Firefly guitars have always been in popular demand. Their guitars are budget-friendly, affordable, and offer great value at really cheap prices. From the 335 guitars to the telecaster guitars, to the double-cut guitar and read firefly electric guitar review here, Firefly has garnered quite a lot of attention and fanbase.
The FFDCD guitar is one of the newer additions to the Firefly series. Modeled after the Gibson Les Paul Special, a highly sought model selling for thousands on the used market, it offers a very similar experience at 1/10th of the price. It’s worth noting that several people buy it just for modding, as it’s one of the most inexpensive guitars out there.
However, what a buyer needs to understand that since the Firefly FFDCD is so cheap, it comes with drawbacks of its own. Countless people have complained about the finishing on the neck, fretboard being too heavy, and sound quality that is out of control. This is how the FFDCD cuts down in prices, by lowering the finishing quality of their product. However, these flaws are mostly only minor inconveniences that can be either easily ignored or solved with a little tweaking.
If your budget is tight and its playability you are looking for, and not premium quality or design, then FFDCD is your way to go, and in the review further ahead you’ll see exactly why.
Foolw this guide here: Firefly electric guitar review below
Table of Contents
Firefly Electric Guitar Review: Complete Guide Firefly Electric Guitar
Let’s take a look at a detailed review of the several features that the Firefly FFDCD has.
- Mahogany body and neck finished with a glossy paint job that makes the guitar look very aesthetically pleasing.
- FF90 pickups sound really good considering the price bracket they are in.
- The unique double-cutaway style that offers more treble and clearer sound.
- Stoptail/Tunamatic Combo bridge that helps a lot while setting up the guitar for tuning.
- The Firefly FFDCD looks amazing. Period. The shiny finish gives it an amazing look and from afar it can easily seduce players to buy it.
- The mahogany neck is very comfortable to hold and offers quite a bit of stability to hold the guitar.
- The tuners work perfectly fine and allow you to play the guitar in tune for quite a while.
- The FF90 pickup is amazing for the price point and with a little bit of setup and tuning, it can be perfected to be swift and responsive, with a great, clear sound.
- Firefly is very inconsistent with their product delivery. While many products are delivered as exactly as ordered, some have one sort of problem or the other. Basically, there is no guarantee that you’ll get exactly what you ordered even after paying them all the amount.
- The finishing of the fretwork is very poor. While the guitar looks amazing from afar, on closer inspection you can observe several scratches, bumps, and discolorations on the fretboard. While this doesn’t affect playability or sound, it’s still a quality issue nonetheless.
- It is not beginner-friendly at all. What a beginner expects from his first guitar is the ability to play it straight out of the box, without any setup. This is not the case with Firefly FFDCD. You at least need to do some degree of tuning and set-up to play it at its best sound. For a beginner, the only way to do that is to hire a professional and pay him to do it which is just extra cash out of your wallet.
- The volume controls are stiff and don’t have a grip. It’s hard to grip them when you need to shift your sound. Considering a situation where you are performing at a stage and have sweaty hands, this can prove very fatal.
Firefly Guitar Body: Firefly electric guitar review
The body is made of mahogany, along with the neck which is of a setneck design, which makes the guitar feel very firm and sturdy. The fretboard is made of rosewood and is quite comfortable, however, depending on your preference it might be too heavy for you. The guitar is finished with a coat of red, gold, yellow or white, depending on which color you choose.
Honestly speaking, they all look shiny and amazing and it’s really hard to choose amongst them. However, there have been several reviews from people who found the color defective, with bumps and too thick a layer for the guitar to be balanced. That’s something to look out for.
Another notable thing in the fretboard are the pearloid fret markers which in theory should look attractive, but on this guitar look dull and not that charming. Also, almost every reviewer states that the finishing of the frets is awful. They haven’t been placed correctly and thus wood at the frets is scratched and rough. However, the frets are fine and play as any normal frets should.
Firefly Electric Guitar Sound:
It’s hard to believe that a guitar can sound decently well at such a low price point but the Firefly FFDCD does exactly that. The stock FF90 pickups sound surprisingly good, even from a guitar in this price bracket.
The neck pickup is fulfilling at the low end and quite pleasant and smooth even when you crank it up to the high end. In tribute to true P90 fashion, the bridge pickup sits between a single-coil and a humbucker which offers an amazing response provided you turn your amp model up.
If tuned properly, the Firefly FFDCD’s pickups sound better than most other pickups in the Firefly series. The pickups put tone in the resonant body, made better by mahogany, while the electrical setup offers greater tone control.
The intonations are set perfectly and with a few minor adjustments to the truss rod, it allows the guitar to be more relieved and produce significantly better sound. In summary, very decent pickups but need tweaking to be utilized to their full extent.
Firefly Guitar Comfort:
As stated above, the Firefly FFDCD needs quite a bit of tweaking and set-up to make it sound perfect. However, this is not an option for a beginner who just started playing guitar. Because of this, you’ll have to either pay a professional to tune it for you or be proficient enough to do the tuning yourself. Either way is very uncomfortable for the novice player. Also, the neck paint has made the neck a little heavier than it’s supposed to be. If it’s something you aren’t used to, you’ll have to scrap a bit of the paint yourself or balance the guitar out somehow as the neck will be harder to balance with stock paint.
Other than that, the guitar feels quite comfortable once you get the hang of it. The bridge is Stoptail/Tunamatic Combo bridge which is a significant upgrade from the previous bridge. They also feel quite cozy when you need to rest your hand for palm muting.
The small details that hold the guitar back are the volume and tone controls. They are hard to get a hold of since there is no kind of grip provided and it’s very easy for your hand to slip while grabbing them at an important event. If your hands are wet, with oil, sweat, or water, then the grips will be a nightmare to get hold of and are thus very hard to adjust when you might need them to.
You might be also Interested in checking out other articles on Ibanez Artwood Acoustic Guitar Review or Fender Tim Armstrong Hellcat Acoustic Guitar Review.
Firefly Guitar Conclusion:
I have provided Firefly electric guitar review guide above in detailed. The Firefly FFDCD is not a beginner’s guitar until it’s tuned and set-up properly. Those who can utilize the Firefly well are modders, who are looking for pieces to experiment with, or professional players, who know how to tune and set-up a guitar. When set-up properly, this guitar performs better than most in the Firefly series, especially considering its price bracket.