Just got the world's greatest cheap guitar deal (and you can too)

[mitchum]

I wanted a semi hollow body electric, but I didn't want to pay very much or worry about dinging it up (I am very rough on guitars) Checked out the Epiphone Dots, but they really didn't do it for me. Then I heard about the Washburn/Oscar Schmidt OE30. It's a 335 type knockoff. After checking out all of the postings on Harmony Central I prepared myself for what I may encounter...loose screws, tiny flaw in the finish, setting the intonation, shaking out the sawdust in the f-holes...all minor stuff...I picked a new one up for the grand sum of $119 on Ebay (as a buy it now)
It arrived six days later and all I had to do was replace the garbage light strings that came on it. It was perfectly playable without a single cosmetic imperfection. I didn't even have to adjust the action. They even sent me 3 more packs of said strings, a strap, and a 10 foot court. Not of that stuff was a very good quality and I will probably never use it, but it's a nice gesture.
the guitar is really a sweet deal. Grover Tuners, 2 decent Humbuckers. I think of it as a Harmony Rocket with modern playability. I once had a pristine Rocket that I sold to a blues lawyer for a ridiculous amount of money. I never played the Rocket, but I've been playing this OE 30 ever since it arrived. You can find them new for $120 to $180. A steal that I highly recommend.

mitchum is not affiliated with Washburn, Oscar Schmidt or Ebay.

[XNASA]

1. Thanks for the tip.

My next guitar will be a hollowbody electric, so I'm always interested in hearing stuff like this.

Speaking of inexpensive guitars, anybody ever played a Samick?

[IowaGuy]

2. I play one....

Greg Bennett Avion AV-6....I'm just a rookie guitar player and really don't have the experience to definitively compare it to others...but I sure amenjoying it, and certainly seems like a well-built quality instrument to me. Had it for about 10 months and had no issues or problems

[ProfessorGAC]

4. Yep!

A guy we know from Kankakee has either two or three of them, though lately he's been stepping in class (and cost).

They're ok. The neck feels very Fender-like to me. Same radius, width and depth, or at least close enough that without measuring, it feels the same.

The pickups on 2 of his are a little noisy, but they're also pretty high output, so unless one spends enough dough, output comes with noise.

The bodies are laminates (one of his is clear finish and you can see the joints), but they feel solid enough and the sustain is plenty acceptable. I'm not sure how many pieces the neck are though. I can almost guarantee they're not one piece though. That's inherently expensive.

I think they're ok for the money. They're made in the same factory as some other brands, which are considerably more costly, so aside from materials, the construction standards are probably close to the same as more expensive guitars.

There's a Samick dealer about 20 miles south of my house. I only go to that store though to play the guitars on the wall, because they have a sign that says you can't play the guitars without permission. I figure if i pick one up and play well, they won't say anything. They never have, but i still get to feel like a rebel.


The Professor

[ProfessorGAC]

3. LOL! Your Last Line Is Great!

My friend might be interested. He had a 335 20 to 25 years back. He sold it for a very good price (more than he paid for it) but has regrets. He always liked that guitar. I'll let him know.
The Professor

[mitchum]

5. Glad I could help (despite my atrocious typos)

Christ! i must have been sleepy :)