Celebrity Review

20 frets; pickup settings give bass, treble, middle and gain; black gloss finish.

Features:	8.5
Sound:	7.5
Action:	8.5
Reliability:	8.8
Impression:	8.5
Overall rating:	8.4
Users rating:	6.5
Comments:	3

overall: 8.6

Featured review by: SwampAshSpecial, on june 26, 2009

Price paid: £ 220

Purchased from: used

Features: I am afraid I don't know much about my individual guitar. The guitar has a very thin neck, which is easy to play on, a fiberglass bowl back which fits very snugly and tucks in to your body like an electric guitar would. It has a built in tuner and can be plugged in - after this there is a 3 band EQ and gain control to further modify your tone. // 8

Sound: I bought this guitar so I didn't have to lug an amp everywhere when I play - I am essentially an electric player, so I decided on a bowl back. My only criticism is the slightly too quiet and sometimes a little thin sound, but when plugged in these problems are eliminated. Whether unplugged or not, it delivers sparkling Acoustic cleans. I tried it with distortion by mistake once, and although I would not recommend you distort the sound, it handles it better than many acoustics! // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: As I bought this used, I cannot comment on factory setup, but the guitar was in mint condition, and I checked it over carefully when I got it home. No blemishes in the finish or the wood. All parts are high quality and of the small amount of metal hardware, it was unblemished. The inlays are quite small but they were also fitted very nicely and give the guitar another electric style touch. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I have gigged with this, and indeed, I now depend on it for many of my cleans over my electrics! It is easy to take to gigs, the tuner is built in, so you don't need to carry one, and the fiberglass back is so tough you could take it anywhere! The strap buttons are rock solid, the tuners are tight, and honestly, I trust this guitar as much as my PRS Swamp Ash Special, the 'gem' of my collection, and would happily gig with it with no backup! (and have done so!) // 10

Impression: The guitar was bought for portability and toughness. It fulfills both of those criteria, and hits a lot of other points that I never realized when I bought it! Even though it is only a cheap(ish) Acoustic I feel really attached to it, and its feel and tone. The curved back and thin neck make it very useful for players who are used to electric guitars. // 8

overall: 8

Reviewed by: Farmer Frances, on may 10, 2006

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: Made in 2004 in China. 20 frets, thin neck (for an acoustic). I'm not quite sure what it's made of, but it doesn't feel like wood. It has a solid top with a black finish. Has a cutaway body with a bowl back. It has nice electronics built in, you can control gain, treble, bass, and middle. There's also a tuner on it. I bought the hard case with it for about a hundred bucks more. // 8

Sound: The sound isn't that of a full acoustic. It sounds a little flatter. But that can be a good thing, depending on if you like bright acoustic sounds or want something different. Whatever the case, this fits my style. Basically because I've only been playing upwards of 8 months and am just trying all the styles I can. You can get a variety of sounds just by playing with the treble/bass/mid switches, so I'll assume it fits most styles of acoustic playing. Although it does give major feedback in distortion. But hey, it's hollow right? // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar seems well enough. Although the action is pretty high, and the strings are real thick. I couldn't find any flaws aside from that though. Everything seems well enough here. // 7

Reliability & Durability: This guitar is durable. I've dropped it and accidentally banged it into walls and such. The hardware doesn't seem like it'll die anytime soon. The strap buttons are solid. I'd use this at a gig without a backup, because it's not faulty. The finish is there to stay, but it fingerprints easy. // 9

Impression: I'm experimenting to find my own style of music, but this fits most of the general genres. I've been playing, as I said, for around 8 months. I only own a Squier Strat other than this (sad thing is the Ovation's actually a better electric too). If this guitar were stolen, I'd be pissed. I've come to love the sound and the feel. So I'd have to buy a new one. I love the sound, cutaway, and the variety this guitar offers. The only bad thing I can say is that the action is a tad high, and that the strings from the factory are really hard to bend. I compared this to a few other acoustic/electrics, and it stood out the best for its price. // 8

overall: 9.6

Reviewed by: MasterXaero, on june 22, 2004

Price paid: $ 499.99

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: This is an acoustic guitar with amp-plugin capabilities. Made in Korea, the body of the guitar comes in two colors that I've seen - black and a sort of magenta which fades into a black border (I own the latter). Instead of the standard one hole, the Celebrity CS 257 has 15 holes arranged around what looks like a hand painted wooden fall leaf pattern. There are 11 holes at the above the strings and 5 below the strings, all located near the neck. The body has a good finish, but lacks a pick guard. Regardless, unless you are really hitting those strings hard, pick scratches are difficult to see. It has a 23 rosewood fetboard, with dots at the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th, 15th, and 17th frets, each dot alternating between a white circle and a white diamond, with two diamonds and one circle at the 12th fret, which goes well with the silver frets. The bridge is well set and provides good action (I use size 9 strings), and when strings need to be replaced, you simply slip it through a hole on one side of the bridge, no annoying pins involved. Finally, the guitar is equipped with a 9-volt battery powered Ovation OP30 control panel, which allows you to adjust the volume, bass, treble, and middle sounds if plugged into an amp. It's also got Mid-shift, preshape, and equalizer in/out buttons, and a tuner that helps you tune your guitar to all the notes and everything in between. // 10

