mikemorgan
panned out
ONE?!?!!danny.guitar said:27 guitars?
Personally, I'd trade 27 guitars for one really nice one that would keep me happy for awhile.
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You sound like my wife, and we all know what a crazy bird she is!!
Guitar hater!!!
You sound like my wife, and we all know what a crazy bird she is!!
Guitar hater!!!
O
ofajen
Daddy-O Daddy-O Baby
I wouldn't say cheap guitars are generally better. In fact, my experience is more often the opposite. But, sometimes there's not much of a difference. My favorite electric is my early 60s Gibson Melody Maker, which was low end for Gibson but still pretty decent and I replaced the stop tailpiece with a Schaller so I can get it to play in tune up the neck. But I also like to play my first electric, a Lotus Les Paul. It doesn't feel quite as nice as the Gibson, but it sounds great and plays in tune.
My cheap Yamaha steel string and nylon string acoustic guitars play OK, but the intonation isn't great and the steel string has a very bright, almost honky tone. I much prefer my aunt's aged Gibson J-50 which has a very smooth and mellow tone. Of course, a part of that is that the Gibson is a much older guitar and there is a mellowing effect from age on both expensive and cheap acoustic instruments, though more for solid wood instruments than plywood ones, I would expect.
My only electric bass is a Gibson Ripper, which is a wonderful instrument that I got for about $200 about 20 years ago. So I can't say too much about comparing cheap basses.
Basically, as long it plays in tune and sounds good, I'm all for it, cheap or expensive.
Cheers,
Otto
My cheap Yamaha steel string and nylon string acoustic guitars play OK, but the intonation isn't great and the steel string has a very bright, almost honky tone. I much prefer my aunt's aged Gibson J-50 which has a very smooth and mellow tone. Of course, a part of that is that the Gibson is a much older guitar and there is a mellowing effect from age on both expensive and cheap acoustic instruments, though more for solid wood instruments than plywood ones, I would expect.
My only electric bass is a Gibson Ripper, which is a wonderful instrument that I got for about $200 about 20 years ago. So I can't say too much about comparing cheap basses.
Basically, as long it plays in tune and sounds good, I'm all for it, cheap or expensive.
Cheers,
Otto
turnitdown
$10 PayPal=Your Ad Here!!
My Agile Les Paul sounds 5x better than my friend's $4500 Les Paul Custom...
and my Squire 51 sounds better than my other friend's American Custom Shop Strat.
Cheap guitars are made better too. The wood is harder.
I'm serious....
(Currently own 16 guitars... some cheap, some pricey.... the pricey ones generally sound and/or play better)
and my Squire 51 sounds better than my other friend's American Custom Shop Strat.
Cheap guitars are made better too. The wood is harder.
I'm serious....
(Currently own 16 guitars... some cheap, some pricey.... the pricey ones generally sound and/or play better)
Sloan
New member
Cheap guitars are awesome if you like kickin' guitars' asses.
I kick my Squier Tele's ass and luv it.
I kick my Squier Tele's ass and luv it.
T
timthetortoise
MADE OF SANDALWOOD
lpdeluxe said:
I think that should pretty much end the thread.
But, I play my $400 Epiphone more than my $800 SG, and my $70 Ibanez about as much as the Epiphone. It'd have to be a reallllllllllllllllllllllllllyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy great guitar to get me to spend more than a grand on it.
Herm
Well-known member
Hi Mike. What is going on?
TelePaul
J to the R O C
I really want a Yamah Pacifica.
BlackHawk2029
New member
well i have a peavey raptor plus (old version) that i love and wont ever get rid of, and a mid-80's charvel that i got for $300. my charvel keeps me happier than anything really. she's my favorite.
Outlaws
New member
[QUOTE='65 Stones]The only thing I don't like about the First Act is it doesn't stay in tune. It also came with some extra thin and cheap looking strings. I can't believe I haven't put new strings on!?[/QUOTE]
You might have to stretch the strings a bit. All guitars require this.
