Anyone here rocking cheap guitars as main players?

Re: Anyone here rocking cheap guitars as main players?

blueman335 said:
I don't don't think you can count deals on used high-end guitars because they vary by situation. Some go for a fraction of what they're worth. The only measurement that's halfway consistent is current new retail price.
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That´s more or less the point I was trying to make. I don`t play cheaply constructed, tonally inferior instruments, but I have no problems playing a 2k+ guitar that I got for a pittance and had to restore or rebuild. ;)

As far as "what`s enough", if you really want to get down to a a properly set up a Squier affinity strat is "enough", just as a Pinto is "enough" of a car.

But, like cars, there is a prestige factor, and also some people love theirs more than others, they see it as a hobby or even way of life instead of as something they do on the side. People like me who realize that only go to work because it pays for more guitars. :laugh2:

As long as somebody isn`t stealing or starving, it`s completely up to them whether they want a squier or a custom one-off for 6k, just like they can buy a pinto, porsche or pickup if they desire. What is "good enough" is a very subjective thing. I've had people hand me their "excellent" guitars and had problems containing my laughter before even getting to the close examination. ;)
 
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Re: Anyone here rocking cheap guitars as main players?

Cort X-1 master race reporting in.
Completely stock. My first electric and it feels like home when it's in my hands.
I've tried lots of others but this one just feels the best... I've gone up against kids with gear from both the big F and big G and showed them who's boss....
 
Re: Anyone here rocking cheap guitars as main players?

Ashurbanipal said:
^^ What's this? Closet Ibanez fan?

I've been eyeballing a candy apple red Blazer with brass trem on flea bay but can't swing.
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Before you bid on one of those you should PM me, I will usually be in the game and we shouldn't wipe each other out.

Nothing against the seller getting a fair price, of course.
 
Re: Anyone here rocking cheap guitars as main players?

Matt42 said:
From my perspective, a working musician really doesn't need much more than mid-range guitars unless s/he has additional substantial income. I work a crummy job and play music, so I don't have much extra money to spend on nice stuff, and these days guitars that cost $500 used are more than adequate for playing small clubs and bars.
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Most adults with job but no kids have some play money. Of course it doesn't hurt to be able to recover the money.

If you compare these, which one is the most reasonable from a potential emergency standpoint where you might have to recover some money: guitars, photo gear, keyboards, BMW 325, cocktails, BMW M5, motorboat, sailboat.
 
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Re: Anyone here rocking cheap guitars as main players?

I absolutely love and adore my first electric guitar that I bought in 1999. It's a Mexican made Squier Telecaster that I paid $149 for. It plays and sounds fantastic. I remember playing every Fender Telecaster in Mars Music, but I kept coming back to that guitar. I love it and I'll never get rid of it!!
 
Re: Anyone here rocking cheap guitars as main players?

I put a lot of time on a pair of Burnys, a Rhoads LPC clone and a 67 style V. I also play a Washburn Culprit, albeit with a bunch of mods, just because I liked the neck so much. I have some expensive guitars but the ones that spend the most time getting played probably count as mid-level.
 
Anyone here rocking cheap guitars as main players?

JOLLY said:
I absolutely love and adore my first electric guitar that I bought in 1999. It's a Mexican made Squier Telecaster that I paid $149 for. It plays and sounds fantastic. I remember playing every Fender Telecaster in Mars Music, but I kept coming back to that guitar. I love it and I'll never get rid of it!!
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I had one of those! Is it badged as a Fender but has "Squier Series" in small letters?
 
Re: Anyone here rocking cheap guitars as main players?

Powdered Toast Man said:
I had one of those! Is it badged as a Fender but has "Squier Series" in small letters?
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Mine has Squier in big letters. It says By Fender in small letters underneath that. Beside Squier it has Telecaster written in small letters.
 
Re: Anyone here rocking cheap guitars as main players?

There's two sides to this argument - You can take a crappy Squier (and believe me, some of them are super ****ty), replace the nut, the bridge, the pickups and pots, and then you've got... well you've got near the cost of a standard Fender invested in to it, whereas if you had just bought the Fender, you may have only needed to give it your personal proper setup. I'm no stranger to cheap guitars, and I'll say to this day (with absolutely 0 modification) my Ibanez 4Ex1 (which I believe is basically a 370) feels and sounds nicer than my Charvelle and 470 did stock. Sometimes you get lucky with a low end instrument, and at the end of the day, it's going to come down to what feels and sounds the nicest to you. I've also had low end instruments (Axis MusicMan, Squier strats) that I just could never get in to, even with some aftermarket tinkering. I put some Hot Rails in a cheap Squier, and by lord did it sound great, but it just never felt right.

If I was a gigging musician, I'd probably prefer my 4Ex1 to taking out my Charvelle/ESP/S570 and if someone wanted to comment on it, I'd simply reckon they don't really know anything about guitars, just american branding and marketing ;)
 
Re: Anyone here rocking cheap guitars as main players?

Got my Epiphone SG and Squier Stratocaster together for around $100. The Strat is my favorite; plays really nicely, sounds great, neck feels really comfy, it's in good condition. The SG also plays really nicely, and his new pups roar; only major thing he needed was a fret dressing. Got my Razorback for a little over $300, and that one also plays beautifully.
 
