The fact there’s even a discussion about a $200 guitar vs. a Gibson says quite a lot for firefly imho

Thanks for playing mostly CLEAN examples. Many reviewers play mostly (or all) highly distorted examples for comparisons. I understand this is the way they play normally. But heavy distortion conceals rather than reveals tonal differences.

I have the 338 from a few months ago. Actually no issues. Two buddies have 'em, same thing. Several hundred hours now on mine recording and such. Happy camper. 'Been playing 60+ years, bought hundreds of guitars, big and small money. Today, the differences are subtle and once you use them alot, they sound better than my high end stuff. Just me, of course, others may not see it. Thanks for the straight up review!

I so appreciate you allowing us to hear what the Firefly actually sounds like, unamplified, and amplified. Most reviewers I've heard on KZfaq, play with so much distortion you can't tell what the instrument sounds like. Not all of us are "Shredders." You provided me with a sound basis on which to make my decision. I Have been playing fifty-plus years, so over time I have acquired, and actually still have some really, really valuable vintage instruments which I'm afraid to take on the road anymore for fear of them being stolen or damaged. Especially since promoters are now selling "premium" tickets which include all-access passes. One never knows if genuine fans are coming backstage or someone with ulterior motives. So I plan to buy a bunch of Firefly's, play one each night, and give that guitar to a member of the audience after the encore.

It's getting more difficult to justify the price Gibson is charging.

I dont comment much, but i do have to say this is one of the best guitar reviews ive come across in general in my opinion. I really enjoyed the format that you layed out between the two. Great quality, playing, etc. Looking forward to seeing more content. Subcribed!

Wow the firefly really held its own which is amazing considering the price. It’s a looker too.

Now that my friends is how a review should be done ! Keep on keeping on my man 👍👍

The differences are negligible. I actually like the sound of the bridge PU on the Firefly better. The real test will be how the Firefly stands up over time, aging, humidity changes, road bangups, etc

I have the same ES 335 and a few 338s, each with different pickups (crazy, I know). The reviewer is spot on in all points, objective and subjective. There are days I will reach for my 335 and days I will grab a 338. Both styles are great fun and I am thrilled to be able to own both reference points. The main upside for me with a 338 is that I can mod the heck out of it, make mistakes and not worry about it too much. As I always say, great guitars for the money and a lot of fun to play if you are prepared to work on them a bit. Good times! 😎

By far the best review methodology for guitar comparisons let alone any guitar review. And the bonus is you laid down some sickeningly saweeeet grooves at the end. Bravo, you just set the standard for guitar comparison reviews.

Thank you for the great service you have done for the community. This sort of video takes a Loooooong time to record and produce and master and so is a huge investment in time from you. Much appreciated! Best Regards and Best Wishes!

I've owned two Gibson ES-335 guitars. One was a Studio and the other was a faded cherry satin finish. My dream guitar. I had each less than a year. While they were both great guitars I ended up selling them. I bought my Sheraton before I ever bought a 335. I've modded it and it's a great guitar. I'm happier with an import guitar in the $500-$1,000 dollar range and doing some mods. The Firefly is a crazy good bargain and is a perfect candidate for mods. It doesn't have the classic rounded shape of a 335 but who cares? You get a killer deal and get to enjoy the nuances of a semi-hollow guitar. Kids these days just starting out are really lucky to have access to so much great equipment at accessible prices.

I've got two Firefly's. The first one two years ago, It needed tuners and some fret work, Feels good and sounds good. The second one I picked up for my niece, That one was flawless with the exception of a quarter turn truss rod adjustment and the dirty strings they come with. Well worth the money. And their are plenty of guitar set up and repair vids on KZfaq to do the adjustments yourself, If needed.

I enjoy your reviews. both of these guitars sound great. I couldn't believe how good the firefly sounds. Very impressive. Your reviews are excellent. They don't sound like a sales pitch! Very fair and unbiased.

