Last year, I decided that I wanted to learn a new instrument, and I immediately knew what I wanted to try: The electric guitar. At the time, I was new to the world of instruments, and had done pretty much no research into brand, type, or models. After about ten minutes of thought on the subject, I went to Amazon.co.uk and ordered the cheapest and highest rated guitar based on customer reviews which was the: Encore EBP-LC3T left handed guitar for £100. As the name implies, I am indeed left handed. This has proved a problem in the past where I had elected to purchase something only to find that it was suitable for right handed individuals and not lefties. Unfortunately for me, there are only a handful of companies that make left handed versions of their guitars which dramatically reduced my options. So, as this was the only left handed guitar under £150, I paid without hesitation. When it finally arrived two days later, I tore it out of it's packaging with high hopes; anticipating something amazing. I took an hour setting it up and playing around with it, Tuning it to drop D, and playing some power chords. It was perfect. aesthetically pleasing, sleek, and shiny.
However, a few days later when I attempted to learn songs, the guitars many flaws became apparent. The neck was not at the correct angle for play, and the strings were all set too high, preventing proper use of the instrument. I took it to a specialized guitar shop and paid for it to be properly set up, which still, did not make it anywhere near 'good'. It doesn't stay in tune, it came with a cheap amplifier and cable which broke within weeks, and the strap pins fell out, remedied by applying a good amount of glue into the holes before reinserting the screws. The travel bag was cheaply made and the fabric that connected the straps to the bag itself tore, rendering the bag completely useless. The guitar also has a horrible fret buzz issue where the string slaps against some of the frets causing a horrible 'buzz' when playing, not to mention a warped neck.
In conclusion, this guitar was an awful purchase. It looks a lot better than it performs, and is more of a 'cool' thing to have, rather than a practical instrument to learn with. Looking back I wish that I had saved my money and purchased an Ibanez RG370DXL guitar for £350 which would have been a lot more impressive, better looking, more fun to play, and a more dynamic instrument all in all. We all make mistakes, and mine was purchasing this shocking clone of the iconic fender stratocaster before doing market research.
This is the product I should never have purchased.
A detailed and perceptive account of a product that was all about form but lacked in function. Try to get used to using technical terms like ergonomics and construction. A good first assignment well done.
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