I knew G&L would be on this list. I'm glad to see where they are on the list. They are CRAZY underrated.

Yamaha Revstar RS502T (the P90 model). Absolutely fantastic quality and tone.

An another underrated guitar brand is Godin guitars

I own a '77 Gibson Les Paul and 4 G&Ls. G&Ls are like getting a Fender custom shop guitar at half the price. Buy one used at $800-$1000 and it's like getting a $2000+ guitar. Good analysis.

I had an Epiphone les paul special years ago, crummy tuners, but it played great and I absolutely loved it, so wish I still had it!

Your presentation skills are excellent Shane. Such a great format. Great vid. Thanks.

Great list Shane. Glad to see Eastman on there. Speaking from personal experience, they make absolutely incredible instruments, custom shop quality.

Great stuff man. I love finding out about brands I am not familiar with.

Great video, Shane.

Reverend FTW. Their Eastsider T is my main axe and I also own a double agent og. Love both. Super fun and inspiring to play.

For me, G&L is a secret that some folks just dont get-they make great guitars, even the Tribute series made in Indonesia which can stand up to MIM Fenders and are significantly cheaper than MIM Fenders at least here in US (max street price of G&L Tribute guitar here in US is about $550 wheras MIM Fender starts at $600 -700 and goes up to $1K) And the American made G&Ls are an even greater bargain in comparison to Fender American Pro or Ultra-especially if you buy used. So the fact that G&L has a perplexingly lower resale value-and this is a double edged sword-but it works in your favor if you find one you love and plan to keep!!! My budget doesnt allow me to collect American G&Ls but I have several G&L Tributes that I will be keeping long term-and some of them I bought used/NOS from Reverb for less than $400-compare that to used MIM Fender Teles which people are asking $500+ in used comdition on Reverb-often with numerous cosmetic damages (sorry, not into reliced guitars personnally)-and even 20 years old-from a time when MIM Fenders were not as consistently good in quality as they are now. And as for the G&L headstocks-I like em-kinda similar to Fender but with their own vibe-G&L pickups are solid to great (esp the MFD and Z coils!) and Leo’s more modern bridges are cool and usually more comfortable to play. So try out a G&L-buy a Tribute if you can’t find one locally to try in person-to try out the pickups and hardware and get your feet wet, esp if an American G&L is kinda outa your budget-then save up and buy a used American G&L on Reverb if you enjoy the Tribute. By the way-today (Thurs Aug 13) is International Left’s day-shout out and Happy Southpaw day to you Shane!!!! Keep up the great work on your channel and thanks for all you do to educate and inform us!!!

Bored so browsing around looking at some older stuff and this caught my attention... interesting list and great choices man..✌️🤘

Hi Shane great vid, I personally believe that Godin is a brand that deserves much more appreciation in the guitar world.

Gordon Smith guitars are made and assembled in England with hand wound pickups that are also done here in England. Any finish/equipment/mod is accommodates by prior arrangement and they sound AMAZING. I once borrowed a GS model from a mate for a week or so back in the days before the company changed ownership and the quality was a litttle more variable. Now they’ve gone into ownership with Auden acoustics the quality is superb abs they’ve still got the character that made them a very very popular instrument with discerning pros in the seventies and early 80s. Hope Shane can find time or / dollars to buy one. They start at around £700gbp and go right up to well over £2k if you go daft with the finish.

Glad to see the Eastman make the list. I have a T64. Incredible build, sound, and feel. Definitely competes with guitars three times the cost. And they are beautiful.

Thanks for the reviews Shane! I have been playing for 50+ years just to say I really have played many guitars. One of the most underrated guitars to me are the Korean made Brian Moore guitars. They are really wonderful instruments with great tone, finish and playability. I have had many Strats over the years , but recently purchased a G&L S500...WOW, it's like a super Strat. The quality and tone are head and shoulders over any Strat I have ever owned.

I own a USA made 2000 G&L ASAT Classic semi hollow body and I couldn't agree with you more about this brand being underrated. FYI, I am now subscribed to your channel but, have been enjoying your videos for awhile now. Keep up the good work!!! Happy New Year!

I have to say Shane, the content had really great info, but it your videos look freaking fantastic! Like the production has a more professional look than whats on TV right now!

Hi, nice video! I bought a Fender Heartfield rr9 crt by "accident", set neck, mahogany body, mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard (dalbergia latifolia), dot inlays, 22x frets, 648mm scale, 2x active humbucker, 1x volume, 1x tone, 3-way blade switch, american delxue tremolo, nickel hardware, color, made in Japan, and it even came with a Fender hardcase. Great guitar in my opinion sounds and plays fantastic. Price range maybe like the more expensive Epiphones.

