My DeArmond JetStar: 10 out of 10!

G U I T A R R E V I E W
DeArmond Jetstar Guitar Review.
By Bob Craver
Bob say's of the DeArmond Jetstar "It's a fun and unique backup for pros and would make an awesome guitar for beginners or those on a tighter budget."

THE SCORE-BOARD:
DeArmond Jetstar

Features: 7
Sound: 10
Action, Fit, & Finish: 8
Reliability/Durability: 8
Overall Rating: 10



The DeArmond Jet-Star guitar is a Korean-made wonder from a name owned by Guild, who is now owned by Fender. It costs US $475.00 with hardshell case, an at least 3 piece solid mahogany body and set mahogany neck. Mine is "transparent red", which looks sorta like an old SGs' finish. The body shape is that of the old Guild Thunderbird of Muddy Waters and Zal Yanovsky fame, but without the flip-out stand in the back. It has an S-100 style tailpiece and a tune-o-matic style bridge. The pickups are U.S. made DeArmond Gold Tone humbuckers. The tuners are generic and merely okay. The neck (and fretwork) is a dead ringer for a higher quality late-70's style MIJ Les Paul copy.

There is a space of about four inches from when the strings leave the tailpiece to when they reach the bridge, this gives the guitar a distinctive ring/rattle in its' sound. When combined with the generally brighter than Gibson sounding DeArmond humbuckers the guitar takes on a curiously Gretschy kind of sound, but a bit thicker and harder hitting, like an SG. It's clean sounds can twang and swing with the best of them. When you crank up the overdrive it seems to take on a more Gibson-like character. They should offer the pickups as a product in their own right. (I'll vote for that idea Ed.)

The woodwork for this relatively budget-priced instrument is fairly cool. There's definitely a few different pieces of wood making up the body, and two pieces making the neck. The fretwork is okay, but not spectacular. One of the bridge pins was bent, but that was easily corrected. While the action was okay for the tens that came on it, it needed tweaking for my usual 11-50 set. The truss rod was also cranked way too tight and the pickups just a tad too low for my occasionally pernickety tastes. Ultimately it set up fine, though.

Once it was all set up, I had what felt like a good LP-like copy with some great pickups on it. The tuners aren't great, but they are doing an okay job now that the strings are settled in. I bought this guitar as a backup, but I recently used it as my main guitar at a gig with no problems. People who can't recognise a budget axe right off ooh and aah over it's looks. As the body style is based on a guitar with a built-in guitar stand, it leans up against amps better than most guitars (Flying Vs and Bo Diddleys' square guitars excepted) Comes with a Fender lifetime warranty. I haven't had to use it yet...

This guitar reminds me of the various Gibson copies my friends had in highschool, only it already comes with better pickups. It's definitely a fun guitar and very versatile as well. While the workmanship isn't top of the line, the sound is. I bought it because I needed a backup for a band with a more "hard rock" sound. As it turned out, it makes a great rockabilly sound too! (which has been more of my focus stylistically for the last nine years or so) It's a fun and unique backup for pros and would make an awesome guitar for beginners or those on a tighter budget. It plays passably well, but I wouldn't trade my Hamer for it. As it comes in an oddball shape, I recommend buying a case thru yer dealer as well.

Submitted by: Bob Craver