Just received my GS travel mahagony to replace an Epiphone AJ220 which was too bulky for travel and camping. I also did not like the sound and feel of that guitar.
The GS travel generally looks nice, but closer inspection showed
- finish around the saddle a tiny bit different (effect of saddle glue?)
- some imperfections in the wood at the back (a small discoloration under the finish)
- poorly drilled holes for the bridge pins (looks like the drill wasn't very sharp).
- frets were allright, a bit sharp at the edge of the fretboard, and they could be smoother. Easily remedied. They look to be on the soft side, time will tell.
- some machine heads (tuners) were very poorly seated, with some nuts not tightened down at all. They feel serviceable, no more no less.
- the finishing inside is a bit rough here and there (bracing, neck joint block, ...)
Sound is loud and not bad at all for the size. This was even better for me after I put a medium-light strings on. Nothing fancy though, it's still a small laminate guitar ...
The action of the strings was 3 mm at the low E 12th fret, which is a bit on the high side. The neck bow was also more pronounced than I am used to. Adjusting the truss rod feels a bit weird, not smooth. Still, the neck straightened a bit after 1/4 turn, resulting in a more acceptable bow (0.2 mm on the 6the fret when fretting 1st and 14th fret). The resulting action was now 2.7 mm. No buzzing, even when digging in.
Intonation, while not perfect is certainely ok.
All in all nothing unexpected at this price point, except maybe for the loose tuners which should have been noticed by whatever simple QC is in place.
All in all, this guitar plays and sound like a guitar that costs much more (and I own several). It satisfies my requirements of a cheap small travel guitar that sounds decently perfectly. As an all laminate construction it should be quite robust, I hope it survives many a trip ...
Great job, great value for money!
