Occasionally you find cheap gems

[Mr Blues]

I was in a guitar shop in the West end the other day and just trying out different guitars. I tried some of the entry level Ibenez and Tanglewood guitars. I saw some solid tops for under £200..

One caught my eye it was quite a large solid Cedar top dreadnought. It didn't have a pick up.
As I gave it a few strums and fiddled about with some fingerpicking it had such a great tone to it plus it had a beautiful sustain. It was an absolute bargain. It sounding a lot better then some of the guitars costing double the price.
It was a Tanglewood Twr D II part of the Roadstar series.

After letting the staff have a strum of the guitar so I can sit back and have a listen I purchased it. A bargain for under £200.
They always say ' trust your ears.' lol
Dave

[beatcomber]

$174 here in the US:



Features
Solid cedar top with mahogany back/sides - delivers a warm and rich tone
Natural satin finish feels smooth and tactile
Eboncore fingerboard - CITES friendly and gives an even response
Dreadnought body style


Specifications
Body & Bridge
Body Shape: Dreadnought
Top Material: Cedar
Back/Sides Material: Mahogany
Binding: ABS black/white
Bridge: Black Walnut
Finish: Natural Satin
Neck & Fingerboard
Neck Material: Mahogany
Fingerboard Material: Eboncore
Saddle: ABS ivory
Nut: ABS white
Nut Width: 43 mm
Scale Length: 650 mm
Hardware & Electronics
Machine Heads: Chrome die cast
Electronics: n/a
Bridge Pins: ABS ivory with black dots
Strings: Phosphor bronze 12-53 gauge

[Muddslide]

I have lost so many fine instruments to theft and natural disaster (in fact, my family lost everything in a flood in 2010) that I am now wary of buying and owning things high in value, or in fact owning much of anything. My possessions are very minimal, on purpose.

I turn 50 next week, have some health issues that have made my ability to play instruments intermittent at best and I have a lot of obligations and responsibilities without the financial standing to adequately take care of those priorities and have a lot of leisure cash.

So for me, while I dream of a Lowden or a vintage Gibson, and I have been blessed to have owned some very fine guitars, henceforth I just can't see myself owning anything over the $500 mark, and more likely half that.

My current (and only) guitar is an Ibanez PN-15 I bought almost two years ago. It's a $150 guitar (!) but it got me back into playing after a two year hiatus (though I've been playing since '77) AND I credit it with saving my sanity--if not my life--during a very dark, difficult time.

That makes it priceless to me.

Beyond that, hey--it is a darn decent guitar. I'm amazed at what you can get for low coin these days, thanks to CNC machines and the like.

***DISCLAIMER: I do not mean any of this to come across as reverse snobbery or to imply "Well, my offshore El Cheapo guitar is just as good as any $3000 acoustic!"

That's nonsense.

Moreover, I absolutely believe a person should buy and enjoy whatever they wish. That is nobody else's business.

I love coming on here and seeing all the truly wonderful, gorgeous instruments people own--the great "family pics" of their herds or stables, the NGDs, the signatures that list their beloved instruments and the build threads where a luthier is commissioned to create an heirloom-worthy work of art. All of that truly excites me and makes me happy for the person (and often make me drool with guitar lust.)

I'm not gigging for now, and only doing some home recording, so I don't have a need for a higher quality instrument at the moment, nor do I think my current skills and abilities (which have diminished some due to health issues and time spent away from playing regularly) warrant a great expenditure.

It's a wonderful thing there are good-to-outstanding guitars to be had at nearly any price point these days.

For a hack like me, it's a godsend. I well remember how 30-odd years ago, budget instruments were often unplayable junk. That's not really the case anymore.

[davidd]

I've played a c.1980 Ibanez 627 that they have at Gryphon a few times. What a killer dread for cheap $$$. Solid spruce top with supposedly lam back & sides but the inside grain matches the outside grain perfectly so it looks all solid from what I can see. Fabulous chunky neck. Anyway it plays and sounds fantastic and reminds me of a 50's or 60's D18. Big tone, both dry and sweet. If I didn't have so many I would snap her up.

[GangstaPat]

I'm with you guys 100%. I have been blessed to be able to afford some high dollar guitars but the sub $500 category is where it's at. I lost a house to a storm a few years ago and miraculously most of my guitars survived... Okay, really I rushed in after the storm and pulled out/dried off all of my guitars. I am always finding quality guitars for a couple hundred dollars and I often end up liking them as much or more than my $5,000 plus guitars. When insurance put the house back together I sold it and bought a smaller place. Having around 30 guitars at the time I was forced to make some hard choices due to space limitations. Some of those $300 guitars displaced $3000 and $5000 guitars.

[Muddslide]

Originally Posted by GangstaPat

I'm with you guys 100%. I have been blessed to be able to afford some high dollar guitars but the sub $500 category is where it's at. I lost a house to a storm a few years ago and miraculously most of my guitars survived... Okay, really I rushed in after the storm and pulled out/dried off all of my guitars. I am always finding quality guitars for a couple hundred dollars and I often end up liking them as much or more than my $5,000 plus guitars. When insurance put the house back together I sold it and bought a smaller place. Having around 30 guitars at the time I was forced to make some hard choices due to space limitations. Some of those $300 guitars displaced $3000 and $5000 guitars.

