# Don't have money for an Ibanez? Go for a Sunsmile!



## leechmasterargentina (Jan 27, 2013)

I found this website from a cheap guitar manufacturer from China. Of course they copy stratocasters and les pauls, but I couldn't help noticing they copy Ibanez designs as well, such as the Jems:









They even have a copy of the 7-string Universe:







The official website is: Official Sunsmile Guitars Website


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Jan 27, 2013)

They look nice.

But how well do they play?


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## leechmasterargentina (Jan 27, 2013)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> They look nice.
> 
> But how well do they play?



No idea...but they seem legal, really cheap and they show their stuff at NAMM it seems...lol.

You can buy a DIY kit for the Universe too  :


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## r3tr0sp3ct1v3 (Jan 27, 2013)

That kit looks enticing. Only if they had a 7 string headless kit.


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## leechmasterargentina (Jan 27, 2013)

r3tr0sp3ct1v3 said:


> That kit looks enticing. Only if they had a 7 string headless kit.



Well, some carving in the headstock and you have the same shape as Ibanez. Still, I've been lucky to have real Ibanezes. I'd only go for one of these if I had a kid and asked me to buy him his first seven. Even then, I'd probably go for the Gio Ibanez 7-string heheh.


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## Force (Jan 27, 2013)

Or Jackson










Or BC Rich










Or almost anything else


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## Swyse (Jan 27, 2013)

These are the coolest ones they sell for sure.


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## dschonn (Jan 27, 2013)

Well SunSmile certainly is the best name for Metal guitars ever!


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## rekab (Jan 27, 2013)

They aren't total garbage but aren't my idea of good either. In my quest for headless manufacturers/parts/etc I got my hands on a kit of theirs. The fretwork was pretty bad, electronics were junk and you'd better be handy with woodwork but you can make them quite playable. I did find the body to be okay overall with only minor issues.
Ultimately do not expect it to be on par with 200-300$ name brand guitars without a lot of work. If you're ok with putting a ton of time into a build without needing to actually make the neck/body from scratch it's probably worth trying. Or if you enjoy practicing fretwork...


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## BucketheadRules (Jan 27, 2013)

There is no way in hell many of those can possibly be legal.

Most of them look pretty awful, I'm not gonna lie.


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## adnecs (Jan 27, 2013)

My personal opinion - stay away from this or similar manufacturers.
Cheapest is the dearest is exceptionally true in the case.
You will most probably get some plywood body, misaligned neck with awful fret job, the trem that will be very 'floating', etc.
To put it all to at least to playable condition (if possible) will take you a lot of time and money for replacement parts. 

At the end you will have sheer frustration and piece of lumber that cost you more than an entry-level Ibanez.


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## TheFerryMan (Jan 27, 2013)

really?

No.


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## BIG ND SWEATY (Jan 27, 2013)

^ i cant believe they made it look uglier than it already was


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## leechmasterargentina (Jan 27, 2013)

> They aren't total garbage but aren't my idea of good either. In my quest for headless manufacturers/parts/etc I got my hands on a kit of theirs. The fretwork was pretty bad, electronics were junk and you'd better be handy with woodwork but you can make them quite playable. I did find the body to be okay overall with only minor issues.
> Ultimately do not expect it to be on par with 200-300$ name brand guitars without a lot of work. If you're ok with putting a ton of time into a build without needing to actually make the neck/body from scratch it's probably worth trying. Or if you enjoy practicing fretwork...



Yeah, maybe their kits are good to have some fun with the kid, but other than that.



> There is no way in hell many of those can possibly be legal.
> 
> Most of them look pretty awful, I'm not gonna lie.



Well, I said legal because they have a website and apparently they show up in NAMM every year. Maybe this wouldn't be legal in our countries but I heard something that patents law is not enforced in China. That's why they take the time to counterfeit brands like Shure, Gibson, Ibanez, Fender, etc. In fact, I bet some of the counterfeited Jems must come from this SunSmile factory, lol.



> My personal opinion - stay away from this or similar manufacturers.
> Cheapest is the dearest is exceptionally true in the case.
> You will most probably get some plywood body, misaligned neck with awful fret job, the trem that will be very 'floating', etc.
> To put it all to at least to playable condition (if possible) will take you a lot of time and money for replacement parts.
> ...



Sure. I've only seen one GIO in the past, not played it, but I'd prefer to give a son something like that rather than this. Now that you mention fretwork, I own a cheap Washburn Bantam XB-100 bass. Bought it second hand from a bassist that performed in one of my bands. He didn't use it much, and I only use it for home recordings, which is once in a while. Frets are wearing out, specially 1 - 5 in the 4th string...Either strings I buy are authentic drills or frets are crap.


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## SP1N3SPL1TT3R (Jan 27, 2013)

They also have the gayest brand name I've ever heard of. "Wow, is that a Dean Razorback?" "No dude, it's a copyright infringement Sunsmile."


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## leechmasterargentina (Jan 27, 2013)

By the way, if they show up at NAMM with these copies, I'd put together a gang formed by the toughest Ibanez - Jackson - BC Rich representatives and set their stand on fire.


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