Members billybilly Posted December 17, 2014 Members Share Posted December 17, 2014 Hypothetically, if you had a reasonable income and a little extra money to spend on a nicer guitar, what would you spend? Is it worth spending 5K or could you get the same for 2K or even 1K? Personally, I cap at about $1500, and that's for an acoustic (electric maybe $1200). I feel after $1500, the difference is minimal. For example, IMO, spending 5k on a guitar is throwing money in the trash. What about you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grant Harding Posted December 17, 2014 Members Share Posted December 17, 2014 My cap has to include Andersons, so up to $4K usd for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members billybilly Posted December 17, 2014 Author Members Share Posted December 17, 2014 My cap has to include Andersons' date=' so up to $4K usd for me.[/quote'] And if that floats your boat, it's reasonable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members groovezilla Posted December 17, 2014 Members Share Posted December 17, 2014 I agree. There are two kinds of guitar players, those that hang the guitar on their wall to show it off and those that hang the guitar on their wall so they can easily grab it and play it. The latter type know that more than $2000 is nothing more than marketing hype and diminishing returns. Also, I have a hard fast rule NEVER to buy a guitar model with someones name on it - Fender's Eric Clapton Model, Gibson's Billy Joe Armstrong Model and the such. The extra cash these companies are asking for these is just ridiculous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members groovezilla Posted December 17, 2014 Members Share Posted December 17, 2014 BTW, if you or anyone reading this, do not have your guitar hangin on your wall, then do so and you'll find yourself practicing more - and you chops will get even better within a few weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Juicy Elk Man Posted December 17, 2014 Members Share Posted December 17, 2014 Around $1500. And I'd most likely (and rather) just put together a partscaster of sorts - I think that would give me more bang for my buck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grant Harding Posted December 17, 2014 Members Share Posted December 17, 2014 And if that floats your boat' date=' it's reasonable.[/quote']I'd be fine with a Squier Strat with 2 busted pickups, but since I made the mistake of trying an Anderson... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grant Harding Posted December 17, 2014 Members Share Posted December 17, 2014 I agree. There are two kinds of guitar players' date=' those that hang the guitar on their wall to show it off and those that hang the guitar on their wall so they can easily grab it and play it. The latter type know that more than $2000 is nothing more than marketing hype and diminishing returns. Also, I have a hard fast rule NEVER to buy a guitar model with someones name on it - Fender's Eric Clapton Model, Gibson's Billy Joe Armstrong Model and the such. The extra cash these companies are asking for these is just ridiculous.[/quote']Too binary. There aren't two types of guitar players. I play the crap out of my Anderson and gig with it. Turning complex situations intro "this or that" is pretty common though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members StratGuy22 Posted December 17, 2014 Members Share Posted December 17, 2014 I bid $4600 on an Ibanez PMC Jem and lost. I KNEW I should have bid $5100. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thatsbunk Posted December 17, 2014 Members Share Posted December 17, 2014 If money was no object the 2 guitars on my "wish" list would be a rick 12 string & a gretsch country gentleman (so I guess about 3K would be my max). I couldn't see myself spending that kind of money for a strat/tele though. there seems to be a bunch of great guitars of that type in the sub 1K range... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members groovezilla Posted December 17, 2014 Members Share Posted December 17, 2014 Too binary. There aren't two types of guitar players. I play the crap out of my Anderson and gig with it. Turning complex situations intro "this or that" is pretty common though. Of course there are other types, but most (90+ percent of guitar players) either buy guitars to collect them or buy them to play them. The other 10% give up and play Bass Guitar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted December 17, 2014 Members Share Posted December 17, 2014 It costs me somewhere around 4- 500 to build an acoustic, maybe 900 for an electric. That seems about right. I've also picked up a couple of nice older guitars that have appreciated more than my 401(k) and are a lot more fun to play. And if you have guitars hanging on the wall you better have a significant investment in a room humidifier or you will be paying me or someone else to fix them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Floyd