when I was 14.....

[guitarheo3]

im 14 and think the same way

[NA1NSXR]

My Epiphone strat pack from service merchandise owns all of you. And your children.

[CompleteGuitard]

I remember the very first time I got to plug in my cousin's squier strat (early 90's squier POS) into a boss metal zone and fender stage 110 amp.

 

I remember the tone as being absolutely godly, angels were singing and the world was bowing before my tone which would solve world hunger and cure cancer. It really sounded that good to 15 year old me at the time.

 

9 years have gone by, my ear has improved dramatically. I've learned the beauty of one really good guitar every few years, enough time to really get to know an instrument and exactly how it performs. I'd rather have less really good stuff than a lot of mediocre good stuff.

 

of course good for me is $1000-1500 and some will come along and tell me thats their beginner budget. For me, a student, its rent for 2 months or books for a semester, its a big investment.

[jerry_picker]

I had a lot of knockoff korean guitars (not Epi or big names, but Agile equivalents)..... I had convinced myself that they were easily as good or better than the big name brands and more expensive products. I thought boutique was a bunch of BS and thought people playing PRS, Taylor, Gibson were complete fools for throwing their money away..... I would have argued that point with any of you with full confidence in my beliefs and experiences.... as my experience musically, as well as with equipment grew, my thoughts changed..... and as I was slowly able to afford higher end gear, I began to open my mind and became cognisant of differences in quality, and subtle but very important differences in tone..... not just in more expensive gear, but also in lower end gear, this helps me apprecaite gear from a wider price spectrum... I see a lot of my old negative, defensive mentality in a lot of people here..... just thought I'd share.... most of you will likely grow out of it as I did.... so lighten up, or dont.... at the very least in a few years you will be able to look back and laugh at some of the stupid things you may have said.... I know I do

 

I have both inexpensive knock-offs and expensive boutique guitars, and I play, and I enjoy almost all of them for different reasons.

 

Maybe it's an ego protective mechanism, but having the boutique guitars in the stable means I can dispense with the "negative defensive mentality" surrounding my inexpensive players, since I have nothing to prove.

[Elias Graves]

I had a lot of knockoff korean guitars (not Epi or big names, but Agile equivalents)..... I had convinced myself that they were easily as good or better than the big name brands and more expensive products. I thought boutique was a bunch of BS and thought people playing PRS, Taylor, Gibson were complete fools for throwing their money away..... I would have argued that point with any of you with full confidence in my beliefs and experiences.... as my experience musically, as well as with equipment grew, my thoughts changed..... and as I was slowly able to afford higher end gear, I began to open my mind and became cognisant of differences in quality, and subtle but very important differences in tone..... not just in more expensive gear, but also in lower end gear, this helps me apprecaite gear from a wider price spectrum... I see a lot of my old negative, defensive mentality in a lot of people here..... just thought I'd share.... most of you will likely grow out of it as I did.... so lighten up, or dont.... at the very least in a few years you will be able to look back and laugh at some of the stupid things you may have said.... I know I do

 

I missed out on this one earlier. I own cheap guitars. I suppose could buy expensive ones if I wanted. Guitars are like any other item; you get what you pay for. I have played nice guitars and I can certainly tell the difference. Since I am just a hobbyist, I have a really hard time justifying pro gear to play in my living room.

 

My next guitars will be nicer than what I currently have, but not likely going to be high end stuff. The good stuff is good indeed. The differences are sometimes obvious, sometimes more subtle, but they are there. A Chevy will get you where you want to go, but a Benz will do it in style and comfort that you won't get otherwise.

 

I use tools at work all day and I have invested a lot of money in good stuff. For the average user, a Wal Mart tool set is probably going to do the job. When you use them to make your living, then you have a little different perspective.

 

EG

[soundcreation]

 

Maybe it's an ego protective mechanism, but having the boutique guitars in the stable means I can dispense with the "negative defensive mentality" surrounding my inexpensive players, since I have nothing to prove.

