Grote LPYS-006 Electric Guitar: Full Review

The Grote LPYS-006 is a budget-friendly solid-body electric guitar aimed at beginners and casual players. Manufactured by Grote Guitars, this instrument features a double-cutaway basswood body paired with a maple neck and Indian laurel fretboard.

While it won't satisfy the demands of professional musicians, the LPYS-006 offers an affordable way for new guitarists to start playing electric guitar. With its lightweight, ergonomic body shape and slim neck profile, it provides a comfortable playing experience right out of the box. An included gig bag adds value by giving players a way to safely transport their instrument.

Overall, the Grote LPYS-006 delivers no-frills rock and blues tones thanks to its dual humbucking pickups. While seasoned players may want to upgrade down the road, this gloss-finished electric guitar gives beginners a solid foundation without breaking the bank.

Construction & Hardware

The Grote LPYS-006 electric guitar features a solid wood body construction, giving it a rich, resonant tone. The body is made from basswood, which is known for being a lighter weight wood that still produces good sustain.

The hardware on the LPYS-006 is chrome, including the tuning machines, bridge, and control knobs. The chrome hardware gives it a glossy, eye-catching look on stage. It uses a fixed bridge design, rather than a tremolo or whammy bar bridge. This fixed bridge provides stable tuning and intonation.

Some key hardware specs:

• Solid basswood body
• Maple neck
• Rosewood fingerboard
• Chrome diecast tuners
• Fixed chrome bridge
• 1 volume, 2 tone knobs

The hardware is decent quality for a budget-friendly guitar like this. While not high-end, the chrome components should be durable and allow the guitar to stay relatively in tune during playing sessions. Overall, the hardware supports the guitar's playability for a beginner or casual player.

When choosing an electric guitar, it's important to consider the construction and hardware. The materials used for the body, neck, and fretboard impact the tone and playability. Hardware components like the bridge, tuners, and electronics also affect the guitar's sound, tuning stability, and ease of use. Brands known for quality hardware include Ibanez, Fender, and Gibson. Paying attention to hardware specs is key when comparing different models in your price range.

The hardware on a guitar includes all the metal parts - the bridge, tuners, pickups, knobs, etc. High quality hardware enhances tone and playability. Cheaper hardware can cause tuning issues or break more easily. Solid hardware also gives a guitar visual appeal. Chrome, gold, or black finished hardware looks more elegant than plain metal. The bridge is one of the most important hardware components. Bridges affect tuning stability, intonation, and tone. Common bridge types are fixed, tremolo, and Floyd Rose locking tremolos. Tuning machines also impact tuning. Diecast or sealed tuners hold tune better than open gear tuners. Pickups convert string vibrations into electronic signals, so their quality impacts tone. Volume and tone knobs allow sound shaping. Strap buttons hold straps securely. Input jacks should be sturdy. Overall, the type of hardware affects the guitar's sound, tuning stability, and durability.

Pickups & Electronics

The Grote LPYS-006 electric guitar comes equipped with two humbucker pickups that provide a thick, rich tone well-suited to rock and metal styles. The bridge pickup delivers powerful lead tones, while the neck pickup has a smooth, warm voice for rhythm playing.

Volume and tone controls give you flexibility over your sound. There are two volume knobs (one for each pickup) and two tone knobs (one for each pickup). This allows you to dial in your perfect tone by adjusting the volume and brightness of each pickup independently.

A 3-way pickup selector switch lets you choose between the bridge pickup, neck pickup, or both pickups together. Having both pickups on creates a fuller, fatter tone by combining the unique voicings of the neck and bridge pickups. This classic Les Paul style switching gives you tonal variety and expression.

The electronics are well-made and noise free. The pots have a smooth, quality feel when adjusting volume and tone. Overall, the pickups and electronics offer versatility for crafting your ideal rock/metal tones.

When shopping for an electric guitar, it's important to consider the pickups and electronics. The pickups greatly influence the tone and sound you can achieve. Humbuckers like those on the Grote LPYS-006 are a popular choice for rock and metal. Their dual-coil design reduces noise while providing thick, heavy tones.

The electronics should allow flexibility in shaping your sound. Multiple volume and tone knobs give independent control over each pickup. This lets you blend their outputs and tailor the EQ. A 3-way pickup selector provides instant access to bridge, neck, or both pickups together. Quality pots and switches ensure smooth operation and reliability.

Before purchasing, research which pickups and electronics will match your musical needs and style. Listen to demo videos comparing single coil vs. humbucker pickups. Understand how different wiring schemes impact tone shaping. Consider adding push/pull pots or coil splitting to expand tonal options. Knowing these details will help you choose the right electric guitar for you.

If you're interested in a versatile, affordable electric guitar, check out the Washburn DFBACEB. It features a solid basswood body, maple neck and rosewood fingerboard. There are two Washburn humbuckers - a WHHB in the bridge and WHHN in the neck position. This classic humbucker setup provides thick, warm tones well-suited to rock and metal. A coil tap on the WHHB expands the tonal palette. The electronics include individual volume and tone controls, plus a 3-way selector switch. At around $400, the Washburn DFBACEB packs great value for rock guitarists needing flexible tone shaping and quality humbucker sound.

Playability & Sound

The Grote LPYS-006 electric guitar offers excellent playability for beginners and intermediate players. Its slim neck profile with a C-shape allows for comfortable chording and faster soloing. The 25.5" scale length is a common and versatile size, allowing easy fretting across the rosewood fingerboard.

