A Guide to Michael Kelly Guitars, Known for Their Impeccable Design and Reasonable Prices

Hello!
This is Kaoru, a composer.

Today, I’ll be introducing Michael Kelly Guitars, a brand that has been gaining a lot of attention recently.

■ List of Michael Kelly Guitars Products

Michael Kelly Guitars have been featured in various music magazines and online media, so I imagine many people are curious about them.
I was one of those people myself.

I was really intrigued and did a lot of research, but I couldn’t find much useful information, so I ended up hitting a dead end.

So, I finally took the plunge and purchased one myself.

And the result? I was more than satisfied with the quality, so I’m excited to share my experience with you!

■ What is Michael Kelly Guitars?

I started with researching what kind of company they are!

Michael Kelly Guitars was established in 1999 in Clearwater, Florida.
Initially, they only produced mandolins and acoustic basses.
Among their products, the acoustic bass and mandolin from the Dragonfly Collection quickly gained popularity as soon as they were released.
This helped them become a well-known name among many musicians.

In 2001, they expanded to acoustic and electric guitars.

Their instruments are designed in the U.S. and made in South Korea.

Some world-renowned musicians who use Michael Kelly Guitars include Duff McKagan from Guns N' Roses, Shavo Odadjian from System of a Down, and Tony Bigley from Souls Harbor.

Their current lineup includes:

• Electric guitars
• Acoustic guitars
• Electric basses
• Acoustic basses
• Acoustic mandolins
• Electric mandolins
• Gig bags
• Hard cases

Check out their official YouTube channel for the latest updates!

■ Features of Michael Kelly Guitars

Despite being a relatively young manufacturer, I will summarize my personal insights into why it has gained such popularity.

○ Outstanding design with a luxurious impact

What attracted me the most was the stunning design that made me fall in love at first sight!
I was quite impressed.
Many similar opinions can be found on social media as well.

Looking at the products, it’s clear that they all share a common characteristic: designs that highlight the wood grain.
This is a unique charm of guitars and basses!

○ High Cost Performance

When I first saw them, I estimated the price to be around 200,000 to 250,000 yen.
However, upon researching, I found that they actually range from about 40,000 to 100,000 yen.

It’s quite puzzling how they can offer such low prices.

*Michael Kelly Guitars’ products generally do not include gig bags. This might be one of the reasons for their low pricing.

Now, let’s take a look at some recommended products available at Sound House.

Michael Kelly Guitars / 63OP Trans Red

I checked out a review video on their official website.

The design features a red color scheme with a matching headstock and white pearl accents that give it a luxurious appearance.
In terms of sound, it has a configuration of two single-coil pickups developed uniquely by Michael Kelly Guitars and one humbucker pickup.

This allows for a diverse range of sound characters, making it an all-around instrument suitable for various genres, from pop to heavy metal.

Additionally, I was surprised to see that it incorporates locking tuners at such a low price point!

With locking tuners, you benefit from:

• Easy and quick string changes
• Stable tuning

Michael Kelly Guitars / Hybrid Special

This guitar is meticulously designed, paying attention not only to the body and neck but also to the pickup design.

On the sound front, it features two Fishman magnetic pickups, known for their use in acoustic electric products.
With the flick of a switch, you can instantly transition from a powerful electric guitar tone to a beautifully resonant acoustic guitar sound.

Michael Kelly Guitars / Patriot Instinct Bold Custom Collection Blue Fade

This electric guitar boasts a stunning vibrant wood grain with a beautiful gradient that shifts to blue.
The design is truly one-of-a-kind.

It is equipped with Seymour Duncan pickups, which are renowned worldwide.
The P-Rails pickup allows for switching between three sound characters;
single coil, full humbucking, and P-90.

The Triple Shot Switching System greatly expands sound creation options by enabling coil splitting, series, and parallel switching.

That concludes my overview of Michael Kelly Guitars.

It’s quite astonishing to see such high quality achieved at a low price point.

I personally highly recommend checking them out!

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