Most Overrated/Overpriced Electric Guitars

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  • Start date Start date

Most Overrated/Overpriced Electric Guitars?

  • Gibson

    Votes: 289 51.9%

  • Fender

    Votes: 93 16.7%

  • Gretsch

    Votes: 38 6.8%

  • Parker

    Votes: 38 6.8%

  • PRS

    Votes: 160 28.7%

  • G&L

    Votes: 17 3.1%

  • Epiphone

    Votes: 32 5.7%

  • Rickenbacker

    Votes: 49 8.8%
  • Total voters
    557
I own a Fender Strat-american made and a Gibson Les Paul double cutaway and a Gibson M-III and a Gibson J-45 and a Gibson Grabber bass. I do think it's a shame that Gibson guitars have achieved the status of collector's item. A guitar should be priced and available to be played, not put in a display case. As you can tell, I like Gibson's but I do think they are too expensive. I've also owned a couple of Rickenbackers and they, in my opinion, are overpriced. Despite my love of Gibson's, and my appreciation for what others have done with Rickenbackers, I have to say that I think that a basic american made strat is a bargain, compared to the cost of other guitars. I would be willing to bet that a lot more recorded guitar solos than you realize where done with Strats. While the performer played the same solo onstage with a different guitar. The strat sound is cleaner and less muddy than a Gibson. Until I had my Strat, I fought with that muddy sound in the studio. I think the solo on Stairway to Heaven is a telecaster, but arguably, Jimmy Page is known for playing Gibson's.
 
Walrusgumboot said:
I own a Fender Strat-american made and a Gibson Les Paul double cutaway and a Gibson M-III and a Gibson J-45 and a Gibson Grabber bass. I do think it's a shame that Gibson guitars have achieved the status of collector's item. A guitar should be priced and available to be played, not put in a display case. As you can tell, I like Gibson's but I do think they are too expensive. I've also owned a couple of Rickenbackers and they, in my opinion, are overpriced. Despite my love of Gibson's, and my appreciation for what others have done with Rickenbackers, I have to say that I think that a basic american made strat is a bargain, compared to the cost of other guitars. I would be willing to bet that a lot more recorded guitar solos than you realize where done with Strats. While the performer played the same solo onstage with a different guitar. The strat sound is cleaner and less muddy than a Gibson. Until I had my Strat, I fought with that muddy sound in the studio. I think the solo on Stairway to Heaven is a telecaster, but arguably, Jimmy Page is known for playing Gibson's.
Click to expand...

I believe you are correct sir....

There are plenty of artist who use single coil pickups in the studio but take their humbuckers on the road because they get a stronger tone.
 
My 1998 SG sucked. I was very disappointed, because a few of the best electrics that I've played in my life were '63-'65 SGs. Mine would NOT $***@@&$&@!!! stay in tune. Put Grover heads on it, didn't do SFA for the tuning.

I've also played a well set up Mexican Strat, and I really couldn't tell the difference from an American, with the exception of the extra fret on the American.

I tend to agree with Light about the relative burden of having professional grade instruments. If you have the drive, the talent, then you should be willing to work, save your pennies, stop all superfluous expenses such as smoking, drinking, dope, going out to eat, etc, to be able to afford the 3-4 k you'd spend for an acceptable electric geet. If you plan on being serious about the whole thing, you might as well get the best tools you can, and ones that are a wet dream to play. I am seriously thinking about getting a custom-shop Strat next year. I am saving my pennies, yada, yada, yada. Before I do, however, I'll try to check out some G & L stuff first. And then, of course, I could always try to find someone with an old SG and try to make a fair (not necessarily market value) bid for it.
 
The other thing to think about is how the manufacturers view their customer demographic.

They make professional grade intruments and therefore can get away with gearing them at professionals. And what is the archtypal vision of a professional guitarist?

In many peoples eyes its a guy with a bunch of triple platinum records, a mansion with a swimming pool, millions in the bank, and a life of excess. Of course this isnt true of all guitarists...I for instance am still working a dead end job...but these 'rock stars' can afford to pay these prices for guitars. So the manufacurers are going to bump the price up on this basis. A very good career in music can make you millions. They arent going to sell stuff to millionaires for $300 a go.

Anyway, all of you guys that live in the states consider yourselves lucky. Guitars cost a bloody fortune over in the UK. My Strat cost me £700 10 years ago, thats almost $1300 dollars. Still its a limited edition tho, so with some hope it may appreciate a bit, not that it bothers me, I wont sell it. And the price I payed doesnt bother me either, cos it sounds great. I bought an Ibanez RG1257 last year for £500 (bout $900) over here, I've seen them on sale in the states for $500, which is about £275. So us British guys are getting truly fleeced. Its cheaper to buy from the states and pay the import costs. I'm too impatient for mail order when it comes to new guitars tho.
 
