Advise me on Xavier XV880 superstrat & parts

Please advise: How does the GuitarFetish Xavier XV880 Superstrat Floyd Rose Tremolo differ from the 2 different GFS Floyd Rose [fastloader OR dual locking heavy duty] Tremolos?

Also, please offer your full opinion on the XV880 guitar, especially at $169 [before S&H]. I wish it came with maple fretboard/jumbo frets/preferably scalloped. I know.

Also, if you can opine on their basses. How do they make active electronics work with passive bass pickups on their DLX bass?

Thank You. Respectfully, Ken

Hi Ken... I just took a quick look around on "GuitarFetish"... I'd say what you are most likely dealing with there are made in China cheap knock offs. I could be totally wrong, but there are loads of made in China guitars on-line these days, and this sight looks like a vendor. From what I've seen in reviews, these guitars are all about looking like a nice guitar, when in fact, they're pretty much junk. The wood will be super cheap, in some cases plywood, and the metal parts will be poorly made. The guitar may not even be playable when you get it due to excessive fret buzz.

My advice would be to go to a music store and try guitars before you buy one. A quality built instrument is a sound investment. I'd much rather have one good guitar than 2 or more crappy ones. Things like floating bridges have to be well made and setup properly, otherwise not only with they not work, they'll actually hamper the entire guitar's playability. There's always deals out there, $350-$600 will buy you a nice guitar from a reputable brand.

Hi Ken- GuitarFetish is one of my favorite sites. I will be trying one of their On-Board Mods in an upcoming project. I've never held an Xavier guitar. It's a $200 guitar. That means it's WORTH ... $200.

For Your Consideration:

Player A buys a/any brand new guitar for $200. It's an inferior product, not built for a "long haul". In 12 mos he has out-grown the inferior product and sells it on the local market for $50-$75 (inferior off-brand) so he can upgrade. He has now spent (about) $140 to USE this guitar for a year. $140 = $12/month (+/-).

Player B spends $500 on a nationally recognized brand. Because it's a better guitar he is happy with it for two years before the itch to upgrade overwhelms him. Because it's a better quality guitar with a recognized label he's able to get (at least) $250 for it. He has now spent $250 to USE this guitar for two years. $250=$10.50/month (+/-).

Player C splurges on a $1000 guitar. Premium brand, desirable model, in demand. Because it is a truly great playing/sounding instrument, ( and it satiates the ego in ownership factor ), it's a solid 3 years+ before player C decides to move on. Quality/demand being directly commensurate with depreciation, his nice guitar is still worth $600 on the used market. Player C USED his guitar for $400/3 years. $400=$11/month (+/-).

If you stuck with me this far the point I am trying to illustrate is that it actually doesn't cost any more to own a great guitar as opposed to a "cheap" guitar. If you factor in the extra satisfaction/results you get from a premium instrument while you own it - it only makes sense, when buying a guitar, to spend as much as you can possibly muster together! If that happens to be just $200, well, so be it - that is Player A. Not a death sentence.

Is the GFS $200 guitar the best $200 guitar? I don't know, maybe it is? If you get one why don't you do a review here, that would be interesting.

Good analysis. That will make it easier for me to make the jump to buy another guitar one day. My wife will love that :-).

Another way to make your money go further is to be the guy who buys player B or player C's used guitar. This will take patience, you will need to know what you are looking for, and you won't have the selection of colors or options you would have with a new guitar. If you are new to guitars, you would also want to bring an experienced player with you to help you determine if the guitar has any issues - warped neck, etc.

I like fretsmith's breakdown... I'm a little different... I purchase guitars with the intent of owning them forever. My first guitar was a Peavey Falcon, which I used for many years, and then eventually upgraded to a Fender American Standard Strat, which I've owned and enjoyed for more than two decades.

I saw YouTube review on a made-in-China fake Les Paul... more than half the notes on the guitar were not even playable. That's why I'd be wary of the cheap on-line purchase, though many places have excellent return policies.