"Shine" teles - Are you Experienced?

[TRexF16]

Anybody have a "Shine" tele or other model guitar?
(link removed)
Apparently a Korean OEM company (Saein) that has contracted over the years with many big name brands, and now launched their own. I'm looking at some of their other guitars on their main site and they seem worth investigating more. http://www.saein.co.kr
Scroll all the way down to the pics at the end of the eBay listing. I don't think you could buy the components for the $249 buy-it-now price, but pretty is as pretty does.
Who's got one (or another of their models), and how's it sound and play?

Thanks,
T. Rex

 

[keeffan]

By my understanding, the Shine teles are the same version as the Douglas brand. I just got a Deltatone, made by Shine 335 copy off ebay. Plays real nice. I would put it on par with an Epiphone Dot. The pickups in mine are way hot though...

 

[IPLAYLOUD]

Douglas / Agile. Look at theadstock...very, very similar.
If so, they should be very nice Guitars!

 

[Jim Dep]

Douglas' are made at the Shine factory in China. I understand they have the main factory in Korea, and the newer one in China. I have the direct link somewhere, I'll find it and add it to this post. They are the same guitars, just a re-badged name for the US market, why I don't know. With the Shine name, the model of mine is NT AS (left handed) As a Douglas, it's called a Gravity....something or other.

How are they? Well just speaking for mine, I took it to the music store and compared it side by side with a variety of teles, including Squiers, CV's, MIM, USA Fenders and IMO, it's easily as good as the MIM's, appearance, playability and tone. I like the neck and frets better on the Douglas, rear pup a little better on the MIM, but that could be the pup height as I hadn't tweaked mine yet. If they were the same price, I might have gone with the Douglas. The one thing I liked better on the MIM was the headstock because it says Fender on it. Other than that...... the Douglas. Mine was $188 total including shipping.



image removed

 

[bender66]

I asked around here a coupla months ago about Shine & didn't get much action.

When I noticed them on ebay, the Thinline with single coils I inquired about was the EXACT same guitar as the Douglas Gravity minus headstock. The Shine had the traditional Fender headstock, which is what caught my attention.

I contacted the dealer, who happens to live in the town next to me, about checking them out. He said to come on over & take a look but I never did. All I was interested in was the neck tbo. He's still listed as the NA dealer.

Same Thinline but cheaper at Rondo. If you want the headstock, buy Shine.

I took a quick look at the others too. He looks like he's trying to get into the Chinese guitar import business as well. Not a good or bad thing imo...

 

[Jim Dep]

I asked around here a coupla months ago about Shine & didn't get much action.

When I noticed them on ebay, the Thinline with single coils I inquired about was the EXACT same guitar as the Douglas Gravity minus headstock. The Shine had the traditional Fender headstock, which is what caught my attention.

I contact the dealer, who happens to live in the town next to me, about checking them out. He said to come on over & take a look but I never did. All I was interested in was the neck tbo. He's still listed as the NA dealer.

Same Thinline but cheaper at Rondo. If you want the headstock, but Shine.

I took a quick look at the others too. He looks like he's trying to get into the Chinese guitar import business as well. Not good or bad...

I must have missed your post from a couple months ago. I'd pay a little more for the Fender type headstock, BUT the big issue for me to stick with Kurt and Rondo is the return policy. He'll do a refund or exchange with no hassle at all. Every sale I've done with him has gone smooth as silk and they exceed my expectation, so I've never had to return anything. HOWEVER if you know this guy well then it might be worth a shot.

 

[bender66]

I must have missed your post from a couple months ago. I'd pay a little more for the Fender type headstock, BUT the big issue for me to stick with Kurt and Rondo is the return policy. He'll do a refund or exchange with no hassle at all. Every sale I've done with him has gone smooth as silk and they exceed my expectation, so I've never had to return anything. HOWEVER if you know this guy well then it might be worth a shot.

I think it was an inquiry within a thread somewhere. Might have been on another forum too. I'm getting senile...

I don't know the guy from Adam, but if he keeps bringing guitars in similar to Rondo I'll definitely go check it out.

I agree about Kurt/Rondo. If I had to have that headstock, I'd just shape it. No bigeee. Save me some money.

*edit - A couple weeks ago I looked at the Saein site & that NT-AS Tele was gone. Now it's back in stock. They must be selling.

 

[itsGreg]

Got my sister in law a shine jazz bass for her birthday and it was pretty good for the money.

 

[dokter B.]

I had a Shine es335 , and it was a very well made guitar. played good , better build quality than Epiphone. I sold it to buy a tele.

