Donner has expanded its Seeker range of budget electric guitars with the DST-600 and DST-700 – two distinct takes on the Stratocaster template.
Through the Seeker range, the firm has aimed to marry classic Strat-style aesthetics with price tags that cater to anyone buying on a budget. And as many brands aim to do these days, without compromising on spec or quality.
The DST-600 and DST-700 mark the latest stage in this quest, with the former starting from a very tidy $429, and the latter weighing in at $499.
Those are very attractive price points indeed, and made even more alluring by their respective spec sheets (more on that in a sec). To put that into perspective, we argued Harley Benton’s most recent drop of sub–$400 guitars might be 2024s best-value electric guitars.
With these sorts of price points and specs, Donner could be high up on that list, too.
For the more traditional DST-600, the presence of an alder body (as opposed to budget poplar) is welcome, as is the choice of either maple or genuine rosewood fretboards (again, as opposed to the cost-cutting pau ferro or laurel alternatives that are common in this price range).
A C-shaped maple neck, 9.5” fingerboard radius, six-point vintage-style bridge and Donner Lab vintage tuners also help obtain that unmistakable Strat vibe.
Tone-wise, SSS and HSS models are on tap, with both offering Donner’s ToneDesign Alnico V pickups. These are wired to your standard Strat-style control layout, with an additional coil-splitter – a neat addition – on the humbucker.
Finishes include Fiesta Red, Obsidian Black, Sunburst, Surf Green and Shell Pink.
It’s a similar story for the DST-700, which is available just shy of the $500 mark. Here, mahogany and basswood bodies are used, while premium roasted maple is used for the necks.
Roasted maple is also a fretboard material choice, along with rosewood, which is sculpted to a 10”-14” compound radius. Again, Donner pickups are used, arranged in HSH or HH configurations, with coil-splitters on some of those ‘buckers.
Controls are streamlined, a two-point tremolo is drafted in, and as for aesthetics, Forest Green, Gold Sparkle, Black and Blue colorways are on offer for the basswood variant. The mahogany model, meanwhile, has a Natural finish.
These new Seeker six-strings are nicely spec’d budget guitars, which certainly have a few things going for them in the face of their considerable competition. The jury's out on the own-brand pickups, but the woods alone are rather impressive.
While Harley Benton's offerings do have stainless steel frets and Babicz hardware, they also stick with laurel fingerboards, and don't have coil-splitting functions, so it's a pretty close call.
Visit Donner for more info on its new DST models.
