Guitars - You Only Get What You Pay For.

[Wiley]

Yup launched my Triumph bass is very heavy.  don't know if that means much and yes I think one can pay to much for a name.  Believe it or not that is how I got my G&L sc2. I was looking for a fender and the G7L was $300 cheaper , little did I know at the time that is was actually made by fender. probably worth more now.   But my question is. We have pawn shops around here and have thought about some cheaper guitars. Just not sure enough to buy. How do you tell a good pickup from a bad.  fingering on the fret is easy. It either plays easy or it doesn't, It's either in tune or it isn't. ( up the fretboard) So How do you really determine a good cheap guitar LOL

[Saijinn Maas]

The thing to worry about most regarding "cheap" guitars ($300 and under), is really not so much WHAT it is made from... like the wood and such. Pickups are generally much more higher output than the old pickups, that the wood is not as big a factor in tone as it used to be. Unless you are talking about hollowbody electrics, acoustics, etc... but I digress...

It is usually the OTHER components that make up a guitar that you need to pay attention to...

The top things you should probably always check on a guitar that you are thinking of buying:

*Frets and Neck - Run your hand up and down the neck as if you are playing. Pay attention to whether you feel the edge of the frets. Make sure they are not sharp or that you can feel spurs. Really cheap guitars (cheap as in quality not necessarily price) tend to have real shoddy fret work. This is allow where you will want to quickly play every string on every fret up and down the fretboard checking for string buzz. Though slight string buzz can be remedied by adjusting the action a bit higher, you should not have to make any big adjustments. Sting buzz can also be caused by the slight bowing of the neck. This too can b adjusted, but shouldn't be something that should need a great deal of adjusting in order to get the buzz out. If it does, the neck is most likely warped and probably not worth getting.

*Nut - Most cheap guitars use plastic nuts. Inquire if you can about what the nut is made from. White you mostly notice small stress fractures and/or discoloring. Make sure the groove of the nut look in good shape. After a while, string tend to dig into plastic nuts. Plastic nuts do not transfer the vibration of the string very well either, which will be noticed as a lack of sustain, especially if has started to dig in.

*The electronics - If you have the chance to plug in the guitar, turn the volume and tone knobs all the way up. You should be able to turn them all the way up and down noticing the sound is smooth with no crackling. The switch should not suddenly distort or make extreme noise when switching positions.

*Pickups - One of the first things you will want to change on a cheap guitar. Hell, even most mid-priced guitars ($400-$800). A lot of companies save the most money by making there own pups. Be wary of pups that say Seymour Duncan, Dimarzio, or EMG "designed". This usually means that even though the design came from those companies, it was still built by cheaper manufacturers who are interested in saving money. Not that they are horrible. Just that you understand what you are getting. how to tell if the pups are good ones or not is primarily done by testing and comparing. What makes this even harder is the fact that the AMP you use to test will play a big part in what you hear. 

*Tuners - Check to see that there is NO play, or wiggle, in ANY of the tuners. The tuners are another main area where they try to save money. Higher ratio tuners are generally better. They take more turns to completely go around, but they allow for better fine tuning.

*Bridge - These are kind of hard to mess up, especially if it is a hardtail (non-tremolo) bridge. Just check the saddles (the part where the string feeds through and rests) for any signs of rust, discoloration, or metal spurs. For trems, these are notorious for being very hard to deal with. Things like changing strings, general tuning, using alternate tunings in conjunction with varying string gauges, are seeing by many to be a pain. But a good trem should work great once it is set up correctly (not covered here). But still look for the same things as you would a regular bridge, but add, checking the fine tuners, and related area, for rust, corrosion, stripped screws, etc.

When it comes to solid body electric guitars, don't get too hung up on what type of wood the body is, etc... unless you are talking about looks and/or weight considerations. My first guitar was a cheap plywood bodied guitar, but with a few changes played and sounded as good as my other guitars that cost 3-5 as much.

None of the above has anything to do with acoustic guitars. I've never built an acoustic and I am much less familiar with them.

I hope this makes sense. I was not expecting to write so much. I do not claim to know everything, as much of this has been through my experience in building/rebuilding many guitars. But if anyone sees anything I left out or if you disagree, please feel free to point it out. As long as everyone gets the help they need.

[SteveB]

SMS - That's a thoughtful and considered post. Anyone interested in buying a guitar would do well to print a copy of your post and take it with them to the shop/store. It may save them £s/$s and a lot of heartache. Well done.

[Flash Harry]

I recently purchased a Seagull Entourage Rustic (made in Canada, by Godin).  It cost just under $300.00, but the factory setup was flawless and the guitar sounds and plays better currently than my Martin D-15, which I paid over $800.00 for! 

I love my Godin Solidac. It's just wonderful to play.
The Art and Lutherie's are generally top notch too.

I have a couple of nice Tanglewoods, although I find that Tanglewood's manufacturng can be hit and miss, you need to play every fret before you buy one - mind you, you ought to do that anyway - the intonation and the action can be variable at times, but a good one can be a really good guitar.

