FARG - it's the First Act (is a) Real Guitar Club!

I'll admit it - I have a penchant for bad acronyms and restoring or hot-rodding things many would take to the junkyard. I LIKE my cheapie First Acts, even if they weren't perfect out of the box.

One was effectively a "kit", the others would be decent with heavier strings and a setup.

If you've got one, show it proudly! Here are mine:

http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/536/ME501.jpg
My ME501... the WORST example of Chinese quality-control failure I've ever seen but great luthiery practice.
After leveling and crowning the frets, reworking the neck pocket, and replacing poorly-chosen bridge mounting screws it's tough to put down and was actually my #1 until I "found" my Tele.

http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/536/ME562.jpg
ME562 - same body and neck as the 501 but with rounded edges and dual P90's. Love the look but took it apart to refinish the headstock because the logo looked cheesy to me.

http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/536/Sheena_Tux.jpg
Love the neck and look of this Sheena bolt-neck, but don't like the textured black plastic pickup ring and outer cover... would like to replace them with chrome, preferably matching parts like those used on the ME501.
I think this one will be a LOT of fun once I give it a serious setup and tweaking.

(I would include a picture but even google doesn't acknowledge this horrible guitar...lol.)


I have an ME440 (WalMart) and i think I played it for about the first 3 months of my electric guitar life. I knew pretty early on that I wouldn't be able to do the things in the accompanying video-dvd with that guitar.

I promptly picked up a used Yamaha Pacifica which I quickly gave away and bought a Agile Silverburst LP replica which I struggled to carry for about a year before I sold it and bought my telestrat which I've had for the past 1.5 years and will for the foreseeable future.

I still have the First Act ME440 though...It was my first electric guitar. It sits in the closet and will be there for my son to play on when he is old enough.

sorry for the heretic comment but, is it my imagination or do those First Act guitar models are kinda like wanna-be-teles??? i find them with some resemblance since last week... I've got this thing in my head of finding one for 40 putting a classic tele Bridge and esquire-ize it... perhaps I'm just a crazy Mo-Fo...

Well, anyone can make something work.
With the money you will save on buying one for 40 dollars...you can invest in getting it up and running with good electronics and a good fret/nut/hardware job.

I like cheap, crappy guitars too. Maybe I'll join your club soon, depending on what's on the pawn shop wall.

sorry for the heretic comment but, is it my imagination or do those First Act guitar models are kinda like wanna-be-teles??? i find them with some resemblance since last week... I've got this thing in my head of finding one for 40 putting a classic tele Bridge and esquire-ize it... perhaps I'm just a crazy Mo-Fo...

I had similar thoughts about the body shape - the ones I own fall short of "wanna-be Tele", but certainly have Tele elements.

The overall shapes of mine are Tele-esque in the lower bout and non-cutaway upper bout, but the horn shape is decidedly different and the bust/waist/hips ratios are changed.
The horn looks cool and is reasonably comfortable, but allows less positioning freedom when seated than a Tele.
Dimensionally, the Kei shape (ME501, etc) has Tele hips with a pronounced waist and narrower bust, while the Sheena has Tele-sized bust and waist with larger hips.

The Paul Westerberg sig PW580 seems pretty close to your idea in concept if not appearance - single hum-sized P90 with a string-thru six-saddle bridge... you could probably replace the pot-metal saddles with Mexican Fender stamped-steel ones and run with it. I passed up the Westerberg because I could get that single-pickup guitar for $80, or his ME501 (2 humbuckers = more versatile) plus the ME562 (two P90's, hopefully similar spec to the PW580) for only $20 more. Still GAS after one anyway - go figure!:lol:

this is what I have in mind if I get my paws on one.

cut an esquire type of Pickguard and later on drop in a classic 3-barrel bridge on it

I saw the sheena model too but that one's a little hard to find!

Paul Westerberg is in the club.

http://www.firstact.com/upload/images/artists/artist/westerberg/main_westerberg001.jpg

Paul Westerberg is in the club.

http://www.firstact.com/upload/images/artists/artist/westerberg/main_westerberg001.jpg

http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/500/FA_PW580_ME501_bodies.jpg

http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/500/FA_pair.jpg

So he is... :smile: Just scored the Westerberg signature guitar I wanted off fleabay, and it seems to be every bit the raucous garage rocker it was advertised as... grunts and growls very nicely through my Valve Jr.

Could stand a little more setup and fret crowning but does the job - I'll probably play it as-is for a while, then give it a once-over.

Seems most First Acts are serviceable but need the following:

1) Drill out the neck-mounting holes in the body to provide a clearance fit for a tighter clamp at the neck joint. (my MIM Strat needed this just as badly)

2) Level and crown frets - they appear to have been leveled but not quite fully crowned, with small but consistent flat spots on top of all frets. Saw similar but smaller flats on my MIM Strat before polishing the frets.

3) (optional and not always needed) Add thin, flat wood shim (3/32 or so?) between neck and body to allow lower action with a normal saddle height.

4) If a "Kei" body, replace the pan-head screws attaching the bridge to the body with #6 x 3/4" stainless-steel flathead screws; the pan-head screws interfere with intonation adjustment, especially if you like heavy-bottom sets like 10-52's.

5) Make sure the tuner knob screws are tight.

6) Adjust the nut slot depth slightly.

7) Replace the cheap output jack with a Switchcraft one

8) Play it - a LOT - without every having to worry about what you paid for it! :grin:

I've done a fair number of modifications to it since this was recorded, but here is my Paul Westerberg signature shortly after getting it:

i_xS1GEpuUw

Can any of you describe the neck on your FA's? I saw a ME3210091 "poker suit" model recently and thought it might make a nice platform for a project. But, curious to know some approximate neck dimensions. Thanks.

Can any of you describe the neck on your FA's? I saw a ME3210091 "poker suit" model recently and thought it might make a nice platform for a project. But, curious to know some approximate neck dimensions. Thanks.

My PW sig. has a pretty chunky neck, fairly similar in dimensions to my Squier '51 neck (though with a 12" radius). It's a 25.5" scale, as well.

Ok. Cool that's actually pretty appealing to me. Any idea of the nut width?

Well, went and took a look at it this morning. Neck seemed a bit narrow. Hard to tell though since I didn't get it fully out of the box. I would probably need to compare it side by side with other necks I have to really get a sense. The "hand-dressed frets" still seemed a bit sharp. Not sure it's worth the $70 they were asking. It was an ME321.

