Pyle PEGKT99BK.X9 Electric Guitar: Full Review

The Pyle PEGKT99BK.X9 is an affordable electric guitar from Pyle, a company known for its budget-friendly audio equipment and musical instruments. This guitar features a double cutaway design with a glossy black finish, giving it an attractive rock and roll aesthetic.

Pyle aims to make musical instruments accessible to beginner musicians or those on a tight budget. While the Pyle PEGKT99BK.X9 may lack some bells and whistles of more expensive models, it provides the core components needed for learning and playing electric guitar. The focus is on playability and sound quality over cosmetic frills.

Overall, the PEGKT99BK.X9 offers a solid entry-level guitar for new players to start learning on without breaking the bank. Pyle's budget reputation means you sacrifice some build quality, but the trade-off is a very wallet-friendly price tag.

Appearance

The Pyle PEGKT99BK.X9 electric guitar has an eye-catching design with a classic double cutaway body shape. It comes in a glossy black finish that gives it a sleek, professional look. The body is made of basswood, which is known for being a lightweight and resonant tonewood. It has a smooth contoured edge for comfort during playing. There is a pickguard mounted on the body for protecting the finish against pick scratches.

Overall, the guitar has an attractive and stylish appearance thanks to its classic body design and glossy black finish. It looks like a much more expensive instrument than its budget-friendly price tag suggests. The glossy finish really makes the black color pop for a bold aesthetic.

The sleek black design allows the guitar to pair well with various musical styles and performance settings. It looks great on stage under bright lights where the glossy finish will shine. The smooth contours and edges of the body also give it an ergonomic feel and sleek look.

While the Pyle electric guitar has its own unique appearance, its double cutaway shape is reminiscent of legendary models like the Fender 374024592. The Fender brand is known for making high-quality and iconic electric guitars. While the Pyle guitar has its own distinct look, its body shape gives a nod to the history of electric guitar design started by Fender over 70 years ago. The Pyle guitar aims to deliver great style and sound at an affordable price point.

The glossy finish and arched top help set this guitar apart from basic budget models. Little design touches like the body contours and cutaways give it a more refined appearance. The black color lends an air of sophistication as well. Overall, it's an electric guitar that looks great and punches above its weight class in terms of visual appeal. Players searching for a quality instrument on a budget will appreciate the care put into the Pyle guitar's aesthetics.

Hardware

The Pyle PEGKT99BK.X9 electric guitar features quality hardware designed for reliable performance. The guitar has a fixed bridge made of chrome-plated metal for stable intonation and sustain. It uses sealed die-cast tuning machines to keep the guitar in tune through changes in temperature and playing conditions.

For pickups, the PEGKT99BK.X9 utilizes two humbucker pickups that deliver a warm, thick sound with reduced hum and noise. The neck pickup provides a smooth, rounded tone while the bridge pickup produces a brighter, punchier sound. The two volume and two tone knobs allow shaping the output of each pickup individually.

Overall, the hardware components on this guitar are durable and deliver versatile tonal options. The sealed tuners and fixed bridge offer stability and reliability. Paired with the dual humbuckers, this guitar's hardware provides the tools needed to produce a range of distorted and clean tones.

When comparing the Pyle PEGKT99BK.X9 to other entry-level electric guitars, it's worth looking at the Fender CD-60S 970110006. This is another affordable electric guitar with quality hardware and electronics. The CD-60S has a fixed bridge for stable tuning and sealed die-cast tuners to keep it in tune. It uses two single coil pickups compared to the Pyle's humbuckers, providing a brighter, crisper tone.

The hardware on the CD-60S is also designed for reliable performance and good intonation. The pickups and controls allow versatility in tone shaping, though without the thick humbucker sound. The fixed bridge and quality tuners offer tuning stability and durability. Overall, the Fender CD-60S has reliable hardware with versatile single coil pickups, providing an affordable option for beginners and intermediate players.

When comparing the two models, the Pyle PEGKT99BK.X9 has the advantage of the dual humbucker pickups for a thicker distorted tone. The Fender CD-60S offers the classic single coil sound. Both feature quality hardware components for stability and reliability. For beginners looking for an affordable electric guitar, either model would provide durable hardware and electronics to handle learning and developing as a guitarist.

Electronics

The Pyle PEGKT99BK.X9 electric guitar comes equipped with solid electronics that provide versatility for a range of musical genres. It features a 3-way pickup selector switch, allowing you to choose between the dual humbucker pickups or combine both pickups for additional tonal options.

The two full-size humbucker pickups are powerful, delivering a rich, warm sound with enhanced bass and reduced noise. The neck pickup produces a smooth, round tone, while the bridge pickup offers more bite and clarity. Together, they allow for everything from crunchy rhythms to singing leads.

Volume and tone knobs give you further ability to shape your sound. Roll back the volume for cleaner tones or crank it for aggressive overdrive. The tone knobs let you dial in just the right brightness and bite.

The output jack is located on the side of the lower bout for convenience while playing. It allows you to easily plug into an amp or audio interface for live performance or recording. The electronics give this affordable guitar the connectivity you need for diverse musical situations.