I have two Fireflys that I bought a few years ago on Amazon for $139.00 a piece. For the money, you can't beat it. I did have to do some fret filing as the frets were rather sharp on the edges. I tweaked the truss rod a little bit and lowered the bridge. These guitars are not bad and are a great starter guitar for a student. Heck, I'd be fine taking one on a gig.

I just bought a Firefly LP "Elite" model and it has full size pots. I believe most of their guitars do. Also it came with a bone nut and banding top and bottom and around the headstock also. It plays great! I would definately recommend this guitar to anyone looking for a really great budget guitar.

This was the best practical workout I have seen on the FF 338. Realistic comparisons of items that matter most. But still, just to get what you were able to get from it in your closing jam, even accounting for your great hands, for under $200 that's just amazing. I have three of these now. Trans red, blue burst, and awaiting delivery on the spalted maple later this week. I swapped out the pickups in the first two with Tone Emporium PAF-type models (out of Canada), and I dropped in better pots, but I may leave the spalted one stock and just wax pot the pickups. I assume the spalted will need fretwork and a lot of setup like the first two did, but they were worth the effort to get them gig-able. Great review!

That firefly sounds pretty amazing for the price as long as it plays good I might have to pick one of these up

Your advice at 21 min regarding what your MAIN guitar is, and why the Firefly or another copy might do the job for you is pure GOLD. I 100% agree. Great advice. I own a similar 335 copy, 335 is not my main guitar, I have spent some money on the copy (Gibson 57 Classic Pickups + Fret Levelling) but this compromise serves me perfectly. With the pickup change, my Copy sounds so similar to a real 335 that it irrelevant to me.

At 6:40, that's a nice trick with lifting and dropping the 3rd of the barre chord. I've never noticed that done, and you show it so clearly. Sounds good! Good review, well-appreciated. If I could find a Firefly for sale, I might buy one; not that I need another guitar, but I don't have an ES, or even a copy.

Finally a review with someone that can play without extreme overdrive. Excellent review Sir. We got to hear the true tone of the instrument. I was impressed with 338.

This was super helpful, thank you! I'm looking at a Firefly on Craigslist right now and now I feel better about not being able to afford a Gibson. Also, you have a great voice.

Great comparison... thanks. Really happy you did the unplugged comparison. The Firefly is close enough to the Gibson to make me wonder if you lowered the pickups on the Firefly it would "mellow" out the tone and be a closer match. But in the end your comments were what I expected to hear... close but you will have to pay for the last bit of high-end playability.

I really like that Firefly!

I've purchased a couple of these a couple years ago. I wax potted the pickups which helped. Great action, they really sing with a proper set up and fret level and Polish.

It comes down to my ears, I like the 338 more. A guitar is it’s own thing to me, so trying to copy a tone is a priority. Every player has his own tone through his fingers. The one compliment I get is that I make the guitar sound good. Not being a very technically flashy player, that makes me happy even if it’s a consolation compliment .

the firefly sounds way better acoustically and electrically. After owning a number of 'vintage' Gibson's over the years, there are a lot of manufacturers making quality stuff for reasonable prices

I have this guitar. It is a bone nut. At least on mine. Very happy with guitar. Tone is really good. A good run for the money if you don't want to pay the price for Gibson or Epiphone. the tuner upgrade you did sounds solid. Thanks for the tip

Man, that's the most thorough review / comparison I've seen on any guitar. I will certainly be watching more.

I had a 1972 walnut ES335 and it had the best neck of any guitar I’ve ever owned, mostly Gibsons and Epiphones. That being said, I think the tone of the Firefly was sweeter and fuller. As far as volume, the 7k to 11k is about 25% difference and to be twice as loud the signal has to be 10 times higher, so I’m not surprised the volume difference was small. Thanks for the review!

Great review! I got a 338 a couple months ago...great finish, frets level and dressed well, no intonation issues and it plays well. I don't care for the pickups as to me they sound a little muddy, I'm gonna try a set from GuitarFetish and see what happens. Anyway, I really enjoyed this video, nice job.