Great list! Definitely a lot of my favourites.... though I think after having built one from parts I don't think I'll ever go back to retail guitars.

I agree with the Yamaha Pacifica recommendation - just had a setup done on mine yesterday with a new set of strings - I love mine

Small correction: Most of the PRS SE line is now made by Cor-Tek (Cort) in Indonesia rather than World Music in Korea. I believe some might still be made in Korea but they are being phased out.

What a great video. I bought a Michael Kelly T style guitar a few years ago and was really impressed with how much guitar I got for the price. I think their other models are very lacking in quality control but their T style axes are great (your mileage may vary, lol).

Hi Shane great video. I almost bought a Reverend but I watched your video on guitars that don’t hold their value. Instead I followed your recommendation and purchased the Fender American Original 50s Strat. Thanks so much it’s a great guitar even though it cost twice as much. Keep up the great work.

Nice video Shane! I’m glad you included MusicMan guitars. They’re completely underrated and I’m not sure why. I own the aforementioned Axis Sport, a Super Sport, Mariposa, Valentine and even one of their sub brand Sterling Valentine guitars (chambered). Really great guitars IMO.

I’ll be adding a Reverend to my collection someday. I also have two Ibanez Prestige’s and they are fantastic. I would never replace the pickups. You’re right, they sound amazing.

I bought an Eastman T185 Mx Bd late last year and fell in love with it immediately. After having done more study on the company, a became a true fan of the Eastman brand. My second Eastman purchase was the T484. This is the guitar I’m playing the most right now. It gives me the tone I’ve been coveting ever since I started studying Jazz. I love the guitar but now want replace my Epiphone Dot with the T486. I considered the Sheraton II pro but couldn’t pass on the price I paid for the T486. It’s in shipping at the time of this post. Yes, I’m a converted Eastman fan boy.

G'day there mate... Good content! - UK

Glad to see the Ibanez AZ series made the list, would love to see an AZ2204 on the channel as well

Great video as always, Shane! Great to see Reverend on the list. I think my next guitar may be a Reverend. There was some funky auto-focus thing going on. I thought I had too much coffee, but it was the camera making micro adjustments and making me dizzy!

I worked for G&L from 1980-1982 Great Finishing Department in Fullerton,Ca.

I would like to add Shijie to the list. Great guitars, really well made, with amazing attention to detail.

When I got my first holiday job, I saved all the money to buy the Epiphone Les Paul Special 2 - was the first guitar I personally bought with my own money! Lovely guitar :)

Love my Reverend Jetstream 390 it's quickly become my #1 guitar! 3 p90s w strat style controls and the bass contour, you can get endless tones along the whole spectrum. Also dig their designs and color choices. For me they hit that perfect balance of looking classic but at the same time new and different! Excellent brand especially for the price!

I like your videos. I'm a lefty too . You made me hunt down and buy 2 Volas. Very nice guitars.

I agree with this assessment of underrated axes. Except a few makes I've not encountered - such as Vola, and Pure Salem - I've not seen these in the UK. I rate Eastman and Reverend guitars especially. Great review, many thanks.

Love the honesty on your channel Hey besides the point I ordered a FF clone from CAD out of Russia 70 bucks plus shipping which was 29 dollars unfortunately but will keep you posted cause I know you are a bang for your buck kind of guy Cheers

loved my epiiphone LP special II , It played GREAT.. Swapped out the pickups for some Epiphone SG 400 pickups i had and it really came to life. Awesome usable guitar for the money.

I'd love to hear which guitars/brands you think are highly underrated as well! If we get enough comments I'll make a list with all of the most suggested instruments. All of the guitars on this list I have played or owned. Links to everything is in the description. 😎 🎸 Edit: Thanks for all the thumbs up! I also added timestamps in the description.

My first electric guitar is an Epiphone LP Special ii from 2016. They are 100% worth upgrading the tuners on, but it's done me quite well over the few years I've had it. It actually drew me over to guitar from bass, and helped me understand a lot more about music over time.

I play a Musicman Albert Lee and I love this guitar. The neck is just amazing. The shape is not everyone's cup of tea, but I think they look great.

