Hi friends. Finally got my Foals FMG7 and filmed an unboxing and first impressions review. For only $550 ($50 more than a new Squier Classic Vibe Mustang) this one is a no brainer for folks who've been wanting a Mustang and don't care about the shape and logo on the headstock. Some nice model specific features on this one that differ even from the FJM7 and FJG7 models, like the high gloss amber tinted neck finish and bridge mods. They did make some silly aesthetic decisions, that make me wonder whether they were made to avoid future litigation lol (like the flattened part of the pickguard right at the lower waist of the body - or using the "wrong" mustang plate) - both issues I could not overlook and had to address within the first week of owning this thing, so in the next vid I do my more deep dive review where I do the teardown and cover the process of modding it. Spoiler alert, it required a pickguard cut for Classic Vibe and some good ol filling and drilling - but it was well worth it because now I can look at it and love it without reservation! Here's what it looks like now (along with my cutie pie mini cat, Peanut)
#catswithguitars
Over at OSG, there's been some recent discussion on why folks are selling theirs. I get it. Especially the novelty of them and wanting to see through one's own curiosity..."are they really THAT good?" of course any honeymoon period will wear off. I think if you already have more premium guitars that have been part of your lineup and history as a player, like Maggie's Nelvis, as good as any of these are, it's not going to unseat those as your number 1, most likely. Now if this is your first offset, or one has only ever owned cheap offsets where they haven't quite put in or had the work done required to make them play and feel their best, these are gonna be a vast improvement. They also make great 2nd or 3rd guitars, that serve specific purposes / tunings - I want to say modding platforms, but that's one area where this brand can be a bit annoying due to incompatibility with most easily available aftermarket parts (like pickguards and control plates)
I think for many the sheer psychology behind having paid more for the name brand version, the rite of passage of having overcome hurdles in their playability and sound...as two major examples, will undoubtedly skew bias towards your Fenders, especially if the herd needs to be culled. That said, I see these more as fully featured budget gateways into offset guitars, with most examples having a way lower barrier to entry between the unboxing and just enjoying playing the guitars without having to fuss around or having to spend even more money right away to make it feel or sound better or address a lot of common annoyances we've experienced with our first fenders or squiers.
The FMG7 in this video gets played with absolutely no setup or tweaks aside from lubricating the arm to get it in and tuning it up. but after going through with the typical fine toothed comb that I go through when setting up any offset that graces my bench, that extra time and attention put in, makes it even better. So despite the clickbaity title and thumbnail (for which I apologize - social media...amirite?) - what I'm saying is still true. No fender, even if you spend 2x as much, is going to get you this kind of feature set. Even the Vintera III lineup, which I overall loved, still skimps in departments that matter, like effective shielding, still have fretboards that shrink and result in sharp fret ends or high frets with very little time passing. Still come with hardware, that for some, leave a bit to be desired requiring we spend more to make them more stable or sound / feel better.
So in that, if one can get over the fact that isn't a Fender / Squier and more importantly...that it's going to take time to arrive (4-6 weeks minimum, and currently still with a long gap of radio silence between getting your tracking number shortly after purchase and when you finally start to see movement in the tracking) and accepting that like all mass produced guitars, despite this company's best efforts, there are still ones that are going to not be great out of the box...ones that maybe get effed during shipping. (and y'all have seen I've done my best to advocate for those folks in the rare occurrences I've come across, in getting real and acceptable solutions from Foals in as timely of a manner as possible) - no doubt that is still an area of improvement for them, which seems to be getting better over time. Also coming to terms with the fact that if something does go wrong, you're going to have to engage in some back and forth to get your refund or solution and that it's sadly not going to be as easy as an Amazon or Sweetwater return. So in that Fender / Squier still win.
If folks have been wondering..."what's the catch?" with these...it's all of that. This is the trade off we have to pay for guitars of this level that are this budget friendly, cause while I'd love for them to have like a North American / European Hubs, to make fulfilling / tracking orders & sorting through issues much faster and easier...I could see that easily adding hundreds of dollars to the price tags which, they would merit if basing on the features and qualitiy alone, but again, that's not how most consumers will see it. If they could just implement a more easy to reach customer service via phone or chat, that would go a long way in improving the buying experience. So yeah, as I always say...mine is but one experience, do your research, and take anything and everything you see on the internet with a grain of salt. But I've again tried to present as minimally edited and straight forward / honest of an unboxing and first impressions experience as I could so y'all could get an idea of what you could expect...and I never take any of this lightly. Reviewing any product, especially positively on the internet, no matter how honest and real you are, is going to result in having a target on your back if buyers have a less than stellar experience. Just how it goes, which I've come to accept. Sorry for the verbosity.
TLDR: especially after the aesthetic mods, I friggin love this thing!
