Whats the best "inexpensive" (Under $500) guitar you've ever played?
- Thread starter Mark Wein
- Start date
That was more of a "great deal" since that was a fairly pricey instrument when it was new...thats like my $180 Les Paul. I'm thinking more like a guitar that didn't cost much new...my CV tele is probably that guitar for me at $299 new at GC.
Grave Bomber
Ghoulish Anomaly
Charvel 475 in metallic forest green with EMG's, I think I paid $275 from a forumite on JCF close to a decade ago. Fantastic guitar. Really wish I hadn't had sold it.
sunvalleylaw
Yep.
CVC Tele
VoidTerraFirma
Live to wine
Used Yamahas.
Toasteroven
Toaster 2.0
A Vox SSC33. I was very surprised by its playability, and it was marked down to $499. I didn't plug it in because I didn't want to buy it and get in trouble.
Knox in Box
Rustbelt refugee.
My BaCh strat is fab, plays good, sounds fantastic and was only 107 euros brand new. So yes, that would be it.
Guitar Heel
Demented Trick
VM Jazzy...
Guitar Heel
Demented Trick
Yeah, my @gile AL 2000 (that I bought new for $159) and the SE One (which I bought used for $300, not sure what the price is new) are right behind the Squier. Though my $150 Harmony was also a killer deal... Cheap gear is fun! Expensive gear is fun!
billybilly
Little Hot Wing
I think it has to be a new guitar or it belongs in another thread. Anyway, I find the PRS SE line on a whole to be pretty damn good for what you pay.
Virtual Pariah
Kick Henry Jackassowski
New?
MIM Std Strats/Teles.
PRS SEs (though they are getting to the for the top end of bang for buck)
Things that should not be named.
MIM Std Strats/Teles.
PRS SEs (though they are getting to the for the top end of bang for buck)
Things that should not be named.
I'll amend the OP to $500 and under.
GAS Man
State of Imbalance
The first guitar I bought/own that fits this category is the Squier Telecaster Custom II. I bought it brand new for $169.99
Frankly, at first I didn't like it. The knobs felt cheap and the P-90s seemed to have more cycle buzz to them than most SC - 90s
BUT it really grew on me. Oh, and I didn't care for the big volute at the end of the neck either. It felt like a speed bump at first, but I got used to it being there and adapted.
What I like about it is the tone (and there's nothing wrong with its playability). But the guitar really has 3 distinct characters depending upon the p'up selector, from bitey to jazzy to twangy in the middle. It's also a rugged guitar so no worries tossing it in the trunk of your car and heading off to a far away jam session. Usually I'm no fan of Duncan Designed p'ups, but these P-90s have some pretty decent tone.
More recently I'd say the Fender Modern Player Marauder.
At $299.99 on MF's SDOTD (which they've had twice) it's a very nice playing versatile guitar. I had to adjust the trem and adjust the p'up heights to get the best tone and output balance out of them, but once I did that it's been my "go to" guitar for home playing since it arrived (and that's all I've been doing since it arrived). Even adjusting the trem to where it floated seemed to improve the tone from when it cam out of the box. Gave it a bit more resonance that when it was screwed down to the point of being a hartail.
The Jazzmaster neck p'up is my fave, the SC-neck + SC bridge does what you'd expect as well as the SC bridge or humbucker mode. The Tribucker mode is a surprise because it's lower output than the HB mode and has a softer more vibey tone, not nearly as hard sounding as the HB mode. Great looking git IMO, so not much not to like for 3 bills. If you gotta pay the regular price of 4 bills when not on sale or to get the blue version, I'd still say it's worthy. Best MIC guitar I've bought so far.
Frankly, at first I didn't like it. The knobs felt cheap and the P-90s seemed to have more cycle buzz to them than most SC - 90s
BUT it really grew on me. Oh, and I didn't care for the big volute at the end of the neck either. It felt like a speed bump at first, but I got used to it being there and adapted.
What I like about it is the tone (and there's nothing wrong with its playability). But the guitar really has 3 distinct characters depending upon the p'up selector, from bitey to jazzy to twangy in the middle. It's also a rugged guitar so no worries tossing it in the trunk of your car and heading off to a far away jam session. Usually I'm no fan of Duncan Designed p'ups, but these P-90s have some pretty decent tone.
More recently I'd say the Fender Modern Player Marauder.
At $299.99 on MF's SDOTD (which they've had twice) it's a very nice playing versatile guitar. I had to adjust the trem and adjust the p'up heights to get the best tone and output balance out of them, but once I did that it's been my "go to" guitar for home playing since it arrived (and that's all I've been doing since it arrived). Even adjusting the trem to where it floated seemed to improve the tone from when it cam out of the box. Gave it a bit more resonance that when it was screwed down to the point of being a hartail.
The Jazzmaster neck p'up is my fave, the SC-neck + SC bridge does what you'd expect as well as the SC bridge or humbucker mode. The Tribucker mode is a surprise because it's lower output than the HB mode and has a softer more vibey tone, not nearly as hard sounding as the HB mode. Great looking git IMO, so not much not to like for 3 bills. If you gotta pay the regular price of 4 bills when not on sale or to get the blue version, I'd still say it's worthy. Best MIC guitar I've bought so far.