Ktaxon: The Latest Cheap Guitar Brand

Last week, I blogged about a guitar kit that I got from a company called Ktaxon through Amazon.com (https://luegra.design.blog/2024/05/19/inexpensive-guitar-kits/). The kit was cheap, but it also had its flaws, especially with the rough wood texture on the body and neck. I decided to do a little more research on the company.

It seems that Ktaxon is a company in China that does not specialize in any one area. They sell furniture, kitchen appliances, hardware, luggage, and toys along with musical instruments. If you go to its website (www.ktaxon.com) and click on the Musical Instrument tab, most of the items that pop up are from the Glarry line of guitars and basses. In fact, they even post the reviews of the Glarry models that also appear on the Glarry website (www.glarrymusic.com).

There are some instruments shown that are listed as Ktaxon, but do not have any logo or Ktaxon wording on the guitar headstocks. Moreover, there are also other musical instruments, such as violins, percussion, and keyboards, that are similar to the Glarry line. This information makes me assume that Ktaxon musical instruments are built at the same factory as Glarry stuff. Looking at the photos, the guitars and basses have the exact same appearance on the headstock, with only the name Glarry appearing on that brand’s equipment.

The real difference seems to be price. The Ktaxon models tend to be cheaper than Glarry in most cases, a few dollars more with other cases. I can only assume that either the Ktaxon models are Glarry rejects, or that Ktaxon got a better wholesale deal with the factory. You may remember that I wrote about the Glarry GT502 acoustic guitar back in 2020 (https://luegra.design.blog/2020/03/02/glarry-gt502-good-first-acoustic/). At the time, this guitar was priced at $45.99 including shipping. That guitar now goes for $89.99, double the price!

Ktaxon appears to be not dealing with acoustic guitars, but it is selling the same violins as Glarry. There are also guitars and basses that Ktaxon does not have on its website that are beings sold under that name on Amazon.com. They look like Glarry models, but are again missing the nameplate on the headstock. The Ktaxon guitar kit that I purchased a few weeks ago does not appear on the Ktaxon website, so I assume that Ktaxon only sells more sellable items on the website, and hocks “clearance” items on Amazon.

From reviews I have seen on YouTube, the Ktaxon basses are what is expected from a cheap bass. Not that great, but useable for the price. I have been considering purchasing a short-scale “Fender Bronco-style” bass put out by Ktaxon only sold on Amazon for $59.99 mainly to see how good it would be for the beginning young student. If I do purchase one, I will definitely post a review here and possibly on my YouTube channel.

Keeping it short, I have a lot of other stuff to do this weekend for Memorial Day.

Chew on it and comment.