Would the average owner of a cheap guitar even appreciate a high quality instrument?

[Abando]

People that spend 1,000 or more buying an acoustic guitar are few in number. The actual percentage is very low. Most acoustic guitars that are bought have a price tag of 300.00 or less.

 

I always thought that most of these owners of cheap guitars would be blown away by more expensive guitars. I thought If they only had a chance to here a more quality instrument and the tone that comes from it, they would be just mesmerized by the sound & desire a more expensive instrument.

 

Lately, I am wondering if that is true. I brought an acquaintance to a guitar store which had many high quality instruments. We ran across Goodalls, Huss & Daltons, Larrivees, Collings, etc. I thought he would love these instruments once he had a chance to hear them. His only guitar is a low priced Ibanez.

It's the only one he has owned for over 10 years.

 

To my chagrin, he wasn't impressed with most of the guitars. He said they sounded too much like pianos. In fact the higher priced we went, the less enamored he was with them. He truly didn't like the sound. He did like their appearance, though.

 

Any thoughts on why? I have my own, but I would like to read other people's opinions.

 

 

Abando

[BROLEX]

well-made, expensive guitars are almost always very responsive, timbre-wise. By this I mean eveything is amplified well, especially mistakes. It just takes time to get used to adjusting one's playing. As a fingerstyle guitarist I seek note separation as well, thus having a guitar with a piano-like tone characteristics that much more desirable.

 

Another subjective factor that you should not leave out is the playing feel of the instruments. You can tell immediately if the guitar you are playing is well designed and well made.

 

I got an expensive-ish guitar after 10 years of playing; I did have to change (more like improving) the way I play. Now, I appreciate playing the instrument even more.

[Greymuzzle]

I feel there is sometimes something of self fulfilling prophecy in this.

 

If someone knows that certain instruments exceed both their skill level and their budget, as well as their general interest level, they will often dismiss them with other rationalisations. "Not really my style","Not my kinda sound" "I look for something else in my guitar" etc

 

It can be an issue of just being over faced.

 

I certainly believe that a certain level of understanding is needed for a more appropriate level of appreciation.

[fingerpicker]

People that spend 1,000 or more buying an acoustic guitar are few in number. The actual percentage is very low. Most acoustic guitars that are bought have a price tag of 300.00 or less.

 

REALLY? I have alot of people come in for open mic and many come in with high priced guitars. Playing it well is a different story though. Also I worked at a music store and we sold a ton of guitars in the $499-$899 range.

 

 

I guess if you are a rhythm player strumming you might not like those piano, bell like tones. I love 'em.

 

As a fingerstyle guitarist I seek note separation as well, thus having a guitar with a piano-like tone characteristics that much more desirable.

yes, Yes, YES!

[zenbu]

trying to figure out what other people will like or dislike is an exercise in futility...I learned that one summer when I was selling my paintings on the streets of Montreal.

[stormin1155]

I think the short answer is yes. Most people who buy cheap guitars do so because of budget constraints. And a lot of the cheap guitars purchased are by beginners who will never pursue playing beyond learning a few songs and playing at home. Fingerpicker's observation about people who go to open mics isn't surprising, since they are in the small percentage of guitar owners who will get serious about playing and invest a higher quality instrument.

 

Also, the difference between cheap and expensive acoustics is more apparent than the difference between cheap and expensive electrics. The casual listner probably wouldn't be able to distinguish between the sound quality of a $300 electric versus a $1000 electric, but more likely could between a similar comparison with acoustics.

[rhancox]

I've never spent a lot of time in guitar shops and have never done any market research, but I'm not so sure the vast majority of guitars sold are $300 and under. I'm not saying it may be "People that spend 1,000 or more buying an acoustic guitar are few in number. The actual percentage is very low.", I think of 10%.

 

I think it would be safe to say, percentage-wise, the majority of guitars sold are sub-$400, but I'm not so sure it's greater than 50%. I believe the $400-$1000 range is a lot larger than most might think.

 

But to answer the question, specifically, I gotta agree with zenbu. It's an exercise in futility. I can understand your surprise Abando, but the price of your guitar does not necessarily translate to your taste or appreciation of finer quality instruments.

 

Both of my guitars (even my third one, though unplayable) are basically $300 guitars. I may not prefer the sound of some higher priced guitars but that doesn't mean it's because I own cheap guitars.