 

 

I know exactly what you mean....I've owned guitars from 150 bucks up to my best which was 3000 bucks new (not what I payed though....used is the way to go to get the great deals). My cheapest guitar at the moment is a 1979 aria pro II strat that cost me 160 bucks....It has one of the nicest necks I've ever felt...but is it as nice as my 3000 dollar strat? not even close.....I still wouldn't trade it though. It sounds good and I like playing it. I don't feel any need to make it out to be something it isn't.

 

 

I remember shopping with a friend for his first electric guitar and I purposely made him play guitars way out of his price range so he would have a basis for comparison on a cheaper ones. If you never try them, you'll never know. In the end he found a great highway 1 tele in the price range he wanted.

[Rob14]

I think this is the most reasonable thread on the subject ever.

It makes a welcome change from the "my $200 or $2000, (pick whichever applies) guitar owns yours, with all the snobbery and inverted snobbery, defensiveness etc. that goes with it.

In truth, the likes of Fender and Gibson make very nice guitars, but so do many other makers, both dearer and cheaper. There are some great bargains out there at various prices, depending on what you are looking for in terms of features, appearance and tone.

I've been making, customising and repairing electrics since the late 70's and I've had a few beauties pass through my hands along with a lot of average instruments and some real dogs. There have been dogs from all price ranges and yes, even a few from the big names.

Two things I learned a long time ago were never to judge a guitarists abilities by the brand of guitar he/she brought into the workshop and that spending more money didn't necessarily buy a better guitar.

If we're talking assembly line guitars, the difference in cost between the quality of materials and attention to detail in a $3000 guitar compared to a $1000 guitar isn't $2000.

Like so many of you have said, it's about the music. Make the sounds you want on whatever does it for you.

[peavey_impact]

I own three American handmade guitars, as well as a Korean-built 8 string and an Indonesian (I think) 7-string.

 

While my USA axes will always be my first choices, as a gigging musician I can say I have no problem performing with my cheaper extended range axes. A good example is a good example, regardless of price or origin.

[pekelnik]

I was I think 17 when I acquired my first electric guitar and I remember being mightily confused in the shop as to why were some more expensive than others, when they all looked the same. Had no clue why some had two pickups next to each other and others further apart either. I got my first practice amp only two years later...

[nuke_diver]

When I was 14 I worked at a gas station and made pretty good money. I probably could have bought a decent guitar.

 

But I didn't play back them . Now I wish I did, because maybe I could appreciate the difference between guitars more. Not that my guitars are bad I think they are quite good but one of the reasons I got what I did is that at nearly 50 I know it isn't the instrument that makes the musician. A bad one will hold you back but spending a few thousand to make horrible noises doesn't make much sense either

[Frets99]

I love the sound and playability of $2000 guitars myself.

 

 

 

I just like paying $400 to $500 for them.

[Armitage]

The more you learn, the more you can appreciate the differences in a fine guitar/car/wine/girlfriend/lawyer...

 

If you don't know anything, or simply don't care, they're all about the same.

[Elias Graves]

 

I love the sound and playability of $2000 guitars myself. I just like paying $400 to $500 for them.

 

 

Got a link to that store? I'm there.

 

EG

[ashasha]

I just wanted to say that I agree for the most part and I think that part of the whole thing is just human nature of trying to defend our possessions which is pretty silly. I've seen so many reviews that read like sales pitches (and I've ever done one or two myself) that the likelihood of every single person with a HNGD getting the best playing/sounding guitar ever is just a bit unlikely.

 

I just kind of went through the transition from import to owning all MIA guitars and I knew from day one what the limitations were with the cheaper copies and it never really detracted from what they did well. It wasn't a conscientious movement to go all MIA, it just happened and like almost everyone else's gear here the current state of my collection is not permanent; I plan on buying more {censored} eventually.

