Why do some own economically- priced guitars and some own high-end guitar

[RJVB]

Originally Posted by Tico

I see things differently than many.
I feel one doesn't have to be an advanced player to justify buying a great guitar.

But there is no direct relationship between greatness and economically priced (which in turn doesn't have to mean "not much money").

In the late 70s I was in the military in the lowest enlisted pay grade, IOW very low pay.
Still I managed to save up and buy Guild's top of the line dreadnought, the D-55.
I still have and love it; BTW after all these years it cost me only 4 cents a day.
That's not expensive.

That's comparable to how I ended up with a really good violin when I was a PhD student (or actually, just not anymore). I'd been living with my parents, almost not going on holidays for the entire duration of my studies etc, and asked for money towards a good instrument as my graduation gift. The only error I made in that calculation was thinking that I was making an investment and should be able to ███ the instrument without financial loss if ever needed (provided I kept it in shape).

[Clifdawg]

I think it's a little bit of both for me. I spent years buying, selling, and trading electrics until one day I ended up with an Epiphone SG and thought "yep, this is the guitar for me." I bought a Gibson SG and haven't looked back since.

The same thing is kinda happening to me with acoustics at this point - since I'm playing them a whole lot more, and playing them live, I would like to step up to something better, but not something just tremendously expensive. It doesn't make a lot of sense for me to save up for several years and drop 3 or 4 grand on a guitar when I'm not experienced with acoustics enough to know precisely what I like and don't like. Thus, my next guitar will likely be an "economical" choice, but something of robust quality. There seem to be myriads of great options in the 400-1000 dollar range, and it almost certainly will not be my last acoustic purchase (shoot, I'm 29 years old, I got plenty of time to save up, look around, and find a "lifetime" guitar).

[ruger9]

What an interesting thread. I hope there's alot more discussion about it, as I have been pondering the same for years.

I don't have much to add except, for ME, because I am not primarily an acoustic a player, I would rather spend my $$ on my electric gear. My most expensive electric was $1800 used, and I don't even play that one anywhere near as much as ones I paid $1200 new and $600 used for LOL. But I'm turning 50 this year, and am looking at a bucket list purchase (electric) which will be $3500-$4000.

I don't NEED a $4000 guitar; no way can anything be "better" to me than my #1 (a 25-year-old American Tele), however... you only live once, and I would like to experience a "top-notch" instrument at least once. But truth be told, I could live forever with JUST my #1, and no doubt be perfectly happy.

My acoustics are plenty "good enough" for the amount I use them. If I were doing alot of acoustic gigs, I'd likely jump up to a mid-level guitar with a better mic system and better playability... but I don't NEED that. Not now anyway.

All this brings up another question related to the OP's:
Why so many guitars vs ONE GREAT one?

As I just said... while I have 6 electrics, I could quite possibly be happy with just 1 (ok, maybe 2 lol)... so why all the others? So far, my answer is: I'm "experiencing" life, my hobby. Getting enjoyment from the experience. I fully expect to die with only ONE electric and ONE amp... provided I die at a late age LOL. We'll see. I would like my ONE acoustic at that point to be one I have an amazing connection with, regardless of it's price.

[Mandobart]

So many factors:
1. Knowledge - there are fantastic small volume builders out there; more than you'll ever know. Some may be considered high end while some are just unknown. OTOH everyone has heard of Taylor, Martin, Gibson, Yamaha, etc. You have to have at least a certain level of guitar interest/experience/knowledge base to even know that Furch, Fletcher Brock, Lowden, etc. exist.

2. Financial means. You can get a decent, playable instrument for a few hundred USD. You can absolutely spend any higher amount you can imagine.

3. Discernment - some of us really can't tell the difference in tone, sustain, timbre, playability, etc. that may be there on a more expensive instrument.

4. Culture - some like to show their wealth (or credit score) in the clothes they wear, cars they drive, house they live in or instruments they play. Some don't. Some cannot imagine spending 4 figures on an object that can be had for a few hundred, even if it would be better sounding or playing. It may not be "enough better" to justify in their mind.

5. Opportunity - you may be aware of the existence of a very expensive builder. You may be able to afford one of their instruments. You may be fine with sinking considerable funds into a build by them. But you may not have the time for a 5 year waiting list. You may not be able to find one in your area or area you may be able to travel to.

Easily several more reasons to discuss.

