cheap gear

[dazedandconfused001]

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

 

[Will S-T]

Re: cheap gear

Mate, set yourself a benchmark and play a US Standard, then set about what you can
rectify on the $70 beater, you can polish a turd, but only so far, and for how much?

 

[crusty philtrum]

Re: cheap gear

Mate, set yourself a benchmark and play a US Standard, then set about what you can
rectify on the $70 beater, you can polish a turd, but only so far, and for how much?

You could understand the OP ?

I think i need to take up drinking.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: cheap gear

I agree with Will, it's up to you to set the bottom line, how low will you go? The cheaper the gear, the more likely you will find issues that you can't fix easily and cheaply. The reason why Epiphones, MIM Fender and the better Squier guitars are so popular is because you can upgrade electronics and maybe bridge/tuner upgrade and you've got pretty good guitar. (Necks are straight, frets are in proper positions and will intonate, screws aren't going to strip out of wood, etc.) As you get cheaper and cheaper, true playability will be compromised.

On the other hand, we all would be playing Custom Shop instruments if we could afford to. Instead we balance budget, need and value to end up with our gear...

 

[dazedandconfused001]

Re: cheap gear

I agree with Will, it's up to you to set the bottom line, how low will you go? The cheaper the gear, the more likely you will find issues that you can't fix easily and cheaply. The reason why Epiphones, MIM Fender and the better Squier guitars are so popular is because you can upgrade electronics and maybe bridge/tuner upgrade and you've got pretty good guitar. (Necks are straight, frets are in proper positions and will intonate, screws aren't going to strip out of wood, etc.) As you get cheaper and cheaper, true playability will be compromised.

On the other hand, we all would be playing Custom Shop instruments if we could afford to. Instead we balance budget, need and value to end up with our gear...

i plan to go as cheap as possible an still be decently upgradeable end of the day its a hunk of wood, electronics and steel. i dont buy into ''well gibson=quality'' cuz i have found many squires and gibsons play for crap and at the same point the best bass i ever played was a cheap knock off but youre right if i could get esp or epiphone to make my gear to my specs i would, hell who wouldnt lol. i dont mind the elbow grease i wanna know how shiny i can make a turd until i would rather play my 70 dollar no name turd than guitar centers 500 dollar name brand diarrhea. its less of a question of what i want and more of a ''hey guys, what do you immediately fix on cheap gear i work on fret over hang that ****s up my hand''

 

[treyhaislip]

Re: cheap gear

You usually get what you pay for and if you are not wanting it to be a total bust then don't get anything because upgrading a $70 beater doesn't change that it is still a $70 beater that just cost you a lot more than its worth.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: cheap gear

Hi! As was said previously, you can only polish a turd so far, but I understand having very small gear budget.. Let me clarify something in your post so I dont go off the wrong direction.. Are you trying to buy gear FROM pictures? Or are you trying to buy FOR pictures? Im guessing from, cuz I think most would want to take pics of their best stuff...

So, Im going to go with some. : )
This is going to be like playing russian roulette. Buying inexpensive gear is walking a thin line anyhow. Now granted, things have come a VERY long way and you can get much nicer gear at a lower cost than in years gone by. BUT, there are also a bunch of turds out there too. And very honestly, there is NO way to tell based on photos. I wish I could say there was if you look at this this and this.. ANY guitar can have raised frets, improper cut nut, bowed neck, etc.. That wont show up in photos.. A cheaper guitar is also more likely to have sharp fret edges, binding the nut slots/improper cut nut, noisy pots, warped neck etc

The best things I can tell you. (again, Im assuming you meant that you are shopping from just photos)

1)TRY to get an "inexpensive guitar from a name brand" vs a "cheap guitar from a no name brand". Even brand names can put out dogs on occasion, but overall they probably will have better quality control and are more likely to stand behind the product .

2) Try to buy from a reputable place. They will be most likely to take care of you if the guitar is a dog. (there is an online place called rondomusic.com. Check them out. They have inexpensive guitars and Ive heard they take care of you if the guitar is flawed.

3)If you are buying from no name place, no name brand. dont spend more than you can afford to lose.

4) find out if there is any kind of return policy..

