You Get What You Pay For. Every Step of the Way.

[philthis]

Re: You Get What You Pay For. Every Step of the Way.

philthis,
one of my friends found one of Bob Taylor's early guitars, made when Bob was at a store here, before he started his company

it was a nice Dreadnought, and sounded close to a Martin to me

he knew someone at the Taylor factory, and held out for a very good trade for a very nice Koa model worth several thousand.

I played the Koa, and told him I liked the tone of the other one better.

:laugh2: :laugh2: :laugh2: thats a funny story. bet your friend was pissed. ah well what do we know eh? :laugh2: :laugh2: :laugh2:

 

[RiffRaff]

Re: You Get What You Pay For. Every Step of the Way.

I think tone is in your hands, any decent guitar can sound awesome in the hands of a great player - too much emphasis has been put on equipment, I look at the great players of the past and most of them were using mid point price instruments available at the time. If you look at many pros today you see them playing the same guitars and amps available to the public at pretty reasonable prices, why is that? Frankly I feel many of the "cheap" guitars available today are better in build and wood quality than those virtually all of the expensive guitars built 40 to 50 years back. Today I think most of the time you don't get what you pay for, you pay more than you should for what you got.

 

[Artie]

Re: You Get What You Pay For. Every Step of the Way.

I believe in "you get what you pay for" up to a point, but brand recognition certainly tilts things sometimes without merit. Here's a Peavey Patriot that just sold on eBay for $61.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=3776589634&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT

I don't have a lot of experience with "up-scale" guitars, although I did once own a mid '80's MIA Strat. That Patriot is just a nice, decent instrument. Slap a set of Duncans in it, and you have a killer axe for less than 2 bills. There are definitely deals out there to be had.

 

[rinse_master]

Re: You Get What You Pay For. Every Step of the Way.

There are definitely deals out there to be had.

For sure, a little while ago I picked up a Hohner Goldtop at a car boot sale for £20, seems pretty solid, just needs a little bit of cleaning up and I have a guitar for £20!

 

[Simon_F]

Re: You Get What You Pay For. Every Step of the Way.

"You get what you pay for" is certainly a fact of life, up to a point. Unfortunately, the fact it's mostly true allows some people to charge more for their products or services than they're worth purely so we think we're getting "the best that money can buy".

Encapsulated in the Stella Artois marketing slogan - "Reassuringly Expensive".

 

[JeffB]

Re: You Get What You Pay For. Every Step of the Way.

I've pretty much found this to be the truth as well.

I was really made aware of it again during my recent "amp search". I played a ton of amps, and I was amazed at how poor most were until you started to get into the $1000 plus range (new). Sure there were a few exceptions, but they were not the rule. And I don't mean poor from mostly subjective qualities. I mean poor construction, rattling tubes, crappy speakers, extremely buzzy or harsh gain structure, etc.

With guitars too I found it to be the case. After getting back into playing last summer, I'm going on my 5th guitar already. The first two I purchased played nice, but had poor contruction/quality control/electronics. Things were falling off, loosening up, siezing up, trems wouldn't stay in tune, etc. Then I decided to spend a bit more money and got my MIA strat. The difference was huge.The Wolfgang is one of those exceptions to the rule. It's built as well as the Strat, but cost 1/3 Less. And now I've got a PRS on the way. So I'm anxious to put it head to head with my $600 and $900 guitars and see what happens from a curiosity standpoint.

 

[Bludave]

Re: You Get What You Pay For. Every Step of the Way.

Yes and No.

Some of my best electric guitars are mid 80's Japanese Fenders that I think are just as well made as my '63 Strat. The '63 Strat's worth $5000 or more and my best MIJ Strat (refitted with Duncan Antiquitys) is still only worth $500...maybe.

When it comes to nice acoustic guitars with solid tops, back and sides you do get what you pay for. My Taylor, Martin and Gibson are fairly expensive guitars but nothing for less $$$ would have satisfied me.