Sound: I play emo rock, so for my band's acoustic songs it sounds great, especially when plugged in to my Crate GFX-120T amp. As far as acoustics go, it has an average sound, mainly because of hole placement. This may at first appear to give it an irregular sound but in reality it is unique. The only problem with it seems to be that if you get too close to the amp when you are playing a large venue, you get horribly annoying feedback. Nothing standing 10 feet from the amp can't fix. Otherwise a practice-amp volume should present no problems. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: This guitar was set up perfectly in the factory. The bride provides comfortable action with my size 9's. The pickups are located at just the right place - towards the top of the inside of the body - to give a great sound. You can't even tell they're there. Bridge setup was fine. The tuning pegs are about 1 inch wide and function properly - not too lose, not too tight. It also has a thinner body so your arm doesn't fall asleep from playing over that long stretch common on most acoustic guitars. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I have used this guitar to play live to venue with about 500 people listening. No problems at all. The hardware is very sturdy, particularly the control panel. I've used this guitar for about a year, and dropped it/hit it against walls/kicked it/etc and it's still in one, functioning piece like it just came from the store. The body is durable; however I wouldn't go punching it or anything. The strap buttons are average and are reliable, however I recommend, as with any guitar, strap locks, just in case. This guitar is very dependable and I have used it numerous times at gigs without a backup. This thing can survive anything short of throwing it into a bonfire. // 10

Impression: This guitar should meet any genre's acoustic needs. I use it with my Crate GFX-120T amp and .87 mm picks and it sounds great. I get the sound I have come to expect with upwards of four years of playing guitar. IF lost or stolen, there'd be hell to pay for the one who stole it, but I'd probably buy another, as I have never really had any problems with it. I love the design and hole placement - it's very unique. The only thing I hate about it is a tacky white border around the body but that's overshadowed by the rest of it's look. My favorite feature is the tuner - perfect for playing those Goo Goo Dolls or Dashboard Confessional songs in chaotic tunings. A great guitar, my first acoustic, well worth the money I paid for it. Go out and get one. // 10

overall: 7.2

Reviewed by: daevyne, on september 06, 2003

Price paid: $ 256.75

Purchased from: Long & Mcquade

Features: Let's see made in 2001 and has 20 frets, gives great active electronics built in. It's sadly made in korea however I still love it. The pickup settings give bass, treble, middle and gain (all great), black gloss finish. Not too sure about the fretboard. Has a single cutaway finish and an archbowl body. I think the body is made out of plasic or something, weird. // 8

Sound: I play emo, acoustic and other stuff with this guitar. Performs very well live, giving a better sound on an amp than playing by itself. The pickups are sensitive and nice, pick up every note I play. However feeds back like crazy when the gain and volume are too loud. It is pretty versatile with effects, can handle light distortion if I was playing some teenage dirtbag by wheatus. I've also used a phase shifter and various delay effects with the guitar to try and achieve chorus sounds, didn't really get it, but still got very soothing, smooth effects. (great with alternate tunings) The acoustic live sound on it is kind of weak, not too great by itself (sorta "papery" as I describe it) however it makes up for it's sound when plugged in. It gives a pretty good variety of sound and can handle different tunings well. // 6

Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was set up in the factory but the morons used lights which gave crazy action. I changed the strings to mediums, work fine now. The pickups were very well adjusted to the guitar and the bridge was very well routed. The cutaway is comfortable and easy to reach for high frets. The neck is well rounded, no problem. Very good for those with smaller hands and still convenient with those with slightly larger hands. The finish however is glossy therefore if you have fingerprints on it, they're clearly seen under the lights and need constant maintenance. // 8

Reliability & Durability: The guitar is made out of plastic and lacks a pick up guard so under the sound hole I have a whack load of pick scratches. Lasted me through every gig I've been through although once the cord jack got loose and I had to pay 12 bucks to get it fixed. The hardware if very nice, no problems at all, strap buttons haven't failed me once. I depend heavily on the guitar for it's great electric sound but it's not the most fun guitar to play if you're at home by yourself. I'd be careful with it though cos I know from experience from others it bruises like a fine lady, so jus keep it in the hard case. // 6

Impression: Well for the style of music and experimentation I enjoy, this guitar has so far not failed me. I'm surprised to say this guitar can still take me to other places, and I'm looking forward to the different sounds it can supply me with. I love the sound of it plugged in, but I really don't play it aside from then. the guitar is small and very comfortable due to the archbowl shape or great to play while standing up with a strap. If it was stole or lost, I would definetly think about buying it again (american made of course), but wouldn't hesitate to go for a Takamine or something. I love it's electronic versatility but as I said before, by itself the sound drives me crazy. I wish it had a more convincing acoustic sound when played by itself by I highly recommend this guitar if you wish to play only for fun with electric and acoustic. // 8

Comments

[Aethen]

emo isnt rock
its sappy crap
if you want real rock than listen to Rush or Black Sabbath
I think this is a pretty good guitar though

[KC_Soloman5000]

I agree it does have a semi-weak unplugged sound, but it works perfectly for intimate fingerpicking sessions. As far as the plugged in sound, I run it through a Fender acoustasonic and throw some effects on it and it ROCKS HARD. You can play it through an acoustic amp or electric amp and it will constantly surprise you. It definately has more mids than your typical acoustic which is a plus for me. Good Review though.

[stancan2]

I am see "rust" building on the frets! The frets look as though they are made from steel instead of nickel or silver..Real nice!... Can`t spend a nickel a fret to manufacture?