Rosenbomb Posted December 17, 2014 Members Share Posted December 17, 2014 My mind is a bit blown on the matter as I recently picked up a used Warmoth partscaster and it's the best guitars I've ever owned. I payed $250 for it. I really like used gear. Mostly because I like to set up guitars, but also because I know that most players don't know how to set up a guitar and then end up thinking that theirs is junk after a season or two. They'll sell them off at a loss just to get rid of the thing. I guess that is part of the fun for me, getting the most for my money. Some of the older Ibanez made in Japan stuff represents a high water mark in electric guitar craftsmanship and design. These guitars from 1987-'91 (or so) can be had for $500-$1000 and I think they are some of the best guitars available. So there is my boat, I'm a Warmoth Strat (compound 10 -16 radius with smaller stainless steel frets are a must) and a MIJ Ibanez guy. That puts me in at under a $1000 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Les Paul Lover Posted December 17, 2014 Members Share Posted December 17, 2014 I'd be fine with a Squier Strat with 2 busted pickups' date=' but since I made the mistake of trying an Anderson...[/quote'] I'm in the same boat since I tried Vigier guitars. Trust me, you can get a lot more than what is the average gibon on fender. A Vigier is an instrument of incredible quality amd precision, and you'll have to pay over $2000 for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted December 17, 2014 Members Share Posted December 17, 2014 ..... and a MIJ Ibanez guy. That puts me in at under a $1000 You might like this 2405 that was in for a setup. It looks like a basic Lester blinged out with a bunch of mother-of-toilet-seat, a mandolin headstock and a butt ugly pickguard. Some sort of weird bone plus metal nut and a big wide ToM that was adjusted completely wrong. Other than those things, a nice guitar... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Pine Apple Slim Posted December 17, 2014 Members Share Posted December 17, 2014 My hypothetical limit is around 1500 or so for an electric. 3000 or so for an acoustic. My most expensive instr is a Gibson Mastertone RB3 banjo that I paid around $2200 for new in 2004. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phaeton Posted December 17, 2014 Members Share Posted December 17, 2014 I will preface this by saying I never buy anything brand new that can be found in near perfect condition used. This applies to guitars, amps, cars, clothes, etc. I have a handful of Affinity-grade partscasters that I put the most mileage on. Like Floyd Rosenbomb, I picked up most of the guitars and parts second hand and dirt cheap. I think $150 is the most I have in one of them, and the other two barely crack $100. They sound great and play great so this is a 'value' argument and for better or for worse, they've become my reference point whenever I pick up another Stratocaster. MIM strats are no better, and I really have to look hard to find a MIA Strat that would justify the price difference. Trust me, I dig the Strat platform and I really *want* to someday pick up a MIM or MIA Strat that is everything I love about Strats times 1000. Hasn't happened yet, so for now I can't really see paying much more than say, $250 for a Strat-type guitar. Especially one in a regular non-noiseless S/S/S configuration with nothing really special about it. There are a LOT of used electrics in the $500 or down range that I would be extremely happy with. I've really liked the neck on just about every Schecter I've ever played, and I don't think a single one of those was over $750 new, so used I'd be tickled with a used one. I've played a lot of $400 Jacksons that I thought were great, and for my purposes you can't go wrong with an Ibanez RG, and you can find great examples of those all over the $300-$500 range. And then there's Godin. Whenever people talk about "what Gibson used to be" it kinda looks like what Godin is now. YMMV Acoustic guitars are a little different though. There seems to be a definite dividing line around the $600 (new) mark. It seems as if there is a huge jump in quality and tone once you cross that line. I hear there is another one when you hit $1200-$1500 but I'll never spend that. One of the other thing that dissuades me from higher-end guitars is that they get really 'showy' at that point. Gold plating, MOP inlays, multi-layered bindings, sparkly pickguards, etc. I'm really not a fan of that stuff and I wonder sometimes how much of a $1000 guitar is just brightwork. Some people love it, and that's great but I'd never look twice at a guitar like the Ibanez Freeman Keller posted. I really like plain, subtle looking guitars. There aren't a lot of higher end instruments that are fairly 'plain' looking (and also not just brootz-black everything). Some exist, but not a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members billybilly Posted December 17, 