I got mine and the day before it got here, i severely injured my shoulder and upper arm, so i can't really play much. I did set it up which was simple because it came pretty good. I think between my Grote 335 copy and the Firefly i like the Grote better even though the Firefly is very good too for a cheap guitar. It's amazing what you get for less than 200 bucks. I am an older man and i wish we had guitars like these when i was starting out. I would have been a better player i think. Thanks for the video. You do a great and thorough review.

I'll play that 338 all night long. I just ordered the brown burst Glarry version which I assume is the same thing. I've got the thin line Glarry and with Tex Mex pickups and a new wire harness, little fret leveling and it rocks.

I have a feeling they may have consciously made the pickups hotter in the Firefly to compensate for the lack of mass compared to the weight difference of the Gibson. Overall neither guitar sounds bad and when you look at the price difference between the two it's pretty mind-blowing

Got one recently I love that everyone I've seen on KZfaq has a different pattern beautiful guitars mine is different than that one they're all beautiful stays in tune plays great love it

A 338 is an actual Gibson model and is smaller than the 335. I just purchased this guitar in the "Nature Burl" finish. We reviewed the Firefly FFLPS Sunburst Burl XG yesterday. The premise behind our channel is "Can you play it right out of the box ". We generally purchase 4 guitars per month on my dime, and I'm not a tech guy so although I have done a couple of kits for the channel we don't ever modify the guitars. I really enjoyed your very informative review (much better than we do) but we are not in a competition. My brother and I just do this to reconnect with each other in our later years. You have a new subscriber.

I bought that same Firefly model in October and like it a lot. It's extraordinarily good value for money. I would have preferred the classic red, but that wasn't available at the time. The spalted looks great but when I sell that one I'll get a red one.

I have about 30 firefly guitars ranging from the FF338's DFFTH's , FFDCD's and the FFPTH's For the money they’re great guitars. they’re nice to work on. I have changed the tuners on a few of them. the nuts and bridges on some of them I’ve change the pick up on a few of them. for the money they’re great guitars!

Gotta say, I'm pretty impressed with that Firefly after you fixed it up there. Incidentally, I own an Epiphone Riviera P93T, which is basically a 335 with 3 Gibson USA P90 pickups and a Bigsby. Retail is $599, I got mine for $350 used. I have done absolutely nothing to it but change the strings, it plays better than some of the new Gibsons out there and sounds amazing. The one thing I will eventually change is putting a roller bridge on there so it goes back in tune better when using the Bigsby. I would HIGHLY recommend one of the nicer Epiphones.

I've concluded that any guitar manufactured these days will be perfect. With modern manufacturing specs and CNC machines, there is no reason for any guitar to be less than perfect. The Firefly actually sounded better unplugged, somehow

That is insane, I've just looked up the price of the Firefly and it's roughly 375 UK pounds Gibson should be very worried. I knew when you first played this guitar unplugged it sounded much better. The weight difference is probably the wiring and pickups, I know this as I fitted all Gibson parts into my Korean Washburn J6 and it dramatically change the weight of the guitar. How does it sound 'beautiful' but for off the shelf this Firefly is a bargain if someone is wanting a nice 335 style guitar.

Is it strange that I prefer the Firefly almost all around? Thanks for the comparison - All the best!

I bought a Firefly FF338 a couple of years ago on Amazon. It’s black and cost $139.00. Free shipping. I haven’t done anything to it. It’s a great guitar.

I bought one of these, and I guess I won the lottery a bit, because it went straight into tune, stays in tune(not perfectly) very well for non branded and it does have the cheapest strings I think I've ever played on(I need to put new stings on, but haven't yet and these cheap bastards are cheap). The PU's do squeal quite a bit when to close to the amp, but most times just turning away solves that problem. Enjoy playing on it, and DAMN, it looks great.

A trick with stripped locking tuners. If stripped on the ends of a tuner on a high string, swap it for a locking piece from one of the low string, the thicker strings may make the lockers top out before reaching the stripped section.