The nuts on my Keis (ME501 and PW) measure a bit shy of 1-11/16" wide, with about 1-3/8" centerline-to-centerline between the E strings. They do feel noticeably narrower than a MIM or USA Fender. The First Act necks feel slightly thicker but not by much - may just seem that way because of the narrower string spacing. The neck is comfortable - not too fast, not too chunky... similar to an Epi Explorer or SX Tele or Strat clone.

Necks do vary between models - my Sheena measures the same but feels wider and has a scale around 25". Neck heels do also - the Kei style has a contoured heel, while the bolt-neck Sheena has a square one. Don't know which the 321 has; saw it at Tuesday Morning a few months back but didn't try one out.

Voided, that video sounds good; you've definitely got some slide-playing skills!

Thanks FM. Maybe I will go back and buy it anyway. There is an extended return period. I feel like it's hard to judge the neck unless I'm actually playing something.

I saw this forum and signed up just to say that the ME-321 is a good buy, though I wouldn't expect it to be set up well if I were you. I can't tell you the measurements for sure because they don't really release specs on these cheapies. I need to do some major adjustment to the truss rod because some of the upper frets don't play because they are actually touching the strings already and the frets are pretty sharp like you say, but I love it other than that.
It's a beautiful guitar, and it actually has an active gain switch built into it also which gives it some kick if you've got a 9 volt lying around. I bought it for 30 and was very impressed.

30 bucks?????

I would've jumped on it at that price - had been hoping Tuesday morning would have them on clearance so I could rock the "half off all clearance items" deal last weekend.

Oh well, it's not like I need another guitar. Congrats on a bona fide steal, Millarso... and welcome!

Someone had to start a group for this misunderstood brand. I currently have a model 301 (strat copy) and a 302 (tele copy). What have you got and how do you like them?

Am I the only one who will come out of the closet and admit to liking their First Act guitar? I was just at my local music shop and he had one of the VW models on the rack. Neat guitar, the quality looked decent, but I did not bother playing it. Also had a single pickup single cutaway, not like a tele guitar. It was not bad, a little cheesy in the quality, the pots felt crappy to me.
Now come on, fess up I know you are out there!

First Act update, I'm keeping these on the ME302 model for now seeing as this is the Tele web site. I e mailed First Act for some info on my ME302. This what they told me,

-Plywood Body
-Semi Translucent glossy color, butterscoch (what else would it be)
-Non gloss maple slim taper neck, maple fretboard with 12" radius, 21 frets
-2 single coil pickups
-1 volume 1 tone, 3 way selector
-Hardtail chrome bridge, 6 individual saddles
-Smooth nickel alloy frets
-Chrome covered machines

Most of this is good but mine does not have a plywood body, I have had the neck out and the pickguard and switch cover off and what I see is solid wood. I don't know what kind but its solid blocks, not thin plywood laminates.
The neck radius on mine measures closer to 15" than 12" using some plastic radius gauges from Stew Mac.
And less important, the paint is not at all translucent, its thick and shiny, but no grain will ever show thru it.

They also stated that the model ME302 was made until 2010. So hurry out and grab one if you can find one before everyone realizes what a great bargain they are.

Thanks for looking,
-Michael

I was told by another member here who also has a ME302, that the pickups are as follows:
Neck--- 8.0K
Bridge--7.3K

One more bit of info. The stock pots are 500k and the tone cap is a .047 . I'm no expert here but from what I have learned in the past few days this is not the ideal setup for single coil pickups.

So there you have it, a good base for modifying.
-

http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/518/medium/FA-tele3.jpg
My ME302 with the neck pickup removed and a tele style bridge installed. I guess its now an Esquire knockoff. : )

There's already a First Act owner's group here, but it's nice to meet a fellow FA player.
That modded 302 looks sharp!

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/guitar-owners-clubs/241499-farg-its-first-act-real-guitar-club.html

I've got an ME501 that's been taken apart and set up to perfection, plus an ME562. a PW580, and a CE220.

There's already a First Act owner's group here, but it's nice to meet a fellow FA player.
That modded 302 looks sharp!

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/guitar-owners-clubs/241499-farg-its-first-act-real-guitar-club.html

I've got an ME501 that's been taken apart and set up to perfection, plus an ME562. a PW580, and a CE220.

I searched First Act and found nothing, hmm. I will try again and join the real FA owners group. Thanks, I was feeling kind of lonely. lol

OK, here is my FA Tele (now Esquire) I did not see this forum so I tried to start my own. Good to see there are more of us who don't dismiss the First Act just because of its name. This my ME302 that I changed the bridge on and removed the neck pup. I also have an ME301 (looks like a strat with an odd pickguard) That one I left alone and it is actually a decent playing guitar. I'm sure a pickup change could make it better, but it works. I got the Tele style one fro $36 at a TJ maxx, imagine that.

http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/518/medium/FA-tele2.jpg

Welcome, MSquier! Hope you enjoy it here!

I don't have much urge to go to Vegas, so cheap guitars are my form of gambling... pull the lever and see what you get!

That said, I took a couple of my First Acts apart this weekend to balance and blueprint them and here's what I found. It's always a carpshoot so your results may vary drastically.

CE220 Sheena bolt-neck (the black one): Disassembled to do a fret level and crown, also took the cover off the pickup.
I was amazed - the fretwork on this one was really pretty good. Not fully crowned, but almost perfectly level; a few passes of the file was all it took. Level and crown didn't take much more than an hour, and I'm not fast by any means.
The pickup cover is attached to the base by four screws and the pickup is potted with a flexible compound inside and a pretty big bobbin - this is NOT just a strat pickup or half a humbucker, and it has real Alnico poles in place of the flat magnet stuck to the bottom seen on so many low-end guitars including MIM's.
THE CATCH: I swear it looks like the fretboard wasn't finished at all; sucks up ugly dark sanding dust like mad and the grain is recessed rather than filled. I think they used the same manufacturing process as the rosewood-board guitars, because the neck itself is nice and slick, with filled grain and that satin finish that I love. This one will be out-of-service for a while longer as I learn how to finish a maple fretboard.

Since you actually got a response from First Act, I think I'll email them to see if I can obtain a chromed steel pickup surround and mounting plate like the ones on the ME501; I think it would look a lot classier with chrome than black-and-white plastic.

