I'm not sure I can justify spending a lot on guitars anymore. (NGD)

[twotimingpete]

As I've transitioned into adulthood and become *slightly* more mature, one might think that my tastes would become more refined. Instead, I'm becoming more practical. As I try more things I increasingly wonder if there's any reason whatsoever for guitars to be very expensive.

 

A few years ago, I got a michael kelly (that was priced at $500 new at the time) that absolutely blew me away with its precision quality.

 

Then, a while later, I was impressed by the new 2008+ Fender Standard guitars.

 

Then I got a Squier Classic Vibe and was impressed to see it was probably just as good as the Fender Standards.

 

Now I've got this. At $300 new it's the cheapest "awesome" guitar I've yet seen. I got it for $239 "used" at MF (though it seems new, arrived with the plastic on the pickguard and factory strings).

 

Squier Vintage Modified Jaguar

 

 

Grabbing it out of the box, a cursory glance at the fit and finish showed a pristine instrument that seemed on the level with the $800 classic player jazzmaster I played with a few months ago.

 

Now, the way I got it, there was no setup. As in, none. The intonation setting had the saddles in a straight line and the string height was set so low that the strings were jammed into the fretboard. There was *no* setup. I don't know why, it could be something the techs did after getting it as a return. I recall my classic vibe came with a decent setup.

 

Additionally the fretboard is kinda grimey and could use a rub down with some lemon oil.

 

It didn't take me all that long to get it playable, though, and at this point I'm starting to honestly re-evaluate things. Beyond the reasons of legacy, "just because", and having some kind of decent setup job out of the box, you don't seem to be getting a whole lot for the extra hundreds or thousands when buying a more expensive guitar.

 

Because I simply can't fault the quality of the build here. The fretjob is great. It didn't take me long to get nice low action and I can bend the hell out of it at any point on the fretboard with no snags or dead strings. No buzzing.

 

Even though I think more expensive fenders are very cool (I'd love to have some USA ones) it's really hard to justify if you're on a tight budget (or maybe even if you're not).

 

Now let's chat a bit about this specific guitar. It's basically a jaguar without the shiney hardware, some kind of strange bridge I haven't seen before (but isn't actually that bad) and humbuckers.

 

First impression is that my hands feel a bit cramped on the 24 inch scale. I've only played 25.5 inchers for the last year or more, so it'll take getting used to.

 

Second impression is that the tone seems a bit dark/muddy, but I've also only been playing single coils for over a year so, again, it may just take some adjusting. Worst comes to worst I can change the pickups easily enough.

 

Now let's talk about the stuff in this picture real quick:

 

 

First, the bridge. I've never seen one like this before, it's a big strange, but it's functional and I can't find any real problems with it.

 

See the knobbies there? They're concentric. It's four knobs that take the space of two. The black part on the bottom make up the tone controls. While the volume knobs travel normally, the tone knobs sort of have "notches" all along the way. I'm not sure why this is but it doesn't really bother me. Overall it seems like a good solution to the ugliness of 4 knobs.

 

I also am not a huge fan of a strat input jack on anything that's not a strat, but I can live with it.

 

Overall, this is an incredible amount of guitar for $240. That much is clear. As I become broker and broker I start to think about these things. I can safely say that this is nearly on par with stuff I've played that costs literally 3 times as much (or even more).

 

So.. What do you get for $800? or $1,000? or $1,500?

[Preacher]

First, HNGD, and thanks for the review!

 

I'm also in a scenario where it doesn't make a lot of sense to spend that much on guitar. I'm not going to argue that the higher proced guitars aren't better - but I'm not gigging regularly either.

 

I agree that it's really pretty amazing how much guitar you can get for little money these days, and I'm looking pretty hard at those new J Mascis Squiers.

 

Thanks again for the writeup.

[GAS Man]

I don't get too philosophical about it. I just find I can enjoy playing guitars within multiple price points. Sometimes I believe I hear more complexity to the tones of more upper-end guitars but bottom line they all have different voices and it's the different voices that makes me a GAS'r. Last night I was plunkin on a $500 Mexican '50s Classic Strat. Good enough for the moment for sure.

 

I drove by some folks playing outdoors yesterday in a grocery store parking lot. They had a bit of a tent over them. It was maybe 50 degree but not raining. But I thought "how different I'd feel about what I bought if that was what I did with my instruments. How differently I'd view my guitar purchases if they were to be pulled outside on a cold day, when it might start blowing rain showers my way. I think if that were the case, I'd stop at mostly "pure utility" of the instrument. Like, can it do the job?, is it durable?, stays in tune well?, will I cry if it gets wet?, etc., then I'd be done at whatever price it took just to get there."

 

Happy new guitar, it looks nice. I like having some 24" around. It's like vacation time.

[twotimingpete]

a lot of what you're paying for is just simply fixing it up a bit.. the cheap guitars like this one really do need some work to get them playing nice. but once you're there, you're there.

