NGD: Guitar Fetish Xaviere XV890HH

[progrmr]

Posted this on another forum I frequent but thought fellow Fretter's might enjoy as well.

Xaviere XV890HH from GuitarFetish. I've seen these guitars before but never thought it'd be a good deal given how cheap they are.

This one was made in Indonesia and came shipped in the black hardshell case in the pics. Total Price: $315.

Impressions - the finish is very nice. Haven't put it under a microscope but there are no glaring finish issues. The action out of the box is excellent. I loosed the locking nuts, tweaked the tuning, tightened 'em back up and played. The strings don't suck at all - SIT strings (??) and I think they're 10's to boot. 25.5" scale - fretboard is 12" so there's a little arch to the fretboard. Floyd Special looks great but I have yet to dive bomb it.

Pickups are good - neck sounds a bit muddy but the soloing on it sounds great. Bridge pickup is decent with good clarity and a nice humbucker tone. These are the GFS Crunchy PAT humbuckers. Given that this has a floyd, I'm going to be investing in some MAD distortion humbuckers - these aren't hot enough for seriously metal but I'll re-use them in another guitar for less metal-oriented music.

Fretboard looks fantastic and there are no flaws. The neck is closer to Jackson than an Ibanez. There is a nice volute at the neck/headstock for added strength. Headstock has a glossy finish, reverse and looks solid for sure.

I can't believe what can be had for $315 delivered these days. Fantastic deal - great piece of hardware and frankly I doubt will ever spend fat $$$ on a guitar again...the values out of these lower price instruments just gets better and better.

Pics or it didn't happen right??

[Bookkeeper's Son]

Pretty darn nice! Congrats. Another example of how much a premium is charged for a name on the headstock.

[Spudman***]

That's a beauty. Jumbo frets too? What is the neck girth like on that? Most of the Xaviers I've heard about had super thick necks. That's what has kept me away from trying one.

[progrmr]

Not in this case - not ibanez thin, not Jackson thin but close to a Jackson.

[duhvoodooman***]

Holy crap!!

[Tig***]

Wow, that's the nicest Xaviere I've ever seen. It looks pretty solid in the quality department.
HNGD!

[progrmr]

In the interest of full disclosure - the tone pot was shot when I got it. Couldn't really tell with the distortion on but when playing clean the notes wouldn't ring cleanly. Moving the tone knob resulted in crackling and inconsistent tone. I had a pot and an orange drop cap laying around and replaced it immediately. The guitar now sounds fine.

You'll have these things with a $315 (with case delivered) guitar so I wasn't too unhappy about it. It's a real beauty and competes with upper-beginner/lower intermediate guitars on that market that cost much for just the guitar, let alone delivery and a case. It's a tremendous deal - and made in Indonesia seems to be higher quality.

[Katastrophe]

That guitar looks amazing!

Congrats, man!

[duhvoodooman***]

Looking into this guitar further, I still think it's a pretty amazing value, but I have come across one item of concern:

The Floyd Rose "Special" trem used in this guitar has something of a reputation for problems with the string saddles cracking when the retaining Allen screws are tightened down. The cheaper material of contruction on this "economy" version of the FR trem system--a zinc alloy instead of steel--is apparently fairly brittle and requires extra care when changing strings. Not surprising that this ~$80 trem is not of the same quality/durability as the $200 "original" FR trem. The consensus seems to be that the FR Special is not a bad trem for an inexpensive guitar (which this clearly is), but don't expect the durability of the original, and be careful cranking down those Allen screws.

Some more information on the saddle breakage issue: http://www.theguitarreview.com/mod/2...se-bridge.html

[@nthony]

The cat leg in the first shot was included in the deal right?

[Tig***]

The cat leg in the first shot was included in the deal right?

Kittehs always know when a guitar case (bed) is about to open. They're born with this ability!

[progrmr]

Looking into this guitar further, I still think it's a pretty amazing value, but I have come across one item of concern:

The Floyd Rose "Special" trem used in this guitar has something of a reputation for problems with the string saddles cracking when the retaining Allen screws are tightened down. The cheaper material of contruction on this "economy" version of the FR trem system--a zinc alloy instead of steel--is apparently fairly brittle and requires extra care when changing strings. Not surprising that this ~$80 trem is not of the same quality/durability as the $200 "original" FR trem. The consensus seems to be that the FR Special is not a bad trem for an inexpensive guitar (which this clearly is), but don't expect the durability of the original, and be careful cranking down those Allen screws.

Some more information on the saddle breakage issue: http://www.theguitarreview.com/mod/2...se-bridge.html

I don't know - the guys over at metalguitarist.org say the FR Special is pretty solid. I'm sure there's issues as with anything. I don't really dive bomb anyway - probably should've gone for the TOM

[progrmr]

Kittehs always know when a guitar case (bed) is about to open. They're born with this ability!

That's EXACTLY the situation too - kitty sleeping in the quiet bedroom in the spot right next to where owners head would normally be...in comes owner with large box and cutting instrument...much noise, some big square thing dropped onto the bed..open - fun!!

[The Grand Vizier]

Wow Good score, can't go wrong for that price.
Some new pickups & I bet you get as much enjoyment out of your $315 guitar as the next dude with his/her $4000 PRS
What wood is the body?

[cebreez]

I've had one of the Xavier LP's for some time now and love it. I only made hardware changes because I wanted it to be different. I will eventually change out the pickups since crunch and distortion is all that will ever get played on it. But it does have a nice dark warmth to it that plays real well with my chorus. Anyway... congrats on the score. Im sure you'll love it!!

[duhvoodooman***]

Just ordered one of the H-S-S models in purple. See below. Always wanted a purple guitar, since it's my favorite color....

[progrmr]

Sweet! Keep us posted!

[duhvoodooman***]

Guitar Player Magazine sure likes 'em--from a 2011 article entitled "Solid Deals! 34 Electrics Under $500":

Xaviere XV-890

Street Price $239
Built Indonesia

(specs, features listing....)

Bottom Line: This guitar looks great with its flamed maple top and flawless amberburst finish. Excellent neck and setup. Floyd Rose trem is well implemented. 5-way switching offers lots of happening sounds. Incredible bargain.

Named one of eleven "Editors' Picks" among the 34 guitars reviewed. Rating criteria were workmanship, playability, versatility, sound, vibe, and value. See article online here: http://www.guitarplayer.com/article/...der-500/147598

[duhvoodooman***]

Received the guitar today. Rather than further hijacking Progrmr's thread, I've started a new one here: http://www.thefret.net/showthread.php/20739