cheap guitars are better?

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I own a bc rich n7 virgin, paid roughly around $500 brand new a couple of yrs ago.When i first got it home I was sort of uneasy about the wider fret board,I was so use to my ovation gs.I got use to it,and love it now,departed w/ my ovation that i loved and adored.So really over time its what you can get use to.Good guitar players(musicians) will evolve with there instrument of choice.whether it be a $200 or $3000.

Shane. :cool:
 
Telecasters

Dude, if you're looking for a good tele for a low price, you should seriously check out J. Reynolds. My JR Tele is AWESOME, and it will cost you under $200...check ebay. Play it before you buy it, though, what makes one man happy makes another man cry...
 
I have many guitar, a $2500 custom, $1200 Ibanez (Vai model) and you can clearly HEAR the difference in sound on the expensive ones over the lower end ibanez. The other main difference is how the neck feels, how good the intonation will be and the quality of the wood. All of this has a huge impact on the sound and feel of the guitar. Good stuff is expensive. Decent stuff is actually pretty inexpensive.

Ryan
www.ryanformato.com
 
ryanformato said:
I have many guitar, a $2500 custom, $1200 Ibanez (Vai model) and you can clearly HEAR the difference in sound on the expensive ones over the lower end ibanez.
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No way! You can actually HEAR a difference?? Between a guitar thats over a thousand dollars more than the other one?? THIS IS CRAZY....
 
Out of all the guitars i own and have played, i'd have to say the one i like the best is my 70's japanese cheap rip off of god only knows. it doesn't have a name...maybe i'll post some pictures and someone can tell me what it is.. if found it litterally under a stack of boxes in my friends trailer. i gave him 20 bucks for it i think.. cheaper than the strings!
 
Hmm, well, I like my Agile cheapie LP copy, much better than any Epi I've ever played in that price range ($250), IMNSHO.
 
i like some cheaper guitars and i own a cople right now that i love to bits!i have an Avante baritone i got while i was in Nashville and i paid $250 for it with a solid top and a half way good pickup and sealed tuners and a really funky cool body. i also have a Washburn Lion acoustic gutiar that at best might cost $99 i got it at Goodwill for $50 in the box with a case and a dvd :) i also have a Guild D25 that i got for $250 at guitar center used. i also Built my strat from a kit made by Saga for about $130 and its not bad at all it sounds better than the newer Fenders and as good as some older vintage ones i have played... plus its cool that i built my own guitar. but i do have a nice Gretsch acoustic that has a list of about $1800 and its my show guitar my all around work horse though is my $99 songwriting guitar with is a Art Lutherie Parlor AMI :D i love emm all
 
Just a word about the Mex Telecasters. Most of the Mex have 21 frets (the ones I've checked out anyway) while the American ones are available with 21 or 22. This may not matter to some but it does to me.
 
Dani Pace said:
Just a word about the Mex Telecasters. Most of the Mex have 21 frets (the ones I've checked out anyway) while the American ones are available with 21 or 22. This may not matter to some but it does to me.
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that's interesting to note. for me it isn't a consideration, but for others it could be pretty important. i tried out a mexi-tele yesterday. impressive. solidly built, played easily, sounded nice (i played it through a blues junior amp). "arctic white" was the best looking. i'll probably buy one in a few months.
 
I don't know if cheap guitars are better...

..but they are often not worse. I have several high-dollar guitars, and several mutts. They all get equal attention, because the music's not in the price tag.
 
I think Fenders Mexi line are one of the best guitars. Just changethe pickups and get the guitar set up and its just as good as a standard for half the price. They are made in Mexico for EPA reasons.
 
Cheap Guitar

I used to have a pretty rare O'Hagen (hand made in Minnesota) Flying V that goes for around $1000. I loved it. Best guitar I've ever played...until I tripped over the chord and busted the headstock. I still have it, but it needs serious help.

A friend of mine GAVE me a cheap Epiphone Les Paul that goes for around $99 - $200. I instantly fell in love with the way it felt and played. I brought it in to have some work done on it, and that made it even better.

I'm a firm believer that if a guitar feels good to you, who cares how much it costs. Throw some decent pickups in it and call it a day!!
 
I would agree that a guitar is often as good as the person playing it but I don't know how many Martin D-28 copies I've had, some very good, others not but the real Martin HD-28 I just got completely outclasses them all by a huge margin.., sometimes you just gotta step up to the plate and pay the price.

www.soundclick.com/sterling30
 
alot of cheap guitars benefit from a few minor upgrades like a nice (properly filed) nut and pickups. I think that after you reach a certain price point, you begin to pay for aesthetics that don't make the instrument play or sound better, just look better, stuff binding, fancy wood grains, etc...

I have a fancy Gretsch 6120 JR that is head and shoulders above the rest of my guitars, which are all in the $300-$600 range. After the Gretsch, my next-in-line-favorite is a $300 Eastwood Mosrite-copy, which is the cheapest guitar I own.

I don't have any super cheap guitars (say $100) guitars, but I've played some that felt decent enough. I think guitars in this price range benefit greatly from some hardware upgrades, but I've played some that felt very "right" in my hands, which is a big deal.

I have noticed that cheap guitars are more prone to intonation problems.
 
on the whole "MIM teles/strats are great" line that is shining through this posts ...


pls bear this pic in mind:

http://www.guitarstop.com/tour/guitars/bodies.jpg


Its not just the PUPs that are different - they are cutting corners wherever they can - and most noticable on the wooden parts (which are kinda hard to replace later :D )


not knocking them put ygwypfor

cheers
alfred
 
Theres cheap RG's which for $200 play unbelievably better than $2000 Les Pauls,
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Apples and oranges man. The Ibanez necks are entirely different, not really better or worse. I personally hate the feel of the Ibanez necks. I guess its all about whats comfortable to you, or me for that matter.
 
Add me to the list. I worked in a guitar shop a while back and played nearly every guitar that came in. I liked quite a few, but I often found myself picking up a $300 Yamaha acoustic (no solid top) when I had the time. I bought it and have often used it for recording sessions since... with frequent compliments from studio staff. Go figure. I should mention, though, that I've had the guitar action tweaked by a pro craftsman, which made a difference.

In fact, one of my songs is reviewed in this month's Recording magazine (October 2005, "Readers' Tapes"), and this cheapo guitar actually received mention: "The acoustic guitar is very well presented, particularly for a non-boutique instrument." I had to smile.

Great thread here, by the way.

J.
 
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goodbyebluesky said:
And I would kill to get my hands on an old Fender jazz bass, or old Rickenbacher. My Ibanez would run for the hills then....
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Believe it or not, my 2 cheapest (in what I paid, not what they are valued at) guitars are a 1975 Fender jazz (paid $300) and a mint condition Rick 4003 (paid $350)... and they play & sound MUCH better than my my more "expensive" washburn ..... :D :D :D
 
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