Donner Seeker Series DST-152

I think this is a super piece of kit. Excellent value for money. I am amazed. You really do get a lot in this package. Sounds great, looks amazing, well packaged. The amp you get is good and will get you up and running fast. I am genuinely impressed. All great so far. A quick tune up and away you go. Mine came with DT-04 tuner which is very precise. This guitar is built to last. The maple neck is stunning, absolutely perfect. Thank you for putting together a great guitar kit.

This is perfect for my need. I travel a lot and was carrying a cheap full sized guitar with me so that I could play whilst away - this often became too much trouble and I left it at home. This travel guitar is fantastic quality and plays very well after a few very minor tweaks. It's a benefit having all you need with you in one small bag and it comes with a strap/tuner (although I broke this quickly!)/ headphones/plectrums and a built in amplifier. When at home it sounds great plugged into my setup and plays better than any similar style guitars I have tried (including the cheap Steinberger). Easy to assemble and assembly not always necessary if you just want a quick strum. Has no tuning issues but worth changing the strings to your preferred brand when it arrives.

Why did you choose this product over others?: the guitar is very good. Everything fits together well, the wiring is properly fitted and soldered, it’s a good shape and size and balances portability with playability very well - better than the Yamaha silent, and the other options that are more a stick set up. The headless design saves space, the bridge and tuner combo is well-designed. Mine was playable out of the box, but a few minutes setting it up made it way better and a professional would be able to get the best out of it. The shape of the neck takes some getting used to and at the low end it can be a bit restrictive but 99% of the time it’s actually more comfortable than a a more traditional, consistent curve radius. The case candy is way better than if you buy even a high end guitar - it’s useable stuff instead of paperwork! - The picks are a strange shape and not much use but getting a decent cable, strap and tuner is a big plus. The part that lets this guitar down is the case. In almost all other instances this would be a non-issue. Bad OEM case can be replaced with a nice aftermarket one. The case for my Les Paul is rubbish - I bought a third party one. Same for the PRS. Same for the Fender. With the Donner, it’s a very customised case, designed to keep the guitar protected, compact and portable. It’s definitely good for keeping things compact, but the two handles falling off within 2 weeks mean it’s not as easily portable, and having the stitching split and handles detach while just walking with it means it’s not properly protected. The shoulder straps are better, but now I’ve no confidence in the stitching. That sacrifice would n quality for the case is = the loss of a star.

Excellent guitar for the price especially with all the accessories that come with it. Good quality guitar, well made and well finished. Looks and sounds great. Definitely recommend for a beginner as you get everything you need to get you up and running in the package.

Excellent, comfortable to play

Impressive design and good finish quality for a cheap guitar! The frets are smooth (and quite level given the price range). The mechanism to attach the rests is clever and quite sturdy. It's a little awkward to play standing up due to the weight balance, but you get used to it. Coming from Ibanez and Jackson's, the neck feels solid and not at all thick. My one complaint would be the action, it was extremely high when it arrived. It's got a two way truss rod (and as I've seen on other Chinese guitars, adjusts the opposite way compared to my other guitars). It needed several full turns of the truss rod to get it reasonably straight (with a small amount of relief). The real issue is that I was unable to get the saddles low enough to get the action where I like it. I ended up buying some new saddles and grinding them down so I could drop the strings a little, which didn't really work given the way the bridge works. So the action is a bit high, but for some quiet practice when travelling it's acceptable. The bridge and string mechanisms could be a lot better, sometimes tuning the guitar will actually pull the saddles backwards as there's not really enough room for the tuning and saddle system in the bridge. The concept is nice, but I'd like to see them extend it and maybe lock it in properly at both ends, more like a Floyd Rose. The pickups are ok, they're a bit low output compared to the Dimarzios I'm used to. All in all, for the price it's excellent, and probably the most innovative travel design I've seen!

The positive hype is definitely justified re the Donner dst 152. This is an excellent guitar for a ridiculously low price! I've been playing guitar for 50 years so have some practical experience of what constitutes a good guitar! Try one, you definitely won't be disappointed.