PW-580 - Paul Westerberg's axe: The neck pocket routing was a pleasant surprise - the neck fit so tightly I had to pry it out.
However, there was masking tape on the bottom of the neck near the body, and masking tape plus paint along the outer edge of the pocket. None of this was on the sides - just the bottom - so I gently cleaned up the pocket with a chisel (to lift the tape and remove the lip of paint on the body) and alcohol to remove tape residue on body and neck.
There was also a "bonus" extra mounting hole in the neck, but it doesn't appear to hurt anything.
Fret leveling was so-so; it was playable as-is but required a fair amount of filing to level, leaving decent-sized flat spots to crown. The ME501 I set up a ways back required a similar level of attention.

Will post some pics when done - didn't bother with "before" images of tape and paint. I know the PW sounds great and the Sheena neck felt good, so both should be great players when done.

I like the vw model they did.

Here I am rocking my First Act ME536 "Heavy Metal." I bought it new for $25.00. It's a blast to play, and it fulfills my humbucker needs.

I looked up the (hilarious) product description:

First Act's Black Single Cutaway Heavy Metal Electric Guitar with an eye-catching solid black finish that was made for metal has a single cutaway solid body for rich and warm sound. Designed in First Act's Studio For Artists, a single bridge-position, patent pending high output humbucking pickups with great rock distortion.

The pickup actually measures 8.32K--not exactly high output.

Oh yeah, that's a '78 Tele being played by my friend.

The neck pocket of the PW-580 was just shy of 1/32" higher at the front than the back, requiring shimming of the neck. Makes me wonder if the issue is with the tooling and process for that body as my ME-501 had the same issue.

Meanwhile, here's how I "fixed" the bridge on the ME-501 to allow proper intonation with 10-52 strings. About to do the same to the PW.

http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/552/medium/fa_bridge_stock.jpg
Stock bridge on the ME562 - note the #4 pan head screws blocking adjustment

http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/552/medium/fa_bridge_screws_naked.jpg
Mounting screws replaced with stainless #6 x 3/4" flat heads, which sit flush with the bridge.
Cost: about 55 cents.

http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/552/medium/fa_bridge_complete.jpg
Re-assembled and fully set up with 10-52 strings

el scoho, that's pretty cool in a rat-rod sort of way and you got it for a crazy price.
The "blade" headstock is interesting - I've never seen a 2 + 4 done that way before!

Finished going over my PW yesterday; now it plays great and I'm liking the sound through my Valve Jr. a lot. Nice grit and growl while staying clean at volumes where the ME501's humbucker pushes the amp into overdrive.

Changed to GFS stainless saddles "borrowed" off another guitar to eliminate a very annoying buzz on the low E string that killed tone no matter where it was fretted. Finally localized it to the point where the string exited the saddle toward the nut and was forced to bend sideways too sharply. Since the stock saddles were also slightly cocked/wedged, I elected to replace rather than file them. The poplar body already sounded ballsier acoustically than the basswood ME501, and the new saddles gave it an extra shot of adrenaline.

http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/552/medium/PW580_bridge_stainless.jpg
Intonation settled into the classic double-sawtooth; before the saddle change the low E was farther forward like my ME501. Maybe the stock saddles don't play well with .052 strings.

http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/552/Proto_Bridge_Closeup.JPG
Looks like Paul's prototype guitar has Fender-style saddles with a long slot, similar to the ones I installed... and a bent-steel hardtail bridge to go with it!

I've been dying to try a fabric refin on another tele I have, but I'm using my FA ME502 for a practice round, but not fabric... I'm gonna try wedding gift wrap. My wife sent me out to get some, and as usual my mind was on other things...

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h156/tvvoodoo/Sweet%20FA/firstactglammockup2.jpg

Right now I'm in the testing stage, for the "Glaminator" trying to clear a piece to cut back on the modge podge bleed through.

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h156/tvvoodoo/Sweet%20FA/papertest1.jpg

I figure the edge levelling process will be MUCH quicker than with fabric.
If it don't work, I'll probably sand it down and go with this...

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h156/tvvoodoo/Sweet%20FA/fabriclaybody.jpg

if the gluing test works out, first order of business will be to disassemble the $49 new in box guitar, and carve comfort bevels into the bod.

I finally got back to tinkering with the ME302. I ordered some 250K pots and some string ferrules. I drilled and mounted the ferrules so I can put the strings thru the body like they should be with this bridge. Still have to solder in the new pots.

I want one!
I love people who play guitars and not headstocks.

I played one of the cheap 3/4 sized acoustics and it didn't sound like a good guitar, but it sounded a lot like the Kink's "Lola"

Those Wal Mart guitars, how can you go wrong.They sold an acoustic at one time ,The kid down the street said that he would take $20 for it ,but is now not returning my E-mails.It was hardy ever played.

tvvoodoo, that's gonna be one wild-looking guitar! Will be interesting to watch, and definitely needs a matching headstock.

I'm kind of disappointed that First Act's largely eliminated their "mid-range" - the SFA series is gone (the links on the FA site redirect to the $1800+ special editions) and the only electrics left at major retailers are "packs" like the 222 that seem like a step down from classics like the ME501, PW580, and bolt-neck Sheenas and Lolas. Will we soon be talking about the "good old days" of First Act? :razz:

Someone on Ebay has Paul Westerberg guitars new in box for $65 with free shipping - I'd be VERY tempted if I didn't already have one!

I was checking out ebay and am amazed at the variety FA has made over the years. There is a cool Les Paul clone that looks like it was well made. I wouldn't mind one of those.
Just think how far ahead of out time we are collecting FA guitars, if we live long enough they may be collectors items : )

Update on my 302, finally strung it up thru the back, tele style, and changed the pots to 250k's. Sounds good, I'm not sure there is much difference from before but I like it. I did do a side to side comparison with my 301 (strat clone) and at the same settings on my amp the 301 is much louder than the 302. They definatly have different pickups.

Someone on Ebay has Paul Westerberg guitars new in box for $65 with free shipping - I'd be VERY tempted if I didn't already have one!

I won two of them on eBay a couple of months ago and the seller lives about 30 minutes away. One was brand spankin' new in the still sealed box for $35 and the other had been played maybe 3 times and put back in the box. I got that one for around over $43 a week after the first one.

I set one up for slide and the other I'm giving to my daughter as soon as I adjust it a bit.

