Nice guitar. All it needs is love as the song goes.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Hahaha yup and a lot of it lol!

Master class, J-MAN. You are an honest broker of help and information!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Ahhh man, thanks! Much appreciated... Just sharing what I find and hope it helps someone someday! 😊

I have no doubt that you will be able make a great player out of this one too. Almost every guitar I've ever purchased needed some done to get it to my liking. Everyone should learn how to work on their own guitars.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Thanks man... Yup I'll get it to my liking for sure hahaha. And yes, 100%!

@cataclysmicconverter

Ай бұрын

It's almost my favorite part when I get a new guitar!

I like this one J_Man. I don't like the look of the one 2BM got, The red one looks best to me. I love the fact that you're honest about it. So far it doesn't appear to have any major defects on this one. Yes if it's your very first guitar you may think it's a piece of junk but then again a first time buyer isn't going to spend the money for a Westcreek. Just my thought. Looking forward on the rest of the review. Buddy, you still amaze me with your playing ability. I've aleady lost one leg but I would give up the other to be able to play like you. Your channel is quickly growing, I remember when you had your 1K sub give away, it wasn't that long ago and look at you now. Simply shows people enjoy your videos. I know I do, keep up the good stuff.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Thanks so Much Rainer! I like the RED one too! 😁 Wow sorry about the leg, but seriously your leg is not worth my playing by a long shot! I do appreciate the compliment though!😊 A good friend of mine who is a professional kite boarder recently lost his leg to a shark while out snorkeling with his family... I would gladly give up my playing to give him his leg back😢😢😢 I wasn't sure what you were talking about at the end of your comment 🤔 so I checked my account and WHAT???? There must be a glitch on KZread because, last time I checked, like just last week, I had 1500 ish subs and now it says 2700 ish?? Can't be! I never ask people to like and subscribe in my videos... Never! If this is accurate, I'll do another giveaway! I said I would at 2000 subs but honestly never thought I'd get there with my channel lol! Thanks for the heads up!

Setup issues aside, I really like that WestCreek was able to recreate a solid Strat HSS sound! I would buy one even with the poor setup out of the box! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

It will be a player with a few tweaks... But to avoid getting returns, they should address these issues before their next shipment!

@-KingOfKhaos

Ай бұрын

@@j-man9457 100% !! If a new player bought this, it’s way too easy to throw it back to WestCreek… they really should at least send them out “playable” since we all know they are capable of making and shipping playable guitars. It would be a let down to buy this as a new player. But as someone with setup experience it’s great! 👍🏻

These vids are great-- so informative. And kudos to Westcreek for sending you one for a total test drive. So most new guitars get sent to a store where hopefully someone with at least rudimentary knowledge would chase some of these bugs before setting it out for display. Obviously, Amazon isn't that seller. There is value in the local music store even if it means paying a little more. Keep these vids coming!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Yup 100% agree man... However I bought a Jet 300 series tele a while back from a big chain store and it was an absolute lemon! All 4 neck screws were totally stripped! How do you miss that lol! Store was great and gave me a full refund. I could of fixed it but at 350$ (and that was a sale price) it just wasn't worth my time and the upgrades in order to make it a player!

Great demo! Looks like it’s gonna be real sweet when you get ‘Er tuned up. Man those crazy Country licks are to die for. Don’t know how you and Brad do that stuff!!! Looking forward to the results!💥💪💪👍🤙

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Hahaha! I don't know how Brad does it either man! Hahaha

The body print is pretty dang cool looking and the price is right for what you get! It seems all the flaws and inconsistencies are manageable. I like it a whole lot!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Yup. I sent my 3 part video series to WestCreek and they were very appreciative. They will make a point to address these issues as before more models are sent out. Time will tell... If they do dial in these guitars, they will have good sales because all in all these are a great axe and a lot of fun to play!

Well, Mr. J man another good video looking for number two. That thing looks like it’s got machines screws to hold the neck on

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Thanks... Haven't gotten that far yet, but once I know you'll know 😀! Stay tuned!