At this point, Firefly has appeared to earn itself a pretty good reputation, overall. The amazing thing today is that we can buy a "really nice" (or "very nice") guitar for under $200. A 335 with block inlays would probably be around 18x the cost of the Firefly. Up to the owner to justify if the Gibby plays 18x 'better'.

The fire fly is great value even if you have to spend another $100 on tuners and set up....

I am usually a gear snob, but that Firefly was DAMN GOOD! I hear good things about them also. Even getting one and upgrading the hardware and pickups would be far less than an actual 335 and would sound good enough to record and play live with. Pickups are a weak point from what I hear on the guitars as I hear they are microphonic. But nonetheless, a stellar guitar, and a real looker too! Thanks for your review and taking the time to do this. Also, thank you for doing the review in clean. Distortion to me means nothing as I run pedals. So clean is everything to me.

I made my other comment halfway through this vid. Then I listened to the rest...holy crap, dude! That outro playing was over the top! That is some of the nicest picking I have ever heard! Subscribed!

Wow, awesome review my friend. I enjoy taking a shell that has possibility and turning it into a playable instrument that suits my standards. I ordered one yesterday and will certainly make changes (for sure tuners) as I see fit for me. Thanks again

Settled on a set of (shockingly cheap) Epi Probuckers, 7.5K neck 8.5K bridge, the Epi coil splits and phase reverse push-pull harness came with. Kluson aluminum stopbar with steel studs and a Kluson ABR-1. Just over $130 for all that. Worked on the nut. Got a String Butler but might not need it. I won the neck lottery so no fret work. Its a bright resonant body, the tailpiece brightens it up some more so the Probucker low end is actually detailed. It's really great. New ones have decent locking tuners. Mine was embarrassingly cheap during Xmas week, had a coupon from Aron at GG so sans the String Butler I'm all in for less than $275. It's painted like Dimeola's sig PRS, FF called it Ultra Prism, I call it Skittles. Would have been great if they had just faded the red at the horns into amber but amber goes to grren then blue. Looks like the Flash is wearing Aquaman's pants. Will likely strip it down to the flame top and finish it with just enough color to pop the grain. After which it would definitely be mine.

Dude your playing is insane I see you got those jazzy/ Gospel chops 🔥

A sharper brake angle could cause the strings to bind when tuning. And there are some good cheap upgrade pickups out there. Some older 90s and early 00s Sheratons are pretty sweet too.

Still trying to pick my jaw up off the floor : ) Mine arrives Monday 23rd......beautiful playing btw !

I think the biggest difference between expensive and inexpensive guitars has to do a lot with the components. You can take a cheap Squier and put lots of good parts and make it play and sound like an American fender for a fraction of the price, cheap guitars are cheap mostly because the cost of the hardware and electronics are not at the quality of the expensive guitars.

I have always maintained that the choice of a musical instrument should, ultimately, be determined upon the standard of the musician and the instrument's relevant usage. A few thousand pounds ( or dollars ) is not an excessive amount to pay for a tool which has to endure the rigours of a touring professional but could be considered O.T.T for a hobbyist or home player. Not that I have any problem with a moderate guitar player striving to own a " boutique " / high end instrument. If it is fully appreciated and inspires the owner, the cost could be considered irrelevant. I have been a singer / songwriter, fronting bands ( mostly semi pro ) for more than 30 years. I am no great guitar player but I do own some lovely, mid range, guitars, which are mainly writing and recording tools. I enjoyed this review and agree, the Firefly 338, at such an inexpensive price point, is a great modding platform and even spending a few hundred on better hardware, would be well worth it as you would end up with a very nice instrument at a relatively low cost.

I made the choice to buy the Harley Benton ES 335 copy. Maybe you could take a look at that one day. I just could not afford the Gibson. Good post.

For $189 the firefly might be my next purchase.

Hey man, That first bend that you did @26:47 sounded just like Carlton's tone to my ears. The rest of the noodling at the end was some sweet jazz sounds, that Spalted is Beautiful.

