Description
Review of the LyxPro 39 Inch Electric Guitar TL Series, Full Size Paulownia Body
The LyxPro 39 Inch Electric Guitar TL Series is a full size single cutaway solid body built along 1950s lines, with a paulownia body, a maple neck and a vintage style ashtray bridge. It is aimed at beginners and intermediate players who want the twang and bite of the classic single cutaway shape without paying for a branded original. It sits in the electric guitars section, and the specification data published with it disagrees with the description in several places.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Twenty two frets with a C profile neck. A C shape is the most neutral neck carve in common use, neither the thin flat profile that suits fast lead work nor the chunky soft V that suits chording, so it works for most hand sizes without feeling specialised.
- Paulownia body keeps the weight down. At 7.52 pounds, this is lighter than many single cutaway guitars, which matters for anyone who stands to play for an hour at a time.
- Sealed gear tuners. Enclosed tuners keep dust and grit out of the worm gear, which is the part that wears first on open tuners and is the usual reason a cheap guitar stops holding pitch.
- Ashtray bridge with a fixed anchor. A fixed bridge with the strings loaded through a solid plate transfers energy directly into the body and stays in tune far better than a tremolo, which is the right choice for a learner.
Cons
- The pickup count contradicts the switch. The specification table lists S-S-S, meaning three single coil pickups. The description specifies a 3-way pickup switch, which is the standard fit for a two pickup guitar; three single coils normally use a 5-way switch. The listing gives no way to tell how many pickups are actually fitted.
- The colour is listed two different ways. The table says the colour is Natural, and the description says a glossy butterscotch blonde finish. Those are not the same thing.
- The body wood fields contradict a solid body. The table gives paulownia as the body material and maple as both the top and the back material, while the description calls it a solid single cutaway paulownia body. A solid body has one piece of wood, not a top and a back.
- The scale length looks wrong for the design. The table gives 24.75 inches, which is the shorter scale associated with a different family of guitars. The 1950s single cutaway design the description references uses a 25.5 inch scale, which produces the tighter string feel and brighter attack the style is known for.
- The output jack is described in the wrong terms. The description calls it an “AUX output jack”, a consumer audio term. The connector field lists a quarter inch straight jack, which is the actual standard guitar connection.
Detailed Product Description
The guitar measures 39 by 11.8 by 4.1 inches and weighs 7.52 pounds. The body is paulownia, a very light and fast growing hardwood that has become common in budget electrics. It is roughly half the density of alder or ash, which is why the finished guitar is light, and the trade off is a softer surface that dents more easily and a slightly looser low end. Because most of an electric guitar’s tone comes from the pickups and the amplifier, paulownia is a more defensible choice on an electric than it would be on an acoustic.
The neck is maple with a maple fretboard and a C shaped profile, carrying 22 frets. A maple board is harder and brighter than rosewood and needs a finish coat because maple is porous, so it usually feels slicker under the fingers. The single cutaway shape gives access to the upper frets on the treble side. The bridge is a fixed vintage style ashtray plate, which surrounds the saddles with a metal wall and anchors the strings through the body.
What Comes with the Product
The listing describes the guitar only. It arrives assembled with a 3-ply pickguard fitted, sealed gear tuners, and the ashtray bridge in place.
Not included: an amplifier, a cable, a strap, a gig bag or case, a tuner, picks, spare strings, and any lesson material. This is an instrument rather than a bundle, so anyone starting from nothing needs at minimum an amp, a lead and a tuner before it can be used. What a bundle normally covers is listed in what is in a guitar starter bundle.
Who It Suits
This suits a player who already owns an amplifier and wants a second guitar with a different voice, a beginner who has been advised to buy the instrument and the amp separately, or anyone who wants the classic single cutaway sound for country, blues, indie or clean rhythm playing. The light body also makes it a reasonable choice for a younger teenager who finds a full weight guitar tiring.
Look elsewhere if a complete package is needed in one purchase, or if the priority is high gain rock, where a humbucker equipped guitar will suit better. Comparable single cutaway instruments include the Grote GTL-101 semi hollow, the Squier Debut Series Telecaster, and the Leo Jaymz TL style kit.
How to Maintain
Wipe the strings and the maple fretboard after playing, because a finished maple board shows grime quickly and the finish will wear through where the fingers land most. Do not oil a maple fretboard the way a rosewood board is oiled, since the finish stops the oil penetrating and leaves a sticky film. Keep the guitar in a case or on a stand rather than leaning on a wall. Check the bridge saddle screws every few months, as a fixed ashtray bridge can drift out of intonation when the saddles work loose. Clean the gloss body with a barely damp cloth. Detailed cleaning steps are in how to clean a guitar.
Tips and Recommendations
Count the pickups on arrival, because the specification table and the description disagree on whether this is a two or three pickup guitar, and the answer changes what the switch positions do. Budget for a small practice amplifier at the same time, since a solid body produces almost no sound unplugged. Single coils pick up mains hum, so if the guitar buzzes near a computer monitor, turning to face a different direction usually reduces it more than any setting on the amp. Check the intonation at the twelfth fret in the first week and adjust the saddles if fretted notes read sharp. A set of lighter strings will make bends easier if the factory set feels stiff.
Product FAQ
How many pickups does it have? The listing is inconsistent. The specification table says three single coils, while the description specifies a 3-way switch, which normally indicates two pickups.
What colour is it? The description says glossy butterscotch blonde and the specification table says Natural. Check the product images before ordering.
Is an amplifier included? No. The listing covers the guitar alone, with no amp, cable, bag or strap.
