The best cheap gear you've had.

[That90'sGuy]

Re: The best cheap gear you've had.

This was probably my favorite cheap electric, a Dean Chafin Del Sol:

I remember the guitar playing really well and sounding really good with a pickup change (I think I had Dimarzio Virtual PAFs in there).

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: The best cheap gear you've had.

You guys probably don't want to hear about the 1960 Strat I bought for $150, or the 1969 ash-bodied Tele Thinline with a Bigsby that I got for $150. Or the Fender Super Champ for $65. How about the vintage 1965 Deluxe Reverb a guy gave me for letting him crash on my sofa for a couple of weeks? Or the absolutely pristine mint 1964 Blonde/Gold BF Tremolux, with the matching 210 cab...for $50???

There's cheap gear, and then there's CHEAP gear, LOL!!!

But some of my current budget treasures are my two DanElectro Innuendo 12-string, ($125, $140); my two Ibanez GR-520 Ghostriders ($250, $175); a mid 1970's Hondo 935 (335 clone) for $140.

I have two Les Paul Supremes and a new 335 that had broken headstocks that I bought for pennies on the dollar. And I bought a new Martin D-28 back in 2003 that had store damage from a vandal, for $750--easily repaired.

I have had some great deals over the years.

Bill

 

[kramersteen]

Re: The best cheap gear you've had.

You guys probably don't want to hear about the 1960 Strat I bought for $150,

Correct.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: The best cheap gear you've had.

Ahaha, what did they have to say about it? they try to get you to send it back ?

The store manager had a stressed look on his face, when the salesman told him that he'd sold the Epiphone that was behind the counter. I briskly walked out. I had just spent an hour playing the guitar, in disbelief that it was $99.

 

[JeffB]

Re: The best cheap gear you've had.

Oh. Joe reminded me about my guitar store beneficial screwup. . I forgot about the MIJ Destroyer DT420 I got at GC they had mismarked. A guy had sold them the 420 and one of those small body MIK weird destroyers. They had the prices reversed, the MIk was supposed to be 199, and the 420 was supposed to be 5 or 6 bills. I knew it was a goof, so I quickly said I would take it for 200 out the door, uncle Sam included and could they throw in a couple packs of strings. Kid talks to someone, and they agree, then he tells me...oh..looks like it comes with a hard case too. After I pay for it and they are bringing the Hardcase out of the back, the store manager comes over and starts examining my guitar..."made in japan, huh"? ..he knew it was a goof, and he knew, that I knew ...."You got a really good deal"... and he had a pissed off smile on his face...I agreed with him about the deal, and walked out with it

 

[firebirdguy72]

Re: The best cheap gear you've had.

You guys probably don't want to hear about the 1960 Strat I bought for $150

Well if you've still got it I'll give you $200 for it... I'm just across the pass from you and if I leave now I'll be there about 8ish. After all you'd still make a profit

In case you couldn't tell that was sarcasm.

 

[Stratman]

Re: The best cheap gear you've had.

But it says "Gibson" on the headstock... that is the problem with it.

So, why is that a problem?

Do you own or work for Gibson?

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: The best cheap gear you've had.

So, why is that a problem?

Do you own or work for Gibson?

You of all people should know how lame it is to counterfeit something.

If someone shows up wearing colors or rockers that are not theirs what happens?

 

[Quiksilver]

Re: The best cheap gear you've had.

You of all people should know how lame it is to counterfeit something.

So if it only said "Chibson", that would be OK? curious to know why a replica is considered "Lame" (honest question as I am lefty and it's slim pickings for us southpaws)

 

[jmwreck]

Re: The best cheap gear you've had.

Charvel Desolation DS3ST now loaded with SD Hot Rods

Sterling by Music Man Sub Silo 3 with GFS Grey-Bottom Neck and Middle Pickups and 59 on the Bridge

 

[firebirdguy72]

Re: The best cheap gear you've had.

Charvel Desolation DS3ST now loaded with SD Hot Rods

Sterling by Music Man Sub Silo 3 with GFS Grey-Bottom Neck and Middle Pickups and 59 on the Bridge

 

[Thisisnotmyusername]

Re: The best cheap gear you've had.

