Thomas B.
I recently attended a Thom Yorke concert in Melbourne, where he played a song called Present Tense on a semi-hollow electric guitar, which I think was an Epiphone Casino. The guitar sounded so stunning that I decided right then and there that I wanted one—but without spending thousands of dollars. I’ve already purchased a travel guitar from Donner, and it’s been fantastic to play, so I knew the quality of their instruments was top-notch. I wanted a guitar that would replicate the sound of Thom Yorke’s guitar, so I decided on the Donner DJP-1000 335 Style Electric Guitar.
After watching a few reviews on YouTube, I was impressed with the sound and decided to buy one. The guitar arrived in just four days, and the tracking information was so reliable that I was able to be home to receive it. When I played it, it felt like I had been playing it for years. The sound is incredible, and when I played Present Tense, the tone was beautiful. The finish is flawless, and I’m thoroughly impressed.
Why spend thousands of dollars on a well-known brand when you can get this quality for a fraction of the price? After all, it’s all about the sound, and the sound is perfect.
Sam H.
Seems like a good guitar, haven't had a chance to use it.
Ian M.
Great Guitar. True to the write up it has been given.
If you are looking for Semi hollow-body then this is really worth the look. Straight out of the box it plays beautifully.
Great Value. Nice piece of kit. 5 out 5 stars
DAMIAN S.
Very good workmanship
VO L.
Excellent guitar. Well made.
Arthur L.
Very good value, nice finish, sounds terrific...Very happy with my purchase !!!
Samuel G.
Beautiful guitar... detailing is perfect..came straight out of the box pretty close to in tune... great action and intonation...no need for a setup...and the price!! Exceptional value... excellent customer service.. Donner are the best highly recommend.
Gary N.
Nicely finished - no sharp edges. Much to my surprise, the nut was actually cut properly. I usually have to take the slots on other new guitars down a bit.
The stock strings actually appear to be stock Fender strings - the pastel ball end colours match Fender’s. Action was set too low; neck relief looked ok.
I restrung it with 11 gauge Chromes. Intonating was interesting; I had to move all of the saddles pretty much all the way towards the nut, and had to flip the D saddle.
Electronics are as reported elsewhere - they should be audio taper pots. Pickups seem to have reasonably good clarity. Not crazy about the single coil mode, but it’s probably worth messing around with.
Definitely worth the $ if you have decent setup skills. The bag that comes with it is basically a sleeve; I bought a Pro-Tec 335 bag
Russ A.
Looks good feels goods, I haven't had a chance to do a set up yet as I am unwell. I have no reason to expect it will present any issues. It is my 3rd Donner so why doubt it. My advice is to anyone who is interested in it go ahead with confidence. RA
@giuse_luz
Thanks for IG@giuse_luz
@alaniarussi
Thanks for @alaniarussi
Tom C.
I picked up a red DJP-1000 at a great price, having been turned onto them by my Dad, who bought one last year. He waxed lyrical about the quality, feel and sound and all the online reviews I read were in a similar vein.
The guitar certainly looked the part on receipt; has an undeniable 'wow' factor, especially when considering the low cost. It has a really sweet sound and a lovely, deep neck.
I was unhappy with the bridge, which was very rattly so paid to get a better quality replacement in. Upon trying to install the new bridge, it became apparent that the ferules for the posts on the tune-o-matic part were not installed straight. This meant that I could not get the bridge to sit low enough on the body to get the action to a more comfortable height.
Next, I tried adjusting the neck as there was a bit of a bow. Not being able to get this to a place where it felt 'right', I took it to my local guitar tech.
He's confirmed that the original bridge posts were not installed straight and is now trying to work around that. He also discovered that a poorly cut nut was behind some persistent buzzing on the low e string. He managed to put this right with superglue and baking soda.
So, the guitar is with him right now while he tries to overcome the problem with the bridge. If he is able to fix that, I will also get him to do a fret dress.
All up, not really happy with some of the build issues I have encountered and I would have asked for an exchange if I had noticed them sooner. It's a nice guitar and I do like to keep it to hand to play when I can't be bothered plugging in to my rig.
I'm hoping my tech is able to fix it so I can enjoy it properly. I would just recommend to any potential buyer that you check out the build quality properly upon receipt and ask for an exchange if you run into the same issues.
John C.
I now have 2 Donner guitars and I can't fault them.
They look and sound great and are real value for money.
Archie W.
O, I have to say that I was a bit apprehensive about buying the DJP 1000 given that the price was so low, but I was very wrong. The guitar was immaculate when it arrived and other than a tune up it was playable straight out of the box. It looks great, I mean really, really good. No marks or blemishes, cracks or anything.
The guitar feels really solid when you pick it up, the fretboard is smooth as silk and the controls feel smooth. And best of all, it sounds fantastic.
Honestly, if you are just getting into playing or if you just want a fun guitar without the big price tag then you can't go wrong.
My one concern was the method of postage. Donner use, in my case anyway, Couriers Please. I did a google search on Couriers Please and I have to say that I've never come across worse reviews for a business. This got me a bit apprehensive as to whether or not I'd actually get the guitar. Communication / tracking from Couriers please was pretty basic. The date the promised delivery by came and went and I sent a couple of very unhappy emails. Anyway, sure enough, the guitar turned up a couple of days late. No big deal.
Bottom line is that the DJP 1000, in my opinion, is worth every cent.
George E.
