Golden Gate S-309 T Style Guitar Body (White, Single Cutaway, Single Coil) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The Neck pocket and pickup routs are just as accurate as any Fender or Warmoth body I have seen... actually better than some Fender routs. ANY stock Fender neck or accurate clone will fit with no modifications. There are no routs for the bridge, which is a good thing if you want to customize your own axe... and you know how. If you do not have the tools or know-how, you will need some help.

The paint job is plain and needs work if you want a fine finish. If you want a "relic" finish, this is a good start. A few minutes with a sander will render this just as worn as the expensive relics that Fender overcharges for.

If you want a really professional guitar, you will have to invest in a good neck, because the tolerances for a great playing guitar are super tight on good necks.... bodies are more forgiving. Plus, ALL the hardware that goes on the body of these types guitars is adjustable, so minor discrepancies in body-routing tolerances are no biggie.

What I LOVE about this body is that it shows just how cheap Fender guitars really are. Think about it. All the Fender electrics are basically two hunks of lumber, bolted together. By saving money for where it counts ( neck, hardware, pickups,) you can build a super-sweet honey-axe on the cheap.

For decades I have been shouting to everyone that you don't need to spend a fortune for a bolt-neck guitar, especially for the body, which is just a hunk of wood routed by CNC machines. There is no craftsmanship involved; no skilled labor, no reason why solid guitar bodies should be so expensive. This body is ONE TENTH the cost of many aftermarket clones and every bit as good, especially if you want to do some of the drilling, routing, painting stuff yourself.

If you do not want to do that work or have any doubts about your ability, get a totally pre-routed body with an expensive finish. But if you want to bolt together your own axe, exactly as you want it, this is as good as you need for a great price.

Fender is grossly overpriced. Warmoth even more exorbitant. This body needs some work, but is perfectly serviceable.

It's like the Emperor's New Clothes. Apparently nobody is willing to admit they are being ripped off by Fender and all its cloners. The "little boy" in me is shouting, "LOOK, those companies are NAKED!"

This guitar body is "telling" us we have all been scammed for overpriced lumber with some holes in it. I got one of these and let my daughter draw all over it with a black magic marker, then I clear-coated it with a three dollar can of lacquer. Ten minutes with some automotive buffing compound and it looks FABULOUS!

A good neck, (From Musikraft) and good parts from other sources finished the guitar. It is every bit as good as ANY guitar I have EVER played in five decades.

Bottom line... THIS is a fair price for a reasonable body. You need to know a little about assembling, adjusting and finishing to make it into a pretty guitar. But if you want to have fun learning, this is the right price. And if you already know what many others know, ( that Fender and Warmoth overcharge for lumber-with-holes) then this is a sweet start on a great cheap guitar.

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Product Description:
Golden Gate electric guitar body in white.Traditional single cutaway T style, 1 single coil/1 bridge mounted, pick-up design Made from select Basswood Precision routed for pick-ups, electronics, and neck position Ready to assemble with simple additional modifications

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