Topic: another thread for the musicians on the board

[bucky katt]

 back when i started really getting into guitar (early 80's) you were more likely than not to get a total piece pf crap when buying a cheap guitar (or other musical instrument) but these days it seems that even the really inexpensive stuff
(cant really use the word cheap) are decent pieces of equipment. i purchased a new amplifier today (2 months old) a fender frontman 25. and though it wont melt the paint off the walls with it's volume, this is really a sweet sounding amplifier, i'm playing a 99 dollar squier stratocaster and it sounds fantastic. even the tuning machines are good, even after playing it hard (did a sets worth of ramones songs) it stayed in tune.
  what are the opinions of the other musicians here on inexpensive vs high dollar musical equipment (stringed instruments especially) the most expensive guitar i own right now is the danelectro hodad i paid 120 dollars for.

[luckydevil]

I have played American Fender basses, Alembics, Musicmans, etc all costing $1000 and up.  None of them compare in tone and quality to my 1992 MIM Fender Jaz deluxe that I bought used for $125.  It is my #1 bass and always will be.

[azuredesign]

I started collecting guitars in the late 1960's, and worked for several vintage guitar and repair shops through the 70's.
I agree with you that the quality of lesser expensive guitars has improved greatly. I still believe that spending a bit more helps as far as durability of hardware goes, but the quality of Asian products has really become notable.

There's no sense in taking gear out to play if it's value compromises ones comfort level. I have been quite happy playing L.P. specials from the later 90's for the past few years for rock, roots and jazz gigs. Aside from crummy tuners, they sound good and stay in tune. I also have a parts strat with a mexican neck and god knows what for a body and hardware that sounds and plays wonderfully for under $100.

[Frankencake]

"Don't ever let anybody give you #$%* for playing an Epiphone"  That's what I tell everybody.  My number one is an Epi gold top.  I bought it for $225 from a shop that sold high end guitars.  He wanted to "get it out of his shop".  Hard case and all.  I have done an A/B comparison with a Gibson and found that both guitars had plusses and minuses.
  The truth about sound is that it is so subjective that nothing is really the right thing, although, there are "parameters" which include good vs. bad.  If a guitar holds tune and does what you want it to do, then what's the problem?  I have played vintage guitars and they don't really have anything that cheaper guitars have but a high price tag and an insurance policy.  Guitars are just like pets.  Some you like better than others but they are all great.
Thee are so many ways to make sound out there and the only way to convince ourselves that one thing is better than the other is to enjoy it.  All of my guitars are cheaper than average and used (I hate new instruments with a passion) and I have so many because they each do different things, and they all do them well.
One thing that I do think that $ should be spent on is amplification.  I have several vintage Fender amps that I love.  That's just my opinion though.

[bucky katt]

i'm happy to see that there are people that think like i do as far as inexpensive (hate the word cheap) instruments. originally i started buying really inexpensive guitars because i had no choice, but an inexpensive guitar or have no guitar at all. but then i got a chance to play other peoples guitars, some that thousands were paid for and with a few exceptions (finish quality was a big one) the 200 dollar guitar was just about as good as the 2000 dollar one. on a slight deviation from topic.........does it aggravate anyone else that daisy rock really markets and styles their guitars towards young girls? i played a daisy rock 12 string semi hollow yesterday and i thought it was a great guitar.

[bucky katt]

i got a "girls" guitar today. it's a Daisy Rock Retro H 12 string electric. it has a body shape like a Rickenbacker 360/12 with the single f hole and double mini humbuckers. it IS NOT one of their sparkly pink or lavender models, it's a white pearl. the finish is absolutely top notch and looks and feels every bit as nice as guitars costing much much more money. the action is amazing and the sound through the pickups is sweet and has that nice jangly sound. i paid 138 dollars plus 25 for shipping on e-bay. these sold for 359-379 dollars new. this is now my favourite guitar, i like it even more than my danelectro hodad with the bigsby on it.



this is a stock picture, as soon as the batteries for the camera are charged i'll put an actual pic up
i sold a pair of old m+h racemasters to pay for this one. good trade if i do say so.

[johnspeck]

i work as a touring guitar tech.  the last band i worked for was pretty high-profile.  the guitarist/singer's main player is a made-in-korea epiphone hollowbody sheraton-II.  he has a full gibson deal, and they've sent him two really nice historic 335's...they don't compare feel-wise to his epi.  it's nothing special, i've been through the whole thing...it's got seymour duncan antiquity pickups in it, which are really nice, but you could put whatever you like in there, it either has decent tone and playability or not.

i've had everything from nice original vintage pieces to MIK esp guitars.  i ended up touring with the esp's so i wouldn't sweat getting damaged or stolen, something that happened sadly with some nice older guitars on the road.
decent hardware and electronics are a given, but a good guitar is just that, regardless of price or origin, IMHO.

[tramp]

if it feels good in your hand and the sound is what you want
get it and play it

[josixpak]

The most i've ever spent on a guitar is $300 for a new fender strat I got 9 years ago. There are plenty of guitars I would love to play (gibsons, esp, etc.) mainly because of so many greats that have used them. I may never be able to afford one, but i'll be content if i die having never held an ESP Exp or a Les Paul. What I currently have serves my needs perfectly. Besides, if you're getting the tone you want, why bother?

[johnspeck]

one thing i will say, if you don't know how to do a proper set-up...spend the money at the most reputable shop/luthier around.  getting the neck properly adjusted, nut slots looked over, frets leveled and dressed, all goes a long way towards making a good guitar great.

then there's pickup height, polepiece adjustment (if applicable), bridge/tailpiece height (also if applicable), proper stringing to provide enough downwards string angle behind the nut....

i spent a lot of time dialing in friends' guitars after they played one of mine set up.  it's not too hard to figure out, especially if you can work on a vintage bike.  look for dan erlewine's repair book http://www.amazon.com/Guitar-Player-Repair-Guide-3rd/dp/0879309210  is an easy how-to for all of the stuff you'd want to know.

then there's the simple signal path stuff to maximize your gear...good electronics, cable, proper bias of tube amps, good speakers/speaker cables...as in guitars, it doesn't have to be custom shop audiophile components to get great tones.
you can go the simple, not-too-pricey route and get amazing results from standard guitar center gear.  kind of like good-quality cables, bearings, tires, suspension, electrics, etc., to get the best performance from our motorcycles.  it all works together.

[Laminar]

i'm playing a 99 dollar squier stratocaster and it sounds fantastic.

That's what I have. 

[bucky katt]

i'm playing a 99 dollar squier stratocaster and it sounds fantastic.

That's what I have. 

i have one too. i did a thorough setup and put a set of the good fender vintage style tuners and thats it.