarios will look a bit colourful on the front with their painted ball ends. This has not been tested and set up before leaving their warehouse as claimed in the description, the loose strings rattled! Also the action is too high to encourage a beginner, it is an easy guitar to set up so shouldn't be a show stopper, although those allen screws are going to stick out even more! However, it plays well and the pick ups are passable (I'll be changing these) and the intonation is fine. The black high gloss paint body finish looks a little bit naff (to me, you may like it) but no imperfections. The neck is good and straight and has the desirable matt/satin finish on the back. The strings need replacing although I was amazed how loud this sounded unplugged! As with most guitars it seems, there is obviously no shielding within the guitar and it buzzes until you earth it by touching the strings/metalwork. This is easily remedied and expected, although I know some just live with it and ignore it. Mine will be unrecognisable after I've carved bits off and modded it but 'as it is' is a great starter guitar. At this price you can't really go wrong and it is a cool guitar once you have removed the Rockson logo (sorry Rockson) and filed the offending small part of the headstock to the traditional shape. Well done DV247 for allowing most to have a decent starter electric, not sure if there are any good budget amps to pair with it? They also do a strat copy (at a slighly cheaper price!) which may be more comfortable to play with the chamferred body etc. and possibly thinner neck profile?

After selling my 2 guitars I missed not having one so I purposely went for a cheap and cheerful option - in fact I think it was the cheapest tele on the website. That being said, I was pleasantly surprised and any minor grumbles I might have had (I do mean minor) for the price I have no complaints. Just had to do a little adjusting here and there when I first got it but the sound and playing action is great for the price This guitar is very good value for money and would suit someone learning to play as an ideal first instrument.

When I ordered this guitar, I was quite sceptical as the price was really low at £59.99...
So I threw caution to the wind and took the plunge.
The guitar arrived a few days later and was very well packaged.
I unwrapped it and everything about it was quality. Very impressed but still looking for negatives due to the price... none!
Positves all the way, it tuned up well and holds tuning really well, no string rattle, great playing action, looks great. Plugged it into an amp, great sounds from the pickups.
So far I can't fault the guitar at all, what a great piece of workmanship. Don't let the price fool you into thinking that it's sub-standard as this is the total oppsite. What a great piece of kit. Very recommended.

The very lightweight body gives the first clue to how this guitar is so cheap. To install copper tape shielding I tried to remove the bridge and, when finally prised off, it brought a slab of the black plastic finish with it! However, if you want to play it how it is then it is a very playable guitar. It is just not a great guitar to use as a donor for a project. The general look of the guitar is fine with minor adjustments needed - the frets needed polishing and the action was too high for beginners but easily changed. For the price this is a bargain, especially for a starter guitar for any young Eric or Jimi wannabes, without too much money being wasted if they decide to just play their X Box!

Perfect for newbies sounds great on my amp