# Anyone bought a Xaviere from GFS?



## blink (Jul 29, 2008)

I have been looking at a Xaviere XV-620 from Guitar Fetish. Has anyone bought a guitar from GFS and if so did the shipping include brokerage fees or did you get stung at the door?

I emailed Jay and got a pat "this is our shipping policy" answer which didn't answer what I was asking.

The shipping calculator in the cart says ground shipping to my postal code would be $55 which seems cheap for shipping to Ontario. This, and the fact that GFS didn't really answer my question about brokerage fees leads me to believe that yes indeed there would be brokerage fees upon delivery.

When I ordered from Rondo I paid a bit more for shipping but the brokerage was covered...it was nice to not get dinged t the door by the Fedex guy.


----------



## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

at those prices...you can't expect much..plywood with crapy hardware


----------



## blink (Jul 29, 2008)

al3d said:


> at those prices...you can't expect much..plywood with crapy hardware


Dunno about that, but I do know I can't afford to drop 2k on a Fender thinline, so I have to go the budget route. The reviews for the most part speak fairly well of the Xavieres as a budget guitar.

It's kind of like the Agile guitars from what I've read about them..pretty good bang for your buck. As far as that goes, after spending less than $500 for my Agile LP copy with upgrades I like it much better than most Gibby LP's I've played. Just my opinion of course.


----------



## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

blink said:


> Dunno about that, but I do know I can't afford to drop 2k on a Fender thinline, so I have to go the budget route. The reviews for the most part speak fairly well of the Xavieres as a budget guitar.
> 
> It's kind of like the Agile guitars from what I've read about them..pretty good bang for your buck. As far as that goes, after spending less than $500 for my Agile LP copy with upgrades I like it much better than most Gibby LP's I've played. Just my opinion of course.


you can find a used Fender MIM thinline for under 500$.


----------



## blink (Jul 29, 2008)

I never seem to be able to find any MIM tele thinlines for sale..but I don't have access to any decent sized shops in this area. Most I see on ebay are MIA's or just parts.

Thought about building a part-e-caster. That might be interesting.


----------



## the_fender_guy (Jul 22, 2008)

There are a couple of guys on TDPRI that have purchased the Xaviere guitars from GFS that were really happy. One other that was disappointed.
If you choose Export Air Letter Post it should be sent through US Postal. Canada Post doesn't hit you up for large brokerage fees so I think it would just be PST/GST + Customs + $5 Brokerage(if I remember properly)
Building a Partscaster can be fun but it isn't cheap.


----------



## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

I have read favourable reviews of the GFS guitars on most forums I use. Generally people seem happy with them for the price. I haven't seen any mention of any major construction issues with them. 

If you were to compare them to a Rondo product, they would compare to the SX line not the Agile line from what I have read. 

One issue I have with them is that the necks have a 12" radius. I am not a fan of a 12" radius on a Fender style guitar. That is the main reason I haven't experimented with one.

I know some people on this forum don't like the GFS pickups, but I love the ones I use. The Dream 180's are a cool pickup too, and the thinline model with them in it looks like a neat guitar.

If you are set on a Fender thinline though, I would try putting up a WTB ad on various forums, Craiglist and Kijiji. With some work I am sure you could find one within your budget.


----------



## joeR21 (Sep 10, 2008)

I got one of the GHS zemaitis pearl front copy last year. Shipping was not so bad... (I do not remember the exact $), but I had to pay duty fees when the package was delivered (very quick 3 days if I remember right). It was not too bad (alot less than UPS/Fedex closer to standard USPS fees)...

The guitar itself is nice, but it has some finish flaws (for the price I do not really mind those). It needed a good setup (truss rod adjustment and intonation... I did that myself). The pickups are surprisingly good and put my epiphone stock pickups to shame. The neck is thin, the action low, which I like on this type of guit... YMMV. I like it better and think it's a better guitar than my '95 epiphone Rivera.

Hope this helps.


----------



## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

joeR21 said:


> I got one of the GHS zemaitis pearl front copy last year. Shipping was not so bad... (I do not remember the exact $), but I had to pay duty fees when the package was delivered (very quick 3 days if I remember right). It was not too bad (alot less than UPS/Fedex closer to standard USPS fees)...
> 
> The guitar itself is nice, but it has some finish flaws (for the price I do not really mind those). It needed a good setup (truss rod adjustment and intonation... I did that myself). The pickups are surprisingly good and put my epiphone stock pickups to shame. The neck is thin, the action low, which I like on this type of guit... YMMV. I like it better and think it's a better guitar than my '95 epiphone Rivera.
> 
> Hope this helps.


