ST-203 Review

This Strat copy has 22 medium frets which feel nice. The neck is comfortably flat and the fingerboard could be better but is fine for the price paid.

Features:	6.5
Sound:	6.5
Action:	8
Reliability:	7.5
Impression:	7.5
Overall rating:	7.1
Reviewer rating:	7.2
Users rating:	7
Votes:	29

overall: 7.8

Reviewed by: Jerry Monkey, on july 11, 2006

Price paid: $ 88.2

Purchased from: Ebay.de

Features: This Strat copy has 22 medium frets which feel nice. The neck is comfortably flat and the fingerboard could be better but is fine for the price paid (actually, better then I expected). The body is nice and solid. Don't know the wood but its some of the heavier ones. The bridge is a nice adjustable typical Strat like vibrato, although I don't recommend using it too much as it jumps easily out of tune. The typical 2 tones & 1 volume knobs are provided and function very well. Only down side are the tuners but that's always like that on these cheep axes. The set came with bag, strap, tuning pipe, cable and picks. // 6

Sound: It has a nice solid and low tone. Which is a nice thing for beginners as it takes some mistakes off. For rock, for blues, for just anything this guitar is fine to begin with, or if you never had a single coiled guitar then why not try it with this one first for example. To my surprise, the pickups aren't noisy at all! Which is a very good thing, I hate the single coil hum. I've tried more expensive ones that produced more noisy, so this point pleased me a lot. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: From factory it was set very nicely. The action may still need some correction but the intonation was perfect & the bow of the neck was fine. The only thing I noticed is that the pickup selector may need some oil as its very hard to move, especially for a Strat. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I don't think any J70 guitar would be advisable for live playing, but somebody is gonna have to try it, right? The hardware seams alright, I don't think it is gonna shatter into tiny bits or anything. The strap buttons seam fitted in fine. The finish may not be as strong as on other, more expensive guitars but again J70. // 7

Impression: Dimavery is a German make that reproduces lots of known guitars for a very good price. Of course when you buy a J70 axe you can't expect to sound like jimmy or have an axe that will last you for years and years of playing, but as I wanted one for my girlfriend who will just start with this guitar it will do her lots of good. I'm happy with it. I've tried other more expensive ones (2x & 3x the price) in shops and they didn't feel as good as this one so that's just a fine price/quality product. // 9

Reviewed by: unregistered, on november 24, 2011

Price paid: € 98

Purchased from: Dealer

Features: Well I was in need of a practice guitar so I decided to try a Dimavery. When it came, it was just like an ordinary Strat copy. The average 22 fret finger board. I guess the body is just firewood, nothing special. The standard bridge (I don't know why they included a whamy bar, it's just a piece of crap). 2 tone and 1 volume knob, they seem to be ok. It came in a set with a guitar bag, 1 cable, spear strings, 1 strap, and a set of picks. I presume it's just to fool beginners to buy it. // 7

Sound: I normally play blues, hard rock and heavy metal. On the first hand, on my Marshall Mustang amp, on the clear setting it sounds ok, nice tone on the acoustics. The pups are nothing more than old light bulbs if you ask me. This guitar can only cope with the clear tone. You can't even say a good thing when it comes to distortion. The pups are terrible. Maybe overdrive but distortion never.

If you buy this guitar make sure you change the pups, I mean real fast! The interesting part is that these light bulbs don't buzz. I was surprised to find out about this. Usually a single coil would buzz on higher gain, but these never (Perhaps something gone wrong with the amp I don't know, It was too good to be true). And if you get new pick-ups it's just a waste of time and money, because the plywood body won't cope, no matter what you put on. // 5

Action, Fit & Finish: To be honest, the set-up was perfect. The action was good, it suited my style. The strings are just... Don't know... Too standard. The hardware was ok, the electronics were ok to my surprise. I usually rewire the guitar, I just don't trust the job made in the factory. The finish is quite ok for a beginners eye. // 7

Reliability & Durability: I played, or practiced with it for about an year I guess. I changed those light bulbs with a set of Seymour Duncan, which I had them from an old ESP. The plywood seems durable. The strap buttons are pretty solid. The knobs are ok still on, perhaps I was lucky and I got a good guitar, usually the knobs would fly after 2 weeks of playing. // 8

Impression: No matter what pups you put on it still won't sound better. It's just a guitar suited for beginners to learn with. I would recommend for beginners to try something more expensive. If you are desperate to get a electric axe, then try it on your own risk. I bought it to experiment with it, I can't say that I don't like it, but it's just another cheap axe for beginners. // 6

Comments

[dennis4rock]

wot the f*k, a guitar for 82$

[PRSfanatic]

my friend bought one and we ended up burning it, was the only good use! The toxic paint they used on it burned really nicely.

[rv_phoenix]

The "solid wood" mentioned by Jerry Monkey is, in fact, plywood. Even the 6 mark for features is too much (btw, the controls should be judged only after an year or so, to make sure they don't start to buzz, screech and other stuff like that).
More amazing is the 8 for sound. A sound which is described as "nice solid and low", when we all know that a Strat-type guitar should be clear, brilliant and bright. Hoe did they manage, the Chinese guys at Dimavery's, to falsify the entire Strat concept, it's a mistery. Who does worth a 2 mark, not an 8.
Even more funny is the conviction that a begginer's guitar should hide player's defficiencies. On the contrary, if it does so, it's a very bad guitar, since the goal of practising is to discover your mistakes and, by learning and working, to get rid of them.
All in all, a 7,8 for a guitar made in plywood, with a crappy sound and whose tremolo should not be used (to avoid getting out of tune) is WAY too much. A 3,8 should be more appropiate.

[MaggaraMarine]

Yeah... This guitar pretty much sucks. It's same kind of Strat starter pack as any other starter pack. The review written by unregistered is ok but I think he is still giving this too high ratings. Like he has nothing good to say about the sound and it's a 5? 5 is decent, medicore. And features 7? You don't say anything positive about the guitar and it's a 7? 7 is pretty high rating.

But I don't get these starter packs because nobody's going to play them over a year. It's just waste of money because after some months you want to buy a new guitar (and amp) like my friend did. So beginners: Don't buy a starter pack guitar because after you have bought it you want to buy a new guitar because the starter pack guitar sucks so much!

[Brliebl]

I've got one. Paid 45 euros for it. It's pink (LOL). Take it with me everywhere for practice. It's the right guitar for the job. Action is not too bad and plugged in it sounds like a guitar. Of course its quality doesn't come near my Fender strat delux, but for 1/30 the price it's a sane deal.