"For the Money" Pffft

[WFO!]

I am finding that more things annoy me a bit as I get older. Not that I am at the "get off my lawn"! phase yet. Don't ask me about the over use of the word outrage <shudder>.

[frankmcr]

Originally Posted by WFO!

- Just a bit of a pet peeve.

We all have 'em.

Recommended procedure:

1 - get it off your chest

2- move on

[Riverwolf]

Originally Posted by WFO!

I am finding that more things annoy me a bit as I get older.

Yeah, mostly people...

[The Kid!]

The word "beloved," bothers me in a sales ad. It's not a friend, lover, or family member. It's probably not even an heirloom. If you're selling it, I don't think you really appreciate what that word means.

[jhmulkey]

Originally Posted by The Kid!

The word "beloved," bothers me in a sales ad. It's not a friend, lover, or family member. It's probably not even an heirloom. If you're selling it, I don't think you really appreciate what that word means.

I remember when I was learning German in high school and corresponding with a German high school student in writing, that he corrected me on the use of the verb to love (lieben) for inanimate objects or ideas (I believe I had said I love music). He said Germans are not nearly as liberal in their use of that term as Americans (and others) are. It's reserved for people you truly love deeply, not as a synonym for "like" or even "really like."

[KevWind]

I find as I get older things tend to bother me less ( or maybe I just care less what other people do or say )

[buddyhu]

I agree with OP. We should ban the use of the phrase, “for the money”. Rather than saying, “your Epiphone is a great guitar for the money”, we should be more direct. Just say: “My Martin is a better guitar; you’d be a lot happier if you bought one like mine.”

[jhmulkey]

Originally Posted by buddyhu

I agree with OP. We should ban the use of the phrase, “for the money”. Rather than saying, “your Epiphone is a great guitar for the money”, we should be more direct. Just say: “My Martin is a better guitar; you’d be a lot happier if you bought one like mine.”

Exactly! What could possibly go wrong?

[tbeltrans]

After participating in the Black Friday fisticuffs at Walmart, I may have a black eye, but I will definitely be able to say that I got a great TV for the money.



Tony

[TBman]

Originally Posted by WFO!

This phrase has started to rub me the wrong way - "For the money". Can't we just say a guitar is a nice guitar without this pre qualification? This term is constantly thrown around every time someone posts about new guitar or asks a question about any typically mid priced brand (insert brand name here). Having said that I own a couple Epi Masterbilts and L Series Yamaha along with an HD28. The Masterbilt/Yamaha are the daily players and in all fairness are set up better and easier to play than the HD28. But having said that, they sound fantastic! No need to say "for the money" here. Just a bit of a pet peeve.

Yeah, but it's kind of like a way of saying something didn't cost an arm & a leg without actually saying it and admitting that it won't beat something costing a lot more.

[KevWind]

Elvis's thoughts on "for the money"

[Glennwillow]

I have used "for the money" once or twice in my responses to discussions. It's like saying, the guitar is a good value.

I think I have used that expression (for the money) in describing the Guild GAD-30R that I bought maybe 10 years ago to keep at my daughter's house on the other side of the country. It's an OM size guitar, solid spruce over solid rosewood, with some very nice inlays. It sounds really good, is a real pleasure to play, and for the $740 I paid for it, it is an excellent value. So for the money, it's a killer guitar and a wonderful guitar to play when I am visiting my daughter. Put new strings on that thing and I am happy for a week or 10-day visit.

But when I get back home, I am delighted to pick up my Olson SJ or my Sheppard GA or my Santa Cruz FS or OM/PW. They sound even better. Then again, these guitars cost a whole lot more than $740.

So the GAD-30R is a very good guitar for the $740 I paid for it 10 years ago.

I don't mean to insult anyone. I am just qualifying things, which I tend to do a lot as an engineer. It seems to be part of my training. You know,... everything is relative.

- Glenn

[Basalt Beach]

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

I have used "for the money" once or twice in my responses to discussions. It's like saying, the guitar is a good value.

I don't mean to insult anyone. I am just qualifying things, which I tend to do a lot as an engineer. It seems to be part of my training. You know,... everything is relative.

+1, I've even stated->"for the price point, it is an excellent guitar" My better half said it best, "it is what it is" and when we state something publicly, "all the world is a critic, and I am their playwright"

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by KevWind

Elvis's thoughts on "for the money"

Yes, it is definitely good to have more than one guitar...

One for the money..two for the show, so one less expensive model that is a good guitar for the money...and one expensive guitar for the show (look what I got!!!!).

Tony

[jseth]

After playing acoustic guitar for 60 years, and being a singer/songwriter/guitarist in bars, restaurants, coffeehouses, bigger stages and the like... I have come to know a fair bit about the acoustic guitar. I've certainly noticed differences between less expensive and more expensive ones.

Therre's a local shop here in town, Bullfrog Music. The owner is a good player and a great tech, and he's run a successful retail music store in this town over the past 25 years or so... point is, he knows his market and he knows price points very well.

He doesn't get many "high end" acoustics in there, maybe two or three vs. the other 60 or so acoustics on the wall. He is a Breedlove "Dealer of Distinction", and, as such, he gets a LOT of various models of the Breedlove line. Through that store, I've played a whole bunch of those "for the money" guitars of which you speak.

I've played a few of the Discovery Series Concert models that were really nice guitars for $299... and I would have loved to get one when I was shopping for my first "real" acoustic. I prefer a few of the less expensive Discovery Series to the ones in the next +$400 range.

He has begun carrying the Alvarez line, and they happen to make three or four guitars at the $500~ range that I feel are VERY nice. One in particular is a cedar-topped, laminate walnut b/s model that, brand new, is warm, articulate, loud and nicely finished. Hard to believe that a guitar like that is $500!

The Alvarez rep brought in only one of this other model, a Master Class something or other... but THAT guitar was astonishing! ALL solid woods, mahogany and spruce, traditional dreadnought with a sort of herringbone purfling... pretty much a "Wanna Be" Martin D-18... except... this thing was louder than a cannon! Responsive to fingerpicking and enormous with a flatpick. Played better, sounded better felt better than any Martin I have played in decades. And the thing was brand new! Lord knows how it's gonna sound when it realizes it's a guitar and not just pieces of wood... and the thing was $550!!!

I'm fortunate to own two hand made acoustic 6 string guitars; one, my Mark Angus F-40, was built for me in 1979. The other is Goodall Grand Concert, made for me by James and Luke in Fort Bragg. Both of these are exemplary acoustic guitars in their own rights.

For me to say that a $299 guitar is on a level with a $2,000 guitar would not be true, it just isn't. There is not a laminate wood guitar I have ever played or heard that can hold a candle to a great acoustic guitar built from all solid woods. I'm not gonna lie or fawn over something if I don't truly believe it, ain't gonna happen, don't care about being "nice" about it.

I'd say, you need to suck it up and love what you until you want something better or different, and then love that... and keep going. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks about your guitar or any guitar... what matters is that YOU are happy and loving what you've got and playing it a bunch.

Once you wake up to the wide world of fine acoustic guitars, you will discern the differences, if you can't already. If you can't? You are REALLY lucky! Because the truth of it is, a hand build by a gifted luthier (not all are, by the way) is going to put you somewhere above that $4,000 mark; if they are known and respected for their work, it's liable to be a whole lot more than that...

So, yeah... that Discovery Series Concert model? It's a REALLY good guitar... for the money.