GROTE Guitar Solid Body Electric Guitar with Gigbag LPYS-006 (Purple)

Review is for GROTE Guitar Solid Body Electric Guitar with Gigbag LPYS-006 (TS) ......Keep in mind I am a beginner. Not a seasoned pro player.If you are like me, you have read the reviews, watched youtube videos about this brand etc. but the nagging question you have is....will I get a good one, that is pretty well setup when it arrives??Well, yes and no. ANY guitar you purchase, unless it comes straight from the shop that has been setup by a tech, you will have to do SOME setup. Keep that in mind.These GROTE guitars are very well made. Quality is there. Ok, on with the review...hope this helps you somewhat.This is my 2nd guitar, both inexpensive and both came from China. This is not such a bad thing.While I am just a beginner, this guitar is a big win. The fit and finish is top notch, IMHO.Shipping: It took a couple of weeks before it arrived. Shipped by UPS. Box arrived in excellent condition, and the guitar comes in the box, already in the gig bag, which, while not much padding, will provide some protection. I was surprised at the minimal padding in the shipping box, but they seem to know what they are doing, no damage to the guitar at all from shipping.Checking the quality, fit and finish of this Grote....there is one single blemish on the finish, but thats it, and its not in a noticeable spot, so all good. I gave it a really good look and inspection for flaws, due to the fact that you can return it to get another one if you end up with something wrong in shipping etc.Ok, lets get serious. How does it sound right out of the box? Is it playable?Absolutely it is, once tuned up. Lets say you ONLY tune it....is it right for a beginner?I say yes.....this is my 2nd guitar, the other one is a super strat style. This Grote is much more playable.Frets are spot on. Balled ends. Super smooth. Big difference, and that is what you are paying for. Tuners are good, better than most inexpensive guitars, and they DO hold tune. You do not need to replace them, if you don't want to. I have found locking tuners to be the best, and hold tune well, as well as being dead simple to replace strings.Ok, so what have I done to this so far, just to give you and idea on what to expect:1. Arrived and checked for obvious flaws. Check (fit and finish is great)2. Checked to make sure all is in working order...electronics, pickups etc. Check3. Bought new strings. Not that the original strings are bad, but I wanted to remove the strings and clean the fret board etc. Removed strings.4. Checked the bridge. Both pieces. Removed the screws. Bridge screws are a little loose and not tight when screwed in....not great, SO, I brought some copper tape, skinny strip, and wrapped the screw with one wrap and screwed them back in. That did the trick, and holds tight.5. Fret work is really good. I taped the neck and started cleaning with #000 3M pads. Not steel wool....since I didn't want little steel fibers everywhere. This cleaned up the frets, very light scrubbing. Then I used my dremel and with some metal polish, polished up the frets. Wow what a difference. Not that they were not shiny before, but they are very nice now. Used lemon oil on the frets, 2 coats. Cleaned up nicely.6. Locking tuners. I used Guyker Guitar Locking Tuners: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08K2P7M8P?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1 Drop in replacement. The original tuners are good, and will hold tune, so you don't really need to replace them.7. Checked neck. Had a slight bow, very slight, about half a turn on the truss rod set that straight.9. Strings. Replaced with Ernie Ball regular slinky 10's. Will see how these do, may replace with 9"s.10. Checked and set action. Checked for dead frets and fret buzz. Easy with this type of bridge.11. Set intonation. It was very easy and mostly setup perfectly. If I remember correctly, I only adjusted two strings. The rest were spot on. Love this guitar so far.Now this may seem like a lot of work if you are a beginner, like me, but watch some youtube videos, and if you are handy with tools, this is very, VERY easy to do. Take your time to get to know your new guitar.I would say total time to clean, polish, change the tuners, strings, adjust the bridge etc took all of maybe 1.5 hours, and that was taking my time to do it right. This guitar is very playable, and is a joy to pick up and play, the very little that I know how to do. I look forward to learning with this guitar. Simply love it so far. Yes, they look as good as the pictures show. I think you would be pleased with this purchase, even if you are a beginner....just take your time with setup, OR pay someone to set it up for you. Either way, totally worth it IMHO. Grote makes nice guitars, that look good, play easy and sound good.After doing all of this.....setup is great. If you are a beginner like I am, would you be OK with just a minimal setup consisting of tune and minimal checking of the neck, as far as truss rod adjustment? For the one I received, YES, absolutely. I think if this brand was more well known, this would be priced a lot higher. Check some reviews from seasoned pros. They are also buying this guitar. I really like the quality,look and sound of this guitar.

I received this gutar after returning a defective one.The guitar is immaculate tis time wit a minorvfret buzz on the 6th string. Thevone that i returned would not even do anything except buzz on the 1st 3 frets of every string. This one is really smooth. The frets are super smooth and polished. No sharp frets. The tone is great. Overall, I woud buy another one because of the quality and appearance of this guitar. No flaws!I purchased the VS. The color and detail is superb.After tuning it up, it played perfectly right out of the box. The set up action is a tad bit too low, so it will be adjusted after I install new strings. So far after one returning it holds steady. I'm surprised.2 &1/2 days so far.The factory strings leave a black film on your hands and are a but thin for a LP.So far the tuners seem to be holding up very well. I played it for about 2 hours with some extreme bending. On day three it's still playing well, with a little less 1st fret buzz.The guitar is not too light or too heavy. The neck feels good to the hands.I am amazed at the difference between the two guitars, even tough I'd rather have the TS color, I didn't trust reordering another one.I really wish that the 1st one would have worked out. I may order a 335 trapize model soon.I play a lot of gospel. People ask about the guitars that play. Maybe I should be reviewer!It looks like the right Grote guitar will make a player very happy. This is my first one.I usually play Gibson, Fender, and Ibanez.I'm liking the Grote.

We all know it is a low-end guitar, but it is a very nice guitar to play. I had to do a slight truss rod adjustment, and I have a slight bit of fret buzz still on the low strings around the twelfth to the seventeenth frets. It is barely noticeable, and I will check for a high fret and fix it on my next string change. The frets were all nice and smooth, the neck feels good, and the sound is great. It has cheap small pots, and who knows what the pick-ups are made of? I would buy it again.