[Bernieman]

Originally Posted by Cool555

Financial means most likely? Unwillingness to spend too much money on an expensive guitar? Still exploring which tone-woods combinations to go for? Years of experience one has playing the guitar? Current skill level of one’s playing?

I leave you to decide what’s economically-priced and what’s high-end guitars.

For me, the reasons are all the above. I consider my guitars (see my signature) to fall within and nearer to the range of economically priced guitars.

How and why do you choose the guitar or guitars you now own?

The difference between high-end guitars and good guitars is not that big : for poor people it usually comes with experience to find out what you really need then want...High-end guitars will stimulate you much more, and one day you'll know that for sure, and will have to go for one of these, though it may mean a big sacrifice for som of us...When my Takamine EN-10 got too boring, I started looking for something more relevant among acoustic-ekectrics with cut-away (mine didn't have one) and couldn't find much better than other Takamines till I found a second-hand Taylor...
A high-end guitar is an all-solid woods instrument with a style of its own, usually an American-made guitar when it comes to steel strings, and will cost close to $2000 minimum new in my opinion. And we forget fast the price we paid...

[Cool555]

Originally Posted by Tico

I see things differently than many.
I feel one doesn't have to be an advanced player to justify buying a great guitar.
IMO a great guitar can do things that a lesser guitar can't, and this eggs you on to improve your playing.

Also, I've always been a person who is extremely tight with money, a real miser ... thrift store clothes, buy food in bulk, cook at home from scratch, etc.

Maybe that's one reason I feel fine about splurging on higher end guitars.
In the late 70s I was in the military in the lowest enlisted pay grade, IOW very low pay.
Still I managed to save up and buy Guild's top of the line dreadnought, the D-55.
I still have and love it; BTW after all these years it cost me only 4 cents a day.
That's not expensive.

I like your story very much! I’m guessing that this Guild D-55 is very precious to you now and will be a keeper for life...and perhaps for the next generation too...

[musicman1951]

It's a complicated question. I think most people have a financial limit - which doesn't necessarily have anything to do with how much money is available in the bank. I know I do. I can "afford" to buy a $25,000 guitar - but I could not bring myself to spend that amount on a guitar (so I suppose I can't really "afford" one).

Some people have young families that like to eat. New guitars come under the discretionary spending category.

Another limitation is time. When I'm shopping for a guitar I can't (won't) play 500 guitars before I make a decision. There well may be a diamond in the rough out there somewhere in the cheap section, but you have to be a little lucky to find one. I know that every Lowden and every Bourgeois is going to be in my happy ears ballpark.

It also depends on the kind of music you play to some extent. I think if you're playing solo finger style you probably have different (and often more expensive to fine) requirements of the instrument than if you're strumming in a group.

What your ear wants is the biggest factor, IMHO. There are two levels of hearing:

1. Basic desires: sustain or not, mids or highs and lows, etc.
2. Sophistication of hearing. I'm sure we could do a long post on expanding this if anyone was interested, but my basic point is always to not pay for a quality of sound you can't hear. If the $500 guitar sounds just as good as the $5,000 guitar to you - buy the $500 guitar!

[Oldguy64]

Now that the kids are grown I have some more expensive guitars.
As I don’t sing for my supper, my most expensive guitar was a $1200 Carbon Fiber Journey Instruments travel guitar.
It is one of the few that I’ve bought new, and thus paid full freight.
I can afford a $4000 Taylor K24ce. But I can’t justify the expenditure.
I play out in a Praise and Worship band full of volunteers. I could get by with a $200 Alvarez, and I didn for many years.
Mostly these days I buy guitars that were expensive new, but much less expensive used.
I have multiple $1000+ guitars. Not “expensive” to some. But expensive to me.
I’ve paid well under that by buying used. Or by buying “used up” and bringing them back from the dead.
I have an ugly old Takamine that I paid $200 for. It was dirty, missing half of its split saddle. There is even a barely noticeable split in the ebony on the fretboard.
I cleaned it up, made the saddle and threw on a set of strings.
Now I’m told that it’s model number NPT115 means It sold new for 115,000 yen back in 1991. The equivalent of around $1500 USD.

I’m the crown prince of buying expensive guitars used for cheap.

[vintage40s]

Originally Posted by s2y

Allow me to derail... I paid $750 in 1974 for a D-28...

Continuing the derailment, I paid a shop $395 in 1969 for my D-35 (Martin neck tag shows list price of $$465).
If that sounds cheap, the guitar was relatively almost twice as expensive then than now.
In 1969 my D-35 cost 1/4 of my VW Beetle ($400 and $1,900).
In 2019 a D-35 lists for 1/7 of a VW Beetle ($3,000 and $21,000).

