Cheap v expensive guitars - your real world experiences!

[jason41224]

imho, the Squier CV Teles and the G&L Tributes really derail the "you get what you pay for" argument...

[Le Chat Noir]

I feel mid-priced Japanese instruments really shine and punch far above their weight when it comes to price vs quality - I guess a lot of people haven't played them due to availability issues but every Japanese guitar I've owned has been fantastic! I've also never seen a modern Japanese guitar with any real QC issues.

[bclaire]

I feel mid-priced Japanese instruments really shine and punch far above their weight when it comes to price vs quality - I guess a lot of people haven't played them due to availability issues but every Japanese guitar I've owned has been fantastic! I've also never seen a modern Japanese guitar with any real QC issues.

Ditto that....

[bclaire]

Used deals also depend on either/or proximity to a good used market, not counting eBay which can be very risky for instruments, and of course luck. I know folks that live in NYC metro area that can find killer deals combing pawn shops and 48th street. Boston has great shops like Wurlitzer's and of course the pawn shops too.

I live in a rural area in Maryland and the closest shops with good used gear are in the Baltimore or DC areas about an hour and a half away, but you generally don't have the same sheer volume of used gear as you see up north. I lucked out with my Warmoth bass when I bought it for $150 from a friend's dad in high school (that's some luck right there). Not so much with my aforementioned CS Fender- not a great bang for the buck at all, but then again, I wouldn't trade it for the world now that I've got it modded and hotrodded. I'm certainly not afraid to gig it all the time either.

Hate to tell you this but Wurlitzer's is long gone - and Daddy's shut down last month for good- I don't think there's anything left in Boston anymore. Pawn shops think that anything with the word Fender on it is vintage so no bargains there. I stumble across bargains on ebay more than anything else these days believe it or not...

[iblastoff]

loving my cheap j mascis squier jazzmaster!

[Wendigo]

Between 1000 and 2000 bucks get's me the sound and feel I'm looking for usually. This doesn't include acoustic guitars which seems to go over that. This coming from the owner of a Strat deluxe, and '61 SG and a Gibby Hummingbird is hardly surprising.

[Le Chat Noir]

Between 1000 and 2000 bucks get's me the sound and feel I'm looking for usually. This doesn't include acoustic guitars which seems to go over that. This coming from the owner of a Strat deluxe, and '61 SG and a Gibby Hummingbird is hardly surprising.

Yeah, good point, I'm sure it's a totally different ballgame for acoustics! My beater Epiphone acoustic is about all my ability level justifies

[JRogero]

I have to admit .... I was a name snob for a bit until I picked up one of the Ibanez Artcore semi hollows. That guitar is a ridiculous steal at its price. Two weeks after I got my band was recording in studio with a pretty sweet guitar vault. The owner sees me playing my Ibanez and comes back with a 60's ES335 and said I should check it out. I was stoked.... until I played the Gibson. I would take that Ibanez over most of the 335'sI I have played. Also.... having gotten our van, trailer and all our gear(except for my 76 LP custom that I had in the hotel).... probably wouldn't take expensive guitars on the road anymore. I guess my point is that you can find awesome and inexpensive guitars out there nowadays relatively easy

Ibanez do make amazingly good playable guitars that can feel amazingly slick to play...
Their sound is not to everybodies taste, but I did play a semi Ibanez very briefly when I picked up a used JMP50 and that sounded pretty darn nice to me!

I picked up an Ibanez Artcore semi hollow with mini-buckers for $450 earlier this year and it plays and sounds great. I can not believe how good of a bargain those guitars are.

Also I've been gassing for a G&L tribute ASAT. I've tried a few of them and all have played like far more expensive guitars.

Sometimes the best guitar bargains can be found when good guitars go out of fashion. Tele Deluxes and Jazzmasters are the hip choices right now for indie rock but both guitars went through phases when they were not very popular. I'm sure there are some unhip guitars out now that are undervalued.

[OrangePaul]

Ibanez do make amazingly good playable guitars that can feel amazingly slick to play...
Their sound is not to everybodies taste, but I did play a semi Ibanez very briefly when I picked up a used JMP50 and that sounded pretty darn nice to me!

I picked up an Ibanez Artcore semi hollow with mini-buckers for $450 earlier this year and it plays and sounds great. I can not believe how good of a bargain those guitars are.

Also I've been gassing for a G&L tribute ASAT. I've tried a few of them and all have played like far more expensive guitars.

Sometimes the best guitar bargains can be found when good guitars go out of fashion. Tele Deluxes and Jazzmasters are the hip choices right now for indie rock but both guitars went through phases when they were not very popular. I'm sure there are some unhip guitars out now that are undervalued.

This is a good point and something thats crossed my mind before, not just with guitars necessarily either.

[indianDYsummer]

loving my cheap j mascis squier jazzmaster!

[Randy Bass]

Jazzmaster good. Fire bad.

[Stainboy]

On the subject of Gretsches, the Electromatic range seems to be coming on nicely and I have been tempted to give them a try - read a lot of very positive reviews about the Pro Jet and they even do it as a lefty! My crazy dream is to one day own a Black Penguin if I ever get so rich that I can drop that on a guitar without worrying... no way I'd ever take it on a stage though

The Electromatics are really great bang-for-buck guitars and they really have a unique sound. I almost went for one, but alas, the Blue Pearl Jet stole my heart.

Trust me, my man, if you get your hands on a Black Penguin you'll definitely wanna take it onstage. I'm working towards a custom shop Gretsch at the moment and when/if I get it, I will certainly play it live.

[bclaire]

For stainboy:

[Ddjembe Mutombo]

IMHO

G&L = Fender custom shop

Epiphone Elitist models = Gibson standard models.

[Stainboy]

I can't see the pic Billy.