Liking cheap guitars ?

[thatsbunk]

. Working on picking up a Peavey T-15 for $250.

 

 

Those always intrigued me as I like short scale guitars, but I don't want to buy sight unseen without trying it out first. I've been lurking craigslist & some of the local shops for one for a while to try but have been unsuccessful so far...

[Brian Krashpad]

Guy was asking $350, I told him I'd pay $250. He wanted to meet in the middle at $300, but w/just a gigbag that's still too high. I told him thanks anyhow; we'll see if he decides to take the sure sale w/me or wait for a deal that might not come. I have the luxury of already having far too many guitars, so I can take or leave anything that not a super deal. And $250 would be decent but not super.

[thatsbunk]

250 seems about market for those... If you have cash in hand, the guy should grab it (i missed out on one for less with a hard shell case)

[mbengs1]

I like cheap guitars. I have a low end Ibanez's that i play mostly. two RG's and a Saber. i just set them up properly and they perform great!

[J Winter]

Old Thread, but I am on the inexpensive guitar bus. My two main electrics are a Squier Telecaster, and an Epiphone Les Paul Standard, Plus Top, with Bill Lawrence pups. Both have minor upgrades, like tuners, jack plates, jacks, bone nuts.

 

I've had some very expensive guitars over the years, some I still kick myself for selling, but in truth, it's in the hands of the player where the sound is. A good guitarist can make an Epi LP Junior sound great.

 

I started messing around in the 1960s, when Teiscos and Fenders were everywhere, and I can say that the low priced guitars of today are far superior to what we had in the 60s, unless you had money for a good Gibson or Gretsch. I didn't.

[Grant Harding]

A cheap guitar in great hands can make excellent music, but great guitars can make incredible sounding music in great hands.

 

I just wish people wouldn't then extrapolate that to "cheap guitars are just as good", because they usually aren't. Use them and like them, but keep them in their place.

[Mikeo]

Back in the 90's I had a Danelecro U2 Reissue. 99 buck back they were.

 

It was cool, but so light in weight it was kinda weird.

 

 

In my living room right now I have a Godin 5th Kingpin. Right now I have flatwounds on it.

 

It never came with a case, So I bought a TLK Hardshell case that fit's it like a glove

 

 

I liked it enough to grab another one with the cutaway.

 

This one the TRIC case, which has been changed over the years. The new TRIC cases are hard Styrofoam covered with a nylon shell. Works well if you have to haul gear down the street, but it's ugly.

 

I have be playing this one quit a bit in a pre recording rehearsal.

 

 

[Phil O'Keefe]

The cheap guitars of the sixties and seventies' date=' not to mention sought after Korean Danelectros from the 90's, kinda suck compared to the modern Squiers, Epiphones, and similar budget brands.[/quote']

 

While I agree with you that many / most of the cheap guitars from the sixties and seventies were pretty bad (no offense Chordite, but I hated Hondos BITD...), I disagree about the 90s era MIK Danos. They don't all suck. I have a late 90s DC-12 and there's nothing "kinda suck" about it at all. It's been played by numerous guitarists on multiple recordings and everyone says they liked it quite a bit. It was an afterthought throw-in on a large audio gear purchase I was making; I wanted to get a Ric 12, but that little Dano is so good, I really haven't been able to justify the cost of one.

 

 

Meanwhile, I hear criticism of Gibson, PRS, Fender, and any other top name brand all the time.

 

Sure. And some of it is certainly justified, although there's a lot of piling-on that occurs too, as well as the occasional unwarranted attacks.

 

Similarly, I constantly see online posts that say, "it's great for the money" about affordable models.

 

There's definitely more available, at a lower price and a higher quality level than there was when I was a kid in the 60s and 70s, and I'd agree that a lot of it is great for the money.

 

The truth is that budget gear can be fantastic to the right person, and it doesn't matter how much it costs.

 

When it comes to the gear or the user debate, I'll come down on the side of the user pretty much every time. Give me studio time with Geoff Emerick with a Studer J37 four track over a recording neophyte with a Studer A827 24 track any day. Give me David Lindley with some el-cheapo guitar over just about any mere mortal playing whatever the heck they want...

[Phil O'Keefe]

Very nice - the top one is particularly cool looking IMHO.

[Phil O'Keefe]

Welcome!