Ya IMO the one thing that would put these guitars above anything else in the price range are the pickups. But again, I have been very happy with any GFS pickups I have used. I definitely think they beat any stock SX pickups, or anything else that comes stock on a Chinese made guitar.

Plus, other than the headstock they are a cool looking guitar. I dig the cream coloured ones.


----------



## Zeegler (Jan 2, 2006)

al3d said:


> at those prices...you can't expect much..plywood with crapy hardware


Nope. Wrong.

I have a first gen XV-500. Solid mahogany body and neck. Flame maple veneer top. Good quality hardware. GFS pickups. Great fret work, and general workmanship. This guitar sounds and plays better than much more expensive instruments. 










Why even post if you've never tried one?


----------



## Zeegler (Jan 2, 2006)

al3d said:


> you can find a used Fender MIM thinline for under 500$.



...and you get a piece of junk.


----------



## blink (Jul 29, 2008)

I Huff Paint said:


> ...and you get a piece of junk.


Funny that you mention that. I was just looking at a brand new MIM tele thinline at the local shop and I didn't like the feel of it at all. The price on it was $999.00 which is steep for a new MIM tele I think anyway. I have a 92 MIM Strat that is great and the quality is excellent, I was a bit surprised in the difference of a MIM Fender from 92 and a 2008 product.


----------



## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

I Huff Paint said:


> Nope. Wrong.
> 
> I have a first gen XV-500. Solid mahogany body and neck. Flame maple veneer top. Good quality hardware. *GFS pickups*. Great fret work, and general workmanship. This guitar sounds and plays better than much more expensive instruments.


...er...doesn't that say "Seymour Duncan" on that bridge pickup?

Hmmm...

I don't know about the guitars but after hearing one of the models of pickups from GFS that everyone raves about (ie: "they rock", "they're just as good as...", "they blow away...", etc) I firmly believe that they are good for the money. They don't touch Seymour Duncans, or Dimarzios, nor EMGs, and especially NOT any custom wound pickups that I've ever used. Don't even put a GFS pickup in the same room as a Fralin or you may spontaneously burst into flames.

So...I had my tech working on the guitar to replace a bad pot I asked him after the fact what he thought of the pickups. He said "they are OK. I plugged in a Les Paul right after that guitar just to compare and the Les Paul sounded way more expensive". Now that is 2 friends talking to each other...you can read into it whatever you like.

Anyway, if you are buying a GFS then so be it. Everyone has a budget. 

If you happen to be replacing pickups in a guitar then go for something real...not something that is 'good for the money'. If you are going to buy a pickup for $100 that makes a $200-$300 guitar sound like a $800-$1000 guitar then you'll find that the money is well spent.


----------



## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

My various Teles over the years have had a ton of 'good' pickups in them costing a ton of cash (experimented with many brands). I love the GFS set I have in my current Tele. They may not be 'good' in your eyes, but they are MY favourite pickups out of everything I have tried. Anyone who plays my Tele seems quite taken with them as well. I have no reason to go back to spending hundreds of dollars on pickups for my guitars just because of some people's snobby attitudes about gear.

Anytime you defend using GFS pickups, you get accused of being some ignorant noob player. I have been playing for almost 19 years now. Long enough to know what I personally like, and long enough to know a little bit about gear.


----------



## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

torndownunit said:


> I have no reason to go back to spending hundreds of dollars on pickups for my guitars just because of some people's snobby attitudes about gear.


I don't have a snobby attitude about gear. There is good gear in all price ranges. I have G&L Tributes and a Bradley Les Paul up to USA Gibson and Fender and everything in between. GFS pickups don't stack up to any other pickups that I have in my opinion...not Seymour Duncan, not stock USA Fender, not stock USA Gibson, not stock G&L and definitely not the custom stuff like WCR, Genesis and Fralin.


torndownunit said:


> Anytime you defend using GFS pickups, you get accused of being some ignorant noob player. I have been playing for almost 19 years now. Long enough to know what I personally like, and long enough to know a little bit about gear.


