ME301 Review

Three single coil pickups with crisp and clean "vintage" sound. Double cutaway solid poplar body for bright and brilliant tones, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard for a solid feel and warm tones. Smooth action tremolo bridge for string bends and "dive bomb" effects.

Features:	5.3
Sound:	5
Action:	5.3
Reliability:	5
Impression:	5
Overall rating:	5.1
Users rating:	4.1
Comments:	38

overall: 4.6

Reviewed by: XIRedRibbonsIX, on june 09, 2008

Price paid: $ 99

Purchased from: wal mart

Features: I have no prejudice against First Act because of their name (like most do) and this may not be suitible for anyone other than a beginner, but don't just comment to say it sucks, beause it's actually and alright begginer guitar. I give it a 5 over all, because that's what it is. average. I've played much worse first acts. Made in 2005, 21 frets, full sized guitar with a wammy equipped bridge, and made out of poplar wood.
Comes with the exact same pickup configuration as a Standard Strat, although they are very crappypickups(almost no difference in sound). It has a Strat style body, a 5 way pickup Switch, plain laquer finish(very stcratchable, not qualltity laquer) some pretty annoying tuners that only stay in tune after they are well broken in, and a c shaped neck, which to an adult wouldn't be thick, but by no means thin, but to a child, it would be like a bat, and it should be thin because it was meant for children to learn on. rosewood finger board. // 7

Sound: I have various different pedals, and this is the only way to get it's sound away from the below par clean tones and the very, very muddy distorted tone with out them. A begginer guitar should sound good enough so they don't think they are the ones causing the below medioker tone. The pickups also have almost no change in sound. // 4

Action, Fit & Finish: this is probably the worst part. to get it playable, I had to adjust almost everything, which shouldn't be the case for a beginner. Straight out of the box I had to make major truss rod adjustments. Action bit my hand, tuners horrible. The finnish is pretty scratchable too. // 2

Reliability & Durability: this is pretty average. I would definatlly not play a gig on it. although I am suprised it hasn't broken yet. I am very clumsy and have dropped it at least 5 times. Pretty durable I guess. Not so reliable. Strap buttons are pretty solid. Don't play a gig on this, the finnish is as I said before, sensitive. // 5

Impression: a very average starter guitar, and below what a starter should be. if it were stolen, and I wanted a guitar just as cheap, I would get the new Squier Bullet Strat, for the same price. if you want a great starter or something cheap to modify and slam on, get a Squier Bullet. they sound great, and are even beter if modifyed. And for those Who say you can't play anything heavy on a Fender\Squier, Slipknot used to use teles and so did wintersun. // 5

Reviewed by: unregistered, on february 02, 2008

Price paid: $ 150

Purchased from: Wal-Mart

Features: This is a fairly new guitar. Mine was made in 2005, and I have been playing it since. It has a nice rosewood fretboard and a maple neck. I'm not sure of the body, but I think mine is something along the lines of alder. It has a glossy black finish that smudges easily, and that is a downside to it. But the Strat style body is comfortable and I could play it all day long. The three Vintage pickups are nothing special, but they get the job done if you play some rock or if you like to play any oldies or stuff like that. The five way Switch lets you specify your tone nicely though, and I tend to ust it a lot. The trem bridge is a little stiff and hard to wammy on but what can you expect from a 150 dollar guitar? 2 tone knobs and a volume give you pretty much all you need and the crome tuners are nice too. Although they wern't locking tuners like I would have liked them to be. It only came with 2 allen wrenches, one to adjust the action, and one to adjust the truss rod. Overall, a great value for its money. // 8

Sound: Considering all the music styles that I play, which is pretty much everything, this lil' coc sucker gets the job done. It's not glamerous and it's not perfect for any specific tone, short of soft rock and a little classic rock, but hey what more could you ask for in a cheap guitar? Right now I am playing it through a Silvertone practice amp, but I've played it through my friend's Vox 30 watt and it sounds pretty good. If you know what you are doing, you can make this guitar sing with a semi Vintage tone, but most beginners don't, and this is what it is, a beginner's guitar. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: I think that the guitar was set up at the factory very well. The pickups were adjusted nicely, no flaws with the guitar at all. The only thing I have changed so far is the action. The action was set pretty high from the factory and I adjusted it myself. It wasn't that hard, it just took some time to do it to my preferances. It came with the allen wrench to do it with, as well. // 9

Reliability & Durability: The ME-301 is a good guitar, although I wouldn't recommend playing Live with it. It's a practice guitar, that's it. While you could play Live with it, there are better choices to play with out there. But, this guitar is very solidly built, I'm very surpurised at it. The hardware is pretty good, except the screws that hold the tuners to the head aren't driven in far enough into the wood, so the tuners are a bit loose when I replace the strings. The strap buttons are solid as rocks on this guitar. I use them all the time and they haven't so much as wiggled. For example, I had owned this guitar for about a year, and my friend bought a Fender Strat. A few months later while we were playing together, his back strap button started coming really loose, and a few weeks later it just came out. He used a strap just as much as I did and mine held strong is still is today. I've dropped it quite a few times, because I'm clumsy, and as a result, there are a few noticable scratches because of the glossy black finish this guitar has. But don't get me wrong, the finish is pretty darn good for what it's worth. It hasn't worn out yet. // 9

