Your Favorite Budget Guitar?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Bad.Seed
  • Start date Start date
They’re not in production anymore, but the Ibanez SZ series. I have an SZ320, bought it new for $500 and the thing fuckin’ rips. Built like a tank, has an S body (more so than not) but is thick like an LP, setneck, all mahogany, fixed bridge. I literally threw mine across a room about 20 feet and the only thing that happened was the tone knob shoved into the body a bit.

They pop up used for $150-250 these days. Nice C-shaped neck, certainly nothing close to a standard Wizard neck, but not nearly as chunky as an LP neck.
 
my LP Jr (in my avatar pic).

Got such a smoking deal on it. and it just feel like a rock n' roll machine!
 
ok so a guy (sorta) near me has a 2014 LP Studio (not the Pro). comes with a Gibson hard case... asking 580$

i've not seen it nor touched it, but assuming it "works"... the pictures don't appear to show it beat up.

Is this a good deal? seems like it, for a LP, even though those particular models aren't highly sought-after.
 
MrDowntown":20yyycnr said:
ok so a guy (sorta) near me has a 2014 LP Studio (not the Pro). comes with a Gibson hard case... asking 580$

i've not seen it nor touched it, but assuming it "works"... the pictures don't appear to show it beat up.

Is this a good deal? seems like it, for a LP, even though those particular models aren't highly sought-after.
Click to expand...

2014-2015 can be really iffy fme.

I only go 2010 and prior or 2019 and newer. JMO
 
swamptrashstompboxes":1q5dox3e said:
MrDowntown":1q5dox3e said:
ok so a guy (sorta) near me has a 2014 LP Studio (not the Pro). comes with a Gibson hard case... asking 580$

i've not seen it nor touched it, but assuming it "works"... the pictures don't appear to show it beat up.

Is this a good deal? seems like it, for a LP, even though those particular models aren't highly sought-after.
Click to expand...

2014-2015 can be really iffy fme.

I only go 2010 and prior or 2019 and newer. JMO
Click to expand...
Or even older.

I am no LP Pro but I had a Studio and did a bit of research. the guys I talked to would say your deal is horrible and you are insane if you buy that.

I think mid 90s studios are the cream of the crop if I am not mistaken and $500 is a good price. I paid $550 for mine but it had thornbuckers and aftermarket guard. I was still told I was insnane for buying at that price because it had a repaired headstock but it was solid and I did not mind. YMMV
 
maddnotez":2pcqaywx said:
swamptrashstompboxes":2pcqaywx said:
MrDowntown":2pcqaywx said:
ok so a guy (sorta) near me has a 2014 LP Studio (not the Pro). comes with a Gibson hard case... asking 580$

i've not seen it nor touched it, but assuming it "works"... the pictures don't appear to show it beat up.

Is this a good deal? seems like it, for a LP, even though those particular models aren't highly sought-after.
Click to expand...

2014-2015 can be really iffy fme.

I only go 2010 and prior or 2019 and newer. JMO
Click to expand...
Or even older.

I am no LP Pro but I had a Studio and did a bit of research. the guys I talked to would say your deal is horrible and you are insane if you buy that.

I think mid 90s studios are the cream of the crop if I am not mistaken and $500 is a good price. I paid $550 for mine but it had thornbuckers and aftermarket guard. I was still told I was insnane for buying at that price because it had a repaired headstock but it was solid and I did not mind. YMMV
Click to expand...

Mid 90's were the best. Hands down.

I would only go pre 2010 the older the better IMO.

The new current ones are great though.
 
I have 3, a Yamaha PAC 611 HFM that I got an awesome deal on, a thrift store Robson Chinese strat copy that plays amazingly well, just needs a new bridge and it will be pretty fantastic and an LTD MH1000 Evertune which was a factory second due to some cosmetic issues. Swapped the 81 and the 85, set it up in D standard and it's a pretty ripping metal guitar
 
I recently picked up this PRS SE "Torero" guitar off of Reverb. Sub $500 ... not sure what the new price was, but this thing has a set neck, ebony board, Floyd, EMGs and pretty nice red, PRS gig bag. I could play this one all day long.
 
RevDrucifer":8w2mtexm said:
They’re not in production anymore, but the Ibanez SZ series. I have an SZ320, bought it new for $500 and the thing fuckin’ rips. Built like a tank, has an S body (more so than not) but is thick like an LP, setneck, all mahogany, fixed bridge. I literally threw mine across a room about 20 feet and the only thing that happened was the tone knob shoved into the body a bit.

They pop up used for $150-250 these days. Nice C-shaped neck, certainly nothing close to a standard Wizard neck, but not nearly as chunky as an LP neck.
Click to expand...

I agree. I have an SZ520QM. The neck joint is awesome. I had an Epi LP Custom too and I kept the Ibanez.

My other favorite "budget" guitar is a PRS SE 245.
 
Didn't they stop making SE for a while after 2011? Seems I saw an Anderson's video saying as much.

Anyway...is there anything in the (say) 2011's and earlier models that make them better or worse than a newer model?
 
I think the fixed bridge Charvel ProMod and/or DK's are an awesome guitar for the price.
 
MrDowntown":10ypaqbq said:
Didn't they stop making SE for a while after 2011? Seems I saw an Anderson's video saying as much.

Anyway...is there anything in the (say) 2011's and earlier models that make them better or worse than a newer model?
Click to expand...

Upon a bit of reading, i've learned It's really a Korean manuf SE vs an Indonesian manuf SE... in which case...a lot of opinions fall in the "Korean is better" camp. Phillip McKnight (i believe) opined the Korean luthiers had equaled/surpassed the Japanese
 
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