Great review. My experience with Firefly is that the hollowbody arrived with a damaged neck -most likely from the factory so it went back to Amazon. I also bought a LPJr which had no major problems but needs a solid setup and fret level. Sounds great. Recommended for the knowledgeable enthusiast or those who want to try luthierie but not on an expensive guitar.

Best review of this I've seen, thanks!

This is one of the best comparison reviews I've seen in a while

Great review!! I heard a few Larry Carlton licks near the end there in the noodling section!

Great format, sound quality, playing. Particularly liked playing them acoustically to see what each delivered. Often find with inexpensive guitars there is more resonance and top end brilliance to a guitar than what the pickups are delivering. That tells me a lot about whether I should upgrade the pickups.

Really enjoyed the review AND your playing😀

I have that 338. I do love it. You are spot on regarding those tuners. I am replacing them with your recommendation -Guyker. My intonation was off too I just fixed that.

I've got a Epiphone DOT with a proper moulded factory case and beautiful shoulder strap, I lucked into off a FB marketplace a few years ago. It was less than a few weeks old and the owner who had received it as a gift decided he was not able to play it because he had very large thick fingers and was just learning to play. I paid him the equivalent to 223 US dollars. (I'm Canadian) I then sent it to my luthier and spent another 200 to have the frets leveled and a complete setup. It's been a dream since. There are deals out there if you're patient. I'm a lefty as well. If you know how hard it is to find a quality lefthand guitar in the first place you will appreciate even more my luck in finding this beauty.

I think I stumbled upon your video after watching the one by Darrell Braun on the Firefly 338 (13 nov 2020) Great video, great comparison! And nice playing! :-) Thank you!

Sonically, they both sound like you playing it - which is exactly the point anyone should be making. It looks great from the video, sounds great from the audio, and if you like the way it feels them it's a home run. You'll likely notice the differences in some of the electronics and hardware down the road. Still a great looking, sounding, and playing instrument that can be had for very cheap.

I've got one of the LP Jr style, sparkly gold finish and one dog-ear P-90 style pickup. I got it used, everything is pretty great - no fret problems, etc. Except the tuners! One or two of them are particularly maddening. But they are really the only thing I feel I really need to change on it. Well done video - this is the first of yours I've seen, I think I'll be sticking around...

Bridge pickup on the firefly seemed warmer. I liked that

I listened through quality headphones and as a comparison...wow, that Firefly sounds amazing next to the Gibson. It looks amazing. For the price, amazing guitar. Easy to mod and change out bits. A CTS 500K pot cost 7 dollars and 22uf capacitor 3 dollars. Good set tuners Hipshot 30. Minor stuff. But the Gibson at 3000? I have a number of guitars including Gibson Fender Epiphone & PRS fyi. My early first guitar way back was no where near the Firefly. Modern manufacturing has really raised the bar on end quality. I have even made my own guitar and the cost was way more than the Firefly. The FF 338 is s really astonishing buy👍

My friend has a firefly 338. It's a great guitar! They're a little over $200 with shipping. Very playable! Very pretty to look at! Very worth it even if you have to spend a little bit to tweak it. Firefly says they use bone nuts. Gibson's are awesome but expensive!

got one of these firefly 2 yrs ago, yes it needed a proper setup out of the box, but after that plays and sounds amazing for the price! thanks for the tuner info , i'll def be doing this upgrade

From Leo: It is almost scary to see how good of a guitar can be had for so little money. Especially when a person has already spent ten times that much for a guitar that is not exactly perfect either. Some pretty fine demo playing t the end also.

I got mine a few days ago and the pick guard is cleanly cut. The only finishing flaws I found were a couple of off level inlays and one inlay that had been overnotched and filled in with epoxy. But even those are not immediately noticeable, I found them because I was looking for flaws. I have an $1,100 Lag acoustic that doesn't play as easily as the 338. I love it.

Brilliant review, thank you for your quality commentary and video/audio production.

Great comparison young man. I’ll be tuning in for more 🤐 I really don’t see changing the pups as from what I hear they sound great.