Cut an arm bevel into mine today, and along with what I saw in the neck pocket - I have to say I was shocked and amazed. couple pics to whet your appetite.

Hmmmm - I don't think this is plywood...

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h156/tvvoodoo/Sweet%20FA/cutinbevel.jpg

Can you id this wood?

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h156/tvvoodoo/Sweet%20FA/bevelcut.jpg

^ That's not mahoganny, is it?

Mine is real wood too, even though the guy at First Act tells me its plywood. Mine seems like basswood to me but I could be wrong. The routing in the cavities is terrible on mine, very rough like it was done with a dull blade. But it works.

Just a few more shots of my First Act "Glaminator" conversion.

Top Sanded down to bare... limba? Agathis? Nice, 7-piece top!
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h156/tvvoodoo/Sweet%20FA/sandedfrontwet.jpg

quick, simple but very effective headstock re-shape
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h156/tvvoodoo/Sweet%20FA/crownheadstock.jpg

Cleared and curing before sanding and chrome burst
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h156/tvvoodoo/Sweet%20FA/hangingbeforeburst.jpg

I also laid a strip on the back of the neck and cleared that as well. Once she cures for a couple of weeks I'll need to sand down a couple of runs, and then I'll be ready to go to work the chrome bursting.

I'm a little concerned on how the really beautiful Krylon Chrome in the body cavities reacted with the Acrylic clear, and suddenly went all industrial-oxidized-looking, on me... not good. I do have a test sheet going on the side to see if this will work - there seems to be a wealth of knowledge on the ... model rocket hobby groups and other model groups - who I find use a lot of krylon products, stuff that I am researching

I'm not going to get into how I covered it with the wrapping paper here, but it worked pretty well, with proper preparation. Makes the leveling process much easier than fabric - but laying it down is kind of heart-stopping.

If you want more details how I'm doing it, you're welcome to visit my ongoing and much more detailed project thread over at AGF -

http://www.agileguitarforum.com/showthread.php?tid=255&page=6

Holy, this thread was buried five pages deep!

Just wanted to drop in a few pics of the completed guitar. Lots more info, trials and tribulations on completing it over at the thread in the previous post.

I present to you The Glaminator, a First Act ME-537 - mainly cosmetic mods.

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h156/tvvoodoo/Sweet%20FA/fullback.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h156/tvvoodoo/Sweet%20FA/newneckheel.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h156/tvvoodoo/Sweet%20FA/headstock.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h156/tvvoodoo/Sweet%20FA/reallylowknobs.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h156/tvvoodoo/Sweet%20FA/frontbodywithstrap.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h156/tvvoodoo/Sweet%20FA/fullback.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h156/tvvoodoo/Sweet%20FA/fullfrontbody.jpg

Wow that came out looking amazing! Really nice job. Looks like you put some time into it.

Too frickin much for a $45 guitar! But wait there's more!
That "snowman/skull" thing was freaking me out. Changed it out to brushed stainless from a microwave I salvaged at the landfill. Better.

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h156/tvvoodoo/Sweet%20FA/newssguardin.jpg

Too frickin much for a $45 guitar! But wait there's more!
That "snowman/skull" thing was freaking me out. Changed it out to brushed stainless from a microwave I salvaged at the landfill. Better.

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h156/tvvoodoo/Sweet%20FA/newssguardin.jpg

Looks great now - the brushed pickguard is perfect. You sure put a lot of work into that guitar!

Couldn't figure out whether the previous pickguard was supposed to be a pimp or the Monopoly Man on crack! :razz:

^ ha you are correct. I won't even dare call it a much of a mod platform, it was really a refin practice platform, and hell I learned a lot for my future paisley project, and explored some new territories. say $100 in tuition costs.

She's my e flat guitar right now, with the light strings the harmonics totally scream at high gain. Just a stupid fun thing to have for shiz and gigilos - every collection needs a ridiculous conversation piece like this

Actually, it's quite tele-ish in sound, even with the crunchy pat bucker. Maybe down the road I throw a top loader tele bridge plate and single on it. Maybe I'll just give it to some school kid, I dunno.

Good to find this, and if there's another First Act club here, it's a well-kept secret.

Here's mine, a Lola, all mahogany body and set neck, bound rosewood fingerboard, alnico humbuckers (the middle position sounds great), and some nice hardware all-round. As for the neck profile, it's a wide 'D' shape. Anyone who thinks these aren't 'real guitars' hasn't played one!

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f280/WRCz/lola3.jpg

Nice looking Lola, good to see some 'upscale' First Acts.

Just to be clear, mine isn't one of the Lolas made in the Boston shop, but one of the imports (China? Korea?) like the Delia and Sheena models. Still dirt-cheap on the used market.

Just to be clear, mine isn't one of the Lolas made in the Boston shop, but one of the imports (China? Korea?) like the Delia and Sheena models. Still dirt-cheap on the used market.

Think they were known as the "SFA" series. I passed on a used Lola just like yours because the transparent blue paint over mahogany body didn't look good in the pics, but yours looks great. Would love to get my hands on a cherry Lola, and would really, really love to get my hands on a butterscotch set-neck Sheena.

Congrats on snagging a killer guitar!

Some of the lower-line FA's of a couple years ago were solid but in need of some serious TLC - took a fret level and crown, a little neck shimming, and a setup to make them into good players. I'm a bit disappointed that there aren't any new $50 First Acts, or $100 Bambusas and SFA's, anymore.

Just picked up a new in the box VW for $ 125, all the case(box?) candy including the little FA medallion to put on the car, and a very nice form fit foam case/bag with a tasteful VW inlay...probably worth 40-50 alone.
Nice guitar, it probably helps that I like Vdubs but this seems better than the PW( which wasn't bad either) probably equivalent to the SFA line.
The V-stack pre amp is..well I need more time with it, seems like a good way to blow out a tweeter in your car system though. :shock:

I'm not having much luck in convincing SWMBO that the 06 GTI on a local lot is a " must have" accessory, although it wouldnt match the VIN on the guitar.

141972

This is my me501.

It was my first electric guitar when I was 14. I didn't know much about it. Got it for 45 bucks

Stupidly I traded it for an ibanezgrx20 when I was 15. I was kind of a metal head.
I've regretted it ever since

About a year ago I found one at a pawnshop with missing control knobs and a broken but for 70 bucks. I had to get it. Haggled them down to 50 and replaced the broken stuff. This one doesn't play as well as my first one but after a good setup it's pretty good. More of a sentimental thing.