It looks like Westcreek is ironing out some kinks in its trem bridge guitar process - probably more complex than the fixed bridge models it's well-known for. Nice that the JX-20 includes a solid block and copper finish claw, but those substandard springs and claw screws need to be upgraded. From the look of its headstock, Westcreek seems to be taking the fight to Musi! Thanks again for going thru a diagnosis and setup process, and especially the fab playing at the end to show us why this work is essential!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Thanks man. I appreciate the comment. Yeah It will come together, but needs addressing for sure!

Thanks for the video!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Hey my pleasure... Love talking guitar stuff hahaha! And if it can help someone, then BONUS! 😁

Great review J-Man! I learned a lot from this review. I have been eyeing the same model on Amazon but I think I’ll hold off for a bit while they work out their issues. I’m 64 and have been playing since I was 18. I have only recently been getting brave enough to attempt my own set-ups beyond just setting intonation. Many great tips in this video! Thank you and may God bless you.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Thanks man! I'll video what I do to it to get it to where I'd be comfortable gigging with it, then you can decide if you want to get one and tackle that yourself 😉 But yeah holding off until WC irons out the issues is probably not a bad idea either hahaha!

Always look forward to seeing you videos ! 🤩

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Thank you! 🙏

Thanks for the review-look forward to the tear-down! Digging the playing!

@j-man9457

18 күн бұрын

Thanks man. Turned out well!

So cool that West Creek reached out to you for an honest review. Likely, the design is a print, but so what? It looks cool like 2bikemike's black and white model. There's something about the look of the pickups- likely the covers- that don't appeal, but it sounds Stratty. Gyprock screws? Say what now? Looking forward to part 2. ALways an interesting video, J!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Thanks buddy, yep definitely a print but well done! Definitely needs some much needed upgrades and refinements. Not a home run but a solid double for sure hahaha!

@cataclysmicconverter

Ай бұрын

Canuck for sheet rock I think. And I've been repeating out loud how he says anything that rhymes with "out". 😄

It sounds like a Tele in some selections.

I dig the black pattern one! Just kind of wish they painted the wood grain front of the headstock white :) Then it would be prefect :)

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Yup would match up better for sure on the black and white one!!!

I have purchased 4 guitars from Marketplace that were like new or very good condition. All of them had high to impossible action. I think it's a rip off when a company sells a guitar, meant for a beginner, that isn't playable. Each one of the ones I bought just needed a few simple adjustments that took maybe a half hour to an hour and I have some very nicely playable guitars. And cheap too!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Yeah I hear you... It would be in their best interest to make it playable out of the box as every return (if they are all like this, they will get some) costs them money! 😔

@cataclysmicconverter

Ай бұрын

I'd bet WestCreek has been on the horn with the factory about it.

I just got a Cerberus and I'm already a fan of the brand; amazing guitar for this little money; at this price point you either get a beginner guitar or a guitar that you have to work on, but the looks are great, finish is perfect and hardware is of an higher quality than expected; honestly I prefer to have a cheaper price and have to work on the polish of the frets and on the nut a little than have to pay 50 or 100 euros more to have them already done. It's part of the fun. But this company sets other annoying issues at project level (the rounded frets are amazing, hardware is great, pickups sound good). I will definitively get other Westcreek guitars in the future