 

There will always be those who can't tell their a$$hole from a gunshot wound when it comes to high quality instruments, but it's not because they own a sub-$300 guitar. It comes from their lack of passion for the instrument itself.

[Hudman]

I think the short answer is yes. Most people who buy cheap guitars do so because of budget constraints. And a lot of the cheap guitars purchased are by beginners who will never pursue playing beyond learning a few songs and playing at home. Fingerpicker's observation about people who go to open mics isn't surprising, since they are in the small percentage of guitar owners who will get serious about playing and invest a higher quality instrument. Also, the difference between cheap and expensive acoustics is more apparent than the difference between cheap and expensive electrics. The casual listner probably wouldn't be able to distinguish between the sound quality of a $300 electric versus a $1000 electric, but more likely could between a similar comparison with acoustics.

 

I agree.

 

I would love an expensive guitar (like the $6500 one I'm playing in my avatar ). I just can't fit one in my budget at this moment.

[nuclear arsenal]

i've played a thousand dollar guild that practically played itself, and a couple old martins that were really woody sounding and clear. other than that, the more expensive guitars were only a little more impressive than a well made cheapo. of course, there are bad cheapos with bad paint jobs that feel and sound like plastic with ridiculous action, but once you get past the real bad "starter" guitars, the good ones are rare. i've played quite a few thousand dollar guitars that just sounded dull and lifeless.

the guitar i have now, the first one i got was really nice, but then i sent away for this one and it sounded muddy. pisses me off.

[Pascal]

I think it takes some experience and a good technique to get the best out of a guitar. If you're a shy, limp-wristed, pulp-picking player would doesn't really know how to drive the top of a guitar, it is unlikely that you will sound much better on a good guitar than on a mediocre guitar.

 

[jags]

i think the op friend is talking rubbish there is no comparison between top notch hand made acoustic's and 300 bucks guitars,give me a break.

i'll proberly get shot for expressing my view but give me a top end guitar every time ,makes a fred like me soung good.(well nearly).

[Sangemon]

If you're a shy, limp-wristed, pulp-picking player would doesn't really know how to drive the top of a guitar, it is unlikely that you will sound much better on a good guitar than on a mediocre guitar.

 

Oh no, you didn't...

 

[Pascal]

[chriscarnucci]

I think there might be other factors at work here too...

 

There is a reason why guitars havent changed much since our parents were born. There are still Les Pauls, Strats, Tele's and variation on those themes.

As well as Dreadnaughts, Jumbo's, OM's OOO's, OO, etc...

 

People want a certain "sound and look" because it's what they are used to seeing and hearing. It's actually a "paradigm", and "paradigm shifts" don't come easy.

 

Another factor is "Value vs. Quality. For some, playing a $5,000 Collings compared to a $300 Yamaha doesn't justify the $4,700 difference in price.

So what they hear or see is a "ratio" based off the cost vs. quality.

 

And lets not forget the other side...

 

Some think that just because "costs" more it must be "better". I personally have a hard time finding a Taylor guitar I like (vs. cost that is). I also like very few Gibson guitars I play. And about half the Martins I play are weak to my ears. And too my ears, I have yet to play a lesser know guitar that really impressed me. (Stonebridge, Avalon, Lowden...etc.) I will admit though that a Collings OM is way superior to any OM I have played to date.

 

Now I will admit I have not played any small builder guitars, so I am blind in that arena.

 

But my point is that we all have different perspectives...It's what makes the world go round! If we all were the same this world would go stagnant! So let's not lightly brush off others perspectives as uneducated or rationalities so easily.

 

Perspectives are just the view, from the angle your standing. Not the reality.

 

Just my 2 cents...

[gitnoob]

Any thoughts on why?

 

Because a cheap instrument can sound lovely? And maybe because a cheap instrument can fit you like a glove? And perhaps because a cheap instrument can look good too?

 

And, BTW, have you ever smelled a cheap used all-hog Martin 000-15S?

[knockwood]

Iguanas freak me the {censored} out.

[Hudman]

 

Iguanas freak me the {censored} out.

 

 

Yeah, they are like lizard chickens without feathers.....

[Abando]

I was looking at sales figures on acoustic guitars for 2008. Guitar industry numbers. Most acoustic guitars that were bought in 2008 were in the 0-$300.00 range.