Just pull the string upwards a bit around the pickups. Then do it again while fretting in a few different areas of the neck. Do that for each string.
You might have to stretch the strings a bit. All guitars require this.
Just pull the string upwards a bit around the pickups. Then do it again while fretting in a few different areas of the neck. Do that for each string.
U
Unsprung
New member
I have an Epiphone Les Paul Jr. 90 that sounds WAY better than a Gibson Les Paul Melody Maker. Don't know how it'd compare to a Gibson Les Paul Junior (keep forgetting to try one, whenever I make it to GC), but with the Gibson upgrades I have for my Epi, I'm sure it'll sound every bit as good as its Gibson "big brother" model. I'm putting a Bigsby B5 on my Epi, but had I gone the extra bucks for the Gibson, I'd still put a Bigsby on it.
Matt
Matt
O
ofajen
Daddy-O Daddy-O Baby
Unsprung said:
Matt:
I'm not sure if you're talking about new guitars or not, but there were a lot of versions of Gibson Melody Makers. Mine is the two single-coil pickup variety from roughly 1962. I got it from Mitch Easter along with a Gibson GA-79-RVT in a trade for a 3M M-23 2-track. Those old, single coil pickups are fantastic sounding. Your Epiphone will sound different, but "better" is subjective.
Cheers,
Otto
Slowrider
STOP Voting!
The cost of any instrument does not make you practice any harder. If you base the cost on experience, you have already lost your money. 
C
chazba
terminally hip
Go Figure.....
My 2 fave guitars...Mid 80's Japcaster and Hamer offshore Studio. I A/B'd the Hamer with a couple of PRS at Elderly Inst in Lansing MI and the Hamer won hands down for tone and playability at a tenth the cost. Go figure.
I also have an Ibenez GA6CE cheapo classical electric single cut...It has no tone or projection till you plug it in, but once you get it wired it comes alive with great tone and sustain. Again....go figure.
chazba
My 2 fave guitars...Mid 80's Japcaster and Hamer offshore Studio. I A/B'd the Hamer with a couple of PRS at Elderly Inst in Lansing MI and the Hamer won hands down for tone and playability at a tenth the cost. Go figure.
I also have an Ibenez GA6CE cheapo classical electric single cut...It has no tone or projection till you plug it in, but once you get it wired it comes alive with great tone and sustain. Again....go figure.
chazba
F
faderbug
.
i have oneTelePaul said:
R
RandyW
New member
I have a Washburn HB-30 a Gibson ES325 clone. I also had the real deal back in the early 70s. The real one didn't play nowhere near as nice as the Washburn it also couldn't be set up as well as the Washburn came right out of the box.
I spent $200 on the Washburn and another $200 on Dimarzio air pickups and new wiring and pots. The guitar sounds incredible. I think the Gibson was around $800 back in the early 70's.
I have over 20 guitars and mandolins I have a couple American strats/LPs but I find myself playing the Washburn and and a souped up MIM tele and also a 99 Squire strat most in the electric guitar department. For acoustic music it's always a Martin or Taylor with the exception of a 70's classical Yamaha.
I also have one of those Rogue beatle basses that records great with nylon strings.
I spent $200 on the Washburn and another $200 on Dimarzio air pickups and new wiring and pots. The guitar sounds incredible. I think the Gibson was around $800 back in the early 70's.
I have over 20 guitars and mandolins I have a couple American strats/LPs but I find myself playing the Washburn and and a souped up MIM tele and also a 99 Squire strat most in the electric guitar department. For acoustic music it's always a Martin or Taylor with the exception of a 70's classical Yamaha.
I also have one of those Rogue beatle basses that records great with nylon strings.
cephus
Slow Children Playing
I haven't seen a new guitar for less than $200 that wasn't crap except for the squier '51. the only reason i didn't buy one was because the body is thinner and I saw a used sqier strat for $75 hanging on the wall. I took that squier shitpiece and put a real bridge and tuners on it and new pickups and it is really a neat instrument.