[Davo]

This came up some time ago on the Blueridge guitar site.  I have a pair of Blueridge guitars and I love them.
The critisism against Blueridge in particular was funny
to watch. 
First they were "cheap" copies, then they wouldnt last, eventually they were stealing American jobs.
Its true that you get what you pay for-but what you get for the price has gone up much more in the past 20 years.
I also own  a G&L tribute S500 which I found used for 150.  It is easily the equivalent quality of a US strat, and it sounds better IMO.
I think like with guitar effects, guitar companies are finding the sweet spot between quality construction, parts quality, and pickups/tone.

[SdC]

.....
I think like with guitar effects, guitar companies are finding the sweet spot between quality construction, parts quality, and pickups/tone.

There are a few mysteries I can't solve though. Why the incredible price difference between an Epi and a Gibson Les Paul? Double the price, I could understand for better parts... but quadruple or more?
Why would a 50's or 60's reissue of a strat be almost double the price of a Standard? Theoretically similar/slightly inferior parts to a Standard... It's not like they use a hidden stash of wood from that era.
Then there's the whole "vintage" guitar hype. I think it's just ridiculous, except if it's the actual intrument that one of the God's played on. Even more ridiculous that people dare ask more for an 80's instrument than for a brand new equivalent. That market is completely out of whack.
Here's an article that I got a lot of enjoyment out of (you want the truth? you can't handle the truth! -type of thing):

http://www.edroman.com/rants/vintageguitarno.htm

[Saijinn Maas]

Then there's the whole "vintage" guitar hype. I think it's just ridiculous, except if it's the actual intrument that one of the God's played on. Even more ridiculous that people dare ask more for an 80's instrument than for a brand new equivalent. That market is completely out of whack.
Here's an article that I got a lot of enjoyment out of (you want the truth? you can't handle the truth! -type of thing):

http://www.edroman.com/rants/vintageguitarno.htm

Along this line, I HATE the new "road worn" strat series. I don't mind road worn guitars, but it strikes me as strange that someone would buy a factory "road worn" guitar when part of the charm of road worn is the memories YOU have playing it on the road. Every nick, etc. Which I noticed is mentioned in the article too.

the only "vintage" guitars I am always looking for, are ones that are NOT made anymore. Like I would love to get a hold of an ESP Custom. Their strat rip off which has a great neck. But, I would be just as happy if they just started making them again.


Of all the guitars I can buy, I tend to stay around the $500-$800 range. $500 is where it seems the lines start using better parts, but of course that depend on the manufacturer. For the longest time I always wanted an Ibanez JEM. Steve Vai's signature guitar. At least I did until I played one. It felt just like my $600 Ibanez! I spend another $200 on getting the Dimarzio Evolution pups that are in the JEM and put them in mine, I'd essentially have a JEM, it just won't look like it.

The was only one time that ever came across a great WANT for a more expensive guitar. Not too long ago, I was looking at PRS. Trying 'em out, I didn't see, or rather feel, why everyone I know seemed to be so high on them. My wife was comfortable in the knowledge that I don't usually bother with the "high-end' guitars. Until I tried ot a PRS CE 24. I didn't want to put it back! Everything about it was badass! All for 2 grand!! My wife about had a heart attack. So, I am saving for it. Oh well... 

(damn... sorry for the length of the post.)

[guitarron]

I love my Godin Solidac. It's just wonderful to play.
The Art and Lutherie's are generally top notch too.

i wrestled with buying the godin and my brian moore
godin in absolutely top shelf-the BM had more options that were important to me and also was very high quality

[Davo]

.....
I think like with guitar effects, guitar companies are finding the sweet spot between quality construction, parts quality, and pickups/tone.

There are a few mysteries I can't solve though. Why the incredible price difference between an Epi and a Gibson Les Paul? Double the price, I could understand for better parts... but quadruple or more?
Why would a 50's or 60's reissue of a strat be almost double the price of a Standard? Theoretically similar/slightly inferior parts to a Standard... It's not like they use a hidden stash of wood from that era.
Then there's the whole "vintage" guitar hype. I think it's just ridiculous, except if it's the actual intrument that one of the God's played on. Even more ridiculous that people dare ask more for an 80's instrument than for a brand new equivalent. That market is completely out of whack.
Here's an article that I got a lot of enjoyment out of (you want the truth? you can't handle the truth! -type of thing):

http://www.edroman.com/rants/vintageguitarno.htm

Labor is much higher in the US compared to Mexico or Korea but bottom line, most of it is hype.

Id like to see the actual production cost per American strat-I doubt its much over a couple hundred dollars.  BUT we pay it, so they sell them at that price.

On the road worns-I was never thrilled but what floored me was charging what an American series cost just prior to its introduction.

Apparently they didnt sell like Fender wished, and the prices have been cut recently.

[Justin_Case]

I'm lucky enough or cursed enough depending on how you look at, to have in my home town a Sam Ash, and 2 Guitar Centers.  Although not for me, but I several times played Roadworns and they were all well made and set ups were proper.  I would think to an extent in order to consistently replicate the exact " Road Ware " that production standards would pretty tight.