cheap gear

[treyhaislip]

Re: cheap gear

yeah still probably cheaper to fix it up urself like i had to pay $150 for a simple pup swap.

All depends on what your goal is. I've found the specs for what I love; Straight 9.5" Radius, 1-11/16" Nut, Medium Jumbo Stainless Steel Frets, Pro Mod C shape with Roasted Maple...can't find that anywhere. If I was just going to experiement/work on a build I'd use something like Mighty Mite or Allparts (although the GFS stuff is kinda hard to pass up for the price) but for a guitar I'm truly going to use and know that I will love, I will use Musikraft (I really want to love Warmoth but the Roasting color option plus the Pro Mod C shape is why I switched to Musikraft who also rounds the edges of the frets and fretboard.)

 

[dominus]

Re: cheap gear

A friend of mine with a CNC machine had a customer bring in his black USA Fender Roland Strat and a GFS body. A few precise cuts later and the customer had a Surf Green Roland Strat.

 

[guitarplayer100]

Re: cheap gear

Just don't buy 100$ guitar. They are made cheply and it won't sound good no matter what you put on it.

 

[blueman335]

Re: cheap gear

yeah still probably cheaper to fix it up urself like i had to pay $150 for a simple pup swap.

You're a Mr. Fixer-Upper? There's no reason for changing PU's to cost that much. You can get a couple of used good quality PU's for $30-$40 each, and do the work yourself. $150 is twice what it should have cost. If this is how your projects go, you don't want to be buying a $70 guitar or bass.

You're far better of buying something like a used Epi with Probucker PU's for about half of retail, than to get a cheapo and have to replace/fix everything, or pay someone else to do it. That 'bargain' guitar will end up costing far more than a $250 used Epi, and will be out of commission for months while it's being worked on. If money's tight as you say it is, the last thing you need to be doing is pissing it away on bottom-of-the-barrel instruments. They are not a bargain. I've wanted to try it a couple times myself in the past, and was appalled by the low quality materials.

 

[Brandenburg]

Re: cheap gear

All depends on what your goal is. I've found the specs for what I love; Straight 9.5" Radius, 1-11/16" Nut, Medium Jumbo Stainless Steel Frets, Pro Mod C shape with Roasted Maple...can't find that anywhere. If I was just going to experiement/work on a build I'd use something like Mighty Mite or Allparts (although the GFS stuff is kinda hard to pass up for the price) but for a guitar I'm truly going to use and know that I will love, I will use Musikraft (I really want to love Warmoth but the Roasting color option plus the Pro Mod C shape is why I switched to Musikraft who also rounds the edges of the frets and fretboard.)

kool.. just checked out the musikraft site.. time to put together a wishlist

 

[treyhaislip]

Re: cheap gear

kool.. just checked out the musikraft site.. time to put together a wishlist

Look into their Roasting options...I love that you can choose between light, medium or dark. I've had both Warmoth and Musikraft–I'd say the quality was basically equal except that Musikraft rounds the edges of the frets and fretboard.

 

[dominus]

Re: cheap gear

Just don't buy 100$ guitar. They are made cheply and it won't sound good no matter what you put on it.

Bull----.

 

[treyhaislip]

Re: cheap gear

Just don't buy 100$ guitar. They are made cheply and it won't sound good no matter what you put on it.

Bull----.

I've played a great sounding Strat and Tele that were made by Epiphone in the late 80s, had about $100-$150 in them apiece, that was used. Just because its cheap doesn't mean it won't sound good and likewise just because its expensive doesn't mean it will sound good.

You do get what you pay for though (exceptions being the rare occasion someone needs cash yesterday and sells something way below market value) and basically chaning the pickups, hardware, electronics and paying for/doing extensive work on the guitar will change the fact that a its a cheap guitar, I.E. you won't get your money out of it.

 

[blueman335]

Re: cheap gear

basically changing the pickups, hardware, electronics and paying for/doing extensive work on the guitar will not change the fact that a its a cheap guitar, I.E. you won't get your money out of it.

+1. A $70 guitar with parts replaced and a lot of work done on it is still a $70 guitar, that's all people will pay for it.

