cheap guitar question
GreenTeaDisease
Posts: 3,359
is an epiphone worth the $165 or whatever or should I spring the extra $100 for a squire? I had a squire when I was a kid, they are nice little guitars. but I like the les paul-like shape of the epiphones.
Post edited by Unknown User on
0
Comments
JEFF HARDY AND JEFF AMENT USED TO LOOK THE SAME
"Pearl Jam always eases my mind and fires me up at the same time.”-Jeff Hardy
not sure yet, just started thinking about it. poked my nose into the guitar shop on the way home yesterday to look at prices.
good guitar for the money.. not great, but good
When I bought my epi dot I played every dot I could find in the 4 music shops near me. They ranged a hell of a lot, and one was head and shoulders above the rest so I got that one. Of the dozen or so I tried, 3 or 4 of them were really really terrible guitars. So there really is no black and white answer.
'06 - London, Dublin, Reading
'07 - Katowice, Wembley, Dusseldorf, Copenhagen, Nijmegen
'09 - London, Manchester, London
'12 - Manchester, Manchester, Berlin, Stockholm, Copenhagen
hmm this is true. But I haven't played guitar in a good 10 years so I may not know what sounds good.
One good way of checking the quality of the wood in a guitar is to strum the guitar and then hold the guitar up by it's body. With a decent guitar you should be able to feel some resonance. Try it with a few cheap guitars and you're bound to find a few that don't resonate at all, those ones you want to avoid at all costs.
'06 - London, Dublin, Reading
'07 - Katowice, Wembley, Dusseldorf, Copenhagen, Nijmegen
'09 - London, Manchester, London
'12 - Manchester, Manchester, Berlin, Stockholm, Copenhagen
good tip, thanks. I've never actually bought one myself before.
I also agree that before you pick one, you should try as many as you can. Things to look for:
-String Tension: if the guitar is tuned up normally and the strings feel tense, it may not be the best fit between the neck, nut, and bridge. Electrics are designed to have a little less tension so you can make bends. Try bending all the strings at the twelfth fret and compare how much effort it takes. Also the action (height of the strings from the fretboard) should be small, close enough so it doesn't take a great deal of effort to make chords or press a string, but not small enough so the strings will sometimes hit upper frets and buzz.
-Intonation: The notes at each of the frets should be as close to their names as possible. What I mean by this is if you play the low E string, it should read an E when tuned properly. When you pluck it at the twelfth fret, it should also read an E (one octave higher). A properly set up guitar to begin with should exhibit this behavior (Check all the strings this way). This and the above problem may be solved by a professional set up by a guitar tech, but what you're looking for is the guitar that doesn't need all that work to begin with.
-Comfort: Some guitars just feel comfortable to play. Try it sitting down, and standing up with a strap at a length that feels good to you. Another important thing for me is the neck. Stratocaster type necks feel most comfortable to me, I can play them anywhere and they fit right in my hand. Les Paul necks are a bit bulkier and can be awkward, but I still own one for hard rock and power chord stuff.
-Finish: Some guitars get damaged in shipping (even supposed "new" ones at guitar shops) so inspect each one carefully. You don't want to pay full price for a guitar with cosmetic blemishes. If looks don't bother you that much, you still may be able to get a discount on one of these "blems." Check the front, back, sides, binding and fretboard for scratches and dents.
-Pickups: Most lower level guitars (Squiers and Epiphones) have average pickups installed stock. Some may sound better than others, so you really just have to go by ear on this one. (I've played a $200 Squier Tele that sounded better than a $600 Schecter.) Try all the guitars on a similar amp (or the same amp if at all possible) so you know the differences are in the guitars, not the amp.
7/9/06 LA 1
7/10/06 LA 2
10/21/06 Bridge 1
Most likely you're talking about a cheap Epi like a Special-II - if that's the case, naaa it's not worth it.
Now if we're talking about a Studio, Standard, Classic, Custom, Ultra, or Elitist - then yeah, go for it.
- Ian
<b><font color="red">CONTACT ME HERE</font>: www.myspace.com/ianvomsaal</b>
♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫
I'd like to upgrade the pickups sometime, but it sounds fine as is.....plus I need to play more to justify upgrading.
Oh come on now. If you're serious about it they'll be supportive.
well I mentioned it to my mother and she already made fun of me. they don't need to know for a while
yeah I realize a $200 guitar isn't gonna be anything great, but I'm just trying to not make any big purchases right now. you make a good point that you can do a lot better for $400. maybe I'll just wait for a while and play the guitar I have and then think about it.
Personally I think the best reason to buy a Fender or Gibson product is resale value, something that is often of questionable relevance in the $200-$300 price range. Sometimes a guitar from a lesser known brand will be made from the same contractor in China/Indonesia/India or Korea. While Gibson may own its own Chinese factory, not all of their Chinese guitars are made there.
By buying a used copy by a brand like Yamaha, Cort or Greg Bennett (Samick) you might get a little bit more guitar for the same money. (i.e something more intermediate grade.) About a decade ago Cort and Samick actually produced most of the world's guitars under contract. Try everything, don't limit yourself to Squire and Epiphone, but don't rule them out either.
Finally, a Strat copy is usually more faithful to the original design than a Les Paul copy at $200-$300, as it is a cheaper design to begin with. The Gibson style guitars in the same price range are often compromised with incorrect wood, a flat top, bolt-on neck etc.
well trust me, the guitar I have is way, way, way more guitar than I need. I've always felt guilty about even having it. I don't need the best wood to sit in my apartment and try to remember what a D chord is...