DeArmond M65 Guitar Review

Think back to when you first started to learn the guitar. I’m sure you can remember your very first guitar, right? Was it cheap? Was it nice? Was it nice and cheap? It isn’t often that a brand new guitar player gets a brand new, professional quality guitar.

Sure, there are probably plenty of people that got a nice hand-me-down from a relative or friend, but for those that started out in the dumps, you probably didn’t start with a ‘59 model Gibson Les Paul. These days, quite often you will see aspiring guitarists start with a traditional Squier or various other “cheap skate” guitars.

Well, fortunately, not all “cheap” guitars are cheap in quality. Every once in a while, a great deal is spotted in the guitar world that pushes the limits of value. While most advanced guitar players won’t usually jump for these guitars, they must still respect good old craftsmanship. Though it isn’t often that one of these deals comes along, but here is a review of a guitar that meets the bill… the DeArmond M65.

The DeArmond M65 – Priced For A Newbie

My very first electric guitar was the DeArmond M65. I won’t lie, my parents bought it for me for my birthday, many years ago. Let me tell you, if it wasn’t cheap, they wouldn’t get it. They scored this puppy from a pawn shop, along with a tiny little amp and a few odds & ends, the price totaled about $250 greenbacks. When I got it, I immediately was overjoyed that my parents didn’t get me a Squier. I literally had nightmares that I’d wake up on my birthday and get a rinky-dink Squier.

Though it was used, the guitar looked in very good condition, and had a cool blue color, considering my favorite color was blue, my mind was blown, and I was in heaven. At the time, that’s all that mattered. I’ll admit, I didn’t take great care of my DeArmond M65, but it treated me very well in my days of learning the guitar. It wasn’t until years after I started playing that I realized just how amazing of a guitar that it was.

Unexpected Quality

It wasn’t until I started playing other people’s guitars that I realized the masterpiece that I had been given. Every time I picked up a different guitar, the action was horrible, the playability was horrid, and the sound was… less than satisfactory. These friends, while also fairly new at playing guitar, such as myself, had much more pricey guitars. We’re not talking anything fancy, but I recall one friend having a Gibson that he paid over $800 for, used. I picked that thing up for maybe five minutes before I had to shake my head in disgust and place it back on the rack (in saying that, I do love most Gibsons, this one was just a piece of s**t!).

At first, I thought I was just too tied to my first guitar…like I had some sort of emotional bond with it. After doing some research, I realized that it simply wasn’t true. I had just happened to get lucky enough to stumble upon the DeArmond series by Guild.

DeArmond History

Wait, did I just say Guild? Well, in part, that’s correct. Guild made these DeArmond guitars as spinoffs of their old 50’s and 60’s models, though manufactured out-of-country. By doing this, the guitars achieved a fantastic level of quality, while keeping a very low price. While the M65 is one of the lower-end of the DeArmond series, its quality is quite astounding. Brand new, the M65 was around $300. As I said before, this guitar easily rivals, in playability, guitars in the one-grand range.

So, why are they no longer sold? Well, good question, young grasshopper. Fender actually bought out the DeArmond brand, and discontinued their production. Sound stupid? Well, it is said that Fender saw that the DeArmonds were surpassing their own guitars in value by a long shot, so, business ethics took over, and they decided to buy their competitor. This could be true or false, but it’s a hypothesis that makes sense in the business world.

DeArmond M65 – The Specs

So what is it made of, you might ask. Well, the single-cutaway body of the DeArmond M65 (released in 1999) is made of good old maple. Though it has a bolt-on mahogany neck, is has surprising sustain, and the fretboard is silky smooth(like I said, the playability is amazing). It comes with double humbuckers that sound pretty good, especially for a bluesy sound. That doesn’t mean that you can’t push this thing into overdrive and make it scream with distortion though, because it does that as well…very well.

The only downside to this bargain guitar is the cheap plastic knobs and pickguard. In fact, I removed my pickguard. Everything on this guitar that matters for the aspiring guitarist is there, in great quality, and even better price.

If you can manage to find one of these babies still for sale, it is highly recommended that you pick it up, even if you’re looking for higher-priced guitars. If you have a friend or relative looking to start playing guitar, I would personally suggest that you actively seek out a DeArmond M65, as they are still very cheap, and you simply will not find a better starter guitar.

Scotty Smith
Guitarist Rock ©2008-2010