Grote Electric Guitar Semi-Hollow Body Single F-Hole Printed Tele Style Guitar Full-Size Basswood with Canadian Maple neck Chrome Hardware

I got the purplish one. It's really pretty to look at, but more importantly, it has decent tuners, a nut that's seated and slotted reasonably well, a nice straight neck, pickups that sound pretty good, and a fully adjustable "string-thru" six-saddle bridge. The frets were a little gritty, but this was quickly remedied by buffing them with some #0000 steel wool that I keep around for this purpose. String-wise, I initially put a new set of "10's" on it (which is what I normally use), but it just felt a little too stiff, so I changed over to 9's, and they seem to match this guitar better, not sure why, but it feels just right now! A tip regarding the adjustable bridge: it was fussy when I tried to lower the saddles with the strings on, so when I changed the strings, while there were no strings installed, I lowered the saddles substantially more than I thought they'd need to be, got them reasonably balanced, then installed my new strings, and, with the new strings cranked up to just "partial" tension, I raised each saddle up to its optimal height (I like to just be able to slide a Quarter underneath each string at the 16th-17th fret location). I then finished tuning the strings up to normal pitch. The action is a nice medium-low. The neck isn't super thin, but it's not baseball-bat sized either. The guitar plays in tune. It's lighter-weight than many other electrics I've played, but still has a solid feel when you pick it up. I'm really happy with the value for the money here.

I came close to giving this a 5 star review all the way. However, as some have mentioned it does require a little bit of set-up to make it a superb value. I have been a luthier for a long time so what I consider minor adjustments others might consider a major undertaking. If you can do a little bit of work for yourself, don't hesitate to jump in. Here's what I discovered on the one shipped to me. First negative: the string height at the nut was terrible. The plastic nut, though was quite hard (not sure what it is) and once filed and shaped works fine. Secondly, there were a few high frets which had to be dressed, crowned and polished. Third the intonation was only fair. It took me maybe an hour or two to correct these items. Finally: as you would expect at this price point , the hardware is usable, but not great. The tuners should probably be the first upgrade and the saddles might be the second. Now, on to the good. The neck feels very good and has roughly the same dimensions of an American Fender neck. The fretwork on the 12" radius neck was pretty good overall (other than the already mentioned high frets) , fret ends were dressed nicely and the action was able to be adjusted to a very low string height. It is actually a lot of fun to play. Next: the finish looks really good (especially from a foot or two away). What looks like tiger striped maple is most likely "photo-flame." There is however, real wood underneath (maybe poplar, but can't say for sure) and it resonates nicely. This guitar is incredibly lightweight and comfortable to play. Third: the pickups are better than I expected at this price point (still, a bit microphonic). I bought this with the idea of making it a project, but I've decided to leave it as is for a while. Truthfully, I'm having too much fun playing it. Again, if you can do the work yourself, go for it. I think you'll be happy. If you have to pay someone to do the work just use the money you would pay to buy a little better instrument (although, you'll be hard pressed to find a better looking guitar at anywhere near this price point!).

This is the second Grote guitar I have bought, and I’m extremely glad that I did! The neck feels fantastic. Fret ends are dressed very well, an unusual thing in this price range (my first Grote was, as well!), neck feels very nice...not too thin, not too thick. I’m not 100% certain what the top is, but it looks to be some sort of plywood, with poly over a printed design. If you’re a believer in tone wood, this probably isn’t for you. That said, this thing sounds great through my Bugera T5! Pickups have that typical Tele sound and feel to them, without any microphonic noise. Definitely has a wiring issue, which is something I come across on quite a few of the Chinese guitars. I haven’t cracked it open to correct that yet, but will most likely change the tone cap and possibly even the pots while I’m at it. Volume control doesn’t shut off the volume. This is usually nothing more than a switched wire, which I’m sure is what I will find. I’m not really liking the feel of the volume pot anyway, so if I replace it, won’t hurt my feelings. I have plenty of good used ones lying about😉. Shipping was a nightmare! They send the guitar in just the inner box, usually. My first one of this model arrived with damage visible after opening the package and both knobs pushed through the broken pickguard. Initiated a return, and got the new one inside a second, bigger box...but no padding or anything to stop the guitar moving around. Still and all, this one arrived without damage, and the return/exchange couldn’t have been easier. This guitar is definitely a good player and, once I correct the wiring issue that it has, I would have zero issue with playing it out. It’s just a really solid guitar, well worth the $114, after tax, that I paid for it! Thanks, Grote!!!