Cheap Guitars as a Lifestyle

[Dave T]

This thread appears to be the latest installment in the long running topic of "my cheep guitar sounds just as good as your expensive guitar" and it's many variations.

I found this comment back on the first page to be rather insulting and without any real foundation.

Originally Posted by grim83

...people try to buy expensive guitars to fix their own problems...

According to grim83, if your guitar cost more than $1000 you should have spent the money on psychoanalysis instead of on an instrument. Really?

The reverse snobbery displayed here is obvious. Sure glad I can't afford the Goodall classical I've been admiring at a local guitar store. What a horrible person that would make me.

Dave

[AndrewG]

Originally Posted by Dave T

This thread appears to be the latest installment in the long running topic of "my cheep guitar sounds just as good as your expensive guitar" and it's many variations.

I found this comment back on the first page to be rather insulting and without any real foundation. According to grim83, if your guitar cost more than $1000 you should have spent the money on psychoanalysis instead of on an instrument. Really?

The reverse snobbery displayed here is obvious. Sure glad I can't afford the Goodall classical I've been admiring at a local guitar store. What a horrible person that would make me.

Dave

Not so. So far only the person you mentioned has made anything like a hint at a disparaging remark. And so what if someone's cheap guitar sounds as good, or better, than something you paid four figures for? A great guitar and money saved? Sounds like a win/win to me

[Bunny64]

Originally Posted by Dave T

This thread appears to be the latest installment in the long running topic of "my cheep guitar sounds just as good as your expensive guitar" and it's many variations.

I found this comment back on the first page to be rather insulting and without any real foundation. According to grim83, if your guitar cost more than $1000 you should have spent the money on psychoanalysis instead of on an instrument. Really?

The reverse snobbery displayed here is obvious. Sure glad I can't afford the Goodall classical I've been admiring at a local guitar store. What a horrible person that would make me.

Dave

That is not how I personally have viewed this thread. I think it has been a very measured and balanced discussion around the original question from the OP.

Originally Posted by Big_Al

This is how I see it:

If your passion is music, you really don't need the world's most costly and exotic instrument to pursue your passion.

If your passion is guitars, you might be in for a very expensive ride.

Then there are those of us who have a passion for both and don't fit such dichotomies.

[Big_Al]

Originally Posted by GraceGuitars

Then there are those of us who have a passion for both and don't fit such dichotomies.

I didn't mean to imply that a passion for music and a passion for guitars are mutually exclusive. Obviously, someone who has a passion for making music will want a really good instrument. I do believe that many of those who buy very high-end, custom built, or rare historic instruments have a great interest in the objects themselves above and beyond their capacity to make good music . . . and wind up spending a lot of money to obtain them.

I agree with other posters that there can be snobbery amongst those who own nice guitars and reverse-snobbery with those who have cheap ones. I own a thousand-dollar Larrivee and a $10 thrift store special so I get to have it both ways.

[jpd]

"It seems like these are the best times ever to play less expensive instruments, sort of a Golden Age. I'm grateful for that"




Without a doubt! Just watched a short video of Eric Bibb playing a blues tune on a Gretsch "Jim Dandy"................

[grim83]

Originally Posted by Dave T

This thread appears to be the latest installment in the long running topic of "my cheep guitar sounds just as good as your expensive guitar" and it's many variations.

I found this comment back on the first page to be rather insulting and without any real foundation. According to grim83, if your guitar cost more than $1000 you should have spent the money on psychoanalysis instead of on an instrument. Really?

The reverse snobbery displayed here is obvious. Sure glad I can't afford the Goodall classical I've been admiring at a local guitar store. What a horrible person that would make me.

Dave

I said some not all and said more then once that a nice guitar is nice regardless of the price, if it's a nice 5000 dollar guitar cool but it won't make the player. Please do not take what I say out of context and try to twist it to your own ends

Originally Posted by zombywoof

Wood quality has more to do with aesthetics than sound so in a sense is bling.

I disagree. Carefully selected and precisely cut solid wood that has been properly dried and aged contributes greatly to sound, regardless of its appearance. It often happens, however, that it also looks good.

[EoE]

'check out guitar George' when you play on stage and your instrument is set up well people can not tell the difference between a 399 dollar instrument and a 2000 dollar instrument. my latest is a maestro double neck bass and six. true I will have anther 300 put into it getting it set up for what I want. that is mostly feel etc. if the necks bow ill just replace them. same with my acoustics usually by the time my tech gets through I love them. I used to be a snob only playing 1000+ instruments but I bought a cort bass for 300 dollars just to carry around and not have to worry about ruining a 2000 dollar bass...it is today one of my favorite basses and the neck is still straight and true. so I am actually thinking about buying a maestro harp guitar.

[pszy22]

My two favorite hobbies are fly fishing and making noise with my guitar. I see alot of similarities between both pursuits.

I'll say up front, I care less what other folks decide to play or fish, and even less than that regarding what folks think about what I use when I fish and play guitar.

What does bother me a little bit is the advice I see when folks who are interested in getting started ask for some help. I'll use fly fishing as the example, often times the advice given is - Go big, or stay home. Folks will advise the beginner to drop maybe $750 upwards to $1500 to someone interested in trying their hand at catching a few bluegills in their local pond.

That may be good advice for a few folks, but most would be just as well advised to spend $100 on a entry level combo. That would be even more important from my perspective if it meant the person would put off going fishing because they couldn't afford the high end stuff.

I think the same applies to making music. Buy what you can afford, but don't put off playing just because you can't afford a top end instrument.

From my perspective, there are a number of maybe not great, but good playing and sounding instruments that are well within reach of anyone who might be interested in giving playing music a try.

[JonHBone]

if someone owns a 20,000 dollar guitar is he/she justified in calling 5,000 dollar guitars "entry" level instruments?

what is an entry level instrument? I've seen guitars over 1,000 dollars on this board called entry level.

[flaggerphil]

Originally Posted by GraceGuitars

Then there are those of us who have a passion for both and don't fit such dichotomies.

.....Indeed.....

[flaggerphil]

I've been playing since 1964 and make absolutely no apologies for the guitars I've owned over the years. I started with a fairly good guitar...my Dad bought me a new Gibson LG0 for the then princely sum (to us) of $124. In my younger days I owned a series of inexpensive guitars...some nice, some pretty bad. I bought what I could afford.

After I turned 50 I found I could afford some pretty nice guitars. When I found ones I liked and I had the money for them, I bought them. I didn't buy them to hold them up to other people or because they were the guitar to own or to spend money for spending moneys sake...I bought them because I liked the way they played and sounded and looked...and I could afford them.

I own almost all Taylors now but have owned Yamahas, Gibsons, Larrivees, Rainsongs, CAs, Takeminis, Epiphones, Nationals, and others over the years. I've pretty much settled on Taylor as having the sound and playability I like...and at 63 I figure I'm old enough to know what I like.

I understand someone not wanting or being able to afford more than one guitar or guitars over a certain price point. I've been there. But now I like what I have and, when I want, get what I like.

It's my life, my money, my guitar playing. It's what makes me happy.

And my wife goes along with it.

YMMV.

[handers]

I don't prefer to play expensive guitars. I prefer to play the best guitars I can afford. I haven't found those in the under $1000 price range. If I had, I would have purchased them.

hans

[EoE]

"A old guitar is all he can afford but he gets up and makes it sing"