 

that in mind, I should update that, in the interest of transparency, I'm now finding some evidence that the guitar would benefit from a fret level. at low action, some notes rattle or start to mute a bit. it's nothing major but I should put that out there. I still think it's a ton of guitar for the money.

[jedisb]

As I've transitioned into adulthood and become *slightly* more mature, one might think that my tastes would become more refined. Instead, I'm becoming more practical. As I try more things I increasingly wonder if there's any reason whatsoever for guitars to be very expensive.

 

I've become more practical, and having a family I have to prioritize how I spend my limited income. However, lately I have had other reasons for not spending money on not just expensive guitars but on just about anything that is a luxury. I friend of mine posted a picture on her blog that just blew me away. You can read the post and see the pic here.

 

Not to try and guilt or shame anyone here into anything, but after seeing that picture, I thought about this image every time I'd consider (envy, dream about, wish I could be) buying something I wanted but didn't need. It would just pop into my head and I couldn't shake it. My conscience got to me. I started to realize how much of even my modest income gets spent on stuff that just won't matter in the long run and how much more good my money could be doing by supporting groups and organizations that help. I can drop $60 on a video game or a group like Feed The Children can take that same $60 and feed a child (even a child in the US) for 12 weeks.

 

Like I said, not to try and make anyone here feel bad, and not trying to make myself look all noble, etc. Just sharing my reasoning for getting by with "good enough". Hope ya'll don't hate on me.

[p4vl]

Just as I talk myself into buying cheap guitars with upgrades, I notice that I don't have enough stompboxes

[Nathaniel.]

This thread is just making me GAS all the more for the new J Mascis Squier.

[scottgd]

I'm pretty much done spending the big money on guitars. After 40 years I've got it down to 4.

 

000-28EC

ES-339

Agile 335 type w/P-90s (for knockin' about)

CS EC Strat

 

The only thing more I could think of would be a nice Jumbo.

[Deadbeat Son]

some kind of strange bridge I haven't seen before (but isn't actually that bad)

 

HNGD Pete! Nice guitar.

 

The bridge reminds me of the Music Man hardtail bridge:

 

 

(Bass bridge pictured, but their guitar hardtails are pretty much the same.)

[zenbu]

Maturity?...is that what it is? Didn`t know what was causing my almost total lack of GAS for the past couple of years...almost total...did see a couple of bargains that i couldn`t pass up but I have sold far more than I have bought...probably 10 to 1 at least...which is fine I mean, how many great guitars does a mediocre couch player need anyways.

[GAS Man]

{censored}, wait until you're into middle age crazy then all that "maturity" goes back out the window.

[harold heckuba]

Someone over at Fender Forum said the bridges were leftover Danelectro bridges.

[Cobalt Blue]

The bridge, in my opinion, is another tip of the hat to one of the greatest (and somewhat unheralded) innovators in guitar building: Nat Daniels, the creator of Danelectro guitars. The front end of bridge of the Jag--and the Jazzmaster I recently purchased--sets atop the heads of Phillips screws, a la the 56- U2, 59-Dc, 56-U1, et cetera.

 

[steve_man]

Yup...hard to spend big bucks when Fender is making seriously great guitars for well under $1000...

[Geeter]

I really like the looks of that guitar. Congrats.

[Brian Krashpad]

Congrats!

 

(o)(o)

[twotimingpete]

there's actually (possibly) an issue with it. I noticed the neck at the neck pocket is a little uneven looking in how it contacts the body and upon more inspection, only one of the four screws "tightens" correctly. the other three just spin. and if you loosen the one "good" screw while the guitar is strung up, the neck pocket starts to unseat a bit, telling me that the other three aren't doing a good job of keeping things snug.

 

is there any easy fix for this? I'm not comfortable with these screws being {censored}ed up. they aren't grabbing enough. it plays and sounds very nice now, which makes me angry, but I'll exchange it if I have to.

[mnhhngbfs]

break some toothpicks off inside of the holes in the neck, trim them so they're level with the bottom of the neck then put it back on. that should take care of it.

[twotimingpete]

 

break some toothpicks off inside of the holes in the neck, trim them so they're level with the bottom of the neck then put it back on. that should take care of it.

 

 

wow, this seems to work pretty well. I was envisioning something more complicated. thanks.

[j*h]

looks great!congrats!

[strtdv]

I take a slightly different view on this.

I have more or less cured my GAS by buying a small amount of really nice gear, and by waiting until I get it for a good price.

 

I have a 2007 American Standard Tele, an American Vintage Hot Rod Tele, and my old MIM Strat that was the first electric guitar I bought.

For amps I have a Laney Lionheart 20 watt head and matching 2x12, and a 1970's Orange Reverb Twin 50 watt 2x12 combo amp.

I also have some pretty decent pedals, an EHX Deluxe Memory Man, a Fulltone OCD V4, a Musket Fuzz V2, a Blackstar HT-Dist, an EVH Phase 90, and then a dynacomp and a bad monkey.