Impression: For someone like me Who plays just about everyting, this guitar is suitable for me. It's no American Strat or Les Paul, but it's super cheap. I've been playing for just under four years and I have had this one for three, and I have gotten to know it pretty well. For the money I paid, it is a great guitar, I can't stress that enough. If it were stolen or lost then I probably would just save for a better guitar because at this point in my personal career it isn't worth getting another one. But if you are a beginner, then this is a pretty good guitar for you. Check it out! // 9

overall: 2.2

Reviewed by: black diamond7, on november 05, 2007

Purchased from: Wal-Mart

Features: This guitar was made in 2005 and I think it was made in the U.S. The guitar has 21 frets. The neck is thin. It has a solid-top. The body and neck woods is made of mahogany wood. The finish is satin, I think. The body style is a double-cutaway. I don't know what the bridge style is, it's definitely not Tune-O-Matic. It has passive electronics. The controls are volume, two tone knobs, and a five-way selector. The pickup configuration is normal and the model of the pickups are First Act. The tuners are non-locking. This didn't come with any other accesories. // 1

Sound: This doesn't suit my rock and roll style. I have a First Act amp. It is very noisy when the tone is all on 1. This guitar can make a sucky rock sound and an average clean tone and the sound of it drives me crazy. When I have it on distortion it sounds really crappy. That isn't much variety. // 3

Action, Fit & Finish: It was set-up pretty nicely. The pickups are pretty well adjusted. The bookmatched top was properly built and so was the routed bridge. It didn't come with any flaws, but when I started using it the strings stretched a lot. The action was built pretty good. // 5

Reliability & Durability: This guitar will not withstand Live playing because, the strings stretch too much. Whenever I fingertapped the strings the other night, the string broke. The hardware seems like it would last. The strap buttons are solid. I cannot depend on this guitar at all. It's that bad I would not use it on a gig without a backup. The finish wears off with lots of playing. // 1

Impression: I play hard rock. This is not a good match. I have been playing guitar for about 3-4 years. I have a First Act amp, and a Levi strap. Yes, I wish I could have asked for a Washburn or something like that, but I didn't know that much about guitars when I got it. If it was stolen or lost I wouldn't care at all. I would definitley buy something else. I love nothing about this guitar. It's a beginner guitar. I hate the noise it makes. My favorite feature is the tone knobs. I compared to a Washburn N-2 and it blew my old guitar out of the water. I chose this one because I was a beginner. I wish this guitar wouldn't go out of tune and I wish it had a killswitch. // 1

Comments

[Y00p]

Dude, if you'r playing for 4 years and your still rocking your socks on a First Act, it's time to get a ****ing new guitar!

It's actually a guitar MEANT as a starter, not to please people who've been playing for 4 years, and it does it's job pretty well.

[ironman316]

also it's meant for like age 12 and under... lol

[Fama]

Testing out a guitar on a First Act amp doesn't exactly sound like a good idea.

[zachblackwell]

dude i had my first act for like 3 months before i went n bought my ibanez.

[crazyskater_533]

i'm with Y00p. If you've been playing for 4 years, then get ur ass off the first act!

[Vrstone87]

I had a first act for about 3 months until I bought my first Ibanez.....I went Nirvana on that First Act ASAP.

[AngelOfHatred]

This guitar doesn't even deserve a review.

[nikhil101]

haha http://www.firstact.com/Artists/Brent_Hinds.aspx

[kool98769]

AngelOfHatred wrote:

This guitar doesn't even deserve a review.

+1

[USAPeavey]

This was not a good review...
In the features section, I didn't see him mention one negative thing about the guitar, and yet he still gave it a 1, why??
That being said, first act can make some damn nice guitars, but this isn't one of them.

[KeNnYVaNhAlEn89]

...i broke a string on my Ibanez RG5EX1 last night so I have to use this piece of crap tomorrow night at band practice for the Baptist college group im in...I just got a new amp too! I think I may smash it and turn it into a clock to go on my wall...or firewood.

[freshtunes]

KeNnYVaNhAlEn89 wrote:

firewood.

+1

[blaze2thekings]

KeNnYVaNhAlEn89 wrote:

firewood.

legit.

[ObsceneGestures]

KeNnYVaNhAlEn89 wrote:

firewood.

Definitely.

[EllttEll]

eh if your just starting this is great, but after the first year or so, when you actually have an idea of what your doing get a new one, personally Harmony makes a better starter

[qotsa1998]

My friend has a First Act Telecaster copy he was givem the neck is like a baseball bat almost, and even tho i havent plugged it in yet, he says its pretty crappy.

Brent hinds has a custom First Act, which actually looks kinda cool. Lyn-Z from Mindless Self-Indulgence has a bass from First Act. So even if their prodiction models are bad, they do pretty good custom stuff apparently.