They have both distinct sounds but the Firefly did not fell short behind the Gibson...it faired very nice for a guitar in that price range...I think it's worth buying & to keep...thanks for this great review...stay safe my man...

fantastic review. I bought one of these way back for 139 loved it modded and gave it way. I loved but someone needed a guitar. I did it again with another one. You make this guitar sound great. I think the feel of the guitar is where it falls a little if you play a quality built instrument you can feel the difference more than hear. Great stuff man

The Firefly sounds almost the same as the Gibson, the only difference is that the pickups have a tad less ouptut(gain) to them. But the Firefly actually sounds thicker than the Gibson. It sounds like it's better suited for jazz, but would also be a SICK blues guitar!

Thank you. I have a blue 338, and the finish is as you described. It plays beautifully, and no issues a little over two years old.

Nice video!. The Firefly sound amazing!. Thanks for doing this comparison. Cheers.

Really thanks for the great review (in depth comparison) AND the playing at the end !!!

I had to fast forward to the sound check....Daaamn glad I did! Great pickin'!

Love the firefly, a different array of tones, but sounds are professional, and the weaker parts can be changed for a modest rebuild.👍

Excellent review...thankyou.I actually assumed the gibson was the one with the trapezoid fretboard markers for the first few minutes and was thinking how much i preferred the "gibson"(firefly)tone !

Fantastic objective review, the way it should be done!

Awesome video!

I play 335’s, my favorite is the Epi Sheraton II. But this Firefly is amazing right out of the box.

Great tip on the tuners, man, thanks. Glad I stumbled across your channel yesterday, its a real pleasure to watch a review from somebody who knows the instrument.

I just bought a spalted ruby red 338, can't wait for it to arrive.

Seriously, I like the looks of the firefly better. As for the sound tests you did, I was shocked, the firefly is a very worthy contender.

Although I think the Gibby sounds a little better, not enough better to justify the difference! Hell you can gut the electronics and hardware and still be way ahead!

I did a complete rebuild of a Fusion Blue hollow body many years ago, comparable to a Gibson, with better pick ups it was very slight, but the sound was just as deep. I miss that guitar. It's really all about quality and how well it's maintained. I have yet to find a Firefly though, but should I do so I would purchase one and maybe update it.

I prefer the re mellow, richer sound from the Firefly for some bizarre reason. Sad that currently the cheapest seem to be $280USD..... go figure... Very hard to justify buying one here in Australia since the freight then adds $180USD... 😭 Great review! Thanks! And very accurate in terms of why you might buy it over the dearer Gibson. Certainly for me, it would be just for some home tones...

Just want to pop in here to say that I’ve had the Firefly FF338 for a few months now and it is absolutely amazing. By far the best bang for the buck of anything I’ve ever bought. It has great tone, it’s extremely playable, and it’s beautiful. I bought it as a “beater” guitar I could carry around the house and over to friends’ houses. “It’s only a couple hundred bucks. Who cares if I beat it up?” The thing is, I like it so much that I find myself babying it just the same as my Gibson Les Paul Standard.

Just FYI, as for "how it stands up over time", I watched a review yesterday by a guy who reviewed it Day 1 and then the same specific guitar 2 years later and he said that it held up great and he had zero issues.

Great video brother, thank you. And thank you for officially saving me 3k! I purchased my 338 about a year ago, got the purple one (yes purple) which has a killer flame maple veneer top. I own several nice Gibby's and Fenders, and was thinking of adding an ES. But I really loved this guitar right out of the box. I can confirm it is indeed a bone nut, and unlike your my fret work and tuners are great (so far). Also, it seems the necks on the purple ones for whatever reason are thicker - more like vintage LP's (about .9 - 1.0). But I was always wondering how the ol' FF would stack up to the ES. My ears don't hear a 3000 difference, and frankly I think the FF looks better. So I'll just play the heck out of it and enjoy. I only wish she had a nitro finish... sigh. But other than that it's a great instrument. Keep doing what you're doing!