"that guitar ain't got no idea whose name is on the headstock..." Richard Petty

[bombtek]

I just came across this quote on another board, and it might honestly be one of the wisest sayings I have read regarding guitars. You can make a 200 dollar guitar just as playable and good sounding as a $2000 guitar with some work. You might be looked down upon for playing it by some gear snobs, but honestly, it really doesn't matter what name is on the headstock as long as you start with a decent workable base and then MAKE it play well.

[j2379]

True, most o it is in the fretwork and neck IMO as far as playability. Tone is subjective but if it plays like craps and frets out its crap.

[lefty]

I just came across this quote on another board, and it might honestly be one of the wisest sayings I have read regarding guitars. You can make a 200 dollar guitar just as playable and good sounding as a $2000 guitar with some work. You might be looked down upon for playing it by some gear snobs, but honestly, it really doesn't matter what name is on the headstock as long as you start with a decent workable base and then MAKE it play well.

EVH original Frankenstein didn't have any name on the headstock, and sounded
okay to me!

[pianoguyy]

the key phrase is:
as long as you start with a decent workable base
buying a First Act is not a decent workable base.

But then, on the opposite end of the argument. Buy a $200 guitar. Pay someone (since not everyone is a do-it-yourself-er) $500 to do various customizations and setups. End up with a $700 invested in it.
Why not buy a $700 guitar that is already made right?

[pianoguyy]

True, most o it is in the fretwork and neck IMO as far as playability. Tone is subjective but if it plays like craps and frets out its crap.

I know I am going to catch hell for saying this, but its more true than people care to admit.
Tone is overrated for electric players.
We tend to get the bulk of our tone from electronic gadgets. We dial in the perfect sound. As long as we have 'decent' sound quality, we fake the rest.

[bombtek]

the key phrase is:
as long as you start with a decent workable base
buying a First Act is not a decent workable base.

But then, on the opposite end of the argument. Buy a $200 guitar. Pay someone (since not everyone is a do-it-yourself-er) $500 to do various customizations and setups. End up with a $700 invested in it.
Why not buy a $700 guitar that is already made right?

To counter this ....My $225 Agile 2800 LP copy that I have another $300 invested in sounds and plays better than my bud's (pro musician) brand new 2014 $2400 Les Paul traditional.....those were his words as we A/B'd the two side by side. Soooooo total investment of $525 vs $2400 is a winner IMO. PLUS, doing all the work myself to get it to sound and play like it does gave me a much greater understanding of guitars than I had before doing that....

[bombtek]

On the flip side though,
There is NO WAY I could ever possibly make my Squier strat (which I LOVE!) feel as though it were as high quality as my Fender Jap strat. It just wouldn't be possible to get that same quality "feel".
It DOES play as nice, and sound just as good as the Fender...but the Fender is miles above it in terms of quality that is actually tangible.

[Scooter]

True, most o it is in the fretwork and neck IMO as far as playability. Tone is subjective but if it plays like craps and frets out its crap.

THIS^ absolutely. I have a DS2T I caught as a floor model for $275 shipped. The neck and frets are stellar, plays better than anything else I've ever held.

[pianoguyy]

Let's not forget longevity in terms of build quality.
I am not disagreeing that you can buy good stuff cheap. But sometimes what you buy today isn't what you play tomorrow, even with proper care and maintenance.

[pianoguyy]

To counter this ....My $225 Agile 2800 LP ..

Agile. Isn't that Rondo? Aren't those the people that ran Jackson into the ground, allowing Fender to buy it at a firesale?

[toejam]

Agile. Isn't that Rondo? Aren't those the people that ran Jackson into the ground, allowing Fender to buy it at a firesale?

No, that was Akai (AMIC). Rondo was a music store here in NJ that is now closed and only does internet business as Agile.

[bombtek]

Unfortunately, I think Fender is taking Jackson down the same path again. Unless an actual group of BUILDERS buy the Jackson name, and makes it the semi-exclusive brand that it once was, I don't think Jackson will ever regain the status it once held. You know the type of folks that take more pride in what they're producing than the amount of cash they're carrying in their wallets because of the product.

[pianoguyy]

No, that was Akai (AMIC). Rondo was a music store here in NJ that is now closed and only does internet business as Agile.

I was thinking of Hondo, not Rondo.
my bad

[PowerTube]

Unfortunately, I think Fender is taking Jackson down the same path again. Unless an actual group of BUILDERS buy the Jackson name, and makes it the semi-exclusive brand that it once was, I don't think Jackson will ever regain the status it once held. You know the type of folks that take more pride in what they're producing than the amount of cash they're carrying in their wallets because of the product.

I disagree. The FMIC buyout was a major blessing for Jackson. Fender basically left the USA models alone and improved the imports. The current JS Series guitars are far and away better than the junky Indian-made DX10X I had years ago. Plus there's the new Custom Select, and the nice import models from the last 10 years or so (DKMG, etc...).

[straycat]

Some of the newer Jackson import line is very good to be quite frank.
After some mods my 2012 MII AS/SDX plays as well as my USA SD plated Jacksons.
My 2012 MIC Scott Ian Soloist is patterned right off Scott's 85 NY soloist and plays every bit as good as my 85 SD soloist custom.
Yeah I had to do some set up tweaking but I love how it plays.
Fret work on both guitars is top notch.