5) If AT ALL possible, try before you buy. There is ALWAYS a risk buying online or from pics that is could have bad fretwork, warped neck, noisy pots, binding or improper cut nut, etc. EVEN buying a name brand. (tho its less likely)


I hope I was on point with what you were asking and that this helps.. Again some things you simply cant tell from pictures, that can make a huge difference. Good luck

 

[dazedandconfused001]

Re: cheap gear

Hi! As was said previously, you can only polish a turd so far, but I understand having very small gear budget.. Let me clarify something in your post so I dont go off the wrong direction.. Are you trying to buy gear FROM pictures? Or are you trying to buy FOR pictures? Im guessing from, cuz I think most would want to take pics of their best stuff...

So, Im going to go with some. : )
This is going to be like playing russian roulette. Buying inexpensive gear is walking a thin line anyhow. Now granted, things have come a VERY long way and you can get much nicer gear at a lower cost than in years gone by. BUT, there are also a bunch of turds out there too. And very honestly, there is NO way to tell based on photos. I wish I could say there was if you look at this this and this.. ANY guitar can have raised frets, improper cut nut, bowed neck, etc.. That wont show up in photos.. A cheaper guitar is also more likely to have sharp fret edges, binding the nut slots/improper cut nut, noisy pots, warped neck etc

The best things I can tell you. (again, Im assuming you meant that you are shopping from just photos)

1)TRY to get an "inexpensive guitar from a name brand" vs a "cheap guitar from a no name brand". Even brand names can put out dogs on occasion, but overall they probably will have better quality control and are more likely to stand behind the product .

2) Try to buy from a reputable place. They will be most likely to take care of you if the guitar is a dog. (there is an online place called rondomusic.com. Check them out. They have inexpensive guitars and Ive heard they take care of you if the guitar is flawed.

3)If you are buying from no name place, no name brand. dont spend more than you can afford to lose.

4) find out if there is any kind of return policy..

5) If AT ALL possible, try before you buy. There is ALWAYS a risk buying online or from pics that is could have bad fretwork, warped neck, noisy pots, binding or improper cut nut, etc. EVEN buying a name brand. (tho its less likely)


I hope I was on point with what you were asking and that this helps.. Again some things you simply cant tell from pictures, that can make a huge difference. Good luck

thanks, im personally goin with cheap as dirt polishin a no name turd for many reasons 1 being budget 2 being litrally all my gear is pic only toss up because i live hours away from a place i can try before buy and i wanna learn to repair guitars so why buy a 150 guitar to break instead of a 70 one? i dont go 'oh you wanna learn to drive ok here use this benz to practice' an besides if it is a dog i can try to make it a nice domesticated one thats house trained. i dont have a bottom line here to worry its less i am getting a so i can make b its more i wanna aimlessly wander between the 2 until i find q an realize i where i need to be.

 

[Brandenburg]

Re: cheap gear

check pawnshops.. you can find some kool guitars there.. cheap as well if they are no namers

 

[blueman335]

Re: cheap gear

There's a point at which cheap instruments aren't worth it; the materials are workmanship are so poor, that you can't do anything with them. There is no 'polishing'. If you have to replace the cheap hardware, tuners, electronics, & PU's just to make a playable, you're not saving any money, and then may still have frets that wear fast and were poorly installed, and/or a warped neck. You'll end up spending more money. They're super cheap for a reason. Their cost in a guitar that sells for $70, is probably half that. What kind of wood, metal, and finish can you buy for $35, including the cost of labor? You're just throwing money away when you by one. They're total crap made for little kids.

The best value by far is a deal on a used mid-price import instrument. Far better quality to start with, you don't have to sink a lot of money into it. This may be a lesson you have to learn the hard way.

 

[dazedandconfused001]

Re: cheap gear

check pawnshops.. you can find some kool guitars there.. cheap as well if they are no namers

my pawn shops suuuuuuuuccccccckkkkkkkk no set ups no new strings on guitar in particular they wanted 150 for i would get tetness from lookin at an its a no namer. besides i need a bass as i said bout an hour til the nearest ok place. but on plus side theyre ok for amps

 

[Kamanda~SD]

Re: cheap gear

It's a pawn shop, not a guitar shop...you cant expect new strings or a setup. EDIT: But this can be a good bargaining point.

Honestly there's a point where its too low...yes I've been there. a $70 instrument might not even respond to certain changes haha My first bass was some Washburn bolt on, about $300 new bought for $150, great starter bass, still have it, truss rod works great, intonation can be set, threw in some better pickups, its a nice little backup, still cheap, but good.