2014 Author Members Share Posted December 17, 2014 Acoustic guitars are a little different though. There seems to be a definite dividing line around the $600 (new) mark. It seems as if there is a huge jump in quality and tone once you cross that line. I hear there is another one when you hit $1200-$1500 but I'll never spend that. The above statement is exactly what I've found in playing acoustics. Usually, $600 can get into a solid body and top, and it makes a difference. My large bodied take on the Martin 15M (it's a 12 fret 15M), was bought like new condition for $800 with a case and it’s pretty nice, great for singing with and big fundamental tone. I would spend up to $1500 on a used one and will. Currently searching out a rosewood/spruce dread. I’ve liked the Larrivees I’ve been trying. Love the journey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RockPianoman Posted December 17, 2014 Members Share Posted December 17, 2014 Just like when I buy a synthesizer, I plan on spending $3000 - $3500.....that's not out of line.....but naturally if I can something for less, that is good Pro quality isn't cheap.....I have bought cheap guitars & synths as well, but for my main piece of gear, you spend more....it seems with guitars you don't have to spend near that much but nice synths are very expensive and I like top build quality.....not some plastic piece of crap for my top synth.....I just bought this which is a good example....top build quality and $3200....it's my best synth right now but it's still just a rompler, but it's the best rompler I've bought yet....in 1991 the top Yamaha synth was the SY77 for $3000......it can't even compare to the Yamaha Motif XF7 I bought for $3200....not even close and the SY77 only had 61 keys and the Motif XF7 has 76 keys....prices are still fair.... http://www.musiciansfriend.com/keybo...%20XF7&index=2 If you buy a new Gibson Les Paul Custom, it'll cost more than that.....a new Gibson Les Paul Standard would be almost as good for a lot less..... If I was going to buy a new Gibson Les Paul, without a doubt, it would be this one but I'd put locking Grovers on it for fast string changes: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guita...lectric-guitar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Floyd Rosenbomb Posted December 17, 2014 Members Share Posted December 17, 2014 @RockPianoman, your signature is both profound and awesome. I love it. Thinking I might have to do something like that, too. Maybe I'll copy the latest 1600 page spending bill that congress just passed and make that my sig. Keep up the awesomeness, Brother. V You might like this 2405 that was in for a setup. It looks like a basic Lester blinged out with a bunch of mother-of-toilet-seat, a mandolin headstock and a butt ugly pickguard. Some sort of weird bone plus metal nut and a big wide ToM that was adjusted completely wrong. Other than those things, a nice guitar... Yes, the headstock and pickguard are pretty awful, other then that though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Marko Posted December 18, 2014 Members Share Posted December 18, 2014 Electric or Bass guitar, ~$500 for purchase and setup got me where I'm happy. Acoustic, I dunno, but I think it'd be a lot more, maybe double that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RockPianoman Posted December 18, 2014 Members Share Posted December 18, 2014 Sorry about that.....went to paste a photo and ended up with a million pages of text.....finally was able to fix it in Firefox....I couldn't fix it in Google Chrome....what's weird is it saved without me telling it to.... http://www.harmonycentral.com/forum/...7#post31345997 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grant Harding Posted December 18, 2014 Members Share Posted December 18, 2014 Of course there are other types, but most (90+ percent of guitar players) either buy guitars to collect them or buy them to play them. The other 10% give up and play Bass Guitar Troll away. You're either a troll or not, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grant Harding Posted December 18, 2014 Members Share Posted December 18, 2014 I'm in the same boat since I tried Vigier guitars. Trust me' date=' you can get a lot more than what is the average gibon on fender. A Vigier is an instrument of incredible quality amd precision, and you'll have to pay over $2000 for that.[/quote']Totally agree. Vigier are in the elite class. Not necessary, but it pisses me off when people suggest a $200 partscaster is "just as good". No, it's good enough and that's OK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ido1957 Posted December 18, 2014 Members Share Posted December 18, 2014 I just bought a LPC in July. Sure it cost a lot but I wanted one for years. I had one years ago and finally got a replacement. The max I've paid in the past was 1700 and it bought me some nice guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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