I have four Reverend Guitars, and I play three of 'em more than I do my PRS Custom 24. Two of 'em have whammy bars, one a Bigsby and the other a Wilkinson, and I really have to go out of my way to knock any of 'em out of tune! The bass contour knob is basically a tone control done right, and I've used it in the last four years (when I first purchased my first Reverend) more than any tone control on any guitar I've had for the last 35 years! I already have my eye on my fifth Reverend. They're creepin' up in price for new ones, but you can still get them used for a good price! Great guitars!

Great list of under appreciated guitar brands!!! As much of a Fender/Gibson fanboy I’ve been, some of these brands would definitely be a great choice for my next guitar. The Vola Vasti is perhaps the one model I would buy over a Fender Telecaster 🤭😯😲!!! Yes I said it! Something about it’s shape and the tones just makes it a better option for me. The PureSalem Mendiola is another great Tele alternative. There’s nothing wrong with something outside of the normal guitar shapes we all have seen over the years and I must thank you Shane for opening my eyes to these quiet gems!😁😁 Cheers!!🎸👍🏾👏🏾🤙🏾🤙🏾

Best informative video for a lefty thanks men!

Shane, thanks for the great videos. I have had 2 eastmans .the 386 was ok, but cheap pu's. Just bought a t484,...seymour duncan jazz and a 59. Switchcraft jack and switch.plays beautiful .another one I have is a 1990' s Peavey predator AX with lace type pickups. Made in usa. In mho, plays and sounds as good as my friends american strat and the usa made Strat I had. Thanks, Gary from Sarasota, Fl.

I just placed an order for my third Reverend, a Jetstream 390. I already own an Airsonic RA and a Mercalli 5 FM bass. Both feel and sound absolutely great to me. I found the Airsonic in a local shop, plugged it in, gave it one strum, and my jaw dropped. I was taken totally by surprise. I can think of only one or two other guitars that have elicited such a strong initial (positive) reaction from me. On top of it all, Reverends look terrific and, as you said in the video, *unique*. I used to dream of owning a PRS Custom one day. But knowing I could buy 5, 6, or 7 bad-ass Reverends for the same price-well, it's hard to look back.

G&L guitars are pure gems. Feel, tone, the whole package.

I have a Pacifica 600 series on the way and I was very impressed when I played the one about a year ago.

Thumbs up for Reverend. I really want to get one from them someday.

Fernandes. Awesome instruments. And some really cool designs too, like the Vertigo.

Hey Shane I love your videos. My suggestion for underrated guitars is the Peavey JF2 EX. It’s a sparkle top 335 style with very distinctive styled eff holes and mini humbuckers in the neck and bridge. It’s got one of the nicest necks I’ve played and the tone is very very versatile, from crunchy rock all the way up to really smooth jazz. I think that you could actually find quite a few Peavey guitars that would fit the underrated category, although most are vintage now.

My Reverend Club King is awesome, bought it in May and its like my perfect non-Strat companion. Been playing for 26 years and I’m a Strat guy, I’ve owned and sold many guitars and still have three custom Strats other guitars have came and went but the Club King 290 is like all the best parts of other guitars I’ve played rolled into one killer instrument. So versatile, immaculately finished and setup out of the box, stays in tune for days on end even with lots of use of the Bigsby. The 25.5in scale made it really easy for me to adapt to. It’s a keeper. I’ll be buying more Reverend guitars in the future, finances allowing.

Danelectro and Duesenberg are two I'd love you to check out man! Great video 😃

I have a Burns Steer Cutaway , the look maybe not for everybody, but sounds and plays fantastic.

Thanks, Shane, a good selection. The MM Cutlass is definitely an interesting guitar. Something I noted with the Epiphone Les Paul Special you showed was that it appeared to have "GIBSON" on the truss rod cover. I have the very same model that I picked up in a hock shop over ten years ago (yeah, it was around $100 then, too :-) with that same style of truss rod cover. I'd always assumed someone had been naughty and replaced the cover with a Gibson one, but seeing the one you show perhaps they did that in the past...? The ones I see now have "Special II", or "Les Paul Special II" on the truss rod cover. Just an observation.

I’m glad you put Eastman in the group Shane. I bought one of their thin lines after seeing them at the Melbourne Guitar show a couple of years ago. Just magnificent guitars. Cost me less than $1300. High quality and fair prices what more could you want.

I've had a G&L ASAT with MFD pickups since the mid 90's and I absolutely love it. This coming from a guy who could never find a Fender that I'd want to own. The ASAT is a keeper. All the little issues I had with Fender T style guitars were fixed by Leo Fender and George Fullerton. Another great guitar manufacturer is Godin Guitars. They have a huge range of instruments... something for everyone at different price points. Don't forget Godin's other family of brands from Richmond, Art & Lutherie, Seagull and a few others. Great instruments brought to you from Robert Godin, all started in Québec Canada. Worth checking out.