That’s a cool guitar I likey

@j-man9457

29 күн бұрын

Yeah me too! 😁

Well, I pulled the trigger on that Fojill FIB-60 (It's like an Ibanez RG style), and I'll tell you, it has a lot of the same problems as this WestCreek. So I am really glad you posted this video. I'm still working on it. The woods are really nice, especially the neck (Roasted Maple / Rosewood) 14" radius, bone nut. For the $140 USD Price tag I'm not returning it, but it has a few high frets, the spring tension on the trem bridge is wonky, and the tuners - I'm flat out replacing them. The machine head shaft diameter is undersized (9.6 mm) and the holes measure 10.4 mm, so they were flopping around, plus there was a lot of play in the gears. The strings that came with it were very light (I guess 'cause it's a "shredder style") .008 .010 .015 .023 .031 .040 measured with an old-school Brown & Sharpe, so I didn't want to use the 9-52s I had to replace them because I thought the larger strings would bind in the nut. It is an HSH (Bridge 8.3kΩ, Middle 3.2kΩ Neck 5.3kΩ) with a 5 way switch, but wired as a three way with the last two positions unused - LOL! I thought it was broken when I first plugged in. The stock humbuckers are not center-tapped so cannot be split. So now I'm waiting on machine heads (I ordered Kaynes - $27 USD) and strings. I'm OK with that. It's my first guitar I've had since I was a teenager, but I'm willing to wait. The body and the neck are gorgeous, especially the neck. But I wouldn't order one of these as a first guitar for Johnny for Christmas, unless Johnny's pretty handy and you're trying to sneak some real-world luthier skills into him on the sly. That's what to expect whenever they will ship Fojills to Canada, though they might improve some.

@j-man9457

14 күн бұрын

@@stephanpeters3875 wow man! Sounds like a project for sure but once you're done you'll have a one off guitar that you basically designed to what works for you! Good job man! Let me know how it turns out! 🙂

@stephanpeters3875

10 күн бұрын

@@j-man9457 I found out more, the pickups were actually wired right, except the bridge pickup was actually shorted to earth. That's why there was no output from positions 4 and 5. I don't know if it was a crushed wire, or if the shield wire was touching something it shouldn't have been touching. With everything out the bridge measures 15k. All the pickup cavities were filled with a strange white powder that gets everywhere. I have no idea if it's a preservative or some kind of insecticide, it reminds me of diatomaceous earth. I'm getting that all cleaned out and will be throwing in some inexpensive splittable Fleor Alnico Vs. I'm reading all about bleed resistors for splitting, and earthing the middle single pickup through a resistor for volume drop. And Ibanez' 330pf high pass cap for tone. This is getting to be a fun project.

@j-man9457

9 күн бұрын

@@stephanpeters3875 wow man! Cool project and learning lots too! Fantastic!

@stephanpeters3875

8 күн бұрын

The problem with the bridge pickup was a solder blob on the 5-way switch was touching the case of the switch. That's why it was shorted.

@j-man9457

8 күн бұрын

@@stephanpeters3875 ahhh good find. It's great when you can identify an issue and correct it! 😀

Same but not normal string trees that came on the Old Ibanez Roadstars. I see very few guitars that cover 4 strings with string trees. It’s a good thing to have

Nice review. I am enjoying your reviews. Keep them coming. Next thing you know, i might subscribe!😁🙋‍♂️

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Haha thanks man!

West Creek must REALLY love you: they just released a TELECASTER this week!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Not sure about that hahaha but yeah I saw the tele! I'll be buying one of those as soon as they're available!

@zuperdee

Ай бұрын

Ha! I just knew it was probably a matter of time before they released a Tele! But where is this Westcreek Tele? I don’t see it listed yet… Where is it? Is it invisible? 😂

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

@@zuperdee not in North America yet from what I can tell...🤔

@zuperdee

Ай бұрын

@@j-man9457 UPDATE: I just found it: The Westcreek model TT-20! I still don’t see any Amazon listings for it, but they do seem to have a video of it on KZread.

@summersleepmusic

Ай бұрын

Look up West Creek TT-20. They made a video.

sweet one there brother! ill bet anything that when you see the TT-20(tele clone) youll be all over it! i saw a westcreek vid on one being "riffed" up and it sounds sweeet! looks killer too!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Hahaha yup for sure, as soon as they are in Canada! 😁

@birdman316

Ай бұрын

@@j-man9457 sweeet! i didnt find the TT-20 here yet either... but theres a short film on it in action on the westcreek you tube channel.....i gotta grab one haha!