 

The one thing that I really miss a lot is having a good project guitar to mess with. I think that the cheaper guitars really appeal to those of us who like to tinker and work on the gear. I've always liked to take something and make it better and to make it my own.

[spawnofthesith]

When I was 14 (two years ago) I had a walmart first act acoustic guitar, that thing was terrible . I am so glad I have the equipment I have now

 

 

I have since actually learned to play guitar, and happily have a mexican strat and a schecter blackjack atx

 

 

I am unfortunately without an amp at the moment though

[Les Paul Lover]

My 1st guitar was bought second hand for roughly

[Special J]

Ah, when I was 14 I played a rather nice MIA Kramer Pacer. I wish I still had it but I later traded it for a newer import Kramer Focus because it had a real Floyd and EMG's. Such were the times and my mental state. I played through a Fender M80, probably one of the worst sounding amps Fender ever put their badge on. I didn't care much cuz it was LOUD.

 

It wasn't until I was 18 and had saved up enough $ to buy a Hamer Special P90 and a Laney AOR100 that I learned what real tone was and what true craftmanship meant in an instrument. I still have the Kramer and a lower end Charvel. They are fun as modding platforms and I can experiment on them without worrying about ruining my higher end instruments. The imports are fun to play too, but my MIA guitars are my go-to guitars for gigging and recording.

[darkwaters]

Good thread.

 

When I was a kid I didn't know the first thing about guitars. I'd go into a shop and have absolutely no idea. Tone ? Neck radius ? Single coil ? Humbuckers ? Wood ? I wouldn't have understood what you were talking about. As a result, I bought a lot of crap guitars that I'd sell again a couple of years later only to buy another crap guitar. I didn't have much money so there was no danger that I'd accidently buy a J-45 or a Les Paul.

 

I've come along way since then. Nowadays I can almost spot a great guitar from across the room. Sometimes they're $3000, but sometimes they're $700. Woo hoo !

[peavey_impact]

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention when I was 14 I moved from a POS Harmony (my first electric) to a 1986 USA Peavey Impact 1. You can bet your ass I instantly noticed just how much better that Peavey was.

[saktr-iyko]

it was more important pain more painful laughter much louder yeah

[dimmypage]

 

The funny thing is when I was I was 19 I had a 1960 ES-345, a 1969 Les Paul Custom, a 1969 Strat, a 1967 SG Deluxe, a Twin Reverb and a 1957 tweed Twin Amp. Now I'm 53 and I don't think I have any guitar that cost me more than $600.

 

 

 

Were about thed same age and we were in very similar situations. I had a 71 SG,72 Les Paul Custom an ES 335 and a half stack Marshall JMP 50.

[jerry_picker]

I actually get a huge charge out of making good quality inexpensive guitars sound and play like expensive ones.

[dcindc]

Paying more for something does not guarantee you will get a better one.

 

Paying less for something does not guarantee you will get a worse one.

 

 

I used to have a 5 series BMW. MAny things about it were superlative. Some things about it sucked.

 

I have a Honda accord now. I like it MUCH better. Even though some things about it are not as good. But some things are better.

 

My expensive guitars need to hold their own against my cheapies. Some do. Some don't.

 

 

My first guitar was a Univox Hi Flyer. They are sought after now. I thought everything about it sucked. After I learned what was important.

[lioness]

Got a link to that store? I'm there. EG

 

www.rondomusic.com

 

haha

 

but seriously Agile guitars are really nice. I used to have an epi sg and it was terrible. intonation problems, poorly adjusted neck that the truss rod wouldnt fix... terrible sound. now that I have played some great guitars, there is a difference there. and I see more great than not in rondo. After playing both extremes, i think a rondo type place (the higher end versions of their guitars, not sx, but agile) is the best way to go.

[Steadfastly]

That is true of most things we thought about when we we 14 and have added 20 or 30 years to our age. At least it should be that way.