Re: Anyone here rocking cheap guitars as main players?

I've got better (and more expensive) guitars, but I play my lowly EC-100 the most. I've owned some CS ESP's in my days, it holds it's own, playing wise at least. I put on a bone nut and the frets have been leveled and dressed, I pilfered the tonepros off a guitar I later sold, and right now it has an EMG 85/58 set in it, sperzel's were put on it before I got it. It has a ****ty inch thick pewter finish and it probably isn't the most resonant thing ever, but I'm not the world's greatest guitarist either.

It has a huge Depeche Mode sticker on it, I think I like that more than I'd like some flame maple crap.
 
Re: Anyone here rocking cheap guitars as main players?

I have an Epiphone Les Paul I destroyed to my liking. It is ghetto rigged up the ass, yet I still play it because it is 'good enough' for me. What surprises me though is the cheaper brand, Epiphone, doesn't chamber their bodies but Gibson does. Probably has something to do with Epiphone wood being cheaper, but some people (i'm not really one of them) are hell-bent that their Les Pauls aren't chambered.

My most played guitars are in order:

1. Guitar I made.
2. Fender MIM Telecaster
3. Epiphone Les Paul
4. LTD M-100FM

2 and 3 go back and forth.
 
Re: Anyone here rocking cheap guitars as main players?

blueman335 said:
If you don't play very well, no one's impressed by how much you spent or how much you saved.
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This is what I think a lot of people don't realize. There are some players around here that have really nice instruments, but still sound like crap. And then there's people like me and some of my buddies who all play middle of the road stuff, but we all know how to use it and get compliments on our tone frequently.

Up until the last year or so, I used to let the middle of the road gear get in my head a bit. I was never satisfied with my stuff and it really ****ed with me, I always wanted something better. But since I've started gigging regularly, I've gotten a lot of compliments on my tone, which I at first put down to people not knowing what they were talking about. However as we kept gigging, I kept getting compliments, and not just from random drunk bar patrons, but from sounds guys, and people who have been playing professionally for 20+ years. At some point it dawned on me that all these people must not be wrong, and while I'm still not 100% pleased with my tone (who is, after all), I'm more than happy with the sounds I make. Would I buy an American Telecaster (or more like a Mesa Lonestar) or something similar if I came on a good deal and had the cash, you bet I'd buy it, but until then, my MIM Strat and Korean Gretsch will do the job.
 
Re: Anyone here rocking cheap guitars as main players?

Shadow1psc said:
There's two sides to this argument - You can take a crappy Squier (and believe me, some of them are super ****ty), replace the nut, the bridge, the pickups and pots, and then you've got... well you've got near the cost of a standard Fender invested in to it, whereas if you had just bought the Fender, you may have only needed to give it your personal proper setup. I'm no stranger to cheap guitars, and I'll say to this day (with absolutely 0 modification) my Ibanez 4Ex1 (which I believe is basically a 370) feels and sounds nicer than my Charvelle and 470 did stock. Sometimes you get lucky with a low end instrument, and at the end of the day, it's going to come down to what feels and sounds the nicest to you. I've also had low end instruments (Axis MusicMan, Squier strats) that I just could never get in to, even with some aftermarket tinkering. I put some Hot Rails in a cheap Squier, and by lord did it sound great, but it just never felt right.

If I was a gigging musician, I'd probably prefer my 4Ex1 to taking out my Charvelle/ESP/S570 and if someone wanted to comment on it, I'd simply reckon they don't really know anything about guitars, just american branding and marketing ;)
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I hear you man... I was given a Squier Affinity Strat for free that is just junk. It has been worked on and stuff replaced but it never stays in tune and doesn't play well even after good setups. I also had my first "real" guitar. A Ibanez GSA60. Basically the cheapest version of Joe satrianis guitar. It was $230 new. No matter what pickups I put in it, no matter what I replaced it sounded dead.

This CV I orginally bought as a travel guitar (bolt on) and fell in love with it. I eventually sold my Gibson SG because of it.
 
Re: Anyone here rocking cheap guitars as main players?

I have two S'queers. One HH (SH6 Inv) One SSL1's. Love em' both the only thing original is the body finish. They have thier places, but not go-to gits by any stretch-
 
Re: Anyone here rocking cheap guitars as main players?

Matt42 said:
This is what I think a lot of people don't realize. There are some players around here that have really nice instruments, but still sound like crap. And then there's people like me and some of my buddies who all play middle of the road stuff, but we all know how to use it and get compliments on our tone frequently... which I at first put down to people not knowing what they were talking about. However as we kept gigging, I kept getting compliments, and not just from random drunk bar patrons, but from sounds guys, and people who have been playing professionally for 20+ years. At some point it dawned on me that all these people must not be wrong.
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+1. Many of us here are able to do our own set ups and swap PU's, some can swap magnets and pots. This gives an advantage over other players who have no idea how to do this stuff, and often live with guitars that really need some attention. I was at a blues jam and brought my Sheraton, another guy there had a Gibson 335. He complained that it sounded weak. I looked at it, and the PU's were almost an inch under the strings. A well-made and nicely tweaked mid-price guitar can often hold it's own with high-end guitars. That and having soem nice chops can level the playing field.
 
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