The me501 is pretty awesome. You can find them used for around 50 bucks. Alico pickups, cream binding, and unique styling. You'd be hard pressed to find a better guitar at this price.
Problem areas seem to be cheap tuners and the strap buttons get loose easily.
The one I'm the pic is my second one:)

Also have an me505 that I'm painting. It's gonna be an evh style guitar minus the stripes and Floyd rose. I'll post pics of it in a few weeks when it's done;)

141972



The me501 is pretty awesome. You can find them used for around 50 bucks. Alico pickups, cream binding, and unique styling. You'd be hard pressed to find a better guitar at this price.
Problem areas seem to be cheap tuners and the strap buttons get loose easily.
The one I'm the pic is my second one:)


I own several FA guitar as I like that they're inexpensive and have great sounding pickups. Everyone of them have cheap tuners. Even the "higher end" models (PW, VW, Delia bolt neck) with the sealed tuners aren't the greatest, but for the most part, they do hold their tune. Intonation however is hit or miss.

Even the "higher end" models (PW, VW, Delia bolt neck)
What other First Act guitars and basses are of good quality, and which models should be avoided?

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h156/tvvoodoo/Sweet%20FA/fullback.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h156/tvvoodoo/Sweet%20FA/fullfrontbody.jpg

Awesome... :cool:

What other First Act guitars and basses are of good quality, and which models should be avoided?

Usually the ones you find for under $100 aren't that good unless you use them for a project (I'm currently building an offset with one that I'll post later). The Westerberg, VW, Delia, Sheena, VE591 are ones I own(ed) and though some may need a set up, they are decent and fun guitars. My VE591 is currently on Ebay and I have my Westerberg for sale on CL as I have to sell off due to a future move and can't take them all.

Usually the ones you find for under $100 aren't that good unless you use them for a project (I'm currently building an offset with one that I'll post later). The Westerberg, VW, Delia, Sheena, VE591 are ones I own(ed) and though some may need a set up, they are decent and fun guitars.
My lunchtime research shows the following:

Expensive:

Delia Limited Edition
Sheena Limited Edition

Moderate:

PW580 - Paul Westerberg model, based on the ME501
VW Garage Master - onboard pre-amp

Inexpensive

VE591 - onboard pre-amp


How about the rest of the ME300-, 400-, and 500-series guitars? The only First Act to make it home with me is the ME302 (Telecaster-like) that I am currently modding. The body is solid wood, and the pickups are OK. The ME302 seems to be on a par with cheap 80s and 90s guitars, possibly better.

My First Act vs. Harmony mash-up is complete. The only relicing that I performed is the accidental string-through relicing; the guitar had some existing relicing when I bought it.


First Act ME302 body and electronics
Harmony D823 neck
After-market control knobs, bridge, ferrules, and fabric

Lessons learned:


Use a neck that fits in the neck pocket. I didn't, so I shimmed the sides of the neck, drilled holes (in the body :mad:), and glued the neck in place.

Do not use a high-speed drill on a guitar with a brittle finish. The finish chips spread to cover the entire string-through area.

Be careful when using spray adhesive. It oversprays like paint does. And working with adhesive is sticky business. Do not inhale the spray adhesive fumes, because they are not as pleasant as paint fumes. Bad, deep headache.

The action is high; I may reset the neck or make this my slide guitar. But the guitar is lightweight and sounds like a Telecaster.

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q90/cougar-innards/Guitareum/First%20Act%20ME302%20vs%20Harmony%20D823/FirstAct-Harmony-Telecaster-1.jpg http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q90/cougar-innards/Guitareum/First%20Act%20ME302%20vs%20Harmony%20D823/FirstAct-Harmony-Telecaster-2.jpg

I currently own four First Act guitars, but one is destined for a new home in Texas soon. I forget the model number, but it's their version of a sunburst Les Paul. Great guitar, once set up properly. I just got a ME 1959, and an ME 537 from the same person. Both are in need of some fixing and TLC. I also have the VW Garage Special, it's fixed up and ready to rock. I had the Tele model, and a couple of others in the past. My favorite, I literally saved from the trash pile at a yard sale. They were happy to get five bucks for it. Some strings, some setup, it played fine. I wound up putting gold tone pickup covers, a gold tone bridge and saddle set, and gold tone knobs and tuners on it. I liked it the best of all I've owned, bar none but a 1959 Silverton by Danelectro. That thing was sweet, but I made three hundred bucks on it, too sweet to pass up, but I wish I did. I eventually sold the five dollar first act, though by then I had like fifty bucks and a lot of work into it. Oh well, it went to a good home where it's played by somebody that can really play, and does so daily. I've had lower end Gibsons, Epiphones, and Fenders, dollar for dollar, my First Acts are way better ... though not necessarily so out of the box or scrap pile I find them in. Sure, the same amount of work on a Fender or Epi will yield similar results, but for the price difference, should they require it? I've had Harmony's, Kay's, Kents, well you name it, but when it comes to electrics, I'll take the First Act. Do they make something akin to a 335? That's what I've always wanted.

Mine is real wood too, even though the guy at First Act tells me its plywood. Mine seems like basswood to me but I could be wrong. The routing in the cavities is terrible on mine, very rough like it was done with a dull blade. But it works.
So long as it works and plays well, what does all that other crud really matter? Only matters at resale time, since too many people pay attention to it.

My First Act vs. Harmony mash-up is complete. The only relicing that I performed is the accidental string-through relicing; the guitar had some existing relicing when I bought it.


First Act ME302 body and electronics
Harmony D823 neck
After-market control knobs, bridge, ferrules, and fabric

Lessons learned:


Use a neck that fits in the neck pocket. I didn't, so I shimmed the sides of the neck, drilled holes (in the body :mad:), and glued the neck in place.

Do not use a high-speed drill on a guitar with a brittle finish. The finish chips spread to cover the entire string-through area.

Be careful when using spray adhesive. It oversprays like paint does. And working with adhesive is sticky business. Do not inhale the spray adhesive fumes, because they are not as pleasant as paint fumes. Bad, deep headache.

The action is high; I may reset the neck or make this my slide guitar. But the guitar is lightweight and sounds like a Telecaster.