I was looking for a cheap Strat style guitar, and was surprised to see Westcreek making them now! I'm glad I came across your video before buying one. I bought a Revenge from them, and it was perfect out of the box! I couldn't believe it! The tuners suck but that's it. That's the guitar I reach for the most often, and I've got more expensive brand names, but I just bonded with this particular guitar. I wonder if they'll start making Teles now? They'll probably wait and see how these "Strats" do first. Edit: Damn! This thing sounds good! I'll still end up buying one lol! I can do my own setup. My Revenge gas full sized pots, do I bet this does.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Yeah man first run for these but once they iron out the QC issues these will be great. Check out the 2nd and 3rd videos on this. I think it will answer some questions for you. Yes a tele version is soon to be released. TT-20 I think it's called😃 Yeah 100% on the Revenge. Fantastic guitars out of the box! 😄

My biggest complaint with the push pull knob you can’t even get a hold of to pull the damn thing out properly. It’s so slick and it’s a different type of thing underneath where you can’t even buy replacement knobs to make it where you can pull it.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

The tele knurled knobs with the set screw should fit fine on the push pull shaft!

I just received the red one in the other day. I'm not that good at the set ups but everything you mentioned for this guitar appears to be spot on. Can I send you mine and have you make it sing for me?..lol

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

We'll wait till I fix mine and if it turns out well, and you're in Canada then 100% hahaha I like the look of that red one!

the first thing I wondered when I saw the nice shiny controls was does the HB split if so , bonus!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

It does but I never even noticed it hahaha! 🤪

My thoughts: 1) In terms of looks, I definitely like this one better than 2bikemike’s one… But that’s just me. 😂 Definitely a slightly understated Paisley-like vibe about this one. I totally get why it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea… But love it or hate it, Westcreek has definitely done something original in the looks department, if nothing else. If their new Tele is as original as this model, I bet it will DEFINITELY be worth a look, and probably THE most EXCITING Westcreek model of all time for you! 😂 I’m not sure I totally dig their pickguard shape on this one though-I think it would look better if it followed the contours of the lower horn, like a standard Strat… But that’s just me. That contoured neck heel on the back looks really nice, too-that is definitely a really nice touch! 2) Interesting hardware choices they’ve made! Those metal knobs are definitely a nice touch-if I’m not mistaken, they might be the same ones used on some EART models like the EGLP-610. That trem block looks REALLY nice, but I totally agree with you about those springs and those claw screws-it would be nice if they changed those on future runs. 3) I notice this one uses a side-mount jack instead of a standard Strat-style front-mounted jack. Opinions will no doubt vary on this-some might prefer the standard Strat-style jack, while others might say the side-mount looks cleaner. Personally, it makes little difference to me one way or the other. 4) Those pickups sound REALLY good-some minor tweaks might be in order, maybe possible with just a height adjustment, but overall, they DEFINITELY do the Strat thing… I’d say they capture the “essence” of an HSS Strat very well. The neck position typically tends to be the signature sound of the Strat, just as the bridge tends to be the signature sound of the Tele. I am REALLY curious now to see what their Tele model will be like!!!!!!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

100% man... Just what you said! 😉

Thanks for your reviews. This is an interesting one. I'm a Strat guy, and I like to set the bridge to float so the trem can go up and down in pitch. On my Fender Mexican Strat, the bridge angles up a few degrees away from the body. It does take a few rounds of tuning to get the strings and springs in balance, but with good tuners and a well-dressed nut, it stays in tune pretty well. So I would have been interested to see where the bridge ended up after tuning before you changed the springs. Any guitar with a floating trem is likely to need a good setup to stay in tune. My Fender and Musi Capricorn Classic are both doing very well in that area.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Yeah I hear you... I couldn't do that as the more I tuned, the more these springs stretched and guitar would go flat... Needs better springs, then I think it would be good! The trem feels good, it moves freely and smoothly but these springs definitely need upgrading and the nut needs filing and lubrication... Stay tuned for part 2 hahaha!