The real beauty of cheapie guitars, especially fender copies, is that they encourage you to tear them apart and customize them.
The real beauty of cheapie guitars, especially fender copies, is that they encourage you to tear them apart and customize them.
M
MCI2424
New member
faderbug said:
$1200 strats and gibsons could play like complete shit. Hell, I have played $10, 000 1954 strats that were miserable shitbags. A good guitar is a good guitar if YOU like it. There is nothing left to say. Now, collectors have a different agenda altogether.
U
Unsprung
New member
The Melody Maker I tried was their current offering...Les Paul body with a single P90 at the bridge, and a volume and tone knob for it. I'm resisting the temptation to sell the Epi (before I put a Bigsby B5 on it), and buy a Gibson Les Paul Junior, and mostly 'cause I'm trying to avoid the "that's what Billie Joe Armstrong plays" thing.ofajen said:
Today, I tried out a Peavey Classic 50, at a local music store...playing an Ibanez Artcore AG75 and Ibanez JTK2 Jet King through it, since I have one of each at home...and absolutely fell in love with it. I'd tried a Peavey ValveKing 112 before that, and ruled the entire ValveKing line out of contention, for my future first all-tube amp, as I'd only use MAYBE 1/2 of what a ValveKing is capable of (if you're into shredding, and want an all-tube amp, the ValveKing line would be a good choice). When I'm able to buy a Peavey Classic 50, I'll use ALL of that amp, in both the Lead and Normal channels, and from there it'll be a matter of just the right choice of pickup switching...maybe a few well selected effect in the signal chain, for some flavor.
When test driving that Peavey Classic 50, I came to the realization that I'd have no problem grabbing some totally awesome tones from even the most crappy cheap guitar. My Squier Bullet Special and Epiphone Les Paul Jr. 90 are the two cheapest guitars that I own...$99.99 each, from Musician's Friend...and I have no doubt that they'd totally rock through the Classic 50. I only bought the Squire Bullet Special 'cause, 6 years ago (when they were still over $100.00 to buy), I'd tried one through a Fender Twin Reverb, and nearly knocked myself out of my shoes. With my Epiphone Les Paul Jr. 90, I completely bought it on a whim, and when it arrived and I got it unpacked, and plugged into my Line6 Guitar POD 2.0, then my Peavey TransTube 258 EFX combo, I was glad that I went with that whim to buy it.
Matt
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M
metalj
New member
Im thinking when i look at a guitar no matter the price i immediately look for a few things.
how does the neck feel to me,
does the guitar resonate as a whole or is it dead. sometimes dead is good too.
Do i like the way it looks.
does it stay in tune. although that can be fixed with better harware.
Maybe you find good wood and constuction, but crappy cheap harware and pickups. If the price is right enough for you to replace all that for an upgrade then buy it I say. Ill take the feel and livelyness of any guitar over how much it costs.
I play a couple songs each night with a $99 BC Rich, that was plain black, and i used some white electical tape for a stipe job, tossed in one duncan pickup and boom, i got a cool looking great sounding guitar for under $200. It stays in tune with the current hardware so i left everything the way it was.
how does the neck feel to me,
does the guitar resonate as a whole or is it dead. sometimes dead is good too.
Do i like the way it looks.
does it stay in tune. although that can be fixed with better harware.
Maybe you find good wood and constuction, but crappy cheap harware and pickups. If the price is right enough for you to replace all that for an upgrade then buy it I say. Ill take the feel and livelyness of any guitar over how much it costs.
I play a couple songs each night with a $99 BC Rich, that was plain black, and i used some white electical tape for a stipe job, tossed in one duncan pickup and boom, i got a cool looking great sounding guitar for under $200. It stays in tune with the current hardware so i left everything the way it was.
Slowrider
STOP Voting!
Great advise, Cephus. [[The real beauty of cheapie guitars, especially fender copies, is that they encourage you to tear them apart and customize them.]] Get out the Screwdriver and have at it. 