A couple pages back I think I saw someone say they are lucky to get a guitar actually made from wood for some of the prices in the stores today. I would have to agree with that. To me, there are 4 distinct groups of guitars, sometimes with blurred boundaries but nonetheless.... 4 groups.

1. "CRAP guitars". Particleboard, assembled by small children (maybe not but who knows for sure right?) in countries where the EPA can't stop 'em from doing unspeakable hard to the environment. $100-200 range usually.
2. "Playable entry levels". Solid wood, nicer finishes, still made overseas but with better QC. The kind of guitar you get first cus its pretty cheap, but even when you buy a better one you keep it around. I kept my cheap Peavey Tele copy for years after owning a couple real teles. $200-600. This is a very competetive arena with many companies duking it out for best value. This is where you truly get.... the most for your money. And where Fender and Gibson don't care enough to be competetive- they make too much money off of people in group "1" and "3"
3. "Semi-pro to Pro". These are your American Fenders and Gibsons, and even PRS. Good wood, good finishes, pretty good QC, actually playable when you get it unless they fungled the setup. (the exception, not the rule). But this is also the point at which you really begin to pay for name. Face it, Gibson does not have to cut their margins as close here as other companies have to do to stay in business, and Fender..... there are other companies who make a better version of THEIR design and charge less for it. But this is the category of guitars that people keep for decades, and the resale values are much more friendly....... $1200-3000 or so.
4. "Custom/Handmade". This is where anything more high end goes. Any custom shop creation with every feature/color/finish/pickup config you ever wanted and attention to detail set up how you wanted it, or a handbuilt guitar. Plenty of people pony up the money, and you won't catch many pro's from playing production guitars. I don't care who they are.... anyone even close to selling platinum albums (for virtuosity that is) has had someone BUILD their guitar and it IS different from any other even if it LOOKS like production model.

So pick what category you want to play from, or can afford to. It will be what it is, according to what you paid.
 
Im glad not too many people think Rickenbacker are too overprice, I got mine for $800 new at Sam Ash (I always take advantage of those 20% off everything coupons). I paid $550 for my American Telecaster...I bought it used from a guitar collector who never really plays, he just like to have guitar around. It was a custom build, he wanted the Antique White finish before it became a standard color again, and he probably only played it 3 or 4 times. Well worth the money if you ask me :D.

My acoustic is a 1967 Epiphone Cortez that I payed $750 for. I never would of thought I'd find an Epiphone I liked, but back in the day they were a quality guitar. I prefered the Cortez over every acoustic guitar I played, including several Hummingbirds from the same period.


However, I would never pay a thousand dollars for a stratocaster or telecaster. I wouldn't pay more then $600 for an SG or Les Paul (which is why I'll probably never own one). I would pay $300 for an Epiphone Casino or Sheraton. The only guitar I'd pay retail for is a Rickenbacker because I think they have a sound that backs up their good looks.
 
Fender makes the most over-priced pieces of junk I've ever played, IMHO.

I have never had a problem with my Gibson guitars. Worth EVERY PENNY I paid for them.
 
greenascanbe said:
Funny I read an article with the Los Loney Boy's Guitar player and he said his Strats are "plain old mexicans" with a little fretwork to handle the heavier stings. I looked carefully and low and behold, made in Mexico was on the headstock.
Click to expand...

Actually, he plays "60s Classic" Strats which are pretty nice Strats. I just sold mine. Theyre a major step above a MIM standard Strat.

H2H
 
Frank Story said:
Having said that and based on feel and finish, $7500 for a modern day Byrdland or L5 seems over the top.
Click to expand...
But $5K for a choice Vintage L5 in perfect shape seems reasonable. :)
 
goodbyebluesky said:
A couple pages back I think I saw someone say they are lucky to get a guitar actually made from wood for some of the prices in the stores today. I would have to agree with that. To me, there are 4 distinct groups of guitars, sometimes with blurred boundaries but nonetheless.... 4 groups.

