Review: Mitchell Guitars MD400 and MS400

GOLD AWARD

Whether you’re a first-time guitar buyer or a professional with G.A.S. and a limited budget, there’s never been a better time to be in the market for an affordable new guitar than the present.

While it’s been pretty easy to find a good electric solidbody with basic features and above average playability in the sub $500 range for the last 10 or 15 years, most of these instruments featured hardware, electronics and materials that placed them in the entry level category, making them useful only as temporary solutions before necessary upgrades.

Recently the gap between entry level and professional guitars has become a lot narrower, as have the choices in the sub $500 range. When we looked at Mitchell’s HD400 and TD400 models a few issues ago^[1], we loved how both models offered quality, playability and modern, custom design aesthetics normally only found on instruments costing two to four times more. Both of those models featured bolt-on necks, which we figured helped Mitchell keep construction costs at a minimum, but when they later sent us their MD400 and MS400 models, which both feature glued set-in necks, we were thrilled to discover that the overall quality and price remained the same.

The MD400 and MS400 also boast modern designs normally not found in this price range, along with upscale appointments and details that emphasize performance over the typical cost-cutting measures.

FEATURES
The MD400 features an asymmetrical “Strat”-style double cutaway body, but with more contours and an arched top, the aforementioned set-in neck, and a dual pickup configuration. However, this is not the typical “super strat” as it also features a 3+3 tuner configuration on the headstock, a slim, seamless contour where the set-in neck joins the body, and a neck and body made of