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q90/cougar-innards/Guitareum/First%20Act%20ME302%20vs%20Harmony%20D823/FirstAct-Harmony-Telecaster-1.jpg http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q90/cougar-innards/Guitareum/First%20Act%20ME302%20vs%20Harmony%20D823/FirstAct-Harmony-Telecaster-2.jpg

Use masking tape where you drill too. that helps. Intersting take on a tele look.

Use masking tape where you drill too. that helps.
I'll try that the next time I drill any large holes. I don't know if that would have helped with this guitar; its finish is so brittle that it was relicing itself on the way to the cash register. Removing the pickguard caused more chips to fall off. In another thread I suggested an ME302 as a body for modifications, but I hereby withdraw that suggestion. The ME302 paint may be too brittle, and the bridge-pickup area required routing to fit a Telecaster bridge plate.

Intersting take on a tele look.
Thanks. The neck had to change because of the silly-looking First Act headstock. :)

Do they make something akin to a 335? That's what I've always wanted.

The model is the Delia. They made a bolt on version as well as their custom models. i had one of the bolt on models when they started clearing them out online a couple of years ago. Nice guitar once set up right.

I hope this is ok to post/ask here. If not, point me the right way, thanks.

I have my daughter's first act electric guitar (10yrs old? I forget when/where we bought it but we got it new). I want to change the strings to a proper weight for it but I don't know the model and cannot find any identifiers on it. I was hoping someone here would have a recommendation based on some pictures.

Imgur album here: http://imgur.com/a/WSYNu

Thanks for any help
jd

The Imagur web page is text-only in the web browsers that I tried. I managed to find four of your guitar photos. I combined them into one large photo so people can see it without clicking "View Photo" or however Imagur works.

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q90/cougar-innards/Guitareum/Unknown%20First%20Act%20Single%20Humbucker/FirstAct-SingleHumbucker.jpg

Is it a full-size or a 3/4 size guitar? Me, I'd go for a set of 9s or 10s because that's my preference.

Pawnshopper, thanks for the reply and for reposting the pics. I was going to insert them but wasn't sure of any 'new member' restrictions on images.

The guitar is 39" from tip of headstock to bottom of body. It is 24" from nut to center between the pickups. It has 21 frets. The Silvertone in the background is definitely shorter and, while the harmonics on it seem better, I prefer to only pull it out on occasision due to it's age - and not something I want to learn on with my long arms :)

I don't mean to be vague in any way, my brother is the musician in the family - I went electronics and computers and am only now starting to dabble in music (Call it a mid-life re-focusing, heh). I am actually working on the fiddle, but I want to get some basic guitar chords down to help when playing in groups.

I've done a fair number of modifications to it since this was recorded, but here is my Paul Westerberg signature shortly after getting it:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_xS1GEpuUw">YouTube Link</a>

My mind has been blown. I was told many years ago that it was the player that made the guitar. You have proven this correct.

Count me in! I must admit, I'm a sucker and a lover of cheap guitars. Cheap, as in price, not always quality. My first guitar was/is a Harmony Rocket! Last year was crazy, as I added at least six guitars to my collection! Keep in mind, I've spent 99% of my "gigging career" as a drummer. One of those six was a First Act Garage Master. Like most, I was only familiar with their Walmart stuff, but when I saw the GM on Craigslist, I KNEW I had to have one. Mine is the white pearloid version, my personal favorite of the four. The guy wanted $200 for it, but I eventually got it from him for $100, most of the case candy included! That was about six months ago, and I absolutely LOVE this guitar, and have a VERY strong urge to get another, like maybe the blue pearloid version. If I find one, in the box with everything, I may buy it and tuck it away for twenty years, and see if it was a good investment. But mine, although bought in mint condition, is a player! Sure, it has it's downfalls, but most of my guitars have been modded, in one way or another, and I'm not afraid. My main gripe with this guitar, which I believe is made with a poplar body, it that it is neck heavy. But, I got used to that by using a leather strap. As far as quality, I'll say this. My BRAND NEW Fender Modern Player Tele' Plus's five position pup switch ended up falling apart after only a few months of light playing! The FA held up better than that Fender, and I love my Fenders! I think there just may be another FA in my future, and I'm so happy there's an "owners club," filled with others who really appreciate a very underrated instrument. Time to jam!

Ok, no response so far... I really hope this thread is still alive and kicking! I just found a FA Tele' style six string, two pickups in VERY decent condition. It will probably cost me more money in gas, than the guitar, but... get this... $20! Should I even bother trying to haggle? I think he just wants this thing GONE!

Ok, no response so far... I really hope this thread is still alive and kicking!
I sold my converted ME302, so I no longer am a member of this club. :sad: It had sustain and rang out like a bell, but I had to make room for other guitars. :lol:

I just found a FA Tele' style six string, two pickups in VERY decent condition. It will probably cost me more money in gas, than the guitar, but... get this... $20! Should I even bother trying to haggle? I think he just wants this thing GONE!
Why haggle? $20 is already cheap. As you said, your gas may cost more than the guitar. Yesterday I saw an ME302 in a pawnshop for $65.

Three caveats:

Is it an ME302 (Telecaster-style except for the tuners and headstock) or a single-cut that kinda-sorta looks like a Tele?

The paint on the ME302 guitars must be like an eggshell; once it starts chipping, a large number of chips come off. If you want an easy-to-relic guitar, the ME302 is it. Whack it with a hammer in strategic locations and start sanding.

The bridge pickup is in a nonstandard location (higher up the body), so the bridge and pickguard can not be changed without modification.

I say go for it!

One quick question, is the ME302 a 3/4 scale guitar? The one I'm thinking of picking up has two single coils mounted to a black pick guard. I read somewhere that they are not any normal scale, such as you'd find on any Fender. I saw somewhere, someone put a tele bridge plate further back on the body, and turned it into a baritone or six string bass guitar... Same thing?

:shock:

One quick question, is the ME302 a 3/4 scale guitar? The one I'm thinking of picking up has two single coils mounted to a black pick guard. I read somewhere that they are not any normal scale, such as you'd find on any Fender. I saw somewhere, someone put a tele bridge plate further back on the body, and turned it into a baritone or six string bass guitar... Same thing?

The ME302 is a full-scale guitar, though I don't know if it's in the 24- or 25-inch range. I put a different neck on it, and the intonation worked perfectly.

The factory bridge is a Strat-style hardtail. I swapped in a string-through Tele-style bridge but had to move the bridge pickup closer to the bridge. This left a gap in the pickguard, so I covered the pickguard in fabric. A bit of a hassle, but it was fun to play.

