Inexpensive guitars

[rsm]

I'm really surprised with a few inexpensive guitars I've purchased this year:

Squier Vintage Modified Jaguar in surf green, new from SW. I have Fender MIJ Jag and Marr Jag for comparison, and it's a fine guitar stock for the price IMO.

BC Rich Avenge SOB, great no frills guitar, pickup is the weakest part but still usable. I have BC Rich Schuldiner sig Stealth with a DiMarzio X2N (which I dig), and want to try something different. I have a Lace Alumitone humbucker I plan to put into it when I get around to it. New, $199 shipped.

Jackson JS32 Warrior Snow White, another excellent guitar for the price. A quick tune-up, intonation and floating bridge were spot-on from the factory...took me longer to get the trem cover off the back (had to drill a hole, then dremmel'd it to fit). Stock pickups are fine, but I purchased this to modify; hate the rosewood look on it, though dark I plan to ebonize it to make it darker...considering a pair of Lace Deathbuckers once I see how the Alumitone Humbucker works in the Avenge SOB.

Anyone else finding inexpensive guitars that surprise you / you dig?

 

[311boogieman]

Pretty much love my Schecter C1+

Had to swap out the pickups though but it has that certain 'feel' that fits me very well.

 

[indespise]

There are a ton of relatively inexpensive guitars that are really good. If the fretwork is good, a good setup and some aftermarket pickups will go a really long way. Get up around the $600 mark and you can often get quality hardware and pickups right out of the box, especially if you're after a fixed bridge.

 

[MrDowntown]

It's not in the 300-400 price range for a NIB, but I'm pleased with my 600$ Charvel. I've got a little into it with a new EVH pup in the bridge, but still, the neck, frets,..all really nicely done.

My local mom and pop has a Squire affinity Telecaster, bright orange w/ RW board. The fret work is phenomenal for what it is. It plays well, and sounds pretty damn spanking for a Squire.

Deal I should have taken...local mom and pop had a (traded) Silvertone Fastback (like pictured), for $100...out the door! That little guitar absolutely fucking smoked! The board/frets were dressed nicely, the neck was a good shape and felt really smooth. It stayed in tune pretty well after several EVH licks in a row...not bad as it has no lock nut, but a dive bridge. I went back to buy it a week later and a mom had just walked out with it for her 8 yo kid. Little bastage is getting a hell of guitar.

 

[mooncobra]

kiesel aries, fretwork is perfect, neck great, pickups surprisingly bad ass(great for clean and high gain and all in between), its high quality. anyhow, I have seen them used for really cheap. a used aries at a great price would be hard to beat.

 

[IndyWS6]

I bought a Peavey guitar off of Amazon for $53. Shipped. Because it had a "Superhero" paint job. My intention was to hang it on the wall in my "studio" because it looked cool, but it F'n rawks. It looks cool, stays in tune and the humbucker pickup is hotter than Hades. It's fun as shit to play.

I'm thinking about ripping off a massive clusterfuck of a solo and then jamming it in the false ceiling of a club before walking away and leaving it hanging...

 

[moltenmetalburn]

I bought a b stock squire VM jazz bass as i am a lefty. Paid $175 for it. Gutted the ENTIRE damn thing.

Had graphite nut installed, new frets and level, fralin pickups, master blend pot, hipshot bridge and tuners and wired the bass up with solid silver wire.

I then toured the world with it in two different bands twice. Because my headstock has been sanded blank and people love the way it sounds I have never had more compliments over a piece of gear, ever.

Probably have about half of what an american fender costs into it. $600-$700.

I cant find any reason to buy a "better" bass.

 

[mchn13]

Ltd ec256 that I paid less than $300 for. I got a stupid deal on a set of Bkp painkillers, and had my local guy level the frets and touch up the nut. (I would do that with my gibbos)
Still gotta get some locking tuners at some point, but this thing kills.

 

[Jeff Hilligan]

It's not in the 300-400 price range for a NIB, but I'm pleased with my 600$ Charvel. I've got a little into it with a new EVH pup in the bridge, but still, the neck, frets,..all really nicely done.

My local mom and pop has a Squire affinity Telecaster, bright orange w/ RW board. The fret work is phenomenal for what it is. It plays well, and sounds pretty damn spanking for a Squire.