Overall, the electronics suite of the Pyle PEGKT99BK.X9 provides exceptional tonal versatility for the price point. Between the dual humbuckers, 3-way switching, and intuitive controls, guitarists have many sonic options at their fingertips.

Playability

The Pyle PEGKT99BK.X9 electric guitar has a thin, fast maple neck that promotes great playability. The neck has a smooth satin finish which allows for comfortable, speedy playing.

The rosewood fretboard is nicely finished with no sharp fret ends that can cause discomfort. The fretwork overall is quite good, with level frets that make chord changes and riffs easy to execute cleanly.

In terms of balance, the Pyle guitar feels natural and not neck-heavy. The double cutaway body shape along with the thin neck profile allows easy access to even the highest frets. The guitar sits comfortably against the body when played either seated or standing.

Overall, the playability of this guitar is very good for the price point. The neck feel, fretwork, and balance come together to create an enjoyable playing experience suitable for beginners to more advanced guitarists.

Sound

The Pyle PEGKT99BK.X9 electric guitar produces a powerful yet balanced tone thanks to its dual humbucker pickups. The two humbuckers provide thick, rich sound with reduced noise and hum compared to single coil pickups.

The guitar's mahogany body contributes to its warm, resonant tonality. Mahogany is known for having a balanced tonal response across lows, mids, and highs. This allows the PEGKT99BK.X9 to deliver clear note definition and tight bass, without sacrificing singing highs.

Sustain is also impressive thanks to the set mahogany neck and die-cast chrome tuners. The neck's mahogany adds resonance and sustain, while the quality tuners provide stable tuning and string tension needed for good sustain.

When driven hard, the PEGKT99BK.X9 can produce pleasing natural distortion thanks to its dual humbuckers. The pickups retain clarity even when overdriven, without getting too muddy or compressed. This allows classic rock and blues leads tones to shine through.

Overall, the PEGKT99BK.X9's wood choice of mahogany body and neck, along with its dual humbucker pickups, give it a versatile sound covering clean tones, crunch, and singing leads. It's an impressive sounding guitar for the price.

Pros

• The Pyle PEGKT99BK.X9 guitar has a fully adjustable truss rod for fine-tuning the neck, allowing you to customize the action and intonation. This is an important feature for setup and playability.

• The dual humbucker pickups provide a thick, rich tone well-suited to rock, metal and blues. The pickups are also coil-splittable for a wider range of tones.

• The generous controls allow for flexible tone shaping. There are individual volume controls for each pickup, plus master tone and 3-way pickup selector controls.

• The solid basswood body helps produce a balanced tone across lows, mids and highs. The basswood is lightweight yet resonant.

Cons

• The pickups are relatively low output, so the guitar may lack the punch and output of guitars with higher output pickups

• The bridge feels a bit flimsy and cheap. It works fine, but may not stand up to aggressive playing as well as a higher quality bridge

• The tuning machines don't feel very solid. They work, but turning the tuning pegs doesn't feel as smooth and stable as higher end tuners

• The fretwork could be better - some frets feel a bit sharp on the edges which can be uncomfortable, and a few frets seem to buzz slightly

• The overall fit and finish is just okay. On close inspection there are some rough spots, uneven paint lines, etc. This is typical for guitars in this very low price range though.

Comparable Models

The Pyle PEGKT99BK electric guitar compares well to other beginner and intermediate-level guitars in the same price range of around $100. Here are some comparable options:

Epiphone Les Paul SPECIAL-II Electric Guitar

• Classic Les Paul shape and styling
• 700T humbucker pickups
• Tune-o-matic bridge for solid intonation
• Rosewood fretboard for smooth playability
• Comes in black, vintage sunburst and other finishes

Squier by Fender Bullet Stratocaster SSS

• Stratocaster body shape with contoured edges
• Three single coil pickups for versatility
• 5-way pickup selector switch
• 22 medium jumbo frets for great playability
• Available in 2-color sunburst, black, and red

Ibanez GRX20ZBKN GIO Series

• Sleek, thin double-cutaway body style
• Two Infinity R humbuckers for full-bodied tone
• Black hardware including fixed bridge
• Bound rosewood fretboard
• Comes in black night, blackberry sunburst, and other colors

Conclusion

The Pyle PEGKT99BK.X9 is an affordable electric guitar that packs a surprising punch given its low price point. Its alder wood body and bolt-on maple neck provide a solid foundation, while the dual humbucker pickups deliver a versatile range of tones perfect for rock, metal, blues, and more.

This guitar excels at capturing that classic electric guitar sound and feel. The playability is very good for the price, with a comfortable contoured body, smooth frets, and quality hardware. It stays relatively in tune and intonates well. The pickups are quite hot and can produce anything from clean tones to high-gain distortion.

Overall, the Pyle PEGKT99BK.X9 punches far above its weight class. While it may lack some bells and whistles found on pricier models, it provides excellent value for the money. The quality is suitable for beginners, intermediate players, and working musicians alike. It's an ideal choice for someone looking for an affordable, reliable electric guitar that doesn't compromise on tone or playability.