Guitar thread

[Tripped1]

Originally Posted by josjor

I'd maybe argue a bit with that. I think there are many, many models from many, many manufacturers that, in a true blind test, you wouldn't be able to pick out which one was the Les Paul and which one wasn't. The same is true for Tele's and Strats.

What is simply amazing to me is the blindness of consumers to brand loyalty. I can have that Fender or Gibson hanging on the wall next to other brands that exceed the quality in EVERY aspect including price, and people will buy the Fender or Gibson first and pay me more for the privilege of doing so.

Oh, well. It pays my bills.

Where there you have it.

Then again, unless you are a professional musician there isn't any real need for any American guitar, you rapidly approach a point of diminishing returns when you start cresting $2000. Are they better then the mid range guitars that go from $500-$900? Yeah, a bit better wood, a bit higher grade hardware, and a couple more features.

Do they have 3 times the performance, mechanically or tonally? Hell no.

Its just a matter of tolerance for price, and no one is going out of business so the tolerance is obviously there. Rationality doesn't usually make its way into instrument purchases.

[FPGT72]

It had been quite a while since I had been in a music store. Truth is I was not playing that much, kinda stuck in a rut...I would pick and pluck at something every other day or so....I was just stuck. I had not lost my drive really, I played the cord zombie game on rocksmith....why I like that so much I don't know...but it is fun.....but learning new stuff, new song, going outside my confort zone and actually slowing down and learning something I was not doing. I was looking at guitars on the net and off craigs list and was pretty down on the crap I was looking at....even the Rick I went to look at was total junk...how someone could do that to a guitar is past me.

I spent 350 on that squire jazzmaster and it really has lit the fire again....I play every night...and as long as kids and wife allow....about an hour-hour and a half....and am really pumped about it again....with all my guitars.

But in shopping the latest new guitar and going the fender/squire-gibson/epi gambit I really do not see the huge price difference. The squire guitars are very nice....no sharp edges, very even, nice hardware. Several years ago the difference between a squire and a fender branded guitar was pretty darn big....now not so much.

Originally Posted by Tripped1

Where there you have it.

Then again, unless you are a professional musician there isn't any real need for any American guitar, you rapidly approach a point of diminishing returns when you start cresting $2000. Are they better then the mid range guitars that go from $500-$900? Yeah, a bit better wood, a bit higher grade hardware, and a couple more features.

Do they have 3 times the performance, mechanically or tonally? Hell no.

Its just a matter of tolerance for price, and no one is going out of business so the tolerance is obviously there. Rationality doesn't usually make its way into instrument purchases.

[Tripped1]

Originally Posted by FPGT72

But in shopping the latest new guitar and going the fender/squire-gibson/epi gambit I really do not see the huge price difference. The squire guitars are very nice....no sharp edges, very even, nice hardware. Several years ago the difference between a squire and a fender branded guitar was pretty darn big....now not so much.

Exactly my point.

I hadn't done much more then pluck around at random on my accoustic for 5-6 years. I went off and grabbed a PRS SE (read Korean) for a song and all of a sudden I have my amps all torn apart fixing and cleaning, completely rewired my BC Rich, new strings polish parts, cables..

....and I suck, I can barely play songs that I could do in my sleep when I was 16, but its coming back quickly.

Would I like a LP standard or Maryland PRS, sure, I have no need for them, I have four guitars amps all over the place and the beginning of some recording gear.

Don't have time to gig or anything, but at least I'm playing again, apparently I missed it.

[Dismount]

I am really getting a jones for an sg or a les paul (copy).
Plenty of used G400s and LP100s that I can afford.


Need it? Hell no, Want em? hell yes.

[Tripped1]

Originally Posted by Dismount

I am really getting a jones for an sg or a les paul (copy).
Plenty of used G400s and LP100s that I can afford.


Need it? Hell no, Want em? hell yes.

Gibson studios are going for 6 bills on Sam Ash, less if you cash in an instant discount

Guitar Center has a bunch of black Friday deals going as well.

[Dismount]

Sub 200 is more my budget.


What can I say... I'm poor.

[Dismount]

http://www.guitarcenter.com/In-Store...98-i2832966.gc

http://www.guitarcenter.com/In-Store...55-i2785795.gc

Nothin says lovin like a bright assed red guitar.

[AllanC]

Here's a nice video about Collings guitars. Bill's a genius, and I am very, very lucky to play one of his amazing acoustics.

[Josephvman]

+1

Last year's Christmas present to myself was a doghair 290, and this year I'm leaning towards either a D2hg or a City Limits deluxe.

Originally Posted by AllanC

Here's a nice video about Collings guitars. Bill's a genius, and I am very, very lucky to play one of his amazing acoustics.

[Jeffy]

Originally Posted by assquatch20

Heck I'm seeing some under $400 on eBay. The only bad thing I can say about Epiphone is how ugly the headstock is. Vintage Epi's are neat, but the headstock, I think, is almost a strategy to make you buy a Gibson.

When Epiphone had the headstock that looked like an open book, it was a lot easier for unscrupulous people to convert and sell Epi Les Paul's as Gibson's. It's also why the truss rod cover now uses three screws rather then just two. Metric hardware instead of inch, etc...

[Jeffy]

Originally Posted by Dismount

http://www.guitarcenter.com/In-Store...98-i2832966.gc

http://www.guitarcenter.com/In-Store...55-i2785795.gc

Nothin says lovin like a bright assed red guitar.

Never owned one of those but I've heard the quality isn't that great for the low end LP. They have very little resale value as well. If you're looking for a solid LP that's reasonable priced then check out the Epi Standard. Change out the hardware later and it will sound really nice. Rivaling some Gibson's.

[Dismount]

Originally Posted by Jeffy

Never owned one of those but I've heard the quality isn't that great for the low end LP. They have very little resale value as well. If you're looking for a solid LP that's reasonable priced then check out the Epi Standard. Change out the hardware later and it will sound really nice. Rivaling some Gibson's.

Honestly.... I probably wouldn't know a quality instrument if you were to bonk me on the noggin with it.

[jdgretz]

This discussion is a bit reaffirming as I've been playing LPs and Strats and just not finding anything I really like enough to throw money at the store. I'm still liking the Tele sound and feel and like the G&Ls. Where I can really tell the difference between the low end model and the higher end version is with the Gretsch guitars. The 5xxx series just don't have the sound of the 6xxx boxes. Part of this could be that the first electric guitar I owned was a '63 Tennessean (6119) that I really loved. I know what that sound should be and the 5119 just does not cut it. The current version that has that vintage sound and feel is the 6119-1962HT. Great sound.

I think if I had the extra to spend, it would be on this 6120-1959LTV



jdg

[Jeffy]

Originally Posted by Dismount

Honestly.... I probably wouldn't know a quality instrument if you were to bonk me on the noggin with it.

If you played a nice guitar you'd know it. Going from my Peavey to my Gibson was a pretty big hump. All of the small things I was frustrated about on the Peavey were gone.

After looking at some guitars, I'm GAS'ing for a Gibson Custom in ebony now...

[Josephvman]

It's a $179 guitar! If it depreciates to zero you can only lose $179!


I just got an email from Sweetwater, who has Les Paul Traditional models on closeout for $1699, which is a pretty great deal.

Originally Posted by Jeffy

Never owned one of those but I've heard the quality isn't that great for the low end LP. They have very little resale value as well. If you're looking for a solid LP that's reasonable priced then check out the Epi Standard. Change out the hardware later and it will sound really nice. Rivaling some Gibson's.