@chadking7465

Ай бұрын

@@j-man9457 yes i had intonation problems with mine. I think its the nut. First 4 to 5 frets are pretty sharp on each string after i get it in tune. i couldn't get the intonation right on 6th string the saddle was all the way to the bridge and was still sharp.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

@@chadking7465 hmmmm strange. Shouldn't be that way...

J-man it was mighty nice of WestCreek to send you a guitar for review & as always I appreciate your honesty as well as 2 Bike Mike. I wonder if the fret markers are glow in the dark? I put in a request at WestCreek’s KZread video for the new TT-20 for an all black version with a neck P90 & SS frets in your honor, haha 🤞🏻 You never know unless you ask. I would buy one!!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Cool man thanks! I would buy one too!

@johnjolly9519

Ай бұрын

It looks like the JY & TT Share the same neck, control layout & pickguard style. Maybe the neck pup too?

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

@@johnjolly9519 possibly... Time will tell I guess! Haha

I have one myself I haven’t done a review yet. I was planning on doing it, but I’ll be honest with you. I was so displeasure with it that I just didn’t wanna bother getting even body to even try to buy one. I ended up having to lock the bridge down, completely put extra springs to get it where it would actually tune the correct way and even then I couldn’t even get the internation to be perfect on it. It’s an OK guitar for 205 bucks that I paid for it, but I’ll be honest. I wish I had passed.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Not gonna lie. This took alot of planning and work. This review was 3 videos long. In the end, it turned out 👍😃

I start with the nut because if the slots are cut really high the action and relief will be high. I liked the other Westcreek Explorer-type guitar better. So many Strat style guitars out there.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

I hear ya... The nut on this one isn't the issue. It's pretty good depth wise... And yeah way too many Strat copies hahaha!

I got the black and white native

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

A buddy of mine got that one too... His had issues as well... Just Westcreeks first run at making a fender style guitar after years of only focusing on G styles... Once they iron out the QC these will be awesome!

You should get a fret level rule and check/adjust the truss rod then tune and double check. Checking the stings at 12th may for the purpose of truss is not a good idea, string height at 12th should be used for adjusting string height using the saddles.

@j-man9457

19 күн бұрын

Yup for sure... I think maybe you missed something. Did you watch the other vids on this?

MTV!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Hahaha! Glad it was at least recognizable! Thanks!

That's your Brad Paisley White.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Haha I wish I could play like Brad 😯

cant beat an Offshore R and D.

You didn't think the height of knobs on the pickguard indicated poor fit and finish?

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

The least of my worries hahaha. Easily resolved with a washer, and has 0 effect on playability. That is cosmetic stuff I will address during my final set up if I feel the need..... I Major on the majors first. 😉

The screws used for the claw is unacceptable that show non standard hardware and bad quality control. Everything else is OK that is an unacceptable escape worse if it’s part of their standard process.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Yeah there were some info lines crossed somewhere on the production line for sure hahaha!

How much does it weigh? After hurting my shoulder weight is very important to me . Hoping your input will result in a change to setup prior to shipping. They probably don’t have experience with S style guitars. FYI bridge float is standard with Fender maybe they set to Fender specs and it would have stopped raising at that point.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Not sure... Feels light my guess would be 7 to 7.5lbs. And yes maybe you're right about the fender specs... I edited the video for time sake, but that tuning part took 30 minutes plus and it was still pitchy. As soon as I swapped those 2 springs for stiffer ones all was good! Yeah I think WestCreek is just green with these fender style guitars on their 1st run... 😁

Do you give lessons over zoom? Man you can play

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Oh my! Thanks man I appreciate that! But you don't want lessons from me. I know 0 theory, am only self thought and play by ear only... Have no idea what I'm doing half the time 😂

That's definitely not a ringer that they sent you, that's a good thing!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Yup no special treatment here. Just whatever most people would be getting.... However it's too bad because a beginner would have no choice but to return it or take it to a luthier, who'll charge them the price of the guitar to fix it🙁