If you 'personally like' them that's fine. If you need to qualify your statements by saying how long you've been playing then that's fine too.
I am sure that 9 out of 10 people who know good and great tone *and* don't judge a piece of gear by it's name would be unimpressed by GFS pickups. That said, they would likely say that they are 'good for the money'.

Personally, I've never heard harsh treble from a Fralin like I've heard from GFS. My tech is no noob either...in fact, he was buying 'boutique gear' before it was 'boutique gear' back when people were selling their 'old tube amps' in order to get the 'hottest new solid state amps'. He was buying them because they were dead cheap and they sounded good.

If you like 'em...giddy up.

I think that they suck.


----------



## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

I Huff Paint said:


> ...and you get a piece of junk.


dude..that's total BS. i've tried many MIM tele and strat, and in like any other brands, some are good and some not, but on average a 400$ MIM tele in the used market will blow guitars outa the water any day of the week.


----------



## Archer (Aug 29, 2006)

I Huff Paint said:


> Nope. Wrong.
> 
> I have a first gen XV-500. Solid mahogany body and neck. Flame maple veneer top. Good quality hardware. GFS pickups. Great fret work, and general workmanship. This guitar sounds and plays better than much more expensive instruments.
> 
> ...



Is GFS spelled 'Seymour Duncan' these days?


----------



## Zeegler (Jan 2, 2006)

smorgdonkey said:


> ...er...doesn't that say "Seymour Duncan" on that bridge pickup?
> 
> Hmmm...
> 
> ...



Good eye, yes, that is a SD Custom. This guitar was supposed to come with GFS pickups, however, when I got the guitar, I didn't like the sound of the pickups, and when I pulled them, they did not have GFS stamped on the back like my other GFS pickups do. Jay at Guitarfetish told me that they might have been older GFS pickups that were manufactured before they started stamping them. Either way, I didn't like them, so I installed my favourite combo of SD Custom/59. I do have GFS Crunchy PAFs in some of my other guitars, and they are astoundingly similar to Duncan Customs, and sound amazing. 

What it really boils down to, is what you like the sound of. Some people love EMGs, but I've never personally had any luck with them. IMO they sound like ass. 

I have a set of Mighty Mite Motherbuckers in my Yamaha Weddington, and they are far superior to the Dimarzios that were in it. But hey, that's MY opinion, and someone else might have prefered the Dimarzios.


----------



## Zeegler (Jan 2, 2006)

al3d said:


> dude..that's total BS. i've tried many MIM tele and strat, and in like any other brands, some are good and some not, but on average a 400$ MIM tele in the used market will blow guitars outa the water any day of the week.


...and I've played enough MIM Strats to know that it's a fact. They are just cheaply made instruments that are overpriced due to the name. They should cost $150, because that's about what they are worth. I know this is gonna piss off a lot of people, but IMO, Fenders in general are cheap junk. Fender designed their guitars like the Ford model T, fast, easy and cheap to make, so that they could make more money. Yeah, I've played Strats, even MIM Strats that played ok, and sounded pretty good, but that's by far the exception rather than the rule.


----------



## Zeegler (Jan 2, 2006)

torndownunit said:


> My various Teles over the years have had a ton of 'good' pickups in them costing a ton of cash (experimented with many brands). I love the GFS set I have in my current Tele. They may not be 'good' in your eyes, but they are MY favourite pickups out of everything I have tried. Anyone who plays my Tele seems quite taken with them as well. I have no reason to go back to spending hundreds of dollars on pickups for my guitars just because of some people's snobby attitudes about gear.
> 
> Anytime you defend using GFS pickups, you get accused of being some ignorant noob player. I have been playing for almost 19 years now. Long enough to know what I personally like, and long enough to know a little bit about gear.


Hey, you don't have to defend GFS pickups. There are thousands of people who love them, and not because they are "good for the price". Gear snobs will always try to knock you down bro!


----------



## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

I Huff Paint said:


> Hey, you don't have to defend GFS pickups. There are thousands of people who love them, and not because they are "good for the price". Gear snobs will always try to knock you down bro!


That's direct enough for me...once again...I am no gear snob...maybe if you are using a 15 watt solid state amp in a bedroom all pickups sound the same but if you can't hear the difference between a Fralin and a GFS then you _really do_ huff paint.

