Ugly Review: Ventura V28 (Les Paul)

In every guitar players life their are times when one grows restless. The familiar sounds and feels become too familiar and we long for a new experience. I kissed my wife and family goodbye as I prepared to begin a journey for the next conquest. I might encounter various perils on the trek to claim the prize awaiting me, so I gathered my courage and ventured forth to discover my next glorious acquisition. And so, I went to the music store.

I had a budget (small) and a few thing on my list (everything), so i began inspecting every instrument I deemed worthy (affordable). Cutting to the chase, I almost walk out of the store in defeat until I noticed a Les Paul. I didn't pay much mind because I don't really like to play LP's, but I decide to take a closer look when I notice the headstock. "Ventura". I ran into exactly one other guitar like this. It was a 1/2 size student guitar that I student brought to lessons. It was, far and away, the best "student" guitar I've seen. On top of that, it was also budget friendly. The V28 ran for just under a hundred dollars. I was skeptical, then I played it.

It felt like a Les Paul, that is to say, heavy. Everything seemed right about it. The weigh, balance, color, shape were all classic Les Paul. But I don't like Les Paul's. I plugged it in and strummed a few chords. It sounded very generic "PAF-humbucker-y". The thing that surprised me was the fret board. Most budget guitar get a raw deal especially when it comes to rosewood fretboards. But this one head and shoulders above the Epiphone SG that I've owned for years. 

Now for the ugly. The sounds and the feel of the guitar was well above the hundred dollar they were asking for this guitar. However, everything wasn't so impressive. The metal parts were the biggest let downs. Nearly every metal bit had a sharp/unrefined edge. The tuners is were I noticed it the most, but the saddles and stop-tail had edges that felt like they should have been hit with a sander before chromed. The finish is passable with visible wood joints through the finish on the back and some imperfections with the binding. There was a mar in the top where the hardware from the pickguard hit. Some of the areas around hardware was left rough. The frets end were left a little ruff, but none actually stuck out. The nut was cut and left raw. Intonation was difficult to adjust on some strings (due to the rough machining process all the other metal pieces I suppose) Most of this can be chalked up to being nit-picky.

I did end up purchasing it. I am not a big name brand kind of guy. The guitar played well, it was very affordable, and I wanted something different. It was a home run as far as I was concerned. There are some thing I'd like to change, but as it sits, it's a great playing guitar for a reasonable price.