I lurk a lot and haven't posted but this thread sort of piqued my interest. I used to make a lot more money but the economic downturn really nailed me a couple years back and now i work from home taking phone calls for 9 bucks an hour. I'm working on changing that but it's proven hard. It's made a lot of things hard like repairing instruments after a year of downtime while paying bills. I have turned into the master of taking cheap stuff and making it rock. I have a few things that are inexpensive that I gig with regularly. the cheapest is a Dean Evo Xm It's pictured here with a set of Guitar Fetish Fat Pats. They are Alnico 5 magnet high out put humbuckers with a great smooth high end and plenty of crunch. Sort of a Warmer EQ super distortion. When I picked up the evo I was gigging a lot and really heavy into the local the scene here. I was jamming a lot on stage with friends bands and just very active. Also, my main guitars be it my american stratocaster, or Ibanez RG320 or whatever...had some sort of floating trem on it. It made it hard to switch to different tunings (my band was rocking a half step down - many others were in 440). I needed a good "second" guitar to take care of all these duties. I was in a best buy and picked up the dean and loved the feel. Fast neck, big frets, light and comfortable. The pickups were mud but for the money i could easily put aside enough to get a set of gfs pups to fix that. So i jumped on amazon at home and found a used one for 80 bucks shipped and ordered the pups at the same time. It's been a key part of my rig ever sense serving as that "jam" guitar when i need to tune to standard or drop d or whatever we are gonna be jamming in....and as an "oh ****" guitar when i break a string or something on my main gigging guitar with a floyd rose. It's not perfect. It's not easy to get to 21 and 22 and the tuners need upgrading....if i get a few bucks aside maybe I'll do that but It sounds great. I recently swapped out the pups for a covered set of humbuckers from a prewired pickguard from GFS. I had used the switch and pots to fix two other guitars I have and the pickguard will go to a future project i have in mind and I like it even better. They are far lower output and have more chime and clarity. Also I have two cheap amps. I have an old solid state Peavey Bandit 1x12 that i got used for 125 and I stuck a swamp thing in it. It sounds epic for the money and is indestructible. My other amp is a Bugera v22. I love the tubey tones from it but some places I play are rough and the solid state rig tolerates the dust and smoke better. I also have a Joyo Us Dream, a behringer chorus pedal and digital delay pedal, and a Donner Boost killer pedal, all of which are just perfect for what they are trying to be.

 

[Chopa]

Re: The best cheap gear you've had.

I got a Harmony Flying V from the JC Penny catalog about 32 years ago. It cost $125 and I had to drive to the city to pick it up. The pickups sucked but it played great. I swapped out the pups for a JB and a PAF clone of dubious origins that a friend gave me and it just sang. Over the years I've let other guitarists try it and they're consistently surprised by how great it feels and sounds. Years later I found another one identical to it and it just didn't have the same feel. I definitely lucked out. 32 years later and it's still a great player (I've replaced the Tune-O-Matic and the tuning keys with Grovers). If I had to do a one-guitar gig, this is the one I'd take every time.

 

[Arkyz66]

Re: The best cheap gear you've had.

My dad's also got a Lag twelve string acoustic. Mahogany sides and back, not sure what the top is but it sounds fantastic. Very bright and is probably the loudest acoustic I've heard. If you have not heard of Lag you should check out their acoustics. It's a French company I believe.

I think ive got the same lag, and i agree, it sounds beautiful. ive actually done a bit of a john butler on it, running it through the normal acoustic pup, but having an electric pup with some effects (mainly dist/od and delay), and it holds up beautifully!

 

[Arkyz66]

Re: The best cheap gear you've had.

pretty much all my equipment is cheap
anyway, answering the question

Good Stuff
Lag 12 string acoustic electric
Epi Goth Les Paul
GuitarTechnology GT Bass (picked it up for $60, and works like a charm!)
Yamaha 1968 acoustic (modelled off a martin!)

Bad Stuff
My Peavey Rage 158 transtube amp. it sounds horrible. nuff said.

Intermediate Gear
My B.C. Rich Warlock Widow. Picked it up for $350, sounds alright, but needs some better pups (but the stock rich ones always sound bad.......)
my boss gt8. its not too bad, but it doesnt sound too good atm. im pretty sure its the amp though

 

[allbutromeo]

Re: The best cheap gear you've had.

I got a Harmony Flying V from the JC Penny catalog about 32 years ago. It cost $125 and I had to drive to the city to pick it up. The pickups sucked but it played great. I swapped out the pups for a JB and a PAF clone of dubious origins that a friend gave me and it just sang. Over the years I've let other guitarists try it and they're consistently surprised by how great it feels and sounds. Years later I found another one identical to it and it just didn't have the same feel. I definitely lucked out. 32 years later and it's still a great player (I've replaced the Tune-O-Matic and the tuning keys with Grovers). If I had to do a one-guitar gig, this is the one I'd take every time.

My uncle had one of these, it was a suprisingly good guitar... at least until he hacked it up to make a guitar/bass double neck.

 

[DaveThePius]

Re: The best cheap gear you've had.

My favorite piece of budget gear would be my X2 XDS95 wireless systems. Was gonna get a Shure unit at the time, but the X2 gear was being discontinued, and I bought 2 systems for less than one Shure, plus I can switch transmitters on the same reciever, meaning if I switch basses, I turn off the transmitter on the one I was using, and just turn on the one I'm going to use. It's great having a transmitter on the strap of my backup bass. They seem cheaply made, but I've been using them since 2009. I did one mod to put antennaes on the receiver increase range. Also the digital wireless of the X2 is now being copied by Shure and the other guys.

Line 6 bought out X2, and they're continuing the legacy.

The bad: I had bought a Sabine tuner (Pick 700 I think) and that thing couldn't tune for sh*t.

 

[jmwreck]

Re: The best cheap gear you've had.

View attachment 60002

thanks

 

[Aceguy]

Re: The best cheap gear you've had.

My 2006 Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus Top in Honey Burst is my main guitar. It plays as well as any Gibson I've ever played. It's been rewired and it currently has a Dimarzio Super Distortion and a Dimarzio PAF 36th. I usually play the neck pickup. I string it with Ernie Ball Cobalt Strings (.11). A true beauty.

 

[HALENisking]

Re: The best cheap gear you've had.

In the bad stuff category I had a Peavey Windsor 100w head and cab. God. Awful.