Back in the 1980s, I was working as a studio musician and gigging with several local bands. One night, a bass player went home drunk/sick and I was asked to fill in.
I had never played the bass, but I assumed all it consisted of was scales so I jumped into it. I was surprised how easy it was. I am quite sure my years of ryhyhm playing helped my timing tremendously and I had a good time with it.
A local music store gave me a new Electra-Westone 4-string bass about 1985. It looks like a Fender Precision with a natural wood finish. I remember it being an unknown, low-line instrument back then, but the quality of it now seems remarkable. I still have it to this day.
Over the years, I remember using some really cheap instruments on recordings with amazing results. I remember once being asked to do some work on a session and realizing I didn't have any guitars. I had one in the shop for fret work, one out on loan and several apart for electronics.
The kids across down the street had a garage band and I used to stop by and give them a few pointers. I asked the kid if I could borrow his Harmony Les Paul Copy for a while and he was gratious enough to agree.
This guitar had the old covered
PAF pickups, but it was a real mess. It was made in Taiwan and the action wasn't great. I did a quick neck adjustment, lowered the action and strung it with .010's in just enough time to get to the studio.
Everyone was laughing about this cheapo guitar until I plugged it into my SLP. Everyone, including myself was floored with the sound. That recording was done on reel-to-reel and I still have a cassette. To this day that guitar sounded awesome and it was a $79.00 import from Montgomery-Wards.
I have seen the same thing with bass guitars. I recently played a cheap bass made by Rouge. It surprised me how nice the action was and the overal appearance of the guitar. It was under $100.00 brand new.
I think, as someone else had mentioned here, you really have to play an instrument to get the feel for them and go with what sounds the best.
I fell on hard times back in the late 1980s and ended up selling a lot of my equipment following a divorce. I read an ad in the paper one day for a guitarist who knew all the current hair-metal covers and decided to try out.
I was without a guitar at the time and borrowed a cheap Strat copy with a double coil from a buddy. I walked in and felt really out of place among guys with Jacksons and Gibsons, but I plugged in and got the gig.
I told the guys I was playing a borrowed axe and we went to a local music store where s friend-of-a-friend worked. The guys chipped in and bought me
a Squier Stratocaster, antique white with rosewood board.
It was one of the last ones made in Japan, a 1986 I believe and it cost about $99.00 back then. I still have it to this day and I have never modified it it any way. The quality of the fit and finish is very good and the guitar has aged nicely.
When I went to replace my Gibson Explorer, I played everything Guitar Center had. I would take a bunch of guitars into a soundproof booth and record various licks on them. I would assign each guitar a number and identify them on the tape by number only.
I would take the tape home at night and listen to it with headphones. I would then go back and keep doing this until I was down to one guitar.
I ended up buying an import Hamar Standard, Black & Creme with covered 'Duncan Designed' PAF Pickups. It smoked the Gibson and Epiphones (I played) for feel and tone. There was no comparison.
I had the graphite nut replaced with hand carved bone and recently installed a Tone Pros Locking Bridge. That's it. The guitar is completely stock. Everyone who plays it thinks its a USA model.
Of course I had it professionally set-up by Doug Richison in Visalia, California. He does the best work I have ever had done to an instrument.
In the end, I think the sound and feel is the most important part. If one of the cheaper instruments gives you the sound and feel you desire, it doesn't make much sense to buy a brand name just to show off the headstock.
Look for a straight neck, level frets and check to see the intonation is correct. You can have it checked professionally, or just listen to the pitch of the strings open and at the 12th fret. They should sound exactly the same.
Sometimes, a cheap guitar with a good setup, by a skilled technician, will give you the very best value for your money.
Years ago I was talking to Carlos Cavazos. He told me he played Quiet Riot's 'Metal Health' album on a borrowed guitar and amp after both of his took a dump in the studio.
Sorry for the long post, but I love talking about this subject. You would be surprised how many times we recorded on crappy equipment and listened to the tape afterwards and just said, "Wow. If they could only see the junk we were playing on!"
I hope this information is helpful. Best of luck...Bert