 

[dazedandconfused001]

Re: cheap gear

You're a Mr. Fixer-Upper? There's no reason for changing PU's to cost that much. You can get a couple of used good quality PU's for $30-$40 each, and do the work yourself. $150 is twice what it should have cost.

i know it is and thats why i do it myself. no 150 was for pups i got a duncan custom/jazz and wanted em installed and didnt have tools to do it and thought itd be cheaper to pay a tech. i have tools just no solderig iron. and as i said b4 didnt wanna ****up a good guitar. but the duche of a tech charged 75 for pup swap and 75 for a setup i didnt want cuz i can do a setup at home just drop em in and id be fine but he insisted he wouldnt do one withut the other and i had drove over an hour so low and behold i technically paid 300 to put pups in my explorer. oh an he ****ed up the neck volume pot so a week or two later i had to go in an put a new one in so that was the start of my better to do it yourself ness.

 

[dazedandconfused001]

Re: cheap gear

Just don't buy 100$ guitar. They are made cheply and it won't sound good no matter what you put on it.

my 1st guitar was a pos rouge rocketeer rr100 i got for 100 buck with an amp strat and cable and picks. and i would still have it and use it if i hadnt messed up fixing the trem. but 6years later ihave an explorer and im happy. oh a btw my 2nd guitar is a 100 strat and it sound great as is i just hate how uncomfortable strats are.

 

[dazedandconfused001]

Re: cheap gear

+1. A $70 guitar with parts replaced and a lot of work done on it is still a $70 guitar, that's all people will pay for it.

while true a $70 guitar to learn how to fix up any guitar is cheaper than a $200 that shouldnt need fixing but i have to fix anyway cuz i wanna learn how.

 

[Brandenburg]

Re: cheap gear

I've played a great sounding Strat and Tele that were made by Epiphone in the late 80s, had about $100-$150 in them apiece, that was used. Just because its cheap doesn't mean it won't sound good and likewise just because its expensive doesn't mean it will sound good.

.

the reverse is true as well.. ive heard of people trying out a2 or 3K on a guitar and it sounded dead.. granted.. its less likely that with a cheap guitar but it still happens

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: cheap gear

im gonna go gainst the grain heer and suggest that $70 is steep for a cheap gitar and that you should shoot fer something that needs mor fixin like somthing thats $30 - $50 which is perfect for replacing hardware pickups strap frets nutz screws wood logos and make heck of a fixer up her you should then commence to playin that bastid for years till you can a ford a 100 dollar guitar that only needs new hardware pickups and straplocks and strapbuttons cuz then you'll be a trained luther who makes money expoxying bridges back onto acoustic guitars and making tremolos.

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: cheap gear

why buy an axe where everything needs replacing?

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: cheap gear

why buy an axe where everything needs replacing?

:biglaugh:

 

[dazedandconfused001]

Re: cheap gear

im gonna go gainst the grain heer and suggest that $70 is steep for a cheap gitar and that you should shoot fer something that needs mor fixin like somthing thats $30 - $50 which is perfect for replacing hardware pickups strap frets nutz screws wood logos and make heck of a fixer up her you should then commence to playin that bastid for years till you can a ford a 100 dollar guitar that only needs new hardware pickups and straplocks and strapbuttons cuz then you'll be a trained luther who makes money expoxying bridges back onto acoustic guitars and making tremolos.

cuz cheapest i can find in a p bass is 70

EDIT: leaning toward this http://www.ebay.com/itm/Blue-Electr...205444?hash=item54205ccc84:g:-yIAAOSw14xWGD3o

im thinkin aesthetically painting it white with a white pup and a red or blue pearl pickgaurd

 

[dazedandconfused001]

Re: cheap gear

why buy an axe where everything needs replacing?

because sometimes life is about the crappy, exhausting, expensive, and exasperating journey.

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: cheap gear

Can you spend $200.00 on the UPGRADE platform?
I acquired a Ibanez Gio. Amazing playability, fit and finish, and fretwork for the cost, 199.00 new.. I am guessing it's Agathis wood(well, not Hungarian Mahogany).
The Ibanez Gio is a worthwhile upgradable axe. Change tuners maybe for more accurate tuning , definitley get new Duncan pickups for a much better sound .
So I vote YES for some budget instruments ( AKA "cheap") guitars.;

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: cheap gear

so im thinkin bout getting some super cheap knock off gear that looks ok in pics but wont be a total bust if i need to upgrade an figured that it'd be a good excuse to start conversations bout it. now 90% of the stuff ive ever used has been on a shoe string budget so i know i need to check fret over hang but anything else needed to watch for with super cheap stuff? btw for record im thinkin bout getting a $70 p bass knock off

What?