 

I think overall I paid around 55% of what the usual price is, and I haven't come across a guitar I like as much as the Vintage Hot Rod Tele, and I have pretty much no GAS.

I still go to guitar shops sometimes just to look around, but the combination of the current prices (which are ridiculous IMO), and the fact that I'm so happy with what I have means I never have the urge to buy anything.

[Edward]

I know exactly what OP means. When I was a student, I saved for two years to afford my MIA US Std Strat - left handed, rosewood board, three tone burst, special order, bought new. Collected on the 25th anniversary of Jimi playing Woodstock - which was purely coincidental, but amusing as the guitar was inspired by a photo of him playing one with the same finish (albeit his was a CBS era right flipped over). Still have that guitar, and I still love it (though I now sure do wish I had gone for a maple board and a solid colour finish, but hey...). I couldn't bring myself to spend that much on a guitar again, though. Funny, when you're a kid you think you'll be able to buy all the fancy stuff you want when you're older and have your own place and a salary.... Somehow it never quite works out that way. Or, more to the point, you just develop other priorities. I have the luxury of being single in my late thirties, with no kids sucking up al my income or anything, but it's certainly not cheap either to run a household on a single income, even with one person living there (most of my bills are flat rate). The other thing that happens with experience is that you become more adept at figuring what your requirements are and what best suits you. Less hung up on nonsense like "Well, I have to buy this one because it is the 'real thing'" or "no-one will take me seriously as a musician if I play Squier / Epiphone / WHY instead of Fender / Gibson / WHY+". We learn about the law of diminishing returns. Sure, I can see the difference between, say, a Gibson LP Std and the Epiphone equivalent. Yes, the Gibson is twice the guitar. It's also, last I looked, six times the price. Money no object, a good Gibson is always going to be that bit better that a good Epiphone equivalent.... BUT... for most of us, money will always be an issue to some greater or lesser degree. I'm not, nor never will be, a professional musician. I don't need just that little extra bit the Gibby provides, and it sure isn't worth the extra scratch to me. To some it might be: to me, they'll always be an eight hundred pound guitar with a twelve hundred pound pricetag.

 

I think your individual tastes in guitar designs can make a difference here too. I've used Gibby / Epiphone as an example above, but it does seem to me that Gibson type guys are more into the expensive stuff than Fender type guys, insofar as one can ever make such generalisations. As a mindset, I can understand this: gibson sell fancy guitars with a high level of cosmetic appeal - things like the wood figuring and so on are important there. Fender designs, on the other hand, are a much more utilitarian idea. While it is not to my taste, I can understand someone might ant to spend the big bucks on a Gibby with a very fancy wood top, a "high class furniture" type look to it. On the other hand, a Tele at two grand seems counter intuitive to me, as the whole point of that design is that it is simple and utilitarian. In many ways, the Squier line is much closer to Leo's original dream of an easily maintained, reliable instrument that can be taken out and played professionally than anything Fender have ever produced. That's not a slam on Fender by any means: I think it's a great thing that if you want a Strat, Fender (including the Squier operation) have an option for you at pretty much any price band you might want to pay.

 

I'm ridiculously excited having discovered only yesterday that Squier are now doing a small number of options in the CV range as lefties - frst GAS I've had in about five years that can actually be sated (I badly wanted a bunch of Danelectros, but they don't do lefties at all). I have a bunch of stuff I have to sell in order to get the money (and the space) first, but I have my eye on two of the 50s Teles (one to be converted to Esquier spec, complete with blank guard), and one Fiftie Strat, maybe. I'd like another option than the burst on the Strat, but it is growing on me...

[dcooper830]

I like guitars from all different price points.

 

I love my Squiers and my MIM Tele... my USA Strat & Teles... my Epiphones and my Gibsons. They're all extremely cool guitars.

 

I'll be playing my Gibson VOS '58 RI and totally loving it one minute..... then I'll get out my stock Squier '51 and have just as much fun with it.

 

I'm a big believer in the fact that you don't have to spend a lot of money to get a great guitar...... or amp for that matter.

[honeyiscool]

Nice guitar!

 

I wish Fender would build my perfect 24" scale LP replacement guitar already.

 

Basically, it'd be this guitar:

 

 

but w/ a twin-pivot tremolo. So it'd be like a marriage of the Vista/Jaguar and the 20th Anniversary Jagmasters, and with cooler colors, too.

[twotimingpete]

I was expecting more dissenting views from the elitists here. but everyone seems to get what I'm saying.

 

if you avoid a total landmine (as does happen, I've had a xaviere that was a dud -- but also had a xaviere that I thought was pretty nice, honestly) a cheap guitar just needs a good bit of love and then it'll be playing killer, whereas more expensive guitars tend to have that work put into them and play much nicer out of the box.

 

in this case i also definitely see switching the pickups -- something about them is bothering me. particularly something in the low end. I like something a bit lusher. this sounds kind of mechanical with various levels of gain.

 

pure 90s would be perfect, but mean 90s may need to suffice.