I Can't Believe This Guitar Only Costs $200

This is an INSANE amount of guitar for $200 bucks!
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VIDEO SECTIONS:
1: Unboxing!
2. First Impressions - 2:08
3. What are the specs? - 3:07
4. What does a $200 LP sound like? - 5:35
5. What about the construction? - 9:04
6. Final Thoughts - 12:51

SOLI DEO GLORIA!

[DarrellBraunGuitar]

VIDEO SECTIONS:
1: Unboxing!
2. First Impressions - 2:08
3. What are the specs? - 3:07
4. What does a $200 LP sound like? - 5:35
5. What about the construction? - 9:04
6. Final Thoughts - 12:51
HUGE thank you to the subscriber who sent this to me to demo!

[brendenkucken]

Man, the fact that companies can put out guitars like this for less than $300 makes me question how Gibson is still in business

[michaelolz]

Those tones from the neck pickup were an absolute dream. Wow!

[samueloyeyele]

I love how this guy jumps right to the case, not wasting time with unimportant stuff.

[Halsafe]

You know it's a good day when Darrell posts a video

[RickFoxx]

I bought four Firefly's (two LP's one 335 and one SG less than $800.00) and am very happy with them and amazed at the quality, look and playability. WOW. Peace.

[richardkeller]

I bought my Firefly FFLP about 3 months ago. I got the gold top version and it looks fantastic. However, there were some quality issues. On mine, the tuners were terrible and I had a tough time getting the guitar to stay in tune. So I replaced them with some basic grovers and that problem was solved. Next was the bridge saddle. The strings guides on the saddle were cut very deep and the strings actually got stuck in them. Again, a simple replacement with a gotoh saddle and that solved that issue. The last issue was the bridge pick up. For some reason, the bridge pickup had a significant volume decrease from the neck pick up (yes, I did check the volume setting). After checking it out, I could not figure out why this was occurring. So I replaced them with some golden age vintage zebras and it works great. Other than that, I am very pleased with the guitar. I did not have the excess nut glue issue that you had, the neck is in great shape and I think the fret work was done very well. The binding looks great and I have zero finish flaws on mine. So with $200 (including shipping) for the guitar and about $160 in upgrades, I now have an LP style guitar that looks great, feels great, and I enjoy playing! Thanks for your videos.

[melodieh]

I’ve always said that as long as a guitar looks good, plays well and sounds good, I couldn’t care less what the headstock says. Sometimes it’s nice to have certain brands in your arsenal, but little known brands can do a lot of the same things, and sometimes even better than well-known ones.

[Gary-hjlc]

Note the brand name, money-no-odds snobs on here. I got rid of my Epi Les Paul (uncomfortable neck) and MiM Strat (I only play at home so wasted on me).
Replaced with HB SG type DC400 and HB ST-62SB Strat, both a pleasure to play at much less cost & I've been playing over 50 year. I also have a Squier Affinity Tele which I'm happy with.

[IGotAHaloRoundMyHead]

I own a 1978 Les Paul Standard in cherry sunburst and a 2019 Firefly FFLP Elite in lizard burst. The Firefly feels and plays as good as the Gibson. The Gibson humbuckers have better overall tone, but the Firefly comes close. The build quality on the Gibson is flawless, while there are minor imperfections in the Firefly, noticeable only on close inspection. I do not have the excess glue problem at the nut that Darrell has. The finish on the Gibson is high quality nitrocellulose that, aside from minor dings, looks as good as when I bought it 40+ years ago. The firefly finish is amazing and it is the first guitar that I have purchased for appearance over tone, having never seen anything like this lizard burst.

I bought the Firefly as a project guitar with the intent of upgrading it with Whole Lotta Humbuckers, CTS push-pull pots, Sprague orange drops and Switchcraft toggle and jack in a Jimmy Page wiring scheme. I wanted to keep my Gibson stock. I will eventually do the work, but it has been nearly a year since I bought the Firefly and upgrade parts. The JP wiring will be time consuming as I will be hand wiring it myself with splits, series/parallel and phase in/out. Still, I enjoy playing the Firefly as is.