I've got a question for you fellow First Act admirers. Have any of you experienced any pickup hum from any of their humbuckers? I've read a lot of reviews online about FA guitars, and most of them mention a terrible hum on most neck pups, to the point where some have replaced them! I only own one FA at the moment (white on white Garage Master), and maybe I just lucked out, but I have ZERO issues with pup noise or hum. Thoughts?

Oh, and BTW, thanks for your input on their Tele' clone. The person selling the one I was looking to buy, has not responded to my email yet. I appreciate all your input, thanks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOnWKOj-Fg4

While Christmas was a while ago, I thought y'all would like to see this. Note Big Al's guitar of choice.

I saw a First Act at a Salvation Army recently. Sorry but $10 was still too much.

I've got a question for you fellow First Act admirers. Have any of you experienced any pickup hum from any of their humbuckers? I've read a lot of reviews online about FA guitars, and most of them mention a terrible hum on most neck pups, to the point where some have replaced them! I only own one FA at the moment (white on white Garage Master), and maybe I just lucked out, but I have ZERO issues with pup noise or hum. Thoughts?
Sorry; I have no experience with any First Act guitars beyond the ME302. The ME302 had no hum or noise from either single-coil. Only bright and happy sounds. :grin:

I like what you guys are doing with what most would call firewood. Ive always had a soft spot for rejects whether its puppies or kids or guitars. Most just need a helping hand.
rock steady

Picked up an ME-951 used for $60 last summer. I was on the road for business for about a month and wanted something cheap enough that I wouldn't feel bad if I had to abandon it somewhere. I ended up getting it home and it since then it's become one of my more frequently used electrics. It plays well and sounds good. I wish there was a little more radius to the fretboard.

The place that I bought it from loaned me some tools so I could set it up well enough for practicing in hotel rooms. When I got it home I lowered some nut slots and swapped out the original HB for a Gibson P-90. That required putting a spacer in the neck pocket to raise the strings over the P-90. It could still use to have some of the frets about the 15th fret levelled.

It came to me without a pickguard. I decided to fill the holes and buff to hide the fact that they'd been there, but I messed it up. I ended up stripping the black finish and repainting in Duplicolor Wimbledon White (Olympic White). That process was written up in a couple TDPRI threads.

I created a clear plexiglass pickguard and put a picture of tortoiseshell behind it. I posted about that on the TDPRI Tortoise Shell Club thread.

I covered the First Act logo on the headstock with one that says Gib-non, because it looks kind of like a LP Jr DC, but is not a Gibson.

I've played it at a few gigs since the fall. It works pretty well

http://www.scottmcknight.com/Gib-nonLPJr.jpg
.

IN !

http://imageshack.us/a/img389/4697/delia3we8.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/389/delia3we8.jpg/)

Picked this one up off of craigslist a few months back for $30. I replaced the nut, saddles, pickup and electronics. It turned out to be a pretty good player once I did the upgrades and gave it a good set up. Body is super thin and it must have the world's shortest trem block.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v715/ckbcustomshop/FirstAct1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v715/ckbcustomshop/IMG_6089.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v715/ckbcustomshop/IMG_6091.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v715/ckbcustomshop/IMG_6094.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v715/ckbcustomshop/IMG_6095.jpg

Hey guys, just checking in. I'm gassing for another First Act, and I've got my eyes on a coupe on eBay. The one I really want, is the ME501, I'm not sure if they make different versions or different colors of the 501, but the one I want has two covered humbuckers, a faded redish/orange finish with cream colored body and neck binding and pick guard, two volume/one tone pots and a hard tail bridge with string through. If the price is right, I'm hoping to own it. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Now, it's time to get ready for rehearsal with a friend. I'll be using my Garage Master (still in love), and trying to emulate an acoustic sound. Love these things! We'll see how it pans out with the auction. Peace!

A sad day. Just got done rehearsing with my friend, all the while playing my Garage Master. I've seen this before, and know these guitars are notorious for it too. The pearloid finish on pick-guard section that house the 3-way switch, is starting to peel. For some reason I always thought, "This will never happen to mine!" It did, it happened. I'm going to attempt to re-adhere it with some sort of glue, just not sure with what yet. Or maybe I'll just let the relicing take its course.

http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o663/Lowbassnotes/43c5f3ce10c098a408dc5ecae3c8ded7_zps143ab48d.jpg

I'm in with my Garagemaster which I aquired a few years back for the lofty sum of $50.00 USD, brand new and unplayed, in the soft bag(by far the best soft bag I've ever had) w/ the car stereo cord etc. I had to get one since I'm a long time VW guy(71' bus currently). The guy who sold me the guitar bought a new beetle and said he didn't play guitar. The thing rocks, the preamp feature is cool, pickups work, the on-board distortion is a nifty feature......although my buddy says he can take the existing circuit out and put a Tonebender in there for me.

The Garagemaster plays well enough that if it were my only electric it'd work fine, I'd just mod it with high quality parts, the neck plays great. Great design overall, FA did real good on this one IMO.

Hey guys!
I have an opportunity to buy a FA Sheena CE220. It looks pretty sweet, with its set neck, string through, 6-in line funky headstock, body/neck/headstock binding and matching pg. Do any of you have any experience with these, or know what they're value is? It's brand new. Thanks in advance!

Well, it turns out this guitar I want, is a SE Sheena CE 240. It has a converse logo on the upper bout, and was some sort of gift for a race or marathon (just a guess). I only have $250.00 to spend on another guitar, and the owner of this one has an offer better than mine. This same guitar (minus Converse logo) is VERY difficult to find ANYWHERE on line. Guess I'll just need to be patient and stick with what I have for the time being. Just put some pure nickel .010s on my Garage Master two nights ago, in anticipation for tonight's gig. Still haven't decided on my backup guitar, I'm looking for something that sounds warm and clean, almost acoustic. Really wish I didn't have intonation issues with my H49 Jupiter! So, no one wants to share their Shenna stories?

In what way is the Jupiter out of tune? Does it have a floating bridge you can move around? I have a couple Rockets that intonate OK.

As much as I like my First Act, $249 seems an awfully dear price to pay for one. Not that they're not worth it, but so many of them go for $150 or less - a lot less - right now. Maybe they'll be worth something someday, but their cheap-but-goodness is pretty much the attraction for now.