Deal I should have taken...local mom and pop had a (traded) Silvertone Fastback (like pictured), for $100...out the door! That little guitar absolutely fucking smoked! The board/frets were dressed nicely, the neck was a good shape and felt really smooth. It stayed in tune pretty well after several EVH licks in a row...not bad as it has no lock nut, but a dive bridge. I went back to buy it a week later and a mom had just walked out with it for her 8 yo kid. Little bastage is getting a hell of guitar.

Cool looking guitar

 

[mudf00t]

I bought a G&L ASAT Classic tele (indonesian) when Musician Friend had it as The Stupid Deal of the day ($299)... first tele I have ever liked to play and now I can't put it down.

 

[scottosan]

Been wanting to try a Chapman guitar

 

[mooncobra]

Been wanting to try a Chapman guitar

I would like to try that model that dude rocco plays, this one

https://www.riffcityguitaroutlet.com/pr ... th-gig-bag

who the hell is rabea? does rob chapman just give his friends signature models? rocco plays this model and rips on it and it sounds good, although he could have had some work done on it, and a pickup change maybe? I thin some chapmans come with crappy Korean pickups. I think these are made at the same factory as schecter.

 

[Progbusters]

I'm currently rocking my Epiphone LS100. Its a solid piece of wood, wider fretboard, and sounds great. I upgraded components though. Its the next guitar model up from the one demoe'd here. about $200

 

[4406cuda]

Epiphone 335 Pro. $400 New

Put in a pair of Seth Lover Pickups, new Electronics, new tuners, had a pro set up the guitar. For around $750 total, I am getting 90% of the quality of a Gibson 335 that costs more than 3 times the amount.

 

[JackBootedThug]

ec1000ct....300 local. after tweaking the action it kills. just not an emg guy now...

 

[JakeAC5253]

Depends on what you define as "cheap." Globally cheap "couple hundred bucks" or relatively cheap "if I got this from a different maker, it would have cost a couple hundred more at least." I def give props to my Agile Intrepid 828 for being a damn fine instrument for relatively cheap. It's maybe not "cheap" at $800, but where else can you get an 8 string, mahogany body, maple fretboard, neck thru, 24 fret, 28.6" scale guitar with a unique body shape and beautiful natural finish that sounds and feels great to play for that much? I want to buy the 7 and 6 string versions too now. Pretty much had the reaction "well, this is the guitar I'm playing forever now."

Image too big for board.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/883 ... 193755.jpg

 

[Devilinside]

Love my Hag!

 

[Steinmetzify]

Charvel Model 1, picked it up in a trade and the thing stuck around for almost two years because it was a monster player. Sold it off recently because too many guitars:

Untitled by Lord Funktfied, on Flickr

Ibanez RGIB6 baritone....chucked the EMGs they stock em with, did up a guard and threw a Warpig in there. Monster guitar for around $500 used:

RGIB6 Redo by Lord Funktfied, on Flickr

MIJ EVH Stealth hardtail.....these are sick guitars for the money, I grabbed this as NOS for like $500 because it was supposedly blemished....but I never found it:

Untitled by Lord Funktfied, on Flickr

This one came to me in pieces...I saw this posted on a forum one night as a body, neck and bridge for shipping costs...dude just wanted it gone. Cost me around $26. I used it like this for a while:

Star1 by Lord Funktfied, on Flickr

Eventually turned it into this:

Untitled by Lord Funktfied, on Flickr

I have a few guitars that cost $2k or more, but this cheap shit is where I live....I drag these things all over town to jams, house parties, loan em out to friends etc....got a great guy here in town that is the best tech in our state, dude sets all these things up for me and they play fantastic. No fucks.

 

[mooncobra]

Love my Hag!

I love your Wizard!!!

 

[Tone Zone]

I picked up a brand new PRS S2 Singlecut Standard Satin for $725 during BF. Swapped out the bridge pickup for a Tremonti treble pickup and it sounds huge! I've been jamming on Alter Bridge songs for hours today. I love the PRS S2’s, particularly the Satin models...as long as you can get them for the right price. I scored a new S2 Cu24 Satin for $700 back when they were initially released. I particularly like the necks on the S2’s more than most other PRS models...more narrow nut width than the wide PRS necks and a decent thickness. Good guitars for the money IMHO.