Guitar World Verdict
A superb, traditional-style HSS guitar that delivers incredible value for money. For beginners seeking a versatile guitar, or even experienced players looking for a reliable backup, the Mooer MSC10 Pro is hard to beat.
Pros
- +
Very good build quality.
- +
Extremely versatile.
- +
Humbucker sounds great.
- +
Neck feels lovely.
- +
Good value for money.
Cons
- -
Tuning stability isn't great.
- -
Is it worth paying a little more for a more premium Squier?
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What is it?
The Mooer MSC10 is a traditional S-type electric guitar fitted with the versatile HSS pickup configuration, meaning it’s got a humbucker in the bridge position and two single coils in the middle and neck, respectively.
It’s very much at the lower end of the price range but it still manages to boast an impressive spec making it an ideal guitar for beginners and anyone seeking a solid, bang-for-buck instrument.
Specs
- Price: €189/£169/$139
- Made: China
- Type: Six-string double cutaway electric guitar
- Body: Poplar
- Neck: Roasted maple, Standard C profile
- Fingerboard: Tech ebony
- Scale length: 25.5”/648mm
- Nut: Bone
- Frets: 22, nickel silver
- Hardware: MTN-1 chrome tuners, MVT-1 vintage tremolo bridge
- Electrics: MSC-1N/M single coil (neck/middle), MHB-1 humbucker (bridge), 5-way pickup selector, volume x 1, tone x 2
- Weight: 7.8lb/3.54kg
- Left-handed options: No
- Finishes: Sunburst, Vintage White, Black, Daphne Blue, Surf Green, Mint Green, Dark Silver
- Cases: Gig bag
- Contact: Mooer Audio
Build quality
Build quality rating: ★★★★½
Straight out of the bag (yes, it even comes with a gig bag!), the MSC10 Pro is impressive. The finish on the body is really nice; it’s the right amount of glossy, and everything on the instrument looks well made.
The neck looks (and feels) amazing, and is one of many things that make you double-check the price tag. It’s made from roasted maple and has a sleek matte finish to it, topped with a lovely, dark tech ebony fingerboard.
The tuners are ok, but nothing more. They do look more on the budget end, and I did encounter a few tuning issues. The frets were also mostly ok; a couple of slightly rough edges, but overall impressive.
I’ve played a lot of sub-$200 guitars in my time and the feel and build quality of this are definitely at the top end of things when it comes to this price point.
Playability
Playability rating: ★★★★☆
As a result of the low action, there was some string buzz when played acoustically, though this didn’t translate a great deal when plugged in
The roasted maple neck is great; it’s a nice, slim, C-shaped profile but not quite ‘super shredder’ thin - ideal for a beginner or for someone with smaller hands. The action was low on the model I received; again this is probably perfect for players just starting out. I actually found it too low as I personally like something with a little more fight in it with a heavier-handed playing style, but if I was keeping it, I’d adjust the action.
As a result of the low action, there was some string buzz when played acoustically, though this didn’t translate a great deal when plugged in.
I couldn’t help but think that another string tree might help it play even better though. There’s one for the B and top E strings, but having one on the D and G could improve things, as there was on the Fender Telecaster I’d been playing just before it.
There was one slight tuning issue even after I’d played the new strings in. The B string kept slipping out of tune after performing big bends. The other strings managed to hold their tuning ok, but the B would slip slightly out when given those big Gilmour-esque work-outs. Again though, let’s remind ourselves of the price here.
What is really nice is the tech ebony fingerboard. This engineered composite is smooth slick feeling – like the real thing, and it aided pretty much any style of playing I tried out.
The whammy bar was the only area where the playability really suffered. The trem system was very stiff - screwing the bar in for the first time, it was difficult to get the bridge to lift without putting a fair bit of force on it. You can of course adjust the springs on the back of the guitar to ease the tension but that might not be immediately obvious to players just starting out.
Now to be fair, it could be that Mooer is thinking a lot of beginners might not use the whammy bar, so having the bridge set flat to the guitar means you won’t accidentally push the strings out of tune if your hand knocks the bridge in a floating position, so I'm willing to give Mooer the benefit of the doubt here.
Sounds
Sounds rating: ★★★★½
I played the guitar acoustically a fair bit before plugging it in and it’s loud! Aside from the string buzzing, it sounded great.
On this one, I decided to skip the Kemper, pedalboard and tube amps and plug straight into a Boss Katana MKII. This guitar is aimed primarily at beginners, so it makes sense to pair it with an amp that’s on a similar level (that said, I’ve seen Katanas on some big stages).
Plugging the guitar in, it’s a similar tale. With the single coils selected, it’s got a lot of that traditional S-type character .
On higher gain settings, the humbucker does really well at retaining clarity and note definition
On a clean-ish setting on the neck pickup, it’s smooth and warm, but it bites when you push it. Positions 2 and 4 give a flavor of that classic chime and quack, though perhaps not as much as you’d get on a Fender. It’s all there, but you probably won’t convince someone with a trained ear that you’re playing the real deal.
The pickups sound fantastic when used with gain too. The neck position is perfect blues-rock style riffs and licks whereas the bridge humbucker takes care of any chunk or beefy girth that might be needed.
On higher gain settings, the humbucker does really well at retaining clarity and note definition too, whereas the single coils do get a bit muddy sounding.
The bridge humbucker is honestly a real treat. One of the first things I noticed was that there wasn’t much of a volume difference when swapping from that to the single coils. It’s also nicely EQ’d sounding neither too warm nor too bright.
I tried out all sorts of stuff on this guitar – jazz, blues, rock, metal – it can keep up with everything
The HSS configuration is super versatile. Even with distortion dialled in on your amp, you can turn the volume down on your guitar and use the neck pickup to get an almost clean tone. Then, quickly turn the volume up and switch to the bridge pickup and you’ve got some seriously hefty rock tones, all without any pedals.
I tried out all sorts of stuff on this guitar – jazz, blues, rock, metal – it can keep up with everything. Something like this would make for the perfect first guitar for any style of player, whether they’re trying to imitate John Mayer or John Petrucci.
Verdict
At this price, it’s difficult to complain. Yes, the tuning gets a bit sticky at times and the pickups –– while versatile –– don’t have tons of 'mojo', but as a utilitarian beginner guitar, the MSC10 Pro punches above its price tag.
If I was keeping this guitar, I’d throw some locking tuners on there, get it strung up with 11s and raise the action
It plays great, and it’s well built, plus the finish actually looks super classy. If I was keeping this guitar, I’d throw some locking tuners on there, get it strung up with 11s and raise the action little and I’d have no qualms about using this for a gig or two.
Guitar World verdict: A superb, traditional-style HSS guitar that delivers incredible value for money. For beginners seeking a versatile guitar, or even experienced players looking for a reliable backup, the Mooer MSC10 Pro is hard to beat.
Test | Results | Score |
|---|---|---|
Build quality | In the long-term we would upgrade the tuners but at this price it is a tip-top build. | ★★★★½ |
Playability | Factory setup was a little bit buzzy, and the trem is a bit stiff, but with a few setup tweaks this is a decent player. | ★★★★☆ |
Sounds | The MSC10 Pro is super-versatile and that makes ideal for beginners. | ★★★★½ |
Overall | A very user-friendly entry-point to the world of HSS guitars. | ★★★★½ |
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