They must of stepped it up around 2004 or so because I started on a first act strat copy that was what they were putting out before all of the funky shaped ones im seeing on here. It was a total piece and I gave it away to a friend. Kinda wish I had kept it for my mothers sake because she has the camcorder footage of the Christmas morning when I got it and she probably would have really liked to have had the guitar too. But you don't think about your first guitar like that when you are 12 and just a got a shiny new fender.

Well, I just lost that auction by $33.28, who knows what the winner's max bid was though. I can't find a CE240 ANYWHERE! Whoever has them must like them a lot. And yes, floating bridge on the H49, same as my Rocket, and that one intonates much better. Maybe it needs a new bridge or some fret work? I bought it for $100.00 and they're going for around 1K on eBay right now. Love the sound and playability, may have to have some work done to her. Thanks guys.

And yes, floating bridge on the H49, same as my Rocket, and that one intonates much better. Maybe it needs a new bridge or some fret work? I bought it for $100.00 and they're going for around 1K on eBay right now. Love the sound and playability, may have to have some work done to her. Thanks guys.

Apologies for the non-FA related discussion but this has me curious. Can you move the bridge so that the Es are intonated at the 12th fret, and if so:

-are the other strings in tune at the 12th fret?
-is so, are they strings out of tune at other places?
-if so, where?
-have you checked the string height at the nut?
-striaght bridge or compensated?

The only tuning problem i have with my Rockets is that they don't stay in tune very well. They intonate fine, but then the strings slip somewhere. I've been led to believe it's related to the screw-on whammy tailpiece.

Maybe we should talk about the Harmonys in another chat, but to answer a few of your questions... The wooden floating bridge has a "sweep" to it, perpendicular to the strings. It has an angle to it, but I wouldn't consider it compensated. My main guitar luthier recommended using a wound G string, it didn't do much for my problem. I've had the Rocket since my teens, and as a teen, I put some new machine heads on her, with no concern about drilling new holes. Stays in tune just fine. The H49 has original tuners, with the exception of one. It's not a cosmetic match, AND it turns the wrong way! Who knows what hack did that, I imagine its been around in the last 50 years! Can't take any measurements of bridge nut or frets at the moment. I'm away from home at the moment. I'll get back to ya fo' sho'!

Wow, kinda dead around here. I recently bought an ME501 (a cheaper version of the sweet Sheena!). It was an eBay purchase which after 10+ days still hasn't arrived! It supposedly has new machines, Liverpool Retrotron HBs, and a graphite nut. We'll see! Anyone here have experience with anything I just mentioned?

I have a pair of Retrotron NYIIs on a Harmony Rocket and a pair of Nashvilles on an old Gretsch Double Anniversary. I like 'em fine.

Nice AC quote, BTW. :)

Got my "new" ME501 this weekend. It's everything I expected. I know it's too early too say I love it, but I've got a very good feeling. Of course there's the bridge issue, which I've read about in some reviews I read; the bridge mounting screws are not flush with the plate, causing the saddles to have travel restriction. Not good for intonation adjustments. Not crazy about the GFS Liverpool Retrotrons yet, I'll see what changing out those ultra thin strings to .010s does for the sound. The other thing is, I forgot about the gig-bag this thing came with. I've never been a big fan of them, but this one is incredible! It's made by RITTER, and I looked it up out of curiosity, ant they go for $198 at Amazon... ALMOST TWICE WHAT I PAID FOR THE WHOLE PACKAGE! Any advice on the bridge mod? Thanks in advance!

My hot rodded beater First Act:

cPn5HQtWzAg

Got my eyes on a used ME445. The last thing I need is another guitar, but I'm ADDICTED! OK, I'll say it... My new toy hobby has become unmanageable and I am no longer in control. Higher power? HELP!?!? I think.

Picked this stuff up last night off my local CL...

http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/1115/medium/Farg_1.jpg

The seller was asking $100.00 for the lot. I gave him $80.00 and came home with a First Act guitar, a Peavey Backstage 110 amplifier, a Danelectro Daddy O overdrive pedal, a strap and a gig bag. Everything works! Did I do ok? I don't know anything about these guitars. I was just looking for a beater that I could use for practicing at work. The truss rod cover has ME537 on it, and there is no pickguard. There are plenty of stickers though!

Picked this stuff up last night off my local CL...

http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/1115/medium/Farg_1.jpg

The seller was asking $100.00 for the lot. I gave him $80.00 and came home with a First Act guitar, a Peavey Backstage 110 amplifier, a Danelectro Daddy O overdrive pedal, a strap and a gig bag. Everything works! Did I do ok? I don't know anything about these guitars. I was just looking for a beater that I could use for practicing at work. The truss rod cover has ME537 on it, and there is no pickguard. There are plenty of stickers though!
I think you did OK. An amp, a pedal, and a guitar for $80 sounds like a deal.

The Backstage has two inputs, so you can daisy-chain another amp from it.

The ME537 may be solid wood and not plywood. If it is normal wood, then you'll have an easier time modifying or refinishing it.

I have no opinion on the Daddy-O.

I have yet another First Act, and my first electric with a P90 style pup. I took a trek up to Boston last Saturday (about an hour drive), and picked up a CE220; a Sheena! I REALLY want a CE240, but I'm quite pleased with the $40 beauty! At first I wasn't crazy about the p90, it was terribly treble'y. But I rolled the tone completely off and got this really cool "stuck wah" tone. I wasn't crazy about the color at first either (burgundy), but in the right light, I can see a light metallic gold flake, reminding me of a Dano for some reason. I'm wondering what a "real" P90 sounds like. Can any of you fine folks give to me your experiences? Thanks in advance! Oh, and happy NGD to the owner of the "sticker guitar." The purchase of ANY guitar is a good deal. ; )



180343

I had some time today to work on this guitar. I was able to make a new bone nut, and level, crown and polish the frets. I also cleaned, lemon oiled and rolled the edges of the fretboard, which appears to be actual rosewood. Oh, and I put some new strings on it.

I'm amazed how good this cheap little guitar sounds! I played it through the Peavey Backstage 110 and used my Boss OD3 pedal. The cleans aren't as nice as a good single coil, but it sounds really good with a little dirt. The action is low, but could be lower with a little more tweaking. Anyway, I'm very pleased with how it turned out. It's a keeper! I'm still planning on installing a P90 and repainting it, but for now it's just fine. Who Knew?!?