 

Under 100.00 = 390,000 guitars sold

101.00 to 200.00 = 410,000 guitars sold

201.00 to 350.00 = 100,00 guitars sold

1,000 to over 1500.00 = 30,000 total guitars sold.

 

 

Abando

[knockwood]

 

Yeah, they are like lizard chickens without feathers.....

 

 

If they had feathers, that would be REALLY freaky. I will have you to thank when I wake up screaming.

 

Here's an observation that I don't know is necessarily directly relevant to the question being asked in this thread, but maybe it is...

 

What I've noticed is that most - definitely not all - of my friends who are very good musicians know less about gear than do I, who am an incredibly {censored}ty musician. They also care far, far less, if at all, and universally they are able to make a $300 instrument sound 10 times better than any instrument at any price that I might play myself.

 

Some people - like me - look at cars as a transportation device. My breed mostly doesn't know {censored} about cars... But we do know how to drive them. Others look at them as something else altogether and obsess over specs and spend a fortune on a fancy-arse car. But they still don't drive any better than I do, and I wouldn't consider myself any less of a driver for not being blown away by the way my ass feels in a Maserati vs. a Pinto.

[gitnoob]

If they had feathers, that would be REALLY freaky.

 

[RogueGnome]

I have this theory (based on my own personal behavior & experience, which I am able to observe pretty much close up) that what people (well, OK, men) spend on a guitar has in many, but not all cases more to do with their level of interest combined with their financial wherewithal.

If you are really interested in guitar you will pay until it "hurts". What "hurts" differs with each individual income bracket, coupled with the number of kids you are supporting & paying child support to, the number of wives & ex-wives you are paying alimony to, the house you shouldn't have traded up to before the housing crash, etc. Sprinkle into the mix that empty vacuum in the living room where your wife sees the ghostly image of just the right piece of furniture she has her eye on that you haven't purchased just yet.

Whatever is left over is the guitar you are willing to settle for while you drool over the one you really wanted. You materialistic, bourgeois heathen.

[rhat]

the thing you give up the most with a cheap acoutic is the sound. You can make a cheap guitar play well. I had an old cheap laminated humming bird knock off for years. It played well enough to learn to play and finger pick.

 

when i went to a really nice spruce top martin D-18 kit guitar assembled by a great builder,,,everything I learned on the old cheapie really came to life.

[sdelsolray]

 

People that spend 1,000 or more buying an acoustic guitar are few in number. The actual percentage is very low. Most acoustic guitars that are bought have a price tag of 300.00 or less. I always thought that most of these owners of cheap guitars would be blown away by more expensive guitars. I thought If they only had a chance to here a more quality instrument and the tone that comes from it, they would be just mesmerized by the sound & desire a more expensive instrument. Lately, I am wondering if that is true. I brought an acquaintance to a guitar store which had many high quality instruments. We ran across Goodalls, Huss & Daltons, Larrivees, Collings, etc. I thought he would love these instruments once he had a chance to hear them. His only guitar is a low priced Ibanez. It's the only one he has owned for over 10 years. To my chagrin, he wasn't impressed with most of the guitars. He said they sounded too much like pianos. In fact the higher priced we went, the less enamored he was with them. He truly didn't like the sound. He did like their appearance, though. Any thoughts on why? I have my own, but I would like to read other people's opinions. Abando

 

 

Similarly, most people who buy acoustic guitars can't play them well enough and don't have the ear training to tell any difference. It would be like asking someone who can't drive and is blind what they think about the difference between a Yugo and a S-Class Mercedes.

[gitnoob]

 

You materialistic, bourgeois heathen.

 

Dana Bourgeois makes fine guitars. Nothing heathen about them.

 

I've discovered a secret about guitars: they are all boxes on a stick.

 

You can make the box very pretty. You can build it so light that it could implode any second and blow your pecker off. But in the end, you're still playing a box on a stick.

[rhat]

 

Dana Bourgeois makes fine guitars. Nothing heathen about them. I've discovered a secret about guitars: they are all boxes on a stick. You can make the box very pretty. You can build it so light that it could implode any second and blow your pecker off. But in the end, you're still playing a box on a stick.

 

 

 

Yup and all you got to do is take your fingers and tap that box and you can tell the difference between a dead box and a very alive guitar. Its a trade off .. structure stability vs light build with a really radical cut and sanded down braces. The right mix of structure vs stability is the ticket to a great acoustic.