[Phil O'Keefe]

I've got a few other inexpensive guitars.

 

I have one other Dano - it's a 2005 Baritone. Also MIK.

 

I also have a Rogue VB-100 violin bass that I did a few things to - I put flatwounds on it and added some Hofner teacup knobs and different tuner buttons to it. (Ignore the '89 Ibanez SR1100 in the middle - it was TOTL when it was new.)

 

 

 

 

 

I have a Squier Bass VI - the one I reviewed; I decided I liked it so much that I had to buy it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have a Gretsch Electromatic Pro Jet that wasn't very expensive. The one below isn't mine, but it looks just like it.

 

 

 

[kbeaumont]

I bought an Ibanez Micro GSRM20 small scale bass guitar for $179 a couple of years ago. I had always been a guitar player first and keyboards a close second. But I wanted a bass for recording tracks for a duo I was playing in. And I didn't want to pay a lot since I wasn't really a bass player. I love this little bass, its light and sounds great. It fit my requirements perfectly and the short scale made the transition easy for my hands. I have been using it quite a bit lately. I went from just recording with it to using it live on occasion. I even subbed for the regular bassist for a couple of local bands recently with it. I definitely got my moneys worth out of it many times over. I may buy a better one someday, lord knows I have thousands tied up in guitars and keyboards. But for now, this thing really is all need in a bass.

 

I also, stopped bringing expensive guitars to gigs years ago, its much better to use sub $1k guitars than some of the boutique brands I own. Usually with some close attention to setup, and in some rare occasions a pickup swap I can get a very nice playable guitar that won't have me on a warpath if something happens to it. I was playing on stage one night about 8 years ago when an idiot sing decides it would be cool swing his mic from the cable. He put a gouge in my $2500 Carvin, marring a gorgeous quit finish. I wanted to shove that mic up his colon.

[Mikeo]

When I was looking at the Gretsch stuff I tried the There lower priced guitars including the Electromatics. It really well made for the money. The black top pups ain't half bad. I ended up spring double the money and going for the Tennessee Rose and then the next year a Power Jet which has TV Jones pick ups.

 

Zero regrets owning either one.

 

I was looking at Gretsch stuff today, but I think this year if I grab another guitar it will be a Gibson. That ES 275 you reviewed not long ago looks pretty tempting and so does the classic ES 175.

[J Winter]

True That! I recently went to a vintage guitar shop to purchase a pedal. I tried it out on 1972 Telecaster. The guitar nearly played itself. There is some serious mojo in a high end or vintage axe, no doubt.

[GAS Man]

I like the fact that electric guitars all seem to have their own voices, and a lot of the time, I'm enjoying the voice of a cheap guitar.

 

Buying a Custom Shop guitar with the idea that "this will be the last guitar I'll ever buy" is kind of a fool's errand (unless you are very self-disciplined) because the cheapie at the end of the bar with the bleached blond hair will always make your putter flutter a bit too.

 

I've also got a '59 RI, but my last outing with the cheapies was buying 3 of the new Silvertones. I enjoy their tones too. You're not going to get that cheap garage band sound out of a '59 RI, but you sure can out of a Silvertone 1478.

 

I also found a bit of bliss a few years ago with an Epiphone Wilshire Worn '66 http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/epiphone-worn-66-wilshire-electric-guitar

 

I actually like the vibey sounds of its mini-hums better than the mini-hums on my Gibson SG 70s Tribute. The mini-hums on the Epi are more traditionally voiced and therefore sound more edgy.

 

Point being, lots of fun to be had with cheap guitars, indeed. The trick with just about any guitar is matching its voice to an amp that has complimentary voicing. Like Gibsons with Marshalls, Gretsch with Vox amps, Fender guitars with Fender amps, etc. etc.

 

Hell, I'm even dumb enough to have bought and enjoyed two Squier '51s.

 

My second to last guitar is a RI Supro Hamilton. They give you that vintage cheapo sound (gold foil p'ups) only problem with Supros is they are not cheap despite coming out of Indonesia (Island Series) or China (Americana Series). But my Supro sure does a good swampy OD tone plus rather nice sounding cleans.

[Phil O'Keefe]

The ES-275 is indeed pretty darned cool...

 

I'm thinking about pimping out that Gretsch a bit... maybe some different pickups, a different Bigsby (probably a B70) and maybe an arm rest...