Traded my fender for a G&L 35 years ago. I still play G&L to this day. Thank you for sharing. Stay safe and be blessed

My vote goes to Carvin. They made some really fantastic guitars and at great prices for what were essentially semi-custom instruments. I have a beautiful koa-topped DC127 and it's one of my favorite guitars I ever owned. The quality is great, and the playabilityand tone are just as good.

PRS S2 series. Everyone knows the SE's, wood library, and the CE24, but the S2's are always overlooked. I have an S2 and it's my fav. INCREDIBLE guitars.

Since I saw my exact Reverend model in the picture I had to watch!

Another vote for G&L being awesome. I have a HSS legacy as my main guitar for about 10 years. Have never thought of replacing it.

Reverend's are amazing, I have a Jetstream HB best guitar I've ever had.

I personally own two Dean's and I absolutely love them. Both of them are at two different price points (400 & 800), but they both play amazing

Thanks Shane..very interesting.

I use my Eastman T184 mx with custom Lollar imperials regular on my youtube channel for covers. And it does not only look awesome they also play and sound awesome. One of the best guitars in my collection.

My first guitar was a epiphone special II. After one or two years I have to change the 3-way switch, but other than that, it was a good instrument.

I love the PS body shape so much

I also had a G & L ASAT Classic Tribute and totally agree with all your comments re the neck and overall quality of the guitar, especially when compared to a comparable Fenders. When I ended up trading it in I was hammered by the dealer who repeated your comments that the punters are only looking for “Fenders and Squiers”. These guitars in my opinion are highly recommeded as keepers and I regret to this day parting with mine.

I'll add another vote for Reverend Guitars....I bought a Flatroc in 2007 when I was getting back into playing after many years. Great sounding great playing guitar!

Hi, Shane! Thx, nice review, very interesting. I own only Epiphone from your list - very solid guitar. My preferred brand (for last time) is Aria Pro II - very interesting instruments. 615 tl tele very nice, ta tr1 semi hollow is descent. Chip and good, I like it. Cheers! :)

Hello Shane.I follow your channel and you cover excellent topics that I relate with.Peavey vintage solid state and your truth on reviews on guitars.Your playing talent I will never match.I notice you mention Florida quite a bit.What is your connection? That's my home for the past 40 years.Next time your here playing, visiting I would like to see and hear you, shoot the breeze.Thanks for what you do..Regards,Jerry

G&L - Yep, I have an ASAT TELE in my collection and love it. More versatile over the Fender BUT if its the Tele twang you're looking for, maybe a Fender Tele is still your best bet.

I have a reverend crosscut, I love them.

I recently picked up a lefty Electra omega, one of the newer reissues and it’s phenomenal. I think they went out of business is the reason I got such a good deal... big fat 50’s neck... two pull pots. Pickups sound amazing. I think you would like these

Love your channel mate. I have an Eastman T486 and think it’s a phenomenal guitar. I bought it to see if I’d like a semi hollow. I ended up getting a Gibson ES335. Comparing the 2, I prefer the Gibson but think the Eastman is a great one.

Let me speak about Yamaha Pacificas: I've been playing for about 5 years, got 4 electric guitars (some over a grand) and the Pacifica is the cheapest of them all. A model 112V with alnico pups. I was recently thinking of getting an actual Fender HSS and tried to justify it because its going to be better/have better parts/costs more therefore better, etc. But after checking them out and trying to find any reason why the Pacifica is terrible I could not. It's an amazing guitar, so versatile in sound, the neck is so smooth and fast, the electronics work perfectly, the pups are so versatile too and have a quality tone, the bridge (usually a weak point on cheaper guitars) is solid and doesn't hurt tuning at all and the tuning pegs stay put (I like bending strings a lot too). Really, if you're a beginner or even intermediate the Pacifica 112 with alnicos is just amazing. Even if you want to mod eventually, the basics on this is guitar are so solid that it would be an amazing investment. Please don't think its rubbish because its cheap in price.

