Your best and most consistent "Bang for the buck" brand that you own & dig

Phantasmagoria said:
Is that brand loyalty or do you actually only like the way SD pup's sound vs. everything else out there? Personally I do prefer (some) SD's over most other pickups, but eh, a nice sounding pup is a nice sounding pup and it often happens they are'nt SD's :bigthumb:
Click to expand...

Well, I used them long before I worked for the company because they had the sound I heard in my head.
 
Top-L said:
I think its because on some brands, like Jackson, you can get a $250 guitar with the same headstock logo as the expensive USA guitars.

With LTD, you are paying 1200+ and the guitar doesn't even have the ESP logo! It is a little reminiscent of "Squire" and "Epiphone", even though the LTD guitars are expensive.

I have two of them and I agree its a bit odd, but I got over it. In fact, my next guitar will probably also be a LTD.
Click to expand...

I just don't like the way the letter's L.T & D look in that font on the headstock (aesthetically) The letters. E.S. & P on the other hand, work for me (crazy, I know :laugh2:). It's got nothing to do with prices. I mean I have a guitar with "Grote" on the headstock & I'm cool with it :lmao:
 
Phantasmagoria said:
Thanks! You know , despite the fact that LTD always has cool looking guitars /great specs/finishes etc, I've never bought one, because (of all things) the logo.

I don't know why , but I'm extremely put off by that.The font or something, which is weird ' cause the CORT logo is nothing to write home about either (though they've finally changed it to the new one on the X700 up there) . And Funnily enough, while the 'ESP' logo uses the same font it actually looks cool and works with those letters (ESP) unlike with LTD which has always looked off-putting & tacky (to me). So much so that I can't get past it and buy the goddamn guitar's :laugh2: . And there's no denying they're sweet guitars.. :bigthumb:

I've never actually had an axe with anything but the traditional fretboard woods (Rosewood, maple, ebony). I'm curious about pao ferro, jacoba, laurel etc...
Click to expand...
They also do the script logo on some guitars, not just the stencil logo!

fb28c3c5a24e94933ddb045633e47c16.jpg
 
Mikelamury said:
I would say for me it would have to be Gretsch. I have a couple if there electromatic (mid priced) guitars and they are excellent quality guitars right out of the box. I've heard the same thing about there cheaper streamliner models too. Good sounding pickups, solid hardwood and excellent craftsmanship. It makes me wonder what there high priced japanese models would be like...
Click to expand...

Not really into classic/50's looking guitar's but I've seen quite a few at stores and they do seem to be really well made.
 
Since about 2016, I haven't seen many brands offering much "bang" for my buck. I feel like I'm having to fork out way too much buck for the bang they are offering. The older Vintage Modified Squier line was great for the price. Ibanez guitars up until around 2015 were nice for the price. Older PR SE models were well made for the price.

Seems like the reduction in quality and increase in price is getting more ridiculous every year. Companies have run out of decent wood, and they seem incapable of making a truly finished guitar with no issues at practically any price point. There isn't really much out there that interests me at this point. I look around at older used stuff occasionally.
 
Last edited:
Reverend. Although I have so many other guitars, I believe in time they will all be replaced by Reverends. Well built, affordable with extremely high quality and don't forget that bass roll off!
 
PRS Custom 22 circa 2002.
If you don't change guitars like your shorts "bang for the buck" takes on a slightly different meaning.
 
I have a Jackson SL3X that was pretty nice bang for the buck. A Squier that was dirt cheap and makes a great backup. A Les Paul Studio that's been a great test bed for pickups. A Highway 1 Tele that became a live gig workhorse for a while. Sucker stays in tune for hours despite boomer bending the heck out of strings on it.
 
Carvin / Kiesel here. Owned more of them over the years than i care to try and count. Custom built several and have played other brands but always come back to them. Mine aren't the gaudy highly figured guitars for the most part but just basic working player guitars. Owned just about anything you can name now own nothing but a handful of Washburn USA mid 90's bolt on Super Strats and my Carvin Kiesels. They come out of the case every night play in tune with no drams and feel feel right. Nothing else on the planet at any price is more reliable on the road than these guitars. About half of the Carvin Kiesel have stock pickups half Duncans. Both my current number one and my number 2 have Stock Kiesel pickups and they are not going anywhere.
 
Phantasmagoria said:
Is that brand loyalty or do you actually only like the way SD pup's sound vs. everything else out there? Personally I do prefer (some) SD's over most other pickups, but eh, a nice sounding pup is a nice sounding pup and it often happens they are'nt SD's :bigthumb:
Click to expand...

Agree with this completely. I own more guitars with Duncans than anything else but really like for example some of the newer Kiesel pickups a lot. Unfortunately Kiesel seems to push their ceramic mag nasty shrill sounding metal super high output pickups so most have no concept just how good some of the Kiesel lower gain Alnico mag pickups really are. I don't care about a name on my guitars or my pickups i care about how they sound, feel, play and if they are reliable on the road.
 
Mincer said:
Cort used to be all over the place in the 80s. But it is rare to see them in shops now.
Click to expand...

I can't remember the last time I saw a Cort. Like you said probably the 80's. Back then they looked nothing like the guitars Phantasmagoria is playing. Cort in the USA was a budget brand most people avoided. I would not mind giving the guitars Phantasmagoria is posting a shot.
 
Securb said:
I can't remember the last time I saw a Cort. Like you said probably the 80's. Back then they looked nothing like the guitars Phantasmagoria is playing. Cort in the USA was a budget brand most people avoided. I would not mind giving the guitars Phantasmagoria is posting a shot.
Click to expand...

Very coincidental I see this post since I joined the forums yesterday to find information about wiring a set of Jazz and JB's into my Cort. I use this guitar when I'm traveling. Got it for $150 CAD. Put a set of Planet Wave machine heads on it and now upgrading all the electronics. This is definitely a bang for buck guitar. I love playing it. It's a hair metal S type guitar with a thinner neck than I usually go for, but it's a joy to play.

On the topic of Cort, I never see Cort guitars in shops in Canada either, however I've heard nothing but good things about their guitars and they have a great selection of top spec'd guitars and basses for reasonable prices. I'm thinking of trying another out and getting it through Thomann.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top