Stellar les Paul copy, any one tried these?

[Slobrain]

Hey folks,
I wanted to ask if any one here has tried the Stellar Les Paul copies from Ebay? If so did you like the guitar? Any downsides to these?
Thanks
SLO

[Regis]

I have one, a cherry sunburst. I really like it. For a $235 guitar (shipped) with a hardshell case it's a terrific value.

It's been a long time since I've owned a humbucker guitar but I like the pickups. The bridge is around 12k, fairly hot, and the neck pickup is about 8k, like a PAF. They are potted.

It requires a setup right out of the box, and don't even bother playing the strings that come with it, change them immediately.

I had some tuning problems with mine and it took a couple neck tweaks over the course of a couple of weeks to get the neck to settle in. I put a new nut on it and also a little nut grease and that fixed the tuning issues. I also put a Gotoh bridge on it but it didn't really need it.

It has a set neck and is exactly the same dimensions and shape as a Gibson, and is made of mahogany. I'm surprised that Henry hasn't sued them.

I did a webpage on it, there are some good pictures of it, check it out.

[Slobrain]

Hey Regis,
Thanks for the reply. I wanted to ask are the frets low medium or tall medium?
how does the fretboard feel?

Would you say it plays better than those new Epi's at GC? I tried the Epi LP at GC and they play pretty awful, sound muddy too.

The new Gibson's have quality issues to and paying 2K or more is ridiculous. I'm looking for the best bang for the buck on a LP style guitar and I seen a guy play on one of these Stellars at a local club and he got a real nice tone from the guitar. It had that LP sound and that surprised me when I seen it was a stellar.

Thanks
SLO

[Regis]

SLO,

The fretboard feels very nice. I would say the frets are medium low. The fretwork is very good, no sharp edges, high points, etc. Like I said the nut should be replaced and the action adjusted.

I've never played an EPI LP, so I can't compare. It's been years since I've played a good Gibson LP too.

Like I said the dimensions and construction of this guitar are exactly like a Gibson, and once set up right it is a nice guitar, certainly a great value for the money. I have several different amps and it sounds good pretty much through all of them.

I would buy another with no hesitation. They make a 335 knockoff for $159 that I want to buy.

It looks like they bumped the price to $249 on the LP, but they're still a good deal.

[Regis]

SLO, dammit, I bought a new guitar and it's your fault.

After posting on this thread I went to Ebay to look at those Stellar guitars again and ended up buying the 335 copy.

$159 + $35 shipping = $194.00

That is stupid cheap. I looked around on the internet and read a couple of good reviews about it, even though I know it will be a fine guitar. All I need is a peace sign sticker and I'll be ready to play "I'm Goin Home"

No case with this one unlike the Les Paul copy but I can get an Epi case for $69 with free shipping. I'll let you know how it turns out, I should get it the end of next week.

[galibier_numero_un]

Hi Regis,

SLO, dammit, I bought a new guitar and it's your fault.

After posting on this thread I went to Ebay to look at those Stellar guitars again and ended up buying the 335 copy.

$159 + $35 shipping = $194.00

That is stupid cheap.

Tell us how the guitar fits the Epiphone case when everything arrives.

I get a kick out of some of the Harmony Central reviews ... the guys who actually take the time to critique the quality of the strings !! I'm waiting for some fool to criticize the fact that it doesn't arrive in tune.

The way I look at it, if you can get away for anywhere from $300 to $450, you basically got a guitar for free. What's not to like about this?

My numbers assume the worst-case - an owner who doesn't have the inclination or skills to cut a nut, along with the possible cost of some replacement hardware (bridge, tuners) as you find necessary (or if your OCD takes over). Folks seem to like the pickups on these, so one would guess that you'd live with them for anywhere from few months to forever.

It seems as if one of the few complaints on the Stellars relates to switches and pots.

Here's a question: On a 335 style guitar, how do you get to the switch and pots if they need service? Do you fish everything out through the f-holes?

Cheers,
Thom

[Earl Norton]

thru the pickup holes. remove a pickup, attach strings (some use dental floss) to the components and remove thru the pickup hole. Not really easy but that's how its done.

[Regis]

I'm sure it will be a fine guitar, with the caveats about setting it up and replacing the nut. The Les Paul model is exactly the same dimensions as the Gibson, and the 335 is supposed to be the same deal. So I expect it to fit in the Epi case.

RE the pickups, I thought that was the way it was done. I probably will want to put a treble bleed cap on the volume controls, so I may just replace them with better pots if I have to go to all that trouble.

regards,

regis

[Earl Norton]

to change out one component, you likely will need to pull all pots, switches and jack. Might as well replace all.