And Gearjoneser, after going back and forth on the AC-30 purchase, I decided to pass on the PCB Vox and take your advice:

I sprung for a gorgeous used Matchless SC 30 yesterday! :dance: And I know I'll get what I paid for with the Matchless.

Lew

In my case I feel electric guitars are easier to coax good tone out of a less expensive guitar. An Epi LP with good pups and pots will sound damn good. As good as an old LP...... I don't think so, but very good just the same. When it comes to Acoustic or Archtop guitars, the build quality IMO is one of the most important factors. But I agree that a good Acoustic guitar can't be had for under $1500. I recently played a Monteleone guitar that sold for $27,000, and quite honestly it was not better in sound than any Taylors I have played. So expensive does not always mean better. I have also played several Bursts from 58 and 59. Some were absolutley magical, other were just OK. Considering that these guitars are selling for mega $ it does not always mean that they will sound all that good! We all know that both Gibson and Fender made great guitars in the 50's and 60's, but they both made some dogs right along side these wonderful guitars. It really comes down to materials and build quality IMO

 

[Thames]

Re: You Get What You Pay For. Every Step of the Way.

Yes, as long as you compare apples and oranges.

The price of a guitar is more based on "salaries" than features/woods. You could have 2 identical guitars, using exactly the same materials and hardware, have one built in Asia and the other one in America, and the asian one will still cost 50% less, for the same built quality. It's now a sad fact today, let's face it.

But I generally agree on this rule.

And of course, it is only applicable to NEW instruments. The used market is another thing.

 

[Lee_M.]

Re: You Get What You Pay For. Every Step of the Way.

"Pay for what you get..."

I have found this to be the case with acoustic guitars, in particular. A well built acoustic will last you a very long time on the road, at home, and anywhere in between. My Martin's have withstood a true beating over the years with traveling between NY, Charlotte, Colorado, California....not to mention the hundreds of gigs at fraternity houses, bars, etc. where anything and everything can happen to your guitar.

With electrics I think you can more easily manipulate the tone of the guitar, thereby allowing you to purchase a cheaper guitar if necessary. With acoustics, that is not always the case although Martin makes some da*n nice lower priced guitars.

 

[Falstaff]

Re: You Get What You Pay For. Every Step of the Way.

It's true, with the one caveat that you never know if a guitar is going to be good or not until you actually play it. And that's subjective, too, of course. Better materials and manufacturing processes just make your chances better.

 

[Luke Duke]

Re: You Get What You Pay For. Every Step of the Way.

I'll agree with what has been said for the most part. Accoustics are a rough bet. I will throw my 2 cents in on godin and seagulls, excellent playing guitars, excellent quality builds with great fit and finish, although I'm not familiar with the silver leaf maple they are using on some guitars which supposedly sounds similiar to mahogany.

My LG plays so much better than any of the current era gibsons, and has a better neck joint than any fender. It is accousticly loud, and the whole guitar feels alive. It even came with SD P90s! All that said the guitar was less than $500.

However Godins, Hamers, and Heritages are all exceptions not the rule itself.

I believe that the amp market is much more subject to the rule than the guitar market. You pay for solid wood, you pay for good speakers, you pay for hand soldering, you pay for ceramic tube sockets. I know that no one can solder better than a computer, but that extra bit of attention paid makes all the difference in the world. In the electronics world the first 10 hours of use is the most crucial. During that time anything that is going to break due to flaws will. Not counting throwing the amp around in a truck. I think that boutique amp dealer have a right to charge whatever they want, as long as their products deliver. My Z does that, and for a low boutique price, as do bogners, riveras, blockheads etc. That's how they stay in business.

Luke

 

[PUCKBOY99]

Re: You Get What You Pay For. Every Step of the Way.

"You get what you pay for"...in general, I agree.

But certain things are considered disposable to me. I won't spend say $10.00 for a pack of strings that will do the same thing a $3.00 set will do(ie. Dean Markley Cold Steel cryo crap or whatever it's called).