[Chuckie.egg]

Originally Posted by Kalani

Of course it’s all relative but I ended up with more expensive guitars as my needs increased along with my skill and income level. My first guitar was a cheap Yamaha (which I adored). As I played with others through the years I got exposed to better quality (and better sounding) instruments so it was a natural progression.

On a side note, my friend in college was from a well-to-do family and his first guitar was a $1k+ instrument to “learn” on. Yes, the rest of us were a lot better players and drooled over it but we never faulted him for having a really nice guitar as a beginner. That would’ve just been jealousy bull plain and simple. I think it’s very small-minded to hate on someone just because they have something nice. I also think needing to have an instrument to match your skill level (a beginner shouldn’t have an expensive guitar) is one of the stupidest things I’ve ever heard. I always tell beginners NOT to get a cheapo instrument just because they’re beginning.

I agree with you... isn’t the general advice for anyone buying their first guitar is to get the best one they can afford, as it motivates & facilitates learning? I know someone who turned up for their first lesson with a 3k high end guitar [emoji846]

[Goodallboy]

Originally Posted by Clifdawg

I think it's a little bit of both for me. I spent years buying, selling, and trading electrics until one day I ended up with an Epiphone SG and thought "yep, this is the guitar for me." I bought a Gibson SG and haven't looked back since.

The same thing is kinda happening to me with acoustics at this point - since I'm playing them a whole lot more, and playing them live, I would like to step up to something better, but not something just tremendously expensive. It doesn't make a lot of sense for me to save up for several years and drop 3 or 4 grand on a guitar when I'm not experienced with acoustics enough to know precisely what I like and don't like. Thus, my next guitar will likely be an "economical" choice, but something of robust quality. There seem to be myriads of great options in the 400-1000 dollar range, and it almost certainly will not be my last acoustic purchase (shoot, I'm 29 years old, I got plenty of time to save up, look around, and find a "lifetime" guitar).

Originally Posted by ruger9

What an interesting thread. I hope there's alot more discussion about it, as I have been pondering the same for years.

I don't have much to add except, for ME, because I am not primarily an acoustic a player, I would rather spend my $$ on my electric gear. My most expensive electric was $1800 used, and I don't even play that one anywhere near as much as ones I paid $1200 new and $600 used for LOL. But I'm turning 50 this year, and am looking at a bucket list purchase (electric) which will be $3500-$4000.

I don't NEED a $4000 guitar; no way can anything be "better" to me than my #1 (a 25-year-old American Tele), however... you only live once, and I would like to experience a "top-notch" instrument at least once. But truth be told, I could live forever with JUST my #1, and no doubt be perfectly happy.

My acoustics are plenty "good enough" for the amount I use them. If I were doing alot of acoustic gigs, I'd likely jump up to a mid-level guitar with a better mic system and better playability... but I don't NEED that. Not now anyway.

All this brings up another question related to the OP's:
Why so many guitars vs ONE GREAT one?

As I just said... while I have 6 electrics, I could quite possibly be happy with just 1 (ok, maybe 2 lol)... so why all the others? So far, my answer is: I'm "experiencing" life, my hobby. Getting enjoyment from the experience. I fully expect to die with only ONE electric and ONE amp... provided I die at a late age LOL. We'll see. I would like my ONE acoustic at that point to be one I have an amazing connection with, regardless of it's price.

I understand where you’re coming from. I came at it in reverse, originally an acoustic player only, over the past decade I’ve focused on becoming a better electric player and have acquired a few electrics and three nice combo amps.

I’ve eliminated all but one acoustic guitar and it’s the only one I’ll ever have. It checks all the boxes and I’m totally satisfied. I plan to whittle down the electric stable to one or possibly two keepers, with one amp remaining.

My preference is playing what I consider the “best” (for me) that I can afford, not having 5-10 average instruments. Other players, playing various styles of music obviously need more tools in their belt than I do.

You’re on the right track, it just takes awhile and that’s the part to enjoy!

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by ruger9

I don't have much to add except, for ME, because I am not primarily an acoustic a player, I would rather spend my $$ on my electric gear. My most expensive electric was $1800 used, and I don't even play that one anywhere near as much as ones I paid $1200 new and $600 used for LOL. But I'm turning 50 this year, and am looking at a bucket list purchase (electric) which will be $3500-$4000.