The Firefly FFLP Elites are hard to find. I do not own a regular FFLP, so I cannot compare the two. I purchased mine NWT on eBay and paid about $50 over retail. This gave me the ability to choose a great finish and the opportunity to look at close up pics of the guitar before I purchased it. Well worth every cent as there were no surprises upon unboxing.

[Cymbaline]

I just got one of these from a client for a setup and string change. VERY nice guitar. Same guitar as this one, only it had a holographic color shift green/blue/purple paint job that was mesmerizing to look at. The fret work was close to perfect, with nice semi hemispherical fret ends. It had a nice bone nut, not plastic as you'd expect from a guitar in this price range. I almost didn't want to give it back to the customer!

[billyvitale]

if slight cosmetics is the biggest issue.. for 200$.. think relic.. for free!!! 😄

[schrodingerscat]

Have to say the tone from that guitar is very nice and for $200 absolutely outstanding. Anyone just starting out playing this is all the guitar they are going to need for years. While the cosmetic imperfections are noticeable you kind of have to look for them. I think after sorting out the glue around the nut it would be liveable with. Still can't believe it's only $200 for an instrument that plays that well out of the box.

[akasgsvirgil]

After watching this great video, I bought the FFLP this past week in a burst color that I can only describe as a "caramel burst". The maple top was book matched and had a very good flame to it. The binding was excellent. The inlays were set neatly and there were no rough fret edges down the side of the neck binding. The pickups are much better than I expected, especially since my Gibson LP's have either vintage PAF's, P90's or Seymour Duncan pickups of various varieties. It was setup very nicely from the factory in terms of the action. No fret buzz, especially above the 12th fret when bending up the G, B or E strings. The neck is straight and free of bows. The frets are nicely set and properly finished. But, like any new guitar, it needs a proper intonation, which isn't to say that the intonation was out or terrible. But, it does need a tweak or two.

The only criticisms I can come up with is when the selector switch is in the center position and one of the pickup volumes is turned all the way off, the remaining pickup still produces a signal unlike the LP that shuts off all signal from both pickups in the center position when either volume knob is turned all the way down. At first, I thought it may be some version of a coil split, which would've been very cool. But, it wasn't. The other criticism is you really need to have a light touch or else your fingers can easily pull the strings out of tune. So, there was a bit of getting used to going on there. I like to play 10's (10 to 48 gauge) and I think the strings on this guitar are light 10's (10 to 42) which probably represents the bulk of that problem. I'll know more when I change out the strings.

Other than that, the craftsmanship, tone, playability, appearance and features are exceptional. I've owned and played guitars that easily cost 5 to 10 times as much that don't play, look or were built as well as this guitar. I think I'm going to buy another, maybe the Explorer version or semi hollow body? Who knows? For around $200 s'moleons, you can't go wrong.

If you're looking for a knock-around guitar or if you're just learning or looking to buy a good quality and affordable guitar for your kid who's just starting, this is the brand to look at.

[aliengrey]

I purchased an artist cimmeron for 199.00 Inc a hardcase. Plays unbelievable sounds unbelievable. Heavy as hell at 9lb 13oz. Tell you in ten years if it’s ok. It’s a keeper.

[tyrssen]

Glad to see genuinely good guitars at a realistically affordable price -- unlike the big-name guys. Sure, in many cases the neck and frets can use a little simple TLC; but the same might be true of a Fender or Gibson as well. I just wish such things could be made in America.

[d.j.linhart]

Hey Darrell 👋
Always love when I see you post a video! You are always a blessing to watch.
Soli Deo Gloria brother!

[mrkkitson]

I bought a black one, partly on your review. It is amazing for the price. Only one real issue, missing the bridge selector knob. I have a strat and a Taylor acoustic. For the money this thing rocks!

[Malum]

Darrell has become a guy i lookout for when i want to see a demo on certain brand that no one else seems to do.

[ConwayBob]

Ouch. When I think of all the money I've wasted on a Gibson... Nah, it's great. But this is an AMAZING guitar for the price! Thanks for sharing.