 

[musicalmartin]

I had an identical Richwood, same as Shine and agile ,twin p90's thinline .very nice guitar ,no issues .An upgrade to Tonerider pickups made it even better .Wish I had kept but I sold it .They cost about 200 quid over here .Just get one .money well spent .Over here we got a F style headstock.

 

[TRexF16]

I bought this one today.
(link removed)

For ages I've been looking at the Squier Custom Modified II with the two P-90s and Les Paul style controls. I decided to buy this one based on the good words y'all had on Shine in general, and the fact that this one had the same basic "guts" (2 x P-90s with TTVV and 3-way switching) but in a much more interesting instrument.
I am overseas in the middle east right now but it will go to my house in Tucson. I hope my wife can bring it to me when she comes to visit in March. When it arrives soon I'll get a good look at it through our Skype feed and maybe have her tune it up and play a few chords for me through one of my amps back home. Whenever I have some more words to post I'll let you know how it looks. The seller promised in an e-mail to try to pick me out a really nice one, and I told him I might be able to send him some more business if it measures up.

Looking at this axe I am convinced there has never been a better time to be a guitar player than today, despite the fact that I started playing back in the day when teles were kind of second class citizens and dirt cheap. I bought my '67 Les Paul Deluxe cherry burst in 1975 for $350. It had been gigged pretty hard but remains a fine instrument to this day. I was "above" a lowly tele back then. Now I love them.

Hope to post some follow-up in a week or two. Until then, thanks to all who gave me the confidence to pull the trigger on this sight-unseen.
Rex

 

[Jim Dep]

I bought this one today.
(link removed)

That's a sweet looking guitar. It looks like a cross between a 335 and a Les Paul. I can see why you bought it. I hope it works out well for you.

Jim

 

[TRexF16]

That's a sweet looking guitar. It looks like a cross between a 335 and a Les Paul. I can see why you bought it. I hope it works out well for you.

Jim

Yeah, and it's got just a little bit of tele style thrown in the mix too, in the way the upper front half of the body flows into the neck. It might be a little hard to find just the right case to protect it in overseas travel, since I'm guessing it's just a bit of an oddball size, in between a 335 and a Les Paul, as you noted. I asked the seller if they make a case for it and he said no. I'll have the Mrs. take it down to the Tucson Guitar Center and try-fit it into a few there, assuming it doesn't fit well in any of the cases I have hanging around the house back home. Getting kind of psyched over it...

Rex

 

[TRexF16]

It's here and it's lovely!

I bought this one today.
(link removed)

Hope to post some follow-up in a week or two. Until then, thanks to all who gave me the confidence to pull the trigger on this sight-unseen.
Rex

"Week or two" hell, it arrived this morning! My wife says it was extremely well packed, and did great in shipment. Only three days from payment to receipt! I'd e-mailed the seller, Jeff, asking him to pick me out a nice one and he sure did, and answered my e-mail the same day too. The bookmatched flamed maple top is fantastic. I've only seen it on the Skype video from my wife back home, but it's killer looking. Sadly, it'll be months before I get to play it due to my being overseas right now, but I'll follow up then. In the meantime, I have added my input to Jeff's 100% positive eBay feedback and can say that everything so far with respect to this deal is first rate. I'd love to hear from anyone who buys the Shine P-90 thinline with the Bigsby that I linked in the original post. My bet is that's a world class deal. Thanks again for all the support guys,
Rex

edit added: I just went back to eBay and there's one of those FMT tobacco burst thinlines with the Bisby for $225 Buy-it-Now (down $20, but all the others are still $245). Not trying to spend you guys' money (OK, maybe I am) but what a deal! If I wasn't in the penalty box now I'd get one of those too! I want to hear how they are from one of y'all and in a month or so I can try getting my own.

 

[Jim Dep]

That's great ! It sure is nice having a great wife and guitar to look forward to going home to!

 

[TRexF16]

That's great ! It sure is nice having a great wife and guitar to look forward to going home to!

Yep, she's a fine wife and pretty easy on the eyes too. I shared your kind words with her and she said it was OK to post this. Not to hijack my own thread, but pretty wives aren't too far off topic from pretty guitars, I hope.

Actually, given that "pretty is as pretty does" I reckon it's not far off topic at all. The prettiest guitar in the world isn't worth shucks if it doesn't touch your soul in the best of ways. This lady does. That new guitar...well I'll just have to wait and see.

Now who's going to get one of those pretty Shine P-90 Bigsby teles and tell us all about it...LOL.

Best to all,
Rex