I don't NEED a $4000 guitar; no way can anything be "better" to me than my #1 (a 25-year-old American Tele), however... you only live once, and I would like to experience a "top-notch" instrument at least once. But truth be told, I could live forever with JUST my #1, and no doubt be perfectly happy.

My acoustics are plenty "good enough" for the amount I use them. If I were doing alot of acoustic gigs, I'd likely jump up to a mid-level guitar with a better mic system and better playability... but I don't NEED that. Not now anyway.

Be careful! I'm mostly an electric player too, although at the moment I'm putting in more time with my acoustic. About a year and a half ago I decided to do what you're thinking about, for my impending 60th birthday (which I've since had). I decided on a PRS McCarty 594. It was a $4200 guitar new, I paid $3000 for it used, but it coulda been new except for a couple of scuffs on the case. Turned out I had some real comfort issues due to the leg cut location and my typical seated playing position. It was a great GREAT guitar, but much as I tried, I couldn't play it for more than about 10-15 minutes at a time without a lot of pain, so a few months later I sold it. Fortunately, having bought it used, I about broke even on it minus the shipping cost.

Then I bought an $1100 Ibanez, largely the same configuration. It played every bit as well as the PRS and it sounded as good except for some really kind of amazing overtones I'd sometimes get out of the PRS that I've never heard from any other guitar. But the thing was, I only heard those overtones when I was just noodling around and I'd hit a chord and let it ring for a while. It was intoxicating, but I NEVER actually heard them when I was playing any actual MUSIC. They were really kind of great, but they didn't matter. So, lesson learned. I doubt I'll ever spend more than plus or minus a thousand in today's dollars on an electric. I have three of them, all in that price range, all made in either Mexico or China, and they're all wonderful guitars.

Acoustics are different - I think the money makes more difference there. I'm not a great player by a very long shot, but I can appreciate and be inspired to play more and better by a great sounding guitar. You can get more acoustic guitar for less money today than you ever could before - I've played $200 Yamahas that I simply couldn't believe. BUT, there's no comparison when you get up to the level of a D18 or OM-28. I had a D28 for about 25 years, it was a '68 I bought in 1979 for $400 and it was and remains the gold standard for tone, against which I compare every other guitar I've played or owned.

I'm sure some of the $6,000-$15,000 boutique built guitars are worth the money too, if you have it. I don't and don't ever see myself spending that kind of money on a guitar. My only acoustic these days is a roughly $2000 Emerald carbon fiber and it's all I want or need. Will that ever change? I guess it could, but I'm not betting a lot on that. I love not having to worry about humidity or temperature issues at ALL. Someday I may forget how much I hate that aspect of owning nice wood acoustics and I'll break down and buy a $3000=4000 Martin, but I kind of doubt it.

-Ray

[Vognell]

Many own both. I Don't own high end guitars because I can not really justify the expense. I've played some Taylors and Martins that sound and feel amazing, but my Sub $1000 instruments sound and play pretty well, and get the job done for me as a lower-intermediate level, non- gigging musician.

If I were at the point where I wanted to record, I would certainly consider springing for a better instrument... but that is not, for me, a concern.

If it's in your budget, certainly no harm in getting the best you can afford. Some like the pretty appointments of the higher ends, some need the performance. Others just say what the heck, I can afford it . All good.

I am looking to upgrade to an all solid wood steel string at some point. Thinking about a Yamaha LS-TA... and at $1000 is within my current comfort zone.

[IndyHD28]

Originally Posted by Cool555

How and why do you choose the guitar or guitars you now own?

Simple. Buy the best Martin you can afford, preferably one with at a minimum solid wood all around. Work your way up to the Standard Series then add from there as income and wife will allow.

[EatingHumblePie]

Is the guitar bigger than me or am I bigger than the guitar? I think it should be about an even match.

I play somewhat reasonably priced guitars, but it’s not about how much they cost. It’s because I feel they can do justice to me and my playing abilities, but with my playing I can do justice to them and the craftsmen/craftswomen who build them. It’s a matter of respect to me. I’d find it a waste if a mediocre player played a Stradivarius just because he/she could afford it. (I’ve read somewhere that wealthy individuals sometimes put expensive Sauternes, say d’Yquem, into their red Bordeaux, say Lafite-Rothschild, because it’s too dry for them.)

My policy is to buy a guitar whose level is somewhat within reach for me. It’s like setting a goal that motivates me to get better. I've not reached the level of my Eastman E8OM just yet.