[qotsa1998]

Sorry for the double post, but u got it from Wal-Mart. And pretty much any guitar from the cheapest place on earth isnt gonna be good.

[losing_life]

I would NEVER go with First Act guitars, the straps and picks and stuff are good, but any guitar you can get at "Wal-Mart" most likely isn't going to be good.

[black diamond7]

guys im getting a washburn N-2 for Christmas, i couldn't get a different guitat coz i couldn't afford it, not everybody is rich.

[losing_life]

EllttEll wrote:

eh if your just starting this is great, but after the first year or so, when you actually have an idea of what your doing get a new one, personally Harmony makes a better starter

Ive got a Harmony, It was a peace of S**t, but I totally redid it and it sounds great!

[zoastev]

get a $99 epiphone les paul junior, it's better than a first act guitar
and it stays in tune better than u would expect

im putting an EMG in my junior

[james4]

[QUOTE=black diamond7]The bookmatched top was properly built[/QUOTE]
It doesn't have a bookmatched top, does it?

[boyde_99]

lol..2.2

[_SamuraI_]

The body and neck woods is made of mahogany wood.

Says at the top that Body is poplar, and amost any person can tell that the neck is definitely NOT made of mahogany...plus the fact that the top says maple...

[themetalbucket]

ive been playing for 5 years but this is the best thing i can afford.

[Vrstone87]

If you are getting a N-2 and spending nearly $800 on it then you might as well get a Ibanez, ESP or Schecter.

[MxGuitar]

when i was looking 4 my 1st electric guitar, i was considering this guitar, but.... it just didnt seem good at all, so i bght myself an Epiphone SG =P

[ExtremeMetalFTW]

who ant tell the difference from a whammy bar and any other kind of bridge?

its either string thru, tune-o-matic, fixed bridge, FR dual-locking trem, or a whammy bar

[The Pickle Man]

First Act actually has a very good custom shop, and their better amp models are actually really good as well. Just avoid the $50 beginner crap.

[Angelgiest]

It's actually a guitar MEANT as a starter, not to please people who've been playing for 4 years, and it does it's job pretty well.

Even starting you need a good instrument. For example what kind of a begginer will keep playing if the guitar rattles or detunes fast? After problems like that they many times quite because they feel like they can't make a good sound, but that's just my view on it.

[black diamond7]

will u guys get off my back, im just trying to make contributions

[webbster87]

i got one of these and its ok! my main guitar is a schecter damien-FR! got it for $400 best damn thing for any type of music!

[DimeFan82066]

Biggest piece of shit guitar I own.The bridge sucks.The tuners suck and don't keep it in tune not to mention the come lose. May be better with some grovers but the stock tuners aren't standard size so the peg holes need drilled out.May be a better guitar if it had a better bridge on it.The neck sucks.Mine was bowed and needed some major truss rod adjustments.The frets are bad and need leveled.The fret wires started pulling out of mine after a couple months.I mostly use this guitar for letting kids beat on.For the price of this guitar you can go to musicians friend and get something better for less money like a dean or a kramer

[ranikade3]

Why would you bother writing this, its a F**KING FIRST ACT! your getting so into it... Just play your 7 string kramer and listen to Despised Icon. The lower the better right??? Wow... you should do the oppostite of living.

DimeFan82066 wrote:

Biggest piece of shit guitar I own.The bridge sucks.The tuners suck and don't keep it in tune not to mention the come lose. May be better with some grovers but the stock tuners aren't standard size so the peg holes need drilled out.May be a better guitar if it had a better bridge on it.The neck sucks.Mine was bowed and needed some major truss rod adjustments.The frets are bad and need leveled.The fret wires started pulling out of mine after a couple months.I mostly use this guitar for letting kids beat on.For the price of this guitar you can go to musicians friend and get something better for less money like a dean or a kramer

[trip_c]

i am borrowing this guitar from a friend. i am a beginner player just learning so thrashin this wasnt in my needs right now, but lettin an advanced player show me what this lil instrument was made of i was suprised. i took it with me to a local guitar shop, and one of the pros hooked it up i was suprised for what it was. i would recommend this guitar for a beginner even up to intermeddiate users. the website and there customs are great. i also have a fender squire mini, as far as sound this is a better pick.

[mike_08_70]

This guitar is not great but I added one Seymore Duncan Hotrail in the bridge position and some grover tuners... once these things were added i used it in concert and it had great reviews. So to sum it up... not by any means great guitar stock, but after a decent set up and some small upgrades it is great.

[gargy]

I got mine from a storage-shed abandonment. Although I am an advanced player with many nicer instruments, this thing is honestly set up pretty good aside from the abominations that the manufacturer dared to call pickups. Some Lace-Sensors or Hot-Rails would really do a lot of good, and I might get a 22-fret Warmoth neck for it.

[Jonesie110]

i found mine in my closet when i moved into my old house, actually how i first picked up guitar... its served me well the past ten years and i cant complain, because it didnt ****er up the entire time so, leave the poor first acts alone!