Case in point(although not guitar related): I bought this fancy Panasonic phone "system" about a year ago. Top of the line thing with the base unit that is an answerring machine. You only need one phone jack for the base & the other units just get plugged into any wall outlet. Well, after changing the batteries in each of the 4 phones twice in the year, the entire system no longer works.

I bought a Uniden cordless for $14.99. When it dies, I'll buy a new phone...which is cheaper than the batteries the Panasonic used!!!!

VCRs & DVD players are now so cheap, if yours breaks it's cheaper to buy a new one than to get the old one fixed.

I forget what my point was.....but sometimes if something costs more that doesn't equate quality. You just have to figure that certain things are built to last & certain things aren't...don't get pissed when the electric car window motor dies!!!

 

[Artie]

Re: You Get What You Pay For. Every Step of the Way.

...don't get pissed when the electric car window motor dies!!!

Except that it always seems to happen right after your dead-beat brother-in-law passes wind! :yell:

 

[PUCKBOY99]

Re: You Get What You Pay For. Every Step of the Way.

Except that it always seems to happen right after your dead-beat brother-in-law passes wind! :yell:

.........hahahaha.....or once the warranty is over!!!

 

[NecroPolo]

Re: You Get What You Pay For. Every Step of the Way.

I totally agree in the case of equipment quality. Considering recording gear it is true multiple times.


However, I totally disagree in the case of tone & music quality. It has nothing to do with gear.

 

[aleclee]

Re: You Get What You Pay For. Every Step of the Way.

Like Gearjoneser said... one of the things which affects the price is brand recognition. Some companies milk this for all they can. Which is why a Gibson costs more than a Herritage.

If you're buying new, that brand recognition is worth something when it comes time to part ways with the guitar. It's easier to get your $$ out of a Gibby than a Heritage.

 

[Luke Duke]

Re: You Get What You Pay For. Every Step of the Way.

If you're buying new, that brand recognition is worth something when it comes time to part ways with the guitar. It's easier to get your $$ out of a Gibby than a Heritage.

Well that's a debate in and of itself. You pay less for a Heritage, so yes, you should expect to get less for it than a comparable Gibson when you sell it. If I remember right Scott figured his Heritage had depreciated the same amount as his Gibsons, precentage-wise. I think he said 20%??

Luke

 

[Luke Duke]

Re: You Get What You Pay For. Every Step of the Way.

You get what you pay for ...

It's not a cliche, it's a fact of life. I've been let down by crappy gear, crappy friends, and crappy beer. Not no more!!

Does this have something to do with Guiness?

 

[kmcguitars]

Re: You Get What You Pay For. Every Step of the Way.

I believe it is true (You Get What You Pay For) I don't cut corners on
Tubes, Speakers or Pickups !! But... I've found some of the low end asian Electric guitars To be a serious Bang for the buck! Two years ago when
my Les Paul was stolen, I was looking to replace it with a ES-335. The Gibby's
where Nice But I really didn't have 2 Grand to drop on a guitar. :blackeye:
So I started looking at Epi's , Ibanez's,Hamer's etc. Oddly the best one I
found was a Samick SAN-450 used for $200. O.K. I'm not kidding myself
into thinking it's made aswell as a Gibson. But with a pair of Duncan's and a
good setup, As far as tone and playability go It's right up there with a
Gibby IMHO. So I guess there is a loop hole in that rule?? I ended up buying
2 more samicks ,And I couldn't be happier with them. Go Figure?
BTW, If I had gotten the Gibson 335. I probaly would have changed the
PuPs anyway. :laugh2:

 

[big_black]

Re: You Get What You Pay For. Every Step of the Way.

Do you get what you pay for when you pay $32,480.00 for a new Les Paul Standard? http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=home/search/detail/base_pid/517188/ Only if it comes with a year supply of hookers and blow.