Description
Review of the Ashthorpe 39-Inch Electric Guitar Kit, Red-Black
The Ashthorpe 39-Inch Electric Guitar Kit is a full size double cutaway solid body built on the familiar three single coil template, sold with a padded gig bag, a cable, a strap and the small parts a first time player needs. It is aimed at beginners buying their first electric and at players who want a cheap second instrument they can leave set up in another room. It appears in both the electric guitars and beginner starter kits sections.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Three single coils with a five way switch. This is the most versatile pickup layout at any price. Five positions give a bright bridge tone for lead work, two blended positions that produce the hollow cluck used across funk and pop, and a warm neck position for clean chords.
- A truss rod is fitted. Many budget electrics omit or hide the truss rod. Having one means neck relief can be corrected as the guitar settles, which is the difference between an instrument that can be set up properly and one that cannot.
- Twenty two nickel frets on a slim C profile maple neck. Twenty two frets gives one more note at the top than the original design it copies, and a slim C carve suits most hand sizes without feeling specialised.
- The kit includes a cable. Electric guitar bundles often leave out the one part that makes the guitar audible.
Cons
- The published dimensions are not a guitar. The specification table lists 2.5 by 2.5 by 39 inches. A double cutaway body is roughly twelve to thirteen inches across. The figures describe a long thin box, not the instrument.
- No scale length is published. On a guitar sold as a copy of a classic design, scale length determines string tension and fret spacing, and it is the number most worth comparing. It is absent from both the table and the description.
- Mahogany is an unusual fretboard wood. Both the table and the description list a mahogany fingerboard. Mahogany is open pored and softer than the rosewood, maple or walnut normally used for fingerboards, so the pores collect grime and fret ends have less to grip.
- The bridge is described two ways. The listing calls it a tremolo bar with an adjustable bridge set, without saying whether it is a two point pivot or a six screw vintage design. Those return to pitch very differently, and on a beginner guitar a poorly seated tremolo is the usual cause of tuning problems.
- No amplifier is included. Despite being sold as a complete kit, there is no amp, so the guitar cannot be heard properly out of the box.
Detailed Product Description
The body is contoured solid poplar with a high gloss red and black finish, and the whole guitar is listed at 7.3 pounds. Poplar is the workhorse of the budget electric world: light, cheap, stable and neutral sounding, with a slightly softer surface than alder. Because a solid body electric takes most of its voice from the pickups, poplar is a defensible choice at this level, and 7.3 pounds is a comfortable weight for standing practice.
The neck is maple with a slim C profile and a mahogany fretboard carrying 22 nickel frets, with a truss rod fitted. Nickel frets are softer than stainless steel and will wear grooves under heavy bending after a few years, but they are also easier and cheaper to dress. The truss rod is the important detail here, since a new guitar always needs relief adjusted once the strings have pulled the neck into its working shape. The guide to guitar action and setup explains what to check and in what order.
What Comes with the Product
The listing states the bundle contains the 39 inch guitar, a backpack style padded gig bag with 15mm padding, a shoulder strap, an extra set of strings, a cable, three celluloid picks, a polishing cloth and a tremolo bar.
Not included: an amplifier, a tuner, a capo, a stand, a strap lock, and any lesson material. The amplifier is the significant omission, since a solid body electric is nearly silent unplugged. What a bundle usually covers is set out in what is in a guitar starter bundle.
Who It Suits
This suits a beginner who already has access to an amplifier, a player who wants a knockabout guitar for a rehearsal room, or anyone learning who wants the most versatile pickup layout available at the lowest cost. The five way switch means a learner can hear the difference between bridge, middle and neck positions from day one, which is genuinely educational.
Look elsewhere if the goal is high gain metal, where a humbucker equipped guitar is a better starting point, or if the buyer needs the whole rig including an amp in a single purchase. Comparable options include the Squier Sonic Stratocaster, the Fesley FST350M HSS kit, and the LyxPro 39 inch kit with a 20W amp for anyone who does want the amp included.
How to Maintain
Wipe the strings and the fretboard after each session, and pay particular attention to a mahogany board, because open pores hold grime and the surface will look grey within months if it is ignored. Condition the fretboard two or three times a year with a purpose made oil. Keep the guitar in the supplied bag or on a stand rather than leaning on furniture. Check the tremolo spring tension in the back cavity if the guitar starts pulling sharp after bends, since spring claw adjustment is usually the fix. Clean the gloss finish with a barely damp cloth. Broader guidance is in how to clean a guitar.
Tips and Recommendations
Block the tremolo with the spring claw tightened if tuning stability matters more than the whammy bar, which for most beginners it does. Budget for a small practice amplifier at the same time as the guitar. Have the string height and intonation checked in the first month, because every guitar shifts as the neck takes tension for the first time. If the guitar hums near a computer or a dimmer switch, that is normal single coil behaviour and turning to face a different direction usually reduces it. Keep the spare string set in the gig bag rather than a drawer so a broken string does not end a practice session.
Product FAQ
Is an amplifier included? No. The kit covers the guitar, bag, strap, cable, strings, picks, cloth and tremolo bar, with no amp.
What is the scale length? The listing does not publish one, which is a real gap on a guitar sold as a copy of a classic full scale design.
Does it have a tremolo? Yes. The bridge is a tremolo with adjustable saddles and a supplied arm, though the listing does not say which tremolo design is used.
