Donner DTC-100 39" TELE Style Solid Body Electric Guitar Kit with Gig Bag, Strap & Cable - Perfect for Beginners | Home Practice, Studio Recording & Live Performances

This is a really pretty good guitar, not the best, but REALLY GOOD. the frets were finished way better than guitars cost 4 or 5 times as much. the pickups we ok, i swapped the out for foil pickups. the top is a plywood and it resonates pretty well, sustain is acceptable, and for the type of quotation it is i’m impressed it’s as good as it is. the neck is maplesand it has a high polish to it, it’s a matter of taste, but it would take a long time to wear its finish, looks like a polyester based finish. i play this often, and i’m always surprised how well it stands up to custom made guitars i have as well as some of the high end name brands i own. i would recommend this as a parlour guitar or for new users or someonewanting and upgrade project to make a partscaster ( like i did ) style tele. you be surprised how not bad this guitar is. i actually bought other stuff they make, AFTER i purchased this. oh, the machine heads are serviceable, but if you play quality guitars you might wish to change the machines out on the guitar. the bridge is fine, nothing special, but is served it’s purpose. anyway if you can’t tell by now; i think this is great for what is is and other guitar makers might want to take note, it’s not a $99 fender pack for the kids at christmas, but i, as a fender lover, owner, and player of several of them can safely say this can hold its own against some of the squires i’ve played, at higher prices that’s this!I'm left handed and have failed twice trying to learn right handed (as many "experts" recommended). Didn't want to buy anything expensive, assuming I would still fail. I was surprised by this guitar right out the box. First, it is heavier than I expected. Second, it is very attractive. Tuned it up and was impressed with the sound. Not perfect at this point but I was happy it didn't sound like a cheap guitar. Started learning via some youtube video lessons and now, three months later, I can play a few easy songs.Here are some things to be aware of:1. The strings aren't horrible, but I put on some Ernie Ball Slinky 9s and like the sound better.2. You'll want to do some setup, especially the action. Since this is a beginner and I didn't want to pay for setup, I got a nomad setup kit and did it myself.3. Although not much to complain about there is one fret that isn't quite right and the thinnest string occasionally gets caught under it.The setup helped with how hard I had to press the strings down. If you are just starting, I wouldn't worry about it until you know the guitar is for you. I mainly wanted to lower the strings so they were closer to the frets (called action in guitar talk). The nomad kit has all the instructions to do what a luthier would do but is at least half the price.I really like just about everything about this guitar except the weight. Not like it weights a ton, but it is heavier than my old right handed strat. With the Ernie Ball strings and some toying around with the knobs and amp, I've been able to get some very nice sounds. I also recommend a capo early on, when you start to look at easy beginner songs I found quite a few use a capo.For the price, this is a great beginner guitar.Really nice guitar for the price. String- thru body really helps with the sound and sustain. Everything works well on the guitar except that a few of the string ferrils cans unglued. Simple repair. I’ve upgraded the guitar, but everything worked just fine before my upgrades. Really nice burst color with nice wood grain on the body. Maple neck is straight and was ready to play right out of the box with no sharp edges. The included card with chords and brief instructions on how to set-up a guitar is a really nice extra especially for the new guitarist. The gig bag is quite nice and pretty well padded. Sealed tuners do the job ok but the G string tuner was slipping a bit. Still a really nice instrument for the price. The stock ceramic pickups sound pretty good - definitely gives that distinctive Tele twang on clean settings while handling overdrive pretty well.I ended up swapping out the stick pickups for an Oripure Alnico 5 neck p’up and a Seymour Duncan hotrail p’up in the bridge. I would definitely suggest this guitar for a beginner just starting out. I changed the picguard, tuners, bridge, swapped chrome control plate for a black one, and installed pickups- I had all parts on hand so decided to do the upgrade. So while I did the upgrade, it really was not necessary since everything was in good working order. All in all I’m really happy with the guitar. This is my second Donner. I really wish entry-level guitars were this nice 30 years ago when I started learning to play. This is a great guitar to learn on, and an excellent modding platform to upgrade.I bought a lefty version for my wife. I was surprised to see such nice worksmanship on a lower priced guitar, the fit and finish are pretty much flawless. Tuners are nothing special but they hold tune, the guitar needed very slight setup work on the intonation, pickups are pretty good. I have a Harley Benton TE 52 and this is very comparable, although thankfully lighter, lol. Donner has been a brand i have come to really like, i have quite a few of their pedals on my board, and i have a midi keyboard that i use in conjunction with recording from them. For the price, i would be hard pressed to find a nicer guitar. I wish they were this good back in the 80s when i was starting out. I am seriously considering picking up one of their strat copies for my next purchase. This one punches above its price point, check out some of the blind test youtube videos, you put this sucker next to a fender on a good amp, and unless you really know what you are listening for, you can't really tell the difference. I highly recommend this guitar.This geetar arrived 5 days ago. Amazing price and pretty darn good Strat copy. There's was a fair bit of fret buzz here and there, which, in 58 years (yep, old git!) of guitar owning is only the 2nd time I've had this problem. Especially bad a couple of frets up from the nut. Eventually fixed it. Good pickup sounds for the dough, and it's very handsome (like my dog - my handsome days are over). The action is fairly ok. If I lower it, the buzz blues return. I’ll have it sorted soon though. Should be recording on GBand fairly soon. The first verse of the first song must surely be; “My handsome days are over, but I’ve found a guitar to play, it says Donner on the headstock, but it’s Fender all the way!” A-hu-hu! ;0)I needed a guitar I wasn't afraid to use at jamming sessions when we get a little over excited and careless high on the music. I'm quite precious about my main instrument and I save that for civilised interactions. Bought this guitar thinking I might do some upgrades and with a bit of luck I'll get at least functional instrument. I did the right thing.Features:- Comes well packed in its box with foam and then in its own case. Little chance of damage- Looks insane, the finish, the wood grain, better than I've seen on all Squires I owned- String through body which is just amazing at this price point- Great satin neck no fret sprouting, far better quality for its class- Plays beautifully and sounds nice and bright like a single coil Tele should doWould have liked:- A red one but I'm just being picky. the sunburn finish is extraordinary as you can hopefully see in my picsAll in all a great instrument for the money. Definitely not just a beginner's guitar so consider yourself lucky if this is your first instrument. Get one now before they all go!I was super excited when this guitar arrived on my doorstep! It came well-wrapped, and the case and added goodies like strap and cable are top quality, far superior to any ‘freebies’ you would normally get sent with guitars. The guitar is great for the price. It’s perfect for beginners, or for someone like me, who wants a solid base to modify off of. The pickups are okay, but mine were a little bit microphonic. Tuners are brilliant, and held the tune on new strings remarkably well! Guitar seems well-wired and adequately grounded, and there is a very responsive tone knob, which I can appreciate. Bodywork is fantastic, and it has a great shine to the lacquer. All in all, a solid instrument, great for beginners and modders alike! Would definitely recommend! 5 Stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️