Muy buena guitarra y cómoda

Los acabados perfectos. El sonido es limpio y muy bueno, no se desafina apenas y tiene los armónicos correctos. Nada que envidiar a una Squier o una fender de baja gama, y además tiene 22 trastes. Con respecto a los extras cumplen sin más. El ampli tiene una distorsión un tanto chufera, pero le paso un pedal behringer TM300 para darle un sonido de ampli tocho y suena espectacular. Recomiendo 100%

The guitar is amazing I suggest u change the strings and the amplifier, they’re good but there’s better

I am absolutely thrilled with my Donner Electric Guitar, model DST-152! As a beginner guitar player, I couldn't have asked for a better instrument to kick-start my musical journey. The sleek and stylish design initially caught my eye, and upon playing it, I was blown away by its impressive sound quality. The rich, resonant tones it produces are a delight to the ears and have motivated me to practice for hours on end. The smooth fret board and comfortable neck make it easy for me to navigate through chords and scales, enhancing my learning experience. Whether I'm strumming along to my favorite songs or experimenting with new techniques, the DST-152's versatility has exceeded my expectations. It's truly a fantastic guitar that has quickly become an integral part of my musical expression. In addition to the guitar itself, I also invested in a collection of 13 Donner pedals to create a dynamic pedal board setup for my gigs. This combination has taken my performances to the next level, allowing me to explore an array of captivating sounds and effects. Each Donner pedal enhances the character of my playing, from the subtle nuances to the bold crescendos. I'm able to effortlessly switch between different tones, giving my performances a professional edge that leaves a lasting impression on the audience. With the Donner Electric Guitar and my diverse pedal board, I'm not only equipped for success as a beginner, but I'm also confidently stepping into the world of live music with a setup that's as unique and innovative as my musical aspirations. The only CON is the machine heads or tuner clicks when I am tuning my strings. The strings stay in tune but the machine heads appear to have an internal issue which I cannot fix. Suggested upgrades: *Upgraded Tuning Machines: Consider brands like Schaller, Hipshot, or Grover for high-quality locking tuners. *Pickup Upgrades: Brands like Seymour Duncan, DiMarzio, and EMG offer a wide range of pickups to suit different playing styles. *Custom Pickguard and Hardware: Brands like Pickguardian, WD Custom Pickguards, and Warmoth offer custom pickguard options. For hardware, options from Allparts, Gotoh, and Fender can be considered. *Nut Replacement: TUSQ and Graphtech are reputable brands for replacement nuts. *Effects Loop and Pedalboard Expansion: Brands like Boss, TC Electronic, Donner and Strymon provide high-quality effects pedals for an expanded pedalboard setup. Remember to research and choose the options that best match your preferences and playing style. These suggestions can help you further enhance your Donner Electric Guitar's performance and make it even more tailored to your needs. Some of these upgrades can be done yourself if you are confident in doing that otherwise seek out a professional guitar technician (luthier) for the setup. Or you can watch a bunch of YouTube videos. Otherwise for the money spent this is a great price point for a beginner guitarist. Thank you Donner!

