A fettish for cheap guitars

[Bengal]

That is an exception. 99.999999999999% of the $100 guitars in pawn shops are junk.

Tim,
That is very true. They only come around once in a while and you have to know what you're looking at. It helps if the person selling is clueless too...

[SEEGERMANY]

That rotten meat has affected your good judgement. Like Tim said, if they make you happy, that's all that counts. But for heaven's sake, don't try blowing smoke up our old asses.

[dg]

I'd say that older cheap guitars actually suck more than new cheap guitars. Sometimes way more. Keep in mind, this is apples to apples, not new cheap guitar vs. old mid-level guitar that is dirt cheap now. CNC manufacturing has made this the golden age of the cheap guitar. You get nice tight tolerances rather than complete shit made by poorly trained workers trying to do it by hand. $99 guitars are actually pretty much all playable now, which is a lot more than I can say for most of the Hondos I remember laughing at back in the day. I agree with the old wood argument to some extent when we're talking about good guitars, but cheap guitars have always been made with the dregs, sorry.

[Snoogans]

I seem to remember a certain Mr Page and a cheap POS Danelectro....

[Grumpy]

IMO there are kinds of cheap:

Cheap/Cheap = Good quality guitar for a low price.

Cheap/Junk = What fett buys (Just kidd'n)

But seriously there is a big difference between a MIM or MIJ Fender and a Cort/Hondo. Each guitar has to be looked at individually before it can be dammed to hell.

20+ years ago I bought a ply-wood Cort Star. Sounded like a turd so I swapped out the pups for a pair of Carvin pups. Night and day difference, still got her too.

[Rich#6]

I see were fett is coming from though I do not go for the squiers. I am more on the find the bargain. I also don't buy new anymore unless it is a closeout or dent/scratch guitar. With the old MIJ guitars (i.e. charvel/jackson, ibanez, aria, and westone) and the newer MIK (i.e. schecter) who needs to spend alot on USA made guitars that the cost difference is not justified. With some upgrades you send way less that way and have a very good guitar.

[hippietim]

Blackie - parts mutt under $400
Frankie - Parts mutt $185
Number 1 SRV - pawn shop find

All cheap guitars which priduced legendary music and tone.

Ok, so in 1970 Eric Clapton spent $400 to build Blackie. In 2006 dollars, that's over $2100. I think there are a LOT of used guitars you can get for that coin that would be at least as good.

Frankie - $185 in 1975. That's $730 in 2006 dollars. I think you can easily build an equivalent quality guitar from Warmoth parts and still have money for a case and some beer.

Number 1 SRV - it wasn't a pawn shop, it was a music store in Austin that Stevie shopped at. It's still there - I stopped in during NAMM a couple years ago. Stevie traded a '63 Strat for it in 1973. That '63 Strat would have been worth a couple hundred bucks back then so accounting for inflation and such that was not some dirt cheap score either.

How about finding a historically significant guitar that cost $100 in today's money like the stuff Fett is buying...

[Grumpy]

Frankie - $185 in 1975. That's $730 in 2006 dollars. I think you can easily build an equivalent quality guitar from Warmoth parts and still have money for a case and some beer.

It cost a lot of people $25K. :ROTF:

[quadperson]

I'm kinda with fett on this one...I really like the Peavey Tracers. I've owned 4 of 'em, and still have 2. One of them is the best playing guitar I've ever owned, and I've owned some nice guitars. The one I'm talking about, I got for $79 on the bay. It just feels so right.

[CharvelRocker]

The thing that concerns me less about playability and tone in cheapies is how they hold up. I honestly don't get a warm fuzzy feeling when I pick up a Korean Epiphone, but I feel like the Japanese Jackson will last forever. Tighter tolerances are all great, but who wants a guitar that the hardware (Schecter, ESP LTD *cough*) will probably last longer than the guitar?

That said I do agree with what Tim has said in this thread.

[fett]

That rotten meat has affected your good judgement. Like Tim said, if they make you happy, that's all that counts. But for heaven's sake, don't try blowing smoke up our old asses.

I'm done. I'll just do what I do and spare you. My only reason for telling you about what I do is to maybe turn you guys onto a "Good" and maybe "Great" cheap guitar that you have never played or a brand you don't know about. Excuuuuuuuuse me.

[hippietim]

I'm done. I'll just do what I do and spare you. My only reason for telling you about what I do is to maybe turn you guys onto a "Good" and maybe "Great" cheap guitar that you have never played or a brand you don't know about. Excuuuuuuuuse me.

That's fine Fett. But you also go on to say that more expensive guitars aren't worth the money. You seem to think you're more clever than everyone else with your cheap guitars. Cheap doesn't mean good or bad and it certainly doesn't imply clever - it just means cheap.

BTW, which of your $100 finds is actually great? Great hardware, playability, tone, looks, etc.

[fett]

I told you. I give up.:ROTF: However, my 2 '80's Kramer's are pretty cool. But they were $150 each. Now. I am done.

[Woman_Driver]

My old beaten Model 4 i got for £80 sounds and plays better than my £1600 Star. I've found a few low priced guitars to play and sound good. I don't go on looks, just tone, so i wouldn't splash out on a flame or quilted top or something with fancy, flashy looks. In the end it's just difference in taste.
Being student, however, i like to find a nice cheep axe that plays well.

[Rich#6]

My "fett" guitars are
$127.93 Jackson professional dinky xl with upgrades of SD demon in bridge and tom anderson in neck
$150 peavey patriot. I really like the schaller pup in that one
$158 bengal strat mutt- schaller tuners, SD distortion, kahler pro, maybe a fender neck?, maybe esp M1 body?, and kahler floyd style lock nut.