Monoprice 610887 Electric Guitar: Full Review

Monoprice is an American brand known for offering affordable beginner and budget friendly instruments. The Monoprice 610887 is their take on a classic single cutaway alder body electric guitar.

Designed in California and built overseas, this guitar features a solid alder body with a bolt-on maple neck and rosewood fretboard. It has two humbucker pickups, a 3-way pickup selector switch, master volume and tone controls, and chrome hardware. The manufacturer claims this guitar delivers a warm, rich tone well suited to blues, rock and metal.

Overall, the Monoprice 610887 aims to provide an affordable, playable electric guitar option for beginners or hobbyists on a budget. This review will examine the guitar's build quality, sound, feel and components to help determine if it lives up to its promise.

Body & Neck

The Monoprice 610887 features a solid alder body paired with a maple neck and fingerboard. Alder is known for being lightweight yet resonant, providing a balanced tone across the frequency spectrum that works well for various musical genres. The lightweight alder body helps reduce fatigue during extended playing sessions.

The maple neck offers stability and sustain while remaining comfortable to play. Its smooth, fast feel allows for easy fingering up and down the fretboard. The 24 fret maple fingerboard further enhances playability with a flatter radius that makes bending notes easier. Overall, the 610887's alder and maple construction produces a guitar that is well-balanced tonally while promoting playing comfort and ease of use.

In addition to its quality tonewood construction, the Monoprice 610887 electric guitar provides great value for the money. With its classic double-cutaway style, two humbucking pickups, and versatile electronics, this instrument covers a lot of sonic ground while avoiding a premium price tag. Many budget-minded players will appreciate the 610887's combination of playability, versatility and affordability.

For guitarists seeking an instrument that won't break the bank, the Ashthorpe 21637111 is another excellent choice. This stylish electric guitar comes loaded with versatile humbuckers, quality hardware and smooth playability at a very wallet-friendly price. Its arched top mahogany body not only looks fantastic, it produces rich, resonant tones perfect for blues, rock and metal. A smooth maple neck and rosewood fingerboard make playing fast licks a breeze. Overall, the Ashthorpe 21637111 punches well above its paygrade, delivering pro-level performance without the premium price tag.

Whether you choose the well-rounded Monoprice 610887 or the affordably stylish Ashthorpe 21637111, you really can't go wrong. Both of these value-packed electric guitars deliver impressive quality and versatility that belie their reasonable prices. For gigging musicians or hobbyists on a budget, they offer phenomenal bang-for-buck that makes high-quality electric guitar playing accessible to more players. If you want great tone and playability without breaking the bank, be sure to check out the 610887 or 21637111.

Electronics & Hardware

The Monoprice Stratocaster features dual humbucker pickups that provide a thick, rich tone perfect for rock and metal styles. The pickups are ceramic and deliver high output and warmth. There's a pickup selector switch to toggle between the neck humbucker, bridge humbucker, and both pickups together.

The guitar has quality chrome hardware including sealed die-cast tuning machines to help it stay in tune. There's a fixed bridge for solid sustain and a volume and tone knob to shape your sound. The electronics are simple but very functional for an electric guitar in this price range.

Overall the humbucker pickups and chrome hardware make this a great choice for aggressive styles of music where you want a fat distorted tone. The pickups and hardware seem durable and deliver good tonal versatility.

Another great electric guitar option to consider in this price range is the Stagg 6 String C430 M NAT. This guitar features a maple neck and body along with a rosewood fingerboard for smooth playability. It has two single coil pickups that provide a classic Stratocaster-style tone that's great for rock, blues, country and more. The pickups are designed to be clear and articulate. There's also a 5-way pickup selector switch to access a variety of tones.

The hardware on the Stagg C430 M NAT includes chrome die-cast tuning machines, a tremolo bridge, and single volume and tone controls. This helps provide good tuning stability and a nice range of tonal options. The guitar feels comfortable to play thanks to the C-shaped maple neck and smooth rosewood fingerboard. Overall it's a versatile electric guitar that covers a lot of musical styles.

When choosing between the Monoprice Stratocaster and the Stagg C430 M NAT, consider what styles of music you want to play and what kind of tone you're after. The Monoprice with its humbuckers will be better for high gain rock and metal. The single coil pickups on the Stagg will provide cleaner tones good for blues, country, classic rock and more. Both are quality options in this affordable price tier and offer good electronics and hardware.

Playability

The Monoprice Stratocaster is designed with comfortable playability in mind. The maple neck has a modern C profile that provides a slim, fast feel ideal for lead playing and soloing. The fretwork is quite good for an affordable guitar, with smoothly finished frets that allow for comfortable chording and bending.

The action on this guitar is set low and very playable right out of the box. String height is optimized for speed, making it easy to play fast riffs without issue. Many buyers have commented that the action is as good as more expensive Fender Stratocasters. The low action doesn't create any fret buzz or rattle either.

The 25.5" scale maple neck provides tension that is not too loose or too tight on the strings. The feel is very balanced overall. The guitar stays in tune well even during heavy use. The Stratocaster tremolo bridge also allows for expressive effects like dips, dive bombs, and flutters that expand the creative potential when playing.

