Members Fendert Posted December 18, 2009 Members Share Posted December 18, 2009 This question I'm sure has been asked before, but of course when I first found out about gfs guitars they looked very tempting. Good price, in the pictures they look great, and they have a lot a variety. I especially am interested in the xv-820,xv-620, and xv-jm (one of the three). So is it worth the extra $300 that I would probably in mods? or should i just save and buy an all stock mex fender? http://store.guitarfetish.com/xvsesehocu2.html http://store.guitarfetish.com/xvsicusobo.html http://store.guitarfetish.com/xvseofgu.html Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thunder100 Posted December 18, 2009 Members Share Posted December 18, 2009 search my name and you find a XV -835 and a JT90 review Roland Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members axegrinder Posted December 18, 2009 Members Share Posted December 18, 2009 See the X-Men link in my sig. for some insight as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members paradisel0st Posted December 18, 2009 Members Share Posted December 18, 2009 Honestly from what I've read on this forum, the overall quality is at least on par if not better than a mexican fender. I own a mexican strat and thought the electronics and pickups were horrible and I'm not a fan of the fret size / necks they use either. Personally if I had the choice again now, I would choose a GFS strat over a regular one. Can't speak for the particular models you listed, but I've had great luck with GFS pickups and they sure as hell sound MUCH better than anything you're going to get on a mexi fender. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members twotimingpete Posted December 18, 2009 Members Share Posted December 18, 2009 Honestly from what I've read on this forum, the overall quality is at least on par if not better than a mexican fender. disagree. I think statements like this are misleading and lead to more statements and it perpetuates itself. nothing against xavieres, they're pretty good for the money, but they're not in the same league as fender standards. the other day I got a new MIM fender standard tele, and also recently had a squier classic vibe, and I've had 3 xavieres and currently own 2. to be honest, I think the CV is clearly better than any of my xavieres, and I think the MIM is even a bit better still. I've spent a lot of time comparing, too. fender standards don't get enough credit. I can't speak for ALL mims, (maybe the newest generation are better?) but the brand new one I just got is really top drawer stuff. the MIM plays smoothly, sustains like crazy, and the stock pups are really very good (IMO). by comparison xavieres tend to be kinda buzzy and unpredictable and I think the pickups are a bit overrated. if you do some work on the frets and so forth you may come out with a strong player, but barring that they're just not in the same league. to be fair, jay mentioned that his newest batch with the offsets and all that are from a new, better factory, with better quality. I haven't tried those. my xavieres are an 820 and a 600 and I used to have the strat one -- and the xavieres that I have are fun and look great and are very affordable, but I think saying they're as good or better than mims after all the time I've spent A-Bing strikes me as a bridge too far. this is my 820 and the classic vibe tele and the lola. this is my 600 along with some other stuff, including my old michael kelly patriot special which I traded away to johnnyraincheck. in retrospect I think it's even stronger than the mims, (it was insanely solidly built) but what can ya do. I took it for granted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hoople Head Posted December 18, 2009 Members Share Posted December 18, 2009 Honestly from what I've read on this forum, the overall quality is at least on par if not better than a mexican fender. I own a mexican strat and thought the electronics and pickups were horrible and I'm not a fan of the fret size / necks they use either. Personally if I had the choice again now, I would choose a GFS strat over a regular one. Can't speak for the particular models you listed, but I've had great luck with GFS pickups and they sure as hell sound MUCH better than anything you're going to get on a mexi fender. In my personal experience, this hasn't even been close to true. Maybe I'm getting total cherry MIMs and total dud Xs... who knows. That's not to say that the XVs aren't great guitars for the money, but they are definitely a notch or two below the MIM Standards IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members webwarmiller Posted December 18, 2009 Members Share Posted December 18, 2009 I'd say they are somewhere btw an Squier Affinity and a Squier Standard (which is pretty much exactly where they fall price wise when shipping is factored in). They are better in terms of the trem and pickups, but the tuners are worse than either Squier. I found I REALLY disliked the heavy urethane finish on my Xaviere's neck......felt very plasticky so I sanded it completely off (took FOREVER) and finished it with Danish oil. MF has 20% off Fender/Squier today if you call and mention 'Fender Holiday'. So, a Squier Std Tele would only set you back $184 shipped which is cheaper than an Xaviere shipped and I think you end up with a better overall guitar. Or a Classic Vibe for $275 which is only $75 more than the Xaviere for what is an EXCELLENT tele. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bro Blue Posted December 18, 2009 Members Share Posted December 18, 2009 I would have to agree with what most are saying. They are very good guitars for the money, but (in their stock form) they are nowhere near a MIM Standard. You can mod them and make them into better guitars. I still have an XV500 that I really do like, so I'm not a basher, but they are what they are. There is a gray area where personal preference comes into play, here. Some may simply like one thing (say fretboard radius, for example) on one better than the other. There are people that gig with Xavieres here and love them. I've giged with mine. Just understand that if you get one you are going to be getting a darn good guitar for the money, a really good value with pretty good build quality - and Jay has great customer service. If you get one expecting a Custom Shop quality guitar, you will be disappointed. I have a Squier Tele Custom (all black, maple board, dual humbuckers) that is better than any Xaviere I have ever owned or played stock. Personally, I think the Xaviere teles are their weakest offering. The Strat and LP clones are very good. If you want an inexpensive Tele I would go either Squier or check out Rondo Music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MrChitlins Posted December 18, 2009 Members Share Posted December 18, 2009 I'd say they are somewhere btw an Squier Affinity and a Squier Standard That sounds about right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Fendert Posted December 18, 2009 Author Members Share Posted December 18, 2009 ok so from what I've gathered, stock they aren't as good as mim fenders, but what if I were to upgrade the pickups, the bridge, and the tuners. then compared it to a stock min fender? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hoople Head Posted December 18, 2009 Members Share Posted December 18, 2009 ok so from what I've gathered, stock they aren't as good as mim fenders, but what if I were to upgrade the pickups, the bridge, and the tuners. then compared it to a stock min fender? A good set up and potentially some fret leveling, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members twotimingpete Posted December 18, 2009 Members Share Posted December 18, 2009 ok so from what I've gathered, stock they aren't as good as mim fenders, but what if I were to upgrade the pickups, the bridge, and the tuners. then compared it to a stock min fender? I'm just speculating, but if you did that AND got a nice fret level/polish job done, then they might be in the same ballpark. then again, there may be other x-factors which are harder to quantify. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members golias Posted December 18, 2009 Members Share Posted December 18, 2009 When you can sometimes score a nice MIM Strat or Tele for as little as $250 - $300 (and a good used Squier, Peavey or Yamaha for even less), the appeal of a lot of the mail-order guitars (Rondo, GFS, etc.) slips down a notch, in my opinion. To me, the value of these guitars comes more into play if you are looking at something a little more unusual (and therefore harder-to-find-used) than their vanilla Strat & Tele clones. Like the Xaviere thinline copy, the SX ash strat, or the Agile double-neck tele. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members CBDBRP Posted December 18, 2009 Members Share Posted December 18, 2009 A good set up and potentially some fret leveling, too. My two Xaviere's (XV600, XV820) purchased very recently have awesome necks and the frets were very nicely dressed - no sharp edges whatsoever. I think that's where Xaviere's really shine - awesome necks. On my MIM standard - also a beautiful maple neck BTW, I had to give it a little more TLC out of the box before it was to my liking. Some sharp edges and some fret leveling was needed but it wasn't terrible by any means. I may have passed that example up altogether, but the neck on that one had some beautiful figuring that made the fret work worth while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarman3001 Posted December 18, 2009 Members Share Posted December 18, 2009 To me, the value of these guitars comes more into play if you are looking at something a little more unusual .......... like this I want one! Reminds me of my old Van's skateboard shoes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members PunkKitty Posted December 18, 2009 Members Share Posted December 18, 2009 I have an XV700 that I love. But I needed to get the frets leveled and a have a new nut cut for it. Expect to spend the extra $$ for it. But I also needed a fret level for my MIM Strat when I got it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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