 

[Godin15]

Re: cheap gear

You usually get what you pay for and if you are not wanting it to be a total bust then don't get anything because upgrading a $70 beater doesn't change that it is still a $70 beater that just cost you a lot more than its worth.

Personally I am not wanting to buy a cheap guitar, then putting higher quality electronics in it. I would rather wait til I have the cash go to my local shop test out some guitars. Then if I like the quality, sound and playability of the guitar and of course the price is right I will go for it.You can buy a descent guitar for around $300 that will give good service for years to come. I don't upgrade any of my axes. I find what I like and stick with it. Not saying there is anything wrong about others that choose otherwise.

 

[Zhaggy01]

Re: cheap gear

If you want to buy a cheap guitar i would recomend a les paul style Bach. Yes people say epiphones are good but sadly the newer epiphones are not that good and for less money you could get a new Bach that is miles better than an epiphone

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[ehdwuld]

Re: cheap gear

I was looking at the Xavier guitars on GFS
Some look really nice.
None that I looked at were over $300
Looked nice
As well with the Rondo site

But at that price I just don't know
Can't really try one before buying

Don't really want to be the one that gets burnt on those

 

[dazedandconfused001]

Re: cheap gear

I was looking at the Xavier guitars on GFS
Some look really nice.
None that I looked at were over $300
Looked nice
As well with the Rondo site

But at that price I just don't know
Can't really try one before buying

Don't really want to be the one that gets burnt on those

see this is exactly why i buy cheap is i cant play before buying. my fave guitar i spend 400 on then had to replace pups like that month so i learned go cheap and expect crap.

 

[dazedandconfused001]

Re: cheap gear

There's a point at which cheap instruments aren't worth it; the materials are workmanship are so poor, that you can't do anything with them. There is no 'polishing'. If you have to replace the cheap hardware, tuners, electronics, & PU's just to make a playable, you're not saving any money, and then may still have frets that wear fast and were poorly installed, and/or a warped neck. You'll end up spending more money. They're super cheap for a reason. Their cost in a guitar that sells for $70, is probably half that. What kind of wood, metal, and finish can you buy for $35, including the cost of labor? You're just throwing money away when you by one. They're total crap made for little kids.

The best value by far is a deal on a used mid-price import instrument. Far better quality to start with, you don't have to sink a lot of money into it. This may be a lesson you have to learn the hard way.

i see what you all are saying and i agree for most part but my goal here on this one isnt to do as little and spend as little to get a good sound and tone its more of a mad science experiment to see what i can do with crap. i wanna learn how to do things i dont wanna **** up good gear to learn like refreting, refinishing, fixing truss rods, etc.

 

[dominus]

Re: cheap gear

Rondo and GFS sell guitars that are better than you'd expect for the price. Period. If I was shopping for a new guitar and they had the specs I wanted, I'd grab one.

For used, it's hard to beat newer Squiers and Epiphones.

I'd shy away from unknown brands for the most part. There's a *lot* of things coming out of China, and some are surprisingly good, but a lot of times you will end up with sharp frets at minimum.

BTW, I could afford nice custom shop gear if I wanted. I choose not to. I'd rather piece together something cheap and customize it to my liking. A custom shop guitar is going to lose a lot of value if you ever sell it. The cheaper stuff (if you buy used) will hold just about all of its value.

 

[treyhaislip]

Re: cheap gear

Rondo and GFS sell guitars that are better than you'd expect for the price. Period. If I was shopping for a new guitar and they had the specs I wanted, I'd grab one.

For used, it's hard to beat newer Squiers and Epiphones.

I'd shy away from unknown brands for the most part. There's a *lot* of things coming out of China, and some are surprisingly good, but a lot of times you will end up with sharp frets at minimum.

BTW, I could afford nice custom shop gear if I wanted. I choose not to. I'd rather piece together something cheap and customize it to my liking. A custom shop guitar is going to lose a lot of value if you ever sell it. The cheaper stuff (if you buy used) will hold just about all of its value.

I personally choose Warmoth and Musikraft for my gear, but I've seen some great stuff from GFS (especially for the price.)

The problem with a Custom Shop stuff is you pay extra for stuff YOU like and a potential buyer could care less.

 

[dazedandconfused001]

Re: cheap gear

I personally choose Warmoth and Musikraft for my gear, but I've seen some great stuff from GFS (especially for the price.)

The problem with a Custom Shop stuff is you pay extra for stuff YOU like and a potential buyer could care less.

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