Lots of recent videos on these guitars and how good they are, but you still need to upgrade to get better sound, and when you do, the price reaches the price of a mid to higher end guitar -- so it's not worth it. I think this advice might be good for someone who just wants a great guitar with no mods, messing, etc. and also is the kind of person who just gives it to a guitar tech to do setup. No DIY and have more $$ to spend. And who might flip the guitar for $$. The EARTs probably don't have high resale value at the moment.
But if you like a great playing guitar and are willing to invest a little time and effort in understanding why guitars sound the way they do -- the EART is an excellent platform.
Here's my 2 cents. I have a NKC3 upgraded to GFS 63 Texas Pro SC and VEH hum pickups. Total ~$407 USD. Does not come close to $1K as mentioned in a Youtube video of what you need to spend to upgrade. I compared to a Grosh Retro Classic with Fralins, made in Southern Cal in '96. Mint. Played thru Two-Rock custom reverb prototype + TR 2x12 vertical cab with Eminence Tonespotters. Very high-end setup. Conclusion? Playability is the same. Sound? Grosh slightly more jangly in top-end, but that's because the SC are more vintage while the 63 Texas are vintage and a bit hot, R at ~6-6.5K. Grosh has no humbucker, so didn't compare that. Overall, the guitars are extremely close. Except in price. Like 7X difference. EARTs are excellent guitars for just messing around, hobby for mods, and for gigging when you don't want to bring a > $3K guitar to a gig. Mind boggling how well the guitar plays and sounds. Resale value? Not so much, but you don't get guitars like these for that. You get them to PLAY without breaking your wallet.
But if you like a great playing guitar and are willing to invest a little time and effort in understanding why guitars sound the way they do -- the EART is an excellent platform.
Here's my 2 cents. I have a NKC3 upgraded to GFS 63 Texas Pro SC and VEH hum pickups. Total ~$407 USD. Does not come close to $1K as mentioned in a Youtube video of what you need to spend to upgrade. I compared to a Grosh Retro Classic with Fralins, made in Southern Cal in '96. Mint. Played thru Two-Rock custom reverb prototype + TR 2x12 vertical cab with Eminence Tonespotters. Very high-end setup. Conclusion? Playability is the same. Sound? Grosh slightly more jangly in top-end, but that's because the SC are more vintage while the 63 Texas are vintage and a bit hot, R at ~6-6.5K. Grosh has no humbucker, so didn't compare that. Overall, the guitars are extremely close. Except in price. Like 7X difference. EARTs are excellent guitars for just messing around, hobby for mods, and for gigging when you don't want to bring a > $3K guitar to a gig. Mind boggling how well the guitar plays and sounds. Resale value? Not so much, but you don't get guitars like these for that. You get them to PLAY without breaking your wallet.