1. "CRAP guitars". Particleboard, assembled by small children (maybe not but who knows for sure right?) in countries where the EPA can't stop 'em from doing unspeakable hard to the environment. $100-200 range usually.
2. "Playable entry levels". Solid wood, nicer finishes, still made overseas but with better QC. The kind of guitar you get first cus its pretty cheap, but even when you buy a better one you keep it around. I kept my cheap Peavey Tele copy for years after owning a couple real teles. $200-600. This is a very competetive arena with many companies duking it out for best value. This is where you truly get.... the most for your money. And where Fender and Gibson don't care enough to be competetive- they make too much money off of people in group "1" and "3"
3. "Semi-pro to Pro". These are your American Fenders and Gibsons, and even PRS. Good wood, good finishes, pretty good QC, actually playable when you get it unless they fungled the setup. (the exception, not the rule). But this is also the point at which you really begin to pay for name. Face it, Gibson does not have to cut their margins as close here as other companies have to do to stay in business, and Fender..... there are other companies who make a better version of THEIR design and charge less for it. But this is the category of guitars that people keep for decades, and the resale values are much more friendly....... $1200-3000 or so.
4. "Custom/Handmade". This is where anything more high end goes. Any custom shop creation with every feature/color/finish/pickup config you ever wanted and attention to detail set up how you wanted it, or a handbuilt guitar. Plenty of people pony up the money, and you won't catch many pro's from playing production guitars. I don't care who they are.... anyone even close to selling platinum albums (for virtuosity that is) has had someone BUILD their guitar and it IS different from any other even if it LOOKS like production model.

So pick what category you want to play from, or can afford to. It will be what it is, according to what you paid.
Click to expand...

You forgot catagory 6. the Build it yourself guitar. like Warmoth. for $1500 you can have somthing very special, A TRUE one of a kind.
 
Light said:
Professional violin players will pay in excess of $100,000 for their instruments. And that is just the guys in the orchestra. The soloists are spending well over $1,000,000.

When professional guitar players complain about the cost of a good guitar, they sound like whiny asses. Guitars are, with only a very few exceptions, cheap. You DO get what you pay for. Now shut up and play.

And yes, saying things like this is EXACTLY why I chose to stay anonymous on this forum.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
Click to expand...
Great Violin players dont own the instruments that they play,usually.More
oft than not the instument is on loan from a rich benefactor with an interest
in the performing arts.
Guitarist that play any of the pop genres dont enjoy that same luxury,
usually.They have to find a way to earn that dough for the more expensive
shit.
 
Light said:
Professional violin players will pay in excess of $100,000 for their instruments. And that is just the guys in the orchestra. The soloists are spending well over $1,000,000.

When professional guitar players complain about the cost of a good guitar, they sound like whiny asses. Guitars are, with only a very few exceptions, cheap. You DO get what you pay for. Now shut up and play.

And yes, saying things like this is EXACTLY why I chose to stay anonymous on this forum.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
Click to expand...

Those &1,000,000 violins are also 150 years old..... not 40
 
Maybe this is because I work in a music store and can play these instruments all day long but...

Mexican strats do not sound or play as good as their american counterparts.
Epiphone guitars do not sound or play as good as their gibson counterparts.

I am a pretty big gear snob, but when I pick them up there are fundamental differences that jump out at me! Weight, tone, and especially feel is completely different. I do know that when I first started playing, I paid $300 for a shitty squire strat and thought it was a good deal. American strats have gone down in price over the last few years, so in my opinion they're a great deal. For a few more bucks you can pick up a deluxe, great solid guitars.

As for gibson guitars, the profit for dealers is very small. Obviously you want to carry them because of the name, and I believe they make a good guitar. I own two pauls, one standard and one custom shop, and they're both great, I've never had any QC problems. Of all gibsons we've had at our shop, only one has had any problems, and it was a bum switch. The kind of thing that can be caused by any number of things.

Personally, I think PRS guitars are both overrated and overpriced compared to Gibson and Fender. I'd never be caught dead playing one. Taylor guitars too, what a waste of money.

All that being said, for $2000-5000 you could find a much better guitar that is actually hand made. There is absolutely no comparison in quality. And I'm not talking about buying parts from Warmouth of whatever, thats not the same thing. Thats called assembly, and I don't care what you say, the quality is not going to match.

My 2 cents.
 
Ahhh... but in the end, you gotta face it. There are but two guitars in the world: Gibsons and Fenders. Everything ever since has been a nothing but direct copy or a derivative....
 
At least we're not all playing "the log"... Rock and Roll could never have been cool with a guitar like that.
 
Do the math anyway you want to, but I'd take TWO Strats for the price of ONE (overpriced) Gibson LP. Anyday and twice on sundays.
 
i remember in the late '80s going into dixie guitars, which was the premier guitar store in the atlanta area for vintage buffs. i was a teenager and knew virtually nothing about guitars, but the most expensive guitars they had (not counting the ones they kept hidden in their vault for when billy gibbons and slash stopped by with briefcases full of cash) were in the $3000 range. that was for a pre-cbs strat in a glass display case with a card that said it had been under some old lady's bed for decades. nowadays if you mention "pre-cbs" and "$3000" in the same sentence you'll get laughed out of town.
 
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