The guitar is well suited for rock and metal with its dual humbucker pickups that offer thicker and higher output tones. The bridge humbucker produces rich midrange and crunchy distortion perfect for classic rock and heavy metal rhythm playing. The neck humbucker has a warmer, rounded tone for bluesy leads and solos. Between the 5-way pickup selector switch and coil-tapping, there's a wide palette of versatile high-gain tones this guitar can produce in the hands of a beginner or intermediate player.

Included Accessories

The Grote LPYS-006 electric guitar comes with some nice extras to get you started playing right out of the box.

• Gigbag for protection and transport: The guitar includes a padded gigbag that provides protection while transporting the instrument. The bag has backpack straps, making it easy to carry the guitar hands-free.

• Guitar cable: A 10-foot guitar cable is included, so you can plug into an amp as soon as you open the box. The cable is a standard 1/4" TS connector.

• Extra strings: The guitar comes strung up from the factory, but Grote also includes an extra set of strings in case you break one or want to experiment with different gauges.

• Picks: To help you get playing immediately, several medium celluloid guitar picks are included in the package. You'll have a variety of picks to choose from.

The included accessories show that Grote was thinking about the needs of a beginning guitarist when they designed this starter package. With a gigbag, cable, extra strings, and picks, you'll have everything you need besides an amp.

Pros

The Grote LPYS-006 electric guitar offers a lot of value for the price point. The main pros of this model are:

• Affordable Price Point: This guitar costs well under $100, making it very budget-friendly for beginner and intermediate players looking for an inexpensive instrument. Considering the overall quality and inclusion of a gigbag, it provides great bang for your buck.

• Quality Construction for the Price: While it's priced like a beginner's guitar, the LPYS-006 doesn't feel or look cheap. It has a basswood body, maple neck and rosewood fretboard that come together into a solid, well-crafted electric guitar. The hardware and tuning stability stand up reasonably well.

• Gigbag Included: You get a padded gigbag included for free with the purchase. For a guitar in this ultra-affordable price range, having a bag for safe transportation and storage adds a lot of extra value.

Cons

The Grote LPYS-006 electric guitar does have some downsides to consider:

• Very heavy body - This is a very heavy guitar, weighing in at over 9 lbs. The basswood body and fixed bridge contribute to the weight, which could cause fatigue when standing with the guitar for long periods. Not ideal for guitarists who prefer lighter instruments.

• Cheap feeling knobs/switches - The control knobs and pickup selector switch have a plastic feel that makes the guitar seem cheaper than it is. The knobs lack firmness and the pickup switch feels flimsy. This detracts from the overall quality impression.

• No case included - Considering the cost of this guitar, it would be better if it included a padded gig bag or hard case. As it stands, you'll need to budget for a separate case purchase to properly protect the instrument. The lack of case seems like a noticeable omission.

Ideal For

The Grote LPYS-006 electric guitar is an ideal option for beginners looking to purchase their first electric guitar. With its budget-friendly price tag, lightweight construction, and smooth playability, it's a great choice for new players who want an affordable, easy-to-handle electric to learn on.

The slim neck and lower action on the Grote LPYS-006 make it very comfortable for smaller hands and beginner chord forms. The double cutaway body style also provides excellent access to upper frets, which is useful for new guitarists learning scales, leads, and solos.

More experienced guitarists could also consider the Grote LPYS-006 as an inexpensive backup option for studio recording sessions or live gigs. It provides decent sound and playability at a fraction of the cost of premium guitars. The dual humbucker pickups offer versatility for rock, metal, blues, jazz, and other genres an intermediate player may dabble in.

Overall, with its combination of playability, hardware, and affordability, the Grote LPYS-006 is a great match for both first-time electric guitarists and more seasoned players needing an affordable secondary instrument.

Alternatives

While the Grote LPYS-006 offers good value for money, here are a couple alternatives worth considering in a similar price range:

Epiphone Les Paul Bundles

Epiphone, owned by Gibson, makes affordable versions of classic Gibson guitars like the Les Paul. Epiphone Les Paul bundles come with a gig bag or hard case, strap, picks, cable, tuner, and access to online lessons.

The Epiphone Les Paul Special VE electric guitar bundle provides a great starter pack for beginners on a budget. It features dual humbucker pickups for that signature Les Paul tone. The smaller slim taper neck profile makes it comfortable for smaller hands too.

Ibanez GRX Electric Guitars

Ibanez GRX guitars provide fantastic quality and playability at low prices. The GRX70QA features a poplar body, maple neck, 2 humbuckers, and tremolo bridge. It's lightweight, comfortable to play, and ideal for rock and metal.

The GRX20Z comes with 3 single coil pickups for versatility. The slim fast maple neck and rosewood fretboard facilitate intricate soloing. A vintage style tremolo bridge allows expressive effects.

Overall Ibanez GRX models present an affordable alternative for intermediate players seeking fast rock guitars.

Conclusion

The Grote LPYS-006 electric guitar offers excellent value as a budget instrument, making it a great choice for beginners or hobbyists on a tight budget. Its solid hardware and components allow it to perform well beyond its low price tag.

The dual humbucking pickups provide a thick, warm tone that works nicely for rock and metal genres. While the pickups lack definition and clarity compared to higher-end models, they are impressive for this price range. This gives the guitar a well-rounded voice that punches above its weight.

Some downsides are the generic design and heavier weight. The neck may also need professional set up and adjustments out of the box. The tremolo bridge has some tuning stability issues for heavy use.

Overall, this is an ideal electric guitar for new players who want a versatile, playable instrument on a strict budget. It excels as a first guitar and makes learning enjoyable. More advanced guitarists may also appreciate having an inexpensive guitar for traveling or as a solid backup option.