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What's up with the best/cheapest mentality?


billybilly

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I get that times are tough and I like to get a deal just as much as the next person but it seems to be an obsession here.  Personally, I would rather spend a little more and get something decent, not buy 5 pieces of {censored} or 5 different cheap pickups just to find the "one".  

Interestingly, this could be fueled by peoples consumer driven focus, feeling the need to be actively shopping and having to be more budget conscious as a result buying too much {censored}.

Personally, I don't go high end but don't mind some decent quality over quantity.  Okay, rant over.

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billybilly wrote:

 

 

I get that times are tough and I like to get a deal just as much as the next person but it seems to be an obsession here.  Personally, I would rather spend a little more and get something decent, not buy 5 pieces of {censored} or 5 different cheap pickups just to find the "one".  

 

Interestingly, this could be fueled by peoples consumer driven focus, feeling the need to be actively shopping and having to be more budget conscious as a result buying too much {censored}.

 

Personally, I don't go high end but don't mind some decent quality over quantity.  Okay, rant over.

 

True... I don't get a boner either about saying "I bought a squier for $32.00 and the damn thing played and sounded better than my $492,000 Clapton Brownie I bought at Soothby's"..... however, good gear doesn't mean good sound either.

{censored} playing on {censored} Gear = {censored} Sound

{censored} playing on Professional Gear = {censored} Sound

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Eh, everyone has their own bias.  There's the guys who have all high end gear, and would never be caught owning a Squier.  Then there's the guys who love the budget bin, and scoff at anyone who spends a bunch of money on one guitar (and will not always admit how much the mods on those guitars cost).  Then there's the guys who buy only MIJ everything, or only Heritage / G&L, or whatever they consider to be the superior versions of Strats, Teles, and Les Pauls (which seem to never be from Fender or Gibson from this type).  And you of course have those people, and there are lots of them here, that just like guitars, and have examples all over the price range.  I consider myself one of those guys, as I have a few cheapies that I enjoy (a Squier Bulllet being the lowest in value), and I also have some very nice guitars (MIA Fender 60th Anniversary Commemorative Strat, Gibson Les Paul Classic, and Gibson ES-339 - all pretty nice and not even low end USA!  ok, done patting myself on the back).

 

 

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kayd_mon wrote:

I have a few cheapies that I enjoy (a Squier Bulllet being the lowest in value), and I also have some very nice guitars (MIA Fender 60th Anniversary Commemorative Strat, Gibson Les Paul Classic, and Gibson ES-339 - all pretty nice and not even low end USA!  ok, done patting myself on the back).

 

 

Wait a second. Is that allowed? I thought you had to choose sides. Either inexpensive gear is crap (as billybilly claims)or its not (as I claim). You can't be on both sides!!  :)

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billybilly wrote:

 

 

I get that times are tough and I like to get a deal just as much as the next person but it seems to be an obsession here.  Personally, I would rather spend a little more and get something decent, not buy 5 pieces of {censored} or 5 different cheap pickups just to find the "one".  

 

Interestingly, this could be fueled by peoples consumer driven focus, feeling the need to be actively shopping and having to be more budget conscious as a result buying too much {censored}.

 

Personally, I don't go high end but don't mind some decent quality over quantity.  Okay, rant over.

 

this place is obsessed with price.  some forumites appear unable to think about any other aspect of a piece of gear without first thinking about how much it costs.  it's as if their ability to appreciate a particular musical instrument is limited by how much they have in their bank account.

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GreatDane wrote:

 

this place is obsessed with price.  some forumites appear unable to think about any other aspect of a piece of gear without first thinking about how much it costs.  it's as if their ability to appreciate a particular musical instrument is limited by how much they have in their bank account.

 

Yep. A lot of people who think you have to spend a lot to get good gear. That was indeed the case when I was growing up. Things have changed since then. But a lot of people are still stuck in the past.

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For the last 10 years or so I have found that the less expensive guitars play and sound very good indeed, and the more expensive guitars have nicer woods and fancier inlays and prettier finishes and iconic names, but do not necessary play or sound any better.

As to guitar amps, it's amazing what you get for around $500 these days what with modeling and the like.

The best place to put your money, is not in the more expensive guitars and amps, but in higher-quality PA gear, because that's going to make the difference in how you sound live.  It always cracks me up when I see guys with very expensive gear running a crappy PA.

