BEST VALUE GUITARS!!!

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happy hour

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Just keeping the trend of best/worst goin on in this room.

What would you say the best value is out there in any price range?? My vote is on the ESP LTD series.
 
just watch how many of the "best" values are also deemed the worst overpriced guitars!
 
Fender Standard series (Mexico) are good.......lotsa bang for the buck.
 
I'll put in a plug for those lower-priced Steinberger Spirit series guitars... they are a terrifc value for about $250. Very playable and good-sounding for the money, and the perfect travel guitar.
 
Best Value Used Ibanez
For about 2 bills you get a great fast neck all kinds pickup combos, guitars that you can beat the snot out of and they stay in tune, and good intonation . But lets not start talking about intonation again PLEASE .
 
I've never gone wrong with my Les Paul Studio. They're the cheapest of the line, and the lowest frills (no fancy trim -) but they're built like a brick, have the same sound as the $2000 one's, and are often found used for $600-700 bucks. Not bad.

This is a worthless thread for acoustics though. I've seen Epiphone $300 guitars stand up to a Taylor, and I've seen a Taylor that sounded as muddy and dull as a Epiphone, so I guess I'll keep my comments on electric
 
If you like traditional looks and sound,the ESP Series 400 and Traditional Strats and Teles are hard to beat.I got one in like new condition for $350 and dropped some Gold Lace Sensors in it and I like it better than the Fender Deluxe American Whatever at 3 times the price.For basses,the new MTD Kingstons rock for little dough.
 
Kramer vs. PRS

I own a PRS Custom 24 set neck and a Kramer Striker 424. The PRS was about $2200 and the Striker was about $180. I play the Striker more than my LesPaul, Strat and PRS. This guitar is simply incredible. It doesn't have as warm a tone as the PRS, but it's very close! The Striker's harmonics are clearer than any guitar I've ever heard or played. The neck is Vai Ibanez fast and the Floyd Rose Trem is great. My Striker came with the EVH D-Tuna (which is a piece of crap); I removed it and lowered the action. It has tapped coils and a 5-position pickup selector. There are 10 coils on the guitar (4-neck, 2-mid, 4-bridge). The Striker competes well in sound quality with any high-end guitar in existence and at the price is simply a better guitar. Period. There is no better deal on the planet ()to my knowledge)! Guaranteed.
 
I modded my old Kramer with 3 JBjr pickups - killer rock tone... but completely useless for Blues/Jazz (I know, duh!) :D But that's what my Deluxe Strat and Guild semi are for!

Bruce
Blue Bear Sound
 
...another one for the acoustic lovers...check out the 02, 03, and 04 models from Larrivee...unbelievable value.
 
jazz/blues

Actually, I get a great jazz and blues sound out of the Kramer. For jazz, I run the first 2 or last 2 pickups in series (not parallel) and plug into my POD set to JC-120 clean. For blues, neck pickups in parallel, tone turned back to 40-50% and run through the POD set to Black Panel or Buddha amp models. Everything is subject to personal taste however.
 
I paid $325 for my '83 American standard Stratocaster with tobacco sunburst finish.A non-musicain type who never played it had traded it in minutes before I walked in the store.The sales manager owed me a favor and let me have it cheap.It wasn't cherry but pretty close.

Tom
 
Re: jazz/blues

jpryor said:
Actually, I get a great jazz and blues sound out of the Kramer. For jazz, I run the first 2 or last 2 pickups in series (not parallel) and plug into my POD set to JC-120 clean. For blues, neck pickups in parallel, tone turned back to 40-50% and run through the POD set to Black Panel or Buddha amp models. Everything is subject to personal taste however.
Not with JBjr pickups you wouldn't! They don't allow for that mellow, smooth, clean jazz sound - they are definitely geared toward a harder sound - they're quite hot.
 
Ernie Ball

I think the best value on a strat-type is a used Ernie Ball
Sillhouette. You can get 'em for around 500-600. They run circles around any strat in every way: workmanship, comfort, playability, tone.
For a humbucking guitar, I would have to agree w/ many here that some of the old Kramers are tops.
The BEST all around award goes to my '91 PRS CE-24. I doubt I will never find another guitar that rivals it's tone and playability. I'm not sure what the old CE-24's go for anymore, but they used to be around 900-1000. Not exactly cheap, but if they're all like mine, definitely a great bargain.
Aaron
http://www.aaroncheney.com
 
I'm a die hard traditionalist,but Carvin not only makes great guitars for the money,but great guitars period!
 
The Hamer Echotone is a great deal at about $500 if you like semi-hollow body guitars. Many of the Korean made guitars are much better than they used to be but it's always good to play several versions and pick out the best one.

I could really care less about what a guitar costs. It's better to buy what you like. Life is too short to play only cheap guitars. Buy the instrument that really connects with you and worry about how to pay for it later.
 
I second the votes on the Hamer Echotone semi-hollow, Seagull for accoustic and Mexican Strat for solid body.

FOR THE MONEY, these guitars all come with excellent, basic setups and good sound.
 
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