After seeing about 20 YouTube videos praising this guitar it was time to see what all the fuss was about. It arrived in a slightly damaged cardboard box but survived without any damage. Everything was just right, the neck, the frets, the finish and playability. Love the split-coil humbuckers for tonal variation. Slight string height adjustment and it is getting played often with enjoyment. Bought a hard case for it as well, as the guitar is too good for a plastic gig bag. Rnjoy.
Bernie B.
Great guitar for the price, looks and sounds amazing, fits in nicely with my others. Easy to deal with in the purchase
Cheer’s
Pierre d.
I bought this on the strength of three online reviews, all claiming to be "professional" and independent.
First off, I thought the delivery was a bit slow compared to what I have become used to, but, I do live in regional Australia.
Anyway, in just over a week it arrived, well packaged in mostly recyclable materials.
The guitar itself seems extremely well detailed & finished. As a showpiece It deserves pride of place on your Wall of Axes.
The reviews I read stated the guitars they received were well setup and more or less ready to play. I didn't find that. The neck had a slight but noticeable dip and the action was a bit uneven. It was high at the top end. However, these issues were relatively easy to resolve as I worked through the setup for about an hour.
D'Addario are said to be the supplied strings. I'm not a fan. They have been replaced with Ernie Balls regular slinky. Same gauge as the OEM strings, but sound just so much better. But that may be subjective.
I'm impressed with the tonal variations possible by switching the pickup coils in and out. Well done!
The guitar is now very playable for the bues rock styles I like to bash out with the three chords and 12 bars I've acquired over the last 70 years ;-)
If I have one major quibble, it's the pots for volume and tone. They come on very suddenly, suggesting they are either linear or have the wrong rating. I shall do something about them as I move along....
If you're yearning for a 335 type of guitar, get the DJP-1000. The next best alternative will, at a minimum, be a thousand dollars more.
John K.
After reading the other reviews and wanting to try a semi hollow body like this... I made the plunge and bought one. Honestly was not disappointed. I have no idea how these are made for the price. Perfect intonation and pretty well set up with low action right out of the box, which surprised me. Tone is decent as well. It's a joy to play!
STEPHEN B.
loely appearance,action and sound best 500 dollar purchase
DAMIAN S.
What a suprise! Excellent quality
- Excellent neck
- Low action
- Nice fretwork
- Good finish
Very recommended for any level guitarist.
wayne m.
Quality finish, great sound, easy playability. The equal of a guitar 4 times the price
tracysn0w
Thanks for @tracysn0w
mattshmellyguitar
Thanks for @mattshmellyguitar
lets play all
Thanks for @lets play all
gianlugentilesca
Thanks for @gianlugentilesca
C.J. Van Sickle
I read a review of this guitar in Guitar Player magazine, they ranked it very highly. I figured for the low price i would take a chance... I'm very happy I did! This guitar feels, plays and sounds as good as anything twice or even three times the price. Buy with confidence.
Julee Dawn
A great deal on a well made Professional quality guitar. Plays easy, sounds great . Lots of tones to select from with the coil tap capability. The neck is very comfortable and the overall build quality is excellent. With this inexpensive gem, you can play alongside anyone with any guitar. I'm 70+ and been playing 57 years. No Epiphone or Gretsch under a grand will beat it. Guaranteed. One of the best surprises i have had in a while and all at a ridiculously low price. It even comes with a bag! Epi, Gretsch and the other's don't even do that for a lot more of your hard earned money. Better grab this one guys, and fast!
JP
Great guitar! I watched a few reviews before buying it, so I was expecting a great value for money, but this guitar is amazing. The action was too low, so I fixed that on my own. Other than that... perfect!
Anthony B.
It’s a beautiful guitar. Very detailed. Not too heavy. The pots and switches are not the best but the pickups sound fantastic. Such a full sound. I have another guitar with humbuckers but they soun cheap compared to these. The push pull pots don’t offer a big difference in sound but you can’t go wrong at this price. Very fun to play
chris kirschner
This is a quality item no joke!! I have been playing for 50 years and own some fantastic guitars and this with a little setup,playable out of the box, is more than a quality instrument. The controls,tuning pegs and overall appearance are spot on, neck is wide but very comfortable and the fret board is awesome, package was delivered in pristine condition, very well pleased!!!!!
Nancy
See video for sound demo!
I like to keep the stickers and pick guard plastic for a few months before removing them.(personal preference) Also, please forgive hearing the sound of the strings. I don’t like when it gets picked up by the mic, but I couldn’t play as loud as I wanted to at the time.
The first thing you’ll notice about this guitar is that it’s gorgeous. I love the cherry color/trim combo. My pictures don’t do it justice, neither do the advertised pics in my opinion. It’s beautiful in person.
I play all my guitar tones through my PC with a game called rocksmith 2014. I used to have more feedback/PC lag on my old guitar, but it’s significantly reduced on this Donner.
I like to stick to one guitar if possible to play as many styles as possible. I was thinking this one may not be the type to handle overdriven/heavy metal playing, but I was wrong. It sounds amazing on everything I’ve played with it. Absolutely versatile.
It’s cheaper in price than the name brands, but performs just as well.
My only quip with this guitar was its ability to hold a tune. However, I’ve noticed it getting better the more I’ve been playing and retuning it. It’s totally manageable now and doesn’t lose a tune while playing it, just after I’ve hung it for the day and return the next. As I write this review though, it hasn’t lost its tune and I haven’t played it for 2 days so that’s great!
Overall, this is a great option for any guitar player. You get versatility along with that beautiful look. It’s lightweight and can be played for hours without discomfort. I would recommend this guitar by Donner. It’s going to be my main one for years to come