My sympathies for your losses. I completely understand where you are coming from. I had that flood that destroyed more nice instruments and other music gear than I care to bring to mind anymore.

Then, when I did get a few decent instruments after that my own ex-wife (a gambling addict who never worked in our 21 years of marriage) and her son (a drug addict) stole anything of value I had and pawned or sold it off.

After all that, I have some PTSD regarding valuable possessions and their susceptibility to loss.

I also move around a lot, or used to, and that can be hard on nicer things.

But now I'm with the most amazing and beautiful Lady ever, who is very supportive and encouraging, and was once a semi-pro vocalist, and we have settled in a town we expect to spend the rest of our lives in. We plan to buy a home next year.

Perhaps once we have that stability and more fluid finances, I'll treat myself to a super nice instrument again!

However, something in the back of my mind nags to me that I am not good enough to justify a great expense, I would have no more fun or satisfaction from a $3000 guitar over a $300 one, and one costing ten times more won't make me a better player, so who knows...

[TDavis]

Just bought a Yamaha FG830 from a Reverb seller. It was NOS, and a floor model...and I got it for a steal. Let's say, under $250 shipped. It is supposed to be for my stepson to learn on...but it sounds amazing and plays great. I think it's pretty beautiful too. I'm not saying it sounds as good as a $5000 Martin...but it's the best thing I've ever heard for the money, or even close to it. Heck, I might have to pick one up. I've bought, sold & traded many expensive guitars...and I still basically suck as a player, so why invest in the high price spread?

[C_Becker]

Got myself an Epiphone AJ220 earlier this year.
Slope shoulders, long scale , satin neck and solid spruce top for 150 bucks - absolute no-brainer. The tuners were crap, but that's to be expected in that price range.
Everything else is pretty good, in fact better than the price would suggest.

[GangstaPat]

Originally Posted by C_Becker

Got myself an Epiphone AJ220 earlier this year.
Slope shoulders, long scale , satin neck and solid spruce top for 150 bucks - absolute no-brainer. The tuners were crap, but that's to be expected in that price range.
Everything else is pretty **** good, in fact better than the price would suggest.

I had one of these at about half what you paid. Excellent guitar but I just could not get along with the tuners. When I evaluated the price of new tuners I just decided to move on.

[GangstaPat]

Originally Posted by Muddslide

My sympathies for your losses. I completely understand where you are coming from. I had that flood that destroyed more nice instruments and other music gear than I care to bring to mind anymore.

Then, when I did get a few decent instruments after that my own ex-wife (a gambling addict who never worked in our 21 years of marriage) and her son (a drug addict) stole anything of value I had and pawned or sold it off.

After all that, I have some PTSD regarding valuable possessions and their susceptibility to loss.

I also move around a lot, or used to, and that can be hard on nicer things.

But now I'm with the most amazing and beautiful Lady ever, who is very supportive and encouraging, and was once a semi-pro vocalist, and we have settled in a town we expect to spend the rest of our lives in. We plan to buy a home next year.

Perhaps once we have that stability and more fluid finances, I'll treat myself to a super nice instrument again!

However, something in the back of my mind nags to me that I am not good enough to justify a great expense, I would have no more fun or satisfaction from a $3000 guitar over a $300 one, and one costing ten times more won't make me a better player, so who knows...

Man! That story hurts me even. In TX once you marry what's yours becomes hers and she can take it out in the back yard and burn it with absolutely no legal repercussions. Even insurance won't help you. So sorry to hear this. I have nightmares about things like this.

[Mayfair]

It really is a great time in history to be a guitar player, isn't it?

[ylekot]

I picked up a Fender FA-100 B-stock off of Reverb a couple weeks ago......paid less than half of the going price for new...I can't find the blemish or issue...

Did a setup and it actually plays and sounds half decent it is my "bug spray" guitar.....

Wish I could have bought the same quality for the same price 30 years ago...maybe I'd know how to actually play the **** thing...

[mr. beaumont]

I think we most definitely live in the golden age of inexpensive quality guitars.

The last 2 guitars I've bought together cost half as much as the ONE guitar I bought a few years before, and they're both an absolute blast to play.

[vindibona1]

I play test a lot of guitar just for fun and often find guitars that are incredible for very little money. Every now and again you'll see a Washburn acoustic for under $400 that will rival $2000 guitars in sound and sometimes even build.

I think my best personal find was a 1981 MIJ Epiphone PR-755s. A girl down the street was selling it and advertised it on CL for a price that I won't share because I may end up having to sell it as I prepare to thin my herd to clear a bedroom for the grandkids. Looks like a D35 and sounds like a D28. Bone nut and saddle with ebony pins to boot!

Here it is, side by side with my D35...

[Muddslide]

Originally Posted by ylekot

...it is my "bug spray" guitar...

Maybe I've just been outta the game too long, but I'd love a little clarification or context here, re: "bug spray guitar."

I've been accused of clearing a dance floor like an exterminator, but that was my electric guitar...