Overall, the exceptional playability allows guitarists to enhance their technique and perform advanced playing styles with ease. The comfortable feel inspires you to play for hours on end.

Sound Quality

The Monoprice 610887 electric guitar produces a tone that belies its budget price point. The alder body and maple neck provide a balanced, well-rounded sound across the tonal spectrum - neither too bright nor too bassy.

The dual humbucker pickups have a smooth, warm voice when played clean but can push into a pleasing crunch when driven hard. There's enough output and midrange bite to handle higher gain rock and metal styles too. The pickups are versatile enough to go from blues to classic rock to modern metal tones.

While the pickups themselves are affordable imports, the wood choices help the 610887 deliver a classic, 'vintage-voiced' Stratocaster tone. It's not going to have the complex harmonics and sustain of a American Fender, but the guitar still sounds great for the price.

The 610887 is well-suited for blues, rock, indie, punk, metal and hard rock. It can also handle lighter jazz and funk though doesn't quite have the snap and sparkle needed for brighter country and pop styles. Overall an excellent sounding budget electric for a wide range of genres.

Versatility

The Monoprice 610887 electric guitar offers excellent versatility for the price thanks to its dual humbucking pickups. While humbuckers are known for their thicker, warmer tone compared to single coils, the coil-splitting feature allows you to switch each humbucker into a single coil mode. This gives you the crisp, bright tone of a Stratocaster or Telecaster when desired.

Additionally, the 3-way pickup selector switch lets you choose between the bridge pickup alone, neck pickup alone, or both pickups together. This further expands the tonal palette. From clean tones to crunchy overdrive to high-gain distortion, this guitar can handle anything you throw at it.

The slim neck and comfortable body shape also make the 610887 comfortable for both lead and rhythm playing. It's a great choice for rock, blues, country, metal, and pop. Overall, the versatility of the 610887 makes it a highly functional guitar for beginners and experts alike. The combination of dual humbuckers and coil-splitting provides a wide range of tones that makes this guitar suitable for playing various musical styles.

Comfort & Ergonomics

The Monoprice 610887 electric guitar offers excellent comfort and ergonomic design, making it enjoyable to play for extended periods.

Despite its budget-friendly price point, the guitar feels solidly built and has some nice weight to it at around 7 lbs. The weight is evenly distributed, allowing the guitar to feel balanced whether standing with a strap or sitting.

The body contours and bevels are designed for playing comfort. The back of the body has contours that fit nicely against your torso. The forearm and elbow can rest comfortably on the guitar's beveled lower bout. This helps alleviate fatigue and strain during longer practice or gigging sessions.

The neck shape is described by Monoprice as a "modern C" profile. It is slightly chunky without being too thick. Combined with the smooth satin finish on the back of the neck, it feels great in the hand. The neck is easy to grip and allows for fast, fluid playing across the fretboard.

The 610887's strap buttons are securely installed and placed at balanced positions on the guitar. This allows the instrument to hang evenly when using a strap. The ergonomic design choices like these make this budget guitar feel more comfortable for playing than its price suggests.

Hardware & Components

The Monoprice 610887 electric guitar comes equipped with quality hardware and components for the price point.

Tuners

It has sealed die-cast tuning machines that help keep the guitar in tune. The tuners are smooth and precise, making tuning adjustments easy. Many budget guitars have cheaper open-gear tuners that can slip and lose tuning stability over time.

Bridge

The guitar features a basic hardtail bridge that is sturdy and intonates accurately. It lacks any fine tuners or tremolo system, but provides solid tuning stability. The saddles and bridge plate are metal for resonance and sustain.

Strap Buttons

It includes two strap buttons - one at the bottom horn and one at the upper horn. They are made of steel and seem durable enough for regular use with a strap. The buttons are positioned ergonomically for playing comfort.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Classic styling and design at an affordable price point
• Solid alder body provides good sustain and resonance
• Maple neck and rosewood fretboard feel smooth and comfortable
• Humbucker and single coil pickups offer tonal versatility
• Tremolo bridge expands sound options
• Comes with gig bag for protection and portability
• Easy to play for beginners but also meets intermediate needs

Cons

• Tuning stability could be better with the stock tuners
• Only available in one color option
• Pickups may need upgrading for more advanced players
• No case included for safe storage and transport
• Knobs and hardware are decent but not high-end
• Lacks some premium fit and finish details

Conclusion

The Monoprice 610887 electric guitar provides solid performance and playability at an entry-level price point. Its lightweight alder body and maple neck offer comfort while not compromising on tone.

The dual humbucker pickups can handle both clean and high-gain tones, making this guitar versatile enough for various genres and playing styles. While the hardware and electronics are basic, they perform reliably for a budget-friendly instrument.

Some may desire more premium appointments like bound fretboards, locking tuners, and name brand pickups. However, for beginners or those on a tight budget, the 610887 hits a sweet spot between price and quality.

Overall, the Monoprice 610887 is recommended for new players or as a backup guitar. While not as refined as pricier models, it provides good bang for your buck. The classic tonewoods and dual humbuckers make this a solid choice as a first electric or spare stage guitar.