...and if you don't know what to do with an EMG then yeah...it will sound like ass. David Gilmour sounded terrible when he used them

...not to mention the many others that have used them at one time or another.

If you buy with your budget then you'll buy GFS but if you buy with your ears you'll spend more money. It's worth it. GFS sound like ass IMO.

Now we're even...it's just opinion against opinion.


----------



## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

Your comments are completely snobby. You aren't giving people credit for their own personal tastes.

If you want to see what I run my guitars through, then do a search on here for a photo of my gear. I am not playing through '15 watt practice amps'. I own a wide variety of gear, and I have tried a wide variety of pickup brands (including Fralin) in many of the guitars.

Your comments are amongst the rudest I have ever read on this forum. Don't be surprised when people direct comments back at you.


----------



## bagpipe (Sep 19, 2006)




----------



## blink (Jul 29, 2008)

ah well, didn't mean to start a conflict. :sport-smiley-002:

I like GFS pickups, there I said it.

It really doesn't matter. What matters is:
1. If you don't gig and you like the sound in your bedroom it's all good.
2. If you do gig and you like the sound, chances are the audience can't tell the difference.

True or not?


----------



## starjag (Jan 30, 2008)

blink said:


> ah well, didn't mean to start a conflict. :sport-smiley-002:
> 
> I like GFS pickups, there I said it.
> 
> ...


EDIT:
Law #1: whether you gig or not, if you like your sound, then it is all good :rockon2:


----------



## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

I agree with blink and iggi...and still stand by my previous statements.

Now waiting for the thread about how a Jay Turser is as good as a Suhr.


----------



## keefsdad (Feb 7, 2006)

It is if it sounds as good to the player. 
Can't we all just get along?:rockon2:


----------



## Zeegler (Jan 2, 2006)

smorgdonkey said:


> That's direct enough for me...once again...I am no gear snob...maybe if you are using a 15 watt solid state amp in a bedroom all pickups sound the same but if you can't hear the difference between a Fralin and a GFS then you _really do_ huff paint.
> 
> ...and if you don't know what to do with an EMG then yeah...it will sound like ass. David Gilmour sounded terrible when he used them
> 
> ...


You continue to prove that not only are you a gear snob, but you don't know much about pickups and guitars. Fralins are good pickups, but if you think that means you can stick a set in any guitar, and it immediately sounds good, then you need your ears checked. But, that's typical of someone who cares more about what brand name is on his stuff, and how expensive it was rather than how it sounds (objectively). Every piece of wood, and therefore every guitar responds differently to different pickups. As I said previously, my favourite pickup combo is the Duncan Custom/59, but they don't suit every guitar I've tried them in. My Lado V didn't like them at all, and I ended up keeping the fantastic sounding Shadow pickups in it. The fact is, a pickup is a coil of wire wrapped around a magnet (or two). As long as they're potted correctly, quality is not an issue. It simply comes down to tonal preference, or for som people the name and cost factor. 

Don't even attempt to try to school me on pickups. You have nothing to teach.


----------



## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

I Huff Paint said:


> You continue to prove that not only are you a gear snob, but you don't know much about pickups and guitars.


I haven't 'proven' anything of the sort because I haven't discussed anything in depth or even anything remotely beyond the superficial.


I Huff Paint said:


> Don't even attempt to try to school me on pickups. You have nothing to teach.


Exactly when did I suggest that was going to do that? Careful...your superiority complex is showing. Your own comments regarding EMGs and your pseudo-level-headed speech contradict each other. Foot in mouth for you.

I'll rephrase for you then since you are all in a tither now...I have never heard GFS pickups that I want in my guitar...any of my guitars. In fact I have a set in a guitar that I'd love to have out of it.

Now can you stop whining?

*Apologies to the thread starter for letting the pack mentality boys suck me into helping ruin your thread. *


----------



## Zeegler (Jan 2, 2006)

smorgdonkey said:


> I haven't 'proven' anything of the sort because I haven't discussed anything in depth or even anything remotely beyond the superficial.
> 
> Exactly when did I suggest that was going to do that? Careful...your superiority complex is showing. Your own comments regarding EMGs and your pseudo-level-headed speech contradict each other. Foot in mouth for you.
> 
> ...


I don't like EMGs. Nothing contradictory about that. They don't happen to work for my rig. I've no doubt I could get them to sound decent, but why bother when I know what works with my rig? 

