XG Junior Review

This quality solid body guitar with its slim, fast neck is ready to rock! Finished in a high gloss mahogany finish with a single P90 pickup it stands out as a cut above the rest.

Features:	8
Sound:	8
Action:	8.5
Reliability:	10
Impression:	9.5
Overall rating:	8.8
Users rating:	10
Comments:	1

overall: 8.2

Reviewed by: neqinox, on august 01, 2008

Price paid: $ 140

Purchased from: ebay

Features: Not entirely sure of the year but it was purchased in March 08 from an ebay store, manufactured in China. Named the junior, in the same way as a classic Gibson model it features a single passive P90 pup. and a fast narrow neck. Alden make a big deal of the fact that all their pup's are designed and manufactured by them. // 8

Sound: I play everything from Muse to FOB and this guitar suits most styles. The pickup produces a nice sharp sound however I consider to be stronger as a rythmic guitar as I'm not a huge fan of it for solo's. As the other reviewer mentioned there's very little buzz from the P90 which is nice and additionally the shielding seems to be perfect as there's no buzzing whislt not touching the strings which is unusual. Overall I'd say it's a great rythmic guitar or lead if you don't do much solo work. // 7

Action, Fit & Finish: Action wise the guitar was pretty much perfect when I recieved it. The intonation needed some slight adjustment and the low E string buzzed a bit but a small saddle adjustment sorted that out. The action is low and the neck feels really quick. As I mentioned in an earlier comment the finish was a little thin in places. Mainly on the side of the neck where it could have done with another coat however it does seem like the type of guitar that will age well and for the price I paid I didn't expect a perfect finish. The saddle, tuners, pickup and stratch plate were all finished to a high quality. // 7

Reliability & Durability: Reliability is one of this guitars plus points. Dispite its slight flaws with the finish of the guitar it is actually very well constructed and I've used it Live a few times without any issues. It's not very heavy so thers no problems with the strap buttons and the tone and volume controls are solid and don't move. I'm convinced that the finish will ware off in some places with a few years however the body has a decent finish and I've yet to mark it. Great guitar for playing live. // 10

Impression: I think this is a great guitar for most styles and at the prices these are going for I would recommend them to anyone looking for a high quality solid backup or anyone who's out to buy an SG style guitar as they really are very good. I would also suggest to anyone who's just starting out and thinking of buying a squire, Epiphone special, etc etc etc, have a look at one of these if possible. My only niggle about this guitar is the finish on the side of neck but that is pretty much the only fault I can find. The pickup is very good although not exceptional and the neck and feel of the guitar make it perfect for live performances. It doesn't look half bad either! // 9

Reviewed by: unregistered, on july 31, 2008

Price paid: £ 80

Purchased from: eBay

Features: Made in 2008 in China by Alden who are the result of a collaboration between UK guitar guru Alan Entwhistle and one of Korea’s leading guitar companies. This guitar has a solid mahogany body, rosewood fret board with Dot markers, grover style tuners and a single Entwhistle designed P90 pickup. Accessories include the usual sound cable and a set of keys for truss rod and bridge adjustments. // 8

Sound: The P90 on this guitar is designed by Alan Entwhistle and is of very high quality. there's no buzz when using both my Marshall MG100HDFX stack or my smaller Fender Frontman 15G so this is a high quality pickup, not the usual rubbish you get from China. The sound is typical P90, bright and beefy at a the same time. Open chords sound 'Fenderish' whislt a beefy humbucker like sound is there throughout solo's. I own a Gibson SG and several Epiphones and sound wise this is in the same league as the higher end Epiphones (I have a Les Paul Ultra) and buzz wise is on par with he Gibson (although pickup wise not quite as good) Overall very good, you wouldn't want to change the pickup. The electronics also seem to be top notch, as I mentioned there's no or very little buzz when idling. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: The action on this guitar was insanely good. It was ready to play right out the box and they obviously recieve or full propper setup before there shipped out. there's no fret buzz what so ever. It's easily the best factory setup I've ever seen. Intonation was also stop on. The finish is high gloss and it looks a lot more expensive that it actually cost! The scratch plate was cut a little rough in one place but other than that was ok. The tone an volume controls feel solid and smooth, there's no rubbing or grinding on the body. The neck is a nice thickness, it seems just right however the frets and width of the neck seem quite small which took some getting used to. After getting used to it however the neck is nice a fast and is nice to play. The headstock has a pearl inlay and plain truss rod cover. Finally the tuners are grover style and are rigid and well finished. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I've had this guitar for a month and I've gigged twice with it so far. When you hold it you just know it's a high quality, tough instrument and I've had no hesitation in using it Live. It's not as light as the Gibson SG (which I think is too light! ) but heavier than the Epiphone version which is just right. It stays in tune very well and I've yet to change the strings it came with! I have no doubts what-so-ever that this guitar will last a long time, the electics are solid and the construction is equily solid. // 10

Impression: I mainly play punk/rock (Blink 182, Sum 41, Green Day style) and this guitar seems to suit this perfectly. I very rarely play with little or no distortion. I have been playing for just over 5 years and as well as this guitar I own a Gibson SG, Epiphone Les paul (Standard, Ultra and studio) and a Telecaster (Jap) as well as several amps and peds. I purchased this guitar for £80 on ebay as it was a clearance item and I was after a practice SG style guitar however this guitar has all but replaced my Gibson for Live performances, it may not sound quite as good but it just feels better to me and if it were lost/stolen or damaged I would buy another immidiately. Alden seem to be a company with a bright future and this guitar is a great example of that. Being designed and overseen by a british designer seems to have eliminated the poor manufacturing process which can exist in China and Korea and I have no hesitation in saying that this guitar is of the same quality of a US/UK build axe. If you're looking for something that almost sounds as good as the best guitars out there and is build/feels AS GOOD as the top guitars for a rediculous price then go for one of these. // 10

Comments

[neqinox]

I have one of these and they are good guitars. The one thing I would say is that the finish is a little thin in places especially on the side of the neck but overall its fantastic value for money.