Cheap guitars in retail stores

3

3nigma

New member
You guys ever come across those cheap guitar "sets" in retail stores? I usually see them going at around $100, with a small amp and strings and such. Are those ANY good?

I usually hear alot of people that play guitar say "It's 99% about the amp you use." So my question is, if I bought one of them to use for recording would it hold up? Also, what about recording it through an audio interface, transferring it to the computer, and then mixing and screwing with the sound. Could it do some major improvements?
 
Those are refered to as "starter packs" because that's what they are. Entry level guitars for beginner guitarists. I teach (beginner to intermediate) and I have seen, played,
and set up several of those. While most are playable I do not recomend them for a serious student. The quality is not up to par for recording (even though some are better than others) and the electronics tend to need replacing so you are better off to buy a better guitar. The amps that come with these "kits" are only good enough for learning the primary chords and scales, little practice amps are just what they are called--- practice amps.

If you really want one, I'd suggest either (in the $100 to $150 range) the starter pack from Ibanez (with a GAX series guitar) or Washburn (with X series guitar) but don't expect too much from the included amp. And with any of them the set up is likely to be non-existant right out of the box. Also be prepaired to change the switches and pots and if it has a tremelo tail expect trouble keeping it in tune.

IMO you would be better off to save up and buy a better quality guitar. You may not notice a lot of difference between a $1200 guitar and a $2000 guitar but there is a huge difference between a $100 guitar and a $300 guitar.
 
One of the guitarists I played with had a cheapie guitar to compliment his collection. He used it to get a specific sound only, especially during a lead, but he used it sparingly and always laughed about it. Otherwise he used his Les Paul, or Strat, or BC Rich mostly. The pickups on the starter guitars are very poor quality, often sounding harsh and tinny. Add to that the other chinsey electronics and it really adds up to problems. I know it's tempting to go cheap, but I agree with the advice given here.
 
Dani Pace said:
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IMO you would be better off to save up and buy a better quality guitar. You may not notice a lot of difference between a $1200 guitar and a $2000 guitar but there is a huge difference between a $100 guitar and a $300 guitar.
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Yep and if you buy used (and are smart and careful about it), you can find a great used guitar for $300 or less that would have cost a lot more new.
 
Hard2Hear said:
Those people are dead wrong. Its 99% about the person playing the guitar.
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Corndog said:
Seconded + a million.
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Thirded + a million + one.

(+ infinity)

I win.

But seriously, he's right. There was a time in my life when I kept going through amps, cause none of 'em had the tone I was looking for. Turns out I didn't have the tone I was looking for.

Now I want amp after amp, cause they all have the tone I'm looking for. I'm no guitar God or anything, but the key is how I'm playing, and I've found that with how I play now versus then, I can get a cool sound out of almost anything. And have fun doing it.

Sorry for going so off-topic. Just wanted to add my 3 cents.
 
If you are really good you might get something out of the package. If your really lucky the package might sound & work well.
It's great that the kits are there so that parents don't have to shell out big bucks for the kid to realize they don't want to spend the energy learning but in some instances the poor guitar is the reason some don't persist - bad set up, hard to play etc.
You could take pot luck & be very happy for the $100 or it might be a day before you take it back.
 
While i agree that its the player that makes the real difference when it comes to sound, having good gear is important...for anyone serious about playing guitar..a 100$ wal-mart guitar will never do...plus you can get way better gear for not much more money...and for recording...forget it...no way it will sound or play anywhere near good enough to get usable results out of it....the best practice amp you can get IMO is a roland cube...descent price too...and there are some nice guitars out there in the 200-300 dollar range if you set em' up right with new strings and maybe a replacement pickup from GFS (great stuff)...i recommend the agile 2000's as they are inexpensive, feel great, and the stock pups aren't bad. While the player produces 90% of the tone...descent to good gear is important to have. You can exaggerate all you want that oh yeah it's all about the player...but i'd take a good player playing a Les Paul into a jcm then an amazing player playing with a wal-mart strat rip off into a 5 watt wal-mart practice amp
 
But remember that Sears (Silvertone), Montgomery Wards, Western Auto, etc., were selling little tube practice amps the same way back in the 50's and 60's -- who among us doesn't have/want one of those? :D Even those old guitars are cool, if a little flimsy. Too bad the little tranny amps today sound like such crap.
 
I just got a cheapo ESP guitar for $250 that has awesome action and a nice neck and 24 jumbo frets but I was very dissapointed cuz the sound was pretty thin so I went into my workshop and cobbled together some active electroncs and threw them in and it made a world of differance ,sounds and plays like a real top notch guitar now.....
 
I would actually use a First Act guitar if I had to. They're sold at by all the big-box retailers. Seriously, they're not bad. They play much better than their less-than-$150 pricetag. My friend from work bought one for his kid and it's a great starter guitar.

I, however, will stick to my Les Paul and my Strat for now.
 
just $0.02, but whether or not those store guitars are "any" good you'll always do better with your $100 at Rondo Music. More selection and more predictable quality. sometimes there's also b-stocks with negligible cosmetic flaws that make an awesome deal.
 
Most starter packs are basically ok, for starters. They are quite often purchased by a parent for a teenager. Given that many such first guitars end up permanently in storage 3+ months after purchase, its a fairly low cost route.

For those who actually continue to play, there are way better guitars for a few hundred more.

Ed
 
that is so true! parents who are looking to get their kids started with music should give a gift of lessons/teacher, who in turn will help pick out a guitar.

buying a guitar-in-a-box is not a "gift of music" - it's a mere "instant gratification", an impulse.

you don't see violin or saxophone "gift paks" :rolleyes:

Ed Dixon said:
Most starter packs are basically ok, for starters. They are quite often purchased by a parent for a teenager. Given that many such first guitars end up permanently in storage 3+ months after purchase, its a fairly low cost route.
Ed
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Gear_Junky said:
that is so true! parents who are looking to get their kids started with music should give a gift of lessons/teacher, who in turn will help pick out a guitar.

buying a guitar-in-a-box is not a "gift of music" - it's a mere "instant gratification", an impulse.
Click to expand...

Not always. I've helped a number of parents in music stores with this goal, with their teen in tow. The sale is then usually accompanied by a discussion of leason options and costs with the store staff, assuming the guitar makes it through the first 2 weeks.

The advantage of the pack is that is includes all the needed things to actually play (guitar, amp, strap, cord, pic, etc). This avoids the trip back to the store to get what they forgot the first time around.

Ed
 
you can always get a squier bullet strat to start, then get the tuners and electronics upgraded (guitar fetish dot com stuff or similar) and a proper setup and you'll have a very decent guitar for short money.
 
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