Please continue to post. By now, we can all see you have nothing usefull or intelligent to contribute. 

By the way, I'm willing to bet you have never even played a guitar with GFS pickups in it. That's usually how it works with people like you. Start spouting off on an internet forum about how bad something is, or how great something else is, and odds are, you're just parroting what you've heard somewhere else. Keep it up troll. We all need a good laugh.


----------



## Archer (Aug 29, 2006)

A friend of mine has a guitar with a set of GFS pickups. It sounds fine.

Tey are not as complex sounding as Fralins or other high end pickups but for an affordable line of products GFS is a perfectly acceptable maker.


----------



## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

I Huff Paint said:


> I'm willing to bet you have never even played a guitar with GFS pickups in it. .


Actually you'd lose.... I sold him one this summer with dream 180's in it 

I liked them compared to the originals.


----------



## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

I Huff Paint said:


> Please continue to post. By now, we can all see you have nothing usefull or intelligent to contribute.


Projection? That's my guess. 



I Huff Paint said:


> By the way, I'm willing to bet you have never even played a guitar with GFS pickups in it. That's usually how it works with people like you. Start spouting off on an internet forum about how bad something is, or how great something else is, and odds are, you're just parroting what you've heard somewhere else. Keep it up troll. We all need a good laugh.


Wow...you're really something!!
...and a hypocrite too...with your comment about MIM Fender right?


I Huff Paint said:


> ...and you get a piece of junk.


Careful...you'll be called a 'gear snob'. One thing that often points to someone not knowing what they are talking about is when they practice the same actions that they vilify in others.

Anyway...I know where you stand and you know where I stand. We don't need to go further do we? As I said before...can you stop whining now?

...and how are those feet tasting?



Archer said:


> Tey are not as complex sounding as Fralins or other high end pickups but for an affordable line of products GFS is a perfectly acceptable maker.


Yes...rather like saying "good for the money".


----------



## Jaggery (Mar 12, 2006)

Ok guys, I now have a XV-620.
Here is a brief review and some pics.

The guitar arrived sans case (as ordered) exactly in 1 week by USPS.
It was delivered to my appt without me having to go to the post office to pick up. Very well packed. 

Total cost USD 174 + 55 shipping + $29 CDN customs etc.

The guitar looks great and the color is beautiful.
It is slightly darker than pictured below.
Out of the box the action was low without any buzzing.
Fretwork looks just fine, no cosmetic flaws, tuners work fine.
The whole neck has a yellow tint.

Now, when I played it first the bridge pup was dead.
the neck pup sounded great.
I contacted GF and they promptly sent me another and all was fine.
All 3 positions sound great.
The bridge position is more trebly than normal.
I think one reason for this could be that the pots are 500K.
(I measured while changing the bridge pup).
So this is something that may need changing or just turn down the tone a little.
Also with 9s it sounds a little thin at the bridge.
So thicker strings are advised.

So I would in future probably change all that.
But its ok for now and for my bedroom stuff. 

I am going to put some bikini girl decals on this guitar.

It does what a normal tele would do and the semmi hollow body 
lends an extra dimension.

It sounds very close to this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZ3WOupo9Gc

And now for the pics:
















:rockon:


----------



## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

Certainly is a nice looking rig for $275 ish. The one thing that seems very constant is excellent customer service from the GFS guys. 

Congrats on the new guitar!


----------



## Hired Goon (Mar 4, 2008)

Wow for that price it at least looks great. Tempted to try one.

Here's a comparison on youtube:

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=HJVNvdQjjaw&feature=related


----------



## blink (Jul 29, 2008)

Thanks for the review Jaggery, thaose aspects of the hardware were about what I would expect in that price range. I almost pulled he trigger on one, but I've decided to wait for the SX stl/h to come in stock at Rondo. Only thing is, according to Kurt, they won't be in till 09. After hearing that and gassing for a T style I ended up buying an Sx stl ash (I'll likely get the stl/h next year anyway).

The stl ash is going to need some of the hardware changed out eventually. I have some saddles and a white pearloid pg coming for it as well as a graph tech nut.

for 120 bucks though it is an excellent sounding and playing guitar once I set it up. It does have some tuning issue but it will all be resolved as times goes by.
























The pg looks like crap partly cuz the plastic is still on it and partly cuz I'm a crappy photographer


----------