Photos are update after mods. The electronics were usable, only clean tone with zero reverb, the active passive button created little change in tone, no master volume, so there was also no breakup sound, just tone and volume. In terms of just clean sound quality in itself, there was an immediate and step up improvement in clarity and volume after replacing the pots with obsidian telecaster wiring. There were no 'potentiometers', they were on a small pcb board, and the jacks and headphone jack, all plastic, like the inside of a cheap casio watch. Other reviewers mentioned breakage of switches during use. They would have if want to switch tones quickly and energetically while playing. Original tone volume knobs are small fiddly. But totally usable. So buy it to just travel or modify if you want to take advantage of features this guitar has that are only found on much more expensive guitars. And almost never to be found all together on one guitar. That was frustrating, and what prompted me to doing the mod. If in the future you want to pay $3k+, then modifying this would allow you to tell that luthier or manufacturer exactly what you want. This is why it was worth it for me, to create a platform to grow with. Pickups are now Dimarzio, but forums mentioned that the electronics would provide the most noticeable improvement so I may have sprung for pickups without needing to, but that was really fun too. The output jack after mod is in the same general location as the original hush x. Added an EP Boost pedal by Xotic, and that one thing makes the fender micro plus high modeling sounds clearer, tighter and more articulate, breaks up when attack harder, clean when play more gently. So the previous hush x headphone output and effects are now provided by a Fender Micro 'Plus (upgrade from micro). The way strap and belt loop strap, tummy pad made an incalculable comfort and playability difference. Oh, best part. Not in photos, i got a 'pistol handle shotgun case' here on amazon. It fits the 32" x now 8.5" width perfectly, narrower where only the head is and even angled to fit the new body shape. Looks smaller than original case and cleaner fit. I put 10s strings, truss rod works great for string height along with bridge saddles. Tuning of bridge works well but every day, or after harder playing, the strings go out of tune slightly. Final tally. It was definately worth it from the standpoint that you cannot get a 'for me' perfect playability guitar off the stand, but something like this allowed me to learn about guitars, and find my fit. I asked a pro level guitar player/instructor check this out and surprised by look/mods, but when held and strapped guitar on, he said it felt really good. Again, not for stage showing off, unless i think someone is there to make music and doesn't care, and then yes bring it on stage. That is not the immediate goal, learning and enjoying sitting for hours and hours is, ergonomics and body health is. Retaining focus on playing not discomfort is. It is not okay to just get used to bad posture and pain, and the fretting hand should not be doing multiple support duties for the neck. This is what I am told. So this design allowed me to let the neck be there and focus on movement around the fretboard. With one metal arm on..which I padded with tennis tape with hot water pipe insulation under it, now it all weighs total 5.5lbs. Without any upgrades, imho the hush x is okay to actually take somewhere to practice on and come back home to another main guitar. i turned this into my number one. I can literally walk around with it and the neck isn't hitting furniture, the strings sustain more due to headless design, less string tension for bends, great sound. Love it. Imho if you don't want to do all this for your main guitar, then save up a bit more and consider the strdbrg elements model. It will will cost 1/3 more than an upgraded hush x. It will be bigger and weigh 1.5 lbs more, but will feel and sound like a precision instrument. I like the hush x asymmetrical satin neck much more in hand, this is why I went the upgrade a hush x route after a long deep dive. Prev post: First two months with guitar: Neck is smooth and silky, wonderful feel after many modern C strat necks, this one is superb. Sounded a bit low volume, but this is for any guitar till adjust action and truss rod, noone can not, even at guitar shop getting an expert guitar, just so you are not dissatisfied before hearing this rock after setup. Pickups are clear, but after I adjusted trus rod to lift strings on low end of fretboard, then lowered bridge saddles so that then the strings were not so high on the high end of fretboard, tweaked until no buzz. Then the pickups were articulate and satisfactory volume. Want louder, connect the headphone jack into your stereo aux input, or battery operated speaker. A fender micro into 1/4" jack gives me reverb and delay I craved. I think Donner could add those two things and make this kill all competition. The pickups need pickup springs. They have foam behind them to push them up, but turning screw will not lift them to desired height, they catch. So you would have to pull each out after adjusting screw. That's not very accurate or satisfying so I added a $13 set of pickup springs, worked for the humbucker and the single coil just right. The included strings sound fine but did not sparkle, so I got half rounds by addario. 10-46 being a bit thicker will also increase output, this is just one of those guitar facts of life. The strap button at the bottom of the guitar flips guitar forward. So have a tech take that out and place it under the low E tuner, problem solved. The one at the heal behind guitar will not anchor neck. Even though no neck dive, balance is good, but I want it to stay put. So attach neck end of strap by string to the headcap of guitar, and done, neck is anchored solid. Guitar tends to swing to right side still, so this is why thete are waist guitar straps being made by smart aftermarket people. But i just took a vinyl belt around waist, and locked the butt end of guitar to this belt, sewed the strap on. So now I put on neck strap, and then clip my right side belt to the strap button, now it will not shift. Find a way to sew that cheap belt onto the included strap. Otherwise, your left hand is being used to stabilize, and you wont enjoy or will have wrist fatigue or likely give up playing because the human body hates it, or turn of feeling in body and then not play music anyway lol. I just want good ergonomics. Pro: Amazing value, amazing portability, easy to hold and carry, and take with, or just get on with in living room, and can add any upgrade to absolute pro level any time later (of you play on stage or record). It still sounded great to many professional reviewers. Expect to set up, adjust straps or modify for you not based on stock whatever is provided. Cons: No specific cons interfering with use as just a travel guitar, but it will move around, hard to hold secure against body, will need a quality headphone amp as just clean tone no reverb or delay or any choice of amp modeling will make this use case as a acoustic guitar. So then just get the acoustic version, plus it weighs even less.