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Expensive Vs Cheap Guitars


PigWings_v2.0

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When I first started out playing, I quickly came to appreciate "broken in" guitars. Can't explain the difference, but new unplayed guitars felt more stiff, while some used guitars just felt right. Much like a new pair of shoes vs an old pair. But it makes no sense!

 

I have found some new guitars have that broken in feel right out if the box. And some used guitars feel very stiff. Just depends instrument to instrument. Definitely an intangible there that interacts with your psyche. Maybe it's the neck finish worn a bit to be smooth. Or the frets worn down and grooved so the strings "know where to go".

 

The thing is, price has nothing to do with it. I've come across just as many cheap guitars that have that great feeling as I have expensive ones. The same for stiff feeling guitars.

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I'm so glad we've finally found
the decisive answer
to "cheap vs. expensive" and "worn vs. new looking" guitars!

 

 

All we need to do now is sort out the 'sigs: waste of money?', 'what's the best tuning for slide?', 'locking vs non-locking trems' and 'Yngwie: genius, douchebag or both?' issues and then HC can close this forum down for good.

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you sure? I played a guitar once that had a ton of mojo, and it had a maple fretboard...

 

 

Yes, but causation cannot be inferred from the mere existence of the maple board. If so, then all maple-boarded guitars would necessarily be mojoriffic, and, conversely all rosewoodies would be lacking in bosstasticity.

 

And we both know that's not the case!

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I'd rather have a couple really nice ones than cheap ones. That said, the stuff coming out of Korea these days is great bang for the buck.

 

As far as the whole mojo debate goes, I don't think mojo means beat up. Brand new guitars can have mojo. Mojo is basically just when you bond with a guitar. For me, beat up guitars actually lack mojo because I don't bond with them as much. I'm totally not into the whole "relic" look. Sure, a few dings here and there are a part of life, but to me, a really beat up guitar is a guitar that hasn't been taken care of.

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I don't even see the "bang for the buck" factor half the time these days. Some "cheap guitars" are just "good instruments" regardless of cost. IMO, the real factor is a law of diminishing returns at work. Small increases in quality, materials, finish, or even equal quality but different country of manufacture will result in huge price differences.

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I don't even see the "bang for the buck" factor half the time these days. Some "cheap guitars" are just "good instruments" regardless of cost. IMO, the real factor is a law of diminishing returns at work. Small increases in quality, materials, finish, or even equal quality but different country of manufacture will result in huge price differences.

 

 

I hear you on the law of diminishing returns. A lot of my import guitars come stock with US-made pickups (ex.: MIK DeArmond Jet Star with Gold Tones, MIC Fernandes Ravelle with Seymour Duncan JB/Jazz, MIC Gretsch Special Jet with DeArmond 2000's), thus removing one of the 2 big cost accelerants (the other being finishing, particularly Gibson's use of nitro, which Gibson itself has realized, resulting in some many guitars being produced with satin or "worn" finishes), and frankly it's a rare occasion I'd pay that much more just to get nitro or a thinner poly, which affect tone a lot less than pickups.

 

Of course, a deal is a deal. So I do have a couple Gibbies, and conversely I have a couple guitars that prove that, as with guitars, a great pickup is a great pickup no matter where it's made (I have 2 guitars with Brownsville Choirboy toastertop alnico singles, which I presume are MIK-- one a Choirboy and one an Indonesian-made Daisy Rock Retro-H 12-string which the seller had modded with the Brownsvilles).

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Yeah, I'm a believer in paying the toll for better quality, but some of this mojo talk smacks of BS or even worse, elitism. Doctors and hedge fund managers competing to see who can pay the most for fancy-wood guitars. Has nothing to do with music or guitars as a tool for musical expression. Check out this load of hogwash in Guitar Aficionado... $38000 for what? For that kind of money you could buy a 1959 Strat and have change left over

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Hammer: You know what a lot is?

 

Chico: Yeah, itsa too much.

 

Hammer: I don't mean a whole lot, just a little lot with nothing on it.

 

Chico: Any time you gotta too much, you gotta whole lot. Look, I explain it to you...sometimes you no got enough, it's too much, you gotta whole lot. Sometimes you got a little bit. You no think it's enough, somebody else maybe thinks itsa too much, itsa whole lot too. Now, itsa whole lot, itsa too much, itsa too much, itsa whole lot...same thing.

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Hammer: You know what a lot is?


Chico: Yeah, itsa too much.


Hammer: I don't mean a whole lot, just a little lot with nothing on it.


Chico: Any time you gotta too much, you gotta whole lot. Look, I explain it to you...sometimes you no got enough, it's too much, you gotta whole lot. Sometimes you got a little bit. You no think it's enough, somebody else maybe thinks itsa too much, itsa whole lot too. Now, itsa whole lot, itsa too much, itsa too much, itsa whole lot...same thing.

 

 

Cocoanuts?

 

I love that movie.

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