The other best place to put your money is again not in more expensive guitars and amps, but in getting a formal musical education.  It always cracks me up when I see guys with very expensive gear yet do not even know the difference between the mixolydian mode and the dorian mode and couldn't entertain a crowd if their life depended on it.

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Chumer wrote:

 

 

 

 

The other best place to put your money is again not in more expensive guitars and amps, but in getting a formal musical education.  It always cracks me up when I see guys with very expensive gear yet do not even know the difference between the mixolydian mode and the dorian mode and couldn't entertain a crowd if their life depended on it.

 

 

Do you really judge musicianship by someones ability to differentiate two modes?  The first two people I can think of that wouldn't know that would be the late Jimi Hendrix and Tommy Emmanuel.  The two very best players I know personally, can't read music and wouldn't know those modes either.  They've just worked hard and practiced a lot.

 

Back to the point of the original post, it's more about the culture here on this forum, an obsession with cheaper gear that's just as good as more expensive gear.  Some is, but for the most part, if you spend just a little more, you get better gear.  It doesn't make you a better player or anything, just an observation on the mentality here.

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The other best place to put your money is again not in more expensive guitars and amps, but in getting a formal musical education.  It always cracks me up when I see guys with very expensive gear yet do not even know the difference between the mixolydian mode and the dorian mode and couldn't entertain a crowd if their life depended on it.

 

90% of all famous guitar players couldn't tell you the difference between a Mixolydian or Dorian mode you idiot.

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I would guess that mentality comes from the fact that most of the people on here are basement hobby players that have many other real importent things in their life to spend there money on like family's and school.  Then there are people like me who feel they can get great sounds out of run of the mill equipment by making sure I realize I am playing the equipment and it is not playing me.  I am also not a material person that really gives a {censored} if I have the best toys in the gang.  I let my playing be the deciding factor if someone is impressed.  So far I have not had any problems this way. 

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I used to hate people with expensive guitars when I was in high school, mostly out of jealousy that I couldn't afford my dream guitar, which was a Gibson Les Paul Classic. I lost that jealously after a while as I matured. I'm not saying that guys who dislike expensive gear are immature, but I'm just relating my experience.

 

After graduating college and working for a few years, I was able to afford the guitar, and I got it. (dreams do come true!)

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I liken it to buying cars. I want something I really like, but I don't want to pay through the nose for it.

I could save my money for a long time and get a car that does not compromise one iota dollarwise to get its level of performance -- like a McLaren F1.

Or I can get something that's within my budget and has a good combination of reliability, affordability, build quality, driving fun, overall satisfaction, total cost of ownership, etc. So I drive a Honda.

Some car buyers are obsessed with getting the cheapest, even if that means they break down and buy cars more often because they know they're getting a compromise. But that's a pretty small cross section of the car buying market.

Not a perfect analogy, but I think you get my point.

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kayd_mon wrote:

 

 

  Then there's the guys who love the budget bin, and scoff at anyone who spends a bunch of money on one guitar (and will not always admit how much the mods on those guitars cost). 

 

 

 

 

yeah thats pretty much me. I know that alot of times high priced stuff is in fact built better, and i've had a mesa amp and do own a 5150 in a rack roadcase, but i'm a cheap bastard, and if i pay alot for something it better blow me away. My USA strat certainly didn't - traded it, play a squire when i need a strat, love it. I'll likely never spend over $1000 on a new guitar - I feel it's dimishing returns after that.

 

but {censored}, if i was loaded, of course i'd buy high end stuff, but i do take pride in playing well and sounding good without spending crazy money

 

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billybilly wrote:

I get that times are tough and I like to get a deal just as much as the next person but it seems to be an obsession here.  Personally, I would rather spend a little more and get something decent, not buy 5 pieces of {censored} or 5 different cheap pickups just to find the "one".  

Interestingly, this could be fueled by peoples consumer driven focus, feeling the need to be actively shopping and having to be more budget conscious as a result buying too much {censored}.

Personally, I don't go high end but don't mind some decent quality over quantity.  Okay, rant over.

 

 

 you're ranting? why do you even care? we're not spending your money on our pieces of {censored}. :smileyhappy:

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Personally, I wouldn't mind spending 3K on something special. but I haven't found anything worth spending the money on! When I bought my Gary kramer Simulator, I had the chance to play the American version, then the Korean version. I didn't think the American was worth the extra 3K. Besides, my attitude with a guitar is a simple one. "Blow torch or bandsaw, whatever it takes to make it right for me." And if I did that to a high end guitar, well, why should I buy it, if I have to do it?

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