I can't recommend Eastman guitars highly enough for the money. I just recently picked up the t64v casino/es330 type, with bigsby & lollar p90s. It just rings like a bell. Shudder to think an equivalent gibson would cost! Just when I thought my gas was under control, damn you Shane!! ;)

I wish I bought a Reverend when I first heard of them in the late 90's when they were still made in the USA . That Gristle master is a cool guitar either way , gotta love Mr Gregory Kochery 😊👍

I’ll nominate the Vox Virage DC. Made in Japan, it’s pretty expensive but beautiful and unique in many ways. I would not think of parting with mine. Thanks for the interesting video. 👍

Hey , I am a Sarasota native and have lived here my whole life ! I dont remember a place called Jerrys lefties guitars.... I must have missed that one. We had Thoroughbred Music,Troll Music in Venice and a bunch of pawn shops that sold guitars. I was surprised to hear you mention Sarasota but we do have a few famous rockers here like Bryan Johnson and Joe Perry.

I don't know if you get them in OZ, but I would love to see you get some Michael Kellys on the channel. great vid as always :)

I learned how to play on Special II that I borrowed from my friend. It will always hold a, *ahem*, SPECIAL, place in my heart :)

The best les Paul I've ever owned is a epiphone les Paul vintage edition. It is a bolt on neck but has the best sustain out of any of the guitars I've had, including American les Paul standards. Maybe I just got lucky.

I have a Mexican '72 Telecaster Deluxe that I bought used for $400 and it is fantastic. Two humbuckers- Articulate, sweet, plays great, holds tuning, Still can't decide if it is ugly. Black pickguard on a brown body. Bummed I missed Shane performing live in America.

Having just bought a hard to find (in WA anyway) Yamaha Pacifica I can only agree that it is a superb guitar. Why spend 1,000's on a guitar when the Pacifica, which cost me AU$479, is excellent in every way? I especially like the P90, the ability to split the humbucker coils, the locking tuners and the special man-made nut. I play blues mainly and tend to use only the neck p/u but on the Pacifica I use mainly the combined middle setting which gives a Blues sound I really like.

Absolutely agree about G&L guitars.

Great job Shane! I have an asat classic and I couldn’t be happier with it. Also own a Yamaha Pacifica which could be one of the best deals on the market...I think I paid about $140 US.....so 2/10....not bad!

Great reviews. - I think an underrated guitar are Godin guitars from Canada. I own a strat style with 2 humbuckers and a single coil. I also have a twangy 12 string. Both are great guitars. Mark Greene, Arizona, USA.

Agree about the Pacifica, i have 2 so not biased at all, ha. That Ibanez looks fab.

I got a lefty tobacco special II, they been discontinued for years and are a rare bird in lefty guise here in Australia . Mines got a bone nut, upgraded vintage tuners and a roller bridge. Don't think I'll ever sell it, it's just too cool lol

My favorite electric is an Epiphone Les Paul Junior with a humbucker. You can find them used for less than a hundred bucks pretty regularly. It should be a piece of crap but it’s honestly a really good guitar. The pickup was actually really good sounding and the tuners, despite looking like your average garbage Epiphone tuners, actually stay in tune rather well. I’ve honestly thought about buying several more of these many times.

@intheblues. So weird to see myself on your video! That was actually at the Lucky Horseshoe in August 2017. I think it was called Skip’s Tavern before. That Fender amp is underrated. It’s super super loud and sounds great.

YES!! Dean made the list. The Dean VMNT is a V with a traditional 6-aside headstock.

Shijie guitars from China, custom shop quality at a price of under 1k. Basically are Suhr and Fender style guitars with stainless steel frets and everything you want to put it in.

DeArmond Starfire IV is mostly underrated, some know, but definitely undervalued. I think the build quality from Korea is fab, and the pickups are legendary USA DeArmond Gold Tone hb. Owned one in early 2000's paid 280 for it on ebay, then later sold it. Then had to get one again because I knew selling the old one was a mistake I had to rectify. Found one last year for 700 to restore the harmonic balance. I totally agree that godin and pacifica are highly underrated.

I wish you would do this style video by types of guitars. Example: t style, lp style or Semi-hollow style, etc... Thanks for everything you do and have done Shane. Blues On....💙

Hello! I own a Reverend Double Agent W, the W is for the Wilkinson bridge/ vibrato. Awesome guitar. Roasted maple neck with a thick rosewood fingerboard. Humbucker in the bridge, P90 in the neck. You can use the bass roll-off or put the volume on 8. Many tones. Locking tuners, 12" radius fingerboard.

I've only had good experiences with eastmans. I personally own one of their PCH series acoustics and it's fantastic for the money.

Great video as always Shane! Can you tell me, where di you get the cool guitar art behind you? Love those!