Real Beauties Dirt Cheap

[LazerBeakShiek]

Want to discuss the the lower end of the guitar buying game? I do too. Lets begin.

China products are unavoidable. I went to great lengths to maintain only made in USA and Japan and Europe. One of my Stratocasters is from Mexico, the other American Standard! If I get a budget guitar that will be my 8th. I do not sell them. So what is going to be number 8?

Anybody have a experience they want to share? Is the quality any good? Can you decern high quality from low? It's important to know more than if you like the color.
Ebay has some intresting offerings check this.

These have to be so bad..The photograph looks nice. Total gamble.

If I get one, it needs to be something other than what ive got.

 

[Old Music Guy]

I bought a Chinese Firefly ES 335 knock-off. It was about $125 bucks, Cherry red. Mahogany. Maple neck, Solid built.
The frets needed A LOT of work, but at the time I bought it, I was getting into doing the work. I did a complete neck job. I bough a set of Duncan Custom Custom HBs.
So, I have $250 into it? I'll never get that kind of money back if I try to sell it, but it's a keeper. Beautiful player (nice neck job, thank you very much), sounds dreamy. I have n Epiphone Casino that was about $700. Side by side, they're both great players.

 

[LazerBeakShiek]

I found it. This one has to be a POS. Yes, free returns. 30 day rental, I mean purchase..

Has anyone here purchased one of these or know someone who did?

-edit after reading the reviews , the IYV necks are not cured properly and not dry, so the frets will shift. They are looking more like kids toys, and if it is true , these old timers should know better. Could be junk.

- I know these are solid, the Gretsch Jet series. They are like $150. Or my buddy's Casino Gold Electromatic,

--
Any Ibanez Artcore fans? I could get a B stock THICK A.F. 75 in orange.

 

[Slouching Raymond]

These are all not bad for the bottom of the market.
You could live with them as a first electric guitar.

 

[Scott Baxendale]

The header sounds like a brothel ad in Juarez.

 

[rob aylestone]

You might want to watch this Brit's videos. Blunt I think is the word. I have bought quite a few over the years. Most, with just a bit of fettling have been pretty good and perfectly playable and look great. I have a 'Peter Frampton Les Paul' that is pretty horrible. Mega heavy and just not a nice neck. I bought a 'hank marvin' red strat for a project and it's really nice to play. A fretless 5 string bass - a music man and that plays really nicely and sounds good. Pretty much though, it's just a chance and frankly, getting your money back will always be a pain on a guitar because YOU probably pay the shipping cost and that can be crazy.

 

[LazerBeakShiek]

Guys hear of a Kent? They are cheap but I feel weird about used guitars.

different, right?

 

[LazerBeakShiek]

Reminds me of a Revstar by Yamaha. there is one around $300-400 new.

What's old is new again.

 

[TalismanRich]

Guys hear of a Kent? They are cheap but I feel weird about used guitars.
View attachment 152346
different, right?

Back in the mid 60s I had a Kent Videocaster, aka Guyatone LG-140. 4 Pickups, lots of switches. Not a great guitar. It cost $110 new at the pawn shop downtown. That's about $1000 today with the inflation. High action, and in those days you didn't typically have 9-42 light gauge strings. The neck started to pull up, so I had to put larger screws in. Can you say "finger bleeder"? It lasted about a year and half before I found a used Fender Jaguar for $200. I sold it to my cousin cheap and it met it's fate when his basement flooded many years later.

I can get 20 guitars at $500 or less that would be better guitars today!

 

[FrankD77]

There are some really nice strat copies out there from Japanse factories from the 70-90s.

Bought a "custom" strat for 200 and it rivals my usa strats. Often they are branded for music stores or larger dealers. If the neckplate says made in Japan it's always interesting to look them up.

 

[LazerBeakShiek]

So I started bidding on a "cheap guitar". Not saying Im going to win it. Let yall know on Friday.

-It is me. I can't buy a cheap guitar. Just cannot do it.

 

[FrankD77]

What are you bidding on ?