Even though I am not that old, this guitar seems like space-age technology compared to the guitars I had at my disposal when I was starting out.
In my book, this is at the same time an ideal beginner guitar, a great companion for a touring musician, and an all-around tremendous product.
Given the built-in technology, this guitar can be used without any pedals or amps. Better yet, that does not exclude using it with the aforementioned pieces of guitar.
This is a truly interesting product, and I highly suggest you read on!
Our verdict on the Mooer GTRS S801
This is a tremendous beginner guitar that saves you a lot of money that you would invest in the beginning otherwise. Better yet, it is miles ahead of all other beginner guitars in terms of overall quality.
The abundance of different sound options is truly a great feat that justifies the “Intelligent Guitar” moniker.
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The body is made out of basswood. This tonewood variant gives an all-around rich frequency response.
The neck is made out of roasted maple. Roasting the wood is said to be speeding up the process of crystallizing wood, which in turn makes guitars gain that special vintage guitar sound right off the shelf.
Electronics
You are getting a humbucker in the bridge, and two alnico 5 single coil pickups in the middle and neck positions.
The guitar is equipped with a 5-way pickup switch and one volume pot, as well as one tone pot. However, the main superstar here is the superknob.
The superknob is your access to all the fine software that you get here. It allows you to change between different presets. The way you would set up presets is through your tablet or phone.
With the in-built software, you are getting a bunch of presets, amp models, pedals, a tuner, and different pickup emulations. That’s right, you can choose whatever pickup sound on display and make your guitar sound like a Les Paul, for example.
Within one preset bank, you can dial in four presets in total. Further customization is allowed by changing the parameters of the items in your preset signal chain.
Another cool thing is that you can create your own custom presets, as well as download presets created by other players that play this guitar model.
The software also includes a drum machine and a looper. This can be a tremendous treat for any practicing and street-playing guitarist.
Three different output modes are available – headphone output, power amp output, and an interface/mixer output. In other words, you can get your guitar signal through any one of those extensions.
Hardware
Present here are the stock GTRS bridge model, as well as GTRS stock tuners. Nothing fancy, yet highly reliable.
Build quality
The build quality is not your boutique-level stuff, yet it is more than suitable for any level of guitar playing.
The frets are nice and leveled-out, while the body contours are very similar to what you would expect from a regular Fender Stratocaster.
Playability
The main superstar here is the modern C-shape neck. It is really thin and makes for a great fast-playing companion.
Pricing
This is a real bang for your buck scenario. You are getting a reliable tool with an almost infinite number of bells and whistles. No cutting corners here!
Compared to other electric guitars
Although traditionally a part of all our reviews, this section is a bit tricky for this one. Namely, there are not that many guitars in this guitar manufacturing niche.
However, we will compare this bad boy with a number of more traditional guitars that are available on the market, in a similar pricing range.
Mooer GTRS S801 vs. Epiphone Explorer
A truly great option is the Epiphone Explorer from the “Inspired by Gibson” collection. If you want a double-humbucking, straightforward guitar – look no further!
The fine folks at Epiphone knocked their socks off to create a double worthy of sharing the name of its more famous Gibson cousin.
Mooer GTRS S801 vs. Fender Player Telecaster
The Fender Player Telecaster is a great choice for anyone that was more into the single-coil pickup side of this fine Mooer instrument.
What hasn’t been already said about the Tele? It is an insanely reliable piece of gear that has appeared on countless classic songs and albums, thus helping define the sound of the modern-day rock guitar. The Fender Player series variant is a great budget version of this stone-cold classic.
Who is the Mooer GTRS S801 best suited for?
The S801 is a tremendous beginner guitar and a magnificent touring bedroom guitar.
Not because it can’t compete in some more professional situations; it definitely can! However, the pros usually don’t go for these “one size fits all” combos.
It is a spectacular option for any beginner because with just this one guitar you are getting everything you need! No need to invest in pedals, amps, etc. Better yet, it provides you with a playground in which you can toy around with all these amazing sound coloring gadgets, thus learning about each piece of gear you may encounter in the real world.
As far as touring musicians go, imagine this scenario… You are on your tour bus, or in your bedroom… You have a sudden strike of inspiration, and you want to write something new.
Voila! Plug in your headphones in this baby boy and off you go! You won’t wake up your surroundings. Besides that, it can be a great warm-up guitar backstage, also.
- A superabundance of different software gadgets.
- A tremendous budget option, and then some.
- Roasted wood in the neck.
- The jack is not placed in a typical Strat position. Not really a turn-off, it’s rather a preference.
- You can’t control your software through a desktop computer.
Video demo