Brother I didn't read all the comments and I'm sure somebody else is probably said this but I'm going to say it here he can't just pull the neck back and expect the action to be done not on the best guitars or most expensive you have to adjust Saddles after you do the neck and then you have to do the intonation and do it all again also I could have done that with two Springs a little know how would have gone a long way on this one

@joshchristian8598

Ай бұрын

Something's wrong with talk to text in KZread it just keeps cutting me off and making weird sentence structure I apologize to anyone reading this

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Hahaha... Man I realize that. I was just trying to get an Idea of how much more I'd have to lower the action after setting the proper relief. You can't lower action with a bow in the neck... And these springs were way too weak to hold tune. the claw was almost seated in the back cavity... Better springs are a must on this thing....

They need to unbox these guitars when they get them and do the basic set up before it gets shipped out to the customer. What's the price on these guitars?

They look alnico PU on the single coils

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Think so 😁!

I saw those. SS frets for cheap. You don't need PayPal, you get the Amazon guarantee. Seems like everything is fixable. Wonderful. But what were they thinking about that paint job? I don't want beer bottles thrown at me.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Hahaha I don't think these have SS frets, 🤔... The finish looks cool in person! It sort of has that Brad Paisley vibe!

Anyone that buys a guitar online should expect to do or have a setup done. Why? Because the guitar is coming to you from a location that doesn’t have the same humidity as yours. Also you don’t have any control over the conditions it went through traveling to you.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Absolutely! 💯

"Houston"... we have a Problem ! I'm sure it's just a Typo ? 🤔

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Hahaha LMAO yeah! A 1:am posting a video problem 🥴 Thanks for pointing that out! 😉

I almost forgot: Those fret markers look REALLY faint, far more so than they do in the photos on Amazon. It makes absolutely NO difference in terms of playability whatsoever-I’ve even played guitars that have NO front markers at all, with no problem. Side markers are really all you need… Having said that, the front markers are always a nice decorative touch, so I’d love to see Westcreek improve on this. I also hope they are real inlays and not painted or stuck on.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

The fret board is super dry and ashy, once I condition the neck I think these fret markers will pop! Time will tell!

@zuperdee

Ай бұрын

@@j-man9457 I hadn’t thought of that! You could be right, maybe a fretboard cleaning and conditioning is all it needs to make them pop! That 12th fret marker REALLY looks nice on the Amazon photos-one of the nicest 12th fret markers I’ve ever seen!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

@@zuperdee agreed!

The pup's are alnico n? Mine weighs 7.8lbs

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Ok really? Good news on the pickups, I feel mine is super light, but maybe I'm just really strong hahahaha! I'll find out I'm part 2!

Constructively, unfortunately, TRAIN misses out setting pickup height. Too high and the strings can be affected in their motion (Magnetic pull) and can affect tuning, too low can result in weak and/or unbalanced sound. Like the fair review.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

Pickup height is a personal preference and all relative to your playing style, pick attack, amp, pedals and of course your ear... Train only relates to setup and playability and helps identify and narrow down structural issues with the instrument. Pickups would be the absolute last tweak one would make once string height, intonation, relief etc... are dialed in the way you like! It's a fool proof method for those of us who like setting up our own guitars 😁 But You do You! Of your set up techniques work for you, don't change them!

@bluwng

Ай бұрын

The impact is negligible. Most people tend to repeat what they are told as an electrical engineer and someone who has worked on guitars I can tell you there will be very little pull from your magnets.

@AnnoyingCritic-is7rp

Ай бұрын

I think the physical pull of the magnet is very weak compared to the amount of energy that you put into the string when plucking it. The chorusing effect is mainly due to phasing issues. If you take a steel twist tie and pass it over the pickups you will see how weak the magnetic attraction is.

put a bridge blocker in.

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

I may do a hard tail conversion on this one... But good springs will fix it. Gonna tear it apart in part 2 and set it up properly!

@mts982

Ай бұрын

@@j-man9457 you can do eet!!!!!!

@j-man9457

Ай бұрын

@@mts982 hahahaha!