[galibier_numero_un]

Hi Regis,

SLO, dammit, I bought a new guitar and it's your fault.

After posting on this thread I went to Ebay to look at those Stellar guitars again and ended up buying the 335 copy.

$159 + $35 shipping = $194.00.

Did you receive your Stellar/Mercury 008 yet?

Cheers,
Thom ... who needs better technique a whole lot more than a new axe

[Regis]

Hi Regis,


Did you receive your Stellar/Mercury 008 yet?

Cheers,
Thom ... who needs better technique a whole lot more than a new axe

Hi Thom,

Yah, I've had it about a week now, but my guitar setup guy has been busy and hasn't been able to squeeze me in to set it up. I'm taking it over on thursday to him.

It's a real nice guitar, as I expected. It's heavy, which is a little surprising.

It fits perfect into the Epiphone case, but I'll have to get a bumper sticker to cover the Epiphone logo, I don't want people to think I play one of those!!!

I'll report back with some pics after I get it set up and playable.

I was playing my Stellar LP tonight with a new band, and really enjoying it. It has settled in perfectly: Great action, stays in tune, I'm really starting to feel the mojo of the guitar. We were playing Led Zep, Trower, Free, and Hendrix stuff. I'm hoping the 335 copy will be the same way.

[TD_Madden]

Every now and then I go out to EBay and checkout the Stellar LP copies ....at the price they are sold at it's hard to resist pulling the trigger on one, especially with the case being included. Of course, I'd fiddle with it and it would end-up costing double :-)

Might be fun, though.

[Regis]

Every now and then I go out to EBay and checkout the Stellar LP copies ....at the price they are sold at it's hard to resist pulling the trigger on one, especially with the case being included. Of course, I'd fiddle with it and it would end-up costing double :-)

Might be fun, though.

Hi TD,

Not quite double, it depends on what you fiddle with...

The biggest thing about these Stellars is they really need a setup. The nuts are cut but not shaped individually, the strings they come with are shit, and the neck and action need to be adjusted right out of the box. I guess that is partly where they cut costs. On the other hand, I was in a Banjo Mart yesterday and played a new Gibson Explorer. It needed nut, bridge, and neck adjustments to fit my needs and style. It wasn't any more playable to me than the Stellars.

I replaced the bridge on my Stellar LP with a Gotoh, because it is a little higher quality. That was $25. It had trouble staying in tune and I sprung for Sperzals, but that wasn't the problem, it was the nut. I had the nut replaced and with a little nut grease the tuning problem was solved. I won't be changing the tuners on the 335.

The pots that come with these guitars are ok, but I like low turn torque pots so I replaced them with CTS pots, and the tone of the guitar remained unchanged.

I like the pickups so I won't be changing them.

So here it is:

• Change the nut.
• Change the strings.
• Maybe change the bridge.
• Maybe change the pots.

That LP copy was $235 shipped, and the changes and add on's cost about $125, so my total cost was about $360. That's a pretty cheap guitar for one that plays so nice. If you subtract the $60 for the tuners that I didn't need it's even better at $300.

The 335 cost $194 shipped, and the setup, nut, and bridge will cost about $40. Add the case, $69, and the total is $303.

So for around $600 I have two real nice guitars, with hardshell cases. Not including tax or shipping, setup fees, or any upgrades the equivalent Epiphones would cost over a thousand, and they don't come with cases.

[galibier_numero_un]

Hi Regis,

Yup ... we're on the same wavelength as far as how to approach these gee-tars. As I mentioned, above:

The way I look at it, if you can get away for anywhere from $300 to $450, you basically got a guitar for free. What's not to like about this?

My numbers assume the worst-case - an owner who doesn't have the inclination or skills to cut a nut, along with the possible cost of some replacement hardware (bridge, tuners) as you find necessary (or if your OCD takes over). Folks seem to like the pickups on these, so one would guess that you'd live with them for anywhere from few months to forever.

O.K. ... so we drop another $20 on 4 CTS pots, including shipping. I can live with this It's also nice to know that one can defer on the tuners.

Cheers,
Thom

[Regis]

Well, I finally got the Stellar 335 back, and it's just great. I had my guitar tech install a new nut and a Gotoh bridge, and I'm doing a couple of cosmetic changes such as putting reflector knobs and a 335 style pickguard on it.

It plays like butter and sounds great. It will take me some time to get used to the body style because i've never had a 335 before but so far I like it a lot. The pickups sound great and the neck feels real good. The frets are larger than what is on the LP copy I have.

When I get the pickguard I will post some pics and maybe a clip.

regis