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Cheap guitars under $100?


samal50

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I have no experience with Rondo or Hadean, but with a budget of 100 you're not going to get too much.

that being said, the low end guitars of today are worlds better than the low budget stuff that was available when I started out in the mid 70's.

I picked up a GC special epi les paul junior a few months ago while I was killing some time there & it seemed pretty good for the 100 or so they were asking...

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EBay or Craig's list is probably the best list. If they can come up closer to $180 an Affinity Tele is a good buy for a new guitar but even then you can buy twice the guitar from an auction site. Its just not fast and easy. You have to roll daily and have the money ready to catch them when a good deal comes up. .

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No idea where you are but the St. Louis CraigsList has a bunch of Squier and no-name Strats under $100. One low-end Kramer that might make someone a good first guitar. As Chordite said, it would help to know what style of music. You might find something at a pawn shop. That's where I found my Schecter. I wouldn't buy from eBay at that price, no chance to play it first. If you're handy fixing up guitars it could be an option.

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As mentioned, a used guitar would be your best bet. A number of years ago I bought a used Jay Turser goldtop Les Paul-style guitar on Craig's List for $80 to use as a backup/beater guitar. I really liked the way it played and eventually wound up upgrading the pickups and hardware and its become one of my favorite guitars and I play it a lot even though I have a Gibson Les Paul, Fenders, and others. I think Jay Turser makes some very nice guitars for the money in the budget line.

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for $200 you can get a squier cv/c and they are just as good as a $2000 custom shop tele.

(in every way-pickups, wood, fit, finish, pots, wiring, tuners, weight, frets, etc)

so, theres that

 

under $100 is pushing it.

 

Yeah, nah... nice story though. They're very decent cheap guitars. The "my Squier is as good as any blah blah...." is an old gag. I know you believe it, so I'm not saying you're lying, just mistaken.

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The "my Squier is as good as any blah blah...." is an old gag. I know you believe it' date=' so I'm not saying you're lying, just mistaken.[/quote']

 

 

 

Logic would dictate that, since my under-100$ Turser is as good as or better than a Squier Classic Vibe, it must be good as or better than a 2000$ blah blah blah. :idk:

 

 

 

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I got a Dean Evo XM for my nephew for one Christmas. It seemed like a decent learner guitar, and I liked that it had a bit of its own style.

 

They sell MAP for $110, but with a discount, you could get one delivered for under your $100. Or if you prefer a more strat-like shape, there is the Vendetta XM (already mentioned above) which sells for $10 less. But indeed, you would get a bigger bang for your buck if you shop used.

 

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I bought a B stock SX Strat for about $70 last year. It sounded and played really nice. I ended up selling it to another guitarist in the music program because transitioning from 10-46s to 13-56s on my jazz guitars was a pain, so I went back to using my Epiphone Emperor Regent for all my gigs.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qewuB2DHuD4&feature=youtu.be

 

At the last video segment, you can see a video of me playing that SX Strat. I was using a Boss OD-3 going through a Fender Super Champ XD amp.

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While I like & own 24" scale guitars, this one is only 22.5" which is almost toy like in my opinion. If you have a GC by you by all means check it out (I think they'll b in stock for their Labor Day sale- I just checked my local GC inventory & they stock it)... You might find you like it.

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Cort and Samick are definitely not defunct.

You might also look for Hard Luck Kings used [sometmes they sell their b-stock on their site as well] but less than a c-note is not likely. I have one of their tele copies [southern Belle], and it is every bit as good as a Squier.... ;)

There are always those advertised 'starter kits' for $99, too...

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I wonder what the purpose is of different scale length guitars? Is there a technical aspects to it regarding tone or just for personal taste? some like short and some like long?

 

 

Yes, the tension in the strings is a function of the SQUARE of the scale length. Longer scale are harder to fret and bend strings and may have an affect on sound (however that would require to identical guitars and that is pretty hard to find) Short scale is easier to fret and bend, the frets are closer together so it might be easier to form chords (however at the upper frets they might be too close and become difficult to play). Some people feel that longer scales give more brightness, shorter scale might be more complex or "warmer". Of course that is one very small part of a guitars sound.

 

Traditionally Fenders were "long" scale, Gibbies are "short". Martin makes both long and short. The one in your review is very short (22.5) - in my humble opinion someone should play that first before buying. If you want to emulate a 24.75 scale on a fender just put a capo on the first fret and retune to concert. To simulate your 22.5 capo a fender at two and retune to concert,

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I'll pitch my tent firmly in the "buy used" camp. It's not that I don't trust a new guitar for under $100 (which is like £70ish here in the UK, so the task seems nearly impossible to me), it's just that there's a far better selection of used ones over a pretty decent price range. But, as everyone else has said, play before you buy and be prepared to put a bit of work in getting it up to your standards. Obviously, a used guitar will usually be set up for its previous owner and may not necessarily be to your preference. But I stand by the used market firmly. I've had some real gems for next to nothing, and they come along more frequently than one might think.

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