Cheap Guitars You Love

sarNz · #1 03-04-2011, 04:06 PM

I got my Ibanez AW100CE as my first 'real' guitar back in 2004, as a birthday present from my parents, even though I picked it out. It cost me only $xxx including the hard case brand new, obviously just a mid level guitar.

This thing, though it doesn't sound super powerful, has been amazing to me! I have never humidified it or taken care of it at all really, but the neck is DEAD STRAIGHT. It honestly looks perfect when you sight down it! It lacks the bass of a Martin, but it records beautifully for the stuff that I do as well.

I get some string buzz now, but that's because I have worn the frets out on the thing. It has binding on the neck but the frets have not poked through at all and the sides still feel incredible. It does have one high fret that I just noticed, but rarely affects my playing.

This guitar is probably the best investment I ever made, Maybe one day I will replace the bridge pins, saddle and nut. And it will definitely need a refret soon!

gitnoob · #2 03-04-2011, 04:10 PM

Silver Creek T-160. Good. Cheap. Fun.

Vintage all-mahogany parlor. Ditto.

Glennwillow · #3 03-04-2011, 04:41 PM

I don't know if I'd call it cheap, exactly, but it's not expensive either. My Voyage-Air VAOM-06 is pretty delightful to play considering the advantages of having a foldup, backpackable travel guitar that is otherwise a full-size, full-sounding guitar with a solid spruce top and scalloped bracing.

- Glenn

fongie · #4 03-04-2011, 04:48 PM

I had a Ibanez V-280 dread and sold it years ago. That was one beautiful sounding git. Recently I found another and just had to have it. Jap made, solid pitted hog B&S, very nice git. I wouldn't say I love it but it is a keeper.
Gitnoob, love your little git, you seem to have quite a collection of nice finger style gits. +1

Flatline · #5 03-04-2011, 04:56 PM

Silver Creek D-170 Even after a pro setup I still have next to nothing invested. It sounds and plays great.

gj Michelob · #6 03-04-2011, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sarNz

I got my Ibanez AW100CE as my first 'real' guitar back in 2004, as a birthday present from my parents, even though I picked it out. It cost me only $xxx including the hard case brand new, obviously just a mid level guitar.

This thing, though it doesn't sound super powerful, has been amazing to me! I have never humidified it or taken care of it at all really, but the neck is DEAD STRAIGHT. It honestly looks perfect when you sight down it! It lacks the bass of a Martin, but it records beautifully for the stuff that I do as well.

I get some string buzz now, but that's because I have worn the frets out on the thing. It has binding on the neck but the frets have not poked through at all and the sides still feel incredible. It does have one high fret that I just noticed, but rarely affects my playing.

This guitar is probably the best investment I ever made, Maybe one day I will replace the bridge pins, saddle and nut. And it will definitely need a refret soon!

I am spoiled -now- and could no longer "love" a cheap guitar –such as one sporting a laminate wood or one which did not benefit from the punctilious and devoted work of a dedicated luthier.
There are of course emotional ties also to inanimate objects, but once I indulged into the room-filling, warm tone and subtle sound-color of a fine instrument, all rest pales and so does the “love” I could have felt for it.

gitnoob · #7 03-04-2011, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gj Michelob

I indulged into the room-filling, warm tone and subtle sound-color of a fine instrument, all rest pales and so does the “love” I could have felt for it.

There's nothing that says you can't get that tone with "cheap." In fact, light bracing and thin plates can get you there. Which happens to be how some vintage parlors were made.

ddown · #8 03-04-2011, 05:13 PM

I just got this the other day xx + Shipping 14.99. It's refurbed but new on Amazon xxx. Solid Sitka spuce top. NATO mahogany back and sides, grover tuners. Cleartone 10 electronics and tuner and best setup out of the carton I've seen. Sounds great as good as my Takamine cedar top only a little brighter. Can't complain.

I think Samick makes them in Indonesia

gj Michelob · #9 03-04-2011, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gitnoob

There's nothing that says you can't get that tone with "cheap." In fact, light bracing and thin plates can get you there. Which happens to be how some vintage parlors were made.

I played Classical/Flamenco until last Christmas... perhaps steel strings elude this basic principle, and would love to be surprised. Those I tried thus far seem to follow the same rule of Nylon strings. Not all expensive intsruments are good, but the vast majority of cheap guitars are not good (one way or the other).

They may be "good" relatively to their class, as in the best of all cheap guitars.

On the other hand, I agree that good guitars are now way too expensive; but so are many other crafts and artisanal articles where a substantial amount of time is devoted to making them... hence the price and the added qualities.

gary0319 · #10 03-04-2011, 05:57 PM

I've been a big fan of the 700 series Yamahas for a few years now. Hoewever, yesterday I stopped into my local dealer and the tech guy was setting up a Recording Kind R0S-06, slot head 000 out of the vintage Martin style. Wow, it really played nice and had a big sound. Nice solid top and laminated Mahogany(or something like mahogany) back and sides. All 4 customers in the store played it and were impressed, so was the tech guy who ended up buying it. Had this been around when I bought a Yammie FS720S, I would have switched teams.

Now, maybe this was just a good sample......

GAry

CottonPickin · #11 03-04-2011, 06:01 PM

Alvarez MD80---lots of volume and resonance, and a bright, clear sound. It has about 80% of the sound of a good Taylor, for a quarter of the price. (But there is no denying that the remaining 20% makes the difference between very good and superb).

tdq · #12 03-04-2011, 08:07 PM

I bought my first guitar for $40 in 1974 (or so) - A suzuki F80. I still have it (although it was away "on loan" in the tropics for many years). Fretboard came off at one stage, some of the bracings have fallen out, needs a neck reset and would cost more than it's worth to fix. I've popped on a nut extender and now it is my "lap steel". I love it.

tplank · #13 03-04-2011, 08:16 PM

Got it at a pawn shop for $xx. Hard to complain about that one. Fantastic beater.

bajawatt · #14 03-04-2011, 08:21 PM

My Yamaha FG450SA is hammered, dinged, beaten to heck and it sounds sweet. Played it today for a good while and really enjoyed it. Haven't picked it up in ages.

JCBeard · #15 03-04-2011, 08:50 PM

A bought my Seagull S6+CW in a pawn shop for $xxx. It had been played hard, strap locks installed in four different locations (been pulled out of the previous spots), cedar top scarred and scraped all over, finish worn off the back of the neck, basically beat to death. I wouldn't trade it for anything because it has better tone and more soul than any guitar I've played.